Your Obsession is Showing...

I found this blog really interesting, and it makes some very valid points. I think anything that becomes your SOLE obsession, to the exclusion of loved ones and balance, is a bad thing.

For some people, competing becomes this obsession. We all know what a narcissistic endeavor it is to prep for a physique stage. It's pretty much a requirement to spend an unhealthy amount of time staring at yourself in photos and in the mirror. That is definitely one part of competing that I grew very tired of, and dropped like a hot potato as soon as the shows were is done: staring at myself and all the bloody exfoliating! (I still stare at myself and exfoliate, but to a much lesser degree. ) Blegh.

My take, however, is that if you're a person prone to obsessing and pouring yourself into things in an all-or-nothing way, you're going to be this way no matter what you're doing, whether it's ballroom dancing, your career, writing a book, flower arranging, scrapbooking, volunteering, whatever. One all-consuming "passion" after the next. If you don't know how to maintain a healthy balance between all the things in your life, it's not the things you're engaging in that are the problem, the problem is YOU. In other words, you may be choosing to throw yourself into these things outside of yourself to avoid dealing with who you are (and what you feel) on the inside.

Figure yourself out, connect the dots between the mental, physical, and spiritual, and you CAN do anything you set your mind to, without leaving a trail of collateral damage to yourself and others in your wake. Yes, I'm coming from personal experience here.

Anyway, thought this was another good blog to post here to spark some discussion and/or feed your brain.

Your Self-Discipline is Showing
Posted on June 17, 2012 by Go Kaleo
http://gokaleo.com/?p=542

P.S. Amber seems like a really cool, hardcore chick. Takes one to know one.

New Book on Metabolic Damage

I recently put this book together in electronic format:
http://bit.ly/r4DNJj

Part of the aim with this book was to get all the information in one place. And because we've pulled all of these articles together, one of the things that struck me was just how quickly Scott got a handle on this phenomenon and started to make relevant connections between symptom and cause (backed up by research) as his understanding of metabolic damage grew. You can see his evolving thinking and his efforts to find solutions to the problem. Pretty amazing stuff, actually.

NOT ONCE do you get the sense that he's going to use this knowledge to milk more money out of competitors/dieters as is so often the primary aim of most "experts" shilling advice in the fitness industry. From day one, it's been about fixing the problem at its source and preventing it from ever happening in the first place.

If you want to understand what the hell is happening to your body if you have experienced any kind of metabolic slowdown, burnout, or complete stall after an extreme diet, read these articles as they're laid out in this new ebook.

October Workshop on Food Issues

I'll be attending a workshop put on by Scott Abel in Kelowna, BC, in October. The topic is pretty interesting to me. Here's an excerpt from the workbook Scott's preparing for the workshop (http://www.facebook.com/notes/coach-scott-abel/from-the-upcoming-workshop-workbook-i-am-preparing-for-oct-workshop/232412123441527):

I’ve seen competitors/extreme dieters who are thin or lean only a few weeks per year, and then they torture themselves mentally and emotionally by believing their starved selves are their real selves. For many of these types of individuals, food becomes the enemy because it is now directly tied to body image and nothing else. Food becomes a right/wrong, or good/bad- absolute. Therefore so does the way the person feels about herself. Food is the enemy that becomes this thing to fight against, rail against, fear, and understand and conquer. And yet it’s this exact mentality that only further feeds and fuels the food/eating issues. And food instruments, weight scales, food scales etc. now are part of the ammunition used on the self-judgment of good or bad, in the war being waged against yourself in the feeling brain – sometimes described aptly as “the battlefield of the mind” in regards to food issues. But common sense tells anyone that you don’t really need to weigh yourself to know if you are sticking to your healthy eating regimen or not. This process becomes a vicious emotional battle where what you eat, eats you up as well. And as I have said often, even if you are not acting on your food impulses behaviourally - if food and eating and resisting both occupy your mind constantly, then you still have food/eating issues. The act of eating or not eating just separates the type of the food/eating disorder is all.

Physique Competition: Proceed With Caution

I USED to think that if I could do this (get lean, compete), anyone could. Well, maybe that is true, but the bigger question really is SHOULD anyone? If you're going to do something that can only be called extreme, do you know WHY? What's driving you? And it's obvious that resilient metabolisms are far less common among the general population than the fitness gurus and figure mill svengalis would like us paying customers to believe.

Scott Abel said, "The cognitive association of connecting food-reward as part of the celebration of the contest date becomes more intertwined." That spoke to me. I instinctively felt that a heightened focus on the post-contest glut, the food porn on TV, the anxiety, irritability, and sleeplessness induced by acute hunger, were things that I had to be wary of, manage, and recognize for what they were (I won't go into details, but let's just say that Scott knows what the hell he's doing and Coaches appropriately at these times and, of course, beyond). I remember making a very conscious observation in 2008 that this hyper-focus on food was NOT GOOD. I didn't understand why nor did I know the science behind what was happening to me, but instinctively I knew I was in dangerous territory. I decided, again very consciously, that this hyper-focus was not something to glory in and indulge but rather something that had to be managed. Carefully and mindfully. Did I make mistakes? Yes, of course. Did I learn from those mistakes? Hell, yeah!

