tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28876687615945999632024-02-20T17:04:39.452-08:00Fiercely FemaleAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-25978681793049103582014-03-16T19:14:00.001-07:002014-03-16T19:14:59.196-07:00I missed:(Have you have been shooting? A gun? An arrow? A nerf gun? A paper at a trash can? I am sure at some point you have aimed at something. My question is what do you do when you missed? Do you start looking at where the paper or the arrow landed? Most people do. They start looking at how they missed, how they messed up. That's what most of us do. We start focusing on how big of a failure we are. "Look, I aimed at that target and hit that tree. I can't believe I hit that tree. That tree is so big, that must be why I missed the can. The can is so small. Look at the tree! It's so big!"<br />
Isn't this what we do in life? "I planned to eat good all week. I messed up! Look at the food in my kitchen (at the party). There is no way I could stay away from it."<br />
"I planned on working out all week but look at the pile of work I had to do!"<br />
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Where is the focus? If you focus on how you messed up, that becomes your focus. If there was a a can a little way away from the big tree, and you miss and hit the tree, what becomes your focus? The tree! If the tree becomes your focus, what will you hit? The tree! <br />
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In life if you are focusing on your failures, it becomes the tree in the yard. That tree is now the big presence that has commanded your attention. If you quit focusing on your target in the first place, then the miss becomes your target.<br />
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What does this mean? If you focus on your "failures", then that becomes your new focus. Meaning this will become your new goal. You may not want it to be your goal, but if that is what you focus on, it becomes your goal. <br />
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Do you want to keep focusing on your failures? No you want to focus on your desires! Stop looking at how you messed up and start focusing on where you want to be and as long as you keep your target, every time you fire, you will get closer and closer. It is not a game of perfection, but of keeping your focus and practice! Keep practicing! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-5741660670414189712014-01-05T19:01:00.001-08:002014-01-05T19:01:58.563-08:00Post New Years Excitement!New Years has come and gone and I bet you made a new years resolution. That's great, if it lasts for more than 3 weeks. This is the common amount of time that people will go full force into their new goals and then lose steam and stop. There are many different reasons for the stop, however, approximately 90% of people who set a goal in the new year will never see it through.<br />
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My suggestion, take a step back and look at your goal. Most of us set a goal that is grand and exciting! We expect to get to this goal quickly and awesomely (not sure this is a word but it works for what I am trying to get across!). We have these visions of ourselves as superhero's sweeping into our new status of awesomeness where we totally shock and awe those around us. They stand back and marvel at how awesome we are to have achieved so much in such a short time.<br />
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In our minds we see the whole episode unfold and then when in real life it doesn't quite play out like we thought it would, we get frustrated and stop. Look, I say this all the time, if it was easy, everyone would do it and then what would separate the ones that make their dreams a reality from the ones who fall asleep in class? Consistency. <br />
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If you have a goal, establish right away that it is going to take time. Even if some how you are able to defy normal human ability and achieve your goal quickly, it is going to take time and consistency to maintain. Otherwise you are just jumping around without a bra! (you ladies know what I am talking about) The motion is there but it lacks support. In the end things move in ways you didn't intend and the end result is less than desirable.<br />
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Take the time to gain support. Build the habits that will help you get where you are going and stay there. These goals you have can be achieved! However, you must understand anything worth having is worth working for. It will take time and support to build the habits that will allow you to achieve and maintain these goals. Surround yourself with people who support, not hinder your goals. Set small achievable goals that you take the time to celebrate a long the way. Rid yourself of all or nothing thinking. If this is where you want to go, don't plan on changing directions once you get there. It will just take you back where you started.<br />
