Freestyle Fitness Addiction

Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing Results!!!

Jul

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: Local Attractions

Wow! Great news today

I’m two weeks out, and was sooo curious what my body fat is.

I hate calipers and most other forms of body fat testing, because they are highly inaccurate. Luckily, I had heard of a mobile hydrostatic testing service called “Fitness Wave Norcal.” I was able to book an appointment with them for after my clients- yes! Serendipity For those of you who aren’t familiar with hydrostatic body fat testing, it is regarded as the golden standard for body fat testing. It requires you to be submerged underwater and from their assessments it produces a whole spreadsheet of interesting information

The technician explained to me my results: First off, my body fat is currently at 7.49! He says he would have expected me to have about ten pounds LESS of lean muscle, so that means all my years of strength training have paid off! I have a LOT of muscle, baby! I’m a tank!! He also said I have very small bones, which I was shocked to hear! Everyone has told me I’m big boned cuz I’ve been so thick and strong, but seems this gal has the frame of someone SMALL and strong!!!! The technician has worked with a lot of figure competitors, and we chatted about body composition and the different numbers and where can expect them to shift pre and post contest, and it was very elucidating!

I also felt very proud to secure the numbers I did and see how low my body fat was, and how HIGH my muscle mass is– after such hard work to lower the former and build my muscle over time as well as preserve it in this contest prep. My work has paid off! It feels AMAZING. It feels great to try on clothes in “XS” and lots of people are coming up to me in the gym and on the streets, asking me if I compete, asking me what I do, asking if I will give them info on my training (!), telling me I should be in magazines, etc, etc..

On the other hand, three of my friends have asked me to GAIN weight and it really irritated me that they do not support my leanness. I would rather they address what I perceive to be their true concern- my lack of energy…I DO agree that post competition I do not want to continue to be a lethargic, single-minded, anti-social slug (lol). I DO not agree that I need to gain a bunch of weight to be healthy! I AM healthy, I LOOK healthy, I am love looking ripped and want to look MORE ripped– I think that post competition I can maintain leanness, and just need to adjust my training and nutrition style to my own design- more of a lifestyle design than following someone else’s pre-contest program. With training, ultimately, I am thinking of tossing most steady state cardio for short, high intensity interval sessions, and following a nutrition style similar to Fighter Diet by Pauline Nordine. Despite contemplation, the post competition routine remains a big question mark. How will I feel? What will I feel inclined to continue? To change? VERY, very important questions, indeed, that influence the psychological and physical health of competitors, but questions that I feel I can’t answer yet. It will all soon be revealed!

So, I’m on my way. Still tired. Still truckin through. Tryna strap these heels on and get a better stride down. I asked my coach how I can win first, and she said it just depends on who shows up! It’s true, there may be seasoned veterans who show up with bangin, well-sculpted and refined physiques, with experience and poise and all….but all I can do is do my best. *cheezy grins* And give a lil SASS! Right??? I’ll try!!

In the meantime, here’s some eye candy/my latest inspiration, Vanessa Tib

vanessatib

vanessatib2

Love and lunges,

Kristina

5 Comments »

Update & Invitation to My First Figure Competition!!!

Jul

Hello my loves! I am having a brief moment of energy and positivity so figured I’d take advantage of that to shoot out a blog post. Wow, there is SO MUCH I have neglected to keep you posted on! Bad blogger, BAD!

Thoughts run through my head of what I SHOULD have been sharing with you…my new-found love (and I mean obsessive delicious miraculous healthy mouthgasm) of macademia nut oil…any of my various weight training routines…any small regime changes I may have manipulated in these past few weeks…the arrival of my suits…so on..and so forth…

BUT I am sorry, I’ll only go with the present time and just tell you that I have, in general, hit a wall in terms of exhaustion. The first, say, 9 weeks were a breeze! I was perplexed by the stories of competitors feeling depleted, exhausted, miserable, bitchy, etc etc etc…I felt excited, happy, and full of energy! It was about a week or so ago, though, that I started to feel…mentally tortured with cardio. I’m serious. Tortured. Started to feel mentally and physically exhausted, despite trying to rest as much as possible. Feeling cranky and grumpy and irritated. Just want to lie down. Do not want to move. Do NOT want to do second cardio. Struggling. So it’s been hard recently.

