The Velocity Diet
As I mentioned last month, I have chosen to enter a fitness competition this fall. I need to jump start things a little bit and have chosen to do the Velocity Diet during the month of April.
Wish me luck!
The Velocity Diet was created by Chris Shugart, Tim Ziegenfuss. PhD and Chad Waterbury.
Program Overview
Rapid body transformation requires two things for success:
1. A state-of-the-art diet and training program, based on hardcore science, and...
2. Your commitment to stick with the program.
They providing the program. You're providing the commitment.
Chris Shugart built The Velocity Diet system with the help of two world-class experts, exercise physiologist Dr. Tim Ziegenfuss and expert strength and conditioning coach Chad Waterbury.
The program is rock solid and complete, and requires nothing other than you doing it as outlined.
The program is comprised of two phases: a 4-week base program and a 2-week transition period, for a total of 6 weeks.
The eating plan is a protein-sparing liquid diet that provides one solid meal per week.
The training program consists of 3 weightlifting workouts per week and 1 bodyweight exercise session, called The V-Burn Challenge, which is performed on Saturday or Sunday.
You'll also do NEPA walks and NEPA activities each day. NEPA stands for Non-Exercise Physical Activity, and is included to further boost metabolic rate thus burning additional fat, and to speed recovery from training.
All of these concepts will be laid out in detail in other parts of the program.
For more information and to get your recipe for success, see www. t-nation.com
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Being Yourself – Being “REAL”
I recenltly put this theory to the test so to speak. Of course it had to do in the dating context, but I went on whim and just let it flow. What do you have to lose. If someone dosn't like you for who you truly are then asta la vista! Thus far this has led to one of the best experiences thus far in my life. Of course the companion plays a big part as well, but it feels so good to just...be me.
Being yourself is something which can, and should, come naturally, but often this is more difficult than it sounds. As young children, we express ourselves quite spontaneously, but for many adults this is sometimes a great challenge. Life has molded us to put up walls, fences, bridges which is actually quite silly since most the time these fronts can keep us from truly experiencing something amazing.
Be playful! Be who you are, and do what you feel. Being yourself doesn't need to be a chore. Be happy with who you are, and you are more than half way there. To some extent, the rest is automatic. You're already being yourself, at this very moment, but there is no reason to believe that who you are ends with who you think you are, right now. We can all grow beyond certain limitations, and we should give ourselves the chance to do so. Being yourself, however, also means affirming just that, including all your natural talents and proclivities, so that you can make the best possible use of your own best assets. You don't have to pretend to be something you're not, in order to be the someone who you are. It's not necessary. In the final analysis, being yourself is simply that. We all have things we're good at, or enjoy doing, and other things which we'd rather not have to deal with at all. Affirm your own strengths and preferences, being comfortable with yourself, as well as trying to satisfy others, and the rest will come naturally.
When we can share a little more of our true selves with others, without what we share offending the other person, we create a sense of kinship which helps to heal the separation between us. Being honest, or genuine, is the capstone of being yourself. If you must always remain aloof of others, by keeping your true identity a secret from everybody, or by hoarding your natural gifts and hiding what you know from them, it makes it very difficult to be yourself at all. Being authentic requires that you trust others somewhat, and this is often difficult, since people must render themselves vulnerable when they open up to others, but it is exactly what you must do, if you wish to drop your pretenses and really be yourself. There are often consequences for saying the wrong thing, when we are trying to be candid, however. It is therefore desirable to consider the possible impact of what you are about to say, before you speak. Gestures, of all kinds, can likewise be mis-interpreted. Nor is every kind of behavior appropriate, no matter who you really are. This is why it can be so difficult to be yourself. It takes guts! On the other hand, I am relatively sure that you are better at it than anyone else around.
So, what does it really mean to be yourself? If our instincts are dulled from years of living as part of human culture, does this mean that there is no hope for us to be natural? Thankfully, this isn't the case. What's required is actually fairly simple, in fact, it's simplicity itself, or rather, childlike innocence. Learning to play more, being more open and less pretentious, re-discovering and cultivating a sense of awe and wonder about life, and losing a little self-importance, will awaken your inner child, and allow you to be far more natural in your demeanor. This is the essence of being yourself! Perhaps, to some extent, "being yourself" is something you do, when you don't have anything else left which you must do, which might keep you from being at-ease and natural, but it doesn't have to end there. When people learn to set their masks aside, to reveal a little of who they really are, they create opportunities for personal growth, and interpersonal relationships, which might not otherwise exist. Therein lies the magic power of being yourself.
Being yourself is something which can, and should, come naturally, but often this is more difficult than it sounds. As young children, we express ourselves quite spontaneously, but for many adults this is sometimes a great challenge. Life has molded us to put up walls, fences, bridges which is actually quite silly since most the time these fronts can keep us from truly experiencing something amazing.
