When I was young, my mum ketp telling me that those who worked out had generally better grades at school. I was confused with the different stereotypes spread by medias and life itself, and I was absolutely convinced that the population was divided into three categories: The nerds, who were superstars in class but never kick their asses in gym, the sports lovers who barely know how to read, and those between who don't rule neither of the two.

Well truth is, working out can boost your results at school. Of course if done consciously, and if you don't let the gym take over the homeworks.

The first main benefit you can get from workig out is that your attention span is lengthened: you also practice it during the workouts and it shows during the studies.

You also learn to make decisions faster, and feel more at-ease when working as member of a team: you show your opinions, and mentally workout to make them known.

New cells and blood vessels are improved during the workout, which can lead to a better use of your cognitive capacity .

This could seem to be just like one of the numerous sudies showing incredible things, but "a high school in Naperville, Ill., implemented first-period PE classes for everyone and saw math scores improve by 20%" and that, my dears, could not be avoided.

" University of Illinois at Urbana found that after 30 minutes of moderate walking on a treadmill, boys and girls aged 9 and 10 performed better on cognitive and academic test. " Woah !

To put it in a nutshell, don't hesitate AT ALL when it comes to working out if you fear lowering your grades because if done wisely, it could even boost your skills!

Hi everyone ! I only have two days left of final exams before my studies are over!!! Three years have passed by so fast I can't even realize it yet. Yesterday our english teacher wrote on a board during the exam "Have a nice summer" and then he stood still , contemplating the whole class. I felt like I was close to crying because you get so close to good teachers in a way, and I felt sad because in Fall when every student will go back to uni, I won't be part of it and won't see the teachers I've loved so much anymore. I turn the page and start a new chapter in my life ☺

Anyway, I did good this morning and booked a rendez-vous with one of my closest friend, Vanessa. We don't see each other a lot because we're both very busy but when we have the chance to spend time together it's always quality time ! ♥

I have severe soreness in my quads and glutes from yesterday's workout (posted below). I truly thought it would tear down my abs but well, here's the sign I did an entire good body workout so you can inspire from my last workout if you want a guarranteed soreness in the ass. And as I love it here's my workout for today :


Sorry for the lazy fitness picture but I was very into it and I totally forgot to take photographs of my lunch with my beloved Vanessa and Deborah and my workout! but here it is, with a strong ocus on arms and I am really into push-ups because I have a weak upper body and this is the best way to get started in my opinion. I will soon release some other pictures here as I booked and appointment with Solen (the third beloved friend) for an upcoming photoshoot ! ♥ I hope you had a wonderful day ♥

The  main advantage in having a blog is that it's easier to track the feelings and "problems you might have. It's been a few days since I started to get stomach aches in  the morning, and I was even about to throw up this morning. I decided to go buy some groceries and DETOX  a little.

I don't have any recipe so I just pick the fruits and veggies I want and give it a try!

 The recipe is super simple:

- 1/2 orange
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/4 cucumber
- 1 small pear
- 1 carrot
- 1 kiwi

Blend it all and add water. The more water you add, the more you need to blend it in order to have a smooth beverage.

The total amount of this mix was about 800ml !

Calories : 364
Fat : 15g
Protein : 6g
Carbs : 58


I also want to talk to you about a nice website I've found this week end!! allathletes.org is a website were you can find easy challenges for upper, lower, full-body etc.... This won't give you the body you dream of in 21 days, but that will give you a goal to work for and extra motivation!!

Hi everyone!! I'm currently living a stressful day as I woke up this morning with an extremely upset stomach and finally got my results from last semester. I thought I could not eat today but still managed to get my breakfast in, and drank 1L tea by 10 am to ease my stomach a little. I got back home after university and worked out anyway, mainly shoulders and plank variations because I must improve on my upper body strength.
I have spent 2 years working (almost) mainly legs, which gave me strong quads and stuff in the end but my arms stayed thin and weak and I'd like to build them up a little so I emphasize on exercises that focus mainly on the upper area.
The advantage with plank variations is that the whole body is toned, and your core is deeply targeted. As I could not find the name of the position on the internet , I took some pictures. Don't pay attention to the form , I had to wait 10 seconds without moving before the picture was taken☺

(and I'd like to add that I've already shred some fat so I'm super happy! ♥☺♥

During a regular plank, suck your stomach in and squeeze these beautiful glutes of yours. Hold for at least 30sec

 
Start in a push-up position, then lift one arm as if you wanted to reach the roof/sky. Your feet must be at a shoulder-width to ease the transition. Use an empty barbell (or a loaded one) to spice it up!!





 Exercise 2: (see picture)

 Start in a push-up position, with empty barbells (or loaded) in both hands. Lift each arm separately (of course)
What I did : w/ 2kg barbells 10reps/5sets





The rest of the session went as following:

Push-ups: 10reps/7sets
Shoulder front raise: 2kg/25 reps/1set, 6kg/10reps/5sets (each arm)
Shoulder lateral raise: 6kg/12rep/3sets
Rear Delts: 6kg/10rep/3sets
Three-way dumbbell swing: 6kg/10rep/3sets (each arm)

Hi everyone!! Today I had several exams at school and I was very anxious when I woke up this morning. Tomorrow  I have an oral exam left and thought that I should workout this afternoon to relieve stress and anxiety. When I got back home it was raining like crazy so I stayed home to have a fun session.

