Hey Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend! With the holidays coming up I want to focus on staying focused during this time. Remember we all want to have a good time, and no one wants you to not enjoy the holidays. Having cake, pie, stuffing, etc is ok in portions, but its important to stay focused on health and goals. During this time I try to enjoy the things that I like to eat (sweets, sweets, sweets) but I also continue to go to the gym and eat my normal food 90% of the time. Don't let all your hard work go to waste!!

So this is what I am purposing..."No Fat November". This is a plan that is relatively simple and will help us all stay focused. I will be the first to admit that since I got back from vacation it has been hard to stay focused. I want this to be the time of year that I complete my goals and get focused for my future fitness goals.

What I also think is important is that we set goals that are not directly related to the gym. Maybe its eating better, maybe its focusing more at work. I think that it is important to focus on health and wellness, but that does not just incorporate the gym and nutrition. It also includes your mental health and physical well being. So think about something that would help your overall health. This month I am going to try (please bare with me on this) to let you know about the workouts I am doing, as well as food. If ever in doubt, check out my Instagram page, I definitley get more stuff going there.

Here is my workout for today:

-Back and Biceps

1. Seated Row superset Dumbbell Curls (4 sets, 15-10 reps)

2. Dumbbell Row superset 21's (see description below) (3 sets, 15-10 reps)

3. Lat Pulldown superset Hammer Curl (dumbbells or cables) (3 sets, 15-10 reps)

4. Push-up superset Burpee Curl (5 sets, 10 reps)

-Cardio: 30-45 Minutes - Interval Training.

--Descriptions:

1. Dumbbell curls can be done in a variety of different ways. I like to start with my palms facing my outer thighs, and while bring the weight up I turn my wrists to face the ceiling. You can also start with your wrists facing away from you and bring them straight up with no pivot.

2. 21's - using a barbell, 7 full curls, 7 curls where you stop at 90 degrees, 7 curls from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. See my Instagram for a video example.

3. Lat Pulldown's can use a variety of different bars. Make sure which ever bar you are using that you pull with your lats. At times when the weight gets heavier people tend to want to use their arms to help...don't do that. You also want to make sure that your back stays straight during the motion, don't use momentum to bring the weight down either.

4. Burpee Curl - do a modified burpee, when you come up to standing position, instead of jumping you are going to curl. Make sure the weight is relatively light this exercise is very challenging.

Happy Lifting guys! :-)

Oh Hey Everyone :-/

Hey Guys! 

I know that I have been MIA for awhile…life has been pretty busy. I am in the process right now of starting new things and I think that you will all be very excited! So what I thought I would write about today is myths of working out. Since I started working out regularly I have heard some strange things about women working out. Like crazy weird things! :-)

1.       Lifting weights will make you bulky like a man. – WRONG!! The first thing to remember is that men and women are built differently. We all have different muscle structure…just because you start lifting weights doesn’t mean you are going to turn into a female bodybuilding. Lifting weights makes your body make muscle. Muscle burns more calories than fat, more fat burning = good

2.       I want to tone – so I’m not going to lift heavy weights. – WRONG!! Sure starting out at 3-5 weights are good. But you can’t stay at those weights forever. In order for the muscle to grow it has to be challenged. You have to slowly increase your weight. 

3.       Eating healthy is boring. – WRONG!! Eating healthy should and CAN be fun. I love try new things. I love trying new recipes. Not all of them are good…not all healthy food is delish. But you find the things that you like and run with it. I love Van’s crackers and hummus, one of my go to healthy snacks…now does that sound boring?!?

4.       You only have to do cardio or weight lifting. – WRONG!! I believe that in any workout routine you need to have a balance. I am not saying that weight lifting is the only thing to do, I am not saying that cardio is the end all be all. I use a combination of both. I vary the intensity of both in order to have a well rounded workout routine. Weight lifting is important for muscle development, cardio is important for heart health. 

5.       I am going “no carb”, “no fat” – WRONG!! I do not believe in elimination diets. When I was doing prep I eliminated a lot of foods and I found that I craved those things. I believe that people process food differently and needed different levels of fat, carbs, protein, lactose, gluten, etc. I always say start with an even diet of proteins, carbs, and fat. See how your body responds and switch things around. No diet works the exact same way for everyone, so find a diet works for you…but steer clear of elimination diets!

