Picky Eater Picks: Tech Edition

Recently, I’ve had several people ask me what sort of trackers I use when it comes to nutrition and workouts. In keeping up with goals, I think having different options for tracking really helps to keep motivation high, especially when we all tend to fall off of the wagon every now and again. While I do use different things to track my nutrition and workouts, I do want to make it clear that I am in no way religious about it. If I miss a few days, I don’t go into a panic. If I don’t log every item of food, then I just try harder the following week to track my items. So here’s a breakdown of the items that I use for tracking:

♥ Myfitnesspal ♥

Myfitnesspal is an amazing app for tracking food & water intake, exercise and calories burned, weightloss etc. First of all, this app probably has the largest database of food already preloaded into their app than any other I have ever seen. It is so simple to use their barcode reader to simply scan an item that I am eating and automatically log it to my meal. You can also utilize it to create a “recipe” with several different ingredients to properly calculate each individual serving size.

If you’re wondering how to figure out what your goal macros should be, you should utilize the calculator on the iifym website. This is a more detailed, accurate breakdown of what your daily macros should be. Myfitnesspal also has a general way to enter in your goals, which will calculate an estimated amount of daily calories you should be hitting. However, I find that the iifym macro calculator is much more accurate and helpful. Again, it’s all about personal preference on this one.

♥ Polar FT7 Heart Monitor Watch ♥

I struggled for a long time to find something that would track my calories burned during workouts as accurately as possible. I recently purchased the Polar FT7 Watch and am so incredibly happy with it. It comes with a heart monitor band that you place just below your bra line along with a watch that syncs up to it. One of the biggest surprises that I didn’t realize before purchasing is that this watch automatically syncs up with most of the cardio equipment in the gym, and will show your active heart rate automatically without having to manually sync!

This thing is so incredibly helpful when it comes to seeing how much I’m burning during my workouts. Mostly, I use it simply for the heart rate feature. While I’m lifting, I’m keeping an eye on my heart rate knowing that typically when I’m at my highest point of exertion, I’ll be around 175bpm. I find it to be very helpful also for in between my sets. It has a timer that is tracking how long your workout is, so typically in between sets I’ll time my rest period as well as watching my heart rate. Once my heart rate returns to around 145bpm, I know that it’s probably time for my next set. (disclaimer: I’m not a trainer or health professional. This is just how I typically monitor my own particular heart rate. Do what’s healthy and safe for you!)

I purchased mine when there was a sale going on at Best Buy for $69.99. Always price out different options before purchasing! Myfitnesspal and the Polar FT7 are the two things that I use on a weekly basis to keep track of calorie intake and calorie burning. I’ve tried a few other items in the past, and figured I’d share my feedback on those as well.

♥ FitBit ♥

In my personal opinion, the FitBit is a complete waste of money. This item only tracks steps taken with a very inaccurate calorie burned estimate. It does also track sleep et cetera, however in my experience it was never helpful. I found it to be a fun little competitive item when you and friends or you and coworkers make a little contest out of it. But as far as actually helping to track for weightloss, this product is left wanting.

♥ Bodybuilding.com / BodySpace App ♥

Can’t stress enough how much I love this app! Any time someone I know asks me for a good tool to use when they’re just starting out as a beginner in the gym I always suggest this app. The bodybuilding.com site allows you to select your gender, experience level, and goal to then give you a list of several detailed workout/nutrition plans to choose from. The BodySpace App is connected to this site, and not only has social features, but allows you to track your workout by exercise – including even a timer for rests between sets! Each workout has the option to click on a demonstration video to show exactly how the exercise is to be done. When I first started out, this app was incredibly helpful for me, and even now I still use the site! Their blog posts about nutrition and workouts are especially helpful. Definitely check this one out!

If You Didn’t Get It from Your Mama

I’ve heard on several occasions that I have “child-bearing hips” and a “thick” figure. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with these descriptions, but when it comes to the goals I’ve set for myself – one of them isn’t to look like I’m fit for pregnancy.

In my eyes, I’d like to have toned, firm legs along with a cellulite free butt that isn’t mistaken for a bowl of cottage cheese. All joking aside, a huge goal of mine has been to build up a lot of muscle in my legs and butt, while getting rid of unnecessary fat. I know that I’ll never have an ITG (inner thigh gap, for those who aren’t keen to pop culture references), but I really enjoy seeing this area of my body progress in such a positive way. Having set those goals for myself, I decided to dedicate two days a week to workout my legs and my glutes. Recently, I have added in glute exercises into another day a week, but again that’s just part of my personal plan.

