Soheefit: Miscellaneous Musings Of The Month: November 2012 Edition

Oh hey. How do you like my new ‘do? A web design update is something I’ve had in mind for a while, so I’m excited it’s finally come to fruition. I met up with a fellow Stanford alum two Fridays ago at a coffee shop in SoHo when I drove down to NYC to visit family for the weekend. What initially started out as a hey-we’re-both-from-Stanford-interested-in-health-and-fitness-let’s-chat! turned into busy banter about the direction I wanted to go in for my business, my thoughts on re-branding, and what I could do to make everything even better. Before I knew it, we’d agreed to meet again the next day. A few clicks here, a transfer from over there, a moment of holy-crap-I-just-deleted-my-entire-blog (umm… whoops?), and 5 hours later, SoheeFit was born. Ta-da! This has exactly what I’ve been wanting: tons of white space, less clutter, a black/grey/burgundy/white color theme, and overall a mobile- and user-friendly format. It’s actually not quite done yet, but I’m pleased with where it’s at for now. I hope you likey.

New Facebook fan page is up and running. On a similar note, I’ve created a new fan page as part of my re-branding efforts. A part of me is kind of sad that I have to move away from my old one just after I hit 1,000 Likes (woohoo! mini milestone!), but at the same time, my goal here is not to win some popularity contest. come join me!

My second article is up on Bodybuilding.com. This one actually slipped under my radar and went live last Friday without my even noticing. As many of you know are aware, one female writer took to explaining in a new york times piece why women can’t do pull-ups. To be honest, it kind of (read: seriously) made me roll my eyes, because I know that bullsh!t like this spreads like wildfire and it becomes virtually impossible to put the fire out. Once an ostensibly legitimate, highly-respected “authority figure” claims such and such to be true, it’s like Pandora’s Box has been opened. Thanks, you guys, for making our jobs to dispel fitness myths that much more frustrating. There’s really nothing else we’d rather be doing than continuing to attempt to convince the general public that skipping breakfast won’t kill and lifting heavy weights won’t make chicks massive.

Band-assisted pullups: working your way up to the real thing.

But that’s the besides the point. The point is that i whipped together a piece on the pull-up and how to pop your pull-up cherry. Ladies, this is for you! Hoorah!

The whole IF-is-bad-for-women hoopla and my thoughts on it. You may or may not be aware of a few pieces floating around the Internet about how intermittent fasting is inappropriate for women (you know, likehere, and there are some more interesting thoughts here). Some have asked me what my thoughts are on that, given that I am 1) a female (last time I checked anyway) who 2) has been intermittent fasting for over a year. I know there are studies out there that have found gender-based physiological discrepancies with this eating practice (eg. decreased insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose tolerance, irregular menstrual cycles). I’ve read about many women having terrible experiences with restricting their feeding windows in this manner. So have I changed my stance on recommending IF for everyone? Ah-ha, therein lies the incorrect assumption. Never did I endorse intermittent fasting as the appropriate eating method for everyone. In fact, I will be very clear that I say that intermittent fasting is not suited for most individuals, both men and women alike. There may even be some of you who think that I shouldn’t be intermittent fasting – and that’s perfectly okay. Personally, I’ve never experienced any of the negative symptoms that others have reported. I feel better, more alert, and I’ve had no issues with eating (nor has my eating disorder resurfaced in the slightest, as I did with the frequent meals). I’m able to relax more and not obsess about food; I can’t tell you how liberating that is for me. But that’s n=1, and I can’t in any way, shape, or form guarantee that your experience will be the same. In short, try it out if you’re curious, but understand that you need to listen to your body and be kind to it. If you’re fighting an uphill battle to stay on the IF wagon, I say go ahead and jump off the damn thing.

Ollie is almost here! For the love of all things health and fitness, can we just not talk about protein for once? Oh wait, what? That’s all I do? That couldn’t be further from the truth. If your life is controlled by fitness and fitness only, then there’s a problem. Fitness is a big part of me, yes, but I spend lots of time on other aspects of my life as well (relationships, for one). With that said, I don’t do much to hide the fact that I’m obsessed with puppies – black pugs in particular. Well, what with my living out in Connecticut all alone, my boyfriend (he’s the best, by the way) decided it would only be appropriate that I bring home a furry little companion. Readers, meet Ollie. I’ll be picking him up in 17 days.

Hi Ollie. You’re the cutest.

