GoddessAthlete’s BodyBlog

There has been quite a rattle on BodySpace among members and with the new category of Inspirational Profiles, that I thought I’d take some time to write about what inspiration truly is.

Obviously, for everyone it is going to be different.  Different people and circumstances move us and enliven us to want to be and do better.  But, what inspires you is your CHOICE!  And quite honestly, I am inspired by most people I meet on BodySpace.  Why?  Because everyday, you all are on here, encouraging each other, asking for help when you are down, and learning what you can to live a healthier and fitter lifestyle….isn’t that worth deeming that each of you are inspiring?  I think so.

It troubles me when people are only inspired by others who have lost 100+ pounds or survived a major health situation because it fails to recognize the people who are on a daily basis doing something to improve their lives and it means that very few things will be inspiring to you. 

Each of us has a gift that we can offer to others.  Some inspire through their triumphs over difficulty, or through their physique or their willingness to help each other.  So, I want to thank each of you who has been in contact with me for sharing your gift.  You are all inspirational!

And I hope to continue sharing and inspiring you!  Please feel free to use this blog to share what inspires you, as we all can benefit from hearing the uplifting stories you have!

Chrissy

www.GoddessAthlete.com

Today, I just wanted to write about what an amazing resource BodySpace is (no I’m not being paid in any way to say that).  In the last year since I have joined, I have seen some amazing transformations in my friends and clients and got to be a part of many of those transformations.

What is priceless to me is that every day, thousands of us get on this website to celebrate our successes and support each other on days that don’t feel so successful.

We all have it within us to reach our goals, but together, we are unstoppable.  Two heads are better than one, right?  And with this community there are a LOT of heads working together to achieve health, wellness, and a rockin’ physique.  Maybe today I’m just having a sappy day, but I’m truly grateful for my friends and this community which is solely dedicated to helping and supporting each other!  It is equally gratifying (if not more so) to help someone else reach their goal as it is to be successful myself.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chrissy (www.GoddessAthlete.com)

Success is a CHOICE, not a circumstance.

How do you get there, you may ask?  Do what I have my students and clients do.  Start a journal.  There are many things that you could record in that journal, but most important are your daily successes.  Why?  Because people who are not creating a life that they are in love with typically are focusing on those things that are going wrong!!!  Your mind just needs a little training.  It has been going on autopilot and now needs your attention to guide it in the direction in which you now want to go.
Before you go to bed, write your successes or “wins” in your journal.  At first, you may find this challenging if this is new to you.  But just like any other task, the more you practice, the easier it becomes. 
Your success journal does NOT have to read:
·         Saved the world
·         Earned $1 million today
·         Met my soulmate
Identifying day-to-day successes are just as important as the successes that you consider milestones in your life, for without the “smaller” successes, the big ones might never have been achievable. 
So, your journal might read:
·         Went for a walk at lunch
·         Drank 8 glasses of water
·         Told my family how much I love them
·         Sent my boss an email thanking her for her help with the big project
You want to identify at least 3 successes every day. 
I have found that once people get going, the list may go on for pages at the end of your day.  GREAT!  The more successes you list, the more you are programming your mind that you are already a success.
No one else gets to determine whether or not what you write down constitutes a success.  If you think that you are successful, then you are successful.  What anyone else says or thinks does not matter.  They are speaking from their own perspective, and since you are living your life (not theirs), you need to focus on what constitutes a success for YOU!!
Remember, success is a CHOICE!  Start tracking your successes TODAY and start seeing more of what you WANT come into your life!
For more inspiration in achieving your goals, subscribe to my FREE newsletter at www.goddessathlete.com or email me at chrissy@goddessathlete.com. 

Here’s to YOUR success! 

That’s what I learn in my Kung Fu classes, taught by my Martial Arts Instructor (and husband). www.wuchichuan.com

What does that mean?  It means no matter how many times you get knocked down by life, in a fight, or even yourself, you get back up and begin AGAIN, and again, and again and again.  For many of you know my belief, “you cannot fail, you can only stop.”

Well, the past two weeks, I have been put to the test.  With overtraining (not necessarily in the gym but doing too much and not getting enough rest), my body has been forcing me to be more down than I am accustomed to.  At first, I fought it, thinking that I am stronger than this, but then I gave in and remembered that often the quickest way up is DOWN!  How, you may wonder?  Well, the quicker the body gets the rest that it needs, the more quickly you are bouncing around again.  For those of you who are in martial arts, you know that you may have to go to the ground in order to get the leverage that you need over your opponent.  Going down allows you to get back up, and that is what I had to do.

