How The Gym Has Made My Life Better

Hey everyone!! It's been a while since I've blogged, but I really wanted to just dedicate a blog post to how much the gym has improved my life.

I signed up for the gym I believe April 4, and now that it is a month later I feel like I can really talk about it.

First things first, I have definitely seen improvements in and on my body (because I know that's what you're all wondering). Here's a progress picture of my first month:

As you can see, I was fairly skinny and toned before in March, but in April there are major improvements in my abs (& my legs and arms that aren't really being shown). Now, I work very hard at the gym and go almost 5 times a week, so don't think you can just sign up too and see improvements as quickly.

Not only has the gym changed my physical health, but my diet too. It is so motivational to workout then go home and eat a salad, or eat a big fruit salad for breakfast. The gym has made me be cautious of what I eat, and I honestly find eating healthy really fun. It's refreshing to try new recipes that cater to your healthy diet (plus, cooking is just a favorite hobby of mine).

Going to the gym & eating healthy combined has made me such a happier person. I'm not as stressed, I don't feel sluggish, I stay fuller longer, I don't crave as much; my life has just improved ten-fold. Also, it has helped me become more accepting of myself due to the changes I am seeing and how happy they make me.

Now I'm going to answer some questions you all asked about my health/diet :-)
Q: What was your diet/lifestyle like before?
A: I actually was pretty healthy for a teenager, I didn't eat much processed foods because they kinda made me sick, and I already drank tons of water, but joining the gym has just been that extra little push to truly get me "healthy".

Q: How do you get motivated to workout?
A: Honestly a lot of the time I don't feel like working out due to homework and such, but just thinking how great I'll feel afterwards, and proud of myself for going and working hard, keeps me motivated.

Q: What is your gym routine like?
A: I haven't created a steady routine yet, but I start of with a warm-up of cardio for about 10-15 minutes, then I move on to the machines where I do probably 3 different machines per each body part (arms, legs, butt, & abs). On the machines I do 3 sets of 15 reps. Then I go to the back of my gym, where it's like a mat with all the weights, dumbells, and medicine balls, and I do lots of squats, lunges, crunches, and arm movements.

(I think I'll make a video on specific tips & tricks for starting a healthy lifestyle/going to the gym so when I do I'll link it here: ____________)

I hope this post is inspiring to some of you and/or answered some of your questions about my healthy lifestyle.
xoxo, reese regan