How taste buds change with healthy eating

Junk food versus healthy food

I was watching a Tv show about cooking. The chef is bulgarian but now lives in the USA. He was complaining how at the beginning of his cooking career in the USA,people complained of te taste of the food. He said that people overseas enjoy stronger flavors and more spicy food than in Bulgaria. It makes sense about every nation and different culture to enjoy different food flavors...and that got me thinking about something that has nothing to do with different national dishes and tastes...

Before I knew anything about nutrition, I used to fuel my body with tons of junk food, fried foods and the more it was bad for my body, the more I liked it and the more I ate it. Oh, I loved donuts! I could eat them all the time. Cakes, pancakes, croissants, sugar...you name it, I loved it!

Then I started searching through fitness forums, I got more interested in nutrition and started educating myself on the topic. One day I decided I was gonna give healthy eating a try. And it was a pain in the ass! I remember how I could hardly wait for my cheat day, to stuff myself with all the sugar I could. Healthy food was on my eating menu, just because I knew it was right for me. I did not like it that much. And vegetables...spinach, zucchini, broccoli...oh, even if you pointed a gun in my head, I'd still resist eating them.

Then as time went on, and I kept eating healthy, my cheat days started disappearing, i did no longer need eating sugar and I actually started enjoying healthy foods. Now green vegetables are my favorite. I do not think there is a vegetable out there that I do not love. I eat plenty of them everyday.

Since I started eating good foods n general, I have a heightened sense of taste. Now if I occasionally taste some candy, it tastes disgusting. It takes like pure sugar to me and it is way too sweet. I even wonder at times how I could eat so much of them in my past.Sugar now tastes overwhelmingly sweet, sometimes unpleasantly so.

Now I love the taste of fruit, and before fruits could stay in my house for days till they started getting rotten and I wa sforced to throw them away. Now blueberries, cherries, strawberries taste like desserts and I really enjoy them. Actually when I started eating healthy I wondered how the veterans in healthy eating, said they did not enjoy candies, and how they could resist them. I thought that was impossible to happen with me.

Come on! It is not such a hard choice!

But now I see it. I do not need to resist junk food, because it does not taste good anymore. It is not a temptation. Now the thought of a homemade steak and steamed broccoli makes me hungry and the thought of ice cream makes me sick.

Everything listed above shows how tastes buds can change depending on our food choices. And if you think I am just an exception, you are wrong! That happens with everybody that sticks with good food for long enough. If you just give it a try, and give yourself some time, you will find out how tasty healthy food can be. You will start enjoying natural flavors, and you will be disgusted by artificial sweeteners and sugar.

Make a choice...

Some say that the hardest thing to do in life is to make a choice...others say the hardest is not the choice itself...but learn living with that choice after you've made it! I am sometimes puzzeled which one is harder, but probably the second one! Maybe we find it so hard to make a choice, exactly because we are afraid of what comes after that...

When we are supposed to choose between two things that we really want, we weigh the pros and cons regarding them to the future...how they will affect it....will the choice bring more happiness and satisfaction or will it bring the feeling of saddness and regret...

Hard to choose,ain't it? Some time ago I read a sentence that went something like that- You are disappointed when life does not go the way you expected it...but you are actually supposed to draw your way according to the obstacles you face and learn to love them...it is like the windserfers-the waves are those that draw the path...not our intention where we want to be. It is better to discover the path, according to the obstacles you face...

Sometimes afraid of the heavy burden of choosing, we decide to stay in our comfort zone, escape solving the problem and just be mediocre. But why putting better choices until tomorrow? Every day that you are less than what you truely could be is a day you have wasted...a day you disappointed yourself... a day you just existed but you didn't live...choices are hard to make, but neccessary to make a life that was worth living!

