I had a fun little posing session with myself this morning!
These pictures really show one of the biggest changes in me that has happened since I started working out about a year and a half ago: confidence. I NEVER would’ve gotten out a tripod and spent 20 minutes posing for pictures of myself. I NEVER would’ve posted them on my personal account, much less a public one. And I certainly NEVER would’ve been happy with them. But today I did just that, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I’ve pushed myself harder than I ever thought possible, and I’ve seen the effects. All this work has been beyond worth it, for both my physical AND mental health!! My decision to get fit is the best decision I’ve ever made. -Hannah :)
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I’ve been working out for around a year and a half and I’ve never taken a break from lifting for more than 2 days before. But, due to a lack of time, I took the entirety of last week off from working out.
And guess what, I’m okay! I’ve always been afraid to do that because I feel like I’m cheating myself, but I didn’t gain any fat or lose any muscle because I was still getting protein and eating in a caloric deficit. Over a longer period of time, it could be unhealthy, but just a one week break was a good thing for my body because I was able to recover and come back even harder. I’m still afraid to increase my calories, even though that’s what’s probably best for me, because I don’t want to go through the initial weight-gaining stage in which my metabolism has to adjust. However, over this summer I will have more time to workout, meaning that I can eat extra [protein] calories and have them go to my muscles. Moral of the story is to not be afraid of making changes to your routine, even though I’m still working on that personally. -Hannah :) Update: I may have changed my mind... maybe I’m not so glad that I took a week off from working out. I’m having a really hard time getting back into it. Now this isn’t necessarily from the break- it could be from any number of factors- but there is still probably some sort of correlation. I’m hoping that as I head into summer break, I’ll have more time, energy, and sleep in order to push myself extra hard during my workouts. We’ll see, but right now I know I’m slacking off. Stress: We all know it’s bad for us. But why- how is it affecting our bodies? Stress causes us to release cortisol, among other hormones, which limit the effectiveness of our workouts. Not only do we store more energy as fat when we’re stressed, but our workouts are lower quality, we don’t recover as quickly, and we’re more prone to injury. So we should just not be stressed, right? Well yes, but at least in my experience, it doesn’t work quite like that. I have a tendency to get really stressed, really fast, and I haven’t totally figured out how to get rid of it. But, I do know what does not work. Don’t think of everything you have to do or everything that’s going wrong. Instead, think of what would fix the scenario and turn it into something positive. Don’t continue to do something that is stressing you out unless you absolutely must at that moment. Put on some music and switch to a less stressful task until you’re calm and ready to go back. You will be much more productive that way. Working out tends to either make or break my stress level. Sometimes it helps and I finish feeling refreshed and ready to go, but other times all it does is worsen my mood. Give it a shot and see what effect it has on you. I know these aren’t the best tips because I don’t have it all together myself, but i hope it helps. On the note of stress, I want to let you guys know that I may be inactive over the next few weeks. I have a TON of things coming up (i.e. AP tests, finals, national science competition, student council officer elections, etc.) and might not have the time or energy to write out posts. I might be skipping out on some workouts, too, but if that keeps me from being stressed, I’d much prefer not working out over spending the time to lift or do cardio, only to have the reverse effect of what I was hoping for due to stress. Anyway, I’ll try to post as much as I can. If you have any good stress-relief tips, put them in the comments below- I may need to give them a shot! -Hannah :) It’s official! I am going to participate in my first fitness competition! I’ll be in the figure category as one--if not the--youngest to compete.
I will begin prep in July, after I return from vacation, and on November 3rd, I will stand on stage—tan, lean, and confident—as I take part in the NPC Megatron. I am so, so excited to embark on the next step in my fitness journey. I know it's going to be A LOT of work, and I know at times it is really, really going to suck, but I'm ready for it. The feelings of accomplishment and pride on competition day are going to be worth it. At least, I hope so—I guess I'll have to wait and see. I haven't done much more than commit at this point, but I will keep you guys updated with my progress and preparation as I get ready to take the stage this fall! -Hannah :) My weight has been going up or staying the same for the past week, but it all dropped off today. Here’s why NOT to listen to the scale... Unless you’re at an extreme surplus of calories, the extra weight is NOT fat. You’d have to eat 3500 extra calories (on top of your maintenance) in order to put on a pound of fat. Weight can be added from muscle or bone mass over a long period of time, in addition to fat. On a daily basis, weight changes are normally due to food and water retention. Something as simple as not drinking enough water or having an excess of sodium can make you hold onto water, increasing your weight. Likewise, drinking caffeine or not eating right before bed can dramatically decrease your weight by getting rid of food that’s been sitting in your gastrointestinal tract and adding weight. Although I weigh myself every day, it really doesn’t mean anything. I’ve weighed more and looked/felt better, and I’ve also weighed less and looked/felt worse. There are so many factors that although the scale weight is one measurement, there’s so much going on that it isn’t everything. Focus on long-term trends to measure progress instead of daily or weekly. -Hannah :) It’s Food Friday which means... almost weekly food prep time!
