Proof is in the pudding...or Tricep Pushup - Getting Stronger :-)

Today I enjoyed an awesome Arms workout - yes, the guns: biceps and triceps :-D

I got my workout lineup from Bodybuilding.com and approached it as biceps first, followed by Triceps. The reason being that yesterday I read an article indicating that it's more sensible to do all exercises for one set of muscles (i.e. Biceps) and then switch to the other (Triceps) since they are antagonistic muscles and so exhausting one group leaves the other group in a weaker, less primed state to bear weight. Not that I subscribe 100% to this idea but I figured I'd give it a shot - why not!

Doing all biceps movements in sequence, and supersetting for the most part, effectively fatigues the muscle. I also noticed that doing one muscle group at a time allowed for greater focus and concentration on that muscle group since I wasn't switching back and forth from one mindset (muscle group) to another. It's actually pretty cool to feel that greater focus because you feel that you are really targeting it and working for its particular growth - like nursing a child, haha.

What motivated this particular post is the discovery that I am indeed getting stronger!!!
I know this without a shadow of a doubt because today I was able to belt out 4 sets, 10-12 reps of Triceps Pushups (hands shoulder width apart, targeting the triceps). I did each of the 4 sets with solid form!!! For me that is WOW.  Exactly one year ago when I started focusing on weight training 100%, I could barely eek out 6-8 reps w/Narrow-Hand positioning - I felt quite weak in that particular move whereas I was stronger in the traditional pushup (wide hand placement). It was incredible and I could scarcely believe it were it not for the fact that it was me, moving up and down, efficiently and absolutely. Wow, it felt awesome :-)

It's incredibly uplifting and empowering to witness with your own eyes that you are changing for the better, improving, that you are transforming day by day and growing stronger.

That's me and how I felt at the gym after each set of Tri Pushups - Woo hoo!!! :-) Pat on my back :-D

Also note that these are real pushups - no modifications. In fact, I've never performed modified pushups since I feel it's a movement to be done with integrity in order to really test your performance and reap its rewards. Best thing to do if you're starting out is to build up the volume. If you can only do 1-5 reps, then start there and build up gradually adding 1 extra push daily. Also, the body should be in a straight line, bum in line with back (not piking up towards the ceiling, which subsequently makes the move easier). If you're doing the Tri-Pushup, the elbows should be kept close to the waist and not pointing/bending outwards. The image below (lady in red) illustrates it really well.

The feeling of self-empowerment and growing stronger is irreplaceable. I guess the key is to be consistent, continue with your training, challenge your body with gradual progressions of heavier loads for all exercises. Sometimes we don't know what we are truly capable of, we don't push our limits and stay in a comfort zone assuming we're not "there" yet (to go heavier). Well, you won't get "there" if you don't try the heavier weight in the first place! I say this as a reminder to myself in large part because I've noticed that the one time I trained with a Personal Trainer in NYC (Legs) he was great and pushed me to heavier weights, which I thought I wasn't able to handle but which turned out to be challenging yet manageable. It showed me that I tend towards weights that don't truly test my capacity even when I am focused on going heavy...it's almost like I've designated a zone of maximum discomfort for myself. While it is indeed challenging, it doesn't reveal the greatest strength and highest capacity my resilient and strong body can withstand.

With this in mind, I have been approaching, and will continue to do so, training in the coming days are unique opportunities to try the heaviest weight I can handle and use it a baseline, and to retest this maximum weight (the well-know 1RM, rep max). It takes a lot of work, consistency and proper eating for women to gain lean mass - we don't just bulk up or build muscles as soon as we lift Dumbbells etc. We don't have the necessary amount of Testosterone to easily build such mass. Anyhow, point is, my goal is not the 'bulk up' but rather to grow stronger as I already am and to see more overall muscle definition as I go...Muscle definition can only come about by lowering body fat, which is the layer covering up our muscles and which shields any definition or cuts.  And so, slowly, slowly, I will continue training by lifting as heavy as I can (using good form of course), and as importantly - Eating Well! I have personally experienced that one's physique is a result of how we eat and even minimal tweaks in a nutrition program can impact body development. Yes, as they say: a tone, muscular and fit body is 75-80% nutrition, and the rest from work in the gym.

