Let’s get deep with todays talk. Emotional Intelligence 101.
Did you know that sometimes a memory can trigger us. We all experience trauma at some level in our life whether minor or major life moments.
Once emotion is triggered, there is a chemical reaction that happens. We have to get good at activating or parasympathetic nervous system.
Why you may ask?
An important measure of our health is our vagal tone.
You can activate your vagus nerve which is at the base of our brain by doing anything that’s going to place you in a peaceful state. For example, you could take a walk in nature as I am in this photo. Do something that will instantly put you in a more calm and centered state.
So the next time you feel triggered by something, someone, or a simple memory, I want you to go back to your happy place whatever that looks like for you and experience the calm of whatever storm you might be facing. There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel remember that.
Time for a two a day. Do you enjoy training once or twice a day? Putting your cardio and we training together or splitting it up?
Personally, I knock it all out within one sweat session. However, lately I’ve been enjoying waking up doing cardio to get my day charged up. Then sometimes saving the weights for later in the afternoon or evening.
There’s no right or wrong time as long as you fit fitness in your schedule. You will be right on track and see results with consistency.
That’s a wrap, just finished up a photoshoot I really think you’re going to like what’s in store to come :) Stay tuned for more and remember to keep making time to fit your fitness in. Consistency always wins in the long run.
Cheers to drinking half our body weight in ounces of water. This number is the estimation of the amount we should aim to be drinking in order to hit our daily H2O intake. Make sure to get it in.
Staying hydrated accounts for better overall health. Doing this helps to deliver nutrients to cells, improves sleep quality, keeps our organs functioning properly and helps you maintain a better mood.
Ready to knock out some ab work in the park. Grab a yoga mat and let’s go. It’s great to have one of these for support versus being on a cold or hot ground that could also wreck havoc on your knees.
There are different kind of exercise mats that can be found online at Amazon, Tjmaxx, or a sporting goods store.
Yoga Mats- designed to provide cushioning for yoga exercises.
Fitness Mats- they can absorb some amount of impact shock and provide cushioning between you and the floor during general exercises.
Foam Mats- a good choice for high intensity training exercises.
Figure out the one that’s best for your primary type of workouts. Get one and let’s sweat 💦
Ready to train the glutes, are you? If you’re ready to build a booty whether you’re a girl or guy. Here are some tips for the ultimate natural glute growth.
Hip Thrusts are a must.
Eating in a caloric surplus to fuel your body enough throughout the day, and challenging leg day workouts.
Don’t overdo cardio, this will be counterproductive.
Focus on the squeeze of the glute muscles while you perform exercises in your regimen.
Pre-exhaust your glutes in your warm ups.
Mind to muscle, really focus on the contraction of the glutes and getting the most out of it versus rushing through the movements like a robot.
Ready set let’s get intentional with growing these glutes.
Drop it down low, how low can you go?!
Time to bust a common squatting myth. Many people including myself used to think the same way back in the day before doing my own research.
Myth: Your knees should never pass your toes when doing a squat.
Myth Busted: In daily movements our knees pass our toes all the time, when we sit in a chair, go down a flight of stairs, etc. The deeper we squat the greater the benefits. Squatting below 90 degrees can help your body develop mobility, or strength and stability through a greater range of motion.
So now you know you can safely drop it down low.
Today was all about steps for days, even snuck in a few lunges. I pulled a Dora The Explorer around town. Reached a grand total of 17,116 steps for the day. I’m pretty proud about that since I almost doubled my goal of 10k steps in a day.
The irony about it all is I actually have way more energy today then I did yesterday when I didn’t get anywhere near that amount of physical activity in for the day. Staying physically active will help you to feel fit, youthful and ready to tackle your day with energy. Ready, set, start stepping!
Show up with confidence and one of the best ways to do that is to dress for success. Whatever this looks like for you, wear more of that. When you wear clothes you feel good in (we all have our favorite brands or looks) then we walk with a lil’ pep in our step, head held high. Overall we carry ourselves more confidently. When you do this guess who’s going to show up and push yourself past your limits, and reach new PR’s when it comes to crushing your workouts… YOU.
So treat yourself to that new gym outfit you’ve been wanting. You deserve to show up as the best version of yourself.
Pulsating Squats is a great way to feel the burn from within crafting the buns.
This exercise called the pulse squat has a variation of squats where the body repeatedly bounces a few degrees from the lowest point of the squat before returning to the starting position. Give it a go and let’s see how much you can drop it down low to the floor.
Today we stretch, to release the muscle tension or even stressors from everyday life that can cause tension within the body.
Let go and feel in flow with your body. You ready to release it all? Well ready or not, let’s stretch.
