Tag Archives: Fitness

Secrets of a Successful Prep!

Contest Prep, , , ,

Hey guys!  Hope this finds you all well and enjoying the summer!

Since I’m so close to my show (just 1 week out!), I wanted to share some of my tips for success with Contest Preps.  I’m by no means an expert on this stuff.  This is only my 4th prep and my first National show, and I’m obviously not a Pro, however, I do feel like my experience has given me a lot of insight into what helps make prepping for a bodybuilding competition easier!  I love to mentor first-time competitors and newbies in the sport because this can be REALLY overwhelming.  And honestly, you learn best by experience, but it’s so helpful to have all the advice you can get!  Here are my top tips for making your Prep as enjoyable and hopefully successful as possible.

1.) Have a good coach!  This is a no brainer.  You can’t get stage-ready flying solo.  Ideally you want to be working with someone for several weeks or months prior to dieting for a show so that they get to know your body and it’s responses to various types of training and dietary changes.  Ask around!  You should feel comfortable with this person.  Yes, it’s a business relationship, but you need to feel like they support and encourage you and that they are truly knowledgeable about the sport.

2.) If you can’t go 6 weeks without a cheat meal, it’s not time to Prep for a show.  I can’t stress this enough.  You REALLY need to be in a place  where you have a healthy relationship with food, and you can have the self-control and discipline to stick to a VERY structured diet for several weeks.  Give yourself a test run before even thinking about picking a show date.  If you can’t go several weeks without pizza, wine, dessert, tacos, donuts, brunch with your girls, etc., you really need to reevaluate why you’re doing a show.

3.) Prioritize SLEEP and REST!! This will become more and more important the further you get into a Prep.  You get more and more depleted, and rest and sleep become more important.  If your schedule is crazy and you’re only getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night, or are super busy running around every day, you may need to reconsider if prepping for a show is right for you.

4.) Get comfortable eating vegetables.  Lots and lots of green vegetables. Sometimes I think I’m part rabbit.  I’m not talking about eating boujie salads and broccoli covered in cheese sauce.  Carbs and fats will get cut in a Prep.  End of story.  That leaves pretty much green stuff and proteins.  If you can’t handle that, you’re gonna be riding an even strugglier struggle bus.

5.) Try to stay positive. You will get hangry.  You will get tired.  You will be sore.  You will be emotional at the drop of a hat. You will question your will power and sanity more than you every have in your life.  The good news, every Prep gets easier because hopefully you’re getting stronger.  Just like with anything in life, your attitude and mindset can determine how you view your circumstances.  If you think it sucks, it’s going to suck more.  The cool part, staying positive in a Prep makes it easier to stay positive in other shitty situations.

5.) Enjoy the journey.  Prep will teach you so so much about yourself and life, but only if you ALLOW it to and embrace the highs and lows that come with that journey to the stage.  At the end of the day, it’s not about winning, it’s about become better and becoming stronger inside and out.  Take pictures of your shredded self!  Journal, post on social media, take videos.  You’ll be glad you did when you look back on your ride!

So that’s it!  I’ve got a ton of other posts here on “Prep Hacks” and am always here to answer questions.

Thanks so much for being part of my journey!  Another post coming soon before we head to Vegas next week!

Till next time,

-Mere

Staying Fit on Vacation!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, , , , , ,

Hi everyone!

Hope you all are doing great and enjoying Spring!!  This time of year is when a lot of people take some time to go on VACATION!!!  It’s one of our absolute favorite things to do!  Getting away for a while is a great way to relax and unwind, but as many of us know from experience can often lead to coming back with a couple of extra pounds that AREN’T from your luggage!  It can also be tough to get back in your gym routine after a few days of R&R.  I thought I’d share some helpful tips I use when we’re on vacation 3.that help me balance my fitness and nutrition goals with having some fun too!  We took an amazing Caribbean Cruise vacation last month, and these points helped me enjoy myself and stay on track.

1.) Realize it’s all about BALANCE!!! 

One of the best parts of any vacation is relaxing and spending time with loved ones, having fun, and eating yummy food!  Focus on enjoying the experience and not what you can/can’t eat, and realize that it’s okay to tone down the crazy workouts some.  BALANCE FRIENDS!!!  Eat dessert, order the wine, enjoy yourself!  I try to make healthy eating choices for breakfast, snacks, and lunch or dinner, but allow myself to enjoy a few bites of desert and a drink or two every day.  It’s all about moderation!  More on the workout piece in a bit.