It's a combined, multi-pronged effort and it easily becomes a lifestyle if you want to successfully achieve your particular fitness and/or physique goal(s).

All I know is that I'm having fun and really enjoying the training process.

My original goal was to reach 15% Body Fat, down from 25%...I reached 20% in August and I've continued training at a good pace and intensity since then. I haven't re-measured since August 22nd however I feel confident I'm on the right track by the way I feel and what I see in the mirror. Minor changes but they are changes nonetheless. Besides, I wholeheartedly accept that progress takes time and I am not employing any drastic diets or other extreme schemes. My thinking is that I want to be able to achieve the body of my dreams by eating in a sustainable manner - that I can see myself eating this way in 1 year, 5 yrs, and even 10yrs. So far, so good, and I feel satiated. I've discovered I love the taste of fats and protein, and not so much the starches - I can do without them however I intake healthy options like sweet potato, protein cakes/squares which I bake with coconut, amaranth, oat, and fava bean flour (this unusual one caught my attention and it tastes alright).

Eating nutritiously and with a workable nutrient split. As of this weekend daily macro-nutrient targets are:

• Higher protein = 155g 
• Higher fat = 45-55g 
• Carbs lower in consumption relatively speaking = 50g-75g per day, and aiming for no more than 25-35g Sugar daily.

I've been using MyFitnessPal.com to track daily consumption and I recently realized we can log our foods from desktop, online (duh, Jen) (I had been using my iPad exclusively), making it far easier to input data from my desk. It's a terrifically helpful tool  - thank you to them!

Tomorrow is Legs and Chest, some abs, although I'd love to give my legs some more rest and hit them on Thursday. That's what I did the past two weeks, so maybe I should train them tomorrow to mix it up a bit to surprise my body. Variety is the spice of life!

Message from the Universe & A New Poem: "Listen & Witness"

So many beautiful blessings abound. :-)

Today the universe has been sending me a specific message via Yogi Tea bags, blogs I've read and a Deepak Chopra meditation (from Oprah & Deepak's 21-day meditation challenge: https://chopracentermeditation.com/challenge and click on 'Message of the Day').

Extract:

We may carry long held ideas that were given to us by others about who we are that influence our perceptions about what we want in life. Today, as we meditate together, give yourself permission to let go as you sink into the meditation. Let your heart and soul speak to you as we travel within to hear our inner song of truth. Breathe deeply and receive. Today is a day filled with transformational opportunity. Today we let our hearts lead the way for all of the answers we seek live within- all we have to do is listen.

The message is: "listen more". Listen to what? I wonder. To what the universe has to say? to what my friends and family are saying, literally? To what the surrounding circumstances, occurrences and actions of others are communicating?
There are countless messages in the multitude of things we see and encounter. It's only a matter of choosing to focus on a particular thing and deliberately interpreting it for meaning or a message. At the end of the day, the messages anyone extracts are subjective and will present lessons that one person may see and value yet not the other.

So my consideration is to heed this advice and, thus, I will be more observant. I will listen to the people, situations and elements around me. Sometimes the answer is right in front of our very own eyes yet we assume we must seek it out through the distance. We just don't see it, or ignore its simple, straightforward and uncomplicated existence.

These days I prefer to think that life should be easy, enjoyable and pleasant, and that things generally work out when we look at the bigger picture and frame within its context. Perhaps I just need to listen to nature and appreciate the fact that we're finally experiencing the Winter season in Dubai. The evenings are cooler, mornings remain gray for longer and also fresh, and there are stronger winds ruffling the leaves of the many Palms that adorn this arid yet spirited city.

