Motivational Monday: That takes a lot of work! Are you willing to show up and get it done?

Picture it:  Sitting down for a consultation with my new trainer and she asks me what my goals are:

Trainer:  So G, what brings you in today?

Me:  Well I have decided that I am ready to get into better shape

Trainer:  Well that's wonderful! So tell me what are your goals?

Me:  I want to look HOT.  I want to look like Beyonce

Trainer:  If your genetics don't determine that you will have that body type, then you will have to be extremely regimented and disciplined with your diet.  You will also need to put in lots of hours of hard work in the gym. Oh and forget about Happy Hour and Wine Sundays.

Me:  WHAT!  It doesn't take all that and I'm not trying to give up my cocktails.   I just want to look HOT.  Isn't that your job to make me look hot?

Trainer:  Well what I am telling you is that I could be the greatest trainer in the world, but if you aren't willing to put in the work then it isn't going to happen.

Me:  Well forget you then.  I'm going to the trainer down the street.  He said that he could make me look like Beyonce in 6 weeks AND he's hot.

Trainer:  Well good luck G!  I hope it works out for you.

Are you willing to put in the work?

Sadly I wish I could say the above conversation is rare, but isn't.  I've had clients who don't exercise regularly, don't pay any attention to their nutrition, and then complain that they aren't losing weight.  Even worse they think that having a trainer means that they don't have to do anything on their own and they spend most of their session complaining.

The truth of the matter is that many of the actors, models, and celebrities you see have hit the genetic lottery. Those that haven't work extremely hard to look the way they do.

As I have ventured into bodybuilding, I have realized how much work and sacrifice it takes to achieve the physique one desires.  One of the things my coach told me right off the bad was that she was going to work me hard and it was going to be challenging.  She didn't lie!  I'm working hard, but I was the one who told her that I wanted to get up naked onstage in front of people...so I'm willing to put in the work.

If you're a busy parent or you have other priorities in your life, having six pack abs may not be of utmost importance to you and guess what? That's okay!  If that's not your priority, then just do the best you can do at this point in your life.  It takes a LOT of work for most people to achieve six pack abs and if you're juggling a family, a career, and other commitments you just may not have the time to do what it takes to look that way

The question most people need to ask themselves is:  Am I willing to make the sacrifice and put in the work to get to desired goal?  If not, then move on and pick something else.

It doesn't take all that....

Yes it does.

I get so tired of  people telling me that it doesn't take all that to get the look that they desire.  The killer is that most of these people are nowhere near to where they want to be, but yet they are telling me what it takes.

So many times listening to this I want to pull a Dr. Phil:  Well how is that working for ya?

I am here to tell you that it does take all that.  Yes, you must sacrifice wine and cocktails, time for meal preparation, eating out every night, being uncomfortable in workouts, sweating, soreness, etc.  If you don't want to do any of this, then go take your magic beans and come talk to me in another six months.

In my own journey I am learning it does take all that and even though it is hard work, I am pleased with my progress so far.  I tell you another thing: You can't even envy people who look awesome anymore because you know how hard they have worked.  All you can do is congratulate them on their hard work.

A note to fitness professionals

I believe many of us have dropped the ball in this area.  When a client is sitting in front of you and they tell you a goal.  Instead of saying "Oh yeah!  We can do that!" because you want to make a sale, fit pros need to be direct with clients

"That takes a lot of hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.  I will design a program for you and give you a plan, but are you going to show up and do the work.  It's not going to work unless you do."

If the client is onboard with this, then proceed.  If during the process the client is not keeping up their end of the bargain, remind them of that conversation in the beginning.  "You said you wanted this."

If the goal turns out not to be feasible for their lifestyle, then press the reset button and find something else to do.

Success will only come when the client puts in the work.  Don't be so thirsty to get a sale that you promise something that you cannot deliver.  If clients want to go to the magic bean trainers, then let it go!  Let it go! Turn your back and slam the door! 

It's funny because I have seen those clients a year or two later and I guess the magic beans wore off because they are usually in worse shape than when they weren't listening to me.

