ECED IS GETTING A MAKEOVER!

I have some very exciting news! ECED is getting a complete and total make over! New name, new webpage & new design! I'm pretty excited about the new change, and it's been more of a personal decision than anything. The new blog is going to touch on more than just training and eating clean. It's going to be more of a lifestyle blog; on everything from training, eating clean, relationships, life and the journey that I've been on so far. It's all in the works as we speak and I'll update once the new blog is completely 100% set up!

Slow Progress is Still Progress

It's been a while since I've posted, as most of us are, I've been insanely busy all summer and trying to sort some things out in my life. This summer has been a tough few months for me training wise. Disregarding the physical injuries or set backs I've had...it's been more of a psychological struggle than anything. Most people who don't share the same sort of passion for lifting as we do think that you just go to the gym to work out for physical appearance and repeat. Though what most fail to realize, is that it's much more than that. Of course we all exercise for vanity, and anyone who says they don't, are lying. We want to look good and reach whatever physical goals we set out for ourselves. But it goes far beyond and much deeper than that. If you take the physical aspect out of the equation, you'll see the psychological effect it has on us. Strength is a huge component for me. Not for the fact of being able to boast about how much I can squat or what my bench PR is, but for myself. To challenge and push myself further each time. To reach new goals and once I've reached those, then to set new ones. It's a constant and always evolving process, which keeps things interesting and mixes it up.

What I mean by this summer has been a physiological struggle, is exactly that. I've mind fucked myself in every which way possible. It's difficult to admit when you're wrong or when you realize that you've been doing things completely ass backwards for months, but that's exactly what I've been doing. I listened to what other people told me to do, which was vastly based on bro science, and just took their word for it without really researching on my own. I've read hundreds of articles, but didn't consider the source, so just assumed because it was published it had to be right. I focused solely on bodybuilding training and it didn't even occur to me to look at the whole picture. Basically, I've been training incorrectly and nonfunctional for months.

Due to this, I’ve had to throw everything I’ve ever known out the window and start from scratch, which is a difficult thing to do, particularly for someone as stubborn as myself. It’s hard to unlearn what you’ve been practicing for months. However, after a series of injuries and lack of progress, I was left with no choice and decided to forget

everything and listen to my boyfriend 100%. It hasn’t only been emotionally taxing because physically I’m not in a place I want to be physically, which is incredibly discouraging to say the least, but it’s been even more of a distress to acknowledge everything I’ve been doing wrong and have to start from scratch. I’ve felt as though I’m back at square one. Although now in the past few weeks I’m seeing more progress physically and strength wise than I’ve seen in months, at the beginning I could tell my strength faltered and that is something that really got to me. I've been discouraged and far too critical of myself. 

I've come to the realization that this isn't an overnight process. Especially considering I've had so many hurdles to jump through these past few months, this is going to take some time. And quite frankly, if all our goals just got handed to us overnight, what is to come of that? You wouldn’t get the same satisfaction knowing that you’ve been working your ass off for however long to get there. There’d be nothing to work towards day after day, nothing to drive you and it’d be boring as hell. Slow progress is still progress. Even if you don’t see or feel any changes, every day you get your ass off the couch and go to the gym, you are one step closer to your goals than you were the day before. Don’t rush the process, you’ll only end up cheating and hurting yourself in the long run. Take it one day at a time. 

So try not to get so down on yourself, because when you’re stuck in such a negative rut, it’s even more difficult to pull yourself out and be focused on what you really should be concentrating on. Most importantly, think about the bigger picture. If you’re just getting over an injury, train smart and think about how far you’ve come so far. If you feel as though you’ve reached a plateau, do something about it, don’t wallow about it. Try something new and realize how much better you were than even six months ago. Take your time and enjoy the ride. Learn about yourself and how your own body works, it'll thank you for it in the end. The biggest piece of advice I can give you, thanks to the help and guidance of my incredible boyfriend, is to look at the bigger picture. Once you do that, everything else will fall into place.

