What Works For Me IS NOT What Works For You

 

It is the most commonly overlooked part when someone decides they want to get in shape, become healthy and change their life. Why is it so common you may wonder? I'll tell you. FAD's! People JUMP at a new diet, workout or supplement believing that "if it works for them, it will work for me!" WRONG! There is not one person in the world who will respond the same way to a workout, supplement or nutrition plan the same way another does. We are all structured differently and our bodies are going to build what we were given to work with when we were born. Embracing this fact is necessary in order for anyone to reach their goals. Its not easy, there will be plateaus and you will beat yourself into the ground when what someone else did, doesn't work for you. That is the point where people give up completely.

Everyone has a body type. Some are Ectomorph, some Endomorph, some Mesomorph and some are a mix of 2. A majority of people not familiar with the fitness industry wouldn't know what I'm talking about. Your body type has everything to do with how you will respond to getting into shape. From nutrition to workouts, rest, recovery, hydration, supplements, & max heart rate, calorie expenditure, endurance, personal goals & more, we all respond differently. If you were to research and ask questions you would find out there is a way to get your personal body type. If you never ask, chances are, you'll never find out. There is a test I give my clients that they take and the results after the short quiz is their body type. Its made to help you understand how your body will respond to foods, workouts, pace of the workout, etc. I'm posting it here for everyone, because if you're reading this blog, you are curious about what I have to say and at this point, more than likely want to know what your body type is:    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

   

The general approach to becoming healthy is to start eating right and working out. Common sense. But there are so many people who hit the gym everyday and eat right but see NO results what so ever. The problem lies in the lack of knowledge from not researching how many calories & macronutrients you personally need a day. How much water you consume plays a huge role as well. We all know water is for hydration as we are made up mostly of water, but it also keeps us healthy from the inside out and allows us to burn more fat! Water is imperative to our daily functions. In fact, its so imperative that we can survive without food, but we cannot survive without water! Aside from oxygen, water is the most readily available resource we have. From mountains & streams, rivers & lakes to the ocean, we are surrounded by water. 

The human body is amazing. The unlimited things it is capable of doing & becoming is up to us. We can daily tell ourselves that certain things aren't possible & we can't do this, that or the other. Truth behind it is, WE CAN! We see people doing these things everyday that put us in awe and shock us. So why can't that be you? Your body is to be treated with care. Researching why can open doors you never knew existed. All it takes is training. Training is a learning process and it will take time, but if you dig deep, RESEARCH everything you need to get to where you want to be and stop limiting yourself, you'll be amazed at what you can do, amazed at the progress you make and STOP following all these diet frenzy fads that have let you down more than once. Its a slow process and its one step at a time. Nothing happens overnight when you decide to change your body. What you do or don't do each day will decipher whether or not you are moving in a forward or backwards direction. 

 

Supplements are by far, in my opinion, one of the worst fads around. From fat burners, muscle gainers, protein powders & more, people believe that if they just start taking that pill or swallowing 10 protein shakes a day, their body will change. News flash:

THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!!!! 

You have to take action in more than one area in order to start seeing results. I've been to the point of believing if I just started using certain supplements and did NOTHING else, I would see amazing results. That was when I never had the phrase "RESEARCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING" cross my mind. I never thought it through. I believed that box or that commercial and I invested my money into a fad that does not work! I didn't think about lifting weights because once again, I believed that I would become a bulky bodybuilding looking girl and it scared me. I immersed myself in chronic cardio believing I was burning tons of fat while doing it. I was so wrong. The day I decided to research what it is I needed to do was the day I FINALLY asked questions, researched and was guided into what I am now. It took YEARS! My body did not happen over night and I STILL go through many changes during the seasons. This is NEVER ENDING! Its not a 30 or 90 day workout, eat right, take these pills, swallow this drink, FIX IT FOREVER solution. Everything combined together is what WILL work. Being patient and not sticking to just one routine, stepping out of your comfort zone and trying new things like functional training using battle ropes, kettlebells, aqua bags, interval & Tabata training, low intensity cardio, etc. Its all a WHOLE and not one aspect of what you do will work against you if you never stop learning! 

