Blogilates

It’s not always feasible to go to the gym – maybe you don’t have the time or you simply can’t afford a costly gym membership. It can also be hard to know what types of work outs to do – and a personal trainer is not always an option.

For years now, I have been following a person I found on Youtube named Cassey Ho, a pilates instructor. She posts wonderful videos on her Youtube channel where she demonstrates how to perform pilates work outs for whichever parts of your body you’d like to focus on – for instance, abs, back, or “booty”. Her videos are very similar to fitness DVDs you might find at a store, or how it might be to attend a fitness class at the gym. The videos are meant to be followed along – so she is doing the exercises at the same time you’d be doing them. She plays fun music in the background, and yells out encouraging words during the exercises. Best of all, the majority of her videos are free! 

Not only does she have great videos, but I also love that she sometimes creates these exercise guides which are able to be saved on your phone for later or to be printed:

She also focuses on being body positive, and helps promote a theme of positivity and staying both physically and mentally healthy to her community of followers.

Don’t worry, I’m not benefiting by endorsing her! I really just think she has great material which can be a great asset to anyone needing new exercises, encouragement while working out, or the ability to work out at home and at whatever time is most convenient. I’ve been following her for many years, and her popularity has soared – she now has a very active Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and website which boasts a very large amount of followers. I think it’s great that social media allowed me to find her and benefit from her material, while also helping her gain a following.

To find her work, you can check out her website, Blogilates, Instagram, or Youtube.

I hope this helps! Let me know what you think of her workouts!

 

 

Shape Controversy & Losing Weight

As the weeks go by and the end of the semester seems as close as ever, I am finding it hard to think of topics that involve an intersection of fitness or health with social media. But because it’s difficult for me to find a topic, it only means that I am learning more than I previously knew. Looking back, I am very glad that I chose fitness as my topic; not only is it something I’m passionate about, but doing so has forced me to delve deeper into it’s world – and particularly it’s presence on social media. I’ve had to reflect and really think about the social media aspects of fitness that I had previously just accepted.

Thanks to Professor Mason, I was reminded of a controversy that happened about two years ago where a woman, Brooke, who lost over 150 pounds was asked to be featured in Shape magazine in order to show her “success story.” However, while most women on the page are clothed in bikinis and the like, Shape refused to have Brooke featured on their site without her wearing a shirt. The reason for this was because she had a noticeable amount of lose skin hanging from her stomach. They required her to wear a shirt and cover her excess skin even though the other woman are able to show their stomach.

You can find the original article, where Brooke tells her experience here.

The controversy with Brooke and her experience with Shape magazine is a reflection of a larger issue in the fitness world. Shape refused to allow Brooke to be presented with the extra skin on her stomach because that would then present an image of fitness that doesn’t meet society’s “beauty standards”. These standards are very predominant, and are very easily seen in social media.

When browsing on Pinterest or Instagram, there are numerous before and after pictures of women (and sometimes men). The before picture would represent how they looked pre-fitness (working out and dieting, typically) while the after picture is meant to be a contrast to how they used to look. It represents their progress and success. However, there seems to be a trend and criteria for an “after picture” on these social media platforms – such as a flat, toned stomach.

Take a look for yourself – A quick search of ‘before and after’ weight loss photos on google images produces a prototypical image.

The difference in Brooke’s situation is that her “after” picture wasn’t “typical” in that she didn’t have a flat stomach. What Shape didn’t realize (or maybe they do, and they are just jerks?) is that Brooke’s body is very typical and natural of a person who loses a large amount of weight (I believe she lost 172 pounds) – especially in a short period of time. By refusing to show her picture, they are refusing to acknowledge her body as being typical, as well as refusing to acknowledge her struggles and the struggle of others who undergo similar situations.

“This is the type of body they should have featured because it can give people hope. Hope that they can lose weight healthfully and even if they don’t end up with airbrushed abs of steel, they’re gorgeous and shouldn’t be ashamed of whatever imperfection they believe they have.” -Brooke

I’m glad that Brooke fought against Shape’s refusal to allow her to show her stomach in their magazine. She was fighting against a norm and fighting against their refusal to acknowledge her body as a real example of weight loss. She shouldn’t be made ashamed for accomplishing something that required extreme endurance and perseverance. I’m also glad that this became a controversy because it was thus widely read and people (hopefully) were able to become more educated on weight loss and fitness.

