Hello sunshine!

[unpaid ad, because of mentioning the brand]
Today I want to talk about fitness again. For me it is a big part of my life and I would really like to include this part in my blog as well. I would like to know what you think about it.

Today it’s all about the #gymshark66 challenge.

As you may have seen on Instagram, I’m currently taking part on this challenge. I want to tell you what it is, what my goals are and how I measure my achievements.

I posted this photo on the 2nd of January and qualified myself for this challenge. It denotes my “before”-picture and so a starting situation for the 66 days challenge.
Gymshark itself is a brand for gym cloths and active wear, which I like and wear almost every time.
For me this brand is mostly denoted by its ambassadors or athletes. Of course I know, that they are payed to promote the cloths but it motivates me to wear the same outfits as my role models and to know where I want to be. It’s inspiring and motivating at the same time.

What is this challenge?
The basic idea is: allegedly it needs 66 days to create a habit (I’m a different opinion but that’s why they say 66 days). And Gymshark invited everyone to upload a photo on Instagram till the 7th of January with a sign, to participate the challenge.
At the 8th of March I need to upload a second picture with the results I achieved (hopefully) to end the challenge. And if you are fast in calculating you know: it’s halftime!

What am I hoping for?
Certainly, I have resolutions for 2019 and lots of them are fitness related and so this challenge was a heaven-sent opportunity. Unfortunately, I was ill at the beginning of the year, but this could not stop me from starting the new year with all this motivation.

One of my main goals is to reduce body fat. It’s not about loosing weight that much, it’s more to build muscles, feeling strong and to see the results of this hard work. I’ve been working on my strength for a long time now and I finally want to see the results for that.
I already have good muscles, but they are still hidden under fat and this is what I want to change!

Furthermore, when I was in Scotland I created myself the habit of going to the gym 5 times a week. Back in Germany it seems to be impossible for me to keep doing this. That’s why I wanted to start with home workouts and to be active for at least 5 minutes every day.

And of course: the diet! During the holidays I granted myself a lot and I enjoyed it! But I know that I cannot lower my body fat on the one side and eat pizza on the other side. That’s why we (me and my boyfriend) decided to start with a low-carb diet at least for those 66 days. We still make one “treat” (cheat) day a week, because we don’t want to quit all the food we love but we want to change it in a healthy way.

What did I achieve so far?y
3rd of February was halftime and I think I’m on a good way. I cannot say, that everything worked as expected and I have to accepts (again) that I am not able to change everything at one time, but all in all it’s going well.
Diet-wise I’m in my fifth week of low-carb diet and I’m getting used to it. I have one higher carb day in the middle of each week with mostly whole grain food and my “treat” day, but besides that we are eating healthy and balanced.

I completely changed my morning routine and get up at 6:30am every day to do a quick workout before I go for a walk with my dog. This way I feel like I’m starting my day quicker and get in the mood of being productive. Currently, I’m one of those people who can work more effective in the morning instead of afternoon and with the beautiful winter-sun shining through my window, I’m so much happier while working.

In terms of weight lost about 2kg, which is not much, but what satisfies me a bit more is that I lost almost 4cm waist circumference. I notice that I’m getting more visible abs (still under my belly fat but anyway) and I changed my training a bit. To cut fat I incorporate more cardio and interval training and at the same time I try to challenge myself a bit more when I’m doing weight training.

We will see whether this is the perfect way to achieve my goals or not. But currently, I have fun when I’m training, I’m motivated to start each day and I’m satisfied with my diet. My weakness is and will be chocolate or sweets in general. Once I started I cannot finish, but let’s change one habit at a time.
I’m happy about how the challenge is going and that I’m still part of it.

I’m curious whether you knew about this challenge before or if you are part of it? What would be your goals if you would take part? Let me know in the comments below.

See you next time. ♥

Hallo ihr Lieben!

[unbezahlte Werbung, da Markennennung]
Heute möchte ich mit euch mal wieder etwas über das Thema Fitness reden. Für mich ist es ein großer Teil meines Lebens und ich fände es schön, diese Leidenschaft auch in meinen Blog einfließen zu lassen. Ich würde mich freuen, wenn ihr mir eure Meinung dazu in den Kommentaren verratet.

Heute geht es um die #GYMSHARK66 Challenge.