2.) Drink alcohol in moderation

It might be fun to toss a few back, but the hangover the next day will NOT be fun!  I love a fruity drink by the pool or beach just as much as the next girl, but I don’t love the bloated, gross feeling that comes from over indulging or the horrible feeling a hangover gives you!  Enjoy your alcoholic beverages in moderation while on vacay, and you won’t have to worry about missing out on fun from not feeling well, and it will also save you THOUSANDS of calories!  Those delicious fruity/ frozen drinks can add-up quickly, so again, try to enjoy those in moderation when possible.  This tip will also save you some cash too!!  Drinks can add up quickly leading to a hefty bar tab!

3.) Enjoy some ACTIVE-ities!!!

My husband and I love to gallivant and sightsee when we travel.  Exploring is the name of the game!  We also like to do fun things like hike if there are caves, architectural sites, or natural tourist points to trek to and explore.  While we were in port in Falmouth, Jamaica on the cruise, we spent the day climbing the beautiful Dunn’s River Falls in Ochos Rios.  It was so much fun!  We also love theme parks and ziplining! Other great activities could be snorkeling, skiing, mini-golf, sports at your resort, whatever your heart desires!  These are all great calorie burners that get you moving and are sure to be a fun time for all!

4.) Plan to workout

At least pack some workout/gym clothes in your suitcase!  Even just a quick 20-30 minute lifting session, some cardio, or a circuit workout will keep you somewhat in your routine and easier to get back into the swing of things when you get back home.  My rule of thumb: 3 workouts if I’m gone for a week, one if it’s a shorter trip like a weekend.  This is easy to do if you have a gym on your ship or your hotel!  We worked out every day on the cruise, but when we were abroad for three weeks in Japan last year it was much harder to find gyms (they literally DO NOT exist there.  Thank god for the Ritz!) so we only worked out like three times.  Just make it a priority and make it fun—you won’t regret it!

5.) Pack some protein focused snacks and get as much protein as you can!

I love this one.  Our favorites: Protein powder and Quest Bars!  I never worry about carb intake on vacay, but really try to eat as much protein as I can.  Snacks can help you in a pinch if you get stuck in an excursion or in the airport too!  Protein is key.  It’s easy to get the fat and carb macros you need eating out on vacation, but the protein will keep you full and will help curb overindulging on some not so healthy foods.  Aim for grilled chicken, seafood, or fish when you can, and don’t be afraid or embarrassed to order a salad!

I hope these tips are helpful if you’re planning a fun trip anytime soon.  You’ll be so proud of yourself for sticking to your fitness and nutrition goals that it will make you want to take another vacay to put them to use!

Till next time,

-Mere

Cut the Crap!

Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , ,

I’ll shoot you straight.  There’s no “short cut” to weight loss.  It takes consistency and hard work!  One of the questions I get asked most from clients is “What are some easy things I can do to lose weight?” You’ll still need to work hard in the gym and stay consistent with a clean diet to really change your physique, but here are some simple ways you can “cut the crap” and make minor changes that will save you hundreds of calories that can add up to some major pounds dropped!

1.) Rethink your coffee—did you know that most flavored coffee creamers have 20 (up to even 50 calories!) per a 2 tablespoon serving?  Not to mention that they’re packed with sugar and fat too!  Most coffee drinkers probably use more than two tablespoons (basically a shot glass) in just one cup of their morning joe!  That adds up quick—upwards of hundreds of calories and a day’s intake of sugar!  I’ve mentioned in previous posts that a typical Starbucks latte has upwards of 300 calories!  Don’t get me wrong—I LOVE coffee, and I love mine with a creamy delicious flavor to it!  Your better option is to get the SUGAR FREE coffee creamers—unfortunately they don’t come in a ton of flavors, but they save you lots of calories and (hooray!) have no sugar!!  I love Coffeemate’s Sugar Free French Vanilla, Caramel, and Hazelnut flavors and it is a HAPPY HAPPY DAY when the sugar free seasonal flavors of Pumpkin Spice and Peppermint Mocha come around!!  You can also opt for fat free half and half (20 calories per 2tbs, no fat, no sugar) and some Splenda or Stevia instead of real sugar.  That’s my other go to!  You can also use the Torani sugar free syrups too!  You can find those at World Market or Amazon, and they also are great in egg whites or oats or plain Greek yogurt!

