Don't Let Others Judge You

 Hi All! I was looking through some old pics and came upon my old seventh grade school basketball team photos. I think I'm rocking the pink converse don't you? (This was back when girls really didn't wear Chuck Taylors!) My nickname Pinky was a result of this fashion choice! However, I had other names in school that I never appreciated. You're fat, go play with the girls, you aren't as good as the boys...etc. etc. I was teased for my looks, and teased because I was a tomboy.
I definitely wasn't a skinny girl, and had a chubby face, but I really wasn't that huge. Of course I felt 500 lbs. when people were teasing me, and unfortunately, I didn't have siblings to help stick up for me, nor was I really the person to stick up for myself back then. My point to this blog, is don't worry about what people say or think, do what you want to do. I wore pink converse, not because I was trying to fit in, but I wore them because I liked them and wanted to rock 'em! When the boys & some girls gave me crap for being the athletic, rough and tumble kid, I tended to have a better way to handle it. I'd challenge the boys on the court with a "Watch Me & I'll Beat Ya", and when the girly girls were having that caddy, shallow, attitude, I frankly didn't want to be friends with them as they weren't people of good character. Fortunately, I found girls on the team that also dealt with the same sexism, so when practicing or playing the game, there wasn't discrimination.
Surround yourself with people that accept you, and don't even waste your time with the others. The others are usually just too shallow and don't have their priorities straight anyway!
I do wish I would've had more strength and confidence to tell the haters to take a flying leap back then, as I would have saved myself a lot of wasted agony and pain. I've never been average, normal or beautiful in societies eyes, and today I don't care. I'm not going to change for anyone but myself. If guys don't appreciate my athleticism, then I don't want to be around them. If the girly girls are going to be caddy, I will walk elsewhere. I'm unique and embrace my weirdness. Yes, I might miss out on dates because I don't act all helpless and stupid, but I don't want a guy in my life that doesn't appreciate my take charge attitude. Life is an adventure and I'm going to enjoy it regardless!!
Enjoy your life, and you will find people that accept you. If people are going to judge you, they have no time to love you, so take time to surround yourself with the right kind of people. Even with my weirdness I have close friends that embrace my unique personality. Unfortunately, most of them live in another state, but I still put myself  out there to meet new people and let them see what a wonderful person I am, even with tattoos, boxing gloves, sweaty gym clothes and all!
Happy Health!
Fit Tomboy

Advice For Young Ladies

I'm probably twice or three times your age, but just wanted to give you a little advice. It's taken me decades to figure a lot out about myself, but I think if I had some advice, I might have saved a lot of pain and time.
So here it goes:
1) Don't talk negativity about your body. It's one of the best things you've got. Yes, it's okay to want to improve some things, but treat it with the respect it deserves. Health and fitness are more important than your looks. When you get my age, you live with your jiggly wigglys. Gravity catches up to you, even if you are in decent shape, so enjoy your body!

2) Don't compare yourself to others. If you walk to a car dealership, you see a lot of attractive makes and models, and if many different people are attracted by the different makes! No one drive the same type of car, so don't think that you have to be the same as your friends.
3) Don't think the people on magazines are real! Can we say AIRBRUSHED? The magazine companies spend tons of money to make something look nice to sell magazines, not to make you feel good about yourself. So don't bother buying them!

4) Don't be afraid to be yourself. I don't give much thought to what others think and basically you won't please everyone anyway, so what is the point of worrying what they think. I am happy being me, and the rest of the world can take a flying leap. Love me or don't. It's up to them to decide. I'm not going to change for anyone but myself.

5) Don't believe what people say. If someone makes a critical compliment, it's your choice to believe them or not. Now they might have some constructive advice, but if they are being critical and rude, don't give them fuel by believing them.

