#24

It has been a while since I have posted a workout on here because I have been really into motivational writing lately.  I had a really good upper body workout (and by good I mean my arms were noodles afterward and the next day were sore:/) and so I wanted to share it with you all.

Warm-up (5-10 min)
my warmup consists of many different dynamic exercises-- if you would like me to do a blog on what a typical warm-up for me consists of let me know!!

3 rounds
15 reps- hammer curls
15 reps- tricep extensions

3 rounds
15 reps- dumbbell bent over rows
15 reps- chest flies

3 rounds
15 reps- curls
15 reps- bench dips

3 rounds
15 reps- lawnmower pulls
15 reps- lateral raises

3 rounds
15 reps- plate look-throughs
15 reps- rear deltoid flies

** I typically rest 0-60 seconds in between rounds of the exercises and then a full minute in between the super-sets.

5 continuous rounds
45 second plank
15 second rest


The majority of the time this is how I style my workouts.  I enjoy super setting two exercises that focus on two separate muscle groups together.  I know that not everyone is on the same fitness level!! So, at the moment I am working at a higher rep range with a moderate weight.  Depending on where you are in your training the repetitions and weight could be adjusted to fit what works best for you.  I just thought these were some good exercises that focused on all of the upper body and wanted to share!!

#dominatehumbly

#23

Lowball. 

How many times can you look back on situations in life and say, ‘man I wish I would have just known that I could have done better.’  I think often times we believe that we are going to fail before we ever give it a shot. We lowball ourselves.  What if we took failure out of the picture… what would be the first thing that you would do if you knew you could not fail? Whatever you just thought of is obviously a huge goal for yourself. So, what is holding you back? A fear of failing?  How about you try chasing your dreams with failure not being an option? Say to yourself, “I will not fail” and go into that situation full force knowing that there will be setbacks but not letting failure be an option.  Work so incredibly hard and do whatever it takes to succeed.  That may look like working 16-hour days to get started or putting your social life on the back-burner. If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever to get it… so how bad do you really want it? This is such a hard concept because nobody wants to work for what they want and if they fail getting back up again is not an option.  Often times as we grow up we are taught to think that failure is such a bad thing and that we have to avoid it at all costs.  Yes, failure stinks and nobody wants to have to endure that but so much is learned when we fail.  I guarantee you once you fail at something once or maybe twice you will not fail at it again. You will instead learn from it and learn ways to succeed in that area instead of fail.  Step out on that limb and if it breaks climb the tree to a sturdier one. 

Whatever it is that failure is keeping you from go get it.  There is no better time than right now.  But, promise me that if you do fail that you will not let that keep you down and that you will instead run with even greater persistence toward what you want to achieve.

#dominatehumbly

#22

Life is faced with difficult decisions that we, as humans, often try to make on our own instead of looking to God for answers.  I find myself doing this WAY TOO OFTEN. Jesus says in 1 John 5: 14-15, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”  Go to Jesus in fervent prayer when life throws difficult decisions our way. It can be easy to think that praying and asking of the Lord means that we can just sit back and let Him handle it all. But that is not the case. Jesus opens the doors to new chapters and opportunities and all we have to do is simply walk through it.  Jesus does not lead us in the wrong direction so why would we not enter through the doors that he opens for us? It can be hard and I have struggled personally with putting my whole trust in the Lord. It says in Hebrews 11:6 that it is IMPOSSIBLE to please the Lord without faith. Whoever draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek Him.

I do not have it all together and have been a person of very little faith certain times in my life.  But I have never heard anyone say “I wish I wouldn’t have had so much faith.” It is always the other way around people wishing that we would have had more faith.  It is so incredible how the Lord continues to take care of and bless us so immensely when we still have so little faith. I can think back to several times in my life when my life was filled with doubt and little faith but Jesus still pulled me through those difficult times and for that I give ALL glory to God.  

Looking back now, those difficult times in my life are so little. Trust me when I say that in the moment the anxiety and fear of whatever I was facing seemed and was so real and if I was asked if I would ever get through it some days I bet I would have said no.  But those trials in life are the broken pieces that make up our beautiful mosaic of life. Life is too short to fret the small things. Give it all to God and put your trust in Him. He will open doors that you never imagined ever even being unlocked for you. When he opens those doors walk through. It will lead to great things.   