BOOM!

Happy Training!

Fitness Competition Journal: I'm going for it and I'm gonna enjoy the view along the way

While training this week, I looked in the mirror and thought:   This isn't as far fetched as I thought it was.  I am really going to do this!

Pipe Dreaming

I've wanted to compete for 2 years and it was always my long term goal, but long term goals sometimes feel like pipe dreams.  It is a great idea and you're like "Oh I'm gonna do it" but then you don't really know if you are or not.

This year I made up in my mind that I was going to compete.  I'm signed up with a coach and everything.  Even though I'm following the plan and doing what I am supposed to do, sometimes I still feel that this is a pipe dream.

I caught sight of myself in the mirror on Tuesday and saw my shoulders and I saw someone different.  I saw someone who meant business and I thought "I am going to get up there!  I really am!  I just have to keep going!"

It is good to know that I am finally starting to believe my own thoughts.  I am sure I will have more moments of self doubt and unbelief, but I will just PUSH past those and say "I can and I will"

One of my inspirations
IFBB Pro Figure Competitor, Candice Lewis

Progress

I am down about 4 lbs which doesn't really mean much because scale weight is so volatile, BUT I would be a liar if I said that it didn't give me relief to see the scale going down.  I have been at this for about 5 weeks, so I am glad that I haven't lost anymore than that.  If I had, then I would be concerned about losing muscle and I don't have all that much to be losing.  

I REFUSE TO GET ONSTAGE LOOKING LIKE A STRING BEAN

Most importantly when I took my measurements, I have lost an inch in my abdomen, an inch in my butt (I don't know that I'm all that happy about that), and half an inch in my waist.  Also another positive sign is that there is room in my sports bra.  That is ALWAYS a great indicator that one is losing body fat.  Most women complain about that, but for me that's not a bad thing.  

I have to send in a progress report to Roxie this week.  I'm nervous, but I know that I have made progress because we stepped up the training.  We have about another 5 weeks before we make the final decision on whether or not to go for San Jose in July.

I will start sharing my pics 12 weeks out from the show because I think that is when we will see the most change.

If I don't make it for the NPC San Jose show, then that's fine.  I will pick another show to do, but I will be up on a stage with a rhinestone suit on sometime this year.  I want to make sure to do it right.

Enjoying the View

I am enjoying the view of watching my body change.  I really like seeing my shoulders and my arms look visibly strong.  I have always admired women whose bodies look strong and powerful.  This week I have decided to enjoy the view of my body's journey along the way to competition lean.  I don't want to just love the way I look on show day because that doesn't last.  I liked the way I looked before.  It's just that now I want to see what I can accomplish giving it maximal effort.

I am also enjoying the view of my favorite gym member EVER.  I'm so glad he has decided to start coming to my gym again during this competition prep.   Even though I am banned from ever talking to him again due to overzealousness, it has really encouraged me to show up and really look like I am doing something.  Drooling, Stalking,  Admiring his beautiful presence during my workouts has really helped add to the intensity of my workouts.  I did get caught by another member during my *ahem* admiration time.  Oh well...whatever it takes right?

Recipe of the Week: Italian Themed Eggplant!

Let's face it...eating kale and broccoli every day is boring.  When you're in training for competition, you have to find creative ways of getting in your fibrous carbohydrates.  Luckily my coach IFBB Pro Roxie Beckles is not of the mind that one has to eat endless spears of Asparagus to come in contest lean.

She posted this recipe last week and I decided to try it.  It was a leap of faith because the only eggplant I ever ate was deep fried or covered in sauce and cheese.

To my surprise and delight this recipe was so yummy!!  Thanks to Roxie for the heads up.

Ingredients

1 Eggplant

1 Fresh Tomato (I like Canned Diced Tomatoes.  I used the Italian seasoned diced tomatoes from Safeway)

Fresh Basil

I can't believe it's not butter spray

Garlic Salt 

Oregano

Pepper

Directions

Preheat Oven to about 350 degrees

Peel Eggplant in stripes (Keeping the skin on makes it too tough)

Cut Eggplant into large rounds

Spray the Eggplant with I can't believe it's not butter 

Sprinkle with Garlic Salt, Paper, and oregano

Add Diced Tomatoes

Finish off with Fresh Basil

Bake for Approximately 15-20 minutes (Depending on your oven)

For those of us in prep mode it's a way to pretend you're eating pizza!  It is also a wonderful change to add to your veggie rotation.