6) Don't wrap up people's compliments into your self esteem or if you don't receive compliments, don't think you aren't good at something. You need to be your own cheerleader. I think I've heard someone call me beautiful 5 or 6 times my entire life. Does that me I'm a beauty or ugly? No. If I have confidence in myself, I don't need to hear compliments. They are flattering, but I don't need to hear them to feel good. I had a boss that never told me I was doing a good job. Now, does that mean I'm a bad worker? No. She believed that she didn't need to tell me, and I got good marks when it came to evaluations. Yes, it would have been nice, but it doesn't mean I need to hear it to be doing a good job.

7) You don't need a man or a kid to have a good life. If you wrap your entire happiness into having a boyfriend, husband, or having children then what's going to happen to you if you don't have those, or your boyfriend leaves or your spouse dies? What will you do when your kids grow up anyway? Enjoy life with or without a significant other. Life is fun and adventure regardless!! I'm 42, not married, and I'm not moping around waiting. I'm just living every day and seeing what to do next and what other adventures I can experience.

8) Last, define yourself. Yes DEFINE YOURSELF. Let no one define you but you. I am a certain type of woman. You might be a different type. I define my life based on how I want to live. I box, love sports, am comfortable in a tank and shorts, blast my stereo and sing in the truck and when I FEEL like it, I wear a dress, make up and go out. I'm worthy of my life and am not going to let others define how I should live it.

Anyway, if that advice helps you avoid years and decades of sadness and pain then great. You are a worthy person! If you want to make changes, do it because you want to. Live life to the fullest, no matter what!
Happy Health
Fit Tomboy

Let Her Play

http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/22658038/girl-football-player-says-school-wont-let-her-play
Okay...I can't say it time enough that sexism really gets me upset & the fact it is condoned over and over.....Granted I am lucky to live in America, considering in other parts of the world, women have less rights by far. However, this is the land of opportunity and many things are changing, but by far, if a girl or woman wants to play a sport, especially a male dominated sport, whoa! We have a problem.
A 12 year old girl played on her school's football team last year, but for some reason she is not being allowed to play this year. She has the support of her teammates, but her Christian private school now is kicking her off the team, citing the boys will have "unpure thoughts." Give me a break! If so, wouldn't the boys have faith in God and the morals to not have those thoughts? And I'd say its a definite disadvantage if your team has their head not in the game. Uh during gametime the focus is FOOTBALL!
The school is ridiculous, and frankly just another reason why I'm not very religious, although I'm very spiritual. I have found that most religions do not speak highly of women, and if you are a single woman you are alienated since you do not have a family. I have faith in God, and live the Golden Rule, but this deeply saddens me and I don't think God or Jesus would care if she goes out in uniform and plays football!
If someone was to say, she can't play because she is (insert race) then we'd have a major uproar. However, sexism is condoned and it is going to be a tough fight. However, her mother has started a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/LetHerPlay
Please support Maddy and her fight to get what any kid should be able to do. Have the opportunity to play. She shouldn't have to go to another school, but be able to play on the team that she played on LAST YEAR! (start this clip at 1:15 )

I just wish her coach and teammates would tell the school they were going to forfeit the season or do some other drastic thing in support of her. Just like in Rudy...the team put their jerseys on the table and said he should play....well MADDY needs to play!
I was discriminated as a girl, and have deal with issues over the years. Recently, I almost threw a left hook in the jaw of a substitute kindergarten teacher for her sexist comment to a kindergartener. (I walked away, but I swear smoke was coming from my ears!)
The sub was letting the kindergarteners in the room and she said, "I need a muscle man to hold the door." (ok that wasn't what bothered me, I'm not a feminist) Then a little girl said, "I'll hold the door for you." Her reply, "Oh no, you can't, you are a girl!" What the hell!? It took all my strength to not knock her down and say, "That's how a girl hits." but I didn't want to lose my job or terrify the lil' kids, granted I think the lil' girl would have enjoyed seeing power of a woman. Now this sexist comment will have an effect on this child and her class. It shows the boys that women are the weaker sex, and for the lil' girl it tells her she is weak and not good enough. If that teacher would have said, "You can't because you are (race)." She would have been fired.
I should have said something, and I would have if it was a regular teacher, and I did tell my boss. I'm just devastated to hear that crap. I have to correct a lot of female teachers and some men all the time. Someone will ask for two strong boys....and I say..."uh two strong students?" I do what I can, but more of us need to speak up.
Now I'm definitely not much of a feminist. If a female police officer or firefighter can't lift 200 lbs. then they probably should be doing the job. Granted I know quite a few women that can lift over 300 lbs. Click the link below....Kristen Clever is 5 foot 2, 131 pounds and she can deadlift 360 lbs!
http://games.crossfit.com/athlete/36734
Anyway, please support Maddy and like her facebook page. She deserves to play!!
Ladies, never let anyone tell you, you can't do something.....Yes you will have to work hard to get what you want, but never give up the fight!!!
“Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness,heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” 
― Bethany Hamilton

