Why Do You Exercise? (05/28)

Seeing my friend post about why she exercises got me thinking about the question. 

1⃣ I don't want to be overweight - I've always remembered being a chubby kid growing up, and my parents were always encouraging me to "lose weight". I'm older now, but no doubt I am still overweight. 

2⃣ I want to be healthy. By no means does being a bit overweight directly links you to being unhealthy, but I definitely don't feel great about myself when I'm feeling breathless after 3 flights of stairs (I hate you university) 

3⃣ I want to feel more confident over my body. Some days, I feel like a sexy panther 🐯and I'm ready to take on the world. Some days, my body makes me want to hide in a bag 👝 

4⃣ I want to live up to my promises. I've made many goals in my lifetime, some accomplished some left unfinished. Being able to lose the excess body fat and keeping it off has been one of the unfinished ones. I was able to lose 15 pounds over a 6 month period, but school stress and lack of exercising helped me regain that quickly.  

5⃣ I want to use my knowledge and passion for health and fitness to help people. 

6⃣ I want to be able to live my life as an example and help others. I've finally been accepted into Dietetics Nutrition this year, and with the completion of my degree I will be able to help many others with their health challenges. 

7⃣ I want to have a flat stomach one day - doesn't have to be ABS. Just a flat tummy - cause I've never had a flat tummy 

8⃣ I want to have that big booooty! 

Workout of the Day: Legs and Shoulders (05/27)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 4 Day 2 

Leg days get tough when you've been standing on your feet all day waiting on tables :( 

I'm still trying to figure out a way to work these workout sessions around my work schedule, so that not only can I make it to the gym but don't feel exhausted like I always do after work. 

If you have any tips/pointers, please let me know! 

So I talk about building a booty and doing leg workouts pretty often, but today I wanted to address something else - how to melt belly fat. Obviously, there is no way for spot reduction on our body. A flat, and toned midsection will have to come from a proper, clean, balanced diet. But I also believe that there are certain foods and liquids that will better the process of the flat midsection. 

1. Eat six meals a day - eating many smaller meals a day helps keep your energy levels balanced and prevent you from overeating big meals. 

2. Choose foods that swap fat for muscle - Choose 2 or 3 of these foods in 3 of your major meals, and at least one of the foods in  your snacks 

eggs, nuts, leafy greens, vegetables, berries, lean meats and fish, beans, peanut butter, and oatmeal 

3. Know what to drink - Drink plenty of water. An average female requires 2.7L of water intake a day, depending on the person. This intake comes from all sources - water, fruits, vegetables, milk, juice, etc. 

4. Know what not to drink - alcohol is pure sugar, and it can affect your body in many ways. Firstly, too much simple sugar intake is not good. Secondly, it can make you feel bloated and affect your food intake. Lastly, it can affect your body's fat burning rate and encourage the storing of fat. 

5. Eat dairy - choose for low fat dairy options. Dairy products help strengthen your bones. Aim for 1200-1300mg of calcium a day, with adequate vitamin D intake to help with the absorption of the calcium. The better of a reason to go out and get some sun! 

6. Eat more of the right fats - try to limit the amount of saturated and trans fats you consume. Make an effort to consume more monounsaturated (flaxseed, olive oil) and polyunsaturated fats. Aim for 1 1/2 tablespoons of these healthy fats per day.  

I hope these tips will help you make some healthier choices in your daily meals to help with burning the fat! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Back and Biceps (05/26)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 4 Day 1 

We're approaching the second half of the the bikini challenge, and I have to admit that I'm having a tough time putting in my time at the gym.  I've worked 36 hours the past 4 days, and my legs are in so much pain I can barely walk - let alone make it to the gym to get in a good session. 

Regardless, I'm going to try my best to fit in some workout sessions into the days I have off - but the most important thing for me is to get enough rest. 

Since I won't be hitting the gym as much as I want, I'm going to try out a new method for eating and my meal plans. A fitness enthusiast I follow on instagram posted a photo of how she plans her meals out for the week, so I decided to give it a try. 

