Quite Frankly...It's Mental.

• Little Miss Strong's Little Tip #4: Small things usually impact us the most. We see the size of the muscles on our bodies as being the big deal, but in truth, our progress is driven by a tiny thing called...our mind. 

The funny thing about life is that the small simple little things usually end up being the biggest contributors to a situation. So for example, one small key has the power to start an entire car...cheesy, I know. Even cheesier when you keep reading and realize what I'm linking a car key to. My point is that something you don't consider to be a big deal, can in truth change everything. Especially in a place like the gym, on the field, or on the track. Working out hurts. It is SO uncomfortable! When you're on that run and after about half a mile you get that really out-of-breath-heavy-leg feeling...none of you want to admit it, including myself, but we allll know we tell ourselves to stop running. And a lot of the times we do usually end up stopping, walking fast and then starting again. So what's that small thing that creates the entire disruption or progression of your workout? What's that thing that we never think about, that impacts how good of an athlete we are? How fit we are? How much we can handle? How strong we are? Those big deal things are all because of one tiny thing. And it's called your mind.

Who cares about your mind? No one sees it. It doesn't attract people like tan biceps and toned legs do. So what?! Well I'll let you in on a tiny secret...again. Your mind is the reason you can put up with so much in the gym. It's the reason why you have a strong body, and why you can be so inspired and motivated. Without mental strength, it's quite difficult to display outer strength. In order to progress, meet your fitness goals and be able to be intense with what you do, you need to develop mental strength as well.

So how do you develop your mental strength? How do you train yourself to ignore discomfort and keep pushing through your workout? Let me just tell you all that there have been a couple times in my fitness development when I didn't have mental strength. I'll start out with the less embarrassing example first. In the past when I've promised myself I won't eat dessert for say, two weeks...I've fallen victim to giving in and eating as much as I can. A friend brought over cookies, I stared at them for awhile...I cracked. You can say that I wasn't mentally strong enough to walk away from the cookies and forget about them. But a better example is when I started track in 10th grade. I was at my third track meet...and you would think after three track meets I would be pretty clear on what I was supposed to do...run hard and fast and beat everyone when the gun went off. I was signed up to run the 200m race, halfway around the track. Yay! I ran the 100m. I lost...basically when I say that, what I'm saying is that 7 people crossed the finish line before me. So, I didn't want to run the 200 next. I was terrified...scared to lose, scared to feel out of breath, scared to feel uncomfortable. I told my coach I felt sick and argued until I was allowed to sit out. I should've been happy right?! I didn't have to be uncomfortable and push myself...I got the easy way out. The worst part is that I didn't really regret it at the time either, until awhile later in my career when I looked back and realized how weak I was being. That's just frankly embarrassing in itself.

I wanted to be like the great athletes I looked up to, who were intense and trained hard. The only thing stopping me was my mind. It was lazy and strong in the wrong way...when I worked out and it told me to stop, I would. Finally one day I thought about it, and decided that the only way to get to where I wanted to be was to ignore my thoughts while working out, push past them and shut them down. I didn't know how else to do it. I started off slowly...I would be running on the track, and immediately my mind would send me signals to stop. I had to dig for strength and run a little longer each time before stopping. Finally after practicing over and over again and pushing a little more each time, I got to a point when my mind would scream at me to stop working out, but I was able to balance good thoughts with the negative while training, and therefore keep going. While my mind would be yelling "THIS HURTS!" the other half would kick in and scream, "JUST SHUT UP AND GO. YOU'LL BE HAPPY WHEN IT'S DONE."

The mind goes through different stages while developing mental strength. First, we have to ignore all of the negative nonsense highlighting our pain and discomfort. Next, we need to start building the ability to train hard, while our mind is telling us to stop and do the opposite. And finally, we need to develop the ability to balance all of the negative thoughts we might have while working out, with the good ones that push us, and keep us going.

Now you don't need to go all Jillian Michaels on yourself and kick your intensity level up to a 10...but you do need to have the ability to keep yourself going. Realize that our minds are incredibly powerful, and cause us to take action. Don't dangle from the pull up bar and not finish your pull ups because your forearms hurt. Toughen up and push yourself through the pain. Picture your end goal, and how good you know you'll feel when you're done. Those tan biceps and toned legs are in truth the result of having a "toned mind".

