Lessons in tact

Show a group of people a picture of a figure competitor and you will get a different response from everyone in the group:

"Wow, she's jacked!"
"Man, look at those abs!"
"That's awesome, but a little too muscular for my liking"
"I wish I could look like that!"
"I would never want to look like that!"

I have seen conversations like this happen often at the gym; they arouse the interest of many a member, of all different levels of training. I have participated in conversations like this often as well, having my own opinions on the subject (most often in favour of looking lean, with abs, etc). I always took these debates at face value: we were arguing about a body, a person's physique, someone we did not know and would never meet. And I was fine with that.

Until that person in the photo became me.

It's funny how I assumed people's opinions would change because they knew the person in the photograph. They didn't. The people who found muscles amazing before found them equally amazing on me when I showed them my competition photos. The people who found muscles "disgusting" before found them disgusting on me. And that's where I took offense. I realized, wait a minute, this is me they are calling gross and ugly. My physique that offends them. As much as I would like it to be, this is no longer just about a body or a physique, this is about mine! Where before I would have participated in the conversation, now I was the subject, and it was a huge wake-up call. I was hurt.

And I thought, what if, what if I decided to call their bodies disgusting? What if, in place of their pointing out the vein in my bicep and wincing, I pointed to their flabby tricep and had a good wince of my own? What if, when they told me (to my face, no less) that my abs were "too manly", I told them theirs were too paunchy? What if when they commented on my thinned face I commented in return on their double chin?

No, of course it wouldn't be acceptable. It would be downright rude. I won't be doing that (although the thought may flit across my mind...). What I am going to do, however, is gently remind them that there is a person behind the physique with feelings. And although mine don't get hurt all that easily, I now realize how words can sting. I will, in the future, be choosing my words more carefully.

And just for the record, I still think muscles are amazing. Critics be damned.

Is it delicious?

Yesterday, in conversation with a client, I was asked about the foods I eat often. As usual lately, my client was under the assumption that I ate terrible, bland, un-tasty foods in order to attain the ideal physique.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

My personal philosophy with food has always revolved around three things: satisfaction, flavour, and nutrition. If the food in front of me is nutritious, that's great: I'm more likely to choose it when hungry. But if that nutritous food tastes like cardboard, or doesn't make my hunger lessen, I'm not about to scarf it just beause it's healthy. There are so many amazing, tantalizing foods out there to choose from. Eating a variety of foods is a luxury that we are afforded in this amazing country, and I have always tried to appreciate that. When I cook, I add colourful peppers, succulent cuts of lean meat, and aromatic spices so that my meal becomes my feast. It doesn't matter if I'm having a salad or a stir-fry or a protein shake - you can bet on the fact that I've made it as delicious as possible (staying within nutritious boundaries, of course).

Now, eating delicious and satisfying and healthy food takes practice. It also takes some discipline. I find that if I get into the habit of eating processed and sugary foods (yes, that happens sometimes), my apprecation for the subtle flavours of my usual food decreases. How can you savour a sweet, juicy bite of an orange properly when you are used to chowing down on doughnuts and cupcakes? And how can the heady flavour of cumin and curry rubbed into chicken truly arouse your palatte if all it gets are breaded chicken burgers and fries?

I try every few months to try a food that I know is healthy. It could be quinoa (pronounced "kee-nwa") which is the next new thing in grains, or something simple that I haven't yet developed a taste for, like tuna (that one took awhile, but I'm hooked, now!). I try the food once, and give it a few days to see how I feel after I eat it. Then I try it again. Then once more for good measure. If by the third try I still don't feel jazzed about it, I don't worry about it. There are plenty of other healthy morsels to try. On the other hand, if I like it, I add it to my arsenal.

So if your protein powder tastes like chalk, you don't need to force it down. Find another that you can swallow without plugging your nose. Or better yet, eat a chicken breast, or another source of protein that appeals to you. But don't get the idea that to be fit and healthy you have to eat plain melba toast and spice-less egg whites all day.

Food is available to us to be enjoyed. So enjoy it! What delicious thing did you eat today?

Here we go...

Well, here goes round two.

Last weekend, I competed in my first figure and fitness model show, the IDFA Natural Novice Classic in Toronto. My goals were simple: I wanted to look like I belonged onstage with the others. I wanted to not fall on my face, wearing my *awesome* clear heels (4 inches! Much higher than the flats I'm used to). And I wanted to make my trainer (also my husband), J, proud.

I did all that and more: I ended up placing 9th out of 14 girls in the Figure round, and 4th in the Fitness Model round! I even got a medal, which is hanging proudly from my bathroom mirror, awaiting its new home in my fitness scrapbook.

This day marks the 7 week-out mark until my next show - who knows what this next one will bring?