2 Months Progress !

Progress is a slow process and although it can sometimes look like your body didn't changed, don't get discouraged, muscular definition will not appear over night. Not worried about the outcome, I pressed on with my daily routines and 2 months later here I am. If nothing else, I just want to stress the importance of taking progress pictures and setting goals. You can take 100 progress pics after every workout if you want and you don't have to share them with anyone. They are your own personal progress records. Pictures can show you progress that are invisible to your eye when you're just looking in the mirror. Seeing your progress through pictures really motivates you to continue doing what you are doing because clearly you are yielding results. More over, it's very important that you set goals, and share those goals. Whether you tell them to a friend, write them as your Facebook status, etc. Setting a goal, and sharing them with other positive people keeps you accountable and on track to reaching them. This is exactly what I do and I am very pleased with my progress. It's only the beginning of my journey, and I have a long way to go, but I'm encouraged by my progress. Good luck in your journeys and take progress pictures :)

Patience !!

Patience is a virtue ! Let me get this out of the way now, do not, I repeat DO NOT look in the mirror everyday after your workout checking to see if your butt got bigger after those squats you just did. You will not see anything. Don't even look once a week, that is still not enough time. In many situations, this discourages people and they slowly begin to fall off of their regimen after a few weeks, never fully understanding that no matter how slow the progress, it's still progress. Every day that you press on and go to your workout with the will to work hard, you are adding a brick to your own personal Great Wall of China. During your personal fitness journey, I want to foster how important patience and realisation is. I want you all to continue pressing on and realise how far in your journey you got and how much progress you made, as opposed to looking at the next person and thinking about how much more work you have ahead. Don't loose your focus worrying about how far you still have to go. This will be a long and slow journey on foot, but slow foot travel is the only way. You have to focus on the now, make every rep of every set count, and stay present. Do not look too far ahead and make sure that you are acknowledging your commitment and progress. Don't count the days, make the days count. Slow progress is still progress. One day you will reach your fitness goal and be able to hold your head high and be proud. There will be no greater feeling than to know that even when the road got tough, and you felt like turning back, you persevered and look where you ended up. It will elevate your mind, body, and soul, and teach you determination, the value of hard work, discipline, instill confidence in you, and much more. But that all starts with a little seed planted in your heart called patience. It's up to you to water that seed every day and keep it thriving and alive, or you can let it whither away and die. I challenge you to keep that seed cultivated. Push on every day even if it seems like no progress was made. One great day there will be an ear to ear smile on your face and I will personally travel to where ever you are and shake your hand. You have now gained access into an elite group that many will sadly never make it in to, and can only dream of. All because you kept your patience and determination since day 1. Press on soldier, many will start, few will finish.

LOVE YOURSELF !!! Go To The Gym For The Right Reasons

Make sure that you are working out for the right reasons. Don't just tag along with your best friend, don't go there to show off your new lime green spandex booty shorts, don't let anyone drag you there because summer is in a month and you want to pretend like you are getting in shape. Also it's very important that you are not going because you hate yourself, appearance, or life. It may sound crazy but this is very common. I want to stress to you that you have to love yourself and be content with yourself before beginning a gym regimen. Really get your mind ready to be patient, committed and content with the small progress made each time. You will not see drastic changes after every workout, but dont let that discourage you, stick with it. Now, it is totally healthy and ok to not be unhappy with your flabby belly or untoned legs. Having healthy goals to improve these things are ideal but you cant go to the gym because you hate your appearance. Self hate will not fuel you but hurt you,and blind you from seeing your progress. Your negativity will only allow you to see the "unfit" parts of your body that you hate, rather than realising that this is the beginning of something great. You have to really develop a sense of content ness and love for your self and body no matter what shape you are in. Then and only then will you be able to stick with it and begin to see changes.

