April Fail(s)

YO!

This month. I promise you I was horrendous in everything. See what had happened was…well I just reduced everything: my workouts, my healthy eating, my water — everything. Recently, my coworkers saw my video from last summer, they said, your legs were bigger then, I’m like nahhh. NAH my legs are DEFINITELY bigger now, I’m not walking around in little booty shorts. But then I started looking at myself and yea, I’m still fit, very fit, but something is different. My diet has suffered, although it is better than the average American it was things that I know I shouldn’t have been eating.  I ran a few days, my running workout  includes a mile warmup, hills, stairs, lunges, a variation of that. I didn’t really workout at home and that was the difference.

So here it is April 29th and I’m like oh my gosh. I have totally fallen off the “I’m fit and healthy and the bomb” bandwagon.  It really gets me upset. lol IT’S NOT FUNNY! Last night I decided to hop back on it and pump it up for the next month..really go hard, then go back to my maintenance phase in mid-June. Don’t forget I have this CrossFit living social deal that I have to use in the next few months ..so that’s really exciting.

Here’s what I am going to do for the month of May (including April 29-30th)

1. One Day a week of Leg work  with a little ab work
2. One Arm/Upper Body day with a little ab work
3. One plyometric day (this will be high intensity)
4. One day of running and/or pure other cardio
5. Two total body workout days : upper/lower back, glutes/hammys/quads. triceps/biceps, all other muscles (moderate-high intensity)

So I’ll switch this up on a weekly basis. My workouts are MAX 45 mins. usually 30 minutes. I don’t like sweating when I’m at home working out, but I’m guess I’ll get over that because I really have to pump everything up.

As for my diet:

1. sip sip sip siiip my water
2. Start making dishes from my detox to eat regularly
3. Make a smoothie 2 times a week
4. CUT OUT STARBUCKS! < i am beside myself and this little lattes are so frickin expensive + full of sugar & dairy.
5. More veggies in general .
6. Cut the sweets at work (they bring in donuts, muffins etc) I have to say no.

I’ve been knocking down other goals, but I need to remember to do what I’m telling my clients to do. I can’t slack up, a week off is cool, but what happened in the last 4 weeks needs to never happen again.

So that’s where I’m at right now, at this very moment. I worked out this morning, I packed my lunch and prepped for the week. I’m back on it. In mid/late June maybe I’ll post a few photos of how I’m looking.
I guess I owe my coworkers a thanks for pointing that out, they were just making a statement, here I am freaking out.

You ever slipped up? How did that work out for you? Get back on track or say..forget it?

Get There.
✗♥O

“Yes You Have Time For This” Quick Exercise Routine.

• Jumping jacks- 40
• Pulsing (up and down) Lunges: 16-20 per leg
• Push-ups: 15-20
• Wall Sits-one Minute-90 Secs
• Plank: 45 secs-80 secs
• Bicycle crunches no arms: 45 secs- one minute

Do two to three sets.

Stretch in the beginning. Stretch at the end.

Eat Nutritiously. Drink Water. Feel Great. Enjoy life.

Get There. The Tenth Muse

Dirty Thirty Thursday

Any Questions yall?

Get There!
✗♥O

 

Saturday’s Suggestion: Add Calisthenics

I never realized how important calisthenics were. I never realized how often I incorporate them into my fitness routines for myself and my clients. I never realized how often I suggest to do calisthenics. Well that’s because I never knew the definition of calisthenics.

Calisthenics- Exercises usually done without equipment, often simple yet rhythmical used to increase body strength and flexibility. Body weight is the “resistance”

Let me throw out some of these calisthenic exercises:

• Lunges (my fav ♥)
• Dips (I am not a fan)
• Sit ups/ Push Ups/ Chin Ups/Pull Ups
• Squats ( my fav toooo ♥)
• Mountain Climbers ( these are awesome)
• Jumping Jacks

Just to name a few.

These exercises can be done ANYWHERE! In your bedroom, living room, out in a park, at a gym etc. Many people avoid going the gym for various reasons, others would rather workout at home  which is completely understandable! I love to workout at home so let me give you a suggestion of a quick workout:  8-15 reps of the dips/squats/lunges (per leg) /pushups. For the jumping jacks…DO THESE FIRST: 35-50. For the sit-ups- try to get 20. Mountain Climbers-15 each leg  If you can do the chin or pull-ups do as many as you can!!!

That’s one set: do 2-3 sets.

Yes you can use weight to challenge yourself and bump up the intensity.Also,adjust the reps, if you’re an amateur athlete and can do more, do more. If you know you aren’t capable of doing 20 sit-ups..aim for 7-10.

BUT I’m really serious…this post is over. So just turn some music on and do this workout right now!!! There is absolutely no reason you have to NOT do it!

Anybody else a fan of calisthenics? Talk to me!

GET THERE!

✗♥O

 

Tuck your feet under your couch and go.