2.) Juice and “regular” soft drinks and sweet tea are NOT your friends— read the nutrition label, pay special attention to the sugar content and the ingredients.  SUGAR is the enemy here.  Absolutely no nutrition value, and those calories add up super quick!  Fruit Juices are laden with added sugar—you’re much better off just eating an orange or an apple instead of drinking the juice of them!  Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Root Beer, etc. a large fountain drink of one of those will easily put you at close to 500 calories and 50 grams of sugar!!  That’s two days worth of sugar and easily almost a third of an average female’s daily caloric intake.  NOT WORTH IT FRIENDS!  If you have a die hard soda habit, cut it down as much as you can and swap it for sparkling water or tea (unsweet, but you can use Stevia or Splenda).  You’ll feel better and will be more hydrated too!  Those bottled and fruit smoothies can go in this category too—tons of sugar in those too!!

3.) Candy, cookies, cakes, JUNK—If you’re not around it, and it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it!  I can guarantee that if you portion out these sweet treats and enjoy them once or twice a week in moderate amounts, you will ENJOY them so much more!  A sugar craving is hard to kick, but you’ll never truly be successful with weight loss unless you can get it under control.  Pay attention to how you’re feeling when you reach for candy or chips or cookies—ask yourself if you’re eating it out of hunger or cravings or because of your emotions.  If you’re truly hungry, try to pick a more healthy, satisfying option!

4.) Fruit—I love fruit!  Especially when it’s fresh and in season!  Honeycrisp apples are my JAM, but I also love bananas and berries and pineapple!  Fruit is GOOD for you!  It’s packed with vitamins and nutrients, and even fiber!  But it also has a lot of natural occurring sugars, which can make it high in calories.  Try to keep your fruit intake to 1 or 2 servings per day.  If you’re really serious, keep it to half a serving to one serving per day.

5.) Alcohol—I LOVE wine, and margaritas, and craft cocktails just as much as every other lady out there.  BUT, when it comes to weight loss, alcohol is the absolute enemy.  Yes it’s delicious, it helps you unwind, and it often leads to fun times and good memories, but that comes at the expense of hundreds (even thousands!) of calories!  A bottle of wine easily packs a 500 calorie punch—that’s three large glasses!  A frozen drink?  You’re looking at 400 – 600+.  Even just a light beer comes in at around 150.  It adds up!  And most alcohols have tons of sugar too!  That’s where the calories come from!  If you consume several alcoholic beverages a week, you’re without a doubt offsetting the work you’re putting in in the gym.

Nothing worth having comes easy.  Like I tell my friends and clients all the time—this “being healthy” thing is a lifestyle.  It doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy treats or sweets or wine any more at all, but it does take being cognizant of your intake!  3,500 calories burned equals one pound of fat.  Small changes that save calories add up to big results!  You can do this!!

 

Till next time,

-Mere

The Best Exercises to Build a Booty!

General Fitness, Workouts, , , , ,

Hi friends!  If you’re like 90% + of women out there, you want a nice, round, perky butt!  Believe it or not, the glutes (butt) are one of the hardest muscle groups to work, and one of the top body areas both men and women want to change in their physiques!  Most of us have either a.) alot of fat in the butt area or b.) have really underdeveloped glute muscles leading to a pancake or flat butt!  When I first started training several years ago, my booty was really lacking muscle development, and was one of my weakest body parts on stage.  I’ve spent the last few years training glutes at least twice a week, and they have improved SO much thanks to alot of repetitions of these exercises below.  Here are my favorite exercises to train my glutes that will help you build that booty just in time for summer!

1.) SQUATS!! Bottom line (Ha! Pun definitely intended!) this movement is the KEY to really developing that round, booty shelf look that comes with a great butt!   There are SO many types of squats!!  Mix these up every time you train legs– plie squats (feet wide toes out, using either a dumbbell or body weight– these will target your inner thighs more), jump squats, hack squats, front squats, sissy squats, Bulgarian split squats, pistol squats, air squats, bosu ball squats, heavy barbell squats at the squat rack or on the Smith Machine, and high rep lighter weight squats too!  The great thing about squats is that there are so many variations with equipment, foot placement, intensity, etc., that you can incorporate several versions of them into every leg workout.  Here’s a great link to a bodybuilding.com article on different versions of squats.

Squat Variations from Bodybuilding.com

2.) Leg Press-  Leg Press, ooohhhhhh Leg Press.  I have a love hate relationship with this machine.  It literally kicks your ass.  And hams, and quads, and can get your heart pumping SUPER fast when you go really heavy with it.  It’s one of the oldest machines around, and looks really intimidating, but it’s not.  Most gyms have both a plate loading version and a pin weight version.  Personally, I prefer the plate loading type.  Foot placement can really change which muscles are doing the work in the movement.  If your feet are higher on the platform, you’ll feel it more in your upper hamstrings and glutes.  Wider feet will incorporate more inner thigh, narrow feet more outer thigh, and lower feet more quads.  Easy, right?  Try moving your feet around next time you’re on the Leg Press.  Be CAREFUL not to lock your knees out when you’re pushing the sled back up–you can break a knee that way dude!!

