Feeling Unproductive? It Might Be the Mercury Retrograde (01/23)

Aloha readers! 

So after reading the title of this post you might be going "Mercury Retrograde? What on Earth is Selly talking about?" 

Planets in our solar system are always orbiting around the Sun and spinning on it's own axis. Three or four times a year, Mercury's orbital path reaches a retrograde phase - a phase where Mercury appears to stop and and starts spinning backwards, known as Mercury Retrograde. 

In Astrology, Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth, and travelling. So when the planet starts going backwards, well, some of these things can start going backwards too. 

(http://debraclementastrologer.com/free-astrology-chart/mercury-retrograde-2015) 

So what sort of things would you typically expect with Mercury Retrograde? Well, from personal experience - bizarre arguments, incoherent thoughts, lack of focus and motivation, and electronic issues - are very probably of happening, and trust me, I'm going through all of that right now! 

Not only has it empowered my lack of motivation for school, but it has made me feel extra lazy and unproductive. I'm having a hard time getting myself up out of bed and going to the gym when I'm on school campus. And when I do get there, my mind is all over the place - I just can't seem to focus on doing one thing at a time. 

So what can you do and shouldn't you do during periods of time like this? 

Do's: 

- review your contracts and agreements before signing them; whether it be bank loans, student loan payments, signing on new training clients, etc. 

- pause, take a deep breath, and think about things before saying them out aloud. Remember, bizarre arguments may happen when you least expect it! 

- get your vehicle checked out if anything has looked odd recently, and always give yourself some buffer room for travelling time 

- backup your electronic devices ASAP to avoid losing any important contacts or file information 

- reflect upon some previous commitments you've made, and renew them - rather than making new commitments (this goes back to the signing contract and agreements point) 

Dont's: 

- don't sign new contracts or agreements (sorry! looks like personal training client contracts will have to wait a little bit) 

- jump to conclusions on problems or jump into impulsive decisions 

- procrastinate / leave later than planned for scheduled meetings or travelling arrangements 

- starting anything new before thoroughly completely, and reflecting upon what's already on your to-do list 

As quoted in MindBodyGreen.com, there is something good to take out of this retrograde 

The silver lining? Mercury retrograde is a great opportunity to handle unfinished business. Most of us start a million things that we don't complete, never realizing how much psychic clutter this creates. The retrograde is a chance to tie up loose ends and create a clear vision for the future. Take advantage of it, and you'll emerge fresh and ready when Mercury goes direct.

So if you've been feeling down, unproductive, or just darn right out of the blue - don't worry, you're probably not the only one feeling this way. But don't let this be an excuse to keep continuing on like this. Being aware of it means you can be proactive and make some changes.

I'm going to use this time to reflect upon why I want to finish studying my Nutrition degree, and what it means to me personally. I'm going to reflect upon what I had to do in order to get to where I am today, and plan out what I can do - and not do - to continue onwards in that path. 

I'm going to reflect upon the big ideas and plans I have for myself in the upcoming years, but rather than letting that overwhelm me and stress me out, I'm going to start envisioning the pieces of bricks I can lay down to get me to those big plans in the future. 

And finally, I'm going to reflect upon how some things I have no control over, and rather than letting it stress me out and fill me with anxiety, I am going to take a step back from whatever it is I'm doing, do some breathing exercises, and remind myself of what I am capable of doing - and give it my best efforts. 

Until next time. 

Cheers 

xoxo

Why I'm Struggling To Build My Own Dreams

Aloha readers

Today's post is a little more personal than educational.

I've had quite the unproductive weekend, and it has really got me thinking about why I've been struggling to commit, dedicate, and persevere the past few months. And much of that is due to be quitting early on in the game.
I told myself that I would be working even harder this semester, that I would be working hard to do research and bring good content to my blog - and thus far, I've been trying to juggle both but not really exceeding on either aspects. And don't even get me started on my fitness routines. 