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Is is easy? Oh no! But again, anything worth having is worth working for otherwise you don't respect it. If everyone could just take a Lamborghini then they wouldn't be desirable. And if everyone could have a fit and healthy body, there would be no respect and admiration for those who do. It really isn't hard, it is simply consistency. Every day, put one foot in front of the other, don't feel sorry for yourself and don't look back. You know where that path leads. Only look forward and go get it! If you need support, I am here for you!<br />
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Sarah Pawlicki Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-92118595880078936782013-06-18T18:51:00.004-07:002013-06-18T18:51:52.346-07:00Monster high My daughter loves the new cartoon monster high. For those of you who don't have children that share this infatuation, it is about the children of all the monsters and their adventures in high school. At first I didn't know what to think of this new phenomenon. However, as I watched it I realized that although it has the overtures of teenage drama attached, it also had a very cool and much needed lesson that stuck out. "Don't you want to be a monster too?" This is one of their theme questions. While their charectures are a little frightening at first, they carry with it the age old question: Is uniformity and an ideal look what defines beauty. If we look at literature throughout time, we see the same story told, some disfigured scary monster causing a stir only to realize that they were great and beautiful people. Quasimodo as the hunchback, Frankenstein's monster, etc. So why when many don't encourage monster high to their kids, do we let ours watch it? Well the othe day my daughter saw a mole on my body that she scrunched up her nose at and said "ewwww"! How did I feel? Well I've felt with the dislike of my many and some times large moles for most of my life. I will get over it now! However, it reminds you of how cruel we can be to ourselves and to others. Something that doesn't fit into our Barbie mentality of beauty, can become austrasized. When austrasized we begin to feel angry and less important. This can lead to all kinds of other problems such as violence to our selves and others. If instead we can embrace the "monster" characteristics in ourselves and others that make us different, fun, and flavorful, our lives will be much more rich. Part of this falls on ourselves. A few years ago, I told a friend who was constantly having people make fun of his calves for bein skinny. Now this person worked and worked on his calves and they honestly look great! However, he was always worried that they were to skinny. So people were always commenting on how skinny they were. I told him to start thinking how big they were. He was projecting an image of himself and others who should prey on insecurities were grabbing it. Once he started making himself think a different way. People started telling him how great his legs were. I have found it is the same thing with all of us! If we think we are ugly, fat, thin, awesome, funny, great to be around, no fun to be around, etc. so we are. Instead do why my 9 year old is learning, be a monster and embrace your stitches, hump, mole, perfect skin, great personality and everything else that you are. Realize that you are the only one that can bring to the world what you bring. The more positive a spin you put on it in your own mind, the more your traits will bless others. "Don't you want to be a monster too?" As far as me, my moles and my daughter go, well, my husband says they are all constellations and just make me more interesting and beautiful. If she can understand that what we perceive as imperfections can be our beauty, she will be ahead of the game! Find your beauty in your differences and share so that others can find there's!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-90315214841201130222013-01-08T18:45:00.000-08:002013-01-08T18:45:49.451-08:00Where is your focus?The other day, I was having a conversation with my daughter about mistakes. She was very concerned that she could lose my affections if she wasn't perfect. It led to a great conversation about learning. When she was a baby, she didn't know how to do anything. Walking came early for her, 9 months, but not with out it's bumps and bruises. My question to her was what if she had been so afraid of falling, that she never tried to walk? What if she said, "I know I will fall, so I won't try."<br />
She laughed and said, "I would be asking for you to do everything for me still." <br />
"So do you think that venturing off the coach and allowing yourself to fall, was a good thing or a bad thing?" "It was a good thing mom."<br />
