On Perspective

by Kris Pitcher

A number of conversations recently have me reflecting on perspective. The funny thing about it is you only have your own, unless you look for someone else's perspective.

The first was a conversation with someone who is dealing with a parent in declining health. She was worried the parent might feel resentful of the financial and medical decisions she is having to make on their behalf. There was a "Dear Abby" sort of letter in the paper which happened to describe her exact situation.

I looked for the perspective of the parent in declining health. And I relayed that her parent is mourning the loss of the life she used to have. She knows she'll never have the autonomy, the independence, or ability to make the difficult financial and medical decisions needed in her life. Imagine that kind of change. Imagine giving up your most intimate personal care tasks and allowing someone else to help you. She's feeling a sense of loss. My message was to honor that and allow her to make choices where appropriate.

The next conversation was more in line with what I am used to. Competing. I was reminded by a fellow competitor that we need to think about other people's perspectives. It's easy to get caught up in what we do. Our world becomes VERY focused. But there is an entire world out there of people who don't begin their day weighing out fish.

Change is difficult for the people around you. As you take on a healthier lifestyle it's not uncommon for people to have a difficult time understanding and supporting your choices. For all of us who have managed weight over the years, we know it can be difficult for family and coworkers to understand our goals, choices and changes .

Think about the change from the perspective of others, not just your own. Look from the outside for considerations. Are you difficult to be around? Do you limit where you can go, and what you can do because of your pursuits? Do you constantly talk about your program, plan, diet, exercise etc? Are you putting up barriers for the people around you? Just things to consider as you work to make change yet remain "normal" in your life.

I guess it's about balance. Nobody likes someone who's too far one way on any issue or "thing"...it's a little crazy. This is where I thank all my friends and family for letting me bow out of regular enjoyable things to pursue my training. It's safe to say my focus has made a difference for my goals. And that's what it takes. Thanks for allowing me a "rain check". I honestly appreciate your perspective.

Walk A Day In My Two's

by Kris Pitcher

My closet contains pants from a size 10 to one pair which is a size 2. Six weeks ago, I went to the "skinny" pile to see what might fit. The smaller of the pile stayed in the closet...I laughed out loud.

Still donning my sixes I kept at my contest prep like a solid soldier. Four weeks out, I tried the pile again and another pair fit. The twos remained lone wolves in the pile. "Sorry, you may never fit." I told them. My figure is different this year. My quads are bigger, my glutes are bigger. I am not a two.

Two weeks out, guess what? I was back at the pile. My sixes were falling off and my one pair of 4's rotated through my work week pretty fast. Still no two's. Not gonna happen, I thought to myself. Not this year. And I was OK with that because my goal was to be bigger, better than last year.

Contest week. Depletion week. Some might say...hell week. Tuesday when I stepped on the scale and saw the number I thought..."Today's the day!" I already had my outfit layed out, but it had rained so why not make a change in plans. I stood in front of the pile. I looked at the pair of 2's in the closet.

Taking a deep breath, I put them on - not even snug. Today would be the day. The ONE day. It had taken 21.5 weeks of dieting, and half of depletion week to walk a day in my two's. And Tuesday it was. I wore them. And that would be the only day of the year that would happen.

Last year I had more days when I wore them. Next year I will likely have none. I plan to exchange them at an upcoming clothing exchange party, because frankly walking in my two's was anticlimactic. There wasn't a parade. No one knew except me. I didn't arrive to work to find a banner across my door reading, "Congratulations on wearing your two's!" It was hardly an accomplishment.

My point is, don't lose perspective over the numbers in your closet. You just are the size you are. Wishing yourself to be a size for just one day is silly. I know, because I walked a day in my two's.

It's Show Time! Is Your Head in the Game?

by Kris Pitcher

It's your big day! It's show time! You've trained hard, long and smart. Now it's time to put it all together for the big day. Whether it's a tournament, triathlon, or you're hitting the physique stage (like me!) all your training comes down to...right now.

Athletes with similar skills are often separated by mental preparedness. Getting your head in the game is part of training for your big day. An athlete who is consumed with anxiety, tension, fear and worry is going to have a difficult time.

If you are worried about what others might think about your performance, or if you don't feel fully confident it's going to mess with your head. Being able to put a hush to the mental chatter going a mile a minute, and to the fear of failure will make or break you on your big day.

Being mentally prepared means letting the pressure go. When we are focused on a certain outcome we miss out on the actual "doing" of whatever the event is. The reality is you have to do well in your event to have a solid outcome. Focus on your objective, short term to get you where you need to be. This may mean breaking it down into small sequences for success.

The work is done. Feel confident in what you have done to get you to game day. In my case, getting to the stage - the work is done and the final week is about fine tuning and tweaking. It's about rest, macro nutrient manipulation and hydration. It's about getting my head straight. I feel fully confident in the work I've done to get me here. My journey has been spot on.

Trust your skills and accomplishments. Again, feel confident in your ability to "do" your event. You are ready to execute, trust that. And finally, embrace your nerves. This is great energy to harness!

When you feel confident, this energy turns into a powerful positive force for you to use toward your objective and thereby getting you to the outcome you want. Remember to include your mental preparation into your plan as you get ready for your big day. It will help you enjoy the  main event.  

