Passing success down to younger generations
I’m not quite certain where to even begin. Today left me stunned and consumed with emotion. Honestly, it’s the feeling of being damn proud. Gymnastics has been apart of my life for over twenty years. Most recently making the transition from gymnast to coach. Let me tell you, its surreal. Today I walked into a gym that I had competed at numerous times in my career. The last time being fourteen years ago as a level six gymnast. I was putting my team up against judges and coaches that had been around since I was competing. I don’t know how to put this all into words for you. Today I looked at the sport I’ve loved my entire life with a new perspective. All the little things I remembered from competing, I now understand. For example, always seeing my coaches running off between sessions to disappear for a few moments and then magically reappear. Now I know they were filling their bellies in the coach’s room. I realize when my coaches said it was a long day… what that actually entails. (Currently my body is aching and my head is pounding).
I am the head coach of a compulsory team. Yes, my own little group of ten nuggets. That title is finally starting to sink in for me. As I continue onward in my journey, I have found my own style of coaching. The development of kids as gymnasts is important; however, I care more about my nuggets evolving into good humans over all else. I do my best to instill values into my nuggets that will resonate with them forever by teaching them to respect each other through the usage of good verbiage and being vigilant with their delivery on things. My focus is on building them up rather than tearing them down. Communication is huge and I am not one who believes in the power of yelling. I coach with this philosophy every day.
Today was the first competition of the season and my level 3 compulsory gymnastics team finished in third place. As a coach, I take a lot of pride in their success. Yes, they put the work in, but it has been a long and bumpy road to get here. All the girls did fantastic. They hit solid routines that went above and beyond my expectations. The best part wasn’t the scores. It was the fact that each kid walked in the building with a smile on their face and walked about with their heads held high. My girls truly became a family today. They expressed so much love and excitement for each other. It was cool to see.
Often times, I ponder what I can be doing to better myself as a coach to help better my kids. One thing I’ve thought a lot about is redefining success. Redefining what it means and how it is obtained. Of course, this is a results-based sport and scores matter, but do they really? What I am trying to say is stop putting such an emphasis on them. Teach kids that the scores aren’t the only thing that determines your success in your gymnastics career. Your attitude plays a huge role. What are you bringing to the gym that day? It all matters. Did you pay attention to your teammate and support them while they were competing or did you wait in anticipation for your score? I believe this mindset changes everything. It brings real value to this tough and grueling sport.
Historically success means something that comes close after or simply an outcome. Not a bad or a good outcome, just an outcome. In order to get an outcome, you need to do to something. All you have to do is make a move.
Any sort of outcome works for success because an outcome is simply something that comes out as the result of something else. If you want to define success as a good outcome, you want to be sensible in what you include here. There are an infinite number of ways in which an outcome can be seen as good. For example, in gymnastics, getting a 10.0 would be seen as a good outcome because that is the highest score you can achieve in the sport.
Instead of teaching kids a narrowed black and white version of defining success, what if we encouraged them to make choices for continued success. What does that look like?
1. Show Up
Showing up is the best place to start. Success is not one single act. It is making the decision to choose a path that best suits your journey. If you want to be able to do a back flip, then you better be showing up to practice every day and working the fundamental skills. That is success. That is putting your self one step closer to achieving you goal.
2. Keep Reaching for the Next Thing
You can choose to make success happen at any moment.
It’s weird being here now. I still have so many emotions flowing through me at the moment. All I want to do is stand up and scream to the world just how amazing my kids are. They are amazing gymnasts and amazing little humans. To be honest I care about these kids as if they were my own. My heart feels so full that its over spilling. I felt like I had a lot to prove today, but no one to prove it to other than myself. WE KILLED IT.
XO Coach Yuki
V-UPs
In this video I am demonstrating how to do V-Ups. This is one of the most effective ab exercises, it works both the upper abs muscles and lower abs muscles. The V ups are an advanced movement so if you are a beginner you may want to start with an easier exercises and progress to V Ups when your abs get stronger.
V-ups are a body weight strength movement that work your entire core. They require you to lift the weight of your arms and legs by using your abdominal muscles. This exercise is meant to isolate your core; however, it can also demand work to be done by your quadriceps and hamstrings.
