Pretty Strong

May's Training

2013-05-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so this post was originally supposed to be about girly stuff like make up but... of course I forgot to save it and I don't feel like writing about makeup for an hour. It was a fun post, though. I'm such a dingus!

Anywho, I've written about a lot of other stuff lately but, not actually about my training. You see, I like to keep some of my training a secret. It adds to my aura of being sultry and mysterious. It leaves more to the imagination. It keeps you coming back...

Ok it doesn't do any of that but, I do like to keep some of my training to myself; good or bad.

So here' what's been going on that I'll let you know about:

*So far as supplementation is concerned, I have been taking casein and a carb/bcaa's mix, and both are working marvelously.
*I have created a few designs for custom singlets and I am in the works of having one of them created by the time the National Championships rolls around. I am really very excited about this project and I hope it takes off.
*I have been Back Squatting 200 kgs fairly regularly and I Front Squatted 180 last week.I am starting to Snatch 100+ more frequently as well as Clean and Jerking 140+. I haven't really been an athlete to train the lifts very heavy during training but, we're doing our best to change that to adapt to a new training style.
*I was training 3 times a day for a while but, I was getting tendonitis pretty bad so we backed off for a bit. Now we are doing two a days. We'll see if I resume three times after Pan Ams/Nationals preparing for the World Championships.
*I have applied for a couple of travel and training grants so I can go to an acclimation camp somewhere in Europe before the World Championships.

A couple of more personal updates:
* School is going really well. I got a B in my first class and currently, I am getting an A. I am working hard to maintain As and Bs
*I have a couple of public speaking engagements coming up that I am very excited about
*I am sad that my VCR is broken. HOW am I going to watch Lawrence of Arabia?!
*I have two pairs of Khakis now that actually fit. I'll look like a super Pro when I travel.
*I taught a Crossfit class recently how to snatch and will teach them how to clean and jerk. I like it a lot and it's a good way to work on my public speaking/teaching skills as well as help supplement my income.
*I found a really cheap store nearby to get all of my meat. I have 30 lbs of new meat in my freezer just waiting to get me stronger.

SaraH

April 2013 and Other Junk

2013-05-11T13:41:00.002-07:00

Special Olympics

I always have a great time coaching special needs athletes despite how challenging it can be. During the first
2/3 of the season, the time is spent getting the athletes to learn the commands and actually learning how to perform the exercises. Then in the last little bit, they pretty much know what's going on and can get into lifting some good weights. We had a good sized group of people that showed up for the Tempe Special Olympics Power Lifting Team this year. We had High school kids all the way through full-grown adults. We wish girls would sign up but, they didn't. One of our guys had to have gall bladder surgery and would be done for the season. We were pretty sad about it.
This year, we split the team up into groups of two per coach. Which is one of the best changes we've made over the years. One of our more experienced athletes, Matt, helped us coach. It takes a while for the athletes and the coaches to warm up to each other and understand each other. My group had two autistic kids. They were completely different with their levels of functionality but were both pretty strong.
At the State Championships, all of our athletes had personal records and they all got medals. They were all so pumped!

Before the state meet happened, one of our athletes earned an an award for his work through the work-study type program that he participates with in the special needs program at his school.

The April Challenge of Adding more fruit went well. For the most part, I added fruit to every meal. Being the dessert-fiend I am, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't desire chocolatey desserts as much. Adding more fruit is such a better way to get in your sugar for the day and get in some vital micro-nutrients.

I went to the Phoenix Women's Sport's Association"Power to Inspire" fundraiser recently and it was an awesome experience.I got to meet a lot of new and important people a well as do some valuable networking.

Interesting reads & Videos:

There was an interesting video I stumbled upon asking people, "When did you decide you were straight?"

The discussion about what the CEO of Abercomie thinks about "fat people" and the "uncool" kids. I'm pretty sure the message that he doesn't like specific demographics was there to begin with. I don't really understand how anyone would be surprised at that. Here's an article: A&F Hatorade

Eating on a $3.00/day budget. Here's how they did it: 3 buck chuck!

The end for now!

Sarah

learning overload

2013-04-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

I'm helping out at my coach Greg Everett and old coach Daniel Camargo's seminar here at Catalyst Athletics this weekend. 22 lifters from all over the country are here with all different backgrounds to learn about Olympic-style Weightlifting. I've seen all different body types of lifters, talent and all kinds of bad habits to fix. Every coach helping (all 7) have different que's or sayings they use to teach the same things. Example: FINISH! FULL EXTENTION! OPEN HIPS! Not one is better than the other it works for some and confuses others. It's all preference.

One thing i've noticed at this seminar with the lifters is something that i catch myself doing a lot: OVERTHINKING. All these people have the amazing opportunity to learn from two of the best coaches in the country (plus all of the awesome helpers) and they want to absorb every word that comes out of our mouths. They want to be able to do exactly what we say and fix everything all at once. What i suggest is remembering this is a lot of informantion to learn in one weekend. It's a lot to try to apply. You're body is not some sort of Apple genius. Take your time. Focus on one or two que's at a time. "chest up, back flat, move hips and bar at the same time, keep bar close, active pull into hips, full extension of hips, push with legs, shrug, high pull, pull under hard, move feet, squat, stand up is just playing too freaking much.

When you can focus your energy on doing just a few que's at a time make sure you're consistent. DO NOT under any circomstance change the que at any point in my workout. If on 35kg warm-up set you said: "i have boogers i better be quick under the bar so noone sees" you better say that on 40/45/50 etc...

like I said earlier I do that same thing i have like 19 things i say to myself before i lift and usually it results in a miss. If i just concentrate on one thing at a time or maybe two... actually three's ok i guess...than I can actually make my body do what i want instead of have a seizure snatch.

Log what you learn. If you're training and something just clicks log it. If you're at a seminar with the famous Greg Everett and fabulous Danny Camargo log what they say for review. If you come in for a one on one with me.. log what we work on. Log what people say, Log what you think, Log your freaking faces off.

thats all folks.

fearlessly, J

Wake me up/PR's are assholes

2013-04-20T20:26:00.002-07:00

Rankings

The rankings came out and I'm happy,relieved, crushed and disappointed all at once. I know I'm lucky I have an amazing coach and an amazing team. I know I'm talented and I know I have potential.

So, what's my problem? Why is there a block that stands in front of me and the next level? What is it that as soon as I can reach happiness I figure out a way to slap it away? What is it that makes me not accept success. I deserve good things to happen to me don't I? I work hard. I do my best to treat people well. I want this dream so desperately it's hard to breathe. So, what's wrong with me?