The Negatives of Fitspo

I recently wrote a post outlining the positive role social media has in the fitness world. In summary, social media allows people to connect, share, and learn through a large and diverse community. While all of this is true, it should be noted that there are also cons to social media’s intersection with fitness.

The fitspo community using a picture of Ryan Gosling trying to guilt you into not eating bread. (Little do they know that Ryan loves it when you eat bread)

One of the biggest negatives of social media and fitness is how easy it is for someone to develop a negative body image. Popular social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram are flooded with an array of pictures meant to be a part of what’s called “fitspration” (also known as “fitspo”). The point of fitspo is to inspire others to work out. While there is nothing wrong with getting inspiration from others to work out, the problem lies in what the majority of these pictures consist of. Typing in “fitspo” (or even #fitspo with a hashtag) often yields pictures of women who are generally very thin (sometimes photoshopped) and tan. The pictures are sometimes captioned with a phrase meant to “inspire” your fit life. Unfortunately, these pictures send the message that this is the body you should aspire to have.

But what if your reason for working out is not for aesthetics? People have many different reasons for being fit – to be more healthy or happy, to gain or lose weight, to gain muscle, build strength or endurance, etc. The flooding of very skinny women portrayed in the fitspo community can make a person feel negatively about their body. It can also cause them to attempt to achieve said body in ways that could harm a person’s physical and mental health. This article summarizes the negatives of fitspo as “shame-inducing, objectifying, limiting ideals that keep women in their places as objects to be looked at above all else.”

A really common Fitspo picture, basically advocating girls to stop eating to look “good.”

Before I became more comfortable with my body and lifting, there was a time when I would see the many pictures on Pinterest or Instagram of fitspo women and think – “why don’t I look like that? If they could do it, why can’t I?” It developed to the point where I would very feel guilty for eating too much or not working out hard enough. Because these women are viewed as “inspiration” or “goals”, it’s also meant to be viewed as obtainable or realistic. These pictures are sometimes digitally enhanced, which is not at all realistic. They also only show one type of body.

For these reasons, fitspo has begun to receive backlash. People are fighting back against this and are altering popular fitspo pictures into ones that are more positive and reflect the goodness of being fit and helping others. Buzzfeed created an article titled 17 Times Fitspo Was Wrong, So We Fixed It where they did exactly that.

An edited fitspo picture taken from the Buzzfeed article mentioned above.

So I’m interested if your experiences with fitspo. Have you, like me, found it to play a negative role in your fitness journey (or to your body image)? Or have the positive aspects of fitspo helped you (such as communities formed, the sometimes more diverse images, etc)? I look forward to hearing from you!

Stay awesome, my friends.

 

Social Media: Your Fitness Partner

Working out and living a fit life can be challenging and isolating. When you change your diet and habits and ultimately your lifestyle, it’s good to have support and help from a community. Unfortunately, it’s often difficult to find people that have similar interests. In fact, with busy schedules, this can sometimes be almost impossible unless you happen to be extroverted enough to talk to strangers in the gym. I don’t fall in this category; I’m the girl with her earbuds constantly in while attempting to avoid unnecessary social interactions.

For a newbie into the fitness world, we are lucky enough in this day and age to have a constant fitness partner at our disposal: social media. To be specific, platforms such as Instagram, Reddit, Youtube, or more specific forums on websites such as Bodybuilding.com. I have personally found that these types of media are extremely helpful for people in all levels in the fitness game. They allow you to connect, interact, learn, and share with people from around the world.

If you’re new or have questions about your routine, you can ask or search specific questions on subreddits such as /r/fitness or /r/xxfitness (a subreddit specifically for women – how cool is that!). For example, I have done this when I was learning more complex exercises such as the deadlift or squat. I have always been extremely weary of injuring myself, and getting advise and suggestions from many people helped me find the correct forms. A common practice I’ve noticed on these fitness subreddits is people videotaping themselves doing an exercise and asking for input on their form. This is especially helpful if you don’t have access to a personal trainer or anyone knowledgable enough to both know correct forms and identity incorrect forms. People would also suggest specific Youtube videos or articles that were helpful. And, by linking to Youtube, I was able to find an entire new community on another social media platform.  The linking and intersections between the platforms is interesting because you are exposed to two different types of social media interaction.