Wie du vielleicht auf Instagram gesehen hast, bin ich aktuell dabei an dieser Challenge teilzunehmen. Was genau das ist, was meine Ziele sind und woran ich meine Ziele messe, möchte ich heute mit dir teilen.

Dieses Bild habe ich am 2. Januar 2019 auf Instagram gepostet und habe damit meine #gymshark66 Challenge gestartet. Es ist sozusagen das „vorher“-Bild zu einer 66 Tage andauernden Challenge. Gymshark selbst ist eine Marke für Sportbekleidung, die ich selbst sehr toll finde und fast ausschließlich nur noch trage.
Für mich ist Gymshark gekennzeichnet vor allem durch super inspirierende und motivierende Sportler, die die Marke repräsentieren und dafür werben. Natürlich weiß ich, dass die Leute dafür bezahlt werden, aber für mich persönlich ist es super motivierend das gleiche Outfit zu tragen wie meine Vorbilder und zu wissen, wo ich irgendwann mal hinkommen möchte.

Was ist diese Challenge jetzt eigentlich?
Der Grundgedanke dahinter: es bräuchte angeblich 66 Tage um eine Gewohnheit aufzubauen (ich bin da anderer Meinung, aber deshalb die 66 Tage). Und deshalb hat Gymshark aufgefordert bis zum 7. Januar ein Bild auf Instagram zu posten mit der eigenen Ausgangsform und einem Schild, um an dieser Challenge teilzunehmen.
Am 8. März endet die Challenge dann mit einem zweiten Post auf dem dann – hoffentlich – Erfolge zu sehen sind.
Aktuell habe ich also schon die Hälfte der Zeit „geschafft“.

Was erhoffe ich mir davon?
Natürlich habe ich mir 2019 wieder einmal neue Vorsätze überlegt und viele davon sind Fitness bezogen und da kam diese Challenge wie gerufen. Zwar war ich Anfang des Jahres ziemlich erkältet, aber es hat mich so sehr motiviert mit all den anderen Teilnehmern zu starten, dass ich unbedingt daran teilnehmen wollte.

Eins meiner wichtigeren Ziele ist es Körperfett zu reduzieren. Es geht mir nicht so sehr darum Gewicht zu verlieren, sondern eher darum Muskeln aufzubauen, mich stark zu fühlen und endlich die Erfolge zu sehen, für die ich jetzt schon so lange das Grundgerüst aufbaue.
Ich habe mir schon gut Muskeln erarbeitet, aber die sind aktuell noch versteckt und genau das möchte ich ändern!

Außerdem hatte ich es während meiner Zeit in Schottland geschafft mir eine Routine von 5 Trainingstagen angeeignet, was für mich zurück in Deutschland nahezu unmöglich scheint. Deshalb wollte ich unbedingt damit anfangen home – workouts zu machen und zumindest jeden Tag wenigstens 5 Minuten meinen Körper zu beanspruchen.

Und natürlich die Ernährung! Über die Feiertage habe ich mir vieles gegönnt und es genossen wieder zu Hause zu sein. Aber mir ist natürlich bewusst, dass ich nicht auf der einen Seite Körperfett reduzieren will und auf der anderen Seite Pizza bestellen kann. Deshalb wollten wir (mein Freund und ich) gemeinsam an unserer Ernährung etwas ändern und zumindest für die Zeit der 66 Tage eine Low-Carb Ernährung umsetzten und bis auf einen Cheat („Treat“) day pro Woche uns gesund und bewusst ernähren.

Was habe ich bisher erreicht?
Am 3. Februar war Halbzeit und ich bin bisher mit meinen Ergebnissen ziemlich zufrieden. Ich kann nicht behaupten, dass alles immer so geklappt hat wie ich es wollte und ich mal wieder einsehen musste, dass man nicht alle Gewohnheiten auf einmal umstellen kann, aber es läuft ziemlich gut.
Ernährungstechnisch befinde ich mich jetzt in der fünften Woche meiner „Low-Carb-Diät“ und ich habe mich an vieles schon gewöhnt. Ich mache einmal pro Woche einen gesunden Carb-Day an dem ich hauptsächlich Vollkornprodukte mit integriere und einen Cheat Day an dem ich mir vieles gönne, aber selbst dann noch im Rahmen bleibe.

