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DON:
Who was the first person to tell you to get into better
shape?
LINDA: Me! I was overweight then decided to
go the Anorexia route, so first I became sick, then
I became healthy!
DON:
What directed your attention to your first diet?
LINDA: AT 16 years when it is told you are supposed
to be thin, which is gorgeous, so I was fat and wanted
to be considered pretty, pressures of high school,
but no diet worked so it took years of body damage
before I learned.
DON: Your 5 favorite websites are....
LINDA: Lisa Marie Varon has one of the nicest Fitness
competitor sites, but the sites I reaaaaaaaaaly like,
not related to fitness are:
https://www.shockwave.com/bin/shockwave/entry.jsp
https://www.m-ms.com/
https://www.xdude.com/flashed.htm
https://www.ezone.com/
https://stuart.messagemates.com/
You need some time to play around at some of these sites, but what a blast!
DON:
Cool! What do you want to plug up front here?
LINDA: Kappa, Aubrey Organics, Basic Sports Nutrition,
Compassionate Mall... and hmmmmmmmm, I went Pro last
year.
DON:
I know! Congrats a million times! I like Aubrey too.
Ever buried something somewhere secret?
LINDA: Yup! Within my home which is over 100
years old, of course unless I forgot anything, I dug
em all up, but you can see my little 'tags' all over
the place from when I was small.
DON:
What's your craziest groupie story?
LINDA: I had a guy following me around a show, he
was a sweet person and not threatening at all but
very persistent and I can bet he needed some attention.
I gave him my autograph and he had a photo all ready
to go, but he did not leave my side and finally I
had to put my sport car to some use to lose him once
the show was over, luckily this was in my home city
so I know where I can lose him!!
DON:
That's actually pretty scary. Anything embarrassing
happen when you were trying to look cool?
LINDA: Yeah, here I am walking around on my hands,
warming up for a photo shoot, at the World gym and
out were my boobs hanging all over the place while
the gym watched me!!!!!!!! Some tops just were
not made for fitness!!!!!!!
DON:
Laughs. I wonder if some of them thought you did it
on purpose or felt bad about it? Your biggest lie...
LINDA: "Who me?"
DON:
Grossest thing you ever ate....
MEAT! I had been veg (not vegan though) for
over 10 years and decided to go back to red meat for
the year of 1999, just to prove to all these people
telling me "you would be bigger if you ate meat",
to prove that is all crap. Well I had to struggle
to keep the fat off, where as normally I can eat more
sugars and fats than most competitors without it even
showing, just as long as I am off the meat.
I am allergic to eggs and poultry as well. I
am back to my 'veg' trend, and stay lean without trying,
and yes gained more muscle this year than last, although
I lost it all due to a car accident that had occurred
late Aug 2000, just 2 months from World's. I
placed 4th where as I know the muscle losses were
the result, I can bet I would have had 1st place but
I am awaiting the tally sheets as it can be pertinent
to my case against the fellow that had rear ended
me (I was a passanger too)!!!
DON:
There is something to eating clean most meat eaters
ignore for sure. Ever attacked a defective vending
machine? What one?
LINDA: Yes, coke machine in Whistler, in my
younger 'drinking' years, of course it won!
DON:
Your actual job title is...
LINDA: Canadian Fitness Champ and Vancouver's best
trainer!
DON:
How did you meet your significant other?
LINDA: Funny, he fed me back to life during my worst
stage of anorexia by feeding me daily bites of food
until I could eat a whole slice of pizza. We
had known each other through my half sister (he hung
around with her younger cousin) and we were both to
be in her wedding party but since I had a guy at that
time, we were best of friends until I was free and
then he asked me
out!
DON:
What is your education?
LINDA: Some college and university all pertinent to
training.
DON:
What led you into this field?
LINDA: Striving for my own perfection and needing
a jog change where I could help people and become
more positive.
DON:
Your most frequent question asked is....
LINDA: What do you eat??? Seems when you're
a vegetarian who is 'buff' it confuses the shit out
of people!
DON:
I can almost see that, laughs. Is there a piece of
exercise equipment you hate to use?
LINDA: Seated Calve raises, the toes always slip off!!!!!!
DON:
What makes you smile the widest?
LINDA: My pitbull Niko, he is such a card!
DON:
What was your best workout routine ever like?
LINDA: 6 days per week with weights on a 6 day split,
3 sessions per week of plyometrics, gymnastics 2 times
a week and kickboxing when there is time! And
all this in a private gym!
DON:
Your crowning achievement?
LINDA: Overcoming my ACL reconstruction and getting
back in training, because of which I had to miss Nationals
and Internationals! Here I am again, neck and
back ruined from this rear ender, lost a world title
I worked for all year, and lots of my muscle is gone.
I still can't really train.........this sucks!
