the WAR of ART

re-opened this book today

and it blew me away

it even helped my cardio sesh fly by!!!

the book will speak for itself

i would like to recommend it all to you as your creative bible........

by Steven Pressfield

the main focus is Resistance, in any part of our lives

we restist the things that matter the most, they things that we are most passionate about

we resist our destiny, because we want things to be easy

why is it that not everyone has the same opportunities or "breaks"

because most people arent willing to do the work

they are too busy with their life of procrastination they have created for themselves

HERE ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE HIGHLIGHTS

RESISTANCE's goal is not to wound or disable. Resistance aims to kill. Its target is the epicenter of our being: our genius, our soul, the unique and priceless gift we were put on earth to give and that no one else has but us. When we fight it, we are in the war to the death.

PROCRASTINATION can become a habit. We don't just put off our lives today; we put them off until our deathbed. In this very moment we can change our lives. There was never a moment, & never will be, when we are without the power to alter our destiny. This second, we can turn the tables on Resistance. In this second we can choose.

RESISTANCE & TROUBLE: We get ourselves into trouble because it is the cheap way to get attention. Trouble is a faux form of fame. It's easier to get busted in the bedroom with the faculty chairman's wife than it is to be admired for finishing that dissertation. Ill health is a form of trouble, as are alcoholism and drug addiction, proneness to accidents, all neurosis including compulsive screwing-up, and such seemingly benign foibles as jealousy, chronic lateness, and the blasting of rap music at 110 dB from your smoked glass '95 supra. Anything that draws attention to ourselves through pain free or artificial means in a manifestation of Resistance.

RESISTANCE & UNHAPPINESS: Resistance first feels like unhappiness. We feel like hell. A low grade misery pervades everything. We're bored, we're restless. We can't get no satisfaction. There's guilt but we can't put our finger on the source. We want to go back to bed; we want to get up and party. We feel unloved and unlovable. We're disgusted. We hate our lives. We hate ourselves. Unalleviated, Resistance mounts to a pitch that becomes unendurable. At this point vices kick in. Dope, adultery, web surfing. Beyond that, Resistance becomes clinical. Depression, aggression, dysfunction. Then actual crime & physical self-destruction.

i dont know if everyone reaches this point, but i have. routinely i would revisit these feelings and let them get the best of me. until i took myself out of the equation. i changed the focus to my career, and what i can do to change other's perceptions of themselves. since then, i have been offered opportunity after opportunity and am happier than i have ever been. it isnt just about me anymore. it isnt about the fight. it is about the climb. cause i know i am going to get there, i dont care how hard it is. i know that when i get to the top i will celebrate & then it is on to the next. TRUST YOURSELF, KEEP YOUR EYES UP AND PUSH PUSH PUSH

CRITICISM: if you find yourself criticizing other people, you're probably doing it out of Resistance. When we see others beginning to live their authentic selves, it drives us crazy if we have not lived out our own. Those who are realized in their own lives almost never criticize. If they speak at all, it is to offer encouragement.

SUPPORT: Any support we get from persons of flesh & blood is like Monopoly money; it's not legal tender in that sphere where we have to do our work.

WE HAVE TO DO THE WORK, NO ONE CAN DO IT OR PUSH US TO DO IT. IF THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT FOR YOUR LIFE, IT IS YOUR LIFE TO LIVE.

"it's one thing to lie to ourselves. it is another thing to believe it."

dig deep to find your inner ALPHA and let the games begin

tomorrow i will read more, and be even more inspired......

spark

what's your SPARK?

you know that thing that really gets you going?

makes you want to get up and sweat

or get up and change the world

.....THAT'S YOUR SPARK

that feeling that makes you feel like a kid that loooves cookies!

-mine is hearing my dog's trot

-seeing my boyfriend's eye twinkle when he looks at me

-having a really in depth conversation out of the blue

-& a great FREAKIN workout

I LOVE LEARNING

NOTHING SPARKS ME MORE

THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE BEING TAUGHT

SO YOU CAN THEN, IN TURN - TEACH

i can't wait to get to my clients in to show them the new techniques or soultions

