Soak Up The Sun...

When you work out a lot, muscle soreness is a given. Over the years, I’ve learned to tell the difference between DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), which occurs 24-72 hours after working a muscle, and pain from an injury. But recently, I’d been sore most of the time and a lot more tired after a workout. I chocked it up to getting older, but when I mentioned it to my doctor at a recent physical exam, he tested my vitamin D levels and found that I was deficient (well below 40).

Up until then, I wasn’t aware of all the problems a vitamin D deficiency could cause. Years ago, I wasn’t too worried about things like that. Apparently, D is the only vitamin that doesn’t need to be consumed in food or supplements because our bodies make it when our skin is exposed to direct sunlight. Considering that I spent most of my summer afternoons in high school and college lying by the pool with a foil-covered book to reflect the sun, I’m sure I absorbed enough of it.

But not all sun exposure is the same, and lots of different factors determine how much we absorb. These days, I tend to fear “un-screened” sun exposure, being worried more about melanoma and skin cancer. Even though we still spend time outdoors, most of us are usually slathered in SPF 30 to even SPF 100 sunscreen, making the vitamin D production in our bodies less efficient and even non-existent.

Who knew there would be a need for additional vitamin D? I took a calcium supplement and knew about vitamin D's role in helping the body absorb calcium in order to maintain bone density to prevent osteoporosis. But new research suggests it also helps protect against chronic diseases such as cancer, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, obesity, depression, and autoimmune diseases. Recent studies have also shown that when vitamin D levels drop, we’re more prone to colds and flus!

Vitamin D is the only vitamin that is also a hormone. After vitamin D is made by the skin or eaten, the kidney and liver help to convert it into an active hormone form. As a hormone, it controls calcium absorption to help the body build strong bones and teeth, and it helps maintain muscle strength. After spending all that time working out, you don’t want your strength zapped by vitamin loss.
And when you’re deficient in calcium and vitamin D, your bones can end up breaking down in order to supply enough calcium to the rest of your body. It can also take a toll on more than just your skeleton, causing muscle pain, fatigue and throwing you off emotionally.

Usually, a diet that includes fortified milk and dairy products, fortified orange juice, liver, eggs, and oily fish, along with as little as 10 minutes of exposure a day provides enough D. But sometimes even that isn’t enough, and testing will show if a supplement is needed.

The test, known as a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, is used to determine if bone weakness, bone malformation, or abnormal metabolism of calcium is occurring as a result of a deficiency or excess of vitamin D. The current recommended intake of vitamin D is 200 IU (international units) for those up to age 50; 400 IU for people 51-70; and 600 IU for those older than 70. Requirements increase with age because older skin produces less vitamin D.

The test can be administered by your doctor and there are home tests available as well.

After I got the results, my doctor started me on a 50,000 IU supplement once a week for 12 weeks. I also am trying to spend about 10-15 minutes in the sun without sunscreen 2-3 days a week (my dermatologist says it’s OK!). I’m not experiencing as much muscle soreness as before and I really do have more energy. My last blood test showed improvement with the high dosage supplement bringing my Vitamin D levels up to the almost normal range.

For more information on who is at risk for this deficiency and how Vitamin D helps lessen and prevent a number of conditions, go to:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

Fantastic Voyage...

By now you know I like to talk to people at the gym. Trainers, fitness instructors, whoever is working out next to me; I like to hear what people are doing in their workout and beyond. Although I’ve changed places over the years, I often see many of the same people from gym to gym. With Sandy, we would usually be working out at the same time of day or taking the same classes at my old gym. I ran into her at Lifetime Fitness and we started, again, talking about our workouts, our kids, our clients and how hard we had to work just to try and maintain our fitness level.

Even though she had always seemed very fit and strong to me, Sandy looked stronger and leaner and I asked what she had been doing differently. She told me she was training for 2010 NPC Missouri State Bodybuilding, Figure & Bikini Championship. Her focus was the figure competition. For Sandy, her evolution from a mom who loved to work out to a fully focused competitive athlete has been amazing, inspiring, frustrating, and exhausting, but also, when she looks back, so much fun and worth every minute!

She had taken class after class and boot camp after boot camp and even done a half marathon, but Sandy really started to change her way of thinking and had her first “twinkle” (as she says) after reading the stories of the figure competitors in Oxygen magazine; like Nicole Wilkins Lee, winner of the Pro Women’s Figure nationals and particularly, the story of Tosca Reno. At age 42, with the support of Tosca’s now husband, Robert Kennedy (publisher of the magazine), she entered her first physique contest. Undaunted by the younger competitors, she took fifth place in her class.

