Advice for Lifting, Living and Loving

I was home on Friday, I leave work at 11:30 just to go train with Roy. I know I am very fortunate that I am allowed to do this, and I look forward to it every week. For some reason, this one particular day makes me feel alive, free, and lucky to just be me. 

It's a bit trickier when you work and compete. I mean, you need to fit two lives into one right? So not only do I need to be "the Assistant Director" and clean and shop and commute, I have to be the "Physique Competitor" and train and shop and prepare and train and train and train.

Fridays, I can do it all! I am off early so I can train without being rushed or feeling drained, then I do my grocery shopping and take my time. I also meet my posing coach, Kristy Enos  every other week. Having this one half day is a miracle every single week.

Today I was reflecting. I received a couple emails, both of which made me feel great. One was from a friend from my old gym I had not seen in a about a year - she had heard I was looking big and great - and checked out my blog and had to send me an email saying that "I looked awesome ". The other was from a reader, one I had never met or corresponded with before. She said that whenever she is feeling in a rut, my pictures and blog re-inspire her. 

These two small gestures made a big impact on me.

I often come across as a hard nosed, no nonsense person. But I am not. I am a very positive and focused individual. Sometimes a bit too focused and that may make me seem......cold.

As my husband David says about me: "Stay out of her way, or you will get run over!"

Today I was thinking about my life, and how wonderful things have been in my 51 years. I thought I would share some of the thoughts that popped into my head as I put away groceries and started dinner, things that I think have made me the successful person that I am.

Life Advice from Kristy

(please share this if you feel it is appropriate!)

If you get cold at the gym, wear a hat. (yup, I wear this and it keeps me warm!)

One slice of cheesecake will not make you fat.

If you have a nose piercing, and you cry, tears will fill the hole.

Chocolate tastes better immediately after a heavy lifting session.

Dancing makes everything better.

Laugh.

Change the music on your play list every week.

Friends can be near or far.

Don't be afraid to be yourself and love yourself for who you are.

Life is short, do fun things. Clean the house later, or better yet, let someone clean it later for you.

Squats make your butt look big (it's a good thing).

Give gifts, small ones, especially for no reason.

If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

It's a good thing to be naked.

A smile makes everyone around you feel good.

Exercise every day.

Laugh at yourself, and be OK with it.

Eat real food, but enjoy the fake stuff once in a while.

Do things that make your heart race and scare you a little.

Learn to cook what you like and how you like it.

A woman belongs in the weight room.

Massage helps everything feel better.

Wear bright colors.

There really are no rules in life, but it's all a better world if you go out of your way to help people and don't hurt others.

Routine is essential for success. If your routine is "no routine" and that works for you, keep it up.

Cardio sucks.

Flannel in the winter, cotton in the summer (on the bed).

A hot shower works wonders.

Lift weights.

Wash your face every night, without fail.

Strut. It makes people wonder what the hell you have been up to.

Don't cover up your body, there is nothing more beautiful in all the world.

Life only gets better and better every year.

Pay people compliments, with a smile, it will make their day.

Lift heavier weights.

Say "thank you" even to people for things they were supposed to do.

Find your passion; and feed it daily.

Believe in yourself; if you don't, no one else will.

Nothing should be dead serious, even in death we should celebrate life.

Then lift heavier weights yet again.

Thanks for reading; You are one hot number!; You look wonderful today!

German Volume Training

Today was my last day of German Volume Training quads.  Tuesday we will do our final GVT shoulder workout.  I am gonna miss it.


Let's back up to Friday though. I was training with Roy and told him I was going out to Henry's Hi-Life with the boys to celebrate Cooper's high school graduation. Henry's is a fun place, guys love it. It is as far from fancy as you can get, it is a dark, loud and crowded bar where everyone goes before Sharks and Sabercats games. Henry's is in a very old building, that was originally a hotel built in the 1900's.


Henry's is a meat eater's restaurant and I told Roy that I wasn't sure if I would have the ribs or the prime rib, I go there about 3 times a year and the last two times I  had ribs. I also said I was not going to drink wine. "If I am going to drink wine with dinner it won't be cheap wine!" which is about all they really have there (it's a great place, but the wine list is less than desirable).


