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No damsel in distress
Nathalie Mulder has a Tshirt that reads: I make boys cry. And its true. Well, sort of. While she hasnt reduced anybody to tears yet, the 38year-old Edmonton bodybuilder admits she is guilty of intimidating her fair share of men who are newcomers to the gym. I think theyre intimidated by my strength, my mental strength more than my physical strength, she Cary says. Its obvious just by looking at her KEEPING FIT that the muscular Mulder isnt into playing the damsel-in-distress routine, especially when shes pumping iron. In fact, she relishes a good challenge. Im not one of those girls thats going to back down and push light weight just because a guy is staring at me to see how much I can push, she says. I know I can push more than you, sorry. Indeed, she has hoisted some Herculean poundages. Mulder boasts a one-rep max in the bench press of 195 pounds. Keep in mind that at 5-foot6, she usually weighs around 145 pounds when shes not dieting down to 120-125 pounds for a bodybuilding competition. In the past, the mighty Mulder has hefted 900 pounds in the leg press. These days, she says she practises much better form and uses only 450

edmontonsun.canoe.ca

Edmonton Sun YOUR

HEALTH Monday, March 5, 2007

Castagna

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Bodybuilder Nathalie Mulder says her physical and mental strength has intimidated male newcomers to the gym.

pounds. Only 450. But she hasnt always been such a female powerhouse. Mulder remembers when she first stumbled into an Edmonton gym five years ago, weighing a chubby 176 pounds. After her first three months of cardio and light weight training, Mulder hopped on the scale and discovered to her shock and disappointment that she had lost a measly one pound. Im like, Holy crap! OK, this isnt working for me, she recalls. I had no idea what I was doing. Mulder enlisted the help of an aerobic instructor, who helped her put together a nutritious diet. I didnt understand that eating right and exercising went hand-in-hand, she says, admitting she had thought that since she was working out she could eat anything she wanted. It was amazing. I didnt realize food made that much of a difference. Once she learned how to eat properly, Mulder toned up to a much leaner 139 pounds within three months, while also going from a Size 12 to 6. And as more flab came off, Mulder began packing on muscle. Then it was only a matter of time before her then-boyfriends friend urged her to compete in her first

bodybuilding competition in 2004. Shes been competing ever since. Her diet which she says is 80% of the equation to getting in shape and keeping fit is composed of a variety of healthy fare. Protein sources include chicken, egg whites, salmon, basa fish and almonds. And for carbs, she counts on sweet potatoes, and a lengthy list of fibrous veggies like spinach and asparagus. Now that shes getting ready for another provincial contest later this year, Mulder hits Hardcore Health & Fitness every day. Sometimes twice a day, she says. At least four days a week she trains with weights for 60-90 minutes per session. And every day, she does some form of cardio, such as cycling first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to kickstart her metabolism, or running and walking at an incline on the treadmill in the afternoon or evening. Its certainly a regimen that would make a lot of boys cry. But Mulder loves it. I would never do anything but this sport, she says. Its fantastic.

THE BIGGEST WINNER

Watch out for the results of Club Fits Biggest Winner Contest in next weeks column. Do you have an inspirational story for Keeping Fit? Email Cary Castagna at

ccastagna@edmsun.com

Flax seeds can reduce chances of heart attacks

DR. RICHARD BELIVEAU Special to Sun Media
Flax seeds are by far the best source of linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid known for its positive health effects. In particular, recent data shows that linolenic acid has an anti-inflammatory effect in the body that could play an essential part in cardiovascular disease prevention. omega-3 (linoleic acid) consistent with this food pattern. The protection offered by these omega-3 fats seems to be due to the ability of linolenic acid to reduce the levels of inflammatory molecules that contribute to the formation of clots that obstruct blood vessels. This anti-inflammatory effect of linolenic acid is well illustrated by the results recently obtained by an American research team. In this study, overweight or obese 36- to 39-year-old men were either assigned a Western diet (high in saturated fats) or a diet high in linolenic acid. After six weeks on this diet, blood samples were taken and the presence of two molecules known for their anti-inflammatory effects, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF, was established by biochemical assays. People following a diet rich in linolenic acid see their quantities of IL-6 and TNF considerably decrease compared to people following the normal diet. These observations thus indicate that adding foods high in linolenic acid to the daily diet such as flax seeds could have a measurable anti-inflammatory effect and could therefore turn out to be an extremely worthwhile strategy to reduce inflammation and related diseases. Linolenic acid is what we call a short-chain omega-3, which means that it is used as a start point by our cells to produce long-chain omega3, called EPA and DHA. This transformation is important because these two long-chain omega-3 play numerous positive roles in the normal functioning of our body. They contribute to a better communication between brain cells, regulate the heartbeat and also act as powerful anti-inflammatory molecules. Even if the strong anti-inflammatory activity of longchain omega-3 plays a key role in the health benefits of omega-3 fats, there is no doubt that the short-chain omega-3 also play a part. Indeed, the transformation of linolenic acid into EPA and DHA is a relatively ineffective phenomenon, with a conversion of approximately 5% to 10%, which is not enough to explain the spectacular anti-inflammatory effects of linolenic acid that have been observed in several studies. flammatory environment in the body. Adding two teaspoons of freshly ground flax seeds to your breakfast cereals provides more than 100% of the recommended daily intake of linolenic acid, and is undoubtedly one of the easiest and cheapest ways to significantly increase omega-3 intake. We must also not forget that some kinds of nuts, especially the walnut, also contain an appreciable quantity of linolenic acid and therefore are a good alternative for snacks. Besides, studies have shown that people who eat nuts almost daily have a 30% to 40% less chance of suffering from a heart attack.

Reducing inflammation
Therefore, while there is no doubt that the regular consumption of foods high in EPA and DHA like fatty fishes like salmon, sardines and mackerel is important to reduce inflammation, a daily intake of linolenic acid-rich foods can also actively participate in the creation of an anti-in-

Mediterranean diet
We have known for 10 years that following a Mediterranean diet considerably reduces risks of myocardial infarction. This protective effect is mainly due to the abundance of vegetable origin