I saw this article tonight and it blew me away! Please read it, all of it, and take it directly to heart—and I intended the heck out of that pun!

The processed foods you think are healthy for you are killing you!  Pure poison, toxins, chemicals—horrible.

Here’s the article:

25% of the average American’s daily calories come from a poison!

Be Defiant!

Christy

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I have another rant that kind of got dumped in my lap this week, because of something that happened to a dear friend of mine. I won’t give out names because I just don’t want to go there, and you’ll understand why in a few moments.

I have a dear friend who is an absolute guru in raw foods, and I consider a mentor. His advice has been invaluable to me over the past couple of years. I know his deep dedication to the raw lifestyle, and complete adherence to his principles of avoiding the dangerous toxins in processed foods. He has a beautiful baby girl, now a little over a year old, who has only had the purest raw organic food all of her little life. She has never been exposed to sugar, flour, sweets, etc that so many people start giving babies at an early age, which then sets them up for sugar cravings and diseases for the rest of their life.

When I ran into my friend the other day, he was incredibly upset. After much searching and screening, he and his wife had chosen a day care facility to take care of their daughter. They had to jump through tremendous hoops because they wisely do not believe in childhood vaccinations, and of course have not subjected their child to vaccines. Her health is beyond outstanding, due to her nutrition and lack of exposure to toxins through vaccines, etc.

One of their big concerns was what their daughter would eat while she was there. So they signed everything in the world that they could, stating that she absolutely could not eat anything unless it was provided by them. He said they stretched it a bit, saying she had allergies, they had religious convictions, etc, so that every single reason they could possibly use as a deterrent to her being fed the Standard American Diet (SAD) food was in force. All this was in her file, with the strict orders that she was never to be allowed to eat anything unless provided by the parents.

The VERY FIRST DAY she stayed at this, supposedly outstanding and highly recommended, child care center, when they picked her up, on her chart it read that she had eaten a ‘turkey sandwich and canned peaches’. And of course, this was a processed lunch meat turkey, full of nitrates, nitrites and who knows how many hormones, antibiotics, etc. And it was on white bread, made of toxic refined white flour. For a great article on why bread–even the ‘healthy’ whole wheat ones–is so dangerous, read THIS ARTICLE.   And canned peaches are full of all kinds of toxins, pesticides, etc. Not to mention that they are cooked, & the cans contain very harmful chemicals. The beautiful meal and smoothie they had provided for her for that day was still in the day care center’s refrigerator, untouched.

Naturally, my friends had a fit. They hadn’t even tried to explain their lifestyle and food choices to the center.  They had stated that she couldn’t have the food because of allergies, religious beliefs, etc., which are more socially acceptable to the ’sheeple’ who mindlessly believe in the fallacy of the food pyramid and think that marketing lies are solid food science.   So for all these people knew, this child could really have had a deadly allergy. Do they just feed peanuts to any child, without checking the file to see if the child is allergic to peanuts, or do they just roll the dice and see if they asphyxiate? They fed the child their own food, ignoring the food the parents provided, and without looking at her chart. How dangerous is that?

Their response to the fury of my friend was, “It’s just a turkey sandwich!” You see, to them, that nasty fake processed meat on white bread is perfectly acceptable, or even considered healthy, as a food choice. What they don’t understand is that a child like this, who has never been exposed to those kinds of toxins, can have a very serious reaction. A ‘clean’ body will violently react to an ingested toxin and vehemently work to purge itself of the intruder. Even someone who has in the past partaken of toxic foods, will find after cleansing their body on raw foods that when they eat the foods that they formerly enjoyed, they will have nasty reactions now. It’s not fair! Like me, if I have even a half glass of wine now, I get a splitting headache and get so sleepy I can’t function. But it’s because my body is clean, and it clearly sees the alcohol for the toxin it is. (Sorry folks–it is a toxin! I am not judging anyone, but the truth is the truth.)

I don’t know if she did get sick from the SAD food or not, as I have not had the opportunity to talk with my friend since I saw him the other day. I felt so sorry for him, as he was clearly heartsick over the treatment of his daughter. And he is paying big money for her to attend this day care center, too. Those things aren’t cheap!

And you know the sad thing? Those people probably think my friend is a nut case, because they are so blinded by marketing and by their own addictions to processed food. They think children are ‘deprived’ if they don’t get cake and ice cream. Another dear friend of mine who is a raw foodist, has taught her sons well. Although only about 6 or 8 years old, they will reject a food offered to them by an ignorant adult, educating that adult by telling them that the food has ‘hydrogenated oils’ in it, or whatever the toxin may be. And as vigilant as she is, she has caught her babysitters giving her children candy at 9 o’clock at night and insisting they eat it, since their own children were eating candy. And these people think they are being kind. It’s so sad–the food extended by a loving hand is often the food that will send you to an early grave.

