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Leg Day Workout

I know all I have been posting lately is food reviews and I want to talk about fitness a little bit more. Today, I am here to talk about one of the most dreaded days of the week: leg day. I personally do leg day twice a week. Leg day can be painful, but it is very necessary to get nice toned legs and booty. I am going to give y’all one of my leg day workouts that I have been doing. Every workout that I do ends with 10 minutes of abs and 20 minutes of cardio. I rotate between many different ab workouts and rotate between the treadmill, stair climber, rowing machine, and indoor bicycles for cardio. I was no longer seeing results and felt like my progress was pretty stagnant and by adding this 20 minutes of cardio at the end of my workouts, I have lost 7% of my body fat this month alone. After my workouts, I replenish with a Dymatize whey protein isolate protein shake( I will write about this protein supplement in a separate post).

So, for my leg workouts I typically start with the squat rack. If you are just starting and are uncomfortable with doing squats with a free bar, you can try doing squats on a Smith Machine; which will give a little more support. However, I do not recommend staying on the Smith Machine because I was not making much progress there. I started seeing results and definition in my quads with the squat rack. If you are willing to give the squat rack a try, start off with no weight on the bar and then gradually add more weights as you get stronger. You can also have a workout partner spot you during these squats if needed. I have noticed that each week I can add more weight to the bar. I usually do three sets of ten at my highest weight. However, if you want to do more that is up to you.

Next, I usually do the incline leg press. This machine may seem intimidating at first because you are sitting at the bottom and all the weight is above you; however this is a great workout for your quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Start off with no weight and then gradually add more as you feel comfortable. When you are doing this exercise, make sure your knees are staying at a slight bend. I also do three sets of ten for this exercise.

Next, I do a single leg deadlift with a kettlebell. However, you can do this exercise with a dumbell or barbell as well. This exercise is an amazing hamstring workout and you will be feeling it later. Again, make sure your knee has a slight bend during this exercise.

Next, I do a barbell hip thrust. Rest your shoulders on a flat bench with your chin up and put a barbell on your hips. Lower your hips and raise them up with the barbell. Start with a low weight and gradually use a heavier weight. This is a great exercise to work those glutes.

Next, I will do Bulgarian split squats usually with a dumbell or kettlebell. Put the top of one foot on a bench with your other foot planted on the ground and squat. This works your quads, glutes, and hamstrings. You will definitely feel this exercise burning.

Lastly, I will finish it up with the leg extension exercise to get the quads burning. Most gyms will have this machine and you will definitely feel it. This is just one of my workouts, I usually switch the workouts up to make sure I am making progress and not plateauing.

After my leg workouts, I will do 10 minutes of abs which consists of anything from cruches, sit ups, v-ups, leg lifts, bicycle crunches, Russian twists, high-low planks, and regular planks. I do 10 minutes straight and you will definitely feel those abs burning and see definition quickly!

I will finish the entire workout with 20 minutes of cardio. Like I previously mentioned, I will switch up on the different types of cardio equipment and I do recommend doing that. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments & if you would like to see workout videos let me know!

Food Review: Crescent Moon

If you ever find yourself in Omaha, Nebraska around Midtown; make sure you stop by Crescent Moon. This ale house has a nice vibe, great ambiance, and even a downstairs bar room. You will find many delicious craft beers along with delicious Reubens. They have amazing happy hour specials Monday-Friday from 3pm-6pm as well as daily food and drink specials. I first visited Crescent Moon during Rueben Fest and had some DELICIOUS Rueben street tacos. The flavor was so amazing and fresh that I had to go back for more. Paired with my delicious tacos, I had an even more amazing Blackberry cider. I definitely prefer ciders to beers, however they have a delicious peanut butter beer that tasted just like peanut butter! I definitely will be finding myself back at this spot to try more items on the menu and enjoy the amazing atmosphere. Their website gives the full menu with all the specials http://beercornerusa.com/crescentmoon/.

