Vital Stats
Name: Dr. Kristin E. White
Email: drkwhite@comcast.net
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Why I Got Started
I have always been athletic and doing a figure competition has always been a goal for me. When I was pregnant with my second child, I decided that I was not going to be believe the "hype" that your body changes forever after having kids.
I was determined to look better than ever after my second child, so I hired a trainer when I was 20 weeks pregnant, picked a show and went to work.
Oh, baby. How's this for a post-pregnancy body?
How I Did It
Since I was pregnant when I began training, I made sure I had a trainer who knew how to work with expecting women. I followed a clean, healthy diet during the remainder of my pregnancy along with a weight training and cardio program. I was able to maintain a healthy pregnancy weight and preserve lean muscle in the process.
After my son was born, I was able to start lifting heavier and doing more intense cardio which really helped to transform my body. Since I breastfed for the first 7 months I had to make sure to eat a super clean, but also a balanced diet. After I stopped breastfeeding I started my competition diet which consisted of high protein and carbohydrates with limited fat. I focused on heavy lifting, plyometrics, and high intensity interval training for my workouts.
My first competition was in April 2011, just 9 months after my having my baby. I won my class and overall figure! I competed again in May 2011 and won overall figure in that show as well! I look forward to many more competitions in the future but I am enjoying my off-season to take time to work on my problem areas (abs and glutes - of course!) and spend time with my family.
When you look right at home standing on stage next to Monica Brant, yep - you kicked some serious butt.
Suggestions To Others
A lot of people think that bodybuilding/figure is a sport that is all about vanity. I have found this entire experience to be so amazing and I cannot think of any sport that requires 24/7 dedication like I have experienced.
The friends that I have made and the people that I have met have been incredibly supportive and helpful. There is so much more to bodybuilding than what happens "on stage." That is a small part of the whole process.
As a Sports Medicine Chiropractor I honestly and truly believe in nutrition and exercise as the foundation for overall health. I have had two amazing trainers (Jason Rulo during pregnancy and Autumn Edwards post-partum) who completely understand the physiology involved in nutrition and training.
My biggest piece of advice for anyone getting into this sport is to find an expert who has experience and knowledge of the body. Too many women go on "hard core" diets and spend hours in the gym every day trying to be "stage ready." This will result in destroying the metabolism, the thyroid, and the self-esteem. There is no trophy or "title" in the world worth that!
My experience has been nothing short of amazing! It was a lot of hard work, but I never felt that I compromised my health. My trainers always knew how to build my confidence, even when I had "problem areas" that needed attention (which clearly I did just having a second c-section!).
They knew that this sport is just as much mental and physical and always worked to build my confidence which, in retrospect, helped my overall presentation onstage. I truly believe that in this sport, more than any other, you need a trainer who is experienced, knowledgeable, and most importantly is your biggest fan and cheerleader! I was blessed to have those people in my life and want nothing other than to be an inspiration to others.