And the schools…….where do I start? The absolute crap that they serve to children as ‘food’ is criminal and reprehensible. And they wonder why they have behavioral problems, ADHD, hyperactivity, etc? No mystery there! It’s so hard to protect a child, even an older child. But when your baby is only a year old, they have no defense whatsoever. They are at the mercy of whatever an adult feeds them.

Even if you throw the raw food completely out of this scenario, it’s still alarming! That a day care center would ignore a child’s chart and blatantly disregard a parents’ wishes, even refusing to feed the child the food the parent had lovingly provided, is absolutely unbelievable, reprehensible, and downright dangerous. There could definitely be lawsuits or criminal charges as repercussions from that sort of negligence. That is why I don’t want to name which center this was–I am not opening that can of worms! But just know that even the best ones may not be a very safe place for your children, at least if you truly understand what good nutrition for your children is.

This made me very angry as well, and I hurt inside at seeing the pain and anger my friend was suffering. I wanted to pass it along to warn others of the dangers! I have done a lot of ranting lately, and I like it! I am sick of the travesties being foisted on people. The only saving grace is education. We have to share information, help educate others, and most of all educate ourselves. Do as my friend did–Be Defiant! Stand up against the mainstream and fight the current of ignorance. Fight for your health, and the health of your precious children.

Remember, well-behaved women rarely make history! And well-behaved people do little to change the course of history. Today will be tomorrow’s history, and you have the pen in hand. Write it like YOU want it to be! If you just make the changes within yourself—make yourself healthy, remove yourself from the juggernaut of conventional sick care, and become free of pain and disease—then you will make a little ripple which will influence others to follow your enlightened path. And the little ripple will become a splash, and then a wave, and then a tsunami as it gathers momentum, powered by truth. You literally change the world by changing yourself first.

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On a fun and positive note, I want to thank the awesome Bob Garon for featuring an interview with me on his excellent blog, Bob Garon Training. Bob is an expert with kettlebells and has a camp called Synergy Kettlebell Kamp. It sounds like a blast! I work out with kettlebells whenever I see them, but very few gyms in this area even know what they are. It’s a big trend that is gaining steam. Please check out Bob’s website at Synergy Kettlebell Kamp, let him know you visited, and give him some Defiant Love! You may even discover a great new workout!

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I also was interviewed this week by the incredible Shea Lynn Baird, who is coming out with a book on raw athletes.  I am honored to be included in her book!  I will be offering it here on the site when she releases it.

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And I got to have some fun today.  The owner of one of the gyms I train at, Back in Shape Fitness Center, is a successful chiropractor and a powerlifter named Dr. Ed Bull.  He has blended the gym with his practice, and offers great rehab for patients, as well as a really fun and hardcore workout environment.   Today, he shot a commercial for one of the local TV stations about his unique practice, which he is expanding to include a Medical Doctor who believes in natural treatments and rehabilitation.  And I got to be in the commercial!  You guys know me–I have never met a camera or a stage I didn’t like!    In the commercial, I am playing one of the ‘patients’ who is rehabbing her knee and shoulder on the weight machines, under Dr. Bull’s supervision.  I had to do about 5000 seated leg curls before the cameraman was satisfied with the shot–and I had already worked legs for the third time this week!  My hamstrings sure did get an extra workout today!

I will see if I can get a copy of the commercial for here so you all can see it.  I hope it turns out well!  I am probably only going to be in there for about two three-second shots, but it’s still fun!

I am offering personal training at Back in Shape in Chapin and also at Brickhouse Gym in downtown Columbia.  If you are local, give me a call and let’s get you started on a program to create a fit, fabulous, fierce new you!

If you don’t live in the area, check out my online training and nutrition programs on the Team Defiance page! I can work with you no matter where you are!

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One more thing, I have launched a fun new social network for my clients and those who are interested in building muscle, releasing bodyfat, and becoming ridiculously healthy and energetic through the power of organic living foods. The site is www.Defiant-Health.ning.com. You can also click on the link on the upper right of the page. Please join us and share your knowledge and insight, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. Invite others–all are welcome! And I am posting a Defiant Tip of the Day every day, so you can get a little dose of Defiance every morning!

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Until next time–Be Defiant!  Start that ripple, and make some serious waves!

Christy

Aging Disgracefully—And Proud of It!
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I am so thankful for my husband, my family, and our beautiful farm that provides so many wonderful foods, animals, and lots of opportunities for great exercise through hard work. And all of my ‘most thankful fors’ were right there, enveloping me during the whole holiday. It doesn’t get any better than that!

