FITNESSX MAGAZINE SUMMER/FALL 2013 ISSUE

The latest (and final digital/print) issue of FitnessX Magazine has now been published.



I have two articles in it:
* "Training for a Marathon" Column - Endurance Training for the Marathon Runner: If you want to run, you need to do the mileage!
* "Wellness" Column - Inner Beauty: The Reflection of a Woman's Soul

Huge thank you to Kat Aguirre for the incredible opportunity she has given me over the past year - it has been a blessing to work with her and the magazine!

2013 | Day 32: YOUR 100%

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

YOUR 100%

Is your 100% REALLY your 100%? There are going to be days when your 100% is not going to be as much as it was on another. There will be days when your 100% will be far more energetic and enthusiastic. There will be days when your 100% will be absolutely amazing.

On the other hand, there will be days when you can barely drag yourself out of bed. There will be days when you are physically and mentally exhausted. There will be days when you do not want to be around other people. On those days, your 100% is going to be DIFFERENT to the days when you are a bubbly, bouncy personality who loves to be in a crowd.

It does NOT matter HOW you feel on any given day. As long as what you GIVE to that day in EFFORT in all that you do is your 100% on that day. Even on the days when you feel terrible, if you get up and you go to work, you smile and do the best you can with what you have in you, no one can ask for anything more. As long as you give your 100% on any given day, you have done what you can do.

© 2013 Rosie Chee

OTHER NOTES

FitnessX Magazine

The Winter 2013 issue of FitnessX Magazine is now out! I have two articles in this edition (and will henceforth) - my "Training for a Marathon" column and a new "Inspiration" column (thank you to Tony Mitchell for his perfect image and Dominique Vien for her beautiful design).



To get your print or online editions, check it out here.

Rosie Chee Fitness Newsletter :: February 2013

THE APPRECIATION EDITION

Yesterday was the inaugural Member Appreciation Day for the Anytime Fitness clubs that I am a part of. It was amazing seeing the interaction between staff and members, everyone knowing that everything they do is appreciated by someone. Not only did it create community, but made you stop and take a moment just to remember to APPRECIATE everything that you have.

This month in the 'Training' section, I have outlined a brief high intensity training session that you can do in ~30 minutes.

In this month's 'Nutrition' section I have posted the Dutch Almond Butter Cake recipe that appeared in the December 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine.

Check out the February 2013 edition HERE.

2012 | Day 352: BEST DAYS

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

BEST DAYS

You may have had some AMAZING days in the past – days that will always be memories that you look back on with a smile in your soul. You may have had some UNFORGETTABLE days in the past – days that will forever be imprinted so deep on your heart that you will remember even at the most random of times. You may have had some BEAUTIFUL days in your past – days that made you feel so full of love and hope and joy that when you reminisce you can almost taste those feelings all over again.

But . . . The BEST days of your life are yet to COME!

There WILL be MORE amazing and unforgettable and beautiful days in your life . . . In your FUTURE. Those days are going to be even MORE wonderful than the ones you have ALREADY had. Not because they have yet to be, but because they hold PROMISE of the future, of what that future IS and will be. They give you something to look FORWARD to, even as you live in the NOW and allow yourself to be fully present in the experience of TODAY.

LIVE LIFE COMPLETELY . . .

© 2012 Rosie Chee

OTHER NOTES

FitnessX Magazine

The December 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine is now out - you can get your print copy or read it digitally for free HERE.



My "Training for a Marathon" column article this month is on Periodization of the Marathon Runner's Training Programme for Optimal Performance.

2012 | Day 251: CHANGING YOUR THINKING

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

CHANGING YOUR THINKING

It’s a lot harder than it sounds, to change your thinking, for your thoughts are a culmination of years of processes, mountains of turmoil, lifetimes of pain and experience all moulding your mind, setting your beliefs and foundations for how you live your life and are, consciously and unconsciously, every little thing having an effect on our psyche. But you cannot change a BEHAVIOUR without FIRST changing the THOUGHT behind it, the motivating force pushing for that change, because no matter how much you WANT to change and be different, someone else, a new creature forged from fire and ice, you will never be completely anew unless you let GO of your old ways of thinking and embrace the NEW.