A traditional Leg Press

3.) Glute Kickbacks- These are AWESOME.  Personally, I love to do high volume repetition sets of these at the end of a workout as a finisher.  They’ll give you a great pump!  You can do them on either the glute kickback machine, or on a cable with an ankle band.  If you go the cable route, be sure to keep the weight low enough to keep good form.

One of my very first progress pictures taken in October 2014! No butt at all here!!
Took this last week after a crazy leg day!

4.) Lunges!!! I’ve done a bazillion of these over the years.  They’re not easy, but I’m convinced that next to squats, they are the building blocks of a great ass!  Like with squats, there are so many variations of these that you can really change it up.  Some of my favorites– weighted walking lunges with a barbell or dumbbells, uphill lunges (outside on a hill or ramp), lunge jumps, split lunges with foot on a bench and dumbells, curtsy lunges, and reverse lunges.  Change it up and do a few different versions in your next workout!   A tabata (HIIT session–try the tabata timer app; 20 seconds all out effort, 10 seconds rest for 8 rounds) of lunge jumps and squat jumps will definitely work your legs!  Try it as a finisher!

5.) Glute bridges.  You can do these with our without weight, banded, etc.  I prefer them with a barbell and a squeeze/hold at the top.  You’re gonna feel the burn for sure!

Amanda Latona- She’s the “Booty Queen” and is known world wide as the Queen of booty moves and glutes! #glutegoals

I hope that these exercises and ideas encourage you to experiment more with your typical workout routines.  Remember that muscles take YEARS to develop.  If you keep working hard, and you eat a clean diet consistently, you WILL see results!

I’m always here to answer questions, help, and encourage you, so feel free to email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com, or DM me.

Till next time!

-Mere

2018—Get it Started on the Right Track!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, , , , ,

 

I can’t believe we’re already coasting through January!  I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your 2018 is starting off well!  We’ve all heard it.  New Years comes with a ton of promise.  January is full of resolutions—people wanting to do better, feel better, get better, etc.  The number one New Year’s resolution?  You guessed it—losing weight!  Here are my top tips on how you can get your year started on the right track to make some major changes and lose those last few pounds for good!

1.) Awareness.  The first step in making changes in diet and fitness is being AWARE of what you’re eating.  It means paying attention to portions, labels, skipping meals, behavior patterns, etc.  The first thing I typically make new clients do is keep a food log or journal for EVERYTHING they ate and drank for at least 7 days, including times and amounts.  Most people don’t really pay attention to what they’re eating, and that’s where problems start.  If you don’t know where you start point is, then it’s really hard to figure out a gameplan.  Pay attention to emotional eating, alcohol intake, eating out, even those little handfuls of snacks here and there at the office and at home add up, sometimes even to hundreds of extra calories a day.

2.) Activity.  Not every gym rat came out of the womb a gym rat.  It sometimes takes years to develop behavior patterns that result in spending multiple hours a day in the gym.  What I always tell my clients is to find a form of activity that you ENJOY and ultimately you will be more motivated to do it!  It’s NOT going to be easy, especially when you’re first starting out or have a lot of weight to lose, but every bit of activity is a step in the right direction.  Maybe it’s just a walk around your neighborhood, or a yoga class at the Y, or just parking a few spaces futher out at the mall.  Aim to be active as much as you can every day.  Make a list of active things that you enjoy— I promise you that you will look forward to doing those activities!  It doesn’t even have to be the gym (although obviously that’s what I recommend the most!!), it can be hiking, the zoo, running, bicycling, dance lessons—you name it, there’s a TON of ways all around you that will give you an opportunity to be active and burn calories!  You can even go with a friend and it will make it that much more enjoyable!  Just get out there and get moving!!

3.) Consistency.  There’s a saying that it takes 4 weeks for YOU to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your close friends and family to see, and 12 weeks for the world to see your changes.  Rome wasn’t built in a day!  True weightloss and transformation comes from being CONSISTENT with nutrition and exercise day after day for several weeks.  Can you have pizza or a cheeseburger every now and then, OF COURSE!  But at the end of the day, it comes down to making healthy choices on a daily basis.  You can’t expect to see major changes in just a couple of weeks.  In fact, most doctors and nutritionists advise against losing any more than 1-2 pounds per week!  If you have 20-30 pounds to lose (which is most people just starting out) then do the math!

