How To Stay Motivated In Your Diet and Fitness Routine!

Sometimes I find it really hard to stay on track with my routine especially when I am stressed out at school or work. Sometimes I am tempted to skip the gym or cheat on my diet, but there are a few tips and tricks I have come to know do help in those tough situations. We are only human and sometimes things are not always perfect, so it is important to know that it is okay to slip up sometimes and not to be so hard on ourselves. But it is also nice to know we can do certain things to make sure those slip ups are rare!

1. Make GOALS...

One thing I need to do in order to have my head in the right place 100% of the time, is by knowing exactly why I am doing this. I don't mean being healthy, which is something that is a given and should be an obvious goal for everyone. It is important for me to have a clear purpose, for example right now my goal is to build muscle and gain weight (which if you asked me a year ago if i would be doing this I'd think you were crazy). For you it might be to lose a specific amount of weight by a specific date or maybe to look great on a vacation or at an event. Having a clear purpose and desire for my fitness and diet is key to my success.

2. Dress for Success!...

Sometimes when I am going to the gym alone or it's the weekend and I'm feeling lazy I don't really make an effort to wear something nice to the gym. A lot of people probably are the same way, we think well I'm going to go sweat anyways so might as well wear some baggy old clothes. However, this mentality I find really affects my workout, when I don't feel my most confident and I don't feel I look that great, it really reflects in how well I do at the gym. So try to get some new leggings, or workout tanks or whatever it is for you once in a while because looking good totally co-relates with feeling good.

3. Make Eating Healthy Fun!...

I love to find new recipes all the time that taste amazing, but are still so clean. Tone it up is a great website to check out, the link to their website is in a previous post I did on healthy breakfast options. But also just try to switch up your diet every once in a while, rather than eating the same things all the time, those changes will make a huge difference in how manageable your diet is which brings me to my next point.

4. Change Things UP!

Whether it's what I am eating or my workouts I find changing it every once in a while makes it so much more fun for me. Not only is changing it up good mentally, but it is also great because it won't allow your body to get used to what you are doing, making it all that much more effective!

What's In My Gym Bag!

Today I thought it would be really fun to write about how I keep my gym bag organized and what things I find essential to always have with me when working out. Personally I like to keep things really simple. I do a lot of commuting so my gym bag is super tiny, but I manage to fit quite a lot in it. If anyone is wondering where my bag is from, it is from the store Aritzia by a brand called community. There stuff is so beautiful and they have tons of really cute workout stuff which is an awesome way to get motivated.

Click here to see Community's collection on Aritzia's website!

So in my gym bag I of course always have the outfit I am planning on wearing that day at the gym, so shirt, sports bra and bottoms (leggings usually, sometimes shorts). Sometimes I also like to hit the sauna, pool or hot tub so I'll bring my bathing suit in a plastic bag for when it's wet. I also of course bring my running shoes, especially in the winter when it's impossible to simply wear running shoes (I wish). Other basic things include my water bottle (which is amazing, it is glass so it does not smell, can be purchased at target), deodorant, wallet, keys etc. Although, sometimes I just keep those things in my purse.

Now for the fun stuff! I just recently bought the Women's Nike Perforated Golf Cap which is my new best friend in the gym. It is so awesome for when you are having one of those days when you just want to hit the gym and be totally alone because it hides your face. But mostly I just love it because its super cute, I wear it casually out all the time as well and I am most likely getting the same one in white, can you say addicted?!

Click here to buy the Nike Cap from amazon.ca, however you can probably find it at amazon.com as well.

There are a few beauty products I really love to have with me while at the gym as well. I typically do not do cardio unless I know I am going home straight after, so many times I do weight lifting workouts in the middle of the day. So, because it is at such an awkward time, I'll be wearing makeup, I use a really great primer and I'm lucky to have my makeup stay in place quite well. My skin regimen is pretty stable and I don't usually have any issues with breakouts and such. However, when I feel like I am at risk I do take my makeup off or I will powder my face after a workout to control any shine or problem area. I usually keep concealer, MAC's translucent powder (which I swear by) and makeup wipes with me at all times. These are pretty much the only ones I need for any retouching. In my purse I obviously have so many more beauty products, but in terms of gym related ones these are my essentials.

Anyways, that's all I keep in my bag, hope it gave some insight!

My Legs Workout!

I love seeing what other people are doing in their workouts and seeing what works for them, so I figured I would write about mine. I'll probably eventually post all my workouts, but I figured I would start with something super popular right now, which is legs! Everyone is trying to get that amazing hourglass figure, while still being toned. Personally, my inspirations have been Alexa Jean Brown and Cally Clarice Breaux, both incredibly beautiful women and are so dedicated to working out.

Cally Clarice

Alexa Jean

So here's my workout routine:

Squats - 4X8-12

I always start with squats and the main thing I have been working on lately is going really low and slowing upping me weight while still maintaining form. Of course everyone loves squats, they work pretty much everything, mainly your quadriceps, but also your calves, glutes, hamstrings and lower back.  I usually do four sets of 8-12 reps. 