There are many ab workout machines out there which are unnecessary. Doing this exercise alone is more effective than using ab crunchers or any other ab workout device.
The key is to do the movement correctly. You need balance and control. Engage your abs and back muscles fully to stabilize instead of using momentum. Whether you are a woman or a man, use V-Ups to help tone your abs and get ab definition.
How To Do V-Ups:
Lie flat on your back with your lower back pushed into the floor and abs tight. Legs are straight and arms are extended overhead.
Lift your arms and legs up at the same time. Keep your legs straight and lift them as high as you can. The goal is to touch your toes with your fingertips.
Slowly lower your back to the starting position.
Repeat about 10-15x
Knee Stabilization – Injury Prevention
The knee supports the body weight while allowing flexion and extension of the lower leg relative to the thigh. Movements at the knee joint are essential to many everyday activities such as running, walking, sitting, and standing. The knee is a synovial hinge joint formed between three bones: the femur, tibia, and patella. With all synovial joints, a joint capsule surrounds the bones of the knee to provide lubrication and strength. There are four major ligaments, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), the medial collateral ligament (MCL), and the lateral collateral ligament (LCL); surrounding the joint capsule to reinforce its structure and hold the bones in proper alignment. The muscles acting over the knee joint provide secondary dynamic stability. The muscles include: the quadriceps femoris, the hamstrings, and the popliteus (located behind the knee).
Instability may occur from direct or indirect trauma to the ligament. The most frequent mechanism is “non-contact”, involving twisting, cutting, jumping, and sudden deceleration.
No one wants to get sidelined with an injury. Knee injuries, particularly ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injuries are most common in youth athletes and females. Is there anything YOU can do to prevent missing valuable time? Definitely!
Learn how to move with proper movement patterns to protect your knees. Develop good body awareness, strength, and balance to support your body. Avoid letting your knees collapse inward. Improve your ability to jump and land safely. Always move with your knees directly over your feet when jumping, landing, and decelerating. Develop good strength in your legs and hips.
Practice these guidelines and incorporate them into your daily routine. Don’t wait until you have an injury because then its too late. Start today.
One of my favorite exercise is the 8-point toe tap.
How To:
Use foam pad
Standing on one leg, load your hip and knee.
Keep your knees behind your toes
Extending your other leg out in front of you, reach your heel as far as you can.
Imagine an analog clock face, using the numbers as your foot markers. Continue to reach and tap all the way around the clock.
After each tap, come back to center and squeeze your quad at the top.
Careful! Don’t let your knee collapse inward.
Expectations
Expectation feeds frustration. What screws us up the most in life is the preconceived picture in our head of how things are. We have to learn to drop the ambiguous ideas. As I get older, I find my understand deepens. I can integrate lessons, draw from my experiences, and make better connections.
Over the weekend I competed in an Olympic weightlifting competition. It has been almost a year since my last competition. Within the last month I had an epiphany. Basically, I cannot live without weightlifting. It builds my confidence and makes me feel strong. I have a sever passion for the sport. So, I signed up for a local competition and started training. At the beginning of the first 4 weeks I told myself this was just a competition to shake off the dust. Nothing to prove and no one to prove it to. As it came closer to competition day, I found myself nervous. I was already counting myself out. My shoulders felt heavy with pressure. Where was this pressure coming from? Expectations. These expectations came solely from myself. There was an expectation to hit my old numbers. To be stronger than I was before. Suddenly, I didn’t feel ready for the competition. I felt discouraged and upset. Luckily, I have a good support team of coaches who constantly reminded me there were no expectation for this competition. My only job was to do me and lift. I thought about why I was putting so much pressure on myself. I reminded myself of where I am at in my journey and that I just started lifting again. I went into the competition clear-headed.
At the competition I went 6/6. I made all of my lifts! I hit 59kg for snatch and 73kg for my clean and jerk. Once I dropped my expectations, I made an active decision to live in the moment. It was one of my best meets ever. My lifts were flawless and smooth. I was able to appreciate being surrounded by good friends and other good lifters. I challenge you: if you have felt the pressure lately, drop the expectations you have set for yourself. You will never feel freer.
Sending all my love, xo
Here are my lifts, ENJOY!!!
What Does It Mean To Be “Healthy”?