On Instagram, the use of hashtags helps people find communities. In the fitness world, hashtags such as #fitspo (which is an abbreviation of “fitsporation”), #fitstagram, and #girlswholift allow people to find others who also enjoy working out. People can leave positive comments or advise on a picture or short video which can fuel one’s fitness spirit and make them feel better about themselves.

Meanwhile, forums on websites such as Bodybuilding.com are also great when searching for supplement recommendations (such protein or pre-workout), or for asking or searching on a topic on question. However, from my experience, I’ve noticed that the forums themselves tend to be a more male-dominated community. So to avoid an overdose on testosterone-fueled discussion, I use this website’s forum less than reddit, but still find the other features on the website extremely helpful.

While the intersection of fitness and social media can truly be a positive thing, there are also many negative aspects that should be discussed. Next week’s topic will focus on these aspects and the negative effects that come with them.

 

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*Note about the picture used as the header:

I created this image using Canva. I found the image through a Creative Commons search. I chose this image because of its bright colors. To me, the colors seemed to aid to the strength of the picture – a woman holding a weight on her back. I also liked how the image doesn’t show her face and is not sexualized; instead, the image focuses on her strength and muscles which is essential to fitness and my topic. I chose to write my letters in all caps with a bold, simple white-colored font to add to the strength of the picture. If I had used a more frilly font, I feel as though the message of power and persistence would be somewhat hindered. I also chose to make the phrase “YOUR FITNESS PARTNER” bigger than “SOCIAL MEDIA” because I felt as though it was more eye-grabbing to the reader.

Energize Yourself!

I don’t know about you, but this past week has just been killer for me. I’m currently working two jobs and juggling a full time course load and I feel as if I’m constantly tired. Is it true that professors have meetings and decide to assign all homework and projects in the same week? At this point I’m basically ticking off every day until my graduation in May (2 months left! Ahhh).

When I first started this blog, I had thought that I would be able to write throughout the week with ease. I was excited at the possibilities and ways in which I could use this outlet as a means of making myself write consistently. Of course, life is getting in the way (as it always does), and I find myself writing my blog posts every weekend in order to fulfill the weekly requirements. While I’m slightly disappointed in myself, my weekdays are so jammed packed that I truly have no time until the blissful freedom of the weekends. So here I am again, on a Sunday evening, making my blog a little fuller.

Anyway, what I wanted to talk about and share with you was a way to help during your long and heavily scheduled days. I will admit now that I am an avid coffee drinker, and have been since I was a young teenager. While there is debate on whether coffee is good or bad for you (I believe it is good in moderation), I have found from experience that coffee is indeed addicting. There were periods in my life where I would get bad headaches due to a lack of caffeine, and it was then that I knew that my love for coffee was turning against me. I would drink it because I loved the taste and the slight energy  boost, but suddenly without it I was a sloth and with it I was only a normally-functionining human with no increased energy.

So now, I try and drink no more than a cup (or two, who are we kidding?) of coffee a day, and when I still need boosts of energy I resort to other sources. Thanks to the wonderful world of the internet, I was able to scroll through articles and reviews and find things that work for me. Because I tend to lean more on the healthy side, I shy away from energy supplements like red bull. Instead, this is what I do:

WATER

Everyone should drink water with this fierceness. 

Yes, I’m aware that literally the whole world is preaching the many benefits of water. But seriously, if you’re feeling slugish, down an 8 ounce bottle of water and soon will feel a kick. Don’t forget that our body is 50-60% water and that drinking enough is essential to avoiding fatigue and headaches. My boyfriend’s new “trick” when he’s feeling particularly groggy when he wakes up is to drink a whole glass of water. It gets him get out of bed so that he can make me breakfast (What? Who’s dropping hints?).

ALMONDS

Be like this squirrel and eat almonds.

Besides being delicious, almonds stabilize blood sugar and slow digestion, which help regulate energy. Almonds are also a good way to curve your hunger. Keep a plastic bag filled with them in your purse or backpack for an on-the-go energy boost.

BANANAS

These bananas are so happy to see you.

I buy a bunch of bananas every weekend and everyday grab one to throw in my bag. It’s easy to eat, there’s no mess, and it helps keep me more alert. This is because bananas help slow down digestion, as well as help keep blood sugar levels stable.

These are the top three things that I do, that I find to be the most helpful and easy to do. When searching on the internet, there are so many different things that people recommend. For instance one website (not giving any names), recommended that, in order help one’s energy, you should “plant a garden.” Yes, because that’s such a realistic option! Let’s all stop what we’re doing halfway through the day and revitalize ourselves with gardening.

