1. Introduce yourself to our bloggers (including name, major, school, year graduated, and anything else you want us to know).
Hey everyone! My name is Bianca and I am a 2011 graduate of Virginia Tech’s Mechanical Engineering department. I will be graduating with my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2013.
2. How has your style of exercise changed since high school, if it has changed?
Back in high school, I was very active in sports. I ran cross-country in the fall, swam for two teams in the winter, ran track & field in the spring and swam for my neighborhood’s outdoor swim team in the summer. I wanted to continue playing sports while in college, but it was difficult to find that same team environment that I had in high school. My university offered intramural and recreational sports, but they required more time and money than I was willing to commit. Instead, I decided to workout on my own and compete in 5K races.
Unfortunately, it’s really difficult for me to stay committed to a workout regimen without having the accountability of being on a team. I’ve struggled with finding the motivation to hit the gym consistently. Recently, I’ve been using online communities like Fitocracy and Nike+ to help me stick with it and reach my goals. I also started a fitness blog to share my journey to physical fitness with the world.
3. What types of exercise do you do now?
When I was playing sports, I just worked out so I could be stronger and faster during competition. Nowadays, I exercise to maintain my weight and physical shape. I lift weights, perform cardio, and do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is an aerobic exercise that has quick, intense segments of exercise followed by a low-intensity rest period. It’s great for conditioning and burning fat. I use two bits of technology for HIIT: an iPhone app called Nike Training Club and the brand new Nike+ Kinect Training XBOX game. Each one gives you a personal trainer and a set of exercises to do. Nike Training Club is actually built for women, so the app is tailored to our fitness needs. It even incorporates some strength training with dumbbells and medicine balls.
Contrary to popular belief, weight lifting does not make women look bulky. I use light weights when I strength train (like 10-15 lb dumbbells) and I lift for lots of reps. This makes the muscles strong while also making them look toned. For cardio, I run on the treadmill and swim. I am also learning how to play basketball. :-)
4. How has this change affected your life and your viewpoint on life?
Exercise has always been my outlet. Whenever I get stressed out, I just go for a run or do a quick strength-training workout. Building these healthy habits early on has been beneficial for my body and my life. I feel better after exercising, as if I can conquer the world!
Exercise has even helped me change my eating habits. I realized that I couldn’t drink soda and eat all of the junk food that I wanted and expect to get the full results from my workouts, so I quit. Those calorie rich drinks and fatty foods made me feel sluggish. Now, I drink water and substitute junk food for fruits and healthy snacks. I’ve also started eating high-protein foods because protein is a nutrient that promotes muscle growth and development.
5. Cool. What else do you want readers to know about you?
I was never a star athlete or physical fitness expert. For a while, I actually believed that I could eat whatever I wanted and remain a size 4. It’s not true! I’ve learned that a lot of fitness gains come from working out consistently, but your eating habits are even more important. Achieving the physique you want is about 80% diet and 20% working out. It took me a while to learn this, but with a little research I was able to get on the right track. I’m constantly learning new things about becoming physically fit and I hope this article can help you along your fitness journey. Feel free to connect with me on Twitter or Nike+ so we can start getting fit together!
6. Where can we find you on the web?
Twitter: @MochaCheeks
Back in high school, I was very active in sports. I ran cross-country in the fall, swam for two teams in the winter, ran track & field in the spring and swam for my neighborhood’s outdoor swim team in the summer. I wanted to continue playing sports while in college, but it was difficult to find that same team environment that I had in high school. My university offered intramural and recreational sports, but they required more time and money than I was willing to commit. Instead, I decided to workout on my own and compete in 5K races.
Unfortunately, it’s really difficult for me to stay committed to a workout regimen without having the accountability of being on a team. I’ve struggled with finding the motivation to hit the gym consistently. Recently, I’ve been using online communities like Fitocracy and Nike+ to help me stick with it and reach my goals. I also started a fitness blog to share my journey to physical fitness with the world.
When I was playing sports, I just worked out so I could be stronger and faster during competition. Nowadays, I exercise to maintain my weight and physical shape. I lift weights, perform cardio, and do high-intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is an aerobic exercise that has quick, intense segments of exercise followed by a low-intensity rest period. It’s great for conditioning and burning fat. I use two bits of technology for HIIT: an iPhone app called Nike Training Club and the brand new Nike+ Kinect Training XBOX game. Each one gives you a personal trainer and a set of exercises to do. Nike Training Club is actually built for women, so the app is tailored to our fitness needs. It even incorporates some strength training with dumbbells and medicine balls.
Contrary to popular belief, weight lifting does not make women look bulky. I use light weights when I strength train (like 10-15 lb dumbbells) and I lift for lots of reps. This makes the muscles strong while also making them look toned. For cardio, I run on the treadmill and swim. I am also learning how to play basketball. :-)
4. How has this change affected your life and your viewpoint on life?
Exercise has always been my outlet. Whenever I get stressed out, I just go for a run or do a quick strength-training workout. Building these healthy habits early on has been beneficial for my body and my life. I feel better after exercising, as if I can conquer the world!
Exercise has even helped me change my eating habits. I realized that I couldn’t drink soda and eat all of the junk food that I wanted and expect to get the full results from my workouts, so I quit. Those calorie rich drinks and fatty foods made me feel sluggish. Now, I drink water and substitute junk food for fruits and healthy snacks. I’ve also started eating high-protein foods because protein is a nutrient that promotes muscle growth and development.
I was never a star athlete or physical fitness expert. For a while, I actually believed that I could eat whatever I wanted and remain a size 4. It’s not true! I’ve learned that a lot of fitness gains come from working out consistently, but your eating habits are even more important. Achieving the physique you want is about 80% diet and 20% working out. It took me a while to learn this, but with a little research I was able to get on the right track. I’m constantly learning new things about becoming physically fit and I hope this article can help you along your fitness journey. Feel free to connect with me on Twitter or Nike+ so we can start getting fit together!
6. Where can we find you on the web?
Twitter: @MochaCheeks
Tumblr: www.bibisings.tumblr.com
Nike+ username: bbran07
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