Why I'm a Fan of the Heart Rate Monitor

I am training for my first fitness competition and my coach asks for clients to wear a Heart Rate Monitor during our cardio sessions to make sure that we are working hard enough.  Prior to this, I had never used a heart rate monitor and relied more on the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) for training.  The Rate of Perceived Exertion is using something like the talk test to gauge your intensity.

After using the heart rate monitor for my Cardio Sessions, I have become a fan.  Here are my reasons for why I believe a Heart Rate Monitor is useful for training

Reasons for Using a Heart Rate Monitor During Training

It is always helpful to have data points and metrics to gauge progress in your training program

I am a big believer in celebrating progress, but how will you gauge progress if you can't compare data points?  How will you be able to measure improvements?

This is especially important if part of your fitness goals are to improve conditioning and endurance.  With a Heart Rate monitor, you can track how long it takes you to recover during intense training intervals.  The faster you recover the better your conditioning.  Endurance athletes can make sure that they are not going out too fast on longer workouts.  Those training for endurance can also measure how long they are able to sustain training in specified training zones

Are you working hard or hardly working?

As a fitness professional this is one of my personal pet peeves.  I will see people stay on the eliptical machine for 50-11 hours and when they get off they are barely out of breath.  True enough they may have a medical condition that prevents them from getting their heart rate up too high, BUT oftentimes this is not the case.

As human beings we like to pick the path of least resistance, therefore many people get on the elliptical machine because it's easy.  Of course the elliptical is better than sitting on your couch, but I know most gym members are after composition change.  The composition change they are looking for is Fat Loss.

Can i be real with you here?  Fat loss isn't going to happen by going for a leisurely stroll on the elliptical.  

Side note: Cardio isn't your main weapon in fat loss either, but that's another blog topic for another day.

When I use my Heart Rate Monitor, I am able to see how hard I am actually working during my cardio sessions with no subjective guessing.  I can't take the easy way out.  It's telling me that I'm not in my specified training zone.  I actually had to disqualify the elliptical as one of my cardio choices because it just didn't challenge me in the way my goals needed it to.

On the other hand, when I taught cycle class my heart rate was in the target zone for most of the class.  It was great validation that as an instructor I was designing a class that was catering to my participants goals which for most is: endurance for road racing, endurance for running, improved overall cardiovascular fitness, or fat loss.

3. It's a great tool to use to determine which training modalities work the best for your goals and also tracks how many calories you are burning during cardiovascular exercise.

Right now I need to increase the intensity of my workouts and so I use the monitor to see which training modalities work best for me.  I also find it interesting that my Heart Rate gets up as high during my strength training as it does during cardiovascular training (that's another topic).

Plus I like to see how many calories i have burned during my sessions.  Of course there is room for error, but from what I have read the readings for calorie burn are accurate.

NOTE:  This will be a HUGE eye opener when you see that the hour you put in at the gym did not burn 900 calories and that is why going to the gym does NOT give you the license to eat whatever you want.  Matter of fact, you will most likely be shocked at how little calorie expenditure most get at the gym (particularly those of the phoning in/don't like to work hard ilk)

Using a Heart Rate Monitor

Finding your Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate is how fast your heart beats at rest. The normal Resting Heart Rate for adults can be anywhere from 60 to 100 beats per minute. The lower your resting heart rate, the more efficient your cardiac function. 

Measuring Resting Heart Rate

It is best to measure the resting heart rate before you get out of bed in the morning.  I prefer to measure for an entire 60 seconds.  I would also recommend doing it for at least 3 days and taking the average.

Finding your Training Zones

After you have found your Resting Heart Rate, now it is time to establish your training zones so that you will work and not be one of the people hardly working.