What Does It Mean To Be “Healthy”? What does being “healthy” mean to you?
How you answer the above questions depend on your definition of health. Being healthy can be a combination of eating right and physical activity. Being healthy is a combination of fitness and wellness. I believe both are big contributing factors that goes into living a healthy lifestyle.
What is Wellness?
Wellness is an active process of making mindful choices towards living a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. It is an everlasting process of personal change and growth through self discovery.
Why Does Wellness Matter?
It can affect your overall physical, mental, and social well-being. To live a higher quality of life, it is critical to maintain an optimal level of wellness. Wellness matters because everything we do relates back to our actions and emotions. This connects us to our state of well-being. In order to reduce stress, reduce the risk of illness, reduce the risk of chronic disease, and ensure positive interactions it is important for everyone to achieve an optimal level of wellness.
What is Fitness?
Fitness is both mental and physical states working together efficiently to allow your body to function well in everyday life. There are five essential components to fitness. The components include cardio-respiratory fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance, muscular strength, and body composition. It is important to have a fitness plan that incorporates all of these components to ensure optimal health.
Why is Fitness Important?
Physical activity can improve your overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. It is beneficial to get into a routine of daily exercise. Regular physical activity along with healthy eating can help manage your weight, reduce your risk of a heart attack, help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, reduce your risk of osteoporosis, help you sleep better, and increase your overall mood. Fitness has been found to help with symptoms of depression. Exercise may block negative thoughts and make you feel more accomplished. Exercise may also have a positive effect on the chemicals in your brain such as endorphins, serotonin, and stress hormones.
💭If you have any questions or comments about this post, I’d love to hear them! Please put them in the comment section below!
Sweet Potato Wedges
This is a simple and yummy recipe that you can bring to your dinner table.
Most weekend nights are filled with easy recipes that I can make using little energy after an exhausting day of work. I fight my cravings and urges to go for the quick things like fast food. Your health is no joke and learning how to properly care for your body is an important skill.
How do I do it?
Simple & easy recipes like this one! I make the choice to be good to my body. Overtime the choices to fight our sugar craving isn’t as hard because healthy is a lifestyle. It’s a way of living.
How are you choosing to live?
Ingredients:
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sea-salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions:
1. Slice 2 large sweet potatoes into wedges
2. Combine wedges into large mixing bowl. Add Italian seasoning, sea-salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
3. Arrange wedges on a large cooking sheet in a single layer. Use a cooking sheet. Make sure the wedges are not overlapping.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees (F). Bake for about 30 minutes.
5. Take the wedges out and let cool for 5 minutes, ENJOY!!!
💭If you have any questions or comments about this recipe, I’d love to hear them! Please put them in the comment section below!
A Leap of Faith
Cheers to new beginnings. Sometimes we may like the sound of that phrase; however, our body gives us a fight or flight response. Change is scary. As human beings, we are creatures of habit. We enjoy the comfort of a routine.
Heritage Rose Garden, San Jose CA
Change is inevitable. Without change there would be no growth. Think about it scientifically for a second. We all love sunny days (who doesn’t), But if it never rained the grass would never grow, flowers would never bloom, and we’d never see the leaves change colors. Does that analogy make sense? Think about your life for a second. If you’re my age, you’ve probably already experienced the joys of puberty LOL. If you didn’t go through that change you would’ve never gotten taller, you would’ve never gotten boobs, and you would’ve never gotten your period; hence you would’ve never crossed the threshold into womanhood. Without change in our life we can’t grow. As scary as it is to think about if we never move out of our parents’ house, we don’t know what will become of us. One of the scariest times in life for me was graduating college. After four years of pure certainty or what felt like certainty it’s over in the blink of an eye. After graduation your set free to “start your life”. What does that statement even actually mean? After I graduated college in 2017, I landed on my face. I hit the ground hard. I thought I had everything planned out and all my affairs in order. Just to realize that I didn’t have anything controlled. The biggest thing that was out-of-control was my mindset and my emotions. I work so hard, trying to control the uncontrollable. I was so scared. Honestly, I am still scared. What I’ve come to realize is we cannot control everything that happens to us. I’ve learned to become aware of and be conscious of my state of mind or my state of being. How do I feel in this moment? How do I feel today? Do I have good thoughts flowing in my head? Am I feeding myself with positive vibes?
