Volleyball

Week 1

“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
― George Bernard Shaw

An inspirational video that changed a few of my lifestyles:

Holding the plank for 1 minute and 26 seconds.

(Time lapse of 22 seconds)

My goals for this semester is to exercise at least 2 times a week. I would also like to drop a few kilograms before summer. My nutritional goals for this semester is to eat more protein and to watch my calorie intake. I would also like to avoid any fried food. I have a fitness app that keep track of my progress and everyday I have to put in my weight and whether I exercised or not.

Week 2

a. My workout entailed on building the lower part of my body. I mostly worked on exercises for muscle endurance.

b. Vanier Fitness Centers Schedule

d.I attended it around 12h30 and with a Vanier friend

e.I felt sleepy before the workout, i felt normal during the workout and motivated after the workout.

f. I learned where are the fitness centers. I liked the numerous amount of machines available for students at those center but I didn’t like the fact that we were the only women in the gym at the time.

g.I used the treadmill , the cycle bike, the cable tower, the rowing machine and the elliptical machine.

h. I wasn’t particularly glad I went since it felt like an unnatural workout. I felt that even tho there are many machines available I would prefer going to my current gym which provides me with a lot more varieties than those at Vanier.

Questions:

1- The things that would motivate me are trying new exercises for every workouts, having someone to push your limits at the gym or in class and setting goals such as losing weight.

2. The things that would create barriers are feeling tired after a long day, a rainy day, and the excuse that I can always catch up my lost workouts the next day.

3. I like endurance workouts. A workout that would test how long I can keep doing the exercise motivates me. Or, new workouts that I haven’t hear before motivate me to try them to know if I like them and find them necessary.

4. For yoga and stretching I prefer working out at home. For running, in the winter I work out at the gym to avoid catching a cold but in the summer I like to run outside. For weights and functional movements I prefer doing it at the gym because I don’t have enough weights at home to practice most exercises and I can bring a friend to the gym to motivate me. For HIIT workouts I don’t mind where I actually do them but sometimes I mostly prefer doing it at home.

5. I am currently working at an organic grocery store named Rachelle Bery. I get discounts off products which motivates me to eat healthier and buy organic food such as fruits and vegetables. I go to the gym with my older brother, he often motivates me to push harder and since he is my family I know he will stick around with me.

6. I could see myself running for the remainder of my life. I don’t run fast but I have endurance. Running is a personal exercise in which someone could run fast for two minutes or slowly for 30 minutes. I believe that I would be capable to run when I will be older even if it’s not as my current speed or current endurance.

Week 3

Workout 2

My score is 7+9

Questions

a. I would say 9 on 10

b. There are three basic components which are warm-up, conditioning stimulus, and cool-down. Accumulate moderate-intensity exercise (40-60% of HRR) for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days a week, for a total of 150 minutes per week. The frequency should be between 3 to 5 days a week.

c. It should be a moderate intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on an average of 5 days or more a week.

d. Bicycling is part as cardio but yoga is not part of cardio.

e. Eight glasses of water

f. Progressive overload is when the demand is continuous increasing on muscles which makes them gain muscle size, strength and endurance. Progressive overload is explained by the fact that if the muscle engage with a higher demand that it had before it will gain size, strength and endurance. Since the muscles is challenged with something that creates tension it will grow in order to adapt to this tension and demand. However, if the muscle is not engaged with anything demanding it will stay the same.

g. Cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, and muscular strenght

h. My nutrition was a little better for this week. I avoided fattening foods especially meat such as chicken or beef since I don’t eat pig meat. I started eating more soup to replace my hunger for pasta and any type of bread meal. I still need to improve certain factors such as eating more proteins and avoid food with trans fat or sodium. I also started drinking the right amount of water per day.

Week 4

workout 1

Finished in 11 minutes 57 seconds

50 seconds were cut off the video because of an incident (I have proof if needed).