Every day isn't going to be a day I can PR, but i shouldn't ever miss weights I miss sometimes. I can never win. I think too much. I don't think about the right things. I'm not tough enough. I'm not confident enough. I give everything. I don't give enough. I do everything. I dont do enough. I'm trying but not hard enough. I need to be alone. I need the support. My goals are too high, be realistic. shoot for the moon. What am I missing? I try to relax in the gym and have fun but then I'm not focused enough or taking things seriously. I over-do it to under-do it.

It's a vicious circle. Weightliftings hard. Somebody wake me up.

Fearlessly terrified,
J

Margin for Error

2013-04-20T18:50:00.002-07:00

     One of the things I love most about weightlifting is the pressure of doing the right things at the right time for the right results.

     The success of the athlete in weightlifting is largely due to good coaching. If you do not know too much about weightlifting, it has been said that the "real competition happens in the back." This means that what you see on the competition platform isn't necessarily all there is to the competition. All the "competition" is happening behind the competition platform in the warm up area. The athlete of course has to lift the weight and be prepared for it but, the coach is in the warm up area performing vital, game-changing functions.

   The coach has to load the weight for the athlete, make sure the athlete is in the right frame of mind, at the same time as being the supreme strategist. My coach and I always have plans: A, B, and C. Plan A is the ideal situation, everything is going the way we want and need it to. Plan B is about making quick adjustments based on other athletes performances or your own missed lifts. Plan C is the "uh-oh" plan. This is the last ditch effort to just make a total and get out of there. Coaches need to be able to tell what their athlete needs to take as a warm up attempt and when. This needs to be perfectly timed so they are primed to make their opening attempt when the weight is loaded on the bar. The coach needs to know what kind of "jumps" are necessary to keep you ahead of another athlete. [Jumps are weight increases.] A coach needs to know how to "play with the clock" in a way to buy the athlete more time for rest or to push another athlete to go ahead. A good coach can see ahead and generally get an idea of what is going to happen so they can make wiser choices for their own athlete. In weightlifting, the coach/athlete relationship is unique and special. The athlete must trust that their coach is going to make the best choices possible to put them into a good position in the competition. The athlete trusts that their coach will not place an unmanageable amount of weight on the bar.

   In one competition I was in, I had out lifted the other top two competitors in the Snatch portion of the competition. For the other girls to beat me, they would have to clean and jerk enough to even tie with me or more to beat me. The coaching mistake made by the 3rd place girl's coach was this: When there is a tie in total, the higher rank goes to the athlete with the lighter body weight. There was no way the 3rd place girl was going to make up the difference in order to win so what should have been done was to settle for 2nd place by tying in total with the other athlete to beat her on body weight. Her coach got over zealous and made her lift a weight that was unmanageable at the time and she missed it. She then took 3rd place but, could have easily placed 2nd.

    As you can see in that scenario, and all that the coach's job entails, the room for error is very small. Once a decision is made: it most likely cannot be reversed. You have to commit to that choice. As an athlete, that same pressure is on you.

     The days, weeks, months, and training cycles of training preceding the competition are all displayed on the competition platform. The athlete must be flexible mentally, can train/compete in any circumstance, know how to execute the lift properly, eat and supplement correctly, recover enough, etc. Especially for a clean athlete, the margin for error for the athlete is very small.

     On the competition platform, there are only 6 lifts for each lift able to be executed. There is not re-do, time-out, or make up attempts. 6 total lifts. That's it. The athlete and coach must work together flawlessly. The coach sets the athlete up; the athlete executes. The Snatch is a very technical lift. It can be performed less than 1 second's time. If you make a slight mistake at the initiation of the lift, the lift cannot be corrected. The athlete will miss the lift and there is nothing to do about it. There is simply not enough time. The athlete needs to focus every day on making as many quality repetitions in training as possible to the lift can be executed for the best results. If the athlete does their job, the coach can do theirs and vice versa. Whether or not an athlete makes the lift, that lift is now over, and the next lift needs to be done. From attempt to attempt, the athlete needs to know what correction needs to be made and can orchestrate their body into accomplishing the task. The coach needs to know how to manipulate the attempts and how to deal with their athlete in order to accomplish the task as well.

      I enjoy the challenge of competing against myself and subsequently, the other athletes. Competition really is a test of who is the better athlete/coach combination. International competition is even more exciting taking into consideration the travel, adapting to a new kind of pressure, acclimation and recovery after a time-zone change, and training and competing in a completely different and typically unpredictable environment. These factors are why my coach and I consider results at international competitions greater than any other results. National results matter little and training results even less than that. The margin for error is very small in weightlifting. Being able to react appropriately in the right way, at the right time, for the right results, makes weightlifting very exciting.

Sarah

The goings on with Sarah

2013-04-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

That doesn't make much sense does it? Well, it's a Family Guy reference...so there.

Anywho, just thought I'd let you know what's going on with me lately.

I recently accepted the invitation to be on the Pan American Championship Team. I will be contending to be the strongest woman in the western hemisphere come June. I will be using this meet primarily as a tune up for the National Championships shortly after. The main priority is to qualify and do well at the World Championships. As an elite athlete, you have to pick your battles.

Brute Force Sandbags has sent me some sand bags and I am excited to implement them into my accessory work. All I need to do is buy sand. Seems kind of silly when you live in the desert...

I have agreed to start blogging for the plus size clothing company Junonia. Here's an interview I did with them a while ago. Junonia Interview Once a month, you'll be able to read a little bit more from me. You just can't get enough, can you?

Training is going pretty decent. I feel like taking the time to get back to the basics is a good thing for me. I am addressing some little things that the athlete generally forgets. Next week, we will start kicking things into gear preparing for the Pan Am Championships.

I am taking an online class. It is challenging but I know it will be worth it in the end.

I have two public speaking opportunities that should be lined up in May and September. I hope both go well and I inspire some kiddos.

I should be having an interview coming up soon which I am excited about. Staying relevant and getting my name out there is kind of difficult after the Olympics are over.

That's pretty much it. Any other updates will be tweeted, I'm sure.

Stay Strong,

Sarah

atmos-fear

2013-04-15T20:12:00.001-07:00

i couldnt do what i do without my new family and teammates especially the team Catalyst ladies. i think they deserve everything they dream for and more. they amaze me every day in the gym.. and even sometimes out of the gym. how giving, caring and selfless each one of them can be...

starting with Audra:

girllllll you are one tough cookie. i wish i could be as brave as you and daring. i watch you in the gym everyday fighting for everything you do pushing yourself more than the day before and supporting everyone else in the gym as you go. i cant even count how many times i've cried and you're the one who comes over to check on me even when you're in the middle of a freaking hard edge of death greg workout.

