30 March 2018

SPORT | MOTIVATION | GYM BAG

Alina Ceusan # Beauty # Sport

Music: Bob Moses – All I Want

When it comes to sports, it’s better to start today than later – because that “later” stretches so slowly until 2018 and believe me, that meme from online – “Two months ago you wished you have started today “is generally available. In the last two months I have been doing weekly workouts with (or inspired by ) Anca Surdu (and what she shows us in class). Two months are more than enough to see a change in your muscular tonus, well-being and outline of your silhouette, so I challenge you to start right now with small but sure steps. Since many of you have asked me what routine we are following in the gym – what are the exercises are we doing – I thought to write you today about sports, motivation, equipment we use, and tricks which can help you want to go to the gym – if you are feeling in a stumbling block, just before the holidays, and your thoughts are more relaxing than food.

Obviously, before I get to the gym I prepare my sports bag. Even if it’s probably not as entertaining as the video, this “What’s in my gym bag” exercise is meant to make you feel good and motivate you at the same time. Here’s what’s in my sports bag: we start with the mobile phone and wireless headphones that give me freedom of movement. And believe me there is nothing stronger than starting your rope jumping training and this song played at max volume on your headphones. Music is essential to my training, I can’t train without it. It gives me the strength and mindset that I want at the gym. If you need a playlist to inspire you, here you can find 50 songs for the gym– I’ve prepared these especially for you. (Link YT). Also, in the bag we find for the first time the 2kg sand weights I got from Intersport from Vivo, these are from their Energetics fitness collection and are super affordable. They’ll tear your shoulder to the hall, but you can leave them there / at the reception to restrain from carrying all over the town with you every time. Believe me, these weights will change your training and help you see results faster. I also have the rope from Energetics which counts your jumps so you can monitor each session and how you evolve, helping you at the same time to exceed your limits, training after training because you realize you can do more and more, much better and faster from one session to another. The elastic band is something I recently discovered and I like to use it for both stretching and a series of exercises like walking sideways in a squat position with tape for more exercise. A transparent lip balm, anything at your fingertips, an apple or a snack, and a bottle of water – and if it comes with a fun message, it’s all the better because it puts you in the mood. Last but not least, are the sunglasses and I usually opt for vintage, massive, sports with an apres-ski look.

GYM Style: Energetic Sport Shoes / Energetic Jumping Rope / Energetic Leg Weights 2kg / Energetics Elastic Band / Wireless Headphones / Black Sport Sunglasses / Bye Boy Water Bottle

Over the years, I worked at the gym and with coaches – Andreea at Belvedere, Sergiu at Worldclass Iulius Mall, now Anca Surdu – and I ‘stole’ some secrets. I am the kind of person who is always eager to learn and because I have done performance sports I always give everything I can to the gym and I try to be disciplined and correct in the execution of the movements. Contrary to many expectations, I like to go to the gym alone, because I know that I will not waste time and I will mind my work, but equally I like to have a partner – who most often is my best friend , Carmen. We practice mostly in the training classes where we have a lot of space and can move freely.

Our trainings take about an hour. For the gluteal muscles and legs we start with basic and stretching heating, then we go to exercises that target the areas that we are interested in, even if some exercises can make a plus for the abdomen as well. I have not been running on the lane lately, but I’m trying to get used to a new type of cardio, much more effective than to jump the rope. To burn fat, you need to burn calories, and if we rely on what a Harvard Health Publications study tells us, in 60 minutes of exercise, a person weighing 70 pounds burns up to 744 calories hopping the rope, compared to 596 calories by cardio on the tape. Eventually you can jump the rope wherever you are, you don’t have to go to the gym and it’s a great alternative for the jogging / band. I recently found the Zen Dude Fitness channel on Youtube and I started watching the boys. There you will find all the answers to your questions about jumping ropes – how to choose your rope, what size you should have, how to adjust it and a series of workouts that help you achieve your goals . You have to impose them, of course. By the way, you can find the leggings I’m wearing in the Cluj store, but not online. Check out the store in your town for this model, I particularly liked the print and the material.

I realized that when I use the weights in the training sessions I need much more precision in the movements, the foot has to support an extra weight in all the exercises. Finally, I choose four exercises, for example: squats, weight wanders, leg lifting: lateral, 90 degree bend, donkey kicks – straight or legged, resistance band exercises, bridge and plank variations – 12 reps x 4 exercises x 4 series = the perfect training for me. I have the bags from Intersport in their new store at Vivo. You can find them in several variations of weight and color. You can also use sandbags when jumping the rope to burn more calories. What I’m aiming at now is to have a toned body and keep it that way through the weekly workouts until summer & beyond. For me, sport has always been a form of freedom from daily stress, when I’m there and I work intensely, I don’t think about absolutely anything – and that’s probably one of the few moments in which I can free my mind from so many pictures, texts, ideas, concepts – you know, the moment when you put yourself in bed that you are so sleepy and you can’t fall asleep because your thoughts still there, bugging you. Actually, I’m not referring to any problems- I’m just wondering through scenes and scenarios that most likely will never happen. As if you accidentally opened 300 new tabs on your desktop. They remain with you.

Over time I realized that I know what works best for my body, I got to know when I work out correctly a muscle group. It’s simple. You feel it. The results I see in the mirror confirm that what I do at the gym is exactly what suits me and what I need, so I will also urge you to try to know your body and how it reacts to various exercises and weights. I think the best investment when it comes to your feet training is sandbags – I now have two pound sachets that come attached on my ankle and that help me lead the training for the areas I’m interested in. Another must have is, of course, a colorful yoga mat that will give you the correct vibe. I want to leave the pink one at the gym to have it available all the time I go, same for the weights. The bags can be used equally well at home if you have plenty of room to do sports. Why leave them at the gym? Because I often don’t find my weights when I need them- and I need to use them in every training, especially since lately I have been thinking about these exercises for the gluteal muscle and feet that works ten thousand times better with ankle weights.