Eat Good. Feel Good Look Good.
Eating up the proper foods to fuel your cells, body, mood, and lifestyle is going to make or break your overall fitness journey believe it or not.
You wouldn’t expect an empty car to get anywhere without fuel, would you?
Well your body works the same way in the sense that you need to fuel it properly to work and function optimally.
Many people have the misconception that you can lose weight if you don’t eat however, your body will go into ketosis aka starvation mode and start storing the food you do eventually begin to consume as fat. This is because it doesn’t know when it’s going to get its next meal so it goes into survival mode.
If you’re tired of the super restrictive, diet, binge cycle. I suggest you take start taking your nutrition seriously. You can even opt for a delicious meal prep company like I have.
Fuel up wisely.
Wishing you a Happy Memorial Day Weekend!
There’s many ways to enjoy holiday weekends without sabotaging all of your progress.
Plan Ahead- you can always check out menus of restaurants and places before you go to make the healthiest choices ahead of time. You can also make plans to split meals with friends especially if it’s a heavier dish, this way you still feel satisfied and not stuffed.
Weekend Workouts- just because it’s the weekend doesn’t mean you have to take off from your normal routine you can always include workouts to stay on top of your goals. Of course I always recommend taking at least one off day for the body to rest.
Alcohol- doesn’t have to be off-limits. Opt for the latest options with the lowest sugar possible, served neat, or on the rocks for lighter choices. You can always ask the bartender to create your drink skinny style.
Have a wonderful weekend, cheers. 🥂
Stretching 🙆♀️ is good for the soul.
Stretching tends to be highly underrated, however it delivers so many benefits. There are so many different ways to stretch with the two most common forms being static and dynamic.
Static Stretching- key for after your workout. This includes holding a stretch in a comfortable position for a length of time.
Dynamic- great form as a pre cursor before your workout. This is ideal for a warm up to get the muscles ready for movement. These are active movements that will allow your muscles to stretch, without having to hold them for a certain period of time.
So next time you workout, incorporate stretching into your routine and see the difference in performance, your posture, the way you feel & move tends to improve versus when you don’t take the time to stretch.
It’s the little things that add up to make a big difference in the end.
Let’s Play Some Beach Volleyball.
Switching up a stale routine can mean the difference between hitting a plateau and getting results.
Make the best of the heat this summer and get out to enjoy the sun, while simultaneously getting your sweat on.
Benefits of Sand Volleyball:
Improved muscle tone and strength
Enhanced endurance
Burning fat & calories
Builds coordination, speed & balance
Increased aerobic activity
Let’s get our sweat on in the sand shall we?!
💪🏽 Let’s Delt To It.
Welcome to the Rear Deltoid aka “Delt” Seated Fly Machine. Why is this machine great for shoulders?
You will grow stronger shoulders. The rear delt fly machine strengthens your shoulder muscles by developing your posterior deltoids.
Reduces your rate of injury. This machine has more stability then free weights. So you can have peace of mind knowing you don’t have to figure out correct form as this machine is more self explanatory.
It will improve your posture. If you deal with back pain, slouched posture while texting on the couch or at your chair at work this is a great exercise to help improve that. Hours of doing this will wreck havoc on your posture but luckily for you there’s a solution, incorporate this exercise in your next workout.
Beach workouts are always a good idea because it’s a great place to switch things up and make your sweat sesh more challenging. The sand will make it harder for your legs & feet to simply stabilize, meaning your entire body has to work harder while you workout. Ready to turn things up a notch? Cool let’s hit the beach.
Stay hip with the Hip Thruster Machine.
Put those glutes into action if you want to make them grow bigger, rounder & stronger. This machine is great for growth, make sure to keep your chin tucked for proper form. Then squeeze at the top, and hold for a few seconds before returning to your starting point to put your glutes into overdrive.
You ready to grow, if so let’s go!
Make stretching fun again. 🙆♀️
Yo’ walk it out… upside down.
The benefits of stretching are crucial.
1) Reduces the risk of getting injured
2) Helps manage stress levels
3) Increases your ROM (range of motion)
4) Preps the bod for your sweat session
5) Improves your overall performance
6) Promotes b-flow to your muscles
7) Decreases the risk of low back pain
8) Improves your posture
9) Can calm your mind
10) Helps decrease tension headaches
So incase you weren’t sold before…now you should be.
Go stretch babe, it’s good for you.
Forget Netflix & Chill Let’s Get Rock Hard Abs this Weekend & Build.
Decline bench blasts your core muscles. 💪🏽
1) Decline Bench Russian Twists- activates your internal and external obliques found on the sides of your torso.
2) Decline Bench Ball Tosses- Ball tosses on a decline bench will stimulate your rectus abdominis, the six-pack muscle.
