The two competitive bodybuilders, each with two young children, say hoisting weights gives them energy and strength.

“I love working out,” said Miller-Esayian, 44, of Encinitas. “I love feeling strong, and it helps me sleep. It’s just a passion of mine.”

The women are currently training for their next competition, the National Physique Committee’s Amateur Grand Prix bikini contest in Culver City on April 14. They’ll then travel to Pittsburgh, hoping to obtain their “pro cards” during an International Federation of BodyBuilders competition in Pittsburgh (and maybe compete in Las Vegas after that).

In preparation for competition, their diets are stripped of sugar, alcohol, sodium, fruit and bread, in favor of vegetables, sweet potatoes and lean meats, such as turkey, chicken and tilapia fish.

“We’ve had women say, ‘We could never look like that.’ Well, yeah, they can, but people don’t want to do the hard work,” Miller-Esayian said.

She placed second in the tall and over-35 class and fourth in the unlimited open class during the annual Border States Classic Bodybuilding and Bikini Competition last October in San Diego.

Though Miller-Esayian says her boys, ages 5 and 8, are too young to attend competitions, they cheer her on each time she returns with a win.

“They love when mom brings her trophies home,” she said. “My oldest keeps asking for his 12th birthday if he can have a gym membership.”

Rawls, 38, of Carlsbad, whose girls are 4 and 6, also earned trophies during October’s Border States Classic, placing first in two competitions for the over-35 age bracket, and nabbing her second Sword, for overall excellence.

Miller-Esayian and Rawls, both stay-at-home moms, often train together at 24 Hour Fitness off Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad, hitting the gym about 9 a.m. after they drop off the kids at school.

Rawls typically works out at the gym two hours per day, five days a week.

“With drive time, you’re looking at three hours that I’m gone per day,” she says. “In the next, eight weeks I’m probably going to be doing like six days a week. So, my husband’s going to be helping more picking up the girls from school or making a lunch.”

Miller-Esayian said her pursuit can be difficult on her boys.

“They want to know why mommy can’t have that at dinner,” she said. “They see me struggle a little bit, especially toward the last couple weeks before competition.”

As a competition draws closer, the women feel added pressure.

“When your kids are sick, you can’t get to the gym and you’re two weeks (from competition), you are stressed to the max,” Miller-Esayian said. “Most competitors closer to their competition go an hour in the morning and an hour at night,” she said. “I can’t get there at night because I’ve got my kids’ homework, sports and all the rest.”

As a byproduct of their lifestyle, the women said their children have adopted healthy eating habits, which they hope they’ll carry into their adult lives.

And for that reason, does Kim consider bodybuilding a legitimate sport fitting that definition?

“Yes I do. We are just unpopular. All of my colleagues will agree that bodybuilding is a sport,” said the 30-year-old.

Though few are aware, the Korea Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (KBBF) is under the supervision of and deemed a legitimate sport by the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC). The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has recognized bodybuilding as a sport since 2002, and it featured in the 2002 Busan and 2006 Doha Asian Games.

But it wasn’t featured in Guangzhou in 2010 and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not recognize it as a legitimate sport, excluding it from the 2012 London Olympics. The ambiguous status on the world stage has been controversial since the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness attempted to secure its inclusion in 2000, which was accepted by the IOC that year. But the IOC canceled it at the last minute before the Sydney Olympics that year.

During the preparations for the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the KOC and officials invited bodybuilders to attend the National Training Center in Taeneung, northern Seoul along with other competitors. The bodybuilders refused, as each athlete, unlike other sports, required very specific needs and routines. They rented apartments in the vicinity instead, where each of the participants trained according to their own regime.

One aspect of sports is teamwork, even for the individual and singles category of a particular sport that requires training partners and coaches. In and out of the game, sports must exemplify human cooperation, and many believe it essential to what makes certain physical activities deemed a sport.

Kim admits that bodybuilding is very self-centered, going as far as calling it “selfish.”

“It can’t be helped. For us, it is not just making muscles bigger as well as increasing skills and fitness. Ultimately we have to show through presentation, which is different from other sports. Each person has a different type of build and frame that requires different exercises and food,” he said.

Another veteran bodybuilder, who declined to be named, uses the words “individualism and expression” instead. According to him, in the 1980s when he was an active competitor the words “bodybuilding” and “body beauty” were practically synonyms.

“Back than we had art professors, architects and those in the humanities judging us in competitions. We are much like gymnastics or figure skating, where there is certain subjectivity in the judging process. They are in competitions as well and have artistic elements like us,” he said.