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FOOD TRIGGERS

We drove over on Wednesday evening, after Michael finished work. My food struggles started that night. I had been pretty good leading up to the holiday, even though I was instructed to NOT work out for a week (that was killing me!) and there were no food restrictions. I didn’t want to destroy what I had worked so hard to build, so I stayed 90% on the diet, allowing myself a healthy treat meal every day. I was back on my beloved green smoothies, with lots of bananas! Oh, how I missed those. I also ate an Amy’s pizza–my favorite version: spinach with vegan cheeze and rice crust. I also had an Amy’s burger, and things like that. Not bad, just not things I can eat on a precontest diet. And lots of raw food! On Monday, I HAD to make healthy pancakes! My best bud Angela nicknamed me ‘Flaps’ last week because of my love affair with pancakes.

I planned that I was going to eat the heck out of my mom’s incredible German Chocolate Cake. I was dying for some, and figured I deserved it. One day won’t hurt, right? (Well, one and a half days. We started on it Wednesday night.) My body completely rebelled against the stuff I was eating! Wow, I was shocked at how bad it got. That’s the dichotomy of eating very clean for a long time–the things that didn’t cause any problems before suddenly become very toxic and make you miserable. For example, if you used to drink a lot of coffee or alcohol, and you eat mostly raw and abstain from those things, then when you allow yourself a little bit, very often the negative reaction is brutal. I used to enjoy a glass or two of red wine with dinners, and since Michael is highly knowledgeable about wines due to his former job as a wine distributor, we were part of a couple of vintner’s clubs before I started my raw food lifestyle. Now, if I have even a few sips of red wine, I immediately get a headache and want to go straight to bed. I just can’t handle it at all.

So, just one day won’t hurt, right? Well, it hurt me. I swelled up like a balloon and felt miserable. But the worst part was the cravings it triggered. I was amazed at how powerful they were. I was frantic wanting more and more cake and sugary things. It’s like it takes over your brain and it’s all you can think about. But I was feeling so miserable that my conscious mind was desperate to get back on my regular Bombshell diet. Which is just about impossible in the middle of nothing but Thanksgiving food. I definitely melted down on Thanksgiving, but the next day I didn’t touch any of the ‘trigger’ foods at all. I ate green smoothies, lots of salad, and didn’t touch cake or the sweet potato souffle (which was one of the best ones I have ever eaten.) That was hard–I was really struggling with the brain cravings. But my poor body kept me in line.

Foods like sugar, refined flours, etc. often cause negative reactions that end up manifesting as cold-like symptoms when the ‘detox’ starts. Both Michael and I came down with ‘colds’ after Thanksgiving. In my past life, I would have thought I caught a cold and taken a bunch of medicines. Fortunately, now I know enough to realize that our bodies were throwing out all those toxins and that we had to support our immune systems through the detox–yet not stop the detox, which is so necessary. I had some convincing to do with Michael, as he was ready to take a bunch of decongestants. Instead, I fixed up some great concoctions to support the cleansing process. The most successful potion was Apple Cider Vinegar, juice of 1/2 lemon, and raw unfiltered honey (that still has all the propolis, pollen, etc in it) That is amazingly cleansing.

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MY PUNISHMENT

My body really punished me! On Saturday, I conveniently reasoned that it had been a week since I last worked out, so I headed up to the rec center intending to bust out a very intense cardio session and hopefully sweat out the toxins and the huge amount of water I was retaining. I did my warmup on the Stepmill for five minutes, and felt great. I hopped off to do my first round of plyos, started my walkout pushup jumps, and after a few my quadricep muscles started to cramp up. No biggie, I thought. I stretched for a few seconds, and started another plyo jump exercise. My quads LOCKED UP. I mean, they cramped up so bad I couldn’t walk. I have never had a cramp in my life–ever! I was not prepared for the intense pain and complete loss of mobility.

It was all I could do to get down to the front doors to leave. I literally couldn’t walk very far, and the only relief was kneeling on my knees with my feet tucked under me, which seemed to help them release a bit. I had to kneel three times just to get around the track and then going down the stairs was pure torture. I finally made it to the couches and it was a good 30 minutes before I could even consider driving. My friend had to go get my stuff for me, because I knew I couldn’t walk back up to the cardio area.

I finally made it home, and immediately started looking for cramp remedies. I tried a few and then got in the tub in hot water, which was recommended to help relax the muscles. After an hour or two, I was OK and able to walk normally. But my quads felt like hard rocks and were so sore–some of the worst soreness I have ever felt. Only my quads cramped. Nothing else did, and other than my quads I felt just fine.

I didn’t try to work out on Sunday. Monday morning I tried cardio again, but this time upstairs in my house so I would be home in case it happened again. It did happen again, but not to the same extent. The foods I had been eating had obviously helped. In reading about cramps, I found that they are often caused by the body being extremely acid from–guess what–refined sugar and flour. Wow, talk about causing myself pain through food.