Haters Gonna Hate

It’s a sad world we live in where every single shape and size is criticized. You’re either too fat, too thin or too muscular. It’s a fact of life that you are never going to be able to please everyone, nor should you try to. However, I think it’s truly disheartening that in today’s day and age people are so damn cruel. If a woman is ten pounds heavier than the “ideal” body type or ten pounds thinner…they get so much damn backlash for it. Not to mention the scrutiny that a fit and toned woman has to endure just because she has a more defined figure than what society has deemed beautiful.

 

Let me start off by saying, if you are judging a woman (or anyone for that matter) because they are heavier or thinner then what you think they should be, you can go to hell. Just because you’re insecure and not confident in yourself doesn’t give you the right to project that shit onto other people. For starters, you don’t know that persons story or their struggles. Secondly, perhaps that is THEIR ideal body type, tough shit if it’s not yours. Maybe they feel best when they have a few more curves on them or are thin and svelte. I am in no way advocating obesity or being emaciated by any means, because of course I promote and encourage a healthy lifestyle, but a few pounds extra or less is nothing to criticize someone for. Even if they were extremely over or under weight…does they’re weight really affect your life that much? Do you not have anything better to do throughout your day then put others down for their appearance? If you’re answering yes, you should seek therapy, because you have issues. 

 

What is even more infuriating and bewildering is that there are so many people who disparage fit women. Most of society, in my opinion, still has the idea that a woman is meant to be “soft”. If someone came around and told me I was soft, they’d get a dumbbell thrown at their head. The misconception that being muscular isn’t feminine or accepted amongst woman kind completely blows my mind. But those who think that are right, it isn’t feminine, it’s fucking bad ass.

 

Just because you don’t think that is sexy or attractive, doesn’t mean that person doesn’t. Do you think that reproaching a woman for being too “muscular”, “manly” or “gross” is going to make the slightest difference? She’s clearly put in work to look the way she does, and you’re going to discourage that….what’s the point? Do you think she lifts for your approval or that she really gives a flying fuck what you think of her? No. She doesn’t work out for you. She has set her own personal goals that she’s worked her ass off to achieve. She lifts as a release. Her workouts are her own form of therapy. She lifts for herself. I personally, don’t lift for anyone else, but I’ll be damned if someone discredits my hard work just because they’re a little bitch. I can probably attest for most women with that statement.

 

If you don’t want a muscular body, then guess what, you don’t have to have one. 

 

WAIT…WHAT?! MIND…BLOWN!

 

I have actually seen more men put down a fit and muscular woman amongst a variety of fitness blogs and facebook pages. That just flat out disgusts me. What actual man sits there and puts down a woman’s body? A man who clearly is missing his balls, and who doesn’t even lift. 

 

Here is my logic for why anyone would criticize a fit woman. 

 

1. They’re too lazy to get off their ass and do something about their current physical state. 
2.  Jealous that this person has the motivation, dedication and determination to lift the way they do.
3. They're a pussy.
4. Insecure with their own selves and lash out on others because they can’t achieve the same goals.
5. Intimidated by a strong woman...in which case, refer to #3.

To date, this is still one of my favorite quotes, and really puts a lot into perspective.
    
                      "Haters hate. Some people will bring you down when they see you changing,
                      evolving and becoming better. It is because somehow they  have to make
                      themselves feel better because they lack the willpower to do what you are doing.
                      Ignore them".

 

I can guarantee that every single person who sits there and pokes fun at something about someone else, is far from having the perfect body themselves. But that’s the thing, there is no perfect body. While my ideal body type could be diesel to the likes of Dana Linn Bailey, another person’s ideal body might be softer and curvaceous similar to Marilyn Monroe. & that’s OK! To this day, I don't understand why so many people think that everyone should look the same.
 

What's even more disgusting when perfectly beautiful and healthy women in Hollywood are crucified for their weight. Every single pound is monitored by the press. There are wars breaking out and huge political battles, and you’re more concerned with the extra five pounds Kim Kardashian has put on? Some people truly do want to watch the world burn. This is one of the main reasons why there are so many young girls suffering from eating disorders, because society has engrained in their head that they have to look a certain way in order to considered beautiful and socially acceptable. I could rant for hours on the link between the media and eating disorders, but perhaps I’ll save that subject for another post.  

 

So, stop being a straight up jackass by judging everyone around you based on their physical appearance. Go spend your time doing something productive to society, otherwise you’re honestly just a waste of space. Why don’t you get your own issues straightened out before you put your bullshit on others. You're not better than anyone else. You're just a hater.

