Getting Over Gym-timidation

Sometimes I think I'm much funnier than I probably am ha! Like for example I really enjoyed my mash-up pun in the title but everyone is most likely rolling their eyes. 

Ignoring my attempts to be punny, this is actually something that has come up with every single woman that I know when she first started lifting-- crossing over in to "bro territory", the "brozone", whatever you want to call it the point is it can be intimidating. I will hands down tell you that at any given time, I am the only girl lifting at my gym. Occasionally there are nice older ladies who use some of the machines but none of the free weights. I'm not saying that no other girls lift at my gym but obviously we are on different schedules haha! Not until the other day was there a girl joining me on that side and I got so excited and wanted to become instant BFFs with her. But I decided that would probably creep her out and scare her away. 

In general, I think I've lucked out with my gym. It's smaller and never really super crowded which is nice especially for supersets or not having to wait for machines. It's also nice because there usually aren't a ton of people around that I would get intimidated. 

When I first started lifting last year, though, I was very self-conscious and was constantly feeling like everyone was watching and judging me.

So here are some tips that I think can be useful when dealing with gym-timidation:

1. Do your research

When I first started lifting, I was looking up all kinds of exercises, tips on form, and watching a lot of videos. Bodybuilding.com has a fantastic database and it's convenient because you can zero down your search to what muscle group you want to target plus what equipment you have access to and voila! All kinds of exercise at your fingertips. This helped me immensely with not only proper form but increasing my confidence in what I was doing. Even now, I like to refresh myself and make sure I'm always using proper form. That's why your gym has mirrors so use them! They're not just for selfies people ;)

2. Schedule a personal training session

If you really want a hands-on experience then I'd recommend investing in a personal training session. I see them happening all the time where the trainers walk around with someone and give them a general explanation of what to do, and an overall introduction or orientation to weight lifting. I've also seen actual sessions going on where the trainers spot them or correct their form. Again, more knowledge means more confidence. 

3. Take advantage of gym classes 

I personally think this can just broaden your horizons. For example, I wouldn't have found out that I love spinning if I didn't go to a class! I only do the free classes available to members but I've seen advertisements for other classes where you pay. Some of those include: weight-lifting courses, kettle bells, or body pump. All are great options and if I wasn't trying to save up every penny for grad school, I'd probably invest more money in taking classes like those too!

4. Bring a friend!

I have been trying to get lots of people to come to the gym with me but it never happens. My friend at work sadly goes to a different gym that's farther from my house and more expensive but we talk all the time about how we wish we went to the same gym to workout together. I would love to have a gym buddy so I'll be accepting applications, ha! Just kidding. But no really if you wanna be gym buddies that'd be totally cool. Anyway, if you can get a workout partner that can always help to have someone else around that you're comfortable with. Plus, they can be an accountability partner and you can help motivate one another. Everybody wins! 

5. Keep your goals in mind

This was probably the number one thing when I first started lifting that helped me really get over that gym-timidation. One of the first times I was lifting I got super self-conscious since there was a whole group of bro-guys over in the weights taking up almost everything. I debated on what to do because I knew I was supposed to do back but was too nervous to go over there where all of them were. I eventually just panicked and did cardio and then kicked myself the whole time driving home. I was so upset with myself, and couldn't figure out why I was so afraid to go over there.

Then, I gave myself some tough love. I said "Sam, what the heck! Are you gonna let what those guys think of you get in the way of your goals? Who cares what they think! Do you really want to look back in a year and not see the progress you want just because you let something that silly get in your way?! You have goals dang it so go out and chase them!"

That lit a fire under my butt. I knew what I wanted, I knew how to get what I wanted, and I had all the tools I needed to get it. So what was holding me back? Myself. That's when it hit me, and that's when it changed. I basically said screw everyone else, I'm doing this for me. 

6. Have faith in yourself

This is something that you have to find within yourself. You have to know what you want and keep your goals in mind, but you have to tell yourself that you can do it. And not just with empty words but actually have faith that you can do it. Not to get cheesy or emotional but when I think back to last year and the person who I was then, I'm not the same. It hasn't just been a physical change but a mental change. When I'm lifting, I feel empowered. I don't care that I'm the only girl lifting because to be honest when I'm in that zone I feel like a bada** (sorry guys but I just can't swear ha). I love walking in to the gym and knowing that I'm about to take another step closer to my goals. When I look back on progress pictures, I get so proud of what I've accomplished. It feeds my passion, makes me feel alive, and I love it. I know what I can do and sometimes my bigger dreams can scare me but that only makes me want it more. Keep the faith and you can move mountains.

