A Day in the Life

Hello Everyone!

This evening, I decided to give you a little sneak peak at a typical weekday for me. I documented my day with a few pictures, so I hope this helps to shed some more light on my life and who I am.  I commute to the city by train each day which takes about 30-40 minutes depending on which train I catch. Taking the train to work has been such an improvement in my life, as I used to commute 50 painstaking miles each way to my previous job.  These small journeys twice a day allow me to relax before and after work. My favorite activity to do during this time is read! Reading has been a hobby of mine that I have enjoyed since a young age, but during college I was seldom able to partake due to having to read boring textbooks instead. Post college, I started my career 50 miles from home, so I did not have much time to read during that stint either.

The Stand by Stephen King

It has been a pleasure to be able to immerse myself in some great books during these past 8 months and rekindle (no pun intended) my love for reading. Currently I am reading The Stand by Stephen King. It is a post-apocalyptic book, but I am still only 20% of the way through….so just in the “apocalyptic” phase. Very interesting read so far! I did find the first bit of the book a tad overwhelming due to Stephen King introducing so many characters and jumping around to different storylines. This did subside after a while, making it easier follow and keep up with. I will do a full review of the book, once I finish it. 

Some other great books I have read recently are:

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn 
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
• The Fault in our Stars by John Green
• The Lizzy Gardner Series by T.R. Ragan

Gym Buddies :)

After work on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I do strength training at the gym with two of my friends. My previous job was in Corporate Fitness and during this time I received my Personal Training Certification from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). I started a workout regimen almost a year ago, after a coworker wrote it up for me. I could barely lift an Olympic bar (45 lbs.), and it made me feel pathetic and weak. This training plan has increased my strength tremendously and given my arms and legs a ton of definition. I introduced my friends to this workout in December and four months later we have all seen impressive results. 

The workouts we do are as follows: 

• Monday – Arms (Push) 
• Chest Press 5x5 (80 lbs.)
• Clean and Press with Olympic bar 5x5 (45 lbs. bar)
• Cable Triceps Extension 5x5 (32.5 kgs)
• Pushups 4 sets till fatigue, 45s rest in between sets

• Tuesday – Legs
• Deadlifts with Olympic bar 5x5 (55 lbs.)
• Straight Leg Deadlifts 5x5 (60 lbs.)
• Lunges on BOSU Ball 3x15
• Squats with Bar 5x5 (40 lbs.)

• Wednesday – Arms (Pull)
• Seated Row 5x5 (75 lbs.)
• Lat Pull-down 5x5 (90 lbs.)
• Bicep Curls 5x5 (30 lbs.)
• Assisted Pull Ups 5x5

St. James by Nails Inc.

Lastly, I like to end my day with a fresh coat of nail polish.  I have an nail polish addiction and really enjoy matching my nails to my outfits....it's a sickness, I know!  Tonight I chose to paint my nails St. James by Nails Inc.  I think this is such a vibrant red, so I am looking forward to this putting a pop of color in my ensemble.

Hope you all enjoyed seeing a glimpse of a typical day for me from what I am reading to the workout I am doing. Feel free to try this workout plan on your own, just start with a weight you are comfortable with and increase accordingly. I plan to do future posts on other workouts, but if you would like a more in depth explanation on the workouts listed above, please let me know and I would be happy to do a post specific to each day, with pictures and correct technique.

- Courtney