The best part is, it allows me to try out different recipes so things never get boring! (A problem I was struggling with before) 

Here's a snapshot of my meals for the week: 

It's not a super restrictive meal plan, and I also left days to spend time with my mom too :) 

Tonight I'm cooking the Coconut Curry Chicken for my boyfriend and I, and it's going to be delicious! 

I will work on sharing my bikini challenge workouts with you, as well as any metabolic circuit workouts or like workouts that I do in replacement of them. And maybe some recipes of my meals as well from time to time :) 

Thanks for your continued support! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Glutes and Abs (05/23)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 3 Day 5 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Chest and Triceps (05/22)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 3 Day 4 

Have you ever felt like this? Found yourself comparing yourself to others? 

My friend Emily here couldn't have said it better. Instead of comparing your quality and traits to those of others, use the good you see from others and use it to motivate yourself to do more, do better, and work harder. 

If you constantly compare yourself to others, you will only feel unsatisfied. Why? Because you are you, and they are not you. You should be yourself, and most definitely shouldn't try to be "somebody else". For example, Lauren Gleisberg have been my fitness motivation from Day 1. I admire here for many different things, and some days I really wish I could be her. And some of those days, I feel a little down because I keep asking myself "I'm trying to do everything like her. But why aren't I getting the same results?" 

It took some time for me to realize what was wrong there. And it was that I was trying to be like her, instead of being myself. So now, I try to focus on those good things that I see in Lauren and my other motivations. I remind myself that they all worked hard, worked smart, and rounded up a lot of determination and maybe even some self sacrifices to get to where they are now. And if I want to be healthy, fit, and successful like them, I need to learn to build those skills into my life too. 

So remind yourself that instead of wanting to be someone else because of what they have or what they can do/have done, you want to learn those skills they have to be a better you tomorrow :)  

Cheers! 
xoxo

Workout of the Day: Legs (05/21)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 3 Day 3 

I did an at-home leg workout yesterday, and despite it being a good workout, I still don't feel like I pushed myself hard enough. So, I went back to the gym today and did a routine that was a little bit more intense. 

Today's routine included: heavier than usual dumbbell squats, dumbbell walking lunges, lying curls, split squats, and weight calf raises. Let me say that I am currently sitting on my chair with a lot of pain in my quads :D 

Did some good foam rolling as well, since I have a lot of work ahead of me the next few days. Also going to take an epsom salt bath later tonight to relax these leg muscles! 

This picture perfectly describes me right now :) 

I'm starting a part time job this week, so I'll be working 4 days a week. This means I will have to rearrange my workout schedule to accommodate for work. However, this is good news for me, because I need to start saving for my tuition. Speaking of school... 

I have been accepted into the Dietetics Nutrition Program at my University!!! I am beyond happy to have received this email, because only weeks ago I was worrying about not being admitted and the long line of other issues that would arise because of that. I am so glad that my countless hours of studying, and occasional overnights at the library, has finally paid off! 

I'll keep posting workouts and motivational tips for you readers on the days I'm working! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Legs and Shoulders (05/20)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 3 Day 2

I was really looking forward to the gym today, but I woke up feel groggy and my ankle was still hurting (I landed on my foot wrong after jumping off the fishing boat yesterday). 

So, I decided that I will do an at home workout today. The above workout can be done at the gym, but many of the moves can be done at home too if you have the equipment. In compensation for the moves I can't do, I will be throwing in parts of Lauren Gleisberg's at home workout exercises :) 

I can't remember exactly when, but this photo really speaks to me now. Growing up I was overweight, and all I wanted to be was skinny. Not healthy, skinny. The approach was all wrong. Once I started to appreciate fitness, and found my passion for health and nutrition, the pieces started falling into place. 

