My Life Lately: More Iron, Less Yoga, and NEW PANTS!

I haven't updated you guys on my general life in a while. I figured it was time!

Where to even start? 2014 has already brought a ton of changes, mostly for the better.

• To start things off, I am so happy to have become best friends with Abby from Yes To Yummy over the past year. I just returned home from an AMAZING trip with her! Besides the fact that she is a constant motivation for me to be creative in the kitchen, she is one of the most caring, loving, giving, and intelligent people I have ever met. I am blessed beyond belief to have her in my life. How awesome would it be if we could go to college together in the future!

• A while back I posted about starting to count macros. Well... let's just say that's out the window now. Not that I think it couldn't have worked. But I tried it for about three weeks, and while I found it new and interesting, I also became enlightened. I have been counting calories for years. I am only 16! This... I'm sorry, but it is NO WAY to live.

I train hard. And honestly, I have little desire to ever eat something that I would consider processed, fake, or filled with man-made who knows what. So as long as I am eating healthy and pushing myself in the gym, why on earth do I need to count calories (at least at this time in my life)? I want to focus again on eating mindfully, and hopefully that will provide my mind and body with peace.


This was taken back in December! 

• This past year especially, I have cut way back on yoga. I almost say this with regret, because I love yoga and still hope to be able to teach one day. But right now, my heart is in weight lifting. 

I have never been so thrilled to go to sleep, knowing that when I wake up I have an hour to myself... I have never been a competitive person with others, and power lifting/weight training is ALL about personal competition (which I love!) 

I am proud to be able to SHAPE MY BODY the way I have always wanted it to look. It's a mental game for sure, but it is worth every tear and drop of sweat shed. Some teenage girls want makeup and boys...all I want is lifting gloves and a barbell across my back. It's fun to be the only girl in the weight room at times!

 

HUGE thanks to the girls Carrie, Tara, and Staci for motivating me to lift heavy, eat more, and not be afraid of "getting bulky:" (because thats not gonna happen!!) I may not know you personally, but following your blog posts and advice make me feel as if your a friend. I really hope this doesn't make me sound like a giant creeper. 

 

You've probably noticed my increase in lifting if you've been reading my Week of Workouts posts. I have for sure seen improvement since starting this past December when I got a gym membership. I plan to keep you guys updated with any other achievements I make fitness wise. 

 

• Speaking of weight training... I now have grown a butt. Six months of squats, deadlifts, and other heavy work has given me a behind that I never have had! Lol. 

In celebration of my new butt, I have cleaned out my closet and gotten new pants... actually, new clothes!

Okay, well, maybe I was *forced* to do this because none of my clothes fit correctly anymore...

• I am still working on healing my gut, but am more lenient. I think this (getting rid of food stress) has helped ALOT. 

I recently read a post on Marks Daily Apple that made a ton of sense. It talked about a study that was done that proved people's bodies will react differently to food according to how they think about the food. It makes sense! If I THINK my body will feel bad eating something, it probably will.

I still sprout my beans and such, but I am in cooperating more non sprouted beans and have had no nasty reactions. I also eat quality Greek yogurt a occasionally with (USUALLY) no awful side effects.

• I get to DRIVE legally soon! Lol. I get my drivers license in a month!! 

What have you been up to lately?

Natalie 

My Out-Of-Town Upper Body EXPLOSION

Hey there guys! What were you American readers up to this Independence day? If you are not from the U.S., did you still have a great week? :)

I went out of town for the holiday. I spent three days with my household family, my cousin, uncle and grandmother, and it was so fun and relaxing as always! We grilled out for the 4th... corn and chicken for me, and they also threw on some Bratts for them (I am Pollotarian... only eat bird meat and seafood). We also make a corn, black bean,and tomato "relish"... a bit like Texas Caviar, if you have ever had that.

Anyways, when travel here, I always am in a bit of a predicament when it comes to workouts. I finally decided to bring my own pair of 10 lb dumb bells, and use the 5 lb and the single 20 lb one they randomly have laying around. I also do body weight exercises. The house is older and filled with antiques, so I do not like working out inside (especially cardio) because I don't want to shake the house... literally!  They've got a nice backdoor brick patio, so in the cooler mornings I utilize this space, along with any chairs or steps around.

