My Mom Called Me at 3:30 A.M. And Guess What...???

I've been trying to read my finance class text book since 9 pm so what I'm saying right now might not make sense. Sorry about that if my English is very poor. Anyway, I just wanted to share a short story of "Finally My Mom Knew about It"

If you have read my blogs you would have a good idea of what my situation is. So if you haven't, please go b ack and read it. I can promise you it will be interesting! :)

I got a phone call from my mom who is in Korea at 3:30 A.M. My mom should know better it's 3:30 AM in Texas so I figured something happened because my mom NEVER calls me at 3:30 AM unless it's an emergency situation. Of course I missed it because I was sleeping and I kinda guessed why my mom called me and I was thinking.... "oh crap"

(FYI. I have a brother who is three years younger than me and he just started working out and even hired a personal trainer.)

If you are guessing right now, your guess will be probably right. My called me again and she started:

Mom: "So, what have you been doing?."
Me: "Umm.. what??"
Mom: "Well, your brother told me 'Mom, Minsoo has better body than I do.' So I was like what are you talking about? then your brother said 'Ok. Mom. Come here. I will show you'"
Me: "Ah, that pictures? Mom, I had a competition and I WON. I forgot to tell you. Did you like my pictures? I look hot. Right?"

I tried to make the conversation as normal as possible because I knew she would be mad at me.

Mom: "So what is it? Are you still studying or just working out everyday?"
Me: "Mom, that's what I do when I have free time. I went to Chile and still working at the Rec. I made two B's over the summer. You know me. I always take care of myself."
Mom: "I was freaked out when I saw your pictures, but looks like you put some hard work there."
Me: "Well, mom. It's all genetic. you know. I didn't even work hard to have it" -Yes, I lied.. You know I worked out three times a day-
Mom: "No, it's not true. How could you have body like that with out training? Your hard work paid off. You looked amazing. I'm so proud of you."

What? Is it really? I couldn't believe what I just heard. "I'm so proud of you!" You can't imagine how much I was excited because I've always thought that my mom would be so against of what I'm doing. Not like what I expected, she even asked me to write down what I've been eating.

Mom: "Make sure to write down everything what you ate, so I can make them for your brother and your dad."

Wow, isn't it crazy? My mom actually thinks that what I do is AMAZING!!! And she even asks me some tips of my diets. Mom, they are all what you cook for me while I was growing up. :)

Sometimes what you think is wrong. Maybe you thought that your parents would never understand you. But guess what? They were some point at your age and think like you are. The key was communication. If I told her what my vision was and why I'm doing this, she would probably understand me and even support me. I don't think my mom told my dad because he is even more stick than my mom, but it's ok. He will be very proud of me soon too!

The main thing that I learned since I've left home for six years is to be appreciate what I have. I've learned that how much my family was meant to me. My brother or my sister may not miss me or they may not know how much I am important to them now, but because I know it I always say "I love you" to them whenever I can. How about you? Do you say enough "I love you" to people who you love? Or you think that they are annoyed because you see them everyday. You need to show it otherwise they wouldn't know and you will regret later . Say you love them today. Don't wait until tomorrow. Today might be your last chance to say it. I love my family so much and having them makes me smile even though they are thousands miles away from me.

"Minsoo To Vegas" Sponsorship Letter

Dear Whom May It Concern,


My name is Minsoo, and I was born and grown up in Seoul, South Korea. In the summer of 2005, I came to the United States to learn English. After 6 months of learning English, I decided to get my B.A in Public Relations at the University of Texas at Arlington. While I was studying at UTA, I became involved with fitness and started working out. The concept of fitness is still not common in Korea and many of Asian countries. Many young women think that being skinny is the most important thing and they care more about how they look than being healthy or being well. I thought I was fat and I never wore shorts or skirts in Korea because the natural muscle in my legs was considered fat and unattractive.

Since living in the U.S. fitness has changed my life quite a bit. One day, I realized why I came to the U.S. and how I could live all alone for six years away from my family and friends. God gives everyone a gift. I’ve always wondered what my gifts are. I believe my physique, courage, confidence, persistence, and strong will power are my gifts that I have found so far. I want to share my personal story with others and impact their lives. Becoming a fitness model will allow me to further my education and become a role model to the Asian community as well as college aged individuals internationally. This journey has been difficult both mentally and physically, but I am slowly working towards reaching my ultimate goal to spread fitness to the world. Currently, I am pursuing Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and working as a graduate assistant for Fitness and Wellness at Texas State University while trying to attain my own personal fitness goals at the same time.

On July 10th, 2010, I competed in my first show, the NPC 2010 Branch Warren Classic and I placed 4th in Bikini Class A. On August 7th, 2010, I gained Bikini Overall Champion at the NPC Capital of Texas Roundup. I started training in past April 2010. Four months later, I reached my first goal, to be the overall champion. Although I am qualified to compete at the National level, I can’t enter the competition because it is only open to the U.S. Citizens. I’ve found another opportunity to compete with a different organization called Fitness Universe, an international level fitness competition. My next step will be to compete this November in Las Vegas for the fitness model division. I can promise that I will work my hardest to take home the winning title of the competition. I believe I can make it happen. My goals in competing are to gain exposure and to become a widely-known fitness model /inspirational speaker, as well as being a positive role model for everyone.