Proverbs 46:5 "God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day" 

Last but not least here's another thing I've learned this past year: 

No one really cares that much what you're doing. 

Most of the time people are so focused on their own workout that they're not really paying attention to everyone else. I'm in the same boat as them. When I'm lifting, I'm lifting. I'm not looking around at everybody else. I will admit that when one of the trainers is on the floor either with a client or doing their own workout, I do creep a bit. But that's legitimately only for gaining knowledge or learning more about form, etc. I find it really interesting to watch them because I pick up stuff that way. 

I think a lot of women are intimidated by the guys because they think they're either gonna get made fun of or hit on. Over the past year I've gotten over both of those worries because all of the guys at my gym are really nice and I've never felt intimidated by them. I've had nothing but positive experiences at my gym, and feel totally comfortable. It's always nice when you begin to recognize the regulars and they know you so you kind of just go about your own business. 

My favorite story is one time I was doing box jumps and this sweet little old guy comes up to me and asks me what my event is. I don't understand what he means but then he goes "well, no one does those just for fun! Do you high jump, track, professional football player?!". I couldn't help it but I laughed out loud when he said he thought I might have been a professional football player! But he was being very honest and sincere. He was so impressed and was nice enough to come over and let me know. I told him I was simply training quads, and he was amazed that was my only reason haha! 

Overall, it's something that takes time to get over but if you truly want to reach your goals it's something you have to overcome. It was a big step for me outside my comfort zone because I didn't know much about lifting but looking back I have no regrets. If anything my main regret would have been not doing it. I have fallen head over heels in love with lifting, and wouldn't change a thing! I honestly didn't think I could ever find something to rival my passion for running, and that's why I think it's so important to explore outside your comfort zone. Who knows what you might find! 

Reverse Dieting Update: Week 3

Hellooooo! I've got some updates for y'all. Reverse dieting is steadily gaining popularity and awareness which often incites a lotttt of questions. Which is totally understandable! I remember the days where I was completely clueless to the wonders of reverse dieting, and I'm happy to answer any and all questions regarding my own experience with it as best as I can. 

And if I can't then I refer people to the reverse dieting queen a.k.a. the amazing Katie Ringley! 

So I'll be doing the occasional post with updates and just answering general questions that I get. As always if you have any questions just leave it in the comments section or shoot me an email! I'll do my best to answer :)

The first and main question that I've been getting a lot, even with family and friends, is why are you even reverse dieting more?

Two words: More. Carbs. 

Haha! But yeah, really. I think my body could utilize the extra fuel. Fats as well so I'll increase those a bit. Protein is usually not one of the macros to change during a reverse BUT that is not always the case. Cue the cliche "everyone's body is different", and seriously that could not even apply more here in this situation. For purposes doing this reverse, I actually am going to add in a few grams of protein here and there. My previous two, protein remained constant. 

Secondly, another two words: More. Muscles.

More carbs equals more fuel which means I have a lot more energy in the gym and more fuel going to dem gainz. One of the main goals of a reverse diet is to slowly change your body composition by increasing lean muscle mass. That muscle will then help boost your metabolism, and enable you to eat a higher amount of calories without gaining any excess weight.

It is NOT scientifically proven whatsoever but I know so, so, so many girls who have also gone through reverse diets same as me with wonderful results. I personally lose weight while going through a reverse. Not a ton, maybe a couple pounds but I know women who have lost 10-15 pounds. The standard result (and what you ideally want) is no change in weight at all. Why do you ask? That means you're getting as close to an even exchange as possible.

How much do you increase?

This again varies between people as some can handle much larger increases than others. I personally have done a 10g carbs, 2g fats increase and a 5g carbs and 1g fat increase on a weekly basis. The first was way too fast and I ended up gaining weight instantly. The second is a much more effective method for my body. I've heard stories of where people could do as much as 25g per carbs a week, insane! I have carb envy of people who can do that.

It might seem ridiculously and painfully slow to some people but it's what works for my body! It's also what my coach (Katie Ringley) recommends and all of her clients have had much success with this method. Again, it's not proven at all and different things work for different people. You might just have to play around with numbers to see what works best for you.

How do you know if it's too fast?

The dead giveaway is weight gain. Now, this is something you have to be careful of because increasing carbs will initially lead to an increase in water weight (carbs have water). The first few days after an increase I am sometimes bloated and I DO NOT weigh myself because I will only be asking for unfair mental games. I usually wait until about Thursday or Friday to weigh myself (I increase on Sundays) when I know for a fact that my body has adjusted to the increase. Some weeks I don't weigh myself at all. In fact, I haven't weighed myself in 3 weeks and just go by pictures and measurements. Truth be told I'm not too concerned about weighing myself regularly because I know this method has already worked for me in the past, and I like going by progress pictures and measurements better.

