Tone your body, and your mind!

I’m sure that many people, especially students, constantly make up excuses to not go to the gym or to exercise because they don’t have time. I know from my own personal experience, I have skipped a gym session or two because I had to write a last minute paper or had some sort of assignment to complete. 

 

However, making time for some exercise could actually help you finish those assignments sooner. In a recent study, a research team from the University of Iowa evaluated over 100 cases and concluded that resistance training and aerobic exercise BOTH give your brain a boost—in different ways.  

Cardio workouts usually involve long and constant effort (depending on how they are performed). Scientists believe cardio activities can improve your cognitive ability to carry out multiple tasks for long periods of times. 

On the other hand, strength/resistance training requires a great deal of focus to maintain proper form. You must also concentrate on your breathing, and tune out others around you, while maintaining a steady pace and time, depending on your fitness goals. Researchers believe that the more you perform focused resistance training exercises, the more you will be able to avoid distractions in other areas of your life. As such, exercise is helpful for students (like me) when having to write papers, especially when on a deadline, as their brain activity would function faster.

Gut Bust

Back at it!

I am very glad to say that after 2 weeks of no exercise, I have finally made it back to the gym! In case you didn’t read last week's blog post, I was suffering from bronchitis, and was unable to exercise. I must admit, it was VERY difficult to start exercising after not doing anything for almost 2 weeks. I started with a HIIT workout, followed by some abdominal exercises, and then basic shoulder and back exercises. I know that the first week back to the gym will be a challenge, but I am confident that I can pull this off!

Abs!

Here are a few of my favourite ab exercises. These moves are exhausting, but help to sculpt the abdominal muscles.

Side Plank

Target: Obliques

Preparation

• Lie on your side on a mat.
• Place your forearm on the mat under your shoulder perpendicular to your body.
• Place your upper leg directly on top of your lower leg and straighten the knees and hips.

Execution

Raise your body upward by straightening your waist so your body is ridged. Hold this position for 30 seconds, and repeat on the other side.

*Extra Challenge: To make this plank more challenging dip your hip so that it almost touches the mat, and then return to your original position. Repeat this move 12-15 times and then switch sides.

  

Kneeling Cable Crunch

Mid-week Motivation

Hello everyone! I find it hard to stay motivated sometimes, especially after a few days of intense training. Hope these photos help you to stay positive throughout the rest of the week!

HIIT it!

A very important part of weight-loss is performing cardio exercises that allow your heart-rate to increase. The reason we need to increase our heart- rate is so that the heart can work harder to pump the blood through your body. This is where HIIT comes into play. The trick is all about the TYPE of cardio exercise that you do, and HOW you perform it. HIIT, high intensity interval training, is proven to be one of the fastest ways to shed body fat.

What is "HIIT?"

Below is an example of a HIIT routine: Try it out and let me know what you think!

My experience

I have gotten up to an intermediate level of HIIT: jogging at a steady pace for 1.5 – 2 minutes, sprinting (as hard and fast as I can) for 30-40 seconds, and repeating this pattern 6 times. It feels as if I am working twice as hard, because once I have become comfortable at a steady pace, it’s time for me to change it up.

Every time I do a HIIT workout I am exhausted by the end of it, but I always feel great once I have completed one because I feel an extra burst of energy that helps me get through the rest of my day. My goal this week is to do a HIIT workout every day so that I can continue to feel positive and energized, and I invite you to do the same.

Let’s get moving!!

To put it simply, HIIT is the idea of alternating short periods of very high-intensity cardio with short periods of low to moderate-intensity cardio. Interval training burns a lot of calories during your exercise; but it really pays off after the workout. Your metabolic rate stays elevated longer after the workout is over, rather than exercising at steady and low intensity cardio pace, which will allow you to burn fat. That means if you trade in your 30 minute jog on the treadmill for a HIIT program, you should see faster results.

Take part in my challenge!

In order to achieve anything in life, one must set goals, both personal and professional. I have created this blog in order to challenge myself to lose 15 pounds.

I have always been very active by exercising regularly at the gym several times a week. However, since this school year has started I have had a very busy schedule, and have not had enough motivation to exercise and eat healthy. I have realized that when I work out on a regular basis, I feel energized and more motivated to accomplish other goals. I have been telling myself I would lose these pesky pounds that I have put on over the past year, so I’m promising to myself, in front of the readers of this blog, that I will.

I will be blogging weekly about my fitness schedule and routines, things that keep me motivated, eating habits, and my success along the way. I hope that this blog will not only allow me to stay focused on achieving my goal, but will inspire others to encourage themselves to achieve any personal goals they may have.