Habits, and Good Morning Legs & Glutes!

17 Nov 2013-

On Habits & Today's morning workout: Legs/Glutes =)

 

•  Warmup on Treadmill on an incline, 10 minutes

• Leg Extensions = 50lb x 30r (warm-up) / 50  x20r / 60 x 16r
• Hamstring Curl = 50 x 12r + 
• 1 Leg Ham Curl = 10lb x 5r per leg
• Hyperextension = 20r
• Smith Machine Squat = 70lb x 6r / 70x6 / 70x6 (Tough weight for me but I am going heavier)
• DB Back Lunge = 20lb DB/12r, 3 sets
• Good mornings = 35lb x 15 / 45x 15r / 45x 15r
• Pulley Str8 kick-back = 40lb x 15r + 5 Pulses/ Set 2, +12 Pulses/ Set 3, +10 pulses
• Pulley Lift for inner thigh = 20lb x 12r / 20lb x 12r/ 20lb x 12r per leg
• BB Hip Thrust = 45lb x 10r
• 1 Lying down Leg hip thrust, feet on bench = 15R per side with 1 foot extended up.

 

Now on to habits...

Habit is a powerful thing. Once you get used to a particular action and routine you just automatically fall into it without much thought. This is why talk about creating healthy habits is so spot-on. Life can get busy with different responsibilities and we tend to gravitate towards the actions that seem easier. The smart way to go about things is to create a setup that makes it easier for you to engage in the healthy or desirable habits (behavior) to achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Normally people will refer to creating healthy habits when it comes to embarking on a fit and healthy lifestyle and/or you have specific body transformation goals. I suppose you could apply this philosophy to other areas of life. If you are trying to pass a course and need to prepare for the final dissertation or exam, then create habits that permit you to more easily be in a setting conducive to writing, studying, etc.
If you want to improve foreign language skills you could start leaving index cards with words in the foreign language to trigger you to define the word and think about the language a bit more than you otherwise would.

I definitely have habits around my workout regime. Waking up at a certain time (5am or 5:15am) is a fundamental and extremely powerful one. The time you wake up and start the sparkling new day is directly linked with your levels of restedness and can ultimately shape your schedule. For instance, it impacts the time you go to sleep, the types and scale of activities you do at night, it thus reflects an altered lifestyle, and early starts are also conducive to being more productive since this is when you're at your freshest and most alert. However, this is coming from me, already a morning person :-), so perhaps my friends who are not early risers would beg to differ on the last bit.

Other habits include coffee prep process, setting up the laptop to listen to some inspirational video clips, and getting the log book ready to write down the upcoming workout. We are creatures of habit so it's sensible to set up some good patterns of behavior to easily fall into them.  There are habits in marriages, parenting styles and work habits...practiced behavior, repetition breeds familiarity and comfort, hence the willingness to repeat. The more you repeat, the less you think about the action.

Similarly, we can have bad habits, and somehow these seem to be easier to do and harder to eliminate - they're like chewing gum that gets stuck on your shoe sole - pesky, persistent and you seem to always have the most minimal residue no matter how hard you try to remove it!

Thoughts, too, are a habit - hence the saying "Habits of thought" or "habitual thinking"...

If we accept that thoughts create our future, and thoughts are a habit, then it's plausible that habits are intrinsic to creating and shaping our future.

Keeping specific habits can be the key to success in a given domain, field or towards a goal. However, we should also remind ourselves to not be slaves to habit or mindlessly functioning in a mechanical way. It was Emerson who wrote, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds". Indeed...action without reflection is going through the motions without connecting fully, heart and soul, with the activity. Not being 'in the moment,' on a regular basis, can quickly lead to disinterest and self doubt. This is when we are prone to giving up... Don't give up!!!

