22 South London Press, Friday, October 24, 2014
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Bodybuilder Kirsty’s show of strength MUSCLING IN: Kirsty Woods working out with weights. Inset shows Kirsty with her trophy afterthe Miami Pro UK Championships k3097
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19-YEAR-OLD IS DELIGHTED AT COMPETITION PERFORMANCE A BODYBUILDER from South London now ranks among the very best after coming second in a top fitness show. Kirsty Woods, 19, of Knights Hill, West Norwood, was the youngest competitor to win a place on the podium in the Figure category of the Miami Pro UK Fitness and Model championships in Hertfordshire, on October 12. Kirsty coached herself for the show while working as a personal trainer and studying for a sports rehabilitation degree at St Mary’s University in Twickenham. She said: “I did a lot of research in my spare time and found coaches were quite expensive. A lot of it was guess work, but it worked.” Kirsty started lifting weights two years ago at her gym but had to take a break from her training to have her appendix out. Keen to compete before turning 20 in January, she trained up to four times a
By HAYLEY RICHARDSON day, six days a week and followed a strict diet plan to get in shape. “I have a habit of throwing myself in at the deep end,” she said. “I don’t get much sleep.” Kirsty said she was really excited about competing, but also found it quite nervewracking. She said: “Going on stage in a bikini is quite different to training in tracksuit bottoms. “I was told my posing was the best on the stage, which was really great to hear.” Kirsty said she would love to pursue a career in bodybuilding and has just been signed up by a fitness modelling agency. She said: “A lot of people don’t realise it is actually a sport that you have to dedicate your life to. “It’s very empowering and makes you feel mentally and physically stronger.”
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Expert’s warning on the use of laxatives in aiding weight control
A SOUTH London hospital is leading calls for stricter regulation on the sale of laxatives . South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK’s biggest provider of substance misuse care, has warned that laxative abuse can cause severe dehydration, diarrhoea, kidney failure, and, in extreme cases, death. Laxative use is increasing among teenagers where it is seen as an aid in controlling weight, according to UK eating disorder charity, B-eat. A spokesman from the organisation said that 80 per cent of people affected by eating disorders have misused laxatives to lose weight and that “supermarkets do nothing to restrict sales of medicine to under18s”. Also the Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Unit, at the Denmark Hill based Maudsley Hospital, sees about 140 teenagers with anorexia or bulimia every year. Gladys Ellis, pictured, who heads the team at the unit, said: “Laxative abuse is unfortunately a common occurrence in adolescents.
“Laxatives are not expensive and they are available at most supermarkets and chemists so teenagers can spend their pocket money on them. “We support Beat in the calls for tighter regulations. “There are no policies in place or limitations on the laxatives children can purchase.” B-eat is calling for a minimum purchase age of 16, the maximum pack size reduced to 10 tablets, sales restricted to pharmacies and a warning label on packets that states “this is not a
weight loss product”. Eventually the sale of laxatives would be restricted in a similar way to paracetamol. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of B-eat, said: “We’ve seen a 30 per cent increase in calls to our helplines over the last year where people have mentioned overusing laxatives in an unhealthy way. “And that does include a significant number of young people as well.” ● For more informationvisit http://www.beat.co.uk/.