Page 98 - Demo

98 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || SEPTEMBER 2015 MFM: What part of your training do you have the most difficulty with, and how do you address those difficulties?AD: I naturally am a very petite woman so I have always had a difficult time putting on and maintaining lean muscle mass. Gaining muscle is a science and it has a lot to do with your nutrition! I have gone through periods of muscle gain and muscle loss but I know there is one thing I love that we all have if you%u2019ve trained heavy in your life and that is something I like to call %u2018muscle memory%u2019; it%u2019s a beautiful thing! The key points I tell everyone about overcoming challenges with your fitness/nutrition is to keep going! It took me many years to figure out my own physique and what works best for me. In the past decade I have done a lot in my life including putting myself through dental hygiene school, raising my daughter alone and working an extremely busy schedule as a professional sales representative. I%u2019m not always perfectly lean because I%u2019m human like you, but being consistent with your goals and keep pushing harder towards your goals, they will come. I also believe education is so important! I became obsessive with nutritional and exercise science so I could teach myself what I needed to know in order to gain and preserve muscle. With access to the web now days, we can find an enormous amount of information online so there really is no excuse to be uneducated. If it%u2019s important enough to someone to overcome those training difficulties then they will do what it takes to increase their knowledge base in that specific area of their life. Educate, implement, analyze and repeat.MFM: We noticed that you constantly use the hash-tag #BehindTheMuscle in your posts and/or photos. What is the story behind how and why you started using it?AD: I work with many sports nutrition companies in promoting their brand of products. I only put my name behind something I actually use. #Behindthemuscle was a social media campaign for Isopure I was promoting. A very clean protein powder I personally use.MFM: Who are your favorite male and female competitors in the industry, and why?AD: Great question! The industry has changed a ton since I first came on the scene. I%u2019ve always loved not only the perfecting of the physique I also love true athletes. Fitness division has always been one of my favorites to watch and gives me inspiration. These women don%u2019t just have great physiques but they can do some amazing things in these routines. Oksana Grishina is hands down not only an athlete but also a performer. The moment she steps on stage your attention is captured. Moreover, I have been a huge fan of bodybuilding since I was young. I always thought it was amazing to fine tune every single muscle in your body and find symmetry and balance. It%u2019s something that shows your inner strength because no one can do this for you, you can%u2019t buy it, you have to work hard day in and day out to achieve your goals. This is what I love about bodybuilding. A few more inspiring competitors in the industry include of course Arnold and Frank Zane.MFM: As a fitness competitor, who is also a parent, how has what you%u2019ve learned in the industry impacted your decisions when it comes to buyingAD: I think when my daughter was younger it was always important for me to be a good influence and cook most our meals at home. I always found a balance between letting my daughter be a kid and not allow her to have some things every kid should have like a delicious ice cream cone on a summer day or slice of cheesy pizza. I tried to make sure my daughter knew I was dieting for competitions but it was more for me to challenge my goals and achieve the things I want to. Dieting and training for competitions especially the diet aspect is not healthy no matter what people tell you but that%u2019s just the thing we do for results. Now that I no longer compete I%u2019m able to find balance and maintain a >>>