Back to Normal

Today I went to the gym and I was able to meet some other students at the college and we did an insanity workout! I did great! my endurance is still there! Today we did pure cardio circuit! After I did some squats and calf raises. Feeling great and its amazing to get back into the groove

I have lost about 15 pounds since I have started this journey!

Luciana 

Still Going strong

Hello! 

I am currently packing for my week long trip next week in Indianapolis! :) I will be taking pictures and blogging for my school! I will let you know what the site is so you can keep up with me! Still working out every day! today is my cheat day so I am going to indulge to the most. I have lost 10 pounds since I have started this blog! :) I will be enjoying the next week of bliss of helping others in food banks and such!

Luciana Reichel

What is Oil Pulling?

So there is this new trend out there called Oil pulling! It basically includes you swishing oil around your mouth for 20 minutes exactly each day! There are so many benefits of oil pulling I am wondering why I haven't done it months ago! As soon as you start oil pulling the oil fills up with toxins (the bad guys) so That is the reason why you don't want to swallow! If you do not like coconut oil you can use sesame oil or sunflower oil (although they don't taste as good!

Benefits

Here are some of the benefits of Oil Pulling, there are so many out there:

- whitens your teeth

- strengthens your teeth, gums & jaw

- prevents cavities

- gets rid of bad breath

- relieves headaches

- helps you sleep better

- clears your sinus cavity

-detoxifies your body 


If you try oil pulling let me know how it works for you, if there are any changes you have  noticed, if you like it and if the 20 minutes was more than you can handle! :)

Rest Day

Nothing to post today since today was a day off and I worked 9.5 hours today! Tomorrow I will be talking about Oil Pulling  and the benefits of Coconut Oil! Stay tuned!!

*Peace and Blessings*

Luciana Reichel

Winter Blues

Living in Wisconsin I have realized how crappy and long the winter can be. For many like myself, we find the motivation to workout lingers! The official day of Spring is just around the corner but it sure doesn't seem like it! Today I realized we all have the power to overcome these winter blues! I will share some tips on how I continue to stay motivated!

Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

 Exercise

Sounds easy right?May be harder during these cold months to get our butts into the gym or leave our house. Exercising helps us be fit and healthy but it also improves our mood! I find that I am very wide awake and ready to attack my day when I workout. Those "feel good" chemicals linger after I work out helping me to stay focused while I work and keeps me uplifted through the long work day. 

Sleep

I always find myself wanting to sleep more during the winter rather than the summer months. I have found with shuffling my schedule and discipline, I can always hit my 8 hours per night and keep it consistent. I have found I have a significant amount of energy throughout the day! I will say taking a cat nap during the afternoon hours may be needed to get through the rest of the day but don't over sleep! this can make you more tired. 

Treat Yourself

During the week I maintain my healthy diet, and exercise. I make sure to plans something once a week that will keep me motivated! I continue to keep that treat in mind and it improves my mood and the anticipation increases. 

Healthy Diet

This seems like a no brainer but harder to put into action. The food you eat affects your energy levels and mood more importantly. I don't eat processed foods, or foods with high sugar. Instead I put some honey on top of my grapefruit or freeze my grapes to satisfy those sugar cravings. I also eat plenty of raw veggies, and drink plenty of water and tea to keep my full throughout the day. 

Sunlight

Today I was walking to the bus I noticed how amazing the sunlight felt on my skin. Vitamin D is essential to our mood improvement! People complain about being depressed and sometimes the lack of sunlight can be that factor. Try to take a brisk walk outside, open your shades, let that sunlight through! My  boss actually has a special light she has on her desk that mimics natural light and helps me get through my day sometimes. You can also take Vitamin D supplements. 

Visualize That Body!!

This may seem silly but athletes know what I am talking about. I used to visualize myself winning a swimming heat every time I would walk behind the blocks. This helped my nerves and keep my focused. When I am thinking about eating something unhealthy I visualize where I want to be around June and think about what I want my body to look like. I think about what I put into my body and I remember that this is all good for me. 

*Peace and Blessings*

Luciana Reichel

Sleep Sleep Sleep

I am feeling so refreshed today! I slept about 9 hours last night, the most I have slept in a long time. And boy does it feel GREAT!  Last night was leg day and usually I can barely walk the next day but today my legs aren't that sore! I am guessing it was because of the sleep I was able to make happen last night.  Today’s topic will be on sleep and the importance of it.

The Importance of Sleep

Growing up we all were taught the benefits of sleep and the positive impact it has on our health. But for those who lift weights regularly, sleep is essential for our muscles to recover. Experts say we need 7-9 hours of sleep every day to keep us fit and healthy. There is plenty of research done by scientists who have been studying sleep patterns. Don't be afraid to do your research on what’s out there. 