Reading about Tosca’s commitment to eating clean, Sandy decided to start the ball rolling by forgoing her evening glass of wine. That led to eating more healthfully and working with both a trainer to build muscle (Chad Frenzel at Lifetime Fitness) and a diet coach (Kit Kitson at In Shape Fitness) to change her eating.



“Chad jumped on the bandwagon. He believed in me even when I didn’t!” she said. Besides working with Sandy in the gym, he came with her to see Kit and coached her like an athlete along the way. She learned to actually reduce cardio times and pace so that she was burning fat rather than muscle. Before this training, she had worked at such a high heart rate, that her body held on to weight. By slowing the rate to about 60% and alternating with some high interval days, Sandy was able to lose 23 pound of fat and put on 3 pounds of muscle.

Kit had her drinking a gallon of water daily, eating every 4 hours, (protein, carbs, and fats. Carbs and protein with every meal) but no refined carbs, and no carbs except vegetables after 3PM. She also had to cut out dairy foods. At first she craved the refined carbs and sugar, but she was allowed a cheat meal on the weekend. She supplemented only with a multi-vitamin, CLA, and 1st Form protein powder. She had to be aware of everything she put into her body. In fact, early on she would have a salad every day for lunch, putting the two containers of dressing that came with it on top. The calories were listed on the cafe’s menu, but when her trainer saw her eating it, he said the dressing looked too thick. He found out that each small ramekin contained over 200 calories, so her “healthy” lunch turned into a meal with more fat and calories than pizza!

The difficulty of staying on such a regimen is to be expected, but Sandy was surprised by the wide range of “opinions” about what she was doing. Many people were afraid she would get “super-masculine” and they had a difficult time understanding why she was competing. She had to explain that it was a “figure” competition, not a female “bodybuilding” competition. There were a lot of comments like, “Who would want to get up on stage in a bikini at our age?” and comments on the foods she would eat, making it particularly difficult in social situations.



In contrast to that, however, was the rock solid support of her husband, Mike and two daughters, Emma, 15 and Caitlin, 12. Mike and the girls saw many breakdowns, but they would be her own personal support group, helping her grill her chicken and making sure she didn’t get off track. The girls would say “You sure you want to eat that?” helping her keep her eye on the goal. She would practice the poses, showing them to her girls for advice. Sandy’s clients (she’s a personal trainer) also cheered her on from week to week. When she started, she weighed 168 pounds and ended between 143-146 pounds. It was hard for Sandy to get over the “stupid scale” and realize although the weight loss didn’t seem that significant, she reached 11% body fat and went from a size 12 to a size 6!

And although the numbers are very impressive, what appears to be vanity is actually empowerment for Sandy. Instead of turning to wine or ice cream Blizzards, she relied on her family support and her own focus to get her through the stressful times. She believes what she changed on the outside should really show others how she feels on the inside. Sandy didn’t know if she’d actually like the competition, but she loved the journey!!

The whole experience brought her closer to her husband and her girls. Although she was nervous before getting on stage at the competition, when she saw them all standing there, it made her so happy, she got the giggles.
The two women who placed over Sandy were more muscular, as it can be subjective in the figure competition. She knows what she wants to work on now and she’s actually ready to do it again.

I’m in awe of what Sandy has accomplished. She celebrated a milestone in her life (Sandy turned 40 this summer) by making a commitment and believing in her ability to reach her goal. Knowing she has fulfilled this promise to herself and that she has the backing of the people she loves can only make the rest of her many birthdays to come even better!!



Congratulations, also, to the other Lifetime Fitness trainers and members who participated in the competitions.
In Bodybuilding:
Chad Frenzel (Sandy’s trainer)- 1st in Middleweight
Henry Lovelace-2nd in his Master’s group, 4th in Middleweight
Bruce Frenzel-2nd in his master’s group, 7th in Middleweight
Chase Silverstein and Connor Silverstein-1st and 2nd in Teen, respectively
In Figure:
Suzy Adams-2nd in her Master’s group and 5th in Class A
And of course Sandy- 3rd in her master’s group and 4th in Class C
(This really was a family celebration! Bruce is Chad’s father, Chase and Connor are brothers and Suzy is their mom!)