Friday, January 23, 2015
Results
Results are hard to get if you're constantly off track or always placed in situations where it's taking away from progress. Luckily I've been on track for almost an entire month and have only messed up twice so far. I feel better and I don't have any sugar cravings too often anymore. However I'm altering my plan to give myself one cheat day per month to help keep things going.
My only problem is that I'm not seeing very many results. Maybe it's too early, but I'm not seeing huge changes yet. I understand it takes a lot of time to reach a goal but for me it seems like it's taking me forever to get to my first goal.
Yes, patience is key but I'm starting to wonder if there is something I'm doing that's holding me back. Am I not meeting the proper macros that my body requires? Am I lifting heavy enough? Doing enough cardio? There are so many factors to consider and I've been considering changing up the way I do things. Part of me wants to and part of me wants to just wait and see what will happen if I just keep doing what I'm doing and hoping for the best.
So far the changes I have seen have been more definition and slight tone. I try and hit each muscle group every week but sometimes it's hard to work every single angle and muscle.
A great way I've found to keep track of progress is not by the scale, but by measurements (if you took them initially) and progress pictures. Taking pictures monthly or even weekly will really help you see yourself in a different light and checking to make sure that your body is really constantly growing and changing.
A good way to avoid a plateau and continuous progress is to change up workouts like I've mentioned before. It will not only keep things interesting but the muscle confusion will really help tone and shape your muscle fibers. (336)
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Leg Day
Legs. They're responsible for carrying you for miles upon miles on runs. They support your entire body. Yet so many people skip leg days. Most guys only train legs so that they aren't top heavy, not because they want to. I personally hate leg day. So I've found a better system rather than dedicating a single day to it.
I take it in doses. First, let me explain something really quick. I work out in 3 different places and only 1 place has machines for legs. I work out either at home, school or my gym. I go to the gym when I feel like it (so like 3 or 4 times per week) and when I go to the gym I do legs. So a small portion of my workouts at the gym are legs. I spread things out so that I don't hate my entire workout at least once per week.
When I do train legs,I do squats with a squat rack and I use the leg extension and leg press machines too. I immediately burn out the rest of my legs that are already on fire with the stairmaster on level 9-12 for 5 minutes to really get a good workout in my legs. I feel like throwing up and my quads are on fire for a soild 15 minutes but it's really the only way I can get the legs done! Sometimes I do air squats and weighted lunges too but only on the same day that I use the squat rack.
I don't even know what normal people do on leg day but I know that it's not fun at all. Recently I've been playing around with different types of squats. I started (correctly) doing lowbar squats thanks to a few friends who were willing to teach me the right form. I alternate between high bar and low bar squats to work all 3 areas of concern (quads, glutes and hamstrings) and I can really feel it the next morning even if it's the only leg exercise I do that day.
Long story short, don't skip out on leg day simply because you hate it, we all do. Just find a way that works best for you to make it doable and something that you can easily add into a workout. (386)
I take it in doses. First, let me explain something really quick. I work out in 3 different places and only 1 place has machines for legs. I work out either at home, school or my gym. I go to the gym when I feel like it (so like 3 or 4 times per week) and when I go to the gym I do legs. So a small portion of my workouts at the gym are legs. I spread things out so that I don't hate my entire workout at least once per week.
When I do train legs,I do squats with a squat rack and I use the leg extension and leg press machines too. I immediately burn out the rest of my legs that are already on fire with the stairmaster on level 9-12 for 5 minutes to really get a good workout in my legs. I feel like throwing up and my quads are on fire for a soild 15 minutes but it's really the only way I can get the legs done! Sometimes I do air squats and weighted lunges too but only on the same day that I use the squat rack.
I don't even know what normal people do on leg day but I know that it's not fun at all. Recently I've been playing around with different types of squats. I started (correctly) doing lowbar squats thanks to a few friends who were willing to teach me the right form. I alternate between high bar and low bar squats to work all 3 areas of concern (quads, glutes and hamstrings) and I can really feel it the next morning even if it's the only leg exercise I do that day.
Long story short, don't skip out on leg day simply because you hate it, we all do. Just find a way that works best for you to make it doable and something that you can easily add into a workout. (386)
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Why Wait?
A lot of people have resolutions for the New Year to eat better or workout more, be happier, etc. A lot of people who start them, wait. If they had a falling out, then they will wait to get back on track. They might wait until the start of a new week or even month. My question is, why would you wait? If you started something 2 weeks ago rather than waiting until now to start, you'd be 2 weeks better at that task. There are opportunities all over the places to start right now.