Heritage Rose Garden, San Jose CA
There is no manual for life. There is no “do this and you’ll be great”. My advice to you is trust your gut. Make choices that make you happy. You are the one that has to live with those choices. Live your life for you. As you move forward, know that there will be uncertainty and that’s OK. Sometimes it’s OK to not know what the future looks like. Just have faith and trust that you are moving in the right direction. Believe fully in yourself and you will succeed. That is what goes into taking a leap of faith. Don’t just close your eyes and cross your fingers because that’s when shit hits the fan. Believe in yourself, I believe in you.
Sending all my love,
XO
p.s. Here’s a link to my YouTube video with more pictures from this photo shoot!
Upper Body Pump
Warm-Up:
x 2 rounds
Band Pull Aparts x 15
No $ Pulls x 12
Workout:
SUPERSET
DB Bench Press 5 x 6 75-80%
SA DB Bent Over Row 5 x 8 each
TRISET
BB Strict Overhead Press 4 x 6
Rear Delt Flys 4 x 8-10
Tricep Pull-Downs 4 x 10-12
Key Words:
BB - Barbell
DB - Dumbbell
SA - Single Arm
If you have any questions about this workout, I’d love to hear them! Please put them in the comment section below!
ENJOY!!!
XO
Never Stop Chasing Your Dreams
We are all offered different opportunities in life. We have a choice. We have a choice to work hard and chase after our dream or to not.
The thing is you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe so deeply that you never settle until you reach your dream. The minute self-doubt starts to creep into your mental. STOP, redirect those negative thoughts. You have to keep moving forward because you know that you deserve everything and anything that you want. You must stand your ground and keep grinding.
There are no limits in life. The only limit is your mind. The key to success is simple. If you want it, work for it. Remember that the road is long and it’s about the journey. It’s about pushing yourself to grow even when you don’t feel ready. It’s about learning from the mistakes you make and adjusting course, but never giving up.
My big brother is officially a pro hockey player. That has been his dream since day one. He has always been my inspiration. His hard work is incredible. I’ve seen him go through struggle and strife in his life, but never letting his dream die. For 23 years I’ve watched him fine tune and adjust his life course. From workouts to proper nutrition and passing his love and knowledge on to others. Its humbling. He will never say it out loud, but he’s talented. He has worked his ass off for that talent. He never boasts or brags. He only wants to better himself and build up the people who surround him. He continues to inspire me.
Yesterday, I made the trek down to Evansville, IN. It was about a 6-hour drive; however, I would have driven across the country to see him play. The stadium he was playing in was massive. Nothing like the dinky rinks I’m used to going to. My ticket was behind the net, right up against the glass. As I got to my seat the first line was being announced. I was almost in tears when I heard his name boom throughout the arena: “FIRST LINE – CENTER - #24 EDDIE MATSUSHIMA”
Every day we are face with a choice: wake up and chase after our dreams or to continue to sleep. Hard work is a choice. Success is no accident. It is a work ethic consisting of hard work, perseverance, learning, and sacrifice, and most of all love of what you are doing. Working hard becomes a habit. You get self-satisfaction from pushing yourself to the limit.
What are you going to choose today?
Sending all my love,
xo
Metabolism Boosters
Wondering how you can help manage your weight and increase your energy?
Your metabolism is usually fairly stable; however, there are several things YOU can do to help rev it up. Easy ways to help increase your metabolism include: drinking plenty of water, building muscle mass, green tea, interval training, and getting a good night’s sleep. Increasing your metabolism can help you burn more calories. It can help you lose weight and keep it off. Having a higher metabolism can also give you more energy and make you feel better.
Making little lifestyle changes and incorporating these tips into your daily routine can help you manage your weight and give you the energy you’ve been lacking!
XO
I AM ENOUGH
There is nothing to prove and no one to prove it to. Life is like the ocean, constantly flowing. Happiness comes in waves. Some days may have large swells and others are cool and calm. No matter what life goes on, the waves will keep crashing the shore. It is okay to feel negative emotion. It is okay to cry. That doesn’t make you weak – it makes you human. A bad day can be just that. One bad day, not a bad life. Tomorrow is a new day. A fresh start. Beautiful, don’t dwell on the past. Learn from your mistakes and continue to grow into your future. Nobody is perfect. Pick yourself. Go out and be great! Choose happiness. Choose love. You always have a choice. Make success happen today.