We started with a martini as we waited in the bar...The fellow at the front called our number to take our order- it's on a board in the bar, you stand there and look, then tell them what you want. Here are the boys waiting in the bar.

I ordered prime rib, rare. "Can I have a vegetable, any vegetable instead of the potato please?" I asked. "The potato is the vegetable" was the answer I received. David and Cooper laughed at me and David bent over to shout into Tom's ear: "Kristy tried to order vegetables at Henry's!!! ha ha ha"


They had a good laugh at my expense.


I looked up at the very limited menu and asked for a side order of grilled onion and mushrooms, I will not eat a one pound baked potato!

My dinner. The meat was great, I didn't touch the potato. They brought my mushrooms but ran out of onions, but I was happy and I ended up drinking cheap red wine, but had a fabulous time.

Saturday I woke up at 5:15, feeling not quite a good as I usually do, I had that martini and wine, I was kicking myself a little. It is my last day with German Volume Training quads and I was going up in my weight, up to 135. That's 100 squats at more than my body weight, all the way down to the floor.


I took my time drinking my shake, I really didn't have a specific time I had to be there, but I like to arrive when they open, it's not very crowded. Plus, I would need a squat cage and would have it for about 30 minutes, so I had to make sure one was there for me. That's right a half hour of non stop squats. Well, I would actually rest for 90 seconds in between each set of 10.


I got there about 10 minutes after opening and four of the five cages were already taken! What is this now Squat Saturday??! I quickly got the last one and started warming up, this would be hard today.


I started with 95 pounds, then 115 pounds. Then I took off the plates and put on "the big wheels", the 45 pound plates. I had done 130 with Roy on Wednesday and he said to go for 135- "Use the big plates- it will look impressive!" 


I started in with my first set of 135 and got through 10 squats just pissed off that I had any alcohol the night before. There would be no way I could do 100 squats, I was mad, but at the same time, who the heck would even know if I didn't do 100.

I would know and I am the only one who matters.

I kept plugging along, wiping the sweat off my face with my little dirty towel, huffing and puffing, talking to myself, I am sure I looked like a crazed woman.

After five sets I got a bench and pulled it up behind the cage so I could sit for 90 seconds when I rested in between sets.

I made my hash marks in my training book. When I got to seven I knew I could do all ten sets, I started zoning out, shaking my head, moving to the music. I was listening to the Beastie Boys "So What'cha Want"....(Email readers will need to navigate directly to the blog to view the video)

I finished my squats, all 100, then I sat on the bench for 6 minutes, just looking around and feeling pretty pleased with myself, and glad that I didn't screw this up. I walked over to the leg extension and did four sets of 10 at 90 pounds, very slowly. I could lift more, but not after all those squats, this was just the last thing to totally exhaust my quads.


Home, I had another shake with banana, coffee and got ready for wine tasting up in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was a beautiful day and we would take MyRedRocket with the top down and drive through the redwoods.


Of course, I brought my food, a great big salad with curried turkey breast, I enjoyed it with some fantastic Pinot Noir from Windy Oaks Winery. 


Sunday would be Back and Biceps, and I am going to bed early!

Antibiotics in Livestock

We all love to eat and we like knowing that our food is safe! Here we are: David, Cooper, me and Derek (my brother) enjoying breakfast at Mijita in San Francisco.


A while ago I posted about the dangers of eating meat- producers use all sorts of dangerous chemicals and antibiotics on a regular basis to ensure better profits. They have no concern about nutrition or our health.


A few weeks ago the federal government took notice and finally made a decision, citing drug resistance, they have restricted more antibiotics in livestock! 

Ranchers must restrict their use of a critical class of antibiotics in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys because such practices may have contributed to the growing threat in people of bacterial infections that are resistant to treatment.

Cephalosporins commonly treat humans as well as animals like chickens.

The medicines are known as cephalosporins and include brands like Cefzil and Keflex. They are among the most common antibiotics prescribed to treat pneumonia, strep throat, and skin and urinary tract infections. Surgeons also often use them before surgery, and they are particularly popular among pediatricians.

The drugs’ use in agriculture has, according to many microbiologists, led to the development of bacteria that are resistant to their effects, a development that many doctors say has cost thousands of lives.

