I love it when I realize I’m given an opportunity to observe as the universe is offering a valuable lesson in which one can either choose to learn from or rebel against. It can be difficult at times to see adversity as an opportunity but once we’re able to adapt to this innate sense, life can really become a lot easier and less stressful.
Speaking from my own personal experience I still get stressed about different things but not at the level I used too. I finally discovered that no matter how stressful or difficult any one situation can be, time and time again, I’ve always come out of it. And, in most cases I’ve come out ahead. Worry and Fear are the poisons that pollute our minds and bodies IF we allow them. It then becomes a choice, to live in belief or in fear.
Sadly, my observations have shown me that many people don’t know how to live in belief. Have no idea what it feels like to live in a place of possibility. Extreme realism, pessimism, “I’ll believe it when I see it” mentality has become an infectious disease that affects those whose guard is down and really don’t know any better. What a drag! Do you know people like this, or are you one? Isn’t that what it feels like? A total drag. So, how does one move from this gloomy diseased perspective into a frame of mind that is exempt of fear?
Belief
It doesn’t even have to be in any one thing. Just a belief that at the end, somehow, things will have worked out. Releasing any desire to control the outcome. Like a car’s headlights at night, we can only see a limited distance ahead of us at all times. We don’t know what our futures hold, the curves in the road, etc. But, if we “let go” and trust that in the end we will arrive at our destination we change our perspective from a place of control, worry and fear into a place of belief and possibility. We may not know how we are going to get there but in believing that we will get there is all that matters. We are in a state of auto pilot essentially and in this state we become trusting in the process. Keep in mind “what you believe, you achieve”, so when you’ve learned how to trust in the process you accelerate only those kinds of outcomes. Like attracts like. Each and every one of us has free will, the choice is yours. Will you live in belief or in fear?
“Men often become what they believe themselves to be. If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it. But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn’t have it in the beginning.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
The big day
Saturday (July 24th, 2010) was the big day I'd been planning and training for the last year and a half. It was my first Figure Competition. Id worked so hard for this day and now, it was finally here.
My lean out began at 16 weeks prior to the show and for the first couple of months didn't really feel like I was seeing any progress with my body changing or dropping weight. It was right around this time however that I discovered the thyroid goof up from my Dr's office. I immediately began the proper dosing for my thyroid and started really seeing changes in my body the last two months of the lean out. I mean, significant changes. Once my levels were corrected I was loosing weight quickly, very quickly. Of course this was due to a combination of my work out and diet regimen in addition to accurate hormone/ TSH levels.
From the time I began my lean out to the time of the show I had dropped a little over 30 lbs. It wasn't easy but I kept my eye and mind on the prize, pushing forward and not quitting. There's a tremendous amount of energy/motivation, a kind of adrenaline you get when pursing a desire you're passionate about. I wasn't going to let anything stop me.
So, the day of the show arrived and if I do say so myself I felt like a million bucks. Besides the crazy tan, I was totally proud of what I'd achieved. Unfortunately my physique just wasn't quite developed enough to place in this show but I honestly have to say I came out a winner regardless. I discovered that I truly enjoyed every part of working towards this goal. I was quite relaxed backstage and enjoyed just being able to observe this new experience. It was an amazing experience and I'm elated that I was relaxed enough to allow myself to have fun during this memorable event in my life. Plus I left with a killer body.... so, absolutely... I left there a winner. Now I know I've found something that I honestly love the pursuit, even when painful, of accomplishing. This thing that I'd only once dreamt about had now become my reality.
We all have the ability to turn possibilities into realities. The journey may not always be easy and you may not always win but you will always, always learn something if you are looking for the opportunities. Life is constantly teaching us lessons and it's up to us to determine how we choose to learn those lessons. There can be "opportunities" in everything, if we know where and how to look at them.
So, excitedly I am back in the gym today (Monday) and prepping for my next show. This one will be a ways out, maybe another 10 months from now but I am looking forward to this new journey and discovering what my body will do next.
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours".
Henry David Thoreau
My lean out began at 16 weeks prior to the show and for the first couple of months didn't really feel like I was seeing any progress with my body changing or dropping weight. It was right around this time however that I discovered the thyroid goof up from my Dr's office. I immediately began the proper dosing for my thyroid and started really seeing changes in my body the last two months of the lean out. I mean, significant changes. Once my levels were corrected I was loosing weight quickly, very quickly. Of course this was due to a combination of my work out and diet regimen in addition to accurate hormone/ TSH levels.
From the time I began my lean out to the time of the show I had dropped a little over 30 lbs. It wasn't easy but I kept my eye and mind on the prize, pushing forward and not quitting. There's a tremendous amount of energy/motivation, a kind of adrenaline you get when pursing a desire you're passionate about. I wasn't going to let anything stop me.
So, the day of the show arrived and if I do say so myself I felt like a million bucks. Besides the crazy tan, I was totally proud of what I'd achieved. Unfortunately my physique just wasn't quite developed enough to place in this show but I honestly have to say I came out a winner regardless. I discovered that I truly enjoyed every part of working towards this goal. I was quite relaxed backstage and enjoyed just being able to observe this new experience. It was an amazing experience and I'm elated that I was relaxed enough to allow myself to have fun during this memorable event in my life. Plus I left with a killer body.... so, absolutely... I left there a winner. Now I know I've found something that I honestly love the pursuit, even when painful, of accomplishing. This thing that I'd only once dreamt about had now become my reality.
We all have the ability to turn possibilities into realities. The journey may not always be easy and you may not always win but you will always, always learn something if you are looking for the opportunities. Life is constantly teaching us lessons and it's up to us to determine how we choose to learn those lessons. There can be "opportunities" in everything, if we know where and how to look at them.