So, if you do an increase and are up 3 pounds the next morning, don't freak out. That doesn't automatically mean you went too fast, that just means your body has not yet adjusted to the new amount of carbs. Some weeks the increases go over much better for me than others. There's no way to tell, you just have to trust the process!

If you are going too fast, though, you have two options. Option 1 is lessen the amount of carbs and fats you are increasing, and option 2 is waiting it out for another week and skipping an increase. Some people do a bigger increase every two weeks or do smaller ones every week (like me). If after 2 weeks it still seems like too big of an increase then lower it down a bit.

I thought I'd include some general progress pictures over the past three weeks because I found that when I first started reverse dieting, it was a scary process for me. I was terrified of what would happen and how my body would respond so it was always helpful to follow and connect with other girls going through the same process. For me, reverse dieting is so much more about food. I joke around and talk about getting to eat more carbs which is obviously an amazing bonus but in reality it's an investment in my future health. It's about taking care of my body, giving my body what it needs, and keeping my metabolism healthy!

What if you do gain weight?

I will be totally honest the first time I did a reverse I was still very fragile mentally and when I saw that scale jump 7 pounds, I freaked out. My advice: breathe. Just breathe. In and out, deep breaths because everything will be okay. At the end of that reverse I was able to shed most of those pounds before doing my second. The reason I needed to do a second one is the first did not completely fix my metabolism as it should have. The main reason I attribute to that is I went through a giant company that treated me as a number. No one was even accessible to answer my questions so I kept going with the reverse because I didn't know what else to do. I was given a set of numbers and few specific instructions and one of them was to keep going even if I gained weight, so that's what I did. Looking back now, I could have prevented all those struggles with the knowledge I have now but then again I wouldn't have met Katie. She has been nothing but amazing and coached me through my second one, day by day, week by week. She was blessedly patient with me and loved me throughout the entire process. She was an answered prayer and everything I needed. I learned so much from her, and her coaching is the main reason that I can do all this on my own now!

So if you start to gain some weight, do yourself a favor and try your best not to stress over it. I know, I know that doesn't seem to help in the moment and trust me I can close my eyes right now and instantly bring back those old feelings that I experienced. I understand what it's like but I also know freedom, and it's worth fighting through those bad feelings to get there. You have to keep in mind the grand scheme of things and that it's for your health. There will be time later down the road to cut if you want and lose any weight you might have gained, but you have to keep the big picture in mind. If you're just starting out you can play it on the safe side and go super slow like I do. In fact, that's what I personally recommend (again, not a professional) because you can slowly introduce the process of reverse dieting to your body and then potentially play around with higher numbers. If you all of a sudden throw 25g of carbs a week at your body there's no telling how it will respond. The human body is amazing but it is also unpredictable.

With all that being said, here are some progress pictures:


Week 1 vs. Week 2
Increase of 5g carbs, 1g fat, and 2g protein
Waist is down about 1/2 an inch and I didn't weigh myself

Week 2 vs. Week 3

Total increase from week 1 of 10g carbs, 2g fat, and 4g protein

Measurements the same, still no clue about my weight! 

I'm incredibly happy with how my body is responding to this reverse which just goes to support my initial reason for starting it. I feel so much better, my workouts are thriving, and I'm seeing a lot of progress with my muscles. It's only been 3 weeks so I can't wait to see what happens next! And for those of you wondering, no I have no idea how long I'll do this for. I'll just keep increasing until my body tells me otherwise!

Typical Dinner Post: Roasted Spaghetti Squash

So the typical dinner posts seem to be gaining some popularity so I'll try my best to make them a semi-regular thing! As I've said in the other posts, I've been keeping most dinners this summer to a lean protein and lots of veggies for sides. That's the way I roll for dinner, and especially with the hot summer nights. I don't want heavy carbs sitting in my tummy! 

This past week, I roasted some spaghetti squash to go with dinner. It was simple and easy! Like most of my dinners haaaa.

To prep the squash, I cut off the ends and then halved it. Be VERY careful as it's pretty difficult to cut and you don't want to lose a finger. I cleaned out the seeds and stringy stuff then drizzled it with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put it face down in the oven at 400 degrees for about 40-50 minutes until it's fork tender. 

I always forget how much I love spaghetti squash! I was able to have a huge serving (150 grams) for only 10 grams of carbs which in my opinion can't be beat. It was the perfect side dish to go along with the broccoli and chicken that I made!