Glutes Going Up on a Tuesday

I got a promotion!

I've been moved from a club manager to a Marketing and Social Media Manager for some Anytime Fitness locations in the Chicagoland area! Social Media, who would have thought?

I just started today and so far so good, just pumping out some posts and scheduling posts and making sure all of my pages are on the same page. I cannot wait for this 4th of July weekend, as I'm heading to Wisconsin with Ryan. I can't wait to not have cell phone service and just soak up some sun.

I had the MOST amazing glute workout the other day. All it consisted of was...

4x12 Lying Hamstring Curls super-set with
4x12 straight leg deadlifts with 5lb plates under my toes for elevation
4x12 (on each leg) split-squats on the smith machine super-set with
4x12 (on each leg) one-legged sit squats/bench squats/whatever you want to call them

I AM STILL SO SORE. But it's awesome, I'm always looking for ways to improve my workouts without tacking on hours at the gym and I totally succeeded. I then finished up my workout with some leg-raises and hyper-reverses on the rogue table of torture. (See:http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-reverse-hyper-2)

I didn't have to do extra cardio because my heart rate was beating out of my chest and I was dripping in sweat just from those few exercises. Goes to show that you don't have to spend hours upon hours in the gym to get a great workout in.

If you have any workout related questions or questions about anything in general, I would love to answer them! You can contact me at sarahpinks@yahoo.com

I am also going to be offering an exclusive glute program for $35 coming up during the month of July. It will include two days of glute workouts to go in along with your regular workouts for 8-12 weeks based on what your goals are! Email me for additional information and I will be posting information on it soon!

Have a great day!

- Sarah

New Blog. New Beginning.

Hi everyone!

I am starting a new blog instead of posting on the LiftStyle website. Together my LiftStyle partner and I have decided to take separate routes and work on our own thing. Still going to support the LiftStyle brand and way of life!

Anyways, on this blog I will continue posting my recipes, life advice, rants, workout tips, and more. Along with keeping you all updated on my life and what I've been up to.

SO it's summer! Finally. I don't know about where you live but here in Illinois it's been raining cats and dogs. There's been tornadoes and thunderstorms left and right! Crazy.

I've been busy with work, going to the gym every morning, applying to grad school, and life in general. I've got an AWESOME boyfriend, Ryan, who pushes me in and out of the gym to make goals and strive for more. WHICH IS GREAT. I think everyone needs someone like that in their lives, you just have to find your own! ;-)  I'm also really busy being a grandma, going to bed at 9:00pm and getting up at 6:00am on the weekends. I'm awesome, I know. I just love feeling refreshed and maximizing my time on the weekends. Now that playoff hockey is over, I don't know what to do with my time. I'm actively studying for my ACE certification as well, which I'm extremely excited for and will be super relieved to have that under my belt once it's done.

This week(end), since it's already Thursday, I will be focused on replying to your emails and inquiries. If you ever have any questions or concerns about anything or are interested in personal training or macro coaching, you can email me at sarahpinks@yahoo.com

I'm sure most of you follow me on Instagram (which is awesome and I love all of you from the bottom of my heart) and I really enjoy interacting with you all and answering your questions about whatever topics come to your mind!

Right now, I'm not sure when my next bodybuilding competition will be. I really want to change up the package I bring to the stage so I think I need more time off than a couple of months. I want to really bring in my waist and lean out. I know I have good muscle development and I think leaning out more will really change how I look on stage.

Enough of me rambling about myself...

I want to know what you want to see/hear/read! Let me know! Whether it being a comment on this post or an email, I'd love to know what you want me to post about.

I hope you all have a great day, and in honor of #TBT here's a post of me from January 2012, everyone has to start somewhere!!

Xoxo Sarah ☺️

French Toast Saves Lives (And FITS YOUR MACROS)

I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine went by too fast per usual but I got some great workouts in and even came up with some new recipes to share!

Saturday morning, I was CRAVING French Toast, but I wanted it to have a little more nutritional value and better macros. So I came up with this recipe!

