011: Stronger Within: Using Mindfulness to Build Both Muscle and Resilience with Cristina Rifo

“Just because you're in the gym does not mean that you have to compete. It's not for everybody, and that's okay. It doesn't mean that just because you're not competing, all of a sudden you're not a bodybuilder.” —Cristina Rifo

While bodybuilding requires intense physical training and discipline, the mental demands of the sport are often overlooked. Preparing for a competition brings tremendous stress as competitors push their bodies to the limit with strict diets and grueling workouts over an extended period. This type of lifestyle can negatively impact mental well-being if proper care is not taken. Thus, making self-care a priority helps bodybuilders sustain their passion for the sport over the long term.

Before becoming a bodybuilding coach and professional competitor, Cristina Rifo struggled with disordered eating and body image issues. After using the sport to help cope with a difficult divorce, she now focuses on educating others about balancing physical training with mental well-being.

Listen in as Sherrie and Cristina discuss why mental health issues like anxiety and body dysmorphia are common in bodybuilding but often overlooked, the importance of maintaining a healthy mindset alongside physical training, the challenges of handling struggles with family members who may not support your lifestyle choice, the importance of setting the right reasons for pursuing bodybuilding, and more.

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Episode Highlights:

01:19 Struggles with Nutrition and Mindset

05:26 Bodybuilding is NOT a Fad

09:46 What the Journey Looks Like

Transcript

Sherrie Kapach: Welcome to Beyond The Prep. I'm your host, Sherrie Kapach. I'd like to welcome this afternoon, Christina, or do you prefer Chris? You're competing this afternoon? My question for you is, why did you get into bodybuilding?

Cristina Rifo: Honestly, I got into it when I was going through my divorce. So 10 years ago, just over 10 years ago, I turned to working out just to help me deal with stress. And it just started with home workouts. My mom had some home workout videos, I was just doing them out. And then I had a girlfriend who I will meet like we should compete. And then it was like nine weeks before Muscle Beach and I mentioned, I was like, I've never heard of a show. I'd never heard of it. I know what she's talking about. She's like, you're in better condition than I am. You should do the show. And I'm doing it. And so one of my friends, he was a coach and I talked to him. He's like, I'll coach you for free if you want to do it. Like, you know what? Sure, why not? So I turned to it, and I got it competing. And then from there, I just fell in love with it, and I started going to the gym and just like fell in love with bodybuilding. Like this is what I'm meant to do.

Sherrie Kapach: Did you do nothing about it? So the structure commitment that it takes to get on that stage, how did you handle that for your first prep?

Cristina Rifo: I was terrified. And just because I am a very introverted person. My family, they all are very extroverted. They love the spotlight. They love the stage. Like they fight for it. I'm the one that will just sit back quietly and watch. Anytime they try to make a scene, I'm like the only one that keeps me away. So they were actually all extremely surprised to like, how are you getting on stage? Yeah, not the person you are. I'm like, I know. But it's a challenge. And I just love that thought of the challenge challenging myself and pushing myself to do something that I was so terrified of, and just facing that fear.

Sherrie Kapach: So what about the food net? Did you have any struggles, especially for your first time going out?

Cristina Rifo: The first one was pretty hard just because, like my background beforehand, I was anorexic. I had finally gotten to a place where I had put on some muscle and gotten to a healthy place with eating. I was eating like once a day, I was just starving myself. So to get to a place of eating five, six meals a day, I was so good. I loved it. But once you diet down for a show, and you're that lean again. I did a photo shoot right afterwards. Seeing that I was being that lean. So it's like trying to be careful with my mindset of not falling back into that, enjoying it like wanting to be skinny and being worried about the scale. And so moving forward, I knew like going into the offseason that I had to stay away from the scale. I absolutely couldn't look at it. It was like, now we're putting on sighs, but I can't look at the scale. And even over the years, that's one huge thing. I'm in a good place now. My coach told me to send check-ins on my way down. But probably about two years ago, nope, don't ask me for my weight. I can't look at the scale. I have to stay away from it just because I didn't want to fall back into that old mindset.

Sherrie Kapach: Were you a little bit apprehensive even postseason where you are going to start eating more and stuff like that? Where you like, oh, my God, can I do this?

Cristina Rifo: I was a little bit scared to hold on to the weight because now I had worked so hard to get lean again. And I was enjoying that. But no, I had to break it down. So I'm like, no, if I want to grow from there, I know I have to break away from that. And I have to be willing to eat and put it on the side. Now, the off-season is my favorite season. I love the fullness. I love healthy books.

Sherrie Kapach: I love it so much that it actually really helped you in a lot of ways. Yeah, that's amazing. Prior to this stage, you were eating a lot, right?