6.       Eat less calories to lose weight. – WRONG!! Back in college I would do calorie restriction in order to get ready for spring break, summer, a dance :-O. Calorie restriction sends your body into starvation mode in which the body holds onto fat and water, giving you the appearance of being heavier. Now why would anyone want that?!?!?!? Make sure you get enough calories to support your resting metabolic rate. I need at least 2000 calories on days when I work out and 1500ish when I am resting. 

7.       I worked out today, I can eat anything I want. – WRONG!! You cannot out exercise a bad diet. If you want to change the way you look it starts in the kitchen. You have to feed your body well in order for it to work well. Think about your car, if you put crappy oil, crappy gas, crappy everything in the car it will run like crap. DON’T do that to your body. Feed it what it needs, exercise to help building muscle and cardio endurance, and you will be amazed at how your body responds. 

I am very passionate about exercising and nutrition. I believe that it is the cornerstone to a happy, healthy life. Before starting a workout/nutrition plan make sure you do all your research. I have been working out myself for two years now and I am still learning. I’ll share my gym story. When I was in college I went to a gym with my friend. I literally went once and never went back. I was only familiar with a treadmill and it was the worst thing ever. After graduate school I put on 30 pounds and felt horrible about myself, so I decided I was going to go to the gym and get a trainer. I work with 2 very skilled trainers for a year. They helped me understand fitness, nutrition, supplements. I met people who were “gym rats” and they helped me learn more and more. I moved from doing 3 days (1 weight lifting – with my trainer, 2 cardio days) to 6 days (no trainer, 1 cardio day) a week. I use to be self conscious in the gym, and now I feel like I own the place ;-) I put my music on and rock out. So take all this in…set a plan...and kick butt!

I work hard every day to achieve the body that I desire. But it does not happen overnight. You do not have to be scared of the gym. Go in there…kick a$$...and leave feeling awesome! :-)

WOD: Biceps/Triceps

Good Morning!! Happy Monday!

I know that Monday's are probably the most hated day of the week, but I choose to focus on it being a new beginning. Every Monday you get a new shot at your goals...at things you didn't get accomplished last week...you get to try to achieve those things in a NEW week. In social work we call this the strengths perspective...try this week to look at things in a positive way and I promise that you will have a better week!

So today I want to give you guys a workout. One of the areas that I am personally trying to better is my upper body. I struggle with a small upper body and that is why I workout upper body 4 times a week. 

1. Cable Curl (or barbell) (4x15) superset with Jumping Jacks (30)

2. Extension (4x15) superset with Burpees (10-15)

3. Tricep pushup (or close grip bench press (3x10)

4. BOSU ball shuffle (3x10) (see notes)

5. Dumbbell curls (standing) (4x15) superset with Tricep dips (4x15)

6. Shoulder Press (4x15)

BOSU ball shuffles - If you fortunate enough to have a gym with BOSU balls you should try and use them all the time! They help with creating core strength. BOSU ball shuffles - start with your hands on the dome, place right hand out, tap left hand to right, replace both on dome, repeat on the left side. Focus on keeping your arms straight, you should feel it in your shoulders, triceps, and biceps. ALSO don't "bow" your butt up. Make sure you stay straight in plank pose. Keep your core tight the entire time. Remember to breath, and go at a pace that it comfortable to you. I am going to put up a video later on Instagram so make sure to go check it out!

Happy Lifting! :-)

Motivation...Where do I get some of that?!?!!!

Hey Guys!! I hope you are having a fabulous start to your week. I am feeling good, I am on track with my diet so my energy levels are great, I'm sleeping well, and I am having great workouts! But...this isn't how I feel all the time. Sometimes I think we get caught up in the "hoopla" of other people and become discouraged. We see that "so and so" is always happy, always thin, always motivated and we get angry at ourselves for not feeling this way all the time.

I'm going to be real with you guys...sometimes I just want a big cookie, ice cream, brownies, and a glass of wine and sit my happy butt on the couch! I won't pretend that I have good gym days, or that I don't mess up on my diet at times. I won't pretend that I am always happy, but what I can tell you is that I work for those things constantly. I already talked about my views of happiness...it was a pretty good post if I don't say so myself, go and have a gander.