Fit

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2315288/Female-sports-blogger-called-NBA-cheerleader-chunky-perform-comes-hateful-attack.html

 You can read the full article above, but basically a blogger criticized this cheerleader for her looks, and called her "too chunky" to be a cheerleader. And the blogger was a woman!! I am very disturbed that woman are still being judged more on their looks than their personality and character.

 Ladies, don't let others define you by your looks, but be judged on your character. I have received a lot of criticism for my looks over the years. First, I was teased as a child when at the time, I probably was 10 lbs. overweight. I was judged as not being girly enough because I enjoyed sports and doing atypical activities. As a teenager, I was sexually harassed, but back then that term didn't exist. I grew a backbone and told the guys off, but at the same time I let it bother me. I also received teasing for my weight and at that time I was 25 lbs. overweight. "Double Double chin chin and wide load" were a few of the names they called me. Yes you could call it bullying to a degree, but you know what? I don't blame anyone but myself. I could have been assertive and told the guys to buzz off. I let others get to me, and define who I was. I was an intelligent, athletic kid, but let others define me and it affected choices I made which who knows? Maybe I could have done better than today, but again I don't blame anyone but myself.
People will always make criticisms, opinions, judgments, and you can't control that. You can only control how you react to it. And the worst criticisms and judgments are the ones you make to yourself. If you believe you are beautiful or ugly based on your appearance, that is your problem. There are some things you can change, some that you cannot, but it is your choice as to how much value you put on appearance.
I've never been vain, and even with all the people criticizing my looks, as I got older, I have decided that I don't care what people say. I went through years of pain and negativity that I could have avoided if I thought that in the first place.
 I dress up when I want to, I put on makeup when I feel like it. I don't do it because people tell me too. You don't know how many times I've heard, "If you dress up and be more girly, and flaunt it, you'll find a man." Well frankly, why would I want those kinds of men, that are more attracted to my outer appearance than who I am inside?
I am flabby but fit. I have extra skin from my weight loss journey, and yes, I could have surgery, but my extra skin doesn't define who I am. I care more about being defined by my athleticism, my heart, and how I treat others and my overall character, not by my appearance. Yes I fall into social norms and I dress up for a wedding or special event, but in general I know I can be beautiful in shorts and a t-shirt or in a gown, because my beauty comes from within.
You can talk down to yourself for your appearance or embrace who you are right now. For me, my weight loss journey was to avoid heartache of Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and a poor quality of life, NOT looks. I consider outer appearance as a bi-product to health and fitness.
For that cheerleader being criticized, I hope she doesn't let her opinion of herself be affected by that horrible excuse of a woman that judged her looks.
Folks, be sure to treat yourself with respect. When I look in the mirror, I am happy with myself. I still have health and fitness goals, but I am more concerned with improvement of strength and overall health, not what I look like. If people want to judge me and my training skills on my looks, then so be it. I'm certainly not going to have surgery for skin, to get a leg up in the training business. I want to help clients be fit and healthy individuals that feel good about themselves no matter what they look like. If people expect me to train them to a "perfect" looking body, they need to take their business elsewhere. I will guide and assist people towards a better life. And today, no matter what weight, size, health and fitness level, you ARE beautiful! Yes, we can make lifestyle changes, but treating yourself well and liking yourself has nothing to do with outer appearance. Remember, there are a lot of physically beautiful women that are miserable inside. I rather be flabby, fit, healthy and happy, then miserable and skinny!
I have to say, I'd be happy to show that blogger my flabby, fit skills in the boxing ring! But then again, that woman seems to be a self-centered, insecure person, who needs to learn what's truly important in life. And ladies, health and fitness is by far more important than looks!!