  

 

Now ladies, keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t listen to any of the bullshit that is spewed from other people’s mouths. Live for yourself. Adhere to your own sense of beauty, not anyone else’s.

Scoliosis....you sure are one huge bitch.

Injuries suck. Point blank. There’s no way to get around that fact. If you’re an athlete, a gym rat, or hell…even human….you’ve probably had an injury or two. Having been an athlete and spending much of my time confined within the walls of the gym, I’ve suffered a handful of injuries, probably too many to count. Recently, I did exactly that. Two injuries in two weeks…so not ideal.

It’s Sunday, leg day. The week prior I had hit my own PR of 205lbs x 6 reps. So I try banging it out again during this next work out. Nailed it. I’m feeling good, great actually. So I decide to go for 215lbs x 6. I get to 4 reps without a problem, and my left low back snaps. I thought maybe it was just a muscle spasm, so I rack the weight and rest for a bit. I strip the weight down to 175lbs, try to bang out 12 reps. Two reps in and I was shot. So I racked the weight and literally just walked out of the gym.

I haven’t pulled a muscle in my back that bad since last summer when I completely threw my back out. I let a couple weeks go by, resting it and taking it easy. Two weeks later, it’s still bothering me, and then all of a sudden, doing nothing in particular, my knee starts swelling up and is so damn tender that I can’t even walk or stand on it. 

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but I have scoliosis. It’s not a terribly extreme case, but I have just enough of a curvature that prohibits me from being able to do a lot of things easily that other people find to be no problem, like standing for more than 30 minutes without extreme pain. Due to this, without even realizing it, I’ve created some muscular imbalances and weakened the intrinsic muscles that you normally don’t work out at the gym, that I’m much more susceptible to injury. It’s been a huge hindrance for the past decade or so to say the least. I hadn’t been X-rayed or even had it looked at since I was first diagnosed, so I decided to make a physical therapy and doctor’s appointment. 

Physical therapy sounds like it’d be a breeze, but I was nervous as all hell, to put it lightly. I suppose I was expecting the worst news possible. But I finally went...and nailed it. I actually really enjoyed it...although I found out I was kind of more fucked up that I thought.

Basically, although I do have a curvature in my spine, that wasn’t contributing to most of my pain. My hips seem to be the culprit. From the scoliosis and poor posture to 15 years of dancing, my hips have developed an extreme anterior pelvic tilt. So basically, it looks like I’m arching my back and trying to stick my ass out…but that’s literally how my body is aligned. Because of this poor alignment, my hips have been pulling on all of my back muscles (which has been the main cause of my pain) and in turn, effecting my IT band (in addition to the fact that I don’t stretch it as much as I should) which has caused my knee to flare up. My spine I can’t correct, just prevent from getting worse. However, I can correct my hips over time, in which I’ll be going to physical therapy every week for. 

It all makes sense now, by squatting with such an extreme pelvic tilt, I’ve been placing such an immense amount of stress on my low back for the past 6 months. Had I known about this tilt, I could have focused on it during my squats and prevented this from happening. But how am I supposed to know any better…that’s how I’ve been for as long as I can remember. So now I feel like I’m starting over. I can’t squat or deadlift as heavy until my form is absolutely perfect and my hips are corrected more. I have to say, it’s quite the blow to my ego, and I’ve been pissed off for weeks. I’d be lying if I didn’t get down on myself and a little depressed about the whole thing. 

But one day, I was venting to a friend and something they said made me realize that I’ve been acting like an idiot. My scoliosis is not the end of the world. Sure, it’s a chronic condition that I will always have to deal with, but I’m not paralyzed or anything. There are people who’ve lost limbs, who have serious diseases and who are even on their death bed. I’m lucky and fortunate enough to not be one of them. In addition to all of that, I’m able to do more and lift heavier weight than a lot of people in the gym who are perfectly healthy. & the fact that I have this hindrance and I’ve still been able to do what I’ve been doing, isn’t all that bad. 

If any of you have or are currently suffering any injuries, the best advice I can give you is to rest and take it easy. Listen to your body. Don't push yourself further than you're capable of going and surely don't sacrifice form for weight.