So, excitedly I am back in the gym today (Monday) and prepping for my next show. This one will be a ways out, maybe another 10 months from now but I am looking forward to this new journey and discovering what my body will do next.
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours".
Henry David Thoreau
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Mind over Muscle
Many athletes know what is meant by "mind muscle connection". So,what is it?
It's the ability to use your mind to connect with the muscle you are training and to actually visualize the motion, the tension, the growth and /or power you need to push yourself to another level. It’s the ability to subconsciously connect with your body through the nervous system and make the body or muscle believe it is capable of more.
As a Wellness Practitioner I've never doubted this ability within any individual, athlete or not. I believe every one of us posses an extraordinary energy and power deep within us. A power that takes us beyond limiting patterns of body and mind into a place where possibilities become reality, and our capacity of life becomes larger.
Recently, I've been blessed to experience this first hand and would like to share my story.
I've had hypothyroid for about eleven years. When I was first diagnosed I was actually hyperthyroid and had what is known as a goiter. Goiters are caused when you have an excess of thyroid hormone pumping throughout your body. At the time my option to rid myself of this enlargement in my throat was through radioactive iodine. Once treated I slowly became Hypothyroid and began the typical treatment for hypothyroid. Over the years I've taken full responsibility for my condition and have researched and educated myself on symptoms, medications, etc. I've tried different types of medications (synthetic to natural) and have been able to identify, using my bodies own awareness along with annual blood tests what my appropriate levels are and should be.
I've been training now for a year and a half to compete in my first figure competition. The training is tough and consistent as is the diet. So, I need every last bit of hormone my body should be supplying. I discovered recently some strangely adverse symptoms such as severe muscle cramps, hair loss, dizzy spells, and headaches to name a few so during my last visit to the doc had my levels checked once more. Prior to this, my levels hadn't been evaluated for a year. At that time my doctors office had informed me they were normal. They goofed.
When the tests came back, sure enough my levels were so far off I'm surprised I was even able to carry on conversations let alone get out of bed. I cant say I was really that surprised by the odd symptoms I'd described above because I knew my body so well that I knew these things were not normal. What did surprise me however was how I was able to do everything I'd been able to do the year prior, including putting on muscle and maintaining a consistent training regimen along with a standard eight hour work day, five days a week AND school! How the heck was all this possible????? I'll tell you how.
During this time, my mind was ALWAYS focused on the prize. During this year I was not only using visualization techniques to keep my focus but I was meditating, doing hypnotherapy and maintaining a positive attitude. For anyone who's struggled with hormone issues, you know the pain and frustration associated with this. It's totally out of your control. Or is it?
I am now closely monitoring my levels to get them to where they need to be but in the meantime will continue to supplement with hypno, meditation and visualization. It's only making me stronger. I don't condone anyone dismissing medication if it's needed for health but hope my story goes to show that when we learn to connect our mind and our body, we can achieve results that catapult us into another level.
"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches". - Napoleon Hill
It's the ability to use your mind to connect with the muscle you are training and to actually visualize the motion, the tension, the growth and /or power you need to push yourself to another level. It’s the ability to subconsciously connect with your body through the nervous system and make the body or muscle believe it is capable of more.
As a Wellness Practitioner I've never doubted this ability within any individual, athlete or not. I believe every one of us posses an extraordinary energy and power deep within us. A power that takes us beyond limiting patterns of body and mind into a place where possibilities become reality, and our capacity of life becomes larger.
Recently, I've been blessed to experience this first hand and would like to share my story.
I've had hypothyroid for about eleven years. When I was first diagnosed I was actually hyperthyroid and had what is known as a goiter. Goiters are caused when you have an excess of thyroid hormone pumping throughout your body. At the time my option to rid myself of this enlargement in my throat was through radioactive iodine. Once treated I slowly became Hypothyroid and began the typical treatment for hypothyroid. Over the years I've taken full responsibility for my condition and have researched and educated myself on symptoms, medications, etc. I've tried different types of medications (synthetic to natural) and have been able to identify, using my bodies own awareness along with annual blood tests what my appropriate levels are and should be.
I've been training now for a year and a half to compete in my first figure competition. The training is tough and consistent as is the diet. So, I need every last bit of hormone my body should be supplying. I discovered recently some strangely adverse symptoms such as severe muscle cramps, hair loss, dizzy spells, and headaches to name a few so during my last visit to the doc had my levels checked once more. Prior to this, my levels hadn't been evaluated for a year. At that time my doctors office had informed me they were normal. They goofed.
When the tests came back, sure enough my levels were so far off I'm surprised I was even able to carry on conversations let alone get out of bed. I cant say I was really that surprised by the odd symptoms I'd described above because I knew my body so well that I knew these things were not normal. What did surprise me however was how I was able to do everything I'd been able to do the year prior, including putting on muscle and maintaining a consistent training regimen along with a standard eight hour work day, five days a week AND school! How the heck was all this possible????? I'll tell you how.
During this time, my mind was ALWAYS focused on the prize. During this year I was not only using visualization techniques to keep my focus but I was meditating, doing hypnotherapy and maintaining a positive attitude. For anyone who's struggled with hormone issues, you know the pain and frustration associated with this. It's totally out of your control. Or is it?
I am now closely monitoring my levels to get them to where they need to be but in the meantime will continue to supplement with hypno, meditation and visualization. It's only making me stronger. I don't condone anyone dismissing medication if it's needed for health but hope my story goes to show that when we learn to connect our mind and our body, we can achieve results that catapult us into another level.
"Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose, and burning desire, can be translated into riches". - Napoleon Hill
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)