Sometimes you just get the Funk!

11 Jan

Most people at some point have felt like they were in a funk. You know that feeling when you are not sick, not tired, but more like you are just off. Your motivation is sub par, you can’t do your normal workout that you have practically done in your sleep. And the worst thing about the funk is that you don’t know what it is. Most of the time the funk goes away and you don’t think about it until it happens again.  Once in a while it stays for a few days, then a week, and when it gets to two weeks I think its time to evaluate. I have recently had some experience with this and have some pointers for you.

  1. Know your body. If you are like me and a product of routine then you will know when something is wrong if you sneeze at the wrong time of the day. Well not really but take a look at changes in you that are not normal. Change in body, appetite, skin changes like dryness or acne, maybe a change in sleep pattern and mood changes. If you notice there is a change that might be a good place to start.
  2. See your doctor. It never hurts to get a check up. Mention to your doc any changes you may have noticed. Have some blood work done. You should rule out any medical conditions especially if it’s lasted more than 2 weeks. And Doc knows best.
  3. Change your diet. Sometimes your body is telling you something like “Hello, you are eating too much sugar and we are working overtime in here!” Maybe you have been abusing caffeine, alcohol, or fatty foods. All of which I have been guilty of. OR maybe you are under eating. Sometimes if you work out regularly over time you have added more lean mass and you haven’t increased your calories to support that. I have gone to the gym and felt funky because I hadn’t eaten in 4 hours and I am depleted of energy. If you are having mood swings your diet could be off. Changes in hormone levels can affect your mood (right ladies??). Hormones change when diet changes.
  4. Check your stress levels. I have been noticing as I get older that I am affected more by stress. I never used to get stressed out and usually was pretty laid back. Now I have to do a head check and make sure I watch my stress levels. If you have been going to the gym with your head somewhere else then maybe its time to find ways to eliminate stress. Certain kinds of stress require action. You may hate your job, then maybe its time to move on. You may have people in your life that are negative and abusive, then maybe its time to unfriend them on FB. Maybe you are buried in debt, it may be time to make some sacrifices. Whatever it may be, there is a ton of suggestions on how to eliminate stress on the internet. Just Google it!
  5. Set new goals. I always set my short-term goals as well as long-term goals. Short term goals are important because you have little milestones along the way. If you set your goals too far out you might feel after several months that the goals are unachievable. Make goals leading up to that big one so you have things to get happy about at each step of the way. It’s ok to change goals, just make sure you have them!
  6. Get a partner in crime! When I get the funk I talk to my buddies. They usually have ideas on how to get out of it or can provide some insight on why you may be in it. It’s true that your friends may know you better than you know yourself.
  7. NOT FOR EVERYONE, but get a swift kick in the butt! I just recently needed an attitude adjustment. I have been powerlifting for 2 years and I was feeling like I needed to back off a bit because I was a little burnt out. I started eating bad food, not working as hard in the gym and feeling a little like “I will do what I want to do!” This might be ok for some but this is not going to help me reach my goals. Not one bit. My choices were, change the goals or get back in the game. My coach and I had a talk and I was able to get my motivation back and a whole new outlook on my training.

It’s definitely normal to get in the funk but it’s not good if it lingers over you like a heavy fog for more than 2 weeks. So follow my advice and lets crush some goals!!!

If you need some additional inspiration there are several inspirational websites out there but one of my favorites is Crossfit Lisbeth.

Healthy diet, lifting heavy, and having a blast!

2012 Welcome!

2 Jan

2011 is now over and I have to say it was a great year! But I am looking forward to 2012 and all the new challenges it will bring. I ended 2011 with the addition of a new boy in my life. He is amazing and I love him with all my heart!

Meet Axel Foley named after Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop. He is 4 months old now and a French Bulldog. It’s all his fault that I have neglected my blog in so long, he had required more attention than time that is available to me. Now that he is a little older and more independent I am getting my life back. He does love going to the gym and watching all the action.

So starting 2012 lets just take a quick look at the things that are on the agenda. I’m starting the year in March at the Arnold Raw Challenge to defend my title. I love this event! I met so many amazing women last year that I have kept in touch with on FB and I am looking forward to meeting more. Also there are some girls I met at Nationals that will be coming this year that I am excited to hang out with. The Arnold is so big and so much is going on in addition to the powerlifting….can’t wait! Somewhere in all that I would like to get in some gear this year and see how that goes. My goals for 2013 is to have the opportunity to go to a world event and I think if I go equipped I will have a better chance at that goal. Of course Raw Nationals at the end of summer is on the calendar and that will be in Texas. I have some PL friends in TX that I would like to see while I am there so I am excited about that event. I also have some numbers I would like to hit this year as well as working on balancing personal life with lifting life. There is always room for improvement.

