Tag Archives: cardio

Q&A #1

1. How do you manage a social life when your diet and exercise regime starts to take over?
This one is tricky. I have two answers. First, I don’t let my diet and exercise regime take over. When I was training for my bikini competition, my training really did take the front seat and everything else got left behind. I went on only a few dates my whole prep and they were dramatically hard to get through because of my ridiculously embarrassing meal orders. I missed out on boat rides, parties, trips, and just small things like birthday gatherings, all because I didn’t want to miss a meal or skip a workout. It was mentally stressful more than anything. My true friends were gems through this time. I lost a few, but honestly, I’m glad for the friends that ditched me. They were never real friends. But if I did learn something, it’s that I would rather have a muscular, physically fit body and a life than to look 100 percent perfect and have no life. I remember crying in my room after my competition one night because I was so overwhelmed by all the mental stress and rigidness I let get in the way of my life. I never want to let fitness control me. I control it. That’s it. My other answer is, if you really do let fitness and your diet take over, schedule time with friends at least once a week where you can indulge stress free. Don’t miss out on their birthday party because you have an early morning workout. This gym will still be there the next day. At the end of your life you will not feel very satisfied if you spent all of your days obsessing over diet and exercise. Life is for living.

2. What sugar/flour/milk should I buy?
I buy Stevia because it’s a natural sweetener and I love the taste, it also bakes really well. Unsweetened almond milk is my favourite milk substitute and for flour I suggest coconut, almond or oat flour.

3. How do you feel about IF?
I don’t have much to say on this topic, simply because I’m always hungry and fasting is not easy for me at all. After I went to the PaleoFX convention, I met a lot of people that believe in it and do it weekly. I have done some reading about not eating 12 hours before your previous meal the night before, and it does make sense. Breakfast is not the MOST important meal of the day. Food in general is important, but there isn’t a magic time to eat. IF is something you should try out for yourself and see how your body reacts to it.

4. What isolated exercises do you do?
A lot. Especially when I’m working on muscle definition. Lately, I’m focusing on building mass, so I do more compound exercises but the isolated movements I still incorporate are: dumbell curls, EZ bar curls, tricep extensions, calf raises, shoulder presses, etc. Most of my workouts are composed of squats, bench press (all types), leg press, military press, rows, clean and presses, more squats and close grip benches.

5. Favourite type of cardio?
Stepmill and HIIT. I love the stepmill because it tightens my glutes big time but I love HIIT (sprints) because it burns fat quicker than any other type of cardio and it goes by pretty fast. I usually only do 30 minutes of stepmill and 20 minutes of HIIT.

6. How do you get rid of excess post-baby belly fat?
Honestly, I say your best bet here would be a combination of HIIT and diet. Increase the healthy fat intake, decrease the carb intake, eat your body weight in protein and do several HIIT sessions per week. It’ll take some time to burn off all the excess skin but consistently sticking with proper nutrition and sprints/cardio you will get here.

7. How do you feel about counting calories?
YUCK. I am guilty of being a chronic counter. But no longer. I have been listening to what my body wants and I have been doing this long enough to know what size portions I need to reach my goals. If I have more carbs one day, I know to go easy on the fat. If I have more fat one day, I know to go easy on the carbs. Counting calories is really beneficial when you have a photo shoot or competition coming up, but otherwise, just eat clean foods and watch your portions. Don’t eat till your stomach hurts and don’t eat one carrot and decide you’re full. Cause I know you’re not. I eat and I eat a lot. But everything I eat is clean, whole foods so it’s all great for my health and well being

8. Any tips for tightening up for summer?
HIIT and nutrition. I can’t say it enough. I know this stinks but it also helps to limit the fruit. Fruit is sugar, so even though it has plenty of healthy vitamins, it will be consumed as sugar and will not necessarily help you your weight loss goals. Getting rid of grains and dairy will also decrease your bloat tremendously. Drink plenty of water to help flush out any excess toxins and move nutrients through your system quickly:)

YAY! I think I may start doing more Q&A sessions. Email, tweet, or FB me if you have something you’d like me to discuss in another Q&A post.

