Pumped for success

By Wayne Laepple
The Daily Item

June 17, 2008 08:55 am

— MILTON — When Nichole “Nikki” Bieber came into Heart Line Health and Fitness on a recent rainy afternoon, her arrival was heralded first by the appearance of her son AJ. Then in came daughter Avery. And finally Bieber herself arrived, carrying a large case of bottled water in one hand, a bag with her workout clothes in the other, and using her elbow to hold the door open for her other daughter, Amara.
She looks like the typical harried mom, that is until you notice her well-defined biceps.
Bieber became involved in body-building a year ago, and at her most recent competition on June 1 in Plattsburgh, N.Y., she took first place in the pro-am category.
That was quite an accomplishment, since she received her pro card in mid-May at the New York State nationals event in Binghamton only a couple of weeks before.
While the trophies and the applause she receives at shows are gratifying, they aren’t the most important thing to her.
“My biggest reward is what my kids are learning about eating in a healthy way and the importance of physical fitness,” she said.
A ‘Wonder Woman’
Her son AJ, 5, thinks she’s Wonder Woman, she laughs, and 2-year old Amara loves to come to gym with her while she works out.
“I got her her own 1- and 2-pound dumbells, and she exercises right along with me,” she said.
Bieber, 32, is a chiropractor and part owner, along with her husband Andrew, also a chiropractor, of Heart Line.
She got started teaching group fitness classes at Heart Line five years ago to get back in shape following the birth of her son, she said.
“At the time, I couldn’t afford a gym membership, so I started teaching to get a free membership,” she said. As part of her workout, she did some weight lifting, and other lifters encouraged her to compete. Since she started lifting, she developed a rigorous schedule to give her time for workouts, as well as a strict diet.
Work and workouts
She rises at 4:15 a.m. and pops an egg-white omelet in the microwave in her Turbotville home, and by 5:30, she’s unlocking the doors at the gym. She works out for a couple of hours, then heads for her office in Millville.
Meanwhile, her husband is getting the three children up and out the door.
“It’s a very delicate balance we have,” she said. “If one of the kids is sick, the plan is out.” She has office hours in Millville Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and on Monday and Friday she’s at Heart Line until noon. The rest of those days is for her children.
The children are in bed by 8:30, so she and Andrew have an hour and a half for themselves. By 10 p.m., she’s in bed.
On Sunday, after attending church, the family often goes for a 2-mile walk, and Bieber will sometimes work out at home with a set of dumbbells.
When she’s in peak competition mode, her diet consists of three things: asparagus, tilapia and salt-free rice cakes.
“It’s virtually fat-free,” she notes.
At other times, her diet expands a bit. She eats turkey breast, egg whites, brown rice, sweet potatoes and oatmeal.
“It’s all high protein and very low in carbohydrates and sugars,” she said.
To save time, she often grills 30 pieces of fish at once and makes egg-white omelets in advance. That way, she can heat meals in the microwave quickly and easily.
She eats at least six times a day to keep her energy level up, weighing everything she eats.
It’s not all bland salt-free, sugar-free all the time, though.
“The day after a competition, I eat what I want,” she admitted. “I’ll eat an entire half gallon of fat-free, sugar-free frozen yogurt and pumpernickel pretzels.”
Keeping it clean
Bieber doesn’t use any diuretics, steroids or human growth hormone. In fact, she said, competitors are required to take a polygraph test prior to each competition, and the winners must submit to urinalysis.
“It’s all hard work and sweat,” she said.
To look at her today, it’s hard to imagine she weighed almost 180 pounds at one time. When she realized the next pair of jeans she would buy would be a plus size, she decided to go to a gym.
“I didn’t want to wear plus-size clothes. I wanted to be around for my grandchildren. I wanted to be a good example for my children,” she said.
“I like the way I look,” she said.

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