The F.D.A. has yet to make final a guideline proposed in 2010 that would edge the agency closer to banning uses of penicillin and tetracycline in feed and water for the sole purpose of promoting the growth of animals or preventing illness that results from unsanitary living conditions. This issue has generated intense controversy among farmers and ranchers who contend that public health officials have exaggerated the danger of agricultural uses of antibiotics to humans.

When asked about the penicillin guideline, Mr. Taylor of the F.D.A. said, “We’re hopeful that in the coming months, we’ll be able to carry forward on that work.”

These are great steps in the right direction, but we aren't there yet, we have a long way to go.


Read my previous post

Stinging Nettle Soup

Everyone has heard of stinging nettles right? Sort of like poison oak, but milder. It doesn't affect some folks, but others who come in contact with it will develop a stinging rash.

Nettles have many benefits:

1. Pain: For many centuries stinging nettle is used as a herbal cure for treating pain, especially pain in the muscles as well as the joints. It is beneficial for treating pain associated with arthritis as well as gout.

2. Laxative and Diuretic: Stinging nettle herb is a natural laxative as well as a diuretic. Several studies have indicated that stinging nettle has a positive effect in the treatment of diarrhea and disorders of the urinary tract. It is also beneficial in treating prostate disorders. Studies have also shown that stinging nettle is also helpful in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia.

3. Hair: This herb is exceptionally is improving the health of the hair. If you use it directly on your hair it helps make them shinier, treat oily hair as well as reduce dandruff. Stinging nettle is also very good cure for treating baldness. Those who have started losing hair can use this herb to avoid further balding. Stinging nettle is also helpful in getting rid of lice.

4. Hay fever: Stinging nettle is a good cure in stopping the bouts of sneezes. It also eases itching caused by hay fever. Stinging nettle is considered to a good cure for hay fever as it has the ability to reduce the production of histamines in the body related to allergen.

5. Respiratory problems: stinging nettle is a helpful herb in treating respiratory problems like asthma, sinus, bronchitis as well as respiratory allergies. As said above stinging nettle is a very good histamine blocker which helps in keeping the allergies under control.

Stinging nettle is used to cure rhinitis and reduce inflammation without any side effects.

7. Bodybuilding aid: stinging nettle has 3,4-divanillyltetrahydrofuran which is a testosterone-booster. This substance helps in lowering estrogen level and increasing muscle, a good supplement for bodybuilders.

YUP! Go to any supplement or bodybuilding site and you will find stinging nettles sold as a natural testosterone booster!

Side effects:
Do not take stinging nettle is you are taking medicines which are blood thinners like aspirin. This herb reduces the blood pressure.

The soup was good! David made it. A very bright cheery green, and a great texture with a hint of lemon. It is from the book  Food Heroes by Georgia Pellegrini.

Stinging Nettle Soup

Dress yourself in thick rubber gloves and collect stinging nettles. The furry, painful-to-the-touch leaves are distinctive with the help of a good field guide, like Stalking he Wild Asparagus, by Euell Gibbons. Though they don’t feel nice, they taste nice when treated well. (If you’re not feeling adventurous, you can substitute spinach leaves.)

4 quarts stinging nettles
2 T olive oil
3 onions sliced paper thin
2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 quarts chicken stock
Grated zest of 1 lemon
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Crème fraiche or plain yogurt for serving
Salt and black pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Prepare a large bowl off water and set it aside. Working in batches, drop the stinging nettles into the boiling water for a few seconds, then remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the ice water. When all of the leaves are blanched and “shocked” in the ice water, remove them from the water, squeeze out the excess water, and set them aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil and add the onions, leeks, garlic, and fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft, keeping the temperature low enough so that they don’t gain a lot of color, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the plain with the stock. Add the lemon zest and potatoes and cook at a low simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the nettles and cook until heated through.
3. Puree the soup in a blender. Serve at room temperature, with a dab of crème fraiche or plain yogurt and lemon zest.

Rope Training

Roy surprised me today! Actually I think he surprised himself too. The big, long rope is always running down the center of the gym, I never really paid much attention to it, I figured we would get around to it when we did.

He changed the shoulder workout, we started with standing behind the neck barbell press, I warmed up then on to 65 pounds then right to 75 pounds and that's where we stayed, 8 reps, 5 sets.

Then seated dumbbell press at 35 pounds, 7 reps, I think we did 5 sets, maybe 6?