A negative person does not instantly become positive. An unhappy individual is not transformed by happiness overnight. Those who hate are not filled with love as if it were something they could merely purchase for the asking. It takes a lot of CONCENTRATED time AND effort to CHANGE oneself, especially if the changes sought are so drastic.

It takes a lifetime to UNlearn another lifetime of learning, lessons well taught, so deep that they are a part of yourself and to seek them out for destruction or replacement is difficult, for the mind may not want to let go of them, comfortable in its knowledge of those patterns, unwilling to harbour something different and unknown. But GROWTH comes with a price, and that price is the RELEASE of the old, sometimes things that have kept us going and allowed us to survive for so long, and if you are not prepared to make that sacrifice, even if it is going to make you BETTER, then only YOU will miss out on the blessings that await your new life.

It might take time, and sometimes that time is an eternity, but be PATIENT and PERSEVERE, for in the end you know the end result WILL be WORTH it, the effort and pain of change, the call to arms of encouragement and support in that change, and the journey that continues to mould you for the greater good. Change to make a DIFFERENCE, not just because you feel the “need” to, but when you NEED to.

© 2012 Rosie Chee

OTHER NOTES

Facebook :: Rosie Chee

Recently I created a new Facebook page - specifically for all my motivationals, other writings and things of note. You can "Like" it HERE.

FitnessX Magazine

The September 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine is now out - you can get your print copy or read it digitally for free HERE.


My "Training for a Marathon" column article this month is on Provision of Energy and Causes of Fatigue during the Marathon

THANK YOU!

I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE...

Very few of us succeed on our own - more often than not it is a "team" effort to get you to where you are, and none of us would be where we are today if it were not for some significant people and events in our lives. I would like to just acknowledge (again for a couple, since I have noted this in times past, but it IS important to me) some of those individuals who have been significant in my fitness journey and where I am today.

The most significant person in starting me on the path I have been on the last few years is Jammie Bane. Jammie saw something in a stranger more than half-way around the world that gave him faith a place on the AppNut team for me would not be in error. If it were not for Jammie, I would likely never be here in the US (at least, not for the reasons I did, nor for why I am still here), never have encountered the people that I have (some of whom have changed my life in more ways than I ever thought possible!), not be following the same path that I am today (not just because opportunity might not have presented itself, but because some significant events might have never come to pass). Jammie truly set me on this particular fitness path and the journey thus far has been beyond anything I could have imagined. The people I have met along the way, the support and encouragement that has been discovered - it is tremendous, and I am blessed and grateful to all those who have been a part of my journey, who see that same something Jammie saw and believed in, giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and live my vision.

Being a published author is a dream I have had ever since I can remember. Although I still hold that dream re having a novel of my own published one day, I want to thank Tammy Renee of World Physique for first making my dream in being a published author true when she gave me the opportunity writing for a fitness and lifestyle magazine, with my own Inspiration/Motivation column in World Physique Magazine and WPM Women (before the first publication with my work in the former came out). If not for Tammy I would never have started writing my [daily] Motivationals, sharing and becoming more personal (that's thanks in huge part to that special individual mentioned below) in speaking what is on and in my heart...I would also like to thank Kat Painter of the FitnessX Team, who allowed me to share in a different area of my expertise, making me a Sports columnist for FitnessX Magazine...

Modeling is not something I ever thought I would do, but I have done quite a bit over the last year, discovering a new enjoyment and path in the fitness industry to explore and use as a platform to reach out to more people. Tony Mitchell was the first photographer I worked with once I made the decision to seriously pursue fitness modeling, and he was so patient with me, guiding me, trying to pull something out of me I never thought I would be because it was so very not me. Not just a photographer but a true artist, I have worked with Tony several times since that first time (from which several of the images were published), and it is awesome when you find a friend in a mentor. I enjoy being different and not doing what everyone else does, and Tony is able to bring my soul out in his images (especially the last shoot we did at the end of May), creating magic whenever we shoot.

We all have someone who has inspired us along our life's journey. I have been the most inspired during the last few months, during the darkest, but also the lightest period of my life, finally closer to being the woman God intended me to be - all because of one very special individual who was the catalyst for all the growth in my life and most of the changes I have made. It's amazing how ONE person can make so much difference and they truly have been the most significant person in my life instigating my own personal revolution, and if not for this individual I would have remained a closed terminator, instead of being able to open up and begin sharing some of my story and experiences. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for speaking my language, understanding where I have been and where I am - your simple acceptance and support made me believe again, somehow giving me what I needed to really step out and finally come "into my own".