i am so thankful to my teachers in life

the ones that have pointed me in the direction of my spark

the ones that have used there spark on me

to show me that there is beauty in sharing knowledge

sharing passion & excitement

the dedication involved to sit in a room for 3, 10 hour days in a ROW

is pretty evident.....that was last weekend for yours truly

day 1: i thought my ego was going to take over

the nerves got the best of me, and i crumbled

when put on the spot i choked

pressure isnt what this weekend was about

it was about the hosts extending there hands

to those that excell in what they do

and i happened to be one of the lucky invites

i do what i do because, with hard work,

IT COMES NATURALLY

but i have to put in the time

it is great to know everything...or act like you do/seem like you do

but it is even better to be humbled and learn like a wide eyed 1st grader

looking at the instructor with admiration and eagerness

...so i took my head out of the equation and my ass

then took in as much in as possible

though i still have much more to learn

i can now instruct those who look to ME for guidance

you should not teach unless you are willing to be taught

there is a lesson everywhere you look

touch & be touched

Since i was a little girl, i always had dreams of

placing one hand on the center of someone's chest and healing them

making them warm with love, and being able to take away their pain

as somewhat of an adult, i have made that conscious connection of healing through touch

maybe not magically, as i thought as a child, but working through hard times

and booming positive light to those that need it the most

it's like our ALPHA SPORT star Yogi says,

"make a dedication/dedicate your practice"

....to someone in your life that needs just an extra bit of love today, or an extra squeeze

if the intention is there, and you surround them with positive energy and support

it is then their choice to except it, or stay on the path most frequently traveled

HEALING ENERGY

energy centers (chakras),

energy pathways (meridians), and

energy fields (auras).

When energy circulates freely, people are healthy, happy, & in touch with themselves,

they/we can communicate that energy-level to others.

This energy can be called"magnetism" by Mesmer.

The Yogic name for it is "prana."

In Taoism and acupuncture, it is known by the Chinese term "chi"

or "qi" (Japanese "ki").

Wilhelm Reich called it "orgone."

All of these cultures believe that contact and positive reinforcement makes all the difference

Life-energy readily becomes blocked in human beings,

causing dis-ease

it must be freed in order to bring about a healing of the problems caused by that blockage--problems that include acute and chronic diseases, personality disorders, mood afflictions, psychological aberrations,

anger, frustration, depression, cruelty, addiction, anxiety, indecisiveness,

and all the adaptations we make to these conditions.

Life-energy may be released and rebalanced through a number of means.

Acupuncturists use needles, pressure, and the precise application of heat to balance the flow of "chi" through elaborately mapped pathways called "meridians."

Applied kinesiology and polarity therapy rebalance the energy through precise touch.

Tai chi and chi gung build, release, and balance life-energy through elaborate, gentle movements and prescribed postures. Hatha yoga uses physical postures, breathing, mental exercises, and diet to build and balance the centers of "prana" and their channels.

Reichian therapy and bioenergetics

release blocks and cultivate the ability to experience the fuller flow of organismic energy.

Reiki and theraputic massage manipulate muscles and move energy with the hands,

not to remove muscular tension in a mechanical sense,

but to clear the deep energy pathways of the body.

The "healing hands" movement among holistic nurses uses touch

and also works with the energy field that surrounds the body.

Most of us are not schooled or even skilled to be schooled in this department

but what we can do, is what we are capable of doing

smile

listen

engage

touch

hug

support

have you even wondered why a hug is so powerful

you are sharing energy if allowed

when do kids feel the safest, and the most loved?

when they are being held...when they are holding hands

you can change someone's day with a smile

interaction is a part of our well being

imagine if you could only see the good in people

imagine that you can look at passers by without judgement

but pick out a quality in each person that makes them unique

you can even go as far a complementing them

.....notice how your mood & whole day will change :)

WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

BREATHE

LOVE

SHARE

HONORED to be a Nike Speaker

i was asked to speak at the NIKE women's pro camp in June at USC

as their nutritional reference

FLATTERED i sit here and wonder the best way to connect.

i have an abundance of thoughts & emotions flying through my head

when i think about speaking to impressionable teenage, girls

........it is all in the approach

thankfully, in this room of up to 150 young women

will be athletes, open minded and passionate

if they leave with just one new piece of information i give

then i will have done my job well

knowing what i know now

i wish i could speak to myself, as a freshman in high school

when your body is changing and you CANT eat whatever you want anymore

along with weight gain, and self conscious thoughts, come struggles

struggles with self esteem and relationships

not only relationships with your family and friends, but with tangible things

such as FOOD

i decided that as an aspiring runway model

i needed to not eat as much as i used to

so what did i do?

i threw myself a pitty party, and only ate ho hos

just for lunch..... but i would probably have a normal dinner........