Let's just say that because I'm quite easily influenced by my surroundings, I feel the need to really find something inside of me that can keep me grounded, and not be as easily distracted by my surroundings. Too many people zipping by at the gym? Affects my concentration and makes me less pumped to workout. Too many things on my desk and diverting my attention? Don't feel like studying and usually end up getting distracted. 

I was talking to my boyfriend earlier tonight about how miserable I felt about my body - I told him how I felt that laziness, negativity, and self-pity has taken over my life. Sure, I somehow manage to find the motivation to start up again, but too often I give up too early in the battle. Start my new nutrition plan today, cheat day by tomorrow. Schedule out my studying for the day, get distracted by online websites. Plan out my workouts for the next week, let other things take over this priority and push it to the side. 

And quite frankly, I'm very tired of that. They say that if you're tired of trying again, then stop quitting. And that is what I intend to do. 

(http://www.pinterest.com/pin/74098356344634708/)

 Another kink I've noticed in my habits is that I try to do so much all at once, trying to change too many things at the same time. As a result, I get overwhelmed and either give up on something or everything. What I've failed to realize in my persona life is that change takes time. It takes time to build habits. I didn't get lazy over night, so re-building a good work ethics, positive attitude, and motivation isn't going to happen over night either. I read an article on NerdFitness tonight about the building of things, and quite a few points in the article stuck with me. One is a quote that was embedded. 

"Get obsessed with consistency in the actions that feed the goal. Getting obsessed with the goal won't work and neither does having moderate goals. It's like thinking about laying down the perfect brick after perfect brick rather than going nuts over when you'll see a building emerge."

-Amir Siddiqui

Another was text that was written by the blog founder, Steve 

"Wow that looks amazing, and it look like it took a crazy amount of work...there's no way I could possibly do that." But that's not how great things are built. Great things are built one brick at a time.

By reading this article, I have realized that I keep falling down because I am trying to take on too much all at once, and I'm failing to really see and enjoy the brick laying process because I'm distracted by "trying to see the building emerge". I'm so focused on the end picture that I have failed to learn, love, and enjoy the process. So from today on, I'm going to have ask myself what I think is most important; then, prioritize it, stick to the plan, and start laying down those bricks - one at a time. 

If you're still with me, and you're interested in knowing how I'm going to do it ... 

1. School - In terms of focusing on the present, I just need to find a way that helps keep me grounded and focused, and channel that energy into staying on top of my studies. In the long term, I'm going to have to put aside some time next weekend to plan out the rest of my degree. That's the building emerging. I don't want to get too distracted by it, but I need to have the blueprint of what it will look like. 

2. My body and my health - I need to stop being lazy, and start building a new habit - a new routine. I know that getting myself to the gym every day is not realistic, so I don't plan on doing that. I've used this opportunity to join my fellow friend/coach Michael Morell's MoreFitChallenge. It's a 90 day challenge, where you follow a workout plan and nutrition plan of your choice, and try your darn hardest to build lean muscle while shedding body fat - which is what I am trying to do. Yes, there's a lot of money and prizes involved, but that is not why I'm joining. It's to build a new habit. Having this deadline will hopefully keep me motivated to build this habit, one brick at a time. 

3. My lovely blog - Over the past few years, my life has gone from getting a degree and getting a good paying job to finding something that I really like and am passionate about, that I want to learn more about, so I can do more, to help more people. This blog means a lot to me. It started off as a simple blog - and it still is - that recorded my own journey to health and fitness, but now it has grown to something more. Now, I'm not only building this into what hopefully will be a business in a few years, but a platform for me to reach out to more and more people. 

Today, you might be the only person reading this - ever, and I can choose to let that upset me, or let that encourage me to keep writing and blogging - because I've reached out to one more person that I would have if I ended this blog. So, thank you.

If I'm going to be realistic, with trying to rebuild my fitness habit and trying to focus on school, I don't see the original plan I had made for my blog as realistic. But I had made myself a promise in 2014 that 2015 would be better for my blog, and I intend to keep that promise, by building it one brick at a time. Ideally I'd like to post every day to keep the cyber traffic flowing, but that is too much for me. I'll aim to post a couple times each week with workout posts, and one detailed, educational post on top of that.