Nikolai's cookies

shWhoever thinks that cooking healthy meals can't turn out in anything delicious, either can't cook or haven't tried! :) There are countless websites about healthy cooking and there are some recepies that are really good. If you try and make some of them, you won't taste another candy to the end of your life, and eating healthy will become a lifestyle, and you will for sure feel happy and not deprived. One really easy and good recepie for cookies that a friend of mine-Nadia- gave me is the following:

6whole eggs


3 table spoons flax flour


1pinch cinnamon


1table spoon shredded coconut


150grams oatmeal


2 table spoon honey

2vanillas

Put everything listed above in a bowl, then stir it till you have homogeneous blend. Then divide the blend in two, and add some cocoa to one of the parts. After that take from the blend(either with spoon or hands) and form the shapes of the cookies. Put them on the baking paper, and  put them in the oven. Bake them and after that enjoy your healthy sweets! :)

The kettlebell swing

Back in the days, when I was a basketball player, though I had a pretty good technique I used to be a little slower than I wanted to be. I was desperately trying to make my feet move faster on the court, so I found a track coach and started practicing with her. I did not like the practices very much, because they were a lot different than the intensity of my basketball practices, and back then I was so caught up in the daily routine, that I did not like anything different. But still there was one thing I loved. And that was the kettlebell. Up to that moment I think I have never seen or used one. I remember the track coach made me take a kettlebell and jump with it on a bench. It was hard but still a lot of fun.

My favorite piece of equipment...the kettlebell!

That was my first encounter with kettlebells.After I stopped attending the track practices, I forgot about this really useful workout tool. And then last summer Crossfit came, and my life will never be the same! :) I don't think that there is something in crossfit workouts that I do not like, but there are these exercises that I totally LOVE! One of them is the kettlebell swing.

Whenever I do not have enough time to go to the gym, I can always stop in the middle of the road, take the kettlebell from my luggage-carrier and have a hell of a practice. Kettlebells can be used in so many different ways! Just one kettlebell is enough to frame a hell of a body!

So let's get back to the kettlebell swings. I love including them in my WODs. I also love including them in my client's workouts. Some of them though do not have the love for swings that I have. I know that at the beginning a kettlebell swing may look a little weird. When I show how the swing is supposed to be done, most people start laughing because they make the wrong associations with the explosive hip snap.:)

There are two types of swings-one is the traditional swing(also called russian swing), and the other one is the overhead swing(called the AMerican swing). I myself have never done the russian swings. I prefer doing swings with bigger range of motion,because I like doing heavier stuff, or actually doing more work. And work is equal to the weight lifted multiplied by the height we lift the object.

Although my preferences to the american swings, when I start teaching somebody doing the swing movement I encourage them to master first the russian swing and then go to the next level and do the american swings. I think it is better to learn the kettlebell swings that way, because most people initially can't get the movement right. One of the most important things when doing a swing is the explosive snap from the hips.With a focus on this hip action, the kettlebell will rise to chest or chin height easily with no work from the arms and shoulders. This is the point- you shouldn't be muscling the bell up with your arms. And that is what most beginners try doing-they either try to lift the kettlebell frfm the arms, thus putting more tension on the lower back(which is not reccomended), or doing an unnecessory squatting, and thus interfering with the desired hip movement.

Russian swings

So in order for them to be easier, and think more about the explosive hip movement, than consentrating on the lifting of the kettlebell, I make sure that they first master the russian swings.

When they become natural :) at russian swings, I mostly exclude them from the workout routine and introduce my favorite overhead(american swings). There are a couple good things about the overhead swing. First you're involving more of the body in the movement, so it's a more complete exercise. Second, the greater height of the bell means you can easily generate more downward momentum going into the next rep which this means the hips and back must absorb more force and therefore are being trained harder. And last but not least if you're using the swing as a conditioning exercise, this means more work and consequently more gas necessary.

American swings

The kettlebell swing is a really useful exercise. It is really good when practicing for explosive power. I have read a lot about football player's workout routines, and the swings are some of the most used exercises in the gym, when the goal is explosiveness. It's an excellent exercise for conditioning the lower back, glutes and hamstrings to volume, improving lower back stamina and stability, and is great even for cardio conditioning- a couple series of high rep swings, can be a good way to substitute your metcons at the end of your practice...

