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!

Join Me in Getting Off the Scale For the Next Month!! Thoughts on Aging Better

This week I celebrated G Day.  It's the annual celebration of another year of life and another trip around the sun.  On my Facebook page I shared some tips for aging better which I will share at the end of this blog post.

This week I made a decision:  I am staying off of the scale for the next 4 weeks.  I will not concern myself with the scale, measurements, or any of that.  I am going to focus on eating well, enjoying my workouts, and feeling alive

GET OFF THE SCALE

A few weeks ago one of my favorite physique competitors posted this picture.  I found it to be so inspirational.  I've been really discouraged at seeing my weight about 15 pounds heavier than when I started this "You wanna be a figure competitor experience".  It's really been frustrating to feel like I'm working towards an exercise in futility.

Last week I attended a workshop about Why Diets Fail women and it was eye opening to say the least.  Without delving too far into the material, I will say this.  Women become frustrated and don't do well when the focus is simply on numbers and rigid rules.  Is this not a true statement?  Our bodies fluctuate way too much and plus our brains just don't respond well to that type of stimulus.  That's why all of this weighing, measuring, meal plans, scales, measurements, and such get old after a while and women go nuts.  It's just not how we are meant to function.

This gave me a lot to think about/  I've changed training philosophies and I'm relying on biofeedback for my nutrition and diet. I no longer crave things like Quest Bars and have gone back to making protein bread, drinking protein smoothies for breakfast, and eating a holistic diet. I feel way better and my pants are going over my behind again.  All of that in just two weeks but one week the scale would go down a pound and the next week it would be back up a pound and that's when I would get so discouraged about the whole thing even though I feel better.

Something had to change and you know one of my favorite sayings:  It's time to say and do something different.

So I decided to challenge myself:  No weighing myself for the next 4 weeks.  None.  No scale and no measurements.  If I want to see how things are going, then I can use my trusty pair of pants.

Will you join me?  Will you join me in deciding to get off of your scale, stop the measurements, and resolve to eat well, exercise, and feel alive?  Let me tell you something being a slave to that scale can also be a source of stress and anxiety.  Stress and anxiety cause weight gain due to hormones and the way you metabolize food.

4 weeks...No scale and see what happens.

Aging Better

Ah another year of life in the books.  I'm thankful to be in my 30's, thriving, and feeling alive.  If you had known me 20 years ago we both would have been shocked at how things have turned out but I had this life in mind the entire time.  It just took me some years to get it off the ground.

In any case as I keep learning, I'm not in my 20's anymore and that means that I need to train smarter.  I need to rest and recover when necessary and I am taking 8x Mr Olympia Lee Haney's mantra to heart:  STIMULATE don't ANNIHILATE the muscle!  It's so true.  He's in his 50's still looks great and is not falling apart like some of his contemporaries.

As I get older, I'm only going to get louder about this stuff.  I'm so tired of people (women in particular) feeling limited and stifled by age.  There are ways to slow down the aging process.  Fresh Foods, Strength Training, and Training Smart are just three of them.

Mindset is critical.  "You're only as old as you feel" I know several people who are in their 80's and 90's who live by that credo and it's the truth.  If you think you're old and tired, then you will act that way.

We don't exercise as we get older only to look a certain way but we exercise and are active so that we can enjoy our lives and not spend it confined to bed or unable to do the simplest tasks.

Current Program

Doing Scott Abel's Hardgainer Solution which is working the total body 5x per week.  I do 3 on/1 off.  It's high reps, high sets and while it's marketed for people who want to gain muscle mass, in his book about Metabolism, he recommends it for those of us who have experienced a slowed metabolism and need to get things going again.  5 total Body workouts per week = Major calorie burn.  Scott Abel is a fan of stimulate don't annihilate as well so the goal is not to go to failure.

I've raised Cardio to 20 minutes but it doesn't really feel like it because it's either interval training, jumprope, or some sort of circuit I've made up to keep myself entertained.

I am noticing some changes and I really am encouraged.

Until the Next Time!  Get off the scale!!! Stay tuned for my new website coming soon!