Van Spell, An Inspiration to All Over 50

It's my pleasure to introduce you to one of natural bodybuilding's best competitors, Van Spell.  Van recently placed second in a regional professional natural bodybuilding show, competing against contestants much younger than he.  This is a recent interview I had with Van, he dispels the myth that you're over the hill after your 40s.  Enjoy.

Darvis: Where were you born?
 
Van: I was born and raised in eastern N.C. in Wilson

Darvis: What's the greatest influence in your life?

Van: Well to be honest, I would have to say no one except God alone, but I do give a lot of credit to my mother for the hardship she encounter from raising 9 kids by herself.

Darvis: What's your profession?

Van: My profession most of my adult life is automotive. I went into the military in that field and once I discharged I was able to get hired by the Postal Service and later continue in the automotive department. I guess you can thank me, for I fix the vehicles that brings your bills.

Darvis: What got you into bodybuilding?

Van:  Bodybuilding has been a dream of mine, but back in the 80s and before, I thought places like California and New York only had competitions until I went to see the states in downtown Raleigh. I was blown away with the beauty of the sport so it was then I sought to know everything about it



Darvis: When did you participate in your first competition?

Van:  I first did my novice show back in 86 I believe, and quickly found out that it takes time and a lifestyle of hard work to be successful at this sport.

Darvis: Tell me a little about your first time on stage.  What was going through your mind?
 
Van: Well, the first time was alot different than  posing in front of the mirror. It's understandable, but the audience don't cut you any slack if you look like blank!!! Not to mention the judges also, but I did well even though I beat out one guy for third place, but I was pleased and didn't quit.


Darvis:  What's your age?

Van: I'm presently 54 years young

Darvis: How do you stay in  such great shape in your 50s?

Van:  Love for fitness and I believe its a gift from God not only to myself but to anyone who choose to believe and accept!

Darvis: What advice would you give someone who's trying to get fit over the age of 50?


Van:  Well, I would suggest to judge your body with realistic expectation in regards to your goals and the time limit and level. Keep it simple at all possible because the fitness world makes a lot to cash on people being ignorant and just plain stupid. Stay on food as much as possible and only turn to supplements when you can't prepare your meals or eat out healthy. You get out of fitness what you put into it, so working out and talking on your cell phone at the same time will not get it. Don't join a gym right off, but work out with a program like P90X or less intense. Many people make the mistake every year joining a gym and only giving it a month or 2 and its back on the couch. But what ever you do DON'T GIVE UP!


 Darvis: You compete in All Natural bodybuilding competitions, what does that mean?

Van:  Well, it means alot to me for I can honestly say I have never taken a steroid for muscle growth, just plain determination and learning as the years went by. It's been a tough road but a blessing also. I'm still having fun with this, so the sky's the limit.

Darvis: How do you get ready for competition? When do you start training?

Van: Well, I choose and commit to the show that I want to do and question myself how long do I believe it would take me to get in contest shape? I have to say that's been my biggest challenge of leaning out, so my learning is I would recommend to any one that's natural, don't get no more than 3% or 10 pounds over your competition shape for I found in my 50s just looking at a stack of pancakes I can gain 5 lbs.or more. My training is basically the same year round unless I discover something that helps me improve. Other than that it's either watch the mirror closely and cutting back on just enough carbs to train with high protein and low fats of course.

Darvis: What's your training program in competition mode?

Van:  Training mode is basically the same but one other thing, if at all possible I train twice a day if I can and go at a time when I'm not around people that I know well. Conversation is a killer !!!


Darvis:  What's your program like off-season?

Van:  My training program off season really doesn't change. People, or some gain 20 or more pounds and maybe power lift to add more muscle but mine is intense all year long, so I feel its stress free by keeping it simple and realistic.

Darvis: What's your diet like in competition mode?

Van:  Well I hate to say but I really don't like to cook. So to keep from spending much time in the kitchen I eat almost the same thing each day which consist of Oatmeal, Chicken breast (broiled), mix vegetable bag from Sam's and water.When I cheat its pancakes with lots of helpings. I do add some lean cuts of beef from time to time and my supplements in the form of  Isopure protein powder, Universal Animal Pak, and Qivana's Prime Nitric Oxide Activator.

Darvis: What's your diet like off-season?

Van:  Its the same off season, I just eat out more and play in the candy store

Darvis: You won your Pro Card in natural bodybuilding, what does that mean?

Van:  Winning my pro card is a great accomplishment for I can compete for cash and prices along with possible endorsements.  I know I'm long in the tooth but I'm having fun with this and I plan to take it as far as I can because God wants me to be the best I can be. Actually I have 2 pro cards(NPA and NGA) and I'm going for the ultimate WNBF hopefully in 2013.


