Happy Mondayyyyyyy!! Something I have to do today is DECIDE to be happy. It’s been a couple weeks of some self hatred behaviors and I refuse to feel this way any longer. This is something I go through every so often and it’s a behavior I may have my entire life to some degree. I go through these times where I feel disappointed in my progress in the gym, disappointed in my body, and disappointed in myself for having these feelings. But as I get older, I know I can modify these feelings with just a few changes in my day-to-day life.
My entire life, my body has changed pretty drastically. I gain and I lose weight from month to month. My best friend has even told me that my body changes more than anyone she knows. So when I get to a point where I am comfortable in my skin, my body changes again. Which makes sense because our cells are constantly changing, so every week, we have a new body to some degree. But I’m not always comfortable with those changes and then I find myself not respecting my body for what it is able to do every day.
So today I started my day off the same way I always do…by making coffee. But when I walked past our mirror in our living room, I looked at myself and I told myself a few positive words. I may not believe them at the moment, but it set the mood for the day. I don’t want to have these feelings, I don’t like these feelings, and I definitely don’t want these feelings to take over. We are in control of our minds, it just doesn’t feel that way at times. But if we make the conscious decision to change our perspective and move forward with positivity, it’s amazing how our outlook on ourselves can change for the better.
If you’re feeling some of these negative behaviors taking over your own life, do yourself a favor and tell yourself some positive words today. It may take some time to truly listen to and believe those words, but the more you say them, the more likely you will begin to hear it. So go look in the mirror and say something kind to yourself. You deserve it.
Sunday – Rest Day
Monday – Accessory Work (see video here)
4 rounds of:
- 15 smith machine hip thrusts
- 30 heels elevated banded pulses into 20 banded pulses into 10 banded squats
- 10/10 DB shoulder press with static hold
- 10/10 DB curls with static hold
3 rounds of:
- 10/10 cable kickbacks
- 12/12 KB one legged deadlifts
3 rounds of:
- 10/10 cable lateral leg raise
- 20 rounded 45 degree hypers
Then to finish, I did 6x300m treadmill sprints with a minute rest after each sprint
Tuesday – CorePower Yoga C2 Class
Wednesday – Accessory Work (see video here)
3 rounds of:
- 12 cable goblet squats
- 8 pike push ups
- 10 barbell kneeling hip thrusts
3 rounds of:
- 10 straight leg deadlifts
- 5 pull ups and 5 chin ups
- 50 frog pumps (not pictured)
2 rounds of:
- 20 banded weighted glute bridge – 10 sec pause – 15 banded weighted glute bridge – 10 sec pause – 10 banded weighted glute bridge*
- 10 one arm KB row into 20 lightweight KB row
3 rounds of:
- 20 banded hip thrusts
- 15 cable tricep extension
And to finish, I did a quick 10 min AMRAP of:
- 10 cf style burpees
- 15 American KB swings
- 20 tuck jumps
Thursday – CorePower Yoga Sculpt
Friday – Accessory Work (see video here)
20-15-10 smith machine hip thrusts (increasing weight each set)
15 bicep curls into 15 tricep extensions
10-15-20 smith machine hip thrusts (decreasing weight each set)
15 bicep curls into 15 tricep extensions
2 rounds of:
- 10/10 foot elevated back stepping lunge
- 10/10 one arm lying DB chest press into 30 weighted frog pumps
2 rounds of:
- 10 heels elevated smith machine squats
- 30 banded glute bridge
2 rounds of:
- 20/20 bench hip abductions
- 15 cable row
- 30-30-30 seated banded hip abductions (forward, upright, leaning back)
Saturday – Rest Day
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Free Travel Workout:
Every Min for 20 Minute, Alt:
10 cal of rower
12 DB thrusters
15 push ups
18 tuck jumps
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What I Ate in a Day:
After waking up, I started my day off how I always do – with coffee. I made a hot cup of coffee with a tablespoon or so of heavy cream, some liquid stevia and a heaping tablespoon of collagen.
