10 Best Workout Songs

This isn't based on a review done by anyone. This is just my top 10 songs on my iPod that I listen to while working out to get me pumped! (and there are 2 different lists, because I have different playlists that I listen to while during Cardio and Weight Training)

My Top 10 Cardio Workout Songs:

1. Blah Blah Blah by: Ke$ha feat. 3OH!3
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3taEuL4EHAg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2. S&M by Rihanna (apparently the video was too risque for YouTube. It was flagged...lol)
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1OOwfBSYV70" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3. Pokerface by Lady Gaga
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bESGLojNYSo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

4. Lights Out by Letter Kills
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/w5UGF_FQwi0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

5. Creep by The Lonely Island (embedding isn't allowed for this video. Just click the link!)
http://youtu.be/tLPZmPaHme0

6. Misery Business by Paramore
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aCyGvGEtOwc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

7. Disconnected by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Vlmba8zHWnE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

8. My Friends Over You by New Found Glory
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QfcLcDBII78" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

9. Body Bag by Hit The Lights (embedding isn't allowed for this video. Just click the link!)
http://youtu.be/EuPvnF6f0yg

10. Beatdown in the Key of Happy by Four Year Stong
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fg8BnrZJZVg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


My Top 10 Weight Training Songs:

1. We Are The End by Alexisonfire
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XsgUJOLn_6s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

2. Weight of the World by Misery Signals
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/unWRJ39-_co" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

3. Kill the Music by Every Time I Die
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rJpuPWkdOr0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

4. Boy, You Better Save Face by A Girl, A Gun, A Ghost
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Dir8-tNLAwc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

5. The Downfall of Us All by A Day To Remember
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Kd-lbg1QQ-Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

6. F**k The World by Deez Nuts
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/F7G_LVc336Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

7. Bada Bing Wit' A Pipe by Four Year Strong
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-bluR5vXh_8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

8. Epoch Coda by Emarosa
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q_FX93dd6u0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

9. Echoes by Set Your Goals
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FicQ4hBBUV4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

10. Change Today by It Prevails
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UaRsQ3HOBqM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Real Women Lift Weights

Miss Marilyn Monroe makes that very clear.

Lifting weights will not make women "bulky" or "massive". If anything, it will accentuate your curves and give you a sexier, more feminine appeal. Just sayin!

Jessica Biel in Blade Trinity

Jennifer Aniston for her SmartWater campaign

Just giving you an idea of some of the well known ladies who lift weights, and still maintain a feminine physique.

My Fitness Pal

With exercise, about 80% of results are going to come from your diet. I am not the best at dieting, but one way to really keep things in check is to track EVERYTHING you consume.

I downloaded a new app on my iPhone to help me track that. It's called "My Fitness Pal". I've heard about this from a hew friends who have used it before, and a lot of people claim that it is fool-proof and very easy to navigate. I downloaded it, and thus far I am satisfied with it. It has a vast database of food selections to select from, or you can even create your own.

You can input your activity/exercises that you have done to track the calories you have burned as well as consumed. I don't really like to input my calories burned because it will automatically up your daily calorie allowance, which I don't like to eat the calories I burned. It almost seems redunant to me. But the program will need you to answer a few questions (height, weight, age, goal weight, how many lbs a week you're wanting to lose, etc.) and it will determine how many calories you need to eat everyday.

You can use it online at: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/



My Fitness Pal is available for download on all Android, iPhone, and Blackberry mobile devices. And the app is FREE!

Two-a Days. Oh boy.

A few days a week I've decided that I'm going to do two-a-days. Call me crazy, but I'm in a time crunch. I've got 12 weeks to lose 20 lbs and shred. And by shredding I mean cutting muscle and look lean! It's totally doable. With them help of my trainer, Nikki, it's going to happen. Here's my routine for the next 10 weeks:

Sunday - 30 minute Swim Session
Monday - 60 minute Cycle Class, 60 minute Circuit Training.
Tuesday - 60 minute Weight Training, 30-40 minute Cardio Session
Wednesday - 60 minute Cycle Class, 60 minute Circuit Training
Thursday - 60 minute Weight Training, 30-40 minute Cardio Session
Friday - 60 minute Cycle Class, 60 minute Circuit Training
Saturday - 30 minute Swim Session

(the next week):

Sunday: 30 minute Swim Session
Monday - 60 minute Weight Training, 30-40 minute Cardio Session
Tuesday - 60 minute Cycle Class, 60 minute Circuit Training.
Wednesday - 60 minute Weight Training, 30-40 minute Cardio Session
Thursday - 60 minute Cycle Class, 60 minute Circuit Training.
Friday - 60 minute Weight Training, 30-40 minute Cardio Session
Saturday - 30 minute Swim Session

Repeat.