I am going to try to blog every week this year. Not saying its a resolution but just a personal goal. With that I will leave you with some PL info. I am always checking www.powerliftingwatch.com and this week I found some info from www.rawpowerlifting.com they revised the lifter classifications recently and its very cool to see where you stand as a lifter. I also learned that the strict curl was originally part of powerlifting (who knew?). So check out where you fit in the classifications and use it as a goal to shoot for! Click here for the classification.

Happy New Year!!

Liffit!

Rules are Rules

6 Oct

 

 

 

 

I knew absolutely nothing about Powerlifting when I started competing. There are lots of competitions out there you can go to and many different Federations that govern those competitions. I am fortunate to have raced motorcycles for many years and know a little about the rules and regulations that are involved in Federations. There are however some special rules that apply that may not be well-known when you start competing. This year my goals were geared toward competing in the USAPL, so I quickly starting gathering all the info I could to make sure I was following all the rules. One thing I learned right away was that the IPF has a particular rules about competing in other federations against banned lifters. So needless to say with my goals in mind I am only competing USAPL right now. Today I read the minutes of the annual meeting for the USAPL and here clearly is proof the rule is inforced. You can find the minutes here.

IPF 14.9/14.10

 

During the past year, several notable referees and lifters from USA Powerlifting took part in several unsanctioned and non-drug-tested international championships taking place in the United States, which were in direct competition with USA Powerlifting. Several of these lifters and international and national referees knowingly participated in competitions where suspended lifters were taking part. As a result, several athletes and referees, after receiving a clear word of caution from USA Powerlifting were ruled ineligible for international competition with the NAPF and IPF, which also includes the Arnold Sports Festival. So once more, I am sending out another reminder to both the athletes and officials that by participating in non-drug tested and international competitions, with suspended lifters taking part, you‘re at risk of being ruled ineligible by USA Powerlifting and sanctioned by the International Powerlifting Federation [IPF Constitution - 14.9/14.10]. Please proceed with prudence and caution when venturing out USA Powerlifting.

Rules are rules!

Happy Lifting!

For Sure Add To The Library!!!!

8 Sep

I am a total victim to routine and I eat the same thing pretty much every week. And then I get sick of it and go out for meals. I end up at El Pollo Loco, Del Taco, Five Guys (2 burgers with cheese in-between YUM!) or Panera Bread. Anyway it goes bad. I was looking on one of my favorite sites Everyday Paleo and right there at the top was this new book!!! OMG I am so excited to get this book. Paleo food that hits the spot when you want that not so good for you food.

Paleo Comfort Foods is going to be available in a few days but you can order it now. Also go to their website and check out other info.

But I did accomplish my mission to find a new lunch item. I found this great little shrimp dish. I will make it and let you know what I think.

Liffit!

New Beginnings

5 Sep

 

My work out log is full, so its time to start a new one. I am currently typing up my old log so I can take a good look at what worked and what didn’t. At this point it might take me another year to do that but we will see.

Another thing that comes with the year ending and a new beginning is goal setting, picking the meets I want to do next year and making a plan. I have some of that in my mind and it’s just a matter of getting it in my book. I qualified for the Arnold again and have already sent in my registration so that is part of the plan. I need to start saving money for that trip and training is starting this week. After Nationals I got a cold so I have been recovering from that and now I am ready to go. I have also been on the “See Food” diet so I just need to get back on my regular eating schedule.

So it’s a great time for new beginnings, let the journey continue!

Liffit!!!

Raw Nationals

30 Aug

Last week was the USAPL Raw Nationals. This was my first Nationals and my second “travel” meet after the Arnold. I did learn after the Arnold that I need to travel a day earlier to meets so I have a day to eat properly and rest properly. I arrived on Thurs for competition on Saturday. My travel day included 3 planes, from OC to TX, TX to NJ, NJ to PA, first stop I had to run to my plane, second stop I had to collect my gate checked bag at baggage claim and sit in security for 45mins. When I finally arrived in PA it was late and I was tired. I did meet 2 lifters from Texas who became great friends and hung out with me the whole weekend.