Real life situation/ post inspiration: I know a girl who is 5'3 and 240lbs. She absolutely hated her weight and appearance so she decided she would go to the gym. For 2 weeks she ran her heart out on the treadmill, elliptical, bike and even joined some of the classes at her gym. Every day she would look in the mirror and not really see a change, it was too soon but she was too eager. She hated her appearance so much and wanted change so bad that she did not develop the patience it takes to wait for change, which resulted in her becoming depressed and quitting. She felt like it was an embarrassment to workout, be extremely exhausted after her workouts, sweating like a raining cloud, and not see the results. She felt like she was working hard, but her poor self love and self content drove her away in two weeks. Two weeks is not enough time to see results but she didn't love herself enough to be patient so she accepted failure and defeat. See my logic now ?

When you love yourself already and train yourself to be patient, you will only see the positive aspect of everything, and succeed. Don't look to see if those 100 abs you did just gave you a six pack because you will be disappointed. Progress comes over time. Getting fit is a long, slow process but a strong mind is crucial and will make the process a little easier. The way I want you to think about yourself is the way Mary J. Blidge sings in "my everything". Every workout, you have to bring out your inner beast and tell her "my darling only you can make my dreams come true, and every night I pray you never go away, I promise I will try until the day dies, to treat you like a QUEEN, cuz you are my everything..." You have to throw away all negative, and lazy mentalities, and really cherish your inner strong girl and commend yourself for getting out there and making a difference. Don't give up and make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Are you motivated to strive towards a fitter, healthier, happier, and sexier you? Just because of the simple fact that you deserve the best body possible, you should be amped to get out there and work for it. Malcolm X once said "The future belongs to those who prepare for it today". Reconfigure your mind, get motivated, and get to work. Your best body is waiting for you in the future, but you have to work for it today. You have full control over what your body looks like. If you dont like what you see in the mirror, change it. But to change your body you have to first change your mind. Love yourself, and do it for nobody but you. Create the kind of self that you will be happy with for the rest of your life. Take charge of yourself and your life, theres only one you, make it the best you. Did you start this fitness journey for the right reasons ???

Off days are still good days

Today I was super tired and wasn't really feeling it. Do you know that the thought of not going to the gym flashed through my head today? Yes it did, but take a wild guess at what happened.. Yes sir ! I pressed on and went anyway. Today was my chest day and a killed my workout as best I could. Now, I was still tired and a little off during my workout but I didn't focus on that and I completed everything I went there for which is always the goal.
Now I'm not superwoman and I don't always have great days, and this is why it was important for me to share today's experience with you. I say all this to say, don't worry about if you are having a sluggish, or off day. The fact is that you made it out to the gym and put in your best. The only bad workout is the one that didn't happen. So smile and commend yourself for another dedicated trip to the gym :) #onestepcloser. Even off days are yet another stair added to the staircase to greatness. Stars cant shine without darkness, the dark and slow days define your character and determine where your mind is. You are much stronger than that person who didn't make it out today and said "tomorrow". You didn't make excuses. Every day will not be the best day, but the fact that you still pushed on says a lot about your character, and is the preface to your award winning fitness journey book. I don't always have superb days, and neither will you, but the fact that we did out best is all we can do. Give me an *e-high five* champ. We will make up for today by kick tomorrow's workout's butt ! Hooorahhh ! I'm going to drink plenty of water, and get a great nights rest so tomorrow I am rejuvenated and ready to demolish my back. Till next time.

Stick To Your Routines, Reach Those Goals

The best way to stick to a workout plan is to set big and small goals, and create a weekly regimen. People who plan ahead and set goals usually succeed because they know exactly where they are headed. It's not as effective if you randomly go to the gym and fit it in your schedule where ever it might fit. If you create a routine and you go to the gym or your workout classes at the same time every week, it becomes a habit, you are staying consistent, and you will see results. Plain and simple. It's commitment and perseverance that will set you apart from the rest. Aside from creating a regimen, it's very important that you stick to it as well. Progress is a slow process, but since you've started already it doesn't make sense to give up now in the middle. Every time you stop you will have to start over from scratch. Don't give up, delay, or procrastinate your fitness journey. These are the worst things you can possibly do to yourself. You are stunting your own success and wasting you time if you are not ready to get serious and commit to yourself. Don't be lazy, get up, and get to the gym ! And don't miss one day, not even for bad weather. If the gym is open, you are there. Consistency is key. You can either feel sore tomorrow or feel sorry tomorrow. Don't let it be the second option. You have an obligation to your body so create your regimen, set your short and long term goals and achieve them ! A year from now you will wish you started today and didn't quit. Quitting is an action of the weak minded. Elevate your character and promise to be more dedicated, determined, and disciplined. You will go a long way and be very proud in four months when you look back and see all your consistency paying off.
My current regimen is:

All purple is my workout schedule. I go to yoga 3 times a week, I go to the gym and workout specific body parts 4 times a week. On Tuesdays I go to my school gym between my classes and do 45 mins of cardio and focus on my abs for 20 mins. And of course I do my morning routine every morning

My goals:
Short term (by the end of March): 15 non assisted pull-ups straight, 50 push-ups straight, 15 pistol squats on each leg.

Long term (by September ): Walk in a handstand for more than 30 seconds, be very lean and cut, weigh a healthy 130 pounds, and have my CPT certificate.

I am very excited and motivated to reach beyond my goals. Of coarse I will update you on the progress. It will be slow but I will not be discouraged and neither should you. Everyday is a new chance and if you weren't able to lift the weight or hold that yoga pose today, you definitely put yourself closer than you were yesterday. You never know what tomorrow holds for you so stick with it and persevere. Put every strand of determination, every ounce of self love, every inch of commitment into furthering yourself on the road to your goals every time you step into the gym. Go to the gym and own the place, know why your there, be confident, and complete everything you went there for. There is a first time for everything so maybe tomorrow you will complete that 5k race, or be able to do a split. Never give up, you have all the power inside you, you just have to grit your teeth and bring it out. I believe that you can do it, make sure you believe in yourself and your workouts.

So get out there and add another brick to your Great Wall of China. Good afternoon and well wishes on those workouts :) Im headed to planet fitness to do my back workout as my schedule says. Namaste.

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful -Eric Thomas

Snacks on Snacks on Snacksss !!

I am always eating, don't let my slim figure fool you. Sometimes I feel like a fat person at heart. All day every day I am snacking, but they are healthy snacks ! This post is for all of you who uncontrollably eat junk snacks, then wonder why you are not seeing results from your workout. Ideally, we should be eating small portions of healthy foods 5 to 6 times a day. Yes you read right, 5 to 6 times daily. Now I am by no means condoning pigging out 5 to 6 times a day ! Don't come back ready to kill me because you thought I gave you the ok to have tons of snacks and have four course meals twice a day. I simply mean that you are allowed to snack through out the day, but only healthy snacks. The point is to feed yourself and get rid of hunger, you are never eating to have that belly exploding, lethargic, full feeling, thanksgiving is once a year, lets keep it that way. 

conveniently located on my
book shelf lol

Now I can be somewhat of a stingy person when it comes to my food so I have my own healthy snacks stash in my room that is only for me ! lol I know it sounds bad, but a girls gotta eat ! My snack stash consists of yogurt, nuts, fruit cups, rice cakes, pretzels, granola bars, chese dippers, and more.

 I absolutely love my snack stash and paired with fresh fruit that I always have in my house, I really don't have a craving for unhealthy snacks. They all satisfy that sweet tooth that creeps up from time to time. Depending on how long I will be out the house, I take 2 or 3 snack portions with me everyday and I eat them every 2 or 3 hours or when I begin to feel hungry and they hold me over until I come home and eat dinner. This not only keeps me from indulging in unhealthy snacks, it also saves me money every day. I encourage you all to create a HEALTHY snacks stash ! Today marks the day that you all will throw out those pound cakes, oreos, chips, sodas, etc, and never waste money on them again ! We are healthy eaters as well as snackers. Your body will thank you for the nourishment and it will show in your gym results, your healthy hair, skin, and you will have more energy. I am eating a granola bar right now as I type haha. But seriously I want to encourage and inspire all of you reading to make healthy choices about what you are putting in. Your diet is very important because it can easily help or hurt you.