Online consulting services are back up and running. You heard it here first. I updated my Consultations page the other day but wanted to wait to make an official announcement. I did some consulting earlier in the year but had to continue due to a number of reasons, but it’s coming back – newer and better! I’ve used a lot of my off time to read, learn, and revamp my entire approach to online training and nutrition. I refuse to be just another trainer who shells out a program and merrily sends you off on your way, blowing you kisses as you walk down the road alone. Maybe if I cross my fingers and click my red heels together, then the fat will fall off of you? Umm….That. Shit. Don’t. Work. There’s so much more to a successful fitness transformation than simply knowing what to do. In fact, I’d argue that much of the time, it’s not that individuals don’t have the knowledge; rather, they struggle with the consistent application of behaviors that bring them closer to their goals.

To re-iterate what’s on my consultations page, all you have to do for a chance to work with me is the following:

1. Zip me an e-mail at sohee(at)soheefit(dot)com with the subject line, “Online Consulting – LET ME IN!” and provide your name, age, height, weight, and #1 fitness goal. Here’s an example:

Name: John Smith
Age: 31
Height: 5’6″
Weight: 180lbs
#1 Fitness Goal: Be able to look down and see my man bits again.

2. Subscribe to my newsletter (on the right!) for a discounted rate. Whoop!

The deadline to get on the list is December 10th. Don’t wait!

 It’s gonna be a fun time.

________________

 About Sohee Lee

Hi there and welcome – I’m so excited you’ve made it here! My name is Sohee Lee and I’m a formerly California-, now NYC-based fitness buff. I recently graduated in June of 2012 with a BA in Human Biology (concentration in Psychosocial and Biological Determinants of Health) from Stanford University. I’m also a nationally qualified NPC bikini competitor (though my opinion on competing at this point is pretty mehh) and am currently studying to become a Precision Nutrition certified nutritionist and obtain my NSCA-CSCS.

If you don’t feel like reading everything below (which I completely understand – I mean sometimes I don’t shut up), then here’s a bullet-point version of me in a nutshell:

• eating disorder for 8 years, discovered weightlifting and fell in love
• shipped off to Stanford thinking I would study sports medicine, but discovered that fitness was my true calling
• graduated in June 2012 and spent the summer interning at Cressey Performance, the nation’s elite baseball training facility
• currently working in Connecticut as a strength coach
• also an online training and nutrition consultant and a contributing writer to Bodybuilding.com (woohoooooo!!)

How I Got Into Fitness

I’ve been physically active my entire life, starting with swimming at the age of 2. I’ve since participated in gymnastics, tap dancing (yeah, really), cheerleading, baseball, track, soccer, swimming, and cross country. I was an endurance athlete and, at one point, dipped into some dangerous territories. Read more about my battle with my eating disorder here and how I climbed my way out of the abyss.

My Take on Training

I believe in prioritizing the compound movements and saving the accessory movements for later, if at all. I believe in lifting heavy, regardless of whether you’re leaning out or trying to build mass. I believe that training should complement your diet, not compensate for your crappy nutrition. I believe that pink dumbbells should be used for rehab purposes only (ladies, I’m looking at you), and that nothing is quite more badass and sexy than a man or woman who can dominate in the weight room.

My Take on Nutrition

Hearing the following statements make me cringe:

• Too much protein will damage your kidneys.
• Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you skip it, you. Will. Die.
• Small, frequent feedings keep your metabolism up and everybody should eat this way.
• Not eating for more than 4 hours at a time will cause your muscles to atrophy.
• You should never, never eat junk food lest the calories race straight to your hips, ass, and face. And stay there forever.
• You can say goodbye to alcohol.

Why I Created This Site

I made this site for you, dear reader. For years, I’ve spent every minute of my free time absorbing everything I could about fitness. I’ve worked with a number of trainers, learned what worked and what didn’t, and stumbled through many roadblocks to get to where I am now. Also, I like to write, and I want to share my stories with you. I have many.

I’m a lover of all things psychology (hence my academic area of focus); I’m intrigued by everything that makes us who we are as humans. Social relationships, the psychology behind our decisions… they all play into making us unique individuals.

When it comes down to it, fitness in and of itself is not what I’m passionate about; it’s you and what’s inside that noggin of yours. It’s what exists between me and you – this thing called a connection. A bond. I get such a high off of nurturing something so intangible and watching as we help each other in some way. How can you help me? You can start by helping me help you. Ask me questions, prod my brain, contact me! I’m here to make your life better. Whether that’s by providing you with a thought-provoking or entertaining blog post in the morning as you sip your heavenly java or by working with you as your training and nutrition consultant to transform your physique, I’m here, and I’m ready.