Felicia's Figure Model Workout

Hello, all! How was everyone's weekend? Anybody do anything new and exciting??? My weekend was nice and relaxing. My new job allows me to have all my nights and weekends off, and I am absolutely  L-O-V-I-N-G that!!
I got back into the gym today after having my off days, and started a brand new workout cycle. I'm really excited about it. I'm calling this new workout "Felicia's Figure Model Workout" ! It's sort of catchy, right?

Speaking of this new routine, my challenge for last night was to think about and write up the new workout, and my challenge for today was to execute it. I'm not going to put the entire workout on here straight away, after all, you guys need something to look forward to, don't you?!

My new workout split is as follows:

Day 1: Chest and shoulders and cardio

Day 2: Back and triceps and abs 

Day 3: Lower Body and cardio 

Day 4: Traps and triceps 

Day 5: Cardio and abs 

Day 1:  Chest, Shoulders and Cardio

-warm up- (10-12 minutes of the cardio of your choice)

Resistance band front raises - 3 sets - 15-25 reps

-superset with-

Barbell bench press - 3 sets - 15-25 reps 

Stability ball dumbbell flies - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

-superset with- 

Leaning dumbbell lateral raises - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

Incline dumbbell chest press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Arnold Press - 3 sets - 15-20 reps 

drop set last set 

Complete workout with 25-30 minutes of the cardio of your choice

*I did my cardio earlier in the day before my workout, if you don't want to do the cardio at the end of the workout, just make sure you get some type of cardio in at some point during your day*

Terms used with this workout that you may be unfamiliar with:

Superset: A superset is when you do two different exercises as one set. Right after completing the first exercise, immediately move into the next exercise. That is one set. 

Drop set: A drop set is when you use a lighter weight right after your last rep of the exercise. Keep pumping out more reps until you can't go any longer

If you guys want pictures for any of these exercises, just let me know :) 

I really liked my workout today, my chest and shoulders are already exhausted. They're kind of shaking as I type this, actually (ha ha).  

Keep track of your reps and weight of each exercise as you go through your workout so that you can track your progress as you get further along.

Because the rep range is quite high for this workout, make sure to use lighter weights so you can complete the required reps. Working with lighter weights is definitely something I, myself need to work on. I always get into the mind frame that if I'm working with lighter weights, I'm not working hard enough. Even though you're using lighter weights, your rep range is high so you're burning more fat and toning! - just remember that (I need to, too). 

Try this workout out, and let me know how you feel afterwards and how you liked it. Recommendations for any changes?? I'm going to keep at this workout for 3 weeks and keep track of my progress every day and then switch my workout up again. 

Now.... get off the computer and go exercise!! :) 

XXOO 

Fitness Felicia 

P.S. I got another inquiry today about personal training! EXCITING! :) 

Having Trouble Sleeping?

Hey guys. I got some responses to the poll that I have listed on my page (about what you'd like to see me write about), and 2 (out of the overwhelming 4 people that voted) wanted to see more posts about supplementation. So, today's your day, supplement voters! In today's post I will be talking about the benefits of two supplements: Valerian Root and Melatonin

I have had difficulty sleeping for as long as I can recall, it is often difficult for me to fall asleep at night, or to stay asleep. According to the Sleep Wellness Institute, over 100 MILLION Americans suffer from some sort of sleeping disorder...that's about 1/3 of Americans.

That's why I decided to write about these two supplements, I figured that a lot of people could relate to this post.
First of all, what is Valerian Root, and what in the heck is Melatonin?

Valerian Root: 

Valerian is actually a plant native to Europe and Asia, and its roots are used medicinally. 

Valerian is an herb that is used to treat few different things: stress/anxiety, aids in helping one fall asleep quicker and stay asleep throughout the night, and it also aids as a muscle relaxer. The good thing about valerian is that once you wake up from your night's sleep, you do not feel drowsy as you would on a plethora of other sleep aids. (I take 500 milligrams of valerian root)

Melatonin:

Melatonin is not an herb, but a hormone that is found in your body, plants and animals. Melatonin levels vary throughout the day, and help promote a normal sleep cycle. Light affects how much melatonin your body produces. During the winter months, when it gets darker quicker, melatonin levels may be higher in individuals. Taking a melatonin supplement (I take 20 milligrams) simply aids in how much melatonin your body is getting. Melatonin levels are different in all individuals, so if you are having trouble sleeping or staying asleep, your melatonin levels may not be very high. 

I take both melatonin and valerian root about 45 minutes before I am ready for bed, and they really help aid in allowing me to fall asleep faster. I feel absolutely no drowsiness when I wake up the next morning, and often am able to sleep right through the night (which was a very rare occurrence a few months ago).

I like taking these supplements because I know that they are natural and safe. There are a lot of negative side affects to a lot of sleep medication out there. Taking melatonin is just like taking and iron supplement. Some people's iron levels are lower than others, thus they take an iron supplement. This is exactly the same thing - people who have trouble falling asleep may have low melatonin levels, thus they should try taking a melatonin supplement.
A supplement is just what the word means, it AIDING your body in what it is not producing itself.

I used to take the melatonin by itself, but I found that I get a more restful sleep and feel more awake when I mix it with the valerian root.

I would also recommend taking the valerian root with fish oil. All herbs are fat soluble, so the fish oil will help aid in the absorption rate.

Sorry if this was a boring post, but hopefully it was informative for some of you! I know this isn't technically a "challenge," but I did teach myself something new today..I read a lot of info and articles to help me understand more what valerian and melatonin are..so I think that counts as doing something new! Those who know me know I am not a book worm, so reading up on those things was a challenge in itself ;)

If you're having trouble sleeping, I definitely recommend trying out these supplements before turning to any type of prescribed medication. Let me know what you think! Are you taking these already? How do you like it?

Talk to you guys tomorrow!
Xxxxoooo
Fitness Felicia



PS If this is super boring to you, make sure you take the poll I have listed on my blog so you can let me know what YOU want me to talk about on here! I LOVE FEEDBACK! :)