It seems a little much, and Sundays and Saturdays are technically rest days, but adding in swimming with lengthen and lean out my muscles so when it comes time to cut, it will be easy to do.

The 12-Week "Burning the Fat" Program

I found a diet and exercise plan that I'm going to start and I am SO excited! The plan was found on bodybuilding.com, one of my personal favorite fitness sites. It has a ridiculous amount of information and articles that covers everything from diet plans, exercises, to selling supplements and clothing.

Here is the link to the 12-Week program I will be starting:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/female-20to39-fat-loss/intro

(NOTE: I'm excited about this workout because my role model and hero, Jamie Eason, helped put this together. And the lovely Tara Heinz is featured in the videos as well! Go Tara!!)

If you are wanting to find a good personalized workout program or dieting program, click on the link below to input you information and find what will work best for you and whatever results you are looking for:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/


And of course, I can help answer any and all questions about these programs. I personally didn't put the programs together (obviously! haha!) but I can help clear up any questions!


xo,
April

Our City Skyline

Just a preview of the pictures I took at the show. This one was actually take on my iPhone rather than my actual camera. These guys did great! I'm so proud of them!

"Like" them on Facebook : www.facebook.com/ourcityskyline

or

Follow them on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/ourcityskyline

I'll post more pictures once I get them edited.

P.S. The drummer is a smokin' hot ;-)

Oh Saturday. What do we have in store today?

My only day off this week is today. Sorry I haven't posted lately, I've been under the weather with a gnarly sinus infection and have been sleeping most of it off  (when I'm haven't been working).

Anyways, so since today is my only day off from work until next Thursday, I realized today has got to be a good one. Jake and I slept in a little, and then we went to lunch at The Curb with Mike and Chris, some of Jake's best friends and guys I can definitely call good friends as well. These guys are definitely some of my favorite ones to hang out with. (P.S. If anyone is looking for a new place to grab lunch, definitely check out The Curb! Their food is delicious and their liquor selection is good as well :) ) http://www.curbbarandgrill.com/index.htm

After lunch, we went and saw "The Hangover 2". I've been stoked to see this ever since word got out about a second one being made. I absolutely LOVED the first one (which is in my top 5 favorite movies list). I really like the sequel. It wasn't nearly as good, but it definitely had many "laugh out loud" moments. 

Right now, I'm just killing time until Jake's band's show with is at 7pm tonight. The band asked me to try out some promotional photography since I'm a little bit of a photography buff. I'm pretty excited to 1: FINALLY see them play! and 2: To see what the result of the pictures will be! I will definitely post them once they are finished, and edited!

Today is my Friday!

And sadly, it hasn't been the best thus far. My allergies are kicking my ass today (quite literally). So I'm all jacked up on allergy medicine and am constantly sneezing and blowing my nose. Wish my boss would just send me home...but that's not going to happen. Luckily my job is easy :)

Anyways, I've been up since 2 am. Mainly because I haven't been able to breathe well while laying down. But I'm mostly ok now. But it was nice being up early (got out of bed around 4:30 ish). Made myself a good breakfast, watched the news, threw back a pot of coffee and just relaxed. And quite honestly, I'm glad I was up that early, because I just happened to have been awake during one of the most gorgeous sunrises I've seen in a long time and managed to capture a picture of it.

This is just towards Bogus Basin. I was standing in my backyard. Man, I love Idaho!

Changed the blog theme...

So, I know this was supposed to be a fitness theme based blog, but I'm changing it up. Plus, I love sharing other details of my life that aren't fitness related, but I'll still post my progress and some training tips and what not!

I LOVE CYCLING!

I'm always up for trying new things. I am one of those people who pretty much dreads doing cardio. Not because I don't like it, I get bored. And once I get bored during a workout, the only thing I want to do is find the door and get the heck out of the gym because I then start wandering around like I've never been there before. So, I decided to check out a cycling class last night, and let me tell you...there's no TIME to get bored in that class!