So, I’m setting my ego and my emotions to the side, and focusing on getting myself back together. If I have to squat and dead lift much lighter weight until my hips can support it, so be it. In the long run, it’s the smartest move possible. 

But let’s be honest…scoliosis….you sure are one huge bitch.

It doesn't count unless you're ASS TO GRASS!

 

It’s no secret that there is an ever growing epidemic of those who skip leg day. If you don’t know me, or haven’t been following this blog for very long, I’ll tell you right now that legs are my favorite muscle group to train. It completely boggles my mind when people just skip leg day completely. I’m sorry, are your legs not a part of your body? Please tell me again how you “go hard” at the gym when you don’t squat or deadlift. Your legs represent the largest muscles in your body and are an integral source of power….SO WHY THE HELL AREN’T YOU TRAINING THEM?!

What completely confounds me even more is when people train them incorrectly. When did quarter squats become sufficient? I didn’t realize that the laws of bodybuilding had suddenly changed and now half squats produce significant gains. Perhaps I’m being a little harsh, because I understand that compound exercises likes squats and dead lifts are difficult to master to a novice of sorts. However, it’s common sense to research proper technique a few times before you try performing the exercise. So let’s say you actually have research the exercise, but are still unsure how to do it. If you’re a member of a gym, which I’m going to assume yes because most people…particularly beginners…don’t have a squat rack in their home, chances are you have a lot of resources (like personal trainers) at your disposal. Ask. Feel stupid asking for help? I can understand that, but you’re going to feel a lot stupider when you blow out your knees mid squat and need medical assistance to be escorted out of the building.

So, on that note, let me help you perform the perfect squat. Before I get into proper technique, I’m going to tell you right now to leave your ego at the door. You think because you can throw up 250lbs on the bench doesn’t mean you can squat the same amount of weight…especially when you never train legs in the first place. So quit trying to be some macho meathead and pick a weight that is suitable for you. It’s smarter to train with less weight, but proper form and a full range of motion, than it is to rack a bunch of plates on the bar. Ok, now that that’s out of the way….

STANCE:

Before you actually squat, you want to pay attention to your stance, foot and toe placement. This sets the tone for the rest of your set, and if this is thrown off, your squats are going to be shit. Use an athletic stance, which means your knees are slightly bent, feet are firmly planted and your toes are slightly pointed outwards. In terms of how narrow or wide your feet are apart, is entirely up to you. The wider your stance, your glutes and hamstrings will be worked more. However, with a narrower stance, your quadriceps's are going to be emphasized more.


HIP HINGE:

Your hip hinge is probably one of the most important aspects to a proper squat form. As you lower down into a squat, you want to hinge your hips so that your butt moves backward. Don’t think you’re doing it right? Check your knee and toe alignment. If your knees are over your toes, you’re not hinging back far enough. When your knees protrude further than your toes, you’re putting all the stress of the squat onto your knees and not even working the leg muscles at all, and that’s the whole point isn’t it? Furthermore, make sure that the pressure is on your heels and not on your toes. This way, you will be able to get more depth in your squat. If you can only squat a few inches down, it doesn’t count. Unload the weight until you’re able to go AT LEAST parallel…although preferably slightly below. ASS TO GRASS!

SPINAL ALIGNMENT:

One mistake I often see is people rounding their necks. This throws your spinal alignment completely off and can make you prone to numerous injuries. Keep your head up and eyes straight. In addition to this, rounding your chest and shoulders will also affect your spinal alignment. By keeping your chest out and shoulders back, your lower back is more likely to have the most natural curve; preventing lower back strain. Speaking of lower back…DO NOT ARCH IT! The squat can be an extremely dangerous exercise, and when you’re lifting heavy weight it puts a ton of stress on your lower back, so you have to pay extra attention to this. Keep your lower back as flat as possible. By hyperextending by arching or rounding too much, you could rupture a disk. Trust me, that’s the absolute last thing you want to do.

BREATHING:

Lastly, focus on your breathing. Squatting is an intense exercise and I imagine you don’t want to feel lightheaded, nauseous or possibly black out simply because you haven’t controlled your breathing. It’s fairly simple actually. As you lower, breathe in. As you push back up, breathe out with force. If you need to take an extra breath before you perform your next rep, do so.