Think about it, if you aren't getting more than 5 hours of sleep a night, your mood can be affected, there could be a negative impact on your performance and your muscle cell growth and repair cannot happen to the full extent. If you work out hard during the day the chances of falling asleep easier is more probable than those who do not work out during the day. During recovery, our body repairs the damaged tissues we used during that workout. This will allow our muscles to grow!

I have heard so many of my friends say, "I don't have time to work out, I am too busy" or "I am just too tired". Wrong! Could it have something to do with sleep habits? Odds are it does. If you learn to shuffle your schedule around; wake up earlier, this will keep you accountable and you will see a noticeably difference in you sleep schedule.

I used to work out in the evenings in my early college days and found out the hard way that I couldn't fall asleep thereafter. Never exercise 2-3 hours before sleep so your body can prepare itself for a quality sleep session. Your recovery and growth can be negatively affected if you do not prioritize sleep. Your stimulating your body which raises your body temperature (i.e you sweating!) which is what you do not want at bedtime. 

For me working out in the late afternoons (between 3-pm) is the best! My body temperature will be raised after I exercise and then start to decrease by the time I am ready to go to sleep. If you have a knack for sleeping in constantly it is time to shuffle around your day. Get up in morning and get your stuff going. No excuses; No matter what! That way if you wake up let's say around 7:00am, workout, eat breakfast, you are on the right path to get all your meals done by 7:00pm! (waiting 4 hours between meals and drinking green tea) You do not want to eat large meals past pm. It is a waste of calories. Get up earlier and exercise in the morning; this will help relieve stress and improve your mood. Also this will help you get a jump start to your busy day! 

If you want to sleep better at night, the key is to choose the correct exercise and what time of day you engage in it. Obviously 1-2 nights of poor sleep schedule will not essentially have an impact on your performance but if you are consistently getting inadequate sleep then you won't recover, and lose weight, or get stronger. The greater your workout load, the greater recovery you will need!

If you want to get faster, get stronger than sleep and remember BALANCE :)

*Peace and Blessings*

Luciana Reichel

Week 2

Goal: progress not perfection. Form over speed.

AM workout: HIT

This morning I did a HIT (high interval training) workout. I did 2 minutes of fast bursts of exercises and then did a minute rest. I remember doing these exercises when I used to play tennis when I was younger and we would do foot drills to quicken our agility on the court. After my interval training I went to do the stair master for 10 solid minutes and did interval training with that. I climber 100 floors in 10 minutes!

**If you have an iPhone, you are able to have the app "nike +ipod" feature. A few years ago I bought a pair of Nike+ running shoes. Underneath the bottom of my sole there was a small compartment where you can place the sensor. The sensor acts as an activity tracker which records how many calories and distance of your workouts. Its really nice to use and you can calibrate it for running or walking.**

For breakfast I had a 1/2 grapefruit, watered down cranberry  juice, regular oats with cranberries, and 2 egg whites 

For lunch I am having some chicken carrots, few grapes, sweet potato fries, sun flower seeds and green tea

Food Cravings

There are a few tips that I will share that might help with food cravings! We all go crazy in between cheat days! We all cant help but drive past burger king or taco bell and wish we could eat that! Don't do it!

1. Drink two glasses of water and some nuts. This fills you up and hydrates you :)

2. Take a power nap; even 20 minutes will help you feel refreshed

3. Plan plan plan! I write down my routine for the  next day and right down exactly what I will be eating and my schedule. I feel more accountable that way

4. My mom told me once cravings last about 10 minutes! This is true! I try to focus on the task at hand or listen to music or meditate. 

5. Brush you teeth; this works almost all time for me. I hate eating right after I brush my teeth so that is one way to fight the cravings. (gum also works!)

6. Visualize your self in a month, 10 pounds less and feeling good! That will help you keep yourself accountable 

7. Eat an apple! this can keep you full for up to 2 hours 

8. Drink Green Tea; this can help you prevent the storage of excess fat all while helping your body improve its ability to burn fat.

Leg Workout:PM 

30 seconds rest between each set

stretch/warmup
Box jumps..............................10 reps
Squats...................................4 sets of 10
Good Mornings .......................3 sets of 10
Standing Calf Raises................3 sets of 10
Leg Extensions........................3 sets of 10
Seated Leg Curl.......................3 sets of 12
Lunges w/DB...........................3 sets of 10

Stair master 10 minutes 

cool down/stretch


* any questions on my exercises let me know!

Had an excellent day! Finishing up in the sauna! I will barely be able to walk tomorrow.  For an after workout meal I am having a banana and some almond butter! Watching my favorite show "The Bates Motel" new season starts tn! And then I'm going to bed! Enjoy! 

*peace n blessings*

Luciana Reichel