My Fitness Challenge

Did I mention I’ve been doing a fitness challenge?? Yeah, since about the end of November.

A good friend of mine from North Carolina decided he wanted to get back in shape, so I proposed a challenge as motivation.

The deets: we each set our own personal goals to reach in three month’s time (February 22nd) to be exact. The person who reaches their goal (or the closest) wins. My goals are basically summed up in the picture featured below.

I will admit, at the time, I had the upper hand as I was already deep into my training, but to my defense, my friend has testosterone on his side so, I don’t think my head start will have much of an influence.

So, everything has been going great so far. We’re both progressing and I’m really excited about my friend’s rekindled motivation. The only problem occurred last week when I contracted laryngitis. It knocked me out for a week and now I can’t seem to get back in the horse. I’ve been weight training, but my lingering congestion makes me want to avoid all things Muay Thai / cardio. Needless to say, I’m not doing enough if I intend on annihilating my friend in this challenge.

I need to suck it up a go because let’s face it, waiting to be 100% better is like waiting for the G train… it ain’t gonna happen.

Today is going my first day back at Ultimate Gym. No exceptions. Boom.

Does Superman Take a Rest Day?

What is the true physical limit of the human body?  As an active individual I like to humor myself by proclaiming its capabilities limitless, but we all know this is a farce, and no matter how superman-like we feel after leaving the gym, we eventually need to take a pause for recovery.

I scroll through the motivational posts of the trainers, fighters, and athletes I follow on Instagram, noting how much physical activity they put into each week, and I can’t help but think that I am not pushing myself enough– that I haven’t truly reached my limit.

One chick that I follow on Instagram does weight training, Muay Thai, Crossfit and yoga. She’s a personal trainer and is f***ing shredded. I work out 5-6 times a week (half Muay Thai training, half weight training) and by mid week my body is “strung out”, causing my athletic performance/technique for the rest of the week to be… subpar. Why? After turning this problem over and over in my head I can only determine one culprit:

M     E     N     T     A     L          E     X     H     A     U     S     T     I     O     N

I think we can all agree that the mind is one of the most powerful tools in our body. It’s the factor that ultimately determines whether you push through to the finish line or hang back in the dust of failure. When your head isn’t in it, your body isn’t either- no vice versa.

I’m finding not only is it important to have a positive mindset, but also to have a well rested mind (hello Captain Obvious..). This means adequate sleep and a good stress management system.

I’d like to think that I can lift in the morning, go to work, train for Muay Thai, and hang out with my friends/go on a date all in one day– which is basically what I have been doing for the past 2 years- but 5 hours of sleep really just doesn’t cut it. Yes, I can function living like this, but not to my fullest potential. What’s the point in putting the effort in if I’m not going to reap all the benefits?

As mentioned in previous posts, I am absolutely terrible at managing stress. Lack of sleep is probably a contributing factor.. so is my job, but that is a topic for another day. The point is, I am making a commitment to myself to treat my body & mind right and give it the adequate rest it needs so I can kick ass like Superman.

What happened to week 5? -Wait pie!?

Oops.. If it’s any consolation, I did in fact complete my 5 week Muay Thai challenge and have continued training four times a week since. My updates are below.

Now, onto more exciting news…. PIE🙂 🙂

Being the start of fall aka pie season, I thought it only fitting to make a gluten-free, butter-free almond plum pie with an almond butter crust. And when I say butter I mean the nut butter- not almonds and butter.

Ingredients include the following:

Crust: crunchy salted almond butter, coconut oil, stevia, egg whites & gluten-free flour blend, vanilla extract

Filling: Plums, chopped almonds, crunchy salted almond butter, egg whites, coconut sugar, cinnamon

One thing I love about pie is that it is incredibly easy to make healthy/clean -and it’s fun to eat :p So, you can expect to see a plethora of sweet and savory pie recipes in the weeks to follow. “Excited” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel right now 😝

~~~

Muay Thai result analysis:

Pros:
– My punches and kicks are stronger
– My obliques are as well
– My muscular endurance has improved
– The people I train with are awesome

Cons:
– My abs are not as strong as they used to be
– I’ve lost mass in my shoulders, despite gain in strength
– Though still fit, I’m not as lean as I used to be

In the end of the day, I love training Muay Thai. Period. Since that’s not going to change, I want to bring back some weight training into my weekly routine. So here’s the plan:

Monday: Boxing
Tuesday: Muay Thai
Wednesday: Weights: upper body
Thursday: Muay Thai
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Muay Thai
Sunday: Weights- lower body

Give me two weeks for trial and I’ll get back to you.

Until next time!

-Red Rumson

“Real women lift heavy”

“Real women have curves”
“Real women cook”
“Real women have a booty”

Real women?? As apposed to what? Being a heavyweight trainer myself, I have to say I do not agree with any of these statements. Lifting may make me healthier and stronger than the “average” girl, but that does not make her any less of a woman or me any better.

Statements like these do not make any type of woman better. They oppress our own sex and pit us against one another.

All women are women. Period.