So to sum it up: Legs is Life (at least in Brittney world). So I figured I’d share some more leg exercises with you all! I realize that so far I’ve only posted leg videos in the past, and I promise I will be posting videos of other muscle groups soon! It just worked out that on leg days I usually have a gym partner who can film it for me :). Patience, please!

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This is a little different than what I posted last time. I’m not sharing this as an official “workout,” meaning you don’t have to do all of these in one sitting. However, this is more so just a list of some of my favorites that I incorporate into my leg workouts on a weekly basis. Try grouping some of these with some from the previous leg day post! Okay let’s break down these exercises:

♥ Bulgarian Split Squat ♥ – These are similar to the reverse lunges that I showed in a previous post. This time we are adding a platform to elevate our stance. Mostly every gym will have these, and you can add as many or as few “boxes” as you feel necessary. This exercise is great for toned quads, but also works the lower glutes like no one’s business. The higher the elevation the better the results, but safety first! You might notice in the video that I am a bit shaky at times – I left that in there on purpose so that you can see that it’s completely normal to lose your standing. Learning to balance is part of the exercise, and you’ll only get better with practice!

♥ Good Mornings ♥ – This is one of my favorites! Start with an EZ Bar on your shoulders (less weight first to focus on form), and standing up straight with your legs slightly apart begin to lower the top half of your body down about halfway. Using your hamstrings and glutes, lift your back back up to it’s original position and squeeze. It’s very important to keep your lower back arched and firm. You don’t want to be putting pressure on your back for this exercise!

♥ Squat to Good Mornings ♥ – These are an interesting variation that I actually saw someone doing in a video on Instagram, and I love them! Holding a weight (I find a plate is easiest for balance), go down to a normal squat position and then transition to where your hamstrings are completely straight. From there, you are in perfect positioning for a good morning! Raise back up to the standing position using your hamstrings and glutes, and squeeze!

♥ Stiff Legged Deadlifts ♥ – I hated doing these for a very long time. From everyone that I saw and learned from, these were done only with a plate-loaded barbell which is pretty heavy to start out with! I was struggling so much just to get the weight up that my form was terrible, and I wasn’t feeling the stretch in the right muscles. Once I began using the EZ bar for these, they instantly became my bff. Nothing makes my glutes feel more exhausted than these babies! The trick for these will be to maintain a firm, arched lower back so that you don’t fall into a position where you are using your back to pull up. This can lead to all kinds of back injuries. Feel the stretch in your hamstrings as you go down, keeping your legs firm and in position (you don’t want to be bending your knees as part of the exercise). Keep your knees only slightly bent throughout (hence the term stiff legged, get it?), lower back firm, and feel the stretch in your hamstrings and glutes.

♥ Sideways Single Leg Press ♥ – I’ll be showing you the standard leg press in future videos, but for now we’ll check out the sideways single leg press. Don’t let the positioning on this machine intimidate you, and feel free to adjust to whatever position feels most comfortable. I prefer to sit on my one leg so that I can position my other leg closer to the center of the press. Use the same concept as squatting when doing this press – push through your heels! Fully extend your leg, pressing the weight outward. You’ll feel this one mostly in your quads.

♥ Leg Curls (Wide Stance) ♥ – Leg curls are one of the “go-to” exercises to work out the hamstrings (the back of your thighs just below your booty). These are pretty self explanatory, but typically if I’m going to do leg curls I will always keep my legs spread apart as far as the width of the pad. This allows the focus to be directly on the hamstrings, without risking help from any of your other muscles.

♥ Leg Curls (Narrow Stance) ♥ – Again, same concept but with legs close together. We’ve talked about this before, but there are several parts to every muscle that we work out and adjusting your stance simply helps to access each individual part of those muscles! I like to group wide and narrow stance together, however with the narrow stance you will most likely need to use lesser weight to avoid causing injury to your hip flexor!

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That’s all for today, folks! As always, if you have any questions feel free to comment or email me directly!

Core Work

If you’re anything like me, then you hate doing crunches. They never seem to get easier or more pleasant, but working your core is important for creating a strong body. Traditional crunches bore me, and quite frankly I’m not very good at them. Unless you have the form perfected, most times you’ll just be going up and down a bunch of times without any real benefit to your abdomen.

