“In this age of Instagram and fitness motivation, beauty standards have been set so high that it is not sustainable.
People are taking unnecessary risk to attain something that they see that is not even true. The woman in this pic shares a side by side to expose unrealistic body standards.
I am not saying to skip workouts or strive to be better. What I am saying is be careful out there.”
This is a Facebook post I made a few days ago that resonated with a bunch of people. The picture I posted was of a young lady who did before/after pics of herself. These were not weight loss pics. One picture was a normal picture, and the other was a picture of her wearing special clothes that made her look 10 lbs. lighter and 8 percent body fat leaner. Her goal was to expose the insta world we live in: where we are being motivated by people who are not as fit or honest as we think they are. Sometimes people on Instagram and YouTube can motivate us enough to where we want to run through walls. The problem is, if you run into a wall you will probably bludgeon yourself pretty bad.
One of my favorite actors is “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson. Not because of his acting skills, but because he is charismatic, an amazing athlete, and he is all about getting his workouts in no matter what. He has dozens of motivational workout videos of him working out at 3 a.m. or 12 p.m. after being on set for 12 hours. He has a very popular video of him documenting how much he eats to maintain his physique. In the video he states that he eats about 7000 calories per day. Whenever I really listen to him describe his meals, it is closer to 4000 - 5000 calories per day.
Why is this important for me to decipher? Why would it be really important for anyone to know these types of details about someone that they follow? If I were to follow a similar program and let’s say I modified it. Let’s say I adjusted the calories from 7000 to about 5500 calories at my age (42). What if I were to start working out at 3 a.m., or at 12 p.m. after getting home late. I do not take supplements, and he has no mention of supplements in his motivational videos. But let’s say he does take supplements. If I were to follow what he does I would most likely gain body fat and wonder “why do I not look more like The Rock?”
Women are inundated with even more examples and role models. Again, motivation is great. Fitness leaders are great, but sometimes people will put too much pressure on themselves trying to reach unattainable physical goals. There is a viral clip of a woman preparing for a video shoot where she will be doing a glute workout. Before they started recording, the man doing her makeup handed her two butt pads so she could put them into her pants. She was already a fit woman, but the butt pads took her to another level.
There are so many examples but I will leave it right there. I want to use this opportunity to urge you to focus on consistency and improve yourself everyday. Improve based on your benchmarks and not someone else's. Motivation is great, but do not become depressed if you have not reached a level that you see on social media. If you need help with a consistent workout or nutrition plan I am here to help!
Safety Tip of the Week: The Gas Pump is a Weapon
A common safety concern is at the gas station. Personally, I try to go to the same 2 or 3 gas stations. I do not like going to certain places to get gas. The gas station is a place where I hear about a bunch of incidents during self defense seminars. Most of the time, when I am approached it is normally someone asking for money. But there are times where someone can be more aggressive. In Dallas, Tx there has been atleast 2 incidents that I know of where it resulted in an abduction/murder. There are many things you can do to make noise and draw attention to a situation at the gas station, but one weapon that you can use is the actual gas pump. The gas pump has a stream of 20-30 feet. If you felt like you were in danger of physical harm you could spray someone with gas. With the gas prices as high as they are, this seems like it would be an expensive way of defending yourself, but when it comes to your personal safety there is no price limit.
Herbalife Protein Donut
A good friend of mine owns Fierce Gaines Nutrition. Saturday they celebrated their 2 year anniversary. My wife went there to pick up my favorite shake called “The Scooby Snack” and they gave her some free protein donuts. I took a bite, then took 2,3,4… they were delicious! So I wanted to give them a shoutout.
Add The Ingredients In The Bowl: Before adding the ingredients, measure the right volume. Follow the volume and ingredients below. • 1/2 cup Almond milk • 1/2 cup almond flour • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon • 2 ½ teaspoon Stevia • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla flavor • 2 eggs • 2 scoops of PDM • 1 scoop of Dulce de Leche • 1 scoop of vanilla
Mix The Ingredients: Get the mixture and mix them at a low speed for 2 minutes. Make sure that the speed is low and you are moving the mixture around the bowl.
Spread Oil In The Donut Pan: Get the oil. Here, you can use vegetable oil, olive oil, or any cooking oil. Spread the oil in the 6 donut pan eventually. You can use a brush to spread the oil.
Pour The Mixture In The Donut Pan: Use your hands to pour the mixture into the donut pan. The middle-top should be seen when you are pouring the mixture.
Place The Donut Pan In The Oven: Try to warm the oven before putting the donut pan into it. Place the donut pan and bake it for 9 minutes at 350-degree Fahrenheit.
Take Out The Donut To A Large Bowl: Baking for 9 minutes, the donuts should be baked well. Take them out of the oven and place them into the large bowl. You should see the brown-colored donuts.
Make The Glaze: Add the following ingredients to a small bowl. Mix the ingredients to make a fine paste. • 2 tablespoons of Herbalife vanilla PDM • 1/2 Cup of hot water
Decorate The Donuts: Hold the donuts and put them into the mixture. Use gloves when you are decorating the donuts. After touching the mixture, put the donuts in the sprinkles. The sprinkles will attach to the mixture easily.
Place The Ready Donuts To The Serving Plate: To end the process, place the decorated donuts on the serving plate. Keep some space between the donuts.