Instead of the bend and snap, let’s do the squat and pop.
Squat down and pop back up. Feel the burn in your glutes as you squeeze on your way up.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your toes pointed slightly out, keep your chest up and engage your core. For a basic squat exercise keep your hips back, knees bent. When you thighs are about parallel to the ground, push through your feet to return to the starting position and repeat for as many reps as are desired.
It’s glutes day, time to fire 🔥 up the buns.
Some key 🔑 factors to growing your glutes are:
Performing glute dominant exercises, like hip thrusts, Romanian deadlifts, weighted glute bridges, glute kickbacks, sumo squats, those are some to master if you haven’t added them to your routine already.
Let me know, which one is your favorite if you have. It’s time to go, now let’s grow.
Did somebody say Quadzilla? Rep it out with some leg extensions to build your quads aka quadriceps up.
If you want to build a healthy foundation for strong leg muscles, building your quads is a great way to balance your upper legs just like you wouldn’t skip out on your calves.
Typically I like to do a challenging weight hold for two seconds at the top, then release slowly and really feel the burn. 🔥
😉 Do some curls for the girls.
Bicep curls are a great way to build upper body strength in your arms. Even women can do them to build a balanced physique. Just because a woman may not train them as much as men there are still exercises we should all do.
You never want to neglect training any area of your body due to whatever silly things society may lead you to believe when it comes to stereotypes.
💪🏽 Let’s curl.
Plate Front Raises for the Win 🏆
This is great for building up shoulder and core strength.
Grab a plate one that isn’t too heavy for you but just challenging enough. Lift on the way up however don’t lock out your elbows. You should maintain be a slight 15° bend and bring the plate out straight in front of you at shoulder height, then bring them back down. Remember to exhale as you raise the plate up, and inhale on the way down.
Ready, set, lift.
10k steps a day keeps the doctor away.
Let’s take a long walk near the beach.
Getting those steps in matters. Whether it’s a stroll around the park, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or walking around town you’re going to be glad you made time for your health.
Your goal should be to get in 10,000 steps daily as this will help your focus be more on point, deliver you more energy, and help boost your heart health.
I’m doing this you can strengthen your immune system to ward off unwanted illnesses. It will make your lungs and muscles stronger.
As the volume of oxygen and rate at which you inhale goes up, so does your body’s ability to use it more efficiently.
Basically speaking the fitter you become the higher your VO2 max will be.
So let’s walk it out because we know what’s good for us.
Sundays are the best for rest days in my opinion. It’s a fact that a rest day or days are crucial for optimizing muscle growth. Without it you would never give yourself enough time to recover. So enjoy the time to relax and let your muscle tissues repair themselves like they were meant to.
Today I walked around outside with a friend instead, to get those steps in without doing anything hardcore.
There’s nothing wrong with physical activity on your rest days as long as it’s LISS meaning, a low intensity steady state type of activity.
Hope you’re having a wonderful & relaxing Sunday!
How to stay healthy when on the go.
Bring a water bottle to stay hydrated.
Take a healthy snack in your bag or backpack so you’re not tempted to stop for unhealthy choices such as fast food.
Wear comfortable shoes when running errands. Or at least have a backup pair to ensure your feet stay comfy while on the go for an extended period of time.
Take a tennis ball to practice better posture while driving by, simply placing it on your back in between your seat and keeping it in place.
Check the restaurant menu ahead of time, so you know you’re more likely to make better food choices when dining out with friends or family.
Get your daily dose of healthy and your daily routine in order to fuel your day and workouts better. Do you take vitamins everyday? Some will say it doesn’t matter however, I notice a real difference the days I don’t take my vitamins I don’t feel as energized or healthy internally. I truly believe they do what they say when it comes to making up the difference in consuming vitamins from what your body doesn’t get through food. Make sure to check the labels to see if it’s a good quality vitamin product. If it’s stuffed with a bunch of fillers, then it’s onto the next. Try to find products in its most basic form without all the extra additives and fillers in it to get the most health benefits.
Spent all day shooting content for you guys. About to release a little more of everything especially more fitness. Hope you enjoy all of the hard work that goes into the photos, videos & daily coaching I do to help guide you to live a healthier and fitter life. You deserve to experience life at its very finest.
You know the saying reach for the stars? Well, we’re going to apply that to reach for your toes. You will stretch if you know what’s good for you. This stretch can help improve your back and hamstring strength. So stop and stretch. By the way, you can literally do this at work while standing up as well. Engage with what’s good for you.
