My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model - Entry 7

Hello Everyone!
I had an amazing back workout with Peter today. I felt pretty strong. I was able to get 3 meals in prior to the workout, and a goodnight sleep, which paid off. This is my second consecutive week of training with him, so I know with time Peter is going to push me even more. Neither the less, I felt challenged today, and I liked it a lot. There is always a lesson I learn when I train with Peter. 1st Lesson Learned: "Training is not about gimmicks. Training that produces real results is not SEXY, you will sweat and grunt." 2nd Lesson Learned: "The objective of a training session is to focus on carving one body part at a time." 3rd Lesson Learned: "No need to focus so much on training abs. If you train correctly, you will train your abs in the process." I love Peter (He's married to a beautiful lady, so I mean that in a Godly way), and I am glad he has taken me under his wing, to coach and develop. I trust his expertise, and he knows his stuff.

Yesterday, I was experiencing bloating and gas, not to be distasteful, but I have to document what my body is going through in order to know how to improve it. I am gluten intolerant, and I am on a journey to find out what my digestive system digests well. My meals went something like this:

• 1st Meal - Gluten Free oatmeal, udo's oil, strawberries, and 5-egg whites 
• 2nd Meal - Quinoa, ground turkey, green beans
• 3rd Meal - Protein shake with udo's oil and benefiber, 1-rice cake with peanut butter
• 4th Meal - Quinoa and ground turkey
• Snack - 1-Orange and almonds with sunflower seeds
• 5th Meal - 1-Tomato, 1-Cucumber, 1-Avocado 

Peter believes that the gluten free oatmeal may not actually be gluten free, or that I may still be having an allergic reaction to it, so he is removing the oatmeal and quinoa from my diet in order to do a process of elimination. He is replacing it with 3-4 oz sweet potatos. It's going to be interesting because I am kinda limited to one type of carb for the time being, but I want to find out what is causing the discomfort in my digestive system because it effects my breathing whenever I have an allergic reaction to food. I will let you know how it goes. I will leave you with a quote from Jillian Michaels:

"Deciding to change is easy; acting on it is another story"

African American Women / Exercise / Hair Dilemma

I was inspired to address the topic of African American women exercising, and their hair dilemma. It is true that we as African American women have to put in some extra time to maintain our appearance (or hair). I must say, that I am sadden that hair has become a big deciding fact for women of color, when it comes to exercising regularly. I am writing this article to start a discussion. I don't have all the answers, and I am hoping other women of color who reads this article that may have some tips to share, will do so by commenting.


First lets look at the facts: According to the Centers for Disease Control/ Minority Health, African American women are twice the national average for being overweight/obese and/or at risk for preventable chronic diseases. Among the at risk chronic diseases are: Type II Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer, arthritis and obesity.  It is factual that African American women are more likely not to exercise than women of other ethnic backgrounds. Besides genetics, lifestyle behaviors play an integral role in the quality of our health and wellness. Exercising regularly should be an important part of everyone's routine. Exercise should be as routine as eating and sleeping. However reports show that African American women are lagging behind other ethnic groups pertaining to starting up and maintaining an exercise program.


Ideas For Exercising Regularly and Maintaining The Duo:

1. Overall, choose hair-styles that won't sweat out in two days. 
2. If your hair is relaxed: It maybe wise to check around your neighborhood, or inquire about young adults, in high school or college, that are good with styling hair and more affordable then hair salons. 
• I'm not encouraging you to stop going to the hair salon, but I am encouraging you to use your money wisely. Maybe go to the hair salon once a month, and use the money you would have spent going twice a month with the young adult, which may give you the liberty to get your hair done every weekend vs. only twice a month. Let's face it, in order to exercise regularly, so that you can live longer, getting your hair done weekly or bi-weekly comes with the territory.
3. If your hair is natural: The two strain twist hair style normally last anywhere from a week to 3-weeks with regular exercise. I know because my hair is natural. It's a 2-in-1 hair style. You can wear it twisted for a week or two, then wear it untwisted for a spiral curl look for a week. 
4. Using Weaves / Extensions / Wigs To Our Advantage: Okay ladies lets get real. Most African American women use, or have used weaves, extensions, and/or wigs. It's just apart of the culture. If you are okay with weaves, extensions, and wigs, put in consideration your exercise regiment. First of all, don't spend hundreds of dollars on it (See NO. 2 for affordable hair styles). 
• Weaves: If you are going to get a weave, it's best that you use human hair, or any type hair you can wash. The straight styles are going to last longer then the curly bouffants.  Yes, you will have to curl the ends to maintain the style. If you like curly styles, go with the Wet and wavy hair. 
• Extensions: Croshaw Braids are not as damaging to the hair as regular single braids, and they normally last 1-2 months. Micro-Braids I don't recommend because they have been known to pull out sections of the hair, if left in more then a couple weeks. 
• Wigs: I love half wigs. The shack and go wigs are awesome. You get whatever style you like, and blend the front of your hair into it, and go. I never spend more then $35 on a wig, and they last me for at least a month. Very low maintenance. Front lance wigs are very popular right now. You can give it a try if you prefer. 

If you are an all natural female, that can't imagine anything on top of your head besides your own hair, I understand. My best advice to all my sistahs, is to be creative. Think outside the box when it comes to picking a hair style that will allow you to keep up your appearance, and exercise. You may have to wrap-it-up, or pin-it-up during physical activities. You may have to brush-it-up, or blow-dry-it-out after physical activities. But you want to pick hair styles you can touch up within 10-30 minutes following your workout sessions. Summer is approaching, and with the heat comes sweat. If idea NO. 4 is an option for you, I encourage you to experiment with the ideas listed above. Organize a walking, running, or jogging group in your neighborhood, and get out there in the sun, and start exercising. I will leave you with a quote:

"Every excuse that preceeds out of your month becomes a self-filling prophecy. 

So if you say you can, or can't for whatever reason, you are right because you have declared your success or failure. It's your choice which one you choose."

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model - Entry 6

Greetings Everyone! Today I had my 5th or 6th training session with Peter Gordon. I am kinda loosing track of the number of sessions. I had a session on last Thursday that I did not up-date you guys on. So, I will talk about that session first.

Thursday's session focused on shoulders. I was very fatigued. My body was just tired, and I did not get enough meals in before my session. Peter definitely got on me about that. I have been getting up around 7:30 AM every morning in the effort to get my meals in, but it's not early enough. He said, I have to get into bed earlier, so that I can get up earlier. Not having enough food in my system, and my body not having enough rest really effected my workout. He pushed me as much as he could, but I know he would have pushed me more if my body wasn't in a fatigued state. At the end of the day, I have to do whatever it takes to maximize my training sessions. Peter is a great trainer, and I don't want to waste his time, or slow down my progress by having sub par sessions. Lesson Learned Last Thursday: Meals and rest are vital for training with MAX. Without it you will be doing yourself a disservice.

Today's training session I thought went really well. I felt stronger, and my muscles were really pushed to the MAX. Peter trained my legs today. The session went something like below:

1. Leg Extensions - Quads - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
2. Seated Leg Press - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
3. Plate Loaded Hack Squat - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
4. Weighted One-Leg Step-Ups - Quads / Gluts - 3 sets (20 reps each leg) (There maybe a different name for this exercise. I made this name up.)
5. Prone Leg Curls - Hamstrings - 3 sets (15-20 reps) - Alternating Walking lunges in between sets.
6. Dead Lifts with Pelvis Press - 3 sets (15-20 reps)
7. Seated Leg Curls - Hamstrings - 2 Super Sets (15-20 reps)
8. 45 minutes of cardio (20 minutes as interval training)

My body was rested today, and I was able to get in more meals, which allowed me to have a successful training session. Today I learned that I've been stretching my lower back incorrectly for years. I always thought by rounding the back the lower back is stretched, but it's the total opposite. "Arching the lower back releases the tension in the lower back. Rounding the lower back continues to apply tension to the lower back." That was a revolutionary lesson today. I've been dancing for 10+ years, and I have always been taught to round the back and reach for the toes to stretch out the lower back. 

