Taken a loooong time ago, just after my last show of my first season as a Fitness Competitor. It was part of the winners package with SAF, and we shot in Toronto at Paul Buceta’s studio. I had just come from across the country where I had been at a week long Bikram Advnaced seminar, and I had a mean case of water retention at this shoot. I remember throughout the week out in San Diego, I could see my body fluctuating every day, staggering out of yoga class after sweating out buckets, and then by the end of the night my skin would puff up. In my first year I knew nothing about the effect of carbs, water and sodium on the body, and coupled with the intensity of 4 hours of hot yoga, and a long intercontinental flight, I ended up retaining. When I woke up for the shoot, I thought I was getting “chubby”. Now I realize that it was just water under the skin making me appear softer. It’s amazing, the science of body-building, and how easy it becomes to manipulate your physique once you know the principles!