So there you have it, how to perform the perfect squat. Now, go lift something.

Your workout means nothing without a CLEAN diet

An inside look at everything that goes into my mouth

By popular demand, I’ve decided to write about what I eat on a typical day. So here we are, discussing every tiny morsel of food that I have to force down my pallet. What I’m about to divulge isn’t pretty, and it may not be what you want to hear that you have to eat in order to live a healthier lifestyle, but it’s the honest truth.

My morning meals are staples, and hardly ever change. Mainly because these are foods that I know I never grow sick of. Peanut butter? No way, I could live off of that if I could. Oatmeal? Not a chance.

7am: Wake up, two full glasses of water mixed with glutamine. 7:45am: Breakfast – 5 egg whites, 2 eggs mixed with two forms of vegetables (lately I’ve been partial to peppers and mushrooms) and two slices of whole wheat toast topped with all natural peanut butter (not that jiffy shit either). 9am: Coffee. I used to drink my coffee fully loaded with milk and artificial sweeteners…but in the past few months I’ve cut down from 5 packets of Truvia, to only one. That, my friends, is an enormous feat. Because I used to absolutely cringe at the taste of coffee with even 3 packets of Truvia. It wasn’t easy though, I weaned off of it, much like a crack addict. Every couple of weeks I would eliminate one packet of Truvia from my morning coffee. To be perfectly honest, I’ve noticed a bit of a difference in my digestive system too. I’d always have stomach pains shortly after my coffee, and now I know who the culprit was. So word of advice, cut the refined and fake sugars. Don’t be a pussy, just do it. 10am: ½ cup of oatmeal, ¾ cup of blueberries, 1 scoop of protein powder and some cinnamon.

 The remainder of my day’s meals are also pretty standard, but change a bit on occasion. The #1 rule of thumb that I abide by is to always have a protein, carbohydrate and vegetable source with every meal and contain either protein, carbohydrate or both with whatever snack I’m having.

12:00-12:30pm: This is my least favorite time of the day to eat. But I have to force it down. Chicken, brown rice, vegetables. OR Turkey burger, sweet potato, vegetables. OR Steak (this usually only happens once or twice a week), quinoa, vegetables. 2:00pm: Handful of nuts, piece of fruit or something along the lines of carrots, celery, etc. 3:30pm: By this time I could have a full meal again, but I head straight to the gym right after work and I don’t like to be too full. But whatever snack I do have, I make sure has a high protein content. Plain greek yogurt, ¼ cup of oats and a banana. OR Cottage cheese with cucumbers. 5:00pm: Whey protein shake + carb powder + creatine 6:00pm: LIFTING TIME! I drink glutamine and BCAA’s during my workout. 8:00pm: Whey protein shake + carb powder + creatine. 9:30pm: Fish (usually tilapia, sometimes salmon) and vegetables. 11:00pm: Casein protein shakes right before bed.

 I won’t lie, this shit gets boring. I made the mistake of eating literally the exact same thing day in and day out for two and a half solid months. I got to a point where the thought of chicken made me nauseous. But trying to force it down was an entirely different story. I actually ended up taking a two week hiatus from chicken entirely, thus my introduction of turkey and steak.   

My diet is clean and basic. Eating is not meant to be rocket science. Eat your vegetables and fruit. Stick to whole grains. Include a variety of grass fed meat sources (unless you’re a vegetarian and then that’s a whole other ball park). Eat the RIGHT carbs & fats. Eliminate sugars, prepackaged chemical cluster fuck foods and minimize sodium. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient, don’t eat it. Eat organic when possible. Drink a ton of water. There, that’s literally it. Oh, and drink water...a lot of water. I drink at least a gallon a day. Many underestimate the importance of drinking water. You may frequent yourself to the bathroom about a dozen times more than usual, but your body will thank you for it.