The detoxing has been hell. The cramps, the bloating, tortured intestines. Yuck! I am not exactly back on my diet yet because I have been eating a lot of foods to support myself through the detox. Not that they are bad–for example, honey is wonderful, but it is a sugar. No sugars are part of our diet, no matter how healthy they are. Same with fruit, which is also sugar, but oranges and bananas really help clear out the mucus that the body uses to help expectorate the toxins. But right now, my poor quads and my body need the help, so I am going to continue those things until I am back to normal. I still don’t know why only my quads are cramping. Weird.

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THANKSGIVING STORIES

OK this is already WAY too long, so I will save these for next time. We did have some interesting adventures.

Also, I am thinking about doing something very unusual, and I will share those thoughts as well.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show is coming on! I gotta go!

Be Defiant!

Christy

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I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I sure did, and I will share some of the great, and sad, things that happened when I get a chance to sit down and type it all out. I am in a bit of a rush tonight, but I saw this video today and it was so powerful that I wanted to share it with all of you.

Hi, my name is Bunny Berry and I am a Food Addict

Bunny Berry is an incredible lady who started a raw food website called Raw Fu. I love Raw Fu, and am an active member of the community. Bunny has overcome huge health challenges, and is so open and honest about her journey into raw food. She is a hero of mine, especially due to her transparency and unique forthrightness.

This video really hit home with me. It doesn’t matter if you are a raw foodist, high raw, or no raw–we all struggle with food addictions. The food companies make SURE that we do! They purposely put things in the food that trigger addictive reactions.  A doctor once told me that if white sugar were invented and introduced today, it would be classified as a Schedule 3 Narcotic!!!

When she speaks of going to the store to get a ‘forbidden’ food and then trying to hide the evidence, that resonated with me. I am human—-I have done that! Fortunately, only a few times over the past couple of years, but I have. One time, I got a pizza from my favorite Mediterranean restaurant and ate the whole thing in the car–and it was no personal-pan-sized pizza!  I have done the same thing with those iced sugar cookies and those buttercream-iced birthday cakes from the grocery store. I hid all the evidence, because I knew Michael would really get upset with me, but the thing is–I knew it, whether anyone else did or not. And it was only MY body I was hurting.

With the precontest diet and my goal I was so focused on, I didn’t have these problems at all! The scheduled ‘cheat’ meal really helped, but I didn’t have massive cravings, either. But boy, did I have a meltdown last week! Thanksgiving really got to me, especially because I had been given carte blanche from my coaches to eat anything I want and take the week completely off. I made myself miserable, actually became sick, and have been dealing with detoxing for the past few days. It has been hell. I actually got desperate to be back on the Bombshell diet, which I once thought was restrictive but now realize is liberating.  I will share the whole story when I have time. Until then, watch Bunny’s incredibly moving and honest video, and see if you can’t relate. I know I did!

Enjoy!

Be Defiant! Defy the food addictions!

Christy

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It’s been a very calm & smooth day.  I awoke at 6:30 & accomplished an amazing amount by 9am.  Michael went out to the gym & to run errands, so I had the run of the house & I took full advantage.

I am feeling good about my condition, although I hope I drop a good bit more water before tomorrow morning.  I am NOT going to try to carb up this time.  I am going to stick with high protein & ‘fat load’ a bit with nut butters & coconut oil & butter.  I am taking the herbal diuretics with every meal, along with senna & aloe as gentle laxatives to completely empty my colon.   The abs have got to be as flat as possible!

I looked up some of the bikini winners from the past couple of months, and was really surprised at the soft, even a bit fat, condition at some of the competitors.  The winners still looked pretty good, but definitely not muscular at all.  It will be so interesting to see what they do this weekend.  I am still betting on lean and somewhat muscular, but it may be a complete surprise.  It is still so new that there are not enough contests that have taken place yet to create a trend and a preferred ‘look’.

First thing this morning, I had a little bit of coffee/Teecino mix.  And I made a ‘diuretic’ green smoothie containing dandelion greens, celery, asparagus, parsley, a tiny Granny Smith apple, a kiwi, Vanilla Sun Warrior protein (1 ½ scoops), vanilla liquid stevia, & 1 Tbs of hemp seeds.  Actually not bad, although I was definitely not sure about putting the asparagus in it, but I didn’t taste it at all.

I am avoiding spirulina today and tomorrow.  I don’t know how much sodium is in it, but I am thinking that it may have a good bit because it is a sea algae, or at least has a lot of iodine.  Anyway, I don’t want to take a chance of it causing me to retain any water.