I am slowly learning that life is made up of good and bad. Life cannot exist without one or the other. There is a homeostatic balance to uphold. I am learning mistakes make us human. I am learning failures help us to grow. I am falling in love with the path of deep healing; taking care of myself. I am enough, I always have been enough, and I always will be enough.
Love you always,
XO
Let Your Inner Lion Roar: The Path to Finding Your Strength
We all set out on this wild journey in hopes to make something of ourselves and figure out our shit along the way. Unfortunately, there is no handbook or guide to life, just a lot of trial and error. Strength grows in moments when we think we cannot go anything further and make a choice to do so anyways.
As young adults, the expectation is to overcome obstacles thrown in our direction. At twenty-two years old that is a lot of pressure weighing on one’s shoulders - (At any age for that matter). Finding your strength is not an easy task. You have to find it; learn to harness it. Being strong is a mental practice. It is making commitments; stop feeling sorry for yourself. Embrace change with open arms. Change is one of the scariest things of all, but forces us to grow. Strength is about learning, don’t waste energy on the things that cannot be controlled. There is only one thing on this earth that we can control – our own thoughts. Be willing to take control and allow yourself to feel everything. You are entitled to your emotions. Practice celebrating other people’s success rather than waste precious time on resentment.
I saw many dark days after I graduated college in December, 2017. I had a whirlwind of a time following. I lived in Missouri for a year and worked just to survive. I had no idea what I wanted out of life. I am writing this post from my bedroom in my parent’s home in Wisconsin. After I graduated college, I lost myself. My soul focus was on the next step and how to become successful; I drowned myself in work. Society helped me create a blueprint of what my life at twenty-two should look. I felt the pressures to lead a happy life and have my shit together, but in reality, I was spiraling out of control. What life has taught me thus far is there are no rules and there are no boundaries; except the ones we put on ourselves. We create our own blueprints for our own lives. It is okay to fail. Failure breeds success. If you are going to fail, fail forward. I had to overcome many obstacles to get to where I am today. Yes, I am presently living at my parent’s house; however, I am in the midst’s of launching my online business. Through the hard times, I had to dig deep within myself. I had to tell myself to keep going even when all I wanted to do was lay in bed. I found my strength and continue to practice it every day.
Strength comes to us in a single moment. When we decide to keep going. I found my strength and I hope you find yours too. XO
Rice & Bean Bowl
Ingredients:
➢ 1 Can Organic Garbanzo Beans
➢ 1 Can Organic Kidney Beans
➢ ½ Cup Uncooked Wild Rice
➢ ½ Cup Uncooked Lentils
➢ 3-6 (large) Baby Bella Mushrooms
➢ 3-6 Cherry Tomatoes
➢ ½ Cup Chopped Spinach
➢ ½-1 Stalk Green Onion
➢ 4 Tablespoons Hemp Seeds
➢ Use as desired ;) Sriracha
➢ ½ Tbsp Sea Salt & Pepper & Red pepper Flakes
➢ 1 Large Sprinkle of Love <3
How to Make:
1. Prepare the rice to be cooked on the stovetop. Rinse the rice in a strainer in the sink under cold running water. Place the rice in medium saucepan & add about 4 cups of water along with a pinch of salt/pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, then simmer & cover pan. Simmer for about 45 mins. Check the rice. It should be chewy and some of the grains will have burst open. (it may need an extra 10 mins or so) Keep checking the rice & stop when the grains are tender.
2. Cook raw lentils. For every 1 cup of lentils, add 3 cups of water or broth. Cook on med-hi heat for about 15-20 minutes.
3. While the lentils are cooking, Chop up the mushrooms, green onion, & tomatoes. Add spinach and Sauté in a saucepan on medium heat.
4. Strain & rinse beans. Heat in large pot on low-med heat.
5. In large bowl: combine rice, beans & lentils, and sautéed veggies.
6. On top, add 1-3 tbsp. of Organic hemp seeds & Sriracha to taste.
7. Sprinkle some Love <3 & ENJOY!!!