Positive Self Talk

Everyone has setbacks. Especially around the holidays, it's easy to get upset and beat yourself up over having some desserts or second helpings at dinner. But it happens! One (maybe two?) cheat meal(s) doesn't dominate or erase the rest of the hard work you've put in to being healthy and fit! I personally have the biggest sweet tooth and I LOVE holiday desserts and candy so I've definitely treated myself a couple of times recently. I hate the way I feel after I do and I try to remember that feeling the next time I'm in a similar situation. 

Just hop back on the clean eating train and get back to a healthy routine the next day. You're allowed to enjoy yourself! After all, being healthy and fit is a lifestyle, a long-term commitment. Having a chocolate chip cookie isn't taking you back to step 1. :) Don't give up just because of minor setbacks. Keep your eye on the prize and remember what you want most more than what you want now. <3

Happy Holidays!!

The truth about CARBS

"Stay away from carbs!" "Don't commit carbocide." "Carb-free diets are the way to go."

Carbs have definitely gotten a bad rep through fad diets. The truth is, carbs are necessary and vital parts of any diet. They supply energy to your body to help sustain you throughout the day and get you through a workout! The important thing, however, is that you eat the right type of carbs. Complex carbs will supply you with more abundant and natural resources whereas simply carbs breakdown in your body quicker often resulting to more hunger. Simple carbs also don't always have the same about of nutrients than complex carbs like fiber and vitamins. Both are important for a balanced diet, but you want to make sure you're eating the right kinds of carbs -- things that are still benefitting and nourishing your body in some way. 

Here's a list of complex (good) carbs:

And a list of simple (bad) carbs:

It's difficult to ALWAYS stay away from simple carbs (I don't typically consider milk and yogurt to be carbs but more a protein staple), but the important thing is that you limit the intake of them as much as possible. Try and make the healthiest choices whenever possible. Most of the simple carbs will lead to lingering hunger/overeating so find some healthy complex carb alternatives!

Proper Squatting Technique

I'm a HUGE advocate of squatting. As a matter of fact, I still do back squats and other variations of squatting during most of my workouts! There are so many benefits of squatting as you're working some of the largest muscles in your body all at once! This can lead to amazing toning in your legs and glutes. And what woman doesn't want that?

However, in order to achieve optimal results, the most important thing is ensuring that you're doing your squats correctly. This will also avoid pain and injury. The main issues I see with people squatting incorrectly at the gym are: bending their back (you should only bend at the hip), letting their knees come in front of their toes (knees should stay behind toes with your butt back like you're sitting in a chair), and not completing a full range of motion (be sure to sink down so thighs are at least parallel to the ground).

Those are just the main ones I see at the gym, but here's a great link from bodybuilding.com that breaks down squatting techniques even more to keep you safe and help you achieve the best results: How To Squat.

Skinny Bitch in the Kitch

I'm starting to see some progress with my abs! I've been trying to do more cardio and lifting combined with eating smaller meals more often. Some other small changes to make that can help you achieve your fitness goals include drinking more water, eating healthy alternatives to some not-so-healthy foods, walking/standing/moving whenever possible in your daily routine, etc... I have a standing desk at work that I love and plan ahead by having healthy snacks (fruit, nuts, yogurt, veggies, etc...) on hand for when hunger strikes. Honestly, I'm somehow ALWAYS hungry, which I think is a big issue, so I have to keep healthy snacks around to satisfy any sweet, salty, crunchy, or creamy craving I'm having.

Abs don't come by doing hundreds of ab exercises. Everyone has abs! We just need to work to shred the fat on top to reveal them and this is done by eating clean. The don't say, "Abs are made in the kitchen" for nothing! Eat clean, lift, and focus on good fat-burning cardio to get those abs out of hiding. :)

Proper Recovery

Optimum Nutrition's Whey and Casein Protein Powders, both of which I use for recovery.
Whey immediately after a workout and Casein right before bed.

One of my post-workout meals. :) 3 egg scramble with spinach and tomatoes and 1 scoop of Whey Protein Powder mixed with Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.

Just as important as your workout it is the recovery that takes place after. For optimum results, it's essential to feed your muscles and fuel your body with a balance of protein, fat, and carbs immediately after working out. The ideal timeframe for you to feed your muscles is within 30 minutes of finishing your workout. Now, I take 1 scoop of Whey Protein mixed with 8 oz. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk post-workout. Each scoop has about 24g of protein. There are so many different supplements and variations of protein out there, but whey is the best directly after a workout because it digests and gets to your muscles quickly to begin the recovery process as soon as possible. 

Our nutritionist used to always tell us, "Something is better than nothing." If you don't have protein powder or a shake on hand, just make sure to get something in your system that your muscles can feed off of after being worked so hard. Don't starve them! In my opinion, you don't want anything such as candy bars, cookies, cakes, etc... As previously mentioned, working out does not give you the liberty to eat anything you want. Still look for healthy alternatives like nuts, chocolate milk, fruit with nut butter, wheat bread with nut butter, etc... things with a good amount of protein, healthy fats, and good, complex carbs. 

The only reason we were told to have something over nothing was because we were elite athletes training often and at a very competitive level. If there was no proper recovery drink/food around for us, we needed to take anything we could get into our systems to supply us with enough energy to continue performing. As a scholar athlete, getting Ws and continuing to perform had to take some priority over looking fab and fit. ;)

Controlling Your Cravings

Very cool (and helpful!) chart to help you control those cookie cravings (among others!) during the holidays.