DON:
Don't get mad, but when you are falling apart like
that, it's a protein deficiency. Tell me a joke:
LINDA: I hate to say this but our contest arena is
becoming a joke!
DON:
Favorite good for you meal:
LINDA: Garlic mashed taters -no fats or salts, mixed
wild greens with a orange vinaigrette, also I love
raw oysters!
DON:
Favorite BAD meal:
LINDA: Restaurant??? HA HA HA HA HA, about 5
lbs of gourmet Fanny May and Purdys chocolates!!
DON:
Your first interview was...
LINDA: High school, I was a breakdancer, gymnast and
dancer and that had me interviewed all the time!
Even our local papers and news stations as girls in
Break were really new then.
DON:
Tell me something not sexual about your body...
LINDA: I am completely, 100 % me, no plastic surgery
or 'Hard' supplements.
DON:
What would you change about your industry if you could
without hesitation?
LINDA: Judging criteria! 50 percent on fitness
routine, 50% on physique, but no points for facial
beauty or skin tone, especially no points for plastic
surgery. No extra points for acrobatics (although
I am a gymnast). Girls should not have to do
those things, they need to be appreciated for individual
talent, if it happens to be gymnastics then fine,
but the next girl should be looked at without comparison
to 'oohh aaaaaahh' flips. I do agree flexibility
is a must but let us get a point system that does
not have such 'opinion' oriented judging. Let us get
a score sheet that is blank and show the girls can
know what the judges want.
DON:
Ever peed in a pool?
LINDA: I don't do pools! Probably as a kid I
did, but I don't use them now for years!!!
DON:
Who got your vote? Bush or Gore (I know you are Canadian)?
LINDA: To be honest, they tell us what they want us
to hear, who really knows what the heck they are all
up to, like anyone really cares about the people????
They care about the income they will get in office!!!!!!!!
DON:
What diets have you tried and why did they fail?
LINDA: Scarsdale, lemons, vinegar, X-LAX.... They
fail cuz diets are bad, eating is good, but eating
properly and being in tune with your bodies individual
needs is best!
DON:
Can you do the macarena? Electric slide? Line dance?
LINDA: Yup, but I won't! Can you?
DON:
No! When was and what was your last workout?
LINDA: I do just physical therapy ttreatments right
now, I should start working out again soon but I still
suffer a lot of pains.
DON:
Ever been knocked out?
LINDA: No, I do the knocking out!
DON:
Ever knocked someone else out? Wanted to? Who?
LINDA: Yup, many times, grade school to present (I
kickbox now) usually loud mouth bullys who think they
are invincible and pick on the smaller, meaker guy.
I never really wanted to knock a girl out though,
just guys.
DON:
Last movie saw....
LINDA: Something new all the time!
DON: Last video rented....
LINDA: "Frequency" with Denis Quaid, but it is cuz
I have seen all the other latest releases.
DON:
Last cd bought...
LINDA: Get real, I have Napster now! I burn
my own!
DON:
Last concert attended....
LINDA: Boys to Men - a few years ago, but I want to
see Ricky Martin!
DON:
E-Gads Linda! And the TV show you most watch?
LINDA: VIP or Charmed, girl power! Oh, and the WWF!!!!!!!
Just kidding, I do catch that sometimes, depends whats
on when I am home...........OOOHHHHHHHH Hockey!!!!!!!!
NHL for sure, that is what I watch most!!!!!!!!!!
DON:
Sounds like a lot of TV overall! What supplements
do you take?
LINDA: Right now, nothing, nausea from the car accident
has royally messed me up! Normally soy protein, glutamine,
vitamins, minerals, herbs, some trendy stuff to see
if it works - on and off. I have lost a good
inch or so off my arms since the accident!
DON:
What supplement do you really miss when you forget
it or what supplement did you notice the most results
from?
LINDA: B-complex believe it or not. Next is
the Soy.
DON:
The worst pickup line ever...
LINDA: Can you body slam me? Pulllllllllllllleeeze!
DON:
If you were anyone else who would you be....
LINDA: Janet Jackson, she is soooooosooooooooooo pretty,
and what a business gal eh?
DON:
Your last dream...
LINDA: Literally? Too weird to describe, but
my goal is to pick them 6 numbers!!!!!!
DON:
What next?
LINDA: I wanted to do bodybuilding this year, I will
next, but I still want that World title, and was confident
it was mine, so you know- unless more SHIT like that
car accident hits the fan, it is mine next year!
For now I am entertaining some casting, anything you
got to throw my way???
DON:
Maybe! Bonus round. Rant.
LINDA: Rant??? I lost my natural muscle I worked
so hard to get all year, in a matter of weeks it was
gone, gotta get it back!
To visit Linda online go to www.lindacusmano.com