Tiny Tips

It's been forever since I posted -- forever being a year and a half. So much has happened in that amount of time: I took a trip to Japan last year and have taken numerous little trips throughout the year (New York, Toronto, Boston, Austin, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Vegas, LA, ...the list goes on), I've moved into a management role at work (this is probably the biggest change), I've moved back home with mama (we haven't killed each other yet...)! There have been a lot of exciting changes and plenty to keep me busy. With my job being seasonal and so demanding of me to travel, it's difficult for me to stay in a routine with my workouts and nutrition. I try as hard as possible to keep consistent but sometimes life gets in the way and I've learned that THAT'S OK! I have to admit, it's easy for me to fall off the wagon during and after a trip, and I give myself the excuse that I don't have time to workout, and I don't have healthy options to choose from... so I eat what I like and somehow sitting on my ass becomes so much easier. I think this is fine and healthy every so often but I want to make sure I eventually get back into my routine and remember I want to stay healthy on the inside and out!

I think this past year I've become a lot better at really understanding what it is to have fitness and nutrition as a lifestyle. To be fair, as an athlete for as long as I can remember (literally, I can barely remember what I did with my spare time pre-softball), fitness and nutrition have probably been ingrained in me more than most people. But with my crazy travel schedule, it became really easy for me to say, "Forget the diet," for months at a time. My schedule might look something like: Boston --> New York --> SF --> Toronto --> New York --> SF --> Houston -->SF --> Atlanta, etc etc... within a two month period. After indulging on the road, I would come home and think it was pointless for me to workout or try to eat healthy when I would ruin my efforts as soon as I hit the road again.

Well, this past year is when I stopped making excuses. I found time to workout on the road and stopped telling myself I could indulge just because I was in another city with food I didn't have at home on the regular. Some of those foods weren't even worth it, if I'm being honest, and I definitely could have done without. Did I really WANT or NEED that enormous burger with bacon or was I just getting it because I thought traveling made me exempt from calorie consumption? Did I truly need that ice cream shake after my pizza?? I mean some of these things were definitely worth it, but I needed to keep in mind that I was eating because I was hungry and not stuffing myself just because. Let's be honest, that shake was no more delicious than one I could get at home but I never chose to get a shake at home. Why should this be any different?

I also started making a few little adjustments to my eating habits back home that honestly helped me so much. I felt like this healthy lifestyle at home was an investment and I didn't want to ruin it all on the road. You'd be surprised to see how small changes can make a big difference and they soon became my routine no matter where I was.

1) Eat a big breakfast. 
There's a saying I like to follow -- "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper." You want the majority of your calories to be consumer in the first half of the day when you'll be more active, not at night before you go to sleep.

2) Start the day with fruit and good fats.
My whole family knows I only eat fruit during the day and not the evening so that the nutrients have time to digest. You want fruit to be something you eat first so your body can absorb it first and it doesn't end up sitting on a bed of other foods in your stomach. Your body won't absorb the nutrients as much with a lot of other food being absorbed first. I also used to think I could eat whatever I wanted for breakfast -- I would literally have potatoes, bacon, eggs, and more every. single. day. This did not have a good outcome for me. Greek yogurt, fruit, granola, cinnamon, and 1-2 tbsps of PB have been my go-to breakfast lately. :) So good.

3) Don't eat after dinner.
I used to snack after diner like craaaaazy. It's almost like eating my dinner made me more hungry. And I always thought, well I have to have something sweet after a meal so let me basically have another meal of desserts. Yeah, that didn't work so well for my waistline.

4) Standing or walking after meals.
Try to not eat a huge meal and then immediately sit on and couch and watch TV until it's bed time a couple hours later. Watch TV while you stand or maybe take a 15 minute walk... This helps me digest and always makes me feel so much less bloated before bed.

5) Drink water!!!
Hydration is so so important. It keeps you full, it boosts your metabolism, it cleans out your system internally, helps your organs, clears your skin... the list goes on!

None of these are huge adjustments to my lifestyle but I've disciplined myself to stick to them and have noticed I've slimmed down and am less bloated.

