Magazines

     Well, after reading the latest Women's Health, to which I've had a subscription for years, I got off my butt and cancelled this worthless subscription this morning. I got irritated last night as I flipped through the Katherine McPhee featured mag, seeing NO muscle tone on any of the models, including the featured McPhee. So many articles about beauty, makeup, hairstyles, and only scant mentions of fitness.
     What really sealed the deal was reading the workout which advised using 8-12lb dumbbells 3 times a week to work out various parts of the body. Head, meet wall. Repeat. This stupid magazine seemingly perpetuates the myth that if women lift anything heavier than their own boobs, they'll turn into this:

(And hey, if you DO want to look that way, more power to you! It's not everyone's aesthetic of choice, but mad props to the women who put forth that kind of effort and determination to build the kind of body that takes that much hard work. No body deserves ridicule.)

     But let's be real: the average female who lifts weights, even (gasp) HEAVY weights (like, your own bodyweight! More than that! ERMAGERD!) won't look like that woman featured above without actually intending to get there. Magazines and articles that perpetuate this myth are detrimental to women, and fitness. Here's a woman who lifts heavy weights, and competes in fitness competitions:

See the difference? I'm not saying one kind of body is better/preferable to the other, but I want to point out the serious visual differences between what perception of weightlifters is versus the reality. For the record, this particular writer and fitness enthusiast would prefer to look like the strong and beautiful Jamie Eason (pic 2), but that body also takes hard work and relentless dedication to eating habits.

     Now, maybe other bodies can achieve the kind of results they want with 8 pound dumbbells, but my body didn't change until I picked up the heavy weights, and put down the processed foods. If you're looking to be genuinely strong, and want a magazine to help you carve away the fat while leaving you fit and healthy, and able to maintain a newly de-fatted body, please check out Oxygen over Women's Health. Doing so has made a huge difference in how I view myself, my goals, and how I've gone about losing 30 pounds of fat while increasing my muscle mass and lowering my BMI. I'm still a work in progress, but that below is 180 to 150lbs. If I can do it, ANYONE can.

Sickness

     A couple years ago, I'd use any excuse to skip the gym. Stubbed my toe, gotta nurse that. Got a runny nose, better stay home! To the point of OMG Hangnail, better "go home first" and take care of it or it'll annoy me at the gym! These excuses led to my ongoing inability to lose weight. They led to my sense of failure, and they led to my negative self image.

     Now, I am one of those weird people who continue to work out unless they're confined-to-bed sick. After getting home from Seattle, my throat was swollen and sore, but I powered through it to enjoy my weekend, and it got me worse (or that may have been the natural progression of this bug) but I'm not skipping the gym ESPECIALLY on my new program because of a little head-bug.
     Despite coughing up something that looked like a small treefrog, armed with Dayquil and Mucinex, I go, I lift my weights, I do my cardio, but I make sure to wash my hands and wipe down my equipment so I won't share my nasty with others.

     I really, really hate being sick. I really hate being sick starting out this new plan, even though my stuffed up nose doesn't let me taste the asparagus I despise as much. What's really funny about this plan, is I'm in day 2, and I'm already tired of chewing. There is SO MUCH FOOD I have to eat, but it's low calorie, high nutrient food, so I'm probably flooding my poor sick system with precisely what it needs; good nutrition and vitamins while it works out this nasty bug.
     I'd like to update that while I was dubious about my prescribed workout yesterday (I'd been doing much more intense workouts with intervals, high intensity cardio, and mid-set cardio spikes) I felt how effective my heavy weights were this morning when I hauled myself out of bed. I'm SORE. Sore for the first time in a long time. Like, not ouchy that's uncomfortable sore, but can I walk today will I be able to walk tomorrow sore. It's nice. While I'm no fan of pain, I know it's my body remaking itself stronger and to me, that's a great feeling. It's fantastic to know my time in the gym is a success, not just going through the motions to say I went. Change. It's happening. Now if I could just get rid of this danged head cold!

Feeling Blue, in a Good Way

     All righty, despite my love of the gym, and of fitness and how I feel after a great sweat session, there are many mornings where I simply cannot motivate myself to get out of the warm home and head to the gym. I've also had an ongoing battle with my boobs (I'm sure I'll do a full post on THAT in the future) and finding appropriate bras/fitness wear that fits me how I want it to, and provides a level of support I want.

     You feel SO MUCH BETTER when you're wearing clothes that fit right, and feel good. It doesn't hurt if you like how they look, too! I've personally got a Thing for blue, if you couldn't tell from the photo. 

