Previously skinnyyogagirl.
Vanity Pounds: The last 5-20lbs you want to lose, NOT because your body’s unhealthy, but because you want to look a certain way.
Health & Vanity are two different things. I’m not judging you for your vanity pounds, I don’t like mine either. But they are NOT to be confused with healthy weight loss.
The problem with vanity pounds: everyone’s body is healthy at a certain point (mine is healthy within 10-15lbs+ of where I am, and within 5lbs-). The body LIKES being there. It’s not stressed about where it’s energy is coming from, it’s getting exercise, nutrients, sleep, love and it’s happy, happy, happy.
BUT… if it feels threatened with unhealthy behaviors (eating too little, ahem, -1000 calorie eaters or exercising too much (making too big of a deficit), it will enter starvation mode and start to release hormones, cortisol and other bo-chemistry weapons to preserve the energy and SAVE itself from YOU.
It is possible to lose those vanity pounds... but you need to do it healthily. Your body needs to feel nice & taken care of so that it doesn’t MIND losing an extra 5 or 10. If it’s not FREAKED OUT that you’re trying to starve it, it doesn’t release those hormones or signal your metabolism to slow down. It knows it’s okay. Those last 5-10lbs will take longer to lose, so relax & give yourself time to get there, okay? You already know how the story goes the other way, don’t you? Gain, lose, gain, lose, gain, lose….
This is how body love works for weight loss: You love your body. It loves you back. You HATE your body? Well, it will fight you with everything it’s got. And guess what? In the end, your body will WIN. It’s one tough mother f*cker.
So, those of you who are having trouble with those last 5-10lbs: relax. Slow down. Eat well & amp up your exercise INTENSITY, but don’t exercise MORE. Lowering your calories too drastically, or exercising too much (more than 5-6 days/week for an hour): this will break down your body, not give you enough recovery time, release hormones and NOT get you where you wanna go. Add strength training for tone & muscle, don’t overdo your cardio and make sure your body KNOWS it doesn’t need to fight back.
Cool?
- Chichi Kix
This is so so so important.
I need to remember this
(via tofucubes)
Side Plank Oblique Crunch
Jamie Eason just posted this on her Facebook page. I think she makes an excellent point:
“For all of the people frustrated with the stubborn fat on your tummy or the cellulite on your legs, you are not going to like this but even as fitness models, those areas come and go on us depending on the effort that we are making. I can get really lean with some serious commitment but the moment I relax my diet or start missing workouts and my muscle atrophies, I start seeing signs of cellulite return on my legs. Aside from surgery (which isn’t full proof and can be very dangerous), there is no “do this and lose it forever”. It takes consistent effort. That’s why I structured the LiveFit trainer the way that I did. It’s supposed to teach you to train and eat certain ways to make progress and achieve whatever goal you’re after. No one can keep intensity high or eat perfect all the time. There are times when you will feel motivated to really push and commit and there will be times when it’s the farthest thing from your mind. It’s empowering to learn what to do so that you can apply it when you’re ready but I’m sure that you’ll agree that aside from being healthy, there are far more important things in life than obsessing over our problem areas.”
Here is her LiveFit Trainer.. which comes with a HIGH recommendation from me!
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html
(via throughamotherslens)
Whey Helps You Get Lean
“I teach a college class in exercise physiology at a private university in south Florida. The questions I get are often quite illuminating. Perhaps the topic that engenders more falsehoods is dietary protein. When students realize that only protein and fat are essential (i.e. you need them in your diet because your body can’t make them), whereas carbohydrate is not, the incredulity on their young faces is apparent. And when I mention that protein can actually help them lose weight and bodyfat, a collective nod fills the room. Show me the beef!
A recent study shed light on the amazing effect of supplementing with protein. Scientists compared using a higher-protein supplement vs. a conventional carbohydrate on body composition and physical function in older women during weight loss. Thirty-one overweight or obese women were given a low-calorie diet (1,400 calories—15 percent protein, 65 percent carbs, 30 percent fat) along with either a 25-gram protein supplement or an isocaloric maltodextrin treatment twice a day for six months. Imagine finding out a half year later that, oh, by the way, you’ve been sucking down more sugar than a cotton candy festival.
Results: The protein group lost 8 percent of bodyweight while the carb group lost 4.1 percent. In terms of thigh volume changes, the protein group gained 5.8 percent more muscle and lost 3.8 percent more subcutaneous fat. The researchers concluded that “a higher protein intake during caloric restriction maintains muscle relative to weight lost, which in turn enhances physical function in older women.” That said, if you want data on which protein to use, whey is the one protein that all of us should eat. It clearly stimulates muscle protein synthesis, defends the body against oxidative stress, plays a role in the immune response and, of course, is instrumental in improving body composition.