3) Decline Bench Ab Sit Up- improve core strength, prevent injury, and help to stabilize your body.
Sit up to shred down.
Want to battle me….in battle rope style?
Battle rope exercises in the gym are the goat for enhancing athletic performance, building up the strength of your muscles, as well as boosting up your cardiovascular system, flexibility and more.
It’s the perfect move to burn fat and achieve that toned look that a lot of people tend to desire.
With that said, who’s going to win round 1, you or me? 😉
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard. In fact it can be quite simple especially in good like minded company. Enjoyed a healthy lunch 🥗 with my girl @palomashealthyhabits
Some options for keeping it healthy and balanced would be to:
1) Eat half and save the other half for later.
2)You could split the meal together.
3) Ask for sauces or dressing to be placed on the side to eat by dipping with a fork instead of drenched on your entrée or salad.
4) Ask the waiter to bring 1/2 of your entree wrapped in a to go box to prevent over eating.
Hope these health tips helped!
Single Legged RDL Rundown:
Do not lock out the knee on your standing leg. Keep a soft bend throughout the entire movement.
Keeping a slight bend in the back leg is alright. But, try to extend it back as much as possible with the toes pointing down to gain the full benefit.
Flex the knee with the leg your standing on to support the other one about 15-20% in order to activate the glutes.
Without changing the bend in your knee, lower to the ground until your torso is about parallel with the ground, bend aka hinge at your hips.
You’re going to want to pause at the bottom, then squeeze you glutes, thrust your hips forward, and raise your torso back to the starting position.
Happy Lifting.
Turn Up Gym Edition:
Cardiovascular exercise is a great way to get you jump started closer to your goals because it will essentially jump start your body in a plethora of ways. Think of it as a time machine to a good mood no matter how you currently feel. On top of that it’s going to help prevent injury when lifting when you use this as a warm up before your lift sesh.
Within the first ten minutes of exercise your heart rate is going to become elevated to where your brain is more alert.
On a cellular level the mitochondria multiply. This means that your body can produce even more energy. Our bodies naturally are prone to want to preserve energy. However if you engage in exercise on the regular you’re going to experience a surplus of energy at times which is ideal for obvious reasons. As adults most of us are looking for more energy. It would be healthier for us to receive it in a natural way, such as from cardio versus energy drinks that are flooded with chemicals.
Think about this the next time you go to sweat it out on the elliptical.
Goal state of mind. Figure out where you want to get to with your physique and work backwards.
Want to get to your goals faster?
Figure out if you want to gain muscle or gain bigger glutes for example, or if you want to lose weight. Figuring out this is the first step in realizing whether or not you need to be in a caloric deficit or caloric surplus.
Meaning in a caloric deficit you must consume less calories daily then you burn in order to lose weight. In a caloric surplus you must consume more calories than you burn daily in order to gain more weight/muscle or bigger glutes.
Figure this out to figure out the rest of the equation to get closer to that goal body of yours.
Massage time 💆♀️
Recovery is an important part of maintaining a healthy physique. You have to take care of your body just like you would anything else.
It’s a wise idea to relax on one of these as the water massaging chair helps release any tension or soreness from exercising in the gym.
Next time you’re near one of these, let the water wash away your pain aka trouble areas.
Recovery is key!
Vibe outside with Mother Nature to connect with your senses on a deeper level and boost your overall mental health.
Taking some time to reflect peacefully with nature allows you to use all of your senses. This can be an extreme boost to your mental health. Whether you’re simply on your way to work, watching the clouds picking out which shape they most relate to, relaxing in the garden, look for butterflies and ladybugs 🐞 (my favorite spirit animal). All of these good things in nature can help you to find a sense of peace, calm and joy.
As I say, it’s the little things in life that sometimes benefit you the most.
☀️ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.
Below are some steps you can take to build an amazing morning routine:
• Don’t hit snooze a million times, wake up the first time you hear the alarm as you will feel more refreshed if you do.
• Go to bed and wake up at about the same time everyday to help your circadian rhythm stay on point.
• Plan in advance how much time you'll need to get ready and get rocking to be on time, so you’re not rushing around chaotically.
• Make your bed.
• Avoid your phone 📱 upon waking. Try getting sunlight first thing in the am.
• Practice personal affirmations & meditation.
• Drink a tall glass of water.
• Eat a healthy breakfast 🍳 within an hour of waking up.
• Then get your body jump started by moving it, because a body in motion stays in motion. Starting your day with some cardio or a nice walk 🚶🏽♀️ outside is so good for you.
𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 & 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳.
𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝘂𝘁? 𝗖𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? 𝗟𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀?
𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘔𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 2 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 ☝🏽 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
💆♀️ Self-care is a priority not a luxury to be dismissed.
