When I first started my weight gain journey, I knew what my schedule looked like. I felt like even though I was going to be traveling a great deal, going to the Alps, speaking in London, and multiple other things that I needed to get done before leaving to Everest, I still felt that I could dedicate time to gaining weight.
Now, don't get me wrong.. I have not been trying to lose weight, I have not been watching what I eat, I have just not focused on it, as much as I would have liked to. And you know what, what I'm gonna do is I'm just gonna LET THAT GO! It's also been a really great lesson to know that, you know, it's so true where focus goes energy flows. If I really wanted to gain weight, count macros, lift heavier weights and train more, I would have had to have given up a lot of the other things that I have in my life.
I came to a realization that instead of beating myself up for not sticking to my program, as well as I would have liked, I am just celebrating what I am doing! Trying to throw in some extra oats to my shakes and having a Snickers bar.
It might sound crazy to you that gaining weight is not a fun experience and it's not an easy thing to do, but I'm telling you the way that my body is and the amount of activity I do during the day of just moving my body, I burn a lot of calories, and so it's not gone exactly to plan!
I still have three weeks before I leave and so I'm going to attempt to make a little bit more dedication to gaining weight. But the biggest focus for me right now is those few weeks just before I leave is getting enough sleep and focusing on something I'm really excited about.
We're going to be doing a very special five day challenge just before I leave to Everest, and I've been spending more time doing this rather than eating food! I'm so excited about the mindset that I have created training for Everest, rather than the weights that I've gained. So that's what I'm going to be focusing on and I want to share that with the world.
I am so excited to invite you to join me on this free five day breakthrough challenge where we're going to break down our limitations, get unstuck and reach goals that we didn't even think were possible. So even though my weight gain journey has not gone exactly to plan, there's always something that else that comes from any situation. And as I put in my Instagram posts the other day, for me the definition of happiness is when you let go of what you think life should be like and just start being grateful.
I think that when we focus on that we have more gratitude. We get results that we didn't even think were possible and we set ourselves up for success. Don't get me wrong. I'm gonna keep on attempting to gain weight all the way through until I get to the peak. I'm just not going to get worried or worked up about it. I'm investing in a thick sleeping bag to keep me warm and the best gear on the mountains. I'm excited to share with you the five day challenge. Just make sure you bookmark in your calendar, the 7th to the 11th of April!
Workout Mistakes That Can Leave You In Pain
Being active is essential in leading a healthy lifestyle, remember movement is medicine, but we need to make sure we’re also caring for our bodies after exercise. Training for Everest has reminded me how much you can put your body through but also how recovery is crucial to your success.
I always get the question on how to recover, what is the best way to reduce muscle soreness and what you should do after working out. When we work out we are essentially tearing down our muscle fibers, the idea is that they will then grow back stronger; however, if we don’t repair them they never will which is why there are some important things you should do after exercise.
These tips will not only help repair your muscle fibers, they will also reduce muscle soreness and help them grow. Which is basically how you tone up! And you’re probably reading this saying “yes” that is exactly what I want — to tone up! Now pay attention, because these tips will help you get the results you want while looking after the only place you have to live — your body!
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Eat Protein: No, you are not going to wake up looking like The Incredible Hulk one day because you ate protein or had a post recovery shake. The majority of people are not eating enough protein throughout the day and this is what reduces our muscles. Why? Because our muscles are made of protein and we need to feed them with food groups rich in this source so they can repair, rebuild and grow. On average I have 100-110g of lean protein a day, check your daily amount over the next few days and see if you are reaching your target!
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Self-Massage: Being active takes a toll on your body and studies show massaging every day is beneficial to muscle recovery. It helps break down the knots and tension in your muscles while increasing blood flow. All of this allows your body to repair quicker and reduces the soreness and stiffness that you feel.
I’m a big advocate of massaging because it reduces pain, decreases swelling and improves blood-circulation. Also, if you want help with flexibility and overall stiffness I highly recommend massaging every day.