Here is what my workouts looked like while out of town:

Thursday morning: a Power Yoga video from Youtube
I always have trouble when using the internet, because I am out in the countryside. However, I had much luck this day and I did not run into a whole lot of trouble. 
Friday morning: This AMAZING Plyo workout from Bess Be Fit, finished it off with a bit more leg from a Blogilates video.
Saterday morning: A full upper body workout I created the night prior... check it out below!

YAY FOR BETTER QUALITY IMAGES!!

I finished this workout with a little bit of ab work, and it took me around an hour to complete. All I used were dumb bells... 5 lbs for the 7's raises and Scarecrows, 20 lbs for the Standing Overhead Tricep Dips and Heavy Single Arm Row, and 10 lbs for the rest. For the DB Pullovers on the ground, I grasped a 10 lb and a 5 lb with both my hands for 15 lbs.
My cardio consisted of a nice mix of jumping jacks, high knees, butt kicks, and jump rope.

This workout should be done like this: Start with the first column of deepening colors, and complete each super-set from lightest color to darkest. Then do the same with the other column. (The workout is grouped off by colors/muscle groups).

Most of the exercises can be looked up on Youtube, but for those that seem a bit odd, here are some descriptions and videos...

Chest Press Neutral Grip: Regular chest press, except your palms face eachother.

7's Raises- First do 7 front raises, then 7 lateral raises, then 7 bent over flies.

Scarecrows- Make your arms look like a "scarecrow" out beside you... basically like a football goal. Your elbows will be bent, forearms with weights in hand standing up straight. Your palms will face away from you. Slowly, rotate your arm so that your forearm is downwards (your palms facing towards you, weights in hand now closer to the ground). Then, return to the starting position. That is one rep. I know that sounds really confusing, but here is a video for visual reference... link here

Outwards Bicep Curls-  Regular bicep curl, but your arms face more outwards from your body at an angle.

This workout is AWESOME!!! I was shaking at the end. I love that great feeling of burn... makes stretching and yoga feel even better! ;) This is SO easily to be done while traveling. You can do it in the gym, too.

If you are confused about any movements, just send me a comment and I will get back!

What did you do to work out if you traveled this week?

Try this out, and tell me what you think!

Natalie

4th of July FIREWORK Superset Workout!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

I hope that your holiday will be filled with lots of fun, family, grilling out... and FIREWORKS ;)

Which leads me to today's workout! I know that with the hectic schedule coming up, you might have been wondering how you will fit in time to hit the gym. Maybe you even planned on taking the day off all together.

Well, let me tell you... that won't be happening under my watch! This workout uses only body-weight and dumbbells, so for most, this can be done right at home. You do not even need a lot of space!

Okay, before anyone has to shield their eyes due to the quality of this image... I had created it in Office Word, only to later realize I couldn't (or at least do not know how) to save it as a picture rather than a document to download on my blog... so I took a photo of it! If I can figure out a way to make it look better, trust me, this is will updated ASAP.

This is an intense workout that will be a GREAT way to get you pumped up for the day! I suggest to do it first thing in the morning, so that you will have it out of the way and can go about your holiday. :)

You can find most movements on Youtube if you do not know what they are, or feel free to message me and ask! Here are a few descriptions of movements that may be confusing...

Firework Jumps- Otherwise known as Star Jump Squats, Rock star Jumps, ext... Squat down, than explode up in a jump, forming a 'Firework" type look with your limbs (both arms up and out, legs apart). So basically, when you jump in the air, your body should look like an "X"!
DB Step Up- With a chair in front of you, hold a set of dumb bells in your hands. Step up on the chair with your right leg, and push yourself up so that you are standing with one leg on the chair. Lower yourself back to the ground, and repeat on the same leg until you reach the needed reps. Then, do the other leg.
Curtsy Lunge- Basically, think as if you are "curtsying"... it is like a lunge, expect your back foot is farther towards the opposite side. So, when you step back with your right leg, instead of stepping directly back, step farther towards the left.
Bicycles- Bicycle crunches... Lying on your back, lightly place hands behind head. Act as if you are "peddling" your legs, and while doing so, bring your opposite elbow to touch the knee that is "peddling" in.

Boy did I just make that sound really confusing or what?

I figure this workout should take about 40 minutes, depending on your fitness level! Try this out, share it, tell me what you think!

What are your plans for the 4th?
Will YOU be working out?

Natalie