Now, my goal is not to be skinny, but to be healthy, be fit, be confident, and be sexy. What could be better than the radiating confidence you have over your own fit, toned, and sexy body!? That being said, your goals may not be the same as mine. And that is 100% okay. The important thing is to always keep sight of your goals; write it down in your journal, make a pamphlet of it and put it somewhere you can see it. Don't let little bumps and turns along the way make you lose sight of your goal! 

This also leads me to the fact that I've been looking for a line of fitness products (preworkout, protein powder, etc) designed for women, besides Proteenie. Then, I came across FitMiss ! 

I'm currently doing my research on the ingredients behind the products, just to ensure that they are all safe and nothing is crazy. If things turn out well, I would consider investing in this brand! If you use/used this brand before, please tell me what you think about it! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Back and Biceps (05/19)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 3 Day 1 

It's the beginning to another week! It's the May long weekend here in Canada, and I've been enjoying time with my friends and family. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be skipping workouts! I'll be going fishing today, and when I come back I'm going to kill it at the gym! It's probably empty too cause everyone is out of town! 

Working hard is important to me because I want to be able to do more in my life, and I want to be able to achieve more every day. In order to do that, I'm trying to think about working smarter too. Working hard and getting things done make me feel happier, and less guilty when I'm spending quality time with the people I love. 

If you feel like you've been taking a little too much time off, take the first step today! Join me in this BBSB Challenge! We are approaching the half-way point, but you still have 5 weeks until summer! Let me help you make this summer the summer where you're most confident in your bikini and normal-wear clothing! 

Download the program today! 

buy

Cheers! 

xoxo

Grocery Haul (05/18)

Aloha!

So for last week's grocery haul, I showed you a picture and gave you some details about the haul. 
This week, I was finally able to put together a quick video to verbally tell you about my haul! 

I'm still new at making videos, I don't know much about editing videos, and my camera is super old. Sorry for some quite volume and the average quality of the video :P 

My grocery hauls are never "complete" of all the things I eat, because I tend to have food left over sometimes, or I didn't use as much as I planned. Therefore, my grocery trips often consists of odd things here and there to use with my leftover groceries! 

I'll be working lots again this week, so I'm going to have to stay sharp and use my time wisely to get my workouts done and stay on track with my eating and CPT studies! 

As usual, workouts from my Bikini Booty Summer Body (BBSB) Challenge will be posted daily so that you can do the workouts too! If you want the full program with detailed rep ranges, number of sets, cardio sessions, and much more, download the program today! 

Download link can be found on previous posts or on the "workouts" page :) 

Cheers! 
xoxo

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Update!

Two weeks in to the BBSB challenge! I'm exhausted, but I'm also loving it. 

I'd like to acknowledge a few things I have been good at, and a few I've been struggling with. 

The Good: 

1. Establishing a routine and hitting the gym around the same time every day! 

2. Pushing myself in all my workouts - especially my leg workouts 

3. Not letting the "lazy" part of me take over when I wake up in the morning! 

The Struggle: 

1. Meal prepping - it's hard! My knees and flat feet get tired after standing for so many hours in the kitchen making a mess! 

2. Another side effect of #1 - buying lunches! I try to choose good options still, multigrain sandwiches, with double chicken breasts, half the amount of cheese, fat free sauces, loaded veggies. 

3. Getting the ideal protein intake in my diet. I'm not a fan of protein shakes, so it makes it hard for me to hit my goal. One can only eat so many chicken breasts and quest bars! 

Now that I've explicitly listed my good and my struggles, I know where to make improvement, and what to continue doing! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Home Made Chicken Pizza Recipe (05/17)

So during the week, I was craving pizza. I didn't want to fork out $25 for a pizza that would make me feel guilty afterwards. So I made my own pizza at home, that was both inexpensive and nutritious! 

Step 1: Choose your pizza crust. I used a multigrain flatbread that I can use to make pizzas or panini's. 

Step 2: Spread an even layer of tomato sauce your choice. I used Ragu Tomato and Garlic flavor, and I sprinkled some extra Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning on too. 