Jolie and Kara:

your focus amazes me. with your kiddo's in the gym the fact that you can be all gooey one second taking care of the business tough stuff the next is truely inspiring. mothers in my opinion make some of the best lifters. yall got your priorities IN FREAKING LINE. i'm pretty jealous. anytime i'm struggling in the gym distracted or tired i think of both of you. leaving all the outside stuff outside and coming in and doing the work, every set without failure shows me it's possible and that i'm a big wimpy diaper baby and kayla and luna are tougher than me ;)

Alyssa:

you're crazy. do an excersize coach, do another, coach, stay late and finish your abs after you've been at work alllllll day and you dont even rush out. it astounds me. when i'm training with you when i see you make a weight you werent sure about you always are ready for more. you have no fear no hesitation you want it and you want it bad. you remind me of me before i realized weights are heavy and scary and that stupid pressure thing. none of that ever gets to you. i hope some of that can rub off on me one day.

Tamara:

you know what you want. you come in you get it done you dont waste time talking, you dont worry about what anyone else is doing. if someone walks in front of you i'm all mad at them and you dont even realize that it even happened in the first place! i'm a diva sometimes and you remind me to chill out. i wish i could be more like you.

Aimee:

your confidence is unbelievable. your attitude when you approach weights is exactly what i need. your technique is consistent. you never think about the number all you do is go up to the bar and do your thing and everytime you show me up even if you don't train for weeks. it reminds me how much work i have to do before i can be a legand like you.

last but most definitly not least,

Chyna:

i'm pretty sure by the post the other day it's clear i envy you. you're strong, you're beautiful, you're humble and you're so incredibly talented as an athlete (in any sport). you push me every day i'm so lucky i have you as a training partner. you give me faith, you give me motivation, and you give me strength. when you make lifts they look so easy and solid. when i make the same weights or less weight than what you just did it looks like an animal that got hit by a bus (bus being the bar). you're always suprised you make HUGE lifts even though you work harder than anyone i know. you really are amazing. one day i hope to be as perfect as you.. but i doubt i'll get very close.

i have no idea where i'd be without all of you pushing me day to day. hopefully together we can all encourage eachother right to the finish line. all the way till our dreams all come true. to the crossfit games podium, to the national weightlifting championships podium and hopefully to the Olympics.

each of you make me better, i love you all.

fearlessly, J

2013-04-15T13:17:00.001-07:00

something about crossfit

2013-04-12T14:22:00.005-07:00

(forgive the title im not so creative before my nap.)

Your stupid. No, YOURE stupid....stupid.

Even though we argue with Crossfitters cuz they know everything and so do we. Even though Crossfitters are everywhere like a flee on your dog. They're in the carpet, on your skin, on your couch....in your bath tub............they're kinda awesome.

I know they make up weird words like "WOD" and "thruster". I know most of their workouts look like what i imagine someone having a seizure would look like. They freaking love Olympic Weightlifting. We have to forgive them btw for renaming our sport "oly lifting". It's not like they pulled your arm hair out one by one on the playground purposely...it's like cleaver or something.

Anyway, i got distracted. They love us. They support us. They follow us. Best of all they BELIEVE in us. I used to confuse their enthusiasm with them not understanding the magnitude of how difficult "Oly lifting" actually is. I know they just love it like i love it. They want to be good at it like i want to be a champion, on a wheaties box, in sport illustrated, and eventually make a record with my terrible singing voice followed by an incredibly cheesy movie from a Nicolas sparks book. OH and i also wanna win dancing with the stars (beating Sage *Burgener* Mertz) in the finals.

OK, i'm sorry. I'm trying to tell all you people to support them the way they (in their own way) try to support us. They're pretty amazing athletes working hard that have great attitudes and an unimaginable desire to complete met cons. I mean honestly though can you imagine doing some crazy hard zillion reps of pull up humping dancing, then jumping and more humping and finishing it off with lifting weights that some actual weightlifters can't do? I cant. it's hard enough for me to get out of bed before 9am.

I'm not team Crossfit but i'm not team "dont talk to me if you call it Oly lifting, beez". Keep up your hard work box people. I think you're cool n stuff.

Fearlessly, J

The other 75%

2013-04-08T12:25:00.001-07:00

You may have heard the saying, "You get out of it what you put into it." That holds true for so many things we do in life especially if you're an athlete. Athletes in a more full-time position are training about twice a day, we'll say cumulatively 6 hours. That's only a quarter of the day. Of all the time in a day, we're only putting in 6 hours?

I guess you could say success is training is 25% and 75% recovery.

What I like about my current training situation is the ability to focus without too many distractions. Ever since high school, I have brought an immense amount of intensity into my training. That intensity has cooled off a bit over the years because to be honest, having that kind of intensity every day for 10+ years is pretty exhausting both mentally and physically. I'm also not a young, spry high school kid anymore.

I recently told a group of high school track athletes that one of the things that separated me from my competitors was my intensity.

In high school, I had two realizations. I realized my sophomore year that I could be good enough to earn a D1 track scholarship and in my Junior year I realized I could be an Olympian. To make those dreams come true, I became obsessed with my sport and did everything I could to be great.

I became more and more isolated by the time my Jr. and Sr. year came around. Occasionally, I would lift at 0 period. I wore my throwing shoes to school and performed drills in between classes. My throws coach my senior year was also my history teacher for 4th period. Often before class started, in class, and post class, we would discuss technique and training. I ate my lunch quickly in the locker room with the PE teachers, got the key to the weight room, and trained during my lunch period. I had 6th period sports PE where I would get in more lifting. After school, track started and I would train until sunset, eat dinner, then head to my coach's house to lift Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only to wake up and do it all again the next day. I competed, I read books, I went to camps, I went to clinics, I bought my own equipment, watched videos, and did everything to get to the point where I was the best and to earn a full-ride scholarship to compete against the best, and train with and under the best in the USA and the world.

I realized early on that other athletes did not have this same dedication or intensity. It used to and still does bother me. If you're going to compete in a sport, why not try and go all of the way with it? In high school, people took time off for spring and winter breaks, holidays, and dances. There were athletes who chose not to go to the State Championships because prom was that weekend. You can dress up and be fancy any time in your life. Sometimes, competitive opportunities come around once in a lifetime so you better take them.

When I competed in collegiate athletics, I didn't like the "college scene." We lived across the street from the frat houses. I remember the huge messes that would come from crawfish boils and the noisy parties. There were athletes and regular college kids that did underage drinking and went to parties. None of which I was interested in or participated in. I went into the situation believing everyone had the same mentality as me. We are here to become the best. I quickly realized that some people find "making the team" the pinnacle of their athletic career. They are OK with not having personal records or qualifying for meets. A lot of times, athletes seem to be competing just to have school paid for.