Questions:

a. Not well

b. Pretty hard since I have a 20h job per week and classes.

c. My stress levels are not that high before a workout but I feel that I am more relaxed when I finish my workout because I don’t think about what stresses me out. I focus more on getting home and relaxing from the workout.

d. I tried avoiding sugar drinks for this week. I did not make it one day because I was extremely tired and decided to drink a Guru before going to work.

e. My next nutritional goal will be to cook more often at home instead of buying prepare food. I need to see what I am eating and control the amount of nutriments put into a meal.

Week 5

Workout 1

7 rounds in 11 minutes and 49 seconds

Workout 2

Completed 3 rounds in 10 minutes and 50 seconds

Questions

a) I don’t really feel any different this week than the weeks before. However, I do get better sleep and uninterrupted sleep during the night.

b) The activity plan forces me to go to the gym and workout after the workout given from my volleyball class. It motivates me to go at east once or twice a week to the gym to not lose this routine I got going on.

c)One of my biggest barriers from this activity plan is the lack of going to the gym and finding reasons that will stop me from going. I asked my mom and brother to come to the gym with me to motivate me to keep going and so far they come with me everytime.

d) For me I rest for at least 2 or 3 days before going back to the gym because if I don’t give my body some rest I won’t be able to workout properly. If I on’t rest, i stay less at the gym and do less rounds. I also feel very tired and not motivated to move or go outside.

e)My two nutrition habits are to also bring a water bottle with me everywhere I go. I am doing not that bad over those two weeks but I need to drink more water. I simply forget to drink water at school since I’m always busy. My second habit is to try preparing food at home. It ‘s not a good success so far since everyday my classes start at 8h30. I am working on it.

Week 6

Workout 1

I started with a step machine for at least 5 consecutive minutes

Followed by 3 sets of 15 crunches

3 sets of 10 squats with dumbbells

3 sets of 22 lunges (11 each leg)

3 sets of 10 push up

2 min of plank (one at the beginning one at the end)

3 sets of 18 mountain climbers

Workout 2

Pushup: 27 times

Curl-Up: 32

Wall squat: 1 min 30

Front plank: 1 min 02

Second part ( got cut off because I forget the rest of the workout)

3 rounds in 6 min 05

Questions

a) I chose this because I don’t want to go to the gym (coronavirus). I am doing exercises that don’t require a lot of space and a limited weights.

b) It was pretty average in general.

c) I do need to revise my goals because of the new virus going on. I need to boost my immune system which means working out more AT HOME. Drinking even more water to get plenty of fluids.

d) Right now the amount of water I drink per day isat my goal challenge. I try to eat more often at home even if it is a slice of pizza or chicken wings. I try to eat nutritional meals.

e) Between 5 to nine serving of vegetables per day. I don’t get it enough but I love ceasar salads and greek salads. I try to regularly eat cucumbers since they are almost filled with water. I would say that my three favorite veggies are cucumbers, carrots and peppers.

f) My five consecutive meals

It is pretty challenging to eat the right proportion each day since school and working takes almost my full days. I try to prepare healthy meals when I have a few hours to spare at home before going to work or going to Vanier. I did realise that I have small proportion of meals everyday. I should include more fresh vegetables or carbs when eating soup. My choices of food are limited since I am a very picky person but it can very from healthy to very unhealthy.

Week 7

Workout 1

Tried some yoga in those stressful times

I tried some yoga positions:

Bridge, downward- facing dog, plank pose, warrior pose, bow pose, side plank, crow pose (did not workout well), shoulder stand, tree pose. Each were hold for 30 seconds except a few exercises that required more time like the plank).

Workout 2

Option 2

2 rounds:

Max rep push-ups: 26,24

1 min curl-ups: 37, 30

Max time wall-squats: 1 min 40, 1 min 30

Max front plank: 1 min 02, 1 min

1 min side hops: 35, 32

a) A warm up is necessary to prepare the body for physical activity since it increases the heart rate, body temperature and the breathing rate. It lets the body know that it is about to exercise.

b) A successful warmup is when there is a light sweat but not too intense. The heart rate should increase as well as the body temperature (light sweat).

c) The cool down is to decrease the heart rate, breathing rate, to cool the body temperature, and return the muscles to their normal form. It is also necessary to avoid getting dizzy.

