Sunday Share.... Neon

How're my peeps? ;) 


Montana has morphed into Washington over here and refuses to stop raining, snowing, and being all gross, so that means I will: 

• Listen to John Legend
• Plan my bestie's 2nd (yes 2 ... she deserves it!) bachelorette party
• Blog
• Waste time on Pinterest
• Do my nails
• Cook things
• Practice posing 
• Remain indoors at the gym for 3+ hours at a time. 

Hey, never mind... I think I don't mind the rain! Let's discuss the previous items in no particular order. What does all this have to do with "NEON?" Stay tuned. 


Well dang-it John Legend has nothing to do with Neon but he is now the main man in my life and has taken over my iPod so I must declare his swoon-worthy, breathy, mesmerizing voice and ivory-tickling piano skills my #1 favorite thing about rainy days. 








HOW did I miss out on his musical deliciousness before!? I should be ashamed. I just discovered him while watching TV and stumbled across his new show with Robin Thicke, Jennifer Nettles, Kelly Clarkson, "Duets." (something I never used to do before I graduated and actually have a bit of time on my hands).


All I can say is if you haven't seen "Duets," watch it! 


Moving on before I have a moment..... Ah yes, Neon! That would be related to  the next couple thangs: 

• Bachelorette party
• Blog
• Waste time on Pinterest

Like so: the theme of Leeza's bachelorette partay is Neon, I am currently blogging about neon :p, and I have been wasting time "pinning" things on Pinterest all related to Neon! Ahhhh for the love of humanity it must stop! You can check out my Pinterest account for full disclosure, but here are a few examples just in case you are terrified to enter the black-hole that is Pinterest and feel it is best you do not tempt the procrastination/compulsive organizing and styling side of your brain... 

I. AM. IN. LOVE. <3 The shoes! The dress! The nails! The blazers! 

I am thrilled I get to find "neon" outfit for the party. Woop woop! 

This is gonna be fun :) 

The remainder of the list, ... will wait until a later blog sesh to cover, except the nails (see picture below) 

• Do my nails
• Cook things
• Practice posing 
• Remain indoors at the gym for 3+ hours at a time

I gotta stop blogging and get to the last thing on the list! Call me crazy but I love the gym and sometimes I forget all about time and end up spending half my day there. Ooops :-o

Shout out to my girl Beth for the accent nail inspiration ;) 

Tootsies and fingers ready for summer, now where's that sunshine?.... 

Blessings, 

~ Ruthie

Food Fight: Gaining Ultimate Victory

I wish I had a lighter subject on the menu, but my noggin' is full of thinking about a pretty serious subject... so I gotta write!!

Okay I kid.... now to get serious...

 I recently got a message from a beautiful, inspiring, and completely dedicated athlete who's in training for the fitness competitions like I do. Her message was a cry for help, as she was having trouble with following the strict diet plan for her training and from reading my blog (read "Food Fight" post to see where I started) so she knew I'd been there too.

She asked me:

 If you've had an eating prblem, how do you keep your mind from going back to that unhealthy place?"

It was so painful to hear that someone else had gone through (and was going though) the issues I'd struggled with and she couldn't seem to break free. To be honest, I had to take a deep breath after reading just the first sentence. My thoughts were: "Oh no... God, please no." I could have written the rest of the message myself, I knew all too well the problem and the exact feelings she described: the desperation, the decision and reasoning to just eat a little of ___ or one __ then... the raced, blind and numb binging (half the time I didn't even enjoy the taste, I was just putting things in my mouth!), the sick feeling (I'd literally eat till it hurt), the guilt and the defeated feeling the next morning as you recall your sabotage session trying to reason out a plan to fix it. "Just start over today and forget about it" I'd tell myself. But you can't really... your confidence is shattered and although I still looked fine (thanks to my dedication in the gym and racing metabolism), my mind was the farthest thing from "fit". Of course, I never thought I looked great at the time... but I looked back at my progress pictures and I realize that I did.

Much of our "health"is actually dependent on
our thoughts and what's going on inside our heads

It may be hard to believe after reading that, but I never thought of myself as someone who had an eating disorder. The reality is I did have one. This interesting article on Bodybuilding.com supports the opposite viewpoint to what I found to be true; that entering fitness competitions will help you conquer an eating disorder. I do however agree that:

"Although eating disorders seem completely food and body image related, they are actually complex mental disorders resulting from a combination of behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors." 

Those factors depend on the person, but as the article continues: 

"Scientists believe that eating disorders develop when people use food as a way to express their emotions and gain some control over their life (at least they can control what they put in their mouth and their body to an extent)."