However, I will not be able to compete until I can afford the competition. I am a graduate assistant and student who only receives a monthly stipend. The entry fee for the competition is $180. This fee does not include transportation, accommodations, suits, make-up/hair, meals or hotel costs. I’m not a professional model but modeling comes natural to me. I will not ask that you give a specific amount of financial support, but any amount of contribution or other related support would be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to setting up a meeting to further discuss our partnership. Please feel free to contact me at iyor2514@yahoo.com. if you need more information. Thank you in advance for your consideration and support.

Sincerely,



Minsoo Go
NPC 2010 Capital of Texas Roundup – Bikini Overall Champion
Graduate Assistant – Fitness & Wellness
Department of Campus Recreation
Master of Business Administration
Texas State University

My Second Competition - 2010 NPC Capital of Texas RounUp

Last Saturday, August 7th, 2010 I had my second competition in Austin, TX. It was National Qualifier. From the last competition, July 10th, I knew I had to work more on my posing, I focused on posing and I still worked out constantly for four weeks. Hard work paid off, I gained Bikini Overall Champion at the end of the show. Of course, I was very excited :) It was amazing meeting people who love being fit as much as I do. I got some good networks and learned more about the body building. It was a baby step for me to reach my goal to be a world-wide famous fitness model. Many of my friends ask me what's next?

I will be competing at the Fitness Universe in November. It's in Las Vegas and it's an international show. I'm pretty excited to see competitors from Korea as well. My plan is to be the Ms. Fitness Model Universe from the show. Can I? I think so. Everyone gets presents from God and mines are: courage, my physique, confidence, persistence, and strong will power. I'm sure there are more, but those are what I've found over the past years. God brought me here to the United States and let me know about fitness. He gave me so many opportunities to lead me where I am now. It was obvious, so I'm not going to resist it. It may sound crazy for some people, but that's how I feel about fitness. Sometimes this journey has been difficult both mentally and physically, but I am slowly working towards reaching my ultimate goal; to spread fitness to the world.

Apparently my family do not know about me competing and actually I know that my parents won't be happy with what I'm doing right now. They are pretty conservative and they think that wearing bikinis in front of public is not appropriate. I wish I could get support from my family like many others do, but it's ok. They will understand me later when I become a famous fitness model who is inspiring others to live healthy life style. :)

Until then, I will eat, sleep, and breath for fitness!

Head Standing - Ashtanga Yoga

•Step 1

Kneel on a mat, lacing your fingers together to create a semicircle with your palms, set your forearms on the floor, shoulder width apart

•Step 2

Draw your shoulders back to open your chest and feel strong through the arms. Exhaling, lengthen through the back of your neck and extend the back of your head into your palms, cupping your head. Lightly pressing your head on the mat, lift your shoulders up and away from your ears. Using your toes to raise your hips, begin to shift your weight evenly onto your forearms and clasped hands to form a base for your headstand.

•Step 3

Walk your feet in towards your face, lifting your hips, draw them directly over your shoulders. Next, press down through your arms and slide your shoulder blades up to release any tension in your neck, simultaneously aligning your pelvis with your shoulders.

•Step 4

Keeping your toes on the floor, sway your hips back. Inhaling, draw your kneecaps and thigh muscles up, floating your feet up off the floor. Transferring most of your weight to your arms and a little to your head, lift your legs to form a right angle.

•Step 5

Continuing to inhale, raise your legs together, stretching them upwards into a full headstand. While in the full headstand, look at your nose while focusing on the even support of the forearms. Beginners can opt to ease into the pose by bringing your feet up one at a time, gradually working towards bringing them up together.

•Step 6

Come down from the headstand. Lift your pelvis and lower your feet to the floor. Next, bend your knees and sit on your heels, rest your head on the floor and bring your arms back. Drop your elbows and rest in this position for at least two minutes. Inhaling, place your hands underneath your shoulder and lift your head and chest, slowly roll up into a standing position.

Sourses:eHow.com

Benefits Of Head Stand (Salamba Sirshasana)

• The Head Stand helps relieve stress and mild depression by calming the brain
• It stimulates the pituitary and pineal glands\
• The head stand also strengthens the arms, legs, chest, abdomen and spine
• It helps to tone up the abdominal organs and improve digestion
• The Head Stand helps alleviate symptoms of menopause
• It is also very beneficial for asthmatics, insomniacs, and those suffering from sinusitis
• Moreover, you relax all your muscles and build up power, structure, strength, and stability in your neck, upper back and arms.

Contraindications:

• The Head Stand should be avoided by people suffering from headaches, heart condition, low and high blood pressure, neck and back injury and during menstruation
• Pregnant women can continue to practice it late into pregnancy only if they are experienced and comfortable with pose. Never, ever start practicing Sirshasana after getting pregnant.

Caution:

• Sirshasana is an advanced pose that should never be done without adequate prior experience or without the guidance of a trained and experienced tutor.