Food Review: Corner Cafe

As you may know, I was in Newport, Rhode Island for Officer Candidate School. One of the spots that I had checked out while I was there was this small little cafe called Corner Cafe. If you’ve never been to Newport, it is a pretty small town with cute character. It was dead in the winter time, however I have heard it is very busy in the summer with tourists. Anyways, the morning I was leaving to go home; my friends and I checked out this local spot. The cafe had a nice environment with friendly service. It seemed to be a popular spot for the locals on a Friday morning. They had a huge variety on their menu for both food and coffee drinks. I am a lover of breakfast burritos, so naturally I had to get a breakfast burrito. I got the Ponderosa breakfast burrito which had scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, and cheddar served with salsa and sour cream. It was served with seasoned potatoes on the side. My friends and I shared a pot of regular hot coffee, which was delicious. The waitress was sure to make sure our coffee cups were full the whole time. You can visit http://www.cornercafenewport.com/index.html for their full menu as they have breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. If you ever find yourself in Rhode Island, I highly recommend you stop by the Corner Cafe and give them a try!

Food Review: Green Belly Omaha, NE

I know I like to talk about a number of things on this blog, however my favorite thing to talk about is food. One of my favorite places to eat a nice, healthy meal in Omaha, Nebraska is Green Belly. This restaurant offers delicious flavored and fresh food. It is the perfect place to go when you are out and about and want a nice, healthy meal that won’t waste too many calories. On the price scale, it is a little bit more on the pricy side; however you get what you pay for. You are paying for fresh ingredients that will nourish you and keep you full until your next meal. My favorite item on the menu is the Super Fit Whole Wheat Wrap. With the meal you get a choice of chips, greek potatoes, or parmesan potatoes. The Super Fit wrap has quinoa, avocado, tomato, red onion, chicken, feta, with Siracha vinaigrette in a whole wheat wrap. The flavor is AMAZING and will leave you craving some more. Visit https://thegreenbelly.com/menu for their full menu and to check out their website. If you are ever in town and want a healthy bite to eat, stop by Green Belly and let me know how you enjoyed it.

Here’s a lovely picture of the Super Fit wrap before I destroyed it.

The Fear of Failure

Failure- what a scary word right? When someone tells you that you can fail something, the thought of failing that thing may make you cringe. Sure, there are plenty of things one can fail at. We can fail a test in school, fail a job interview, fail in a relationship, the list goes on. Well, for those of you who don’t know, which is probably many of you; I recently experienced a hard failure in life. I tried to become an officer in the U.S. Navy. This was an experience I was very excited about and I thought I was ready for. For everyone that knows me, they know I workout regularly and that I can do sit ups. However, when I was in training I failed the sit up portion of the strength test by three sit ups. The reason I failed is unknown because I can do above the required number of sit ups at the gym. However, when it came to the test I did not make it in the 2 minute time limit they had. I won’t make excuses, I know that I should have came to OCS more prepared and should have practiced the strength test at home more often than I did.

After I failed the strength test and I heard that they would send me home, I was heartbroken. Nothing hurt more than when the Lt. called us in a room saying, “Come in failures.” The plan I had made for myself for the next four years and possibly longer was gone. I don’t think I have ever felt failure hit me this hard in my life and it hurt a lot. I cried for about a week straight every day thinking about how I had ruined my chance at something great by failing by such a small amount. I beat myself up over it and kept thinking “If only I had tried harder”, or “How could I have let this go?”.

As the days went by, I beat myself up constantly. I was confused, stressed, and sad. I didn’t know what to do next. My career plan was completely gone and didn’t know what I want to do with my life, and I really still don’t. I was lucky to have amazing family and a great support group of friends both inside and outside of OCS. They made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this even though sometimes I wanted to be alone. I spent my days working out nonstop in the gym, pushing myself to make those numbers everyday after I failed. I asked to try to re enter training while I was being processed out and they told me I needed to go home and re-apply.