I had to take time off from training, from working, and from DOING to give my body and mind the rest that it needs.  And, today in the gym, rather than feeling weak, I felt strong and powerful!!!  And as I came home from my workout, I walked past a squirrel and I stopped to watch him, as I love watching animals.  As he jumped up in a tree, I saw that his stomach was red and raw (he obviously has had some difficulty lately), but he continued climbing the tree and lept into the air to the roof of the building.  At first, I felt sorry for him, as he must be in pain, but then I thought about it some more, and realized that he is probably just fine.  He has been down, but he is climbing back up again. 

I read some research recently that showed that despite wild animals suffering attacks from other animals and other hardships, they don’t have post traumatic stress (how they determine this is beyond me).  But animals, unless conditioned by being beaten over and over again, tend to heal their wounds and move forward.  They aren’t stuck in the past but move to the future.  Children are often like this too.  One moment they are crying, then they see something that they like (something as simple as a leaf floating by) and they are up again exploring the world.  They are down, but don’t stay down for long.

Most all of nature does this……trees, animals, and most all of nature shuts down for a period of time (especially in the winter) but every year, the trees are bigger and stronger.  Nature is a good reminder that in order to grow, in order to reach our goals, sometimes we need to retreat and do LESS.  We need those days off from work and from working out.  Sometimes we need longer periods of time off, but that’s necessary for us to grow.

So, 7 times down may become 7 million if you are someone who pushes it hard, but as long as there is a 7 million AND ONE times back up, just like the squirrel, you will keep climbing, you will come back stronger, and you will reach your goal!

And to help you stay motivated on that journey up, I’ve started a free newsletter this month that you can subscribe to at www.GoddessAthlete.com.

I encourage you all to love your sport or your workouts (I know I LOVE pumping iron in the gym), but also appreciate your time down, as that is when the REAL GROWTH OCCURS!  And next time you get knocked down, take the time that you need to be down and get right back up!

I just returned from Portola, CA where I presented at Healthy Bodies Fitness.  Brad Loomis (Healthybodies on Bodyspace) invited me up to work with his clients doing the Healthy Bodies Challenge.  I worked with people of all ages and fitness levels, as we discussed proper lifting techniqe, refining your diet, supplements, and motivational strategies!  You can see pictures by going to Brad’s post at:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showpost.php?p=289546171&postcount=794

Thanks to Brad for the invite and to all of the Healthy Bodies Challenge participants for your committment to lead a healthier and more inspired life! 

If you have a group that could benefit from participating in an informational and motivational workshop, contact me at www.GoddessAthlete.com and my next trip could be to come inspire YOU!

Hi, everyone!  I’m writing today to let you know about a new feature that I’ve just added to my website www.GoddessAthlete.com.  Go to http://www.goddessathlete.com/newsletter.html and subscribe to my FREE newsletter.  Not only will you receive my newsletter, but you will be notified when I run training specials or add pictures, videos (Fitness Tips with Chrissy) and events to my website, making it easier for you to get the information you want!  Thank you for your continued support and I look forward to helping you all DEFINE YOURSELF!

Have a happy and healthy weekend!

Usually, my blogs focus on nutrition, but today we are going a bit deeper and talking about fitness as a spiritual discipline.  Now, before we go further, let me define what I mean by "spiritual." I am not talking about religion.  This is NOT about your religious demonimation or whether you believe in a higher power or not.  What I’m talking about is your journey through life, to reach your full potential and DEFINE YOURSELF!

Everyone, even the fittest and most athletic, have the potential to reach for more, in body, mind and spirit.  Everyone I’ve met (myself included)has beliefs about what is possible, what is impossible, how the world SHOULD be, how they SHOULD be, how others SHOULD be, what SHOULDN’T be, etc. Are you tired of SHOULD-ing on yourself and the world?  I know I am.

And if your mind is devoting much of your energy to all of those things, how could you possibly be open to achieving something greater?

As many Zen stories say: you must empty your cup.  You cannot pour more into a cup that is already full.  So, too, you must let go of your SHOULDS, your ideas about your limitations and entertain ideas of possibility.  As I ask my clients, "how will you DEFINE YOURSELF?"

The mind is a powerful tool.  It has convinced people to perform amazing feats that they may consciously think are imossible.  You’ve heard of stories where a grandmother lifted a car to save her grandchild or the man who pressed a half ton boulder off of his chest.  What happened in these moments to allow this grandmother and man to accomplish these physical tasks that under normal circumstances they would be unable to perform.  I’m sure adrenoline had alot to do with it.  But they also had a RESOLVE, a DETERMINATION.  They unified their bodies, minds, and spirits.  There was no doubting.  There was only ACTION.