Straight Leg (or "Stiff Legged") Deadlifts - 3X8-12

This mainly works your hamstrings, but also your glutes and lower back. The first few times I did this I really felt it in my lower back! If you aren't completely sure how to do this, make sure to look it up on bodybuilding.com to make sure you do it correctly. It is important to keep your legs and back straight.

Barbell Hip Thrusts - 4X15

For these you may feel really awkward at first, but honestly it is so worth it! This works the glutes mainly, but also the calves and hamstrings. It really helps to squeeze your glutes at the top, I usually use a 70 lb barbell, but starting I used 40 lb. And once again if you aren't sure how to do this look it up on bodybuilding.com 

Leg Press - 3X6-8

For these I like to go really heavy, which makes you really feel the burn! When I started with these it was super hard and honestly I was not too fond of them, but I really think these are what made my thighs look the way they do now, so it is worth the pain. 

Dumbbell Lunges - 3X8-12

These are my least favourite thing ever, I honestly could not hate an exercise more, but they are necessary and I force myself to do them (most of the time). This is another one of those exercises that works just about everything, it mainly works the quads, but also calves, glutes and hamstrings. When doing lunges I started by using two 20 pound dumbbells, but honestly it is different for everyone, one girl I started working out with had never done them and couldn't even use ten pound dumbbells, so it really is about your own practice and doing what it right for you and working your way up! 

Donkey Kicks - 4X10-12

These are my favourite, I love these, they mainly work the glutes, but also the hamstrings. When kicking make sure to hold the contraction in your glutes at the top and stay in that position for a couple seconds to get the best results. 

Calve Raises - 3X30

For this I take two 30 lb dumbbells, but once again use a smaller weight when starting out and slowly up it to whatever you are comfortable doing. To work my calves, while holding the dumbbells you raise you heels off the ground, standing on your toes and you repeat this motion about 10-12 times. Then, I move the top of my feet inward, with my toes facing each other making an "arrow" then do that same motion of raising my heels. Then after doing that 10-12 times, I move my feet outward with my heels touching and repeat those motions again. After that rest and do that same thing three times. If you are confused with my explanation look it up on youtube and there should be a video explaining, but any calve workout will do. I just always like to end my leg workouts with calves. 

Here's where you can find all the explanations of each exercise I mentioned and more with a video showing you exactly how to do them properly! 

BodyBuilding.com Exercises Page

Hopefully this was helpful and inspires you to change up your workout routine and try something new!Now that I have been writing about this, I feel like going to the gym! 

Favourite Healthy Breakfast Recipes!

In the morning it is super important to kick start your metabolism for the day and have a nice healthy breakfast. Personally, I like to make breakfast something to look forward to by having lots of yummy (yet healthy) options. The two recipes I really like are very popular and recipes many people have probably already heard of, however I like to tweak them and honestly I think I even made them a little bit better. Of course it depends on what flavours you like, these are really easy to customize and here is the way I do it!

Tone It Up Protein Pancakes

Tone It Up ladies, Karina and Katrina have come up with amazing recipes for all occasions that fit all needs, so if my favourite recipes don't meet your needs or you simply want great, easy ideas for food go check out their website by clicking the link above.

My favourite recipe of theirs is the protein pancakes, with four easy ingredients, it is fast, yummy and full of protein! 

Ingredients:

1 scoop of *protein

1/2 crushed banana

1 egg white

1 tablespoon almond milk 

*They recommend using the protein they designed, perfect fit protein, you can use any protein you have. Sometimes I use strawberry and cute real strawberries and the other half of the banana and put that on top with some maple syrup! Another thing they suggest adding is cinnamon which is great for the fall. Other ingredients could be dark chocolate chips, blueberries or really anything you want, have fun with it!

Lauren Conrad's Morning Quinoa

Lauren Conrad has some amazing healthy, fun recipes and this one I really love because like the one above you can change it up and personalize it. So basically this one would be like having your typical oat meal, but instead it's quinoa. She makes it taste good by adding banana, raisins, almonds and maple syrup. I like adding almonds, blueberries, blackberries, hemp seeds, chia seeds and stevia, it is really yummy and extremely filling. Also to make it really quick in the morning, pre prepare quinoa for the week so you can take out the desired amount in the morning and add your toppings, this way you can try different things and spend a lot less time in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup almond milk

*Toppings! 

*Click the link to Lauren's website for more detailed information. 

Anyways, those are the two recipes I love the most in the mornings. Of course there are so many others, especially if you are in the mood for something savoury rather than sweet. Many times in the morning I am too, if that is the case I usually go for toast with avocado (to get some of those good fats) or an omelette (egg whites have lots of protein).

Hope this was helpful and gave you some ideas!