Chang Yong-chan, the promotional head of the KBBF, admits that was in vogue in previous years, before the new millennium, but strongly asserts that those days are gone.

“Since we parted from the Korea Weightlifting Federation (KWF) in 1987, we have had our own individual development and have grown rapidly,” he said. “Sport is an exercise that can be judged by an objective criterion. Bodybuilders have that now.”

Chang went on to say that though the judging process in a bodybuilding competition may seem very subjective to the uninitiated, they are actually under “strict regulations” to score points for each muscle group. The judging of each group, such as triceps or abdomen, is based on “balance and bulk proportionate to the height and weight of the competitor.”

“We have been strongly pushing for the discipline to be included in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Recent exclusions from certain Games are not because there is an issue of whether bodybuilding is a sport or not. Rather it is because the events for a certain Games are based on the host country’s interests in opening up sports that will help them acquire more medals,” he added.

The debate will no doubt continue alongside evolution and changes in the future and will likely never end as long as people continue to love and cherish certain sports over others.

Yes, Fat Tuesday commemorates a day of excess before the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. But Mardi Gras is a marathon, not a sprint. It starts with Twelfth Night (Jan. 6, also known as Epiphany, a Christian holiday commemorating the wise men’s visit to newborn Jesus) and continues for several weeks, officially ending at midnight Ash Wednesday.

In the United States –and New Orleans in particular –Mardi Gras (literally, “fat Tuesday”) reigns, but around the world, the pre-Lenten holiday has parallels to Carnival festivals.

If Fat Tuesday is all fun and games, that’s because the next day, Ash Wednesday, launches the more somber liturgical season of Lent, during which many Christians fast and focus on Christ’s suffering.

If you’re still in search of the deeper meaning behind Mardi Gras, take a look a Catholic writer Danielle Bean’s 2011 explainer of all things pancakes to parades:

Pancakes

Christians first observed the traditional celebration of Mardi Gras, also known as “Carnival,” years ago, when eggs and milk were among the foods forbidden by the church during Lent. Feasting on rich foods, such as pancakes, made with eggs, milk, sugar, and butter was a practical way to use up your stores of these items while enjoying one final “feast” before beginning forty days of penance. Today, the Catholic Church does not forbid the consumption of eggs and milk during Lent, but the tradition of indulging before fasting remains. Cakes, doughnuts, and sweet pastries are traditional Mardi Gras fare.

King Cake

King cake, named for the three kings who brought gifts to Baby Jesus in Bethlehem, is a traditional treat between the feast of the Epiphany, where we celebrate the three kings, and Ash Wednesday. It’s a rich cinnamon-roll style cake, drizzled with sugary frosting, and decorated with brightly colored sprinkles. A small figure of a baby, representing Jesus, is often baked inside, and the person who gets the piece with the baby is considered “King”’ for the day.

Burying the Alleluia

“Alleluia” is a joyful word of praise that is removed from the Catholic liturgy during Lent to emphasize our focus on fasting and penance. Many families observe a tradition of “burying the Alleluia” just before Lent by printing the word on paper or fabric, placing it in a box, and burying it. The “Alleluia” is then unburied and prominently displayed at Easter.

Parades and Dancing

A parade with masks, dancing, and brightly colored costumes and floats is another Mardi Gras tradition. Most Americans are familiar with the kinds of events that take place in New Orleans each year, but many European and Caribbean countries also observe this tradition. The joy of the dancing and the colors of the costumes are seen as one last “hurrah” before the penitential season begins.

Yellow, Purple, and Gold

The traditional colors associated with Mardi Gras, especially in New Orleans are purple, green, and gold. These are meant to represent justice (purple), faith (green), and power (gold).

I am grateful for the way the contrast of feasts and fasts in the Catholic liturgical year reflects the cycle and balance of the natural world. As we are reminded in Ecclesiastes 3:1: “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven.”

Frenchman Lionel Beyeke, the former 2008 Mr. Universe champion, claiming his first professional bodybuilding victory, delivered a package of muscular density, shape and symmetry that few of his rivals could have hoped to compete with. Though he left the early pre-judging with many penciling his name in the third-place slot, he returned in the finals looking far better than his prior showing. Beyeke looked much harder and water-depleted, leading him toward the eventual victory over the rest of the class.