Some times we allow ourselves to focus so hard on the fact that we might fall, that we never venture off the coach. <br />We are focusing on the mistakes and not the direction we are going. A perfect example is a word that most of the world gets very hung up on. That word is sin. For most people sin is this big black thing in the corner to be avoided at all costs as it is all evil. Technically, the definition in its original form, is a very different thing.<br />
The word sin is translated from the Greek work Harmatia (not 100% sure on the spelling but close!). It is an archery term that means to miss the mark. It makes sense right, when you "sin" you are missing the mark. Ok but lets look at it as the archery term. If I am aiming at a target and I miss it, whatever I was aiming at, I made a mistake. This is normal when you are learning a new skill. You can't expect to pick up something new and be perfect at it. However, we often expect that of ourselves. I should be able hit the target the first time I pick up that bow and arrow. In all reality, It's probably not going to happen. You have to learn how to aim at the target and get everything else to line up correctly so that you can hit the target. It takes time and practice.<br />
Now what if you were to do what most of us do in life while learning. What if you stop looking at the target after you shot your arrow, and began looking at your mistake.f You are no longer aiming at the target. Now you are aiming at your mistake because it has captivated your attention.<br />
We bang ourselves over the head with every mistake. "I should have been able to get it perfect the first time." "I should have known better." "I can't believe I messed it up." "I didn't stick to that diet or exercise program again." <br />
In all fairness, you havn't learned how yet and if you can't get your focus off of your mistake, that is where you will keep aiming. If you are aiming there, then you are training yourself to shoot that target, instead of your original target.<br />
So what do we do? We learn from our mistakes. We take our focus off of beating ourselves up and what we don't do right, and we focus back on the original target and actually allow ourselves to learn how to get where we want to go. We accept that any new challenge or learning experience is going to come with scrapped knees and a bruised ego. We only fail if we fail to get back up or if we allow our mistakes to steal our focus.<br />
This new year, find your target again! Get your focus back on where you are going and the steps you need to get there instead of how you have fallen in the past. I hope to hear what those goals are and I look forward to hearing how your arrow is closer this year than it was last year, even if you haven't gotten a bulls eye yet. Use your mistakes to train you how to do it right. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-86711915892651251122012-12-27T13:04:00.001-08:002012-12-27T13:04:44.868-08:00Kindness cures!I was completely blessed by the people who went out of their way to help during my recent surgery. People offered to help with children, cleaning and anything else I might need. Others simply showed up with food. These simple acts of kindness went so far with me and my family to make us feel loved and supported. Sometimes those simple acts are more important than we even know. A woman held the door for me and my son as we walked toward it the other day. She waited for us. This shouldn't have surprised me but it did. It seems like most of the time, people are so busy and caught up with their own lives that they don't even notice those around them. Most people any more are grumpy, angry and entitled to their negative feelings. Then we wonder how something as horrible as the Newtown shooting can happen. We live in a state of disconnect most of the time. Many people only interact with others through technology any more and so forget how to interact face to face. So we don't interact. We hustle around the grocery store only focused on our task and not at all at the people we rush past. I have become friends with Kristin at the grocery store, simply by saying hi when I see her every time and genuinely caring how she was. At first she was surprised that I would take the time. And now every time I go in, she is genuinely happy to see me. One act of making eye contact with someone and taking a second to treat them like a worthy human being, is all it may take to turn someones day or even life around. There are so many people who live in a fog, a life where they feel so alone and unimportant, that they don't even know how to reach out for help. One person taking the time to see them, could mean salvation for them. Imagine if you did this next time you are out in town. Smiled, said hi, were kind to the people you encountered. They may feel better and continue the trend. It's the old pay it forward. Try it. I would love to hear your experiences. Mine have been positive! Not only do you make new friends but are usually blessed to be on the receiving end of their kindness as well. A rich life is measured by the relationships you have and the memories you make. Break the trend, connect today and watch your life get richer and more fulfilling. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-43917956375101248222012-12-10T12:48:00.001-08:002012-12-10T12:48:56.930-08:00Whoop there it is!Old school music has found it's way into our gym rotation lately. It's funny how music, no mater how basic or era specific, can take you back to a different time or make you feel things you don't expect. Most of the old school rap is about, "tellin it like it is". It's life as they see it and everyone needs to know about it. But I doubt that Will Smith still thinks, "Parents just don't understand". He is now a parent and I am sure has found himself on the other side of the equation. Being on the other side of that equation now myself, I find that I am now, not only re-evaluating my view of my parents, "not understanding", but also, many other things that I was just, "so sure about at one time-or-another. When I first became a parent, I had all these plans about how I would be the perfect parent. My children would be perfect. I would have everything under control at all times, not just in their lives, but in mine as well. As time went on, the reality of life set in, I had to learn to relax my expectations a little. My children did not eat all-natural home-made food at all times. I did manage to nurse them as long as I wanted and most of the food I feed them is healthy. It used to be that I would beat myself up because the result wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. However, now, I'm celebrating the victories I have had and their end results are actually, pretty-darn-good, so far. Now, I am not making an excuse to give up on ideals, no, in fact it is those "ideals" that propel us forward and help us to keep growing and changing. Rather I am challenging you to look at whether the ideas you hold on to still measure up to where you are in life, or are you holding on to something, just to hold on to it?<br />
I just left the Dr.s office and I have an appointment to have my gallbladder taken out. Now, this is not an easy decision for me. I work very hard at keeping my body healthy and approaching my health in as natural a way as possible. However, I have reached the decision to have mine taken out. It quit working. Why? I don't know. No one knows. The suggestions for preventing this would be to exercise and eat well, but that is not the problem here. It just decided to stop working. I asked, if I could make it work again and was met with a, no. You will have it out, now or later. You can put up with the trouble it is giving you or you can take it out and get on with life, feeling better. Apparently you can operate just fine with out it. So it is coming out. This whole process has made me think about those ideals and pressures that we hold on to that we don't need to. They are only, making us uncomfortable. But because we made a statement at one time that life is one way or another, we feel like we have to hold to our statements and keep ourselves from growing past it. If I am sure of one thing, it is that life will throw us curve balls. If you are too stiff, or too committed before you know what is coming, you are going to get suckered into a strike. Stay loose. Know which direction your aiming and that you will get there, just maybe not on this pitch. Stay encouraged. Stay focused on the over all goal, but let go of the little details that are holding you back, not getting you where you are going. So "Whoop there it is"! Let go of the things that are holding you back and "You got to get up to get down" or get down to get up, it all depends on how you look at it, but, "Jump around"!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-53418656478184677512012-11-08T14:47:00.002-08:002012-11-08T14:47:50.131-08:00Short Sweet an to the Point!<br />The half-hour workout that took me from 180 pounds post pregnancy to an overall figure champion in only 12 months! <br /><br /> “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.” Emily Dickenson<br /><br /> Life is a startling thing. The terrain changes with every step forward. With every change you have to be flexible to move with it and manage to stay on your feet. To do that, is seems like time gets sucked away from you. There are never enough hours in a day, never enough of you to go around. How to balance everything is one of the biggest challenges that we are presented with. Unfortunately in our society, health has become one of the first things to go. But don’t worry about it because there is always a new pill to take that will take care of the problems. Unfortunately, there isn’t a pill to actually make you fit and healthy both mentally and physically. That takes work. But where do we fit that work in to our schedule?