"I would Rather Eat GLass then Do Yoga" OR: How Changing My Mind, Changed My Body

My Love of fitness was not not a ''love at first'' site kind of love, Nope!
More like a ''friends first, and then became more attractive as I got to know him'' kind of love...

             I always wanted to be considered athletic and can remember the days when I would cry bloody-murder if Ashley Johnson (with her freakishly long 8-year old legs) ran more laps then me during the annual 'Jog-a-thon."
             When I turned 18 I bought my first gym membership, for no other reason then I wanted to look hot! From that point on I was always working out, trying to figure out how to achieve that Perfect 10 Body. In college, due to the encouragement of my baseball player boyfriend, I trained hard and started cheerleading, learning just a little more about fitness and how food (or lack there of) effected your body. I wanted so badly to be thin like a Victoria Secrets model and everyone I knew who looked like that rarely ate! I struggled with my weight and my relationship with food all the way to LA where my lack of 'skinny genes' affected my budding career in more ways then I would like to admit. (News flash: If you keep getting cast as the prostitute or 'slutty girl #5' you are probably about 20-30lbs overweight!)

In my early 20's I was at a crossroads. The acting career wasn't panning out and when my part time spa-job turned into a management position, I snapped it up, hoping to hack away at those mounting student loans. It was there that I met (hired) Holly as an Eastitician. Even with all the celebrities that passed in and out of my spa, Holly was the most beautiful, angelic creature I had ever laid eyes on! A part-time model, Holly was tall, thin but muscular, blond hair, blue eyes and what's more, the sweetest girl you could ever meet! While going through the oddest personal transition of my life Holly rescued me and in an odd turn turn of events, became one my best friends.
           One day, beautiful Holly invited me to Yoga.
           I know... barf. I would rather eat glass then do Yoga.
She explained to me that this wasn't just any Yoga (you mean, there were different kinds????), this was Power/Ashtanga yoga and that I would get a workout that would blow my mind!
I didn't buy it and besides, my trusty elliptical was waiting!
I rolled my eyes and declined her invite but she was persistent and kept asking. She was the fitness missionary, I was the Leper refusing help even though I was miserable and working-out my way wasn't working for me. Here she was: thin, fit, happy and here I was: chubby, miserable and thinking I knew everything because I read 'Shape' and went to the gym 5 days a week. Enough said. 
            Finally, in the midst of one of my regular fat-day panic attacks, I accepted her offer and we drove to Santa Monica for my first official Power-Yoga experience. I mean, if it was good enough for Madonna...

The Instructor's name was Rudy, and with his bulging muscles and dapper/southern charm I was intimidated before I even got on the mat. Not to mention that everyone in the room was GORGEOUS! I had entered fitness-model-actor-town! All the another girls were in booty shorts and sports bras and I looked like a homeless person in my sweats and baggy t-shirt!
            Before I knew it we were in downward facing dog. I was about 15 minutes into the class when I got so frustrated I started to cry! This was FREAKING HARD! I didn't stop though! Oh, how I wanted to give up, but I kept going...
I kept telling myself: I can do this! If this is what it takes to get the body I want, I would do what it took!
I never worked as hard in my life as I did for my first 90 minute Power Yoga Class.

Incidentally, when it was done I did not feel a sense of accomplishment! I felt pissed off and angry that this class had brought me to such an emotional place and what's more, I had sucked at it big time!
           But I went back. In fact, I kept going back. I wanted so badly to move with ease from pose to pose  like all those beautiful people in that class and to feel comfortable and confident in my skin! I went "to practice"so much that quickly I out-yogied Holly!
For about 2 and a half years I spent about 4-5 days, 90 minutes a class, sweating and chair-posing my bum off in that studio with Rudy!
           I was about 3 months into my new hobby when I caught myself in the mirror and realized I had definition in my upper body! WHAT?!?!? I could see the slight curve in my delt arching into my bicep. It clicked for me! I realized in that moment how hard you had to work to see results. How you had to get out of your comfort zone, test your boundaries, and what's more, move around your body weight, to make those types of changes in your body!

           Power Yoga taught me how to work hard and push harder when I really (I mean, REALLY) want to quit! Rudy taught me how to laugh through the pain. Holly taught me to how to 'try.'
           Gradually I learned how weight-lifting, cardio, and nutrition could take my body to the next level but If I had never fell in love with Yoga and developed a strong 'workout- ethic', I NEVER would be where I am today! I mean, I had spent 6 years in a gym, wasting hours on the elliptical, simply because I didn't take the time to get out of my comfort zone! I shudder to think where I would be without Holly's supermodel-looks and friendly persistence!
            Wherever you are at right now in your fitness journey, get out of that comfort zone!
If you have tried and failed, try again, but this time try something completely foreign to you! You never want to miss out on an opportunity to improve yourself or not try something because you "already know you'll hate it."
If you are a gym-kitten who has hit a plateau, hire a trainer or try a class you think is hard or stupid, at least twice, to see what exactly it is you are missing from your program.

Wherever you're at right now, open yourself up to falling in-love with fitness! It's a relationship that will only benefit you and your other relationships!

