Strong is sexy

Hello lovers. I know I've been slacking lately, school is already kicking my butt. But, a sweet friend gave me a recipe this morning that I needed to share- which inspired me to write a little before I crash. Yes, my bed time is 9:30 p.m. Really quick, I want everyone to watch my gym's new commercial...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEzxvmwEnO4 Come out and play with us! You won't be disappointed.

So, I was writing my bio for the gym's website and touched on the fact that I wish more women would embrace the fact that being strong is sexy. Almost every new female that walks into CrossFit is scared of "getting bulky". In the beginning, I was one of them. On the first day, my words were, verbatim, "I just want to tone up." Now, hearing those words makes my skin crawl. But, I remember the days when I thought the same thing and honestly didn't know any different, so I think it's important to get the word out to prevent other ladies from walking around with the same misconceptions.

Misconception #1- I'll just go ahead and break the news- you absolutely cannot "tone" a certain portion or your body, or lose fat in one area. Your body only loses fat. Period. Not just on your hips, or stomach or arms. To see definition in your stomach, legs, arms, whatever- your overall body fat percentage has to go down. This is why the "Ab Roller", "Shake Weight", insert other infomercials, will never work. To look "lean" you have to little body fat. To look "tone", where you see muscle definition, you have to have low levels of body fat combined with muscular development. None of this is easy and there is no miracle answer or overnight results; it takes tons of hard work, dedication and clean eating, that's what makes it so great. So, if you're one of those people trying to cut corners- let me just say, you're wasting your time.

Misconception #2- We call the people who can wear the hell out of a sweater, but not so much a swimsuit- skinny fat. These are usually the people who are on the treadmill/elliptical/stair master for hours at a time and go home and eat a handful of lettuce. If you're one of the people who prefers that method, you are probably going to be offended by this entire post. I encounter someone every day who says that they need to run more/"do more cardio" and less strength, in order to lose weight. Doing more cardio like running will burn some fat, but it will also burn up muscle at the same time- from lack of anaerobic and strength training. Which will result in lots of frustration with the way your body looks and performs for a very long time. Trust me, I've been there, done that and got the t-shirt.

Proof that heavy deadlifts and squats > ellipticals/starvation

Misconception #3- You will never lift heavy and wake up the next day looking like a body builder. You can lift heavy, then go home and eat a pint of ice cream and drink a six pack of beer and wake up looking swollen and bigger. But, that would be fat you see in the mirror, not "bulky" muscle. Women:  you will never be able to create muscles that looks like men's. It's just not natural, or genetically possible for us, sorry, but it's a scientific fact. I don't care what exception you think you are to that rule, you're not. If you've been lifting and still feel like you're getting "bulky", clean up your diet/sleep/stress situations and train harder. Women lifters who look like men have literally taken steroids/other dangerous supplements to get that way. However, you CAN have a large amount of muscle mass and still look lean. The "bulkiness" is caused by excess adipose tissue, regardless of the amount of muscle you have. The excess adipose tissue acts as a shield, layered on top of muscle. So, like I said before, having a lower body fat percentage in addition to muscular development is the key.

Bottom line, "bulky" just means fat. If you want to look like an athlete, you have to train like one. Not only is it the most effective and fastest way to achieve results, but it's a damn good time. I can almost guarantee that if you asked any female athlete, or someone who looks "tone" and "lean", what they do to look that way, they would all say they spent years developing speed, power, stamina and strength. Not trying to be a hater, but it's not going to happen by just running, doing burpees, or any other bootcamp style workout. It will happen by moving HEAVY weight around FAST!  Everyone should watch this video! Amazing women, amazing message. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zvqNHDTf8Y

Thank you Abbie Pittman, for this awesome recipe! Can't wait to make it!

Paleo Cereal 

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw pumpking seeds

1 cup crushed nuts of your choice (cocoa almonds are a good option, if you're feeling frisky)

1/2 cup almond flour

3 tbs. coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup raw organic honey

1 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. almond or vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients in medium-large bowl and mix.

2. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes in a 10x8 glass baking dish.

3. At 20 minutes, take out dish and stir everything around again.

4. Place back in oven for 5 more minutes, or repeat until slightly brown.

5. All finished! Serve with almond milk or coconut milk.