Beyeke’s conditioning, though slightly lacking from what he may have hoped for, was not too much of a surprise to many, as pre-contest conditioning is somewhat of a difficult art form in itself. The true story was the lack of adequate conditioning from nearly all of his closest competitors, including second-place finisher Ben Pulaski. Though he delivered a vastly-improved physique from his previous showings, Pulaski continues to miss out on a higher placing, as his size and conditioning lack a crucial ingredient: a dominant body part. His upper body appeared to be improved upon, but still lacked in equivalence to his lower body progress.

Rounding out the top three was early favorite Fouad Abiad. Remaining in the position he took in last year’s inaugural competition, Abiad was the leader after pre-judging, but his conditioning, much like the rest of the field, did him no favors. Fortunately, he also showed no glaring weaknesses, as his overall package was solid, save for the issues with the aforementioned affliction.

In other Flex Pro action, six-time Fitness Olympia champion Adela Garcia out-shined the rest of the women’s class at the Fitness Championships, ahead of Oksana Grishina and Myriam Capes. Many of the female competitors will again do battle in less than two weeks at the Fitness International.

Overall, the second annual competition delivered what it had promised. The 2012 season has begun with a very outstanding performance and, with continued improvements from competitors and promoters alike, looks to continue the surge in the sport’s popularity that has blossomed over the past several years.

The crash happened in the sprint to the finish, with Gordon getting into the back of Busch towards the front of the big pack. Once again, Busch got turned and went sliding into the apron. Gordon’s car was pushed high, creating a logjam, and moments later, a big wreck.

Lost in Gordon’s wild ride was Busch managing to save his car for the second time. It was almost the exact same situation as the first: Busch’s car spun onto the apron, but he managed to keep it facing the right way without contacting anyone else.

The wildest part of this all? After almost crashing twice, making two incredible saves, Busch managed to win the race by slingshotting past Tony Stewart. One heck of a race and an insane display of driving ability.

Her secret weapon? Trainer and co-host ABC’s lifestyle makeover show “The Revolution,” Harley Pasternak.

“With someone like her, it’s about the fine tuning,” Pasternak told PEOPLE magazine, explaining how he helps her maintain her naturally beautiful physique.

On the road, Rihanna squeezes in at least three 25-minute workouts a week, Pasternak says. But once she’s settled in one place, she increases her sessions to five days a week, with 30 minutes of cardio a day, up from the 10 minutes she would normally do.

Rihanna’s cardio regimen includes biking or cycling, jumping rope without a rope, stationary jogging and jumping jacks, exercises Pasternak says she can do in a hotel room or backstage before a show.

Bodybuilders sought after the “V-tapered look” and know that the only way to have that is with well developed deltoids and trapezius muscles. Having well developed deltoids and trapezius muscles give a bodybuilder the broad-shouldered look which is largely responsible for the “V” back.

The trapezius also known as the traps are muscles made-up of three separate regions. The upper portion of the trapezius is mainly responsible for shrugging your shoulders. The middle and lower regions are used during rowing type movements. Well developed traps help to counterbalance the chest and front deltoids. This helps to improve posture and reduce the risk of injury.

The following are exercises designed to target your traps. You should incorporate these in your back workout days. When working your shoulders you should do 1-2 warm up sets for each exercise and then use heavy weights for the remainder of the sets. Your heavy sets should be no more then 8-10 reps, and you should be really focusing on feeling the muscles stretch and contract with each rep.

Barbell Shrugs

This exercise is excellent for working the traps. It also incorporates the use of your forearm muscles to help grip the weights.

Grip a barbell shoulder width apart. Stand straight with your feet shoulder width apart. Hold the barbell at arms length in front of you.

Keeping your arms straight during the entire movement. Let your shoulder sag down as far as you can. You should feel your traps stretch, hold this position for a second, then shrug your shoulders upward and squeeze your taps at the top. Hold this position for a second. Repeat these movements for each rep.

Cable Upright Rows

This exercise will work your traps and the deltoids. Your secondary muscles during this exercise are the biceps brachialis, and the forearms.

Starting from a low pulley cable hold a rope or handle attachment. Stand straight up with your feet at shoulder width apart. Keeping your elbows above your hands at all times. Pull the cable directly up from the starting position until your elbows are at shoulder height. Hold the position for a second to maximize the peak contraction, and then lower to the starting position.

This exercise may also be done with a barbell or dumbbells’; however using the pulley is much easier on your wrists, elbows and shoulder joints.

Reverse Dumbbell Fly’s

This exercise will work the rear deltoids and the middle traps. Secondary stress again is applied to the forearms.

Grab two dumbbells with your feet shoulder width apart bend over at the waist. Keep a slight bend in the knees to prevent strain on your lower back. Hold the dumbbells at arms length down in front of you with the palms of your hands facing each other, and making sure to keep a slight bend in your elbows.