If you're looking for a take home message from this post, it's that: There are things I want to do and accomplish in life. But I feel like I'm stuck in a constant loop that I can't get out of. But that's going to start changing. Because I have a damn dream to build. 

(http://graphyquotes.com/2014/02/16/build-dreams/)

Thank you for sticking with me so far. 

Things are going to get better from here :) 

Stay with me, and I'll prove it to you. 

Cheers

xoxo

What's In Your Planner? Planner Addict Post (01/06)

Aloha readers! 

I wanted to share with you guys something that's very dear to me that is not as fitness related. Planning. 

I like to plan things out, plan them out ahead of time, plan out little events, get-togethers, or a series of "events" for something ie. blog post writing. I take pride in it, because the organization, the clarity, and the neatness and various colours I can use in my planners make me feel relaxed, proud, and accomplished. 

I've just planned out how my next day or two will run, in order to help me be efficient at getting things done, in order to get me closer to my goals. 

A snapshot of the planners I've used/use in the past/present 

These 4 planners were used in the span of 3 calendar years, from left to right. 3 years ago, planners didn't have the same meaning as they do to me today. They used to be just another notebook for me to write down my homework assignments in. Then I grew up - became a big girl. Realized all the things I need to and want to do, and took planning a little more seriously. 

My personalized planner in the bottom right corner is one of my favourite planners. I've used it the past school year, and it has REALLY helped me keep track of assignment and exam dates, what I should be studying on different days, when to go to the gym and what kind of exercise I did. Most importantly, I started using the hourly planning guide - planning my day out by each hour. This helped me plan out what I would do throughout the day, and if I ever got off track, I can always look back at it to figure out what I should be doing. Best thing? I get to see the loves of my life on the front cover every time :) 

The Passion Planner - My newest planner for 2015 

I love everything about my personalized planner, with the exception of choosing a size that was a little too small than I needed. But everything else is customized, and I love everything about it! 

I recently came across this Passion Planner when my friend shared a link about it on Facebook, and from Day 1 I was hooked. 

This planner is not just a planner. It's so much more, and it will change your life. It has played a big role in developing the planner-guru inside of me. 

Inside the Passion Planner 

I won't bore you with details on WHY the passion planner is a life changing planner, but you can read more about it here. This is an insider look of what my upcoming week will look like with school resuming. Each day of the week is nicely laid out with plenty of room to write and schedule in your appointments and commitments.  

Crazy sticker shopping on Etsy 

With the discovery of the Passion Planner, I also went on Etsy for the very first time and bought a bunch of personalized stickers and other stickers for this lovely planner. Each day of the week runs from 6 AM to 11 PM, allowing you to thoroughly plan things for the entire day. 

One thing I am trying to do more in the year of 2015 is to plan more time for myself - I call it quality time. These lovely royal baby blue stickers will be placed on different days of the week as a reminder to myself :) 

Quotes found in the Passion Planner 

Another cool feature about the Passion Planner is the different inspirational quotes placed on each week. They all inspire you do to something new, or out of the ordinary to help you keep moving forward. You know what they say - You have to do what you've never done before to achieve something you've never achieved before. 

Hopefully after reading this post you'll realize how much FUN planning is :D and how it can be an important component in helping your prioritize your life in general, including health and fitness related priorities! 

Off to do some more planning now :) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

How to Set Attainable Fitness Goals (12/20)

Aloha readers! 

The end of the year is quickly approaching, and too often we find ourselves inspired by a sudden rush of motivation and want to get active the moment we feel the rush. That often leads to setting up goals that are unrealistic, or not attainable in a short period of time. We ned to make S.M.A.R.T goals if we want to be successful! 

What is S.M.A.R.T goal setting? It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

If you're starting to plan your new fitness goals, take a read below! 

1. Specific - Don't be vague about your goal. Define exactly what it is you want to achieve. Rather than just "I want to be fit in 2015", be more specific, such as "I will be physically active for 15 minutes each day". The specificity of your goal makes you more motivated, and easier to define when you've reached your goal! 

2 . Measurable - Set a goal you can measure your progress against. If you're concerned about your body weight, setting a goal such as "I want to lose 10 pounds in 3 months" will be more realistic than "I'm going to lose 50 pounds in 3 months". This doesn't have to be a number goal on the scale - it could be being able to run for X number of minutes on the treadmill, or doing X number of push-ups continuously. The important thing is to have a standard to measure it against. 

3. Attainable - Break your big goal into smaller goals. If your ultimate goal is to lose 20 pounds, start by setting a realistic deadline. The recommendation is to lose no more than 1 pound a week, so telling yourself you want that weight off by the end of the month probably isn't realistic and attainable. 

On the contrary, 4 months is a reasonable amount of time for the 20 pounds to come off with consistent efforts in both fitness and nutrition aspects. By setting smaller stepping stones towards your big goal, such as 1 pound a week, will help you stay on track and not get discouraged! 

4. Realistic - Don't set yourself up for failure by setting goals you know you can't reach. If you're new to working out, setting a goal to hit the gym daily is probably not very realistic. A goal such as hitting the gym twice a week, or being physically active twice a week, may be more realistic. 

I once made a plan to do 2 workout programs simultaneously, and need I say I failed to complete them. I set myself up for failure because I scheduled myself to workout every day for a couple hours on top of my other commitments, and that's unrealistic for me. 

5. Timely - As previously mentioned, a due date should be assigned to your goal. A timeframe too short can cause you to feel frustrated and discouraged for not reaching your goal, and an endless time frame can make you lose motivation and lose sight of your goal. Make sure the timeframe is reasonable, and can be completed based on your own schedule. 

If you've found this guideline helpful in setting your goals, leave a comment below and share with us what your new goal is! I love hearing from everyone :) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Fixing Your Diet - Identify and Remove Nutritional Deficiencies (12/19)

Aloha readers! 

Today I'd like to talk to you about the often neglected micronutrients - vitamins and minerals! Firstly, how has your diet been lately? Would you consider it balanced? Wait.. what does balanced even mean to you? We hear a lot about the macronutrients - carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. But what about the micronutrients? 

Micronutrient deficiencies are more common than you think. The most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in athletes include calcium and vitamin D, the B vitamins, iron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin C. Macronutrient deficiency is more susceptible in people who restrict energy or had a recent rapid weight loss. Water intake can also make an impact on vitamin absorption. 

If you're struggling to get adequate servings of fruits and vegetables, there is a slight chance that you may be have adequate intake of some vitamins and/or minerals. Micronutrient deficiencies can be corrected with time and a few simple steps. 

1. Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. Staying hydrated can help you curb your cravings, and help you be more alert and make better food choices. Drink more water if you have exercised that day, or done any running or hard labor for that day. 

2. Eat more foods rich in vitamins and minerals, such as fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are naturally packed with lots of vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will help make sure you get a wide range of vitamins and minerals that are essential for optimal body functions. If you're afraid you're still not eating enough fruits and veggies, talk to your physician to see if taking a multivitamin tablet is suitable for you. However, your major source should still be coming from natural foods, and not relying on supplements! 

3. Get 2-3 servings of fish in your diet each week. Fish are good lean sources of protein, and marine sources, such as salmon, tuna, and shrimp are good sources of an essential fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid, commonly known as omega-3. 

Omega-3's produce anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, and are essential for regulating the inflammation functions of the body, as well as excess inflammation. Because our Western diet is often an imbalance of omega6:omega3 (more omega-6 consumed than omega-3), many people don't get enough omega-3 in their diet to synthesize these anti-inflammatory compounds. Taking an omega-3 supplement may be helpful if you don't like to eat or don't eat a lot of seafood, to help reduce excessive inflammation in your body. 

I know my blog has been a big focus on the physical component of health and fitness, but you can't have health without the nutrition component either. I am a Nutrition major student, and topics like these are very, very interesting to me. I hope to bring to my readers the knowledge I learn from my classes, in order to help you live a happier, healthier, active life :) 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Update + New Content

Aloha readers! 

