Does this Negativity Make My Thighs Look Fat?

The other day I got asked one of the most flattering questions I have ever been asked: "How do you do it?" I took some time thinking about this one because I feel as though this answer could have a defiant positive impact if I got it right! How do I do what exactly? How do I eat so may times a day? How do I do cardio or lift weights when all I want to do is veg out in my chonies and watch 'The Bacherlerette'? How do I train others or teach a class and keep it fresh and motivating enough so people don't walk out on me?  I know one thing for sure: I try not to think about it. 

I'm getting down to the wire here, approaching Nationals, trying to tie up all my loose ends so I can get it together just in time to compete for what I want. I'm working hard but is it hard enough? Am I eating too many carbs? Too much fat? Not enough cardio??? When I open that 'thought' door It's very hard for me to get out out of that "head space". You know the one I'm talking about right...?

I have this tiny voice inside that whispers thoughts like: "Go ahead, take it easy. Relax, it's not worth it. Give up Now. You don't have a snowballs chance in hell anyway. You don't have the right build. You like to eat so go eat... cheat on your diet, what's it matter anyway?" Sometimes it's all I hear... that ugly, tiny, negative whisper.
The funny thing is that I have another voice that's equally as present (but way louder and cooler) that SHOUTS over those ugly whispers to "keep going, keep fighting, who cares if I fall at least I fought with everything I have!" It's pretty much up to me who I decide to listen to. Sometimes, on the days I allow myself to think instead of believe, the ugly whispers win and I find myself making out with a jar of organic peanut butter,
but other days I put my game face on and run like it's nobodies business!

Deep down I know that even if I don't get the exact results I was hoping for I'll land damn close, close enough to try again. After all when I win or place I think: "OK, this is the Universe telling me I'm on the right track" and when I loose I think "OK, what can I change so that I will win next time". I think this way because I have blatantly declared my desire and I am currently manifesting it. How I get there is of no concern to me because I know I WILL get THERE.

I believe this is the secret to 'doing it' and getting that 'Perfect 10' Body:
1. Declare what you want, tell yourself first. Admit it to yourself first. Then share it with others. this is the hardest part because it makes us feel vulnerable when we admit what we truly desire.
2. Know that it's going to happen, that it's already happening. Picture it happening in any way that's tangible for you. When you look in the mirror today don't hate. Instead (close your eyes maybe) and see that stomach you want, how your butt looks, how your shoulders look once you have reached your goal. What does that feel like? In that moment of feeling what the body is like, don't think about the blood sweat and tears it took to get that way, think of the joy of accomplishing what most people are too cared to admit they want.
3. Work. Don't give up until you get there. Understand that your desire is not silly or trivial or selfish but that it is a beautiful part of you that makes you who you are. This desire is a part of you and more importantly, you possess the power that it will take to accomplish it.  

It's the knowing that we must focus on.
Cliche or not it's true: In order to achieve you must believe.
Cliche or not it's true: Would the person who said it could't be done get out of the way of the person who's doing it.
Cliche or not it's true: Success happens when opportunity meets preparation.
I believe these desires were put in my heart for a reason. If you think you are better then me or this is impossible or I don't have what it takes, watch out 'cus Im trying anyway! I must do something about it, not sit around feeling sorry for myself, waiting for something to come to me, NO! I have to grab the bull by the balls and go for it! I have to work as if it is happening, because it is!
Isn't life too short to start tomorrow?
Isn't your life too valuable to continually put school, or work, or your relationship before what you really want? Stop being 'too tired', 'too lazy', 'too hungry', 'too broke', just STOP.
In the end you are responsible for nobody else's happiness but your own. Your achievements will be yours and yours only.

I am very fortunate because usually right around the time the whispers are getting to me and I'm 'too tired', 'too lazy', or 'too hungry' I have a T-n-A client come in and I see them fight for what they want. These people, cry, kick, cuss and scream but ultimately they get through the workout because they see the bigger picture. They remember why they got their butts in there on day one (probably because amidst the kicking and screaming I remind them) and they realize that not giving it their all would be cheating themselves and nobody else! They are the living embodiment of hard work, in that gym, if nowhere else, and it yields results: pounds lost, more burpees done then ever before, a faster sprint time... a message from the Universe that they are heading in the right direction.  ;)

You can do 'it.'
I believe in you.
T xoxx

I'm killin' it and It's KILLING Me: Busting Through weight-loss Plateaus

I have a hit a (very rough) plateau in my own personal training routine. My weight is not budging. I'm working my tail off and totally NOT O'D-ing on peanut-butter but still... I stand on the scale and it refuses to budge. Right about now is when all my old Debbie-downer-very-human-sabotaging thoughts kick in and I contemplate a pizza-donut-Cheetos splurge fest. Guest list: Me.
But then I remember me, what I'm worth and what my goal means to me. I think about how much work I have already put into this and how much further I have to go! I remind myself of every hour spent lifting, sweating, running, jumping, focused only on my goal INSTEAD of putting that time/energy into my relationships - in short, I think of all the sacrifices and energy I have put into my fitness goals and I know NO amount of salt or sugar is worth that! I have the sore muscles and unreturned party-invites to prove it!