I’m still absolutely consistent in my diet and have not missed ONE workout in my figure prep ever since I started, so perhaps that’s why my body is still responding. It’s not that I’m frustrated with a plateau in my body weight of anything (thank goodness), it’s just a deep mental and/or physical exhaustion. Hard to know which one it is- maybe both.

Yesterday after my clients I RESTED as in VEGGED as much as I could, lying on the COUCH, messing around on the internet, reading a book, and so forth- VEG. Despite that, I am still tired today, super tirredd in general just want to go home and VEG but alas have more clients and grad school etc etc…But I keep pushing. My show is in two weeks and 5 days, and I have made tremendous changes in my physique during my prep, as well as done things I’ve never thought possible, and am so grateful for this incredible journey, and know this is the last little push, and I have come too far to turn back… I am working on changing my mind set to embrace this challenge and remember that no one is forcing me to do this competition and if I’m not having fun then what’s the point?

I wrote an email to peeps today inviting them to my show and thought I’d share

LOVE YOU!! <3

Dear family and friends,

You may or may not have known that in the past two plus months I have undergone a personal challenge to compete in my first figure competition. In 2 weeks and 5 days- on Saturday, August 6th- I will compete in the INBA Natural Bodybuilding Championships in Windsor, CA. The link is here:
http://www.naturalbodybuilding.com/pages/pages/contest_schedule.php

There is the early show at noon and there is a night show at 6 PM. The only info I know is the info you see on the jenky website.

I know Windsor is a bit far for many of you, so I won’t hold it against you if you don’t come!! I also must share that it is pretty darn boring to see peeps just walking on stage, posing, so on and so forth…yawn yawn yawn. With that as a disclaimer, if you want to see me get my white butt-turned-orange-brown-ridiculous-with fake tanner up on stage wearing practically nothing and facing my biggest horror of having to attempt to walk in 5 inch clear heels AND not be completely weebly-woobly-falling-oopsies while simultaneously attempting complete, devastating allurement, then please come by and support and scream my name! I have been working HARD and I mean ***HARD*** in this figure competition preparation which is essentially bodybuilding. I’m gonna bring my best package and have some fun! If you come at night, then we might hang out afterwards and grab a bite to eat at (gasp) a restaurant…something I haven’t done in a looong time. I would love to see all your beautiful faces! Let me know, my loves!

Healthy Faux Fried Chicken & Asparagus/Miracle Rice Cabbage Rolls

Jun

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: Nutrition / Recipes :: Training

Wow, I can’t believe the competition is coming so fast! It seems like it has totally taken over my life- seems like I don’t have time for anything anymore! I am enjoying the process, but dang! Still skeptical I can achieve the desired physique in such a short amount of time, but my coach reassures me I’m fine, so I persist.

Notables of today: did my workout, kicked my own butt, WOO! …I did NOT go to jiu jitsu, which is very sad, because I decided to take a break from it in these last 5+ weeks pre contest, as I think my body is kind of rebelling with my knee hurting because so much training is producing excess cortisol throughout my system, spreading inflammation. So I have to rest when I can, which is not often. SO, no “extra” sports at the moment.

