Love and Fitness

Australian Fitness Model Emily Skye

Hello, Beauties!

I hope you're all enjoying a wonderful Thursday. TGIAF - Thank God It's Almost Friday. ;)

I did a quick Insanity workout this morning before spending the day out with one of my best friends. I always love doing workouts in the morning to wake me up and pave the way for a clean and healthy day. After getting over the groggy feeling and temptation to keep pushing Snooze, there's honestly nothing better than a good morning sweat to release those endorphines for a positive day. :) Since coming back from vacation I felt like I was in a funk with my workouts, my diet, and even my mindset -- am I the only one who feels that way after some time away?? It can be so hard to get back into a routine which is why I don't like getting out of them in the first place!

To be honest, I've been going through a bit of a mental slump lately. I ended my contract with my last employer after being there for one year. Towards the end, I realized the work I was doing didn't necessarily align with my passions and long-term goals so I've since been doing some research and much-needed soul searching to decide what I want the next steps of my career to look like (let's hope it's something good...stay tuned).

In addition to this, I've also had revelations in my personal life in regards to where I want to be, what kind of life I want to lead, and who is positively influencing me to achieve these goals. I'm always looking for ways to improve myself and my lifestyle and I want to make sure I surround myself with people who inspire and uplift me to do so. Unfortunately, there are always going to be people who attempt to fill your mind with negative thoughts or doubt. Or perhaps they pressure you to do things that actually hinder instead of help you. More and more I started seeing that there were a couple people like this is my life that I didn't want to give as much time to anymore. Yikes. Is that harsh? Well... :/ Life is harsh and unfortunately too short so I want to make sure I surround myself with the most positive and beautiful minds I can. Don't ever allow negative thoughts or people to fill your mind. We're all capable of so much more than we realize and I've always thought it's best to be in the company of those who empower me and make me want to be a better person. I don't quite remember where I was going with that...

So I was feeling a bit out of it... and anytime I'm feeling out of it, having a bad day, or just searching for some clarity, working out is always the remedy to make me feel exponentially better both physically and mentally. Being active releases endorphins in your body to give you a natural high so you feel good and do good for your body! I think one reason why I love working out so much is that the body I see is a direct result of how much hard work and dedication I put into it. There are so many things in our daily life that we can't control. External factors (and/or luck) can often play a role in our success but when it comes to living a fit and healthy life, that's something I have complete control over. 

One thing Coach used to always tell us is, "There are two things you can control: your effort and your attitude. Control what you can control."

In the gym, as with most other things in life, you're going to get out of a workout exactly what you put into it. Living a fit and healthy lifestyle and having the body you want is completely within your control. You have to put the work in and stay committed but it is so worth it when you achieve and maintain success. Go into your workouts excited about the positive changes you're making and give it 100% every time. If you can control a positive attitude and all out effort, success in the gym is sure to follow.

Our happiness is never a reflection of external factors but rather how we perceive situations to be from our own internal perspectives. Stay positive, work hard, and do what makes you happy. <3 Much love, y'all. xoxo Good night!!

Rest Days

It's a rest day for me! I did a few ab workouts earlier because I started feeling antsy but that's about it. I honestly HATE taking days off (ask my mother) but I know it's what I need every now and then. Working out is something I sincerely enjoy. What can I say? It's like my drug! So kill me... :X but I love feeling that natural high from working out. Either way, I remind myself that rest days are essential for making improvements to my body just as much as the workouts themselves. Your muscles need time to rest and recover so that you can continue training (and beasting!) When you're constantly training, you muscles start to tear and time off is what really allows them to repair and grow! 

I still try to do something relatively active on my days off -- some abs, going for a long walk, a low intensity jog or bike ride, etc... but it's definitely not the typical sweat session. So take your day off to STRETCH and relax! Foam roll, flush the toxins out of your body...do something that's still aiding in getting you one step closer to your goal. :)

Happy Hump Day, y'all!

xo

Quick workout 5.28

Hey guys! I was away on vacation for a week with no gym access but that didn't stand in the way of me working out! I had workout clothes and shoes and that's all I needed! I did a variation of circuit training and running intervals for the most part along with some ab work and light weight training -- again, I was staying somewhere that didn't have any workout equipment. I've posted some examples of circuit training in past posts but some examples of exercises to try are squats, jump squats, lunges, push ups, jumping jacks, high knees, burpees... the list goes on! Just get yourself moving. :)

