A Bone to Pick with the Lovely Paula Deen

Not really sure what to make of the latest news on Paula Deen. Love her spirit and work ethic.  She once told Oprah that one of the keys to her success was that she "put in the work and God blessed it."  Words to live by. 

However, her recent revelation of her diabetes diagnosis troubles me.  First, she continued her long-term love affair with butter 2-3 years after being diagnosed, which is worrisome.  Then, she became a spokesperson for a company that manufactures diabetes medication, but made no mention of an exercise regimen to help her manage her disease, which just seems irresponsible.  Guess she's found a way to make money off her condition, but I think she missed an opportunity to promote a natural way to tackle diabetes.  Just my two cents.

Woman, Thou Art Strong

A couple of days ago, I had an outburst on my Facebook fan page prompted by an observation at the gym earlier that day.  I just can’t stand seeing women engage in the same, non-strenuous workouts year after year and experience no changes to their physiques.  Even more infuriating for me is that the same women have been working with trainers for as long as I can remember!

First, let me caveat my frustration by stating I have three gym memberships that I have acquired over the course of the past four years.  So, I can honestly say that I have had the opportunity to casually witness the progress of fellow members that I see on a regular basis.  Second, I am not ruling out the possibility that perhaps some of these members have physical ailments that could limit the intensity of their workouts.  Third, I understand that clients often do not adhere to the advice of their trainers. 

That said, I still do not believe that all of the women I am referring to fall into one or all of these categories.  I blame trainers who subscribe to the myth that women are just not strong or do not want to be pushed.  It is true that women in general are not as strong as men, but that doesn’t mean that trainers should not push the boundaries of their respective strength levels to achieve or maintain physical fitness.  The fact is that you have to pick up some weights to start off on the right path.

This is especially true at this time of year when a lot of women are laying the physical groundwork for their bikini or beach bodies.  The reality is a bikini-ready physique is the result of a healthy combination of increasingly challenging weight training routines and various types of cardio (i.e. zumba, kickboxing,  running, etc.).  As the weight comes off, beautiful, shapely muscle—which will help to further burn fat even at rest—will form the basis of head turning curves. 

I therefore implore trainers to take the approach that my husband Peter did when he started training me in 2008.  He flat out told me to, “stop training like a little girl and train like a woman.”  Even though I pushed back at first, looking back at what we have achieved, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Inspiration in an unlikely place

I must admit that I have neglected writing a new entry since I started my blog in July because I wasn’t inspired.  I literally thought a bolt of lightning would strike each time I needed to write, and I would crank out droves of impassioned thoughts.  But, as the year draws to a close, I realized that all along, I have been ignoring sources of inspiration all around me, such as workouts with my husband, chats with friends and naysayers, encouragement from complete strangers, and reality TV. 

I know some of you may consider the final source a bit shallow or completely implausible, but hear me out.  While watching one of my favorite reality shows, “Love and Hip Hop”, Chrissy, one of the main personalities, said, “No one is going to give you what you deserve.”  She continued speaking, but my thoughts kept returning to that statement.  Even though she made the statement in relation to her hard-fought quest to marry her long time boyfriend, it struck home, and I knew it contained some sort of lesson for me. 

Then, I got it.  It doesn’t matter if you are the strongest, fastest, prettiest or smartest athlete, model, competitor, employee etc., unless you put yourself in a position to achieve your goals, your efforts probably will fall short.  Now, this is by no means an attempt to discount the importance of merit, but in this day and age, merit appears to be a baseline upon which people who are driven anchor their goals.  Just because you have the looks, speed or education that merits accolades on various levels, doesn’t mean that someone is just going to walk up to you and hand you what you have rightfully earned.

Merit, backed by a heavy dose of networking, marketing, negotiating, or any other type of word ending in “ing” that makes people pay attention to your accomplishments, gets results.  I have actually noticed this from reading the biographies of highly accomplished individuals, whose respective roads to success were littered with obstacles of all kinds.  The one characteristic that these individuals seem to share is their ability to keep brandishing their talents, even in pursuit of the most minimal leads.  These are people who continue to sing, dance, write, and train with the utmost devotion, even when no one appears to be paying attention, and they are my heroes.

So, for all of you who, like myself, have lofty and seemingly unattainable goals, note that your plans must include a heavy dose of the type of tenacity that will allow you to keep going, even when people ignore or discount your accomplishments.  Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn, because sometimes, you’re the only one who will have an interest in doing so.  And finally, keep the faith.  Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone and engaging in a good fight for your dreams will reap benefits. 

I wish you all the best while you pursue your goals in 2012.  I’ll be fighting along with you.

I’m so excited that this is my first post on FitChik Chronicles!  This blog is a few years in the making, since I’ve had a few ups and downs on my fitness journey, but that’s why I’m so excited to get started and share my experiences with you.  I think its important to explain how I got here, so I’ll start by defining the most pivotal moment on my fitness journey so far.  

The fitness accomplishment that fills me with the most pride is earning professional status as an IFBB figure competitor on 21 May 2011 in Charleston, SC—my new favorite city :)  My journey to that point in time began in 1998 when I returned home from graduate school, desperate to begin life as a real adult, and ironically, reclaim the athletic physique from my high school track days.  While I was not overweight, I had certainly gained more than the dreaded “freshman 15.”  Seven years away from home living the student life had engendered a triage-style approach to my eating habits, which was to eat as quickly and cheaply as possible.

After getting a job as a temp, I used my first meager paycheck to enroll in a kickboxing class.  Then, when I got a full-time job, I joined a gym and immediately enrolled in a spin class.  I paired that with regular weight training and was in heaven.  A year and a half later, my excitement began to wane, but I never stopped going to the gym.  I would be diligent for three months, then take a month off, and remained relatively fit, but always thought that I was not reaching my full potential.  

Everything changed after I met and married my husband, Peter.  Peter and I shared a mutual love of fitness, but he was always more dedicated than I was because of his background as a semi-professional soccer player.  Initially, we worked out at separate gyms, but over time, we joined the same gym, and he became my trainer.  He actually saw me train one day and told me my routines were not up to par--he's very blunt like that :)   Gradually, my physique began to change.  I felt and looked stronger.  My back and shoulders broadened, and my legs—my favorite body part to train—became shapely and strong.  

As my physique developed, a few fellow gym members—one of whom has become a dear friend (Mike Massiah!)—began encouraging me to become a figure competitor.  The idea piqued my interest, and for years I admired figure competitors’ physiques.  However, I had no idea how to prepare for a competition.  Little by little, I met people who guided me.  They suggested posing coaches, tailors who could make my suit, and websites where I could buy the right shoes.  The most important development of all was that Peter offered to train me!  There is nothing more important than having a partner who supports your fitness goals, let alone helps you reach them.

In fall 2008, I competed for the first time in a local show, and I was hooked.  I won the overall title in the figure novice category and came fourth in the open figure short category.  Since then, Peter has become an NPC judge with a phenomenal eye for everything related to figure competition prep (i.e. training, posing and diet), and I could not prepare for a show without him.  Nine shows later, I am an IFBB Pro, as a result of that magical night in Charleston.   I also co-own KooYah Fitness, a company that provides personal training and nutritional consulting services, with Peter.  I can’t wait to see what else is in store.