 

Friday’s Fury: Knowing But Still Not Doing.

Personally, as a trainer, this is the elephant in the room, we like to sugar coat it && guide our clients gently, but  if you want to see results and you KNOW what to do-then do it. Point Blank. Whether you’ve been told by a trainer, done thorough research on your own or had another reliable source tell you-you officially know the basics of what to do. In this case I’m talking about nutrition & fitness & their dependence on each other to lose weight, maintain the weight or even gain weight/muscle.

Constantly, I tell clients & friends, record everything you eat & drink for a few days so you can visualize && understand how much you’re eating and drinking everyday and how that affects your health & impacts your weight. Then you can adjust accordingly and gradually. Seeing as though diet is a major factor, more so than exercise, I think caring and making a conscious effort to do better with your eating habits are important. Don’t you think so?? The errors and frustrations occur when weight isn’t getting lost even though there is a strict exercise regimen. That is almost solely diet related.

My point (in short because lawd I could go on) is, if you know what you have to do and although it may be difficult, you will always have some type of support. (I WILL BE SUPPORTER #1 BABY!) You will get results, slow & steadfast is great do not get discouraged.  With results whether they are inches, pounds or muscle gained you’ll feel better. Yes, it is a lifestyle change && it will not be easy, but challenge yourself to take it to the next level. If you know what to do, do it. Getting that extra push is great, but doing it on your own is even better. Don’t be scared. Don’t tell me it’s fear? It better NOT be fear!  Let your faith be bigger than your fears!

I believe in you. You better not forget.

✗♥O
Get THERE!-where ever there is.

Friday’s Fury: Making it Fun and Simple

Working out doesn’t have to be unpleasant

I don’t know where that notion came from, but it needs to be abolished…now.

Working out shouldn’t be super easy, let’s establish that from the start. Yes of course no pain, no gain ( I love that quote), but you don’t have to dread your upcoming sweat fest, I mean it’s a festival we’re talking about! Have fun!

Let me use myself as a prime example: I enjoy sports a whole heck of a lot. So when I’m not in the mood to workout with weights, bands, machines etc I simply switch it up on myself. I’ll go to a basketball court, for instance, shoot around, run full court, jump to make lay ups and mentally slam dunk. For added fun I’ll throw in a few suicides, agility drills, plyo jumps and of course ab work. It’ll be about an hour, but a quick hour and a full, fun workout.

I’m not an aqua gal, so swimming, crew, water polo etc are all out, but swimming is truly a great way to exercise and great on the joints.  What I do want to try is a pole dance fitness class.  I’m soooooo sure I’d enjoy this probably more than I should, but sources say it’s a great, fun way to work out your whole body!

I love running, more like a jogging, but every once & awhile I am not in the mood, but I still want to exercise outside in fresh air and most importantly a good cardio session. Those days I’ll do hill/steps circuit. Walk up some hills, lunge up hills, squat up these same hills. For the stairs I challenge myself to do ten-fifteen sets up and down without stopping, lateral lunge up the stairs, do push-ups with my legs on on or 2 of the steps etc. I just switch up the workout so it’s still very intense, but it’s enjoyable and different.

Go out, play a pickup game of basketball, football, lacrosse, field hockey. Remember double dutch, hopscotch, king ball?…engage in a throwback hour of childhood games. It doesn’t have to be so scheduled and precise every time. Don’t get yourself frustrated and bored.  HAVE FUN!

And um ladies…on the low just between us go on and booty bounce, twerk around your house. Call your girls over, turn on that music..and just do it for like 15-20 minutes straight. Make up a routine, battle each other, teach each other how to wine di body, throw in some “splits”, bouncing and attitude–whatever. Now that is a fun, easy, full of laughter workout….trust me.

✗♥O Get There.

“But there’s no time left to work out!” Yeaa okaaay….

To be honest, that excuse is complete garbage. It’s weak and it’s easy.

On my survey I conducted before starting this blog, I asked, “What aspect of fitness do you struggle with?” the NUMBER one response with 80% was being consistent once starting (and the next response was) was finding time to exercise.

Nothing about those responses surprised me. At ALL.  But I will say, it made me really think how I managed to stay consistent through my 4 years at school & how I advise others to add fitness into their weekly schedule.

In school, specifically my senior year, I found that I had a gap in classes between/around 1-3 pm. Not every day, but pretty often. With the gym on my campus opening at 11am and closing at 11pm, I was able to plan how I would attack this issue. I literally put in my schedule a gym time. That schedule would then be posted on the wall so I wouldn’t forget…maybe ignore but not forget. (most modern people use their phones) I would ask my friends to join me, but rarely would they. It usually became “me time” Also, on Friday afternoons I signed up for a class at the rec center that was a high intensity 30 minute class. I loved it. No matter what I would attend that class 1) it was my own $$ 2) It helped focus me. I wanted to do this class and stick to it–&& I did.