let the words that come out of your mouth...encourage, inspire, compliment, and brighten someones day! When you speak positive words into others...you'll be surprised how it actually "speaks" positivity into your own heart and spirit...never let a compliment rot in your heart because you felt funny telling someone....set your compliments free the moment you think them....you never know how many times that person will replay what you said in their mind...and it can really change their outlook on themselves....and their world!!! Spread compliments, love, and something positive today!!! I'll do it too....let's sweeten up the world!!! can't wait to tell you the surprise.....
I've always been the type of person that (sincerely) compliments people. I never keep anything I have to say inside, because I always feel like it is my duty to brighten someone's day. You never know how a comment can change someone's day or lift their spirits or self confidence. The best part is, complimenting someone else, like Kandee says, actually makes me feel good about myself. It releases a positive energy and distributes good karma into the world.
The idea of spreading positivity and kindness is what inspired me to do the blog post. I realized that there are so many beautiful people (both on the inside and outside) in my life...and although I love to share my thoughts and opinions all things fashion, beauty and makeup, I think it is also important to showcase the people who inspire and motivate me.
Maja is a beautiful, intelligent woman I met recently at my cousin's wedding in my hometown. I was immediately drawn to her because we were both wearing a black flower hair accessory in our hair! It was fate! We ended up chatting the night away about all things girly. It is literally a miracle that we did not meet sooner...we are like long-lost twins!
In addition to her beauty and awesome career, I was most fascinated by her fitness routine. She is one of the most fit women I've ever seen- she has the kind of body many women covet- thin and toned, with no bulkiness in sight! I asked her how she achieved such a fit body, and she agreed to share her wealth of knowledge with my readers.I just started back at the gym after a post-wedding bout of laziness, so I hope Maja's tips inspire you as much as they did me. Note that this blog contains two parts. This first part will focus on health and fitness, and in part two, Maja will talk fashion and beauty with us (because she has a ton of product-faves I know you guys will love!)
Here's what Maja had to say about her fitness routine, and tips for overall health:
Name: Marija M Age: 25
Career: Director of Services at an IT Security company
1. You were a ballet dancer for 16 years, what do you do to stay in shape now?
Ballet was a huge part of my life, and still holds a very dear spot in my heart. I danced English style, Royal Academy of Dance ballet which is one of the most formal styles, adhering to traditional, very technically driven ballet. So I’m lucky to have those years in my back pocket when it comes to discipline and staying fit. Although I only dance recreationally now in a few adult classes, I am in the gym 6 – 7 days a week to maintain and improve (that, combined with a clean diet of course). I think one of the most important things for working out is Variety! You need to keep you body guessing as opposed to falling into a rut. This will also prevent you from getting bored and dreading it. Specifically for me, I love the classes my gym offers. My favorites are, ‘Core & Sculpt’ as well as ‘Step’ class (great for the glutes!)
In general, I tend to do more cardio than weight training which is just a personal preference. Weight training is something that everyone should be engaging in. For girls similar to myself (super girly) DO NOT BE SCARED! When I really started to get into the gym I was petrified of bulking up, or becoming too muscular. Stemming from my history in dance and love for the Victoria’s Secret models, I tend to prefer the long, lean, toned look over the muscular look – BUT quickly realized how important strength training is for your overall health and well-being. Here’s the secret that took me a VERY LONG TIME to believe/trust. LOW WEIGHT – HIGH REPS. That is the golden rule for me and when I don’t think I could ever do even just ONE more squat, you can probably do 3 more. Always ALWAYS ALWAYSSS, push yourself!
A sample of what a regular week would look like for me is:
SUNDAY:
Cardio: Elliptical trainer, 60 min
Incline: 70% (high incline really targets the glutes and hamstring area)
Resistance: 35% (lower resistance is good in the sense that it helps keep you in the fat burning stages (as opposed to the cardio stage)
MONDAY:
Core Conditioning – Focusing on strengthening the abdominals and back muscles using a mat, stability ball and weighted ball: Approximately 1 – 1.25 hours
TUESDAY:
Legs – 50 min
Squats (regular and sumo) - Approx 100 squats – No added weight
Lunges - 150 lunges (each leg) – No added weight
Leg Extensions - Approximately 50 Leg Extension – 10 lbs
Leg curls – Approximately 60 – 12.5 lbs
WEDNESDAY:
Cardio: Elliptical trainer, 60 min- Incline: 70% , Resistance: 35%
I also do a Hip Hop or Ballet class on Wednesdays at a local school if I don’t want to go to the gym.
THURSDAY
Interval Drills – 60 min – This class has a cardio element consisting of athletic drills alternating with resistance drills
Core Conditioning – 60 min - Focusing on strengthening the abdominals and back muscles using a mat, stability ball and weighted ball
FRIDAY
Step Class or Boot Camp
SATURDAY
Body Sculpt - Full body conditioning using 3 lb dumbbells, step, stability ball and mat!
Also, to close on this one, if there is one recommend I would make - it is, to go out right now, and invest $20 in the book “Making the Cut” by Jillian Michaels . This is my lean body bible!!!! When you try it, you will know why!
2. What are some foods/snacks/ meals that you would recommend for women who are trying to eat healthier?
I’d like to start off by telling everyone who is reading this, that I eat 7 – 8 times/day! Secondly, I’d like to squash any rumors of Carbohydrates.
Carbs
50% of your daily calories should come from COMPLEX carbs. There is a common misconception whereby many women think that a diet rich in protein and low carbs is the master plan, but it can actually limit your potential! Also, avoiding carbs like the plague can lead to binge on simple sugars because you're depleting your body from the supply of glucagon that it needs. Glucagon is what gives you that energy everyone loves you for-subsequently turning you into Little Ms Moody/Grumpy.
Caloric intake:
First and foremost, this is NOT the holy grail, but simple mathematics! If you're looking to lose weight, you just need to burn more calories than you're taking in. If you're maintaining, balance them out, and if you're looking to gain, eat more :).
A great way to calculate what your body need is via the following calculations (Please note this does not take muscle mass into account so the numbers will be lower if you're more built):
BMR
655 + (4.35 * your weight in lbs) + (4.7 * Height in inches) - (4.7 * age in years)
THIS # is your Basal Metabolic Rate (calories you burn each day just from being the fun loving girl you are!!)
CALORIC INTAKE
Take your BMR # and multiply it by:
1.375 - if you're mildly active
1.55 - if you're moderately active
1.725 - if you're very active
1.9 – If you're over the top extremely active
=the # of calories you should be consuming daily if you want to maintain your current weight.
Connecting all this back to carbs (I go off on a lot of tangents) take that last # you calculated and divide it in half, then take that # and divide it by 4 (the # of calories/gram of Carbohydrate)=The # of grams of carbs you need each day! Take that and tell Dr. Atkins to shove it!
*Note* I can’t stress this enough - MUSCLE weighs MORE than fat! So if you're looking to kick it up at the gym or are an active member, do not be discouraged if your weight isn't going down. That little number "screaming at you" on the scale isn't not the 'end-all-be-all', its how you look and feel! Instead of the scale (I hardly weigh myself), I use my clothes to gauge progress - They don't lie to you! If you want to go that extra step (some may think its a little over the top), I take my measurements and record progress/maintain size that way. Click HERE for a great summary of what to measure
This is all nice and pleasant (because you can stop thinking carbs are the end of the world now), BUT it is useless unless you stick with some wholesome COMPLEX carbs vs. the sticky icky SIMPLE ones. Some examples:
Complex Examples
GREEN VEGGIES!- Broccoli, Spinach, Green beans, Cucumbers, Asparagus (Our fridge is full of glorious greens!)
Brown Rice
Unsalted Unleavened Rye Bread
Sweet Potatoe
Oats/Grains
Simple Examples
Anything Bleached (white bread, rice, pasta, sugar)
Refined cereals....(On that thought, anything refined should be banished)
On the average day (I am not an experimental person, so this is usually my meal plan every day) I eat:
Breakfast – 7 am | 1 Large glass of water |
Snack – 10 am | Fruit or Granola bar |
Lunch – 1 pm | Turkey Warp with Veggies and Salad |
Snack – 3 pm | Fruit |
Immediately Before the gym – usually 6 pm | ¼ scoop of Oatmeal |
Immediately After the gym | Weight training – ½ scoop of protein powder for muscle repair |
Dinner (No earlier than 25 min after the last post gym snack) | Chicken or Fish |
Night time snack (optional) | Unsalted Soy nuts |
*Daily vitamins:
Multivitamin (for women)
Glutamine (in my protein powder to keep my immune system optimized)
Vitamin C
Calcium (With a lean diet its hard to get the suggested daily intake amount)
B6
Omega 3-6-9 Oils
CLA (should be 3 times a day – assists with fat burning : ))
My daily caloric intake target is about 1250 on a non-active day and can be up to 1800 on a cheat day (I love candy and pastries and will not deny myself a treat every so often)
Here goes my disclaimer…again…This meal plan is relative to my body, proportions, activity level etc. Your own meal plan should cater to your needs and what your body is telling you. The KEY NOTE to takeaway is CLEAN EATING and no junk!!
3. What do you like to wear to the gym?Anything Lululemon! They understand a woman’s body especially when she is active! They were a bit better when they were privately owned and operated, but are still the top place for me.
There is more to come from Maja later this week, so watch out for that. In the meantime, if you have any questions for this fitness-guru, please leave them in the comments below, and I will ask Maja to answer them when she can!
I hope you all feel motivated and positive! I was definitely more motivated at the gym today after reading Maja's wise words.
Who inspires you? Let me know in the comments below...and remember, when you see someone and you genuinely enjoy something about them, set that compliment free and brighten someone's day!
xoxo,
Veronika.