I am human after all, and I’d be lying to you all if I said I NEVER had a cheat meal. Because quite honestly, sometimes all I want is a big plate of ravioli or an enormous platter of fried calamari. So in an attempt to keep my sanity, I do have cheat meals here and there. Keep in mind, when I say cheat meals, that doesn’t mean I go out and completely gorge myself. Still be mindful of what you’re eating, practice portion control so you don’t go off the deep end (trust me; it’s happened to me far too many times to count).
So there you have it. Everything I put into my mouth from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed. I don’t whip up any fancy recipes, I wish I did, I just don’t have the time. So I keep it simple. Whatever your goals are; whether it’s to lose weight, tone up, gain weight, etc., you’re eating should be relatively the same. Clean, healthy food.    

Tough shit if my gym shorts don't get your dick hard.

You know that feeling when you read an article an it instantly infuriates you? Well, I’m feeling that at this exact moment, and I’ll tell you why. During my morning ritual of reading the news online, I came across an article on MSN titled “Guy’s take on: Your spring outfits”. I’ll start by saying that I hate any articles of this nature where these people write about what men think about anything from your hair color down to the polish on your toes. But I figured I’d read it and see what bullshit they were blabbing about this time.

First of all, these so called “studies” are absolutely asinine because they only post the opinions of three, maybe four men. So that’s what women are dressing for these days…the opinions of four college boys? Fuck that. If I want to rock a maxi dress with over sized sunglasses, I’ll damn well do it. I don’t give a shit if Jon from Vassar College likes it or not, and you shouldn’t either. If Jon from Vassar College doesn’t like the way you dress, then chances are he isn’t the man for you. Instead, perhaps Parker from UCLA loves your style just the way it is. Every human being on this earth is attracted to something different and has a different style than the rest, and that is perfectly fine. But to constantly write articles telling women how they should dress based on how men perceive them, is absolutely fucking ridiculous. 

The portion of this despicable excuse for an article that really sent me over the edge, was the section on what guys think of sportswear. I’ll just show you a few of the remarks that were posted.

 I’ve never understood this. Don't you ladies understand that we’re attracted to you because you’re women? We don't want you to dress like us.” –Louis, University of Connecticut
 
“She looks like a Marine. I'm not into girls who look like they can beat me up.” –Jon, Vassar College

“I feel like if you’re going to look like you’re going to the gym, there’s no way to dress that up.” –Jason, University of New Hampshire–Manchester

“I don’t find sportswear sexy–except for yoga pants.” –Robbie, University of Maryland

Really? So because we’re not prancing around in see through shirts, tight ass skirts and 6” heels…we aren’t considered women? I don’t understand how so called “men” are so intimidated by a strong woman; physically and mentally. If you were a real man, you would be secure and confident with yourself that you’d be able to handle a strong woman. But clearly, the vast majority of the male population are insecure little bitches.

If I’m going to work out, I’m not just walking on the treadmill for 40 minutes. I’m pushing some heavy fucking weight, so excuse me if I don’t want to wear some prissy, girly gliterry shit or shorts that could double as underwear. Instead, I’ll throw on my Nike pants, a racerback and sweatshirt and call it a day. If you don’t find me sexy or attractive, that’s awesome for me, because then you won’t be a jerk off and interrupt my set just to hit on me. Here’s a newsflash for you; most women who are serious about lifting, don’t go to the gym to pick up men…so I don’t give a fuck if my workout clothes turn you on or not. Let’s say that I’m not going to the gym, let’s pretend that I’m out and about running errands and just feel like wearing active wear instead of getting all dolled up just to go to the grocery store. Tough shit if my gym shorts don’t get your dick hard.

On the flip side, because I don't want to discriminate against anyone who has a girlier style than I do, wear the rhinestone embellished pants if you want. Don't care what any man thinks, shit, don't even care what I think. Just dress for you!

But I digress a bit; this is even more infuriating because the majority of these writers are women. Seriously?! As a woman you think it’s appropriate to tell other women how they need to dress based on an insignificant percentage of men’s opinions? Thanks for setting feminism back about 50 years. The writing industry has just lost some major points. 

So here’s my take away. Dress for you, not for anyone else. Because no one else has to wear those clothes, you do, and you should feel good in them. You shouldn’t have to alter who you are or your style just to attract a man. Whatever your style is, it will attract the right man for you.

Now, stop being so concerned with what Jon from Vassar or anyone else thinks….put on whatever you want and go squat something.