Just to be clear as long as my body fat is where it should be and my stamina is intact, normal Tristan could give a flying poop if her weight moves 6-lbs this way or that, but Contest-prep Tristan is a different animal. With NPC Nationals approaching, every pound counts!
Fortunately I have a few options concerning when and where I want to compete next but we are not talking 'plethora' here and time is of the essence! Instead of spreading out my chances of making this dream a reality I may have to put all of my eggs in one basket... one very big basket... with lots and lots of beautiful eggs... sigh.
I digress...

Whenever I write posts of this nature (regarding plateaus) I will then advice you to:
A) take a good hard look at your diet and make adjustments
     or
B) mix up your workout/try something new/breakout of your comfort zone/WORK HARDER.

Did you do this?
Think back to when you started this journey. If you have hit a honest-to-gawd plateau then chances are it's not your first one and that you have been working out and eating pretty clean for a while now. You have seen your body do this before and you have followed my advice and busted right thru that plateau only to find another one 10-lbs later. This blows, I know. BUT this is how our body (the amazing machine that it is) works. It adapts, you change it up, and blamOh! You are back in business!
*NOTE: a plateau is NOT weight gain or maintaining your weight because you have been indulging in the food department a little too much (cocktail hour, bigger portions, dessert, etc) but still working-out. The type of plateau I'm referring to is the one where you have been just nailing it with the diet and exercise (cardio, weight-lifting, clean eating, eating small meals throughout the day, breakfast!) but the scale and/or measurements are not budging. 

Here are three things I want you to consider once you have reached that plateau, yet again, and need a plan as far as how to move forward:

1) After you have tried the above tactics (see A & B) and take a step back (or back on the scale) and still 'no dice' then you need to consider that you, have in fact, reached your body's optimum weight. Congratulations! It is time to change your aesthetic or weight-loss goal into a physical fitness goal. Your health and fitness goals must always be changing to challenge you and your body. Maybe your body, your machine, is tired of dieting or working with the intentions of getting that scale to move and if you change your goal to run a certain distance, increase your muscle-mass, kick the instructors butt in class, or out-hike Cheryl at your weekly 'Meet-Up' your body will get confused enough to yield the results you were looking for in the first place!
Or better yet, you will enjoy pursuing your new goal enough to appreciate the journey or story of it. 

2) If people are telling you how awesome you look, how much your body has changed, or asking what 'your secret is' then Hello?! You've made it! Stop picking your body apart. You are gorgeous, fit, and healthy. Celebrate! Buy that bikini that intimidated you before, or if you are a dude, take your shirt off at the community pool with pride! Maybe you are not EXACTLY where you dreamed you would be but wow, look how far you have come! You have earned a little mental break! Don't stop working out by any means, or un-learn what 'WORK-ing' out really is. NOW you have become one of 'those people' who care about their health and body and has made fitness and eating healthfully a permanent part of your life. That's freaken' cool. Instead of starring at that scale or those size-whatever jeans you want to fit into, it's time to put into practice some 'body-love' and give yourself kudos for sticking to the plan long enough to see actual changes in your body! Keep going. Live life in your new body. Give your body and yourself gratitude and props for how far you have come and how far you still have potential to go. Your body needs all the love, gratitude and kudos you would give to a child or friend who did well so do not neglect yourself in this way.

BUT WHAT IF you have "done those things" (whiny voice), feel as though you are not making progress and still want to obtain that 'Perfect 10' ideal body? What if, like me, you KNOW you still have room to improve or a goal you MUST hit, what then????
Do you want truth?
Can you handle the truth?
           You asked for it...
3) Hire a trainer or purchase a customized nutrition or workout plan that is made specifically for you. Sometimes you just have to admit, as smart and as hardworking as you are, that you don't know everything and more importantly, you CAN'T look at your body, diet, or current training objectively enough to bust through this current plateau from hell.  It is through this outside source that you will be able to approach "A & B" in a way you never thought of before! I myself, am taking my own advice and recently asked a respected professional in the industry to rip me a new one as far as my training and diet are concerned. I know I need this relationship in my life now and that is downright essential for me at this point in my journey. I need someone to humble me, educate me, and motivate me to get my body to another level and to reach my personal goals, pride be damned!
               So humble yourself and get someone to help you. Ask around, find a professional you respect, admire, or better yet, WANT TO LOOK LIKE and see what services they offer. It doesn't mean you are not a total rockstar in that gym or class, it just means you recognize the importance of continuing your education concerning exercises, nutrition, and overall wellness. Sometimes just having someone who's job it is to keep you engaged and moving is enough, other times you need someone who understands 'the math' of it all. I know I personally will never stop pursuing my education in this field and that is actually a huge part of the appeal of fitness as a career for me: there is so much to know and new developments (ESPECIALLY IN NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTATION) are being made DAILY! I'll never get bored! This will never get stale! Excited face! I mean up until 3 years ago, flax seed was something only your Grandma ate!

Keep Working. Keep Learning. Keep sweating your butts off & don't forget to laugh through the suck. We WILL bust through this plateau. We Will not STOP until we reach our goal. It will be our perseverance that defines us (if not our rock-hard abs.) Who-Raw.

I believe in you,
xox T