4.) It’s a LIFESTYLE.  Newsflash: There’s not a pill, a 21 day fix, a pink drink, a wrap, or a shortcut that will help you have true, lasting, successful weight loss.  It may work in the short term, but unless you truly begin to understand what it means to have a healthy lifestyle, I guarantee you’ll succumb to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting.  THOSE THINGS DON’T WORK!!! You can’t expect to do the “whole 30” for thirty days, or eat clean for 21 days, or drink a pink drink or Shakeology when you remember to, and go right back to your old habits and not gain the weight back.  You have to make true changes in how you approach choices in what you’re eating and the activity that you’re doing.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’m here to help!  I love working with people to educate them on how to be healthy and fit!  We all start somewhere.  I’m taking clients on a part-time basis right now and would be honored to work with you and help you start your fitness journey.  Feel free to email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com, or message me for more information.

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me reading this post today.  Cheers to a wonderful 2018!!

Till next time,

-Mere

Meal Prepping for Cheap!!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , , , ,

Hi friends!

Hope you all are doing well and you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!  I know it’s been a while between posts, but I’ve been a busy girl studying for my NASM Personal Trainer test!  Can’t believe I’m finally taking it in two weeks!!

One of the biggest misconceptions I’ve seen and heard out there about meal prepping is that is expensive.  I’m here to tell you that that is so far from the truth!  If you really think about it, eating out multiple times a week at $6-10 a pop minimum quickly adds up!  Although you may not realize it, hitting up drive thrus and restaurants frequently can add up to hundreds of dollars a month.  Shane and I didn’t realize it at the time, but several years ago, both of us ate out for lunch nearly every day of the week.  You figure $15-20 for two people a day times 4-5 days a week, for 4-5 weeks a month, that equates to $250-$500 a month!  Unbelievable!!!  And that’s just lunches out, we’re not even talking dinners yet!  Not only can eating out sabotage your budget, but you have very little control over the nutrition of your food when you’re eating out, so it sabotages your fitness goals too. Here are some easy ways to make meal prepping (or preparing your meals ahead of time) cheap and easy!

  • Buy in bulk! Costco, Sam’s Club, or something similar is your friend! These warehouses typically cost $50 a year to join, but it pays for itself in savings!  Personally, I’m a Costco girl!!  You’ll see from my Instagram posts, that we’re huge fans of their chicken and egg whites!  Liquid egg-whites are an excellent source of protein, and they’re safe to drink because they’ve been pasteurized.  Costco sells 6 small cartons for 8 dollars!  That’s super cheap!  You can get chicken for about $3 a pound.  One 7-8 pound package costs about $21 dollars and will feed the two of us for a week, supplemented with maybe turkey, fish, or ground beef to mix things up.  You can catch chicken on sale at your grocery store, but the quality and price of warehouse clubs are hard to beat.  I’ll also buy boiled eggs, almond milk, Greek yogurt, oats, rice and potatoes here too.  All of the staples J  And warehouse clubs are GREAT for cleaning products and household goods too!
  • Salsa + Chicken + Crockpot= delicious chicken for days! This recipe could not be easier!  Take a small jar of salsa, about 3-4 pounds of chicken, and cook on low in your Crockpot or slow cooker for about 8 hours.  I use a spicier salsa (Joe T’s Medium is our favorite) and like to add about 4 tablespoons of low sodium taco seasoning.  Once it’s done, you shred up the chicken and you’re ready to go!  The salsa and seasoning don’t change up the macros that much, and this version of chicken is easy to serve over rice or lettuce for an easy meal.  You can also sub out Buffalo sauce for salsa.  It’ll keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.  See—cheap and easy!
  • Baked potatoes and rice—carbs are super easy and cheap to prepare ahead of time. I’ll make a cookie sheet of sweet potatoes) and a few baked potatoes (spray them with oil, sprinkle some salt, and roll in foil) and bake them all together at 450 for 90 mins.  Rice is also really simple to make ahead of time.  AND CHEAP.    
  • Frozen vegetables—personally I prefer fresh veggies, but from a nutrition standpoint, frozen is just as good! They are really inexpensive too!  Typically you can find pretty much every vegetable for $1-$2 a bag, which has several servings.  I should point out, however, that you want to make sure that you’re getting PLAIN vegetables—there are several brands that add in sauces, cheeses, and seasoning—steer clear of those!  They pack a ton of sodium and fat.  Frozen veggies are also found in bulk at your warehouse clubs!
  • Spices—Variety is the spice of life! Spices are really inexpensive—typically $3-5 for a jar—and are probably the easiest way to change up flavor profiles on protein, carbs, and vegetables.  Penzy’s Spices (penzeys.com) has an excellent assortment to choose from, and you can buy them in all different sizes!  Flavor God seasonings (www.flavorgod.com) are also delicious, low sodium options, but they are a little more expensive.  They keep for a long time, and you will get several uses out of one jar.