Think about all that you could achieve not only in fitness but in all areas of your life if you didn’t second guess yourself and if you believed, without a doubt, that you could succeed.

How do you do that?  By putting 1000 pounds on the bar and hoping that positive thinking will get you through it?  Maybe, but I DON’T recommend this.

Just like anthing else that you want to get good at, you must practice. 

1. Use visualization: see yourself lifting your goal weight, running your ideal time, making the shot, or having that defined body.

2. Get your mind IN your body. Many people are constantly distracting themselves during workouts through music, reading, or going over the day’s events.  They have no idea what is going on in the body.  They are unaware of the body’s signals of when it can go further and when it needs to stop.

3. Practice, practice, practice.  How much?  Whenever you remember and know that even 5 seconds of 100% focus will yield better results than hours with only partial focus!

As long as you are on this journey, you might as well make the most of it, not just deriving the physical benefits but the mental and spiritual benefits as well.

Get your mind in your body.  Focus on that which you want to achieve, and you may discover the results are just as fantastical as your dreamed they would be!

I believe in you! Now, it’s time that you do too!

Many of you have been asking me how I continue gaining muscle and yet stay so lean.  What’s my secret?  It is no magic pill (in fact I don’t use thermogenics); it is simply a well-designed meal plan.  I will be coming out with a book on it soon, so I don’t want to spoil it all now, but I will provide some information to help you all make gains (building muscle or losing fat) FASTER and HEALTHIER!

I hope to help you redefine what "healthy" actually means.  Many articles about what is "healthy" quote the parts of studies that validate their ideas.  For example, many people talk about how alcohol in moderation can reduce the risk of death from heart disease.  What these articles don’t tell you is that the research is ONLY true for people over 60 years old who already have an increased risk for heart disease (Nutrition Concepts and Controversies, pg 101). You aren’t being given all of the information, so unless you do hours and hours of your own research, how could you possibly make a truly informed decision?  The truth is that you cannot.  It is my hope that my endless hours and years of research can help you make healthier nutritional choices so that you are truly fueling your body in the best way possible. 

Now, before you continue reading, I ask you to read with an open mind.  Some of the information that I present may contradict ideas you have had all of your life.  I have had all sorts of reactions from presenting the information that I’ve found, but remember, many men defended with their life the belief that the world was flat, and now, no one (that I know of anyways) believes that this is true.  As many of you know, it is my mission to revolutionize the health and nutrition industry.  Regardless of the reactions I get, I want to present you with research that affects you and your daily choices.  Take what you want, and just leave anything you don’t find useful now.  Maybe it wil be helpful in the future…..

Are you ready?  Then buckle your seat belts, here we go! 

WHAT IS A FOOD?

While this may seem like a silly question, everyday people consume products that they consider foods, products that are full of toxins, chemicals, preservatives, and artificial sugars and flavors.  While they may taste good, the insides of the body do NOT agree.  I’ve had bodybuilders argue with me that they can consume whatever they want because they still stay ripped, but what is going on inside their bodies after years of a diet full of saturated fat clogging their arteries.

Foods are products that are in their natural state (fruits, vegetables, and meats), full of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.  Notice that I didn’t mention of few of the traditional food groups.  This was intentional.  I do not consider grains or dairy the best things to eat. 

Why? 

Ask any competitive bodybuilder what they do a month or two before the show, and they will tell you that they cut out grains and dairy from their daily meal plan.  Grains cause cellular edema (otherwise known as inflammation or that "puffy look").  There is a reason that I look lean and hard all of the time.  Besides having low body fat, I do not consume grain products that cause cellular edema.  On stage, I get critiqued for not being "full" enough.  I actually take this as a compliment, as that "full" look is due to an allergic reaction within the cells from the grain products that most people carb up on (pizza, cookies, rice cakes, etc.) before stepping on stage.  Additionally, our overconsumption of a protein in grains called gluten (which is found in vitually everything from shampoos and toothpaste to salad dressings, crackers, and gum) has caused numerous problems and has increased the incidence of celiac disease in our society.