I- what do you know- spent this afternoon grocery shopping, preparing, cooking, cleaning, measuring, etc…And it’s so late! That’s what I’m saying! Where did the time go! At least tonight I made some fun stuff

First up:

Asparagus Mixture Cabbage Rolls

cabbagerolls

Here is what I did: Steam a full head of cabbage in water for like 10 minutes til you can pull off the large leaves. Make a mixture of a ton of dried minced onion, fresh minced garlic, steamed chopped asparagus, low sodium soy sauce, the magical miracle rice

miraclepearls

which I MUST tell you about in another blog post, egg whites, Torani sugar free peanut butter syrup, cilantro, thyme, and the star of the show: organic basil leaves.

basil

I mixed all but the basil leaves with my hands

asparagusmixture

scooped it into the cabbage shells, topped with fresh basil leaves, and rolled them up. Then I topped them with a bit more of the mix (minus the asparagus and miracle rice). I baked it in the oven for about 20 min at about 350. When they came out, they were yummy! The basil was a DEFINITE highlight- don’t skimp! I of course am eating everything with Trader Joe’s garlic mustard, so I had my cabbage rolls with mustard.

Secondly I made (and consumed)

Faux Fried Chicken

fauxfriedchicken

Here is what I did:

Make a dry mixture of Quaker oatmeal, FiberSmart

fibersmart

chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, Mrs. Dash extra spicy, cumin, curry powder. Dip boneless skinless chicken strips into a bowl of egg whites, then dip into the dry mixture.

chickenintooven

Cook the chicken strips at around 425 for 25 min. Yummers! Of course I dipped these faux fried- HEALTHIFIED- chicken tenders in their sauce. Trader Joe’s garlic mustard that is!! Bwahah. Don’t leave your mustard ’round me, true playa for real!

And now I have a lot of work I am backed up on. Gotta get to it!

Loads of lots of love~~

Kristina

1 Comment »

Fitness Advice from Top Experts on the Web

Jun

Miscellaneous

Oops! Just saw this online

I was featured in “Fitness Advice from Top Experts on the Web”

Check it out here

2 Comments »

Keep Moving Forward: The Power of Thought

Jun

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: Motivation & Mindset

I could be distraught that I messed up on my diet, finally, and I can tell on the scale and in the way I look. I could be distraught that the knee that I had two surgeries on has been giving me problems that I’ve been trying to temper through daily icing, fish oil, glucosamine, etc…I could be distraught by a lot of things. But since I have the power to control my thoughts, I have the power to determine my own success, my own failure, my actions, and hence my life.

I read this passage this morning while doing my cardio and felt this was JUST what I needed, and would love to share this empowering reminder to you all.

“Our life is a product of our decisions not our conditions.”

No matter where you are in life, you’ve made an appointment to be here. It’s our thoughts that determine our reality. Everything around us sustaining and aiding life was once just a thought. The same goes for our life.

“Whether you can or you can’t, it’s whichever you think!”

If you change your thoughts, it will change your life. Our thoughts affect our actions and our actions determine our life. Instead of thinking of all the obstacles between you and your goals, think of all the opportunity between you and your goals. Force yourself to turn the 80% of negative self-talk into 80% of positive self-talk. The internal controls the external, not the other way around.

Your thoughts are the cause and your life is the effect. If you wish to change the effect, you must first change the cause. Today I ask you to take control of your thoughts. Eliminate negative self-talk and choose positivity no matter what. Obstacles only exist in the mind – in actuality it’s opportunity waiting for you to take action.

The cause and effects of life depends on your thoughts.

All my love,

Tony Gaskins Jr., motivational speaker & author

On Track

Jun

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: MMA :: Nutrition / Recipes :: Training

Hello peeps! The latest update is…I’m still on track! Just staying consistent with nutrition, cardio, resistance training, supplements, etc. I have NEVER eaten this cleanly in ALL MY LIFE! It’s pretty amazing. In one month I have not touched a piece of bread, candy, treat- NOTHING! And, I have adapted well so actually I am not really hungry, feel healthy, and could sustain this for a long time. I have also stayed consistent with the exercise and have not missed one workout, whether it be cardio or weights. The only thing that really bothered me was no rest days, and thank goodness my figure coach allowed me one rest day a week. After 37 days of non stop training, I AM RESTING TODAY!! YAYYY!! My calves are really sore, but besides that it feels good to not workout today.

