Category Archives: Uncategorized
Thinking about Boston…
I wasn’t planning to write about the events from yesterday or even the Marathon itself, but honestly I can’t stop thinking about them. I can’t even describe how I feel about them, but I just feel the need to write SOMETHING.
So when people usually ask me what I miss about Boston, I usually can’t really think of anything to say…
The weather in Cali is SO MUCH BETTER. There are so many more outdoor activities that I have easy access to. There is Mexican food EVERYWHERE…There is no MBTA here or snow or cars splashing puddles of water on you or rain that turns your umbrella inside out so that you actually get wetter than if you just walked without one….
I mean what would I miss about Boston!?!
But yesterday watching the horrible events at the Marathon and a visiting from one of my favorite Boston lifting ladies, made me really miss Boston.
I spent the last seven years there and even though I can’t describe WHY I love Boston or even why I miss it….I really really do.
The atmosphere of Boston is unlike any other. I can list a ton of things that I don’t like about Boston…and even when I can’t list one thing that I really specifically miss…I miss Boston.
It’s like it seeped into my bones…
Anyway, the events yesterday affected me deeper than I expected and am just thankful that all my friends are safe. My thoughts are with all those who were affected.
It did help in an odd way to see a friendly face from Boston yesterday.
On a lighter note, seriously strong chica, Judy, came in for a little “torture” session last night, which she CRUSHED!
It was a metabolic Monday and she forced her partner to work extra hard. Her partner even said to her, “I can’t keep up with you!”
Judy, you are awesome! I’m so glad you came to visit!
If you are looking for a serious core move, try a plank with one arm waves!
Paleo Drama
So I don’t know how many of you follow or read Paleo blogs, but there has been some drama going on in the Paleo blogosphere.
And frankly, I haven’t really been interested in commenting or getting at all involved until I saw a tweet by Mark Sisson the other day.
This twitter conversation was sort of the last straw for me.
I will address his tweet and the comments first before I begin my rant on about the women behind a lot of the drama.
For one, Mark is completely right. You may find an article or post on a site that you agree with, BUT that doesn’t mean that you agree with everything on that site.
I mean shoot….I know I have actually quite a few readers who are vegetarians. They obviously don’t agree with my perspective on nutrition, however, they do like what I have to say about working out!
So they may link out to a workout post on my blog.
If someone from their blog, clicks on the link to the workout article they posted and then happens to stumble on to an article about how much I LOVE meat, I highly doubt they are going to go accuse the author of the blog that posted my link of being anti-vegetarian just because they linked out to a post they did happen to agree with on my blog.
I know I’ve definitely linked out to conventional wisdom blogs that have ONE post that I agree with even if I don’t agree with anything else they’ve ever posted.
A good post, is a good post…PERIOD.
So when readers attack a blog author for linking out to posts from another site just because that site has other questionable content is COMPLETELY INSANE!
If you don’t like the other content on the blog linked out to, THEN DON’T READ THAT BLOG!
Secondly, I would like you to note the last comment on Mark’s tweet by Evelyn. I almost completely blanked out her info because I don’t really want to give her any more publicity since she is apparently seeking it out based on all of the rude comments she and another woman have been leaving ALL OVER THE PLACE!
But seriously lady!?!
Why insult him on a personal level even if you don’t agree with the links he posts? WHY make that comment about the memory supplement!?! WHY!?!
Also, as I stated above, just because you support one post on a site doesn’t mean you even agree with anything else. And if you, the reader, doesn’t like the site linked out to…DON’T READ IT!
Which leads me into the rest of the Paleo drama….
A couple of women have been attacking a number of the big “Paleo” bloggers…like Robb Wolf and Free The Animal, Richard Nikoley (who I actually don’t even consider a “Paleo” blogger).
They have even created a site that supposedly addresses:
Problems with the paleo community: misogyny, quackery, orthorexia, and more. Posts are by a variety of people. You can submit your own as well.
I refuse to link out to the site as I don’t want to help their rank on Google or really promote it in any way. If you choose to go in search of it and read their freaking ridiculous posts, the site won’t be hard to find.
But honestly, it isn’t even the site that really bothers me despite all the completely disrespectful shit-talking that goes on.
Hey…on your site, you can say WHATEVER you want. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to read it. Hence, I read a couple of posts, HATED THEM and refuse to go back onto the site.
BUT what I do have a problem with is when you start to take your fight onto OTHER people’s sites.