...just one kettlebell and it does wonders with you! :)

Why fats are better than carbs

I am really keen on nutrition, and I spend a lot of time reading about it from different resources. Eventhough I know a lot about it, I can easily get confused by all the inconsistency and differences in theories out there. Some preach eat high-carb diets, others preach high-protein...high-fat, low-fat and so on. If you do not believe me that it is that hard to find out which one is good for you, just by reading...try it yourself. Pick up a diet and start reading about it. You will find tons of information and reasearches backing it up and as much inoformation that claims it to be unhealthy.

I am pretty much convinced that just by reading and trusting some health guru, you couldn't pick the right nutritional plan. I know it from experience, and I'd reccomend you try and find out which one works best for you. But from my experience( and I've tried all the high-something and low-something diets), the best one is the high fat diet, with your fats coming from meat,nuts, coconut oil, olives, fish, egss, avocado and so on; your carbs coming from some fruit and lot's of different vegetables and the protein...just eat your meat and eggs :).

Because I do not want it to sound bareness I will back up my theory. I am not the best at explaining something with biologycal terms, though I understand it for myself...so I will make it easier. I found an article that sums up everything and provides it in a simple way so it could be understood by everybody. Here it is.

I will just add up something to all that, by saying to everybody that thinks carbs are vital for our survival...Let's go back to our ancestors and think about how they lived. Because our evolution is due to their way of living. They had to go long periods without food, followed by some feasts. DUring the time of starvation our body needed a way to provide the essntial body parts with the needed nutrition. So it developed mechanisms to cope with the different circumstances. The liver, the main back-up glycogen;glucose storage can only store about 100 grams of glycogen. Less than a day’s worth. Your muscles can only hold another 350-500 grams and that glycogen isn’t even available to provide fuel for the brain. Meanwhile, we have a virtually unlimited storage capacity for fat-about 100,000 grams or close to a million calories . The reason glycogen storage wasn’t necessary is because, between our copious fat storage capability, easy access to fats as fuel, gluconeogenesis and ketones, we just didn’t need much. Evolution tends not to reward structures or functions that take up unnecessary space or waste energy.

Also let's make it simple and think why do we tend to get ona diet? Because we store the excess calories we eat as fat. Why do we store them as fat? Because that is what the body keeps,so in case you made it endure long periods without food, it will make sure that it will have enough fuel to provide in order to survive.

When in doubt... ask your heart

Ever had something you felt you wanted to do? Experienced the erge to neglect all your doubts, fears and uncertainty...and just go ahead and do it?....and then suddenly feel a slap and get back to the so called "reality" where people rarely believe in the beauty of their dreams? Where people let obstacles discourage them? Where people prefer to stay in their comfort zone and spend their life just existing, because they are way too scared to experience the unknown? Where others try to belittle your ambitions and thus forcing you to stay caged behind the walls of your own doubts...

The pursuit of social approvement and commitment play a huge role when making a decision. It is in our nature to strive to believe in the correctness of our choice, after we've already made one.Actually in order to keep our thoughts and convictions in harmony with our actions or decisions, all of us tend to cheat on ourselves from time to time. There isn't a trick, that a man wouldn't use just to avoid the efforts of thinking. What makes us "cheat" are the terribly clear and purpously avoided answers that thinking would provide. There are things in life that overwhelm us and we'd much rather just not know them! ANd that is exactly what the common people do...they stay in their comfort zone, never daring the unknown, just because they suppose that what is yet to come might be overwhelming. Exactly these are the people that usually tend to try discouraging those that want to achieve something, that are not scared to take cances, fail, then stand up again and some day hopefully succeed.

If you have big dreams, chances are that you are mostly discouraged by others, than encouraged. But does this mean you should quit on what you truely believe in your heart you were meant to be? If the people from your community keep putting you down and convincing you, that your dreamed future can't be. If their oppinions start deafening your inner voice. Just step away for a second...and listen to yourself. Listen to your inner voice hidden deep in your heart. By definition this is the place where you can not delude yourself. This is the place where none of your doubts, fears, public opinions or rational thoughts can reach! That is the place where you know the truth, either you admit it or not, either you hear it or not because of the "noise", that your uncertainty and discouraging environment produce.