My latest nutrition favs:

basil & garlic powder
Trader Joe’s mustard
swai (fish)
my orange chicken
shiraraki noodles

My latest workout favs:

Bulgarian split squats (HATE THEM…but love them)
free hanging and assisted pull ups
hanging leg raises (great for grip! and V-taper, of course)

This week I also took MMA & jiu jitsu (like I always do) but I also took wrestling, Muay Thai, and boxing. They were pretty tough because I have not been conditioning myself to handle high intensity exercise, but it was a nice challenge. Definitely want to focus on that more after my figure competition. For now, my focus is figure! I have spent countless hours this past week in the gym and/or grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning…but it’s been worth it. My weight has been dropping ever since I started contest prep and it’s really rewarding to see my metabolism functioning well and seeing the benefits of my hard work and dedication! 7 weeks and 6 days, baby. Still have a long way to go! But I can’t wait to get there!

Loads of love~

Kristina

Interview with Roxy Buu, Founder of AKIMMA

Jun

MMA

Roxy
Above is a picture of Roxy. I am almost certain this is a picture of her while she is doing a triangle on her dog and brushing his teeth, which she told me she does.

b5main

Here are her popular female fight shorts!

AKIMMA is an MMA clothing line that is stylish yet functional, that has a lot of options for women! Many brands of MMA clothing (fight shorts, etc) only have lines for men. AKIMMA- which stands for “Artfully Krafted in Mixed Martial Arts”- is definitely a brand for women to check out (ok, and men, too).

I had a chance to ask the founder of AKIMMA, Roxy Buu, a few questions. By the way, this petite little Asian chick is no one to mess with. I rolled with her and can attest that she is not only an awesome clothing designer, but also great at jiu jitsu. Be scared.

What are some of the differences in the shorts that you implemented to specifically fit a woman’s body? The difference in the shorts is that they are cut for a more flattering fit. The hem line is above the knee for a sexier length, but not too short where they are hoochie. The rise is long enough to have shorts fall off the low waist, but not too short where they expose the back crack when you bend forward. There is also a side slit for mobility and appeal. They were designed for performance without compromising/undermining women in combat sports.

What is your best-selling product? Our best selling product is the high collar hoody. It has a built-in collar and hoody with a modern fit that is slimming. It’s constructed of a medium weight cotton and polyester blend that can be worn before, during, and after a work-out.

What is your favorite position? Side control

What is your favorite submission? The kimoura

Where can we buy the goods? Visit our store online at www.akimma.com. New mailing list sign-ups receive 15% off total purchase.

Anything else you want to share? Some of our products like the fightshorts and tanks are made locally in the USA. Since the launch, 100% of sales have gone back to sponsoring aspiring female amateur and pro fighters.

~~ROCK ON! Thanks, Roxy, you crazy side-control beezy. Your brand is the shiz. Go visit her site, buy some stuff, n get yur jiu jitsu on. Or just look fresh. Goodbye.

Figure Prep Update, Healthy Orange Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, & Gratitude

Jun

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: Motivation & Mindset :: Nutrition / Recipes :: Training

Hey peeps! I want to let you know at least weekly how my figure prep is going. So it’s time! This past week I didn’t lose any weight, which was somewhat concerning to me, as I only have (as of today) 9 weeks and 2 days left until my show! I have stayed consistently clean in my diet and following my trainer’s workout n supplement specifications…but my body seemed pretty much the same. Yesterday I checked in with her though, broke her the news of no weight loss, and was sooo curious what her response would be. You know what she said? Don’t worry about it! We are switching up my diet the tiniest bit, and adding a little bit more cardio, but for the most part we are keeping everything the same. She assures me that it’s okay to not lose weight every week, and that I shouldn’t freak out and we are on track. Which is reassuring. Because I was ready to freak out I am NOT ready to get on stage, but she thinks I can make it happen in 9 weeks and 2 days, and I am trusting her!

