NO MEDIOCRITY

“But why diminish your soul being run-of-the-mill at something?”

-Tom Robbins, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

“People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.”

-Andrew Carnegie

“Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves — to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today.”   -Stewart B. Johnson

Years ago, I would look at copies of Oxygen magazine and think how cool it would be to have a body like a fitness model.  It was a dream back then.  A dream I honestly thought I could never achieve.  Then one day, after a ton of sweat and tears, I achieved that goal.   

One thing about fitness and bodybuilding is if you want results you have to work for them and work hard.  There are no shortcuts.  You must be dedicated and determined.  You must be disciplined.  And you cannot give up.  Yes, there will be times when you are tired and times when you just want to eat that piece of cake.  But, in order to get the results that you really want, you must have discipline.  You must strive for excellence.  There is no room of mediocrity.  Once I figured this out, my body began to change.

I began to ponder how these same principles could be applied to other aspects of life.  Some say that people are far too complacent.  I think that people are far too mediocre.  Complacency breeds mediocrity.  Why is it that many people settle for mediocrity in their lives?  We all have seen the bright student that does just enough to pass and settles for average.  Or the person that goes to work every day, does the bare minimum, and waits to collect their pay check.   And the politicians who do a lack luster job of representing our interests, yet we re-elect them anyway.  And for some reason this is acceptable.  Why?  

Why have we become satisfied with mediocrity? Are we mediocre because we are lazy? Are we mediocre because we are scared to strive for better?   Or have we just accepted the status quo hero in the United States?  Let’s be honest, even if you settle for less than your best in the United States, you can still have a pretty decent life. 

We have become satisfied with mediocrity not only of ourselves but of others.  We accept the bare minimum as if that’s as good as it will get.   We reward people for mediocre success.  We are a society of jealousy, low self-esteem, and depression.  And I often wonder if most of these ills could be irradiated if we operated at our highest capabilities.  

We criticize people who operate at a level of excellence.  We label them as “obsessed” or “nerds”.  Then when those same people achieve high levels of success and notoriety, we champion and idolize them.  Go figure.

Mediocrity is not good enough.  It’s not good enough in health and fitness and it’s not good in our jobs and relationships.  We are competing with other countries where excellence is priority.  When we settle for less than our best we set an example for our children that doing the bare minimum is ok.  And the greatest tragedy of mediocrity is that many of us will never know just how great we could be, because we don’t push ourselves to find out.

I challenge you to honestly ask yourself if you have given your all in your job, families and the like.  Where can you make improvements?  What goals have you set for yourself and have you made any real steps toward achieving them?  If you are in a career you don’t particularly enjoy, it is difficult to get motivated to be the best you can be.   If that is the case, what career will you find true happiness?  What career will motivate you to achieve excellence?  And once you figure that out, ask yourself what is stopping you from going after that career? 

My next blog on this subject will outline ways that one can go about avoiding mediocrity and achieve one’s goals.  I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas!  Feel free to email me at kris@krisalisefit.com. 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT

If you really want to get a solid workout for your glutes and hamstrings, the Bulgarian Split Squat is a great exercise to add to your fitness regimen.  You can do this exercise using just your body weight, using dumbbells or even a weighted vest.  Or, you can do as pictured above, by using a barbell.  I do this exercise using the Smith machine.  I like to load as much weight as I can handle. And if you want to make this exercise even more challenging, elevate your back foot as high as you can.  

1. Position yourself in front of a bench or chair as pictured.
2. Place the top of your left foot on the bench (knee slightly bent) and your right foot as far forward as possible.
3. Slowly lower your body as far as you can. Pause, then push yourself back up to the starting position as quickly as you can. Complete the prescribed number of reps with your left leg forward, then do the same number with your right foot in front of your left.

Source:  www.fitbie.com 

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS: MY LESSON LEARNED

I recently had a bit of a health scare.  A few weeks ago, I went in for a routine physical.  During the physical, the doctor preformed a breast exam in which she felt a small lump in my right breast. When she told me, I was obviously scared and confused.  I had my first mammogram at age 39 which was normal and I did monthly breast exams, so how could I have missed this lump?  The doctor recommended that I have an ultrasound so that I could find out if it was cancerous or not. Well, I immediately called my OB/GYN's office and they had me come in for an appointment.  My OB/GYN felt the lump and told me that he believed that is was a cyst and not to worry.  But, he suggested that I have a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound because I have fibrocystic breasts.  

