motivation

Leg Day + Lunges vs Squats

07.16.2014

Leg workout of the day:

-Front & reverse lunge (one movement, one leg at a time)
superset with jumping lunges 3×15

-Leg press 3×15

-Sprint on treadmill- 10 mins

-Glute kickbacks on cables 3×10

-Standing hip adduction on cables 3×10

-Box step ups- 3×20

-Sprint on treadmill (incline) 10 mins

-Cool down (walking)

REST & STRETCH!

(If you are unsure of what an exercise looks like, search bodybuilding.com for images and how-to’s)

Do you prefer squats or lunges?

Personally, I love lunges. You will rarely find me doing squats. Here’s my thought process:

I feel like my muscles are more engaged and I’m getting more effective movement in my glutes.
Lunges are more fun (in my opinion). There’s much more variety with lunges. Where a squats a squat.
Less strain on my back.
It’s easier to get the movement right! Form can’t be sacrificed as easily. It’s not easy getting correct form for a squat.
Unilateral movements (movement on one side of the body) is much easier for me to focus on and feel that mind/body connection.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments! xo

I get asked this question all the time. People seem to notice my dedication and wonder why I do it. Honestly, there are so many reasons I don’t even know where to begin to explain. I’m sure we all have different thoughts on this. Maybe its to achieve your “dream body”. Maybe to get in shape for the big day or to get healthy for your whole life? Maybe it’s to feel comfortable and confident in your own skin?

I was actually thinking about this in the shower the other day. Aside from the many reasons, one really stood out. There are so many things in this world that we have no control of, but one thing we do. We have full and total control over our bodies. (Besides diseases like cancer- you suck!) I know what you’re thinking…control freak? But seriously, we have full control of what we eat, how we take care of our hygiene, and how we treat our body. No one forced you to eat a big mac, or eat some chicken and broccoli for that matter. But this is why I workout. To have full control of my body and to see the amazing results of all the hard work and dedication. I workout to be the absolute best I can be inside and out. To be a healthy, glowing, strong women. Your body is a reflection of your lifestyle. So why not treat it well!

The amount of endorphin’s after a workout doesn’t hurt either. Do you ever get that feeling that you just have to get to the gym to complete your day, or better yet feel better after a stressful day? I’m one of those people who walk out of the gym with a whole new attitude and smile on my face. I don’t know what I would do without this lifestyle! Exercise doesn’t get in the way of life, it adds to it.

So it’s your turn. Why do YOU workout? Please do share in the comments!

Don’t forget to enter the Thermos filtration bottle giveaway!

Thanks for reading!!

Fit Gal Feature: Ashley Nordman “Passion2befit”

01.29.2014

This post hits close to home. Ashley is one of the most motivational and inspiring women who I follow and met through Instagram. Who would have thought that social media would have such a big impact on my life! Ashley’s daily posts are one of the most influential things that pushed me to dig deeper into fitness and really find my passion. After a few emails back and forth, starting with questions I had for her about Cellucor (she is an affiliate), then leading to her giving me a complete meal plan, I could not be more grateful to know her. Not only beautiful on the outside, Ashley is so passionate about what she does and truly finds motivation in helping others with their goals. With that said, I had to get her on the blog for an interview, hoping she can have as much of an impact on you as she has me. So here she is: Fit Gal Ashley Nordman.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your fitness lifestyle.

My name is Ashley Nordman and I am a 21 year old women’s figure competitor. I was born and raised in a small town in Illinois, where I grew up in the country. I was constantly outside playing games, rollerblading, riding bikes, and playing sports. When I reached high school, I fell in love with running. I was the caption of our Cross Country team, and I always played an important role on the Track team as well. When college came around, I was burned out from 4 years of running, and I was also extremely lean. I was uncomfortable with my tiny physique, so I started researching some new types of exercise. I looked on Bodybuilding.com, fell in love with Jamie Eason’s body, and told myself that I was going to do whatever it took to look like her! I started weightlifting and focusing more on my nutrition, and I quickly fell in love. The weights were a new challenge for me, and they helped me put on some much-needed muscle! Throughout college, I grew even more passionate about this new lifestyle, and I was a huge advocate for healthy living. I joined a private gym during the summer of my Sophomore year of college, and this is where I fell into the sport of bodybuilding. I met a personal trainer who was a professional bodybuilder, and he recommended that I pursue it. I loved the idea of a new challenge, so I started working with him right away. In just 12 weeks, I prepped for my first competition, the OCB Midwest States in November of 2012, where I won 1^st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Novice! From then on, I knew that bodybuilding was my new sport. Since then, I have competed just one more time, in the NPC USA Coastal in August of 2013, where I prepped by myself and won 1^st place and Overall in Women’s Figure Open, which qualified me for Nationals! This year, I plan to compete in Nationals, as well as two other competitions, and I also plan to do my own prep. Along this journey, where my lifestyle involves eating healthy, weight training, and finding inner happiness, I am focusing on being as selfless as possible and to help others reach their health and wellness goals!

2. What are your goals and how are you working towards them?

My current goals are to compete in Nationals this year with the best physique I’ve ever had, to inspire others to work towards their own fitness goals, and to become an IFBB Pro. Each and every day I work towards these goals by being disciplined, putting others before myself, having patience, working as hard as I can, and staying positive!

3. What is your biggest accomplishment so far?

My biggest accomplishment is that I have been able to inspire women to change their lives for the better, and all through social media! I mainly use Instagram and I absolutely love each and every one of my followers!