It doesn't even have to be related to health. If you want to start knitting, why would you wait to start next week? If you started now, in a week you'd have your first scarf done. Waiting leads to nonproductive days. A lot of people procrastinate their homework which leads to a decrease in quality, which actually explains a lot...
Another great example is saving money. Think about all of the times you've gone out with friends and bought something. If you would have saved your money instead of telling yourself that you'd start next time, you could have had a nice stack of money by now, right? Waiting for something to begin isn't going to get you any closer to any of your goals.
Being motivated and driven is a huge part of being successful in any area of life. If people don't have that certain spark of that motivation, there is less productivity, less willingness and less results. I can't tell you enough how good it feels to have a good attitude towards just about anything. This all leads back to being happy with yourself, if you fail or lose motivation, keep that good attitude towards life and yourself in general and you'll get right back up and carry on.
Don't ever wait to achieve goals, because all you're doing is wasting precious time.
It doesn't even have to be related to health. If you want to start knitting, why would you wait to start next week? If you started now, in a week you'd have your first scarf done. Waiting leads to nonproductive days. A lot of people procrastinate their homework which leads to a decrease in quality, which actually explains a lot...
Another great example is saving money. Think about all of the times you've gone out with friends and bought something. If you would have saved your money instead of telling yourself that you'd start next time, you could have had a nice stack of money by now, right? Waiting for something to begin isn't going to get you any closer to any of your goals.
Being motivated and driven is a huge part of being successful in any area of life. If people don't have that certain spark of that motivation, there is less productivity, less willingness and less results. I can't tell you enough how good it feels to have a good attitude towards just about anything. This all leads back to being happy with yourself, if you fail or lose motivation, keep that good attitude towards life and yourself in general and you'll get right back up and carry on.
Don't ever wait to achieve goals, because all you're doing is wasting precious time.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
The Importance of Carbs
Low carb foods are all over the place. Lots of food labels claim to be low carb and "healthy". Sure a low carb diet might be right for someone looking to lose a bit of weight but low carb shouldn't be in your vocabulary as somebody trying to build lean muscle.
Athletes need carbs for a number of reasons, they support and speeds recovery, they help prevent your muscles from breaking down (if you have a low carb intake, your body will essentially freak out and try to use protein as energy which just completely ruins your gains). Carbs can help steady energy levels, too.
Carbs are so essential to a part of a healthy diet as an athlete, but I think that it's important to pay attention to which types of carbs you eat. Yeah not gonna lie, I've had like 4 pieces of bread today simply because I just felt like it, and it wasn't the best choice and I could have chosen better foods to eat but I mean it's not like I just ate a dozen brownies or anything extreme so I guess it could be worse, right? Eating the right carbs will really help with the lean muscle gain and reduce the chance of adding fat instead of muscle. And no, I'm not going to suggest sweet potatoes because that's the most basic advice somebody could give. Plus I hate sweet potatoes so...Oatmeal is a pretty good option. I haven't had it in a while since I cut out my reddi whip obsession. I've been really into this Green Giant Steamers brown rice, risotto, carrots, peas and kale blend. It's got this amazing sauce on it that makes me actually tolerate kale. Quinoa is a good source of carbs as well but I've only eaten it once or twice before so I can't really remember the taste and tell you my favorite way to eat it. Whole wheat pasta is a pretty good option if you're feeling like comfort food. I usually put some of that fake spray butter on it with some Parmesan cheese and it's so good!
Carbs are super important to athletes for a number of reasons and it's easy to eat carbs because they are in almost every single food. Don't be afraid of carbs because they actually help you more than hurt you! (394)
Athletes need carbs for a number of reasons, they support and speeds recovery, they help prevent your muscles from breaking down (if you have a low carb intake, your body will essentially freak out and try to use protein as energy which just completely ruins your gains). Carbs can help steady energy levels, too.