WHICH MADE IT OK?

i would try to not eat for as long as long as i could but i always caved in the cafeteria

after school from about 245 until 930 i was at gymnastics practice then straight to dance

burning more calories than i could imagine

i started to get sick all the time

and couldnt understand why things werent working out in my favor

i have made it a point for myself to make sure

that the lives of kids i can reach dont get to that point

excessive exercise or restricted caloric intake

or even worse

FOOD NEEDS TO BE USED AS FUEL

not to mask feelings, or deprive yourself

we should be taught in a way that makes sense to us, how to protect our bodies

if i & most teenage athletes would have nourished and rested

imagine the possibilities

but that is the true test

what are you willing to do to be that star athlete

sometimes, raw talent isnt enough

the dedication must be in all facets of life

a big clean breakfast

healthy/filling snacks

lots of water

and plenty of protein

sleep

& good genuine relationships

allow yourself to feel as good as you possibly can

always be at the top of your game

and enjoy yourself

still be a kid, but know that you can help your future with smarter choices

those choices may just be asking for help

i plan to talk about

fuel,

food relationships,

and getting the most out of each day.

respecting you body,

and knowing that if you are fulfilled & healthy

the sky is the limit!

choose a role model for who she is

not how she looks

but how hard she tries to exceed her fullest potential

know that you too can be whoever you choose to be

but you must take the steps to get there & have integrity

DECIDE TO BE THAT ROLE MODEL FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

we need more strong women

and less of those that will take the easy way out

fight hard

play hard

work hard

workout recovery/fueling SITUATIONS

the meal you eat after your ass whoopin is going right to your muscles

so NURISH NURISH FUEL THAT BOD

Exercise has a catabolic effect (breaking down) on muscle tissue

so replenish energy and rebuild muscles with proper food

Your muscles need protein for repair and growth, and your body needs some carbs to replenish its glycogen stores

this will allow the body to reach an anabolic state again, this is why we work out in the first place, no?

.......to build/tone muscles in order to increase metabolism & burn fat!

you must replace your amino acids that are depleted during exercise

AKA you need PROTEIN

this is why there are so many post workout SHAKES

we also want to be able to get good protein sources from REAL foods

so i will list some examples

the next thing to replace is glycogen AKA sugar stores.......with CARBS

oatmeal, brown rice, grains like quinoa or amaranth, and all vegetables and fruit

bnls/sknls chicken breast:.

4 ounces, with vegetables for carbs and fiber.

along with half of a sweet potato

and a spoonful of olive oil

on the

vegetables

Eggs;

whites preferably, with as many vegetables as you want!

add avocado

& volia...

perfection

Wild Salmon: rich in protein and omega-3s,

have with spinach for vit & mins

throw a sweet potato into the mix for slow-burning carbs

add a little flaxseed oil (or olive oil or butter) to the sweet potato =

scrumptious

canned tuna?

YUP

42 grams of high-quality protein for under 200 calories.

also contains niacin, B6, B1 AND selenium

but it still requires its carbs to balance the meal out

brown rice for fiber and carbs, load up with the vegetables and you're good to go.

REMEMBER PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DRINK WATER

lots and lots of water, to replace the fluids lost during training

NOW PRE WORKOUT

SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT

you need plenty of time to digest

prior to going to the gym

The closer to your workout, the more you want to focus on eating carbohydrates rather than fat or protein. Carbohydrates are digested in the small intestines, whereas fat and protein are broken down in the stomach. This means cramping and indigestion are more likely when you work out with a belly full of fat- or protein-rich foods.

a few celery sticks with /peanut butter:

fills you up without slowing you down, providing great "slow-release" energy for a terrific workout.

apple with almonds:

fruit are naturally sugary carbs but also contain fiber which slows the entrance of that sugar into

the bloodstream

then

the almonds add the fat & protein needed to balance the snack out!

who's ready to burn burn burn

you want to make sure that you dont overload on fat

AKA

the portion size of nut butter....i ALWAYS did (do), but it tastes SO GOOOD

eaten "correctly" a serviing should be 1 to 2 tbsp

about a dozen whole almonds would be perfect.

Berries: are loaded with phytonutrients, antioxidants and fiber, and are low in sugar

add a piece of string cheese for the best travel snack on the run!

word to the wise...

dont leave the cheese in your gym bag....

turkey and grapes:

to me, a match made in supermarket heaven!

protein & sweet carbs....finger foods, tidy and quick

4 or 5 rolled slices of deli meat along with a handful of grapes

ONE OF MY FAVS

ANOTHER WORD TO THE WISE

do not overload on grapes

your tummy with not be happy

if you know what to use

you can limit the hundreds of useless calories you put into your body WHILE.... maximizing your workouts

bueno?

ok then....get to it

just do it