After being told I definitely had to go home, I finally let it all go. Sometimes we experience failure to make us stronger. I can say I am a much stronger person today then I was when I stepped out of that van to go to OCS. While I was sad when I had initially failed, and still am upset about it; I realize that everything happens for a reason. Maybe I wasn’t meant to take that path in my life yet or at all. Maybe I need time to think it through more and prepare. Maybe there is a different career path that needs my energy. Maybe this whole experience was to teach me failure and how to handle it. At the end of the day, I guess I really don’t know why I went through this. However, I did learn one thing and that is to never fear failure. I highly encourage anybody to go do something that you may possibly fail because that’s what makes it worth doing. Put your energy 100% into whatever you want to achieve and I guarantee you can achieve it; even if it means that you may fail at it once or twice. NEVER let failure bring you down or deter you from doing what you want. Let failure teach you a lesson and take the time to reflect, grow, and become a stronger person.

How to Start a Workout Routine

Hi all,

I am sorry it has been a long time since I have written a post. I have been going through a lot in life and I will be sure to post more about that later. I know I missed the whole #NewYearNewMe stuff and all the New Years resolutions. However, I am hoping that everyone is sticking to their plans and that you all are still wanting to crush your goals that you set at the beginning of the year.

Now I know life gets busy between work, school, kids, dogs, or any other thing that can take up your free time. Hey, let me tell you it is still possible to fit a workout routine into your schedule. I was a full time college student working two jobs and maintaining a pretty good social life and still found an hour out of my day five days per week to hit the gym. Now I know it is easier said than done and I understand that. If an hour is too much time out of your day, try a 30 minute workout. If driving to the gym wastes too much time, try to do a HITT workout in your living room. There are plenty of options depending on your goals and time limits.

First, you need to think of your goals. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to gain muscle? Do you want to lean out? Do you want an overall healthier lifestyle? These are important questions to ask yourself when you are thinking of how to fit a workout routine in your schedule that fits your goals. Because why would you make time for something that isn’t going to achieve your end goal right? Obviously, if you want to lift weights and gain a good amount of muscle you may need to make some time to go to the gym. However, if you want to lose weight, maintain a healthy lifestyle, or lean out there are plenty of 30 minute HITT workout videos on Youtube that will get the job done. Or, if you want to attend a gym; there are some gyms that have guided fitness classes. And of course some diet changes may also need to be implemented in order to achieve your goals. Your homework is to really consider your goals and how you are going to achieve them. Don’t be afraid to drop some comments below!:) I want to hear your goals and success stories!

The Benefits of Exercise

When it comes to your health, exercise is one of the best things you can do. All it takes is 30-60 mins per day in order to exercise regularly. It is never too late to add physical fitness into your lifestyle. I highly recommend that you seriously consider these benefits and consider adding a workout routine into your daily schedule.

The most obvious benefit of exercising is that it helps to control weight. Of course dieting plays a role in this as well, but exercise can prevent obesity and stay at a healthy weight.

Exercising can help reduce your risk of heart diseases such as high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and heart attacks as well as lowering your blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

Exercising lowers blood sugar levels and promoted insulin to work, lowering your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. If you currently have these diseases, exercise can help manage them.

Exercise can help you quit smoking, as it reduces cravings and withdrawal symptoms. It can also help counteract weight gain smokers may experience when they quit.

Exercise releases chemicals and proteins that help your brain to function, leading to sharper thinking, learning, and judgement skills.

Exercise strengthens your bones and muscles and slows the loss of bone density that comes with age.

Exercise reduces the risk of colon, breast, uterine, and lung cancers.

Exercise reduces the risk of falling in old age by keeping your core strong and maintaining balance.

Exercise improves sleep quality.

Overall, exercise increases your life span. The next step is making it a part of your regular routine. Go check out some gyms in your area and see what works best for you. In my opinion, I would choose a gym that has group fitness classes and a support system. Also, keep the option for personal trainers available. You want your gym to feel like a place where you can escape and work on the best version of yourself. I have been close to the people in the gyms I have belonged to. I will post about starting a workout routine separately. But for now, go check out those gyms.

How to Ace Your Interview

Job hunting can be difficult. It’s a long process with long applications and long waiting periods before you even get a phone call for an interview. So, when that phone call comes around for the interview you’ve been waiting for, you may get very excited. Go ahead and jump around and text all your friends about how excited you are. Share the news! But then, you suddenly realize that you have some anxiety. Interviews are daunting and there’s something about one or more people questioning you about your experiences and who you are as a person that is pretty scary for most people. Don’t you worry, I have a few tips that may make your anxiety go down and will help you land that job of your dreams.

