Lifting Weights Changed My Life

I'm not joking. 

I've heard all of the "if you start working out you will feel better about yourself". And that is true. But I was mainly sticking to cardio and believed in the myth that lifting weights will make a woman bulky or "unfeminine". But lifting weights was one of the biggest moves I made for myself, and it has changed my life. 

It was May 2013 when I started lifting weights. I even remember taking Wednesdays off so I can go to the gym to use the weights - I called it Weights Wednesday xD 

I think after about 3 weeks, I started to really see some results - especially in my arms. I was hooked! I started to go maybe twice a week. The only thing that was holding me back was the soreness xD I was such a baby and would not go more than two days in a row because "I was too sore" :P 

I love lifting weights, but sometimes I feel like I'm not doing it enough to be really pushing myself. Sometimes I feel like I'm not really getting anywhere with it. I've always been in my comfort zone when it comes to the weights on the machines (ie. lat pull-downs and cable rows). It's rather in the free weights that I'm able to keep increasing the resistance. 

I blame the lack of consistency I have with the gym and the gaps I have between gym sessions (ie. 3 days off work and at the gym, and then 4 days at work with no workouts except walking all day). 

But the point of this post is that - doing something you've never done before, or have been afraid to do, maybe be the best choice of your life (except for drugs!) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 02/07 (Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps)

Besides Back and Bi workouts, Chest and Tri's give me a great pump too. 

I love working my triceps, because they make my arm look much

bigger than they actually are :P 

This workout has a similar design to the many workouts that are 

available in this month's Monthly Downloadable Workout Plans.

For complete set ranges, rep ranges, break ranges, and tips for daily workouts, 

you can download my Monthly Downloadable Workout for only $5. 

If you aren't sure what my Monthly Downloadable Workout 
Plans are, you can read more about it here

buy

In this month's downloadable workout plan you'll find: 

-A flexible, month long calendar layout of different workouts

-Over 15 different workout routines to choose from 

-Tips on improving your workouts

-Recommend rep ranges, set ranges, break ranges, etc

After payment, sellfy will re-direct you to a page where you can download the 

file onto your computer, phone, or tablet. Please note there is a maximum 

of 5 downloads! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 02/05 (Abs & Cardio: At Home Edition)

Wednesday's are my longest school days, and I'm usually exhausted

by the end of the day. Instead of lifting heavy at the gym, I'd rather

spend some time at home working on a Ab circuit. 

Speedbags: Use your right arm and cross punch to the top left corner, and 

your left arm and cross punch to the top right corner. Engage your abs

 as you move from side to side!

This workout is similar to workouts that can be found in my

Monthly Downloadable Workout Plans (MDWP). MWDP includes both 

workouts that can be done at home and at the gym. If your goal is to 

build muscle and shed fat, then these workouts are suitable for you.

 They are based off of previous workouts I've created and posted on my blog. 

For complete set ranges, rep ranges, break ranges, and tips for daily workouts, 

you can download my Monthly Downloadable Workout for just $5. 

buy

In this month's downloadable workout plan you'll find: 

-a flexible, month long calendar layout of different workouts

-over 15 different workout routines to choose from 

Tips on improving your workouts

Recommend rep ranges, set ranges, break ranges, etc

After payment, sellfy will re-direct you to a page where you can download the 

file onto your computer, phone, or tablet. Please note there is a maximum 

of 5 downloads! 

We're half way through the week everyone! 
Keep pushing! 
I've got stacks of studying and assignments to get back to now :P 

Cheers

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 01/27 (Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps)

Happy International Chest Day! 

As much as I wanted to jump onto that bandwagon, I found myself avoiding chest workouts on Monday's. Why? Simply because everyone at the gym was doing it and I could never get to a piece of free equipment fast enough. 

Eventually I gave up and did Chest a different day of the week, but I couldn't help but want to fire up my chest muscles today :D 

High reps with fewer sets gets my heart rate escalated and my muscles burning. 