 Research everything and you will become more than you imagined, mentally, physically, emotionally & spiritually. 

Nutrition Plays The Role

"You are what you eat." That statement couldn't be more true if it was physically possible to see it. In actuality, you can see it. The proof is right in front of us every single day, depending on what we choose to put in our bodies with the food made readily available to us in shorter time than a clock can switch minutes. Push of a button lifestyles have become extremely convenient to a world who wants everything right here, RIGHT NOW. The problem is when something horrific happens because of the desire to have it immediately, the process to try to reverse it causes more stress, pain, agony, depression and sadness in our lives. So is it easier to have it right here, right now? Or is it better to work hard & be willing to patiently await the results that will come so we won't spend more time trying to reverse the damage we created to ourselves by being impatient? I'll take #2 please.

In working in the health and fitness industry for as long as I have, I have been through bouts of it all. Wanting results immediately, immersing myself in chronic cardio, eating just barely enough food to sustain brain and CNS (Central Nervous System) function, thinking it would work in my favor. I have gone through starving myself, creating a hostile environment mentally making it difficult to even be remotely available to anyone who may have needed me as a family member or friend. All this added up to a very unhappy, unhealthy and emotionally damaged individual. Its when I reached the point of realizing something was not working and I had to find out what it was. I had to make a complete 180* in order to move forward and away from the damage I was doing to myself.

The foods America consumes, on a regular basis, are completely unhealthy. A majority of people literally take on the form of what 'right here, right now' looks like and its not a pretty sight. McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Huts & Domino's are just a SHORT list that create the seriously obese and unhealthy America we live in today. YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT! Your body takes on the shape of the foods you put into it. If you consume greasy, fattening & sugary foods on a regular basis, your insides are absolutely disgusting and when it comes down to it, your outer physical appearance WILL eventually catch up with it. Becoming over weight is one issue, some people don't gain, but aging and color change of the skin, dry brittle hair & nails, rotted teeth and so on are all forms of physically displaying BAD EATING HABITS.  

The part people struggle with the most when it comes to healthy eating, is the mental challenges it brings to constantly watch what you eat, be cautious of the calories you are eating and making sure you are staying on track with your workout routines. There are many excuses that come about & play significant roles when your friends all want to go out to eat, party & enjoy life, but you have to understand WHY it is you are doing what you do and know that you can go out with them, have fun or attend family functions and still make the RIGHT choices when it comes to your plate. You don't need to feel obligated to eat the way everyone else does. To make things easier on you, have an accountability partner. Have someone who is willing to do this with you, or someone who lives the lifestyle of being healthy & working out, be your guide. If you want to really FEEL good, make a change in your waistline or build more muscle and change your physical appearance, you HAVE to stick with it. You have to make smart choices and when you start to feel its too much, you need to talk to someone. Don't buy food you know will work against you. If something is in your cabinets, fridge or freezer that you keep going back to & debating on whether or not that "a little bit" won't hurt, think again! Get rid of whatever you see that would work against you immediately! Cheat meals ALL the time is not how it works.  Ice Cream, buttery & sugar laden foods or alcohol are not to be a daily indulgence. This is a change that you have to take seriously and make the PERSONAL decision of what you REALLY WANT FOR YOU. It takes looking in the mirror, writing down your goals and making sure you have a plan that will work. 

Food for life. These are the foods our bodies can actually absorb, utilize and nourish us the way we were created to live. Cavemen didn't have what we do. They ate off the 'fat of the land' and I must say, the life span they had may not have been long, but it certainly wasn't because of how they ate. They ate what the land provided, what the body can actually absorb and what we are meant to consume daily. Their nutrition was pure, clean and far from processed or loaded with hormones and sugar. Our bodies were NOT created to absorb processed foods which I actually call PLASTIC. We were made to absorb and utilize lean, clean, pure & natural foods. In order to get the body you want, gain your energy back and not feel sluggish all the time, become lean and super fit, your nutrition has to come first. Its 70% of what happens to your body no matter what anyone says. If you change the way you eat, and actually STICK WITH IT, you will learn to appreciate being healthy and realize you have given yourself LIFE again. Create balance in your life by NOT expecting overnight and immediate results. Work hard for what you want, don't settle for less and push through the obstacles you'll encounter with guidance, support and help from the right people who are immersed in doing it too. You will Thank yourself and your body will too. 

Strict Clean Eating

80% of what you consume will determine what you look like on the inside and out. Nutrition and rest are KEY in your physique. The popular catch phrase "You are what you eat" is 100% true when it comes to your physique. For a majority of people, getting away with simply eating clean and keeping their calories in check is what keeps their general health great. Its the combined nutrition of different foods we consume to function on a daily basis, maintain/lose/gain weight, build muscle, lean out or simply be able to have the necessary energy the human body needs to keep going without the crash. So why can't we all have that tone & amazing physique we see in magazines and billboards? Why aren't we all just genetically engineered to respond to clean eating the same way really fit people with almost 0 ounces of fat on them? Its a science, and I'm here to break it down for you in a language we can all understand. Simplicity.

Take for example someone like myself, who for years struggled with my weight, worked out like crazy but never paid attention to my eating and fluid intake. Never invested in supplements or even considered how much of something I would consume. What do you think my results were? Do you honestly think that just because I worked out I was able to eat whatever I wanted? Even if it was burning myself out like a lot of people do, should I have been able to get the results I truly desired without paying attention to the foods & fluids I consumed? If you're shaking your head NO, you're right. Our bodies are designed to use the food we consume as fuel and nothing more. Our bodies use water to keep everything inside us hydrated and lubricated so we don't shrivel up and die. 

 So what then is strict clean eating? Does it include dairy? Does it mean you can drink diet anything? Does it mean you can't have tons of sugar? There are many many questions people ask me on a daily basis so I will get right down to it. It means: Super low quantities of dairy or none at all. No sugars from unnatural sources. Diet anything I say no to but in moderation is ok if you absolutely have to have it. Low Fat or No Fat IS NOT better than whole fat *IF* the fat is natural. For instance, Whole Milk. For those of you who buy low/no fat milk, have you looked at the sugar content on the back label? If not, next time you decide you need it, look at the sugar content of it on the nutrition label. I guarantee it has more sugar than Whole Milk. The reason low/no fat doesn't work is because to make up for lost flavor, the companies add sugar to the product so you still get that somewhat tolerable taste when you consume it. If you want good results and want your body to deplete fat, check the nutrition and look for sugar laden products. I bet you stop buying low/no fat products once you examine what's REALLY going on. The insulin spike from the sugar increases the stress hormones (cortisol) and causes the crash & burn effect. Cortisol actually activates fat storage in cells! Who wants that? Research is dynamic and can greatly increase your chance of success if you just do it.

 Veggies are extremely important. Most of you have heard that veggies are "free" and that is actually true.... but only for certain ones. Veggies contain a lot of fibrous carbs but some veggies have lots of sugars, protein and starch. Don't get me wrong but if you are looking to deplete fat & get those abs out, you're gonna have to remove some certain veggies from your diet. Large amounts of carrots, corn, peas, edamame, and spaghetti squash are just a few of the veggies that can possibly hinder your goals depending on your body type. I suggest, if you have a really hard time losing fat (specifically in the waist line because its the last accessible fat to burn) remove these veggies I just named from your diet. Go for the broccoli, cabbage (red and green) cauliflower (any color) zucchini, lettuce, asparagus, artichokes, bok choy and veggies that are mostly carb fiber. I eat these kind of veggies all day long & sometimes make a little stir fry with some carb free soy sauce to tide me over until my next meal and I STILL deplete fat like crazy! You can add them to some cooked turkey and 2 teaspoons of a medium chain triglyceride healthy fat like Coconut Butter (great fat burner and it doesn't use Chylomicrons that slow fat burning) to it after its cooked. The taste is out of this world and while you enjoy that you will be moving toward your goals of getting that lean beautiful or big muscular physique. This is 'EAT TO GROW' (a very popular company by the way) and if you aren't eating clean, you won't see the results! 

Low glycemic carbs are essential as well. While the body needs energy sources from food, it doesn't need the wrong energy sources like fruit filled yogurts or "protein bars." The reason I have protein bars in parenthesis is because a majority of them have more sugar than a candy bar. Might as well just buy some Snickers & say screw it. My point is, we use these low glycemic carbs to give us energy WITHOUT the insulin spike that produces the popular crash and burn effect on us. They replace the glycogen stores we deplete after a great workout OR they fuel us for the workout we are about to immerse ourselves in. The win win situation is, low glycemic carbs, carb meals early in the day, before and after your workout are the times when they work best in our bodies. Oats, breads, legumes, sweet potatoes, yams, rice & more are low glycemic. BUT, there is a difference between yams and sweet potatoes. Yams are orange and sweet potatoes are white. They both grow in the same funky form, but are both different in properties. The sweet potato is lower in calories, has a lower glycemic load and is much higher in beta-carotene than the yam. The sweet potato is also considered to be moderately anti-inflammatory and the yam is actually moderately inflammatory. So there is a difference in the 2 in case some didn't know. 

Water plays a very critical role in your physique as well. Did you know that if you don't consume room temperature you actually put your body in shock and are NOT hydrating it? In order to be properly hydrated after drinking cold water, you would actually have to drink the same amount in room temperature water to get the proper hydration your body needs. So why then if I drink cold water am I just fine or feel hydrated? Its because your body still responds, but much later after consuming it. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink water, you are already dehydrated. Water is CRITICAL to our bodies and if you think you can survive without it, you're wrong. It helps keep vitamins and minerals in our body, helps burn fat, flushes many toxins out of us (even better if you drink 1-2 glasses before a meal or 1 liter before breakfast as I do) helps with brain function, CNS response, joint and muscle lubrication, organ hydration and so so much more. DO NOT underestimate the power of water. IT IS VITAL.

Strict Clean Eating is EXACTLY what you need to do in order to get your results. Your body DOES need a cheat meal once a week to boost the LEPTIN in your body which is the mother of all fat burners in us. We're like a battery. We need a recharge every week to keep us going, to help break plateaus and keep burning fat at an optimal rate. There is a treasure box full of knowledge out there for you to find. You just have to be willing to find it! 

The Digit Fight

We all do it. I don't care who you are, how much muscle you do or don't have, we all do or have done the same thing. Fight with what I call those little *midget digits* on the scale. That's right, the one's that depict how we'll start our day each morning. The ones that have you enclosed by 3 walls and an open door that's inviting you to walk away but instead we choose to curse it out, step off and back on a hundred times, suck in as much as we can & blow all the air out of us in hopes for it to move down by .2 pounds. Or maybe its 3 walls and a closed door so no one or thing with ears can hear you scream and cry, or eyes that can see those teeny tiny numbers that have us scared to consume even a pill because it will add more numbers to the scale. The fight we have with something that doesn't even know we exist. That thing. 

  

I've been there. I've spun circles over the fact that the scale said one thing but I felt something different. I didn't feel what the scale said and I looked better than it told me I did. Those numbers are JUST NUMBERS. They can't see how we look, can't feel how we feel, can't fit in our clothes the way we do and can't criticize us in the mirror. We bring those negative emotions onto ourselves after we voluntarily step on it for a reading. Its us who start to feel like we're doing something wrong or whatever our regime is stopped working. We need to remember what we're doing, think about the progress we've made, remember where we started & consider the muscle we've built which in turn has been burning the fat we hate. Period. Its a journey and a glorious one at that. We should be happy everyday because although we may stumble, we know exactly what to do to pick ourselves back up & continue going. We know there are friends out there willing and waiting to reach out to support and help us when we need it. 

Of course we all want to be at that "goal weight" we set for ourselves when we began, but consider this, would you rather weigh what you set as your goal with more fat than muscle? Or would you rather weigh in a little more than you wanted & have more muscle & fine definition in your body than fat? Um, I'll take #2 please!! I know what it feels like to be lean with no 6 pack & I know what it feels like to gain muscle without the infamous 6 pack. But I still have a flat stomach & somewhere under there is a nice set of muscles waiting to be exposed... AT THE RIGHT TIME. Some people just can't bring those abs out & some do. We are all different. But to be unhealthy with a 6 pack is just not worth it! Fat sits in different places in our bodies and we all burn it off at different rates. I was fortunate to surpass my goal I set in the beginning, but what it gave me was incentive to make new goals & achieve new things with the understanding that the SCALE does NOT know what I look like, how I feel & whether I've lost fat or gained muscle. All it tells me is what the human body I live in weighs and THAT IS IT.

No longer do the numbers bother me. I admit sometimes I'll question it, sure. But I'm not upset over it, I'm not screaming at something that can't even put up a good fight back to make it worth while & I know that whatever that scale says, I am still moving in the direction I need to be every single day to achieve my goals. And I WILL reach them. You can do that too. Don't get discouraged & remember that this is a journey to be enjoyed. Screw the numbers!!! Its the inches in the britches

You Only Live Once

My entire life has been backed up by this phrase no matter what journey I was on. For instance, eating what I want, going where I want, seeing what I want, listening to what I want and so on. You get the picture. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE resounding in your mind as you embark on your journey of how you choose to live your life. But lets say your life comes to a screeching halt. Not lifeless, but lets say something serious happens to you. Can't walk anymore, lose your memory, have a heart attack, go blind.... sure everything happens for a reason. Let's say you could have prevented it. Meaning listening to your parents when they said "No" or "I'm just looking out for you" or maybe it was "I don't think its a good idea." Intuition is sometimes the best instinct to go with. It gives you the feeling that something is or isn't right and you should pay attention to what you feel or what it is tugging on your heart. The same goes for your health. The reason I'm presenting this issue, is because I am in an industry where I help people and sometimes I help people who have waited too long and it takes more effort, more work, more time out of their day just to get back to healthy. It takes more dedication to quit bad habits and really lean on the support of people outside of your friends and family. That's where I come in. The role I play and have a passion for is support. Its letting my people know that they ARE COMPLETELY CAPABLE of accomplishing absolutely ANYTHING they want, but they have to STICK WITH IT. In fact I named this blog STICK WITH IT because I know I can always resort back to this & remember that I DID & STILL stick with it because of what it has enabled me to do. What I have become is a better person. The one I was searching for all those years but couldn't find her because I was surrounded by negative influences. Why? Because I chose to ignore what was really important and what really mattered; my health. 

This is who I am now. This girl you see above is the happy, healthy, vibrant, full of life person I was always searching for. I decided that YES, I do only live once and it was time I started caring about myself form the inside out. It was time to put away the bad habits and the carelessness of what I ate or drank on a daily basis. Believe it or not, I've been immersed in a TON of things people cannot see me doing today because that IS NOT the person I was meant to be. I have many a times screwed up, tried things no one should & missed being killed numerous times. I woke up. I was sick and tired of being SICK and TIRED and I needed a change. We all need change. Its what keeps this ONE and ONLY life adventurous. We grow when we change. We learn new things we can pass onto others and maybe impact them enough to want to change too. You can always have a new beginning but you can never have a new past. What's been done is done and in some circumstances, there is no reversing it. There is always one thing you can change of the many things we wish we could. Its called your health. I reversed mine. I was TOO IMPORTANT to ME not to want to live a fuller life and enjoy myself. I cannot explain how good it feels to know I can do the things and wear the things I always wanted to when I saw them on other people or saw other people doing the things I wanted to do. Doors have flung open for me and I am fulfilled! 

It is beyond time to stop taking for granted the only life you are given here on earth. It is time to step up to the plate and take control of your health, your body and your mentality. It is hard work and its not easy. What it is, is worth it. Who you become when you feel good about yourself is life changing. You are more vibrant, more positive, energetic, uplifting and its contagious. People WANT to be around you and feel the way you do. Bringing life back to you and finding inside of you what's been there is the transformation everyone wants even if they don't or can't admit it. Don't wait until its too late to live. Start now & you will find you will be surrounded by people who only want the best for you, because they care enough to take care of themselves to enable their ability to be here for you. Take control, change your bad habits and start brand new. Don't wait for a doctor to tell you down the road what you need to do when you've known all along. Looking for confirmation from someone you only have to see when something is wrong should not be the route you wait to take. There are many people looking to help you and be your support system. Its available if you just look for it and seek the help you need. Remember, you ARE capable of doing what you set your mind to. Just Do It! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE.

I'm Saving Me NOW

One thing that always gets the best of me, and keeps me awake at night as I am now, is the fact that people everywhere are willing to sacrifice their health for a pack of cigarettes, fast food, soda, candy, chips, sugar loaded coffee beverages, alcohol and the list goes on. Its NON STOP. One of the reasons I get so annoyed, as do so many of us, is because the people who choose these things over their health are usually the ones complaining about health care and the cost of it along with what health insurance they can afford because they choose to abuse their bodies with poison infested foods, beverages and chemicals as opposed to taking action and starting a healthy lifestyle by eating right and working out. I don't know about any of you, but I sure as hell won't pay a doctor thousands upon thousands of dollars to tell me what I ALREADY knew but chose not to do. EAT RIGHT, WORKOUT. Period. 

I work with A LOT of people. I am a very compassionate person and understand that not everyone will give up their indulgences or their habits to be SUPER SONIC health fanatics. The people who WANT to become healthy though understand the concept of removing the crap from their lives, whether its junk food, junk beverages or chemical intake (and let's face it, most of our foods these days are chemically treated/infested) to become healthy before its too late or before you have Dr.NObama telling you how you will be paying for your health and decide how much help you will actually get from the "system" 

I'm sorry to break it to those of you who may like him and his "idea" of what a health care system should be, but I have no intention of letting myself become so ill that I have to be placed under his "health care reform plan." NO WAY. I choose to take care of my health because what seems like a lot of work, effort and money is actually very little next to the hospital, prescription and doctor bills a majority of America will be seeing in the future because they chose NOT to start paying attention to their health while they STILL HAD the chance. My life, the people in it and the people I have yet to meet, encourage through positive motivation and help, is why I take care of me. I want the people in my life to know I care enough about me, that I'm willing to always take care of myself so I have the ability to take care of them and they can in turn help people in their lives become healthy, fit & happy during this one life we are blessed to have. The knowledge and tools that have been given to me are a gift to be shared with people who really need it and want to make a change. You will not catch me abusing this gift given to me by keeping it to myself. Whats life if its not shared with people you love or don't even know? There is a HUGE ripple effect that carries out WAY beyond the people you know and its beneficial for everyone! From adults to children, everyone is involved and should be helped in one way or another. Planting seeds doesn't mean people will respond right away. Somewhere down the line, it may grow, be passed on to someone who will use it, or maybe it will die with the one selfish person who chose NOT to share it and could have maybe saved a life. Knowledge is precious and that's why you cannot put a pricetag on it.

Support is critical when it comes to making a decision like quitting drinking, smoking, eating junk, etc. There are always negatives to anything we choose to do whether its being made fun of, being told we can't do it or we'll never amount to anything. Mostly coming from the people who mock us yet they sit at home with bags of Doritos's, Hostess Cupcakes, Snickers Bars and 24 cans of empty Pepsi while they play video games or watch TV & just let everything they consume on a DAILY basis kill them right before every one's eyes. My question is: Who in their right mind takes advice from these rocket scientists??? I'm just sayin. 

What you can do is find someone willing to encourage you on the journey you choose to embark on so you do have someone you can turn to when you are tempted or struggling. Its important to remember that yes, once in a while its ok to indulge. But when you are beginning a new lifestyle change, you shouldn't even think about putting crap in your body. Take one month to focus strictly on clean habits and when you do have a bowl of ice cream, a slice of pizza, a piece of cake or whatever, you feel ok about it because it has become a distant relative in your life and you can control the want of having it everyday. 

Its important. To take care of it now, to take care of it for as long as you live. To save YOUR life, to be around for your family, friends and people who you will impact in the future. Its dedication, willingness, determination, being committed to YOUR OWN HEALTH and persistence to everyday do at least ONE thing to escalate your health. Its one step at a time. This doesn't happen overnight...but I guarantee this: If you start today, you'll be much healthier tomorrow.