Stones of Strength

A few months ago, I was awarded an incredible opportunity: an entry to compete in the IHGF Stones of Strength world championship this June, in Norway. What is this Stones thing? Think a combo of Strongman and Highland Games... all things Stones: lifting, loading, carrying, and throwing!

Current title holder, Casey Garrison, asked if I would trust him to coach me into this competition. He is pretty much responsible for getting my invitation, so after discussing with my coach, decided it was a good idea. 

Initially I was thrilled to get started training: atlas stones are definitely my favorite Strongman event, I was a thrower in high school and, well, I just really like the idea of picking up boulders HAHA Now I’ll be honest. I was not happy with the program Casey & Nyck gave me for the first 5 weeks. I was bored and missed Strongman (events/equipment). You see, I’ve never had any sort of desire to be a powerlifter, but the start of my programming with them was foundational static strength... and I was bored; nevertheless, I understood their WHY and followed the program (adding in occasional CrossFit WODs and my last minute decision to go compete in Connecticut). They say the things you like the least are often what you need to train the most...

Last weekend, I flew out to California to train with Casey and Nyck (as was planned from day 1). My three days of training at House of Power were pretty awesome. Anyone who trains Strongman and Highland Games knows that most athletes take every-other day off (these sports are extremely taxing on the central nervous system), but I didn’t want to waste any of my limited time with these guys--we set a plan for me to train different events/focus each day I was there [video highlights are hyperlinked]

THURSDAY: Banded axel push press, floor press, pin press sit ups, weighted negatives & chin ups, chest supported row, dumbbell pull overs, bicep curl, banded tricep press down 

FRIDAY: Dynamic warm up, slam ball overhead (mimic weight over bar), Atlas Stones over bar up to 300, AMRAP 240

SATURDAY: Natural stone clean & overhead press, stone put, stone carry medley

All of that event training got me SO hyped for Norway! For these next few weeks, I have co-written my program with the guys and, all my health issues aside, I’m feeling GOOD! I have 3 lifting weekdays, 1 prehab day, and 1 events day each week...

BIG THANKS to Casey & Nyck for putting up w my crazy, being great coaches and motivators, getting me connected w the nurse for blood tests, making me feel like my health and success are your priorities too...and did I say thanks for putting up with my crazy??? 💋💋

Make sure you’re following my training via IG & follow my blog to stay up to date with all things Ace 💪🏼

Empty

On Friday, I got my blood panel results back and conferenced with the Functional Medicine nurse. The results of my blood work showed that I have been running on empty for a very long time.

If you recall, in my original 2015 post, they found I had no progesterone, almost no estrogen and low testosterone too. I was put on birth control (artificial progesterone), but nobody ever followed up with more blood tests. Why? I’ll get to that.

After taking matters into my own hands and doing a lot of research, I reached a point where I knew I needed a professional who specializes in hormones to help me out. Through an incredible network, I got a FM to email me an order for bloodwork that I was able to have done at a local clinic (most states don’t allow people to just get their own blood panel done... so check your state regulations to find out if you can do this without a RX). 

My bloodwork showed that I have no progesterone, barely detectable estrogen and extremely low testosterone. 

 My levels: Estrogen <15, Progesterone < 0.5 , Test 15 / Free 0.6

Click HERE to see what are considered normal levels.

The nurse went on about how shocked she is that I am able to train and perform at the level I do without any hormones! I will be starting with a local FM very soon so that I can start on bioidentical HRT to bring me to "normal" levels and hopefully LOTS of the issues I’ve been facing over the years will improve.

There is no "why" yet... but based on my own research (and conference call w the FM & coach), it is very likely that my hormone levels have been an issue since puberty. To me, thinking about that is quite frustrating and painful. Knowing that 3/4 of my life have been spent fighting battles with depression and other health issues that could possibly have been prevented had doctors early on simply sent me for a blood panel and looked at these numbers instead of prescribing medications to bandaid my depressive symptoms!

So why didn’t anyone test my blood before? The answer is pretty simple: money. These days doctors make tons of money through pharmaceutical companies. Sending a person off for a blood test may seem like the simple basic place to start; nevertheless, because doctors are sold on pharmaceuticals with large dividends, prescriptions have become their go-to... instead of finding the underlying problem, they put a bandaid on it. Even when you hear terms like "chemical imbalance" being thrown around for people with ADHD, Depression, Anxiety etc... the likelihood that the actual chemical/hormone levels have even been assessed is slim to none!

I cannot emphasize how important it is to take your health and well-being seriously. Be an advocate for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask WHY! Ask you doctor to check your blood before (and after) taking any new medications... you might even learn that you don’t need those meds! Here are more links about why you should get your blood tested.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/news/things-your-doctor-wont-tell-you-about-blood-tests/

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19929267/blood-test-results/

https://www.privatemdlabs.com/lp/anti-aging-testing-.php

Hormones

If you’re not familiar with what started a few years ago, please read Sick & Tired to gather some background information.

Through that debacle, we learned that I had no progesterone and very low estrogen (which meant I was still estrogen dominant). I was put on the Depo shot because that was deemed the best course of action. My uterine biopsy showed no cancer, so I went forward with my life assuming the shot would solve all my issues and that I wouldn’t need to worry about anything anymore. For almost two years, everything seemed to be ok! 

Late last fall, as I was prepping for NAS Nationals, I got my period and it didn’t stop... I bled for almost 3 weeks! I called the OBGYN and was fortunate enough to schedule a phone consultation where we talked about options. She and I both wondered if the shot was to blame because my hormone levels were obviously fluctuating [assumed without blood tests] around the time when I’d need my "next shot" and decided that a hormone IUD would be a good option. The IUD has a lower dose of progesterone, but is directly in the uterus and releases consistently. So, right after Nationals, I had one put in. 