Allow me to selfie for a moment here to show you that I am still alive :P 

In the midst of trying to sort out what I want to do with my life (which is still a big ????) I have decided to try and bring your more helpful health and fitness content on my blog throughout the new year. Given my previous attempts, trying to blog every day may not be realistic for me. Instead, I'll aim to post a couple times each week. 

Of course, it will be a little more frequent in late December and early January since I'll have some time off from school. That being said, I'm slowly putting together a calendar of what kind of content I want to deliver on my blog and when I will deliver it :) This is exciting! 

I'll leave you with that, and now I'm back to planning things out! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Workout of the Day: Back and Bi's (10/27)

Aloha!

Today was my first day back at the gym after a couple weeks off due to the chaotic amount of work that had to be done during midterm weeks D= 

It was a hard workout to get through today because of my mentality, as it felt like half the time I wasn't really there :( On top of that, my heart rate monitor was acting up, and refused to tell me that I do have a heart beat. It either needs a good proper cleaning and battery change, or maybe it's just time for a new one! 

But tomorrow, tomorrow is a new day. And tomorrow, it will be better :) 

Not to mention that I got my LED Better socks to keep me warm AND show off during my squats :D 

Today's workout was very close to what my basic back and bicep workouts look like, but I also threw in those "should wing raisers". I wrote that when I was half asleep, so excuse the silly name. It's the exercise where you have your arms on your side in an L shape, and you lift the weights with upper delts and shoulder muscles. Ohhh I'm going to feel the burn tomorrow! 

This seemed appropriate since 1: I don't like the treadmill, and 2: the machines were all full for the next 2 hours when I got to the gym, so today was no cardio/elliptical day for me :P 

Legs and abs tomorrow! And maybe a little it of shoulder work, depending on how they feel! 

Until then! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Good Morning, Beautiful (10/11)

Aloha and Good morning, my lovely readers! 

It has been a while since I've posted, and like usual, it's because the school work has caught up to me. 

I kid you not when I say I spend my entire day, in this order: wake up, eat breakfast and drink coffee, commute to school, class, fit in a workout when I can, lunch, another cup of coffee, class, study for a few hours, maybe have another cup of coffee, study some more, head home for dinner, then study so more and go to bed. 

It's a pretty boring and mind-intense kind of lifestyle these days. My attempt to get everything done is always defeated by the realization that there is much more to do afterwards. However, I do have good things like checking in with clients and reading their responses to the programs I wrote for them. 

Here's one I got yesterday! 

It truly puts a smile on my face when I see that I am able to do what I love and help people make healthy choices and live a healthier life. For a moment I forget about all the workload that is on my plate! 

If you're interested in getting a customized workout and nutrition program, I will be taking on new clients around December. You can email me @ selinachan.buisiness@gmail.com , or leave a comment below! 

I hope you lovely's all have an amazing Thanksgiving weekend, as now I must go back to my books and slave away :P 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Organizing for a Fresh, Clean Start (09/19)

Greetings readers :) 

So after the many thoughts that were flying through my head wednesday night, I decided to take some time last night to clean my desktop. It was partly inspired by a couple of my instagram fitfam members (posting their desktops and how it inspires them, how it's their temple, and where all their work is done). 

I like to be organized, but I am by no means the most organized one. 

I have to admit that my desk was getting a bit out of hand! Books were everywhere, crumbled up paper, coffee cups (guilty). 

So I put on one of Chalene's podcasts, and started cleaning away! What I kept myself looking forward to at the end of the cleaning was that I got to open my Indigo package that arrived earlier that night. 

The aftermath:  

I'm going to slowly work on a Vision Board to put up on the blank space above my desk area. I have yet to figure out exactly what I want to really do :\ so I'm holding back on making the board. 

Inside this lovely package was the following:

(laptop not included! hehe) 

I cracked open the Essentialism book, along with my "Do What You <3" mug, and instantly got hooked on it! I even snuck some reading time to my barely in-existant lunch break :P 

Even though I already have a customized personal planner, this new 2015 planner will be dedicated to my clients training times, program writing, consultations, assessments, etc. Very excited! 

It's a bit smaller than I expected, but still very classy! 

It's late into a Friday night as I'm posting this, so for the rest of my evening I'll be enjoying another cup of tea while I read Essentialism, and then the weekend will be planned out for much needed studying, a fair minimal work on my online business, and a date night with my handsome boyfriend (I can't wait!!) 

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

When Life Throws You Curve Balls (09/17)

Aloha readers. 

Today's first blog entry will be a little bit more of a rant / relief post. 

I've been having some struggles with balancing school, my personal life, and my just-starting-off online business. 

When the semester started, I knew what I was getting myself into, and I was ready to take it on with all my strength. But it's actually a lot harder than I imagined. And it's only 2 and a half weeks into the semester. 

For any of my college student readers, you can all relate to how heavy the work load can be, and how it can feel overwhelming when your to-do lists start filling up fast. That is exactly where I am today. 

I was up until roughly 2 AM trying to do my own studying, and by then I was too exhausted to focus 100% on creating plans for my clients. One thing about me is that, when I want to do something I want to do it 100%, no half-assed stuff. It just wouldn't be fair to my clients! With my current committed clients and the course load I have with school, I can easily say I am well beyond overwhelmed! 

But that also brings me to this: 

You can dream all you want, but at the end of the day if you aren't putting in effort to get one step closer to that dream, you're only dreaming. A dream will just be that, a dream! That's why despite all this overwhelming feelings I'm having, I'm going to stay strong and keep going with it. That being said, 

I won't be taking on any clients at the moment :( However, I will still be working on some workout programs to release on my blog (slowly), and there will also be more client trial programs hopefully closer towards the Christmas and New Years holiday times. 

Going to go through a marathon class (it's 5 hours long), do some MORE studying, and head home for the evening. Happy humpday everyone <3 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Day 9 - Rest Day - 21 Day Fix

Aloha readers 😊 

Today has been a lazy Saturday for me. 

I took an undecided opportunity of sleeping in today, and although it felt great I didn't feel so good for the rest of the day. 

I know rest days aren't scheduled for in the 21 Day Fix, but it was needed for my mentality. It basically felt like I woke up on the wrong side of bed. 

I skipped my Day 9 Dirty 30 workout, had some ice cream, and watched some TV. It was just so hard to kick out of that mentality >< 

That is something I struggle the most with: I do very well for a few days, sometimes close to a week, and then I have one of these "bad days" and it feels like everything I've worked so hard for falls apart :( 

This issue may have to do with my inner emotions and feelings, something I am also still learning to deal with. Hopefully as time goes on and I grow more as a person mentally, physically, and spiritually, things will get better. 

Tonight's dinner is courtesy of my boyfriends auntie.  

I also went grocery shopping with my mom tonight (it was much needed), and I will post about that tomorrow night / Monday, as it will be a fishing and BBQ kinda day tomorrow :) 

Cheers! 

xoxo 

Selina 

Day 4 (Upper Fix) - 21 Day Fix

Aloha!

So today is "Day 4", when in reality today should be Day 7 xD

What happened was that I got a bit lazy :( and crazy sore. After work on sunday, there was a patio staff party afterwards, so I was dead tired by the time I got home.

I needed Monday as my rest day because I was too sore to even move. Thank goodness I had the company of my friends that night :)

So today is Tuesday, and it's a new day! I've finished and kicked my workout's ass, and I'm ready to move on with the rest of the day. I even have my to-do list done!

The Upper Body Fix was definitely different from the other workouts so far. The exercises are so simple, yet different. And you almost think that it's going to be an easy workout - but then when you only get 15 second breaks, you feel like you're dying and that you've thought wrong.

Something that I'm really liking about these workout challenges is that they push you hard for 60 seconds, and only give you about 15-20 second tops for recovery. When I workout by myself at the gym, I often go for rep counts instead of time duration. So I'm glad that this is different and that I'm being challenged to push my body to do more work!

Since I've been slacking a bit, I won't be able to complete this challenge before school resumes. However, I am still going to push and try to stick with it every day. This way, I'll have a better eating habit built when school starts, and I can continue on with lifting weights at the gym! :)

As always, I will keep my readers posted on the journey :)

Cheers! 

xoxo

Life is About Welcoming New Challenges - The 21 Day Fix

Aloha readers!

Sorry for being MIA the past week.

I do have some very happy news to share with you guys.

For the first time in a long time, I worked out again today (you have no idea how happy I felt by the end of it). This is a big deal for me because it's me picking up where I left off. I only want to be better tomorrow than I am today.

I met a good friend on instagram a while back, her name is Rhonda. I can't quite remember what it was that got us started talking, but we've been pretty good at keeping in touch via email. Rhonda has been aware of my struggles, and she always tries to offer sound advice and encourages me to join her support group via a beachbody workout program. Of course, I had been trying to work on my own programs, so I wasn't able to do so. Until now.

Rhonda enlightened me about the 21 Day Fix, which is a program that "fixes" your eating; mainly teaching you things about portion control, food selection, at home workouts, and so on. The idea was really appealing, since it is my eating habits that I have the most difficulty with. I knew this would be a good opportunity for me to get my eating habits sorted out and solidified.

The challenging parts I see in this workout: following closely as possible to my recommended eating guide (I'm still getting the hang of it), and doing one of the 30 minute workouts every day. I'm not used to working out every day, and the workouts are quite different (more full body work, rather than lifting weights and solely resistance training)

Today I did one of the workouts (Wednesdays calls for Lower Fix), and I have never sweat so much in a long, long time. I can't even remember if I've ever sweated that much! I wiped my sweat off my forehead and my hands were WET. I had sweat dripping off the ends of my hair too. Crazy! This definitely made me really pumped for continuing on with the programs workouts :)

I will try my best to post frequently, maybe once every day or two, to keep you updated on my 21 Day Fix progress! Until then! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

One Step Closer!

Aloha readers!

My gym will be closed for the next 3 weeks due to the FIFA World Womens U-20 Tournament. So ATM, I don't have a home gym. I've been doing some home workouts (~2 times a week) to try to maintain where I'm at.

I've been having a little more time from work (split shifts) to work on my studies, and I have made a good dent the past week. It has definitely brought back some confidence in finishing by the end of August.

Today, I went to take my Level C CPR course, and was certified with a 100% on the exam :)

I am officially CPR certified! This means taking another big step in my CPT training. Only more of a bigger reason to keep pushing to finish by the end of Summer!

Thanks for all your kind words and encouragement. It means a lot to me! 

I will bring some more free giveaway contests to you guys soon! 

Cheers! 

xoxo

Post-Canada Day Update (07/02)

Aloha readers! 

Sorry I haven't updated much the past week - I've been busy busy with work, trying to schedule time for doing my studying, and of course - enjoying some outdoors and sunshine with my family and loved ones over the Canada day celebration. 

I haven't been able to make it to the gym yet this week, but I'm not beating myself up over it. As much as I would love for my life to revolve completely around fitness, it's not. And it shouldn't be. I have to make time for all the other things and people i love and enjoy spending time with. That's what I want my life to be like. 

Doing the Chalene Johnson 30 Day Challenge (Currently on Day 8) has really made me think about my goal setting, my time management, and goal mastery - the goals that I have set and completed in the past. I'm really enjoying learning all of these new concepts, and I hope to apply it to my real life as a daily habit :) 

So yesterday was Canada day, and I spent the day with my boyfriend and his family. We went out to Pigeon lake for some fishing bright and early in the morning, then the rest of his family joined us for some water tubing, wakeboarding, and water skiing. First time I ever tried water tubing - and I was SCARED but had a BLAST. And by blast I mean a ridicuously bad sunburn on my forehead, my nose, my back, and my knees 

Here are a few pictures to recap the amazing day I had with them <3 

Waiting in the car at 7AM before we took off 

Cloudless, sunny skies were awaiting 

Boating selfie with my love <3 

He picked up a little pink flower for me 

The result of rolled up shorts sunburn... 

Cheers! 

xoxo