Post Exercise Eating Part I

Whoa Nelly!

One look here and you are thinking "Damn...she got big!"

Yes I did thank you very much, and that was and still is my goal. It's all a cycle, just like life itself. There is a starting point, changes, backslides, moving forward, nothing is constant.

In the sport of figure, you have to get very, very lean. You also need to sport some pretty impressive muscle. You cannot stay on a diet all the time or you start to look haggard, you lose muscle and you look old and tired.

You may also be interested in doing this even if you don't compete.

So life goes in cycles. Gain and lose, gain and lose.

You bulk up part of the year. You don't have to get fat, in fact, that's not a good idea at all, but with muscle gain comes some fat gain, they sorta go hand in hand, but you can control how much of each if you eat properly.

Eating post exercise is critical because your body is better prepared to receive and store carbohydrate that at any other time during the day. I shudder when I hear women (mostly) talk about how they exercise on an empty stomach, then they don't eat anything for hours, just to make sure they have "burned off all those extra calories".

What they have done is ensure they will look like helpless, skinny, emaciated waifs for a long, long time. Yuck!

Timing is critical. At no other time during the day is your body as receptive to nutrient intake as it is immediately after training. Research shows that the restocking if the muscles' carbohydrate stores is two to three times as rapid immediately after exercise as it is a few hours later.

In the same way, other research shows that the repair of muscles damaged during exercise is more effective if protein is consumed immediately after exercise.

Tomorrow, exactly what and how much to take in?

After the Holiday

It's Monday and it feels good to get back to my routine. I am a creature of habit, I thrive on structure.

David and Cooper have two weeks off, one down, one to go. Last week I had half of Thursday and all of Friday off. This week I am off Thursday and Friday.

The holidays mess with my schedule so they mess with my head and my body. I stick to my training schedule when I can, meaning if I am at home, and the gym doesn't have special hours, I am on schedule. I could sleep in as late as I like on my days off, but I won't, I leave the alarm just as it always is (only I turn off David's side).

I know that sticking to a schedule makes me and others more successful, studies prove it. If you just decide to go to the gym 'whenever", that "whenever" may never come.  It makes it even that much easier to decide to stay up late and party, since you don't "have" to be at the gym at a certain time, and then it all snowballs.

Same with your food. Try to stick to your scheduled meals. Kim taught me to fill up on my scheduled meal, then if I really wanted something I shouldn't be eating, I am less likely to eat very much of it.

So this morning, I was at the gym at 5:00am when they opened, I hit the shoulders hard and threw in some extra cardio, I am jumping rope everyday this week, I am too jiggly around the middle to feel good. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 when I get home.

I ran up and down my 300 stairs just before lunch. Since I am at a University, usually there are lots of students hanging around the area I run, and a few always watch with dismay as I run up and down, over and over, huffing and puffing and sometimes singing to my music a little too loudly I think,  but it is winter break and no one is here, it's very very quiet.

I only had two observers this day. One apparently homeless man and one man in a wheelchair. I wondered what was going through their heads? Perhaps the homeless man was thinking that if he had enough to eat for a few days in a row, he may have energy and then he might be interested in running stairs with me. And the man in the wheelchair? He may have been wishing he was just able to walk and marveling at the thought of actually running up the stairs.

I felt very fortunate as I finished my stairs, fortunate that I have more than enough to eat, and I have my health. I will remember this as I choose my food and decide how to treat my body every moment of the day.

Surprising Hereos

Cooper- at my mother and father in laws house on Christmas evening.

We had a good day, Cooper was waiting patiently for round two of prime rib, he was in heaven!

Me? I enjoy it, but I feel a little apprehensive, I work hard all year long and eating a lot of fat or fried foods is not a good deal for my body, but sometimes, it's good for the soul.

I know it's not healthy for me to separate myself from the family so much, we eat different meals so many times, I do need to get in sync with them on occasion. The last two days were just that occasion.

It is important to remember that there are many "signs' of eating disorders, and one is removing yourself from family events, or gatherings with friends if it involves regular food.

Bodybuilders and Figure competitors  are fairly notorious for their eating disorders.

I always joke that "I don't have an eating disorder, I have disordered eating", but if you aren't careful, it's no longer a joke.

Now, if you are prepping for a competition, so you are on the 12 week span of "the diet", that's OK. If you aren't prepping, and just "worried about getting fat", maybe you need to think about this.