Barbie Has Never Represented Me

I think at a young age, I always knew I wasn't a part of the "girl" crowd. I hung out with the guys, mostly because I was active, enjoyed sports, and they weren't shallow or drama queens. Yes, I played with Barbies, but I tended to take mine outside, and throw her in a Tonka truck and have her go on some adventure! I also floated her on a shoe box in a creek after a storm, and lost my shoe in the process. Considering I was 8, I should be lucky I lost my shoe and I didn't get washed away!
Lately, they have been talking about the disproportions of the Barbie doll and the unrealistic body image it gives girls as well as boys. (Some boys think all girls should look like Barbie)
As a kid, I never really thought about Barbie as a role model. Maybe since I hung out with the boys, I missed girls talking how they wanted to look like Barbie. Maybe I just thought it wasn't me to begin with.
 Anyway,  I still am angry they haven't made an "off road" Barbie that gets all dirty and has her own quad to ride around. Ladies, you can be whomever you want to be and also by the way, you can be beautiful, no matter what body type you have, or what career you enjoy, or what sports you play.
You CAN be who you want to be, and still be happy. Pleasing others isn't going to get you far in terms of how you feel about yourself. I wear make up when I feel like it, and dress up when I care to, not because it is expected, because I am a woman. Be who you want to be!
Now back to unrealistic things. Ladies, if you think that your life is going to be like a Disney princess movie, then you will lead an unhappy life, unless you favorite is Mulan. Spoiler Alert: In Mulan, she fights for her dad, kicks butt, and gets the handsome guy in the end, all while she is mostly dressed like a guy during the story! The other Disney movies have a prince rescuing the girl and everything is perfect. Sometimes you need to rescue yourself you know! My whole point to this blog is that you need to realize that no one is going to rescue you but you and no one is going to make you beautiful but you. Beauty comes from within, and don't be jaded by the unrealistic so called role models, or airbrushed images. Be comfortable with your own skin. I take pride that I'm not vain and don't stress about flaws on my body. It took years to get to that point, and I sure wish someone was telling me when I was younger to not buy into society's image which is NOT reality. I can't help but laugh and also pity when women get all bent out of shape when they have a wrinkle or a zit. It's part of life, and I'm not one that will spend hundreds if not thousands on beauty products! Why not start a trend and embrace the flaws? Why not make those a fashion statement? Live to your own standards, not what others think. If more young ladies and women would speak up that those images are NOT who we are, then maybe those magazines wouldn't exist. If you look at women from the past, they had curves and were not airbrushed!
So ladies, just don't buy in to the unrealistic things in the world. I think I'll go listen to the Mulan soundtrack, "Be True to Your Heart"!