Friday I watched some of the light weights lift, got all my food and rested. Ben and Kat were there from Derby City CrossFit and they had some lifters so I hung with them a bit.

On Saturday I weighed in at 71kg which is a little light for 75kg class, but the IPF (international) weight class goes up to 72kg and I have been trying to stay around that since I think they are going to move to those classes next year and the Arnold uses those weights. I felt good and went into warm up. I had the opportunity to meet some of my fellow lifters. One that was 3 months pregnant (ya you heard me). Another who was a mother/daughter team (how cool is that?). One who was over 60. And so many more really really great women. I think that is my favorite part of going to these meets is to get to know these girls who enjoy the same thing I do and just hearing their stories.

My competition went really well, I was in second place coming out of the squat and battled to keep second from that point on but ending up third in my weight class and 18th overall out of 87 women. I was really happy with that for my first Nationals and very honored to be in the company of such great lifters. It was such an amazing experience and I learned a lot that I know will help me in the future.

This week I got back to training only to catch a cold, so I am resting and recovering so I can get back to training next week. Next on the schedule is State Regionals in November. I did qualify for the Arnold again so I will be going back in March to defend my title. This last year has been an amazing journey, I have met so many amazing people and I can’t wait to see where the next year takes me.

I want to thank all my friends and family for your support, and thank my coach for all that he has done, and especially want to thank USAPL CA for all the great support they have given me. I am very blessed to have this new Powerlifting Family.

Liffit!

The Singlet

31 Jul

Leave it to the Punkmaster to pick a sport with a not so fun uniform. The USAPL says you must wear a weightlifting or wrestling type one piece singlet. So in the years of this sport there still is only a couple of options for this uniform and let me tell you they have not advanced in style since the day they started. I will say that I appreciate the rules and will happily wear my ever so flattering “scuba suit”, I mean singlet but COME ON!!  The purpose of the singlet is to allow the judges to see your body during the lift. For example if you have a big baggy shirt on its hard to see the crease of your hip to make sure you go below parallel. At this point my suggestion would be “well cool let’s make it a 2 piece?” So that I don’t have to get completely undressed to go to the bathroom! AND when you are nervous you go to the bathroom A LOT! They also come in primary colors, hardly any patterns and most are made of spandex or polyester. Luckily mine is black which is a slimming color but I think I would like a pattern like zebra stripes? Jus kiddin. Its even worse for the guys, I feel bad they have to get into one. I know you are thinking it so I am just going to say it…… yes it is really hard not to look “there”. Because honestly its like a target! AH! Thats all I’m going to say about that.

So my plan is to get more women involved in Powerlifting so that maybe someone will design a better, more flattering uniform. If there was a Lulu singlet I would buy one in a heartbeat and I know I would look smokin hot in it!! Please Lulu make a singlet????

One last thought, there are things you should avoid when picking out your singlet. Spandex is not preferred. Stripes are not slimming, and definitely do not even if it’s the last thing on the planet, absolutely DO NOT WEAR A WHITE SINGLET!

Liffit! Liffit Good!

It pays to have a strong core

13 Jun

It’s week 10 away from nationals. Team Maxfit has been hitting it hard in the gym. Big Mike and I are doing more things than we have ever done before. We have been lifting heavy this whole time and we are doing a ton of core work. After the Arnold Max wanted to really work on my core because my lifts are “wiggly”, my back is just not getting tight enough. We have also been working on conditioning. So there has been a lot of grunting going on between Big Mike and I. Mike TOTALLY hates abs!! I think it is really paying off tho. My back feels really different in all my lifts.

The diet is good. I finally feel comfortable with 1600 or so calories a day and I’m down 8lbs. I feel stronger than ever even with the weight loss and don’t really feel light-headed at all anymore. I’m keeping up with my supplements and eating really clean. I’ve added in some rice a couple of times a week and it seems to be fine with my stomach and doesn’t add any weight on me. I really try to eat little to no sugar, and when I do eat it I feel like total crap and it really messes with my sleep. If I eat sugar I can’t sleep for days, its weird.