Training with Peter is less about how much I can do, but rather learning the correct way to train. 2nd Lesson Learned Today: "You have to rest between sets in order to allow the glycogen to be restored to the muscles." I was kinda rushing between sets, and Peter got on me about that. 3rd Lesson Learned Today: "It's not good to run a race when doing reps. It is more imperative that you take your time, and contract the muscle you are working."Thank you Peter for all the great lessons you are teaching me, which will help me reach my goal. I will leave you with this quote:

"Mental toughness and sticking to the plan is very important as cliched as it might sound to some"

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model - Entry 5

Hola a todos (Hello everyone)! Today's training session was intense, but good. Peter trained my calfs, back, and biceps. The focus for my calfs was to target the Soleus, which is the calf muscle behind the Gastrocnemius. We started the back workout with pull-ups. Peter always starts a back workout with pull-ups. He said it helps loosen up the fibers, and muscles in the back area. We went through a number of back exercises, so much so that my legs were trembling half way through. He really focused on my upper back today. He said he is trying to shape my back to have a "V" cut, which makes the waist look smaller. COOL!

We didn't really focus on biceps today. Peter said, whenever you train back you automatically hit biceps as well, so we did a few exercises, but not much. I have never trained my calfs like we did today, so I am anticipating some Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). I didn't keep up with the time, but I trained for at least an hour. Afterward, I had 45 minutes of cardio on the StairMaster. 20 minutes of which was interval training. I was dripping sweat everywhere. First of all, I have never used the StairMaster before. Secondly, I felt dyslexic the entire time because I kept tripping over the steps, as if I had two left feet, and I am a dancer! What's up with that? The StairMaster is a fine piece of equipment. I have never worked that hard during my cardio sessions before.

I had Bison for the first time today. I am not a red meat eater at all, but Peter is trying to get my iron up, and Bison is suppose to be really good for iron deficiency. The problem is it digests very slowly, which can be a good thing at times, but not before a workout. I had my 3rd meal 2 hours before my training session, which included the Bison. The entire time I was training my food was still trying to digest, which lead to bulging, and knots in my small intestines. It didn't hurt, but it was just a little uncomfortable. So, I plan to eat my Bison meals on days I do not train for now on.

FYI: On my train ride back home, which usually takes about 45 minutes, I was knocked out. The guy sitting next to me had to wake me up. That's just how effective the session was today. I am loving every minute of it. I will leave you with a quote from Muscle & Fitness Hers Magazine:

My body is like a canvas

motivation is my brush

I control every curve

and make no excuses

I turn heads

and hold my head high

I have no bad angles

I am confident in every light

I break limitations

quitting is not an option

because in the gym, I am never alone

I train with MAX. 

Do you?

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model-Entry 4

Saludos a todos (Greetings everyone)! I apologize for the lapse of time that has past since my last post. My life was turned upside down within a week. I have gone through a lot of changes in the last 7 days, which interrupted my training. I am back on course, and my passion to reach my goal is even strong now. Thank you for your patience, and again I apologize for the lapse of time.

So, I realized I didn't share my first training session experience, which was amazing. It happened over a week ago, but I remember it vividly. First of all, I couldn't stop sweating. Afterward, my clothes were soaked. I almost killed myself on the elliptical machine. Peter, trained my gluts and hamstrings for about 45 minutes, then 30 minutes of cardio in intervals of 20-30 seconds. For 20 seconds I would sprint on the elliptical machine, moving my legs as fast as I could, then I would go normal speed for the remainder of that minute. After my first sprint I slowed my legs down without slowing the pedals down, which nearly killed me. Literally, I was almost thrown off of the elliptical machine. Lesson Learned: Gradually slow legs and pedals down together. I survived, YAY! But, boy was a sore 2 days later. Peter, explained to me that I have what you call, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is perfectly normal. Some people are sore right after a workout, I am sore a couple of days after a workout. But, who cares. NO PAIN, NO GAIN! I plan on a lot of gain, which means bring on the soreness.