Using your upper back slowly raise the dumbbells back as far as you can. Hold this position for a second to maximize the peak contraction in the rear deltoids. Lower the dumbbells back down to the starting position. This is one rep.

BREAKFAST
After my workout, I head to my 6:30 morning meeting and I drink a 16 oz bottle of water with lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper in it. This is a great way to wake up your body and get it ready for the food you will soon put into it. I sip my hot green or oolong tea (teagarden.com) from Dr. Tea’s Garden. He is on Melrose Blvd at a place called Tea Garden and before my wedding he had me drinking various slimming teas like oolong and another he made for me called Ti Kwan Yin Oolong. I believe Dr. Tea is moving locations, so I am going to start ordering off his website (teagarden.com) I drink two to three cups a day. I have gotten a few people at work on tea (instead of coffee) and they looove it!!! Coffee can actually hold onto fat whereas green and oolong tea flushes fat out (love that). At this time, I also open up a bottle of GT’s Kombucha in Citrus or Gingerade flavor (gtskombucha.com) I’m also loving the Gingerberry flavor which tastes the best of the three. I sip this throughout the day because it is very good for you and it totally helps with hunger cravings. (see below under Drinks for more info)

See the rest on the next page!

At about 7:15am I have an ORGANIC grapefruit. This is an amazing fruit that helps keep you regular and also helps flush out fat. Then I have either an egg white omelet with veggies and herbs (i like to add things like spinach (always) mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, onions, cilantro, herbs, and tomatoes, sometimes a little grilled chicken breast or turkey breast) I alternate veggies depending on what i’m in the mood for but i always do spinach. So good for you. And i ALWAYS say NO BUTTER, NO OIL…instead tell them to cook it in a light mist of Pam cooking spray. Tell them your allergic to butter so that they don’t slip it in there like a lot of places do. If they don’t have Pam spray, then tell them to use just a DROP or two of Oil!!! If you don’t like omelets, you can also do the same ingredients in a scramble or a frittata…once again, Pam spray or a drop of oil…NO BUTTER!!!

MID-MORNING SNACK
Between breakfast and lunch, my favorite snack in the world is Kashi’s TLC bars in Honey Almond Flax or Cherry Dark Chocolate. I am obsessed with these!!! They are my favorite health bar because they are yummy, low in sugar and all natural. No high fructose corn syrup (the devil) in these puppies!!! I buy them at any grocery store. Kashi is an amazing brand and I love their cereals and oatmeals as well. I always have a Kashi TLC bar or two in my bag and I keep a box at home and at work so that I always have a healthy snack around. Keeps you from running to the vending machine (which you should avoid like the plague, by the way.)

LUNCH
I never have time to leave the office for lunch so I usually order a chicken breast from Koo Koo Roo (the local chicken chain restaurant across the street from E!). I get a rotisserie chicken breast and I eat around the skin or just peel it off and toss it out before I take one bite. The skin is full of fat and nasty for you! I get a large side of steamed broccoli on the side. Lately, I’ve been bringing my own frozen veggies to work and making them in the microwave. I prefer broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, red and green peppers. Then I sprinkle some bottled herbs on them and I have a yummy lunch. I follow lunch with an apple or another grapefruit OR I will have another Kashi bar to get some whole grain carbs in there if I am craving carbs. Better than eating white pita or bread. If i’m bored of chicken, I try to get a salmon bowl with brown rice and steamed veggies at whole foods. Or I will get a healthy chicken salad, no wontons or fried stuff in it. I have them toss it LIGHTLY in balsamic vinaigrette which is healthier than most other dressings.

MID-AFTERNOON SNACK
If I’ve only had one Kashi bar, then I will have another as a snack to hold me over to dinner. Sometimes I will eat a Kashi and an organic apple (pink lady and honey crisp are my fads.) That way I get good carbs and satisfy my sweet tooth in a healthy way. Sometimes I will stop and get a fresh squeezed veggie juice made of carrots, beets, cucumbers, broccoli, kale, ginger and lemon (those ingredients aren’t always available so my rule is usually, the greener the veggie, the better).