For breakfast, I made a salad of arugula topped with lemon juice, ButcherBox pork sausage and sautéed carrots
In the morning after breakfast, I went to a coffee shop where I had a maple vanilla cashew-almond milk latte.
Then mid-morning I had an orange creamsicle collagen smoothie (minus the banana)
For lunch, I had my Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad with arugula in a Thrive Market coconut wrap with Terra plantain chips on the side.
In the afternoon, I made a couple recipes that I snacked on throughout. So I snacked on some smoked salmon, potatoes and almond milk cream cheese.
Before a yoga sculpt class, I had a 1/2 larabar then ate the other 1/2 after class.
For dinner, I made ButcherBox burgers topped with homemade sriracha mayo and pickles alongside oven roasted brussels sprouts and butternut squash zig zags!
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Way to go with the positive affirmations! We all need those from time to time. Especially when we forget just how awesome we are. Keep giving yourself those compliments. 🙂
Also, on an unrelated topic….do you have a few body weight workouts that can be done on a beach? If so, maybe you could link to them for me? Headed to the beach with my boyfriend (yay! Especially since I woke this morning to snow here in Montana. Boo.) and would love some workouts that we can do together on the beach.
Thank you!
i share a decent amount of bodyweight workouts in my free travel workouts at the bottom of each weekly workouts post! but i also have a post about all the workouts i did on a the beach and on a boat in august! https://paleomg.com/weekly-workouts-while-sailing-through-the-caribbean/
Thanks, Juli!
I think starting the morning off with a few positive thoughts can make a huge difference in the day.
I saw something on IG the other day that said “Of all the people on the planet, you talk to yourself more than anyone. Make sure you’re saying the right things.”
I’ve always been too hard on my self. And very often, not very kind to myself. After reading that I’ve been really trying to do better.
i love that quote!! that’s so true!
I LOVE this post and its been so fitting these last few days! My husband and I have had two trips, weddings, and just been busy lately so our eating habits have been off. Also, my coworker who I usually chat with about food and staying healthy doesn’t work here anymore so I’ve been surrounded by McDonald’s, pizza and JUNK which doesn’t help. My husband and I decided to do another Whole 30 to get back on track since his stomach has so many issues. Now that we have some down time I’m excited to get back on track and feel better about myself in the mirror!
it always feels so good when you get back to feeling yourself
I think of you as a friend, even though we’ve never met, because I’ve been reading your blog and listening to your podcast for a long time. I mean this in a totally non-creepy way ???? It’s the same way I feel like Karen & Georgia and Kenyon, Amanda & Lucy are my friends, too. Is that weird?!
So, my friend, I know that other people telling you you have a sick bod won’t change how you feel about yourself. So, maybe telling you how you have positively impacted so many women out there will help change your mindset.
I love reading your blog. It’s the first one I read every day. I listen to your podcast when I’m out walking because it makes the time go by much faster. I am inspired by your travels, fashion, and beauty recommendations.
I have been treating myself more kindly because of things you’ve written about. I used to NEVER take a day off from working out…I’m talking for weeks at a time! But when you talked about how taking 2 days off a week helps your body look its best, I was finally like, DAMN, if Juli looks this great taking 2 days off, then maybe I should too! So I started taking 2 days off, which was a huge mindset-shift, and I feel great and my body looks healthy. That’s thanks to your positive influence! I also am generally more appreciative of my body, too…saying things like, Bethany, you eat healthy and you workout. You’re 39 (not 29!) and take care of your family. You might not look like the images you see in the media, but that’s OKAY!! You are doing the best you can for yourself at your age and your stage of life!! What a change this has had on my self-esteem!!
Juli, you are inspiring women like me everywhere. WE all think you look amazing, but we also think you’re just a generally awesome person. So even if you’re having a tough time seeing this, just know that we all think you’re pretty damn cool and you’re someone we admire. Keep your chin up, girlfriend!
THIS!!!!
bethany, you are so incredibly sweet. it’s so weird writing a blog and not truly knowing who you are talking to and what they think of you. and then i hear from people like you who are so kind and caring. life is full of ups and downs when it comes to self confidence but if there world was filled with more people like you, then everyone would always feel confident because of the kindness around them. thank you so much of taking the time to write me and for following along for so long! it means more than you will ever know!