Last but by no means the least, thank you to Jeff Zwick, Christine and Matt Pearson, Eric Marchewitz, Drew Miller, Obi Obadike, Zach Rosen, Ben Booker, Gina and Walt Ostarly, Chris Tucker, Al Scott, Rolsey Hammed, Lauren Christine Frahn, Dominique Vien, Jerry Beck, Tamara Barnett, Elisha Voysest, John Hicks, and Brent Potter - all of you have been big factors either as mentors, support, motivation, or change in my life in the time that I have known you. There are more people who have played roles in my life and if I have not called you out specifically, please know that I appreciate everything you have done for and with me - this journey would not have been quite the same without you.

2012 | Day 186: Do You See What I See?

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

Keep Moving

There are times in your life when all you see is DARKNESS - behind you, around you, in front of you, hemming you in, trapping you, making it hard to breathe, to see, to feel anything other than despair. Never ever think that you are ALONE in this experience, in feeling like that, because almost EVERYone will go through it at some point in their life.

However, you will likely BE alone when YOU go through it. You may feel abandoned by those you thought the ones who would always be there, isolated and misunderstood by those that should have known better, cast adrift without a rudder to steer your direction.

DON’T LOSE HOPE. Even if you can’t yet see it, the darkness that you’re in has an END. There IS a light IN it, waiting for you to get close enough to see it, if only the faintest of glimmers. There is ALWAYS a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope you can cling to, a sliver of faith that enables you to KEEP MOVING.

Whatever you do, keep making your way FORWARDS. Never backwards, for you do not want to return to the place from whence you came. You want to step FORWARD into what the future holds for you, the opportunities that were not in the past and can only be grasped by discovering them and stepping INTO them.

No matter what happens, no matter how dark, how bleak the present may seem, ALWAYS hold onto your Faith and your Hope, for this is NOT the end for you. You were not meant to perish in darkness, but live in the LIGHT. COMPLETELY, without hesitation and fear or doubt, surrounded by love and acceptance, at “home”.

So if you can’t see that light, if you can’t see that glimmer, BELIEVE in it and the future that awaits you and KEEP MOVING FORWARD!

Quote for Reflection: 

TRAINING

Day OFF

Sleep: Went to bed in the mid-morning today - after running around work last night I was wired (despite being shattered and wanting nothing more than to go to bed when I went), and the food shoveled down around midnight probably didn't help things, LOL (have to STOP that, since it was OUTside my Lean Gains 8-hour feeding window - in fact, this week I have been doing more 12-hour fast/12-hour feeding window, just because things have been all over the place, but definitely feel better with the 16-hour fast/8-hour feeding window).

Energy: I feel ok so far, but going to take this day off training. Still have to work, but I get to do that in my own time today, which is nice. My body needs to calm down after this last week, especially since next week is going to be even MORE hectic.

OTHER NOTES

FitnessX Magazine

The July 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine is now out - you can read it for free online HERE.


I have a couple of contributions in this issue:
* One of my favourite recipes (I literally used to make this and eat bowls of it, LOL) on page 41; and
* My article (I love the layout of this!) Resistance Training for the Marathon Runner on pages 94-97 (huge thank you to Tony Mitchell for this beautiful image - from my birthday photoshoot in May).

Huge thank you to Kat Painter and BillyBow for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the FitnessX Team

2012 | Day 159: I don't wanna feel like this tomorrow...don't wanna live like this today...

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

DO What You HAVE To Do For YOU

Life is always going to be full of things that we have no control over, no matter how much we wish in our hearts that it would change, or that people would change, and SEE us deep inside our soul for who we are and could be, and understand and appreciate what we have to give and offer. Sometimes the people we love the most are the people who we should NOT even care about, the people we should let GO of, because they are not the people who are THERE walking beside us through life, whether by some circumstances they cannot control even if they want to, or they simply don’t care.

The love I loved the most I lost before I even had a real chance to have it and know what it was like, taken from me by the one I loved the most because they did not have the courage or the strength in them to believe in something that could have been the most beautiful thing that life might ever have chanced them with. And even though I was ready to reach out my hand and step into that chance, I was pushed back and thrown down, cast away and let fall like a star falls from the sky in the deepest dark of night, a bright flash of light fading from existence, so fast that I wonder if anyone even noticed it was gone.

