Workout of the Day: Legs and Chest (06/18)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge 

I love glute workouts :D Leg days are one of my favourite days! It usually falls on a Tuesday because Monday is my rest day after four straight days of work, and doing it on Wednesday won't let me get enough rest before I go back to work. 

On top of these exercises, I also did some standard dumbbell squats. I feel like I'm trying to get ahead of myself by learning to do dead-lifts.  I was having a little struggle with them last week. So this week I wanted to focus on improving that first! 

I also learned this week that the stair master is actually a great form of cardio exercise that works your glutes, hamstrings, and quads with less stress on your joints (especially the knees). So I took my cardio on that today! Man , I was sweating buckets!! Gotta start using it more often :) 

Thanks for reading and your continued support! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Back and Biceps (06/17)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge Workout 

It's always nice to get back into the gym for a workout on Monday after working for four days straight. 

Work is always so busy, and I'm exhausted when I get home. Sorry for the vague posts! 

Starting to re-think this whole working full time thing :( 

I always feel so tired, and like I don't have enough time to do the things I enjoy! Not to mention I'm falling behind on my studying. Guess I'll have to push through this! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Backs and Biceps (06/11)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 5 

This week marks week 5 of the Bikini Booty Summer Challenge! I feel like I've come a long way, yet haven't worked quite as hard enough (a bit on my workout, but mostly on my eating habits and diet). It's a mixed feeling of satisfaction with a hint of disappointment, hehe. 

Week 5 and 6 will include many circuit workouts; the fat-burning phase of the challenge. Circuit workouts with minimal rest time keeps our heart rate up longer, which pushes us to work harder. This results in burning more calories, and more fat! 

I've mentioned before that in order to see the results from the gym, our diet has to be clean, healthy, and balanced. Another important factor for seeing results is sleep. 

Sleep allows your brain to rest, and your body's muscles and tissues to repair. Training yourself lots at the gym and not getting ample rest can also impede on our results. Sleep plays a role in protein synthesis, and allows you to recharge for the gym or other activities for the next day. 

There is research that states sleep can be "made up" for, so take an extra couple hours on the weekends to sleep in if you cut yourself short of 8 hours a day during the week! 

I think I'm going to go take a nap, hehe :D 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Glutes, Glutes, Glutes! (06/10)

Whipped up a quick glutes workout last night for the gym today! 

I am moving fast with my dead-lifts! Did the Romanian / Stiff-legged dead-lifts last week, and this week I'm challenging myself to do some single-legged dead-lifts :D

I try to incorporate circuits into my workouts ever so often, to aid in the fat burning and sweating components. Sometimes it can be hard when all equipment are used up or if there isn't ample space at the gym. But this workout requires minimal equipment, and can be done easily in one spot almost the entire time! 

If you're working out hard at the gym but still not seeing the results you want or expected, the issue most likely lies in your diet. No amounts of exercise and outweigh a poor or bad diet. 

In order for your body to repair it's muscles and tissues, for your abs to show, it all comes back to your diet. A healthy, balanced diet with all the right foods (complex carbs, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, healthy fats, and moderate amounts of non-healthy fats) paired with challenging workouts is what will help you transform your body. 

I am a preacher of this, but I am not the best person at practice of it. We all have our struggles, and we all have room for improvement. For me, the biggest struggle is the healthy eating part. I love to look up recipes and go grocery shopping, but the habit of cooking meals every couple days to help me stay on track has not sunk in yet. 

Habits take time to build up and solidify. One of these days I will find a method that works for me, and hopefully you will too! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Chest and Triceps (06/03)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge Workout

I'll be honest with you gals, but it's getting a little hard to continue on with the challenge. No doubt that I haven't been on point with my diet, and this has dramatically affected my results. I haven't been able close to being able to achieve the bikini booty body that I had wished I would have by summer time. 

But I made a list of goals on June 1st, of the things I will do and work towards to achieve by the end of the month. And one of them is to go through with completing the rest of the program workouts, no matter how long it takes and no matter what the results are at the end. 

I'm still working 4 days a week of long long hours, so I'm also falling a little behind on my Fitness Trainer Certification studies as well. It's about time I checked in on how I prioritize my time. Because of that, I apologize for the infrequent posts, but I will do my best to maintain the quality of the posts!

P.S. Killed today's workouts! Going to feel it tomorrow! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Glutes and Abs (06/02)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 4 Day 5 

Ladies! I am so proud of myself today! 

I completed the entire workout, and it was a KILLER! 

On top of that, I was actually able to make it to the gym after 4 long working days :D 

My legs were feeling like jelly and was shaking by the time I was doing my foam rolling at the end. 

So with the 4th week of the program, I introduced the dead-lift exercise. 

The dead-lift movement is often known as the best exercise for targeting the glutes and the hamstrings. When I did the exercise today, I learned the reason why. It is HARD. It really works your hamstrings. 

The reason I have put it off so far into the program is because I always had trouble with my squats. My knees would go past my toes, my back posture was not correct, and adding weights to the improper posture didn't help with my back pain. 

For the past 4 weeks, with 2 days each dedicated to some form of leg exercise and squats, I have been able to work on my form - and it has been back-pain free squatting for the last 3 weeks :) The posture is not mastered, but I know I've come a long ways. 

I tried to do dead-lifts with 10 pound dumbbells in each hand, and it was too painful (along with incorrect posture). So I tried 7.5 pounds. Still too heavy. I was started to get frustrated. I put the dumbbells away and started to go through the motion without the weights. Needless to say, some people were laughing at me and giving me side glances. 

But I didn't care - because I was doing it for me and it was helping me! After a few sets of that, I was able to do the movement with 5 pounders. 

Have to keep working on the posture though! 

Chest and Triceps workout tomorrow! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

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 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

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

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

Workout of the Day: Legs and Shoulders (05/13)

Bikini Booty Summer Body Challenge - Week 2 Day 2 

Love, love, love leg days now! If you were to ask me why I didn't like it before, I would probably tell you because I didn't keep my eyes on my goals and I didn't have the right mindset. 

Right now, my goal is to focus on slimming down and start building my booty for the summer bikini season. Perhaps that is my biggest motivation for leg days! 

Legs day at the gym, and a gorgeous, sunny warm day outside? This girl is HAPPY! 

If you've read my previous posts, you'll recall that my journey started because I simply wanted to "lose weight" and "be skinny". However, that is no longer the case. My journey today is: to be healthy for my age, be happy about my body, and feel confident over my body (and overall more confidence in general). 

In my eyes, there is a difference between skinny and fit. Some people even use the term "skinny fit". When I first started my fitness journey, my goal was to lose weight and be "skinny". But as the pounds slowly started dropping with cardio exercise, I discovered weight lifting and fell in-love with it almost instantly.  

Since then, I have discovered so much and learned so much about healthy eating, exercise, personal training, cardio exercises, and so forth. It only makes me more hungry to learn more about all these subjects and beyond! 

So look beyond the reasons of simply "getting skinny" with your workout / fitness journey. Exercise to be fit! Strong! Healthy! 

Don't starve, eat. Eat healthy, and eat for your body, mind, and soul. 

Focus your energy on yourself and the positive things, rather than others and the negative attitudes and remarks. 

Cheers! 

xoxo