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Professional bodybuilder – and vegan – Julia Hubbard won a gold medal as well as three silvers at the International Physique League (IPL) event last weekend.
The 41-year-old British athlete, a vegan since 2015, took to social media to write: “What a day! It was so tough!
“Amazing athletes, had an absolute blast with the other competitors, and took the gold in Evening Gown and silver in all three of my others [categories]: Sports Model, Athletic, and Figure.”
Vegan
Hubbard, who became a vegetarian at age 15, told sports outlet Great Vegan Athletes about her transition to a plant-based diet: “The turning point was my health.
“I started having digestion issues and for a year the doctors just treated the symptoms and labeled it as IBS and I was getting no better.”
She went on to say: “I decided to have food intolerance tests done and it came back among other foods that I was intolerant to eggs and dairy. I did an elimination diet and my symptoms all but disappeared. When I tested them both – I was ill.
“So I decided then to go vegan. Now I wish I’d made the switch sooner!”
Athlete
A prolific competitor in a number of sports, Hubbard has competed internationally in bobsleigh, bodybuilding, fitness, and sprinting.
The sportswoman is also a qualified vegan nutritionist, and holds a degree in Physiology and Sports Science.
Hubbard also holds a wide range of accolades, including first place in the Pro Open Figure at this year’s United Natural Bodybuilding Association Universe competition, and two golds as a sprinter in the 2017 British Indoor Championships.
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