I am so excited to present our next feature on the blog, Eights and Weights. I met her through Instagram (God bless IG) and immediately was driven by her passion and her unique style of motivating people through pictures and various workout poses. Let me confess, i have tried some of them and have been successful but mehn, there was one she put up and i tried …… OMG not only did i not get it right, but some serious back pain for some days. Note to self, no matter how fit you are, its not all poses you can do lol, at least you will need some practice to be able to do them.
Anyway, read on to learn from her, you can never have enough fitness resources, NEVER!
1. What is Eights & Weights all about?
Eights & Weights is a blog focused on health and fitness. The purpose of the blog is to provide the right tools to break down the complex fitness rules so they can be easily applied to daily living, especially in the age of the internet. Folks get information from so many different places, and have a hard time deciphering them. I give exercise challenges, post videos and tips on how to perform certain exercises, post healthy recipes that I use myself, and talk about other little changes we can make in our lives to look and feel better.
2. How did you get into working out?
In my teenage years, I started to lose people, and the frailty of the human body hit me. In university, I gave working out a go, but gave up when I couldn’t do one pushup or run a mile. In grad school though, I put on a few pounds and I absolutely did not like how weak my body was. I wasn’t heavy by any standard, but I knew I was headed in that direction. And I really needed an outlet, something to put my energy into. I was eating horrible food, and I could feel it affecting my energy levels even more. So I started by walking to class and to work, and then took one or two classes at the school gym since it was free. Those classes are what changed me. I got the opportunity to do things I normally wouldn’t have, like yoga and rock climbing, and I realized that if I continued to push myself, I could change my body. That was an eye-opener for me. All of a sudden, I started to try all these new workouts, saw myself get stronger, and I just could not stop.3. What motivates you?
When I work hard, and I see change, that is my greatest motivation. The two biggest areas I see progress are running and yoga. When you cannot run a mile, and then work yourself up to 2 and then 5 and then 10 and then 13, no one can tell you you cannot achieve anything in this life. With yoga, when I see myself get stronger, and I see myself doing poses I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams, that is my motivation. And my amazing family and friends that constantly cheer me on in whatever workout I choose to embark on motivates me constantly because yes, I do some pretty crazy things.
4. What nutrition advice do you have for people starting their fitness journey?
Nutrition is usually the most difficult part of staying healthy. I would say pay attention to the contents of what you put in your body. What do I mean? Read nutrition labels more often, eat more fresh fruit, drink more water, fry things less, eat until you are satisfied and not until you cannot move, and remember that drinks have calories too. Start by making little healthy choices every day, and soon enough, it would become habit.
Eights & Weights is a blog focused on health and fitness. The purpose of the blog is to provide the right tools to break down the complex fitness rules so they can be easily applied to daily living, especially in the age of the internet. Folks get information from so many different places, and have a hard time deciphering them. I give exercise challenges, post videos and tips on how to perform certain exercises, post healthy recipes that I use myself, and talk about other little changes we can make in our lives to look and feel better.
2. How did you get into working out?
In my teenage years, I started to lose people, and the frailty of the human body hit me. In university, I gave working out a go, but gave up when I couldn’t do one pushup or run a mile. In grad school though, I put on a few pounds and I absolutely did not like how weak my body was. I wasn’t heavy by any standard, but I knew I was headed in that direction. And I really needed an outlet, something to put my energy into. I was eating horrible food, and I could feel it affecting my energy levels even more. So I started by walking to class and to work, and then took one or two classes at the school gym since it was free. Those classes are what changed me. I got the opportunity to do things I normally wouldn’t have, like yoga and rock climbing, and I realized that if I continued to push myself, I could change my body. That was an eye-opener for me. All of a sudden, I started to try all these new workouts, saw myself get stronger, and I just could not stop.3. What motivates you?
When I work hard, and I see change, that is my greatest motivation. The two biggest areas I see progress are running and yoga. When you cannot run a mile, and then work yourself up to 2 and then 5 and then 10 and then 13, no one can tell you you cannot achieve anything in this life. With yoga, when I see myself get stronger, and I see myself doing poses I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams, that is my motivation. And my amazing family and friends that constantly cheer me on in whatever workout I choose to embark on motivates me constantly because yes, I do some pretty crazy things.
4. What nutrition advice do you have for people starting their fitness journey?
Nutrition is usually the most difficult part of staying healthy. I would say pay attention to the contents of what you put in your body. What do I mean? Read nutrition labels more often, eat more fresh fruit, drink more water, fry things less, eat until you are satisfied and not until you cannot move, and remember that drinks have calories too. Start by making little healthy choices every day, and soon enough, it would become habit.
5. How often do you work out?
Okay, don’t yell, but I work out 6 days a week. Basically, every day but 1. I have to let my body rest 1 day a week 🙂
Okay, don’t yell, but I work out 6 days a week. Basically, every day but 1. I have to let my body rest 1 day a week 🙂
6. What is your workout routine like?
Hmmm… It depends on the day. I alternate days between strength training and cardio, and then get in yoga at least 4 times a week. So I could run for an hour on Monday, and then spend an hour doing strength training exercises for my legs and butt on Tuesday (what we fondly refer to as “Leg Day”). Either way, I try to get at least 30 additional minutes of yoga in, especially on the cardio days. I usually do my cardio and strength training in the morning, and yoga at night.
7. How do you set fitness goals and how do you measure your success?
I always challenge myself to be better than myself. But with the blog and Instagram and Twitter, I’ve stopped treating my goals as just mine. I challenge other people. For example, in May, I was training for a half marathon, so my goals were to beat my own time, and run more miles. So I challenged others to run 50 miles that month. I see myself as successful if I am better than I was before. So if I climbed a hill in 40 minutes, I expect to push myself to achieve 39 minutes.
8. Advice to people trying to get into fitness?
Find fit people that inspire you and connect with them. When you see how human people are, you start to realize you can do anything. Also, set goals for yourself, but don’t set your goal based on someone else’s. Our bodies are all very very very different. And please, let’s stop with the drastic goals like trying to lose 10 pounds in 1 week.
9. How can we get more information about you?
Eights and Weights! I’m on so many different social media sites…lol. I love to share my experiences on my blog atwww.eightsandweights.com, and I’m on Instagram (@eightsnweights) and Twitter (@eightsnweights) everyday posting pictures of my workouts, challenges, and connecting with other people. Come and connect with me too!
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