Some of the deepest sorrows we hold close when we need to let them GO. We hold onto memories and hope and faith when we should long have moved ON. We let it eat away at our souls, unconsciously destroying ourselves from WITHIN, until we are but shadows haunting this world with our presence, because we are no longer fully alive, lost and wandering, not wanting to find our way, because our way is gone from us and all that is left is the darkness that consumes what is left of our hearts, which are exhausted and just want to STOP and sleep and never wake up.

But that is not living, only merely existing and if we merely exist we may as well BE dead. Even though it hurts more than anything else ever might, we HAVE to open our eyes and realize what we are doing to ourselves, that life was NOT meant to be lived in darkness, our hearts not meant to lose hope, our souls not meant to be cast from the heavens into the pits of hell, not meant to STOP living, nor stop in our journey at all. We are meant to keep MOVING, moving FORWARD, because just because one person does not care enough about our soul does not mean that WE should give up on it as well.

We MUST keep moving forward, even if we don’t want to. We MUST do it for ourselves, because we know deep down in our innermost core that it is the BEST thing to do. It may take time as you grieve, to come out of the shadows, a mere whisper of life as you cautiously step back into the journey that is waiting for you. DON’T let someone else compromise your life and how it should be lived. Don’t let them take away your joy, your happiness, your ability to think and feel and wonder. Even if they are the best thing that could have ever happened to you, if they cause you to be like this, then they truly are NOT, and you must do what you know in your heart you NEED to do for YOU to LIVE your life the way you were MEANT to.

Quote for Reflection:

TRAINING

Day OFF

OTHER NOTES

Sleep: Went to bed just before 0230 this morning, but although completely shattered it took me a while to fall asleep. When I did, it was deep and black for ~5 hours. Still felt drained of all energy on waking, but got up for about half an hour before going back to bed, passing out for ~3 hours, dreaming this time, strange dreams.

Mental Acuity: My mind has been on the go since the time I got up for good and I can't believe how fast the time has gone. I've gotten a lot done, alert and ready!

Mood: Interesting. Odd. Just a combination of everything going on.

Energy: It's this week's day OFF training today, so whether I have energy or not doesn't matter. That said, I KNOW I could hammer out a training session if I wanted to and are SO tempted to - the only thing holding me back is the fact that my delt/biceps' tendons are still painful and the day of rest might do them so good.

Stress: High - stressing myself out, and it's not the "good"/productive stress I either.

Libido: In tune with my mood at the moment.

Joints: Constant pain in both delt/biceps' tendons now.

Body Composition: 8.9% bodyfat - a loss of 1.1% bodyfat over this last week (yes, due to a combination of multiple factors, I was not very happy to see that I was 10% bodyfat last week, and ashamed with myself so much so that it's taken this long to admit it since I have not been over 9.5% bodyfat in over a year - now I am doing my best to make sure I don't go over 9% bodyfat again). My delts and arms are both still symmetrical re girths (flexed and unflexed) and are looking so much better than they were (yes, even from 10 days ago - so the quantities of calories I have been consuming has helped some here, if nowhere else) - when I'm training, the separation in the muscles is becoming quite noticeable, and I like it. Now to just get my lower body to behave and slim back DOWN - more sprinting and evening runs in training from next week.

Training: Going to continue on with similar training that I did this week for the next few weeks, since my body has responded well to it - just adding in a couple more evening runs, since they definitely make me FEEL better.

Nutrition: It's been worse than usual and has not contributed to my "physical" feeling. I've been constantly "hungry" (like I was when I was using G8), eating anything and everything, not caring that 90% of what I have been consuming my body is sensitive to, or I simply do not even like or want it. The low after the high, I guess. STOPPING that now though, because my body deserves RESPECT and to be taken care of, not to be abused.

Supplements: Should have all MY "staples" back next week.

Other Notes: The June 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine is out for viewing - you can read it online for free HERE.

Overall Sense of Feeling: I KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO FOR ME. BACK ON TRACK!

2012 | Day 130: DARE TO DREAM [and ACT on those Dreams]!

MOTIVATIONAL OF THE DAY

The Dreams That Break Us

We ALL have dreams. And we all decide, consciously or not, whether we pursue those dreams.