But what do athletes like that get out of the sport? They get out of it what they put into it. It all starts in the mind. If the athlete is talented and has the desire, the fight, and the intensity to do whatever they can do to become successful, they will be. If not, they won't be. The saying "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" applies here. I have seen talented athletes come and go because they weren't willing to give it all they had.

Athletes that should be resting over the weekend but go on ski trips, play other recreational sports, cliff jumping, multi-mile length hikes, drink excessively, stand on their feet in heels all day, sleep too much, or not eat well enough tend to not be so successful. They come in on Monday all tired, malnourished, and end up being extremely frustrated. These same athletes tend not to go to bed at a decent time, eat enough, take their supplements, or generally have a good mentality going into training.

I had one team mate who wasn't working but he was training once a day in the afternoon. "I don't like training like this I just feel like..." I filled in the blank. "It feels like your whole day is gearing up for this one moment?" Well, if you want to be a great athlete, qualify for teams, and have personal records at competitions, you have to embrace the idea of everything you do is gearing up for "this one moment."

That's a lot of pressure, mental, physical, and financial stress to place on yourself. The athletes who can handle this kind of life, tend to truly be great. I cannot profess to be perfect at everything all the time but, from experience and training under and with those with the experience, I know what it takes.

The intensity and sacrifice you have for the 6 hours of training a day needs to be transferred into the rest of your life. The remaining 18 hours are what make the difference in making those 6 little hours successful. Time management, sacrifice, and sometimes creativity are all important factors.

I believe it all starts in your mind. If you want it, you'll find a way. If you have to pay a friend to get you groceries because you don't have time, not hanging out with your friends because you need a break, buying gym clothes over regular clothes, adding extra meat to everything, doing ab work at home because you forgot to at the gym, the books you read, the things you watch, the people to date, the people you associate with, the music you listen to, the jobs you take. the course load you take at school, what/when/how much you eat/drink, and so much more all constitute as that last 75% of the day.

Final thought: 100% of the day is vital; so make the most of it so you can gear up for that "one moment" on your training or career.

Sarah

Portrayal of Women's fitness

2013-04-02T13:41:00.001-07:00

So last night, I was looking through photos on a Facebook page called, "Fitness Girls." Needless to say, I was not surprised at the results. This is what brought up my question this morning of, "Do people actually want to be 'healthy' or in 'shape?' or just skinny?"

I am going to post some of the pictures I saw, some of which made me question the intelligence or character of the posters, and subsequently my reactions. I'll probably rant here and there.

I was hoping to see a lot of pictures like this one. What an amazing feat! But noooooooo, I subjected myself to borderline nude photos. I understand that this page is for "fitness models" but, it irritates me that women look up to these women as their "ideal" image. These women workout to look a certain way so they can model for fitness magazines, websites, ads, videos, etc. That's their chosen path, and that's cool There are exceptions of course but, most of these women do not compete, have not had significant life changing weight losses, and have access to fantastic photoshoppers/make up artists/ hair stylists/sponsors etc. Some of these women are in completely different circumstances than us regular folk. So how are we to expect to look the same way or garner the same results when all things aren't equal? Why is there body-type always the ideal when it comes to fitness and how women are portrayed in it?

I saw a picture similar to this one of a woman using a kettlebell with the quote: "Lift Heavy. because the barbell won't wake up one day and tell you it doesn't love you anymore."

That's not heavy. That's not even a barbell!

Champions also take their tops off and press their boobies into punching bags.

In a lot of these photos, the women are posed so passively and are so objectified. No girl I have ever seen trying become a champion or get fit, wears booty shorts with a perma-wedgie bent over the dumbbell rack, or their shirts cut so the bottom of their breasts are showing, or they're wearing high heels. Be real! If you want to talk about people being champions or working hard, show that. Not models posing sensually. It's not proving your point.


I know she's not using those dumbbells. (rolls eyes)


So is having bad technique

I also get irritated when these pictures and articles talk about being strong and over coming expectations yet, they are doing something ridiculous, not challenging themselves and in the end just fall right back into the stereotype placed on the woman. I understand that we all have different goals and we all start at different places but don't talk to me about being "strong" and you're only curling 5-10 lbs.

I'm pretty sure that rack is too high for her...


Is she seriously squatting like 45 lbs max on the EZ bar?

Ridiculous quotes to get you motivated to work out....

False: Animals are incapable of opinions. The tiger and sheep also do not share the same habitat.

I think for me, the most insulting picture was this one:

This makes me think the person who took this photo thinks, "It's OK fat lady, at least you're trying." All of the other women are portrayed as being sexy and in shape. This woman is clearly out of place. Which is probably how a lot of us feel when we are working out in public anyway. No need to remind us of that when you are attempting to inspire us. As I have already stated and most of you know, fitness comes in various sizes. You can be in shape while being different shapes. I am an Olympian who weighs 275 lbs. I have been training seriously since I was 15 years old. I do not have a 6 pack. I cannot fit into a size 0. I train anywhere from 6-20+ hours a week. I have never looked the way these women do, will not ever, and do not desire to. I find remarks like this to be condescending. This does not show a plus sized getting in shape or already in shape woman in a positive light.

Here are some videos that do!

Sarah- mini hurdle agility drills

     In a previous post I talked about how sometimes I feel I don't fit in places. The fitness world is one of them. How many times do people pick personal trainers because they want to look like them. When looking for a coach or a personal trainer do we make our choice based on how the gym or the coach looks, or the results of the program, the qualifications and experience the trainer has? When people think of all-star athletes, who comes to mind? Why?

     Why do we have to feel that our physical appearance whether "good" or "bad" determines our worth? If we are skinny, athletic, pretty, have fabulous hair, etc., we are valued people. A good appearance gets us boyfriends, good jobs, and nicer treatment. A bad appearance means a person will most likely end up in the friend-zone, have different job opportunities, a lack of wealth or lack of personal care.

   No one should have to feel this way. We are all valuable, fantastic people who all supplement each other. I really don't appreciate pages like this where it is initially perceived that the separations between people can be equalized to realize that it only further pushes us apart. Ultimately, this helps stifle our progress as a gender...and some of us are OK with it. How?!

     Let's be real with ourselves and our audience. Let's not care about the number on the back of our shirts or on the scale. Let us be self-respecting, fit women. Let's love ourselves and care about how well we function and feel inside and let our hearts, minds, and bodies be strong in the endeavor.

Identity

2013-03-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, I don't feel like I belong. Other times, I feel like I'm exactly where I need to be doing what I am doing. I am sure a lot of us feel this way.

Over the years of developing into an athlete and as a woman having various dating, myspace, and facebook profiles, I have received some odd friend requests and messages.

Some of the friend requests that stand out to me off the top of my head come from people who have interests in: tall, muscular, strong and/ or plus size women. Some like the "amazon" type." Some people like to collect athlete friends or just weightlifting friends, etc. I always look at someone's profile when they follow me or send me a friend request to see what they're all about.