Carbs are so essential to a part of a healthy diet as an athlete, but I think that it's important to pay attention to which types of carbs you eat. Yeah not gonna lie, I've had like 4 pieces of bread today simply because I just felt like it, and it wasn't the best choice and I could have chosen better foods to eat but I mean it's not like I just ate a dozen brownies or anything extreme so I guess it could be worse, right? Eating the right carbs will really help with the lean muscle gain and reduce the chance of adding fat instead of muscle. And no, I'm not going to suggest sweet potatoes because that's the most basic advice somebody could give. Plus I hate sweet potatoes so...Oatmeal is a pretty good option. I haven't had it in a while since I cut out my reddi whip obsession. I've been really into this Green Giant Steamers brown rice, risotto, carrots, peas and kale blend. It's got this amazing sauce on it that makes me actually tolerate kale. Quinoa is a good source of carbs as well but I've only eaten it once or twice before so I can't really remember the taste and tell you my favorite way to eat it. Whole wheat pasta is a pretty good option if you're feeling like comfort food. I usually put some of that fake spray butter on it with some Parmesan cheese and it's so good!
Carbs are super important to athletes for a number of reasons and it's easy to eat carbs because they are in almost every single food. Don't be afraid of carbs because they actually help you more than hurt you! (394)
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Numbers Shouldn't Control You
Lately I've noticed throughout the school and my friends and peers have been going on diets for various reasons. "I want to be this weight because it'll make me skinny" So many girls have the wrong idea about what they should look and feel like. They let numbers run their lives. Having goal weights and sizes have become and obsession.
It's not wrong, but it could be hurting you without even knowing it. I know I've mentioned it before about how I restricted myself to the extreme for a few years. (See: Failure and Restricting) Then I just grew out of it. I realized it doesn't matter how many calories I burn running or how much I weigh because being a set weight will not guarantee your "dream body". It's about looking good in the mirror and being happy with yourself. Looking back now, I realized how stupid I was for being so obsessed. I took it way too far and it was awful. I never want anyone to ever go through what I did. I was so obsessive that I'd do cardio for HOURS at a time just to get my weight down to my "goal". I would manipulate water intake, I would work out 3 times per day. It was so overboard I'm ashamed to even write this (but I know it could help someone in the future) If I met my self from the past I'd probably slap her. It was so ridiculous.
One day, it just clicked for me .I'm almost 7 months from my worst point now completely recovered. I work out when I feel like it (5 or 6 days a week usually) and I do things in moderation. I forgot about cardio for a few months. I focused on getting strong. I lift a lot more now and I do it seriously. 3 sets of 10 reps won't lead to success so I really changed my plans. I don't look at scales anymore. I judge myself much differently now. I don't need sizes and numbers to tell me if I'm fit enough or good enough. I'm not afraid of food. I'm not constantly cold anymore and I'm not too concerned about numbers. My mom said I seem more "confident" and I guess I can agree, maybe it just goes along with the mental maturity and mentality of not being so fragile and afraid. I've come a long way in just a few months and I feel that it's really important for girls to understand that life is not about being a size 0. There is a fine line between healthy and extreme. High School Health Freak crossed that one for too long. Luckily I've found myself in a better place and I couldn't be more happy with myself now. (462)
It's not wrong, but it could be hurting you without even knowing it. I know I've mentioned it before about how I restricted myself to the extreme for a few years. (See: Failure and Restricting) Then I just grew out of it. I realized it doesn't matter how many calories I burn running or how much I weigh because being a set weight will not guarantee your "dream body". It's about looking good in the mirror and being happy with yourself. Looking back now, I realized how stupid I was for being so obsessed. I took it way too far and it was awful. I never want anyone to ever go through what I did. I was so obsessive that I'd do cardio for HOURS at a time just to get my weight down to my "goal". I would manipulate water intake, I would work out 3 times per day. It was so overboard I'm ashamed to even write this (but I know it could help someone in the future) If I met my self from the past I'd probably slap her. It was so ridiculous.
One day, it just clicked for me .I'm almost 7 months from my worst point now completely recovered. I work out when I feel like it (5 or 6 days a week usually) and I do things in moderation. I forgot about cardio for a few months. I focused on getting strong. I lift a lot more now and I do it seriously. 3 sets of 10 reps won't lead to success so I really changed my plans. I don't look at scales anymore. I judge myself much differently now. I don't need sizes and numbers to tell me if I'm fit enough or good enough. I'm not afraid of food. I'm not constantly cold anymore and I'm not too concerned about numbers. My mom said I seem more "confident" and I guess I can agree, maybe it just goes along with the mental maturity and mentality of not being so fragile and afraid. I've come a long way in just a few months and I feel that it's really important for girls to understand that life is not about being a size 0. There is a fine line between healthy and extreme. High School Health Freak crossed that one for too long. Luckily I've found myself in a better place and I couldn't be more happy with myself now. (462)
Saturday, January 10, 2015
2.5miles to 3.1 (Cross Country Course Change)
Wednesday night was a whole mess of disappointment and upset teenage girls. No, it'snot because of Pretty Little Liars or Teen Wolf. It's because the board of athletics (or something like that, I actually forgot the name of the organization but it's in the paper somewhere) voted to change the length of the girl's high school cross country race from 2.5 miles to 3.1. I was DEVASTATED. As the typical girl would say; "I can't even".
