Just posting this because I really want to try some of these!
(via thestarlighthotel)
(Source: kitten-little, via rabbleprochoice)
LOVE IT!
TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY!!! Check out my Flex Till You’re Famous Teammate, NPC Competitor Jen Aragon’s AMAZING transformation!!! She is so incredibly motivating and inspiring.. I had the pleasure of working with her on a photoshoot recently and she was so kind, genuine and down-to-earth which was very refreshing. I highly recommend following her if you don’t already!!! =)
(Source: fhlostonsparadise, via thestarlighthotel)
TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY
Looks can be deceiving. Some people looking at the picture on the left might assume I was healthy or they may even want to look like that. But if those people knew just how miserable I was due to my constant sicknesses and my horrendously unhealthy lifestyle, they would probably feel otherwise. I know full well, not everything is about looks. HEALTH is far more important. I hope you ladies realize that too <3
Before I got into exercising and eating clean, I was leading an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle. During my college years, I got wasted a minimum of 4 times a week, I rarely slept, I ate nothing but easy mac’s and ramen, and my beverage of choice was Dr. Pepper. I battled strep throat, the flu and several colds in the span of a year. While I was never “obese” I did gain about 25 pounds when I got to college. It finally got to the point where I was absolutely sick of feeling like crap all the time and hiding behind baggy clothes and stretchy pants.
I completely took control of my life and made it something I was proud to live. For me this lifestyle change was about more than what I looked like. I didn’t do this for anyone but me..
I lifted weights 6 times a week and ate clean 90% of the time. I got plenty of sleep and traded in the beer and Dr. Pepper for water. I could NEVER go back to the way I was before because I’ve fallen in love with this lifestyle. The entire reason I created my blog (& the rest of this social media) was simply to inspire and motivate girls like me to do the same thing with their life.
That’s why I’m SO EXCITED to let you guys in on a little secret I’ve been keeping.
I AM WRITING A BOOK!!!
I am about a 1/4 of the way done with it. It is going to help all of you girls out there who are ready to make health and fitness a way of life! I can’t WAIT to finish it for you guys!
For more info on my transformation in the meantime, you can check out the “about me” on my blog or website! www.muffin-topless.com
BULKING VS CUTTING
So as I promised, I’m finally getting around to blogging about the whole cutting vs bulking thing! =) I got a ton of questions about it via Instagram and elsewhere, asking what the difference is. I’ll give you a simple run down and then tell you what I do personally!
Typically, people who bulk and cut will go through it as a cycle. In other words, they will have a bulking phase first to create a solid foundation and make improvements to their physique, and they will then follow that with a cutting cycle where they will lean out to reveal all that new muscle.
The idea behind the bulking phase is to build muscle. In order to build muscle, you typically need to be taking in MORE calories than you would need to maintain. Usually during this phase, people put an emphasis on lifting heavy, having longer rest time between sets, and doing less cardio. Although keep in mind, everyone has a different formula so this is just to give you an IDEA of the bulking concept! Rest and proper nutrition is CRUCIAL. Your body rebuilds itself when you’re resting, NOT in the gym. (The gym is where you break down the muscle to be rebuilt later through your nutrition and sleep). You will just be spinning your wheels if you go HAM in the gym, only to not sleep and not eat enough of the right foods later!
The idea behind the cutting phase is to decrease the excess body fat while keeping as much muscle as possible. During this phase, people usually up the intensity of their workouts while trying to maintain strength (less rest time, supersets, dropsets, incorporating plyos and other techniques to keep the heart rate elevated and calorie burn high). There is also typically more cardio during cutting. During this phase, macronutrients are often manipulated and calories are a bit lower. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND this is just an IDEA of what SOME people do! Everyone is different and everyone has techniques, macro ratios and amounts/type of cardio that works best for their individual bodies.
There is an exception to both of these that I learned about from a couple very well known bodybuilders many moons ago. When you are FIRST starting out and your body has never experienced resistance training or clean eating, it is possible to drop body fat and build muscle at the same time. I bet you’re feeling pretty good right about now if you’re just getting started! =) Also, for very experienced competitors/models or individuals who have good coaches, they can manipulate their training and nutrition to do this as well. There is seriously a science to it and it confuses the heck out of me, I won’t even lie! LOL
For me personally, these are the main differences:
During my bulking phase, I keep it simple. I eat more, I lift heavier, I do less cardio and I have 2-3 cheat meals a week instead of just 1. (Cheat MEALS not days!) I still eat clean the majority of the time. I make sure to get plenty of protein from things like chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, cottage cheese, greek yogurt and protein shakes. For carbs, I stick to yams, oats, sweet potatoes, berries and apples. I still eat my greens which include broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers and spinach. For my fats I eating natural almond & peanut butter, almonds, avocado and coconut & olive oil.
During my cutting phase, it’s a little trickier. I won’t go into the exact specifics because like I mentioned before, everyone’s bodies respond differently and what works for me won’t necessarily work for everyone else. I eat a little less, I keep lifting challenging weight and incorporate more supersets and dropsets. I don’t do a lot of plyos for various reasons.. mainly because I’m clumsy and I am always injuring myself. I never have and never will attempt a box jump… the thought alone makes me shudder! lol. I do cardio 6 days a week. The length and type varies depending on the body part I’m training. Leg day is usually off day from cardio. My protein comes from chicken, tilapia, salmon, tuna and my post workout protein shake. My carbs are oats and brown rice. My greens stay high and are the same/similar to my bulking phase. My healthy fats are the same also, just in smaller doses.
As you can see, the concept is simple generally speaking. But when you break it down on an individual level, it gets a bit tricker. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things! If you are planning to compete or you don’t feel you’re ready to go through the process alone, check out the free resources that are available to you like Bodybuilding.com! If you want a more personalized approach, consider hiring a good coach! I hope this helps clarify some things for you guys!!! <3
fcwp:
1. Your job. Yes, even if you’re working something that other people condescendingly term “not a real job,” such as retail or service. If you have a job of any kind in this economy, you’ve already won.
2. Whether or not you have debt. If you managed to get out of your education debt-free, that doesn’t mean that your life is a financial walk in the park that you constantly have to be apologizing for. If you are in debt, it doesn’t mean you got a “worthless” degree and now deserve to be shamed for struggling to find work after you were convinced by your school that you were making a good decision.
3. The kind of food you enjoy eating, or why you enjoy eating. (No matter how “uncultured” or “boring” or “gross” someone else might deem your favorite food.)
4. Your decision to have children, or not have them, or to not be sure if you even want them.
5. Your dislike for marriage as an institution — and even if this one day changes, you don’t have to justify having grown as a person and moved into a new point of view. No one should be telling you “I told you so” over something as enormous as your decision to commit for life to another person.
6. Your sexuality, or your desire to experiment with it. You are allowed to have “phases” or “try things out” or be “confused,” and can take as much time as you want figuring it out.
7. Your gender presentation.
8. Your income level, and what you can and cannot afford. If you are having trouble keeping up with friends because you are not able to spend as much as them, there is no reason to risk financial ruin to try and keep up appearances.
9. Your body. The only person whom you need to talk to about with it is your doctor; everyone else can else can go kick rocks.
10. Whether or not you want to go out on a weekend night, or ten weekend nights in a row. The amount of time you spend in a bar or at a club does not directly correlate with how cool or worthy a person you are.
11. Your relationship status. If you’re single and happy, that’s great. If you’re in a relationship and happy, that’s great. If you’re either of those and not happy, you are more than allowed to be, and it’s no one’s business how you should “fix” it unless you ask them for their advice.
12. How many friends you have. One is enough. A hundred is enough. And there is no need to falsely upgrade acquaintances to “friend” status in your mind simply to fill out the ranks. A true friend is rare, and we don’t need to make it a competition for who has the most.
13. How much you drink when you go out, or if you drink at all, or why you choose not to drink if you do.
14. What kind of music you enjoy listening to.
15. What kind of an education you have or don’t have, or if you intend to go back and finish what you’ve started. If continuing your studies is something you want to do, good, but don’t be forced into saying that you want it just because it’s what people expect of you.
16. What you happen to be turned on by. If you like slash fiction, you like slash fiction. If you like people recording videos of themselves popping balloons, that’s awesome for you. It’s all good, and as long as you’re not hurting anyone, have at it.
17. Whether or not you know to cook, even if you’re a woman who “should” know how to do those things.
18. If you stay at home to raise your children, or if you hire someone to help you do so because you have a full-time career. Neither of those choices are more or less feminist, no matter what Elizabeth Wurtzel tells you.
19. How many people you have had sex with.
20. Whether or not you are a virgin, and whether or not you want to wait for marriage to lose said virginity.
21. Whether or not you believe in God, and what you think God actually is. (As long as you’re not imposing any of your beliefs on others, in which case we’d have a bit of a problem. But I trust that you’re cool and wouldn’t do that.)
22. Who you voted for and why. If you want to talk about it, you’re free to. But no one should ever make you feel like you have to tell them.
23. If you have sex on a first date, if you kiss on a first date, or if you won’t even hold hands on a first date. You’re allowed to do whatever you like when you’ve just met a new potential suitor.
24. Whether or not you choose to use dating websites.
25. Not knowing exactly what you want to be when you grow up, even if many people would already put you in the category of “grown up.” If you are considering going back to school, or changing careers, or moving, or starting a family, or doing charity work — it’s all good. And none of it has to be followed up with a longwinded explanation about why it’s a good idea and they should believe in you. If you need to justify what makes you happy to someone in your life, perhaps you should ask yourself why you even care about their opinion in the first place.
Preach.
(Source: thdoctor, via thejodylinn)