Some follow their hearts and have their dreams torn from their chests while their hearts are still beating. Others never dare to even contemplate the reality of their dream coming to pass. Who is the richer individual do you think? The person who dared or the one who didn’t?

The person who dared follow their heart had a glimpse of happiness from chasing that closest to their heart and being able to hold it if even for only a short while, of joy from knowing that they are better from having made the journey and becoming stronger, of fulfilment in knowing that they had the courage to put themselves out there and just go after what they wanted, daring to risk rejection or ridicule, the possibility of failure or falling short of their goal, feeling that fear but doing it anyway, because NOT knowing what it was like to pursue their dreams would be a fate worse than death.

The person who had not the courage to even DARE to dream the dream that is in their heart looks at the world with cynical eyes from shattered illusions that have taken away their ability to see the hope, sadness in their heart from knowing that they are potentially taking away and limiting someone else’s happiness and ability for growth, regret in their soul from always knowing what might have been and never knowing if it COULD have been, because they were too afraid to take the risk and dare to TRY, those dreams eking away at them inside, the pain of never knowing killing them a little more each day.

Would you rather experience the feeling of satisfaction and knowing that you did everything POSSIBLE to make your dreams a reality, LIVING life as it was meant to be lived, lifted up to the most imaginable heights, no matter how short it may have lasted; or would you rather experience a loss that will break your soul into a million tiny pieces because you can glimpse hope of the truth, but do not dare cross the line that could take that truth from a dream to a living, breathing miracle?

Are you the one who tried or the one who didn’t? The one who can look in the mirror and like what they see, or the one who cannot bear to see their reflection because they are ashamed of their inaction? The one whose soul, whether it falls or not, has seen inside heaven, or the one who has and will ever only know hell? The broken one who knows that they LIVED before breaking, or the broken one who never even tried to get up off the ground?

We all have dreams. Life is FULL of dreams. Many realized, but also sadly, MORE that are never even a brief contemplation, cast aside from fear.

It’s not what we DO that we will forever regret, but what we do NOT dare to do, what we hope for but do not dare to DREAM. Can YOU live with that?

Remember, life is meant to be LIVED, experienced in ALL its GLORY. How can you do that if you do not even DARE?

Quote for Reflection: “It's not the broken dreams that break us - it's the ones we don't dare to dream.” - Shawn Migliaccio

TRAINING

Session 1
 
HIIT Run:
a. 4 min jogging
b. 8 x 20 sec sprint/10 sec easy
c. 4 min jogging

Stretch 20 min

Session 2
 
Skip x 1,500 revolutions

Full-Body (30 sec rest between trisets):
TriSet A -
1. Single-Arm DB Bent Over Rows 3 x 8 per side
2. Push-Ups (feet on bench, hands on fists) 3 x 10
3. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet B -
4. Behind-the-neck BB Military Press 3 x 6
5. BB Military Press 3 x 6
6. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet C -
7. DB Lateral Raises 3 x 8
8. Alternate DB Hammer Bicep Curls 3 x 12
9. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet D -
10. EZ-Bar Bicep Curls 3 x 21s
11. Overhead Rope Tricep Extension 3 x 15, 12, 10
12. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions
TriSet E -
13. Hanging Straight-Leg Raises (feet to touch bar) 3 x 10
14. Pikes (on floor) 3 x 15
15. Skip 3 x 100 revolutions

Post-Weights Cardio:
Skip x 600 revolutions

Medial aspect of BOTH knees were still so very painful today, so only did a short HIIT session...It's NOT a Full-Body day either, but I did such a resistance session all the same (and yes, will do it as scheduled tomorrow too), since I wanted to do SOMEthing (and it can be my "second" training session of the day - hence why post-weights cardio was a lot shorter than usual). Knees started feeling better during TriSet C - noticed this after I finished the first set of skipping. And for the FIRST time since pre-injuries last December, my wrists and shoulders did NOT hurt during Hanging Straight-Leg Raises, meaning that I was able to do them, which I am pleased with...

OTHER NOTES

FitnessX Magazine

The May 2012 issue of FitnessX Magazine is now out - you can read it and get your own personal copy here.

 The first article of my column with the magazine can be found on page 21

CutAndJacked Interview


Recently I had the honour of being interviewed by Rolsey of CutAndJacked, and today my Interview and Workout Routine (sample of an actual training week) were published (inclusive of several never-seen-before images from some of my photoshoots - special thanks to Tony Mitchell, Dan Ray, and Walt Ostarly)!