Grow Your Glutes to Hit the Slopes!

by Kris Pitcher

Fall is in the air. At least it's right around the corner. if prediction has it we'll have a snowy year in the Inland NW. That means it's time to tune up the skis, or snowboard and think about training for the slopes.

Sure there's plenty of time, but many of you could be on the hills by Thanksgiving. And what do you need? You need some staying power in those legs. The power house muscles of your legs are your quadriceps, hamstrings, and the mack-mamas your glutes.

I have to brag that I actually grew my backside this year. Now, most ladies might not have that goal, but I worked hard to grow my glutes. And one of my favorite moves is the reverse hack squat.

I wouldn't recommend doing them barefoot (that's just gross and dangerous), and I would also work for better foot placement - close together. This machine doesn't really allow him to do that but otherwise this photo gives you a good idea of how to execute the exercise. The important thing is to stick your rear out - way out!

By adding this power move to your routine you'll be able to sit back and enjoy those long slopes with no sweat.

Try one to three sets with a weight you can press for 10-12 repetitions. Oh, and you will feel those glutes!

Verbal Vomit War

by Kris Pitcher

I recently witnessed what can only be described as a verbal vomit war. This competition took place between two delightfully beautiful young women. Both of these ladies are very fit, physique competitors.

Their exchange made me wonder a couple of things. As they began their debate about who's butt was worse I wondered where does this bile come from. I also wondered as it ramped up...how can I stop this.

In my carb depleted haze I was thankful and grateful for our friend and fellow competitor who let them spill for a minute and then put the kibosh on it. "Enough!" she said. "You're done with the verbal vomit!"

These are girls who, technically, could be my daughters. I wondered about my own body image when I was 20, 21 years old. I was as it happened, in the worst shape of my life.

The vomit came so fast it was like an autonomic response to being in their posing suits. Was this a self-protection mechanism? Did they believe the things they said? Sitting there looking at wonderful bodies, I didn't see how they possibly could.

Having worked so hard, training and dieting I believe they must be confident and proud of what they will display on contest day. The war must have been a fluke, a girl-trigger, a tick.

Yep, that's me in the middle!

This photo is of me, in the middle, at 20-21 years old. My beautiful mother is on the right, and my big sister is on the left (sorry, let's just embrace the '90s).

I had eaten myself out of dating, of relationships, of feelings, and of failures. I wasn't self aware enough to have a verbal vomit war about my body with anyone, I was padded from the world, numb. Fat.

If I had half the awareness, the confidence, the connection to exercise that these young ladies do at their age...who knows where I'd be. I had to laugh thinking to myself - wait until you see your butt when it's 41! But who knows...it might just be the best butt ever.

 

Pumkin Cookies!

by Kris Pitcher

Nothing says fall like cooking with pumpkin! Each morning I drive by the farmer's pumkin patch and as the vines have shrivled away the orange pumpkins are revealing themselves. Soon enough they'll be carved and waiting for trick-or-treaters, or scooped out with seeds roasting in the oven. But for today, I thought I'd share a recipe I love. This makes a great cookie. I skip the glaze frosting - but it's there for you if you want it.


Pumpkin Cookies!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving  Calories: 122 | Total Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 14mg

My Best Ever - Coming to a Stage Near You

by Kris Pitcher

If you've ever had that dream where your mouth feels like it's filled with silly putty and you can't scream...that's what my head feels like. It's thick, slow, and I can't seem to clear it. (I'm not the only one who's had that dream, right?) I am not thinking clearly.

One week from today I will be on stage in all my glory. But this week didn't necessarily feel glorious. Fatigue has set in like a squatter you can't evict. I drug myself to work, to the gym, to the store...like a zombie. All the while I was thinking, "Last week - make it count."

Let's look at where I've come. On May 1st I was 138 pounds and 20.48% body fat. A mere 21 weeks later, I am 125.75 pounds of smokin' hot 10.5% body fat. (smokin' hot is a technical term) Essentially, I've had a net loss of 15 pounds of body fat, and a net gain of 3 pounds of lean body mass. That 3 pounds will make a difference on stage this year.

On Wednesday during the prime time line up, Jacques turned to me on the couch and said, "This is your best haircut ever." He is obviously thinking very clearly with all his faculties.  Random conversation.

I have done 9,030 minutes of cardio and have until Wednesday to rack up a few more. That's 150.5 hours of cardio or 6.27 consecutive days. That's a lot of cardio. I have friends doing 3 hours a day which squashes my numbers...I am so glad to only have averaged an hour and a half per day. Thank you lean off-season.

This coming week, things will change. Workouts will change, diet will change - contest week is upon us. How exactly? Not sure. It's a know as you go process. This is where you are glad to have a coach (and in my case coaches) you trust. A lot of competitors get all worked up about it, but I don't need to know until it's time. So, I'm not worried about what I'll eat on Wednesday...until then.

My suit tops are tacked in place so I don't have a Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction on stage. I've tried both suits on, they fit and look good. My hair appointment is booked for Friday, tanning is the only thing left to schedule. I do my own nails and make-up. I still need to clean out my competition bag and get all the right things in there. Later in the week I'll have to prep whatever food we'll take with us to the contest. Pancakes? We'll see.

Twenty-one weeks of preparation all comes down to this. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I have no idea who else will show up, how I'll place etc. I do know that I look substantially better than last season competing. I do know that I had a very productive off-season. I do know I'll be bringing my best ever to the stage. And I'm not just talking about my haircut (smile*)!