 I tell my clients all the time that starting out meal prepping isn’t easy.  You have to put some effort into it, and it takes PREPARATION.  You will have to get comfortable and used to eating a lot of the same foods.  It takes some time to adjust and get used to it, but I promised you’ll see the positive payoffs in your waistline, your energy levels, your stress levels, and your pocketbook!

Till next time!

-Mere

17 Tips to Make 2017 Your Best Year Yet!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , , ,

Happy New Year friends!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and your New Year is off to a wonderful start!  I love New Year’s Day.  It’s a fresh start, an exciting opportunity with a whole year ahead of new adventures, challenges, and experiences ahead.  Isn’t that great?!  January 1st is also a day when a lot of us recommit to health and fitness, to a “new you”.   Resolutions can be an excellent way to set goals and challenge yourself.  In that spirit, I wanted to share my 17 tips on how you can make 2017 your best year yet!

  1. Be realistic. All good things take time. Especially major weightloss or physique changes.
  2. Start with small changes. What are small changes you can make in your life today that will have an impact on what you’re trying to achieve?
  3. Be consistent. Success is built on consistency.  Stay the course!
  4. Find your why. We all have different motivators, but only you can find out what yours is.
  5. Set SMART goals. Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-line driven.
  6. Have a game plan. This is huge, and perhaps one of the most important on this list.  If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.
  7. Surround yourself with support. Birds of a feather flock together friends! Lifestyle changes aren’t easy.  You need people around you to support you, and help keep you accountable.
  8. Challenge yourself. This is the fun part. It’s you vs. you.
  9. Measure progress. And NOT just by what the scale says! (see number 16). Record your workouts.  Pay attention to your food choices.  Take progress pictures!  It will get easier, and you will get better.  Progress can also be a great motivator.  When you see how far you’ve come, it’s so encouraging to keep pushing forward!
  10. Rest is part of the program. Listen to your body.  Sleep, rest, hydrate.
  11. Practice mindfulness. This is one of my favorites. It’s so easy to just go through the motions with the minutiae of life.  Mindfulness is a practice of being present and paying attention.  Be mindful of your spirit. Of what you’re eating.  Of how you’re feeling.  Be present friends!
  12. Remember to have fun. You won’t stick with anything that isn’t fun!  When you’re having fun, life is more enjoyable!
  13. Reward yourself. Not necessarily with food, but with little perks that will keep you motivated and excited!
  14. Be nice to yourself. Your mind can be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you can keep your attitude and mindset in check, the rest will come.
  15. Balance is KEY. Life is too short to not enjoy it! Everything is fine in moderation.  Have the wine, eat the cupcake, get some tacos!
  16. The scale isn’t everything. Especially as women, it’s so easy to tie our progress and attitude to what the damn scale says.  Remember this is a lifestyle, as your physique changes, the scale will change.  That’s why it’s so important to look at progress in every area.
  17. Take one day at a time. Honestly, take it one day, one meal, one workout at a time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Be nice to yourself and enjoy the process!

I don’t know about you, but I am so excited to see what this new year holds!  I’m finishing up studying for my NASM Personal Training certification, and can’t wait to partner with more clients to help them in their fitness journeys.  Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers!

-Mere

Boulder Shoulders!

General Fitness, Workouts, , , , ,

Hi friends!

I hope this finds you all healthy and happy!  I don’t know about all of you, but I am definitely ready for the holidays!  I love this time of year—so many things to be thankful for, fun activities, and Christmas cheer.  It will be 2017 before we know it! Between studying for my upcoming NASM personal training test and decorating our new home, things have been pretty busy.

I wanted to make today’s post about my favorite moves for one of my favorite parts to train.  You may not know this, but your shoulder is an extremely complex joint.  Not only is it connected to several muscles in the arm, chest, neck, and back, but it also houses the rotator cuff!  Your rotator cuff is comprised of four muscles (here’s my NASM studying coming through), the Teres Minor, the Infraspinatus, the Supraspinatus, and the Subscapularis.  These muscles work together to allow for the wide range of motion and movements that make your shoulder so unique.  Your shoulders are utilized in several upper body exercises when you train chest and back, but because of their structural complexity, they are also easily susceptible to injury.