     What's your favorite color? For me, it's that elusive shade of aqua that happens right before a reefs drops off into deeper water in tropical seas. Over time, I've accumulated many items in a similar shade, and now I'm all about it as my combo with black. (Sometimes hot pink gets in the mix too, can't help that not everything I want/need comes in aqua!) Point is, when I'm feeling slumpy and lazy, decking myself out in matching workout gear can help me to say YES, I want to make this another awesome workout day! 

     Moral of the story is: Find workout gear/outfits that make you feel GOOD about working out. You want to catch glimpses of your body in the gym mirrors and think, "Hey! That person looks strong/fit/sweaty/choose your own goal word here/awesome!" and then realize, holy crap, that person is me.

     Moments like that are moments that keep you returning to the gym, keep you strong in your goals, and keep you wanting to pursue your dreams of fitness and health.  Sometimes a little reward, like buying a new workout top, phone case, water bottle, or cardio-song is a great way to keep your motivation high, and contributes to your ongoing enjoyment of time in the gym.

The Importance of Eating Breakfast

This post brought to you by the early hour and a hot coffee in front of me. (And the letter B, which is for breakfast, and the number 7, which is the number of days a week you should eat breakfast.)
 For the sake of brevity, the post could end there, if you'd take it and run with it and not look back. Those who need further convincing, read on.

In high school, I convinced myself a great way to "save calories" for the day was to skip breakfast, many of which I didn't have time to prepare anyway, as sleeping in trumped food for me. Who needs a mediocre breakfast when you can have another ten minutes of suddenly appearing naked in front of your audition audience for your school play, right? RIGHT? Er...maybe just me?
This rejection of breakfast worked against me. I'd wait until lunch to eat, at which time I'd be cranky and hungry to the point of not caring what I put in my face. I'd then tell myself after lunch that since I'd "saved" so many calories by avoiding breakfast, that a logical snack in the afternoon was whatever candy I wanted, in order to avoid the 2-4pm energy slump. TA DAH, health fail. This is a standard occurance for those who skip what is, in fact, the most important meal of the day.

But why? Why is breakfast important?
Your body has not eaten since you went to bed. (Unless you take Ambien and are given to late night unknown trips to the fridge, not uncommon as I understand it.) Your body has been in a state of fast for 6-8-whatever hours. In order to end that state of fasting, your body needs food. Some say this is needed to jumpstart your metabolism, some say it's just to begin the process of fueling your body's needs for the coming day. The truth is, if you don't eat breakfast, it is far more likely you'll make poor food choices later in the day, and overestimate what else you should eat.

Ok, I give in. What SHOULD I eat for breakfast?
If you're convinced, and willing to use this excellent tool to assist in your fitness goals, then let's talk about what to eat. I'm currently a fan of eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day, so my breakfast usually consists of 1/6 of my daily calories. 4-6 eggwhites is only ABOUT 110 calories, and packs a whallop of protein. (Approximately 3.6grams of protein per egg white.) I've got to be honest here, having been on and off eating plans since March, I've grown a bit tired of the egg white. I have recently embraced the whole egg. I eat fewer of these, one or two on a heavy workout day, but it should be noted that a whole egg has 6.28 grams of protein, and approximately 75 calories, therefor those on a reduced calorie diet should eat in moderation.
In addition to the egg/eggwhite, I have a half cup (uncooked) of oatmeal, seasoned with some cinnamon, or with a tablespoon or two of bee pollen (shut up, try it, it's amazing), or pumpkin puree and spices. I eat this until I'm so full I can't cram another bite into my face, and it's usually not the full serving. Paired with a big glass of water, you're stuffed. I usually am full until lunch with this meal.

If I'm at the gym, or rushing out of the house, I make sure to mix a scoop of whey or multi-protein with water and chug it so I have at least gotten the nutrients going. The important thing is NOT to NOT eat. Eat. Eating fuels your body, and your energy, and your life.

I may add some fun breakfast recipes in the future!

New View, New Year

Five days into starting the blog, and I've blogged twice as of now. Ashamed? Not so much, I'm too busy kicking my own ass at the gym. As much as I focus on my own workouts, I've started to witness the influx of new gym-goers, the ones who are imagining their resolutions to include a tighter, fitter, stronger body. There are more, however, I fear, who are focused entirely on a number on a scale.