The intensity is cranked so high, and you are dripping in sweat. Which is GOOD for me, because it honestly takes a lot for me to sweat, and during this hour long class, I was soaked. Which made me want to do it even more. And honestly, it was easy to pick up! It doesn't require any skills except being able to pedal, and occasionally pedaling while standing. But the intensity changes. At one moment you'll be going at what we call a level 5 (1 being barely pedaling, 10 be pedaling as fast and hard as you can) then cranking it up to 9 for 3 minutes, and continuously changing.

I honestly highly recommend it for anyone wanting a good, burning cardio session. Don't be intimidated if you've never been to one before, you'll be fine! But beware, your legs will feel like jello afterwards. I almost couldn't make it down the stairs after class :-P

The 5 Components of Fitness

 For any and all weight loss goals, there are 5 main factors that will make or break your results. Doesn't matter if you're wanting to lose weight or gain muscle mass, each of these factors will help you get to these results in the quickest and safest way possible.

I've had quite a few people ask me: "What's your secret?" And to be quite honest, it is no secret at all! Diet and Exercise! It's been the most successful way of weight loss for how many hundreds of years? These "crash diets" (IE: HCG) are unhealthy. Yes, you will get results, and you'll probably get them quickly. But think of it this way: it's been a process to put the weight on, it's going to be a process getting it off. And if you lose weight quickly, you're more than likely to put it all back on just as fast. It's not easy, but the commitment is so worth it!

5 Components of Fitness:

NUTRITION: Nutrition is totally key. ROUGHLY 80% OF YOUR RESULTS WILL COME FROM YOUR DIET! I don't think I can stress this enough. You can workout all you want, still maintain unhealthy eating habits, and you'll more than likely just maintain where you're at. A calorie deficiency without exercise, can guarantee loss, but you're loss will be greater when combined with exercise. And fueling your body with the right foods and right intake amount of protein, carbs and fats is most important.

CARDIO: Rule #1: CARDIO! (Zombieland reference, in case anyone was wondering :) ) Cardio is a great way for fat burn. And a great way to keep you in shape. Cardio is meant to raise your heart rate, and keep it at a rate to burn the most fat efficiently and effectively. Along with cardio comes our "FIT" Principle.

FREQUENCY: How often should you do cardio?

INTENSITY: Do you know what your target heart rate is?

TIME: Do you know how often you should be doing cardio?

There are many tools you can use online to to individualize your "FIT" Principle, but another good way is to seek help from a personal trainer. Their advice is more accurate and more personable.

Cardio has about 7-8 hours of after burn. Which means that after completing a cardio session, you're body will continue to rapidly burn calories for 7-8 hours. Finding your target heart rate is key. There are three levels of calorie burn when you are performing cardio. The first level is Calories Consumed. Heart rate is generally low during this first level, and you are only burning calories that have been ingested. The second level is Fat Calories. This is where you're target heart rate will lie. Once you find what your target heart rate is, maintain that heart rate for 30+ minutes and it will be pure fat burn. The third level is Protein/Muscle Calories. Have you ever noticed how long distance runners are fit, but not "tight"? They look like a bag of bones generally, because they don't keep track of their heart rate. Their heart rate is cranked up so high and isn't consistent, so they're burning everything from their calories consumed to the protein/muscle and everything in between. Keeping track of your target heart rate and maintaining it will help avoid burning your muscles!

SUPPLEMENTATION: Does everyone need to be on tons of supplements? No, not necessarily. Are you able to use supplements when starting out? Absolutely! The first supplementation you should be on is a Multi-Vitamin. EVERYONE should be on a multi-vitamin. Especially if you are dieting and counting calories, somewhere you are bound to have a vitamin deficiency along with your calorie deficiency. We want to avoid that at all costs! Another key supplementation is Whey Protein. Anyone and everyone can be on protein. Whey protein is a fast release protein, and after exercise, is the best thing to consume. You're muscles absorb the most nutrients up yo 60 MINUTES after exercising, so take your shake then! For any and all other supplements (fat burners, pre-workouts, post-workouts), you may want to talk to a trainer or nutritionist or even a supplement salesperson at a nutrition store. If you're uneasy about taking certain supplements, don't take them. Do research before choosing supplements, to make sure the ones you are seeking are first off, LEGAL, and secondly, not harmful to your body and won't sabotage your goals.