d) The best time to stretch is after the workout since it lowers the heart rate. The muscles will already be flexible and manageable which will ease the stretching. Stretching is important because it keeps the muscles flexible, and strong. Stretching will avoid muscle damage or joints pain because the muscles won’t be short and tight.

e) Between 7 and 9 hours every night. Yes I make sure to get at least 8 hours per night.

f) Not getting enough sleep could lead to obesity, high blood pressure. heart problems and diabetes.

g) The most common healthy snack would be an apple and the other snack will be nuts (pistachios, walnuts, cashews,etc.). My health will motivate me to be active in the future. I want to stay healthy in the future to avoid any heart diseases or obesity. Maintaining a good health will reduce any involuntary problems that could be solved by moving a little.

h) I would love an active lifestyle. At work I’m always trying to move and do something because I love being active. One of the main negative health aspect would be weight gain and even obesity. The second one would be the dysfunction of the immune system since exercising boosts the immune system and having a sedentary lifestyle will not help the immune system. The last negative health aspect would be the risk of having high blood pressure.

i) avocados (monounsaturated fats) and salmon (polyunsaturated fats).

Week 8

Workout 1

1 min plank

Mountain climbers 15×3

Spider crawl 10×3

Lunges 16×3

Up and down plank max

Curl ups 15×3

small arm circles 1 min

Bridge hold 45 sec

Lift weight 10×3 (each arm)

Russian twists 30×3

Push ups 10×3

Child pose

Cat camel stretch

Shoulder stretch

Workout 2

2 rounds in 10 minutes and 58 seconds

Max push-ups: 26, 25

1 min curl-ups: 36, 35

Max wall-squat: 1 minutes 48 seconds, 1 minutes 39

Max front plank: 1 min 5 seconds, 1 min 3 seconds

1 min side hops: 36, 33

Questions

a) Friends that are physically active can push me to stay active in my future. Also getting daily reminders to stay physical.

b) I see myself living easily an active life since my family likes to stay in shape. We motivate each other to go to the gym or do at home workouts.

c) The three benefits of an active lifestyles are: managing a weight balance, reducing heart risks such as a heart attack, and reducing the chance of having high blood pressure.

d) High blood pressure, heart problems and weight gain.

e) Monounsaturated fat (olive oil ) and polyunsaturated fat ( fish)

f) One of my goal for these weeks was to drink more water which I found successful. I always carried a water bottle with me to remind me to drink water. Another one of my goal was to exercise more regularly which I also found successful. I believe that I have more energy in week 8 than I had in week 1.

g) One aspect that I find less successful is the intensity I gave to my workouts. Most of the time I founded excuses to workout less intensely than I should have such as saying that I have to work tomorrow, or I’m going out with friends.

h) My nutrition remain mostly the same. I finish work at 9h30 and afterwards I don’t have the energy to cook myself a diner for the next day but when I do have the time and energy I try to prepare healthy meals. I did increase the intake of water.

i)I learned that I am someone who likes challenges. I am someone who has perseverance and these workouts made me realise that. I like trying challenging stuff to know what I am made of.

j) Over these past few weeks I feel more energetic and focused. I was determined to finish the semester with good grades and I feel that working out can help myself to feel motivated. I haven’t noticed any physical changes. Maybe I’ve become more resistant but I’m not so sure.

k) The workouts weren’t that difficult to add in m day but it was more the lack of motivation to film myself working out. I like staying active but I also like to procrastinate when it comes to school work.

l) I want to improve the 12 minutes run and my plank resistance. I want to be able to be in the ranking of good when it comes to the run. I also want to be able to stand 1 min and 45 seconds for planking.

Week 9

Own workout: plank 1 minute (20 sec rest), 24x superman (20 sec rest), 26x crunches (20 sec rest), 24x heel touch (20 sec rest), 20x cobras (20 sec rest), 55 seconds plank (20 sec rest), 10×2 push-ups (10 sec rest), 15 butt bridge (20 sec rest), 10×2 leg lifts (10 sec rest), leg stretch, shoulder stretch, back stretch.

