Beauty, Building and Believing

Beauty, Building and Believing

Today I bring to you a candid conversation with Dana Trakas.  I sat down with Dana last month and she had recently finished a competition.  She'll share her story of how she became interested in bodybuilding, the sacrifices, advice for young women and more.

CSW:  Thanks Dana for meeting me and you look fabulous.

DT:  Thank you and I've been looking forward to this.

CSW:  Me too.  I have to ask, how did you get involved in bodybuilding?  What attracted you to it?

DT:  I was doing obstacle course racing (OCR) and I fell off a six-foot wall and I hurt my neck which lead to getting injections in my neck.

CSW: Oh my.

DT:  Not a fun injury and I really loved obstacle racing but, I couldn't risk getting hurt again.  I like to stay competitive, so I had to find something else.  A friend was doing bodybuilding and she asked me to try it.  I said no because I knew I wouldn't have wanted to diet like that.  And I loved working out but not like that.  I finally went and met the coach and decided to try it and ten weeks in, I did my first local show.  It's very different from obstacle racing.  Time consuming, grueling and mentally exhausting.

CSW:  It worked out for you and a good transition.  Did you fall in love with bodybuilding?

DT:  I fell in love with the work ethic and all that needs to be done to put into it.  I like the schedules and the balance it brought to my life.  The structure I needed at the time.  The meals every three hours, the work outs and everything was set up for me by my coach.

CSW:  Are their qualifications to becoming a bodybuilder?

DT:  Anyone can do it and it doesn't matter about your size or physical challenges.  It's best to find the right coach.  You'll have to buy a (NPC) National Physique Committee) card which is really the only qualification.  Getting the card will allow you to participate in competitions/shows.  But if you place first or second, you can go to a junior national or national level.

CSW:  When you're in training, what's a typical meal like?

DT:  It changes as you go and training can go on for 16 to 20 weeks.  The average day would include six meals.  Breakfast starts early.  Everyone is different though.

CSW:  Are those full meals?

DT:  It can be.  It depends and this is what I would eat.  The first meal is usually something like oatmeal, a cup of egg whites and vegetables.  The next meal would be four to six ounces of white fish or ground turkey and a cup of green vegetables.  The third meal can be a protein shake with an ounce of almonds.  The next meal, ground turkey, ground chicken or fish and a cup of vegetables.  Another protein shake with almonds and the last meal would be maybe a half cup of rice and a baked sweet potato with white fish or salmon, depending on where your body is and a cup of green vegetables plus a gallon of water.  The diet changes as you get closer to a show.  A lot of adjustments are needed.

CSW:  That's a lot of food throughout the day.

DT:  You're basically eating all day.  I usually start my meals between five to six am, so my last meal would be around nine pm.  A gallon of water every day is a minimum through prep.  That last two weeks you are up to two gallons a day.

CSW:  Wow.  It's hard for me to get a few glasses of water down in a day. (laughs) I bet the bathroom is your best friend.

DT:  (chuckles)  It's hard driving to work and making it through meetings, drinking that much water.

CSW:  I bet it is.  That takes a lot of discipline with the eating and all that goes along with it.  How is your social life when you're training?

DT:  For me, it was very challenging to go out because people don't understand and say things like, " Oh take a bit, it's just one meal.  What's one slice of pizza going to do?"  It matters when you're wearing six inches of material.  Everything shows.  In bodybuilding they tell you just trust the process and that's difficult to do when you're not seeing changes.  Your coach sees you and will know when you're eating certain things.  It really shows because you bloat and they really see it.

CSW:  That's very interesting.

DT:  So, I stay isolated a lot when I'm training.  People don't really understand it but it's something I want to do .  There's things that come along with preparing for it.

CSW:  As we become wiser and know what we want to do, we want to make ourselves happy.

DT:  I'll be honest, it's really hard work and you're exhausted, tired.  Your food tends to go down when you're losing your carbs.  You need a lot of sleep and you must work out.  Your days are packed.  Cardio, work, lift, more cardio and don't forget to eat all day.

CSW:  When you're working out and training, how long are you working out in a day?

DT:  It depends on when you start and how many weeks out you are from the competitions.  Work out is for an hour, hour and a half and I start with cardio.  My last show, I did cardio two hours a day.  One hour before work and do another hour after work.  It takes a lot of time.

CSW:  How long do you train for?

DT:  Everyone's different but my last competition I trained for about 20 weeks.  The goal is to look lean, well-proportioned and poised.

CSW:  Tell me how your day goes when you're doing a competition.  

DT:  The day can start as early as 3 am with hair and makeup.  I try and get the latest appointment so I can sleep the longest.  You spray tan the night before and get a touch up in the morning if needed.  You also meet with your coach early so he can see what he wants you to eat for breakfast.  It can be rice cakes, pancakes, waffles (high glycemic foods), or nothing.  You stop drinking water Friday night and you don't drink any water all day until you get off stage after the first show and then you can have about 20 ounces of water all day.  Again, it depends on your coach's recommendations.  It all depends on how you look.  You dress and travel to the venue for a quick meeting before the show.  Then it's just a waiting game depending on how big or small the show is.  You rest until it's your time to go on stage.  We're positioned with our feet elevated because you want to keep the swelling down as much as possible.

