Once again it’s been long over due. This time, I’m going to focus this blog on my daily workouts, diet, primal tips (I’m still new at it) and keep it more like a daily journal to keep me accountable. I don’t know how many people read this, or even know it exists, but I figured I’d keep it for me and anyone else who wants to read along when their bored and or need some toilet reading to pass the time. Sit back, and hopefully I can entertain for the time being 🙂
So it’s probably been a year since I’ve updated this blog. I’ve bounced between doing just healthy recipes, fitness routines, or a little bit of everything. I can’t really figure out what people enjoy reading the most, or if anyone even reads this at all! I suppose now that we are buying a house, I can throw that into the mix of crap I post about. Maybe some life hacks on how to deal with stuff that comes up when your a first time home owner. I tend to search google a lot and try to find tricks to make things easier.
I’ve never really had anyone comment about wanting to know more about fitness. And because of that I’ve learned giving advice is a moot point. From here on out I may instead make the switch to reviewing travel places. Hubby and I travel a lot, sometimes just road trips and other times on vacation. I think for now, I’ll post about those, packing tips, places, and pictures of where we go. Thanks for reading!
A couple months from now you may find yourself abandoning your resolutions, reaching for McDonalds or Wendy’s, assuming all hope in the weightloss game is gone so why not just give in? Well, hopefully the next 19 images helps to keep you on track with your goals:
No explanation really needed here. After tomorrow you may find yourself asking “how do I get rid of those candy calories??” Follow this little guideline based on how many of these evil little chocolate bars you’ve eaten.
We have all heard the phrase “IIFYM brah!” and have seen the endless number of Poptart pictures on Instagram. IIFYM has been huge in the diet and workout industry as of lately. Even my first post on IIFYM has seen the most hits out of all the ones here on my blog. I personally shift back and forth from eating things I WANT to eat and eating things I SHOULD eat when it comes to macro tracking. First let’s start with the three macros one tracks when dieting or bulking: Fat, Protein and Carbs. There are a ton of sites and ways to calculate your macros and calories. From IIFYM.com to the plethora of google results you can get just by typing it in, it might be hard to choose the right formula.
Fret no more! Direct your attention to this article written by a good friend of mine: Scott Herman Fitness Now this isn’t a shameless plug or a bit of spam. I’ve known him since we were in high school and his fitness success has exploded on the internet. You can find him on Youtube as well and follow all his free workout videos.
By calculating the correct number of calories and macro percentages based on your goals, you will find that losing weight or gaining weight can be very easy.
One of the biggest takeaways from IIFYM however is what you put into your body. Many of these IGers will swear by IIFYM and because they are lean and “make gainz” IIFYM and eating poptarts and pizza must be right. Here is where I disagree. There are so many chemical in today’s foods that by eating whatever you want as long as it fits your macros, can set your body up for self destruction later on. Why do I say this? Another good friend of mine recently beat cancer by changing his diet and incorporating raw greens juicing and healthy organic foods into his diet. He is a professional bodybuilder and admits to eating fast food at least once a week as his cheat meal before his cancer diagnosis. After cancer, he realized that more should go into what you put into your body. Forget about all the conspiracy theories and people who go for media drama and hype, there are a number of chemicals that are banned in other countries but not here in the US (for those readers who are outside of the US, check online to see if any other chemicals your nation might use are considered harmful).
By raw juicing and eating organic, grass fed beef and chicken, you can rid your body of the harmful chemicals that are snuck into your foods. While it’s great to look lean and cut, what good is that going to do you if you decrease your future quality of life? Be smart about this folks!!
Now I don’t claim to have vast amounts of knowledge in dieting and nutrition. However I’m sure this photo will prove that I have made great progress in trying to understand health and fitness:
While it might be fun to eat poptarts and pizza, please consider the damage you may be causing to your body. Instead, focus on clean foods that will round out your macros while allowing yourself to cheat once and a while so you don’t binge on snack foods. If you have any questions on counting calories or macros, comment below and we will get back to you right away!
As always, following along on Instagram and come on over to our Facebook page Fitness by Claire
PUSH UPS
🔹The primary muscles targeted in pushups are the pectoralis major, anterior deltoids and triceps. But there are also many other muscle groups used during pushups, such as the quads & core, which make this a total body exercise.
🔹Total body exercises generally can produce a greater calorie burn than isolation exercises, & create a more cardio-driven & metabolic workout. 🔹There are infinite variations of pushups, each with different benefits. Simply lifting a leg or elevating the legs (or both!) can dramatically raise the intensity of the exercise.
🔹Pushups done on the knees are a very effective way of simplifying military push ups, while still getting many of the same benefits.
🔹If military pushups are difficult for you, there are many ways to work up to them. For example, you could perform a knee pushup, then raise up to the toes, lower back to the knees, and repeat.