So even tho we have been lifting heavy I haven’t actually done any heavy squats or deadlifts since the Arnold. We have been doing box squats and partial lifts with bands. Because of this I can’t help but to get all crazy in my head and think I’ve lost it. When you don’t max out its hard to know where you are at. Last week we did some full squats with bands and I had 245 on the bar with blue bands and it felt light. I thought at that point that maybe I had gotten stronger. Then Sunday with Max we were supposed to work up to 90% work sets. For me that would have been about 275lbs based on my 308lb PR. I put on 270, then 280, then 290 and I felt amazing so I asked if I could just do one at 300lbs to see how it felt.  It felt great. This was big for me, the 308 I did do back in Jan was a grinder and I have some numbers in my head for nationals so hitting this 300 made me so happy. I think I might have to raise those numbers I want to hit!

Happy Lifting!!

Get your fix?

6 Jun

Food discovery update!!!!! Yes my Primal dieting self is all about the comfort food in little amounts. I’ve been cutting for a while now and it’s not so bad this time. I eat pretty clean normally and the only thing that is different is I am only eating 1500-1700 calories. So far down 8lbs give or take. Just a few more to go, then add it back in lean mass. BUT of course I am like any girl and sometimes find myself sprawled out on the floor in front of the fridge with a bucket of ice cream and a wooden spoon at the end of a bad day. So sometimes I need to have items around the house or in my desk at work for these not so good moments. (just for the record I have NEVER eaten ice cream with a wooden spoon, it’s usually the metal scooper)

If you have followed along you know my chocolate fix is dark chocolate covered soy beans but sometimes I need a salty fix and this little treat does the job!!!

These Plantain Chips are the BOMB!!!!! The ingredients are plantain, sunflower oil, and salt. And they are roasted so I think that makes them Paleo! 20 chips is 140 calories, 6g fat, 20g carbs, 0 sugar and 1g protein. They are very high in Vitamin A and C and of course Potassium. I usually don’t need to eat 20 to feel better so thats even fewer calories. They are really crunchy so if you need that crunchy feeling it totally satisfies.

These are for sure a must have in your kitchen! And if you have a total breakdown and eat the whole bag I still think its less calories than half a bucket of ice cream.

Happy Eating!

No use crying over spilled milk.

1 Jun

About a week before the Arnold I started to get some pain in my right wrist. We we came home and the pain didn’t get better I started to worry and saw a doc. It felt a lot like a broken bone and not really like a muscle tear. I have always been a bit of an adventurer and have a lot of experience with broken bones. I have broken my arms 5 times, my foot, many toes, and separated a shoulder. All on horses, motorcycles and bicycles. Yes I have a problem, adrenalin junkie. When it comes to the right wrist I have broken it 3 times. Here is the result:

When I was 13 (or so) I was riding my horse and fell off. Which is pretty common but in this case I landed on my arm in a way that completely broke both bones and dislocated the hand which needed to be reset. It healed great but as you can see on the little bone (ulna) that it was broken on the growth plate and stopped growing. As a result the ulna is 2mm shorter than it should be. The place where the ulna and the radius meet usually has a nice joint in between the bones but in my case due to years of wear and tear (12 years of motorcycle racing) the joint is completely destroyed and the cartilage on the bones is worn away causing advanced arthritis. This causes a bit of pain and loss of mobility.

So in my case the only solution is pain management. There is joint replacement for the wrist but it is not really that great and only used as a salvage surgery and I would not even be eligible for that for many many years. Cortisone has been my friend. The shots seem to be the only relief to the pain and they last about 6 weeks for me. Most people should not get lots of shots because it breaks down the joint but in my case the joint is completely destroyed so there are no negative consequences to getting the shots. In addition to the shots I have been icing every day sometimes 2 to 3 times a day. The ice keeps the inflamation down and helps me with the mobility loss. I have been really happy with the icing and see good results from it.

I will admit its been an emotional roller coaster since my diagnosis. I think a lot about powerlifting and if I should be doing it at the risk of more pain or even loss of some use of my hand. I have made it very clear to my doctors that it’s not worth the loss of using my hand and if they recommend I quit lifting I would. I can’t imagine not riding a bike again or a motorcycle or even being able to brush my hair. My doctors assure me that I will not damage the wrist any further at this point and that I can keep lifting. My doc said he will tell me when I need to stop.

So I will overcome, I will be the best I can be. I will still constantly monitor my health and be as realistic as possible. I have goals and dreams that are yet to be achieved and I’m gonna get em!

See you on the platform! Liffit, Liffit Good!

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.