So the question becomes...how to do I keep my motivation up when I feel it going down. WOW what a GREAT question ;-)

I once had a client ask me about motivation...so I obviously gave them the definition...the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something : the act or process of motivating someone (Merriam-Webster). But what does this actually mean? How can we increase our motivation so we stay focused and on task even when we don't want to...well I'll help you out with a few of mine (and with the help of another blog, you can check it out @ http://zenhabits.net/get-off-your-butt-16-ways-to-get-motivated-when-youre-in-a-slump/).

1. Set one goal - often times we get ahead of ourselves and set lots of goals. Unfortunately the human mind and body rebels against a lot of change at one time. Take one goal and make it your primary focus. For example most people set the goal to get healthy for a New Years Resolution. That's great...but being healthy encompasses a LOT of stuff. So set one goal, maybe get active 3 days a week or eat health 5/7 days, or not eat fast food. Once that becomes a permanent change (2-3 months) create another goal.

2. Find people that inspire you - you can do this is lots of ways. Social media is amazing (and not so amazing) with connecting people of similar mind sets. When I started my fitness journey I followed every fitness model/bikini pro/gym rat I could find...if they were out there I followed them. They helped me with new and different exercises, recipes, and motivation. I eventually weeded out some and only followed people that really inspire me. If you have Instagram, you can follow me @fitcassie_88 you can also look at my page and see the people I follow. :-)

(One of my faves, Amanda Latona is an IFBB Pro Bikini Athlete)

3. Think about it Daily - When you want sometime bad enough you should think about it all the time. Goals are meant to challenge you, that being said you want to find one that you have to think of new and creative ways to crush it. I haven't been doing the same fitness routine for the last two years...I change it up...challenge my body. I read articles and magazines everyday to learn more about fitness and nutrition. I talk with my friends everyday about it...probably to the point that they want to shoot me in the foot :-P But doing this makes it your primary focus.

4. Support - you want to have people around you who inspire and help you through this time. Whatever your goal may be, it will be challenging, you will want to quit, be with people who will force you to stick to it. I have a friend that I talk about prep with...she isn't doing a competition, she doesn't have the same fitness goals, but she pushes me and gives me that nudge when I don't want to do something (cough cough cardio).

5. Start small...super duper small - I know what it is like to have a big dream. Problem with big dreams is that sometimes getting there can be overwhelming and we eventually give up. It's better to start off small (with a larger goal/dream in mind of course) and celebrate small successes. Say you want to lose 25 pounds...wow that's a lot of weight...for anyone. Instead of focusing on the 25 pounds all the time...focus on 1 pound, keeping one pound off, keeping two pounds off...etc. That way you are happy with progress you have made and don't become discouraged by not reaching your 25.

6. Lastly...think about the benefits - being healthy is hard. I won't lie...it was so much easier to be fat and unhealthy. I didn't think about the food I was eating, I didn't care about how much weight I could squat, I didn't really care about calories...problems is I was unhappy...probably bordering on depressed about my weight. I had poor self esteem. Being healthy makes me happy on the inside and outside :-) it has pushed me to try new things. I have made new friends, pushed myself to get a new job, and to get on stage in a tiney tiny bikini in front of hundreds of people!! It may be a pain to weigh/measure all my food and exercise 5-6 days a week...but it's MUCH BETTER than the alternative!

(Progress pics for week 2)

WOD: Shoulders and Chest

Happy Monday ya’ll!!! :-)

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! I get a lot of people asking me for workouts, so I want to give you guys more workouts to use. At the end of this post there will be a WOD tag, use that to look up more workouts that I have posted in the past!

Over the weekend I did shoulders and chest. Remember to do weight that works for you…always start light and work your way up. If you start heavy you will hurt yourself and won’t be able to work out…and that is no good.

The way I have designed the workout out is that you do a warm up for the muscle group, then 2-3 exercises after, and then 1-2 to burn out.

Warm Up

1. Bench press (chest) – 4x15 (try using a barbell but can use dumbbells)

2. Arnold press (shoulders) 4x15

Regular

3. Front to Lateral raise (shoulders) – 3x15 (go lighter weight in the beginning, lateral raises can cause injury if you “jerk” the weight)

4. Incline chest fly (chest) – 3x15

5. Incline rear delt (shoulders) – 3x15

Burn Out

6. Cable Shoulder Single Arm Press – 4x15

7. Cable Chest Fly – 4x15

After this I did a little interval workout, you guys can find that on my instagram. Hope this is helpful!! Happy Lifting! :-)

The Importance of Rest

Hey guys, sorry I have been MIA lately, had a lot going on with Mardi Gras and trying to find time to fit in workouts!

Today I want to talk about the importance of rest. One thing that I have learned most recently is the power of rest. Sometimes the excitement of seeing your body change makes you want to spend more and more time in the gym (trust me I've been there!). But your body needs time to recuperate, repair, and rebuild. 

If you think about it logically, when you are lifting weights regularly you are tearing muscle down, but if you are continuously breaking down the muscle and not resting when does the muscle have time to repair itself? Never is the answer! So the most important thing is to  establishing a routine in which you are able to lifting and rest in order to get stronger.

I was not a strict believer in rest until I started prepping for my show. I started to see that I was more fatigued and getting to the gym was a task, not cool :-( . You don't want the gym to become a chore. The way that fitness becomes a lifestyle is by keeping it something that you like to do, not something you have to do. This happens by treating your body with respect and giving it what it needs. With that being said you need to make sure that you are eating correctly, lifting appropriately, and RESTING!

So you may be like, well Cassie how do you do this?!? Well I'm here to tell you so don't fret! I believe that most people should exercise between 5-6 days a week (it weight loss and fitness are your goal, if not 4-5 days will do). I plan my workouts at the beginning of every week in order to account for my work schedule, what body part I am working, and personal fun time. For example...this week I have worked out Sunday-Friday. I am going to take Saturday off and go to a birthday party for a friend. I am not going to worry about going to the gym or missing that day because my body needs time to recuperate from the work I did all week. I knew at the beginning of the week I had this party to go to so I planned to have my day off be Saturday.

Next is planning what muscle group I am working out each day. I have four lifting days and two cardio days a week. So here was my week: Sunday - legs, Monday - cardio, Tuesday - arms, Wednesday - back, Thursday - chest/shoulders, Friday - cardio. I usually like to take a day off in between my upper body days but this week I just made sure to "check" myself before and make sure that I was able to lift safely. One thing that I do regularly is make shoulders my last upper body day, this is because it is difficult for me to focus on arms or back after because my shoulders are not very strong yet. This is how I plan ahead to make sure that I can lift safely everyday.

So you are probably like, seriously Cassie you haven't even talked about resting yet!!! Resting is not just about not working out. It also includes that time that you sleep at night. Rest includes repairing not only your body but also your mind. Everyday it takes so much energy for your body to function, at night when you rest this is the time your body "replenishes" the energy storage so that you can wake up and do it again. Rest is also importance so that hormones can work their "magic" and make you faster, stronger, smarter, etc. :-) Also, decrease in rest puts your body in a constant state of stress, which increases cortisol, which will increase your body's need to retain water and body fat...that's not cool! Decrease stress, decrease body fat is the goal!

I had a friend tell me one time that I was overtraining. I was fatigued, unable to lift the heavier weights, feeling sluggish at work and the gym, and unable to focus. I was pushing myself going 6-7 days of intense workouts. I thought that if I continued to keep my goal in mind my body would eventually catch up, it didn't! So I took two days off in a row (OMG, seriously horrible) and when I came back to the gym I felt like a different person. I was happy, my workout was AMAZEBALLS and I was lifting heavier than before. This is because I gave my body the opportunity to rest and repair.

You want to make sure that you are getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night. This is the appropriate amount of time that your body needs in order to repair its energy storage so that you can function better. If you find yourself downing redbulls or preworkouts just to get through the day I would suggest taking a few days off, evaluating your rest, and creating a plan or schedule that works for you.

My workout partner just recently decided that she wanted to start doing equal amounts of cardio and weight lifting days. That's great, she is listening to her body and that is what she believes she needs. Listen to your body it is almost always right!

