Post contest illness

[marie]

Hi everyone,

I'd like to have your opinions and advices on this.

I've been doing Fitness competitions since 2004. I truly enjoy competing, but after almost every contest, something strange happens. A couple of minutes after the show, I feel very sick: nausea, vomiting, stomack pain and dizziness. It usually last for an hour or two and I sometimes feel the same the days after when eating.

So my question is, do you think it's du to food (Hyper or hypo glycemia), stress, effort or a combination of some of this? I mean, I sometimes have some stress or make some intense routines during the rest of the year... and nothing happens. Same thing for food... but I must admit that the very long (5 months) and strick diet with very few carbs and fat may be a crutial factor because I eat more of it on contest day... but once again, why EXACTLY after the show, whatever the show is 4 hours long or 10 hours long!

Have you ever heard about something like this? And what would you suggest?

Thank you!

Marie-Eve

[fit]

Hi Marie!

I'm not a competitor and have never been as lean as you need to get but as a former musician I do know a thing or two about performance anxiety. Off the top of my head, I'd say stress may certainly have something to do with it- or rather, it could just be excitement, in combo with a radical few days of eating.

[mrbeefy]

Marie-Eve!

I would first look at your diet carefully to see if there is anything that you are eating differently before/after shows that you don't normally eat. That includes ANY supplements. I know some "fat burners" make me a little queezy because they raise my blood pressure.

Then, I would look at anything you may be using thay may iniltrate your skin. Tanning agents, oils, etc. Since it is only after contests, perhaps there is something your allergic to. Same thing with make-up, hair products, etc.

Consider your exercise, stretching, etc regimen pre-post contest. Are you doing anything different that may effect you?

Why after the show? Good question. It could be possible that because of stress your stomach is producing more/less acid, and that could affect digestion.

Physical ailments? Perhaps when your on stage, the tension that you must keep with all your muscles at one time could be affecting your stomach also.

Stage lighting? Possibly causing some dizziness, which may cause some nausea. Do you wear contacts on stage as opposed to glassess? Perhaps the Rx for the contacts is different and causing the nausea?

And of course, you could always look into all the stress factors involved too. Being on stage, and the prep going into it, can be very trying to your nerves.

You may want to run that same question on a few boards and see if any other figure competitors are having the same ailments. Perhaps they have heard of this phenomenon and could give you some words of wisdom.

Last, but not least, perhaps your allergic to Mo! Nah, never mind!

Good Luck. Keep us posted!

[mrbeefy]

Marie-Eve,

I posed your question to a few PRO Figure competitors I know, to see if they may have any input for you. I'll get back with you to let you know their response.

Frank

[beckie]

could it be a migraine brought on by intense exercise? Even though you don't have a headache as such it could still be a migraine without headache. THe stress of performing in front of a live audience could definitely bring it on.

[marie]

Thanks everyone for your quick help!

Stress and lighting
I do not believe that the stress is the major cause because I'm use to this kind of stress. I made 10 years of artistic gymnastics competition and 5 years of theatre show. But the stress can increase the blood pressure and it could worsen an another problem...

Supplement:
I don't take any food supplements but a shake after trainnig and a basic multi-vitamin.

Cosmetic products:
I always use the same cosmetic products for each competitions... but it is true that I only use them for the show. I will look at it...

Intensity of the routine:
It's an evidence that I increase the intensity of my fitness routine on the scene... my heart rate goes up very high. Since the routine is 2 minutes, it's a lactic aerobic effort. It could results of a high PH blood level.

Nutrition:
It's possible that my problem is connected to my nutrition pre-contest and on-contest... When this problem occurred, I had more carbs and more fat in my diet (the date of the show) then the weeks before. It is possible that my body cannot tolerate it after a long diet.

Mo:
It's funny....maybe I was allergic to Mo...but only on the contest day...

I wish will not occur this year... because at my last show... I wasn't even able to go on stage for the awards...I was too sick...

Thanks

M-Eve

[CeaAnna Kerr]

Try having some orange juice as soon as you are done competing or try some pedialite to get your electrolytes back on track. I know I have had to do this so I do not get sick after dieting so hard.

do you have any sugar before you go on stage?

[Intensity]

Thanks for the help everyone... I truly hope that Marie-Eve is going to find out what to do not to be sick like that again after her next shows... it makes me so sad and afraid to see my little Marie like that

Thanks again!

[marie]

Is the orange juice is for electrolyte? And what is pedialite?

And yes I have sugar (simple carbs) before to go on the stage (approx 20-30 minutes before).

Thanks

M-Eve

[beckie]

Pedialyte is an electrolyte replacement but is really only meant for gastro illness so I wouldn't recommend that...maybe just some Gatorade diluted 50% with water so it isn't too concentrated?

[CeaAnna Kerr]

When I dieted really hard for shows and also my husband we both have taken Pedialyte and it does help not only for cramping but helps you so you don't get sick when you start eating. You drink some right after you are done competing and it helps to bring your electrolytes back up. So yes, it has helped both of us and it is something to think about to try. We learned this from other competitors that have done this as well.

It is for babies and small children for when they get sick and they fever and vomit or have diaherrea. So if a child can take it, then so can an adult, especially after dieting for so long and hard and what we do to our bodies in that last week out from a show.

You might want to keep this in mind as it has helped us before. Even if you take a few mouthfuls after you are finished competing for the night and you are ready to eat some real food.

Or if you want to try the gatorade thing.

Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck!