Body Cinchers Waist Trainer

I've been wearing www.bodycinchers.com's Aggressive Long Black 3HK Waist Trainer for about a month now and I am seeing significant results. I do Not wear the trainer all day long. I only wear it 3-4 hours per day. Now, it is recommended to wear it 8-10 hours per day. I have noticed results wearing it less, but my results would probably be more significant if I were to wear it longer.

The waist trainer has 3 levels of waist shrinking fasteners that are secured by 12 clasps. 

This makes it easy to hook the trainer into place. You want to pick a level that you are most comfortable with. I started at the loosest setting and I am now, comfortably on the tightest setting. 

The waist trainer is also good to wear in the gym too. I run with it on and it definitely helps me sweat way more than I would if I weren't wearing it.

Just make sure to clean the waist trainer after each use because you will sweat while wearing the trainer. I use dish soap and warm water. They should not be washed and dried in a machine because they are made out of latex and can be damaged. 

The only thing about the trainer that I wasn't the most fond of is the rubber smell, but I can definitely live with it and wash it off of my body. You have to expect a slight rubbery smell when using a latex product.

Overall I really enjoy this waist trainer, and can see myself wearing it everyday. I will post my end results with this trainer when I see a plateau in my waist shrinking size.

Before the Waist Trainer

Wearing the Waist Trainer

After (I used self tanner and have been sweating it off)

Trying to Run

I'm teaching myself to run and it's not easy. It is not easy mentally or physically, but it is getting better. My biggest problem is that I can't clear my mind enough to enjoy the run. I just keep thinking about how long I've been running or if its almost over yet. 

I started out horribly. I couldn't even run one mile without gasping for air or sneaking in a few walk breaks and just told myself I did it. I mean at the time, it was better than staying in bed and not doing anything. Then I started using Couch to 5k (C25K), an app that helps train you to run a 3k. This helped me a lot.

Now, I no longer use the C25K app and I am able to run 4 miles straight. I use the tricks I learned from running with the app. I always start with a little stretch, then a 5 minute warmup. The most important thing I use is my own motivation. I tell myself it's almost over, keep going, and soon enough I'll be done. I set my goal at 45 minutes of running straight and tell myself I can do it and now I do. It's amazing because I never ever understood how people were able to run a mile so easily and I never thought I'd be able to run a mile and enjoy it.

Run, Run As Fast As You Can

First day of running in a week or so. It's getting a lot easier! I ran this morning and then again at 630. I'm excited to be healthy again. I'm down to 143 from 156 and I feel 1000x better than I felt this past winter. 

I ran 5 miles today. I'm aiming to run 7 miles a day by this time next week, and eventually (hopefully) 10 miles a day.

Here's what I am rewarding myself with for a day well spent. WATERMELON. My favorite! Food is not a reward, but heck, I want it. 

Workout Season is Here!

I bought the Squat Challenge guide a few months back and never really used it. I don't really like to follow a workout plan. I kind of just do what I feel like until I'm tired, but now I think I am going to give this plan a try.

It is a 16 week workout guide that is designed to help you gain butt and leg muscle. There are two versions: the home workout guide and the gym guide. Personally, I think the better option is the home guide because you can twist it to be a gym workout. It's a little harder to make a gym equipment inspired workout into a home routine, especially if you don't have the equipment.

I have been running for about two weeks now and I went from 156 pounds back down to 147. I'm pretty excited about that. I can't wait to be back to a healthier weight and feel better about myself. 

If you're interested check out the challenge for yourself!

www.thesquatchallenge.com

'Tis the Season

This is the last time I went to the gym... It wasn't even this year. I need to workout more and harder.

That was supposed to be my resolution for 2017. I guess I'm just getting a late start. But it is always better late than never. 

Here's some challenges I'm going to try and document my progress .

Sweet, Sweet Sweat

I never ever sweat... Or so I thought that I never did. I would run and run, no sweat. I would lift weights and workout as hard as possible, still no sweat. I thought that my body's natural cooling system was broken. I thought it was impossible for my body to produce sweat. That was until I tried hot yoga for the first time. 

I wore a sweat shirt and yoga pants the first time because I thought it'd help me produce sweat. Well, I definitely didn't need any help producing sweat in a room heated about 100 degrees fahrenheit. I sweat more than I thought I'd ever be able to. I probably sweat off 5 pounds of water weight during my first 90 minute session (Not to mention, I didn't even complete the 26 pose series. I sat down for the last 5 poses). It was disgusting, but relieving to know that my body could actually produce sweat. 

For the next class, I wore just a sports bra and yoga pants. I was much more relaxed and actually completed the 26 poses. I was proud of myself, although I'm not nearly as flexible as I had thought, still proud that I completed the poses on my second attempt.

For my third class, I wasn't feeling well. I didn't drink any water prior and I felt miserable. Not even ten minutes into the class, my head was pounding, the room felt way too hot to bare. I walked out of class and never returned. I regret that. I was dehydrated and tired, not beaten and battered from the yoga. I shouldn't have given up, but I didn't want to feel that way again.

So here are a few tips for anyone looking into hot yoga:

1.) HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE

Do not chug water during the class! Hydration is a process and a constant state inside of your body's system. You cannot drink a gallon of water all at once and be hydrated right then and there. Hydration needs to be done in small bits all day, every day. Do not think you can go to hot yoga dehydrated and think you'll make it through an entire class. You won't last 20 minutes. You won't even last 10 minutes comfortably. Stay hydrated. Always.

2.) STRETCH STRETCH STRETCH

Flexibility is not genetic. It can be practiced. Yoga is full of poses that require different degrees of flexibility. Class will be much more enjoyable if you can at least touch your toes. So, yes stretch before class, during class, and after. You don't want to pull any muscles. Or maybe you do, I guess of that's what you're into.

3.) ENJOY YOURSELF

Wear comfortable, stretchy clothes, and don't compare yourself to anyone in the class. You are here to improve your health and well-being, not to be better than the person in front of you.  Remember, everyone started where you are on their first day of yoga too. 

Enjoy your hot yoga sessions and check out Bikram Yoga Baltimore, if you're ever in the area.

www.bikramyogabaltimore.com

After hot yoga, I did start to sweat doing other activities, like running and lifting weights. My sweat glands just needed to be shocked by intense heat.

Benefits of Weightlifting

Exercise is a must for a healthy mind and body. Everyone knows cardio is a must for a healthy mind and body, but did you know weightlifting and resistance training is another must for a healthier body. 

Weight training improves bone density, lean muscle tissue, strength of muscles and tendons, and it helps you maintain your weight or burn more calories. 

Weight training isn't only for men. That's right, ladies it is time to grab some weights and bust out a few reps. It is impossible to get as bulky as a man without taking steroids or other testosterone boosting supplements, so you don't have to fear lifting heavy.

Another bonus from weight training is that it actually helps you burn more fat. It burns calories to do the exercises and after your body continues to burn calories to heal the muscle fibers. So, why wouldn't you want to lift weights?

When I can't get to the gym, I use 8 lb weights for my arms, 15 lb weight when squatting and resistance bands for everything else. these three items can make any space like a gym. There is so much you can do with free weights and resistance bands that you'll never get bored or need a gym membership.

Fitbit Charge

I absolutely love my Fitbit. It keeps me going. It's funny to think something like a wrist pedometer can keep you going, but it sure does. I've seen myself progress from 10,000-30,000 steps a day. It allows me to see if I've had enough activity for a day or if I need to step it up a bit. It helps with every aspect of your health, like diet, exercise and portion control. 

This is the Fitbit I purchased from Best Buy about 2 months ago. I have to say it was worth it. I feel so much healthier now that I have this device. Well, it isn't only the device that makes you healthier, it takes a little work on your end too. The Fitbit makes the challenge more exciting and visible. 

You can see how many steps you get each day and the steps from previous days too. It vibrates when you reach your daily step goals and cheers you to keep up the good work. Not only does the Fitbit want you to keep going, but you and your friends will want you to too. The Fitbit app allows you to friend other people who have Fitbits and set challenges between you and them. It's really exciting to cheer and taunt your friends.

Here is the tracking of my steps for the week. It not only keeps this record, but it also keeps a record all the way back to when you first put your Fitbit on. You'll always know how much progress you've made or if you need to put a little more work into your routine. It's a great way to keep you motivated.

It also tracks how many miles you walked and you can set distance goals as well as step and calorie goals.

It tracks how many calories you burn naturally and how many you've burned from walking and exercising. This is one of my favorite features on the Fitbit. It has a food log and you can log food by scanning the bar card on common food labels or typing in the food and calories. The log keeps track of how many calories you've eaten throughout the day and if you have burned enough calories to lose or maintain your weight.

