Q: Lisa, how did you get into sports and fitness?

A: It began with my mom. My mother had a weight problem her whole life, and she didn't want my brother and sister (also great athletes) and I to have a weight problem. So she enrolled us in sports and dance at an early age. I began dancing at 3.

Q: Why did you start weight lifting?

A: Just prior to my 21st birthday, I had heard on a radio program that the aging process for women begins at 21. Initially I enrolled and excelled in tae kwan do. A few years later, [I] picked up power lifting. I want to say however, that my power-lifting was raw. No drugs, no knee wraps, no power-lifting suits. But my joints started to give, and I still wanted to pursue fitness in a competitive venue.

Q: So, that's how you transitioned from power-lifter to bodybuilding and figure competitions?

A: Yes. I prayed for a good trainer and was introduced to trainer [and former body builder] Betty Arline, who literally changed my body and life. I was all legs and no shoulders, and she flipped my body upside down. She balanced my body out so I could compete.

Q: You're a very petite lady. How tall are you, how much do you weigh and what's your body fat on and off-season?

A: I'm 5 feet and ¾ inches [tall] and typically compete at around 110 pounds and 7 to 8 percent body fat. I'm around 118 pounds and 11 to 12 percent body fat in the off-season.

Q: So you stay on top of your game pretty much all year long?

A: Yeah. It's hard work.

Q: I'll say. What is your workout routine like during the off-season?

A: During the off-season I do cardio about three times a week for 45 minutes to an hour. It depends. I do spin. I am in the gym seven days a week lifting. I love lifting.

Q: How long do you lift?

A: Just one hour. One body part a day.

Q: During contest season, what's your routine like?

A: I literally do 90 minutes to two hours of cardio a day plus lifting. So, that's about three hours a day, and that does not include the other components like tanning and posing. Training for a contest takes about four hours a day.

Q: Lisa, there are a lot of myths out there about women and weight training. What do you have to say about that?

A: Women really need to get past the stigma of the free-weight section of the gym being for men only. If nothing else, from the perspective of health and wellness, it is essential for women to lift weight to increase bone density.

Q: Absolutely. Besides, it's muscle that gives your body shape. We can't talk about bodybuilding without talking about diet. What do you eat for breakfast?

A: Typically, I'll have a cup of oatmeal and 12 egg whites.

Q: Well, that's a far cry from a typical American breakfast of pancakes, bacon and eggs. What about calories? What's your average?

A: During a contest I stay around 1,200, and up to 1,800 to 2,000 during the off-season.

Q: That's pretty rigorous. You can't take in snacks, junk food and candy and look this good, right?

A: Correct. That's the toughest part, because I have a serious sweet tooth.

Q: How do you manage that, especially during a contest?

A: It's 85 percent mental. I have my tricks. I'll drink coffee, crushed ice and Splenda. It's almost like ice cream. It satisfies my sweet tooth.

Fun run for kids

Join me Saturday for the fourth annual Verizon Kids Fun Run at Eakins Oval on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Kids ages 4 through 12 can participate in this noncompetitive short run with prizes for all. The run starts at 10:30 a.m.; register from 10 a.m. It's $15 to enter, or $10 with the donation of a new book. To pre-register online, go to www.philadelphia

marathon.com.

Free training week

Attention, Daily News readers: Send me an e-mail to learn how you can get a free week of training. *