Definitely going to feel this tomorrow! 

I've got piles and piles of notes to go through plus assignments to complete and hand in. Looks like it's going to be a busy and relatively stressful week ahead! 

But hopefully your week has been off to a great start as well! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 01/25 (Back and Shoulders)

Today's workout focused on back's and shoulders again. I did lat pull downs instead of single arm rows this time. 

Shoulders is one of the lesser worked part of my body. But when I do work on it, I feel the strain and DMOS almost as fast as a couple hours later. It makes my shoulders tense, and my head feels heavier on my shoulders. 

But the efforts will pay off when I see it grow ;) 

Barbell rows - 30 lbs 

Lat pulldown - 57 lbs 

Cable row - 57 lbs 

Dumbbell press - 10 lbs 

Dumbbell raise - 10 lbs 

Side lateral raise - 12 lbs 

I suck at taking pictures of my back, but I will try to do that next time I work my back :) 

Have a great weekend! 

Cheers 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 01/24 (Bicep Bananza)

Couple weeks back, I remember blogging about how I had the intentions of putting extra focus on one muscle group each month. Evidently that hasn't happened, but my biceps are definitely one of the prioritized areas for me. Why? Because it's probably what I flex the most in all my pictures (guilty!). 

Tip: It's easy to just go through the motions during 

bicep workouts. To really maximize the workout, 

focus on squeezing your biceps (or muscles in general) 

for a couple seconds when you're contracting 

your muscles (tummies in!) 

Here's a little progress update on my baby biceps 

(approx. september 2013 and now) 

Happy Friday! 

Cheers :) 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 01/23 (Back and Shoulders)

Hey fellow readers! 

Here is my back and shoulders workout for today. 

If you haven't noticed, workouts are now being posted in a more fashionable  and eye appealing manner ;) I hope you guys like it! 

There will be more updates and many more changes to come on my blog, and I'm both happy and excited for what's to come soon :) 

Tip: When you're doing bent-over rows, focus on engaging 

your muscles rather than just going through the motions 

of it. Try to count to 2 in your head before moving 

on to the next rep :) 

Cheers!

xoxo

Workout of the Day: 01/14 + What's in my Gym Bag

What feels even better/ just as great than stepping back into the gym on the first day, is going back the day right after. It marks the beginning of a new stretch, and it shows that I am fully committed.

Today's workout was a chest, tricep, and shoulder circuit - again, inspired by Fitness Barbie Lauren Gleisberg.

Shoulder press - 10 pounds/db 

Bench press - 15 pounds/db

Tricep extension - 20 lbs/arm 

Incline flyes - 10 lbs/db 

Side lateral punches - 8 lbs/db

I've never been a big fan of circuits, mostly because every gym is designed differently and it's so hard to do some of them. ie. One of today's circuit required jump rope, which I cannot do INSIDE my school gym (I must step outside to ensure I don't whip anyone in the face). So when I see circuits on the training plan, the first that comes to mind is - improvise.

Today's workout was great, except for a few things.

1. Someone has apparently stolen the ONLY set of 12 pound hexagonal dumbbells available in the facility - I am forced to either up my sets to 15 or dumb it down to 10 :\

2. I find that I have trouble getting my heart rate up during certain exercises - it never really goes over 140. When I hit the 150's and 160's occasionally, I know that I've been pushing myself.

3. On the very last rep of my last set of shoulder punches, I turned my neck at the wrong angle and I strained my neck - it still hurt's a bit to turn my head! Due to that, I wasn't able to finish the last part of the circuit.

What's In my Gym Bag? 

1. Nike Running Shoes
2. Polar FT4 Heart Rate monitor watch and heart rate monitor strap
3. Headband and bobby pins
4. Headphones
5. Lock
6. Student ID (required for entrance to facility)
7. My phone for some beats!!!!

All of those items you see there (+ my workout clothes) all fit into the tiny little bag underneath it, and it surprisingly all fits into my new lululemon bag, which I also use as a school bag! So really, there's a whooooole lot more of junk that's in my "gym bag/school bag".

Here's a little progress on my arms:

My left arm always looks more toned than the right! 

Wednesdays are always busy busy school days, so I'm going to give myself a rest day and focus on my studies for the evening!

Cheers!
xoxo

Ramble of the Evening: Showing Gratitude for the Little Things

I apologize if you've come to my blog today expecting some workout pictures and my routine, but lately I've been trying to focus more on the mental stuff rather than the physical stuff.

So my ramble of the evening begins...

Sometimes we're so busy and stressed, we get carried away and forget about the little things. While on campus studying on a Friday night, I went to get myself a latte at the Starbucks. Something as simple as the barista commenting on my make up and saying "I really like you're eyeliner, it's really cute!" easily made my day. It's these little gestures/comments that can make people's days. I know it sure made mine!

I walked away feeling happier and more cheerful, and it made me want to "pass on the good deed" of making someone feel happier/ helping someone out. On my way back to my study area, I bumped into two random strangers would looked puzzled and lost. I kindly approached them, asked where they were heading and if they needed directions, and directed them towards the right direction. The guy left with a big smile on his face and said "Thank you, I really appreciate that".

It kinda makes you think "hey! I'm putting faith back into humanity!", or maybe something like that.

I've also spent some time over the past weekend thinking about the different things I want my future to consist of, in terms of my career and my fitness related issues (personal training, running my blog, starting a business of some sort, etc).

It frustrates me that I want to do so many of those things right now, yet I need to focus my time on school and need to build my way up there. That being said, it only makes me want to work harder to do better, and achieve the many other things I also want to achieve. It's by doing that step, that will allow me to take another step towards my other fitness and business related goals.

So here's to the start of a new semester, of the continuation of motivation, concentration, dedication, and hard work on both my studies and my personal health and fitness levels.

(It's cold in my house hehe)

Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :)

New Year, New Me!

Hello fellow readers!
I'm very very sorry for the lack of updates the past couple weeks - I needed time off to spend with my friends and family, and I also needed time to myself to think about things.

The past few weeks I haven't done much weight lifting, and my diet hasn't been consistent. I felt like I've basically fallen off track. But every time I encounter these "falling off track's", I learn more about myself, what I really want (my goals), and what I need to do to reach those goals.

1. New goals of the year
When I think about what I want to accomplish in 2014, a lot of things run through my mind. After a couple weeks of having time to myself, I've realized that there are many things I would like to change and improve on - in terms of my health, my diet, my lifestyle, and a few things about my own personality traits.
I would like to work on my patience levels, and express my gratitude for many things on by writing it down or sharing it on the web with you guys.
Here's a recap of other NRY I posted last time:

2. Continuing to work hard in school
I am very happy with my results from last semester. It feels so good to know that all the hard work has finally started to pay off. I'm finally getting one step closer to being accepted into my program to become a registered dietitian :D
The holidays have made me kinda lazy, but I'm excited to start school again. School is what keeps me on track! I have a set schedule, I know where I have to be at what time, and I can allocate my other activities such as workout sessions, family dinners, and studying time around class times.

3. I have decided to follow some bodybuilding.com workouts for the next few weeks to kick start the new year workout sessions. I enjoy planning my own workouts, but I feel that I'm lacking some surprise elements in them. Hopefully changing up my workout plans ever so often will keep things exciting for me :)

4. Being more active on my blog
I remember when the school year first started, I had a set day where I would blog once a week. Slowly along the way I started slipping and didn't post on the day I wanted to and it became once every couple weeks. This year, I am going to make it my goal to post my workout routine on my blog EVERY TIME. Since I'm aiming to workout 3 times a week, expect to see a few posts every week ! :)

I'll post some "progress" pics in a couple days to show you guys and myself where I am right now. There probably isn't much progress anymore from all this crazy non-sense holiday eating.

Cheers!
xoxo

Selina :)