The only thing it doesn't have is a goal source for individuals looking to gain weight.

It keeps all of these logs in a tidy little page inside of your Fitbit app. Along with these, it tracks how many steps you've climbed, how much food you logged, and how long you were active for each day.

You can challenge your friends and other Fitbit users to daily/weekly challenges and earn badges. It's a really fun way to stay motivated in your fitness journey. It's really fun to see how many badges you and your friends will earn.

It also has a place to send messages, taunts, and cheers to your friends, to help them keep up with their journey too.

I haven't found one reason to not love my Fitbit and I'm sure I never will. 

Summer Fitness Motivation

Here are some fitness motivation accounts to follow on Instagram.

Rachel Brathen: @Yoga_girl 

@onedaniella

@Jenselter

@JenSelter

@Hannahpolites

Fitness Challenges?

I'm currently scrolling through different fitness challenges, deciding which one would be the best to do for next month. I thought I'd share the most frequent ones I see, in case you'd like to try one too.

Here's the first one: The Plank Challenge.

 I'm not going to do this because I can already hold a plank for 2 minutes. But if you're interested in strengthening your core, this is the perfect thirty day fitness challenge. It'll seem simple at first, but seeing yourself progress into a 300 second plank hold by the end of the challenge will be exciting.

Number 2: The Better Booty Challenge. 

I've actually completed a challenge like this one before, but the one I completed had rest days. You can change this one up to have rest days, if you'd like or on accident. It was a lot tougher than it seemed, but it will be well worth it. Your legs will feel and look stronger by the end of the challenge and your booty will be noticeably rounder. If you're looking for a fuller booty, you'll need to add protein and have calorie surplus to make it bigger. 

Number 3: The Ab Challenge.

Yaaaas. Who doesn't want to tone up their ab muscles? Don't forget that sit-ups and other resistance exercises alone will not shed fat. You need to add some cardio too and drink plenty of water. This challenge can be completed during commercial breaks, while watching TV or heck do this challenge while you watch TV. 

Number 4: The Push-up Challenge.

This is perfect if you're looking for tighter, toned arms. Ever heard of tank top arms? Well, here is what you need to do to get those beautiful and defined arms. And look, REST DAYS! Everyone needs those. Personally I'd change the first day to 5 or 10 push-ups depending on the level you are at and then work up from there. 15 might be a bit much, especially if you can barely do one push-up. Don't worry though, after a few days you'll breeze through these push-ups like never before.

Finally: The Split Challenge.

Here's the challenge I'm going to do for the month of February. I started this challenge and made it to 3 minutes then stopped because I was too lazy to do it everyday. But NOT this time. Challenges don't even take that long, you just have to motivate yourself and make time for them. Don't try to find time for them because you'll never look for the time and therefore you will never find the time, 

Remember when doing a new exercise or exercise program, only do what is comfortable for yourself and your health. Don't overdo it or hurt yourself. The object is to have fun and be healthy, not to hurt yourself and not be able to enjoy the routine or challenge. Keep it a little tough, but not so intense that you can't keep up with. And always, ALWAYS remember to enjoy yourself.

Fitness Inspiration

Everyone has to have goals to get things achieved. It makes progress fun. I mean progress is always nice, but it can take forever and is impossible if you have no milestones you'd like to reach. If you set a goal or goals you at least have something to look forward to and you'll be able to have a comparison. It's like you're in competition with yourself. You can compare yourself to where you were and how close you are to achieving your goals. My fitness inspirations go out to these three lovely ladies:

Jen Selter Instagram: @Jenselter

Danielle Robertson Instagram: @Dannibelle

Hannah Polites Instagram: @Hannahpolites

Do you have someone who inspires you to be healthy? If not go follow these ladies on Instagram, I'm sure they'll give you some inspiration.

Jay Robb Whey Protein

Here's another great workout drink. It has no sugar, 26 grams of protein, and it mixes easily.

My favorite is the unflavored whey protein because it takes the taste of whatever you mix it with.  I mixed it with silk vanilla soy milk. It tastes just like a vanilla smoothie.

Its so good. The chocolate flavor is my second favorite.

Make sure to go get your protein today.

Don't forget to check out the protein bars too, they are delicious.

Check out www.jayrobb.com to get yours now.

Disclaimer: Products were given to me in exchange of an honest review.