I am not going to sit here and tell you that I am doing 100% with rest. This is one thing in my prep that I really need to work on. I have a lot going on, I work full time and a second job, I am doing competition prep, cooking/cleaning, friends, my dog...life is busy. But that is never a reason to skimp on the sleep/rest! If you have any questions about rest or ways to help sleep better leave a comment and I will be more than happy to help out!

Happy Lifting! :-)

Getting stronger is the goal, just rememember...resting is just as important as lifting! :-)

Music and Exercise

One of the things that I love most about going to the gym is getting to rock out with my music! A good song can do a lot for you in the gym, it can help push you through a set or help you get through that last 5 minutes of cardio. I would say that I have an eclectic taste in music so when I am lifting I like to listen to a hip hop mix and for cardio I LOVE the Ke$ha station:-) But music has actually been show to do more than just give you something to listen to while at the gym.

There have been studies that show that music can increase endorphins which help you push yourself during your workout. It has also been shown that listening to music can help mental processing after your workout. Have you ever been tired and then heard your new favorite song and push out that last set no problem? Well…its because music signals endorphins to release in your brain that make you happy! A good song can also increase your heart rate which will help burn calories and create cardio endurance...AWESOME right?!?

It doesn’t matter what kind of music you listen to, hey if you want to rock out to Disney classics or Beethoven that is up to you! But listen to whatever is going to help motivate you in the gym!! I like to make playlists every now and then so that I can add new music and get rid of the older songs. I also like to randomly go through all of my songs and make playlists out of music that I haven’t heard in a long time!

Here are a couple songs from my playlist that you can (and should!!!) add to yours to help get your gym groove on!!

Bass Down Low – The Cataracs

Bootylicious – Destiny’s Child

Crazy Beautiful Life – Ke$ha

Hips Don’t Lie – Shakira

In the Dark – Dev

The Edge of Glory – Lady Gaga

Pump it – Black Eyed Peas

Turn Down for What – DJ Snake & Lil John

Gas Petal – Sage the Gemini

E.T. – Katy Perry

Happy Lifting Y’all!

The Dreaded "C" Word...Cardio

Let’s talk about the dreaded cardio…dun dun dunnnn. I have said it many times and I will say it many more, I am sure, I AM NOT A CARDIO BUNNY. If I could get away with doing no cardio at all that would be the life! Unfortunately I understand the benefits of cardio and why it is needed in a well rounded fitness routine. Some people will tell you that you don’t need to cardio that strength training is all you need. I don’t believe in “cutting” anything out of my fitness routine. This goes for food, cardio, different workouts, etc.

This week my coach increased my cardio to an hour 6 times a week in order to continue to cut body fat. Once your body gets to a point it starts to retain water, fat, etc. in order to stay “healthy”. I am trying to cut fat in order to get ready for a show which means ill have to get down to 12-14% body fat, which is not an everyday body fat percentage. With that being said I had to increase cardio in order to help my body along with this process.

In an effort to make cardio more fun and interesting I have started to do HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts 2-4 times a week. Personally interval training makes cardio more fun and it goes by faster. So why is cardio important?

1. Cardio helps burn calories which will aid in fat loss.

2. Cardio helps build the most important muscle in your body, your heart.

3. Increase in cardio exercise releases endorphins (serotonin, dopamine, etc.) which improve your mood.

4. Cardio decrease stress, mentally and physically.

5. Cardio increases your endurance which will help in strength training.

6. Cardio will help you sleep better; getting a full night sleep will allow your body to repair after intense strength training sessions.

Sounds great doesn’t it?! Well all these things don’t mean cardio still doesn’t suck! I have recent done research on HIIT workouts and sprints. Take some time and look at pictures of sprinters, they are built! HIIT has become my new form of go to cardio so I will share some of the workouts that I do.

-HIIT can be done in many different ways. The way that I like to do it is by setting up an exercise for each muscle group and doing that exercise for 30 seconds and then a rest period. Some people do exercises that will increase heart rate but not use weighted exercises. This is totally up to you. Look up some HIIT example workouts, try a few and see which ones you like best.

