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T H E E D M O N T O N S U N • Thursday , June 15 , 2006 l i fes ty le 61

It’s all about balanceLeanna Martens

knows that whenit comes to work-

ing out, you can get toomuch of a good thing.

She learned that thehard way.

The painful lessonculminated in early2005, when shin splints

and chronic knee, hip and lower back pain – the result ofyears of intense weightlifting and cardio workouts coupledwith a hectic lifestyle – forced the ambitious Edmontonianto stop training.

“I broke down, my nervous system and my body, and I justcrashed, like physically and emotionally,” recalls Martens,who reluctantly took an exercise hiatus after seeking med-ical advice from a va-riety of sources, includ-ing chiropractors,physiotherapists andmassage therapists.“Crouching, bending,anything, I was sore allthe time. I was fatiguedall the time.”

Suddenly, the na-tional-level fitness com-petitor, who had once dreamed of turning pro and gracing thecover of a bodybuilding magazine, could no longer do thevery activity that she felt identified her.

That led to depression and subsequent weight gain thatput the five-foot-seven SUNshine Girl at a personal high of145 pounds.

“I didn’t even think my body could get that heavy. That wasnot a good time. It was just killing me to not be able to workout,” she says, remembering how she didn’t want to go out oreven talk to her friends. “I was so worried about what otherpeople thought about me. I was so ashamed because that wassuch a big part of who I was.”

It would take nearly a year for Martens to recuperate.During that time, she did what she calls a “huge amount

of self-reflection.”And over time, she managed to get past the long-held be-

lief that much of her self-worth was wrapped up in herphysical achievements.

“I had to find comfort in who I am outside of that,” she ex-plains. “I have spent a lot of time figuring out what’s im-portant to me and where I’m going.”

Martens rededicated herself to her personal-trainingbusiness and eventually started work-ing out again – only smarter this time.

These days, the 28-year-old 133-pounder listens to her body and ifshe needs to ease up on the gas pedal,she will.

“I just really take care of myself. Islow down and I stretch every day. Ihave to keep myself really balanced,”

she says.That also means no more 18-

hour work days.“And it’s OK if I sleep in on a

Saturday or Sunday. It’s not theend of the world,” she adds.

Martens, who still has to con-tend with some chronic pain fromtime to time, pumps iron threetimes a week and performs up tosix 45-minute cardio sessions a

week, typically on the stationary bikeand elliptical machine.

It’s a functional program, she says,that focuses on core muscles, flexibil-ity, balance and strength – and not juststrength that allows her to lift a decentpoundage on a machine at the gym.

“It’s how that strength crosses overinto your life,” she says. “Can you lifta box without straining your back?”

The balanced approach Martensnow takes into her training is mir-rored in her diet.

She eats a variety of foods, even the

occasional small bowl of organic chocolate ice cream.“As soon as you say you can’t have something, all you want

is what you can’t have,” explains Martens, who doesn’t be-lieve in deprivation. “Restriction equals binge eating. Andthat is the beginning of the end.”

It’s all about moderation and balance. Take her word for it.Do you have an inspirational story for Keeping Fit? E-Mail Cary Castagna at

ccastagna@edmsun.comCARY CASTAGNA

A year after ‘crashing,’ former bodybuilder has learned her lesson well

Leanna Martens learned the hard way that even a super-fit body can onlytake so much. Above, the national-level fitness competitor and body-builder crashed and had to reassess her entire lifestyle. Now, left, she takesa smarter approach to her body, mind and image.

– Supplied photo

‘I have spent a lot of time fig-uring out what’s important tome and where I’m going.’

– Leanna Martens on her newapproach to life