Ingredients:

2 slices of Ezekiel Bread
2 egg whites
2 TBS cup Almond Milk
1/2 scoop protein powder (I used cellucor cinnamon swirl, but you can use any flavor you want)
1 TSP Coconut Oil
1 TSP Vanilla Extract
Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Toppings: Waldon Farms Syrup, E.D. Smith Michigan Cherry Preserves

Combine egg whites, almond milk, protein powder, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk together. It will be kind of chunky with the protein but blend together the best you can. Meanwhile, heat up a flat griddle and add 1TSP of coconut oil to the griddle. Dunk your slices of bread into the egg/protein/almond milk mixture and make sure to coat both sides of each slice completely. Place slices on the heated griddle and cook on both sides until golden brown.

Then top with whatever fruit or toppings you want! I love using a fruit and Walden Farms combo

Lack of Motivation? Loss of Dedication?

Motivation, hard to gain, easy to lose.

I'll admit it. I've been there. Motivated one day, totally unmotivated for a whole month, and so forth. It sucks, to be honest. Everyone wants to stay motivated so they get the results they want as soon as possible, but lack of motivation happens to the best of us.

Start with laying out your goals, write them down if you have to. Whatever way you lay them out, keep them handy to remind yourself why you started. Even if you workout totally SUCKS one day, at least you went. That counts.

Make sure to update your goals as you achieve them, keep your goals within reach. Don't make goals like "lose 50 pounds and drop 5 sizes in a month" because that's just crazy. I'm sure it's possible, but it wouldn't be healthy physically or mentally.

Reward yourself, and not with food. I hate seeing people say "When I get through with this workout I'm going to reward myself with a HUGEEEE cheese burger." Well then, there goes the purpose and meaning of that workout. Rewarding yourself with food is a double edged sword. Sure, reward yourself with a healthy, wholesome meal, not junk.

When it comes to rewarding myself, I usually use things like clothes or shoes. A single item that once you reach your goal, you can go buy it, because you earned it baby! Lululemon, Nike, Reebok, Target, whatever your vice may be.

Workout with a friend. If you know that so-and-so is going to be at the gym at 6:00am every day, you better get your happy little butt there and not let them down. Accountability is KEY.

Bored of your workouts? Have no idea how to work out? Don't know where to start? Well, without being too sales-y, that's what we're here for. We offer 12-week exercise and diet programs to get you started, change up your workout, or even beat your current plateau. These 12-week LiftStyle Change programs are created for you based on your needs, goals, etc. We're not trying to trick anyone into buying a plan and not using it. WE WANT TO SEE YOUR RESULTS AS BADLY AS YOU DO. That's why we're in this field, I,personally, love to help people change and mold their bodies into something they never thought they could. I love helping people, and I WANT TO HELP YOU!

Our programs and diet coaching include constant contact and updates with us, we require you to check in, send us progress pictures, ask us questions, vent to us, whatever else to want to do. That's what we're here for.

PLEASE email me if you have any questions about anything. I am here to help you, emails don't cost anything. LiftStyleCoaching@gmail.com If you want to register for the LiftStyle Change, visit our homepage. www.liftstylebrand.com

Have a great day!

- Sarah

My View on "FIT" and MAN Sports

So today's subject in the word "FIT" regarding social media...

I see A LOT of accounts adding the word 'fit' to their name as soon as they start a fitness journey or gain recognition for their transformation. I think any health improvement is AWESOME, don't get me wrong. I just feel that adding 'fit' to a username defines you as only FITNESS related or attempting to be fitness related or whatever.

My social media is more than just FIT. Yes, fitness is part of my life, a HUGE part, but there's more to me than fitness and the gym. I do have a life and interests outside of fitness, believe it or not. I don't mind if you have 'fit' in your username, it's just not something I'll ever do. 

I commend anyone who starts their fitness journey at any point in their life. Fitness is a great thing to have in your life, but like everything balance is key. Adding 'fit' or 'fitness' to your username won't make you any more fit or active or swole or cool for that matter. What makes someone admirable is the work and determination they have, not their username. Anyone can put the word 'fit' or 'fitness' in their username, but not everyone can put in the work and have the motivation to continue their fitness journey.