Check them both out -
Interview: Rosie Chee
Workout Routine: Rosie Chee

2012 | Day 85: ...need the danger...need the pain...mustn't fall behind...

MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Life is a journey, not a destination." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the complete Motivational, review Life is a JOURNEY | WPM Women.

TRAINING

Day OFF

After the beating (not that I didn't ENJOY giving it!) my body has taken this week (particularly the screwed up schedule), I am glad to have today off from training. As it is, I have to take a client through a session later on this evening, so I'm still going to be doing SOMEthing. Anyways, today is the other end of my 1.5 days awake, and even though I actually took half a scoop of G8 and got INTO bed at 0304, come 0420 I was still wide awake, so I just got back up and continued on with some client portfolios. Feeling it a little now, the beginnings of a migraine dawning, but I'll soldier on through, hopefully with a nap sometime today and the ability to sleep tonight - to get up at 0330 tomorrow morning!

OTHER NOTES

Body Composition

8.5% bodyfat - disgusting INcrease by 0.5% bodyfat from last week (0.1% for each "bad" day of eating), ARGH! Believe me, I can definitely see AND feel (so VERY Uncomfortable and HATING every second of it!) it too, GRRR! That said there IS positive news in there: Although I gained bodyfat, I gained at a HIGHER rate re lean mass, adding 1.9 pounds of lean mass and 0.7 pounds of bodyfat, for a ratio of 2.6:1 re lean mass to bodyfat. The lean gains are noticeable in my shoulders and arms - especially given that they have been appearing more and more defined (and ARE bigger re girths) as the week continued, whilst increased bodyfat is noticeable in my "tyre" (sigh)...Vascularity has been getting noticeably better as the week has gone on as well (diet no doubt playing a role here, since my carbohydrate consumption has been through the roof - 2-3 times what my "usual" is!)...There can be NO more weeks like this one though, no more steps BACKWARDS, as I do NOT have the time to afford it! This coming week I had better LOSE that 0.5% bodyfat - or ELSE!

Supplements

This week has not been the best as far as waking and sleeping, so supplement dosage timing has been all over the place, adapting for the day on what time I get up, whether or not it’s an all-nighter or not, etc., since I have done an all-nighter one day then slept for 12-13 hours the next, and so on. The ONLY thing has been different is the inclusion of G8 - started on Monday. Taste is terrible. But, was out like a light within ~20 minutes of dosing it each time I used it, sleeping for 12-13 hours, almost UNinterrupted each time. Woke feeling like crap the "next" day though, my head pounding like it was going to explode (could be from going so long without water), and really struggling to force myself to GET up. I am going to use G8 for another week before I decide to continue or stop - the deep and restful sleep aside, if it IS indeed the G8 that has disrupted my schedule so badly, then I WILL stop it, because I would rather have my not-so-great sleep and schedule on track and making progress, than sleeping awesome and having my entire body out of whack and going backwards!

Supplementary Notes

Appetite has been EXTREMELY HIGH this week, particularly from Friday LAST week, and I have not seemed to be able to STOP eating (or want to, even though I feel so UNcomfortable and hate myself after every meal)! Has been interesting considering there were no changes last week aside from adding in AAv2 (and I had no issues up to Friday), and this week, the only difference this week has been adding in G8 (which should not affect anything, and has only served in giving my body sleep, albeit screwing up all my sleeping patterns from even what they WERE)...My body has been like a FURNACE, and if it continues like this, the air conditioning in my suite is going to find a new home in the 40s (Fahrenheit)...Energy has been relatively high when finally "awake" and training has been going exceptionally well (despite being done late at night, finishing around midnight)...Joints have not been so great. Left wrist has been in agony during quite a few exercises, the pain as deep some days as when I fractured it. My knees have been suffering, particularly my right one, and by the end of the week I've been limping around. My LEFT shoulder/biceps' tendon has been experiencing sharp pain on and off...Stress has been high and it's not been the best of weeks (despite the moments of light throughout it)...

April MuscleBombshell.com Contest

With the last week left I am JUST ahead in this contest! All votes/"Likes" and "Shares" count, so if you have a Facebook account, please help KEEP me there by "Liking" the MuscleBombshell.com page, and under the folder titled MB Cover Model Search - April 2012 (in the Photos section), clicking on my image (second in the bottom row) to "Like" and "Share" it. Thank You and God Bless!