On another note, my back/bicep workout yesterday was really intense so I decided to share it. Give it a go and let me know what you think!

EZ bar curls (pyramid set- 20, 15, 12, 9, 6, 1) started at 40 lbs, ended at 65
Overhand parallel row 3*8
Alternating hammer curls 3*12 (Last set drop set)
Pull ups 4*10
Smith machine shoulder press 4*8
Reverse curls 3*8
Lat pull down 3*8

Back to school & a shoulder workout

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Yesterday I had my first day of my last full semester of school. After this, I will have just one summer session and then I’m done. Forever. Pretty much my entire life I’ve been in school and I’m a few short months away from ending that chapter of my life for good. One very long thick chapter. And I can’t wait! What’s next for me? Well, as much as I’d love to say travel, spontaneity, fine dining and adventures, it doesn’t really look like that’s going to be possible for awhile. Of course if it was up to me I’d finally get to see a little bit of the world but that’s probably going to have to wait until I save up some money and can afford adventures outside of the United States. For now, I’m focusing on graduating (got that in the bag), finding a job, setting up my new apartment, building some substantial muscle and creating my first fitness and nutrition program. YES, you heard me! MoonFitness is going to be making some moves soon. As of now, this is just a spark in my imagination but knowing me, when I want something badly enough I’ll get it done in time. I’ll certainly talk more about the program later but for now, I’ll leave you knowing that I want to create a customized plan for individuals who are looking to get in shape, eat better and change their lifestyle for good. This plan will guide you through the basic steps of eating clean, working out and cultivating healthy habits. I will be there for you along the way, providing support and guidance. Like I said, right now this is just an idea that will soon be put into motion.

Anyways, today I did a Nicole Wilkin’s shoulder workout for the second time in the past month. That woman has an amazing figure, so I’m always down to try one of her workouts…and she didn’t fail me!

Shoulders WOD
Warm-up- barbell shoulder press (2 sets, 8-12 reps)
Barbell shoulder press (2 drop sets to failure)
Single arm lateral cable raise (3 sets, 30-12 reps)
Upright barbell row (3 sets, 12-15 reps)
Cable reverse flies (3 sets, 12 reps) << new favourite!
Rear delt raise (3 sets, 10 reps)

Yup, by the time you’re done with this you should be pretty freakin tired. Here’s the video of Nicole going through the workout if you want to see the proper form.

Hmmm let’s see what else is new with me.
I’m currently on my second official week of my “muscle building” diet and routine and I’m starting to see improvements already, especially in my upper body. I’ve committed to cutting out cardio for as long as it takes and according to my trainer, I shouldn’t count on gaining more than 10 pounds of substantial muscle PER YEAR. This makes me wonder…when will I be revisiting my good friend cardio again?! I don’t know, I believe that’s something I will just have to wait and see. When you have a goal that requires difficult sacrifices, what do you do? I simply remind myself that this lovely thing we like to call fitness is a JOURNEY and there is no final destination. In order to get from point A to point B, you may have to make sacrifices and be….extremely…patient. If you’re one of the many other girls that are going through the mentally challenging act of cutting out cardio I beg you to PLEASE read this post by my friend and fellow blogger Meg. She is going through the same thing as me, but she’s been without cardio since November. I’m learning form her patience and dedication. It’s great to see other girls going through the same thing as me when it comes to cardio- it’s a mental challenge but one that can definitely be overcome!

1 Day Out- Things You Should Know About Peak Week

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Tomorrow is the big day! I’ve had a crazy & hectic peak week, having to get all the final touches ready and make last minute purchases. My diet hasn’t really changed for this last week but yesterday I did have a high carb day to help fill out my muscles. Tomorrow I’m adding in some foods I haven’t had in ages, like rice cakes and sirloin. It’s supposed to help with tightening me up and filling out.