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and what do you know there went my afternoon in the kitchen! I made a healthified orange chicken recipe and cauliflower rice recipe and was SO EXCITED to recreate Panda Express in my kitchen!!!! Oh my frikkinn goodddd shuutt uppp gooodd niigghhtt i will DIE i love that stuff humina humina humina humina huh WHAT?! OOPS sorry. I was in my battered fried fantasy. SO I was excited to try this out. This is what I did:

*Healthified Orange Chicken*

Sautee boneless skinless diced chicken breast in a wok in some light cooking spray and liquid egg whites.

Create a sauce with DaVinci sugar free orange syrup, low sodium soy sauce, mustard, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil, apple cider vinegar, ginger, garlic powder, and glucomannan powder. Pour on top of the chicken while finishing cooking. Viole.

*Cauliflower Rice*

Put chopped cauliflower into a vitamix, add water, and pulse about three times. Strain. Sautee the cauliflower in the wok with chopped mushrooms, minced onions, and garlic. At end, sprinkle with green onions.

The verdict? It was yummy! But no Panda Express. It was…healthy. Guess you can’t expect battered and fried goodness with such a clean recipe lol. Oh well I tried!

On the go eating: my tupperware with a meal of 6 oz orange chicken and 1/2 cup cauliflower rice:

orangechickencauliflowerrice

If you’re NOT on contest prep, you can add some cornstarch, orange juice, or other type thing to the orange chicken recipe to make it yummier. And for the cauliflower rice recipe, you can add sesame oil, diced carrots, onions, peas, etc, whatever you want to make it more satisfying. I, on the other hand, used minimal ingredients to stick to my diet Like the good girl little that I am, indeed!

Lastly, I wanted to remind us all to- corny yes but honest- practice the attitude of gratitude. Every morning I give thanks and I just wanted to share with you some of the things I am grateful for.

I am grateful for Sasha, who inspires me; Sarah who is a super cool cat; my cousin for being so amazingly supportive; Akane for her expert assistance; Ashley for providing me with an awesome new professional home; and Lana for being an incredible teacher who stokes my motivation.

I am grateful for my fantastic health; I am blessed to feel healthy and strong; I am blessed to feel so focused!

I am blessed to have family that loves me.

I am thankful for opportunities to grow mentally, physically, spiritually, interpersonally, and in other “ally” ways; I am blessed to live in the wonderful, diverse, and HUGE bay area!

Until next time <3

5 Comments »

Figure, “Stretch Exercise Eat” shirt, The Daily Love

May

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: Miscellaneous :: Training

Yesterday:

Started to work on posing. I put on my heels, and Akane showed me the “mandatory” poses and the “model” pose. The lat spread is definitely the hardest part- gonna have to work on it! (among everything else)

Today:

Cardio done- CHECK! Did it with a friend so actually time FLEW by- YES!

Legs done- CHECK! I don’t think I hit it “hard” (sad face) but I did hit it “all” (happy face). This week of weight training hasn’t been as bad as it was last week. I think I am still being cautious in terms of pushing intensity/load because of how tired I felt last week, and I’m not trying to recreate that. But I wonder if I hit it hard enough, because despite 2-2.5 hours in the gym today altogether, I really don’t feel at all sore or tired. Maybe I should just count it as a blessing?

New shirt in the mail- CHECK! I came home and got a person’s favorite thing to come home to- a package- yayyy!!! It was from my friend in Korea, the brain behind Stretch Exercise Eat, a really cool multi-faceted blog that approaches physical and mental health from so many unique angles. I even had the privilege of hanging out with him live in person when I was in Korea! It was awesome. And he was ever so kind to send me a shirt.

TshirtSEE

Is this how it goes?? –>

stretchSEE STRETCH…take a big, nice, deep breath and sinkkk into the stretch…

exerciseSEE EXERCISE…messin around doing single leg push ups on the dynamax ball…

EatSEE EAT…I am the asparagus monster…do not bring your asparagus near me or it is not safe…

Until next time peeps….I LOVE YOU!

By the way, check the site: http://thedailylove.com/ Every morning I get inspirational emails from them, they’re awesome!

