I shared a little about my health & fitness journey last week and I’m thankful to those who took the time to read and even sent in questions🖤 A lot of the questions were asking about the health & fitness podcasts I’ve been listening to and tips on weightlifting. I’ll leave the question box open again for you, so feel free to drop an anonymous message if there’s something you’ll like to know which I haven’t covered:)

Jumping right into podcasts I listen to,

I listen to podcasts about 1-2 hours on average everyday, I try to tune in whenever possible - be it when commuting, on my morning walks, in the shower or when cooking/cleaning! It’s one of the best, if not the best, habit stack I have in my life and it has improved my quality of life in tremendous ways.

These are the podcasts I listen to frequently, you can find them on YouTube & Spotify:

The Skinny Confidential
Diary Of A CEO
The Lavendaire Lifestyle
The Dr Gabrielle Lyon Show
Mind Pump Show
Pursuit Of Wellness
On Purpose

I don’t listen to every episode, and these podcasts usually have guests that speak about topics more than health & wellness. I listen when I feel it’ll be applicable to my life, sometimes about business, other times about mental wellness & discipline and even affirmations.

Disclaimer!

I’m not an expert and I consume content the same way everyone else does. The more I consume something, the algorithm will recommend me the same things, so a lot of these shows tend to have the same guests and speak about the same things about nutrition & health. The topics & ideas on the shows may or may not align with you, so do exercise caution with everything I’m sharing.

These are the episodes which have stood out to me in the past year:

1) Fitness Routines To Stay In Shape & Myths About Health & Fitness with Dr. Shannon Ritchey

2) How To Master Sleep, Cure Chronic Sleep Issues, & Make Your Life Better with Matthew Walker, PhD.

3) Diets, Chronic Disease Protocols, Functional Medicine, & Healthy Routines with Dr. Mark Hyman

4) The Truth About Meat & Animal Protein In Our Diets with Robby Sansom & Taylor Collins

5) Fix Your Hormones: PCOS, Fertility, Pregnancy & Auto Immune Conditions with Dr. Sara Gottfried

6) Healing From A Toxic Lifestyle, Mold, Acne & Finding Her Dream Relationship with Daisy Keech

7) Why Women Should Eat More Protein & Focus on Building Muscle with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon

8) Secret Agent Evy Poumpouras: If You’re Easily Offended, You’re Easily Manipulated

If you’re ready to start weightlifting as a beginner, here are some tips

1) Start small, train simply

I’m a huge believer of non-flashy work outs. We don’t need the gym membership, fitness trainer or the most expensive workout gear & equipment. I like encouraging beginners to start at home because it’s comfortable, accessible and no one will be watching.

A common “excuse” I hear from others is that they are concerned about their form if they don’t work out with a trainer or enrol themselves in a proper class. And that’s why my tip is to start small - don’t go too heavy or lift more than you know you can manage, don’t do it until you feel confident & strong.

If you’re worried about form or if you’re doing the exercises correctly or not, there are PLENTY of free videos online that will walk you through the correct form. From experience, a lot of it comes from trial & error, you have to learn and adapt as you go. This mindset is also not only for the gym, but it applies to other areas in life as well.

It definitely feels awkward in the beginning, I know that feeling so well. I still find myself feeling this way when I’m trying new exercises. It takes time for your body and mind to find the connection, but once you get it, you’ll know and you might even see changes in your physical appearance & strength!

Shop my home workout essentials

2) Comparison is the thief of joy

Don’t compare your journey to anything you see on the Internet, or with anyone else but you. Our bodies are different and there is no guarantee we will end up becoming the same as someone else while being on the same workout programme.

Focus on getting better in your form, and feeling stronger every time you show up for yourself for a work out. Stay focused on your own goals, and never be discouraged on how much time is needed for you to achieve your goals.

It’s also okay to make changes to your goals as you go along. No one is watching, you don’t have to share with anyone what you plan to do, so nobody knows!

3) Be prepared to be very patient

If you’re looking to easily drop a few kilos in a few weeks, this is not the right regime for you. I also know that if it’s that easy, then there won’t be any overweight people on this earth.

I can share that after one whole year, the numbers on the scale for me did not change at all. It isn’t my goal to make any changes anyway, but I believe my body looks different now, and I absolutely am so much stronger. Like really so much more.

If you’re making changes that last, know that it is going to take some time, and I’m speaking in terms of years. It’s actually pointless to rush if you plan to stay fit & lean for the rest of your life. Just keep showing up and you’ll be making progress in the next few decades - think long term.

4) Eat well

Your body needs more protein once you start lifting. You’re tearing your muscle fibres everytime you lift and protein will help build it back stronger. This is the only way you can show up as a better version of yourself the next time you enter the gym for a workout again too. I aim to eat 0.8 - 1g of protein per pound of my weight everyday. I don’t count calories, I only make sure I’m eating enough protein, and that I have fiber to go with my protein at every meal.

This isn’t optional for me, and I believe if you keep your diet in mind too, it’ll help in your weight lifting journey as well.

5) Workouts I like to do

For an entire year, I only did these 6 workouts. I only pick 3 of them everytime I’m in the gym, and do 3 - 5 sets of 8 - 20 reps.

Squats
Deadlifts
Hip thrusts
Lunges
Step ups
Cable kick backs

Google these if you need demo from an expert, because I am not one. But these workouts are more than enough for me to build muscle. There is no need for fanciful exercises, these are tried and true. I only modify each of them by increasing or decreasing the weights and/or reps.

I started with 0 additional weights, just the barbell. This is how everyone starts, right at the bottom. But the cool thing is, you’ll see yourself be able to lift heavier and heavier overtime. You’ll also feel more confident in your form overtime and things won’t feel too foreign anymore.

You don’t need to pick 3 like me, just pick 1 and do 3 sets of 10 for a start:)

As mentioned, if you have any thoughts or require more elaboration, I’ll be happy to help🖤 Send your messages down below!

Answering Your Questions On Health, Fitness & Weightlifting