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Stretch Days: I take every Sunday to stretch or do yoga as my active recovery and I know many of you join me in doing it on this day of the week too. It doesn't matter what day you stretch you just want to add it into your weekly routine at least once, really though for overall flexibility and health I would recommend a good 20-30 minute stretch 3-4 x a week. Multitask by watching TV and stretching, this will improve your flexibility and reduce stiffness. I also like adding in the massager at the same time, it’s like having your own masseuse at home!
Alrighty, now you know some really powerful ways to help with recovery, muscle tension, reduced pain and muscle growth. Yet there are also some things I want you to avoid that can cause the opposite!
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Drastic Changes in Type of Exercise: Changing up your exercise routine is so important, but I want to warn against drastic changes. If you are someone who does a lot of low intensity workouts and yoga, jumping into heavy lifting puts you at risk for injury. On the other hand, if you do a lot of heavy lifting and never work on cardio, running several miles could potentially lead to an injury. Diversify your workouts but make sure you are safe and do it gradually.
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Icing When You Should Heat: Icing is great and should be used only in certain circumstances. If you have a new injury which is swollen, ice will reduce inflammation. Yet, if you suffer from chronic pain, heating increases blood flow to the area to help ease it. Always listen to your body and if you have chronic pain, it’s a great idea to see a doctor.
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Spending 2-3 Hours at the Gym Every Day: You don’t have to do long, intense workouts every day in order to see results. In fact, there are many people who will spend 2-3 hours working out intensely and do not see results because their muscle fibers never have the time to repair themselves.
Of course you want to move your body every day, but 2-3 hours at the gym is not necessary and can put you at risk for injury. Workout each day for 20-45 minutes and change up the body parts to give each area time to recover.
Now you are all set to go crush your workout and have an epic recovery so you can heal, grow and beast your next workout!
I often hear people having a hard time staying consistent with a workout routine or fitness schedule! I truly believe it’s all about MINDSET! You choose if it’s hard, so you have to start telling yourself you can do it and find habits that support your goals…
That being said, I am going to give you my Top 3 Fitness Motivation Tips:
GET SUPPORT
You can’t get to the next level without help from someone who’s been there and people who are getting there with you. It’s so important to find a positive, motivating mentor and a community who wants to see you succeed and will support you in your journey.
MAKE IT FUN
If you don’t enjoy your workouts or what type of exercise you’re doing, you’re going to start losing motivation. Once you lose your motivation, it’s so much harder to keep your eyes on your goals. I encourage you to find a way to get your workouts in that’s fun and challenges you!
DIVERSIFY
Finding a workout routine that includes several fitness styles is KEY! If you stick to just one type of workout, your body gets comfortable doing that one thing when it could be doing SEVERAL types of exercise…
Mixing yoga, HIIT, weights, barre, cardio etc. is so crucial! Going back to our last point, it also helps to keep your workouts fun and different! Fitness routines are so specific to the individual and what’s right for one person may not be what’s right for you!
Our BTES app aims to give you new, fun, exciting workouts EVERY DAY! We have everything from stretching routines to heavy weight workouts that will light your muscles on fire! We also have an extremely encouraging, supportive community to support you!
In order for your muscles to rebuild and work to their best ability you have to give your body proper rest and recovery time. Making sure to put in the extra effort to stretch and consume enough protein will make the difference in the outcome of your RESULTS!
Remember that sometimes life doesn't go as planned and our goals may not be reached in the way we had originally thought. When this happens make sure to keep your MINDSET in check and to remember why you started and what is really important.
DONT FORGET!!! Mark your calendars for April 11th for the 5 Day Break Free Challenge! You can start the challenge anytime from 11th April 2022 until I Summit Mount Event and come back down to Basecamp. You want to do the 5 Days in a row so that you can win prizes and get the best results!
Rebecca
xxx
Angie
April 14, 2022We know you’re leaving today for this climb you’ve been preparing for and waiting for three years now! Good luck and safe travels with your dad and Luke and your guide! From Angie, Summer, and Cybil