Happy Six-Pack Sunday!
Sorry, not that kind of six-pack. We’re going more for the ripped/shredded/toned version:) I always seem to be acquiring random information about health and fitness. So to consolidate all of these facts, every Sunday I’m going to post:
- A reason to be motivated
- A fitness myth
- A new recipe
- A fitness trend
- A website
- A product review
There are so many resources out there that it can be intimidating trying to find what works for you. I hope to introduce you to six things that you may not have been familiar with which could possibly help you!
1. A reason to be motivated:
YOU.
While it’s very important to have the support of your family and friends, your biggest motivation should be yourself. It does take a lot of effort to eat healthy, exercise, lose/maintain your weight, gain muscle, and lose fat; but if you want your ideal body, one that functions properly and fights off illness and disease, then you need to get over yourself and make an effort. You are your biggest enemy.
If I came up to you and offered you cocaine, you would (I’m hoping) refuse.
If I came up to you and offered you a Diet Coke, would you say no as readily?
Being aware of what you put in your body is just as important, if not more, as knowing how much you can squat or how far you can run. Do it for you, not because you want a boyfriend or because you want to fit in your “sk*nny” jeans (I HATE THAT WORD).
2. A fitness myth
“Doing crunches will get me a six-pack”
NONONONONONONONONONO.
I used to do 500 crunches a day because someone with a great body told me that’s what they did while doing in sports in high school. I was such an idiot. Abs really are made in the kitchen. I know you’ve heard it a thousand times, but until you start actually eating clean and enough for your body, you’ll never believe it. Crunches, v-ups, planks, bicycle crunches, etc. are all still really great exercises. However, you are actually getting a better core workout when you do compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses. This means that they work multiple muscles at the same time, and I’m sure you’re always engaging your core right??;) Basically, a six-pack is attainable without doing one, single crunch. YAY!
3. Citrus Cucumber Tomato Salad
1/2 cucumber
10 cherry tomatoes
4 clementines
for the dressing:
1 tablespoon non-fat greek yogurt
juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
dash of pepper and salt
1. Chop cucumber into quarters, tomatoes in half, clementines in to segments
2. In a separate bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and pepper (I used TJ’s flower pepper)
2. Stir in parsley and toss the salad with the dressing
4. A fitness trend
-TRX Suspension Training is a method that uses specific TRX training structures and tools to focus on bodyweight resistance. They have a TRX system at my gym and it looks pretty intimidating, I’ll admit. I’d love to learn more about the exercises that I could do on it!
5. A website
My absolute favorite, most helpful website is MyFitnessPal. It’s an incredible tool that helps you keep track of how many calories, protein, fat, carbs, sodium, ANYTHING that you’re eating every day. You just search the food that you ate, “apple”, and it will give you 50 different options for apples (skin, no skin, raw, baked, etc.), and it just plugs in the information. You can enter a goal calorie count and it lets you know how many more you need to eat for that day. It can get a little addicting and it’s important to realize that nothing is set in stone, if you feel hungry, then eat. MyFitnessPal is not the boss of you:)
This is only meals 1-4, so I’m missing 2 meals, my pre-workout, and post-workout:)
6. A product review
Bodybuilding.com Ladies Lifting Gloves
If you’re just now getting serious about weightlifting, then you might not think about every little way that your body will be affected. Obviously, you’ll be sore and tired and feel like a freaking boss all the time. However, the one thing I didn’t really expect was to offend the manicurist doing my nails by my calloused hands. She just could not understand that to me, they are signs of being a bada$$ instead of rough and ugly. After awhile though, I could tell that it was affecting my weightlifting performance because my hands would hurt before my muscles! I got some standard (okay pink) gloves from the bodybuilding.com brand, and they kind of suck. I don’t think I have massive hands, but the seam along my thumb totally busted after my first gym trip! If you wanted to go a cheaper route, then I’d recommend going up a size in their brand:)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this first issue of Six-Pack Sunday, and your weekend!:)
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at bbbfitandhealthy@gmail.com
BBB Fit & Healthy 