And whatever you do: GET OFF THAT DAMN ELLIPTICAL!

I believe in you,
xoxo T

"I Won! I Celebrated! Now Please, Make it STOP!!!"

           "Once you accomplish your goal, take some time to celebrate and decompress before setting a new one. Otherwise you'll attract the 'work' and not the 'win'!"
                                   - Me (via Tweet 4/9/12)
Upon completion of a goal one must remind themselves to take time to celebrate and relax instead of jumping head-first into the next goal. You climbed a mountain, now chill the heck out! But don't stay in 'chill-town' too long or you might get stuck there! 

          Why is it so hard to find that happy medium? When is enough, enough? This is the question I'm struggling with this week.
          As most of you know, this past weekend I had the honor of competing in INBA's The Iron Gladiator, and yes, I am The Gladiator! Who-rAw! I took home 1st place and Overall in The Bikini Diva Class, marking the last 8 strenuous weeks of my life a success! I trained hard and dieted as if I was competing against 100 other girls doing the exact same thing. I changed my personal plan to create a more feminine physique and spent far more nights stressing over my butt then I did celebrating my abs. Every time I wanted to give up, cave in, and eat the whole jar (instead of just a spoonful) of Almond butter I asked myself: "What is the winner doing right now?"... sometimes 'the winner' was having another spoonful of Almond butter but hey, who says I'm perfect!?!
        The night of the competition I went out to 'celebrate' with some of my peeps and indulge in my favorite cheat: white-sauce pizza (on wheat crust of course)... but the cheating didn't stop there. It's as if I opened Pandoras Box! We had brunch the next day followed by In-n-Out Burger and more Reeses Peanut Butter Cups then the Easter Bunny himself could handle!  The thing is, this is not surprising. I struggled the same way after my last competition, but the difference was: I lost that one.
         Hmmmmm.... so two different outcomes, same result? Once again I am stuck in chill-town, or should I say Gluten-City, a little too long! Yowza!
        After eating clean pretty consistently for the last few years, the introduction of 'non-clean' food has my body under attack! They say competitors never look the same the day after a show and boy, do I take the cake (no pun intended)! Where there once was a washboard, lies a bread bowl! I literally feel hungover! It's awful and yet, offer me something covered in chocolate and I just can't say "NO!"
        Lying in bed last night I thought of my (next) goals... First and foremost, I want to show my clients how to handle this type of hurdle and continue to be an example of a healthy, fit person! I want to continue to experiment with nutrition and exercises to find the 'perfect plan' for every body. I want to compete at Nationals. I want to earn my pro-card. I want to be known as an elite athlete in this sport... and my sport is my body.... that's what all of these goals have in common: being in control of my body.
        I realized the 'celebrating' was fun while it lasted but if I wanted to move closer to any of my next goals, in any reasonable amount of time, I would have to practice what I preach: moderation! Eating 'clean' 80% of the time so that the other 20% I can indulge guilt-free (at least until I'm in contest-prep mode again). So today when I woke up, puffy, foggy, and bloaty from all the foreign food I have been consuming, I started again. Fresh day, fresh me! I had a clean breakfast, went and taught class, had a clean snack, trained some clients, had a clean lunch... I'm just taking it one meal at a time until I feel like me again. Indulgence is fun but willpower is soooo much better (because they come with results... like abs)!
         The fact remains that the majority of us work so hard to achieve our aesthetic fitness/health goals because we have a vacation where a bathing suit is the uniform of choice, or a wedding where our arms are going to show, or a high school reunion we want to look amazing at... The event comes and goes along with your willpower and those results! That initial goal and all that hard work that brought you to this body disappears with the event and before you know it, you're back to square 1. Ugh.
         I found out the hard way that I need to create a plan for after the competition, win or loose, that will allow me to "celebrate" but only long enough to not undo all my hard work. You need to do the same. Purposely sign up with your trainer a month longer then you "need" to to be ready for that event so you know the Monday after the Reunion, your butt is back doing lunges in that gym! You MUST set yourself up for success!
See that first goal right out there at your fingertips just waiting for you to grab it? 
                               Good.
Now visualize another goal right out beyond that one...
Keep the process moving, keep dreaming, keep reaching for that star (or that size 6) but whatever you do: DON'T STOP CREATING YOUR IDEAL SELF! 
Because 'CREATION' doesn't take a break. 


Here is to goals!
Here is to success!
Here is to celebrating!
and lastly, Here is to knowing when to stop all that that celebrating and make some NEW goals!

Till next time, I believe in you!
xoxox T

Did Somebody Say "Protein Powder"?

"Hey Tristan, what kind of protein powder should I drink?"

                        "What kind of protein powder do you drink?"

"How often do you drink protein powder?"

Awwww...mmmm.... protein powder... I get a ton of questions regarding the stuff and unless you are my client I usually just shrug and say: "I buy what's on sale." I do this because I'm actually pathetically passionate about "supplements".  Some girls have a "shoe-thing" or a "wrinkle-cream-thing"... I have a vitamin thing. If I took the time to actually tell you everything I think and know about Protein Powder it would take a good hour and then that would spark more questions that I would have to Google which would lead to a few more hours of questions, research and lets not, forget taste-testing! 

