Ask The Experts - Cathy Savage

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Cathy Savage

My mission is to provide a competitive, yet memorable experience for anyone I coach. A trophy is a great thing but meeting new friends and creating memories are far more important. Developing this friendly atmosphere has helped breed the champion in so many women and for having a blast while competing! Send me an email with your questions on preparing for your fitness contest.

Email Cathy Your Contest Prep Question

Hi Cathy, I have a question. I have recently changed my lifestyle and want to make sure I'm doing it right. I'm 30 years old 5 feet 3 and 211 pounds. Six weeks ago I started working out doing 35 min elliptical training at 3.0mph, along with 30 minutes of various exercises (sit-ups, pushups, free weights), etc. 5/days per week. I'm trying to calculate the calories my body needs to maintain/lose. There are so many different formulas online and I'm getting ranges from 1700-3300 cal/per day. It's very confusing and frustrating. I want to make sure I'm eating enough/not too much. I currently eat 1,200-1500 calories per day. I've read that this isn't enough. I feel like I'm eating all day. every 2-3 hours I will eat some small snack of nuts, fruit, granola bar, veggies. For dinner I'll eat salad, tuna, chicken, kashi cereal, etc. I'm eating great. Nothing bad at all and I feel so much better.

I figured I better ask someone who knows something about being fit and what if anything I'm doing wrong. I have seen results in the past 6 weeks. My jeans are fitting looser, etc. They are slow results but I am seeing them. I've struggled with my weight my entire life and I realize that it's time to get healthy and stay healthy. No more dieting. This is a permanent lifestyle change for me so I want to make sure I'm doing the right kind/enough exercise/eating the right foods/calories. any help you could provide me would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much, Jennifer

A: Hey girl! While numbers and stats are important, its best to send me a shot of what you look like! Fitness prep is different for everyone so don't get hooked up on numbers! As you prepare for a FAP show, remember that balance is most important! Fuel your workouts and do not deprive yourself of any major food! That is the most important thing to remember! Send me a picture and I can give you more feedback going into the event!

Cathy

Q: When I try to diet I always end up feeling light-headed and spacey. More so at night then during the day. I always end up eating at night and I know its not good to eat too late. I'm not undereating and I don't have blood sugar problems. My question really is, is it "normal" when you are trying to lean out to try to push through feeling this hungry when you know you had the adequate amounts of fat, protein, and carbs for the day or should you really never feel this way? Thanks Christy

A: HI Christy! Your question is a common one. When you are a fitness or figure athlete. there should never be a time when you feel light headed or spacy. However, if you are embarking on a course of healthy eating and you are not used to this, you may feel some changes as your body adjusts. The best method of tightening up is to slowly gage your nutrition so that it is not so disruptive to your daily activities. If you are hungry at night, it means that you are not receiving adequate nutrition during the day. As everyone's nutrition plan is different, one common thread is that you should generally be eating 6 meals a day and they should be spread out about 3 hours apart. My athletes are never hungry except for the first few weeks when they are adjusting. However, dizziness is another thing- Fitness is not bodybuilding-you should not be suffering at all. Remember, you are being judged on your skin, complexion, and "health"- overdieting affects your skin texture and attractiveness on stage so make sure you are not eliminating food groups. Best of luck and please feel free to contact me with any additional questions!

Cathy Savage
www.cathysavagefitness.com

Q: I've searched the web for explanations of the "T" Walk and "H" walk. Seeing that I'll need to know how to do both these maneuvers while on stage. Could you tell me how to do them, or is there a website with diagrams on so I can learn them?
Thanks,
Anna

A: Hey Anna! The typical pattern for walking is to come out to the center of the stage for presentation- Do not perform a turn-you are now in the back of the stage. You proceed to walk forward to an "X" in the center front of the stage. You then perform either a half turn or quarter turns depending on the organization. You next walk to the right of the stage and perform the same turns. Next, you walk across the stage to the far left side where there will be another "X" on the floor-. You again perform your turns. You exit on the side of the stage that the promoter chooses. They will tell you at the meeting which side to enter and exit from! Always ask the promoter to review this in case he/she forgets! My STRICTLY POSING DVD is now available online and it reviews this whole procedure! You can purchase it on my site WWW.CATHYSAVAGEFITNESS.COM

I hope this helps! Best of luck!!!
Cathy

Q: Is 40 to old to enter?
Susan

A:Hi Susan! Are you kidding? Ask Dawn Butterfield who recently won the Fitness America World Championships at the youthful age of 40. You can also ask Dena Weiner, who won the National Championship the year before and she is in her mid 40s! Fitness is ageless! I truly believe that with age, comes wisdom and "mature" women typically present themselves with a measure of grace that only mature women can do! Our motto is "age is nothing but a number!" In addition, many competitions hold Master classes for mature women! The Fitness America organization has a division called BIKINI CLASSIC for women 35 and over! The number of women 40 and over, who are entering shows. are at an all time high! So what do you say! Go for it!

Cathy