Plus, not to mention I’m hoping to splurge a little after my show…it’s been 120 days…I think I deserve it this once, right?!

I’d also like to share with you guys that I’m NOT going to be dehydrating for my show.

Say what, Madelyn?!

Yes that’s right. I love water too much to do that to my body. So instead I carry this thing around to class and enjoy the amply awkward looks I receive.

But the real reason I’m nixing the dehydration step is because my coach is really against it. Honestly, how he explained it to me made a lot of sense. In case you don’t already know about the whole dehydrating thing, it’s where you deprive your body from water before the show (starting the night before usually) and only take baby sips the day of the show. It’s supposed to give your body that “tight” look. This can be extremely dangerous. If you dehydrate too much, or if you’re body can’t handle it, you could run the risk of passing out on stage. Please be careful before you decide to dehydrate for your show and really learn all of your options. You can still achieve that tight look just by manipulating your carb/protein/fat ratio throughout the week. When picking your coach for your show, ask them their view on this and how they plan to go about peak week just so you know EXACTLY what you’re in for.

On another note. I’ve learned a couple things this past week.

1. Don’t buy the Equate teeth whitening “strips”. They’re not even strips, they’re like mouth guards and the unusual pressure (assuming your mouth is semi sensitive) will bruise your gums and it’ll hurt like CRAP. Just a simple touch to my gums making me wanna cringe and I only used them twice!

2. Waxing hurts. But get it done early so that there’s enough time for any skin irritation to go away.

3. Polygraph tests are not just for criminals! Even bodybuilders sometimes have to take them before a show just to make sure they’re drug free (quite an experience!)

4. Target does not have good fake eyelashes. Don’t rely on them.

5. If you’re small chested to begin with, you will probably lose 50% of what you already have- be sure to add padding in your bikini top before hand! This is a mistake I will NOT be making for my next show.

6. Go 80% in your weight lifting sessions. Don’t try to make personal records and end up breaking down your muscles. The goal this week is to look FULL by show day, not flat.

7. Pack your bag for the show ahead of time, don’t wait till the last minute. This also goes for prepping your food and locating the competitor’s hotel if you have to go there for a meeting. I had to go to the hotel for drug testing yesterday and of course my GPS took me everywhere in Austin except for the right place so I had to call for directions. Oops.

8. PRACTICE POSING! I can’t stress this enough. I thought I was pretty good at posing last week but this week I’ve made more improvements and I’m so glad I spent the extra 30 minutes walking on my shoes, trying to get that “sexy hip swing” thang down. It also helps if you can have a friend or another competitor pose with you one day to give you pointers. It’ll be worth the extra time and effort, I promise!

9. Build up a base tan before you get your spray because it will look less orange and more brown. About 5 sessions in a bed should do the trick

10. REMEMBER to have fun! This is serious to me but I still, I have to constantly remember that it’s not something to stress over. The hard part is done- the rest should be a reward.

Today I have to get my eyebrows waxed, pack the rest of my bag, get my nails painted, shower/exfoliate, attend the competitor’s meeting and get my first coat of spray tan. I’m planning on bringing my camera to the show tomorrow so I can get lots of real pictures, not just Instagram! AHH I’m so excited!! If you have a twitter, be sure to follow me @MoonFitness for updates (and I’m sure…Instagram pictures as well #addicted)

Talk to you soon, loves!

Say Goodbye to Stubborn Belly Fat With These 5 Tips!

When it comes to tummy troubles and shedding belly fat, the most important key is to stay consistent with your diet. A few months ago, before I had decided to compete, I had a much higher body fat percentage, but yet I ate clean for the most part, worked out regularly and constantly set goals for myself. Now, 12 weeks into my competition prep, I’ve finally figured out a few key ingredients to fat loss and how to tighten up that one devilish area we all put so much focus on. What it all comes down to is the food you put into your stomach. You can do 100 sit-ups a day, but as long as you feed yourself poorly, you will never uncover those tight abdominals. We all have a six-pack… it just depends on how far back in the fridge it is!