<br />This question became very present for me when I had my daughter. This new addition brought lots of laughter and smiles and a lot less time. The miracle of life is amazing, however, it definitely changes a woman’s body. I had worked to stay fit through out the pregnancy, eating well and staying active. None the less it was time to address the stretched out belly and widened thighs. I knew that I needed to get into gear because it was one of my worst fears to forever lose my body to pregnancy. The next question was how was I going to fit it in!<br /> As a competitor before my pregnancy, my goal was to get back on stage. With a new baby and having to go back to work, my time was limited. I needed to fit my workouts into a half-hour a day. So I developed a specific combination that triggered fat loss while shaping my muscle with weight training. It worked! By only weight training four days a week and two other cardio days, I was able to step back on stage when my daughter was 12 months old and take first and overall. If I could do it, so can you! If you can manage ½ hour a day and a healthy eating plan, you can see major changes in your body in the matter of a few months. <br />How could this possibly work! It’s simple. During weight training you put small tears in your muscles. Your body then works to heal the tears. When it heals them, you get stronger muscles. Often when you do a workout you get really sore. This is because the tears are larger and it takes a longer to heal. Instead, with this method, we break down the muscles just enough to trigger the body to heal, but not enough to make you so sore that you can’t work that muscle out again in a few days. You can hit the muscles more often and recover quicker. <br />The program looks like this: Day one is upper body, day two lower, day three cardio, day four upper body, day five lower body day six upper body, day seven rest. Some of the lifts are heavy so have someone spot you if you can. If not, use a weight you won’t drop on yourself!<br /><br />Day one: Warm up on a cardio machine for 5 min. <br />Chest- Choose 3 exercises. Example- Chest press, incline chest flies, push ups<br />Warm up on the chest press with a weight you can do 15 times pretty easy. Repeat if you don’t feel warm.<br />Now choose a weight you can do 5-8 times for the chest press<br />A weight you can do 8-10 times for the flies<br />Then pump out 15 pushups, as many as you can on your toes then drop to your knees to finish. <br />The goal is to have zero rest between each set and completely exhaust the muscles in a short time. You know you chose the right weight if you can’t do any more than you are supposed to do!<br /><br />Cardio burst! This is where we keep you moving. Jump on a bike, a treadmill, grab a jump rope etc. Now go three minutes as hard as you can!<br /><br />Back- Choose 3 exercises. Example Lat pull downs, Seated Row, Reverse grip pull downs. Warm up on the Lat pull downs with a weight you can do 15 times .<br /> Now use a weight that you can do 5-8 times on lat pull down<br /> Move directly to a weight you can d 8-10 times on the seated row<br /> Back to the pull down to a reverse grip you can do 12-15 times. <br /><br />Cardio burst! 3 minutes as hard as you can!<br /><br />Shoulders- Choose 3 exercises. Example shoulder press, side raises, front raises<br /> You should be warmed up by now so go right into the first exercise<br /> Shoulder press with a weight you can do 5-8 times<br /> Side raise with a weight you can do 8-10 times<br /> Front raise with a weight you can do 12-15 times<br /><br />Cardio burst! 3 minutes as hard as you can<br />Biceps: 3exercises Example- Straight bar curls, hammer curls, dumbbell curls<br /> Straight bar curls with a weight you can do 5-8 times<br /> Hammer curls with a weight you can do 8-10 times<br /> Dumbbell curls with a weight you can do 12-15 times<br /><br />Cardio burst! 3minutes!<br /><br />Triceps: 3 exercises Example- Rope press downs, overhead dumbbell extensions, bodyweight dips off of bench<br /> Rope press downs for 5-8<br /> Overhead dumbbell extensions 8-10<br /> Dips for 12-15 <br />(the more you bend your knees the easier it is. Use this to find the resistance that is right for you!) <br /><br /> Cardio burst! 3 minutes last one!<br /><br />Day 2: Warm up for 5 min.<br /> Legs: The fist group is going to primarily hit the quads, the second will focus on the hamstrings<br /><br /> Quads: 3 exercise example squats, lunges, quad extensions<br /> Warm up with some light squats. <br /> Choose a weight you can do 5-8 times<br /> Move to lunges, hold weight you can do 8-10 times each leg<br /> Extensions for 12-15<br /><br />Cardio burst! 3 min as hard as you can. A fun mix up here is to add plyos! Pop squat for 1 minute, Step up for 1 minute, then pop lunge for 1 minute. <br /><br />Hamstrings: 3 exercise example Romanian Dead Lifts, machine hamstring curls, ball hamstring curls.