Last month I focused on my core with Classpass. A few amazing things I noticed after focusing on my core, the emergence of baby abs. Like holy cow, baby abs. Can you imagine if I did a few more barre classes and stopped eating after 10pm (old habits die hard).
For February, things were switched up to avoid the dreaded plateau.
So, after a few too many episodes of Dance Moms and watching Maddie's strong and graceful arms I decided it's time to make moves. And if all else fails, I at least want to be able to conquer 1 push-up.
I'll still incorporate my ab-focused workouts but this time around I'll make sure there are a few focused on my arms too. The classes I'll be taking (or have taken) will be listed down below if you're curious. I'm also attempting to clean up my bad habits (baby steps) to help melt the flab away. I'm sure if I weren't so tempted by macarons and Domino's this wouldn't be an issue, but unfortunately bagels are my weakness. My only saving grace is that I'm not a soda fiend - lemonade on the other hand...
After some extensive research I learned about the 80/20 rule. It's where you eat clean 80% of the time, seems easy enough and not as restrictive as some other diets - instead it's more of lifestyle change. Afterall, there is only so many slices of pizza a girl can eat before it all catches up her.
A few changes I've made include switching my daily cup of coffee for Kombucha. I'll still have my coffee but in less quantities. Another is eating energizing snacks after intensive workouts to block my sugar/carb carvings - A favorite of mind include Nuwi which is a drinkable quinoa snack. The texture reminds me of a thick smoothies but it may not be for everyone. And for pre-workout snacks, I rely on smashed avocados on toast or hardboiled egg. Make your pre-workout snacks are eaten at least a full hour in advance, otherwise you run the risk of upsetting your stomach.
As for the bicep-inducing classes I definitely recommend for those of you in NYC:
Again, Kettlebell Kickboxing. It's tough but your arms will look amazing in a few weeks time.
Row House, the name says it all. Your upper body will be pushed to extremes but you'll feel amazing right after.
If your focus is on creating lean muscle, sign up for Flex Studios classes. I finally got the chance to take a class and loved the all-body workout.
If there are any you'd recommend leave them below in the comments, I'd love to try them out. It's crazy how much motivation a Lifetime reality show could give one person, haha! Training for my half starts next month (March 8th) but let me know if you'd like a peek into my training schedule.
Photos via Lululemon.
