I hope your week is off to a great start! It's been a bit hard getting back into the swing of things since I had last week off for a "staycation" but it's been good to get back to my old routine!
I've been trying to figure out how to get motivated to get my behind back in the gym, in full force, like I was at the beginning of the spring season. So this is what I've concluded....
I'm bored with running.
Yes, it's true. I'm just so bored with it that it's no longer motivating me and it's actually just making me stressed... I want to love it, but in this weather/time of year, I just don't! So this week I've been focusing on weight training and diet. Yesterday was my first day back so it took a lot of push to get myself up into the gym rather than focus on work (side note - I always forget that taking a break during the day to go and exercise actually HELPS you focus better when you get back to work!). But I got up there and I focused on doing upper body. My plan of attack is to alternate between upper and lower body before I get more specific in my training. So my workout included the following exercises..:
All exercises performed 2 sets, 8-10 repsPec DecLat PulldownLateral Raise MachineShoulder Press MachineCable Lat Pulldown Dumbbell Bent Over RowCable Bicep CurlCable Tricep PressdownBarbell Bicep Curl
Today I actually feel really stiff in my biceps and in my lats.. SUCCESS!! I love that feeling. It's not unbearable pain, but it tells me that I did something good, and I like that. Today was another day that was hard to get my butt upstairs during my lunch break, but I knew if I could just walk up two floors and start my workout, it would make me feel tons better. Plan of attack for today? Legs. Here's what I did:
Bulgarian Split Squats
All exercises performed 2 sets, 8-10 repsLeg PressLeg ExtensionSeated Leg CurlPlie Squats with DumbbellBulgarian Split SquatsSquats with a Shoulder PressLaying Hamstring CurlAb Crunches holding Med Ball while lying on BOSU BallOblique Twists with Med BallBack Extension Machine15 minutes on the Step Mill, Level 7 IntervalsBy the end of that workout my legs were super jelly. I remembered to take the time to stretch after so hopefully that helps me not be super sore tomorrow. And yes, I know, I totally did Bulgarian Split Squats without being forced by Trainer Friend... it's a miracle!!!!!!!
So in addition to starting this whole weight training thing again, I've been really trying to watch what I'm eating because the last month or so has been a total free for all when it comes to what I put in my mouth. So basically I've been eating salad, kale, chicken, berries... oh.. and cheese. I don't think I want to give up cheese. I really love it. I got some advice from a friend who's big into fitness and he said to make sure I eat some protein at every meal... so that's on my radar as well. This was lunch today :)
It was just as delicious as it looks. For breakfast I had a smoothie made with a banana, fresh blackberries, fresh strawberries, random frozen berries and water. I'm debating whether I want to continue eating smoothies for breakfast because it's getting cold and smoothies make me even colder. Oh.. and I've also added these to my breakfast...
Yep. Fish Oils.. the first time I took them was without food. Big mistake.. unless you enjoy the taste of fish when you burp. Today I took them with breakfast and had no fishy aftertaste which was delightful. Do you know why you should start taking Omega-3's in the winter? Let me tell you :):
1. In the winter we tend to eat heavier meals, which often times are high in sugar, grains, carbs, animal fats and alcohol. Things like this can lead to high triglycerides and basically decreases heart health in us! Omega-3's have been shown to help lower triglycerides and help maintain cardiovascular health.
2. Do you ever get the winter blues? Does your mood tend to shift when winter is upon us? Wake up and it's dark... go home after work and it's dark... it's hard to adjust! Omega-3's help balance mood and acts very similar to Vitamin D, the Sunshine Vitamin.
3. Winter months sometimes have an effect on people's joints. Omega-3's have massive anti-inflammatory effects on the body so they help reduce swelling in the join areas, which helps reduce pain!
4. DRY SKIN! Oh my god guys, this is happening to me right now, Queen of Oily Skin is actually having a temporary moment of dry skin. It's the weirdest thing, I don't really like it because it hurts. Omega-3's have been shown to basically help hydrate your skin from the inside out...
SEE. Go buy some fish oils. Be careful though, try and avoid fish LIVER oil... I don't think ingesting anything liver related is good. If you don't know the main purpose of the liver, it's to detoxify the body... so all the toxins you ingest end up there... so if you're eating liver or taking liver oil, the toxins that were ingested by said animal/fish is now in you. Not good. In some cases it can definitely make you sick.
Speaking of sick. Do you ever take anything to help boost your immune system over the winter? I was given the opportunity to try EpiCor this year and I've been taking it every morning for almost a month now and have avoided all the sickness I've been around so far. C has had a few colds off and on and *knock on wood* I will continue to avoid them and not get sick this winter!! It's a pill you take once daily and it helps boost your body's immune system so it's better able to fight off colds, viruses or infections. It helps the body do that by reinforcing the first and second line of defence that your body uses... it increases antioxidant protection and also helps support good gut health.
First Line of Defence - EpiCor strengthens the first line of defence by helping increase secretory immunoglobin A (sigA) in the saliva. sigA is the primary antibody found in the saliva, mucous membranes, tears and mother's milk. Basically if a pathogen gets past your mucous membranes and into your body, sigA is the thing that traps it before it spreads all through your body.
Second Line of Defence - EpiCor helps increase Natural Killer (NK) Cell activity in the body. So if the first line of defence in your body is compromised, this is when the NK cells would come into play. NK Cells are a type of white blood cell that are super fast at finding infected cells and killing them off before they spread.
If you're interested in learning more, you can visit their website by clicking here, check out WHY they are unique in their YouTube video here, find where to buy EpiCor by clicking here, check out their Facebook page here or their Twitter page here. Check out this infographic about getting a Healthy, Strong Immune System!
Do you take different vitamins/supplements in the winter than you do in the summer?
*Discloser - I was provided with EpiCor free of cost, however my opinions and experiences are my own.