As I mentioned in my Beauty Beat roundup, last month really did a number on me. I was sick with a cold turned sinus infection for pretty much the entire month. I didn't work out as much as I wanted, but I needed to nurse myself back to health. So, like I said, don't beat yourself up if you don't always meet your expectations. I did manage to keep up with my home practice yoga for most of the month, but I didn't get in daily runs. I mad it a point to listen to my body and it was telling me I needed to focus on getting better and running in the cold didn't seem like a smart decision.
Last year was a turning point for me. As my body finally recovered post birth, I seemed to finally settle back into my body. I found this was similar to when I had my first child. It took me about 2 years to get my hormones and body back in check and not have my weight fluctuate so much. I lost 20 lbs - going from about 150 at my heaviest to 130 and I've been maintaining that weight for this past year through proper diet and regular exercise. My goal weight has been 120 and I am realizing to meet that, I will need work on muscle building to help increase my metabolism. That means that I will need to incorporate some sort of weight training. Right now, I focus on a combination of core yoga for my strength training and traditional yoga to aid in overall flexibility along with running for cardio. It's working well for me, but I do find myself to be tired if I don't eat enough. This is where the research about vitamins and supplements began. I realized with the addition of core yoga strength training, the daily grind of being a working mom and everything else in between, my daily vitamin just wasn't cutting it.
For athletes hoping to make gains and take their workouts to the next level, supplements may be able to aid along with proper diet. For your pre-sweat prep, you’ll want to search for a product containing carbohydrates and moderate amounts of caffeine. This helps to delay fatigue and helps ensure you stay strong through that last mile of your run. After your training session, a post-workout recovery blend is another way to potentially speed up that muscle recovery. If you find your body is exhausted post workout, you may want to incorporate branched-chain amino acids as key ingredients that may help prevent soreness and repair the muscle tissue.
For people hoping to maintain or increase weight loss, a supplement that focuses on management is the way to go. BikiniBOD offers a proprietary supplement created with the female body in mind. Made in California with natural active ingredients, BikiniBOD The Ultimate Beauty Body Formula™ is 100% Vegan and Non-GMO.
The product was designed to support a healthy metabolism, help suppress appetite and overeating and assist in your weight management goals. Each 60-count bottle (30-Day supply) contains a comprehensive proprietary blend of Bitter Orange Extract, Garcinia Cambogia, Yohimbe, Raspberry Ketones, Biotin, Green Tea, a high-ORAC "SuperFruit" blend and more. They also offer a nutrition plan as part of your purchase. This is a great way to maintain and keep on track as you need to combine eating well along with exercise to meet weight loss goals.
It is important to incorporate specific ingredients and vitamins to aid in your gains and losses. For example, According to the American College of Sports Medicine, recent research indicates that athletes who consumed moderate amounts of caffeine one hour prior to a workout increased their endurance during spinning and running tests (in a laboratory setting). Going beyond a multi vitamin and focusing on specific vitamins like Vitamin C is important as well. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which helps with dealing with metabolic stress — and training is at it's core - metabolic stress. Vitamin B6 and B12 are also important as it is common to be slightly deficient in Vitamin B.
Finally, Branched chain amino acid (BCAA) blends may be another supplement to incorporate into your daily consumption. BCCAs consist of a mixture of three important amino acids: leucine, isoleucine and valine. The body uses amino acids to help digest food, repair body tissue and promote growth, among other functions. Commonly found in protein sources we consume like meat and eggs, the three amino acids that make up BCAA blend are essential for people who want to build muscle, and also repair damaged muscle tissue after intense workouts.
As you keep moving forward on your fitness journey, remember it is all about consistency. Maintain your focus and don't be afraid to be flexible. Fit workouts in where you can, if you miss a day, don't beat yourself up, but get back on track the next day so you don't miss a beat. Always remember you have to look at this journey from a holistic point of view. Don't just focus on working out. Get your mind, body and soul in check. Eat well and start with health on the inside, then focus on your mind and body. I found that when my mind is off kilter and filled with stress and anxiety, my body reacts in a negative way. Stress and anxiety have a direct impact on your hormones, which can lead to weight gain. This is why I enjoy yoga. The power yoga gives me a workout that focuses on strength training whereas the traditional yoga helps me with stress. Each system is interconnected and you can't fix one and think that everything will be ok. You need to focus on all three areas to reach optimum health.
What have all of your fitness journeys looked like? What has worked for you and what hasn't? I would love to hear! Leave your thoughts in the comments section or even sound off on Facebook!
Namaste,
Jen Lezan
Halfstack Editor in Chief
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