If you ever find yourself on your fitness journey, experiencing doubts, self consciousness, feeling like you’ll never fit back into those jeans. Do you find yourself constantly checking the scale, purposely buying clothes that don’t fit putting pressure on yourself to magically lose the weight, starving yourself just to look more lean?
If you’re doing any of these things, I encourage you to release the idea that you have to control every little thing. I want you to focus on the fulfillment you experience from letting go of the control and worry over the outcome.
When you trust the process and enjoy it, it rewards you for believing in yourself and staying intentional about what you’re trying to accomplish. So this year let’s let go of the feelings not serving us along our fitness journey, and believe that our goals will happen for us as long as we stay the course no matter how hard it gets.
How To Tricep Rope Extension:
Set the pulley to the highest height setting on the machine.
Keep an overhand grip on the rope.
Take a step backwards.
Your shoulders should be over your hips, with a neutral neck and head position with your chin tucked.
Your upper arm should be against your rib cage.
Maintain neutral shoulders.
While maintaining your alignment, squeeze your triceps to begin straightening your elbows.
Finish the movement by squeezing your triceps, while maintaining a slight bend in your elbows. Movement should only occur at your elbows.
Slowly bend your elbows and repeat once you’ve gone back to the starting position.
🥳 Happy New Year! Wishing you all of the very best this life has to offer along with loads of happiness. May you make this year even more amazing.
💧 P.S. If you woke up a little hungover today get you some electrolytes, and indulge in lots of high quality H2O. You’ll be back to feeling incredible in no time, ya just need to rehydrate.
🥂 Cheers to a new chapter, 2023.
From me to you, 10 Lessons Learned from 2022:
1. Intention is everything. When you actually act on what you want don’t be surprised when you actually start getting what you desire.
2. Goals are meant to be both big and small and taken seriously. Consistency wins the race in the end not wishy washy excuses.
3. If you can see it in your mind, chances are in your favor that you can hold it in your hand.
4. Write down goals that kinda scare you in a good way. Then when you achieve them within short time frames (less than 30 days like I did) you won’t be scared to think big anymore. You’ll realize everything first starts in the mind. Your thoughts & beliefs are extremely powerful.
5. Personal development is your secret weapon to karate chop kick your excuses and limiting beliefs to the curb where they belong.
6. If you’re worried about the others opinions, get out of your head and into your bag.
7. Trust your gut, your second noggin is pretty wise.
Be real, speak your truth even when it might not be easy for others to hear.
8. Forgiveness is the gateway to healing. Letting go is essential for healthy inner growth.
9. Lead with love ❤️ even if it’s tough love.
10. When you speak things out loud, don’t be surprised when it manifests in reality. The universe was listening (so was Siri 😂).
How will you carry yourself into the New Year? Hopefully like the baddie you are, whether you realize it yet or not.
Ways to become more confident in the new year.
•Write out all of your goals
•Practice better posture
•Hit the gym minimum 3-4 times a week
•Do a physical activity 30 mins daily
•Drink water 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces
•Eat mostly healthy foods to function your best
With just a few more days in 2022, let’s make every moment count.
Have some time to crunch outside? If you want to get some physical activity going jump squats are perfect to get that heart rate and metabolism fired up.
Jump squats target your quads, hips, hamstrings, and glutes. So let’s start working those muscles for a perky booty shall we. 🍑
For the love of stimulants. Anyone that knows me knows I enjoy feeling good. Should you indulge in some before your training session or not?
The answer depends on your preferences. It’s not for everyone, some people can’t handle the energy boost it gives. Personally I never take one that has more than 200mg of caffeine because my system can’t tolerate it. A lot of days 1/2 a scoop does the trick.
You can also get incredible energy from food alone. However if you’re wanting an extra pick me up, you can enjoy some stimulation before you drain yourself and muscles at the gym. This will help you perform to the best of your ability at the gym. It will simply help you burn more, move quicker, lift stronger. It won’t do the work for you, but it will encourage you to go the extra mile.
The energy you put into your training matters. If you don’t have enough energy to fuel your body you can’t perform to the best of your ability, this includes during exercise too. So how do you get more fuel you may ask to perform better daily?
Your muscles will use glucose from carbohydrates for fuel. Glycogen is the way the body processes and stores glucose. If you’re about to embark in some high intensity exercise then your glycogen stores are your muscles' main source of energy. So with that said it’s healthy to load up on some carbs to help you power through your workout.
A key suggestion when eating a meal before a workout is if it’s a full meal have it 2–3 hours before your workout. For meals eaten closer to your workout, opt for more simple carbs and some protein so it’s easier on the digestive system.
So for those that make carbs out to be the bad guy, I promise they’re not. You should just choose to consume them wisely.