I suspect that what comes deep from your heart are the real and genuine feelings. And there isn't a thing that could be stronger than the pure desire, coming from within! So instead of give in to other's people opinion, and the way they think your life should be...go ahead and be deaf about their discouraging words and listen better to your heart!

I just remembered a story that goes this way:

Once upon a time there was a race of frogs. The goal was to reach the top of a high tower. Many people gathered to see and support them. And the race began. In reality, the people didn't believe that it was possible that the frogs would reach the top of the tower, and all the phrases that one could hear were of this kind:

"What pain!!! . They'll never make it!"

The frogs began to doubt themselves.

The people continued: "... What pain!!! They'll never make it! ..."

And the frogs, one by one, admitted defeat, except for one frog that continued to climb.

At the end he, alone, and with and enormous effort, reached the top of the tower.

One of the quitters approached him to ask him how he had done it, to finish the race.

And discovered that he….was deaf!

So never listen to people who have the bad habit of being negative!...the only thing they can do is steal the best aspirations of your heart! And why letting them do it...when fullfilling our heart's desires is the best way to make sure we lived a life that was worth it!

Below are some pics from todays workout:

The group practice was:
100m run
30sledgehammer hits on the tire
200m run
30 walking lunges
300m run
30 thruster push ups
400m run
30 jumps on 25'' box
300m run
30swings
200m run
30burpees
100m run

And here is a video of part of my workout:



I did 5rounds:
20swings
tire flip with a jump in and out of the tire(about 20m)
10sledgehammer hits
tire carrying(20m)
20swings
tire dragging
10sledgehammer hits
tire pushing
20swings

Functional training

Human's body is a kinetic chain, where each ligament and each muscle work together. The body recognizes four types of movements. It can stand and move on one leg or both legs, to push and pull, to change the level of center of balance and to make rotations.

Standing and moving- the holding or the change in the center of balance of the body on one foot or the other(running,walking, lunges and etc.).

Pushing and pulling- pushing simply means to push an object away from your body and pulling is to get an object closer towards your body( throwing a ball, rowing with resistance bands, drag tires and so on.)

The change of the level of center of balance- a movement of the torso, the lower part of the body or a combination of both( lifting a box, flipping tires, climbing stairs, squatting and etc.)

Rotation- the change of the direction that leads to a twist of the body.( a swing with a baseball bat, sledgehammer hits...)

Functional training is pretty much a combination of all the movements listed above. A lot of people make the mistake to spend hours in the globo gym, doing workouts that include a bunch of isolation movements and endless cardio sessions that lead to nothing but exhaustion. And all this with the hope that all this hard work will take us to dreamed body. But does it happen like this? How could you lift weights, if you can not lift your own body? To squeeze every muscle seperately is one thing, but to squeeze your whole body at the same time is totally different! The word functional means "productive", "useful" and that is exactly what functional training is all about. Functional training can be really useful for your health because most movements include a couple muscle groups and mimic the movements from your daily life. For example lifting a box or a child. Daily we are forced to do a bunch of similar movements and a lot of us tend to injure our lower backs because of the wrong technique. If we take for example the lifting of an object from the floor- this is a movement that requires strength in the legs, the back and the abdominal muscles. Also it leads to stress on the spine and the ankles. Only one movement and see how many muscles are involved? This is a simple example how the lack of strength in only one muslce, could lead to an injury!

Let's talk a little bit about the isolation movements, so you could see the difference. ( hope it won't be hard! :) ) The word "isolation" means "alone" or "separate". That is what isolation movements do. They put some load only on that exact muscle that is being trained, isolating the other muscles. When you move, your body uses a couple muscles at the same time, not just one. The big muscle groups "work" together with the smaller once and this is called synergy or in other words combined movement. Isolating some of the synergetic muscles you develop the others and the isolated muscle stays weaker compared to the others. As we already established for the right and save performance of a movement is required all the muscles to be synchronized. When one of them is weaker then the others that could easily lead to an injury. Let's take for example THE FAMOUS bicep curl. All that is required is flexing in the elbow. Now think how many times during the day do you make a movement that mimics a bicep curl? And to be more precise how much strength do you need if you do a similar movement? The only movement that resembles bicep curl to me and it is still not the same is probably the movement of your arm when you eat. Even if you eat your soup with a dipper, you still won't need a lot of strength! :)