1. Cut Out Alcohol

Yeah, you’ve probably heard this one before. “But alcohol is a social norm,” right? No, the truth is you do not need poison to have a good time. You can sip on a water with lime and still enjoy the company you’re with and enjoy a nice evening. Alcohol is loaded with empty calories and sugar. Generally speaking, the consumption of alcohol usually leads to snacking and since your body is already working on breaking down those calories, the food you eat will turn straight into fat. If you want a tight and toned tummy, you cannot realistically lose any weight in that area if you’re drinking, even if it only happens a few times a month. Cut it out altogether!

2. Limit Sugar

Sugar is hiding everywhere. It’s in ketchup, drinks, fruit, bread, jelly, coffee creamer, you name it and it’s in there! One thing I’ve had to do is cut sugar out almost completely. If you’re going to consume fruit, try to have it immediately after a workout because that’s when it’s broken down the easiest. Otherwise, watch your sugar intake significantly- even when it seems harmless like coffee creamer or yogurt. Start buying the sugar-free Greek yogurt and try to sweeten your coffee with only Stevia. You’ll save tons of calories by making small changes like that.

3. H.I.I.T.

High Intensity Interval Training is one of the best cardio methods because not only is it much more exciting than running on a treadmill for 45 minutes at a time but it burns fat at a much quicker rate. Three times a week I walk on the step mill for 30 minutes and then two times a week I will perform HIIT on the treadmill for 20 minutes. This is where you alternate between sprinting and walking for a minute each. You’re heart rate will by flying and the fat will be melting!

4. Limit Cheat Meals

Food is a great thing and the last thing I want you to think I’m saying is that you can’t enjoy it. But what I am saying is that if you really and truly want to flatten your stomach, you need to cut back on the cheat meals. I suggest saving them for special occasions and if possible, still chose healthier options and be portion conscience. Even one cheat meal a week can discourage progress. Try to go a month without any cheats and keep pushing yourself afterwards! Instead of cheating, try to spice up already clean foods by seasoning them differently or making new “clean” combinations. Also, reward yourself by buying a new piece of athletic clothing or some new music to put on your workout playlist. That will keep you motivated for the week ahead!

5. Carb Cycle

This is the final step that can turn a B body into an A plus. It’s definitely not the only way to get a toned stomach but it can make a big difference if you reach a plateau in your fat loss journey. Carb cycling is where you alternate between low carb days and high carb days. Heavy lifting days, such as leg days, would be where you consume more carbs than light lifting days or rest days. These carbs are healthy carbs of course, such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, oats and whole grains. The change in carb intake shocks your body and keeps your metabolism kickin’! It’s a great strategy to lose body fat while still being able to fuel your body properly and maintain energy levels.

Remember that your stomach is not a wastebasket; it’s extremely important that you fill it with nutrient-rich foods that will be put to good use! Some of these things might be a little more difficult to master than others but only you can determine what your body looks like. Personally, I’ve always thought that nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.

This article can also be found on the amazing and educational fitness website Trimmed And Toned by clicking here. Check out all of there awesome interviews and articles about weight loss, building muscle and nutrition!

Top 3 Fitness Programs

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There are so many different fitness programs available for free or for a small price on the internet. If you’re looking for some motivation or a new workout to kick off this fall, I have three programs to recommend. I’m advising you look into these programs based on the overall positive feedback they have received, my own personal experience and because of the amazing results people have had with them.