I've ALSO switched up my workouts a bit so I'm doing more HIIT and less weight training but my workouts are still shorter! and I have to admit I'm still feeling strong but lean. This is what my current week looks like:

Monday: my own workout. Typically a jog mixed with sprint intervals ~1hr
Tuesday: 1 hr HIIT
Wednesday: 30-45 min HIIT
Thursday: 30 min weight training + HIIT
Friday: 45 min HIIT
Saturday: 15 min sprints/45 min Insanity or OFF
Sunday 15 min sprints/45 min Insanity or OFF

Sprints are usually hill sprints and I'll do as many as 7-12. I mix this is with some walking/jogging in my neighborhood and usually feel pretty good.

This was lengthy but hopefully helpful! I've been feeling lean and surprisingly without the lengthy gym workouts. 70% diet, 30% exercise.

Bootybuilder

I came across this article awhile back and found it to be so helpful when training glutes! I've been lifting for years but this was a great reminder of some small movements that can lead to BIG results.

Some of the key points...

• Squat deep. ASS TO GRASS.
• Keep your feet wide during squats. Keeping them closer together puts more emphasis on your quads.
• Keep your feet wide during bulgarian split squats. Don't have your front foot too close to the back or that's more quad work too.
• Squats get a lot of attention for being a booty-building exercise but honestly, nothing kills my legs like lunges do. Don't neglect lunges!
• Curtsy squats are another great leg workout that emphasizes the glutes.

My favorite glute exercises:

• Bulgarian split squats
• Back squats
• Front squats
• Lunges
• Hamstring curls (machine and with a bosu ball)
• Leg Press
• Hip Abductors (seated and out of seat)

To The Non-Believers

Oftentimes, when people are overtly negative and unbelieving (is that a word?), it's a projection of their own insecurity and inability. Maybe it's not the most zen way of thinking, but one of the most satisfying feelings for me has always been showing people that I'm capable of doing something they didn't think I was capable of. It's difficult to block voices of "can't" from your head and heart, especially if they're people you're close to and spend a lot of time with, but ultimately, if you want to achieve something, no one knows your drive and passion like you do. Smile and nod, be cordial, remember why you do what you do, then be a badass and prove them wrong.

4/5 - 5/5

I went back and forth in my mind for about a week and a half trying to decide whether or not I should post this on my Instagram. I was really proud of the progress I had made in a short amount of time, four weeks, but I wasn't sure of how other people would respond to my half-naked post. To be honest, I've put on a reasonable amount of weight in the last nine months and I wasn't sure of how people I haven't seen in that time would react to my before photo. I also thought people wouldn't be impressed with my four week transformation or wouldn't notice any difference. It takes a LOT of work to make little changes and maybe people wouldn't even notice. What if people thought I was being vain? No, it's not necessary that I post a picture like that on Instagram, so why would I? I could see and hear their judgement in my mind.

And then I thought, why not?!? I had worked really hard to make positive changes in my lifestyle and I was proud of that. Hell yeah I want other people to see the fruits of my labor! And there's nothing wrong with that. If I had a great mental revelation, wouldn't I want to share that with people as well? Why are we ridiculed so much for showing physical revelations?

I realized that the main thing holding me back from posting this picture was the opinion of others and I never want that to be something that dictates my actions. There were a few people in particular that I was concerned about but then I remembered that whoever my true friends are will be extremely supportive, happy for, and proud of me. Showing people my progress is actually a way for me to keep myself accountable and keep me from digressing back to what I was before. I wanted to continue with even more inspiring and motivating transformations. In many ways, I've become my biggest motivation by placing these pictures next to one another. I know that it's possible for me to make progress and improvements when I stay dedicated to something and that encourages me to stay on track to achieve even more progress and more improvements. Fitness models are great motivation but their lifestyle and goals often seem to far fetched for me and the rest of us with full-time 9-6 jobs.

At the end of the day, I live this life for me. I workout for me. I eat right for me. And no one else. And with that, I posted this picture for me. And no one else.

Real Beauty

Perfectly Imperfect

I have flaws. Many that I absolutely hate and would like to rid from my life. But despite all of these flaws, I am perfect. I am perfectly imperfect. I am content with who I am and what I am, everything about me, how I look, how I act... Sure there are ways in which I believe I can improve and better myself as a person, and I continue to strive to be a better person, but this doesn't make me any less perfect.