<br /> Warm up with light RDL’s<br /> Use a weight you can do 5-8 times on the RDL’s (Versa grips help!)<br /> Machine hamstring curls for 8-10 <br /> Ball hamstring curls for 12-15<br /><br />Cardio burst! 3 min as hard as you can! Pop squats, soccer drills on medicine ball, jump rope!<br /><br />Abbs: 3 exercises example weighted decline crunches, v crunches, leg lifts<br />With abbs you can’t quite fit it in a rep number. So instead push each exercise to exhaustion before moving to the next!<br /><br /> Cardio burst! Last one! Pop lunges, pop squats and mountain climbers!<br /><br /><br />Day 3 Just cardio! Incorporate the HITT principle here you get done in ½ hour and get a killer workout! <br /> Warm up for 5 minutes<br /> Now push yourself as hard as you can for 1 minute<br /> Slow down to a moderate pace for 2 minutes<br /> Push yourself again for 1 min.<br /> Repeat this until you have 5 min left then slow it down and cool down.<br /><br /> You can do this cardio anywhere! Use a treadmill, bike, elliptical etc! If you prefer to do it outside, run for a min, walk a min. Even in your living room, jump rope for a min, then walk in place etc. The possibilities are endless! <br />Day 4: Switch up the exercises, this time do:<br /> Chest: Incline press, flat press, cable flies<br /> Back: Bent over rows, modified pull ups, one arm rows<br /> Shoulder: Upright rows, bent over rear delts, barbell press<br /> Biceps: Cable curls, wide grip barbell curls, supination dumbbell curls<br /> Tricep: Dumbbell kickbacks, reverse grip pull downs, v bar push downs.<br /> <br />Day 5: Dead lifts, walking lunges, ball extensions<br /> Good mornings, one leg hamstring curls, decline bench hamstring curls<br /> Abbs- Hanging leg raises, scissor kicks, oblique twists<br /><br />Day 6: Hitt cardio again!<br /><br /><br /> That’s it, it is that easy. If you push yourself you should be fatigued by the end! Now you can fit your workouts in only minutes a day and get the results you want<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-12340498674062838102012-10-26T14:53:00.001-07:002012-10-26T14:53:42.427-07:00I want it NOW!There is a specific experiment that is used with children that sit them with a treat in front of them and tell them they can either have that treat now, or, if they wait, they can have more later. Most children cave and take the treat presented before them. They typically don't have the patients to wait even if the promised reward is much grater. Most adults suffer from the same thing where their weight and health is concerned. You know that the people who eat well and exercise, have the look and the health that you want. However, when it comes down to changing your lifestyle to achieve it, most people give up after a very short time. Why? It didn't come as fast as they want! We live in a fast paced, now society. If you are hungry, you can go down to any store and buy what you want. If you want a tv or car that you can't afford yet, buy it on credit. Need to cook your food? The microwave can do it in seconds. So it only makes sense that we would begin expect the same things for our bodies! With all the diet pills and surgery options that promise these quick fixes, it is no wonder that we get caught up in these expectations. Unfortunately, when these promises are proven to be false, many people give up and get discouraged instead of learning to push forward and develop the consistency and discipline that can lead to long lasting health and weight loss success! I read a quote the other day that said, "My diet secret is that there is no secret. Stop eating junk and get of the coach!" There is not a quick fix or easy answer! Learn to eat for you body. Learn to push through and exercise even when you don't want to. It is a misnomer that those people who do eat well and exercise regularly find it easy or are never tempted to fall off the wagon. However, what separates people who get there and keep it from those who don't, it is consistency. It's building a habit and sticking to it. Don't expect perfection, expect consistency. Look at your food plan, not as what you want to do, but rather what you need to do to reach your goal and nourish your body. Look at your exercise plan as an important part of maintaining your health and strength, not as something that you can neglect if you don't want to do it. You don't skip brushing your teeth or washing your hands because you just don't want to do it. These are important pieces of being healthy. So why is healthy eating and staying active an option? You know where eating junk and being inactive leads. It leads to being overweight, out of shape, and unhealthy. Knowing that, push forward into your healthy eating plan and exercise and celebrate the fact that you are getting stronger and healthier. Focus less on the weight aspect and the pressure that is associated with that and you will see the change there in time. When you become healthy on the inside, it shows up on the outside! Don't give up! You can do this! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-30352341158821369272012-10-17T16:09:00.003-07:002012-10-17T16:09:46.739-07:00Athletes face<br />What to do to clear up the complexities of your skin!<br /><br /> Pounding the weights, watching every morsel of food, pushing the cardio till the sweat pours in pursuit of that healthy, toned, sexy body we all desire. As a result, your body and mind are healthier. However, there is one organ that is sometimes affected negatively by our sweaty pursuits, our skin! It is the largest organ in our body and the most visible. The rest of us can be in great shape, but if our skin is out of whack, you know it and so does everyone else! What a buzz kill to have the red marks scarring up your canvas. Our skin is particular, like our body. The more we understand, the more we can be proactive in the health of our skin! <br /><br />What is going on with your skin? Our skin is the largest organ of the body. One of its functions is to eliminate a portion of the body’s waste products through sweating. As these toxins leave the body, the bacteria can get stuck in your pores leading to an outbreak of Acne or pimples. Athletes often notice a rise in their skin problems as their activity increases. Extra sweat- extra bacteria! Pressure or friction on the skin, often caused by tight workout clothing, can make acne worse. Hormone changes that occur during our menstrual cycles, pregnancy and weight loss can also cause breakouts. Other culprits are make-up, medicines, foods, allergies and stress. Family history also plays a part. If other people in your family have acne, chances are you will have it too.<br /><br /> The good news is that if we can find the cause of the acne problem, we can find an answer. There are always medications on the market for any given issue. But as health conscious females, we should know that drugs can cause health problems. Medication may be necessary in very persistent cases. However, most problems with acne will respond to natural treatments and a diligent program of diet and skin care. By following these natural remedies, you are sure to see a difference in your skin’s health!<br /><br /> Water is one of the crucial elements for health. It is also important for clear skin! The minimum amount of water needed is 8 glasses a day! That is the minimum. As an athlete as you sweat out water, you need to replace it. I tell my clients to aim for a gallon a day! Sounds like a lot, but you will feel and look better!<br />Here’s why water is the #1 acne cure!<br />Water allows our organs to do their job. The liver performs the important job of cleaning the wastes and excess hormones out of our system and moves it to the kidneys. The kidneys flush the toxins it gets from the liver, out of our body. Without the proper amount of water, the toxins get stopped up in our muscles and organs. It has to find another way to come out or a place to go. So it oozes out of the skin in the form of bacteria. Start properly hydrating to move these toxins out through regular bowel movements and to allow your tissues to repair themselves.<br /><br />The number two cure for acne is healthy nutrition! It is not only the key to a healthy lean body, but also to beautiful skin! Maintain a diet that is high in fiber, raw foods, fruits and foods rich in zinc (shellfish, soybeans, whole grains, sunflower seeds and raw nuts.) These foods cultivate a healing atmosphere in the body. Also keep your diet high in protein and limit your carbs to low glycemic carbohydrates. Protein is the main building blocks of muscle and tissue. It will also slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates can cause a spike in our insulin levels, even if they are low glycemic. Eating a protein with them slows down their absorption and keeps the body in harmony. The more your body is in harmony, the less inflammation will occur. Whenever we throw off the harmony in our bodies, it lets us know through our skin. Breakouts mean something is off inside!<br />Other foods that can cause inflammation in the body and should be avoided if you are prone to breakouts are: alcohol, butter, caffeine, cheese, chocolate, cocoa, cream, egg yokes, saturated fat, fried foods, hot and spicy foods, hydrogenated oils and shortenings, margarine, soft drinks, wheat, dairy products, and sugar. Often the inflammation caused by these foods is the result of an allergy. Dairy products are a common culprit. After we are about 3, the enzymes needed to digest dairy often disappear. When this happens, our bodies have a hard time processing it. It can’t digest like other foods and begins to ferment in our system. It can cause digestional issues, acne, asthma and other health problems. Simply cutting dairy out of your diet, the body will begin to return to its homeostasis and will allow your skin to begin to repair.