A great website to use for this is: Runners Web Heart Calculator.  Plug in the information and go from there! 

The Fat Burning Zone?

I'm sure some still remember the fat burning zone where people did long amounts of steady state cardio because that was thought to dip into fat stores.

Well that has not been proven to be true.  What has been proven to true is that the harder you work, the more calories you burn during the session and after.  (It doesn't have to be a cardio machine either)

This is another blog post, but the fat burning zone needs to go the way of the fat free garbage of the 1990's.

What is a good training zone?

Of course it depends on your goals.  Someone who is looking to improve endurance and conditioning will have a different zone from those who are interested in fat loss.

For Fat loss clients, I would recommend working between: 75% - 90% of your Maximum Heart Rate. (If you use the resource above they will have that information for you)

This is moderate/high intensity workout.  You will find that trying to do this for an hour is TOUGH which is the point.  We want more efficient workouts so forget that hour long cardio session and get it in for 30-45 mins.

BUT 

There's always a but.

I really like the Heart Rate Monitor, but it is important not to begin to use the data as GOSPEL and never listen to your body.

1. Margin of Error

The forumla that is most popular to calculate Target Heart Rate has had its share of controversy.   We find Maximum Heart rate by subtracting age from 220.  The number 220 has come under fire for not having enough of a scientific basis and some have claimed it wasn't even supposed to be the universal number for determining heart rate.

2. EveryBODY is different

These formulas do not take into account training background, health history, body composition, and genetics.  With that being said, if we have two 25 year old men and one happens to be a well conditioned athlete and the other is a couch potato it's safe to say that their Maximum Heart Rate will be different.

3. It is yet another gadget to add to your collection

You don't NEED a Heart Rate monitor, but I think it can be a helpful tool in your training.  If you don't want a heart rate monitor, then you can use the sensors on the cardio machines.  I compared my Heart Rate monitor to the monitors on the machine and only found the machine to be only one or two beats behind my monitor. 

Whatever it takes

I'm all for whatever it takes to get people closer to reach their fitness goals.  I find that most of us just aren't objective enough to gauge whether or not we are working hard enough.  We will let ourselves take the easy way out.  Having data points and knowing exactly how hard you are supposed to work will eliminate this temptation.  It will also give you  metrics to help you set more fitness goals other than  just cosmetic changes.

Happy Training!

Motivation Monday! March 17 - W.O.W. Preparation

Tell me if any of these sound familiar:  

You're running late so you skip breakfast and decide to just grab something at Starbucks on the way to work.  

You didn't have time to make your lunch in the morning because EVERYBODY was moving too slow and had issues, so you're going to have to eat out for lunch.  

You have nothing in the refrigerator to eat for dinner, so that means Pizza or take out AGAIN.

You had every intention of making it to the gym today, but then you went to look for your workout clothes and none of them were clean, plus your gym bag was buried in the back of your closet.

You're at the gym and spend about 20 minutes walking around trying to figure out what you should be doing or you spot the hot guy/girl at the gym, and just decide to do whatever pieces of equipment are near them.

What is the common denominator in all of these situations?  Lack of Preparation

W.O.W.  Preparation

"Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance"  Yes it's a tongue twister, but it's also a life truth.  The reason most people do not succeed with their goals (Fitness related or otherwise) is because they don't prepare ahead of time.

Think about it:  If you decide to take a vacation and don't plan your destinations, where you're staying, and what you'd like to see when you get there, then chances are when you get there it is going to be nothing but chaos and confusion.

With my clients, I give them workouts so that they are prepared when they hit the gym.  They are not there to waste time and try to figure out what to do next.  They are prepared with a plan of action so they can get in and get out.

I also give them two week programs to follow so that they know what they are supposed to do for the next two weeks and plan accordingly.