And for those of you saying "healthy snack are nasty Jasmen, there's no way I can just switch over so suddenly like that" My response to you is: First of all, from today on, don't tell yourself you can't. Can't is not in our vocabulary ! You can do anything you set your mind to, I'm a firm believer ! Snickers was and still is my favorite candy. I have a million witnesses who can tell you that in high school  I used to literally eat like 3 a day ! But now I don't remember the last time I ate a snicker bar. I made up my mind that I wanted to reach my goal and snickers are nowhere in that equation. In addition,  I set my mind that I wanted to try a vegetarian diet and I have been so for a few months now ! (My vegetarian post is coming soon lol I know I just kind of threw that out there unexpectedly). But yes, set your mind up to be dedicated to your body. Tell yourself that there is no other way because you will not have your hard work going to waste just to make your sugar fiend taste bud happy. Make up your mind today to start your own healthy snacks stash and don't add any junk to it. Really make sure you are committing your whole mind, body, and soul to this. Its not easy but if you cheat on your diet, you are the only one to blame when summer comes and you feel ashamed that you still didn't get rid of your pudgy belly over the 5 months you have been "working out". Besides, it feel great to look back over the past months and see results and be able to say "wow, I made up my mind and I stuck it out to the bitter end with no cheats or relapses." Progress is really a beautiful thing. I wish you all the best is finding healthy eating habits and stay tuned for my post on making homemade healthy chips ! later guys :) 

Working All Winter Shinning All Summer !

So I am super excited about the fact that I am ten days away from my one month vow anniversary ! In ten days it will be a month from the day that I made a serious promise to love, honor, properly nourish, and strengthen my body. So far so good, I am pleased with my dedication  Today I had a wonderful morning which started off with my trusty morning routine. For those of you who don't know what that consists of, go check out my morning routine post from January. After that, I headed to my 10am Bikram yoga class which left me feeling loose, rejuvenated and free (I also have a post in January talking about Bikram and my experience). Then I ended my exercise series at the gym doing legs. I switched up my leg program today and I loved it, I really focused on doing lighter weights with more reps and sets. This really gets into those muscles and tones them as opposed to adding size. My legs are on fire right now and tomorrow will be worst ! lol. When I finish this post I am going to go have a nice big protein shake and take my vitamins. But before I run off to do that, here's a summary of my leg workout:

Warmed up with a mile on the treadmill
Smith machine squats - 135lb, 4 sets of 10
Leg press - 70lb, 20 reps of regular, 20 reps of inverted toes, 20 reps of everted toes, 25 reps of regular again
Single leg extensions - 25lb, 15 reps each leg, 14 reps each leg, 13 reps each leg, 12 reps each leg, both legs together 40lb, 15 reps
Single leg curls - 30lb, 15 reps each leg, 14 reps each leg, 13 reps each leg, 12 reps each leg, 11 reps each leg, 10 reps each leg
Calf extensions - 30lb, 4 sets of 25 reps feet straight, 1 set toes inverted, 1 set of toes everted
Hip adduction - 70lb, 3 sets of 10 reps
Hip abduction - 70lb, 3 sets of 10 reps
Glute machine - 50lb, 3 sets of 10 on each leg
Calisthenics - 5 pull-ups, 10 dips, 30 push ups, 30 hanging abs
3 minute cool down on elliptical 

Tip: No matter what body part you are working on in the gym, it won't hurt to do a little bit of calisthenics before or after your workout. This extra work will help you tone up and see results in no time ! Guaranteed  

I feel great right now and after I have my shake I might take a power nap for like an hour. Well I hope you enjoyed and are encouraged to get those sexy legs ! Get your work in ladies so that when its time to wear shorts and skirts we can feel awesome ! SOTD - "working all winter, shinning all summer, I ain't no beginner, you scared.." ;) Namaste.