I made some incredibly decadent chocolate fudge again for the pre-stage sugar shock feed to go along with the red wine, which brings out the muscularity & vascularity when you take them in about 30 minutes before stepping onstage.  It is a concoction of raw cacao, cacao butter, coconut oil, carob, Celtic salt, pecans, Goji berries, & lots of honey.  MMMmmmmmm……….That will also probably be either the post contest pigout or breakfast Sunday morning, or BOTH!  J

There is a raw restaurant in Charleston called The Sprout, and I really hope we get to go check it out.  It is the only raw restaurant in South Carolina, and I have never had the opportunity to visit a raw restaurant. 

I am now writing this in the truck on the road on the way to Charleston.  We are on time, so far, and traffic is heavy but moving.   We have to wait until 3PM to check into our hotel, and I have my weigh-in and check-in for the contest between 5 & 7 PM.  The contest is at the Charleston Performing Arts Center, which is incredibly nice.  I competed in the 2003 NPC Figure Competition in the same venue, and it was great. 

We are planning to hit the beach for just a couple of hours before heading back home on Sunday.  I just love the ocean so much, so I really want to get my toes in the sand and play in the salt water.  I don’t need a tan—haha!   I look ridiculous in person now, with all the ProTan I have on.

I wonder how many other competitors who will be there this weekend are even vegan, much less ‘high raw vegan’ like myself?    But how will I ever know how well a high raw vegan athlete can do unless I compete in the mainstream competitions?  The natural contests are obviously the best place for me, but they definitely do not have the exposure and prestige of the NPC & IFBB.  Those athletes are the ones you see in all the big magazines, and are owned by none other than Joe Weider.  Admit it—you probably have at least one piece of Weider fitness equipment somewhere in your house right now!  He has sold more exercise equipment/’clothesracks’ than just about anyone else.  (Hopefully, as a Team Defiance Member, yours is not just gathering dust!)  

It’s like in the song “New York, New York”……If I can make it THERE, I’ll make it ANYWHERE……..So if I can make it in the NPC, I can make it anywhere.  And if not, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t because I don’t eat cooked food or meat, it’s simply because they were looking for something different than I presented.  But I hope that other athletes will be inspired to follow my lead and go in there and WIN!

I will update you as the contest progresses.  Stay tuned, and BE DEFIANT!

Christy

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A quick update also on the contest prep status.  I am feeling very fat and not close to ready.  I know it is just psychological, because people are telling me I am looking leaner.  I am always so hard on myself, especially when it comes to my abs.  I have been doing a bit of juice fasting to try to speed up the fat loss process.  It seems to be working already.  At least I am definitely shedding water weight. 

I have to share with you that I finally reached one of my goals.  I did 3 sets of 10 pullups on Friday!  Yay!  And it was so dead at the gym that nobody was there to witness my triumph.  Michael couldn’t be there, so I did it all on my own.  They were neutral-grip pullups, and so my next goal is 3 sets of 10 each on wide grips, which are much harder for me.  I was still very proud of myself.  When I started, I couldn’t do more than one or two, so I have come a long way, baby!

I have got to get off here and get some sleep.  More to come soon, I promise. 

Blessings, love and light to you all!

Be Defiant!

Christy

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Great quote today I saw on a website. No credit was given for who said it, but it is so true that I wanted to share it. Character is what really counts, and is the only thing that creates longevity of success.

Remember a few days ago when I was so proud I had completed a fast? Well, I think the fast worked. I am apparently in a full-blown detox now. I started feeling badly on Saturday, and by Sunday my throat was really sore and my head was stuffy. I know I should have fasted then, because fasting is by far the quickest way to get rid of an illness. But I didn’t. I kept right on eating, although I was loading up on citrus fruits and antioxidants.

I was feeling a little better Monday, and worked out. Then yesterday, I got stuck at a re-inspection of a house that had NO heat on, and it was snowing and freezing cold. We were there for over two hours. The inspector’s hands were so cold he was having a hard time writing. I was wearing very cute pointy-toed, high-heeled boots, which were definitely only for show. My feet got so cold it hurt to walk. I was miserably cold by the time we got out of there. I didn’t get to work out yesterday, between working at the Living Well Cafe, watching history at the Inauguration, and the long inspection that lasted far longer than I anticipated.   And I had to get back to the Cafe for the evening shift.

I don’t know if the cold is what did it, but my sinuses are in an uproar. They are draining like crazy. I used to think that these types of symptoms were the problem, and should be suppressed. Which is what everyone does–they take all kinds of medicine to get rid of the mucus, phlegm and drainage.   That’s a mistake, and short-circuits the body’s natural defenses, creating a vicious cycle.  Now I know that those ’symptoms’ are actually the body’s perfect immune system doing its job. The drainage is what gets rid of the toxin, virus, or threat to the immune system. So now I know not to interrupt the process. I also know I am supposed to rest and fast, and I am not able to do either one of those. I need to stay up all night to get all I need to do done!