I have always wondered why people do that. To each their own, I guess. A person like me however, who fits in a lot of categories, begs the question, "Where do I belong?" Sometimes I wonder, "What does this person think about when they see me?" What kind of judgments, categorizations, or assumptions do we make about someone instantly on sight? I have spoken about before not judging people on appearance. Which I still stand firmly behind. I still wonder though...

I am almost 6 feet tall, I am an athlete, I am plus sized, I am Mormon, and obviously, I am a woman. I have so many interests and tastes with my extracurricular activities, career choice, life goals, passions, fashion, adventure, etc. I don't feel as though I can be lumped into only one category. If someone were to ask me where would I categorize myself, I'd probably say something more obvious because that is the easiest.

It seems as though in any of my interests, body-types, or religious preferences, I don't take part in 100% of the culture. As if everything just weren't completely "me." Only part at best.

The best way I can describe myself, cliche as it may be is to say, "I'm Sarah Robles." I feel at some point, I will understand my purpose is in this life and when that enlightened day comes, I can then clearly define myself. We are all so very, very different. I believe we all have a purpose no matter how great or small. We are all different for a reason. Like a puzzle, we are all needed to come together to complete the picture.

Have any of you felt this way? How would you categorize yourself vs. how others have? How have you come to these realizations?

Sarah

Not Strong Enough for a Weightlifter

2013-03-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Weightlifters are tough people. We really take a pounding everyday. We say jokes like, "If it's good enough for a horse, it's good enough for me!" and "If it can sand wood, it'll probably be good and shaving my callouses down right?" Some of you strength and power sports might be able to relate to some of the way we do things around here.

*Can't afford a massage? Use a car buffer!

*Power Sander: Reduces Callouses
*Ibuprofen: "Do not exceed 6 tables in 24 hours." So taking 6 at a time, 3-4 times a day isn't good? Who needs a stomach or a liver anyway?
*Still in pain? Try DMSO. It's just a pain reliever for horses and makes your mouth taste like bad garlic. No big deal.

*Do your wrists hurt while lifting and regular wrist wraps won't do the job? Have a leather smith who makes horse saddles make you a pair.

Side story: Once we had a horse-leather smith- guy come to the gym so he could make me wrist wraps. He smelled terrible! But, that's besides the point. He measured my wrists a few days before Thanksgiving. He said he would have them ready by Friday. We were really impressed on how fast he would have them done with the holiday coming and all. Well, we never saw or heard from him ever again. He never called, e-mailed, or showed up. So we were left wondering what the heck happened. So we just made up jokes about how he had to have had a wrist fetish and ran his own website called, www.bigbeautifulwrists.com.

*Tow straps for weightlifting straps. If it's good enough to tow a car it call pull 200+ kgs.

*Hockey Stick tape for sports tape

So you generally, you can see some of the extreme measures we take to keep going in our sport. Is there anything you guys do like this?

Here are some other things that we do to feel better that are cheap or creative:

Homemade hydrocollator: You can use an electric roasting oven like Nesco, and put water and towels inside to make hot packs.

Ice cups: Fill water into a paper cup and when it's frozen, unwrap the cup and massage the affected area.

Cold Plunge: Buy a ton of ice and put it in your bath tub with water. If you don't have a bath tub, you can get a baby pool or a trough and add in ice water.

Are you guys creative and cheap in this way? What have you found that you can use to recover and get ready for the next workout?

Sarah

Some things... #1

2013-03-25T23:25:00.001-07:00

So, I spend a bit of time on the internet researching, homeworking, reading, learning, and entertaining myself. Here are some interesting reads y'all may appreciate. Followed by a couple of stories about how horrible my memory is. Enjoy!

Having a boyfriend with a disability Open your minds

Family Does Snap Food Challenge Interesting food stamp a family took.

Supreme Court Justice can do push ups! It's never too late to get in shape!

Ok so here are a couple of stories about my terrible memory. Everyone can enjoy a good laugh at my "D'oh!" situations. I meet a lot of new and interesting people all the time with my job and it's hard to remember everyone but, these two people I probably should have remembered...

#1:

     When I was living in Colorado, I was on an activities committee for my church. Halloween was around the corner so we had to plan the Halloween dance. I went over to a girl's house where we planned the whole event and then we all went out to dinner afterwards. The dance turned out pretty alright.
     A few months later, I was eating sushi with my teammates and the girl I helped plan the dance with came up to our table. "Hi Sarah! How are you?" I had no idea who she was. "Hey...there." She asked, "Do you remember me?" I had not so I said, "Um no. But, High Five!" idiot! Haha! Probably not the best way to handle that situation. Mind you that this entire conversation happened in front of my team. "Well, you went out to dinner with us and you helped plan the Halloween dance at my house." I remembered the whole day except her. Oops.

#2:

     I was volunteer coaching at Northern Michigan, I was coaching the men's throwing club team on my own and assisting my coach for the women. Early on in the season, Renee asked me, "You don't remember me do you?" "No. I don't think we've met." Here I was, unknowingly coaching a girl I used to compete against in high school! "We used to compete against each other in high school. I have a picture from Master's of you and your family hanging out with me and my family in our tent." I used to know this girl well enough from meets to share a tent with her and have pictures and totally forgot about her only to coach her like four years later....weird.

My memory is terrible. It's so bad that it makes for hilarious stories. If I ever meet you and forget you, I'm sorry. Don't be offended; I forget everyone equally. I'm just one of those gals that needs constant reminders. Patterns are good for me. If I met you once, you're probably out of my mind...or lost somewhere within. If I see you on a regular basis, we're good to go.

Anyone else want so share a similar story?

-Sarah

Rogue mode by jess

2013-03-13T23:48:00.002-07:00

Do relationships effect training? Absolutely 100% pee on a stick your pregnant,yes.

Relationships can be stressful. They can tear out every ounce of energy from your soul and spit on you while you're lying breathless in the mud. And they can mess up your make up. But you need that energy and make up for training. You need to feel fierce and confident or your lifts and your strength suffers. Think about the most emotional day you've ever had.. Up all night fighting with a boy or girl whatever way your tide rolls or even with a parent or dog. You cry and yell and cry and drink and cry and eat and yell and cry again. Finally its 4 am and your dog gave in and you compromised on sharing the bed but you have to be up for work in two hours. No nap then trained but thought about how evil your dog is between each set. You lifted like the mud on the ground next to you didn't you?!

Relationships can also be amaze balls. They can lift you up make you feel loved, supported and safe. You sleep like an infant without a care In the world till you have to poop in the middle of the night. Your training is great because you know someone has your back, you slept well and you know your man or woman or whatever is an excellent Chef and lets face It food is where the heart is. Jk but not really.