Keep that in mind, it's an important thing to remember. Don't fall into the trap.

A few regular meals may make you feel bloated or lethargic, but think of the time you are spending with the people around you. Choose the healthier items on the table, limit the garbage, you can do it.

We had two surprise visitors on Christmas evening. There is a young, strapping man who lives across the street from my in-laws, and he stopped by with a bag full of warm, just baked bread!

Solomon and his family bake bread at home and it smelled heavenly, he had several varieties including our favorite bollios for sandwiches. (And they were wonderful too!)

He had heard about us from David's father, but we had never met. We chatted a bit about weight training and he said goodbye and walked home, across the street.

Moments later the doorbell rang. It was Solomon's wife, Alicia. She wanted to meet the family.

Alicia was very exited to meet me because she had seen my competition pictures, but found it hard to believe someone who worked full time, had a child and husband could still look the way I do.

We talked about her newest challenge, she has entered a "biggest loser" challenge. I am not sure if it is a local or regional challenge, but it will be exciting either way.

I hope she keeps me posted, I can tell she will be quite successful!

We talked a bit about what aspect is the most difficult (eating right gets you where you want to be, that's the hardest part) and I gave her my card, told her to email if she had any questions.

The next day Alicia posted a comment on my blog, saying "You are an inspiration to me. I have seen you as a real person, now I know you really exist"

Alicia probably doesn't realize what an inspiration she was to me today. I am feeling a bit heavy, a bit jiggly, in fact, although I said I wouldn't exercise, I felt the need to do some track intervals when I returned home on Sunday.

We are all so fortunate to have people who aspire to be; and then people who are here to inspire. Remember, cherish the people who ask for help, who reach out, who are bold enough to ask the questions.

I gain the most inspiration from people who have an enthusiasm and drive that I see in myself, those who are not afraid to ask for help or advise and seek those who can help make them what they strive to become. These are my heroes.

Harvest

October harvest in my front yard.

This is one of the wonderful things about California. I was awakened by my husband, the sun was up, time to go pick grapes, ugh...

The wonderful part? See what I am wearing? Tank top and shorts. In October. Nice.

We make wine, and instead of a lovely manicured front lawn for others, I have a wonderful lawn and garden in the back, and grapevines in the front.

We don't have a big front yard, only 50 vines, so "harvest" doesn't take long, as you can see, I have my coffee and it isn't too strenuous.

I guess I could at least brush my hair first....

Here is David with some particularly beautiful clusters, aren't they nice?

David's hobby of wine making is a passion for him, just as weight training is a passion for me.

They are very different though. I think my son phrased it best:

"Dad, your  hobby is a lot easier than Mom's. She has to diet and lift heavy weights all the time, and all you have to do is sit around and drink wine and eat cheese and sausage."

Wine making is a great deal of work. Those folks who think it is glamorous have absolutely no idea. I guess if you inherit a winery and you employ a wine maker and a whole crew, so all you do is reap the rewards, it is glamorous.

For the rest of us, it's hard work.

Until you get to the drinking part, that isn't so rough actually.

I think the toughest part is the fact that our two hobbies couldn't be more polar. If you think about it, there really is no way I can drink wine and get up everyday at 4 am to lift weights, so I end up not drinking very much (meaning, I will go a long time without drinking). Sometimes I go months (when prepping for a competition) and other times it is days. With the holidays upon us, I am not too concerned and have enjoyed myself quite a bit!

I understand that our winemaker (David) seems to believe that the 2010 harvest will be especially good.  The wines are already showing well, with a lushness and spice that will reward us later.

Stop by anytime, the tasting room is always open!

Merry Christmas!

I am enjoying the holidays, this year it is so relaxing for me. Usually I play hostess to the entire family on Christmas Eve, but almost everyone went their own way this year!

I am celebrating the time off with David and Cooper, that's it! We are not religious, so we just enjoy the time together, nothing formal or structured.

Christmas Eve I made what Cooper requested : "Prime" prime rib from Shaubs Meats in Stanford (meaning it was really prime, not just the cut but the grade), Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes, peas and gravy. No dessert, it's all about the meat and potatoes. I had a cocktail before and wine during dinner.

We had a little break at Enoteca La Storia in Los Gatos. We are enjoying some wine and snacks. They have wonderful wines by the glass and great Italian delights to nibble on.