Yup right again... My disorder was binge eating.

photo courtesy of catay.com

I know far too well the place that your mind goes when you binge: rushing to stuff as much buttered frosting and PB into your mouth (yes I did that once) is so hard to escape once you open that door. After the first bite forget having a "mini-cheat," it's all out. I'm not going to tell you what my coach Shannon would say, "Take the emotion out of food" because although I COMPLETELY agree that would be 100% effective, the reason we're binging is because we CAN'T take the emotion out of it sometimes!! Hear me on this: even the people you think are perfect have bad days. They may seem damn fabulous, but they're NOT perfect either! Understanding that perfection is not "what everyone else is doing" is part of the battle of the mind. Step 2 is reaching out for help... That is so HUGE to overcoming this.

****WARNING: Prepare to read a lot :) *****

So here's my advice that I gave her and I'd give anyone in a similar situation.
Women in all walks of life can fall into this trap of binging after a particularly stressful moment/day, or if they let themselves get too hungry and feel famished. I hope what I have learned through my struggle can help others out there overcome an eating disorder too! As an update on my progress: I am continuing the lesson plans accompanying Lysa TerKeurst's book, "Made to Crave." I still have work to do to truly win this battle once and for all, but I am making the switch from seeing my healthy eating plan as "deprivation" to feeling of "empowerment" by making healthy choices and defeating cravings. I still have bad days (remember, not perfect!!) but it gets easier every day.



Even my fitness inspiration, Jamie Eason eats a
donut every once in a (great) while.

> My Advice to Conquer a Eating Disorder<

#1: EAT. Although it seems counter-intuitive, it's completely necessary to eat ALL  your meals the days after a binge to prevent having another. Do you feel satisfied and fueled on the days you do follow your plan? I started binging when my plan was super restrictive and I actually was eating too few calories during the day. By sure your eating plan is healthy before you attempt to stick to it. If you're starving then of course your body will be screaming for more food and causing yo to binge. A Nutritionist can help analyze your current eating plan and get you on track with a healthy plan.



The cookie monster diet is all fun and games in a
 kid's show on TV, but it's no laughing matter in real life.

#2: SLEEP at least 8 hours. If this means going to bed at 9pm DO IT. You're investing in your future, your goals and your HAPPINESS. You're not being lazy. Your body needs this time to set your hormones and keep your ghrelin and leptin at normal levels. I'd take a 1hr nap at lunch or as soon as I got home. This is MORE important than working out on a day that you're really stressed. The days I "pushed through" I'd do my workout fine, but then when I got home I'd eat and because my hormones were way outa whack I would binge.

If you're DEAD tired after the gym, then the key to
 reaching your health potential may be a
 need to log more hours in BED not the GYM.

#3: READ, research, and inform yourself. Remind yourself of all the negative effects of trans fats, HFCS, additives, sugars, out of whack hormones, sleep deprivation, stress, binging, and ect. Google the crap out of it. Start here: All About Ghrelin. Getting informed is a scare tactic, but it's effective! Did you know you if you overeat when you should be sleeping research shows "an average 48 percent increase in body weight. But on a regular schedule, there's an average increase of 20 percent of body weight." Yikes!! Also remind youself of the benefits of the things on a healthy eating plan; such as: flax, asparagus, smalll meals throughout the day, cardio in the morning, weight training, adequate sleep, correct ratios of protein, carbs and fats, ect. You'll be proud of yourself and excited about how effective a healthy plan is!!

#4: Talk to God. Read you BIBLE. Yup, this definitely a spiritual battle. Your mind is what needs to change here; it needs to be set to a different "default setting" when stress, tension and hunger creep in after a tough day. I start each morning with a verse of the day or a section of a reading plan. You'll get the GOOD flowing and it'll take up the space that'd get filled with desperate thoughts later. Talk to God before you eat; say out loud before your meals:

"Thank you Lord for this food and the blessing of providing my 'daily bread' again; I know some children have not even eaten today and I am grateful for my abundance."

You may need some outside resources to figure out how to ask God to help you in this area, I sure did. To really get serious about changing your mindset from feeling deprived and desperate to empowered and satisfied read "Made to Crave," By using this book, God is really reshaping my mind to see food completely differently. If he can do it with ME He can do it with anyone - I was so far gone I'd eat an entire pizza, plus some ice-cream and as many chocolate flavored calcium chews as I could find for good measure, and then go puke it up. Gross I know... but thats where I WAS not where I am, or where I'm going!

