When Noriko Major isn't working as the star office assistant at the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine's Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, she's off kicking some major butt in fitness.
Placing second at the Alberta Bodybuilding Association's 2010 Southern Alberta Championships in women's fitness, Major brought her body fat percentage down to 15 per cent right before the June competition.
"At the beginning of March before I started my prep, I had a DEXA scan done that confirmed my body fat to be at 23 per cent. I went into intense training to build muscle and bring my body fat percentage down," says Major.
Major first competed in 2008 and was told by the judges that she needed to gain seven to 10 more pounds of muscle in order to be competitive. She trained six days a week leading up to the 2010 competition and gained the muscle mass necessary this year. She also had to develop and perform a routine for the fitness competition.
"The routine had to include one-arm push ups, the splits, a high kick, a straddle hold and an L-sit," Major says. "I have a dance background so I love being on stage and performing."
Major spent 12 weeks preparing for the competition. While she worked during the day at the University of Alberta and took care of her four-year-old son Cypris, Major would wake up at 5:00 a.m. to do 40 minutes of cardio. She'd go to the gym after work, do weight training and then practice posing. On the weekends she would practice her routine and fit in more workouts. Major was on a strict diet and hired diet coach Mariusz Zastawny to keep her on track.
"I was eating 1800 calories a day. About five weeks out, I went down to a strict 1500 calories per day."
After placing in the top three in the provincial competition, Major is now qualified to compete in the Nationals. She is back at her training in preparation for next year's Canadian Nationals competition in August.
"It feels great to be on stage. It's nice to have a goal and something to work towards-that's why I do it," says Major. "And I also love lifting weights!"