🔹Incline pushups (feet on the floor, hands on a higher object) are easier than the basic military pushup & simulate doing decline bench press. These primarily target the lower angle of the chest.
🔹Decline pushups (feet on a higher object, hands on floor) require more strength than many of the other types of pushups because they involve pushing more body weight. These simulate doing an incline bench press and primarily stimulate the upper area of the chest, as well as the deltoids and triceps.
🔹If pushups put too much pressure on your wrists, try holding on to dumbbells or any other type of handles (like the “Perfect Pushup” tool in the picture).
🔹Form Tips: Keep a neutral spine- flex your abs to keep your back from arching. Also, don’t let your hips be too high or too low- have a straight line from head to knees/toes. It’s really important to get full range of motion in your exercises! Get a deep 90 degree bend in the elbows at the bottom, and full extension (without locking the elbows) at the top.
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SQUATS
🔹Squats are arguably the single best exercise to build the thighs and glutes. 🔹60% of human muscle mass is located in the legs, & squats use almost all these leg muscles in unison. 🔹Because they work so many muscle groups simultaneously, squats are also one of the highest calorie burning exercises.
🔹Ab contractions that occur during a squat can be more beneficial than crunches! They also help strengthen the lower back & can help improve posture.
🔹Most athletic injuries involve weak stabilizer muscles, ligaments & connective tissues. Body weight exercises like squats can help strengthen these & help prevent injury.
🔹To practice proper squat form, try sitting on a chair or bench that is about knee height. Stand up with your feet planted hip distance apart & knees in alignment with your ankles. Sit back down & repeat. Doing 10-20 reps of this can help your body get used to the movement, & eventually you can just tap the seat with your hips instead of sitting.
🔹Some of the most common form mistakes during squats are descending too rapidly, leaning the torso too far forward, rounding the back, buckling the knees in toward each other, or letting the knees shift too far forward.
🔹Distributing more weight into the heels of the feet helps provide a more stable base, which allows for more muscle activation- so focus on keeping your heels on the floor & leaning your hips back. This also helps target the glute muscles more!
🔹There are many versions of squats, & each has different benefits. Some examples are barbell squats, which incorporate upper body muscles, sumo squats, which target the inner thighs, & 1-legged squats, which strengthen each leg individually. Changing up your squat exercises can be a great way to increase the benefits & results.
Try this workout to help improve your squats:
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Here is some Saturday Fitness Motivation to get you going through the weekend!
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Recently we conducted a survey from our readers on what they would like to see in future blog posts. You can take the survey yourself here. Your answers will help us better define our material!
The majority of readers wanted more workout routines, recipes and coming in third was supplement reviews. The top three muscles people wanted to see routines for were legs, back and biceps was a close third. Today we will post up a great leg workout. This one normally takes me 1.5-2 hours to complete as I usually throw in some calf exercises at the end. I enjoy working out legs as long as possible. Some will argue that less is more and you don’t need to be in the gym more than 45 min for a good workout. I say do what works for you. If 2 hours is your limit, do 2 hours, if you can go heavy and quick for 45 min, do that. The Leg routine is called “Thunder Quad”:
1. Leg extensions x 20/ Bodyweight squat x 50
This is a super set. Perform the leg extensions then get off and go right into the body weight squats. Do this set FIVE times.
2. Leg curls x 50/ walking lunges with dumbbell for 1 minute
Pick a weight you normally would do 20 leg curls with, and get it to 50. then grab some dumbbells and do walking lunges for a minute. Do this set FIVE times……yes we said five
3. Barbell Squat for 5 minutes
Pick a weight that’s either 70% of your max or something that is moderately challenging for you. Keep the bar on your back the whole time, but try to do this for five minutes, don’t count the reps. Do this ONCE.
4. Leg press x10/ calf press x20
Self explanatory. Do all three positions for calves: toes neutral, toes out and toes in. Do this set THREE times.
5. Leg extension x100
Go back to the weight you used at the beginning that got you to 20, man up, and do 100.
6. Wall Squat
Wall squat as long as you can. By this time, it shouldn’t be for very long. If you last more than a minute, you didn’t go hard enough on the rest of the exercises.
I like to finish up with some seated calf raises, ab and adductor machine and some brief cardio after. The cardio will help with the lactic acid build up later and should allow for your legs to not be as sore the next day.
Try to do this workout twice a week if you need work on your legs, otherwise once a week should be ok. Let us know how you did after you try it!!
As always, come follow us on Instagram at eat_lift_inspire where you will see fitness motivation photos, tips, progress and even a promo code for 25% off supplements. Follow us on Twitter at eatliftinspire and also on Pinterest at Levyii
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