Relationships can also be distracting. Like in between sets your all like Maybe I'll have six babies, whoa ain't nobody wants that many doctors visits maybe I'll have 5 1/2. Or you're all like Jessica and buster sitting in a tree k.i.s.s.i.n.g.. Or your just like "bro this dude didn't even cheer for me on that set. "Which ever way you look at it you're not thinking "hey that was an easy snatch this next one is gonna be even better cuz I am a champion"

So basically chose your paths carefully. There is a fine line between helpful, healthy relationships and distracting, obsessive or borderline emotionally abusive. Like seriously get a new dog.

You have to make the decision what's most important in your life. Do You want to be Training well, being happy/healthy and maybe in love or all at the same time. Or do you want to not be able to finish workouts cuz your so damn stressed sad and tired that you can't even think of how to spell the work jerk let alone make one.

So is it time to go Rogue mode?

Fearlessly, j

My background with those with Special Needs

2013-03-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

My coach, a couple of my teammates and I coach the local Special Olympics Powerlifting Team. I love it. Someone asked if I could write a post on my experiences with them. This post will let you get to know a little bit more about me and my experiences growing up leading up to my volunteerism with my athletes and teammates.

     You may have read or heard at some point that my father and grandparents were disabled. My grandmother had multiple sclerosis, my grandfather had a lot of heart problems and diabetes, and my father had a myriad of health issues; the stroke being probably the worst malady of them all.

     We spent a lot of time going to the Loma Linda VA hospital as both my grandpa and dad were veterans and we were all beneficiaries. My mom had told me a while ago that other people were concerned with my brother and I going. That we may get "scared" or whatever. Honestly, I have no recollection of having any reservations being in that hospital. I remember seeing people missing limbs, wearing eye patches, having IVs, mental problems, etc. Obviously, going to the VA for regular check ups is one thing and going there because your grandpa had another heart attack, dad has kidney failure, or grandma is getting diagnosed with cancer, are completely different things but mostly, I have memories of going on a "trip." My brother and I liked to feed the ducks and play outside We looked forward to the donut cart and getting our family coffee. We liked shopping in their store and my grandpa would always get our favorite snack, "peanut bars." Before we left, the VA was nice and gave people some gas money to go home and my dad would always ask for $2 bills to give me and my brother one. They were so cool.

     One of the things I learned growing was there is no such thing as "I can't." I don't really remember not being able to do things because of my family. My dad never said he couldn't do something. I never really thought he couldn't do some things. We went on lots of road trips, we camped a lot, we did pretty much everything. Obviously, my parents had adjusted things so we could still have fun, explore, and learn without feeling like "man, I wish I could do that." That's brilliant parenting.

     Some other things I learned were: patience, accommodation, adaptation, and manners. We may not see that pushing our chairs in, having to step into a store, or going through tight spaces as a challenge. When you're in a chair or pushing someone in one however, it can get pretty irritating. Not being able to go into a store because it's not accessible to you is frustrating. I remember my dad sitting outside while we went into shops to look around and feeling bad because my dad couldn't see cool stuff. Sometimes I still refuse to give these places my patronage  Going through a restaurant or a store can seem like an obstacle course when people aren't diligent or polite enough to push in their chairs or put things away. Often times, you'll see me push chairs in or pick things up and put them away. I learned not to stare, always be nice to people, be friends with anyone no matter what, and stand up for those who can't defend themselves.

     My dad had a stroke when I was 11 and it was a difficult thing for us all to acclimate to. My dad lost his ability to speak and understand a lot. He had a condition called, "Aphasia." He called my mom, "mom" and my brother and I were both "boy." When he would want me to do something, he would say, "Come on boy!" and when he would talk about how long it would take us to do something when he was frustrated, telling time, or just counting he was only able to say, "One, two, three, eight, nine, ten." He tried to learn sign language and that didn't work. My dad was fluent in Spanish and I tried so speak to him in Spanish one day. "Como estando?" He said, "Muy Bien." I was so excited I told my mom and I tried it again thinking all we needed to do was talk to him in Spanish but, it was a one time deal. One time he came close to saying my name by calling me "Sherry" but I wasn't there to hear it. As you can imagine, with a vocabulary that limited, it is hard to communicate. Sometimes we would just have to say, "I'm sorry, I don't know what you want." only to feel defeated. Having to communicate with one word written sentences, charades, guessing, and rephrasing, really taught me how to communicate with people how to explain things in different ways for them to understand.

     When I rejoined Girl Scouts, my new troop leader Susan was blind. It was amazing learning under her about scouting and life. I learned a lot about how she adapted to life and did a lot of things. We also went to school together at the community college and I tutored her in Spanish. There's an age gap obviously but, she's one of my best friends. One of her friends Dale, who was also blind, had dialysis the same nights as my dad. My mom and I were the only people that came into the dialysis room with all of the patients. Most of the caregivers or family members either dropped them off or sat in the waiting room. I never really understood why you wouldn't hang out but, whatever. I learned a lot about the dialysis process, talked to a lot of the patients, and studied history with Dale.

     In high school, I was a teacher's aide for one of the special education classes, and I loved it. I mostly sat next to Angelica and I helped her learn to count her numbers and did whatever was asked of me. Outside of class, I had a couple of special needs friends names Adrian and Julia. My mom reminded me recently of a couple stories from school. Julia was supposed to graduate but, at the last minute was told she couldn't. She really wanted to take her graduating photos but now couldn't get a cap and gown so I gave her mine. She was super pumped to take her pictures. One of our field trips in school was to go to Knott's Berry Farm. We all had our groups or "cliques" we were with. At one point, I saw Adrian all by herself in the park. Her group had just left her there all by herself. So Adrian and I spent the day together going on rides and having fun. My mom told a reporter these stories because she was proud of those decisions I made. I had forgotten I even did those things. I thought I would feel bad about forgetting but, I think that's ok. I think being a good friend is something that you should do unconsciously.

     That's a general background of the experiences I had growing up with people with various special needs. This all had led up to where I am today working with people with physical and mental disabilities. My next post will be about our Powerlifting team and teaching kids how to ride their bikes. Stay tuned!

Sarah Robles

Speaking at a women's conference

2013-03-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

As many of you my have read recently, I went back home to San Jacinto, Ca to speak at a Women's conference. It was a great experience and I hope I get many more speaking opportunities in the future.

After training on that Wednesday night, I flew out to Ontario, Ca. This is where I received a ride and had great conversation with a representative from the CR&R waste management company. They were a large sponsor of the event. I was housed at the Hampton Inn in Hemet and had a great night's sleep.

