Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a few days, spent the weekend at the beach (so nice to get away!), and when I returned home to blog I found that our internet was down. But I'm back! Has anyone been doing the figure model workout? I started a new cycle today and it felt GREAT.
No matter how stressed I am, hitting the gym after a long day always immediately clears my mind and helps me to de-stress.
My new "thing" for today was starting a new pre-workout. I used
n-zero extreme. I
loved it. I felt such a good pump during my workout and felt a lot less fatigued during my sets.
Pre-workouts are great to get your mind and body set to workout, and do help provide focus and pump to your workout. However, pre-workouts are often quite
pricey. You can obtain basically the same effects of a pre-workout by drinking an energy drink (such as monster) or caffeine (like coffee) about half and hour before your workout. They work as
much cheaper stimulants if you're looking to try out a pre-workout supplement.
There's something that I wanted to write about today..I wanted to talk about why (I feel) it is important to look good when you workout. Just a note: I am absolutely not knocking anybody who hits the gym without makeup or wears an old, baggy t-shirt..I just wanted to give my POV and see if anyone felt the same way.
I've gotten so many nasty, rude comments while at the gym about the outfits that I wear (always from other girls). If you cannot tell by my workout pictures, I like to wear compression shorts and tight tank tops. I usually wear lots of bright colors and most always have my shirt, sports bra, socks and shorts matching each other. I also always wear makeup when I'm heading to the gym.
Now I know that I may be going a little bit above and beyond with the whole matchy-matchy thing...but it suits me, and for a good reason, too.
I don't know about you women out there, but when I try clothes on in a store, if I don't have makeup on or have my hair looking nice, I feel like the clothes don't look as good when I'm trying them on. You need to know exactly what you're going to look like when you wear those clothes, you know what I mean? So it's hard to tell what you're going to look like if you don't have makeup on or your hair done. Maybe that's just me? Not sure.
But anyways, it's the same thing for me when I workout. I like to see the way my body looks at it's best - which is in nice clothes, with my hair and makeup done as well. I like to wear my compression shorts and tank tops because I like to actually see my muscles working. I also like to see what areas I need to improve on.
Seeing my muscles working as I'm lifting weights is such a confidence booster. It's nice seeing your body transform into something you are proud of!
I know a lot people like to get into the gym and get out, and don't put much time or effort into what they look like when they're headed to the gym, because they're going to get all sweaty and tired and smelly...and that is 100% fine! I'm not knocking that at all. But I feel that seeing yourself look your best while in the gym can actually be a big motivating factor in your workout. If you look at yourself in the mirror and think "yah, I look like crap, I just want to get this workout over with," how good of a workout are you really going to have? Compared to you looking in the mirror and thinking "yah, I look pretty good!" You're going to want to keep looking good and push even harder in the gym! Guaranteed!
I had a discussion with my father about this topic, and he disagreed with me completely. For fathers day, however, I bought him his very own (colorful) compression workout shirts, and I bet you after he wears them and sees the way he looks in them, he's going to change his mind about all this. (I'll keep you guys posted on that one!)
I've heard comments like "wow, who does she think she is?" and "does she think this is a fashion show?" and lots of other rude remarks about me while I've been in the gym. But I have a method to my madness, I swear.
I think that everyone should look their best in the gym, for me, it is absolutely one of my biggest motivating factors and confidence boosters. Seeing yourself progress feels absolutely amazing.
Everyone should be proud of the way they look, big or small. If you're in the gym, you're obviously trying to work on your body and health, so don't be ashamed of the way you look and cover up.
I think everyone should at least try and see my point of view on this. If you disagree, that is quite fine, but let me know why. If you agree, let me know about that, too! Because sometimes I feel like a downright crazy person walking into the gym all frills and spills. Recently, though, I've gotten to the point where I just do not care.
Gimmie some feedback, guys! Last post's feedback was W-E-A-K! Let me know that you're out there reading this and I'm not just rambling to a wall! SPEAK UP!
Kill it today, everyone!!
Love,
Fitness Felicia
