Vibram FiveFingers

My favorite purchase this summer??? My Vibram FiveFingers!  I found these up north while shopping in Nisswa!  These are a great choice if you are interested in the “barefoot” experience!

I LOVE training in these! I use them for cardio as well as weight training, and I am hooked!

Why wear a cast on your foot when fitness training? Wearing FiveFingers during strength and fitness conditioning can increase your comfort, balance, performance and overall sense of control. That’s because many of the poses and exercises you perform during strength and fitness training rely on flexible yet stable support from your feet and legs.

FiveFingers footwear not only provide a sure-footed grip to enhance torque during power moves, it’s ultrathin sole enhances feedback and lowers your center of gravity to improve balance and agility. FiveFingers will allow your foot to move naturally, flexing easily with every move you make. Its five individual toe slots lets your toes to separate gently, allowing you to use them as your natural stabilizers and providing unrivaled balance and increased muscle stimulation to your feet, ankles, and lower legs.

Whether you are cardio training, lifting weights, or powering through a CrossFit routine, FiveFingers will help you get the most out of your workout and your body.

5 Reasons to Wear or Train in Vibram FiveFingers:

1. Strengthens Muscles in the Feet and Lower Legs – wearing FiveFingers will stimulate and strengthen muscles in the feet and lower legs, improving general foot health and reducing the risk of injury.

2. Improves Range of Motion in Ankles, Feet and Toes – no longer ‘cast’ in a shoe, the foot and toes move more naturally.

3. Stimulates Neural Function Important to Balance and Agility – when wearing Vibram FiveFingers, thousands of neurological receptors in the feet send valuable information to the brain, improving balance and agility.

4. Eliminates Heel Lift to Align the Spine and Improve Posture – By lowering the heel, our bodyweight becomes evenly distributed across the footbed, promoting proper posture and spine alignment.

5. Allows the Foot and Body to Move Naturally, Which Just FEELS GOOD.

Learn more at http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Tara

New Goals

~ Hello there!  After a great 2010 competition season, I have done quite a bit of thinking on what is next for me.  I really liked the bikini division despite my preconceived notions about it.  I really think that I have a better “look” for bikini.  I also feel like I would like to go back to the NPC to compete in bikini there. I will be waiting until next year to compete again, as I have some work to do in my off season to bring my physique to where I want it.  I am working hard at Explosive Edge Athletics with my trainer, Shawn Myzska, to bring my best physique yet to the stage next season.

I am getting married to the most wonderful man ever, Ben,in May of next year. I won’t be competing until after my wedding.  I am in the midst of wedding planning right now, bridesmaids dresses, flowers, cake, food, etc…. I do have my dress picked out and it is AMAZING! I can’t wait to celebrate our love, friendship and marriage, and look forward to creating many memories together!

So, I will be looking for my qualification for Nationals next year. I want to gain my PRO status in bikini. I am ready to put my nose to the grindstone and focus on what I need to do to get there.  Stay tuned for more info!

Tara

Spectacular Suit for Sale!

Hello! Are you looking for your next figure or bikini suit?  I am selling my beautiful purple suit made by the one and only Tamee Marie!!!! I have been competing for 5 years, and this is by far my FAVORITE suit of all time!  Tamee and I worked on designing this suit and it is made for me! I am 5′8 and 135 lbs at contest weight.  The straps convert from an “x” in the back for figure, to straight across for bikini!  So it can be worn for both divisions. The fabric is a holographic purple and is STUNNING on stage! It is stoned with a beautiful pattern in pink, blue, green, and crystal ab Swarovski crystals.

The suit is in excellent condition, and has been worn three times by me.  I cannot even tell you how many compliments I received on this suit! From competitors, judges, spectators, everyone! I am sad that I need to find a new suit for next year, but take advantage of this opportunity!!! I am asking $550.00 for the suit, which includes shipping in the US.  I accept either money order, or check as payment.

Please contact me at tara@taraathatcher.com if interested! I have additional photos upon request.

Tara

Food. What kind of relationship do you have?

Everyone has a different relationship with food.  Some of us only eat things that taste good to us, and give in to every craving we have for some specific food.  Some of us reward ourselves with our favorite treat a little too often.  And others hide food so no one will see them eat it.  Why is our relationship with food like this?  Often times it has to do with what our childhood was like. What is your relationship like with food?

I was blessed with a mother and father that always made whole, healthy meals. We had vegetables, rice or potato, and protein at our meals. We did not eat fast food more than once a month. We didn’t have pop or soda at home except for on special occasions. We didn’t eat out very much, and when we did, it was really special, because we did get to have 1 soda, and maybe dessert as well!

As an athlete in middle school and high school, I was always trying to eat the best foods to stay in good shape, and relied on my coaches and parents to help me make better food choices. I remember my dad ordering “Shaq” bars from Amway when I was in high school, and putting them in my bag before swimming and track meets. I didn’t know very much about nutrition, but I wanted to fuel my body with the best food that I could.

After high school, everything changed.  My girlfriends and I seemed to think that we should be the tiniest size that we possibly could. Mind you, I have been 5′8 since the seventh grade, and was all of 125 lbs coming out of high school.   We did silly, and sometimes dangerous things to try and be skinny.  I remember a diet of twizzlers, diet Coke, and Metabolife ( when it had ephedra in it), and thinking that was a great way to stay small!!!! What was I thinking???? And why was it so important to us?  Society fed us skinny models as a role models, and emaciated cover girls for us to “look up to” and “aspire to be like” . Well, being light headed and barely functioning is NOT a great way to live, not to mention malnourishing your body . I looked sick and felt sick.

When I joined the Marine Corps, it changed again.  In boot camp, you eat when they tell you to eat, and man, are you hungry!  You get to sit down for 5-10 minutes 3 times a day for a meal in the chow hall. And when you are out in the field, you get MRE’s ( Meal Ready to Eat).  Which is a calorie laden, package of processed food.   When you are always engaged in some form of physical activity, you can consume quite a few calories.  We weren’t allowed any soda, and if they could make something with turkey or chicken instead of beef, they did. I developed quite an appetite, and it followed me! To the tune of about 160 lbs, where my clothes didn’t fit anymore, and I had a few extra chins! Seriously, it was NOT good.

When I started lifting weights with a few of the other Marines, I got some diet advice as well. Eat every 2-3 hours, eating at least a gram of protein for every pound of body weight.  Eating complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potato.  I started to clean up my diet, added weight training and cardio on a regular basis.  It didn’t come off all at once, or right away, it gradually came off.  Which is the right way to go about losing weight!

When I decided to compete in figure, my diet changed a bit again. Now it was weighted out, prepared in advance, eaten before and after workouts. I started carrying a cooler with me EVERYWHERE, and always being prepared.  I have lived like this for 6 years now, and I LOVE it!  I have developed a good relationship with food, and I continue to cook and experiment with new recipes and different seasonings on a daily basis.

Food to me is fuel.  If you put low quality, cheap “fuel” into your body irregularly, it doesn’t run to the best of it’s ability.  It doesn’t know where or when the next meal will come from, and it is kind of chaotic.  If you put high quality foods into your body  every 2-3 hours, eating unprocessed, whole foods, your body will function at it’s peak.  What kind of fuel are you running on???

Tara