I've heard there were many reasons as to why it was changed. My coach told me it was because the girls are getting so fast that it's hardly even considered a race anymore when there are girls finishing with times in the 14's. Another speculation as to why it changed was it changed was because many felt that girls should get to run the same distance as boys do, and they felt it was unfair that our course was shorter.
I, however, didn't want the course to be changed for many reasons as well. My first reason being that every year on milesplit, your best times are posted and they get faster every year. Last year my best was 18:18 and this year is 17:58 but next year the times will show up in the 20's which screws up the ENTIRE point of visual progress! I have major OCD towards that and it makes me so mad to know that I'll never know how much faster I'd get if the course were the same. My second reason being is that it'll be my senior year so by the time we adjust to the new length of the course, our running careers will be over. My third reason is the fact that I'm absolutely dying at the 2 mile mark and I can barley get to the finish without feeling like passing out and throwing up, how am I expected to make it to 3.1 AND get a decent time?? Most importantly, this new change will make a lot of girls quit the sport which eliminates competition....which makes the remaining competition even tougher. I even wanted to quit when I found out about the switch in lengths....shout out to Reece and Calvin for convincing me not to though.
I guess we can only wait and see what this next season brings, I hope it's not complete hell, though.
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Quest, Quest and more Quest.
I'm pretty sure I've made it clear that I'm obsessed with Quest Nutrition and all of their foods. I love Quest bars like no other and the Quest peanut butter cups were amazing too. So, I had a few Amazon giftcards that I got for Christmas. What better than to spend them on a new Quest product to try?! This time I bought a box (of 8 bags) of Quest PROTEIN CHIPS. The macro Gods from above have made CHIPS with 21 grams of protein! It seems too good to be true. They chips have been out for a couple of months now but I haven't been able to find them in a store anywhere around here and I sure as hell didn't want to pay for super expensive shipping either...so I've waited until now.
Yesterday they finally came in the mail. I was super hungry coming home from school to find them sitting on the kitchen counter. I immediately ripped open a bag to try. I was expecting them to be like the Lay's baked chips. They were different; puffier and lighter. I took a bite. The crunch was super loud and they were crispy and light. The barbecue flavoring was really good! The texture of the chip was a lot different than I expected. It was a little bit starchy. It wasn't bad at all! For 21 grams of protein and 5 carbs, I'd eat them for every meal if I could! Except for the fact that they're $18 for 8 bags. Quest Nutrition never fails to deliver. I am super happy with my order! The next thing I want to try is the new flavor of protein bar. They released a smores flavor about a month ago and I'm still waiting for it to get in the stores! If I don't like it that much ( which the chances are slim) I'd rather not pay almost $30 to be stuck with a box of 12 that I don't even care for.
Anyways, 10/10 for the chips, I love them and I would try all of the other flavors too if I get the chance! (357)
Yesterday they finally came in the mail. I was super hungry coming home from school to find them sitting on the kitchen counter. I immediately ripped open a bag to try. I was expecting them to be like the Lay's baked chips. They were different; puffier and lighter. I took a bite. The crunch was super loud and they were crispy and light. The barbecue flavoring was really good! The texture of the chip was a lot different than I expected. It was a little bit starchy. It wasn't bad at all! For 21 grams of protein and 5 carbs, I'd eat them for every meal if I could! Except for the fact that they're $18 for 8 bags. Quest Nutrition never fails to deliver. I am super happy with my order! The next thing I want to try is the new flavor of protein bar. They released a smores flavor about a month ago and I'm still waiting for it to get in the stores! If I don't like it that much ( which the chances are slim) I'd rather not pay almost $30 to be stuck with a box of 12 that I don't even care for.
Anyways, 10/10 for the chips, I love them and I would try all of the other flavors too if I get the chance! (357)
Monday, January 5, 2015
I Quit [Sugar].
So I know I've talked a lot about how I've gone to extremes with restricting, and this next topic I'll cover today might contradict it a little bit but it's not as bad as it seems, I promise!