But in this post, I wanted to share a quick workout that a friend and personal trainer of mine took me through a couple weeks ago. I was DYING! Despite the fact that I workout every day, do cardio, interval training, lifting, etc... this workout still kicked my butt. Haha he's an amazing personal trainer and I expected no less. I tried to make myself feel better by highlighting how hot it was that day and that I hadn't done any outdoor activity in a couple years (since college workouts), but No Excuses!! Truth be told, it was a solid workout that really had me going! Here's what we did:

Warm up/stretch to get the heart pumping and muscles loose

Circuit 1 (quantity) x3:
20 Lunges (10 each leg)
15 Push Ups
15 Knee to Elbow (Start in a high plank position and bring your knee to the same elbow also thrusting your hips forward to really contract your core)
15 Squat Jumps
45 sec rest
*You want to do these quickly and one after another with no rest between exercises, but make sure you're staying true to form*

Circuit 2 (time - 45sec each) x3:
Kettle Bell Swings
TRX Horizontal Pull Ups
TRX Jumps Squats
Push Ups
Sprinting with Resistance Band
*Alternate the time if you need. You can do each exercise for 30 or 60 seconds depending on how bad ass you want to be that day ;)

Circuit 3:
Suicide Jumps (10 -1)
Side to Side Hops (1 +1)
*These will be supersetted with the Suicide Jumps decreasing by 1 rep each time and the Side to Side Hops increasing by 1 rep each time. So you're first set with be 10 Suicide Jumps + 1 Side to Side Hop, then 9 Jumps + 2 Hops..........1 Jump + 10 Hops.

Short and sweet and it really didn't require much equipment at all. This is a great workout you can do at home or in the gym with very little space and in a really short amount of time. You can definitely substitute some exercises for those that require equipment if you don't have any. :) i.e. High Knees instead of Sprinting with the Resistance Band. Remember guys, No Excuses!! You don't get what you wish for, you get what you work for. <3 Go get it!

Leg Day 5.14

Today is Leg Day!

I have a major love/hate relationship with Leg Day. Your legs have some of the largest muscles in your body so by working them, you're torching way more calories than you are when focusing on other body parts. I always walk into the gym super amped to have a great workout but I know I'm leaving crawling and crying. Ha! ~Know Pain, Know Gain~ ;) 

Here's my killer workout for the day. I've been doing it for a few weeks (moderating weight and reps here and there) and it seriously leaves me dying (and almost crying) every time. 

Stretch and Warm Up

Bulgarian Split Squats 4x12

Dumbbell Squats (lighter weight) 4x15

Back Squats 2x12 1x10 1x8 (increasing weight with sets)

Deadlift 4x12

Leg Press 3x15

Leg Extension 3x15

Hamstring Curls 3x15

Leg Extension (lighter weight) 3x20

Hip Adductors 3x15

Hip Abductors 3x15

Stretch, Foam Roll, and Cool Down

The exercises that are paired together are supersets meaning you need to alternate between the exercises. Moderate your weight accordingly making sure you never sacrifice form. BOOM! Get it.

Slow Progress is Progress

I've always been one to get frustrated when I don't see immediate results, particularly when it's something that I'm putting so much time and effort into...constant exercise, consistent clean eating...where's my six pack?! Achieving an ideal level of fitness or that goal of finally seeing those abs peak through is something that takes A LOT of time and dedication. Even fitness models work hard every. single. day. to achieve and maintain the bodies they have. It's never easy but it's so worth it! Remember, getting and staying fit is a journey and a lifelong investment for your physical and mental wellbeing. Stay positive and stay on track by measuring small goals instead of large ones. I really think it's all about the little victories and creating weekly goals that are realistic and attainable. Strive to do one extra set of an exercise than you did the week before or look to increase the weight on your rep(s) by even a little bit. Even adding 2.5lbs to your squats is improvement and something to be proud of!

Even though it can get frustrating and you may want to give up, keep in mind that slow progress is still progress. If you're discouraged by the amount of time it will take to achieve your goal, just remember that the time will pass anyways.

Eat Clean. <3 Train Dirty. <3 Stay Positive. <3