#5: Get an accountability partner. I found a girl at my local gym who was basically my twin- God brought us to each other I swear. We were both really skinny  visible abs, pointy shoulders, fat -ess butts, blah blah), but we both binged routinely!! So we took on this fight as a team: We texted each other every night and every morning to report either a triumphant victory or admit falling into the trap.Having someone to rejoice with you on your victories, and pick you up when you fall is so helpful. It's like they care half the burden. We'd also text each other Bible verses and prayers, such as:

"Whatever you do, work at it wholeheartedly as though you were doing it for the Lord and not merely for men (like overcoming food cravings!)."

~ Colossians 3:23

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

~ Phillipians 4:12

*Note on this one though: Don't think about food too much; it actually makes it worse!! Don't spend your energy focusing NOT binging or eating right. Just go about your day per usual, eat meals on a regular schedule, do fun things!, and live like you don't 'have a problem.'



We made sure to do things completely unrelated to food, like
hiking or shopping or just chatting about our friends and family

#6: Talk positive to yourself ALL DAY. This is where the other book I'd reading, "Power Thoughts" by Joyce comes in. The book covers "12 Strategies to WIN the BATTLE of the MIND" which is exactly what an eating disorder is. Think to yourself: "Today is good because ___.; I am looking forward to ___.; I'm doing what I love, this is exciting being a ___!!; I love ___ (healthy food choice)!; ____ is such an effective lifting exercise!; God loves me just the way I am! I am a cherished, precious, and valued child of God. I am talented at ___.; My friends are so loving and special." and so on.

The goal of conquering this eating disorder is to take back your joy and happiness from the struggles that have stolen them; definitely don't feel guilty about enjoying you food! It's 100% okay to like food; food only becomes a problem when you want it more than God and you're being ruled by it.

______________________________

Whew, just reading that you must be tired!! (Be sure you nap instead of heading to the fridge ;p) Just a few final thoughts before you go though, just because you're in battle doesn't mean your struggle with food defines you or your thoughts... You were made for more than this. 


"Remember who you are" as Lysa TerKeurst in "Made to Crave" says. God IS going to win this, you don't have to just do better... you WILL get completely free.

God bless,
Ruthie

Training Tweaks

~ Happy Friday :D
This morning's post is about some of the changes I've made in my life recently. While I did make a lot of the changes due to my Bikini competition training, I really needed to make some of the changes no matter what I am currently going through in my life. Live and Learn... and if you blog, Share! 

~ My coach and I have made some tweaks to workouts, and I have applied my will-power with full force to my diet plan and mental stamina. 2011 NPC WA Open Championships is in... 15 days!

 How I've Focused my Efforts for Competition Prep:

  1) I workout like there's no tomorrow (and no "Cardio #2 later...)
  --  My coach said it perfectly in her 'Quote of the Dey' on Facebook:

"Going through the motions will not spark change!"

True that Momma. I have been thinking "recklessly" treating each workout as my last. No, that doesn't mean I've been killing myself by adding miles or extra exercises (or not wiping down the equipment after I'm done ha-ha). This just means I am present and focused on exactly what I am doing in that moment. Each rep of Squat Jumps and each stride on the Cybex Arc can bring me hat much closer to a winning physique if I put my mind to the muscle.

Train SMARTER, not HARDER.

  --  A benefit of working out "in the moment" is I don't stress myself out thinking about how many sets I have left or how many more minutes I have to log on the stair-stepper. Worry = Wasted Energy. Now that energy goes to good use fueling my workout :)

  2) I quit "faking it"
  --  Out goes the artificial sweeteners (even 'natural' Stevia), the Sugar Free   syrup I was putting in my oatmeal, the Sugar Free pudding mix I occasionally added to my smoothies for a thicker texture, the Sugar Free/Fat Free Popsicles I'd have when I woke up in the middle of the night to 'natures call,' and any other miscellaneous sauces or condiments.

  --  My teammate, IFBB Bikini Pro Ali Rosen, talked about the dangers of "faking it" on her blog too, read it here: Sweet Never Seemed So Sour.

Ali obviously knows a thing or two
about how to eat for a killer body!

  --   I also cut out my beloved workout supplement Jack3d, and Creatine. These are two workout supplements I LOVE but aren't good for me at this time in my training. Jack3d is mostly caffeine, with some Creatine and other ingredients shown to benefit muscle growth and recovery as well; but it is a processed product; therefore, no more!

   --  Benefits? Less cravings!! Hallelujah. I actually don't miss them at all, and I feel good knowing I'm not cheating with these 'calorie free' alternatives. Another benefit is my abs are so much flatter! No bloating, and no gas (ummm, not like I ever had any before...) My body will be running like a well oiled machine with out all the synthetic additives floating around. Put good in, get good out!