Workout 1

• 4 sets of 25 lunges, 25 sit-ups and 12 burpees
• Total time 12 minutes and 56 seconds

Workout 2

Running for 1 minute than 30 seconds walk

Week 10

20 min run

Own workout

Russian twist 40x , Abdominal crunches 26x , butt bridge 14x , plank 50 seconds, standing glute kickback 13 each leg, squats 25x , side-lying leg lift 16 each leg, butt bridge 28x , side hop 20x , fire hydrant 13 each leg, push up 2×10, stretching.

Questions:

1. If it continues, then I will install an app that will motivate me to workout everyday. Like a sort of workout challenge. I slowly started doing family activities such as puzzles and cooking with my mom.
2. If social distancing continues I think I will stop eating candies or any processed sugar. If I limit my exercise time then I should avoid unhealthy food such as sugar.
3. I will continue interacting with my family and do some activities to avoid boredom. I will continue to workout at least two times a week to ensure physical stability.
4. I currently work at a grocery store and we have rules for the customers to follow in those stressful times. The rules imply buying maximum 1 pack of eggs, not bringing more than 1 member of the family inside the store and having less than 10 customers in store. Some customers yell at us for these rules to are in use to protect them and us. I am honestly shocked at how disrespectful people can be in these times.

Week 11

Own : Abdominal crunches x22, russian twist x40, superman x22, sit-ups x30, reverse crunches x28, butt bridge x22, heel touch x16, cobra stretch 1m30, side plank each side 50 seconds, squats x20, donkey kick each 20, mountain climber x10, side lying leg lift x20, lunges 20x.

Workout 2

13 minutes and 42 seconds

Workout 1

Total time of 11 minutes and 23 seconds

Questions

1. Sia: She’s a famous singer that refuses to show her face to the public. I love this intuitive since everyone wants to be recognized and famous but she decides to keep her identity a secret. Sia’s biggest strength is that she knows that is important to her. She doesn’t want people knowing her identity but simply people loving her music.
2. My friend Alyssa: She’s this amazing person that is kind to animals and any human in need. She has travelled around the world and spent days rescuing animals in need. Her biggest strength is kindness. She will always help someone in need. I began buying plants and try to bring them back to life. Even though it is not an animal I feel good taking care of my plants.
3. My mom: My mom is someone that is not afraid to do anything or say anything. She’s very honest with people and they all appreciate her for this. I believe her biggest strength is honesty. I have become more honest over the years to my friends and even to me. I try to put 100% in everything and not create excuses.
4. Angelina Jolie: She is known for her beauty but she actually donates a lot of her money. She especially donates for peace charities. I find that her strength is generosity. Even though she has money she takes the time to donate for those in need. With this I can start looking for causes to donate in or simply doing stuff on my own. For example, instead of littering I can take the time to find a garbage and encourage my friends to do so.
5. My brother: My older brother is someone who shows a lot of affection. He hates wasting products and objects. He always try to find new ways to recycle and make of use any garbage. His strength is being an environmentalist. From his achievements I started to recycle things and create them into something new when possible.

Week 12

Pre-exercise heart rate: 70

Workout 2

Push-ups: 35, sit-ups: 41, plank 90s, side-hops: 44, Balance L:29 R:32, Wall-squat: 110s.

Workout 3

Total of 10 minutes and 11 seconds

Questions:

1. One of the things I miss the most is hanging out with my friends. Spending time with the people you trust and interacting with people outside of my family is something important. I also miss going out to eat. Even tho cooking is fun and healthy, going out with friends and eating food from different countries is something I really miss. Mostly, I simply miss interacting with people.
2. I don’t miss waking up early to go to school. I am not an early bird and I don’t focus well in the morning. I also don’t miss taking the STM because it always has issues. The metro either did not pass or had a problem which delayed the waiting time and it was not clean at my station.
3. If things go back to normal, I will reach out to my friends more oftenly to go out. I came to realise that I miss them a lot and wished that I spend more time hanging out with them. Sadly, I need to take the STM to go to school and work which leave me no other option. I am currently doing my driver lessons but it will take a while. For my last semester, I will try to get classes after 8am to avoid waking up early in the morning.
4. I can start planning things to do with my friends right now. I planned many things with them if everything will go back to normal. Even spending time with them talking is enough for me.