The funny thing about life is that the small simple things usually end up being the biggest contributors to a situation. Yes, one small key has the power to start an entire car. One small decision, like following through with a race you've been signed up to run, has the power to make you a strong, tough person. Something that you don't consider to be a big deal, can in truth change everything. Change your mind, build mental strength, and you will change as well. 

-Lil Miss Strong

Taken From a Teabag: Trusting Your Body Creates Peace and True Success

• Little Miss Strong's Little Tip #3: TRUST YOURSELF!!! Peace, strength, and success will follow. I claim it's true...a Yogi teabag claims its true...so??? 

I woke up this Sunday morning (and for all you gym rats and athletes, you happily know what that means, because Sundays are usually rest days) and poured a steamy cup of ginseng tea before breakfast. I sat at the counter with my mug, thinking about all the topics I could write about today…I was honestly having a lot of trouble deciding.

And then…I looked down into my mug as herbs spiraled around, and noticed that there was a note on my Yogi tea bag. That tiny folded piece of paper simply said, “Trust creates peace.” Those 3 tiny words, are what today’s advice is centered around.

We usually don’t trust our bodies. When we start something new, like lifting weights, yoga, a new sport…we don’t know what we’re doing. At all. And it’s REALLY embarrassing. When you don’t know how to do something, you risk looking painfully hilarious to everyone around you who is watching. Starting something new is stressful. When I started sprinting, I looked like a dying fish out of a bowl. My arms would spiral out of control and in the beginning, my legs looked like I was a twisted piece of licorice. All my friends were good sprinters…as in, state ranked and nationally top ranked sprinters. And I would be training with these people, knowing that no matter how much they loved me, they were trying SO hard to hold back from laughing. My coach would have us all start in lanes on the track next to each other and start his watch, and everyone would take off as fast as they could… which was great! For them. They’d be 100 meters in front of me looking like a fire flame and I’d cross the finish line and have to bend over on the grass with my head on the ground. I physically and mentally felt ridiculous. And the bummer is…when you’re new and inexperienced, aka not proficient at something, people do not take you seriously, because you aren’t considered GOOD. They may have high hopes and expectations for you, but you’re still considered a “development.” Well...I wanted to stick with it. Even if I looked silly…I had this deep down, pure passion for running really fast. And after a couple months, that 100 meter gap shortened to 50 meters, and then to 40 meters. Then one day, I crossed the finish line and was able to stand straight up, look around and say, “I’m not on the ground anymore.”

Consistency and time improves an athlete. And trust. If you want to start something like lifting weights or training and be good at it, and reap all the rewards from mastering what you do, you better trust yourself and your body because that’s what gets you to that point.

There is also a point when you identify your goal…you think, ok, I want to be a beast at lifting weights in the gym, or, I want to be a fast sprinter…and you’re faced with not just one giant challenge (of getting good at your goal and physically developing) but mentally developing as well. Being fit, working out and being an athlete demands mental focus and willpower…you have to have the ability to build trust. Trust for your overall development, trust that your body will change, trust that in being patient everyday and embarrassing yourself, you will grow and become increasingly good at what you’re trying to master.

I realize that so many people talk about this, and the idea may seem overrated and cliché, especially when coming from a tea bag…we all know and hear about how “practice makes perfect” and “consistency is key to seeing results.” I challenge you to dig deeper though, and actually apply this to yourself. Starting something new is scary, stressful and embarrassing. What’s even worse is not being strong enough to build your inner trust and keep going. To me, the advantages of sticking with something and slowly changing heavily surpass those of…and I’m about to say a VERY bad word…quitting.

Build your inner trust, and you will see change, peace, and results. I’ve looked ridiculous along the way as I’m sure you feel you do…but I got over it and changed. You may read this entire article, disregard my advice and walk away thinking about what you’re going to make for lunch. And I am absolutely ok with that…as long as you TRUST YOURSELF...AND ENJOY YOUR LUNCH.

Trust creates peace.