My mom came to eat breakfast with me and we did our last bits of preparing to leave for the event. We got off to a little comical start. My mom had to stop at Target to get a new memory card for her camera then came to get me. While she was checking self in the mirror, she noticed she had the tags still attached to her butt. "Thank goodness I touched my own butt!" she said followed by "Why didn't anyone at Target tell my the tag was still on?!" Haha as if it was their responsibility. We were ready to go, so I thought. "Are you going to wear shoes?" my mom asked. We laughed. We left the room only to notice that I had forgotten my speech on the bed. "Oh yeah. I guess I need that too." Like mother like daughter.

We arrived at the event and hopped in toward the end of one woman's speech then we listened to Super Intendant Shari Fox's talk. It was very good. I had a lovely introduction and I proceeded to give my speech. The title of my speech was, "“Strength and Adversity Help Dreams Come True." I talked briefly on my past and current adversities have strengthened me to help make my dreams come true. I challenged the men and women in the room to face their challenges and adversities head on and do everything they can to make their dreams come true. I then concluded my speech and received a standing ovation. I was very flattered. It was an amazing feeling. I ended my speech 10 minutes early to open the floor for questions and answers.

I had an interview then ate lunch. We got an art lesson by a Guinness Book of World Record Holder and learned about Georgia O'Keefe, and we learned about business etiquette before my mom and I had to leave.

We saw one of my coach's wife at the conference as well as an old science teacher. I found out that my old science teacher leads a bird watching group in town, which is pretty cool. My old coach and his wife wanted to go out for dinner with my mom and I but, our schedules wouldn't allow it. So after a quick photo shoot at my billboard at the edge of town, I went over to Hemet High and surprised my coach. While I was there I spoke a little to the track team, answered questions, and wished them luck in their season.

A couple of hours later, I had to catch my plane home.
Whew! Busy weekend. It was full of fun, enlightenment, and smiles. So honored.

Sarah
p.s. when I figure out my new computer, I will add links and photos. :)

Keep Calm and Snatch On

2013-03-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

'Member when you were learning cursive and you were all like..bro this is korean it's not even english? OR OR do you remember when you were in math class learning ANYTHING it was like ummm this is some Russian shiz? Well, that's how I feel learning the Olympic lifts are like for beginners, except add the calluses and multiply the sweat, subtract the pencil and something about a square root. Just like in math class when the teacher breaks it down into steps like, "math for dummies" you have to divide that one number on the left into the smallest number on the right before you do all the rest, or something.

Every coach, like every teacher, has their own way to teach the progressions of the lifts. I believe the most popular is the famous coach Burgener with his "Burgener warm-up"-- see Olympic lifting Crossfit cert and/or the YouTube demo. Another is my current coach Greg Everett with his posters that are literally in pretty much every single gym I've ever been to all over the country. (you can purchase them on the catalystathletics.com site)
Personally, I combined all the million coaches styles I've ever had into my own.

Long story short, you can't just watch some Bulgarians snatching on Youtube, or those crazy Chinese lifters that BTW start lifting when they're like almost taking their first steps still in diapers on TV. You HAVE to break it down to efficiently put it back together correctly.

Don't walk into some Gold's Gym and pick up a bar and try to snatch cuz it looked cool when Natalie Burgener did it on Crossfit.com. It causes bad habits, injuries and it hurts my eyes, seriously though.

AMEN....I mean fearlessly,

Jess

No Dessert Challenge- Complete!

2013-03-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

So the last time I wrote about the "No Desserts Challenge," I thought I was dying. I was kinda losing my mind a little bit. It was around the next week that I was totally cool.

My "version" of no desserts used fruits and more natural sources of sugars for my sweets instead of what I viewed as "hard core" desserts.

My friend is giving up desserts for Lent so we are giving ourselves a special treat if we can survive not eating desserts until Easter, so that is helping us stay motivated.

In total, I believe I had like 5-7 desserts whereas normally, I would have consumed one everyday. So although, I messed up, I still did so much better than I normally would have.

Here are three of my go-to items for when I am having a sweet tooth:
Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Banana Oatmeal Cookies
Baked Apple

In any of these recipes, the most "sugar" I would have would be local honey. That way, it could help with me seasonal allergies, and not be modified or processed.

I learned that I can refrain from having certain foods, I am learning more and more what some of my "triggers" are. I have the goal to continue to moderate my dessert consumption and make better decisions when I do want to have sweets.

It was a hard but good experience.

Now for March's Challenge.... "No Fast Food." I got a head start on this one because I gave up fast food for Lent. In case you didn't read it before, I am being a "Lent Supporter" this year. I'm pretty sure that's not a correct term by any means. Lol I am not including, chipotle or some places like Wild Flower or Paradise Bakery as "fast food." I also try to keep eating at those places to a minimum as well.

Here are a few tips or things I have learned so far to help with "No Fast Food"

1.) Be creative with your cooking. If I'm bored or don't like what I'm eating, I am more willing to go out and get something different.
2.) Plan ahead. Make sure you know what you're doing the next day so you can prepare your meals and have them ready to go so you won't "need" to go and get something in your busy day. Sometimes, for breakfast, I will pull out eggs, a pepper, and some oil, and place them all in a pan. So all I have to do the next day is crack the eggs and cut the pepper, cook, and eat it really quick. While it's cooking, I will put all of my other meals and snacks in a bag and I'm ready to go for the day.
3.) If you are in a situation where you need to get something quick, make the best choices possible.
If I have to stop at a gas station I will get something like: banana, beef jerky. water/gatorade/ 100% juice or milk
Grocery Store- Baked chicken with vegetables or fruit as a side, as well as a nice drink

Sarah

Know your Strength Sports

2013-02-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

How many times have people referred to me as a "Power Lifter" or a "Body Builder?"
I guess people don't know the differences at all. Hopefully this will help settle any confusion for some of the main "strength sports." I'll show you pictures then give a brief description. Enjoy!

Powerlifters
compete in three events:
1.) Bench Press
2.) Squat
3.) and Dead Lift

There are many different federations in this sport. There are also different variations of the competition such as "push/pull" which is bench and dead lift, bench only, squat only, dead lift only, equipped or raw (which means with or without special suits/shirt), tested and non tested, and some are even incorporating a strict curl contest. (Hard not to roll your eyes at the last one.) The list I'm sure goes on I'm sure. Here are the three main events:


Bench Press


Squat

Dead Lift

Body Builders
compete in three rounds:
1.) Muscle Balance (symmetry)
2.) Presentation of size and shape
3.) Separation and definition

I am not too well versed in Body Building but, I understand there to be pretty much two different types: natural, and drugged. There are several organizations just as in power lifting. There are quite a few different competitions that fall under the umbrella of body building like fitness, and figure.