Self-care is defined as a multidimensional, process of purposeful engagement in strategies that promote healthy functioning and better enhance your overall well-being.
Taking the time to care for yourself does more than you think. It's about taking care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Learn to treat yourself right because it’s a reflection of how you will expect others to treat you too. Don’t neglect yourself or stressors, learn to maintain a healthy balance of taking care of you and having your own back.
Not to mention this will positively effect many areas of your life including the success of your overall fitness journey because you took the time and energy to take care of yourself properly in the process.
Why Get Fit? Dig Deep & Find Your Why.
• You are naturally happier and in a better overall mood after exercising due to the release of endorphins.
• Exercise has an antidepressant effect on those suffering from clinical depression, so try this natural remedy first.
• You use 200 muscles to take a single step forward, so it’s worth it to build up your strength to remain active.
• Exercise keeps your metabolism elevated up to 48 hours after your workout. It continues to burn more calories even at rest.
• Staying fit & healthy will help you become the best version of yourself so your quality of life and experiences become even better.
• Committing to a healthy lifestyle will help you become a better friend, co-worker, spouse, parent or all of the above.
The important part is to figure out why you want to become fit in the first place. Having a solid WHY for yourself is the first step to becoming a better version of you.
Drop it like a Squat.
There are many variations of the kettlebell squat and this is one of them. This variation is a front raise kettlebell squat.
Directions:
Keep your arms extended, but not locked.
Squat down as if you’re sitting in a chair.
Knees behind the fronts of your toes.
And feel the burn in your buns and arms. It’s a compound exercise, working multiple muscle groups at the same time, so you get the best of both worlds wrapped up in one movement.
More range of motion = more muscle growth.
So if you’re trying to grow your legs & glutes bigger. The split squat on the smith machine is a great exercise to perform to achieve that. Be sure to add it to your list of exercises to achieve your goals.
You’ve got nothing to los, just muscles to gain.
Hope you had a relaxing weekend with your loved ones.
Wanted to wish a very Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, along with those single dads out there who stepped up to fill in. You will all always be so greatly appreciated.
💦 Hydrate thy body, it’s good for you.
There are a long list of reasons you should stay hydrated.
Help maximize physical performance
May help treat & prevent headaches
Helps body flush out toxins
Can assist in weight loss
Helps prevent hangovers
Boosts energy levels naturally
Helps being more clarity in your mind
The list goes on. So get you a fresh glass of high quality H2O and let’s cheers to staying super hydrated.
Today after a long hardworking week it’s time to unwind and enjoy one of my favorite things, being time with friends and/ family. This beautiful friend of mine is like family @nutritiousbae go check her out & the OFTV partner workout we did for you. :)
The pups 🐶 wanted us to relax too and how could we say no to these faces. :)
Happy Rest & Recovery Day! 🧘♀️
It’s a beautiful day to be grateful for all that you have and therefore attract more things into your life to be grateful for.
Most people push away things they want because they think about what they lack.
You want that dream bod? Then focus on it versus how hard you think it’s going to be to get it. Let’s simplify the process, not overcomplicate it.
🍌 Eat your fruits, they do a body good.
Myth: Fruit is not bad because it contains sugar. It’s a natural sugar that keeps the body fueled short term with dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, water, electrolytes, phytochemicals and antioxidants.
Long term it helps in prevention of chronic diseases like heart disease, high b-pressure and high cholesterol.
So grab you a banana and split. The extra boost of potassium is a plus.
🏃🏻♀️ Cardio doesn’t have to be hardio. 🙃
It is what you make it. I choose to make it short and sweet. A little warm up and cool down on cardio machines helps with better performance in your strength training aka lifting session.
It has endless benefits.. including giving that 🧠 brain a boost too and strengthening your immune system. So why not try out a little cardio to benefit your life. Am I right?!
Yoga 101: Downward dog & chill?
Physical Benefits:
Improves digestion & circulation
Relieves back pain
May relieve neck pain and migraines
Strengthens shoulders, back, arms and legs
Stretches spine, shoulders, back, arms, legs, hamstrings, calves, hands and feet
Increases energy
Mental Benefits:
Reduces anxiety & stress
Can help relieve insomnia
Promotes patience
Boosts your mood by bringing more oxygen to your brain
Increases and improves focus
So let’s strike a DD pose shall we?
Let’s ride it out.
Cycling is a low impact aerobic exercise that offers a wealth of benefits. You can cycle as a mode of transportation, for casual activity, or for more of an intense, competitive way.
Biking helps you lower your body fat levels, promote weight management, allows you to burn more calories, boost your metabolism, and strengthens your leg muscles. It boosts your mental health and brain power. On top of all that it improves posture, balance and coordination.
So let’s get with it shall we, who’s ready to ride? 🚴