There are so many things I used to hate about myself. I would scrutinize and brainstorm ways that I could "fix" myself with surgeries and crazy methodology in the future. There were very few parts of myself that I was happy with "as is." As I grew up, I realized that all of these things really do make me uniquely myself and "give me character". I used to think that was just a euphemism for things that were "strange" about me but now I know they really do contribute to making me who I am. As I've gotten older, I've also come to realize just how critical we all are of ourselves. This really isn't healthy or necessary and most of the things we notice about ourselves, other people probably don't even! I admit I still criticize parts of myself but I'm making a conscious effort to do so less often and am continuing to teach myself to embrace everything that makes me me. My mature love and understanding of myself can wash away the insecurities of my youth. ;)

So here we have it, some examples of my perfect imperfections that I'm okay sharing!:

1) My top teeth aren't aligned and I'm insecure about it every time I smile

2) I have a birthmark on my chest that I used to want surgically removed

3) I'll have love handles no matter how much I workout

4) I grew up in a somewhat (read: absolutely) dysfunctional home

5) Sans makeup, I have visible acne scars on my cheeks and forehead

6) I wear my emotions on my sleeve, too much for my own good

7) I don't have an eating disorder, but sometimes I think I have disordered eating

8) I have a resting bitch face (yes, this is a real issue)

9) It's extremely easy for me to fall down the unhealthy eating and exercise-less slope

10) I have a mental battle with myself before 90% of workouts

Embrace everything about yourself, ladies! Seriously, you're absolutely beautiful. Things in their most natural and authentic state are the truest and most beautiful.

Trying Something New

Yesterday, I decided I want to try yoga. I've done yoga a couple of times before, but hardly anything I would consider serious. I took one class at the YMCA with about 30 other people who all seemed to know what they were doing and I've tried to mimic Jillian Michaels on a 30 minute youtube video she released. Yes, these are both technically yoga, but again, I didn't consider either one of them seriously-instructed yoga. The one time I tried yoga at the YMCA I wasn't sold at all and actually told myself it wasn't for me. I'm so used to doing things that are fast-paced and calorie-TORCHING that I didn't really see the benefits of yoga and didn't think it aligned with my goals at the time. This was also a few years back when I was still competing in college I believe.

It's been three years since I played in college but I still train just as often as I did back then. I gained more weight than I'd like to admit during the holidays this past year and have been kicking my own ass to get back in shape during the last couple of months. I lost a few inches during the past few weeks but felt that I was beginning to plateau so I started researching ways I could mix up my routine. I happened to see some interviews done by my favorite fitness models and a number of them mentioned the inclusion of yoga and pilates in their routine. Hmm, maybe I should give this another shot. My company just so happens to offer a number of classes in our gym and there are a few different yoga classes among them. So last night, I went to a class for an hour! I have to say, I loved it! The stretching felt amazing and I already felt so much better after just one class. I've had back issues, tight hips, and all around muscle tension since training and playing competitively in college and these have never really gone away -- these are other reasons why I now want to start including less intense workouts like yoga and pilates into my routine.

So what's the point of this post? Just to tell you I tried yoga? No.

About half way through the class, our instructor said we would be working on handstands again. Again?? Umm, this is my first time here! And I really don't want to crack my head open on day 1. She showed us how to gradually get into a handstand and ways that we could work up to it until we mastered our balance. Some people could start on the floor where they were and others started near a wall to help them get upright first. I started in the middle of the floor (most of the wall space was taken) and I actually got pretty close to vertical at which point, I remember saying, "I'm nervous I'm actually going to get it." Why did I say this? Why was I nervous? Maybe I was nervous of falling. Maybe I was nervous of thrusting too much and actually flipping over backwards. ...all valid reasons...but I began to wonder if I was scared of being successful. It's always a little nerve-racking when you do something outside of your comfort zone. You don't know what to expect and so maybe you won't know how to react. It's been a long time since I did things outside of my comfort zone. My coach used to always tell me to be comfortable being uncomfortable and, if I'm being honest with myself, I don't think I've felt this way for a long time because I haven't put myself in new situations for a long time.

This was a reminder to myself that I shouldn't fear success. In the attempts of being successful, failure is sure to arise but this is all part of the process. Who knows what great things could come from this experience if I'm too nervous or scared to...try? succeed? And when we reach success, it's nothing to be ashamed of. So often, I try to remain modest by never showing what I've accomplished, but allowing other people to see your successes doesn't make you arrogant or vain, like I sometimes fear it does. Feel confident about the work you put in for the results you get out.