See? So many muscles!
Lots of bones connect at your shoulder too!

 

Be careful with your form!   When you’re training shoulders, it’s really important to make sure that you are training all angles of them, the front, rear, and side delts.  Again, this is a complex muscle/joint group!  Broader shoulders also make your waist appear smaller!  A total shortcut to getting every girl’s dream “hourglass” curves!  Here are a few of my go- to moves for awesome shoulders.

  • Overhead Dumbbell Shoulder Press: This is the standard shoulder movement in weight training.  To perform this movement, you hold a dumbbell (moderate weight, something you can keep good form with for 12-15 reps) in each hand, and make almost like a field goal with your arms as you extend and press the dumbbells overhead.  Be careful to keep your head up and core tight.  Here is a link from Bodybuilding.com explaining the movement.  You can also do these with a Shoulder Press machine, just make sure you are lined up correctly with it before you begin, and start out a lower weight to make sure you’re using the correct one.
  • Lateral Raises: You can do these with dumbbells (my favorite!) or cables. Typically I like to do a lighter weight and go higher in volume.  You can keep a slight bend in the elbow if needed, but don’t bend it too much.  You can also change the tempo to really get a good pump!  I never do shoulders without these!! 
  • Angled Shoulder Press: These are super fun! We have a butt blaster machine in our gym that works great for these, but you can also use a barbell for them as well.  They’re easier on the front part of your deltoid muscle (front delt), than a traditional front raise, but are a great finisher, or to do a drop set with.  Here’s a picture. 
Angled Shoulder Press
Angled Shoulder Press
  • Reverse Peck Deck: Using the pec deck or chest fly machine, face the pad and move the arms out to either side of you, similar to if you were opening a cabinet. You should really feel these at the back of your shoulders.  Keep your head and spine neutral, and don’t lock your elbows.  Start with a lower weight if needed until you get the form figured out.
  • Front Raises: Personally, I like to get crazy and superset these with my lateral raises at the end of a shoulder workout.  Go lighter with these, and really focus on NOT swinging your arms to move the weight.  For added benefit, you can pause and squeeze at the top of the movement, or take them really slow.  Those are killer!

There you have it y’all!  Remember, summer bodies are made in the winter!  If you want those hot sexy shoulders come tank top season in a few months, NOW is the time to work on them!  Let me know if you have any questions—I love answering them!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!!

 

Till next time,

-Mere

Easy Ways to Change Up Your Workouts!

General Fitness, Workouts, , , ,

One of my favorite things about training is that you can constantly change up your workouts!  Since I’m in offseason, I have really been changing things up with my weightlifting split and routine to push myself in the gym.  Here are some of my favorite ways to mix things up!

  • Drop Sets—these can be super challenging, and can be used for almost every muscle group. I particularly love these for lat pull-downs, leg extensions, shoulder presses, and leg press.  But really, use your imagination because they can be used for pretty much every move.  The idea is that you start with a heavier weight doing less reps, and then decrease (“drop”) your weight and increase your number of reps each set.  The idea is to get a lot of blood flow to your muscle.  Your first set should be challenging and heavy!  Sometimes I like to go until failure each set, dropping the weight each time.  Also, make sure you’re not resting very long between sets.  30-45 seconds is plenty of time.

For lat pull downs, it might look something like this:

  • Set 1– 10 reps at 110 pounds
  • Set 2– 15 reps at 90 or 100 pounds
  • Set 3– 20 reps at 80 or 90 pounds

 

  • Pyramid Sets—similar to drop sets, pyramid sets involve increasing the weight and decreasing the number of reps, but you also come back up in weight, so typically you’re doing 5-7 sets. These are tough!  I love to do them for Bicep curls and squats!  Keep your rest periods short, and make sure you are only using a weight that you can safely move with good form.  Try it like this with dumbbell bicep curls:
    • Set 1- 12 reps at 20 pounds
    • Set 2- 15 reps at 15 pounds
    • Set 3- 20 reps at 10 pounds
    • Set 4- 15 reps at 15 pounds
    • Set 5- 10-12 reps or to failure at 20 pounds.

 

  • Super Sets—these are one of my all time FAVORITE things to incorporate into a workout! In fact, I superset something pretty much every day I’m in the gym.  They’re time savers, and a great way to really get a muscle group to hypertrophy, which will encourage muscle growth!  Supersetting means that you preform two exercises (using the same or opposing muscle groups) back to back with no rest in between.  They are really great for legs, and arm workouts (supersetting bis and tris).  Remember, no rest in between exercises.  Done correctly, these will really get your heart rate up, and get a lot of blood flow into your muscle.  Give these supersets a try:
    • Leg Press supersetted with plie squats or squat jumps
    • Bicep curls supersetted with tricep extensions or skull crushers.