I'll probably wax overlong in the future about the horrendous game the modern American media sends to women in particular, but everyone in general, about body image ideals. I observe (and have experienced firsthand) women being brainwashed into believing their bodies are disgusting, unsatisfactory, and ugly unless they are a size 2.

From the time I was about 8 years old, I believed I was fat. I held my stomach in from age 8 through the end of college, trying to imitate the models I saw in the media with flat little stomachs. I also admired the washboard abs of the fitness models and surfers I grew to admire. Can I re-emphasize for a moment that as an eight year old, I believed I was too fat to walk around without my stomach sucked in? In retrospect, that's borderline demented. From age 8, I was aware of the "need" to stay thin, to stay small, and not to be seen as fat. My focus, always, was more on size and weight, than on strength or fitness.

(At some future post I'll elaborate my rehabilitation moment; my perception changed in one amazing awesome moment where I suddenly appreciated my own body and what it could do over the ideals hammered into me by years of media and socializing. Suffice it to say, for the moment, that it's far better to bend, than to break.)

As I am now, my goals are strength and fitness. I love the moments when I can pull or push more than the last workout. I love feeling my muscles flex as I finish a challenging movement. I love having to put back a weight I'm used to, in favor of a heavier weight for the rest of my sets. What I want is for more women, particularly young women, to stop obsessing about a number on a scale, and focus more on what their bodies can DO, rather than what size jeans they wear as opposed to their friends.

Three things I want women to change:

1.) "I will lose weight this year!" to "I will be able to run a 10 minute mile, squat 100 pounds, and do a pull up before June 1, 2013."

What does this do? It takes a vague goal and turns it into a distinct series of fitness accomplishments, that allow for planning and perseverance, and can be adjusted for what a person's abilities and needs are. Be specific. Be realistic. Set an exact date by which you want your goal accomplished.

2.) Focus on your fitness, not your failures. Be aware of where you are (realistically) and how far you can go. Sometimes, this self awareness comes from talking to a trainer, or a doctor, prior to setting realistic goals for yourself. Do not be cruel to yourself. "I'm so fat. . ." no, please. Try, "I have a world of potential. Every step is a step forward."

3.) Learn this. Love this, live this. I learned from Tosca Reno (look her up, she's a star) that the way your body looks IS within your control. It's not determined solely by your genetics. You are NOT a slave to your mother's  crappy metabolism. You CAN change your own metabolism, through changing your habits and your body composition.  A body's appearance is (according to Ms. Reno) 80% diet, 10% genetics, and 10% exercise.

In short, muscle burns more calories than fat, at a resting rate. If you lose fat from your body, and gain muscle, you will have a faster metabolism. Period. That's just a fact. Therefore, women, lift weights. Gain muscle. You will not bulk up into the imagined bodybuilding muscular "masculine" image your mommy warned you about. Women CAN'T get like that without chemical assistance. If you lift heavy weights, you will gain muscle. You will lose fat. And you will be fitter.


So please keep 1, 2, and 3 in mind if and when you decide to set your fitness goals for the New Year. You will love you more. And you deserve that.

It Starts

Today, as I strained up from a set of straight-leg dead lifts, a drop of sweat (ew, right?) made it's way from my hairline down my forehead, along the side of my nose, and I swear it looked just like a tear. I laughed to myself, and found in that moment my new gym mantra. Sweat, not tears.
My "teardrop"

Life has thrown some pretty lame moves at me lately, and instead of wallowing in self pity, I've found fun and exertion at the gym are just what I need to move forward through the stress. Working out is a fantastic way for the body to reduce stress. It releases endorphins. It gives you a mental sense of accomplishment. For me, while I'm concentrating on pushing my body, it takes all my focus and allows me to ignore what's going on outside of the gym doors. Fitness has become my escape.

For a long time, I've considered starting a fitness or body blog. I've spent time on fitness websites, ordered subscriptions to Fitness, Women's Health, and Oxygen Magazine. (Incidentally, the only one worth reading, in my humble opinion, for anything more than fluff, is Oxygen.) I've worked out since I discovered the weight room in high school, and for years was an avid devotee of hours on the ellipse machine.

My weight has gone up, my weight has gone down. A never ending weight roller-coaster. I'm definitely a typical "average woman," I've never seen a size 2, I frequently lament the size of my thighs, and I struggle with knowing what's good for me to eat, versus what tastes or feels good in my face hole. Hence, my fitness journey, ramblings, and experiences may help others on their path towards a healthy, happy, body-accepted lifestyle. Share my journey with me!