Meine Morgen-Routine habe ich komplett umgestellt und stehe jetzt jeden Tag um 6:30 auf um als erstes Sport zu machen und danach mit meinem Hund Gassi zu gehen. So habe ich das Gefühl schneller in den Tag starten zu können und von Beginn an aktiver zu sein. Ich gehöre aktuell zu den Menschen, die vormittags mehr leisten können als später am Tag und vor allem diese schöne Wintersonne die aktuell durch mein Fenster scheint motiviert mich sehr meine Aufgaben zu erledigen.

Vom Gewicht her habe ich bisher nur ca. 2kg abgenommen, was wirklich nicht viel ist, aber was mir glücklicher macht sind die 4cm Taillenumfang die bereits verloren gegangen sind. Ich merke, dass ich schon deutlich Bauchmuskulatur aufgebaut habe und auch in meinem Training habe ich etwas umgestellt. Um Fett abzubauen integriere ich mehr Cardio und Intervalltraining, gleichzeitig versuche ich mich aber auch im Krafttraining mehr herauszufordern um den Muskelaufbau zu fördern.

Ob ich damit die Ziele erreiche, die ich mir gesetzt habe, weiß ich nicht – das wird sich zeigen. Aber aktuell habe ich Spaß am Training, starte motivierter in den Tag und bin zufrieden mit meiner Ernährung. Meine Schwäche ist und bleibt Schokolade bzw. allgemein Süßigkeiten. Einmal damit angefangen fällt es mir schwer damit aufzuhören, aber auch dass wird sich mit der Zeit noch ergeben.
Ich freue mich, dass ich die Challenge bisher so gut durchgehalten habe und bin gespannt auf mein Endergebnis.

Mich würde es wahnsinnig interessieren, ob du auch schon von dieser Challenge gehört hast oder vielleicht sogar daran teilnimmst. Was wären denn deine Ziele bei einer solchen Challenge? Schreibe es mir doch gerne in die Kommentare.
Bis zum nächsten Mal.♥

Hello sunshine!

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow..."

If you have been following me on Instagram during the last months, you have propably noticed that I posted a lot of workout related stories. The gym is a big part of my weekly schedule and today, I want to share my routine, my goals and my motivation with you.

I know, it is weird to talk about sport right before Christmas and trust me, I am the first eating Christmas cookies, but you may want to start to think about your resolutions for 2019 or you don't want to wait any longer for the next year, but start now, then this is the right post for you!

BuJo weekly spread with workout plan

First of all:

my routing

Since I am in Scotland, I have been in the gym four to five times a week. In the beginning it was hard to find the perfect time to make it fit to my routine, because I hate it to be there when everyone is there and you have to wait for your equipment. I prefer during the morning or at lunchtime, when there are less people. Furthermore, the gym where I am has a room for classes such as yoga, ab-workouts and so on, which is nice if you want to take part on those classes but more than that I like the room, because you can use it as long as it is free.
As you will read below, once a week I train just with bodyweight and this can look strange. And then I'm rather in a room where noone can see me than somewhere else.

Cut by Natacha Oceane app

my workout split

Because I got a few questions about my training, I like to include it in here. I am not a professional and I am not as athletic as I whish I would, but I can tell you my experiences.
2018 has been my year of gym plans. I started with the peach plan from Meggan Grubb (one of my favourite youtuber btw) and after that I bought "Cut" from Natacha Oceane. Because I had a little break during summer where I just trained what I wanted, I am now in the last weeks of Natachas plan.
And to be honest: I love it!

This plan includes 5 trainings a week, which is perfekt. The first one is plyometric training or as I call it Ninja training. Most of it is just with bodyweight and it includes a lot of jumping and bouncing. As I said I am no professional and I can not tell you, why this training is so special, but I always feel like a ninja afterwards and this is so cool!
After this I usually do an upper body and lower body training, depends on what I would like to do. I try to do my legday in the beginning of the week, becaus I love leg workouts and I feel so sore after it, that my legs need a rest day.
Then I have a full body workout and a HIIT workout left. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is perfect for burning fat and loosing weight! And I don't like it. This is one of the training where I have to start to enjoy it. I would never say: today I would like to do HIIT training. But if it is on my schedule, I do it!

