I’m a 5’10” gym girl who gained 30 lbs building my booty – how you feel is more important than the number on the scales
I HAVE spent most of my life not working out, but in late 2019, I decided to make some changes.
After being fed up with crash dieting and relying on calorie restriction alone to achieve my ideal physique, I knew something had to change.
A couple of months after I began incorporating an elliptical machine cardio routine, the world shut down for Covid-19.
Confined to my New York City apartment, I continued my home workouts before the city started opening up again.
ASSESSING GOALS
Previously, my fitness goals focused on diet alone and hyper-fixating on the number on the scale.
After all, I grew up in the early 2000s, when diet culture was completely unhinged and set a one-size-fits-all standard that isn't sustainable for a lot of people.
Since I'm five-foot-10, for example, the number I see on the scale is going to be higher than what a shorter woman sees.
It was time for me to find a better way to assess what health looks like for me rather than simply checking my weight.
Starting out at around 150 pounds, I was unhappy because I felt my body wasn't toned. I was "skinny fat" and my goal was "slim thick."
I wanted to grow my curves by building muscle, so I tailored my workout regimen to my specific vision.
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Eventually, I reached a comfortable weight that fluctuates between 170 and 180 pounds.
Instead of focusing on a number on the scale, I chose to focus on a feeling.
I wanted to feel strong and unrestricted, so finding a weight training routine was ideal for me.
MY WORKOUT
I hit the gym six to seven days per week and spend, on average, one hour working out per session.
This is doable for me because I can usually squeeze an hour of me-time per day into my busy schedule.
I alternate between working my upper body and my lower body so I am not overworking muscle groups that are close to one another.
For example, if I hit deltoids and triceps on Monday, I'll work quads and abductors on Tuesday.
I avoid directly working out my abs because nearly all exercises engage the core. If I want to feel an ab burn, I sometimes incorporate stomach vacuums.
We can't spot reduce fat through exercise — however, we can focus on growing specific muscles.
I decided to sculpt my own hourglass shape by growing my lower body muscles as well as my lats in order to attain the coveted curves.
For my lower body, I found great results with Bulgarian split squats, goblet squats, hip extensions, and weighted step-ups.
For my upper body, I prefer the shoulder press machine, tricep extensions, and lateral pull-downs.
NUTRITION
I often struggled to find a personal balance of nutrition due to food sensitivities.
I aim to eat 150 grams of protein per day, which I get through whole foods.
Most commercial protein powders don't sit well with my stomach, but I do have luck with single-ingredient powders such as beef gelatin and beef collagen for added protein.
I also snack on boiled eggs, pistachios, and cottage cheese to meet protein goals.
I make my main meals meat-based, preferably red meat but I also enjoy seafood and some poultry.
For side dishes, I opt for complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes to give me energy.
FINDING THE MOTIVATION
Working out became a necessity for me due to seeking an overall healthier lifestyle.
Some experts say that changing one's body is 80 percent diet and 20 percent exercise, but I found it's 100 percent both.
I had dealt with weight fluctuations and not quite feeling toned enough, which I'd previously tackled with diet alone.
I found that by becoming more muscular, I had fewer issues with weight fluctuations and my figure appeared more toned than it was at a lower weight.
I am also motivated by the mental health benefits of working out.
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Post-workout, I typically feel uplifted and in a good mood for the rest of the day.
The biggest reward from a fitness journey is not only falling in love with the results, but how my body somehow feels lighter even after gaining around 30 pounds — take that, early 2000s diet culture.