Lately I've been eating a LOT of junk. Like....A LOT. As you know, these past 3 months have been my off season and I've really just been enjoying myself. I have goals but I haven't cracked down on them too much...until now. Before then, I had been eating HUGE amounts of sugar. Several cookies per day, chocolate chips, Christmas candy. I mean it was really excessive. I started to enjoy myself a little TOO much. Then I realized that consuming sugar in quantities like that is a really bad habit to have. I could get diabetes. It's hard on my body and I felt bad for doing that to myself. So then I just decided 8 days ago that I should just stop eating sugar. Yes. I'm not even kidding you. (And no, it wasn't a New Years resolution!) I just quit eating {added}sugar. Cold turkey. No cake, cookies, bars, brownies, chocolate, fruit snacks, ice cream, cereals, candy, even my beloved Reddi Whip. All off limits. I decided its for the best. I'm trying to go as long as possible (my cousin did it and lasted almost an entire year without added sugar because it was initially a bet she had with her swim coach, and now it's a bet I have with her to match her record or go longer.)
My experiences so far? It's been fine. It's surprising coming from a sugar addict like me, but I haven't had too many cravings. I quit cold turkey but I've also substituted a lot of things. As desserts, I eat quest bars and sugar free pudding. I have no sugar added jam and sugar free coffee creamer on hand now too. It wasn't until yesterday at work I was on sales floor in the seasonal clearance surrounded by all of the candy that I had cravings. There were cupcakes in the break room again, also with ice cream and other sugary foods. I had the willpower to stay away from all of it though. I was proud of myself for that!
The first night I gave up sugar, I had a terrible headache. I woke up the next day with one too. My face is breaking out like crazy which seems weird to me because usually you'd break out from eating sugar, not cutting it out. I've been extremely tired lately too. All I want to do is sleep. I also crave carbs and salty things now but hopefully that will go away with time. After another week, I plan to drop down my carb intake. Because of this, I'm retaining a lot of water obviously. It'll be easier to transition in to that track season, though.
The positive things I've experienced so far: My body is holding it's muscle tone SO much easier. I started lifting (hard) again and I saw almost immediate changes in my arms. (Not abs though because of water retention) I'm amazed. Soon I'll be in much better shape and finally reach my goals! I might update you on this in a few weeks to see how things have changed. (553)
Lately I've been eating a LOT of junk. Like....A LOT. As you know, these past 3 months have been my off season and I've really just been enjoying myself. I have goals but I haven't cracked down on them too much...until now. Before then, I had been eating HUGE amounts of sugar. Several cookies per day, chocolate chips, Christmas candy. I mean it was really excessive. I started to enjoy myself a little TOO much. Then I realized that consuming sugar in quantities like that is a really bad habit to have. I could get diabetes. It's hard on my body and I felt bad for doing that to myself. So then I just decided 8 days ago that I should just stop eating sugar. Yes. I'm not even kidding you. (And no, it wasn't a New Years resolution!) I just quit eating {added}sugar. Cold turkey. No cake, cookies, bars, brownies, chocolate, fruit snacks, ice cream, cereals, candy, even my beloved Reddi Whip. All off limits. I decided its for the best. I'm trying to go as long as possible (my cousin did it and lasted almost an entire year without added sugar because it was initially a bet she had with her swim coach, and now it's a bet I have with her to match her record or go longer.)
My experiences so far? It's been fine. It's surprising coming from a sugar addict like me, but I haven't had too many cravings. I quit cold turkey but I've also substituted a lot of things. As desserts, I eat quest bars and sugar free pudding. I have no sugar added jam and sugar free coffee creamer on hand now too. It wasn't until yesterday at work I was on sales floor in the seasonal clearance surrounded by all of the candy that I had cravings. There were cupcakes in the break room again, also with ice cream and other sugary foods. I had the willpower to stay away from all of it though. I was proud of myself for that!
The first night I gave up sugar, I had a terrible headache. I woke up the next day with one too. My face is breaking out like crazy which seems weird to me because usually you'd break out from eating sugar, not cutting it out. I've been extremely tired lately too. All I want to do is sleep. I also crave carbs and salty things now but hopefully that will go away with time. After another week, I plan to drop down my carb intake. Because of this, I'm retaining a lot of water obviously. It'll be easier to transition in to that track season, though.
The positive things I've experienced so far: My body is holding it's muscle tone SO much easier. I started lifting (hard) again and I saw almost immediate changes in my arms. (Not abs though because of water retention) I'm amazed. Soon I'll be in much better shape and finally reach my goals! I might update you on this in a few weeks to see how things have changed. (553)
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