  3) I'm eating exclusively "on-plan" 
  --  This may seem like a no brainer, but I am making sure I only eat what's on my diet plan. it's easy to grad an extra handful of baby carrots here; a few extra ounces of chicken while doing meal prep there; then maybe two Popsicles instead of one; you get the picture... when you're eating 6 meals a day there's a lot of chances to eat just a little too much... which adds up. Eating "on-plan" is more than eating what's written in the email I get from Coach Momma Bombshell every month. It's eating only that, only how much is listed, and eating the meals in their entirety, together.

  -- A benefit of this is I actually sleep better now that I quit eating in the middle of the night when I wake up. Who knew! I just drink some water now instead. Another perk of watching my food volume? I don't run out of spinach near as fast. Also I don't spend $$ on expensive soy/almond milk because it's not on my plan. More $$ to spend on shopping! Jk jk...Speaking of spending...


  4) I'm spending more "quality time" 
  -- It is definitely super stressful to watch every little thing I eat and to work out like there's no tomorrow; in the past, my remedy had been a frantic-self-sabotaging food binge. Good for my "plan?" No. Good for my self esteem? No. Good for anything? NO!
  --  Now I am making an effort to be kind to myself and nourish my body with things other than food. For example, last night I spend 20 blissful minutes in the steam room after plyos.



Can you say "ahhh spa?"

 
I've also been nourishing my spirit by starting a short Bible study that will finish the day of my competition: 21-Day Plan for Busy Women: A Rich and Satisfying Life. The best therapy is Jesus :)

) I've been SLEEPING
  --  This one is so simple. Night = No TV, no distractions, no snacking, no Facebook(!) . Get into bed and turn off the lights. Like my dad says: "Get your beauty sleep... 8 hours; 9 if you're ugly."

Ooo 'la snooze :)

   --  Sleeping enough is vital for people who are doing intense exercise because that's when we recover. Other Benefits include having more energy, being more focused during the day, and keeping your hormones (like the ones that make you want to EAT) in check. Tons of scientific research shows that Sleep Makes Your Skin Better too. Bonus!


~ So that's what's new with me and my Bombshell life...
Make today the day you get one step closer to a goal. Pick one think and Just Do It (as Nike would say). Speaking of Nike, in the picture below check out my new kicks with MUCH better foot support so I won't repeat my little Achilles fiasco. I'm back to work to do more of this:

ICE ICE BABY.

Have a great Friday guys!

xoxo Ruthie

Life Changes

Well friends,

Tonight is my last night in Whitehall for three months! I had a great time last night hanging out with my friends in Butte at Alli, Kadie, and Melissa's house. It was fun to get out before I left :) I'll miss my buddies!!

All the sexay girls :) ...
I'm pretty bright in my yellow dress I know lol.

I can hold my own against the beautiful Miss
Earth Montana don't-cha think!?

Mel and some of the boys lookin' cute

Alli being her gangsta self with Phil

Melissa with her 'nanner :)

Boys... being boys!

Last night with my favorite lifting buddy James :(

It was quite the night, my brother even came over. It was cool to have so many of my friends at the same place! I even played a game of beer pong (but lost to the Cali boys) and of course I didn't drink because "I am IN TRAINING!" I love saying that he-he.

Speaking of training, my Bombshell training is going well. It's no cake-walk though...
Here's an Update on my Bombshell Training:
  1)  I have found a way to mentally conquer the cardio (actually the physical part isn't as bad as the mental block for me). I've been doing it every day and pushing hard!

The Cybex Arc is NOT my friend

  2) I've been taking all my supplements, vitamins, and following my scheduled meal and lifting plan.
I haven't missed a single lifting day and I've been focusing really hard on the muscle I'm using. I really need to work on my glutes so I always be sure to make the mind-muscle connection when I lift glutes.

It's ALL about food prep!!
(and hiding the Peanut Butter)

   3) I love having a coach and teammates for support! Last week after a brutal cardio session I emailed Coach V. to ask if I should cut down my cardio since I was so incredibly sore after lifting. But she talked me through it... "We LIVE sore and hungry!" She told me... lol hmm so the positive side is I'm not alone in this!

My fitness coach, Coach V. (far left) with Nicole Nagrani,
The woman who started it all! "Momma Bombshell" aka Shannon Dey (center in grey)
and three of my Bombshell Teammates... if they can do it I CAN DO IT!!

   4) I still need to work on being 110% on my diet. Okay, so I may have substituted my "Meal #5" for a tablespoon of Peanut Butter on toast instead on sweet potato and olive oil... but I still had the salad! I know I know... Champions Don't Cheat. And I definitely want to be a champion, not just a competitor. I will conquer this... as I said in my last post, "with God all things are possible."

So that's it for now, next time I write it'll be from Washington after I start my internship at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Wish me luck!!

<3 Ruthie