Dairy causes more problems than it does good.  Look at it this way, Americans eat the most amount of dairy of any country and we also have the highest rates of osteoporosis.  How is that possible if milk "does a body good"? Interesting, huh?  Additionally, we are born with an enzyme called lactase that helps digest the milk sugar (lactose).   As we stop drinking breastmilk, our bodies stop making this enzyme (as is true in all mammalian animals) because we  move onto eating solid foods.  It’s not a wonder why many people, especially Asians and Africans, suffer some intestinal distress from consuming dairy products.  You may say, that’s not me.  Do your research, allergic reactions can vary from gas, diarrhea, acne, crohn’s disease, sinus infections…….need I go on?  Don’t just take my word for it, though.  Look at the credible doctors who have studied these subjects at www.mercola.com, www.nomilk.com    Even the Physicians Committe for Responisble Medicine (www.pcrm.org) is asking the FTC to review the health claims made by milk advertisements. 

Ok, so you may be wondering, what DO I eat then?

My diet is simple.  It consists of fruits, vegetables, meats, and nuts.  I could go into the why, but that will be covered in my book.  If you need more information now, check out the Paleo Diet at http://www.thepaleodiet.com/  It’s somewhat different than what I promote, as it is typically high in fat and protein, but every BODY is different and any diet plan that tells you exactly what to eat is short changing you.  Your body doesn’t need the exact same things as someone else’s and what works for one person may or may not work for you.  Some people may need a high fat and protein diet, while others may need a high carb diet.  There is no “one-diet-fits-all.”

WHAT DO I EAT?

Well, that depends on my activity level, the time of year (I eat more fat and protein in the winter and fruits in the summer), and what kind of training program I am currently doing, but I’ll give you an example of today’s food:

Pre-workout

1 asian pear, 5 dates (high carb fruit)

Post-workout

Shake: 2 bananas, The Ultimate meal Protein shake (made from spirulina, pea protein, sprouted grains)

10 dates, 1 Tbsp hemp seed (very high in protein)

Morning snacks

1 fuji apple, 1 asian pear, 6 tangerines, 10 dates

Lunch

young coconut (water and the flesh)

huge salad-romaine lettuce, mixed greens, kale, cilantro, parsley, dill, grated sweet potato, mushrooms, spirulina, bell pepper, raisins, lemon juice and 1.5tsp olive oil

7 oz sirloin

Snack

10 dates and 1.5 tbsp nut butter

Dinner

Another huge salad-I mean HUGE.  My salads probably weigh about a pound, which is alot, considering they are MOSTLY leafy vegetables!

7oz sirloin

There you have it.  I eat ALOT of food.  In fact I eat all day long!  Right now, my calories are over 3000, and my carbs are at 500-600g, which would leave most of you gasping.  But I can do this because of the KINDS of carbs I eat.  Believe me, if I did this many carbs with grain products, I, too, would blow up like a balloon.  But the more natural foods do not cause that kind of reaction in most people’s bodies.  And if you put my foods into any diet program, the vitamins and minerals are through the roof.  You may say the same thing about your foods, but how many products do you consume that are fortified?  IT’S NOT THE SAME AS EATING FOODS THAT HAVE THE NUTRIENTS IN THEM NATURALLY.  The body can assimilate nutrients from foods better than fortified foods.

So, where do you go from here?

Do I expect any of you or my clients to eat all whole foods all of the time?  Absolutely NOT!  Even my husband, who agrees with this information whole-heartedly, eats processed foods (breads, rice, etc).  I am not writing this in order to get you to give up your dairy, grains, and other processed foods, but to make you more aware of the effect of these products on your body and your health.  Without awareness, your choices aren’t well-informed.  Once you have the information, you can choose what to do with it.

First of all, if you are new to healthier eating, you may need some guidance, to make sure that you are getting all of your vitamins and minerals.  While it is highly likely that you are getting most of what you need, especially if you choose a variety of foods, there are certain nutrients (calcium, iron, and folate for example) which you need to ensure that you are getting enough of to maintain ideal health. 

But, make sure you add more fruits and vegetables to your diet slowly, as they contain lots of fiber and adding too much fiber too quickly can cause uncomfortable side effects (mainly gas and bloating).

Just remember the phrase that I use with my clients: “Fresh is best.”  Incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.  Choose fresh cuts of meat and fish over packaged items.  Your body will thank you for it!

And email me (chrissy@goddessathlete.com) if you have questions regarding this post or if you want to be on the mailing list when my book is complete.  I wish you the best, and I hope that this information can help you refine your diet so that you are feeding it as optimally as possible and achieving your fitness goals quickly and health-fully!

And to get more information, please check out my website at www.GoddessAthlete.com