The most important thing that functional training gives us is the knowledge and posssibility to train our whole body in the way we use it during a competition or just doing our daily tasks. I myself love doing things that help for other aspects of my life. Time is the most valuable resource that we have! Why wasting it, spending uncountable hours in the gym, doing endless number of isolation movements, which do not help us in any way...running till exhaustion on the treadmill and wondering why all these efforts never pay off? If you want your time in the gym to be worth it, and improve not only your body but also your quality of life...I sincerly encourage you to throw away the isoalation movements and leave them for people that are looking to waste time...and you...get to practice functional!

Tires workout

Today's workout was really cool! Everyody did great!

3rounds-1min each exercise:

tire flip and a jump in and out of the tire after each flip
kettlebell swings
tire dragging
burpees
tire carrying
jump rope
tire sledgehammer


Here are some pictures from today...

The positive thinking and Ivet Lalova

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.”Strong words,aren't they? Have you heard about people reaching beyond the limits of common belief? People that look the same as others, but inside having something that differs them from the crowd! People that have a sparkle in the eyes to help them walk in the darkness of misfortunes....that have a smile to melt the devil's heart...and a will to carry them, when they feel beaten down and lost...

...an utopia you'd say, and you will be deadly wrong! Just a quick gaze in the world of sports and you will see hundreds of athletes that fit the description above. But there is one name that echos in my mind. There is one person that deserves all the best things in life and in sports...and her name is Ivet Lalova.

She is a bulgarian sprinter. In 2004, at the Olympic games in Athens her name started spreading all over the world, with her becoming the fastest white women in the world. Just 0,03sec. seperated her from the bronze medal at the games. Her future looked brighter than ever...till the day...when she broke her right femur after a collision with another athlete while warming up for the 100m sprint at the Athens Super Grand Prix. Back then it seemed like her carrer, the dreams about better results were about to fade.

I bet that nobody believed that six years later Ivet will be back stronger than ever. I remember watching in interview with Ivet, with her sitting in a wheelchair saying that "Evil things come on horse, and leave on foot". And she was right! The injury came in a second...and took six long years to cure the physical pain...and maybe the time will never be enough to make the mental pain vanish.

Obstacles like that make some people give up, forces some people to quit living and just keep existing! But unlike them Ivet Lalova knew deep inside her that she has done it before...and she can do it again. She just had to keep the vision of her dream alive, be patient and work hard to get to the place where she deserves to be. It is like a small child learning to walk. It will stand up and fall down, thousand times...but it will never give up. The child will have bruises, they will hurt but they won't make it surrender.

There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative. Obviously Ivet's attitude was positive, and in spite of the hearbreaking injury, she never lost faith that someday she will be back where she was and even more...she will be better than she was. And I think that day is about to come soon. This Thursday she won the 100 metre race at the IAAF Diamond League in Oslo.She clocked 11.01 seconds,which is her best for the season and not far from her best overall.

I can imagine what she felt six years ago...I can imagine what she went through and how hard it was to get up every day knowing that it will take a hell of a will and tons of hard work to be on the track again. I can imagine her mind wanting to quit...but her heart never letting her do it...the fight between the heart and the mind can be the toughest...Ivet has a heart that won over the overwhelming thoughts of the mind, so I am sure that nothing can stop her in the future. She deserves all the good that a person could get. I wish her to keep being the fighter she is and to never fear the future, because as a famouse saying says "I am not afraid of tomorrow, because I have seen yesterday, and I love today".

Diet without deadline

The other day I was at the grocery store. I was waiting in line, when a lady behind me asked me if I was an athlete. I smiled back and affirmed I was. The lady was about 40years old and a little overweight. While we were waiting she felt like chatting with me and told me how much she wanted to be in shape. She threw a compliment and told me I had a stunning body. She was holding a fruit yogurt and some "DIET" dessert. I myself had a couple cartons with eggs, some pork stakes and tons of veggetables. 