Instagram saved pictures with workout motivation

my motivation

I had a lot of those days where I was not motivated at all! But it feels like the key is routine. I chose a gym where I have to walk 20min to get there and I am paying a lot for it, so I don't want to waste my time and money! I have to make the best workout I can to use it.
Most days this is my motivation, but for the days where I just want to stay in my bed or/and eat a pizza, I have to get off my backside. I like scrolling through fitness instagram pages (such as Meggan Grubb, Natacha Oceane, Whitnes Simmons...) or watching youtube videos.
But if you be constant and create a routine where the gym is part of your life, you will make it anyway!
Honestly, another huge motivation for me was to se results. I know every progress is progress, but taking a higher wait then the week before or holding a little longer, makes such a difference to your mindset! The moment I realized, that I am betten now then I have been before my time abroad, helped me to get through a phase of no motivation.

I hope you got a little insight in my gym routine and if you are interested in that topic, please leave a comment below, because I have some other ideas but I am not sure whether this is the right place to share it. Or you can follow me on instagram, to see some of my weird looking exercises.

Merry Christmas!❄

Hello sunshine!

"You better watch out
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town..."

Today I want to share some of my resolutions for 2018 with you and how I stuck to it. The next year is at the ready and as everyone I will have new resolutions . I don't beliefe in unrealistic changes just because a numbre changed, but it is a good chance to get motivated to change things you don't like. But actually you don't need a new year to change something but that's quite another cup of tea :D

resolutions page 2018

I divided my goals 2018 page in 6 diefferent parts to split up my goals in these sections.
The first one is travel, because it was my main goal to see the ocean again. At the beginning of the year I felt so much wanderlust and I saved all my money to travel. Me and my boyfriend made so many plans for our holidays and daytrips - we had to discard some of them because of my Fulbright scholarship to study in the USA for 3 weeks but we could realise at least one.

#see the ocean - did it in Scotland ✔
#go to an museum - National Mall, Washington DC ✔
#discover a new place in Germany - Kologne ✔

The next section is fitness, which is the one I struggled most to fulfil. To be honest: my goals changed during the year... but this was a classic fail!

#do the peach plan - didn't finished it in the expected time but I did it ✔
#12 weeks of low carb - who can resist to good pasta or just bread?
#get to 65kg - nop

Let's combine Selfcare and Productivity, because these ones are my menthal ones. Actually I wanted to add more bullet points to the selfcare section but I forgot about it.

#go to the hair dresser - first time in march and second time in august ✔
#average of 2.0 in uni (we score from 5 to 1 - one it the best) - I'm currently at 1.9 ✔
#find a routine - yes and no! I found my routine at home and since summer my routine is not having a routine because of the changes I had. In America we had a fixed schedule which made the routine for us and in Scotland noone cares about what I am doing, so I don't have the same routine every day... so I think I have to continue with this next year

goals 2018 page

Next section is called art. Drawing, painting and sketching are my passions and sometimes I forget taking my time for doing things like that. So I tought that it would be a great idea to include this in my resolution to motivate and remind me to do something I love.

#fill in my sketchbook for at least 50% - I have a new sketchbook now but it is more then I expected I would draw ✔
#paint at least 3pictures - one for my dad and more then 4 for the frames in our flat ✔
#draw stickers - drew myself some stickers. I'm not satisfied yet, but I am trying! ✔

For the last part - social media - I have to say that this was just for fun. I don't spend that much time on social media to get that much attention as I would like to have. But I think for my amount of efford, I am really good and I am trying my best.
I decided that I don't want to look at the numbers to say whether I'm satisfied or not. I use these numbers enough for university purpose and that is enough. I think I am currently doing a good job with my blog and I like what I am doing. It feels like a hobby to me and not like work as it sometimes felt before.

I think I did pretty good this year and had good resolutions I could accomplish. I am proud of myself especially of my gym-journey and my travel experiences this year.
I hope you had a great year as well!

If you follow me on Instagram you probably have seen my "challenge". So I basically started a challenge to push through the last days of the year and make it the greatest and fulfil all resolutions. To be realistic I can not do any of my goals but I set new ones for the last days to have a good base for 2019!
So if you want to join you have still 27 days left to change something.

What is your conclusion about your resolutions this year? Have you been successful? Feel free to tell me your storie in the comments below!

Merry Christmas!❄