#fitblir

[workhard-behappy-blog1]

How to Be A Morning Person

Personally, I love mornings, but I know the idea of getting up as the sun is just starting to rise seems nothing but negative to a lot of people. I wasn’t always this productive in the morning, so I thought I would share my tips for anyone looking to make the most of their mornings and make the process of waking up a little less painful.

-Go to bed early. Your body really does need sleep to be able to heal and function. 8 hours a night is always what I shoot for, but it usually ends up being more like 7. Since I wake up at 7 AM during the week, I try to be in bed by 10:30 PM with the goal of going to sleep by 11 PM. If there is a night when a meeting or life gets in the way and I’m up much past 10:30, I’ll push back my alarm because sleep and balance are important.

-Don’t hit snooze. I literally cannot emphasize this one enough. I know it seems like more sleep, but because the quality of sleep is so low, you’re going to end up feeling much more tired when the alarm goes off again. Set one alarm, wake up to that, and get moving.

-Stay off your phone first thing in the morning. It can be tempting to check your phone as soon as you wake up, but between negative things on social media, people you may not be fond of, and the harsh blue light, it’s in your best interest to leave it alone until your eyes adjust at least. Personally, I stay off social media until after my workout so my head stays clear in the morning and I save half an hour of scrolling.

-Move your body. This doesn’t mean you need to work out right away, I know not all schedules and people work best this way. If you do like working out, go for a run or do your strength training to get the blood pumping. If you don’t, do some yoga or stretch for five or ten minutes just to loosen up and clear your mind.

-Fuel your body. When you first wake up, drink a glass of water even before coffee, this will energize you much more than you realize. At some point in your morning routine, have something to eat whether it be some fruit or oatmeal, just make sure it’s healthier and will give you long term energy rather than a short burst of energy from sugar.

That’s all for my main tips on being a morning person and making waking up a little bit easier. If you have more tips please let me know, I’m always willing to try new tricks. Also, if there’s anything you want to see from me whether it be lifestyle, beauty, fitness, or motivation related, give me that feedback! See you Thursday!

[ryocos]

Ryocos Squat post!

Bench press post.

Dead lift post.

Leg press post.

The squat is considered one of the kings of exercises due to its importance in not only building leg muscles, but overall body strength. It’s also a hard exercise to master, and one of the scariest exercises for any newbie in the gym.

So lets start breaking it down!

There are 3 main form of squats, 2 of which I’ll cover in this post:

Low bar.

High bar.

& Front squats.

The low bar rests on the middle of the back of your shoulders, on a ‘platform’ made by your shoulders by squeezing them towards your spine, shown above. Here, my elbows are tucked to help my shoulder blades stay in position. 

This version allows for more weight to be pushed and mainly targets the hamstrings. There is a slight forward lean in this variation.

High bar places the bar just under the back of your neck, resting on top of your shoulder muscles. In the above picture, you can see the slight elbow variation as the high bar placement doesn’t need tucked elbows to hold the bar in place. 

This version allows for greater depth and mainly targets the quads. There is no need for a lean in this variation. Further gifs are all shown in high bar placement.

Placing the Bar:

The bar shouldn’t hurt you, or be placed in such a way that it causes you pain during/after the exercise. For the high bar placement, the bar shouldn’t be sitting on your neck’s vertebrae. For the low bar placement, your shouldn’t feel straining in your shoulders from trying to catch a bar that has slid too far down! When setting up, slide your shoulders under the bar to find the right spot for you. Your thumbs should be with the rest of your fingers, not gripped around the bar. Your shoulders are holding the bar in place, not your hands!

Foot Placement:

Your foot placement is entirely up to you and what feels right for your body, but make sure your feet are equal to each other no matter your placement. Generally you can find your foot placement by pretending you’re going to 'pop a squat’ in the woods. Toes can be pointed forward or at a slight angle. 

Doing the Squat:

At the top of the squat is when you can breathe NEVER at the bottom!). Suck in a deep breath and tighten your core (as if someone is about to punch you in the gut) - this will help your lower back during the lift!

DO: Start with your hips, keeping your back in a neutral position. 

DON’T: Start with your butt and round your back. Arching your back will lead to a lot of pain! If might look ‘good’, but it’s very back for your back.

DO: Lower yourself down until your hips are at/below your knees (called parallel). Sit back on a bench to help you get used to how low you must go! Below, my parallel is just under the metal bar that has been set at my knees for reference. 

DON’T: Stop before your hips are at your knees.

DO: Use your legs to PUSH your lower back/hips back up to the top position.

DON’T: Use your back to straighten yourself back up!

Your knees can go forward over your toes, but they should NOT cave inwards! Be mindful of pushing your knees out when moving back up to the top position. Here is another reminder that the bar is not being help up by your hands, as seen above. Gripping the bar can lead to elbow and/or hand pain, so let your shoulders take care of the bar!

If you are having problems reaching your parallel, work on ankle flexibility by sitting in a squat position at least once a day for 30 seconds to a minute or two. You can also foam roll your ankles before exercising. Placing the 5 lb weight under your heels while squatting can help, but you should not rely on that!

To recap: 

Adjust your shoulders to the bar.

Place your feet.

Breathe at the top of the squat and squeeze your core!

Start with your hips, then bend your knees.

From the bottom, PUSH your lower back/hips back up.

Squatting Gear:

Belts can help more experience lifters advance, but newer lifts should start squatting without the help of a weightlifting belt. Get a belt AFTER you can squat more weight than your body weight with the bar.

Shoes should either be flat (like a converse), or specifically made weightlifting shoes. Your feet need a solid surface to push against, so if you have tennis/running shoes, you’re better off squatting barefoot!

[rocqfit]

I'm moving this blog to INSTAGRAM! Follow me @rocqfit. It's a lot easier that way!

[thesundayblonde]

Help I need new blogs to follow. Like or reblog this if you want to check you out and you're a health, fitness, beauty, or wellness blog 🙌🏻✨🤷🏼‍♀️

[ravenclaw-momma]

Today was a long ass day. Ryan ended up saying home from work which we all really needed. We spent the early afternoon at the park, where I got to run just under 2 miles while Ryan hung out with the kids. (& did his best to give me a heart attack when I came back and saw he was “teaching Atla to climb trees.”) I haven’t ran in quite awhile. I felt like I was going to die. But I prefer it so much over the stationary bike I usually use at home.

Then we went on a little adventure to find a consignment shop & ended up just wandering around some stores. And of course, once the kids went to bed we playing a scenario of Gloomhaven. It was a long and exhausting day but I REALLY needed a day with my husband. It was nice & I feel refreshed.

[fat2fabincollege-blog]

I’m back! Happy 2018!

[thesundayblonde]

GUYS!! This was so easy to make and it tastes heavenly! Rice, mango and sweet corn on the base topped with sweet potato and broccoli drizzled in balsamic vinaigrette! Who wants the full recipe?!

[canadiangirlgetsfit]

anyone know any good blog posts on meal prep???  ( like how to and good things that’ll stay all week!!!!)