A friend of mine showed me how to use the hyperextension machine for weighted side bends one day, and I’ve incorporated these into my workouts constantly ever since. After reading a lot of things online, most people say that these will widen your waist, especially with added resistance (weight). However, I have to disagree. I have found that once I integrated these into my workouts, my waist has gotten leaner and much much stronger. In fact, I think I owe my first “baby ab” to this exercise – so internet articles, be damned! (Again, I’m not a certified trainer. This is just through my own experience! Please don’t sue me if you end up with massive oblique muscles that widen your waist. You wouldn’t get much moola out of me anyway!)

♥ Weighted Side Bends (on Hyperextension) ♥

This is the hyperextension machine. Typically it would be used for lower back extensions, but the uses for this machine are endless. To use it for weighted side bends, first adjust the height so that the pads come up to the same level as your hips while standing. Place your feet horizontally on the foot rest so that your ankles are pressed up against the bottom pad. You will place your hip on the upper pad to the area where you feel like your feet will be able to support your weight as you bend down. Sometimes with this machine it takes a little fidgeting and readjusting to get the positioning right – don’t get frustrated if it feels wrong! Adjust until it feels like a smooth motion, bending your torso towards the ground and then back up again to the starting position. I purposely left the beginning part of this video where I awkwardly grab the weight and readjust my shirt to show you that it’s important to get the proper position first before going straight into this exercise.

If this is the first time you are doing these, try one set with no weight at all. Then as you feel comfortable with the movement feel free to add weight to pull with you. When I started with these, I simply used a 10lb plate. As I felt more comfortable several workouts down the road, I changed to a 15lb dumbbell and so on. Try to extend as far down as you can and really feel the stretch in your abdomen. Use your abs to pull your torso back up to the starting position and squeeze your core for the best results. These will really burn in a good way!

If you just do your workouts at home and are looking for an alternate to this exercise, these can be done in the standing position. Stand up straight holding the dumbbell or any weight at your side, and simply extend and bend to the side and pull back up to the standing position. I don’t like the standing ones as much because I have a few back issues, and I find that these can be a little sensitive on the lower back. Be careful not to overextend when doing these from a standing position! We don’t want to end up pulling something or creating any permanent problems in the future. As always, safety first people ;).

#GymPeople

That girl who comes to the gym with a freshly painted on face of makeup.

It’s like in the Stages of the Cross – She starts to sweat and there’s a perfect mirror image of her face that appears on her towel! It’s a miracle!

Pizza is Bae

It’s only day 4 back on a stricter diet plan and I just want pizza. This feeling will never go away, Ladies and Gentleman. I enjoy my lifestyle change and feel 100 times better than I have ever felt before, health-wise. However, the cravings for things that you love don’t just disappear and get replaced with the desire for fruits and vegetables. #thestruggleisREAL 

Until cheat day, my friends!

Setting New Goals

In March 2014, I was an emotional wreck. I was going through a lot of personal things in my life, and I was at a place where I had absolutely no self worth or confidence. At my heaviest, I weighed 202 pounds at 5″7. I had reached a point where I felt like I couldn’t breathe because I was carrying so much extra weight. When I sat down, the fat on my sides would fold over and feel incredibly uncomfortable. None of my clothes fit and I just learned to avoid mirrors and having my photo taken at all costs.

Setting small, possible personal goals is what helped me get where I am today. So many times I would freak out about my weight, and declare that I was done with food forever! I was going to lose 50lbs in 2 months and my life would be perfect! Then pretty much after day 2 of starving myself, I was over it and made a B-Line for Burger King. So for the first time in my life, I went slow and steady. Never setting more than a 5lb loss for my goal. It’s now June 2015 and I have maintained a steady weight around 154lbs for the last 2-3 months. When I finally got my weight to a steady 5 pound range in the 150s, I decided that I would give myself a little break from the super strict dieting and focus on building up some real muscle.

For the last month, I’ve avoided cardio like the plague. I’ve been lifting weights about 5-6 days a week, and maintained my diet on the healthier side – but not in a strict, obsessive manner. I felt it was important to learn how to maintain my body at a weight that I was happy with, and I feel like I’ve finally accomplished that. Some days, I will absolutely allow myself a cheat meal or will go out to eat without worrying about gaining a pound or two. It’s been a wonderful transition to learn that life doesn’t have to be just worrying about dieting and numbers on the scale.