Rule #1: Do your research. Take a few minutes to review the company and what they’re all about. Read their mission statement and core values. Read reviews from previous employees on Glassdoor.com or Indeed.com to get an idea of what is expected. I realized that there are a lot of negative reviews on these sites because people love to complain so take what you want and take it with an open mind.

Rule #2: Think about why you want the job. No, a good answer is not because you need money. Think about what abilities you have to contribute to the company and what impact and legacy you can make. Think about positive traits that you have as well as a few weaknesses because nobody is perfect.

Rule #3: Make sure you introduce yourself to the manager with a firm handshake and a smile. Also, make sure to introduce yourself to any other employee you may come in contact with. You’d be surprised how often managers take employees opinions about you into consideration when making a decision.

Rule #4: Even though you may not have applicable work experience, think about literally anything you have done in your life that may be applicable to this job. Also, don’t be afraid to say you don’t have experience in certain things. However, be sure to say you are willing to learn and are a fast learner. Make sure it is known that you will put both the time and effort to learn the essential tasks of the job.

Rule #5: BE CONFIDENT. I can’t stress how important this is when it comes to interviews and landing jobs. Confidence radiates from a person and if you are confident that you are able to perform a job to an excellent standard, it is noticeable to the employer. Be confident in who you are, what you believe, and be confident that you will land this job. Trust me, it makes a difference and will help with your anxiety. So, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you will get this job. Tell yourself that you will do amazing and that you have all of the abilities to perform this job to an excellent standard.

Rule #6: Ask the interviewer questions, it shows you care. Ask them about benefits. Ask them about opportunities to grow in the company and how long that typically takes. Think of some things to ask prior to the interview.

Rule #7: Body language, it matters. Make sure you are making eye contact the whole time and smiling a lot. I have personally gotten compliments from numerous employers on how I smile so much during my interviews. It shows that you have a positive outlook and usually will mean that you will bring that positivity into your career everyday. Make sure you are sitting up straight and that you are speaking clearly and at a good pace. Also, make sure your handshakes are nice and firm.

Rule #8: Always make sure to end the interview with a handshake and a smile. Make sure you thank the interviewer for their time and express how thankful you are for their time and the opportunity they gave you.

Bottom line, don’t sweat it too much, be confident, and go ace that interview! Treat an interview as a conversation rather than a scary experience and don’t psych yourself out about it. If anyone has any additional tips drop them in the comments!

Cafe Review: The Beanery

So, if you guys don’t know, I recently moved to Nebraska. The other day, before my workout I was wandering around and trying to find a coffee shop to get my caffeine fix before working out. On a Monday, it was hard to find a coffee shop that was open around here. However, I stumbled across this tiny little drive thru coffee shop in Papillon, NE called The Beanery. I ordered a latte with no syrup and found this coffee to have an amazing flavor. It was the right amount of coffee with the milk and made for a delicious and enjoyable latte. I would recommend this coffee shop to anyone in the area who is looking for a good cup of coffee to brighten up their day.

Bar Review: Parkway Tavern

So, just like I love to go to coffee shops for their atmosphere, I also love to check out new bars for the same reason. Sometimes, I will even go to a bar just to have a drink of water, and admire the creativity of the bar owners. The environment that some of these bars create is very welcoming and they can become great places to catch up with friends after work or to have conversations with new people. One of my favorite bars in Las Vegas is Parkway Tavern. First of all, their food is pretty amazing. Second, the have an amazing cider. Third, they have great music. Fourth, they have giant games to play such as connect four or Jenga as well as bowling, board games, and basketball. Fifth, they have a loyalty app where you can earn free beers and get a free shirt upon signing up. The bartenders are always so nice and it is always a comfortable and relaxing environment to have long conversations with friends. They are also known to reward people with a free breakfast if they Uber home rather than driving, which I think is pretty awesome. If you are ever in Vegas and want a chill place to hang out that is off the strip and decently priced, go visit Parkway Tavern on Flamingo & 215. You won’t regret it!