Sources:yogawiz.com

My First Competition - NPC Branch Warren 2010 July 10th

How Did I Prepare for the Competition?

WEEK 1 (April 19th-April 25th) - That's when I started working out for the competition. I didn't have a trainer and didn't really know what I should do, but I  knew about my body. I know what I like and what works for me. I started with total body weight training. Basically I spent about one hour and thirty min to work on total body. However, I didn't change any of my diet. I believe that what I eat is already healthy and clean- which is Korean food :)  I still did cardio not everyday, but often. I taught Cycle&Abs class every Thursday morning and went to yoga class two or three times a week. After one week of total body training, one of our awesome trainers, Dave told me I should separate my work out: upper and lower body.

WEEK 2 (April 26th-May 2nd) - Started lower/upper workout. One day I did lower body work out and then next day I did upper body. I still went to yoga and did cardio. Not everyday because I was busy with school and work but tried to do it every other day.

WEEK 3,4 (May 3rd-May 16th) - I checked my body fat % and it was 16.5%. I still did the same work out upper and lower and added cardio everyday with abs. Still my diet was the same like my normal diet.

WEEK 5,6, (May 17th-May 29th) - I forgot who that was but one of our trainers told me I should separate my work out. So I did two body part training. Ex. Shoulders and triceps; back and biceps; chest and shoulders, legs. Started about 40-50 min of morning cardio everyday. I knew what my weakness: shoulders and arms. So I did twice a week of shoulders and arms work out. My body fat was 15 %.

WEEK 7,8 (May 30st-June 10th) - Hardcore work out. I tried to do cardio twice a day. Morning and evening. Afternoon weight training. It was hard because I still had to work 10-5pm and had two summer classes. My diet? I had to say good-bye my favorite chocolate Ferraro Roche!! It was pretty big deal for me. And I tried super hard not to drink. Which means I still drank little bit... which is not allowed for those who compete. Body fat was 11.4% with 118 lbs.

WEEK 9,10 (June 11th-June23rd) - I went to Chile for almost two weeks and it was very harsh on my training because I couldn't eat right and couldn't work out regularly either. I had to try to eat whatever I could find and I still did cardio every morning while I was in Chile. I feel bad to tell you this but I cheated  A LOT while I was in Chile. I ate ice cream and sandwich burger, and drank pisco sour and wine!!

WEEK 11,12 (June 24th) - Came back to the states and Crystal, one of my friends who also compete for figure, told me if I have a trainer and posing coach. Of course I didn't. She highly recommend me to have a trainer/posing coach so I did. I met with my trainer once a week and I followed his work out plan which is basically focus on one body part: legs, shoulder and arms, back, and chest. I also watched YouTube to learn more about bikini posing. I only thing that I changed for my diet was breakfast. I usually ate cereal in the morning but I changed to one grape fruit and 3 white eggs. It was good because I liked them ALOT!! Worked out three times a day. Morning cardio, afternoon weight training, and short evening cardio. July 8th my body fat was 10.3% with 118 lbs.

July 10th - My first competition and I got 4th in my class Bikini A. I was very nervous when we did pre-judging, but I had so much fun doing it. After the competition, I got the critique and the judge said I need to work on my presentation part. I have three weeks to work on for my next show in August 7th in Austin. I'm still doing the same workout and cardio. I know what I expect now and I will be so much better. You are all invited to come support me!!!

Forgot to mention it. After the competition, I and couple of my awesome friends who helped me out with the competition went to Chewy(?) Mexican restaurant and I also ate my favorite ice cream Blue Bell Mint Chocolate Ice Cream on Sunday! It was HEAVEN!!!

Minsoo's Behind the Story

How I Got into Fitness:
I never knew about fitness when I was in Korea. I started with jazz dance after I graduated from high school. After two years of dancing, I wanted to be a dancer, but I decided to come to the states to learn English instead.
After three months staying at the dorm, I gained 20 lbs. Holly cow!! It was crazy so I started going to the gym and working out. I started going to the group exercise classes and after my first semester at UTA, I became a group exercise instructor. That was the beginning of me meeting with Fitness. I did not know anything about fitness before, but as I started the job, I learned more about fitness and started falling in love with it.
Like I mentioned before, many Koreans do not know about being fit. Girls want to be skinny and do not want to gain any muscle on their body. Because I was exposed and now I know how fitness is important for us, I want to educate them. I want to change the culture that girls starve themselves and being skinny. I set my goal: Let them know that being fit and healthy is important. But how?

Why I Competing:
Changing the mind set or culture is not easy. Nobody won't listen to me what I say unless I am the "important person" whom people would pay attention what I say. So I guess I have to be famous then. Right? That's when I decided that I wanted to be a fitness model. If I do, people would at least pay attention what I say. However, to be a model is not easy. I have to sell my self and you know there are so many dirty little secret in those industries..

How I Started Competing:
When I realized that to be a model is super hard, some of my friends told me about the bodybuilding competition. I've never thought that I would be the type to go into bodybuilding, but I found that there was Bikini division and I started thinking about doing it. It was April 19th, 2010.

I will talk more about my training and my first competition at the next post. Thanks for reading my story!

My First Competition

NPC Branch Warren 2010