Articles Bios & Interviews Gail Auerbach a.k.a. The Prodigy is Rx Muscle's Member of the Month for October!
Gail Auerbach a.k.a. The Prodigy is Rx Muscle's Member of the Month for October!
Gail Auerbach is an IFBB Bodybuilding Pro and the Editor-in-Chief of Rx Girl, She is a 5’3” Chicago native who has enthusiastically promoted women in the sport on Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/RXGirls and Twitter @ https://twitter.com/RxGirls
Let’s learn more about The Prodigy!
You’ve described your life as hectic. How do you manage it all?
My life has always been hectic! I guess it’s all I know! Lol... I have worked more than one job since the age of 13, but I am lucky to love every job I do. I create a budget and I know what I have to do each month to survive financially. I find balance in all I do by staying organized, prioritizing and making a HUGE point to take time out for my own social, emotional and mental well being.
What’s a typical day like for you?
I wake up at 4:30 a.m. and get in some fasted cardio. Then I get ready for the day, eat breakfast in front of the computer while answering emails and head off to my teaching job. After school, I work for a private child psychologist as an educational consultant and often stop by the office for an hour or two. Some days I check in via conference call or phone call. Then I head home to change and I am back out the door to the gym.
After the gym I come home, post content on RX (while eating dinner), finish up my work for the psychologist and for my teaching job and usually end up in bed by midnight. Throughout my day I try my best to keep up with emails, texts and phone calls.
You earned your BA in Elementary Education, what was your motivation to choose teaching as your major and career?
I knew I wanted to be a teacher since age 6. My first grade teacher was the first person in my life who believed more in my abilities than I did. This is also the grade where I was first diagnosed with a learning, behavior, attention and emotional disability. So I knew I wanted to teach elementary-aged children, especially ones who were as challenging and interesting as I was. Which later lead me to study special education.
And how long did it take for you to learn American Sign Language?
My best friend in elementary school was hearing impaired so she taught me a lot growing up. Then I went to college and became good friends with a girl who was hearing impaired and continued to learn it. Working with students has helped me maintain the language and continue to learn more.
Would you share the origin of your nickname, The Prodigy?
The nickname “The Prodigy” came about through friends who were amazed that I had brains because my personality definitely didn’t come off that way! I was good at a lot of different things throughout my life and had a ton of unique experiences. When I started bodybuilding a friend starting calling me it and it stuck... again!
You have your BA, a master’s degree, and a PhD, was school something that came easy to you?
School came easy to me when it was something I was interested or challenged in. If I wasn’t being held to high expectations it was most certain I would fail. I knew after I got my BA that I had a career goal to obtain and couldn’t do so without a PhD.
You went to Northern Illinois University on a track and cross country scholarship, what were your track events and what was your high school’s cross country course like? We had a 2.8-mile, fairly flat course when I ran cross country.
I started at NIU on a track and cross country scholarship and ended up graduating with a rugby scholarship! Lol! In high school our cross country course was fairly flat and boring, but we traveled to other schools and colleges and ran on theirs a lot. One had a huge hill and the first half mile was all uphill. For track, I ran the 400, 800 and 1600 for the most part.
How did the discipline of track and cross country translate to competing in bodybuilding competitions?
I don’t think I started competing due to track and cc. I started competing because when playing rugby and lifting 4 days a week I put on muscle so easily. I started doing a bodybuilding show in college which was for fraternities and sororities called Greek Physique. I won every year I competed and fell in love.
You’re no longer competing? How did it feel to win the Middleweight class and 35+ class as well as your IFBB Pro card at the 2012 Team Universe competition?
I was relieved to have finally accomplished my goal of an IFBB Pro card. I had invested so much money competing, destroyed my body and put so much of my life on hold that I was ready to discover life without it again!
And what’s your connection to Dave Pulcinella and Pulse Advanced Nutrition?
Dave Pulcinella, owner of Pulse Advanced Nutrition is the greatest guy in the world! He was there for me through a lot of health issues and hard times once I got off the stage. He always supports my goals and dreams and wants what is best for me. He is there to give advice and share his knowledge in all areas of life. He began to show me how to turn competing into a lifestyle and create balance and harmony in both my relationship with food and social life.
Dave Pulcinella
He helped me get healthy and sent me to someone who could run tests to see what was wrong with me. He introduced me to his “Pulse Girls” who are the greatest friends a girl could ask for. They have been the biggest support system and have picked me up many times when I have hit rock bottom. I would do anything in the world for Dave and know he and I will remain friends for a long time to come!
Gail, would you please share your thoughts regarding metabolic damage?
It’s a garbage term that everyone uses. They are looking for why they can’t lose weight so they slap a label on themselves to make themselves feel better mentally. Correcting "metabolic damage" with diet is like treating depression with a antidepressant. A band-aid effect. It may work for a while, but since the cause was not addressed it will just persist or get worse.
What's the first step for someone battling the effects of metabolic damage?
Find out the underlying source of the problem. Working with someone who can clinically run tests and get to the root of what is really going on inside you. Dieting isn’t going to cure it!
What should athletes do if they'd like your help in promoting themselves and their careers in the sport?
Please email me at [email protected]. There are a TON of promotional opportunities available! From girls doing their first show to IFBB Pros, the experiences are endless. Check out this article for more information:
http://www.rxmuscle.com/rx-girl-articles/7836-promote-myself-why-bother.html
Would you like to give a shout-out to anyone?
To all my friends, family and co-workers, thank you for your love, friendship and endless support. You make me a better person just by being in my life. Special love to:
Rob: You are my best friend, my rock and my everything. I can’t wait to hold your hand as we walk the journey of life together. You hold the key to my heart.
Dave Palumbo: Thank you for teaching me how to find TRUE happiness in my life. You have inspired me, transformed me, gotten me in touch with my spiritual side and taught me how to love myself. You are the greatest friend, boss, adopted father and life coach a girl could ask for.
Sally Ann Taylor: You have taught me the lessons that no college course, career or sorority could teach and I am forever grateful.
Dave Pulcinella: You have helped me transform my life in so many ways. You taught me how to make competing a lifestyle and made me look at food and supplements in a totally new light. Thank you for always believing in me, being patient and doing all you can to help my health and happiness. You helped me realize a “want” from a “need” in so many areas of my life. You have given me the “Pulse Girls” as a family, support and network that I can’t imagine living without. I am blessed to have you in my inner circle and to have you understand me in all aspects of life.
The Pulse Girls
Miniature golf or air hockey, in which sport would you be more likely to earn a gold medal?
Air hockey! I am horrible at mini golf! I usually end up needing 5-6 putts to get the ball in the hole! Everyone beats me and I get upset and start cheating by tapping the ball toward the hole when no one is looking. Lol
Is that your gorgeous cat I saw on Facebook recently?
Yes! Asha Tao is a 10-month-old Ragdoll who is the love of my life. She doesn’t know she is a cat... Shh!!! She acts like a dog!
Asha Tao!
Thank you for sharing the time with the Rx Muscle community, Gail. And thank you for promoting women in the sport so enthusiastically and professionally! For all your hard work on behalf of female competitors, you certainly deserve this moment in the spotlight yourself!
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