“Protein supplements have made an incredible difference,” says body fitness athlete Helen Sharpless
Body fitness competitions require entrants to exhibit optimal health and stamina if they are to win. They have 90 seconds of freestyle movement in order to show off their physique, muscle control and artistic merit. As a part of the competition entrants also perform quarter turns and specific poses in front of the judges.
“I find lifting weights and sculpting the body so empowering,” says Helen Sharpless, 32. “It’s almost an addiction but it’s a healthy one – it makes you look good and feel good because you are taking care of yourself.”
Helen differs from other competitors in that although she comes from an athletic background, always being keen on sports, she suffered from juvenile arthritis and spent much of her childhood in and out of hospital.
“I have had over twenty operations over the years to help and repair my joints,” says Helen. “I have had various joint alterations in both my feet and neckbut that hasn’t stopped me training and continuing to climb to the top of my sport.”
Because of her fragile joints Helen has to make sure that her training does not deplete her body and cause her illness to flare up and impede her progress.
“I take nutrition very seriously. My partner Lee Williams and I work with a nutrition plan we devised. The foundation of how we approach nutrition is that it has to be balanced and healthy, making sure the body gets all of the nutrients it needs, all of the time. It’s the key to maintaining fitness and keeping a constant level of condition,” she says. “I stick to a low fat diet, with a 50/50 ratio of proteins to carbohydrates, while making sure I eat all of the essential fats I need.
“Recently I have started using CNP Professional supplements and have noticed a real difference in my energy levels. I use Pro MS as a convenient snack or meal supplement. It is specially formulated for women and my strength and energy levels have improved tremendously since I started using it.”
After training Helen takes Pro Recover, a post-workout drink that contains a blend of fast-acting carbohydrates and proteins to aid muscle repair and growth. This has helped reduce muscle cramps and speed recovery after an intense lifting session. It means Helen can keep up with her training rota of lifting, aerobic exercise and stretching routines.
“I find it really puts back into the body everything that hard training takes out. I’ve never used anything like this before and it is helping with my muscles, ligaments and joints.”
Helen is 5ft 11 inches tall, and, coupled with her arthritis, she can suffer from aching and swelling in her joints alongside the general tiredness everyone experiences after heavy training.
“It’s quite incredible the difference the CNP supplements have made in such a short time. Recently my masseur commented on my muscle tone and asked what I was doing differently. It has to be down to the CNP supplements as I’ve not changed anything else,” she says.
When she is not competing Helen is a personal trainer and gets genuine pleasure out of helping her clients achieve the body shape they desire. Based at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire, Lee and Helen run Body Synergy (www.body-synergy.co.uk), a company set up to look after all aspects of personal training including nutrition and rehabilitation.
“We were really pleased to welcome Helen into the CNP stable,” says Kerry Kayes, founder of CNP. “Her enthusiasm is infectious and she is a fine example of what focused training, combined with a sensible diet and quality supplements can achieve. She is glowing with health and shows no signs of her underlying illness at all.”
Next for Helen is the Hercules, UKBFF competition in October and a pre-qualifier for the British Championships in 2011.
CNP Professional is one of the UK’s leading sports nutrition specialist companies. For more information visit www.cnpprofessional.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 161 368 0942 for sports nutrition advice and +44 (0) 161 368 3850 for sales.