A recent study found that whey protein supplementation reduced the amount of fat stored in the liver of obese women. In fact, the stuff is medicinal as well as performance-enhancing! A dose of 20 to 40 grams of whey immediately postworkout is what this doctor orders.” - Editor’s note: Jose Antonio, Ph.D., is the CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
I love this. So true. You are who you are. People can bask in you and enjoy you, or they can move on. Don’t accept others negativity towards you.
(via runningforeternity)
Muscle is built through proper nutrition and during sleep, NOT in the gym! The gym is simply where you break down muscle tissue… it is in the nutrition and rest that follows where gains are made (or missed!). That’s why it is so important to get proper nutrition and PLENTY of rest!
“You’ve read it over and over: Getting enough restful sleep is imperative to gaining muscle. Your body regenerates when you sleep, and rapid-eye-movement phases are especially important for surges in growth hormone.
Unfortunately, lots of people have sleep problems. In fact, in the U.S. more than 40 million people are diagnosed as “ill” with sleep disorders, while another 20 to 30 million experience intermittent sleep problems. According to the July/August ’10 Well Being Journal, honey can help.
Author Nathaniel Altman cites Mike McInnis, a Scottish pharmacist and researcher, who claimed that honey had three sleep mechanisms when taken before bed: 1) It ensures adequate liver glycogen stores for eight hours—reducing early-morning release of cortisol and adrenaline; two stress hormones, 2) it coaxes the release of melatonin, the hormone “required for both recovery and rebuilding of body tissues during rest; and 3) it stabilizes blood sugar levels.
An ancient Chinese saying suggests “eating honey every night,” and Mexican and European healers have prescribed honey before bed for ages. If you’re having sleep difficulties or maybe you just want a deeper, more restorative sleep, try putting one to two teaspoons of honey in a cup of warm chamomile tea about an hour before bedtime. You may get some new muscle growth once your shut-eye is optimal.” - www.ironmanmagazine.com
With summer around the corner, it’s a good time to revisit those New Years Resolutions! Some people fall off the wagon or lose motivation and wind up having to start all over again in their weight loss goals. Here are a few things I have found work for ME to get me motivated when I am not feeling like prepping my meals, or working out!
- Write down your goals - from the daily small ones like “drink a gallon of water a day” to the big ones “compete in a bikini competition”
- Start a journal - log your food intake, workouts and how you felt that day in a new notepad! It feels fresh and helps keep me organized!
- Print new workouts and recipes - sometimes having NEW activities and meals can make the task feel less mundane or chore-like!
- Make a motivation board - write down your favorite quotes, print or tear-out pictures of your goal physique… I personally hung my new bikini up in front of my treadmill, next to a picture of a fitness model whom I admire… it makes me want to do that extra mile!
- Have patience and stay positive - it’s not gonna happen overnight. Try your best! Realize that you WILL stumble, you MIGHT mess up… do NOT GIVE UP!
“You aren’t gonna get a booty like this by sitting on the one you’ve got” - lol I love this saying cuz it always kicks me into gear!
To build a perky, tone butt, you have to put in the work (especially if you’re not gifted with one naturally). Many women mistakenly skip the most important exercises, and instead focus solely on the butt blaster machine and other isolation exercises. Do not leave out the extremely important compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts and lunges!! These compound exercises require not just the glutes, but the activation of the quads and hamstrings as well! Not to mention, compound exercises BURN MORE CALORIES than isolation exercises!
For maximum results, include BOTH compound AND isolation exercises! Start your workouts with a warm-up, then move into the heavy compound exercises. Once you’ve completed those, burn out the muscles using isolation exercises like cable kickbacks =)
Don’t be afraid to go heavy! Women don’t have the levels of testosterone necessary to bulk up like men do… just make sure you are using proper form to avoid injury! =)
A-Fitspirational-Blonde’s
TIP OF THE DAY
“Finding new creative ways to exercise and keep things fun!”
Hey guys, so we all know going to the gym all the time can get a bit boring after a while, especially if you have the same routine that you do. a great way to switch things up and keep them interesting is to try out new things!
Rock Climbing is a great example of a creative and exciting way to encorporate strength building exercises into your routine.
*Good for Upper AND Lower body strength, and even a bit of core as well!
A lot of gyms offer Rock Climbing too, so you won’t even have to go look for a rock climbing studio :)
I rented an entire rock climbing center for one of my birthdays, but i’m pretty sure that was the last time i did it. This is such great Fitspiration to get back out there and find me a rock wall!
Watch out SPIDERMAN, Brittany is on the loose!
:)
OK, off to Google near by Rock Climbing studios in San Diego
Xox Brittany
A-Fitspirational-Blonde
(Source: thefitness-fox, via the-fitspirational-blonde)
If you are looking for an effective fat loss or muscle building plan, I highly recommend those featured on bodybuilding.com. They have plans tailored for your gender, age and goals. Each unique plan includes, tips, meal plans, grocery lists, work outs (with an enormous database of exercise “how-to’s”) and supplementation recommendations! The best part is, not only are they coming from pro fitness competitors and experts in the field of fitness and health, they are FREE.