Cristina Rifo: Yeah. In my offseason, I was eating about 4500 calories.

Sherrie Kapach: Wow. That's amazing. So if someone was considering bodybuilding, what piece of advice would you give them? If they're like that, and I'm thinking about it, what would you say to them?

Cristina Rifo: I guess it just depends on the reasoning behind it. I think too many people have the wrong idea about it that it's become a fad. There's so many people on stage, and it's all over Instagram and social media. A lot of them want to get into it for that reason. For me, this is a lifelong, this is my lifestyle, and just a little fad. I've been doing this for 10 years so it's not just a fad for me. But if you fall into it as a fad, you're gonna follow just as fast. So it's just important to see where your goals are, where your mindsets are, your reasoning behind it? And just make sure that it's all in alignment, and then you're going to the right reasons.

Sherrie Kapach: Because it's a lot of work on your allotted time. Commitment. Pricey, especially for the female.

Cristina Rifo: I always tell people that there's a huge difference between working out, wanting to go to the gym and live a healthy lifestyle and competing. And just because you're in the gym does not mean that you have to compete. It's not for everybody, and that's okay. It doesn't mean that just because you're not competing, all of a sudden you're not. They're two very, very different things.

Sherrie Kapach: Yeah, that's good. Good way to point things out. You don't have to be on that stage to do bodybuilding. You can just build it and have that as your lifestyle and eliminate the other stuff that go do with it. What's it like for them seeing their mom, and what's the struggles even with having kids doing this sport?

Cristina Rifo: My boys have pretty much grown up. My eldest is turning 19, and my youngest is turning 13. They are both very into working out. My oldest plays football now, and like bodybuilding has been his life. He is at the gym constantly. His friends are looking up to him. They turned to him to swap them in the gym and train them properly. So it's so cool that you have now shown them that lifestyle and they use it everyday. My oldest does his own meal prep. That's what he's gonna do. And always call me like, mom, I just need some more ideas for my meal prep because this is getting a little boring. We have those conversations, and it's just so cool that they turn to me for that type of thing. You know that I've set that example for them and that they want to live a healthy lifestyle.

Sherrie Kapach: Amazing. Now you're like, you say your voice is inspiring their friends and they're asking them for some advice and stuff like that.

Cristina Rifo: The domino effect. Example for your parents. And then one day, they're gonna be an example for their shipments, and on, and on, and on. Breaking those generational curses in my family was never healthy before. So for me to break free from that and set a better example is just so cool. Now I have family members turning to me for advice.

Sherrie Kapach: Nice. You've had the support of your family as well which makes a big difference. So when your boys were younger and you were, you know, things that were not in your menu. Do you ever struggle with that? Say that peanut butter sandwich, was that a struggle?

Cristina Rifo: In the beginning, it was hard. The first year maybe, it was hard. It's gotten easier over the years. Because for me, I never want my kids to suffer just because I'm making myself, you know. That's not fair to them. It would just be me saying, okay, here's your treat. Here's your snack, whatever you're wanting. I'm gonna go to my room, and let me know. But I got myself on a timeout, and they totally understood. They're like, yeah, that's okay. And they can tell you when they were done or whatever. And now, they can have ice cream or chocolate bars from me, and it doesn't even faze me. I'm good. Whatever.

Sherrie Kapach: Exactly. I give you credit for that because that would be hard for me. If that's what you want, you go somewhere else to get on so I don't see, I don't want to hear that name. It's delicious. All that is so good for you.

Cristina Rifo: I also watched cooking channels while doing cardio.

Sherrie Kapach: Tell me how you do that.

Cristina Rifo: It makes me happy. So good, enjoyable. It makes cardio more enjoyable.

Sherrie Kapach: I'm not there yet. I'm getting a little bit better on the meal part of it, but don't show me the dessert. Don't show me all that. I'm not quite there yet. But you get through it. What's your plan draft after the show? What do you eat when you walk off that stage?

Cristina Rifo: You know what? Actually, I passed it in my offseason. Coach was so good and made sure I was gluten free. But I was able to have pasta every day up until about four weeks ago.

Sherrie Kapach: We're ready for some pasa. Do you have anything planned for after this show? Anything this year or next year, or what's your goal? What's your intention?

Cristina Rifo: The plan was to do this show and hopefully qualify for nationals. So if everything goes as planned, then I'll go to nationals in four weeks.

Sherrie Kapach: Exciting. Beautiful, beautiful. I'm really excited to watch on stage this evening because you look phenomenal. So on that note because I know you still have a busy evening and then you can go and enjoy your pasta, good luck to you. All the best.

Cristina Rifo: Thank you so much.