Staying On Track With Healthy Eating

"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, gluten, HFCS & so on. 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 80% 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.

Over Thinking

Over thinking. It's a PROBLEM. Its a MAZE in our brain, and it sucks, Period!! Its something we all face no matter who we are. I could list the things we constantly beat ourselves up over but I would be here till I die. Fighting a mental battle about over thinking can actually provoke people to think more and it's not the way to win the battle. Mankind has mentally instilled so many different choices inside us by showing people through TV, radio, movies, books, clothing stores, gyms, jobs, magazines, restaurants, etc. who we "could be" or who we have the potential to be or SHOULD BE based on societies idea of "perfect." There is NO SUCH THING as PERFECT! What we decide to do to create who we want to be as opposed to being who we are has us in twists and turns instead of going in a slated direction to be where we are actually happy. We get derailed and start listening to outsiders and what "they" think we should do instead of really listening to what we should be listening to; our heart. We need to HEAR our heart and block out LISTENING to others. This is for YOU, not them. 

 

In the past few months, I've been in a mental battle about whether or not I want to step on stage & do a figure show. 2 of my good friends are WBFF Pro's and after seeing their venture to & off the stage, it put a spark in me that lit my up ass like a wildfire. Seeing how amazing they look on stage, how much fun it was and what they got out of the whole experience just reached out & slapped me in the face. I WANTED THAT! One of my friends is in this picture above. Her name is Jen Jewell (4th one in from the right) and here is when she did her first show & received her pro card. 

 To the right, is my best friend, Jenny Phantharath. She won her Pro card here and has been on stage for years. I have never seen so much hard work and dedication go into fighting for your goals than this girl. From a job that demanded 75% of her day with an hour commute to and from work, to losing her Dad and being the stable rock for her family, she beat everything working against her and reached one of her biggest goals in life. She is the reason I wanted so badly to do a show. Not for looks, but because through anything, she proved that you CAN do whatever you set your mind to. She is amazing and she too is my stable rock.

In 2011, my plan was 2 shows. a Jon Lindsay IFBB show in Los Angeles in August, and the Las Vegas Classic in September. I had to cancel both shows. My uncle became deathly sick with stomach and liver cancer & too soon after, lost the battle on September 11, 2011. I knew without a question in my mind, I needed to be with my family & prepping for a show is selfish. You can't go out & have fun, you're in bed early, up earlier than the sun, working out more than the norm, eating every 2-3 hours & following your entire plan to a T with absolutely NO falling off track allowed. IT IS VERY HARD. It's a lifestyle and although I had to cancel those shows, I continued to stay on my competition diet, but instead of continuing to lean out, I began to build lean mass. For me it meant less working out, more leniency to go out and have fun & no over thinking. It meant not being LIMITED. YaaY! 

And so it went. I built lean mass from August on through the end of December/beginning of January and as I know it takes a little longer than most to lean out, I went right back into my lean phase so I would be ready to get into my bikini and once again feel good about myself.

During the building phase, I had found out the WBFF would be coming to the states and would be in Sacramento in July. It triggered me to aim for that show since I wouldn't have to spend extra money going to Canada. I had a goal. At the time, in my head, this was a YES, I'm doing the show! I was excited and ready to rock it out. Then 2 weeks after, it hit me. Why do I want to do this? Is it because everyone keeps telling me I should? Is it because its my OWN hearts desire? What am I doing? Why am I leaning out again? WHAT IS GOING ON IN MY HEAD??? 

I was back to over thinking. I had lost track of why I wanted to lean out to being with. Initially, it was because of summer and the fun in the sun with my friends on the shore and in the boats! The summer bar-b-que's and chillin out just being present in each moment. It was because I never had a bikini body my entire life up until 2 years ago and now I could buy one feeling confident in putting it on and actually going out in public in it! I FORGOT that. I forgot, because I started over thinking. I blocked out my initial TRUE desire as to why I wanted to be lean again. Believe me if it was healthy and easy, I'd be lean year round. But it isn't. Far from it. I deplete calories every 1-1 1/2 months causing me to lose an extreme amount of energy and I am very restricted. My body type doesn't allow me to permanently lose the fat I lose when I lean out. So I feel comfortable building in the winter and leaning out just before the end of it. I come out of what I call my hibernation clothes. 

I finally stopped thinking about it just the other day and made a very public announcement on Facebook since everyone is there and could be addressed in bulk, that I am NOT doing a show. I chose this because I was tired of thinking about it, tired of thinking about whether or not I was going to go for it, trying to figure out if its what I TRULY desired in my heart, wondering what it would do for me as a person after I did it, wondering if I was just listening to the mass amounts of people telling me to do it and more. I'm OVER IT! I don't want this. Not right now. I want to do what I started out to do in the first place. BE HAPPY and just DO FOR ME. 

 When I go to sleep at night, I'm truly resting. I'm not stressing myself out & skyrocketing my cortisol levels every night & day over thinking this thing that was getting the best of me. I made my announcement, and the moment I did, I was RELIEVED. Its a breath of fresh air and the ability to be as free as the horse above. Just run with what makes me happy in life. In my opinion, wild animals have it best. They live life everyday not having to think about anything. They go on instinct and that is part of some things that mankind lack. Not everything as man should be based on instinct, but I believe if we applied it to our lives a little more, we would be less inclined to over think things and lose a lot of stress in areas of our lives. Don't make it complicated for yourself. Be honest with yourself, listen to and HEAR your heart and do for you what no one else can. You must first be happy with yourself before you can be happy with or for anyone else. Just let it go and be present.