Be playful! Be who you are, and do what you feel. Being yourself doesn't need to be a chore. Be happy with who you are, and you are more than half way there. To some extent, the rest is automatic. You're already being yourself, at this very moment, but there is no reason to believe that who you are ends with who you think you are, right now. We can all grow beyond certain limitations, and we should give ourselves the chance to do so. Being yourself, however, also means affirming just that, including all your natural talents and proclivities, so that you can make the best possible use of your own best assets. You don't have to pretend to be something you're not, in order to be the someone who you are. It's not necessary. In the final analysis, being yourself is simply that. We all have things we're good at, or enjoy doing, and other things which we'd rather not have to deal with at all. Affirm your own strengths and preferences, being comfortable with yourself, as well as trying to satisfy others, and the rest will come naturally.
When we can share a little more of our true selves with others, without what we share offending the other person, we create a sense of kinship which helps to heal the separation between us. Being honest, or genuine, is the capstone of being yourself. If you must always remain aloof of others, by keeping your true identity a secret from everybody, or by hoarding your natural gifts and hiding what you know from them, it makes it very difficult to be yourself at all. Being authentic requires that you trust others somewhat, and this is often difficult, since people must render themselves vulnerable when they open up to others, but it is exactly what you must do, if you wish to drop your pretenses and really be yourself. There are often consequences for saying the wrong thing, when we are trying to be candid, however. It is therefore desirable to consider the possible impact of what you are about to say, before you speak. Gestures, of all kinds, can likewise be mis-interpreted. Nor is every kind of behavior appropriate, no matter who you really are. This is why it can be so difficult to be yourself. It takes guts! On the other hand, I am relatively sure that you are better at it than anyone else around.
So, what does it really mean to be yourself? If our instincts are dulled from years of living as part of human culture, does this mean that there is no hope for us to be natural? Thankfully, this isn't the case. What's required is actually fairly simple, in fact, it's simplicity itself, or rather, childlike innocence. Learning to play more, being more open and less pretentious, re-discovering and cultivating a sense of awe and wonder about life, and losing a little self-importance, will awaken your inner child, and allow you to be far more natural in your demeanor. This is the essence of being yourself! Perhaps, to some extent, "being yourself" is something you do, when you don't have anything else left which you must do, which might keep you from being at-ease and natural, but it doesn't have to end there. When people learn to set their masks aside, to reveal a little of who they really are, they create opportunities for personal growth, and interpersonal relationships, which might not otherwise exist. Therein lies the magic power of being yourself.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Igniting goals that fell to the curb!
Igniting goals that fell to the curb!
As a child I was the cute “chubby” girl. People always told me “oh you just have baby fat” or “you just have to grow into yourself”. This may very well have been part of it, but more of a contributing factor was that I was indeed a chubby child. I was a gymnast but a chubby one….try to picture that, ha! My mom would send me to my aunt in the summer and say “don’t send her back until she’s lost 10 pound”. As you can imagine, I was real thrilled to go to my aunts. Moderate torture and I never lost the weight, since I’d sneak to the candy store to compensate making me walk all over town.
Once I graduated High School, I began taking a very strong interest in working out, getting in shape and staying fit. I did end up losing all my “baby fat” and grew into myself if that is what you want to call it. The gym became part of my daily routine. I learning how to eat and what exactly proper nutrition entailed.
I became a huge fan of Oxygen magazine and favored Monica Brant and Lena Johannesen. One day I’ll be a figure competitor is what I kept telling myself. The years would go on and I just stayed at a “maintenance” level with my workouts. I’d try new diets here and thought that being a figure competitor was so far out of reach due to the time and effort it required.
Recently, I have had the pleasure of meeting someone simply amazing who has given me the inspiration, motivation and encouragement that I have needed this whole time to push me to the next level and really go after a goal that had slipped away. It’s amazing how knowing that someone believes in you can boost your confidence.
So, this year I will enter into my first figure competition in the fall! I have a long road ahead of me, but am determined to “just do it”!
Stay Tuned!
As a child I was the cute “chubby” girl. People always told me “oh you just have baby fat” or “you just have to grow into yourself”. This may very well have been part of it, but more of a contributing factor was that I was indeed a chubby child. I was a gymnast but a chubby one….try to picture that, ha! My mom would send me to my aunt in the summer and say “don’t send her back until she’s lost 10 pound”. As you can imagine, I was real thrilled to go to my aunts. Moderate torture and I never lost the weight, since I’d sneak to the candy store to compensate making me walk all over town.
Once I graduated High School, I began taking a very strong interest in working out, getting in shape and staying fit. I did end up losing all my “baby fat” and grew into myself if that is what you want to call it. The gym became part of my daily routine. I learning how to eat and what exactly proper nutrition entailed.
I became a huge fan of Oxygen magazine and favored Monica Brant and Lena Johannesen. One day I’ll be a figure competitor is what I kept telling myself. The years would go on and I just stayed at a “maintenance” level with my workouts. I’d try new diets here and thought that being a figure competitor was so far out of reach due to the time and effort it required.
Recently, I have had the pleasure of meeting someone simply amazing who has given me the inspiration, motivation and encouragement that I have needed this whole time to push me to the next level and really go after a goal that had slipped away. It’s amazing how knowing that someone believes in you can boost your confidence.
So, this year I will enter into my first figure competition in the fall! I have a long road ahead of me, but am determined to “just do it”!
Stay Tuned!
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