-Lil Miss Strong 

Fashion Fitness Challenge

We're going to do a little inspirational challenge project. All you guys...ahem, all you GIRLS out there...this week, I want pictures of you in different places...states, countries, school, the grocery store, gym...wherever you happen to be! In your favorite fitness gear! Those new Nike neon shoes and the adorable bright lululemon pants....pull them out and GET CREATIVE! I'll be doing an article on fashion and workout clothes, and want to see what you guys work out in all around the world! In addition, all submission will be featured in an album on our Facebook page...LIKE.
                  - Lil Miss Strong

I Think I Can! Progress from Patience

• Lil Miss Strong's Little Tip #2: STOP LOOKING IN THE MIRROR and thinking about your body!!! Train for performance and specific goals, and you will see very fast results.

Who works out a lot, and comes home and looks in the mirror after every workout and sees absolutely NO CHANGE? Right? Me too!! We want to see progress...I don't know about you, but sometimes after lifting or running, I expect to lift up my shirt and see a hard core chiseled 8-pack of abs. I don't want to wait months to see results...if I'm not eating that burrito and I'm in pain from training, I want a reward from it! Now! It's like that saying in the kitchen when you are making pasta and waiting for the water on the stove to boil...a watched pot never boils. Every time we look in the mirror while working out...nothing happens. Getting in shape means being really patient. The thing is...things do happen to your body while training, every day. You just don't see it on the outside for awhile. Now the problem is, most people don't care if they get a little stronger everyday, or build endurance, they just want to see a hard body and some sculpted shoulders in time for spring break. I used to struggle so much, because I'd eat right, I'd go to the gym and do bicep curls in the mirror, and not only did I look the same to myself, but also to other people. No one would compliment me on looking better and say, "Oooh, well don't you look good!" It drove me crazy. The most frustrating feeling in the world is working out hard, coming home exhausted, not getting to eat everything you want, and always being sore and uncomfortable with nothing to show. All those motivational photos and ads online saying "Just Do It" and "It takes time to see change" didn't mean anything to me! It felt like no one else understood how tough it was! Then, I realized something...it was almost like a fitness epiphany, the magic key, or the missing puzzle piece to looking good and making progress. This is my one tip...my one claim, to having a good body and also making progress with your fitness goals. Ready? Do not think about what your body looks like!!!!!!!!!!!! That is not the goal in training. When you train, you should be focusing on building strength, fitness, or reaching a specific goal. Maybe you want to focus on being able to front squat a certain weight. Maybe you want to run 5 miles in a certain time. When you have performance goals, you will see results in no time. Look up at above picture. The first picture is me, a month after I started Olympic weight training at my CrossFit gym. I was back squatting less than 100 lbs and it seemed really, really hard. I woke up one day and thought, ya know...this is going nowhere. I keep lifting light weight, I'm not getting stronger, and I'm not seeing physical results either. Squatting hurts, and so quite frankly, if I'm not getting a better booty and stronger...it is time to kick things up. So I gradually added weight, I set a precise goal weight to reach, and I focused on strength instead of how toned I was looking in spandex. Guess what? 4 weeks later, that picture on the right was taken, and I was working up to 200 lbs. Yes, I was a lot more muscular too...but I didn't spend those 4 weeks concerned about how I was looking. Actually, I barely even looked in the mirror or tried to analyze what looked different. Let this be a lesson to all those out there who want to get in better shape, look leaner, more muscular or be stronger. Focus on your performance goals, and your body will follow. Patience is key and hard to master, but it's the reality of what you have to do if you want to get anywhere. You will be physically stronger, and mentally stronger when you are patient. My challenge to you for the next 2 weeks of your training, is to 1. NOT look in the mirror and 2. WORK towards your personal performance goal in the gym, on the running trail, bike, or in the pool. Nike is right. Toughen up, stick it out, and just do it. BUT, Lil Miss Strong says: do IT with a goal and the body will follow!!!!!!!

Got Food? Let's Talk About A Magic Diet.

•  Little Miss Strong's Little Tip #1:  If you can't identify the ingredients in your food, don't eat it. If it comes from an animal or the ground...eat it. It's good for you.

Ok. So before progressing with all the different aspects of physically being fit and strong, let's address a really, really, really big deal topic. Nutrition. The issue with this topic, is that there are so many different websites, books, articles and types of information out there...and they all tell us to eat different things, and follow different diets! We have diets and fasts and detoxes...and that can be really confusing. Should we follow the high protein, low carb diet to lose weight, or the low fat diet? The thing about diets is that they can make us feel really excited and motivated, like we're finally going to make progress and look better.