Your body is designed to protect itself from harm. So is your psyche. The problem with extreme dieting is that everything about it involves a retardation of your body's natural protective mechanisms, especially for women who are biologically designed to store more fat for reproductive purposes. Some (I'd go so far as to say most) people take it even further and use drugs to aid in that retardation (appetite suppressants, stimulants, sleep aids, and that's just a start) and force their bodies to go where they never naturally would or could. Does this sound even remotely healthy or safe? It's really laughable that we call the "fitness" industry by that name. The result of the pursuit of "fitness" is in reality so often its polar opposite: people who are severely UNfit physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

But there's a neverending string of females lined up with stars in their eyes and dreams of being the next big thing or simply fitting into a size 2. Yes, I feel a sense of outrage at this exploitation, and that's exactly what it is. There's no shortage of trainers out there who'll do "whatever it takes" and there's no shortage of customers out there willing to get stage ready no matter the cost. So there's really no incentive in terms of money to change the status quo. But just because this is the way things are doesn't mean those of us who envision something different and are behind those who are DOING something different should just shut up and accept things.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. The least we can do is NOT stay silent. So keep talking, keep sharing, keep DEMANDING help. Accept nothing less than exactly what you deserve: understanding, compassion, expertise, and recognition that you are a person first and a client second.

Sacrifice and Work Ethic

There's no denying the work ethic of those dieting/training to the point that they're "able" to compete; however, there's a huge difference between the character of those who "suffer" and those who "sacrifice."

Among those in the physique world are those who don't seem to enjoy anything. Not dieting. Not training. All you hear is the endless complaining of how tired, hungry, bitchy, anti-social, blah blah they've become. They're imprisoned by what the pursuit is doing TO them. And you'll also witness the sour grapes of those who don't place well when they feel that because they "worked their asses off" the hardest and suffered the most, they should be getting the trophy.

The mindset my Coach has dealt with among physique competitors (and yo-yo dieters, anorexics, bigorexics I'm assuming) is bizarre, and I'm guessing it's not as common among the general population or even among other athletes as it is in the bodybuilding/fitness world.

The self-discipline you see among those who rise above matyr status is something I used to refer to as "having one foot in Heaven." I know that's a bit too religious for some, but this was an observation I made in childhood, and I didn't know any other way to describe what I could sense in these people. They just seemed above the pettiness and struggles in which so many of us spend our lives.

I don't need to examine my work ethic. I need to examine my character. I am always watching, and I've too long been cheating myself, half-assing the self-discipline I've sought for so long.

There's more to the equation than work. There's the whole notion of sacrifice. Sacrifice, willingly and joyfully made--not choosing to suffer--is where I need to change my attitude. For me it goes back to the infantile ego. Children need rules, boundaries, limitations to keep their infantile egos in check. Many adults never get beyond needing these external limitations.

The sacrifice needs to be made for its own sake. Nothing more, nothing less. Why? Not to impress some panel of judges or win a trophy or get a contract, but because it is right and true to master the infantile ego and allow your true Self to transcend.

The Perils of Figure Competition

Somtimes it's good to take stock of where we're going and where we've been. As I approach another contest season, I'm ready to avoid fixing what ain't broke and improve, improve, improve. Not only physically, but most importantly mentally and spiritually.

Thank God I have a Coach who understands this game so well. Here's a quote from a forum thread I've been reviewing (these words are mine):

You've got to KNOW, before you even weigh in or step on stage, that you are bringing your best, satisfied with the integrity of your journey THUS FAR.
A show is not the END, it's just another stepping stone on the path.

It's crucial if you want to grow from the experience to accept the judges' decisions for what they are, an external assessment of who has "the look" at a very precise moment in time. Judges decisions have NOTHING to do with who worked the hardest, who suffered the most, who is the most "together" on game day. It's just feedback and subjective opinion. Sometimes it's favorable to you, sometimes it's favorable to someone else. Put too much stock into it, and you risk horrible post-contest blues and depression, even if you win the damn trophy!

Sure it's easier said than done. But life is so much better when it's about the journey, that everyday pounding of pavement like Paula says, rather than about some fleeting moment of victory on stage. Then there are no failures, only experiences.

I've already won or lost the day before the show. I know what I've done to get there, and the rest is icing. I haven't been first place at every show I've competed at, but I've never lost.

Read the complete thread here:
http://forums.scottabel.com/showthread.php?t=3340

I've been accused of making fun of the female subject of the above thread by some severely fearful competitors suffering from their own form of figurematyritis, as well as varying degrees of metabolic damage.

Well, if you're a competitor (and you don't have to be a figure gal), read the thread and judge for yourself.

And please accept my blessings for a safe, fun, and empowering competitive season!!