Less Cardio, Better body: More Lessons from My Life as a Fitness Competitor

FOUR MORE DAYS until I prance across the stage at the Fitness New England show on Saturday. I'm excited to get there, but I'm also looking forward to it being over.  Competition prep can be very difficult, but it gets easier. This is my 4th year competing (6th show) and I'm way more calm, prepared and sane than in first or second year. So, last week I shared four important lessons from my life as a fitness competitor that you can use in your own fitness journey . As I get closer to show time, there are three more lessons that I think will help you out:

Lesson #5 There is NO one-size-fits-all approach. We're all different, so it just makes sense that the way we eat, exercise, and take care of ourselves might differ too, right? This is WHY traditional cookie-cutter diets, meal plans, and exercise routines have failed to give you the lasting results you've been looking for. I'm grateful I have a coach who adjusts my nutrition and workout plan according to MY body, life, and preferences.

As you can imagine, this drastically cuts down on the misery that comes with regular ol' dieting and hours of cardio on the elliptical. One of MY biggest discoveries: the less cardio I do, the better my body looks and the better I feel. You know how much I hate cardio, so this works out well for me.

What this means for you: Explore and discover what works for YOU! If you're like I was, you've been skipping this very important step because it takes so freakin' long and you want to see results NOW. Yeah, I get it, but signing up for the latest one-size-fits-all weight loss plan may get you results NOW, but disappointment LATER when you can't maintain it. Bottom line: take the time to connect with what your body, mind, and spirit needs so that you're always at your best.

Lesson #6: Comparing yourself to others is TOXIC. Fitness competitions invite direct comparisons with others...plain and simple. You stand on stage in a line-up of beautiful, buff bodies in front of a panel of judges who know nothing about you as a person...all they know is how your body looks in a sparkly, no-swim swimsuit and stripper heels. It's SO tempting to look at the woman next to you and compare her abs/legs/shoulders to yours, and then get depressed when you decide she looks better than you do. Take it from me: DON'T DO IT TO YOURSELF.

I've been guilty of this more than a few times...I've wanted my legs to look like Shannon's, my back to look like Stephanie's, and I would've DIED to have abs like Michelle. All the time I was plotting on someone else's body, I was ignoring the beauty of my own. After all the work I put in, I still wasn't satisfied. I probably don't have to tell you what a horrible feeling THAT is, do I?

What this means for you: They say that comparison is the thief of joy, but it's also POISON to your mind, body, and spirit. Gratitude and appreciation for what your body can do and what you've accomplished in your own journey trump comparison any day. Focus on your personal path...who cares what everyone else is doing??

Lesson #7: Transforming your body takes time and requires a mindset shift. This might be the hardest lesson to fully grasp and practice in real life. In our world of "eat this, don't eat that, and lose 20 pounds in 10 days", it can be a challenge to reprogram yourself to THINK differently.

Even though I teach people how to shift their mindset, I'm still evolving. I used to think that all I had to do to transform my body was eat a few more servings of veggies, cut carbs, and do 30 minutes of cardio 4 times a week. Oh, and by the way, I expected this transformation to happen overnight. So, when that didn't happen, I said "screw it" and went on a cookie binge, which proved to be ineffective as well.

Once I became aware of the quick-fix, I-want-it-now mindset that kept me in a weight loss purgatory, I was able to change my thinking...gradually, with help and lots of practice.

This picture illustrates how long it took me to get to a certain point with my body (2 years!)...I didn't expect it to take that long, but I'm happy that I hung in there. DISCLAIMER: The pictures from 2012 and 2013 are right before a competition and are NOT consistent with real life.

What this means for you:   Take the time to become aware of the type of thinking that is holding you back. Be patient, loving, and compassionate with yourself through the process. Trying to force a quick fix, then beating yourself up when it doesn't happen has never worked in the past...and it will keep NOT WORKING in the future.

I hope you enjoyed this post and that you found a nugget or two that you can use in your own life. If so, SHARE it with someone else who needs to hear it.

Until next week!