Today marks my second session with Peter. It was great! Due to my set-back, we had to start from the beginning, so he trained my gluts and hamstrings today. We have 2 more sessions this week, which I am looking forward to. I understand I will have DOMS in about 2 days, but whatever. I believe in my potential, and I know I have the right trainer that can cultivate and develop the greatness that's inside of me. The thing I loved the most about today's session, is I got a change to vent about my life changing week, and he cared enough to listen, and not judge. I am not one to share my personal business with people outside of my close net circle. It's just not me, but I felt comfortable enough to do so with him. He was generally supportive, and I appreciated that the most about this session. Don't get me wrong, he still kicked my BUTT today. But because of that, I feel a little more of a release in my spirit, which is healthy for me, and will allow me to focus on what's most important in my present, which is becoming a successful fitness model. So, a special thanks goes out to my trainer, Peter Gordon, for caring. Stay tuned for my next post.
PEACE & LOVE!

Antioxidants Equal Longevity

I APOLOGY for not having posted an up-date on my Journey Toward Becoming a Fitness Model in the last couple of days. Life got in the way, but I will start posting daily logs again starting Tuesday, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, I was inspired to right the article below, Enjoy!

Antioxidants are the super-heroes of the body's internal cleaning team. They play a vital role in neutralizing free radicals in the body during a  process called Oxidation. Oxidation, in itself, is very normal and always occurring in the body, and to many things around us.

However, there are disturbances that occur  in the oxidation process that has a toxic effect on the body.

Imagine an iron pipe, as it weathers years of rain, environmental exposure, sun, and other factors, it begins to rust. The rust is caused by oxidation. The rust is a physical result of damage caused to the cells and other structures around them. When a free oxygen radical is missing an electron, it becomes reckless to the body. It fires damaging charges, as it searches throughout the body for a molecule that it can combine with to become "Whole".

Imaging a motorcyclist driving recklessly on the highway, with no regard for others. Weaving in and out of lanes, running other commuters off the road.

The damage the motorcyclist caused to the other commuters, is what free oxygen radicals cause to bodily cells and the structures around them.

Free radicals have existed and caused oxidative stress in the body from the beginning of time. They're inherent to life. However, our bodies were only made to withstand so much exposure to free radicals (reckless motorcyclist). In low-toxin settings, the body does an amazing job at neutralizing them. But increased and prolonged exposure to these reckless free radicals cause a faster build-up of "rust" or disease in the bodies, which causes faster aging, and inevitably leads to ruins, or early death.

Some of the diseases caused by oxidative stress are: Heart Disease, Cancer, Arthritis, Lung Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Macular Degeneration.

Some of the most common reasons our bodies' oxygen molecules oxidize themselves into an increased amount of free radicals is due to Environmental and Air Pollution, Cigarette Smoking, Excess Stress, Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications, Radiation, Excessive Exercise, and Increased Exposure to Sunlight. Some of which we can control, and some of which we can't.

So, what can you do to help neutralize the reckless motorcyclist that are running free inside your body damaging cells, and causing you to age faster? Eat more fruits and vegetables, and ask your doctor to recommend an antioxidant supplement for you. Antioxidants are fantastic little substances that wander through your body, giving up an electron to the greedy free radicals charging through your system. They neutralize the free radicals and allow your body to do its business of excreting them safely and without harm. So, you can think of them as the police patrol for the free radicals.

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model-Entry 3

Buenos dias a todos! Quick up-date on how my day went yesterday. So, I had my second meal at 11 AM, which was a protein shake + 1 tablespoon of Udos oil. Headed to the gym around 12 PM to train abs, and arms. Honestly, the workout lasted about an hour and 20 minutes, but I felt weak throughout the workout. Normally when I do early, or mid-day workouts I feel strong, but yesterday was different. Like I said in entry 2, I was able to get in 8 hours of sleep, and I woke up rested for the most part. Before heading to the gym I drunk a pre-workout drink called 1MR, and I still felt like I had to push myself to even start the workout. I don't know exactly what I need to do differently, so I am going to consult with my sports trainer, Peter Gordon.