DO NOT PAY SOME PUNK FROM TUMBLR FOR A “PLAN”… IT IS A SCAM!!! I saw one just the other day on a tumblr.. I think it was “prettyandfit”? Not sure, and doesn’t matter. The point is… do not pay random people on the internet money for something, if you can get proven/quality information for free from reliable sources. (This goes for just about anything else on the internet as well!)
Follow the link below for free bodybuilding.com plans! =)
http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/
All calories are NOT created equal.
You’ve heard “a calorie is a calorie,” meaning your body processes them all the same way regardless of where they come from. But not so fast: 100 calories of chocolate cake are not the same as 100 calories of carrots. As it turns out, your body burns nearly 50% more calories after eating a meal packed with whole foods versus an equivalent meal made of processed fare, according to a 2010 study published in the health journal Food & Nutrition Research.
During manufacturing, processed foods are broken down and stripped of many nutrients, making it easier for the body to digest them. On the other hand, whole foods, such as multigrain bread, apples or zucchini, contain good-for-you nutrients like fiber that the body has to work overtime to break down, temporarily boosting metabolism. Plus, “eating smarter calories via foods packed with filling fiber or satisfying protein, like a chicken breast instead of potato chips, will help you naturally eat less over time.”
(Source: tiny-starfish, via fitnewme)
Muscle is much denser than fat. In other words, one pound of muscle is significantly smaller than one pound of fat. By building muscle and losing fat, you actually end up looking MUCH smaller than you would if you simply lost weight in general.
I’ve worked with a lot of the fitness models I post on here, and I promise they are WAY TINY in person! I always expect them to be much bigger, but I always end up feeling like a giant around them!Who cares what the number on the scale says? You’re the only one who sees it! =)
(via lifeverafter)
“Abs are made in the kitchen”……. ”80% diet, 20% training”……
These are common refrains… and they are SO true! Many people think if they exercise, they can eat whatever they want and still “get abs”. But the truth is, your diet is a key determining factor in the speed and quality of results you see! If you want to “get abs”, build muscle and/or lose fat, you need to eat like it!
Everyone has abs… but if you have a layer of fat over the top of them, you’re not going to be able to see them! No matter how many crunches you do, you will NOT be able to spot-reduce the fat on top of your tummy. It’s a biological fact. If you want to get rid of the fat on top, you must lower your OVERALL body fat. That doesn’t mean you need to starve yourself! In fact, that really will only result in a skinny fat appearance and you will still have that layer of body fat over the top of them!
Lower your body fat by eating clean in a slight caloric deficit, lifting weights and doing cardio! It’s very simple! =)
This, or a variation of this, is probably the most common question I get. And I completely understand. When I started this journey, I didn’t get it either and I didn’t find many others who did. I heard that you needed to eat minimum 1200 calories, or that the average girl needs about 1500-2000. These numbers seemed arbitrary to me (1200? For anyone??), and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to factor in exercise or anything like that. So I’m going to go through step-by-step in hopes of educating and helping others to do this the healthy way!
First thing you need to do is calculate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. This is the number of calories your body expends at rest (doing things like keeping your heart beating, etc). In other words, it’s the number of calories you would need to eat in a day if you were to lie in bed and not lift a finger. I like this website: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
For argument sake, let’s say I’m 24 years old, 5 foot 4, and weigh 120 lbs. My BMR is therefore 1365.
Now what we really care about is how many calories we need on an average day. You know, when you actually get out of bed… The math here is actually quite simple. Using something called the Harris Benedict Formula, you factor in your activity level:
- If you are sedentary (little or no exercise, office job): Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
- If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
- If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
- If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9
In my case, my BMR is 1365 and I’m moderately active, so I’m looking at 2115 calories/day to maintain my weight.
Now if you want to be more precise, you can try factoring in individual exercises every day. The best way of doing this is by using a heart rate monitor to see approximately how many calories you burn in a workout (beware of gym equipment or online calculators – these usually overestimate your burn!). By doing this, you can use your sedentary caloric need, then factor in the exercises.
Again, for me, I would burn 1638 if I were sedentary. If I run for half an hour and burn 300 calories, I would need to eat an addition 300 calories to maintain my weight. (For a total of 1938 calories consumed through food.)
Of course, a lot of people want to lose weight. Some want to gain weight. What then? In theory, one pound is lost when your body reaches a deficit of 3500 calories. For most people, it is unsafe to lose more than 1 or 2 lbs a week (less than that if you’re already on the smaller side — you don’t want to be below your BMR). That’s a 3500 to 7000 calorie deficit (ie overall you burn more calories than you consume). For 1 lb, you’d be looking at a 500 calorie deficit every day. The best way to do this is through a combination of diet and exercise. Consider decreasing your intake by 250 calories and doing enough exercise to burn 250 calories. Or whatever proportion works for you!
And there you have it :).