You can even go crazy and add on a third exercise for a GIANT set!

  • FST-7s. FST stands for Fascia Stretch Training.  This training concept was created by Nicole Wilkins and Phil Heath’s trainer, the legendary Hany Rambod.  Basically it involves doing 7 sets of the same exercise with roughly 8-10 reps each set and very little rest in between sets.  Like 15-20 seconds between sets.  They need to be done as a finisher at the end of your workout, or at the end of training the particular body part you are using them on.  They get a great “pump” to the muscle, because all those reps really build up bloodflow.  These are tough but soooo much fun!  I like to do them for shoulder presses, lateral raises, bicep curls, typically smaller muscle groups, but you can use them for back and legs as well.  The basic formula for an FST looks like this:
    • 7 sets of 10 reps at the same weight, with 15-20 seconds between sets. *Note—you may have to drop weight.  Sets 5-7 are particularly challenging, and you will likely go to failure J

So there you have it!  4 easy ways to really mix things up and challenge yourself in the gym.  Be creative with your workouts—I can promise you that you will enjoy your workouts even more!

 

Till next time,

-Mere

My Top 5 Tips for Losing Weight!

General Fitness, Living the Fit Lifestyle, Nutrition/ Diet, Weightloss, , , , , , ,

Happy Monday everyone!  It seems like people are always asking me how to lose weight.  Once the find out I’m a gymrat, or that I compete, or that I’m a “trainer in training”, that’s usually the first question they ask.  My answer pretty much always starts off with some form of—“it’s definitely a lifestyle” and “it matters more what you EAT the other 23 hours of your day, than what you do for the 1 hour in the gym!”.  Whether you’re looking to lose 5 pounds or 50 pounds, here are my 5 TOP TIPS for losing weight!

  • Eat out less. It goes without saying that restaurant meals have a ton of hidden calories and fat.  Although they’re delicious, those meals can pack on the pounds quick!  When you cook your own meals at home, you have so much more control over what you’re eating, and the amount you’re eating.  Plan ahead, grocery shop, and make most of your meals at home.  Try eating out for lunch just once a week instead of every day.  I promise you’ll start to lose weight, and your bank account will appreciate it too!
  • Read nutrition labels. How many calories, fat grams, sugars—the information is all right there at your finger tips. If you only pay attention to one or two of the numbers on a label, pay attention to the sugar content and carb content.  You’d be SHOCKED to see how much sugar comes in foods with a nutrition label!  Also, have you ever thought about how a lot of “whole” foods (i.e. produce, fruits, most meats, etc.) don’t really have a nutrition label, and if they do, they usually have less than 5 ingredients?
  • Avoid processed foods. I know y’all have heard me say this so many times—if it comes in a package, has a bunch of ingredients, or is anything frozen that’s not a vegetable, it’s probably not something you want to eat a lot of.  Processed foods are right up there with restaurant foods in terms of having a ton of added calories, sugars, and fats.  Their bright colored and appealing boxes, bags, cartons, and packages all cover this up, so it’s best just to avoid them or eat them in small amounts.
  • Avoid drinking your calories. Whether it’s alcohol,  a  daily 3pm Dr. Pepper,  your favorite smoothie, or your venti frappucino/latte/can’t live without it Starbucks creation, those calories are empty!  Most people don’t know how many calories are in alcoholic drinks, sodas, coffee beverages, even smoothies!  These tasty treats can pack a punch of hundreds or calories, and lots of sugar.  Just start paying attention to how often you imbibe in a high-calorie drink.  If it’s more than once a day, what can you do to change that?
  • Pay attention to portion control. This one is huge.   Challenge yourself to really pay attention to how much food you’re eating on a daily basis.  Keeping a food journal, or using a food tracking app like My Fitness Pal, will really help you see exactly what you’re taking in on a daily basis.  It’s important that you’re not getting too many calories, and also that you’re eating enough calories to really keep your metabolism burning strong.

So that’s it!  It was hard to narrow down to my Top 5, but I think this will definitely get y’all headed in the right direction!  If you would like some extra help or coaching on fitness or nutrition to help you reach your goals, I would LOVE to help you!  Feel free to message me, or email me at meredithlynchfitness@gmail.com.

Till next time!

-Mere