Pre workout energy supps? I miss INTENSITY and have revamped nutrition and sleep, water… Need something more to get me out of a slight slump. Thanks!

SO much stress on tumblr right now, causing bad eating habits, skipped workouts, but even worse - horrible feelings about yourselves. 

Let me remind you all that no money, potential career, grade, etc. is worth that much stress. Seriously, keep things in perspective. I have been through college and have what I consider a successful, professional career so I’m not just speaking without experience on this. I can honestly say a lot of things in life that should have been stressful were more fun for me than bad because that’s what I made it be. If I needed to have stomach aches vs. getting an A, I usually chose the B+ or tried the hardest I could right under the kill myself stress level. Here I am, NOT regretting it even as I pay off my loans forever. 

You all go through more stress when you train your bodies but for some reason are letting school get the best of you, even though physical training is mentally beyond many people (until they get started of course). 

Work hard, but there has to be a line. Keep things in perspective! This applies to more than just school, too.

Also remember that it’s ok to fudge a little and stay on track ;)

Best wishes all!

nopityfitness:

Train with a purpose today, don’t just go through the motions.

Get out there and kill it.

GNC Pro Sculpt

I cannot figure out what to substitute in meal plans for sweet potatoes/yams. They are kind of starchy but not like white potatoes, but are they carbs or veggie?

Ideas? 

UPDATE: Pumpkin, winter squash, carrots. In that order of preference close to nutritional value.

I’m at 133 lbs, and I’m a little confused how to gear my workouts and nutrition. I want to get leaner (I have a good bit of fat left in my thighs and hips), and keep my muscle/weight training but I’m not sure how to go on without cutting too many calories for such a long term. I’ve been around 1600/daily (some weeks I tried 1400 per day) for months now and it’s helped me lose 14 pounds in addition to my workouts. I know that weight loss is calories in vs. calories out but I also know that cutting forever isn’t very sustainable and I’m starting to feel a little deprived which is making it tough to keep on this way, especially now that my metabolism is more revved up.

Do I go into maintenance mode and trust my muscle, workouts and metabolism to burn the fat off the top at this point? Or do I keep cutting calories and suck it up until I lose more fat before I go into maintenance mode? I want to lose about 5-7 more lbs of body fat in the next two months. I’ve been stalled again for about two weeks (going by weight only).

I have been switching up my workouts every 2-4 weeks.

Thanks for any advice!

My current goal is to get lean, since I have about 15-20 lbs of body fat (at least size-wise) to lose before I can really focus on toning and defining. In the meantime I’m reaching other goals like building more endurance and athleticism, but it’s harder than I thought to do higher reps with less weights. It’s not that I can’t do them, but I’m not losing weight nor am I feeling like I’m building much muscle. They are difficult enough, and I know the point is to burn fat and I DO feel a little smaller and more tight than before, but I don’t feel like I’m losing bodyfat as much as I used to when I did about 12 reps and medium weights. I’m not able to do 4 circuits yet, just 3.

I have a muscular body type, so I tend to want to do that instead of the 20 rep lighter weight circuit sets, but I’m afraid to deviate from the workout that’s suggested to get lean until a few more weeks. However, I’m also afraid to lost all that time if I’m still feeling this way.

I had been doing heavier weights in the past, with less cardio, and I’ve always built muscle, lost a few pounds and enjoyed feeling stronger, but without leaning down with some cardio never lost much size. So I decided to do a Get Lean workout from my fave magazine for a few weeks and focus on lean for once. It’s been going well and I’ve discovered better ways to incorporate HIIT cardio spurts (30 mins, 1:30 intervals totaling 7 miles) with steady state (30 mins of varied machines or outdoor running) scheduled throughout the week, but I’m not sure how I feel about the circuits portions. 

I also forgot to mention that I have not really lost weight. I lost 2 lbs initially about two or three weeks ago but then I’ve gone up and down with 1 lb weekly since and haven’t lost another. Though I feel less jiggly, I don’t feel like I’m making progress like I have with other weight routines, even though I’m doing more cardio than I ever have.

Should I keep working with this Get Lean routine for a few weeks and see if the next few weeks change? I’ve been doing it for 3 weeks now. Eating clean has been a struggle but something I’ve been dedicated to as well, even keeping a journal.

(Source: muscleandfitnesshers.com)