Week 2: No Scale Challenge. Why I am speaking out PLUS a fun workout for you to try!

In my last Blog Post I made the following comment:

I'm going to take it one step further and say that there are far too many people in the fitness industry that are always negative about their bodies or preaching about perfectionism and that is a terrible message to send to clients.  

People have much bigger problems than six pack abs and butts.  They have family troubles, stressful jobs, relationship issues, financial issues, stress, and yet the industry continues to market magic beans, workouts, and meal plans as the answer to real problems.

At this moment I am reading a book by Zig Ziglar where he says selling is the transference of feeling.  He goes on to talk about how if you're going to be convincing to people then you need to BE CONVINCED of what you're saying.

I had an a-ha moment

It's about The "Why"

It's not about resisting cookies, candy, and french fries and white knuckling it.  It's about "WHY". Why do people eat when they are stressed, lonely, or bored?  It isn't because they are physically hungry.  What ARE they hungry for?  Why are people punishing themselves with 2-3 hours of exercise every day and annihilating their muscles in pursuit of a "perfect"  that doesn't exist. Why do people need to CONSTANTLY post selfies every single day?

Why?

My Why

I've shared my own WHY:  It was because I was afraid of getting fat, ruining my life, and I was also seeking validation. I could do every meal plan and workout until the cows came home but until I actually addressed the REAL issues which were fear of weight gain and the need to seek validation, there would be no resolve.  It would be around the same mountain over and over again.

Why it's Important for me to Speak Out

It's important for me to speak out because I can guarantee you there are many women AND men who are caught up just like I was.  They are caught up in trying to find solace, validation, and affirmation in the physical and torturing themselves about food and exercise.  It's something we don't talk about but it needs to be addressed.

People are suffering in silence and they are inundated on social media daily with memes, videos, advertisements and soapbox coaches that tell them all they need is discipline and this amazing program that they are selling.

Sidenote:  There was a GREAT article on T-Nation last week where the blogger called out all these coaches who preach to followers about discipline and posting their nearly naked shredded to the bone pictures.  These people fail to add that they have chemical aid  to look the way they do. 

It's important for me to speak out about this because people will continue to suffer with eating disorders and body dysmorphia and think it is the norm.  I believe that the Fitness Industry is beginning to normalize disordered eating and obsessive exercise practices.  None of it is healthy.

It goes back to my A-ha Moment

It's the Blind Leading the Blind

What would happen if we let current alcoholics lead AA meetings?  How about current drug users leading recovery meetings?  We wouldn't let that happen because people who have not recovered themselves have no business leading others who are still in the midst and so fragile.  

In the fitness industry we have too many people who are suffering from body dysmorphia and disordered eating patterns with platforms and it's doing a real disservice to clients.  People think they need these complicated meal plans, magic supplements, and exercise routines in order to improve their health.

How about eating fresh foods, drinking water, and moving on a more consistent basis?  How about if you are an avid exerciser that we focus on making sure you are stimulating your muscles properly with a training program suited for YOUR needs and body type.  How about we work on improving YOUR nutrition not with complicated meal plans but with a CONSISTENT meal plan that you can sustain.

When you have people who are consumed with having the "perfect" body, disordered eating patterns, and body dysmorphia issues, teaching people what do you THINK is going to happen? When the Blind are leading the Blind they will BOTH fall into a ditch!

That's why I am going to continue on preaching that there is no perfect body.  There is no ONE STANDARD of beauty and we need to accept ourselves no matter what!

That is why I am feeling so STRONGLY about speaking out against this pervasive nonsense and getting people to focus on REAL LIFE IN THE REAL WORLD.  Focusing on cosmetics when the rest of your life is in free fall is putting a band aid on a gunshot wound.  

83% of people are not active.  That's a lot of people.  Even more do not eat fresh foods and more people than ever are suffering from stress related issues.  Those of us in this industry need to get REAL and we need to show more empathy to clients so that we can meet people where they are.

Second Week with No Scale

I have to say in many ways it was easier this past week not to get on the scale but I did have times where I just wanted to see what I weighed.  Is there ANY progress?  Why is it taking so long?  I have to remind myself that I was in a deficit for a year and it will take some time to get things "turned up" again.

I am FEELING a difference so whether there is or not....I'm just gonna roll with it.

Diet 

My diet now is something that I can sustain for the rest of my life.  It's real food and on Sundays I eat what I would like.  I no longer have food obsessions or have anxiety about foods.  I eat food and move on with my life.

Workout

Going well.  Love the stimulate don't annihilate philosophy!  I really FEEL what I am working and boy do I sweat!  It's not about how much you lift but HOW you're lifting.  This past Saturday I did the Abel 30 from Scott Abel and Boy was it tough.  50 pounds on the leg press isn't impressive but when you slow it down and go full range of motion it's TOUGH.

Here's the Abel Challenge if you would like to try it.