But even though I now understand what is happening, it still doesn’t make it better. It stinks. I haven’t had a ‘cold’ in a couple of years now, and most of my detox symptoms have been digestion-related, or manifesting through skin breakouts. This is the first time I have had the bad drainage. Yuck. I don’t like it. But I know something is being purged out of me. I want it gone quickly!

I did still manage to work out tonight, and Michael and I did fairly heavy shoulders. On my sets of front delt raises, all the 15-lb dumbbells were taken, and all that was available was 17.5 lbs. I thought they would be way too heavy, since 15 is a challenge, but I was able to get 3 sets of 8 reps, with decent form. I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t been forced to challenge myself and defy my perceived limitations. So that was a good lesson!

Shoulder workout:

• Warmup on recumbent bike
• Light warmup on overhead press machine—20 reps, then 15, then 2 heavier sets of 8
• Military press on Smith machine; 3 sets, 50 lbs 10 slow reps, 60 lbs, 8 reps then drop to 50 for 4 more, repeat last set
• Upright barbell rows, 50 lbs, 3 sets of 12
• Lateral raises, 15 lb dumbbells, 3 sets of 12 each arm
• Front raises, 17.5 lb bells, 3 sets of 8 each arm
• Finishing set of lateral raises with 10-lb barbell plates, 3 sets of 10 reps

So overall, it wasn’t too bad of a workout, even though it’s hard to breathe.   

Sorry to cut it short, but I have got to get some work done and get some rest.  I have a lot to do before my class I am teaching on Saturday.  I am THRILLED at the response.  I was hoping for 20 participants, and we are up around 35 already!  Wow!  I have miles to go before I sleep……

Defying Detoxing….

Christy

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Yesterday, by the time I got to the  gym, I was worn out and pretty unmotivated to work out.  After an intense medical massage and chiropractic adjustment on my very painful neck, I had a bit of a headache and felt very lethargic.  I was supposed to meet Michael at Pivotal so I dragged myself down there, and then got a message from him that he was detained and couldn’t make it.  I expressed my ‘un-motivated-ness’ to my friend, who told me that I should go home and get some rest.  I thought about it for a while, and decided that my goal was too important, and I could at least get in a little cardio or something not too stressful.  Since I was there already, I went ahead and changed clothes, clipped on the iPod and headed for an elliptical machine. 

I swear, that iPod is magic.  It’s the greatest thing ever.  Music is so powerful!  Within just a few minutes of warming up on the elliptical and listening to hard-rocking inspirational music, I started to feel really good.  I picked up my pace, and then “The Final Countdown” by Europe came on and something inside me just blossomed into a passion for working out and meeting my goals.  I hopped off the machine and headed to the weight floor and ended up busting out a really tough shoulder workout.  So, thanks to the power of REVOLUTIONS, a burning desire to achieve my goals, and the greatest Christmas gift in the world (thank you for my iPod Honey!), my lethargy and un-motivation morphed into intense positive energy and helped me take another step in the right direction.  A valuable day in the countdown to competition could have been wasted, but ended up being an excellent stepping stone.

I cannot recommend enough putting the music that fires you up and inspires you on some sort of player that you can take along to the gym, on your runs, home workouts, or even just doing housework.  With the iPod I can completely control my environment and literally feed positive messages and awesome music directly into my ears.  I am continually amazed at the powerful effect this has.  I just read that there was a study done on powerlifters and their max lifts were significantly higher when they were listening to music.  Maybe you get fired up with oldies, classical, jazz, whatever.  For me, I get lost in the 80’s!  A little Pat Benetar, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, Bonnie Tyler, Journey, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Cinderella, Skid Row and Survivor is all I need to get into the Zone!

I worked in the Living Well Cafe all day today, except for a small real estate detour where I looked at a really cool house that I will be putting on the market shortly.  It is one of the most artistic homes I have ever seen.  I can’t wait to do the virtual tour on this one!  My photographer will have a field day with it.   During the slow time just after lunch, I rocked a tough back routine.  The last few workouts I have done I have been on my own, so I have been doing intense cardio intervals between sets.  I like that for two reasons:  One:  it helps me burn fat without sacrificing muscle mass, and Two: I can’t sit still for 60 seconds anyway so I have to be doing something.  I can already tell a difference in my bodyfat percentage.

I also think the detox diet last week, starting with the fasting, has really helped me lose some bodyfat as well.  I have dramatically cut back on the amount of nuts I have been consuming, as well as most other fats.  The only fats I am eating right now are avocados, coconut oil and flesh, and just a tiny amount of olive oil and certain nuts.  Smoothies and salads are the main staples of my diet right now.