A few weeks later, I started my new Strength program and I felt weak. I had no clue why. I started to break out with painful, cycstic acne and, again, I had no idea why. It seemed my depression was on overload and I couldn’t get a break. I was snapping at everyone and my world was getting darker and darker... My psychiatrist had me try a new medication, but I quickly stopped that as I knew there was something we weren’t seeing. 

Why didn’t my OB have me get a blood test? Why didn’t my Psychiatrist ask about my birth control? Why am I getting acne at 35? Why have I been depressed since I started puberty?

I decided to do some research on my own. I needed answers. I purchased The Women's Book and started to read. McDonald has gathered TONS of research and compiled it in one place. I realized that this IUD was likely the cause of my acne & I found the recommended BC for a strength athlete was a gen3 pill w a specific combination of hormones... so I immediately made an appointment with the OB and had the IUD taken out and was prescribed the pill I requested. 

My skin cleared, my strength seems to be back... I’m a little less crazy... but I’m still dealing with quite a number of physiological issues that I am certain are due to my hormonal imbalance. Hopefully the new Functional Medicine practitioner will have answers for me next week!! Stay tuned.

Post-competition Blues

I stopped updating this blog a few years ago... I never really had the audience and it just took a backseat to the quick posts I could get out via Instagram. 

Recently, I was encouraged to get more content out there. While I’m working on starting my YouTube channel, I figured getting some blogs written would be a great place to start.

I’ve been competing in Strongman for almost a year now and I’ve noticed that after each competition, no matter how I perform, I seem to get the blues. I am lethargic and my depression really seems more prominent than it "usually" is. I was doing some research and I found a few studies of high level athletes (Olympian) who reported similar feelings. When you have an intense high and the adrenaline + dopamine overload of a competition, returning to "normal" neurotransmitter levels can feel like depression; moreover, for somebody who already battles depression, that contrast can feel even more extreme!

So how do we overcome this? Many athletes seem to distract themselves with the next competition on the calendar. While I don’t consider this to be unhealthy, I’m curious what other coping strategies people use!

It may sound weird, but I find tanning can help. If the weather outside doesn’t allow for me to soak up some Vitamin D (boosts serotonin), then I will use a low-level tanning bed to help get those feel-good chemicals going in my brain. Additionally, I get a massage, my nails done... maybe a facial #teatYOself 😁 A little extra self-care goes a long way in pulling me out of the funk. Then setting up my plan for what’s next... always having new goals to set and chase--that’s my game plan!

If you have a post-competition routine, I’d love to hear about it! Comment below.

Reference: Florio, J. "The Dark Side of Going for Gold." TheAtlantic.com . 18 Aug. 2016.

Sick and Tired

If you are grossed out by "female stuff" I suggest you stop reading.

A little background.
When I got serious about lifting in November 2013, I went off all birth control...the pill I had been on made my monthly visitor nonexistent (normal as it had always been light before)... but I never got my period once I went off it. I asked my doctor and she said it wasn't uncommon in athletes as lean as I was. She suggested that I allow myself to gain some body fat after my April show. By June my cycle seemed to be back, and regular.
But that summer I didn't feel like myself. I can't exactly describe what it was...I just felt off. I tried to move forward.
Early in the new year a new problem arose. When my period came the first week in January, it never stopped. I went to the doctor in February and they said it was probably just stress.
I hired a contest coach soon after that who, hearing about my issue, suggested I take a supplement to metabolize estrogen.
Now... ladies... don't ever take something because your coach assumes something. He thought I was bleeding and moody from having too much estrogen...but he's not a doctor. I started taking DIM and the bleeding transitioned to more like spotting. But I was feeling REALLY off. I decided to stop taking it...
On March 19, 2015 I had just made a $200 deposit on my custom competition suit when I started to feel nauseous. I could feel the bleeding was getting heavy. In the car back to the city I was screaming in pain as my body cramped and gushed clots and blood.
I was rushed to the hospital. After 6 hours, 4 pelvic exams, an ultrasound and 3 blood panels, the doctor gave me some information.
I was not pregnant. But my body was going through a miscarriage...the only way it knew to reject massive amounts of tissue that had built up over several previous months. The DIM had made it worse...because I didn't have high estrogen. I actually had dangerously low estrogen & progesterone and naturally high testosterone. The test booster recommended by my first coach was actually making what little estrogen I had metabolize and my body freaked out without it.
Now, a little info. Most women who have participated in contact sports have higher test, so that's not uncommon.

I even got my uterus biopsied a week later.
The issue was... my body wasn't producing enough female hormones naturally... but they don't know why. Still.

Over the past few months I've gotten shots of progesterone and my system seems to be functioning properly... yet I'm not quite back to where I want to be. They can't tell me WHY. They can't tell me if I'll need these shots forever... and they have told me to avoid any extreme dieting.

I'm also fighting off extreme Adrenal Fatigue (I took myself off Adderall this year...after 20 years). My CNS is shot. I am trying hard to get my Vitamin D levels up as those were found to be extremely deficient. I no longer use preworkout or any fat burners.
I am always extremely tired. If I didn't have to get up to train clients,  I could easily stay in bed for days. My body hurts. My workouts have been almost nonexistent because of pain and stiffness most days. I still don't feel like myself.

I plan on meeting with a Naturopath when I get back from vacation... I look forward to getting my groove back!

So...will I ever compete again? I'd like to, some day. But I have no idea if/when my body will allow that. We shall see. I'm on a mission to get healthy. To find my sexy and be happy even if I don't have a visible six pack.