She was staring at my groceries, and said that she wished she could eat as much as me and still look good, but everything that she ate looked to go on her butt and her belly...so she was cursed to be on a diet. The lady told me about how a "specialist" explained her how she was supposed to eat, she knew everything but it was still hard to follow the diet. She went further saying,  "Thanks God I have two more weeks till the end of the diet and then I will be able to eat everything!". 

First of all...no wonder it was hard following the diet. I would find it hard too, if I stuffed myself with yogurt with added sugar, and diet desserts that make my body suffer just by the thought of eating them! Next...I totally "LOVE" diets with deadline. Those are my favorite! I've done that too and it seemed like I never got to finish my diet and sclupt my body before the deadline came...so it was something like a deadline after deadline, always failing to get the results I STARVED so hard for.

I am not right sure what is supposed to happen or actually how it is supposed to happen, but people should understand first that diets have no deadlines. Diets are actually a lifestyle, and the word itself is not a bad word and not something to be ashamed of. Diet just means an eating plan. So first step towards achieving your goals is to get to know more about the food you fuel your body with!Make sure you find an eating plan that will fit you and your needs. And take caution that this diet is not supposed to be the one that works for your neighbour, your friend or some celebrity! It is the one that works for you and just you!

Make sure you will eat some REAL food! And by real I do not mean the one that circulates through the latest commercials;the one that is being advertised by skinny girls, praising the food that made their life better...none of that is real food. Actually what you are supposed to eat are all these foods that never get aired in the commercials-start from the nice, delicious red meat, the tasty, colorful vegetables;juicy real fruits; eggs; fish;raw nuts and so on. Just make sure that your eating plan includes all the listed above foods and I assure you that you won't find it hard to follow. You won't find yourself feeling deprived and miserable with your life.

After starting to eat the real food, start eating as much as you need. Not as much as somebody says you wree supposed to. Throw away all the calculators, and stop estimating these calories. Your body knows better what you need. You know better how you feel. The calculator just estimates some numbers. Do you think that your body is so simple?Do you think it functions this way? Just a quick equation of calories in vs calories out? I bet that scientists wished it was so simple! There is so much more to it. There are so many things that influence the way you feel, the way you look and the speed of your metabolism. It is a complex of what happens inside of you and what influences you from the environment around you!

Some factors you can influence...others you can't! You just have to make sure you make the optimal efforts to fuel your body the right way, so it will be strong and prepared to face the difficulties and cope with the stress that your environment will bring!

The paleolithic diet

Learn more about the Paleo Diet.

Hardships help reveal your potential

The road may have turns...it may have wholes...but when you keep sight at you final destination...you will reach it...it might take longer but you will arive there...

Ever felt like life is being evil to you? Like you do not deserve anything bad that is taking place in your life? Felt like you ran out of luck and you were cursed to spend your life suffering? Apart from where you want to be, what you want to become and with whom you want to share your life? Did you ever blame the situation? Blame the misfortunes? Wished your life was different? Benn jelous of somebody else?

Well, if you can answer with yes to at least three of the questions above,then you are wrong! Your journey through life has molded you for the greater good. It was exactly what it needed to be. It was exactly what you had to go through in order to learn a lesson that is gonna be useful in your future. If you've taken wrong turns. If you have rambled around, wondering what you were supposed to do with your life...don't bother worrying about it! This time isn't lost. None of the days or the years in your life are lost! It took every situation you have encountered to bring you to the now...the present moment. And you know what? Now is exactly the right time. It is not earlier, it is not later! You are just on time!

Don't blame the obstacles that are thrown on your way. Just like in sports, you are forced daily to endure harder and tougher workouts, in order to gain strength, and be better tomorrow.