HIIT Workout (Full body workout)

Shoulders

-Squat Press

-Bicycle Crunches

-Jumping Jacks

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Chest

-Steering wheels with plate

-Reverse crunches on BOSU or bench

-High Knees

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Back

-Bent Over Row with Barbell

-Plank

-Mountain Climbers

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Hamstrings

-Deadlifts

-Situps

-Side to Side on BOSU ball

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Quads

-Squat with Barbell

-Glute Bridges

-Box Jumps

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Calves

-Calf Raise with Barbell

-Oblique Plank Twists

-Jump Squats

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Biceps

-Bicep curls

-Leg Lifts

-Jumping Jacks

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

Triceps

-Triceps Extension

-Russian Twists

-Box Taps

(each exercise 30 secs back to back, 1 min rest)

My workout partner and I did this last week and it was killer!! Takes about an hour but it flies!

-I put up a treadmill sprint workout in my leg day post so be sure to check that out if you want to give sprints a try. I’ll be putting up more cardio workouts as I go into this week as well in order to help you guys along!

(Me after my hour cardio day yesterday)

Workout of the Day: Chest and Triceps

Workout of the Day: Chest and Triceps

In honor of “International chest day” being yesterday I thought I would post a helpful little blog about chest exercises! :-) I know that men work out chest a good deal, but women are hesitant to work it out. Why you ask? Well I believe the answer is that women don’t want to appear “bulky” and think that working out chest will give them huge pec muscles like men. 

****with that being said lets blow one myth out of the water, women DO NOT have the same muscle structure as men, therefore working chest or legs or whatever WILL NOT make you look manly****

Whew, I’m glad that’s out of the way! Haha. I will not lie, when I first started working out in the gym I thought that only men should do weights. Later, after copious amounts of reading, I learned that women benefit a great deal from weight lifting. Did you know that muscle burns more calories than fat?! SOOO having more muscle means more fat loss! So ladies, jump off that cardio machine and hit this chest/triceps workout to build those muscles!

-Super Quick Anatomy Lesson-

-Chest

Two major muscles in the chest area, the pectoralis major and minor. The major is the muscle that is on top and minor is below it and they both cover part of the rib cage. It is important for women to work these muscles because it “lifts” the breast and gets rid of that “side armpit boob”. :-)

-Triceps

There are three “heads” on the triceps; the long head, lateral head, and medial head. The triceps compose 60% of the arm but most people work out only their biceps. It is important to do exercises that hit all these heads in order to give the arm a lean shape. 

Workout:

-Warm up – (arm circles, seal jacks, shoulder rolls, etc) 5 mins

1. Push-ups

- Sets – 5

- Reps – 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

2. Barbell Incline Bench Press

- Sets – 4

- Reps – 15, 12, 10, 8

3. Rope Tricep Extension

- Sets – 4

- Reps – 18, 15, 12, 10

4. Machine Flye

- Sets – 4

- Reps – 18, 15, 12, 10

5. Dumbbell Kickbacks

- Sets – 4

- Reps - 15, 12, 10, 8

6. Cable Cross Over

- Set – 3

- Reps – 12, 10, 8

7. Dips (unassisted or assisted) **I usually do half and half**

- Sets –5

- Reps – 10, 10, 10, 10, 10

Happy Lifting Ya'll! :-)

Makin' Groceries :-)

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”

Food prep day - (top) lunches for a week, (bottom) calliope food prep clean up crew, (right) homemade almond butter. :-)

One of the biggest things that I have learned in my prep to be healthy is that you are a lot less likely to cheat if you have worked hard to prepare healthy meals. With that being said, people a lot of times wonder what does healthy meal prep look like. Well I am here to help

1. Make a grocery list. Going to the grocery store can be an exciting time when first starting out and you’ll want to buy everything! Problem is that if you buy to much then a lot will go to waste, not good. So be honest with yourself and make a grocery list of the things you need. I eat about ½ dozen eggs a day, so I will need about 5 dozen to get through a ten day period. I like to make as few grocery trips as possible so I will load up on things that I use everyday as well as things that don’t go bad, like frozen veggies.

2. Make a menu. It is a lot easier to make a grocery list if you have an idea of what you are going to make for meals. I usually like to have two different lunches as well as two different dinners to alternate every other day so I don’t get bored.