You’re speaking to my soul today. Why to I body check every time I pass a mirror? Why do I grab at my imperfections and talk so poorly to / about myself? I would never do that to another human. I am wonderful, dammit!
right there with you kim!
Your words could not resonate with me any more. As a new first time mom, my body has changed so much and even though I am eating healthfully and working out a good amount, it’s not bouncing back to the way it was. Logically, I know that I should give myself grace and love and respect my body ( it created a human for goodness sakes and continues tonourish 100% of her food with breastfeeding!!)but it’s really hard when I want to see something different in the mirror. Thank you for sharing this vulnerable moment with us. It really helps! 🙂 – Annie
thanks for leaving a comment, annie! it must be so challenging being a first time mom when so many things in life are changing, including your body! hope we can both find a little more respect for ourselves and where we are at!
Love love this!! Positive affirmations for the win. I think as women, we tend to do this from time to time.; I know I do. I also have incorporated yoga into my routine recently and am loving it. Side note: I made your jalapeno popper chicken salad this weekend and am IN LOVE.
isn’t it so tasty?! i can’t stop making it haha!
And a week later, I have made it again!!
Hey! Have you ever thought about removing the mirrors from your house or the places that you walk by a lot? That really helped with me!
nah, that’s not really me. i don’t want to hide from mirrors, i just want to be happy what’s looking back at me, even when i’m in a weird place.
Long time reader here, just want to offer some advise. First, I’m going to assume that the body changes you’re dealing with right now are unwanted weight gain. I’ve been a personal trainer for over 15 years and something that I’m wondering is, have you ever considered taking a rest week? When an individual works out as frequently and as intensely as you are, rest weeks are something that should be taken at least once every 8 weeks. As in, an entire week where you don’t do any working out except for maybe going on some easy walks or doing some stretching. It is also recommended that when working out hard, you take a deload week once a month. This would look like pushing hard for 3 weeks, and then reducing either the weight or the amount of sets almost in half so that you’re giving your body a break. I don’t know you and don’t want to sound like I’m telling you what to do, but if you’re gaining weight even though you’re eating healthy and working out I can almost guarantee you that you’re putting your body under too much stress and your cortisol levels are probably through the roof. If you look at the training program of any athlete, amateur or professional, they have periodization built into their training program. They have periods where they push hard, periods where they back off, and periods where they rest completely, even up to two months of rest at a time! Also keep in mind that you have been adding in heavy lifts and high volume in your accessory workouts, and the goal of this was to add muscle to your lower half. When you exercise in this manner, and the goal is to add muscle, you will definitely gain weight. You look phenomonal but if you’re struggling with weight gain, I would say take at least a week off from working out completely to give your body some rest and to reduce inflammation, and consider building rest weeks into your program from here on out. And like I said, if you’re working out for muscle gain you’re going to gain weight, so perhaps move towards lighter workouts/less intensity and your body will have an easier time maintaining it’s current size.
thanks for writing me kyle! i definitely NEVER take a rest week. the most i’ve ever done was 5 days. but i was thinking about doing that for my upcoming 30th birthday trip since i’ll be on a boat for a week straight and will just be hiking and swimming. and i definitely never think about a deload week. i’ll start thinking about those things more, especially the deload. i just wish i could gain muscle in my butt and no where else haha!
I was just thinking the same thing about rest…..but I was thinking maybe closer to 2 weeks:) I’ve been training hard since my late 20’s and now I’m 40. I wish someone would’ve told me to take more rest days/weeks. It truly is the key to a leaner and stronger body. You won’t regret it Julie:)
I agree with the above comments and wanted to say 1) thank you for sharing this and 2) sometimes when I find myself doing a lot of negative self talk, I ask myself if i would say whatever it is I’m saying to myself to my best friend. The answer is always hell no, so why say it to myself?
so true!! it’s amazing we are so unkind to the person we spend the most time with