CSW:  What a full, long day.

DT:  It is and then 30 minutes before you go on stage, you get oiled, glued (your suit), and you eat a simple sugar like Craisins, ketchup or skittles, usually 30 grams or so.  That "sugar pump" along with resistance bands, for a quick pump and you're on stage four to five minutes.

CSW:  That's all?

DT:  All that work for just four to five minutes.

CSW:  Hats off to you.

DT:  For the morning show, you go through mandatory poses.  When you're going on stage, women go by age and height.  Men go by weight, height and age.  Eventually we have lunch and the coach tells us what we can have to eat or drink.  When then go back to the hotel to rest or nap and do it again for the night show which takes longer because it's done individually.  It's a long day.

CSW:  Is it always morning and night?

DT:  Yes.  Morning is prejudging and at night, is when you get awards.  There are also different categories.

CSW:  I didn't know that.

DT:  For women, there's fitness, bikini, figure and physique.

CSW:  Can you do two categories in the same competition?

DT:  You can.  I've done figure and physique.  It just depend and takes time and it depends on what look you want.  You trust your coach to get you where you need to be.

CSW:  What's the youngest age that can compete? 

DT:  They do have teen competitions.

CSW:  Cool.  What advice would you give to teenage girls about body images?

DT:  Throw the scale away and stay off social media because women use filters, angles and lighting which are so deceiving.  Stay positive and find  a way to love yourself.  Look up to women who love themselves.  Compliment other young women and stay empowered.

CSW:  That's the key.  Love yourself.

DT:  And for women in general, everybody compares themselves to others and we're better off not doing that.  Your body, the car you drive, where you live, we compare those things and we're much better when we don't.

CSW:  I totally agree and great advice.  Getting back to the competitions, once they're over, what type of changes does your body go through?

DT:  When the competition ends, you start to lose definition and as the days go on, your calorie intake is going up a bit.  Your body is totally changing and it's hard, physically.  As soon as you drink water you lose definition.  

CSW:  What about mentally?

DT:  Mentally is really hard as well.  You develop Body Dysmorphia.  I have it.  Have you heard of it?

CSW:  I have, but please share.

DT:  You're seeing something that you're really not seeing.  I feel like I've worked so hard to compete and now it's all lost.  I'm still strong and I lift but in my mind I look terrible.

CSW:  You look really good.

DT:  It's all in my mind and my friends tell me I need to gain some weight back.  Now I'm up fifteen pounds.  I feel like I need to lose ten pounds because when you're in competition, you're "stage lean" and you can see all the work you put in.  Now I'm normal and it's a big mental struggle.  When you're competing, you're down to the bare minimum and you can't stay that way.  It's unhealthy.

CSW:  The body fat is really low I imagine.

DT:  I don't know the percentage but it's low.  My coach doesn't care about how much I weigh.  It's about how I look.  Many women get on the scale, competing or not, but the scale is our worst enemy.  

CSW:  That's true.

DT:  Too much sodium does something, not enough water and the weigh fluctuates.  It just messes with your head.

CSW:  You're right.

DT:  When I'm in competition I weigh myself and I love to see that number go down.  It's a struggle.  Now I only weigh once a week...and pray. (laughs)

CSW:  I know what you mean and I'm right there with you.  Do you have mentors or a support system that helps you manage the challenges of bodybuilding?

DT:  I've been with a team for all six shows and I have my coach.  They're a big support system and the biggest part is on Sundays when we get together and pose.  It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is.  To see everyone has evolved, being at their best, knowing the struggles we've all gone through to get to that moment is a great feeling.  The support is wonderful and the team effort is fantastic.  My daughter is also very supportive.  She comes to the competitions to cheer me on and 100 percent supportive.

CSW:  We need our support systems.

DT:  Absolutely.

CSW:  When was the last time you competed and how often do you participate?

DT:  I've done six shows, two a year and my last shows were April 6th in Rock Island and in Kentucky, April 27th.  After every show, I say I'm retiring. (laughs)  

CSW:  That's good stuff.  Changing gears for a moment.  Favorite season.

DT:  Fall.

CSW: Best decade.

DT: 2000's.

CSW:  Guilty pleasure of food.

DT:  (laughs) Cookie dough.

CSW:  Favorite travel destination.

DT:  Greece.

CSW:  A movie you can watch over and over.

DT:  Silence of the Lambs.

CSW:  Dana, those were great.  Tell us, what does bodybuilding do for you?

DT:  It's so empowering for me and to go from not looking like I have any muscles and to evolve into being shredded and cut gives me confidence just knowing that I can do it.  Trying to understand the body and seeing what it can do is amazing.  There are negative aspects as well but it's all a personal journey and if you learn from it, you've won.

CSW:  What an inspiration.  It's been such a pleasure talking with you and learning about bodybuilding.  I've learned so much but before we conclude, give me four words that describes your journey.

DT:  Empowering, growth, freedom and eye-opening.

CSW:  That's an awesome journey.  As we grow as women, it's about being happy, doing what we desire and having peace of mind.  Thank you for sharing your eye-opening story and truths with everyone and I wish you happiness and success.

DT:  Thank you so much.