Then he asked about the rope, "did we use the rope recently?" "Um, no, I have never used the rope, or any rope for that matter."

A look came over his face..."never...used....the rope?"

"No" I explained I always wanted to use the sled, the chains, the ropes, all the fun stuff. I got to use the prowler with SC, but he never let me use chains, not quite sure why...

I told him that I have been having so much fun with everything else we have been doing, it slipped my mind. The smile on his face seemed to get a little smirky at that point. 

He looped the 40 foot, 2 inch diameter rope through the sled (that was already weighted with a  few 45 pound plates) and told me to grab one end and bring it together with the other, and hold one end in each hand like this:

I was supposed to do one minute on full blast and one minute rest, seems like nothing...well have you ever "done the rope?" ha ha, I bet not!

So he stood on the sled, stopwatch in hand and says "go" and I am supposed to undulate alternating arms like the fellow in the picture above. Big, strong movements, hmmm, it's  not working that well.

Then I am to switch to both arms together up, then down, using my legs and  my entire body to create giant waves of undulating rope.

My breathing is very labored, I am sweating, huffing and puffing, it's not over yet. Below is one of the Kardashian girls training with ropes. I suspect she does this about as often as she takes out the trash...in other words it was for the camera only.  If she did it regularly she wouldn't have such a well endowed rear end. 

Next I am supposed to swing one rope over the other and smack the ground, then swing it back over, and keep alternating, almost like "double dutch " jump rope, but it's slow going, let me tell you.

4 frigging sets....maybe it was 5???? I think the last time I was breathing this hard was my first kickboxing conditioning class!

At the fourth set Roy started laughing and said "oops, stop- that was 1 minute 20 seconds"...

WHAT???!! What the hell is the stopwatch for then??? 20 seconds extra is a lot with the ropes, let me tell you!

But I loved it, 

LOVED

EVERY 

MINUTE!

After I got home and ate, David and I had to go downtown to get a cheese slicer (long story you really don't want the details on), and we decided to go by the new cheese shop in downtown Los Gatos. We see Nick coming out, the owner and chef of Nick's on Main, one of my favorite restaurants. We stop to talk, he asks if I am competing (he knows we never come to the restaurant when I am on a diet) and I explain that I am in the "get big" stage, no diet, so we should see him soon. 

He looks me up and down and says "still training? You just finished now huh?" "Yes" I said and smiled. "Shoulder day, we used the ropes."

He could tell, my arms were pumped and full. I could feel the swelling starting....

Next Friday will not come soon enough!

Happy Hound

December 23, Friday and the start of my holiday! 11:30 to be precise. I am off until Tuesday, January 3 at 7:30am! Yahoo!


The good thing is the University shuts down, so it's not like vacation where you go away for a week and come back to 350 emails. I will have only a few.


I left work and went straight to Roy's, it has been very, very cold. In fact, this morning when I got up at 4:00 am it was 27 degrees. I live in California. This is not funny, not one bit. The morning before it was 47 and even that was way too cold for me. 


We trained shoulders and I had an especially good time, I felt good and full of energy. Barbell shoulder press, back is pretty straight up but Roy would tell you some precise percentage, 70% incline or something....


Warmed up then I am not sure of the weights, I was only doing 6 to 7 reps and I think maybe 95 pounds. I did 5 sets I believe then a drop set of 25.


Then onto dumbbell seated shoulder press with the bench back straight up, he said to be careful and not to tip forward and fall down on my face. That would really put a damper on a great holiday break wouldn't it?


We started with 40 pound dumbbells, making sure they are slowly lowered, all the way down to get a good stretch in the deltoids, then power up. The weight was slowly lowered till we ended with 35 pound weights, and we did 5 sets I think.


Then boxing! I am not very good but that doesn't stop me from having a good time. It's like the people you see on the dance floor who cannot dance even if their life depended on it, but they are having such a great time they make you laugh out loud. That's me boxing.


After I fought my way out of the traffic (the next day is Christmas Eve), I get home and David and I put a cold bottle of sparkling wine in a bag with two plastic cups and we are off to Happy Hound restaurant.


I haven't been here in years and years, I grew up here so ate here in high school! I had made plans to come here after my last competition, just for the fries and I never made it!


