Meet this month’s cover star Candice El Guindy / @candiceelguindy
Photographer @robertreiff
Producer/Stylist @elisabettarogiani
Makeup & Hair @beautybynancyj
Location @magiclightstudiola
Custom Fitness Apparel by ROGIANI.com
Shoes by skechers.com @skechers
Candice El Guindy is the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sponsorship for Musclecontest International, which is the largest promoter of NPC/IFBB Pro League shows worldwide; she is also the Chief Operating Officer for Lipoxyderm Firming and Defining Lotion.
Candice is no stranger to the world of competitive bodybuilding, having had a very successful NPC Bikini career before retiring from the stage in 2014 after winning her IFBB Pro status at the NPC USA Championships. As a retired athlete, Candice has remained active in the industry through her work at Musclecontest, assisting with the Sponsorship Program for the NPC National Women’s Workshop, and striving to be a role model for health and fitness. Most recently, Candice had her third son who is now 10 months old, and has had a truly impressive postpartum transformation by losing 40 pounds and getting into comparable shape to when she used to compete.
What do you do for Musclecontest International and how do you find a work/life balance? I am the Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sponsorship for Muscle Contest, and the Chief Operating Officer for our skincare company, Lipoxyderm Firming and Defining Lotion. I’m also the NPC Vice Chairman for the state of California. In addition to my roles at work, I’m also a full-time stay-at-home mom of three boys ages 5, 3, and 10 months, and I homeschool my oldest son. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home the majority of the time but this also makes it harder to have a work/life balance. I haven’t found the perfect balance (I’m not sure if one exists) but the thing I have realized is my role as a mother is of the utmost importance and trumps every other role I have.
How do you approach goal-setting in your fitness journey? I have learned to set realistic expectations based on my situation. When I was in my best shape as an athlete, I used to go train at the gym for 2-3 hours. Obviously, that’s not realistic for me now! It’s all about mindset and having realistic expectations. You just have to take what you get and make the best of it. Something is better than nothing, and a little bit of something every day adds up to much more than a whole lot of nothing. My goal is to do some kind of workout 5-6 days a week. I get to go to a gym twice a week and the rest of the days I workout at home. I also keep the mindset that this is something I do as part of my lifestyle and not necessarily something I do to get results. The results will come, but from my experience, when you prioritize results over just doing the work then that’s what creates unrealistic expectations and can be a reason why people quit too soon or can’t maintain. When you prioritize your health rather than focus on results, it’s much easier to change your lifestyle and maintain the progress you have made.
What do you think is the most underrated aspect of fitness for women? Probably the most underrated aspect of fitness for women is the importance it plays in the health and well-being of one’s children once they become a mother. “Fitness” is not just the act of working out. It’s a mindset and commitment to a lifestyle, and women who live a fitness lifestyle are more likely to make healthier food choices for their families. Women who workout are also more likely to have children who are active and spend less time in front of screens. From my personal experience, I also recognize how living a fitness lifestyle has a direct impact on the food choices that I make for my kids. When I workout consistently I feel better about myself and consequently am more likely to cook something at home for meals rather than go out to eat or order something. When I cook at home I also let my kids help me in the kitchen which provides a learning and bonding experience that would have otherwise been missed had we decided to order something. I also want to be the kind of mom who my kids remember as homey and have memories of me with them in the kitchen. Technology and apps have made convenience all too easy but this convenience often comes at the cost of your health and is also damaging to family traditions.
What is your diet and training like? I eat intuitively when I’m hungry. I usually have three meals during the day. I eat the same thing for breakfast every day bone broth with collagen, 2-3 whole eggs, and avocado. In addition to my three meals, I have one protein shake a day and will also usually eat egg whites and almond butter before bed. My meals consist predominantly of protein and either a fat or a carb. I generally don’t mix carbs and fats in the same meal. Something I’ve found that has helped tremendously is getting my proteins from reputable sources. I also like to incorporate high-quality ground beef mixed with ground organ meats at least once a week. As far as my workouts, since I don’t have a lot of time, I aim for 5-6 workouts a week and it’s always legs with some compound movements to incorporate one upper body group. My workouts typically last between 10-30 minutes (45 minutes if I’m at a gym) and I never do cardio, but my workouts are fast and I do break a sweat. I’m constantly running around with my kids to activities and generally very active so I get a lot of steps in every day.
Can you share any tips for loose skin or stretch marks as a result of pregnancy? Yes! Good nutrition before and during pregnancy is so important. Making sure you’re eating enough protein is crucial for many things including prevention of stretch marks and allowing the skin to retain elasticity. After pregnancy, I get great results from using Lipoxyderm Firming and Defining Lotion. I have been involved in the making of this product since day one and have seen some really amazing results from some of our customers. I was thrilled to have this product to use after my first two pregnancies and will incorporate it into my current routine when I stop breastfeeding.
How do you handle setbacks or plateaus in your fitness progress? By having the mindset that everything is temporary. This was something I utilized after my first baby was born about life in general. It helped me when I started to feel overwhelmed. I was very active for my first two pregnancies and did Pilates every day. I couldn’t workout at all for my third pregnancy due to some high-risk complications. I gained 40 pounds during that pregnancy but I was patient and worked extra hard for the last six months to get in my best shape since competing 10 years ago. Everything in life is about mindset. I don’t consider anything a setback because fitness is a lifestyle. So I prioritize doing the work every day and making sure I get my workout done rather than focus on what results I’m getting. If you do the work then results will come.
What’s the most rewarding part of being involved in the fitness industry? I became involved in the fitness industry in 2012 as an athlete who knew nothing about the sport of bodybuilding, and now I’m an executive officer for the largest fitness promotion company in the world. The most rewarding part of being involved in the fitness industry has been watching people in the industry, who like myself, started with a goal of doing one show and have since gone on to become great champions, successful entrepreneurs, or fitness celebrities. It really shows how much the industry has grown, and continues to grow, and also that there is longevity and continued opportunities in this industry even outside of the stage.
What’s your opinion on the use of supplements in fitness, particularly for women? Supplements can be a wonderful aid to complement the hard work put in at the gym. I believe there’s still a misconception, or perhaps a hope in the general public that there’s a magic pill for being fit and/or weight loss when that’s just not and never will be the case. There are many products out there marketed under the guise that you don’t need to workout if you take those products. I think this is especially detrimental for women because it creates unrealistic expectations and unhealthy body image goals. Supplements combined appropriately with a consistent workout routine can be beneficial.
How do you maintain a positive body image in a culture that often promotes unrealistic ideals? A body is meant to change and serve you in your current stage of life. You have to take care of yourself and the best way to do that is to appreciate all the things your body has done and can do. You can’t appreciate your body if you’re comparing yourself to someone else, even if they are in the same stage of life as you. Every pregnancy is different, every athlete at their peak is different. Even the same athlete will vary greatly in their appearance from year to year. I believe that being so involved in the fitness industry and especially being exposed every weekend to the most elite category of fitness at the bodybuilding shows actually helps me to maintain a level head on my own perception of what is normal and attainable for everyday life.
Thanks for taking the time to speak to us, do you have any last words for our readers and where can they find you? Thank you for the opportunity! I can be found on Instagram @candiceelguindy.
Website: musclecontest.com – musclecontestinternational.com – lipoxyderm.com.