Darvis: What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Van:  Not to change the subject, but the biggest and always will be, is what God's done for me through his son Jesus which made it possible for me to become a child of His. Winning my pro card in bodybuilding is just the start for I believe there are greater accomplishments still to come and I'm willing to work hard for it. As long as I'm healthy and this sport presents a challenge and fun, I'll compete. But bodybuilding is in my blood, meaning its a gift and it benefits the human body so I'm hooked for life and proud to say so.           

The New Macro Balanced Diet - Part 1

I'm a personal trainer with nearly 20 years of experience in the health and fitness industry.  The most challenging part of my profession is educating my clients about nutrition.  A healthy diet is one of the most important parts of any fitness program.  No amount of exercise can compensate for a poor diet.

I've been searching for years for a system that I could recommend to my clients that they can understand and easily incorporate into their lives.  I recently came across such a system a few months ago developed by Dr. Donald K Layman, a professor at the University of Illinois who is a pioneer in the study of human metabolic research.  Dr. Layman is a world renown expert in diet, obesity, diabetes, and sports nutrition.  He has published over 90 peer-review articles in his field of study during the last 30 years.  Thus, Dr. Layman seems very credible to me.

Dr. Layman has developed a weight management system that vitalizes and activates healthy muscle mass to burn body fat.  His system is based on the following easy to understand principles.

1. The correct macro balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrates in your diet will vitalize your muscle causing your body to burn body fat.
2. You should have 30 grams of protein at your staple meals, which are breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
3. You should keep your carbohydrate to protein ratio 1 to 1 at your meals in order to control your blood sugar level and minimize insulin spikes and consequently food cravings.
4. Your carbohydrate to fiber ratio in your diet should be less than 6.  These are called Smart carbohydrates and they take longer for your body to convert to blood sugar, thus also controlling insulin spikes.

In my next post I'll explain the significance of each of the above principles.  Learn more about this life changing and revolutionary weight management system at :Qivana

Some Carbohydrates Are Better Than Others When Trying To Lose Weight

If you are trying to lose weight, maintaining a steady blood sugar level is a very important component of your dieting effort. While your body breaks down all digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar, some are converted into blood sugar faster than others. Thus, some carbohydrates cause a spike in your blood sugar level which causes you to feel hungry faster and to crave more sugary foods. While other carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar more slowly leveling out you blood sugar resulting in less hunger and less food cravings.

For this reason, the Glycemic Index (GI) was developed to classify how quickly your body converts carbohydrates into blood sugar as compared to pure glucose. Glucose has a GI of 100 and all other carbohydrate based foods are ranked against it. Foods with a score of 70 or more are defined as having a high GI while those with a score of 55 or less are considered as low.

Eating lots of food with a high GI causes spikes in your blood sugar level which can lead to many health issues such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. While eating low GI foods causes your blood sugar level to stay even thus, keeping your energy level balanced and causing you to fill fuller longer between meals. The following are some additional benefits of eating low GI carbohydrates.

· Helps you to lose and manage your weight.
· Increases your body's sensitivity to insulin.
· Decreases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
· Reduces your risk of heart disease.
· Improves your blood cholesterol levels
· Reduces hunger and keep you fuller for longer.
· Helps you prolong physical activity.
· Helps you to re-fuel your carbohydrate stores after exercise.

You can get the GI rating of hundreds of carbohydrate based foods from the Glycemic Index Foundation, sponsored by the University of Sydney in Australia. They maintain a searchable database of over 1600 entries at http://www.glycemicindex.com.

Balance and Moderation the Key to a Healthy Diet

Image via Wikipedia

As I mentioned in my previous post, fad diets don't work because they are hard to stick with over a long period of time. Consequently, as soon as you return to your old eating habits you are most likely to regain any weight you may have lost and more.

The key to eating healthy over the long-term is balance and moderation in the foods you consume daily. You can eat any food you desire as long as it is in moderation and balanced with the rest of the foods you consume. For example, I love brownies, so when I have a brownie for dessert, I only have one. I also balance the carbohydrates in the brownie by not having bread with my meal.

The first step in learning balance and moderation in your diet is knowing how to classify foods into their basic source of protein, carbohydrates, and fats and knowing how they are used in your body. The second step is mastering portion. Knowing how many calories you consume from each food source and what your serving sizes are will enable you to balance your meals. Eating this way can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle, it's a plan you can stick with over time.

In my next post I'll show you how foods are classified into their basic components of protein, carbohydrates and fats and how your body uses them.