3. Stay on the perimeter of the grocery store. I try to avoid the middle isles in stores because that is where the majority of the processed food is located. I once was told that 80% of your grocery cart should be foods that have one ingredient ( i.e. vegetables, fruits, oatmeal, rice, etc.). Going into the middle isles you may be tempted to pick up things like macaroni and cheese or chips, avoid these!!!

4. Have a budget. I remember when I first started eating healthy I would go crazy and buy all this “healthy” food. Unless you’re a millionaire, which I am not, its good to have a budget to stick too. This will also help with not buying things you really don’t need. I will buy some things that are more expensive, like natural peanut butter or Ezekiel bread, but the majority of the stuff I will look for the cheapest brand.

5. Organic vs. Not – this is a personal decision. Some people do not have the ability to buy organic food because it is significantly more expensive. Don’t feel bad! Buy healthy food and if you want some organic apples go ahead. If you can afford organic food go for it! I usually spend more money on things like antibiotic-hormone free meat. Some times we have to make tough decisions but as long as you are trying to be as healthy as possible I applaud you!

6. Pick a day to do all your prep. Prepping for a week is a job. It takes time and not taking the time means you are more likely to not do it correctly or not do it at all. I like to meal prep on Sundays. This is the day where I don’t work and I have the ability to clean my house, do chores, and meal prep.

7. Buy Tupperware! Some people prep in plastic baggies some put it in Tupperware, do what you want but have a system. I like Tupperware because then I can put it easily in my lunch box and come home at night, wash and reuse.

8. Create “staple” items that you must always have. I got through a lot of things on a regular basis (i.e. eggs, peanut butter, turkey bacon, sweet potatoes). These items should always be on your list. Make sure that you have enough to get through a week.

9. Only prep one week at a time. I have tried to prep for two weeks at a time, but by the end of the first week I look at the food and it looks old or I just don’t want to eat it. Changing things up is important, so only prep for a week. I usually alternate between some of my favorite meals. Like week 1 and 3 I’ll make the same dishes and 2 and 4 will be the same. But I do them a week at a time.

10. Have fun! People look at the grocery store as a chore, don’t do this! This should be exciting. I LOVE going to the grocery store. I love creating new foods and trying new spices. The grocery store is where it all begins! So have fun, make it an adventure!

Ok so those are my ten things you need to think about before grocery shopping. So here is my “typical” grocery shopping list. I hope you all have a great time shopping and prepping!!!

Eggs

Avocado

Unsweetened coco powder

Oatmeal

Peanut butter

Splenda/truvia

Turkey bacon

Almonds

Green tea/chamomile tea

Hot sauce

Frozen veggies

Sugar free maple syrup 

Chicken

Rice

Mrs. Dash seasoning 

Ground turkey 

Onion

Fish

Bell peppers

Tomatoes

Sweet potatoes 

WOD: Leg Day :-)

So Monday was leg day, one of my favorite days! Leg day has always been a favorite of mine because I have naturally strong legs. I want to share my leg day workout so that all of you can have fabulous legs and booty :-)

When doing a leg day one must first understand muscle usage. You will get a much better workout if you are thinking about the muscle you are supposed to be using when doing an exercise. For example, I have very strong quads so when I would do a leg curl I would pull with my quads totally defeating the purpose of the exercise. So I found a diagram of the leg muscles that you can look at to make sure that you are using the right muscle. I will also put on the workout what the primary muscle is from the exercise.

(Picture from make-me-strong.com)

I hope this helps, if at any point you have questions feel free to ask!

WOD:

1. Leg Curl Machine (focus - hamstrings)
Sets - 5
Reps - 15, 12, 10, 8, 15 (last set return to lighter weight)

2. Seated Leg Press (focus - quads and glutes)
Sets - 5
Reps - 15, 12, 10, 8, 15 (last set return to lighter weight)

3. Seated Leg Press, Calf Raises (focus - calves)
Sets - 4
Reps - 30, 25, 20, 15

4. Smith Machine Squats (focus - complete leg)
Sets - 4
Reps - 15, 15, 15, 15
**to make this more difficult I use a BOSU ball. I put the ball on the dome part and balance myself. I like this because it forces me to engage my core during the exercise, which is what a lot of people forget to do during squats**