Again, this is not a stab at anyone, and I'm not going to dislike anyone because they have the word 'fit' in their username. This is just me saying WHY I won't ever have a "SarahPinksFit" account. There's more to Sarah than just the gym. Don't label yourself, be you. Show everyone who you are and everything you do, and be PROUD. Don't follow the mainstream 'cool' thing to do. DO YOU, BABY BOO.

EXCITING NEWS!

I am now a BRAND AMBASSADOR for MAN Sports! YAY! I am SO EXCITED. Their products come in creative and awesome flavors and WORK as they should! The best part of this is that THIS BENEFITS YOU! Who doesn't love supplements that WORK and DISCOUNTS?! I will have more information on the products and my own personal reviews, but until then to put it out there... My affiliate code (to be used at checkout) is SARAHPINKS (See, no 'fit' there) so feel free to visit their site and check out the products they have to offer! You'll get 15% off by using my code! http://www.mansports.com

Have a GREAT Thursday and I'll be back to posting on a regular basis again soon :)

- Sarah 

Glutez

GLUUUUUTES...

Whenever you're doing a glute exercise such as a squat, hip thrust, etc. make sure you're squeezing your glutes at the top of the lift or when you come up. This really activates the glutes and engages them i the exercise instead of going through the motions.

Squats and lunges aren't the only exercises to build your booty. Make sure you're working ALL of your glute muscles, such as the gluteus minimus and gluteus medius. This includes various lunges, squats, cable work, etc.

Another topic I want to touch on is bodyweight squats. Sure, they're great to warm up with, but other than that, if you're able, ADD WEIGHT. Barbell, dumbbell, or kettle bell squats will help build your glutes more than 100 bodyweight squats a day will. Start with a manageable weight and work your way up, in 5-10lb increments. Also, make sure you're squatting properly. There's almost nothing worse than bad squat form. 

See here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyberpump1.htm

That's all for now, I'm working on recipes to post so you flexible dieters can have some fun with yours meals! Also, make sure to head over to MAN Sports and use my code SARAHPINKS at check out for 15% off your order! 

- Sarah

Flexible Dieting

Ahh the beauty of Flexible Dieting...

The word diet is stypid but when I mean dieting I'm talking about what I eat daily, not some stupid fad diet or extreme diet. Not my thing. Flexible dieting has saved me and changed my life COMPLETELY.

Flexible Dieting isn't eating food while doing a wounded peacock or a destroyer of the universe pose. Flexible dieting is a lifestyle, you're given a calculated amount of calories and therefore macronutrients to hit each day. I, personally, don't always 'hit my macros' but as long as I'm in ballpark range, that's flexible dieting. Now this does not mean you can eat cheeseburgers and donuts all day, every day, BUT it does give you the FLEXIBILITY to fit those into your daily caloric intake if need be. If you need to get off track a bit for a meal here or there, IT'S OKAY. You're not going to melt. You're not going to explode. You're not going to gain 10 pounds. You'll be okay, just get back on track for the next meal.

This also means fun recipes and experimenting with different food groups. I like to keep my diet pretty 'clean' but I do enjoy things like donuts and bagels so I'll eat them if I want to. Because I can. And I will. #DonutsAreLife #Carbs

A lot of people have a mindset that food is an enemy. Food is not an enemy, food is your friend. Your mind is your enemy. Your mindset of being scared of food or binging is what is holding you back from your fitness goals. Food is the answer. By calculating your amount of calories and macros to aim for each day, your body is getting a healthy amount of calories. Now it's just up to you to stick to it and make sure you're feeding yourself more quality calories than empty calories.

Yesterday, I made sweet potato brownies. Yes. 'Healthy' brownies. They still had real chocolate chips and cocoa powder in them, but they included wholesome ingredients like sweet potatoes and coconut oil. YUMMMAY. I may sound like a super pinterest-y person, but I'm not. I pin more recipes than I'll ever make but I was dying for something sweet and I'm currently 3 weeks out from my show so I'm trying to keep my Reese's egg intake to a minimum. (Personal decision, nothing to do with flexible dieting) So I whipped up a double batch and they were pretty good! I'm going to experiment with another recipe and post whichever is better tasting to me. But have fun with it, there's a lot of recipes that are fairly easy to make and can help you with your cravings!