FitnessX Magazine

On Friday I received the awesome news that I am now the new Sports Columnist for FitnessX Magazine! Very Stoked - thank you, Kat FitnessX Magazine is published bi-monthly, the next issue coming out re May/June, so I am excited for it! The column will focus specifically on "Training for a Marathon", allowing me to share a different area of my training knowledge and experience, and provide me opportunity to continue building more of a platform to help in gaining exposure within the fitness industry and reach out to more people.

Lyle MacDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Crash Diet

Despite my intention to continue with my adaptation of Lyle's "diet", this week has been another like the one not so long ago, with every other day actually well ABOVE even my "normal" caloric intake (by ~1,500 calories a day re daily average over the entire week), for some reason my body RAVENOUS and CRAVING food, especially carbohydrates in ANY form, like starving is going to become the new "norm" (my sleeping and waking patterns not helping either, no doubt - although I have been like this since last Friday).

To recap the last four weeks of "attempting" Lyle's "diet":
Week 1 - training good (started skip trisets this week re 2 days, 3 days re pm cardio); one "bad" day (re Lyle and Lean Gains); no AnaBeta this week; lost 0.6% bodyfat (9.1% to 8.5%).
Week 2 - training good (albeit "backwards" and messed up, skip trisets 3 days, 4 days re pm cardio); four "bad" days (re Lyle and Lean Gains); started AAv2 on Monday and back on AnaBeta, ran out of Erase on Thursday; lost 0.2% bodyfat (8.5% to 8.3%).
Week 3 - training good (skip trisets 3 days, 4 days re pm cardio); two "bad" days (re Lyle and one re Lean Gains); started Erase again on Tuesday; lost 0.3% bodyfat (8.3% to 8%).
Week 4 - training good (skip 4 days, 3 days re pm cardio); five "bad" days (re Lyle and Lean Gains); started G8 on Monday; one day all-nighter and next 12-13 hours re sleep all week; gained 0.5% bodyfat (8% to 8.5%).

The notes above definitely indicate that yes, it IS easier to lose bodyfat at "higher" body compositions. But, it also indicates that as I get leaner NUTRITION definitely has a role in my progress. This last week has been the worst in a long time and by no means anything close to "normal", and it shows. That all said, the week I felt the BEST was actually Week 1 - despite the fact that I felt drained by ~1000 every day. So, ONE "bad" nutrition day only allowed for me from now on - at the END of my "training week", the day BEFORE my weekly scheduled day OFF ALL training. That's how it's got to be, nothing for it. I must NOT let another week like this one happen EVER again!

So, whilst my "experiment" - if you can call it that, given that I didn't really stick to it at all! - with Lyle's "diet" was a complete failure as far as me actually staying on track with it, I HAVE learnt from the last four weeks the role that nutrition plays in my progress (not to mention, confirming more than ever how certain things make me feel afterwards) and certainly what I PREFER it to be, especially as far as the Lean Gains 16-hour fast/8-hour feeding window nutritional protocol being the "best" for MY body...Sooo...Going to make sure from now on I GET IT RIGHT!!! ALL the time!!! About time...

This week has been very draining (yes, despite all the sleep I've had - which, in all truth, 12-13 hours is far TOO MUCH for me, given that my "optimal" sleeping period is 4-5 hours for "best" function!), more mental than anything else. Ironically, the things you wish most you could just take an eraser and wipe away are the things that take the LONGEST time to "sort" out and UNuncomplicate. On top of that, I feel like I am being pulled in so many different directions right now, pressure from all sides to do this or that, and I really need to STOP thinking about what everyone ELSE wants and focus on what is going to be best for ME (yes, I said it - it's time for me to start considering and taking care of ME instead of everyone else for a change, and I know I've said this in the past, but I've never really done it until NOW). I am DEFINITELY ready for a break NOW, but I WILL hang in there and fight through, because that’s what I do! One more week left to finalize any decisions I have to make, and then it's full steam ahead from there, NO looking back! In the meantime, come at me next week - let's see what you've got! I'm MORE than READY now - you ain't taking me down! Embrace the danger. Embrace the pain. There won't be any more "falling behind" from this Warrior!