Define Yourself

How do you define yourself? Do you let other people define you? Should you care what people think? We all tend to be influenced and inspired by people, but at times, we fall into the trap of listening to the wrong people, which negatively impacts us.
Remember, you always have a choice, a choice to listen to what people say, or to not. Truly, you should define yourself, based on what you think and the choices you make. And you always can redefine yourself!
I've always been rough around the edges, but what is wrong with a diamond in the rough? It is still a diamond none the less! At the same time, that doesn't mean I am not feminine and enjoy dressing up when I have somewhere to go. I define myself the way I want to be, not what others think.
Enpower yourself, be the person YOU want to be! I wear makeup when I feel like it, not because it makes me beautiful. I'm beautiful the way I am, flawed and all!
A high school in Texas had a no make up day, as they feel pressured to wear make up every day. Ladies, it DOESN'T have to be that way!! Don't let peer pressure or an airbrushed Cosmo society define you!
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/students-at-texas-high-school-plan-no-makeup-day/
It's funny, since I regularly don't wear make up, when I do, I get far more attention when I do, and draws drop if I wear a dress to work! I'm just confidence in myself, that I don't feel I need to dress up for everyday wear, and certainly not in the gym!
I never understood how a woman could wear foundation and full eye make up and not melt during a workout! I hate it, when I forget I have eyeliner on, and I get raccoon eyes at the end of a boxing session!
Ladies, strong is beautiful, and don't think you have to be a certain way to get the things you want. You can be a beast in the gym, and be a stunning lady out of the ring. One of my favorite boxers, Holly Holm is an awesome fighter and sweet & gracious person, as I met her after one of her bouts. I definitely wouldn't want to face her in the ring, but I think you can see, you can be a beast and a beauty!

Revv up that Engine!

Last post I was talking about how our body is like a vehicle; we come in all different models, shapes, and sizes, with different engines. Some of us are blessed with a high performance engine, others of us have strong powerful engines, but they move a little slower. Each vehicle needs fuel, and regular maintenance....along with running the engine often...A vehicle that sits in a garage all the time, won't run right. And we might not necessarily be able to change our vehicle model, but we can improve our performance and that starts with the fuel we put in our bodies.
So let's talk about the fuel we need!! And think guys and gals, we don't overfill our tank....so don't overfill your body! And the same token, you NEED FUEL!! If you run a vehicle on an empty tank it ruins the system...DON'T SKIP MEALS OR STARVE! YOU NEED FUEL TO RUN CORRECTLY! Let's talk about CARBOHYDRATES

Now, you might here good carbs, bad carbs and so on, but just think TOO many of carbs is a bad thing whether it is green beans or a loaf of bread. However, think of veggies, especially green ones as the high performance fuel, and breads and sugars as the cheap gasoline. Yes, you can put the cheap gasoline in your vehicle once in awhile, but if you use it everyday, you are sure to have issues, and by far if you OVEREAT the junk carbs, (breads, processed foods, cereals, table sugar) you are sure to ruin your vehicle. I bet some of you are saying, but I don't like veggies. Are you sure? Have you ever tried some grilled asparagus on a BBQ or some sauteed green beans with spices? Or switch celery for that PBJ sandwich and use the celery to scoop the peanut butter! The cool thing is with veggies, you typically can eat MORE than starches like breads, potatoes, and cereals. For example, 4 cups of broccoli is equal to the same amount of sugar as a ONE slice of white bread. Granted you aren't dousing that broccoli in ranch or cheese! So carbohydrates come in many degrees of sugar content, so choose a variety is the best method, and limit the processed foods. Don't forget, carbohydrates are a good fuel source for energy!! You need them in your diet!

Next is protein. Protein is like the mechanic fixing your body. Protein helps repair the body. Protein builds up, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system is mostly made of protein. Beef, chicken, eggs, lamb, pork, buffalo, fish are sources of protein. Fish and chicken would be the best choices, but these are not off limits. Again, not OVERDOING protein is the key. 8 strips of bacon is not a good source of protein, neither is 6 eggs in a meal. Eat a variety of protein sources!

Last is fats. FATS get a bad reputation, but you NEED FAT in your diet!! I have to say, ever since the low-fat diets craze of the 1980's, people have been getting FATTER! What does that tell you? We need fats & cholesterol in our diet since it helps our brain and nervous system. Fats are stored energy, and gives you that "feeling full" feeling or what is called saiety. Granted we mean HEALTHY fats! Olives, olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, seeds, eggs are good choices. Yes, you can have that bacon, but just in small amounts.