Shoulder workout:

• Warmup on elliptical machine
• Overhead presses at squat rack, with rest pauses, 3 sets to failure.  I set the arms of the squat rack to be at the bottom of my press move, then I press the bar up and lower it slowly until it rests on the rack, pause and explode it back up.   I started with 55 pounds and worked up to 75.   I literally couldn’t get the last rep up on each set, so I held it as long as I could for the isometric work.
• Between each press set, I did 15-20 bench jumps and 50 revolutions with a jump rope
• One-armed Kettlebell swing presses.  These left bruises on my forearms!  But I really felt them and they kept my heart rate up.  I would squat down and swing the bell between my legs and then stand up while pulling it up to shoulder level, and then pressing it all the way up.  3 sets of 12, each arm. 
• Dumbbell lateral raises, 15 lb bells, 12 reps
• Bench step-ups between lateral sets
• Front raises, holding a 25-lb plate with both hands and pressing it up in front of me, 3 sets 12 reps
• Ab bicycles between sets

Back Workout:

• Warmup on two different cardio machines
• Body weight pull ups, 3 sets wide grip—I got 10 my first two sets!!!  Yay!!  First time I have achieved that.  My third set was only 6, but I am getting there!   Then I did 2 sets with a neutral grip to failure (5 to 6), utilizing a rest-pause on the last few.
• Some wonderful person had brought a recumbent bike over next to the squat racks where I do my pullups, so I rode 6-second intervals on the bike between pullup sets
• Bodyweight reverse rows on the Smith Machine.  This is where I set the bar about 4 feet above the ground, hang under it with my feet way out so that I am almost horizontal, and pull up to the bar in a rowing motion.  These really hit the middle back!  3 sets, 15, 12, & 12
• Between sets, I did very deep squats on the adjacent Smith Machine, both for cardio and also for extra leg work.  I only used about 75% of my max weight and focused more on the movement and squatting as deep as possible.
• One armed Dumbbell Rows, 50-lb bell, 3 sets of 8 reps each, no rest between sets just switching arms back and forth
• Reverse flyes on the fly machine.  3 sets to initial failure, then dropped weight and went to failure again for burnout
• Stiff-armed pushdowns on cable machine to finish.  3 sets of 25-30 lbs.

My post-workout smoothie was awesome today.  I took a young Thai coconut, used the water and flesh, and added a pear, banana, Vanilla Sun Warrior protein, laciniato kale & cinnamon.  Yum.  My dinner smoothie was an experiment that went well:   Flat-leaved Italian parsley, pear, apple, banana, coconut water,  and an avocado.  That was really creamy and delicious.

It’s time I head off to bed.  I can’t grow without adequate rest and recovery!  Until next time, be defiant and rock those revolutions!  Defy lethargy!  Even if you don’t feel like it, push yourself and use music or what ever else motivates you, and you will find that you can get into the flow even though you felt unmotivated before.   Love and blessings to you all!

Be Defiant!

Christy

Any of you who know me personally know that I eat like a horse, a hungry horse.  And when I get up in the morning, I am at about the same hunger level as a bear waking up from hibernation.   Do NOT get between me and the kitchen when I wake up!  So fasting is a big scary deal to me, like it is to most people.  Plus I am trying to gain muscle, not release weight (except for some bodyfat for my upcoming competitions), so I don’t need it from that perspective.  But digestion is the BIGGEST energy drain on your body.  It is the hardest process for your body to do, and when your body gets a break from it, then it has the opportunity to attack other issues that are dragging you down—like stored toxins, viruses, bacteria, parasites, and of course–that pesky bodyfat.  It also allows the body the energy to heal as well.  Eventually, I would like to work up to a 3 day fast, and then maybe a 7 day.  The people who have done it report incredible energy, feelings of euphoria and amazing health improvements.  But I won’t attempt that until after my competition days are done.

Today was not as tough as I thought it might be.  In reality, it’s not that bad.  You eat your last meal before 6:00 pm and then don’t eat again before bedtime, maybe just some water.  Then you don’t eat again until after 6 pm the next day.  So really, you are asleep for the first part of the fast, so that’s totally normal everyday protocol.   And in reality, all you’re doing is skipping two meals–breakfast and lunch.   How many of us have gotten busy and completely forgotten to eat all day?  See, not that hard is it?  During the fast, drink lots of water.  Most people interpret thirst as hunger anyway.  And an interesting observation on the Raw Divas website is that what we feel as ‘hunger’ is actually headaches, stomach aches, irritation, and other symptoms of toxicity.  This is very common for those who suffer from chronic toxicity, blood sugar and blood pressure disorders.   Or we are driven to eat by emotional triggers or ingrained habits, such as: time of day, stress, needing comfort, being around other people eating, smelling food, nervousness, a ‘reward’ for some type of behavior, etc.