4. What do your eating habits consist of? Walk us through your average day.

I eat ALL the time! I eat every three hours, and I eat 99% whole foods! Typically, I wake up, eat some egg whites and cream of wheat with a little fruit, and drink a small cup of coffee. A few hours later, I will have egg whites or a protein shake with a serving of almonds and vegetables. For lunch, I typically eat 4 oz grilled chicken with spinach and vegetables, and I also have a sweet potato with cinnamon on top! My afternoon snack is always a Cellucor protein shake (protein, ice, almond milk, and a banana!), and my dinner is usually 4oz ground turkey with oats or brown rice, and more vegetables! Before bed, I often have plain greek yogurt with almond butter.

5. What’s your favorite form of exercise?

My favorite form of exercise is weightlifting! I LOVE lifting heavy weights and really pushing myself out of my comfort zone!

6. What motivates you?

My Instagram followers motivate me, my next competition motivates me, and my friends and family motivate me as well.

7. What piece of advice can you give others who are looking to get fit?

I have two important pieces of advice. The first is to learn and research as much as you can when it comes to healthy eating, working out, and the lifestyle changes that are involved. Read blogs, see what fitness icons do to reach their goals, read forums on Bodybuilding.com, or even ask a friend or personal trainer in the area. Secondly, be patient and persistent! NEVER give up on your goals, and realize that the changes you want are going to take some time. We live in a society where we want things to happen now! But with fitness, that’s not the way it works. We must work for what we want, and we must be patient and let our body slowly get into the shape we want. 🙂

Ashley, thank you so much for all your help and constant support! I seriously can’t thank you enough.

You can find Ashley on Instagram: Passion2befit

Napa to Sonoma 5k / HUGE new goal!

07.23.2013

Hi loves! Sorry for my lack of posts lately, I have been a busy bee! New beginnings, change and exciting transitions are a good thing, right? Anyways, I do have some exciting news. Well two things, fitness related. First off, I placed 10th overall in the Napa to Sonoma 5k this weekend! 7th place female! It’s so exciting to make progress! If you follow my Facebook page, I talk about progress all the time. Little progress is better than no progress at all! Shaving time off my runs, seeing huge changes in my body and feeling overall very happy! Doesn’t get better than that. 🙂

This course was absolutely beautiful! I regret not running the half marathon, but will next year! People come from all over to visit the wine country which happens to be my home town. It’s really eye opening to return and realize how beautiful it really is! I may be a city girl, but Sonoma will always have my heart. 🙂

Such a fun event!! They had tons of wine tasting after and I saw a cute shirt that pretty much sums is up:

“Run a lit, Wine a lot”. 🙂

Next goal…maybe top 5? Hmmm… 😉

Exciting News #2- Sooooo, I sat down with a girlfriend of mine the other night who happens to be a photographer. We chatted a little bit about my fitness goals and you know what I realized? I don’t have one! So with that said I have decided that I really want to do a fitness photo shoot in 3-4 months!!!! I am so nervous to announce that and have been majorly doubting myself but after talking to others about it, why the heck not?! I need a goal, why not make it a big one. To be photo shoot ready to me, means getting in the best physical shape I have ever been. BUT doing it all on my own. Not using a nutritionist or trainer, but being my own motivation. I want to share the journey with you guys and see how I progress. Why the heck not, right? So I have yet to set a date, and SO nervous to commit but with this post, I think I just committed!! YIKES. I will need to believe in myself more than I ever have before! So stay tuned peeps!

Find your passion and the sky’s the limit! xoxo

My First Full Marathon!!!

06.18.2013

I still can’t believe it. If you follow me on Facebook, I’m sure you’ve heard the news, but for those who haven’t, I completed my first full marathon this weekend at The Wipro San Francisco Marathon! It’s kind of a funny story, and definitely did not imagine my first marathon to happen like this. So here’s how it went.

Believe it or not, I went to the race with the thought of running the half. I had a full marathon bib, but havent trained and was definitely planning to wing it. A friend of mine has been training like crazy for her first full, and I got a couple of runs in with her but had no intention of running the full 26! At mile 2 I told her, “Wouldnt that be crazy if I ran the full with you?” Crazy, it was! When we approached mile 13 if was feeling great and she turned to me and said “so….what are you going to do.” I honestly didn’t even think about it, I went for it! Most everyone would want to be finished at mile 13, right? I’m not going to lie, when I saw the half finish line it was hard! But I knew I could do this, I knew I could finish the full and how amazing it would be if i did.

I couldn’t have asked for a better cheerleader by my side. My friend, Luba stuck by my side the entire run. She was motivating me like crazy, talking to me the whole time, telling me not to give up. I never doubted her, but by mile 20 my body was definitely taking a hit. It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life! But I knew I had to finish, there was no other option. By the last mile, I was dragging but it was amazing to hear so many runners rooting me on, telling me we were almost done.

Although it was by no means easy, it was also one of my biggest accomplishments. I still can’t believe that I completed my first Full marathon with no training! It was an emotional experience. By the last mile I couldn’t hold back the tears. The feeling was unexplainable.

I wouldn’t recommend that anyone else try this, but I do recommend you train and go for it! My mind and heart literally took over my body and I accomplished something that I never thought I could. It’s so important to listen to your body and what it is telling you. The only reason why I went ahead with it is because I knew that I could make it. I knew my body could handle the pressure. All the strength training I do is what came in handy. My heart was telling me yes. So I went for it. Push your body, but know your limits. Train, train, train so you are not as sore as I am today!!

I will post later about post-marathon recovery, as it’s one of the most important parts. I am the most sore I have ever been before, so now its time to take care of my body and replenish all the nutrients I lost during the 4 hours and 46 minutes of running. The soreness will fade but the awesome story will last forever.

Congrats to all my fellow runners! You can finally say “I did it. I never gave up. I never quit.” Those moments of pain turned into memories and an accomplished goal that only 1% of the population could obtain. This was the world’s 15th hardest marathon course! You did it! Now you can thank yourself for the rest of your life. It’s truly a life changing moment.