<br /><br />Even when we maintain a healthy and well-rounded diet, we often are deficient in specific nutrients. Supplementing with these nutrients have been shown to make a change the health of the skin. <br /><br />Acidophilus- replenishes essential bacteria to reduce outbreaks.<br />Chromium picolinate- Aids in reducing infections of the skin.<br />Colloidal silver- acts as natural antibiotic.<br /> Essential fatty acids (flaxseed, primrose oil etc)- aids in healing<br />Garlic-destroys bacteria and enhances immune function<br />Potassium- a deficiency has been associated with breakouts<br />Vitamin A- strengthens skin tissue. (Emulsion form easier assimilation)<br />Vitamin B complex- Important for healthy skin tone, anti-stress<br />Vitamin C- Promotes immune function and reduces inflammation<br />Vitamin D3- promotes healing and tissue repair<br />Vitamin E- is an antioxidant that enhances healing and tissue repair.<br />Zinc- Aids n healing of tissue and helps prevent scarring. <br /><br /><br />The number three cure is to avoid stress! There have been debates as to whether or not stress causes or worsens acne. However, it has been proven that stress causes hormonal changes within the body. These hormonal changes can lead to breakouts, increased blood pressure and weight gain. Stress also increases the amount of oil your skin secretes, which can clog pores. It doesn’t help that we tend to adopt stress related habits such as scratching, picking, laying our hands on our faces, etc. All of these transfer the bacteria from our hands and our surroundings onto the delicate balance of our face! By recognizing your nervous twitch and finding other ways to deal with your stress, you can eliminate a large portion of the problem. <br /><br />Here are a few other natural suggestions that will help to clear up your skin:<br />Sun, rest and exercise are often suggested by dermatologists. <br /> Wash your face twice a day with warm water and mild soap. <br />Always wash or at least rinse your face with warm water after exercising. <br />Exfoliate a few times a week to get rid of dry skin that could clog pours.<br />After you exfoliate, use a mud mask to draw the bacteria out of the skin. <br />Make sure your moisturizer and makeup is oil free.<br />Use a squeeze of lemon after washing your face; wash it off the next morning (only if not sensitive)<br />Apply toothpaste directly to the pimples to dry them out<br />Apply tee tree oil to affected areas.<br />Use a natural steam with ingredients such as; Chamomile, rose petals, comfrey leaves, neem leaves, lavender and sandalwood. Helps kill bacteria and prevents dryness. <br />Remember, don’t pick! This only spreads bacteria!<br /><br />Healthy skin starts on the inside! <br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887668761594599963.post-11019808255072701402012-10-09T13:10:00.001-07:002012-10-09T23:07:26.258-07:00How do you measure up?Not too long ago, I went to a highschool reunion. While it was great to see old friends and reconnect, I was amazed at how it sent me right back to the way I used to feel in highschool. All my old insecurities came rushing back and I had to sincerely fight back against the feeling that I was being measured. Those types of situations seem to always make you question whether you have been successful enough, are still thin enough, etc. The truth is, if we will be honest with ourselves, it's not just at reunions that we are asking ourselves if we measure up. It's a daily fight. When we look in the mirror, most of the time we are measuring ourselves up against the other women we know, the magazines and tv shows. As mothers we measure ourselves against the other moms that seem to fit it all in and their children seem to be smarter or more adjusted. As professionals there is always someone who does more or makes more money. The truth is,that there will always be someone prettier and more successful. If we have to have a measuring stick to justify whether we are doing well with ourselves, we will always come up short. Life is too short and too precious to waste time on that! Instead embrace who you are! It is important to remember that you are one of a kind. Only you have to offer exactly the amazing combination that is you. Don't waist any more time wishing you were something different. Instead find what is amazing about your life. Take the time to be thankful for it. Take the time to truly look at what you want out of your life. Don't turn it into a stress, but start moving in that direction, taking one step at a time, enjoying the journey. If you don't start walking, you will never get there, if you race to fast, you miss the scenery. Embrace who you are and stop measuring yourself up against someone else. You can only be you and the world needs you to be. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04622275897005406236noreply@blogger.com1