Get Them Legs Moving

Happy Wednesday!

It is time for a workout! I'm gonna make this post about legs today. I know we've been around it a few times with the thighs and the butt, but it is my problem areas so we're going to see a lot of it. I have very strong legs and I leg press about 127 kg when I'm at my best, but my legs just won't show! There's still a lot of fat around them and I just can't seem to lose any of it! I know there are people out there with the exact same problem and then there's people out there with problem areas like their stomach or arms. Basically it is all the same. Three key ingredients - cardio workout, weight training and dieting. 

Cardio workout is important when talking about our problem areas. Of course if you have skinny arms or legs and just want them toned, this is not a crucial element in your workout. But if you, like me, are haunted with a lot of fat, it is important to burn a lot of that. And lifting weights is going to get you a long way, but please keep in mind the process will be faster and better if you mix it up. So go run or ride a bike or hit zumba class a few times a week!

The pyramid in the upper picture is a great total workout for your legs. It is of course hard to lift weights when it comes to your legs so usually you're gonna use your whole body weight. Of course there's machines in the gym too, but if you're not a frequently gym user, this is much easier. 

And last, but definitely not least your diet. I said it before and I'll say it again! A good workout rutine can not beat a bad diet! It is that simple. You got to look out with what you eat. I am not saying you should cut out everything fun in your life or you should eat all the cake and ice cream you want, but everything in moderation! Portion control and sugar control. Let yourself have a treat every now and then, but make it a reward. From monday to thursday I will not eat candy and unhealthy snacks, but I will look forward to the weekend where I am allowed to. It is a great way and also the easy way! But get your food under control. My problem is over eating. I got to start getting my portions under control, I eat like a grown man! But start small and work your way up!

Good luck! <3 

Your Diet Is Everything

Hello there!
As you probably guessed through the headline, we are talking about diet today. And I don't mean a diet as in eating less and counting calories, but I mean your diet as in what you eat every day and how eating healthy can become a lifestyle.
I'm very much against cutting everything unhealthy from your life, that's no fun. You don't want to be that one friend who's just gonna stare at everybody else eating Ben & Jerry's. Nope, you don't want to be that friend.

First thing first, you have to learn to control your portions. If you, like me, treasure food more than anything it's sometimes very hard not over eating. This is all about self control and it's hard, trust me! There's no other way than to tell yourself, "stop eating". Once you get going it gets easier because you break a habit and when your stomach gets use to eating less you simply won't be able to eat big portions anymore.
A lot of people are afraid of feeling hunger, some people never get to feel hunger because they eat all the time. Tell yourself it is okay to be hungry when it's time for dinner and you will also enjoy it a lot more than before. Make food an experience for your tastebuds and taste every single bite rather than making it about eating as much as possible. 

Water is also an important factor not only when working out, but in general. It's important to stay hydrated throughout the entire day and if you carry a water bottle around it's a lot easier remembering to drink plenty. Before dinner you can drink a big class of water which sometimes helps not to over eat.

The biggest problem most people run into when wanting to lose weight and get fit is doing without candy, chips and in general all snacks. These things along with high sugar drinks like a coke are a big setback from a fit body if consumed every day. It's been said that sugar is addictive and therefore a terribly hard habit to break. Again, I am against cutting sugar from your life completely, but eat it in moderation. I chose to not eat candy and not drink any high sugar drinks from Monday to Friday and that's working pretty good. Should it happen I'm asked out on a Wednesday and offered sweets I'm not gonna say no. You still need to remember to live a little, the point is you basically just have to do a lot of thinking when putting stuff in your mouth.

When all this is said, I found some recipes on my beloved Fitblr community on Tumblr where people share their ideas and thoughts about fitness and workouts and also very interesting recipes! I never been a fan of all the alternative "let's turn unhealthy things to healty things", but I came across some interesting stuff I really wanted to try out. I'm gonna post a few of them here and try to make some of the stuff doing the next week or two and show you guys the result!
Here's what I found:

The Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffin:

Ingredients

2.5 cups oats

1 cup low fat greek yogurt

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 TBSP ground flax seed

1 tsp vanilla

2 bananas

SMOOTHIES!

 

 

Green Smoothie - 1 cup baby spinach, 1 cup kale, 1 pear, 1 ½ cup of orange juice, and 1 frozen banana.

Chocolate Peanut Butter – 2 TBL unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 TBL peanut butter, ½ banana, 1 cup almond milk, ice.

Mango Ginger — 2 cups frozen Mango, 1 cup frozen raspberries, 1 banana, ¼ cup chopped ginger, squeeze of lime, yogurt.

Strawberry Date — 1 date, 1 ½ cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup almond milk. Optional: 1 scoop protein powder or 1 TBL of flaxseed oil.