When I was 18 years old, I was told that I have fibrocystic breasts. Basically, that means that my breasts are naturally lumpy and bumpy, which make them more difficult to feel potentially harmful abnormalities.  As such, a standard mammogram which uses film may not pick up on a cancerous or benign lump.  Now, don't get me wrong, film mammograms are an effective screening device. But, studies have shown that film mammograms may miss between 10% and 20% of breast cancers.  A diagnostic mammogram is viewed as being superior to the traditional film mammogram because the technician can see the image right away on  a computer screen and they tend to be higher in contrast making them easier to read.  And if the diagnostic mammogram is inconclusive, an ultrasound can be used as a follow up to detect any abnormalities. 

A couple weeks after I saw my OB/GYN, I had a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound.  The technician running my mammogram said that my breasts were so dense that she could not see anything.  She said they were all muscle ( I guess my grueling 2 hour a day works outs have paid off somewhat).   So, a few minutes later, I had an ultrasound.  The ultrasound technician immediately told me that the lump appeared to be a cyst.

I later met with the doctor, who explained to me that the abnormality is a cyst that will likely go away on its own and that it does not increase my chances of getting breast cancer.  She said that the cyst is likely due to hormonal changes.  But, the doctor also advised me that because I have fibrocystic breasts, a typical mammogram may not the best yearly screening course for me and that I will need to have a diagnostic mammogram and ultrasound every year.  

I wanted to share my story so that other women who may have fibrocystic breasts will be aware of what I learned.  You have to be very diligent in doing your monthly self breast exams because with fibrocystic breasts, the breast tissue tends to be lumpy, making it difficult to catch any abnormalities, as in my case.  And, if you have fibrocystic breasts, talk to your physician about the differences between a standard mammogram and a diagnostic mammogram.  

According to the American Cancer Society in 2013:

• About 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.
• About 64,640 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).
• About 39,620 women will die from breast cancer

These numbers are staggering.  Please be diligent about your monthly self breast exams and if you are at the age where screening is recommended, please get screened.  

THE BENEFITS OF GREEN TEA

I have started drinking green tea on a daily basis.  I don’t really care for hot tea, so I make my green tea chilled.  I take a pitcher and fill it with water, I add three or four organic green tea bags to the water and I squeeze a lemon in the water as well.  I let it seep overnight and enjoy my tea the next day.  It is wonderfully refreshing. Green tea has many benefits as outlined below:

Weight Loss. Green tea increases the metabolism. The polyphenol found in green tea works to intensify levels of fat oxidation and the rate at which your body turns food into calories.

Diabetes. Green tea apparently helps regulate glucose levels slowing the rise of blood sugar after eating. This can prevent high insulin spikes and resulting fat storage.

Heart Disease. Scientists think green tea works on the lining of blood vessels, helping keep them stay relaxed and better able to withstand changes in blood pressure. It may also protect against the formation of clots, which are the primary cause of heart attacks.

Esophageal Cancer. It can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer, but it is also widely thought to kill cancer cells in general without damaging the healthy tissue around them.

Cholesterol. Green tea reduces bad cholesterol in the blood and improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol.

Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. It is said to delay the deterioration caused by Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Studies carried out on mice showed that green tea protected brain cells from dying and restored damaged brain cells.

Tooth Decay. Studies suggests that the chemical antioxidant “catechin” in tea can destroy bacteria and viruses that cause throat infections, dental caries and other dental conditions.

Blood Pressure. Regular consumption of green tea is thought to reduce the risk of high blood pressure.

Depression. Theanine is an amino acid naturally found in tea leaves. It is this substance that is thought to provide a relaxing and tranquilizing effect and be a great benefit to tea drinkers.

Anti-viral and Anti-bacterial. Tea catechins are strong antibacterial and antiviral agents which make them effective for treating everything from influenza to cancer. In some studies green tea has been shown to inhibit the spread of many diseases.

Skincare. Green tea can apparently also help with wrinkles and the signs of aging. This is because of their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Both animal and human studies have demonstrated that green tea applied topically can reduce sun damage.

Now, all green teas are not created equal.  Since green tea consumption has become popular, quite a few companies have started trying to capitalize on it's popularity.  They make and bottled green tea that contain harmful chemicals.  So, it's best to get tea bags and make your own green tea rather than buy it bottled.  

So, what are you waiting for?  Grab yourself some green tea bags and drink up!