Interest v. Commitment

Quote of the day! I feel this applies to life, not just training hard and eating clean... Remember why you want something and how bad you want it and let that drive you to continue working for it every day. Living fit and healthy is a lifestyle and a commitment but one that's more than worth it. <3

At Home Workouts

Even if you don't have access to a gym or don't have time to go to the gym, you can still get a great full-body ass-kicking workout in right at home. We always did circuit training as a form of conditioning at Stanford and most of the stations didn't involve any equipment. Here's a quick 20-minute workout (minus warm up and cool down) that's sure to have you sweating in no time:

[be sure to stretch and warm up beforehand]
Do each exercise as many times as you can for 1 minute. Keep a timer running and rest when needed but jump back in as soon as possible.

Suicides
Squats
Lunges
Jumping Jacks
High Knees
Push Ups
Mountain Climbers
Lateral Hops
Oblique Push Ups
Jump Squats
x2

Female Workout Myths - Debunked!

1. Lifting weights creates bulky muscles. Contrary to many women’s concerns, strength training using heavy weights won’t result in a manly bodybuilder-type physique. Even lifting heavy weights and the same amount as men won't lead to large bulky muscles without some serious commitments. Bodybuilders train for YEARS to look the way they do, following very specific training and diet plans and taking additional supplements and steroids. If it were that easy to lose muscle and gain fat, a lot more people would be as toned as they want to be!
2. Weight loss requires more cardio and less strength training. To lose weight, both cardio and strength training should be part of an exercise program. Muscle burns more calories than fat, so lifting weights to help you gain muscle is a great way to help you shed pounds faster. It also takes a lot of energy for your body to repair/recover muscles so you can burn calories even when your workout's over!
3. Trouble spots can be specifically targeted with strength training. Unfortunately, spot reduction isn't something that's possible. Fat is lost throughout the body in a pattern dependent on genetics, sex, hormones, and age. In order to reveal the muscles we all have, the fat on top needs to be shed and the best way to do that is by doing total-body workouts, again, combining cardio and strength training.
4. As long as you exercise, you can eat anything you want. Weight is lost by expending more calories than you consume. Even if you're working out a lot but you don't combine your work with a healthy, moderate diet, chances are you won't see many changes. If you eat more calories than you burn, the body will store any excess calories and nutrients to fat. 

Eat Clean, Train Dirty

That one hour spent in the gym is important... But the key to seeing results is how you spend the rest of your 23.

  

Even if you add training and exercise into your daily routine, you won't see optimal results without adjusting your diet. Do unto your body as you want your body to do unto you! Clean eating is essential for being fit and healthy no matter how much you exercise.

A rule from our team nutritionist was "eat a rainbow" (and no, Skittles and Froot Loops unfortunately don't count :P). For every meal, try to get as many colors on your plate as possible while staying away from too much white or brown food. Carbs and protein shouldn't be the main dish with veggies as your side. Split it evenly with 1/3 of each and keep your plate as colorful as possible. :)

Step 1: Commitment

"A river cuts through a rock not because of its power, but its persistence"

One thing that all elite athletes have in common is commitment. The commitment to reaching their highest potential despite what obstacles are encountered along the way. I faced some of the best and worst times of my life as an athlete, dedicated countless hours to training, and literally gave my blood, sweat, and tears to the game. Through ups and downs, the best athletes stay committed, constantly creating new goals and striving to be better than their competition and themselves. Even though softball was only a Spring sport, I trained year round in the hopes of improving everyday and being the best ME I could be come season. 

It's been said so many times, but it's completely true that being fit and healthy is a lifestyle, not a once-in-awhile kind of thing. You can gradually change your mindset to love working out and eating clean if you don't already. Just as important as physical conditioning, you have to condition your mind to love the appropriate things that are going to treat your body best! It can become frustrating when you don't see immediate results, but persistence is the key! 

Athletics, and softball in general, are often games that are based on failure. Even if you feel like you're struggling with some things, you can make small adjustments and stay positive that your changes will make you successful later on. Coach used to always say "improve everyday" and that's one thing that's stuck with me beyond graduating. It could have been the smallest thing -- something that wasn't always visible to my teammates -- but if I did something in the bullpen, in the weight room, or in my mind to make me a better athlete, those were little improvements that would build up over time to make a big difference.

So Step 1 to living fit and fab is committing yourself to a healthy lifestyle! Goodbye, bad habits. Hello, new you. ;)

The Intro

Hey Guys!

Strength & Sass is my way of sharing all the fitness tricks and nutritions tips I learned as a competitive elite athlete. Many have stuck with me and helped me maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle despite being away from the field and rigorous training schedules and I want to share them with the hopes of inspiring you to improve or maintain your healthy lifestyle!

I started playing sports when I was 9 and eventually found myself to be a competitive year-round athlete. At some point, I played softball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball, but once I got to high school, softball was my sport of choice and I ultimately earned an athletic scholarship to pitch for Stanford University (go Card ;) ). I played for the Cardinal for four years and gained an invaluable experience as a D1 athlete learning a tremendous amount about becoming a better ME on and off the field. With top-caliber strength coaches, professional trainers, and a nutritionist, there was a ton of information provided to help me perform my best as an athlete. I was lucky to have so many resources and so much knowledge given to me.

I'm not a professional or certified trainer, but I love working with other people to share my passion for fitness and teach them proper lifting techniques, efficient cardio routines, and optimum nutrition plans that I've found to be successful and effective throughout the years. Though I'm no longer playing, I'm still leading a fit and healthy lifestyle like I'm an athlete and I hope some of my posts can help you do the same. <3 Follow me for tips and inspiration and feel free to reach out with any questions. :) xo

Junior Year - Spring 2010

Senior Year - Spring 2011

Fall 2012 - training on my own for over a year!