I’m a big fan of @gymandmotivation, and his playlist has gotten me through quite a few hours of lifting heavy things. So I took a few other songs he’s posted in the past and made two fan playlists of sorts, mostly because I needed more of this to work out to.

Playlist 1: http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/415803/Gym_&_Motivation_II.m4a

Playlist 2: http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/415801/Gym_&_Motivation_III.m4a

Download these things and everyone’ll be ‘mirin’ at the gym. Got it?

(You can name them whatever you want, but I like storing them in my mp3 the same place where I put his. Because, you know. Consistency.)

Within the past three weeks:

• Friend joined my gym to start working out with me and learning more about fitness
• Another friend met me at Zumba to talk more about nutrition and my progress
• Boss laughed when someone mentioned they took a walk for lunch. “Are you trying to keep up with Marissa now?”
• Brother called me to ask me about post-lifting pain
• Yet another friend texted me to ask for nutrition book recs
• The usual texts/banter with Melissa, Josh, Rose and Rachel aka my fitspos <3

This is maybe the biggest victory I’ve ever had. To go from the fat friend to the fit one?

MAKES A GIRL FEEL GOOD.

And like the scale isn’t lying and I really am making progress.

70lbs and counting!

I beat an eating disorder, obesity, panic disorder, and a slipped disk in my back. I’m getting strong, fast, flexible, and lean.

All with a magic weight loss pill! Its called “balanced nutrition, calorie counting, running, and weight lifting.”

Crustless Fitspo Mini-Quiches (Gluten Free and Paleo!)

Another super easy limited ingredient idiot-proof dish that everyone will be impressed by. Ditching the crust makes it both gluten free and like half the calories. So freakin’ good and I’m making them for dinner tonight.

Bet you never thought you could make a fucking quiche, huh?

• A little olive oil
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Whatever veggies you want

Steam the veggies. I’m using broccoli tonight—but spinach, asparagus, tomato, mushroom, onions… whatever you have sitting over in your fridge, as long as it’s not too starchy, would go great.

Beat the eggs, add in the ricotta, add in the garlic, add the veggies

Take a mini cupcake pan and oil it. Add the mixture.

Bake at 400* f (200* c) for 20-25minutes.

BONUS: you can eat the leftovers for breakfast.

Awesome, right?

Skip The January Gym Crowd

Three Satisfying Workouts You Can Do Post-New Years

There are two things I can’t stand this time of year. One: people complaining about January gym crowds. You know that they are trying to get healthy, just like you did once, right? And you also know that they pay gym dues all year long, although they never come back, which makes our memberships so cheap… right?

However, the second thing I also can’t stand are gym crowds. Because I have a rhythm, my workout is the most important part of my day, and I don’t like it being disrupted.

So instead of complaining, I wrote down a few satisfying workouts you can do running around your neighborhood. I never quite feel the same about workouts I do at home, but hopefully you can incorporate these 2-3 a week into your routine and save yourself a bit of stress. They’re all inspired by CrossFit, so if you kick it hard you will feel the burn.

Thought I’d share!

All you’ll need: 1 jumprope ($5-10), weights or 1 gallon of water (aka 10lbs you can buy for $1), and a stop watch (get a free app or buy one at the dollar store). 

Workout 1: As Fast As You Can!

Hit start on your stop watch before you start running, and don’t return to it until you’re done. But you NEED to use a stop watch! Otherwise you won’t have the same amount of pressure to keeping going. Seriously.

• Run 1 mile (go on Google maps, find a point about half a mile away, and measure it out. Run there and back. Pretty easy!)
• 15 tricep hang dips with the gallon (while you’re catching your breath)
• 40 jump ropes
• 15 curls each arm
• 40 jump ropes
• 30 weighed crunches (hold the gallon over your chest or in the air above your head while crunching)
• 40 jump ropes
• 15 weighted squats (either holding the gallon to your chest or sumo-style letting it hang between your legs)
• 40 jump ropes

Workout 2: As Many Rounds As Possible (Legs)

Set an alarm on your stopwatch or phone to go off in 20 minutes. This one is short but sweet. And by sweet I mean painful.