In the not-so-distant past, I had major blood sugar issues, and would ’crash’ terribly.  My husband learned quickly that when I said I ”HAD” to eat, right then, that he better stop the car.  I would get violently ill and upset.  It’s a horrible feeling.  I know many of you know exactly what I am talking about.   That’s why I was on the Atkins-type diet for so long—that was what ‘they’ told me to do.  The doctors, books, media, etc.  They all said it was about sugar, to eat all protein and avoid fruits.  Well, I can tell you for sure that is not correct.   Now that I eat all the fruit I want and avoid the processed foods, all dairy, cooked foods, and animal products, I don’t have any blood sugar issues at all, and haven’t crashed in almost two years. 

My husband was absolutely amazed that I could go an entire day without food, and nobody got hurt and no property was destroyed in the process!  I did a similar fast a few months ago, and it was harder than this one.  My first one, I did get a headache and felt tired.  That is classic detox.  When the body is expelling toxins, the toxins go out kicking and screaming.   Plus, the body does such a nice job of sequestering the toxins to attempt to mitigate the damage, that the immune system doesn’t know they are there.  So when they are released, the immune system leaps into massive action, thinking there is a NEW threat to the body.  This often results in flu-like symptoms as the main way the body releases toxins is by secreting and excreting mucus, as well as through the kidneys, liver, colon, and skin.  Detox is not fun.  But today, I didn’t have any problems at all.  No headache, no coughing or phlegm.  And I even did a hard and heavy shoulder workout beforeI ate, and had plenty of strength and stamina.   Whoo-hoo!  That means I have made quite a bit of health progress over the past couple of years.  It will still take time to completely undo 38 years of eating crappy, but it will happen.  Actually, it’s amazing how fast our bodies repair the damage we so cruelly inflict upon them.

I kept myself busy doing computer work and taking care of last-minute details for a real estate closing I have tomorrow.  Keeping your mind off food is key.  But then I had my nails done this afternoon, and when I told my nail tech what I was doing, we ended up having a salon-wide discussion of fasting, raw foods, and what foods are good.  Since they are Korean, I love to learn about delicious foods that are not common here in the states.  And I had a wonderful opportunity to share the delights of living foods with them.  So all that talking about food for an hour did make me feel hungry, but I just drank a liter of water with the juice of half a lemon squeezed into it, and was fine.  Then I went to the gym, and Michael and I worked shoulders and abs.  I did great and actually felt very energetic. 

After the workout, I made us a great big green smoothie of pineapple, papaya, and kale.  I have to admit, I couldn’t wait for that smoothie!  It’s not good to break a fast with heavy food that is hard to digest, so a green smoothie is ideal.   And that was plenty filling to me.  I did start feeling hungry a little while ago, so I juiced a grapefruit and drank the juice–straight, with no honey or stevia.  That amazed me too.  I used to be so addicted to sugar that there was no way I could eat a grapefruit without soaking it in sugar.  Tonight, the straight juice tasted delicious to me and I didn’t need to add anything to it.  I swear it astounds me how much my tastes have changed, and it’s all for the better.  I enjoy food so much more now.

The rest of the detox isn’t much different from how I eat anyway.  There is just a lot less fat and I have to limit nuts, avocados and coconut.  Uh-oh.  That’s a really tough one for me.   I had already cut way back on nuts, but I usually have avocados every day, and I make my spirulina pies and puddings with young Thai coconuts.  Hmmm…guess it will be spirulina and bananas for now.  But you know, it’s only seven days out of my life, and there are many benefits to be had.  The world will not run out of avocados and coconuts.  They will still be there in a week and I can eat as many as I want.  They aren’t bad at all!  It’s just that on the detox ANY dietary fat is strictly limited.  I will let you know how it goes!

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Shoulder Workout, with Abs:

• Warm up on treadmill for 5 min
• Overhead press on Hammer machine, 1 warmup set, & 3 working sets of 40-50-60 lbs each arm for 12, 10 & 8 reps respectively
• Smith machine front press, super slow eccentric to a very deep position, pause for 1 second and then explode up.   Wow, that really kicked my rear end.   Michael spotted me so I could finish the last few reps.  These were heavy, so I was doing 6 to 8 reps, at about 75 lbs. for 3 sets.  My delts were burning!
• Lateral raise machine
• Cable lateral raises
• Front dumbbell raises, 15 lb bells, 3 sets
• Hammer Ab machine, 15 reps, 3 sets
• Bench Ab extensions, 3 sets of 15
• Bicycles, slow pace for 30 reps, 3 sets

And then I got to go guzzle my smoothie!  It was well-earned. 

I encourage you to try the seven day detox.  Yes, it can be intimidating, but change always is.  You won’t know until you try.  I didn’t think I could for my entire life, and it turned out not to be as hard as I thought.  And you won’t know your own strength until you test it and come out on the other side.  Beverly Sills said, “You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.”   Very wise words.

Defy your fears.  Defy the nasty toxins and chemicals that build up in your body.  Show them who’s boss and kick them out! 

Be Defiant!

Christy