Last month was all fine and dandy, but it’s about that time for me to set a new goal for myself. I’m fully aware that my body is not where I want it to be, but I’m also proud of how far I’ve come. Seeing the progress just motivates me to move forward! What better way to keep myself accountable for my goals than to put it out there for the world to see my progress?! It’s an incredibly nerve wracking thing to do, but I figure that not only does it help keep me accountable but also might encourage others along the way. I weighed in on Monday and started my diet this week – So here’s my new goal:

Current Weight on 06/22/15: 154.0 lbs

Goal Weight by 07/22/15: 147.0 lbs (7 lb loss)

Goal Weight by 08/19/15: 143.0 lbs (4 lb loss)

I’m giving myself 8 weeks for a total loss of 12lbs, which seems a bit optimistic considering I’ll be in Europe for 2 of those weeks! However, I’m just going to focus on my first goal for the next month. If I’m finding it difficult to get the fat loss that I’m aiming for, then I will adjust accordingly to a more realistic standard. I also don’t want to just “get skinny.” I’ve worked incredibly hard to build up muscle throughout my body, and my goal is to maintain and build more muscle while leaning out and losing body fat. Yikes, that seems like a mouthful! But having a goal in mind excites me, and so I’m determined to do everything I can in the next 8 weeks to get to an improved place!

♥ What goals will you be setting for yourself in the next 8 weeks? 

#GymPeople

That guy who asks to use the bench when you’re clearly mid-rep.

Maybe if I don’t make eye contact it’ll go away?

The Scale is a Fickle Monster

To live by the scale, or not to live by the scale…that is the question.

Our bodies are mysterious entities. We hold on to water weight and fat in different ways and in different areas, along with the fact that building muscle is no easy task! Holding on to motivation is incredibly hard when you live by the scale on a daily basis. I used to weigh myself each morning. First thing you see when you walk into my bathroom is a scale on the floor. Damn that thing and its menacing face plate glaring up at me, just daring me to step on! The biggest thing that I’ve noticed when I weigh myself each day is that it became harder and harder to stay motivated to keep going. I worked out for 2 hours yesterday and ate incredibly well – how is it humanly possible that I gained 2 pounds?! The back and forth can be hell on your emotions.

One of my best friends sent me a text this morning asking how it was possible that she could have gained weight over the weekend, when she had stuck to her diet (Despite the temptations of having family in town!). All I could think to tell her was don’t go by the scale. If you feel you need to weigh yourself, then only do so maybe once a week. The ups and downs will drive you crazy, and it does absolutely nothing for your motivation to stay on the right track.

As easy as it is to tell other people to stay positive and to just keep going, I approach moments of insecurity and frustration all the time. I suffered from a back injury a month or two ago, and I haven’t been able to give it my all in the gym these last few weeks for fear of making the pain worse. It’s incredibly frustrating to be able to lift a certain amount of weight one week, and then two weeks later you find yourself struggling. Call me a meathead if you want, but I don’t want to see my hard work thrown out the window! I just have to keep reminding myself that there is no endgame here. I’ve chosen this as a lifestyle. This isn’t just a short diet or exercise regimen to lose a few pounds. I want to continue to make progress in all aspects of my life, especially my health.

Two weeks ago, I drove down to Fort Lauderdale for my stepsister’s graduation party. The following day my stepmother posted a bunch of pictures from the event! I was disappointed that I hadn’t taken the time to take pictures with my family, but remembered I had posed for a quick one before they cut the cake. When I saw the picture with me in it, I was floored. How is it possible that I could look so huge?! Everyone had been noticing a change in my weight recently, but were they all lying to me? Okay, I realize this is probably the single most vain moment in my life. First world problems, blah blah blah. I get all that. The reason I’m choosing to share this incredibly embarrassing over-reaction of mine is to show that we all have moments of weakness and insecurity. It sounds so crazy to me now, but I even texted my gym buddy and my sister asking if I have been kidding myself these last few months about my progress. Oh God, what if people thought I had been photoshopping my photos?! Haha – there are a lot of crazy questions you’ll ask yourself when you’ve been depriving yourself of fried foods for a while.