Honestly, I NEVER understood making nasty comments on someone else’s site. If you don’t agree, then don’t read their stuff!
If you don’t like the fact that Free the Animal uses the “c” word, DON’T READ HIS STUFF! Shoot write on your OWN site that people shouldn’t read his stuff, but don’t make nasty comments on his site about it! What’s the point!?!
Oh wait…the point is to get yourself publicity…not to ACTUALLY, TRULY make a point.
YOU JUST WANT ATTENTION!
One of the women involved in this drama actually created a fake account to attack one of the other commenters on a blog post and then denied it and finally admitted to it because the other person was supposedly “stalking” her….What a way to make women look bad!
It seriously drives me crazy when people do crap like this.
You can literally say whatever you want on your own site. I don’t care even if I think you are completely and utterly off base.
BUT if you are allowed to say whatever you want, ladies, then why can’t these other bloggers!?!
The whole point of a blog…the whole point of twitter, Facebook…social media…is to be able to say what YOU think!
And if a reader doesn’t like it? They don’t have to read it!
Plus I do just want to point out that what does misogyny really have to do with diet and exercise? Just because you don’t like their personal views doesn’t mean they don’t know what they are talking about when it comes to diet and exercise.
Also, quackery!?! UHM I would say you could use quackery to describe just about every opinion in the health and fitness field. You can find studies to prove and disprove just about EVERYTHING! We are all just experimenting and trying to find our way so really who knows what works.
If someone wants to try something and then write about what they found, WHO CARES!?! If you think their diet is stupid, DON’T DO IT!
And orthorexia!?! Please…For one they are writing a BLOG about diet and exercise…It is their BUSINESS. It isn’t like they are randomly going to talk about computer software on their health and fitness blog. I mean that is like condemning a golf website for only posting about golf stuff!
Anyway, that is my rant for today. And if those ladies DO happen to stumble across my site and my rant, I wonder what the would say.
They couldn’t get mad at me for cursing…since I rarely do.
They couldn’t get mad at me for being a misogynist because…well…I’m not.
I guess they could say I’m orthorexic…But then they should see the cheat day I had this week.
I guess they could also find some link on my site where I’ve linked out to a blog that has “hateful” posts. They could then accuse me of supporting a hate-filled site…
But then again…I didn’t link out to their blog…So that is one hate-filled site I’m definitely not supporting.
So now I ask…What do you think?
So…What’s Next?
You know…the clock is counting down and I still haven’t yet decided what my New Year’s resolution is going to be.
I do know however that Zaggora HotPants will not be part of my New Year. $112 for pants that will supposedly help you lose weight….BOGUS! Please PLEASE don’t fall for scams like this!
Make it your New Year’s resolution NOT to waste money…especially on bogus stuff like Zaggora HotPants!
Happy New Year Man Bicepers! I wish you all the best in this New Year!
P.S. Random fact but 2013 is the first year since 1987 that has four different numbers in it!
The Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Sunday
So today was just one of those days.
I got frustrated doing work. I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
I’m sick (and I haven’t been sick in about a year).
And I’m just plain old grouchy.
BUT then Ryan and I decided to go grocery shopping.
Who gets cheered up by the idea of going grocery shopping!?!
I DO!
ESPECIALLY when it is a special trip to The Meat House.
We haven’t been to The Meat House since leaving Boston since we’ve mainly consumed a diet of fish (LOVE YOU CALI!).
But when Ryan got a gift card for a wonderful friend (THANK YOU JUDY!), we decided it was time to make a special trip.
And I was excited to see what The Meat House had to offer since I’ve loved everything about Cali since we got here. I thought my day was turning around!
But it didn’t….there is one thing about Cali now that I don’t like…THE MEAT HOUSE.
I LOVED our Meat House in Boston. And this one in Cali was nothing like it.
My no good, very bad day turned into a TERRIBLE, no good, very bad day.
The people behind the counter didn’t seem to know anything about the meat. We waited for like 10 minutes for the girl who helped us to find someone who could butcher the piece of meat we wanted.
Why was she behind the counter if she didn’t know how to butcher the meat!?!
AND the only grass-fed meat they had was from Uraguay! It sat in the counter in plastic wrap!!!!!
Nothing seemed to be local!!!!! Which was super disappointing since Ryan and I have been basically ONLY eating local foods (produce, fruit, fish, eggs, EVERYTHING!).