The night before, instead of having my last meal, I opted to just drink a protein shake. I was constantly hungry the day before, so I eat most of my meals earlier then usual. So, by time it came to my last meal, I figured I had gotten in all of my calories for the day, so I opted for the protein shake. I think that choice may have something to do with why I was so weak during my training session yesterday, but I'm not certain, so I will explain everything to Peter, and see what advice he may have.

Training is so important for fitness modeling. The strength and energy you bring into your training sessions determine how much you get out of your session. My first session with Peter is today. I have to teach a dance class for some kids an hour 1/2 before our training session. I am praying that doesn't effect my strength and energy level because I really want to get as much out of the session as possible. Stay tuned! I will let you know what he says, and how the session goes tomorrow.
PEACE & LOVE!

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model-Entry 2

Buenos dias a todos! I like to think I know Spanish, but the truth is I know very little. One of my goals in life in conjunction with becoming a successful fitness model is becoming fluent in Spanish. Not to do anything specific with it. I just always wanted that to be a second language for me. So, I may use what I know here and there in my posts. I hope you don't mine. The opening sentence is "Good morning everyone."

On to the journey: I woke up this morning feeling rested for the most part. I was able to get in 8 hours of sleep. I've been having a little trouble sleeping consistently throughout the night. I would just wake up for no reason around 3 or 4 am, and have a hard time going back to sleep. It's getting better. The sports trainer I am working with right now, Peter Gordon, gave me a couple of tips, like dim the lights an hour before I plan to go to bed, read instead of watching a show or working on the computer. He also recommended this product by the name of CALM, which I have not purchased yet, but I did get some calm tea, so I drink it like an hour before I go to bed.

This morning I had 1/2 cup oatmeal + 1 tablespoon Udos oil + 1/4 cup blueberries with cinnamon, 1 whole egg / 4 egg whites. I am scheduled for my second meal at 11 AM, which I will have in a couple of minutes. I am heading to the gym at 12 PM to train abs and arms. I start my first training session with Peter tomorrow, so I will let you guys know how that goes. He is really intense so I hope I don't cry, LOL! I am pretty sure the session will leave me extremely sore, but not in tears, at least I hope not. One of his quotes are "Everybody says they train hard until they train with me." So, I don't know. Stay tuned, I will give you an up-date tomorrow evening. PEACE & LOVE!

My Journey Toward Becoming A Fitness Model

Today marks the start of my journey toward becoming a fitness model. I am working with a sports trainer by the name of Peter Gordon. He has put together a weekly meal plan that I must adhere to in order to reach my fitness goal by July 2011. My husband Marcus Langford, also known as BodyBuilder Marcus, and I have a fitness photo-shoot in July, and I'm training to look my best. Today I started my meal plan. I cannot have any processed food whatsoever. No sodium or sugar. Basically, I have to cook everything.

This morning I had 1/2 cup of oatmeal with a tablespoon of Udo's 3-6-9 oil, cinnamon, tablespoon peanut butter, and 1 whole egg and 5 egg whites. I should not have had the peanut butter with my oatmeal, I found out later own that day from my trainer Peter. It was on my meal plan for me to have tonight, but I figured I would put it in my oatmeal instead of having it tonight. He informed me that there was a method behind the madness. So, I will correct that tomorrow. I was hunger an hour and a half later, so I had my second meal, which was a protein shake with Udo's oil, and berries. An hour and a half later I was hunger again, so I had some more oatmeal, which was not my third meal, but I had to improvise because I have not been able to get all of my food due to finances. I made a no-sodium, no-sugar salad dressing, and for a snack I had a spinach salad. I am about to have my four meal, which is tilapia, quinoa, and green beans.

I would love for you to take this journey with me. You can expect a new blog documenting my progress every other day. Stay tuned, an enjoy the ride!!!