 30 Leg Presses

 30 Front Squats (Butt to Heel)

 30 Barbell Walking Lunges

 30 Ball Bridges (any hamstring exercise works

When I finished I was super sweaty and I felt so ALIVE!  It was awesome and it will help me get my endurance back to where it needs to be.

Until the Next Time!  

Thank you all so much for reading, reaching out, and commenting.  I really appreciate it!

Progress Journal: Started From the Bottom and now I'm back at the bottom. Can't zip up my pants...

Anybody who has ever watched Good Times knows what Florida is saying in this iconic scene.  That was how I felt when trying to pull on a pair of pants last week.

Back at the Bottom

Yep.  I'm back at the bottom.  According to the scale, I am about 15 pounds heavier than when I started this, "trying to be a figure competitor" journey.  I had to laugh.  Here I had spent all this time and money because I thought if I got into better shape and did a competition, then that would raise my stock in some capacity.  Fast forward to  now not only did I NOT do a competition, I am 15 pounds heavier AND I've moved leaps and bounds in my career and otherwise.  

Go Figure.  My face look's like this little's boy when I think about that lesson learned.

How am I handling being back at the bottom?  I think I'm okay with it.  Based on all the research I have read about slowed metabolisms this is completely normal and frankly I would rather be like this with 15 extra pounds over having panic attacks about food or hating the gym.  It is what is.  Besides if you don't try, flop, and get back up then you're not taking enough risks and life is boring.

In clothing estimates, I believe I have about 5 pounds to go before the pants go back on.  

At first I found myself angry and frustrated, because not only did I NOT accomplish my goal of getting on stage,  I also gained more weight in the process!  But after reflecting, I decided that was it was a great experience overall.  I learned so much about programming, nutrition, solidified my message about body image/self worth, and even got a new muse out of it....so it wasn't a total loss.

Nutrition

I believe I had a  nutrition breakthrough this week.  One of the things I used to love to do cook healthy recipes that I got from bodybuilding.com or one of my fitness cookbooks.  I liked to make protein bread to eat for breakfast.  When I started training for the fitness competition, I stopped doing that and ate the same boring foods a lot of the time.  It's taken me a while but this week I baked my first batch of protein bread in over a year and a half.  It's red velvet and you can find the recipe on my health coach page.  

For me it felt like a step in the right direction.  I am getting out of restrictive mindsets that "oh you can't eat that" and food anxieties and back into holistic mindsets.

I do have to laugh that I thought I was such a mess before and now I'm 15 pounds heavier and I'm trying to get back to where I was.  Sometimes the grass is NOT greener on the other side.  

Another step forward was that last week I went to Ghiradelli's with one of my favorite people and her daughter who were visiting from out of town.  There are no pictures of the sundae because we murdered them.  I ate my Sea Salt Caramel Sundae with no guilt and the next day just went back to my regular food.  I opted not to have dessert on my free day Sunday because those Sundaes did the trick.  There was no obsessing or being anxious about it.  When your friends are in town and come to visit and you go to Ghiradelli's square, you eat ice cream sundaes.

Training

Ahhhh Training is fun again!  LOL!  Right now I'm strength training 3 on/ 1 off with the 4th day being cardio because I was starting to feel winded while teaching indoor cycling.  No bueno.  Just to get back into the swing of things I did traditional body part training focusing more on super sets and tri sets.  

This coming week, I'm switching to Total Body Training 5x per week, same 3 on/1 off schedule.  Isn't this overtraining?  Nope.  I'm doing mostly Tri-sets (Three Exercises in a Row) and high repetitions.  Why?  Because I want to see some development and it's time to try something different. 

I've been reading Coach Scott Abel's book about Hardgainers and he explains that people who want to see development (aka looks like they lift) are told to lift as heavy as they can but STILL don't really see development.  It's a true statement.  We tell people to lift heavy and many still don't have the development to show for it.  They just have injuries and frustration...*raises hand*

Not to mention with this style of lifting, the idea is to focus on your muscles lifting the weights and not the weights lifting you.  The idea is to engage the muscles not chase PR's.  I've been applying these principles to my strength workouts: decreased poundages by about 20% and supersetting/tri-setting.  I have to say that I feel the muscles that are engaged so I am looking forward to 4 weeks of this and then evaluation.

 Can't be afraid of change and if you want something different, then you have to DO something different.

Goals/Progress

First, I don't want to get caught up on numbers. would like to be back to where I was originally but I don't know if that can happen.  I can't force it.  All I can do is be consistent with my eating and exercise.  You can't force your body to do what it doesn't want to do.  All that happens is it will rebel. If you try to force the body to lose weight when you've been restricting for so long it will simply ignore you and then do everything it can to hold on to every calorie.

I have a goal in mind to challenge myself to live out the message of body acceptance and body image.  I look forward to sharing it.

No progress photos just yet.  I would like to see some progress first before I share but I am confident that I will be able to show why you need to do something different and listen to your body.

Until the next time!!!