Mikiko Just Gets it Done!

To change our lives, at some point we have to decide that rather than suffer anymore, we are going to live in happiness. The only way we can do that is to make the decision to look for things to appreciate, no matter what.

As you focus on the good and brighter side of things, good things will begin to appear! Then more good things, and more….\

"The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings." - BUDDHA

If you want to attract appreciation for what you do, then move through your life appreciating and complimenting others.

If you find fault with another, then you just brought others finding fault with you.  If you judge another, then you just brought judgment to you.

So remember..appreciating others will bring appreciation to you. You have to make the quality dominant in YOU first, before you can attract it in your outside world.

When you live your life to the fullest, you have so much more to give others.  Your pain and misery does not help the world.  But your joy and your life lived fully uplifts the world.

**Disclaimer: I tend to ramble pre-contest :-) **

The weather out here in San Francisco has been so extraordinarly beautiful lately!  I’ve been incorporating a lot of outdoor running in my training routine.  I have been running between 5-7 miles outdoors, either on dirt trails or on pavement.  My favorite running routes right now are the Baylands trail behind our Corporate Offices at Yahoo!, or along the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  There is a staircase that goes up Telegraph Hill that is accessible from the Embarcadero–this route is killer!  When I run the Embarcadero, I’ll start at AT&T Staduim, and run down to the Municipal Pier and back.  It’s a really nice run–nice wide sidewalk, and I feel safe.  Mornings are a lot less crowded, and there are lots of little cafes to have breakfast at afterwards.  Saturdays in the summertime is the farmer’s market at the Ferry Building.  I haven’t run Seacliff or the Great Highway in years–I used to run it almost daily in high school.  Those are also a good 7-mile or so runs.  Another favorite is Lake Merced, which can get foggy, but is a nice 5-mile loop.  I’ve also wanted to run the sandy trails of Fort Funston while the weather is still nice.  Lots of doggies there on Saturdays!!!

In the gym, I’ve been training legs twice a week with Master Trainer Travis Amorim at the 24-Hour Fitness in Sunnyvale off of Arques.  Travis is great and always pushes me to failure!  He also trains me on shoulders and upper lats once a week, and I train them on my own on a different day.

My goal for Team Universe was to bring in a softer, well-conditioned, better balanced package.  I love to train my back and shoulders, and it showed–I came in a bit too hard, and my back was definitely more defined than my legs and glutes.  I have stopped training chest and arms to soften them out, and continued to train my shoulders to build size and keep their shape, and my outer lats to add width to give the illusion of a smaller waist.  I stopped training mid and lower back, since I have too much density in these areas.  I train abs every day after my cardio sessions.  I’m really happy with my results so far, and can’t wait to see what I look like when I drop my water.

I’ve been keeping my diet relatively clean since my last show, the USA’s in Vegas 6 weeks ago. "Relatively"….I love food, and it’s really hard for me to not overeat!  I have a weakness for nuts and nut butters.  I’ve been struggling to minimize / mitigate my nut addiction damage.  I also enjoy snacking on dried anchovies, octopus, cuttlefish and roasted seaweed.  My other weakness is kabocha pumpkin.  I like to slice it and bake it at 350 for 40 minutes in the oven.  I either season it with kosher salt and pepper, or stevia and cinnamon.  BUT…I will eat an entire pumpkin in one sitting if it’s in front of me, so I am quick to portion it out and stick it in the fridge.  Butternut squash, heirloom and cherry tomatoes, and eggplant are also my favorites!!!!  Right now, I’m eating about 1/4 cup of steel cooked oats (measured dry) in the mornings with 5 egg whites.  I’ll eat about 5 oz tilapia 3x a day, a scoop of whey 2x a day, and another meal of egg whites at nite.  I love chipotle salsa on my eggs, though sometimes I’ll make an omelette.  I’ll have a cup of veggies with lunch, in the afternoon, dinner, and before bed.  The veggies will vary, but I’ll keep it around 40 calories.  I’ll also have a salad with lunch and dinner.  Arugula is my FAVORITE salad, but romaine lettuce keeps me full.  I like to put in a little tomato, cucumber, celery, jicama, bell pepper, artichoke heart, palm heart, fennel, ginger, zuchinni, yellow squash, or any other veggie that might be fresh, organic, and in season.