Have you ever eaten a container full of rice and 5 minutes later, you want more? But have you ever had 5 avocadoes and wanted more? Fats make you feel full, and starches and sugars tend to make you hungry!

Last, don't forget WATER!! You need to be hydrated all the time, especially if you live in warm climates. Soda, and diet soda have NO nutritional value!!! Carbonated water such as mineral water with lime or lemon is a better choice. Energy drinks are way too high in bad chemicals and in my opinion are not for anyone much less kids, and teens.

"A recent report in medical journal Pediatrics shows that no 'safe' level of consumption of energy drinks has been established for children, adolescents and young adults, and consumption of these under-researched, over-used drinks could well lead to heart palpitations, seizures, strokes and even sudden death." (ibtimes.com)

So I hope you have a little idea how your body works, and the cool thing for teens is your body is still adjusting and growing, so you have time to build that engine and revv it up!!

Happy Health!

Fit Tomboy

We All Come in Different Shapes & Sizes

Greetings Teens!
I hope you all had an awesome and active weekend! Springtime is approaching and we often think about swim season and cringe. Why? Just because you are wearing that swimsuit doesn't mean you are any less beautiful (or handsome, guys).
We all come in different shapes and sizes and if you think of yourself like a vehicle, all of us are just "built that way", meaning our structure and form has some genetics built in that we can modify, but if you are a diesel truck, it's hard to turn into a Mini-Cooper. Some of us have a large trunk, or carry some extra baggage on the midsection, and yes there might some things we can do to improve the areas if we let them get out of control, but you need to realize that HEALTH is more important than what you look like. If you are 6 feet tall, you will have a higher body weight, and concurrently, if you are 4 ft 11, you aren't exactly a healthy machine, just because you have a small frame.
Are bodies are truly like vehicles.
Some of us are born with a high speed Corvette engine, while others of us are solid Mack trucks. Others of us are sturdy mid-size cars, while others of us are scooters that need balance to function well. And all of those vehicles, if not maintained correctly, will not function correctly, even if they look good from the outside. You can see a Corvette on the side of the road, or a Mack truck....they ALL need proper health, fuel and maintenance, much like your own body.
Gas stations say to not "top off" which means you shouldn't overfill your tank, much like you shouldn't overfill your body with fuel which in our case is called food! Also with gasoline, there are certain grades of gasoline, regular, mid, and supreme, much like our food is junk (regular), mid (some junk, mostly healthy) and supreme (healthy food). If you always use the cheap gasoline, you are more likely to have "knocks & pings" in your engine which causes your car to not run efficently. Yes, you can put junk into your system and it'll run, but over time, you are asking for trouble, and if you overfill your tank, you will have health risks! My point being, you don't have to eliminate the cheap gas (junk) but don't rely on it everyday to fuel your vehicle (body). The more you use supreme foods, the better your body will run!!

Now the one thing we can modify and change is the engine in our vehicles. We can't change our frame, but we can modify and tweak the engine & the outside of the vehicle can change a little as well. What I'm trying to say teens, is that if you are tall and have a large frame, don't expect to weigh 90 lbs. Weight is not the thing to think about, health and fitness is the answer. You want your vehicle to run efficiently and last a long time.
Also if you overwork the engine, you can burn it out, so don't think you need to exercise every day for 3 hours a day. It's okay to rest the engine and let it cool off.
My whole point to this post is to help you realize, you were born with a beautiful frame, body, and engine..it is your job to take care of it. You can modify certain things if it is not running correctly, or if you want to, you can modify it to make it run even better! Take care of your body, don't overfill the "tank", and fill it up with good fuel! Next post we'll look futher into how our body is like a vehicle!
Be proud of who you are right now, and you are taking steps to create a better you!
Have an awesome active day!
--Fit Tomboy