Plus they didn’t seem to have any in-home made sausages like our one in Boston.
AH!
SUPER DISAPPOINTING!
I used to not mind paying a little bit more to get meat from The Meat House instead of just getting the grass-fed, natural meat at Trader Joe’s. I liked supporting our local shop since they were knowledgable and had a great selection. They were welcoming and seemed to really have a passion for what they did!
The Meat House in Boston is AWESOME!
But The Meat House here…well they need to step up their game.
ONLY A COUPLE MORE HOURS!
If you haven’t already, you only have a few more hours to enter the Under Armour giveaway for a chance to win a free Under Armour Sweatshirt!
Lobster, Bacon tacos with a Kiwi-Jalapeno Relish
Ingredients:
2 Lobster tails
Diced bacon (about 2 slices)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp Cumin
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tsp Cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grass-fed Cheddar cheese
Kiwi-Jalapeno relish
Homemade Corn tortillas (recipe to follow after tacos)
Cook bacon bits in a saute pan.
While bacon is cooking, de-shell lobster and dice. Season with cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt.
When bacon is brown, remove bacon bits and add butter and lobster tail to pan. Cook until lobster is fully cooked and add bacon back in.
Add bacon-lobster mix to corn tortillas. Top with a few thin slices of grass-fed cheddar and two tsp of kiwi-jalapeno relish.
Serve warm with a side of your choosing. (We made a nice romaine salad with tomatoes, blue cheese and an olive oil, balsamic and dijon mustard dressing.
Note: I linked out to the company that made the relish we got at the farmers market (All-natural ingredients! YAY!). I will be making my own though next time and will then post a recipe!
Corn tortillas:
2 Cups Masa Harina (make sure you get non-genetically modified corn)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups hot water
Put the masa harina into a bowl and add in salt.
Heat the water then slowly add it into the masa harina and salt. Mix as you go. I don’t usually use more than 1 1/2 cups. Add water until the dough is spongy, but not sticky.
Roll dough into a log and wrap in a damp paper towel. Let the dough sit for 1 hour.
Then roll out 2 inch balls after the dough has sat for 1 hour. Flatten the dough using a rolling-pin or a tortilla press. (I use a tortilla press and put cling wrap on both sides of the press so the dough won’t stick.
I then cook the tortillas in a hot cast iron about 1 minute on each side or until the tortilla is cooked to your liking.
Serve warm!
ADAPTION
I’ve been really down on the fitness industry recently.
Everyone is out to only prove that THEIR WAY is the RIGHT WAY.
There is no acceptance that a lot of different things work for a lot of different people.
I’ve heard too many people rail against certain forms of training and dieting recently instead of seeing the reasons why it might work for certain people.
This close-mindedness is simply annoying.
THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY!
If you want to be a truly successful individual, you need to constantly learn and evolve and work to fit methods to people.
One size doesn’t fit all.
You can’t just come up with a program or diet that is supposed to work and expect it to fit everyone perfectly.
No…you come up with a plan, then regress it or progress it as needed to fit the person.
You adapt!
Being able to adapt a program…Being able to think on your feet and come up with creative solutions to problems is what truly makes a good trainer.
There is no one right way to accomplish a goal and a GOOD TRAINER, a trainer who knows the “right way” is one that will use all of his or her knowledge to come up with a specific program ADAPTED to your specific needs.
So next time someone says they’ve discovered a plan that helps everyone reach their goals, ask them how this program will address your specific needs and concerns. Because if YOU weren’t factored into how they designed the program, it probably isn’t perfectly fit for you!
Friday Fun
Some random fun to celebrate Friday….just because!
Two things I found this week while shopping that I absolutely LOVE:
1. Macadamia nut butter
2. Coconut Chips from Trader Joes
They have a touch of sugar…which means next to nothing! YAY! A good little “dessert!” P.S. those are not my hands…manicures do not survive with me….
Also, I went rock climbing with the team last week and LOVED IT!
Rock climbing! YAY!
What better way to see all of your training pay off than to feel physically fit enough to take on any challenge!?!
AND Ryan got a trigger point “Grid” for his birthday…which I’ve stolen to use like every day!
And finally…wish me luck.
I’ve started a new training program which I’m pretty sure will end up upping my deadlift AND help me accomplish a few feats on the VersaClimber and battling ropes. The program was designed by one of the owners of Innovative Results and I’m interested to see the results!
Have I mentioned before that I love self-experimentation!?!