6-Pack Abs & Pancake Boobs: Lessons From My Life as a Fitness Competitor

I have 11 days left until I hit the stage for the 3rd year in a row at Fitness New England in Connecticut. If you've been following my journey, you know I've been in this fitness competition game since 2011 and I've enjoyed MOST of it. The last few weeks of competition prep are by far the hardest...my food choices are limited, I'm not drinking alcohol, and I'm working out (and practicing my routine) almost every day. There are some days when I just want to give up, but last week I realized that I've learned many lessons about weight loss, dieting, and life from this experience, so today, I'm going to share a few of them with you.

Lesson #1: Fat is NOT the enemy

When I was a professional dieter back in the day, "fat-free" food was my life. Fat-free yogurt, milk, cookies, salad dressing...the list goes on and on. Like many people, I truly believed that fat-free food would lead to a fat-free body...and that was NOT the case. Most fat-free, processed foods are low quality, sugar-filled, flavor-free concoctions that don't help you lose a pound. 

It turns out that fat is actually GOOD for you because they improve the appearance of your hair, skin, and nails...oh, and they can also help you with weight loss. When I started eating avocados, coconut oil, walnut oil, and sesame oil, my life was forever changed. Finally, I was way more satisfied after eating a salad tossed with sesame oil instead of a big white blob of fat-free ranch. One more thing...the next time you make some fresh air-popped popcorn, drizzle some avocado oil on it. Once you taste it, you'll wonder why you ever used butter.

Lesson #2: Going to extremes is a recipe for disaster

Competition prep is the PERFECT breeding ground for extreme behaviors: severely restricting food before a show, then going balls out and eating everything in sight when the show is over. Many competitors live like this and think it's ok because they "know how to get in shape quickly". This extreme behavior wreaks havoc on your body, mind, and spirit. After a few rounds of this nonsense, your body stops responding, you become depressed, you start binge eating, then the cycle just repeats itself. The truth is that you don't have to be a fitness competitor to know what this feels like. If you're a serious player in the chronic weight loss game, you've probably been here once or twice. 

The solution: treat yourself and your body well ALL YEAR LONG. I discovered that taking care of my body consistently (translation: no extreme diets, eating food that makes me happy, doing exercise I love, and resting) gave me the BEST results ever.  When you LOVE yourself, your body tends to love you back...it's funny how that works. 

 Lesson #3: Your ideal weight may not be what you think it is

Ok, I used to have a number or a range of numbers in my head that I wanted, prayed, and hoped would be my "ideal weight" (a.k.a. the weight that would make me happy). For YEARS, I believed that, since I'm only 5'3", I should weigh between 125-130 pounds. Makes sense, right? And for YEARS, I chased those numbers only to NEVER be able to sustain them longer than a few months. WTF??

It turns out that my TRUE ideal weight (a.k.a. the weight that makes my body happy) is closer to 140. Here's a picture of me from a few days ago and I'm 127 pounds. I know I can't sustain this weight because of what I've had to do (limited food choices, more exercise than usual) to get here. It looks good, but it doesn't FEEL good and I'm all about feeling good.

So what does this mean for you? Think about the number in your head that you keep chasing...where did it come from? A chart in the doctor's office, a magazine, the internet?? Find out where you AND your body are the happiest and healthiest...THAT, my dear, is your ideal weight.  

Lesson #4: Don't waste your time trying to spot-reduce 

For years, I thought that if I could find the perfect exercise to get rid of my back rolls, everything would be alright. Needless to say, I never found that exercise because it doesn't exist. If you've ever said to yourself "I want to keep my {insert favorite body part}, but I just want to lose the fat off my {insert your least favorite body part}", then pay close attention to what I'm going to say: Body fat comes and goes whenever and wherever it damn well pleases.

The first year I trained for a competition, I was SO excited that my back rolls were melting and I could start to see lines in my abs! But after a while, I noticed that my bras were getting bigger and it looked like someone had let the air out my boobs (pictures NOT included). I called my coach in a panic to tell her what her competition prep was doing to my beloved breasts. She just laughed and said "This is what happens when you lose body fat. What? Do you want me to buy you some new bras??".  

So what does this mean for you? If you're in hot pursuit of tight 6-pack abs, pancake boobs could be a very unpleasant side effect.

These were just a few of the many lessons I've learned over the past 3 years. Stay tuned for some more good stuff next week as I head into my FINAL week of competition prep before the big show.