So the kernel of truth could be: think about what you want and what gives you intrinsic pleasure and satisfaction in doing it, what makes you feel good - and set up some habits that nourish and cultivate paths towards that end goal of satisfaction. Reflect on why you are doing what you are doing so as to be fully rooted in your actions. We can better prime ourselves to do what we want to do, get what we truly want and enjoy the process. Seems like an enjoyable and enriching way to experience life. :-)

Life keeps getting better & better

17 Nov 2013 - 

Here we are, a new start to the work week...:-) Happy to be here.

I had an amazing weekend, they are getting better and better and I love that. Went to the movies, went on a yacht ride with nice Latinos in Dubai and met two girlfriends in the park yesterday. I also cooked, baked, went to the salon, gymmed on Friday (Biceps, Triceps, Shoulders, Abs), washed and vacuumed! Good girl.


I am so pleased that life is growing happier and better by the day. It seems to be linked with my increasing appreciation for each day, each friend, each loved one, all the great blessings of my life - I think the key is gratitude, constant appreciation and consistent awareness of those elements (people, places, situations, opportunities) that generate a feeling of joy, well-being, satisfaction, and more.

One thing I've been doing in the past 2-3 weeks is making lists of things for which I am grateful. I am also more observant about the coincidences and the unexpected good things that turn out in my favor. Simple things - earning a free coffee, the traffic parting in my favor, kind waiters, hearing the right thing at the right time. The idea of keeping a list of positive things is one I adopted from Abraham Hicks - thanks so much, Abe! :-) Indeed, I am saying yes to life and that seems to provide a positive momentum forward to attract more of the situations, people and feelings that I like.

Friday's Training & a crazy pre-workout!

Friday's workout was unplanned since I normally take rest on Friday and Saturday to then resume on Sunday ever more energized. However, that morning I was feeling particularly desirous of working on my arms - specifically my arms and fortunately these were the body parts that were in queue (day prior was Legs. 
So it was. 
However, the Pre-Workout was hugely unplanned, a surprise. What was it? Birthday chocolate cake. Yes, I still have the several (huge) pieces from my birthday (Oct 25) which I had not eaten since that day, in fact I didn't try any cake on that day or since then. However on Friday I was feeling a tad light-headed and needed some energy. I didn't want to spend the extra time making a new pot of coffee and I wanted a relatively quick boost and I knew good ol' cake would provide the required sugar/glucose spike required to energize without making me feel full. As if the cake wasn't enough, I had a few sips of the 1/2 bottle of Diet Coke in the fridge, which is a rarity in my home now (avoid carbonated drinks). 

And off I went on my merry way. For some odd yet wonderful reason I didn't give that (dubiously named) pre-workout meal a second thought. It was a blip on the radar and figured into my overall daily calories. In any event I took this opportunity to label it the carb refeed/reload day since I basically eat low-carb the whole week and require glycogen replenishment yet which I don't incorporate in a calculated intentional way. In that moment when I was contemplating what to take in as fuel I was listening to my body in terms of what it needed, and it was the perfect opportunity to enjoy a piece of cake: early in the day thus will mostly burn it off, no breakfast meal prior to it, and I was going to the gym afterwards. These key factors essentially mitigated the damage. 

I ended up having an amazing workout of about 2 hours at least, saw my friends there, and finished up strong. 

Point is you just have to listen to your body, and not zealously label a particular food as evil or vilify a particular moment of eating something that is not on your list of permissible foods. Cake is highly unusual for me. We are not machines and if you just go with the flow in those rare moments and do not castigate yourself, i.e. you don't freak out - things work out anyways. You just have to trust yourself enough to be aware that you are consistent 90% of the time with proper nutrition and have an overall disciplined approach which curbs indulgences overall. 

There's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill :-). Think long-term and appreciate the fact this is a minor blip on the large screen of your life and the multitude of future workouts and clean meals.