DINNER
I love sushi so I try to eat at sushi restaurants that serve brown rice sushi (call around…more and more sushi joints are doing this). Otherwise, I will order some albacore and/or salmon sashimi and a couple of rolls (no tempura, no mayo) and sauce on the side. (those yummy brown sauces are full of sugar). Instead, put a little low-sodium soy sauce on your sushi. I don’t use anything sauces at all…I love the rolls and sashimi the way they are. When I go to restaurants, I try to order dishes like grilled chicken breast, grilled fish like halibut, all types of white fish, salmon, hay tuna. I always order steamed veggies, no butter and no oil. if they can’t steam them then tell them you want a touch of oil…stress a touch…otherwise your veggies will be swimming in a pool of oil!!! You can’t go wrong with ordering grilled fish and steamed veggies (especially if you are trying to lose or maintain your weight.) I try not to eat bread or pasta or anything made with white sugar and white flour but I end up having it about once or twice a week.

DESSERT
I looooove dessert but I used to love it too much. So much so that I had to completely cut it out for a while. Now, I will have a bite here or there but I find it is easier to just pass instead of getting that sugar in your bloodstream and then going nuts and chowing down the whole pie. Instead, I order berries after dinner or some sort of fruit. Your body and mind registers the (healthy) sugar and your craving goes away!!! I used to be obsessed with Frozen Yogurt but I found that it is better on your body and weight to have a scoop of real ice cream than a cup of frozen yogurt since the fro yo is all chemicals and your body doesn’t digest it properly.

DRINKS
When I get to the office, first thing I do is take a water bottle and sprinkle some cayenne pepper (just a tiny pinch…if you go overboard, it will be impossible to drink) and I squeeze the juice from half a lemon (save the other half for later.) The cayenne and lemon combo totally revs up your metabolism and gets it going.

As I mentioned before, I am a big green tea and oolong tea junkie. So good for you!

I am a huge fan of Kombucha. The brand I love is GT’s Kombucha at Whole Foods. My favorite flavor is Citrus. Second favorite is the Gingerade flavor. I am loving the Gingerberry flavor as well…yummy!!! Each serving is only 30 calories, no fat, 7 carbs and 2 grams of sugar (natural sugar) and there are two servings per bottle so this drink is super healthy and super low cal:) I usually sip one bottle a day throughout the morning and afternoon. It aids with digestion, speeds up metabolism, helps make your skin and hair healthy, and is super good for your body…plus, it totally helps with appetite control. No joke!!! This is great for me since sometimes I eat totally out of boredom (which i’m sure a lot of you can relate to) so instead, i sip this and then i’m not “fake” hungry anymore because it totally hits the spot. I’m obsessed with it!!! It is a bit pricey but I hear you can get cheaper ones at various health stores or even make it yourself at home! I’m not that brave yet…maybe one day:)

I love stopping by a Juice bar and getting a veggie juice filled with super healthy veggies like spinach, kale, broccoli, beets, cucumber, etc. I add ginger, lemon and parsely when available. This is a terrific snack to have between meals and rather filling too. You will not get fat on raw and steamed veggies!

CHEAT FOOD
Of course I cheat sometimes (I’m human, after all) but i try to limit the cheating to once a week and once I cheat, i don’t say “Oh to hell with it, I’ve cheated so now i’m gonna stuff my face and get back on track tomorrow.” This is a terrible and dangerous attitude and something I used to do all the time. Instead, now I will enjoy the “cheat” food by having a little bit of it and giving the rest away. For instance, if i just MUST have pasta, I will let my husband order it and have some bites of his. Or I will order a healthy dish and ask for a half order of the pasta (no cream, ever!) on the side. I will eat half of the side of pasta and pass the rest around the table so my friends can try it to. That way you are impressing the table with your generosity and cutting lots of calories:) I know this is easier said than done but it all depends on how badly you want to change your eating habits and the way you look.

SWEETENERS
I was that girl who used to put 3 Equals in her coffee. Well, I’ve quit coffee (yes, coffee is bad for you) and I stopped putting all artificial sweeteners into my body. My taste buds have totally changed and now I don’t need sweeteners at all on my food. If something calls for sugar, I opt for a little natural honey…but even that is rare. Or sometimes I sprinkle Stevia (all natural sugar substitute) on my cereal or greek yogurt if I need that extra sweetness, but once again, that is rare since I overcame my sugar cravings!

TIP
The secret to losing or maintaining weight and being healthy is to never go hungry. Anytime I’m hungry, I munch on a Kashi TLC bar (even half and put the other half away for a later snack) or I have an apple, grapefruit or some strawberries, or I have a veggie juice from a health store/bar, or I sip on Kombucha. As you know, almonds are a great snack too but I have had to limit almonds because I just can’t stop after a palmful of almonds. I end up eating the whole jar!!! And that adds up to tons of calories. They now sell raw almonds in individual 100 calorie bags….good solution for a healthy snack.