Blog
-
7 quick things you can do when you feel overwhelmed
Although the year just started, I have been feeling a little overwhelmed. At first, I was excited for the start of the year. However, a combination of work responsibilities, wedding planning, and expanding the blog have caused some stress. It has not helped that I started my cut for bodybuilding competitions last week either. If you have been following me for a while, you already know I have experienced anxiety and burnout last year. Originally, I thought this feeling was a reoccurrence of burnout. However, I was not experiencing the disengagement I felt before. In fact, I felt the opposite. Some days, I did not know what to work on…
-
9 ways to make your takeout order healthier
Due to the pandemic and restaurant regulations, many people have been opting for takeout over eating in a restaurant. During the past year, I have ordered more takeout than previous years to limit the possibility of exposure and avoid long restaurants wait times due to reduced capacity. For some, takeout is synonymous with an indulgent meal. However, getting takeout does not you cannot have a healthy meal! I was forced to use the following tips when I was cutting down for my most recent bodybuilding competition that ended up being postponed. During my most recent cut (eating in a calorie deficit for weight loss) this past spring, I wanted to…
-
Cheat sheet for gym newbies
A common New Year’s resolution is to exercise more. However, this can be an overwhelming task in many ways, especially if you are new to exercise. If you have decided to use the gym as your form of exercise, welcome to the club! The gym has many advantages including the equipment available, group classes and other amenities. Switching to the gym from home workouts helped me take my physique to the next level and allowed me to meet other people who enjoy exercising as well. For some, the gym can be an intimidating place. Although I had some experience with the gym, I was uncomfortable when I first started going…
-
3 important things I have learned from 2020
The year 2020 has been strange and difficult for many of us. I honestly believed that COVID-19 was going to be a repeat of the other virus like SARS, swine flu and ebola. It was a threat, but it was not going to do much in the United States. Obviously, that was not the case. Since I am located just outside of New York City, we were the first area to experience wrath of the pandemic. The city that never sleeps came to a screeching halt and was forced to go to bed. At first, I enjoyed this impromptu break since I had to temporarily work from home and finally…
-
Benefits of a fitness journal
This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing an item through these links will provide me a commission at no additional cost to you. Please see my disclaimer, privacy policy, and terms of use for additional information. A few times in fitness journey, I kept a log of my daily workouts and meals through books and apps. When I was using them, I felt motivated and organized. Every morning during hall duty, I would write in my meals and workouts for the day. I always looked forward to checking off another glass of water and my workout being completed. During competition prep, I also used a journal to track my workouts, weight…
-
Work in front of the computer? Do these 5 essential back exercises.
Feeling tightness in your neck, chest and shoulders after working on the computer? You may need to incorporate more back exercises into your routine. Since March, I have been doing more work on the computer due to teaching from home, online graduate classes, and working on the blog. Over time, I noticed that I had more tightness and discomfort in my neck, wrists, forearms, chest and shoulders. I also realized that my posture was starting to get worse since I was slouching more than before. Due to previous injuries from playing the violin, I already knew how to manage my wrist and forearm issues. However, I needed a new strategy…
-
Are you eating balanced meals?
Recently, I read a post about balanced meals on Instagram. The post compared how your body feels when you are eating balanced meals and when you are not. Although this is not a scientific way to evaluate your food choices, it may indicate an issue in your current diet. Read each column and see which one sounds like you. Balanced satisfied after eating generally more energetic and happy after eating Unbalanced hangry in-between meals sluggish, sad or anxious after eating have cravings after eating despite being full Based on this criteria, I realized that I am making good food choices since I experience more signs from the first column. Before…
-
Why self care is more than expensive face masks
In general, taking care of ourselves when we are being asked for so much is exhausting and difficult. However, self care is more than putting on a face mask and zoning out.
-
THE ultimate holiday gift guide for every fitness lover
Have you started shopping for the holidays yet? Since "Black Friday" seems to start earlier every year, I have created a gift guide for all of the male and female fitness lovers on your list. The products I have linked here are my personal recommendations so you do not need to worry about their quality!
-
5 home workout tips
Before I became a "gym rat," I was a huge fan of home workouts. At the time, I did not have enough money for a gym membership and did not want to travel to another place after driving home in traffic for over an hour. I was able to workout in the little space I had and did not need to purchase much equipment. Amazingly, I was able to achieve great results and was in better shape than I was in high school.