If you know someone else who could benefit from my experience, please SHARE this post with them.

Until next week!

Have you ever had a MELTDOWN like this??

Can I tell you how I was FREAKING OUT yesterday morning when I woke up and looked in the mirror?

After taking a quick glance in my full-length mirror I launched into panic mode because I thought I wasn't as LEAN as I should be (translation: too fat) for my upcoming fitness competition in less than 3 weeks. I even sent a text to my coach telling her that I want to back out of the show because I'm not ready.

In 3 years of competing, I never seriously entertained backing out of a show at this stage of the game. NEVER. But yesterday, I conjured up a story in my head that almost sent me into a tailspin.

Wait...I'm getting ready to teach a class on how to shift your mindset, but I'm struggling with my own mindset drama!

In my head, I kept going back and forth about where I SHOULD be and where I was this time LAST year. 

It sounds like I need to get MY mind right, doesn't it?

After being in freak-out mode for about 10 minutes, I stopped myself and said, "What's really going on here, because there is NOTHING wrong with you, girl".

It was at that moment that I chose to accept where I was right then and there. I decided that this is what my body looks like NOW and it's ok.  I realized that living in the past (I'm not as lean as I was this time last year) or in the future (I should be LEANER!!) was only going to take me deeper into despair.

There are a couple things I need you to know: first, I'm low on carbs so I'm sure that had something to do with the panic attack. Second, this type of drama is just part of being human. Negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, and old mindsets can creep in from time to time. 

The key is to not to spend hours, days, or months marinating in your own misery or putting your whole life on hold until you fix yourself.

I was able to get out of panic mode in less than 15 minutes by using the steps I teach in the Mindset Makeover class: awareness of old mindsets, creating & practicing new ones, and surrounding yourself with people who can help pull you off the ledge when you've gone too far.

Do you know what would've happened if I hadn't taken the steps to stop myself? I would've wasted tons of time and energy analyzing what I did wrong, then I would've tried to "fix'" it by over exercising and under-eating for the next 3 weeks. And then I would be miserable. No thanks. 

The class starts tomorrow evening at 7PM EDT and there are a few spots left. If you're still trying to figure out how to get out of your own mindset drama, you need to claim your spot right now.

I know that the struggle is REAL, but the struggle doesn't have to take over your whole life.

This is a picture of me this morning...my body still looks the same as it did yesterday, but I'm MUCH happier!

 Here's to a NEW way of thinking!

Do you know the connection between women, food, and God?

I was in Starbucks the other day reviewing applications for my upcoming Mindset Makeover class, and I listened to 2 women (yes, I was eavesdropping) spend 30 minutes talking about what they need to eat or NOT eat so that they can lose weight. 30 MINUTES! Of course, I'm not judging...but when I hear women spend their valuable time and energy it really makes me sad and angry.  I was so tempted to butt my way into the conversation but I decided to mind my own business and keep my mouth shut. 

This conversation made me think of a book that I just started reading called Women Food and God by Geneen Roth. It's an amazing book about the reason that many women compulsively eat, diet, and become obsessed with losing weight. 

If you haven't read it yet, here are a few lines from the book that I think you can relate to:

"The relentless attempts to be thin take you further and further away from what could actually end your suffering: getting back in touch with who you really are."

"But if we've spent the last five, twenty, fifty years obsessing about the same ten or twenty pounds, something else is going on. Something that has nothing to do with weight."

"...when you eat when you are not hungry, you are using food as a drug, grappling with boredom or illness or loss or grief or emptiness or loneliness or rejection. Food is only the middleman, the means to the end."

"Failing is built into the weight game. There is no way to play it and win."

The conversation I was eavesdropping on is the MAIN REASON I created the Mindset Makeover class. 

I'm tired of seeing women spend so much time trying to change how they eat without changing how they think.

I'm tired of seeing brilliant women putting life on hold until those last 10 pounds are gone. 

It's time for this nonsense to STOP.

If you know it's time for you to stop wasting time counting calories, points, and carbs and you're READY FOR A MINDSET SHIFT, then I want you to apply so you can be part of this experience.

Submit your application right now.

***Oh, when you complete the class, you'll get a copy of Women Food and God as a little gift from me to you.***

I'll talk to you soon!