It can be easy to blow things out of proportion, especially the more perfectionist you are. However, with some proper objective rationalization and perspective you quickly lower any potential anxiety or concern. Just ignore it! :-) 

 

 

 

 

 

True Love means… :-)

Sat 16 Nov 2013 - 

Key realization of the day (so far): "True love" means releasing notions of owning another's undivided and complete attention. (i.e. ownership of the loved one). It simply means embracing in the heart the image, memory and essence of the loved one and wishing them always the very, very best, with a smile, knowing you deeply love them and accept them as they are today and now. That is all that matters.

I love living in a state of flow. :-) May it always be so! <3

Letting Go - poem by JArcila, 12 Nov 13

Letting Go

I thought I'd never see you again
and here you are,
Here we go again.

One more ride, one more time?
Will it work out now?

In all our time together, something was off!
I never really felt fine,

always yearning you could be mine

Then I felt doubtful, felt some regret

My question now: is it even worth a try?

I think it's best to let it go,

let things be, apart.

That's how life intended us to be-

In thoughts but not real life.

Look there!
A dreamy cloud floating airily across the sky

passing through and scattering soon enough.

That's how life intends us to be,

this is what I've learned to see.

By J.Arcila, 12 Nov 2013

:-)

ps. I love this poem! :-)

Loving Fitness, Loving Life

It's no secret that I love to exercise, I really, really adore it :-).

I experience such joy and deep delight when I am in the gym, weight training, doing some plyometrics, bouncing around to keep my heart rate up, dancing and finally stretching. I am not sure how it works or where the dynamism, eagerness, passion and energy originate but they are all there, and then some! :-)

I feels like s an incredible blessing and gift of the Universe that I have a hobby that is healthy, uplifting, life-affirming and positive - and it is an activity that I can do as much as I want, to my heart's content. As I've written before in another blog post [http://jarcila.blog.com/2013/11/06/gymming-brings-friendship/] going to the gym can also be a fantastic way to make new, genuine, awesome friends. Gymming is also awesome because you can do it almost anywhere in the world! Even some of the poorest, most conservative and closed off cities will have a gym and I have a sense that almost anywhere in the world there are bound to be folks (men mostly) who want to be muscular, strong and like to lift weights. Even if there is no gym, you can do plenty of bodyweight exercises whether it is in a park, a mountainous area, beach/pool area, and so forth.

For all these reasons I love going to the gym and weight training. This morning it was Day 5 of my training and will rest up tomorrow and Saturday. I'm currently working with a 5-day split. These next 2 days will be devoted to R&R, time with friends, personal care, and basic home duties.

Generally on R&R days I may go rollerblading, swimming, or go for a morning walk on an empty stomach to stimulate fat burning in an easy-going, pleasant manner. This is touted as being highly effective if you want to burn some fat more effectively: doing light cardio, 45minutes max, in the morning before breakfast. For reference you can check our Ben Greenfield Fitness (http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/search/fat+burning+fasted+walk) and Elliott Hulse's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgRcrUU4hEU and www.youtube.com/watch?v=lozkwiyVefw‎).  I love both of these guys and all the incredibly helpful information they put out there.

Light cardio includes: going for a walk, gardening, rollerblading, swimming...an activity that will raise your HR just above resting HR but not so taxing that it will send your cortisol levels through the roof and thus negatively impact your adrenals and send your hormones into emergency mode. It's really easy to do and you will likely feel the effect throughout the day.

When I do such fasted walks I reach home quite ravenous and need to be a bit more disciplined and conscientious about the amount of food I will consume. To avoid overeating I make more of a deliberate effort to measure my servings and to think more consciously about what I intend to eat and why. For instance, rather than just mindlessly munching on nuts while I make the eggs & veggies, I deliberately take 2 Brazil Nuts and set them aside taking bites at a time, include more veggies (since I am really hungry) and use the measuring tools to accurately measure 1 TB Hummus (if I will have it) and the 4-5 egg whites. One thing I am endeavoring to do more and more is taking ! TSP of Coconut Oil as soon as I am back in the kitchen: 

• B/c Coconut Oil is amazing - It has MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), antibacterial properties and its fatty acids can help boost brain function, increase feelings of satiety. Plus it tastes really yum (if you get the Organic, non-commercial type). 