Devotedly~moi

Week 1 Figure Comp Training- it’s going…

May

Figure, Fitness, & Bikini :: MMA :: Training

So! Week one of contest prep for my first figure competition is completed- diet and exercise. I got my heels in the mail but have only managed to put them on once- they are sitting in my living room, in hopes of being put on and me practicing walking in them, but so far that’s not been the case.

heels

I have gone through one week of weights + cardio + diet and so far it’s going fine. For the most part each day is a different body part/body parts, and AM fasted cardio is every single day. I have been feeling pretty weak, so I wonder if it’s lack of recovery, lack of carbs, if I’m losing muscle, or a combination of all three. My weight is going down, but I wonder if it’s water and/or muscle. BUT there’s still 10 week and 5 days left, so still plenty of time to make changes. Following coach’s recommendations!

Yesterday was the most fun training day for me, as it is the one day that I’m allowed to go balls to the wall. Eliciting BEASTMODE! Which is my favorite/specialty.

7755961-runner-female-running-fast-in-forest-motion-blurred-image-of-beautiful-asian--caucasian-woman-athlet (not me, btw! stock photo)

Long, slow, endurance type of training is not my thing. Sprints, high heart rate- I love that! So yesterday I was allowed to do my thing. Butt kicks, high knees, bounding, karaokes, multi-planar jump squats, and SPRINTS made me a happy girl. Then I met a friend’s friend who wants to fight MMA and it was fun to spar her in boxing and roll with her, because I totally (lightly) punched her in the face and caught her in a few submissions, so it made me feel not so terrible cuz I’m used to being on the bottom of the skill totem pole

Today I was able to complete about 70% of my workout in the gym this morning, then it was time to go to MMA class. Class itself was fun as always, but then Sarah wanted to roll afterwards and I felt really disappointed in myself that I had the strength of a dying lizard.

lolcat-tired

I could barely resist her, because I am so tired! So I stopped and had her roll with other peeps who could sustain her energy level. When Dude was like “You’re done?” I was like “yeah I’m done. I’m training multiple times a day!” He’s like “So do we!”….But…um…that’s true…but I guess it’s different when you don’t have the nutrition or supplementation to sustain you. I remember I used to train for hours upon hours upon hours and be totally beastmode, but that’s when I wasn’t restricting my diet/calories/carbs, and that’s when I was drinking tons of caffeine or intaking other sources of “energy” like Jack3d a.k.a my boyfriend!!!

jack3d

That shit would have me going end.less.ly. And I know they take those supps that keep them going. Without drugs like caffeine, I feel like a “regular” person A one or two hour quitter. Can’t do hours upon hours. I am guessing I’ll bring the supps back before I up the cals and carbs, so hopefully my bleak, caffeine-less life will not be too much longer It’s actually a self-imposed hiatus; a challenge to myself to go at least a month without caffeine. So I have a little while longer to go…

I was pleased that I look a little smaller but Sarah was like “I can’t wait for your experiment to be done. I want you to have more energy when we roll!” She said I look smaller, but that I shouldn’t feel so tired. I think that’s how it goes in figure? We’re depleting our bodies, and feeling low energy is a side effect, no?

Mona Liza Reyes figure competitor 3

I’m about to go and finish the last 30% of my workout I need to complete today. 10 weeks and 5 days, baby! I have a lot of progress I need to make!

Hydrostatic Body Fat Testing Results!!!

Update & Invitation to My First Figure Competition!!!

Healthy Faux Fried Chicken & Asparagus/Miracle Rice Cabbage Rolls

Fitness Advice from Top Experts on the Web

Keep Moving Forward: The Power of Thought

On Track

Interview with Roxy Buu, Founder of AKIMMA

Figure Prep Update, Healthy Orange Chicken, Cauliflower Rice, & Gratitude

Figure, “Stretch Exercise Eat” shirt, The Daily Love

Week 1 Figure Comp Training- it’s going…

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