Step 3: Evenly spread cheese of your choice. I used medium cheddar and shredded pizza mozerella. 

Step 4: Add your protein and veggies! I used leftover shredded from my roasted chicken the night before. For veggies, I kept it simple and just used mushrooms. Always tastes good on pizza! 

Step 5: Bake at 350F for 10 minutes

6. Cut into 4's, and serve with some veggies on the side! 

Lunch is served! 

Try this recipe out the next time you're craving pizza! Don't forget to tag me in your photos! #sellychanfitness 

Have a great weekend! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Glutes and Abs (05/16)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 2 Day 5 

Abs are still one of my lesser favourite workouts - I pair it up with glute days for a reason! 

At one point I even thought there was no point in doing them because ab workouts aren't what helps reveal abs - it's the diet! No no no. No more of that thinking! 

Ab workouts will help strengthen my abdominal and oblique muscles, and give me greater core strength! This will resultantly help me with my posture and my other workouts :) 

Join me in the Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge! 

There are still 5 weeks until Summer officially starts! That leaves plenty of time for this challenge! Make this summer the summer where your body is the most fit and toned, and ready for bikini season! 

Check out my "Workout Plans" page for more details on the challenge, and previous post for sample workouts! 

To download directly: 

buy

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Chest and Triceps (05/15)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 2 Day 4 

It feels good to be back in the gym! 

I had a needed rest day yesterday. However, I didn't like it very much! It felt weird to wake up later than usual and not going to the gym. But I knew I had to do what is best for my body, and that was to take the day off. Some days will be harder than others, but the important part is to fight through it! 

I took the opportunity to cook up a huge breakfast that was packed with protein to help fuel my muscles. 

Gourmet photo taking skills: None 

Ability to cook up a great breakfast: I got it!  

If you're a follower of my instagram, then you're probably aware that I am currently studying for my personal trainer certifcation. A little update on that is that: it's challenging! There's so much to learn, and the muscle names are extremely hard for me, since I have little human anatomy knowledge. 

But I'm excited that I'm making progress every day (despite the distractions), and that I am getting closer to my goal every day! 

Check back tomorrow for the glute workout routine! Can't wait!

Cheers! 

xoxo

Why Rest Days are Important! (05/14)

When you work out, your muscle tissues undergo a stretch and contract mechanism, and it will take time (and sufficient protein in your diet) to help replenish the muscle stores (and build on, in some cases). 

If you don't give your body enough time to rest (another reason why sleep is very important for recovery too!), your muscles won't be at maximum potential for the workout! 

I have never been the girl who worked out 5-6 days a week. Maybe someday I will be fit enough and have a lifestyle like that, but I've been able to go a max of 4 days a week. I listen to my body, and my body tells me that I need a day to rest every couple days. 

The Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge I created started last week, and it was hard to get things back on schedule the first week! I had to take rest days on days when I was supposed to work out, which led to me working out 4 days in a row. My body is exhausted. But I made sure that I got enough sleep, ate nutritious foods (and enough of), and my favourite - taking baths infused with epsom salts. 

What are epsom salts? Epsom salts are composed of magnesium sulphate; two elements that are crucial to the bodily functions. Mixing half a cup of this lavender scented epsom salt into a hot running bath is not only relaxing for my mind, but also to my tired, tired muscles. This is a great way to restore magnesium and sulphate into your system. 

Magnesium is used for nerve impulse transmissions, formation of healthy bones and teeth, and more. Benefits of magnesium include: better sleep, a more relaxed nervous system, bigger and stronger muscles (due to up-regulation of growth hormones), and enzyme function. 

Sulphate helps strengthen the walls of the digestive system, and in proteins found in joints. Together, they are very useful for reducing inflammation, relieving pain, and reducing muscle cramps. 

This bag of happiness was only $8 at my local grocery store, and it's going to keep my muscles happy happy for the next couple months! 

I hope this helps you guys with your recovery days! 

Cheers! 

xoxo