Here's the thing. I'm a teenager...many of you are teenagers or in your twenties. In reality, teenagers go to extremes. We either eat badly and end up stopping at McDonalds with a car packed full of friends at 3 am. after being out all night, or we go down the path of only wanting to eat salad for dinner. Cutting out all the carbs only lasts so long...we can go for a good couple of weeks and then end up binging and cleaning our house out of all carbs and desserts one night. So where's the balance? What's the magic diet?! Here's my advice...from experience, and success. There isn't one. Eating right is very, very simple. The deal is, if it has a label full of ingredients you can't identify...don't eat it. If it has an unnatural color...don't eat it. If it won't decompose into the ground for years...please, don't  put it in your body. If it comes from an animal or the ground...eat it, it's good for you. You can be a vegetarian or an omnivore. And, this world is about balance. Too much of anything is never a good thing. The key to eating right and maintaining or improving overall health, muscle, weight and fitness level is to be able to have a balance. Basically, what to take away with you, is that the magic diet is...balance.

Now depending on your sport or your activity level, your body may require more of one food group or portion size. My diet for example is somewhat higher in protein, and I eat 6 meals a day, which keeps my metabolism up instead of eating 3 large meals. I make it pretty simple, and always make sure to eat a lean protein (chicken, fish, eggs) with some leafy greens, veggies, and a small portion of carbohydrates like sweet potatoes or rice at every meal. Again, the starchy pastries and breads...the thick creamy salad dressings and the packaged foods containing ingredients like "Yellow #5" and "Monosodium Glutamate".......don't try and figure out what that is. I don't know either, so be aware of what's going into your body. Now honest confession...sometimes I get really hungry, and have a bunch of cookies, or start eating that pint of ice cream...but ssshhh. A little cheating here and there is good...it keeps you sane! I'm giving you permission to enjoy a slice of chocolate cake. Make most of what you eat come from whole foods, and keep it simple. Some junk food and treats here and there won't kill you, and to some degree you can neutralize the effects by exercising. If you want to be strict with your diet sometimes to see how it feels, go for it! But, if you can't sustain it, don't be upset with yourself. We need to eat enough food! Eating whole foods packed with good nutrients will keep our tummies full, hearts happy, and minds and bodies fueled, and ready to train. :)

Beauty in Strength: CrossFit

   For those in need of some pure motivation, this video represents all that this blog stands for. Strong women, and the beauty in strength. And for all those wondering what CrossFit is and if they should try it...no, you won't get bulky. This inspires me and what I love to do, as I hope it does you. Enjoy!

Strong...is the New Skinny

Hello there all you fitness enthusiasts, athletes, health lovers, and goal setters! This blog is designed for a wide variety of people, from those who wish to welcome this new year with fresh healthy habits and fitness routines, to those die-hard athletes who live and breathe what they do, everyday.

This is the year for girls, and women across the country to realize that strong is the new skinny. Being strong is being beautiful. We hear that line all the time...but do we live it? Our world prides itself on being tiny...eating carrots and drinking water is steadily encouraged. Those Victoria Secret fashion shows sure keep us praying for an overnight size 2 and a miracle! What many don't realize, is that women have the power, and the right to be strong. We can bench press more than we weigh. We can do our workouts so hard, that we hit a time faster than we can look in the mirror and criticize ourselves. Being fit and strong is now valued more than ever.

This blog will discuss nutrition tips, include clean eating recipe ideas, photos, interviews, fitness advice, progress, and be centered around incredible motivation that is easily relatable. Instead of glamorizing the fitness world, let's be completely honest and discuss how it truly is. I am not a well know celebrity trainer or author. I am a focused track and CrossFit athlete who has been through a huge fitness process over the years, and can relate to the thousands of people who are enduring the rough, painful, and rewarding training experience. This is a place to relate, motivate, inspire, and find both physical and internal strength and progress. Remember, girls are strong...and strong, is the new skinny. So let's just do it. I encourage every one of you to take some time today, set your goals for strength, and get ready to begin for the year. Keep calm, and lift on. Cheers!


                                                     - Lil Miss Strong