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