• Run .25 mile (map it out via Google maps, but you can also just run the block if you want.)
• 10 squats
• 10 star bursts (like a deep squat, but you use the squat to jump into the air and spread out all your limbs, then fall back into the squat)
• 10 walking lunges (5 each leg)
• Repeat until the 20minutes are up

Workout 3: As Many Rounds As Possible (Arms and Core)

• 25 Jump Rope
• 25 Push Ups
• 25 Jump Rope
• 25 Leg Lifts (reverse crunches)
• 25 Jump Rope
• 25 tricep hang dips (with milk jug)
• 25 Jump Rope
• 25 Weighted Crunches
• repeat for 20min

Bonus: BFF Workout

• You run .25 miles
• While you’re running, your partner holds plank
• The faster you run the happier you make them
• Once you’re back, switch into plank while they run .25
• Repeat until you’ve each run 1.5 miles

Being Eastern European myself, I think this should be the theme song of body positive fitblr.

It’s just as weird and food-centric as 90% of you. Don’t lie.

Alright fitblrs. I don’t care if you ate Willy Wonka’s entire goddamn factory.

You didn’t do any worse than the rest of us did.

Clean your kitchen. Clean out your fridge. Banish junky left overs out of your pantry. Go grocery shopping. Go to the gym. Stop making excuses.

TODAY IS OUR DAY.

Just checking into the Minneapolis hotel. Inspired to run, to eat right, to do politics, and to go out and be social. I’ve been in such a slump with all the things I love. I’ve been here for less than an hour and I feel better than I have in a few years.

If any fitspos out here want to meet up for a run and food between now and Monday, please message me!!! :)

So here are my first measurements for a month of upping my calories from 1800 (what I thought was my BMR) to 2000 to see what happens… and holy crap this is exciting!

• WEIGHT: 187.4lbs
• BODY FAT: 26.8% (healthy range!)
• MUSCLES: 38.3% (very high)

I’m in the average range of body fat! And my muscle percentage is athletic! Holy crap!!

I guess I was right in upping my calories… now off to work to see what today brings me!

For two weeks, maybe all of July, but def not longer than that.

I’m still going to calorie count, eating clean, and workout hard 6 days/week. My body has just felt sluggish and shitty lately, and I think it might be because I’m under-eating. My hope is that I’ll be able to perform better now so that in a few weeks I’ll be back to normal and stronger than ever.

There’s still a chance I will (a) lose a pound or two, (b) lose fat and gain muscle, or (c) gain a pound or two in muscle but my fat won’t go anywhere. I’m okay with any of these. I’m going to transition to the body fat scale tomorrow so I can accurately keep track, mostly for the sake of science.

I WIN AT FITOCRACY.

This is just straight up from the WOD today. Warm up was a quick .25 mile run, then strength training was pull-up goat training. WOD was AMRAMP 6 pullup / 8 pushup / 10 med ball deadlift squats for 20min.

In summary:

• 1/4 mile run
• 2 rep pull-up (assisted) x 10
• 6 rep pull-up (assisted) x 9
• 8 push-ups x 9
• 20 8lb med ball squats (only way I could log it) x 9

I honestly performed really weakly (I got 9 full reps done while everyone else was closer to 12) even though I was perfect with my diet today. Gonna walk Olive and come back to research and reassess my calorie intake and workout routine.

HOLY CURVESPO BATMAN!

About to go kayaking like a good fitblr when I tried on my bathing suit for the first time in a year. BAM! I’m almost tempted to stop losing weight ;)

I don’t have any photos of me in it from last summer sadly, but here’s a random body comparison for everyone that’s new around here. About 65lb difference:

BRB, gonna get some Starbucks, jump in a kayak, and fucking workout in this bathing suit all day ;) Way beats the gym.

Did somewhere between .75-1 mile in 9:15, depending on if you believe my pedometer or Google Maps.

It was 91*f with 40% humidity and full fucking sun. After I’d already done CrossFit this morning and hiked 2 miles during lunch with the dog.

I will say, however, I felt awesome as fuck after every car passed me. And now, as a reward, my first professional massage ever! My back needs some help.

I am counting down the days already. Basically I have to work 7 days a week for a month month between teaching at an arts camp during the week; body painting weekends; and a million freelance things in between.

I’m going to enjoy the shit out of today:

• Breakfast
• CrossFit
• Second Breakfast
• Hiking with Olive
• Lunch
• Whatever the fuck I want / general chill time
• Quick run so I can destroy @prick-toriaseville on fitocracy
• Shower
• Chairing a forum on black liberation
• Out to the pub with some cool kids