We ordered one medium order of fries, one cheeseburger cut in half and two waters. I found a table with hot, bright sun shining right down on it, a gift from heaven. It was so hot I took off my sweater.


David cracked the sparkling wine and poured it into the cups. We kept it down, the restaurant is directly across the street from the police station! ha ha ha


We sat in the sun, enjoyed the fries and burger, sipped the sparkling wine and had a wonderful time. Kind of like the wine scene in the movie "Sideways"...

Then home to make caramel cupcakes for Christmas Eve dinner, everyone is coming to my house as usual, but I will be at the gym at 6:00 am when the doors open to hit the legs! 

Getting Big and Enjoying Life

It was Thursday, the day before Veterans day which was a holiday for all of us. I sent David an email:


"Cooper and Lauren are going to Halu before their play- want to go out to dinner?"
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss"
"Cellar Door!"


I make reservations online through open door and get home at 5:30. We live in San Jose, on the Los Gatos border so we are right at the Santa Cruz Mountain foothills, the Cellar Door Cafe is over the hill in Santa Cruz on the other side of the mountain. It would take almost an hour with traffic.


As we drive over the hill I am talking about my "bigness". I want to get big, I am trying to get big and amazingly, my diet has been working. I have cut starches back to only 3.5 ounces ONCE a day (after training) and increased protein 2 ounces every meal, which is 12 ounces more a day- almost a pound of lean meat/eggs/fish. I have grown, I am 13 pounds more than I was 5 weeks ago. And, most is muscle, there isn't much fat, really. I have done a good job. 


But, I am still allowing myself to enjoy life and eat, drink and be merry on occasion. Tonight was one.


David said "It's a holiday! We are off!"  "Well" I said "I still have to get up at 4 am to go to the gym". "Your choice" he happily shouts as he zips along the mountain road. "Don't wake me up when you go!"


We arrive and I ask to sit at the bar, we love to talk with the chef and watch the action. We love this restaurant and we are lucky to have such a fantastic place so close. We sit and the server greets us "Hey guys! Nice to see you again!" I don't know her name but she is a wealth of knowledge regarding food and wine. 


She brings us a glass of wine then places a dish in front of us. "Chef has sent this out for you!"


Notice she said "Chef" and not "The Chef". Jarod Ottley is respected and he is "Chef". He waves and smiles, he has sent out a beautiful dish of Fried Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Chevre. 


Heaven. Absolute heaven. Jarod walks over and greets us welcoming us back. Here David is enjoying the sprouts.

And more sprouts. They aren't breaded, just fried and the cheese is smooth and smokey.

Bread from Companion Bakery around the corner, olive oil and salt.

The pizza oven and the prep area where Jarod stands and creates the masterpieces he sends out to the anxious patrons. 

We shared Local Greens, Lemon, Almond. It isn't just a salad, it is a lovingly created piece of art. The greens are local and dressed by hand, then carefully stacked on the glass plate. The couple next to me ask what it is, they want one too.

David then has Pork Belly Confit, Cippolini, Torn Bread and Bean. He has had a slightly different version of this before, he likes it very much.

I had Monterey Squid, Squash Blossom, Sunchoke, Corn. Oh I ate half before I took the picture!


A French fellow sat down next to me and we chatted, he ordered the Duck Confit.

I look at the menu and see "chocolate cookie". I ask the server about them, could they be the fabulous cookies I had last month? She talks to Jarod, no they are not the same. But Jarod will make them just for me, as a special treat!


She tells me they changed the serving size, they used to serve 6 and realized it was way too many. Funny, I ate all 5 last time, David had 1.


Here they are, my special cookies, little sandwiches, so I actually did get 6 (two per sandwich). Last time I guess there were actually 12! David didn't even have a bite.

They all watch as I thoroughly enjoy each cookie. Then the two women sitting next to David want to know what I am eating. They don't see this on the menu and they want them. Oops, Chef will need to make more I guess!

David said he would have me home in time for bed, we arrive at 8:30, I relax with a glass of sparkling wine then off to bed, 4:00 am comes early.

Next Saturday is Passport Day, we have wine shipments to pick up and they happen to be in Santa Cruz, I have made reservations for lunch at the Cellar Door again. We told Jarod we would drop off some of our wine for him.