Geneva's Tips for Preparation

 Meal Preparation

Since I am preparing for my fitness competition, my meals are all structured planned out.  Since I am on the go quite a bit, I don't have time to cook each meal separately.  This means I have to prepare meals ahead of time.  I usually do an hour on Saturday and an hour on Sunday (before Real Housewives of Atlanta of course)

Get a Slow Cooker so that you can prepare large quantities at one time

If there has been one thing that has been a huge help for cooking lots of protein, rice, and steaming vegetables at the same time it has been investing in a slow cooker.  If you have a family to cook for, I can only imagine the time it would save.  I just put the meat, rice, or veggies in and let it cook.  When I come back it is all ready to go.  This has been a huge time saver AND the meat comes out much more tender.

Prepare Healthy Snacks  on the weekends

Portion out your almonds, rice cakes, and whatever else you like to snack on ahead of time.  If you're running late, then all you have to do is grab and go.

Plan what you want to eat ahead of time

Of course this is not always feasible, but when you go grocery shopping decide what it is you want to eat that week before you get there.  It's a lot easier to prepare meals when you have all of the ingredients instead of trying to slap random items together.

Workout Preparation

Spend about 15 minutes at the beginning of the week preparing your workout schedule 

If you know that you can only work out 4 times this week due to schedule conflicts, then go ahead and schedule those 4 workouts in your calendar NOW.  If you know you like to take my awesome cycle class on Friday evenings (shameless plug) then go ahead and schedule it in your calendar.  You're a lot more likely to stick to it, if you place it in your schedule.

Pack your gym bag the night before

I am a notorious fiddle faddler in the mornings.  It has been this way since I was a little girl and it's not stopping anytime soon.  Trying to get things together in the morning just does not work, so I make sure to pack my bags the night before.  If it's packed, then all I have to do is grab it.

Have your workout Prepared before you get to the gym

Nothing wastes time more than wandering around figuring out what to do next!  Have it written down in your phone or in your workout journal what today's workout looks like.  If someone is using the machine that you want to use, then you will not have a problem moving on because you know what to do next.  Don't waste valuable time waiting for machines because you don't know what to do next.

Let's not be the people that spend all of their time on Facebook talking about how they are going to the gym and don't spend any time actually preparing for the gym!

Happy Training!

Fitness Competition Journal: What on EARTH am I doing?

Two years ago I decided that before I turned  25  (ok fine)  a certain age that I wanted to do a fitness competition.  I wanted to transform my body into looking like the strong women that I admire so much. I signed up for personal training and thought "Oh well maybe I can compete in 3 months."  Well after researching and realizing what a challenge this endeavor is, I resolved to spend the rest of 2012 and all of 2013 getting ready to compete in 2014.

I gave myself a deadline to contact the coach I wanted to work with by Feb 1.  Well she contacted ME first on January 30 and I figured, "Well you may as well go for it.  There's no time like the present"

I have my eyes on a show in July which means I have about 18 weeks left to go.  My coach wants to wait until I am 12 weeks out before we make a final call.

Nicole Wilkins, Figure Olympia Champion

Why am I doing this?

Great question!  I ask myself this when I start thinking about being on stage naked under bright lights.  I can think of several reasons.

• I've always wanted to do it and I don't want to look back and think "What if?" or "Why didn't I?"
• I want a new challenge: I want to work toward something challenging
• It scares me: If something absolutely terrifies me, I know I need to do it.  There's a lesson that I need to learn
• It will teach me a lot:  It will help me grow as a fitness professional.  It will also teach me some life skills that I need to learn such as: discipline, organization/preparation/, sacrifice, not giving up when the going gets tough or you can't predict the outcome, standing in the face of criticism, and taking risks.  Risk is my word for 2014.

The Diet

The Diet isn't horrible right now because it is early on.  In fact, she INCREASED my calories because I wasn't eating ENOUGH.  No more Powercrunch or Quest bars, but I get Gaspari Myofusion shakes and fruit which make life lovely.  No complaints from me on this end.

I know the diet will get tougher as I go on but I'm ready for it.  I want to do this and if that means saying "No" to cheat meals and going out to eat...that's what it means.  It's discipline and besides after the show I'm going in (within reason)

Workouts

Workouts are great.  She incorporated different exercises and a lot of the same ones I had been doing before.  Rather than bodybuilding splits, we're on a higher intensity/higher volume regime right now which I'm enjoying.  It is challenging, but I like it because I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone.  If I feel like I "phoned in" a set I will do it over again.