RESISTANCE TRAINING: LADIES! One of the most ANNOYING things that I hear is women swearing they will NEVER lift weights because they don't want to get bulky. First off, I'd like to squash that myth by saying it is virtually IMPOSSIBLE for women to "bulk up" because we just don't have the genetics and hormone make up to build muscle the way men do. Unless you are on some SERIOUS supplementation, you won't bulk. You will build muscle, but you'll still maintain your sexy female curves. And probably accentuate them as well. I stated earlier in the cardio section that fat cells don't disappear, they shrink. Resistance training will build the muscle to surround those fat cells and keep them from swelling up again. This will also tone or "tighten" areas that are "flabby". The best way to tone is a good combination of cardio and resistance training. Resistance training also has GREAT calorie burning benefits. Earlier I mentioned that cardio has a 7-8 hour after burn. Well, guess what. Resistance training has up to a whopping 72 HOURcardio the next, then entire lower body, cardio and repeat. You're muscles are building, tightening, and repairing themselves when they are resting after a workout. When you're training with weights, you are technically "damaging" and tearing the muscles fibers, causing them to repair themselves and tighten. Thus, the soreness you generally feel after working out. Be sure to stretch efficiently after working out. You want long, lean muscles. Stretch them out for a "cool down".

ONE ON ONE EDUCATION: If you are wanting to get back into them gym or have a huge fitness goal, but not sure where to start, I definitely recommend getting one on one education with a Certified Personal Trainer. Yes, you may have to purchase a training package from them, but even if you buy 4 sessions, you will be more knowledgeable and they can help point you in the right direction to get you to where you want to be. They can help answer questions regarding the other 4 components discussed earlier. Trainers are so knowledgeable and they WANT to see you succeed! So they will not steer you wrong!

Curious to do some research of your own? One of my favorite websites with a HUGE knowledge database full of articles, workout plans and diet plans is http://www.bodybuilding.com/.

Day 1

Technically this isn't "Day 1" of my journey, but I haven't done measurements, stats or before/after pictures since starting to be healthy.

My overall goal is to lose 20lbs of fat and gain 5-10lbs of muscle. I would like to be 14% body fat by the time competition time rolls around.

Stats:

Height:          5'2"

Weight:       137 lbs

BMI:        27%

Measurements (in inches):

Arms:       11" (relaxed)

Chest:       35'

Waist:       27"

Hips:         40"

Thighs:      23"

Calves:     14"

I'm not going to post pictures yet, because I like seeing the before, during, and after all together.

In the beginning...

Well, technically this isn't the beginning of my "fitness career". I use the term "career" loosely. Let's go with experience. That sounds better!

I've been active my entire life. Started playing T-ball and soccer before I could talk. Grew up in a very active family, and luckily for me, sports came easily. I had the drive, motivation, and competitive attitude that made me a front runner for almost any team I played for.

I stopped playing sports in high school after a knee injury, which got worse later (but we'll bring that up later). Tried to stay active, but seemed like I wasn't able to play as hard as I wanted to having been injured before, and the fear of being injured again definitely played a role in how hard I played as well.

After high school, I started working out. I was really dedicated the summer after graduation because I was getting married and needed to tone. Plus it gave me something to do during the break I had between the two jobs I was working, rather than driving all the way back home.

I really didn't really stick with it until last year though. I realized after going through an intense tragic loss, that I need to start taking care of myself. I lost between 25-30 lbs (it fluctuated, we all know how that goes) and felt awesome. In December I decided I was going to train for a Figure Competition in April. I bought a 20 session Personal Training package and was ready to go! Then three days later, tore my ACL. Ended up having surgery in March and now I'm released by my doctor and ready to get back in the game! And I'm starting to train for a Figure Competition in August at BSU.

Throughout the course of this blog, I'll post pictures and stats as I go through my journey preparing for this competition, as well as other if I so choose to continue competing, as well as any dieting and training tips that I'm sure everyone could benefit from!

I'm really excited about sharing this with everyone! All your love and support pushes me to not let you down!

xo,

April