Wonder mom Hilary Isaac: ‘I’m just tougher over all’
Hilary Isaac was a successful media professional. Then all of a sudden, she made a move no one expected. She left her last job as a news anchor for an international brand and tried bodybuilding for fun.
She got hooked after seeing results. She bagged the PCBF Bacolod Open Women’s Bikini Champion 2016. Today, the only other role that is greater than her being a healthy lifestyle advocate and a true fitness inspiration is her being a devoted mom.
We cornered her after her usual workout for insights on her transformation.
THE PHILIPPINE STAR: How did you start being a fitness inspiration in social media?
HILARY ISAAC: I started documenting my journey into fitness on Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat and people have started responding in an overwhelming way. People tell me they can’t believe that I’m a full-time single mom, I’m working, and I can achieve this. They ask for tips, motivation or inspiration. I also noticed a lot more mothers are asking how is it possible, how do I get to that point and I’m able to help them along the way. For me, that’s the biggest reward. Seeing that there are lives that I’m touching is what helps me wake up and seize a new day. It’s hard being a single parent, but if I serve to inspire them, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.
What is your fitness goal?
If you’re a bikini athlete or bikini competitor, you look amazing in a swimsuit all year, but for me, that wasn’t my goal. My goal was to be strong, to be healthy, and to just be around for my son as long as possible. You just have a clearer mind. You are able to make better decisions and take care of the people you love better. You’re not as moody. I mean, sure, when you’re on competition mode, the diet puts my mood swings off the charts. But overall, I feel good and I’m just always positive. So, for me, that is the ultimate goal. I am healthy, I am strong and I have a fit mind and fit body and I’m tougher. I’m just tougher over all and I like that.
Describe your diet.
I have long said goodbye to white carbohydrates. So, no bread, no rice, no sweets, no cookies, cupcakes, cakes, and pizzas. Those are all my favorites. I save those for my one cheat meal every week. Not cheat day, cheat meal. I eat a lot of chicken breast and about eight egg whites a day, and I’ll have some sweet potato for complex carbs. I eat a lot of broccoli, asparagus, and spinach. I don’t drink sweet drinks, it’s always just water and if I’m craving for something sweet, I use either my BCAAs or my pre-workout. It’s not the workout that’s hard. It’s the diet, knowing there’s this delicious-looking brownie ice cream sundae and you can’t eat it.
How often do you work out?
I am at Gold’s every day. That’s my second home. If I’m not in my house and not at work, I’m in the gym. I always start my day with cardio because it gets my blood pumping. After that, I do a really good stretch and eat my breakfast. I’ll eat my meal 1 and 2 out of my six meals a day, then I hit the gym to pump some iron. I split up my muscle groups so, let’s say, Monday and Wednesday I do shoulders and chest; Tuesday and Thursday, I’ll do back and triceps. There are days I don’t wanna do it, but I still do it. I can complain all I want, but I’ll just have to get up and show up, and I’ve never regretted it.
What inspires you to keep up this new healthy lifestyle?
I read this one quote about how life is like a full squat. It doesn’t matter how heavy the weight is that’s on you; the important thing is for you to get up. And really, that’s what life is about, right? And the only way you can build muscle is to keep going heavier next time. Just keep pushing it until you get tough.
A few weeks ago, Hilary joined the Arnold Classic Asia in Hong Kong. “It was an incredibly eye-opening experience as it was my first international competition ever. I got to meet and shake hands with Arnold Schwarzenegger himself,” she shared in her blog toughgirl.online.
“There is simply no way you can sustain the exact same leanness of show form all year-round. It’s not easy and it’s not healthy. Going about your normal daily activities on very low body fat as you would have during a competition will make it impossible for you to perform at your optimal level. On-season, I have about 7% body fat on me. I got measured a few days ago and I’m at 11.7%. It’s totally normal to put on a little body fat after a competition.”
“It’s actually good because your body needs it to make gains and improvements. Many women (and some men) are so scared to put on weight after a show that they continue to eat like they were prepping. That kind of mistake can cost you your health and your improvements for the next show. I notice that because I am taking in more carbohydrates now (by way of basmati rice, bread sometimes) I weigh more and look (well, mostly feel) a little thicker. But I think it’s more my mindset than my physique that needs tweaking,” she wrote.
“Being on prep mode and on a strict diet will significantly affect your mood and mental behaviour. I notice that I tend to be a lot more vulnerable to stress (which leads my body to produce more cortisol than I usually do) and become quite irritable. Depending on how long your prep is, you will have to sustain an extremely steely focus and a determined mindset, and, some days, when life decides to make things more interesting by way of challenges, you will find great difficulty in staying motivated.”
“Getting off from show or comp mode will require you to change mental gears — to slow down and try to get back to regular programming as smoothly as possible. Time to start feeding your body the carbohydrates it went without but badly needs, and also time to get back into the rhythm of normal, everyday life. Of course, fitness ought to be a lifestyle, and by no means should it be sacrificed just because you go back to your normal routine. Stick to clean eating, stick to your workout routine, but make every effort to unburden yourself from the mental pressure of being in competition form,” Hilary concluded.
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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com