Stay alert, friends!

 

Why You Should Cook more

It’s 2016, and every time I drive home the street is clustered with an assortment of restaurants and fast food chains. It’s too easy to succumb to the easiness of buying your food out. While I agree that some days I just can’t imagine having to cook my food, I do try and prepare my meals at least five days a week. Not only is this more cost efficient, it can also be so much healthier.

In terms of cost, I’ve noticed that by strategically making a large dinner, I can have enough food left over for lunch the next day and even another dinner later in the week. That’s a lot of savings! If I buy lunch out every day of the week, it’s an average of $6 a meal, or a total of $30 a week. $120 a month! If I don’t have leftovers to have for my lunch, my go-to is a sandwich using whole wheat bread, mustard (there are about 100 calories in a tablespoon of mayo), deli meat and cheese, and veggies. I also bring a fruit as “dessert” – an apple, banana, or a couple of tangerines.

While cost is a huge benefit for making rather than buying food (my college-student budget is appreciative), I also do this for health reasons. When I cook, I can control what ingredients I use. I can control the amount of oil and salt that’s used, how many veggies I incorporate, choose low-fat meats, use whatever seasonings I want, etc. When I buy food out, I don’t know what they’re using. They could be using a gallon of butter for all I know (they’re probably not, but who knows). Most fast food chains add an assortment of unnecessary chemicals that I would rather not have in my body, thanks. In general, when I cook my own food, I feel better afterwards because I use ingredients that are good for my body.

Also think of it this way: It’s 2016, and the internet is at your disposal. While people used to rely on recipe books and sheer innovation to find recipes, you can now find anything with a simple good search. Millions of recipes free for you to use, with pretty pictures and in depth instructions. You can find the simplest of recipes to the most complex (when you’re feeling cray-zy). Find some simple stir-fry recipe, or a 30-minute crock pot recipe.

Pinterest is a great website where people can share recipes and save them for future use. I also like Foodgawker. I think of it as Pinterest but for foodies. You can type in any ingredients you want to use and hundreds to thousands of recipes will pop up. I like to search by the most popular – of the week, the month, or all time. You can also type in keywords like “healthy” and “easy” to find things to cook during a busy week.

Anyway, hoped this was at least a little insightful. See you soon!

 

 

Do You Fitness?

Hello friends!

I’ve spent the past couple of days trying to decide what to write about for my inquiry posts. I have a range of hobbies, and choosing just one to focus on for the next couple of months seemed slightly limiting. How could I choose favorites? I play the ukulele and guitar and have an appreciation for folk music (thanks to my hippie father), cook and bake often, love to travel, and I am into health and exercise.

So, after much consideration, my (tentatively) topic of inquiry will be health and exercise. I realized that at this point in my life, it is something that is more than a something I “do”, like a hobby. It is unquestionably a way of life for me, and something that I naturally incorporate into my days.

I have been regularly lifting weights for over three years. At one point I even would have considered myself a “bodybuilder” – whatever that means. I would plan my week over what exercises I had to do each day. I was the friend that put off hanging out because I had to do leg day. A few days after arriving to my dormitory during my study abroad trip to South Korea, I tracked down and persuaded the right people to give me access to the gym before exchange students were supposed to be allowed to use it. I also met my boyfriend my first week working out at the Korean gym – he was a trainer (and was probably impressed by my squats).

My favorite work-out shirt!

Nowadays, I notice that I’ve grown less intense about being a gym rat. I still go four to five times a week and almost exclusively do weights (cardio is actually the worst), but I’m no longer focused on how much weight I can do or how my biceps are looking. I do it to keep myself healthy, improve my endurance, and strengthen my body. It keeps me sane and burns off the energy and stress from school and work.

So for future inquiry posts I will look to the internet and social media to learn more about fitness and health. In the subcategory of health, I will include healthy foods, cooking, and ways to improve your energy. Since I almost always cook relatively healthy foods, this will also be fun and interesting for me to research and write about. In terms of my sources for information, I will look to youtube, instagram, pinterest, fitness-related blogs and websites, as well as blogs and websites related to healthy good. Of course, I might find my source somewhere completely new – which would be fun and a great way to learn!

Anyway – see you soon 🙂