Natural Body Building


Natural Body Building


Bodybuilding

Olympic Weightlifters
compete in two events. Snatch and Clean and Jerk. This is my sport. There is only one national and one international governing body of our sport. No lifting suits, and no doping allowed. At this point you can probably imagine what I am thinking when someone asks if I participate in any of these other sports.

Snatch

Clean

and Jerk

Strongwoman
I am having a hard time finding some reliable information about this event. If you've seen the World's Strongest Man competition on t.v., you'll get the idea of what this sport is. It's a sport that contests many different events. I believe it started with the idea of moving heavy objects like those that were done in mythology, like the atlas stone for example.

More popular events that I can think of off the top of my head are: fingal finger, yoke, farmer's carry, dead lift, axle clean and "press," atlas stones, and tire flips. Many events have their own combination of events based on what the venue can handle or preference.

Here's a few photos of different events

Atlas Stone

Farmer's Carry

Tire Flip

Hopefully I got my facts straight. If you're in one of these sports and would like me to explain something better, let me know.

Sarah

Hanging on by a thread by Jess

2013-02-23T16:53:00.002-08:00

You know during your training cycle when the work load is so much every inch of your body feels like it was individually ripped off and run over by a semi truck and then someone in Mexico with a "medical license" sewed it all back on piece by piece leaving you looking like a rag doll that can't even hold its head up on its own? Ya, it happens to me too.

That's all.

Fearlessly,

Baked Apple Dessert

2013-02-20T21:19:00.001-08:00

In my effort to eat better, I have been attempting to find delicious and healthy ways to get in sweets.

Tonight, I baked apples. They look like mush so a picture would not do them justice.

I made a small bit so if they were bad, I wouldn't waste too much.

1 Apple
Apple Sauce
Cinnamon
Nut Meg
Oats
Honey
Vanilla Paste
Coconut oil.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and core apple. I don't have any formal measurements. I just kind of did everything to taste on this dish. Melt some coconut oil with honey and vanilla paste. Or extract. Whatever.

In a bowl, combine apple sauce, oil, honey, vanilla, nutmeg, oats and cinnamon.

Cover your apple with the mixture then tin foil and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.

It's pretty easy, incredibly delicious, and what I would consider "healthy." I used honey obviously in lieu of sugar, and in lieu of butter, I used coconut oil.

If you've never heard of vanilla paste, it's amazing! One of the top 5 things I have in my kitchen. It is thick and has little flakes of vanilla bean in it. It makes me feel like my food is more fancy.

Anywho, this tasted similar to apple pie filling. If I ever get the gumption, maybe I'll make my coach a pie. He loves apple pie.

Ok good night and enjoy!

Sarah

No Dessert Challenge- Day 21

2013-02-19T22:49:00.001-08:00

Ok so I started my "No Desserts Challenge" on the Wednesday before February started so I'm technically at 21 days here (saving I did my math correctly. :) ) Got a head start, sucka fishes!

No soda was pretty easy for me. I knew desserts would be hard, which is mostly why I need this challenge. I need to learn better eating habits and self discipline which are skills that will transfer over into weightlifting.

I went to my friend's house that first Saturday on "Cold Stone" night. They were looking forward to it all day and got the kids all excited about it. I felt "rude" not to have dessert... not a good way to start.

I have also had two chocolate cookies and a package of mini bundt cakes. With the bundt cakes, I had two of them and put the rest in the freezer so I wouldn't eat them. "Frozen cake is terrible. No one eats frozen cake" I thought to myself. Then, I eventually tried another one. I thought, "Um. I was wrong. I think frozen cake might be even better!" Then I eventually finished off the mini cakes. All gone.

My name is Sarah and I'm a dessert addict.

I can't be too upset with myself only because...usually in 22 days, I would have probably consumed 22 desserts. Instead, I have had about a handful. So, it has been really moderated.

Still, all the time, I want dessert. I am trying to give myself better alternatives. Using fruit as my main source of "sugar" when I want a sweet snack. I looked at a cupcake cookbook tonight and everything looked so good. Even the caramel ones... and I hate caramel (stupid caramel jerks.)

So I'm thinking I will give myself an additional two days at the end of my sentence to help make up for my eating of desserts.

This is what I feel like without eating desserts.

Although I am not dieting, Ms. Jenna Marbles here explains what we go through when "dieting."
There are cuss words, be forewarned.

Ok. Just thought I'd share how much I'm struggling.

Good night!
Sarah

Colors of the Gym- Pocahontas remix

2013-02-16T23:53:00.002-08:00

What are a few things I love?
1. Weightlifting
2. Singing Disney Songs (Pandora helps me feel like a Disney Princess while I'm doing my dishes.)
3. Making up ridiculous words to songs. A skill which my team mate Craig is flawless at (jealous much.)

Here is the song "Colors of the Wind" from "Pocahontas." Then enjoy my new lyrics.

You think I'm just an newbie lifter
And you've been so many places; I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see, if the newbie one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know...

You think you own whatever bar you lift on
The bar is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every chalk and plate and lifter
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name.

You think the only lifters who are lifters
Are the people who clean and jerk like you
But if you walk the platform of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the man cry with the weight on his back?
Or asked the coach how you can be more like him?
Can you lift with all the voices of those cheering?
Can you lift with all the colors of the gym?
Can you lift with all the colors of the gym?

Come use the hidden chalk bucket in the gym
Come taste the best pre-workout drink
Come roll that bar away from you
And for once never wonder what it weighs

The wrist wraps and the tape are my brothers
The knee sleeves and the belt are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a program in a practice that never ends

How big will your legs grow?
If you quit now then you may never know
And you'll never hear the me cry to my coach in the afternoon
For whether we are tired or broken down
We need to lift with all our courage in a singlet
We need to lift with all the colors of the gym

You can be quiet and still
'Til you take you caffeine pill
Then you'll lift with all the colors of the gym

i wish i may i wish i might -j

2013-02-10T20:16:00.003-08:00

Why it'd be nice to have a sponsor as an Olympic hopeful...

to be able to give everything i have into my dream

not to be stressing about $ for rent/food/travel

to maybe sometime be able to fly home and see my family once a year?

to feel confident someone else believes in me

to know i gave everything i had

to give more time for rehab/rest/recovery

to have time to give back-coaching/volunteering

to be able to go to camps to train with other athletes so i dont get complacent or burnt out

to not add more pain to my body that isnt even caused by lifting but just by standing/walking all day

if it's clothes i'm in a daily video every day that thousands of people watch on youtube...and i happen to wear clothes in the videos

to focus solely on my goal

to maybe be able to go back to school if time permits

to have time to train twice a day

because i tweet a lot

....but don't worry i'd never ask

fearlessly,
j