That's what I like about life and sports. They have so much in common. In both you are supposed to overcome something that will test your limits, your will, dedication, and perseverence! But there is nothing wrong with that. You are not cursed!;)

If you are having a hard moment, probably you are thinking that you've been punished and fate is against you. But think about the basketball player, the football player or some other athlete, that is out there sweating, hurting, pushing through his limits. He might think that the coach has a grudje on him...but the truth is far different. The coach just sees his potential! He just makes sure he will help his player, to become what he could- to reach his full potential. It is just that the things worth living are hidden behind a lot of hard work, bumps, obstacles and other things you might not like facing...but if you hang on and believe, it will be worth it!

Here is just a video I watched yesterday. Watch it, because I thin my words would belittle it...

Money can be earned but health should be preserved

A friend of mine is working on having his own corssfit gym. Yesterday all the weights were delivered, so he asked me and some other people to go and help him. It was a lot of fun moving all these weights, but in the same time it was so exhausting. We had to walk with them for about 20meters, then climb stairs, get into the gym, and bring them downstairs...QUITE OF A ROUTE! We moved 10tons of weights!!!

Besides I had a pretty hard practice in the morning, and then went to work. So in the evening I was totally drained. I went to bed at 21:30, but I was so tired that I could not fall asleep. I got up three times, and went to bed again without ever falling asleep.

I spent my night thinking...thinking about some of my not so smart choices. I always do a lot of things that are pretty heavy on my health. Sometimes I think that I do not have a sense for self-preservation, so it turns out I am trying to test my limits. SO far I am pretty lucky and I get myself out without serious injuries...but what bothers me is that someday I might have a bad day and run out of luck...do something stupid and injure myself. At times I wonder is it worth it?

It is pretty cool to workout and give your best, but sometimes when you are just pushing yourself too much it might not be that good. Yesterday, I was thinking about my dad. He doesn't approve the way I exploit myself, and always tries to help me make better choices. But do I listen to him? Obviously not!...thinking again...realizing that he might have a point! He was something like me...or let's even be honest and say he was even harder on himself than I am. Today he is 44years old and he has a lot of trouble getting out of the bed in the morning if he doesn't take his painkillers. He has ruined his back from all the crazy stuff he used to do. I think that just a quick example is enough to make your hairs turn grey. He used to be a basketball player. And in their gym, there was a balcony that was about three meters high. He used to step on the edge of the balcony and jump from there shooting at the basket...hm...

My father often says that I should be more careful with my health, because now he is only 44 and he has so many things he wants to do, but he couldn't because of his injuries.So thinking about my dad and what I do... a saying popped up n my mind...you know how they say " people give their health to earn money...and then give their money to restore their health".

The sad thing in this case is that money can be earned no matter the circumstances...you lose them, you earn them...but health...it is not something to be earned...health is something to be preserved! If you lose health, you ain't getting it back! And there are so many things in life you could try and enjoy...the only thing you will need is to be healthy!So I am gonna try and keep this in mind! Hopefully I will make smarter choices and not be as hard on myself as I am now. If you are like me...just remember that money can be earned, but they are not worth your health!

First group practice

Like most people out there sometimes I get lost in my inner insecurity. I dream about achieving big things, but sometimes I slow down the pace, pushed back by my doubts and fear. Someone once told me that nothing big is achieved without taking a brave decision...and no decision is brave unless you have felt some fear before that.

So with that thought constantly repeated in my mind, I decided that it is right about time to do something about one of my dreams. I do a lot of things but the one I desire the most is to be a coach. I know I am still young and I have a lot to learn in the future, but I guess everybody should start from somewhere in order to reach higher...

So with these thoughts in mind I decided that I was gonna make a group that will practice at the stadium three times a week. Yesterday was the first practice. I always play it really cool ;) but actually inside I am really nervous. I can not even explain how many times I went through the practice before I got there. I know that you can not have a practice ready before you see who will come and what is there level physical preparation, but I just wanted to make sure I had a couple different plans for the main direction of the practice. So the whole day I could hardly think about anything else.

Then the practice started and it was a blast. I am more sure than ever that this is what I want to do with my life1 It was so much fun. And everybody liked the workout and said they couldn't wait for the next one...neither can I! :)

Here are some pictures from the first practice.

That's Emi with her savior-the bottle of water! :)