Right now, I’m just working my butt off…and I haven’t been so sore consistently in a while. Although I do feel better after my 7 mile run yesterday. (Uhm yep…I ran 7 miles…who would have thunk it…BLEH…haha)
Anyway, stay tuned for some unconventional tips to help you up your deadlift!!!
HAPPY FRIDAY! Get some delicious healthy snacks, go play and then foam roll for a little recovery! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!
Today is Ryan’s birthday and the sixth one we are celebrating together! YAY!
They are usually plan for binge days. We eat really clean before and really clean after, but don’t hold back on his birthday.
BUT while this is all great, it isn’t what makes Ryan’s birthday so special. It is the fact that on this day, so many years ago, he was born! (I tease him all the time about how old he is…soon I won’t be able to because he will actually be old…just kidding!…but seriously…)
Ryan has spoiled me. He works out with me and has full confidence in my knowledge even though I’m female. He also doesn’t worry when I lift heavy weights that I will become bulky.
He is not threatened by the fact that I may every so often kick his butt in a workout or sport (hey it’s his birthday so I was nice and said, “every so often” )
But unfortunately the last two days I’ve realized that not all men are like this.
I know there are still men out there that don’t believe a woman should lift heavy or that a woman could know more about working out then they do, but I just hadn’t encountered any recently so I sort of forgot that they still existed.
But they really honestly do.
It’s sad.
I was subbing a class the other night for another trainer, a male trainer. During the class a male participant decided to argue with me about his plank form. I of course stayed firm because I knew I was right and in the end basically just had to say, “Just do it.”
He did and by the second round of our circuit he couldn’t hold the plank for the full amount of time.
Because guess what!?! By sagging his hips he had made it easier on himself and when he did the correct form, what I told him to do, it was too hard for him to fully maintain.
Hmmm…Looks like I, a female, did know something….
I also got told after that class by a man that my “yelling” was belittling him. I almost laughed because literally I had been yelling at him because I thought he couldn’t hear me since he never responded to my directions! So here I was raising my voice louder because he didn’t respond so I just figured he couldn’t hear me and he was saying I was “belittling” him.
I said exactly that to him and said that next time if he could just let me know he heard, I would be able to keep my voice down.
His response was, “Well my ears close down when a small little female is yelling at me.”
WHAT!?!
AHHHHH! That small little female was your trainer you dope! She was in a loud gym and trying to push and encourage the entire class to work hard! LISTEN NEXT TIME! Maybe you will learn something!!!!!
And to round out this crazy sequence of events, I encountered a potential client yesterday who wanted to “get bigger and stronger.”
I started discussing workouts and rep ranges and made a comment about my powerlifting training.
He then says to me, “So were you way bigger when you did it?”
HUH!?! (This is the look I gave him back)
And he then says, “Like were you super bulky?”
AHHHHHHH!
I stared at him and said, “NO.”
I almost couldn’t speak. When will this belief that women will get bulky if they lift heavy disappear!?!
When will women, especially highly CERTIFIED women, finally be respected in the gym!?!
Anyway, I will be spending today with one of the best men out there…RYAN! And I will be trying to forget again that there are men out there that are_______________. (Trust me you can fill in the blank.)
Top 10 Healthiest….
Oh who cares!
Every other day you see a new news article about the Top 10 Healthiest Fish/Cereals/Fruits/Vegetables…But seriously…WHO CARES!?!
Yesterday I made a comment to Ryan about how someone was eating swordfish instead of salmon and that salmon was much better.
He said, “Yay but still…it could be way worse.”
“It could be way worse.”…SO TRUE!
Why are all of these news articles so focused on telling us what the healthiest of already goods food are? Why not focus on making people more aware of how bad vegetable oils and processed foods are!?!
It is almost like what I was saying about supplementation the other day. We worry about micromanaging our diets when our macronutrient intake is awful – we focus on what is the best of an already healthy food instead of at least getting people to eat the worst of a healthy food!
I mean really…If someone doesn’t eat fruit or vegetables, isn’t it way better that they eat bananas and iceberg lettuce than no fruits and vegetables at all? I know we could argue that berries and spinach are way better for you, but isn’t eating fruits and vegetables the most important part.
At least they are eating something non-processed with nutrients!
As Ryan said, “It could be way worse!”
So next time you want to tell your friend that iceberg lettuce isn’t as good as spinach, think about how many WORSE choices they could have made!