I realized I don't like heavy training that much. To be honest, the thought of having to lift +100lbs doesn't motivate me at all those days. I like when I train for at least an hour with medium weights and medium reps -or even just bodyweight- and well, I'd rather lower my weights and keep my dedication. I don't believe that any woman who wants to lose weight and get in shape must have to lift all the iron available in the gym. I truly believe that mind and body are very linked and that what pleases your mind, pleases your body. I BELIEVE IT ONLY WORKS IF YOU LOVE IT! That's why my session went great, my cardio even showed a spike at 88% of my max!! I'm very very glad and I already look forward to my upcoming freetime ♥♥♥

I always drink my BCAA 2:1:1 from MyPROTEIN!! Best one I've tried

 I hope you guys do your best to rock this week and reach these goals you've set for yourself, no matter if it's fitness, carreer or school related!! I believe in each one of you ♥

Hi everyone! Today has been one of those curiously weird day so far. I was so happy to train again because I had planned some time to andI am really excited because after this post is online, I'll get to hang out with one of my favorite girl in the world. It's been a few months I believe since I last saw her but it's always quality time when we're reunited! And on the other hand, I don't sleep with the boyfriend tonight, which means it'll take waaaaaay longer to fall asleep, and tomorrow I have one of those major exams everyone is afraid of. So I sleep alone. Working. For tomorrow.

Even for the two sessions of today, it felt kinda different. I got home this morning and the session was good, and this afternoon I was really not motivated to deadlift. I guess I like light weights best. But well, once in a while, deadlifts are to be done, so don't pay attention to the weights I use for this exercise. I finished today's workout with boxjump which has to be my absolute favorite!!

Look what I had for lunch!! Strawberries w/ 0% fat yogurt and coated with 0-calorie sweetener.

I hope everyone will have a bright, shiny and good day! To see more, find me on snapchat (morganethomas21) and follow me on Instagram!! (fitsporate.beyondlimits)! ♥♥

 Well! I'm finally done with my translations and this is the definition of relief. I will have my week end off instead of working all day! I'm so happy I even got up earlier and did a one hour workout before class. The major advantage is that I can finally learn my lessons before the exams, because translation gave me no time to concentrate on my uni work. My last task is a 3-hour drive from home this afternoon and i'll be back by tonight, which means 6 hours stuck in a car for a 15min appointment. I'll certainly crush into bed once i get back home . Here's a recipe i did last week and it really felt like spring when I ate it. I mixed regular salad with tomatoes and half an avocado , then I pan-cooked mushrooms with soy cream and had like a "chicken steak" with it. Altogether it was truly delish. As I worked out this morning, I wanted to share it with you:

 ° 30' cardio - biking. I normally do cardio at the end to focus on weights but I hadn't thought I would "lift".
° Biceps curls - 6kg each hand - 10 reps/4sets
° Push ups - 10reps/4sets
° Squats - 6kg/20reps - 10kg/15reps -14kg/15reps
° Deadlift Stiff Legs - 14kg/20reps - 24kg/15reps/3sets

This weights are not very high because as I said lately I just got back on track with working out after a 6-month break so I just take it easy before doing personal bests again. Here I just played around with a few exercises. I normally try to separate each muscle group for a better focus.

Yay!! Finally saturday which means.... my week is over! Now I just have more free time to work on other projects and my translations. I wrote in my last post that I wanted to do a kinda GRWM Summer Body post because time is going by very fast and I have admittedly put on some extra weight during winter as a lot of people and I'd really really love to get rid of it.

To begin a physical activity, you should first look for workout gear: one in which you'll feel like a beast. You don't have to look for expensive workout clothes, but the only thing you should really look after are the shoes. If you like to run or to lift heavy, then you will probably need to invest in a good pair of shoes.




I'm a really grey/pink person when it comes to workout ! to give you an idea of the price of my equipment, the clothes don't cost more than 40$, 40$ for the Reeboks and approximately 95$ for the POLAR watch. Remember that the point here isn't to be pretty but to feel comfortable.

The next compulsory element is water, of course. Don't drink to much at a time but be sure to drink between each set. You should also choose a highly-mineralized water because you lose many during the workout.

Don't spend an hour of training without resting between sets. It's the combination of the sets and the rests that makes the muscles grow.

Don't lift heavy if you are a beginner. Start at a minimum weight. If you can do 20+ reps, then add up weight. If you can't do more than 8-10 reps, then it's the perfect weight to increase your strength.

Listen to music!! Being active is also closing the windows, putting the music loud and dancing like crazy. Do something you like and you will really look after doing it again.

Be consistent. If you decide to work 3 times a week, then don't exceed this pace and try to commit to it. Maybe there will be weeks you won't have the time to work out, but just try to be as close as possible of the "rules" you've set.


I'll try to post exemples of easy and quick routine !
Have a nice saturday !

Thank god it's friday!! I'm so exhausted of this week, I had so much work to do! But still I managed to train and will write my next post about getting ready for summer body (what to take care of, building up a routine, and a few exercises) . I also have internship work to do during my courses, which are very complex translation from French to English but everything is going well anyway. Now, here's my favorite outfit for the last couple of weeks, I feel comfortable in it ! Perfect for long uni days... I like the long cardigan with boots and the leather vest on it. ( And french braid officially became my official hairdo since Tuesday).

I also went out last night to our uni 20th anniversary. A lot of people came and there were several activities (photo booth, cartoons and karaoke, board games....) There was also A LOT of food everywhere, lighting effects and some good music. It's nice that a lot of people came to make this experience a success. For the first time the Uni opened at night, I found it pretty cool and it shows that it's not only the place where we learn what we love, but it's also a large community of people sharing their affection for the place which slowly became home to us( at least to me!) . Can't wait for the next time!