B8

JON MACNEILL
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

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SAINT JOHN - Lorie Noiles says it's all about the diet.

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Noel Chenier/Telegraph-Journal

Lorie Noiles of Saint John captured three Canadian fitness titles at the Ultimate Fitness Event national championships in Hamilton earlier this month.

Lots of vegetables - between six to eight cups a day - scattered between servings of high-protein foods like chicken breasts or egg whites, and go easy on the carbs.

This menu, in combination with a disciplined training regimen, led the Saint John women to her first national bodybuilding titles at the Ultimate Fitness Event Nationals in Hamilton, Ont., earlier this month.

Noiles cleaned up at the event, capturing the lightweight, open and elite divisions while competing against women from across Canada and the United States.

"I work hard and train hard, but it's a lot more about nutrition than most people realize," Noiles said.

"It's a very strict diet that you follow and that has a huge impact on your conditioning."

The diagnostic imaging technician at the Saint John Regional Hospital has been competing in fitness events for two years.

An avid boxer for the last five years, the 40-year-old Noiles decided to switch to bodybuilding after realizing she was approaching middle-age.

Since then, she's won titles at five of six competitions at the city, provincial and regional levels.

"It's been kind of crazy (her success), and that's what led me to do something a little bigger and take on the challenge."

The event in Hamilton was her first time on a national stage, and Noiles said she wasn't expecting to win every event she entered.

"I was surprised, I must say," she said. "It made it that much more exciting and took away all the pain in suffering in one day."

The 5-foot-2, roughly 120-pound woman exercises between one and two hours a day on a mixed program of weight training and cardio workouts.

During events, Noiles said participants are judged based on a series of compulsory poses, body symmetry and a fitness routine.

"I'm told I have good genetics, and I guess I have to agree," Noiles said with a light chuckle.

"You definitely need to have strong focus to stick with the training program," she added.

Noiles received financial support from Terry Blizzard, who runs the Total Wellness Studio on Union Street, and the Health-Plex at the regional hospital for the national event.