Walking in Heels

Other than getting up naked in front of an audience in bright lights, walking in the 4.5 inch heels has me the most worried.  I wear Nikes most of the time, so prancing around in heels isn't my forte.  I've put on Beyonce and RuPaul and tried to chante sashay around my basement.  I think this may be the scariest part for me.

I am looking forward to sharing my journey with you.  I will most likely begin sharing pictures around the 12 week out mark.  I'm looking forward to seeing how my body changes and transforms.

Motivational Monday: Word of the Week. (W.O.W) = Perspective

With Daylights savings Time, many people have been cranky these past two days.  The loss of the hour made us more tired and according to news reports more accidents and heart attacks occur around Daylights savings Time.

BUT how many of us enjoy that extra hour of sunshine and leaving work feeling as though we still have time to do what we really enjoy?

It is all about how you see things!

W.O.W. = Perspective 

Perspective Change: Focus on the Journey rather than the outcome

I am a results oriented person (DUH!)

I like to focus on outcomes which means I often focus on how much further I have to go rather than realizing how much I have already accomplished.

So often my expectations and time frames are so unrealistic that I end up disappointed with myself and feel like throwing in the towel.

If I have learned anything in the past year it is that we should focus on the journey rather than the outcomes because nothing ever turns out EXACTLY how we think it will which leads to disappointment and negative perspectives

.

Perspective and Unrealistic Expectations

As a Fitness Professional, I have observed that many people have a negative perspective when it comes to health and fitness because they have unrealistic expectations.  It becomes common to hear this:

 Sure I can do more pushups and walk up the stairs without collapsing, but I don't have a six pack.

I wanted to lose 10 lbs this week and I only lost 2!

I lost an inch off of my waist this month I wanted to lose 2!

This isn't working!  I am throwing in the towel. Sure my knees don't hurt and my back is no longer bothering me, but I don't look anything like (insert whatever person you want to look like)

It is easy to fall into the pits of doom and gloom when you are constantly focusing on weaknesses and what isn't happening.

If you didn't exercise at all but now you're exercising 3x a week, that's something to celebrate.

If the only vegetables you ate were slathered in ranch dressing or cheese, but now you're eating vegetables at least once a day (Without ranch dressing and cheese) that's something to celebrate  

If you couldn't run to the car without gasping for breath, but now you can jog a mile, that's something to celebrate.

Perspective and Past Failures Learning opportunities.

Many people cannot change their perspective because they are still stuck on the failures of the past.  Since this is a health and fitness geared blog, I will say that many people desiring to lose body fat struggle with this fact.

They've tried every diet known to man, resolved to get fit a thousand times, but never stayed the course.  Their perspective is negative and defeated when it comes to improving their health  They don't think they can do it, so they go into it with a "Well we'll see how long this lasts because it probably won't work anyway" attitude.

In order to achieve any goal, you MUST change your perspective from I can't to I will.  

This week's challenge

This week I encourage you to find an area that you have been struggling with (fitness related or not) and change your perspective on it.

I will share mine:  I decided to do a Fitness Competition (I am going to share my journey on this blog with you) and last week  this is what was going through my head:  

 "I really am in over my head.  I am going to be laughed off the stage. Why do I think I can do this? I can't do it.  Maybe I shouldn't have signed up for this"

Perspective Change: Boom!

After speaking with my coach and sharing my feelings with other teammates, I realized I wasn't the only person who had these thoughts.  Others shared that they had these same exact thoughts "Why am I doing this?  Will I really be ready?  I should back out"  I made up my mind that I am going to accomplish this goal whether it is in July or sometime in the Fall!  

My perspective changed in regards to my training this week:  Rather than sit around and think about how all the other competitors are better than me, I decided that I was going to work as hard as I can so that I will be proud no matter what happens!  I am going to give it my all.  I am not going to sit around and make excuses.

What perspectives do you need to change this week???