#21

Snoozing
Snoozing through life. Snoozing through alarms in the morning. Snoozing through assignments. Snoozing through workouts. Snoozing through church. I was recently thinking about how many different alarms I set each morning to ensure that I get up; and how some mornings getting up can be really simple and other mornings it can be the biggest challenge of the day. One thing that I am intentionally going to work on is to stop hitting snooze in the morning. I believe that if my first decision of the day is to hit snooze and procrastinate getting up then how easy will it be for me to “snooze” on the different tasks I have at hand that day? If I am going to be successful during the day then I need to start out with zero procrastination so that I will not “snooze” on the rest of the day.  That is one of my goals in this new year, and I would love for you to also make a commitment to lose the snooze.
                                                                                                                                   


#dominatehumbly

#20

Filling your Cup

It can be so easy to get caught up in everything life, especially during the holidays.  Trust me I know that life can get all the kinds of crazy all the time.  But, I have realized how important it is to be consistently intentional each and every day. I often think and try to live today off of yesterday’s fulfillment. Sometimes I learn the hard way that it is not possible and I am not successful when I do this.  The water that I drank yesterday is not good enough to keep me hydrated today.   This is true in a literal sense and when talking out our spiritual lives. Relating it to the physical side of our lives; we cannot drink a gallon of water today and expect it to continually keep us hydrated tomorrow without drinking any more water.  We also cannot fill up our spiritual cups today and expect to reap benefits from it tomorrow.  We have to consistently be intentional to take time to fill ourselves up daily both physically and spiritually.  This time of year can be so crazy, but do not neglect your own self by pouring into everyone else’s cups when your own cup is empty.  Wake up each morning and pour into yourself so that you can better pour into others. If you love fitness or not, water is so necessary and so take the time to keep your body hydrated every day to stay well during this holiday season.  Also, do not lose sight of the reasons that we are celebrating this wonderful season and take the time to fill your spiritual cup each morning.  Without adequate hydration, our lives will not have what we need.  

#dominatehumbly

#19

Why be strong?

There is so much more to strength than just physical strength.  Going to the gym is something that I do DAILY.  But, one thing I have learned over this extended period of time spent at the gym is that I not only need to focus on working out my physical body but constantly being intentional about working out my mental body as well.  It is just as important, if not more important to me.  Within the first couple of years that I worked out I didn’t realize the many different benefits that I was reaping from being active and working out. Within the past 2 years I have really grasped the concept that I don’t only go to the gym to get stronger physically, and it has been a game changer in my day to day life.  One specific instance that comes to mind occurred last week.  I had a day last week I was just in a bad mood. Nothing in particular seemed to stand out as to why I was in a bad mood, but nothing seemed to be going my way.  I was bound and determined that I was going to go to the gym though.  Let me tell you all… that workout was the best workout that I have had probably all summer.   Not only was I physically exhausted afterwards, but it cleared my mind of all distractions and negative thoughts that were consuming it.  See for me working out is such a passion but it also goes so much deeper than that.  It is an outlet for me to de-stress, clear my mind, reflect on things I am learning, relax, and take a break.  I work out to be a strong woman, a strong friend, a strong Christian, a strong sister, a strong worker, a strong daughter, a strong student, a strong leader, and a strong, good American.  You know many people may not look at working out as a way to relax or take a break, but I do and I know some of you all do,

 too. So, whatever relaxes you or helps you clear your mind… do more of THAT because you deserve it. Put positive into your body to see positive results come out.   Take that time for yourself and watch your happiness grow.  There are so many distractions and voices within the world that are fighting for attention from us, either good or bad.  It is so rejuvenating for the body to take that time for yourself and to take a step back from everything that the world is forcing upon us or that is being demanded of us to recharge our batteries. 

Setbacks

Just the other day I was driving down the road. I do a good bit of driving and I enjoy it because it is such a great time to think.  Real life moment really quick… here lately I have been a roller coaster with the nutrition side of my life.  My workouts have been pretty consistent but I will eat really great and healthy one day and then the next day I fall off the wagon. Vegetables, ice cream, vegetables, ice cream… ha.  It has been on my mind a lot and to be really honest I have been thinking about it TOOO much.  Obsessing over the fact that I need to get back to eating right.  So, as I was driving I was just thinking about why I’m inconstant lately and what I could do to get back on track full force. I then thought to myself…  “Why do the setbacks we have, have to be a negative thing?”

At this point you are all probably wondering how something not going as planned, falling down, or taking 10 steps back can be positive. 

Let me just tell you…

When we as humans fail or take 2 steps backwards with anything we automatically think of that set back as a negative thing.  Let me be the first to tell you. In my life those halts in progress, times we fall down, or times that we are pulled back are all opportunities for us to be sent forward with more motivation and drive than ever.  I like to compare it to a sling shot.  That slingshot has to be pulled back in order for it to be propelled forward to its destination.  So, in life let’s look at these sets backs as power and ammunition for us to be propelled forward toward the destination that we are trying to reach.  The destination that we have our slingshot headed towards may not be where it actually lands.  So, we have to trust that God propels us toward the area that we are meant to be.  Even though it may not be where WE thought we were supposed to land it is where HE sees the most potential for us.   So, looking at our lives as a rock in a slingshot truly makes sense.  Whether you make a bad grade on an assignment, don’t read your Bible for a couple of days, miss a workout (or two), or eat dessert for every meal one day… all of these are examples that we consider “failures” when they truly are not.  Let us all change the negative mindset we have, and let these so called “failures” be what launches us into the many endeavors we all are trying to accomplish. 

#dominatehumbly