Ever heard "If you give a mouse a cookie..", 

WELL "If you give a Trainer a question about supplements..."

             So this is why I usually just shrug and say: "I buy what's on sale." 

Everybody is selling the stuff and putting their own brand on it but what is it and do you need it? What is a good protein grams to calories to carb ratio? How much protein do you need and what should you use it for. As I mentioned about 5 seconds ago I could go off on this foreva' but let's just talk about the most important stuff for now. Since I'm not (and I am pretty sure most of you are NOT vegan) lets stick with educating ourselves on the type of protein that is most bought and consumed...

1. Most Protein shake powder is made from whey - Whey is not a drug, it's a food made from cows milk (made up of proteins, amino acids, sugar (lactose), fat, water and other nutrients). Whey protein only makes up 20% of milk's total protein, the other 80% is casein. Casein takes a lot longer to break down and metabolize then whey protein. This is why bodybuilders drink casein shakes at night or eat cottage cheese before bed (Casein is the protein found dominantly in cottage cheese). The belief is that the slow digesting casein will feed your body during your fasting/sleeping period instead of using your muscle tissue as a fuel source.

2. Two Main Types of whey proteins -
    whey concentrate - I look at this as the low end of the Protein Powder cast system but I could be alone in this. This is usually the main/first ingredient in any 'Miracle'/'weightless'/pyramid shake (see my 'kool-aid' blog post' to get the gist of what I'm referring to here or just flip over whatever you have on your counter and check)! All the fat and stuff that was separated from the milk to get the whey out is the concentrate part. This is the worst one for those of you who are lactose sensitive but can be a good source of nutrients because you get some immune-boosting healthy fat and vitamins from the concentrate bit. This usually hits at about an 80% protein mark (low/average) The thing I do like about powders made with concentrate is that it is easiest to find in all-natural/pure/clean varieties and is also a great 'beginner'  or "staple" protein. AND why do I like that? Because MOST celebrity/professional 'clean eating' personalities say they only drink "100% All-Natural Whey protein" and they have rocking' bodies! It's all how you use it!
    whey isolate - I choose this usually because it strips the fat and "other stuff" from the whey resulting in around 95% pure protein. In other words you get more protein with less calories. So if you are dieting down (or competing) and have to pay attention to your calories/protein grams/carb grams-intake, this is pretty important. Sometimes you only have so many calories left but you have to figure out how to get 30 grams of protein into your system, this protein becomes your go-to! In general it is low carb which is a plus BUT it has to go through a super-chemical process to get to this place of protein awesomeness (so you usually won't be able to pronounce almost anything on the label). These are usually more expensive because of the process they go through.

3. How to Use it - Since Muscle is basically made up of protein and water, it makes sense to consume protein (and water) to keep those muscles fed and growing but you need extreme exercise in order for those muscles to demand this protein. Which leads us to...

4. When to take it - Timing is EVERYTHING!
     If your goal is to build muscle you need at least 1-2 gram of protein a day per pound of desired body weight (decide with your trainer based on your goal). Take it immediately following a workout (or at least within 30 minutes). Combine it with a carbohydrate (I make my female clients eat about half a banana) to raise insulin and use the sugar to help shuttle nutrients to repair/build muscles. If your insane protein needs are still not being met, make a shake when you wake up (combine with carb and fat for full meal) and before bed (no carbs needed but you can have a healthy fat if you want). I even use whey protein an hour or two before a workout (because I have a steel gut and like a little energy/protein surge). I am a big believer in getting the MAJORITY of your protein needs met through chicken, fish, lean red meat, and legumes but in order to hit that protein gram goal, sometimes a girl needs a shake! Also a protein shake can be quick and delicious and who doesn't like that?
     If your goal is to loose fat you need no more than 0.5 grams per pound of body weight, although more will not hurt you, it's just not necessary. Where you going to put all that extra protein? Take one hour after your cardio workout (exactly) Too soon and you cut into that automatic-hour when your body is still burning fat but any later and your body will start to starve and try to hold onto your fat. For fat loss you can use whey protein as a full-meal replacement (hey, you are supposed to be eating 5-6 meals after all remember) but only later in the day (you still should eat REAL food or else when you start eating real food again your body wont know what to do) or to replace any high-carb food in the morning (like toast).

5. How much - Most say "serving size: 2 scoops" but then you realize 2 scoops would be 300 calories and 65 grams of protein! Obviously, again I reference YOUR PERSONAL PROTEIN NEEDS but unless you are a big 'ol man or a bodybuilder stick to one scoop! I think a good ratio is 120-160 calories = 20-30 grams of protein and minimal carbs and almost NO sugar if any! Just keep flipping over those tubs and check the nutrient profiles. Educate yourselves! Find a brand you like and yes, you just might "buy what's on sale." ;)

Till' Next time my Perfect 10's, I believe in you (duh),
T xox