Once I returned back to reality, I looked through my phone at some of my progress pictures that I had taken recently. These pictures were taken one day apart. One day! In the picture on the left, I see a wide waist and chubby, untoned arms. But when I look on the right, I see the months worth of progress that I have made. I see a healthy person who has come an incredibly long way. At the end of the day, a photo does not determine my progress. At the end of the day, the scale won’t be the one to tell you that you look amazing. At the end of the day, it’s how you feel about yourself and your progress. So next time you see the numbers on the scale and get frustrated, or when your friend posts a picture of you that was taken at a realllly bad angle – don’t let it get you down! We all know beauty is only skin deep, but everyone has their insecurities. Learn to embrace them and use the motivation to move you forward 🙂

Best Days are Leg Days

I’ve been trying to answer the challenging question of what the overall goal of me writing this blog should be. I’ve come to the conclusion that I have several main goals, and one of the main ones is to help make others more comfortable and knowledgeable when it comes to working out either in a gym or at home. That being said, I’d like to start posting some “Beginner’s Guide” workouts that include things that I started with when I began my journey.

So why not start with my absolute favorite – LEG DAY! Your legs are the base of your body, and they need to be strong to maintain a strong core. Typically on leg days, I also incorporate exercises to target my glutes as well. I may never have the butt for a Lil Wayne music video, but I’m determined to have the butt that I feel proud of when I wear a bathing suit this summer! Also most people don’t realize that the glutes are one of the strongest muscle groups in the body. The more you work it out and gain strength in that area the stronger you will be overall!

So let’s get to work!

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To start, I’ve made two separate workouts – one for using gym machines only and another that can be done either at home or the gym without any equipment needed. If you’re feeling daring, try to mix up both workouts and pick a few from each! Regardless of which workout you choose to do, start out with 10-15 min of cardio to get your heart pumping. I like to start on a treadmill walking at about a 12.5 incline at 3.7 speed. Obviously, whatever equipment you use might be different so adjust according to your preference. Just make sure you’re getting your heart rate up and start to break a sweat!

Let’s break down this workout real quick:

Lunges – Lunges are an amazing way to tone your legs and strengthen those quads! Try to make sure your knee does not pass your toes when doing your lunges. Keep a strong lower back and straight posture. For added difficulty, hold some dumbbells at your sides!

Body Weight Squats – It’s important to get your form correct when squatting to avoid injury. In this video, I have my hands in front of me for balance, but when I was practicing for using a barbell I liked to put my hands up into position above my shoulders. Keep your lower back firm – don’t lean forward! Bend down as far as you can go, preferably to where your butt is almost parallel to the floor. Also, I like to look up when I am squatting so that I maintain steady form and don’t lean forward.

*This video was taken after a 2 hour leg workout so I was a bit tired. Excuse my form if it’s a bit off as I was exhausted! I’ll try to record things before my personal workouts in the future!*

Curtsy Pulses – When pulsing, you do not want to make the full range of motion in this lunge. Come up about 80% of the way and then immediately back down to the lunge position. This quick up and down movement should allow you to really feel the burn in your quads as well as your hip flexor and outer glutes!

Donkey Kicks/Fire Hydrants – For donkey kicks, bring your leg up to a 90 degree angle and hold/squeeze. Immediately go into a fire hydrant, bringing your leg out to where it’s almost parallel to the floor. You might notice I look at the camera a few times. I like to do these in front of a mirror or somewhere you can see yourself to watch the squeeze and make sure my form is on point. These are great for toning and strengthening the glutes!

Reverse Lunges – These are great for the quads and glutes! They can be a little difficult in the beginning so don’t feel discouraged if it takes a few tries to get your balance. For added difficulty, you can start with both legs on a stair or box. You can also do this while holding free weights or holding a barbell on your shoulders.

Hip Raises – Hip Raises are great for working out your glutes! Hold and squeeze each time you raise up! For added difficulty, you can place a weight on your stomach/pelvic area. Also, notice I do adjust a little in the beginning, and this is key! Make sure your legs are moved to where you are really feeling the burn in your glutes.

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For the gym focused workout, I was unable to record videos on my own this time. Next time I promise I will have proper videos to go with the machine workouts! In the meantime I’ll embed some videos to show the motion that I’ve found to be very helpful on YouTube.

Leg Extensions –

Leg Press –

Lying Leg Curls –

Abductor Machine –

Calf Raises – Let’s do standing calf raises this time!

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Well that’s it for my first beginner’s leg day workout post! If you guys have any suggestions or requests for how I should arrange and post my workouts please feel free to comment. I appreciate feedback, as I’ve never really shared my workouts before. This is just the first one I wanted to post real quick so I promise it’ll get better as I go :). Have a great week and get your workouts in!

#GymPeople

That guy making sexual noises and staring.

Ew.