Christmas and the following day are about the only two days I do not go to the gym or exercise. It's not that I am making a concerted effort to skip it, I would go to the gym if they were open!

I will get up and have coffee and breakfast, and my son will open his gifts, then off to the in-laws we go and stay the night. I won't return home until late Sunday afternoon, most likely too tired to go to the gym.

Monday I will wake up bright and early and hit it all over again!

There is no need to feel guilty, we should all enjoy the time with friends and family and have some good food.

A lot of people struggle with skipping workouts and the holidays in general, so they don't enjoy themselves. I still do, I just don't go "hog wild". At least, not for long.

It is important to remember that while we may have a specific goal of weight or fat loss, we all have lives and interests outside of our fitness world. We need to remember to enjoy life!

So, we gain a couple pounds. Unless you are an Olympic level athlete, get over it! You will be fine in a few weeks.

If you skip a few workouts, it's OK! Just get back into the gym as soon as you can. Forgive and forget!

If you are feeling like you have failed in some way or another, remember that we all fail at times. I read this on another blog recently and thought it was a good reminder (the Internet spreads things like a sexually transmitted disease you know).

You've failed many times, although you may not remember. You fell down the first time you tried to walk. You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn't you? Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat? Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.


R.H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.
English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.

Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.


Don't worry about failure. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try.

So enjoy the day, then feel good that you had the opportunity to share it. Get back into the gym and then bust your butt.

Booty!

I love butts. I happen to be one of the "genetically gifted" , I have a beautiful, full round butt all the time, even when I diet. And when I purposely gain weight, it gets even rounder.

Although I was "gifted" with a great butt, that doesn't mean it will remain looking great with no effort. I train my glutes once a week, for a full hour. I work them like the big muscle they are. People laugh at me, most of them have no idea that they could actually work their glutes for that long.

Let them laugh all they want, I don't have a flat butt, ever! I see heads turn when I walk by, and sometimes after I walk by, I quickly turn right around, look them in the eye and smile. Caught in the act! ha ha

SC (my previous trainer) actually gave me a 675 page book called:

Advanced Techniques in Glutei Maximi Strengthening, The Secret to Top Speed Sprinting, Back and Knee Injury Prevention and a Better Butt by Bret Contreras.

I have two videos here, the first is a serious one, 4 minutes long and it is Will Brink telling about the importance of "butt" training and eating properly to get that round butt. If you aren't feeling serious and want to see some awesome butts, at least take a look at the belly dancers in the second video. You will be amazed at what a well trained butt can do!

Make sure your speakers are on and email subscribers will need to navigate directly to the blog to see them.

Booty Building Facts by Will Brink:




The Way Your Back End is:

Locker Room talk

I was at the gym this morning and wandered down to the far end of the locker room so I could weigh myself.

I sat down on the leather bench (yes, they just remodeled and they have huge leather benches in the locker room!), and took off my shoes.

There were four other women there, all regulars, and fit gals ranging from mid fifties to mid sixties. These are no slouches either, they either spin or swim every single day.

They all greeted me with smiles and hello's, asked what I had been up to (it's a big locker room and I am usually at the opposite end).

I told them I was on a weight gain goal, trying to get big! They all laughed and said what fun that must be and they wish they could do that.


I had to explain it's not as fun as it sounds, your head gets in the way. They thought you could just eat whatever you wanted and that was how you got big. I explained the right way. Lean meats, fish, brown rice, oatmeal, beans. No sugars, no fats, no candies, limited bread and pasta.

What do you mean "your head gets in the way?" one asked..I looked at her and said "Do I look fat to you?"

"No!" she said with a crazy look on her face.

"Exactly!" I said. "To get lean and look good for a competition, you gotta get big first, and diet later. When you start gaining weight, just as you need to so you can gain muscle, you start thinking you look fat when you are not even close to fat."

 One said "Well, you do look really muscular now"

"Yahoo"! I shouted.

They asked about weights , what should they lift to gain muscle and get big? "Lift really, really heavy" I told them.

"Low reps right?" one asked.

"Yes" I said, "Heavy weight, low reps" I didn't bother telling her that the reps are low because if you are lifting heavy enough, you cannot physically lift the weight very many times, it's just a fact.

I walked away, feeling good.

The last thing I heard as I walked out was "OK grils! Remember this, we can do it too! Heavy weight, low reps! Heavy weights, low reps!"

Go get 'em girls! I know you can do it too.