First, as I have already said before in another blog post, the James Wilson 12 Week Transformation program is absolutely phenomenal. Find the Facebook page titled “James WIlson- Faith, Family and Fitness” to message James Wilson and get the workout program. For only 50 dollars you can get 12 weeks of muscle-burning, sweat-provoking, thoroughly exhausting workouts and a diet plan to promote weight loss, muscle strength or weight maintenance. You also get to join a private Facebook group that provides support with other program users and also personal attention from James, himself, if you have any questions. What I like the most about this program is that it is fast paced and promotes both muscle growth and weight loss. The workouts are always different and he provides videos for exercises that are less commonly known. This man really knows his stuff and I had a great time doing his workouts for the 12 weeks!

Next, I would recommend Jamie Eason’s LiveFit workout program found on bodybuilding.com for FREE. This program is great because it is also 12 weeks but it is divided into 3 different phases, each one being different from the previous. The first phase focuses on building muscle and then the next two add in cardio, and the carb cycling, to promote fat loss. I like her program because it’s designed to fit a wide range of fitness backgrounds, experienced or not. The exercises are fairly simple but yet effective. She also writes out a meal plan for you to follow with plenty of different protein, carbohydrate and fat options. This would be the best program to start with if you’re new to the weight room.

Lastly, I want to talk about a program I have yet to do myself but have it next on my list! One of my favourite fitness models, Ashley Horner, has recently made a personalized workout program to get people of all shapes and sizes in fantastic shape! From the “before and after” photos and reviews I have seen, her program has made some incredible changes in the lives of numerous women! She includes a cookbook in the program, full of clean and delicious recipes to fuel your body properly. Her program, Become Extraordinary, is based on her own personal philosophies and training techniques. It’s 90 days long and split up into 4 phases of intense conditioning! This one is $100 but I’m positive that if you follow the book and put in the effort, you will definitely get your money’s worth!

Check out her page at http://ashleyhorner.co

I’d also like to add that bodybuilding.com has a ton of free workouts available. If you don’t already research the site religiously like me, please take a look! There are forums, articles, exercise videos, programs, supplements and tons of other valuable research tools for free.

Eating for Your Goals

Preparing for My First NPC Competition

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Yes, you read that correctly…COMPETITION. I’ve finally made the decision to compete! As much as I wish I could do figure, I’ve decided this first go round will be the bikini division. I’m still giving it my 100% effort and I’m going to work my booty off every single day. Bikini could actually be the perfect fit for me. Whether I’m in the gym or in the kitchen, I’ll be consciously thinking of that moment when I walk on stage and how badly I want to have my best shot at this.

With this new goal of mine also comes a new diet, new workouts and a few limitations here and there. I’m saying goodbye to the cheat meals for the next few months and unfortunately I won’t be coming up with any new fun recipes to share with you guys. But I WILL be logging and recording this process every step of the way. I can use all the motivation and encouragement I can find, so please keep up with me and read my posts as I experience what it’s like to be a bikini competitor for the first time.

Starting out, I want to share what my new workout routine will look like. At the moment I’m only doing cardio 4 times a week: 3 days of 30 minute moderate intensity and 1 day of HIIT (high intensity interval training). As the weeks continue, my coach will start to add on more and more cardio as needed.

For strength training:

Monday-Legs, hammies, abs

Tuesday- biceps, shoulders (30 minutes cardio)

Wednesday- Back (30 minutes cardio)

Thursday- 20 minutes HIIT, abs

Friday- Legs, glutes

Saturday- Chest, triceps (30 minutes cardio)

Sunday- Active rest

So, for now, that’s what I have when it comes to exercise.

Diet, is a whole ‘notha story. Still eating clean of course, but I’m trying to lose body fat and weight so I’m in calorie deficit at the moment.

My cart looks something like this

All delicious foods that we know and love:) Plus oats! Can’t forget the oats!

Since I’m eating the same foods every day, I’m cooking in bulk even more.

This will probably last me….5 days?

I stocked up on some Mrs. Dash and today I cooked with the fiesta lime. Who doesn’t LOVE salt free seasonings? I think this is a perfect instance to say ~~winning~~ SCORE!

moonfitness.net

Simplifying Your Diet and Fortifying Your Body