I also find it's good to take the 1 Ts of coco oil right away since it is Fat which will send signals to my body that it need not go into Starvation Mode and thus avoid fat storage. If you do excessive exercise on an empty stomach for long duration you will inevitably trigger the fight/flight response, thus promoting more cortisol which is linked to belly-fat storage and it will send your hormones into an overall tizzy...which we seek to avoid, of course. At least that has been my experience as a female. 

It's best to be in a consistent state of low-stress, feeling good, and well-rested for optimal physical performance and fat burning. If you want to build muscle you need to train, eat heavy and intelligently, and sleep well. If you want to burn fat, you also need to train intelligently, eat even more intelligently, and sleep very well so you can continue to feel good, recovered enough to go strong on the next workout and to optimize cortisol levels high when they need to be high, and low the rest of the time).

I probably get such a kick out of weight training because it releases dopamine (neurotransmitter that generates good feelings and happiness). Furthermore, muscle-bearing activities strengthen bone density, stimulate Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production which is critical for muscle development, bone restructuring and collagen [Read more: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark41.htm]. FYI, HGH is released through exercise and sleep - which ties in well with the previous mention of the value of consistently good sleep.  Not that the latter elements factor into the main reason why I enjoy weight lifting....it is just a fun feeling of getting into it, 

feeling good, vigorous, active, alive, mobile, sassy, sexy, feisty, capable, efficient, alert, moving, deliberate, focused, self-centered and self-focused, hopeful, inspired, and motivated from a je ne sais quoi...In short, making things happen :-) and having fun!

I recently blogged about my more thoughtful approach to training: http://jarcila.blog.com/2013/11/06/gymming-brings-friendship/

One of the most important things for anyone to consider as they begin on a journey of fitness is to appreciate and enjoy the process...Many times we do have short-term goals, however, if you want to transform your body and achieve the physique of your dreams, and maintain it, then it's good to always remember that this is a long-term experience, one that you will be be enjoying for the rest of your days. And so, there is no need to be desperate or anxious about reaching an X point, because then what? If you wish to keep up that X point you likely need to maintain, which means abiding by the same basic, fundamental principles that guided you to your goal. Getting into fitness really impacts your lifestyle, and in fact it can become a lifestyle and life structure for many.
Take it one day at a time, get informed, research, gather knowledge, listen to people who have been working in this field for a long while and who physical represent some of the elements that you admire. Get inspired by reading transformation stories (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans.htm) and keep it up! Fight the good fight consistently and believe in yourself and that yes, you can do it.

Everyone is different and we all see results at varying speeds, and through applying different methods - there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all...For instance. I am a slow fat burner which means it's really easy to be a curvaceous and hold higher levels of body fat...Which means I have to be a disciplined girl in the kitchen and the gym :-D That;s Ok, that's me. You may be naturally lean and thus easily maintain and naturally thin body, which normally means the person has a harder time putting on muscle mass and needs to increase calorie consumption if looking to gain mass. Point is, we are not all the same and it's vital to do some self-experimentation and read up on the different methods to identify the one best suited for your body type, conditions, circumstances and goals.

I love fitness yet I am not 100% sure I would make it my life's work. For the moment, I really enjoy being passionate about a subject but not having expectations or responsibility to it...In other words, I enjoy the freedom, ease and self-directed flow that my current relationship with Fitness is. Perhaps, little by little, one step at a time, I will attract the necessary elements for me to gradually enter into this world more officially. For time being I am having fun without any expectations except from myself. Perhaps one day I will also have fun in a more expanded realm of Fitness in a way where it has greater purpose beyond just me feeling good.

I could go on but I'll nip it here :-)
Over n out!
-Jen :-)