Having healthy foods cooked and in the fridge makes eating clean throughout the week so much easier! When you don’t have anything ready to go, it’s easy to go out to eat or just grab a snack from the pantry. Having wholesome foods ready for bowl-making is a simple solution that you will benefit from enormously! Here is a list of 100 great bowl ideas that you can use when shopping for Food Prep Sunday this weekend! Savory bowls- BASE: Quinoa Brown rice Forbidden rice Edamame pasta Yams/sweet potato Butternut squash Spaghetti squash Black-eyed peas Zucchini noodles Cauliflower rice Shredded brussels sprouts Egg whites Cabbage White rice PROTEINS: Top round steak/flank Boneless chicken breast Tilapia Salmon Shrimp Tuna Mixed seafood 99% lean ground turkey Center cut pork chop Lean cut pork tenderloin Extra lean ground beef Tofu VEGGIES: Asparagus Mushrooms Broccoli Cauliflower Peppers Brussels sprouts Green beans Zucchini Squash Onions Spinach Snow Peas Kale Spinach Fennel Bok Choy Edamame FATS: Almonds Walnuts Peanuts Fish oil Flax oil Avocado ADD SOME FLAVOR! Sugar free Cocktail sauce Soy sauce Peanut sauce w/ PBfit Sugar free Teriyaki Sugar free BBQ sauce Salsa Pico de Gallo Minced Garlic Chopped Cilantro Chopped Basil Italian seasoning Mexican taco seasoning Smoked Paprika Low carb/fat marinades Popcorn seasoning sprinkles Relish Pickled onions/veggies Pepperoncinis Garlic salt Truffle salt Lemon juice Sweet bowls- BASE: Oatmeal White rice Cauliflower rice Fat free Greek yogurt Cottage cheese FRUITS: Strawberries Blueberries Banana Pineapple Raspberries Blueberries Apple Peaches Coconut Dates Orange Mango Nectarine TOPPINGS: Cashews Almonds Pecans Cranberries ADD SOME FLAVOR! Splenda Stevia Fat free half and half Popcorn seasoning sprinkles Cinnamon Sugar free syrups Protein powder Superfruit/acai powders Enjoy and have a great time food prepping! -Hannah :) It may be Workout Wednesday, but instead, I’m going to talk about NOT working out.
It’s important to listen to your body and recognize your limits. Today I woke up feeling a little feverish. All day, I’ve had a foggy headache and waves of intense pain in my upper abdomen. I didn’t work out, and I’m not going to, but that’s okay. I always talk about “no excuses” but there is a difference between an excuse and a reason. -An excuse is what your mind makes up to convince you not to do something because you don’t WANT to. -A reason is what your body tells you because you CAN’T do something without causing damage. An important step to becoming and staying fit is to learn your own body. Know when to push yourself and when to hold back. Learn which limitations are mental and which are physical. My body is telling me I can’t lift today. I won’t. My mind is telling me to eat lots of carbs. I’m won’t. I hate skipping workouts, but sometimes I need to. Likewise, I love carbs, but having extra is not going to help my body repair. Learn your cues and listen to them. That’s the best thing you can do for yourself. -Hannah :) Update: thank you everyone for your concern- I’m not sure what was wrong, but I woke up today feeling completely normal! I was able to get in not only today’s fasted HIIT elliptical, but also yesterday’s chest and triceps lifting that I missed. My weight is up, but I’m going to attribute it to slow digestion and the build-up of food in my intestines due to being sedentary all day yesterday. We’ll see what happens tomorrow. Have a great day and remember to hit the gym HARD! Happy Transformation Tuesday! These two pictures from 11/22/17 and 4/27/18 show the huge progress I’ve made, not just in my fitness itself, but in posing as well. In just 4 months, I’ve built additional muscle, and also cut fat. I’m not quite “ripped,” but I certainly am more so now than I was back in November. My posture during posing has also changed a great deal. My right shoulder is pulled back more, my left is further forward, my stomach is tucked in, and (although it’s not visible) my hip is slightly more popped. I still have a lot of work to get to where I need to be by competition time, but the progress is certainly there! Even if you don’t like the act of taking pictures or what they look like right now, do it and save them so that you can see the full extent of your progress later! I didn’t take any pictures until I was 7 months in, and I really regret not having anything posed to show where I started. -Hannah :) |
AuthorMy name is Hannah Lehrfeld and I am a high school student with a strong passion for fitness. Archives
January 2019
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