5. Inverted Leg Press (focus - quads, hams, glutes)
Sets - 5
Reps - 15, 12, 10, 8, 15
**towards the end of this workout you may be getting tired, but if you're not I would pulse for as long as you can on the last set to help start the "burnout" process.**

6. Reverse Lunge into Step Up on Bench (focus - hamstrings and glutes)
Sets - 3
Reps - 20, 20, 20 (ten each leg)
**to see an example of this check out my Instagram, I put a video up**

7. Barbell Calf Raises
Sets - 3
Reps - 30, 30, 30

30 minutes of cardio
- For cardio on leg day it depends on how I feel which kind of cardio that I do, steady state or interval. On this leg day I chose to do interval because I didn't feel to terribly bad and wanted to push myself. I change up machines (treadmill, elliptical, bike, stair climber, etc.) that I use and the interval routine. I don't have a specific routine that I like to do, I just mix a bunch of different types of intervals together. So here is a little routine you can try.

3 min warm up (incline 5.0, speed 2.0-2.8)
1 min jog (incline 1.5, speed 5.0-6.0)
1 min walk (incline 1.5, speed 3.5)
30 sec sprint (incline 1.5, speed 8.0+)
30 complete rest
Repeat sprints 5 times total
1 min jog (incline 1.5, speed 5.0-6.0)
1 min walk (incline 1.5, speed 3.5)
1 min walk (incline 10, speed 2.8)
1 min walk (incline 11, speed 2.9)
1 min walk (incline 12, speed 3.0)
1 min walk (incline 13, speed 3.1)
1 min walk (incline 14, speed 3.2)
1 min walk (incline 15, speed 3.3)
2 min cool down (incline 1.5, speed 2.0-2.8)

Total time - 20 minutes

Happy Lifting!!

Workout of the Day: Back and Biceps

Good morning all! 

As promise I am going to try and put up some exercises that you guys can try on your own. Before I do that let's talk about safety! 

If ever you don't know how to do an exercise, google it! I am constantly googling new exercises that I am given to make sure I am doing them right! You can also check out www.bodybuilding.com they are a great resource for exercises! 

When I workout I usually pick two groups of muscles to work out at one time. This is for one main reason, so I can alternate between the two muscle groups. This is important because when you are constantly working the same muscle you don't allow any time for new capillaries to form. Capillaries are small vessels that form to help bring blood to the muscle so that it can start to repair. When you exercise you are literally tearing muscle, so by switching muscle groups you give that muscle time to start repairing! Increased repair time means stronger better muscles!!! So I plan my workouts so that I alternate between muscles. So today it will go back, bicep, back, bicep, etc.

Lastly, please please please think before you do anything! So many people get hurt seriously in the gym because they try to lift heavy right away. DO NOT do this!!!!! Start out with lighter weight, get the form correct and then start to increase weight! 

**I am not a certified personal trainer the workout to follow was created by me from my experience in the gym, always consult a doctor before starting a workout regimen**

Back and Bicep WOD:

Warm up - 5 minutes. 

(Ex. Arm circles, jumping jacks, shoulder rolls)

1. Underhand Lat pull down

Sets - 4

Reps - 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

2. Dumbbell bicep curl

Sets - 4

Reps- 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

3. Row in squat position 

Sets - 4

Reps- 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

4. Push-up (regular) 

Sets - 3

Reps - 10,10,10

5. Hyper extension w/10 lbs. dumbbell Sets- 4

Reps - 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

6. Hammer curl on stability ball 

Sets- 4

Reps -15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

7. Barbell row (think about hitting your belly button with the bar)

Sets- 4

Reps- 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

8. Barbell curl (wavy bar...know  as ez bar)

Sets- 4

Reps- 15,12,10,8

Rest 30 secs in between sets

9. Decline push ups (put foot on box or bench)

Sets- 4

Reps- 12,10,8,6

Rest 30 secs in between sets

10. Pull ups, assisted

Sets- 4

Reps- 10,10,10,10

Rest 30 secs in between sets

Cardio - 30 minutes steady pace

-if you have any question about the exercise comment below and I'll try my best to explain! You can also check out YouTube and they have great videos! 

Happy Lifting Y'all! 

(Back progress pic of me and my workout partner!)

**check me out on Instagram @ fitcassie_88**