Working out is extremely important part of my life. It enables me to have a stable modeling career in New York, as well as being my best self mentally, emotionally, and physically. It gives me energy to live and thrive in this bustling city as well as creating a balance when I indulge on certain goodies. ((hint hint*peanut butter all day everyday)) I hope to be a good example as well for those striving to live healthier lives.

I always change up my workouts so they’re different each time. Otherwise, my body would get used to the same motions and it would be harder to tone up. I like to change up my routines as well so I don’t get bored and keep things exciting. For me, I love not only going to the gym but bike riding, doing yoga and going for long walks. If I can incorporate these activities into my day as much as possible (in addition or in replacement) of going to the gym that day, it keeps me more motivated and active.

For cardio (my least favorite exercise), I try and change it up daily so I’m using different muscles and not ‘bulking’ up in certain sections of my body.
My legs become muscular quite easily with exercises such as running, stair master, and elliptical. Therefore I only tend to do 10-20 minutes of cardio, just so I can get my heart rate up for the rest of my workout.
I also dislike cardio and get bored easily! By shortening my cardio time, I find I’m less likely to give up on the gym altogether and instead fit in other exercises I enjoy more.
Some examples of cardio I do are: a 10-20 minute light jog on 6.2 mph, rowing for 10 minutes then another cardio alternative for another 5-10, the elliptical on incline 10 resistance 10 for 10-20 minutes, inclined treadmill walks incline 8 speed 4.2 mph for 10-20 minutes, or the stairclimber on speed 7-9mph for 10-20 minutes (I also switch and may do 10 minutes of one and 10 minutes of another).

I recently began working out my ‘chicken’ arms to add tone and definition and ultimately create a balance between my athletic, built legs and smaller top half.
I find now with a little definition, my body has become more proportionate and looks healthier for the type of modeling I do.
I love arm exercises because although they can be hard, they’re much less boring to work that legs!
Some of the arm exercises I like doing include: 10lb dumbbell curls 12-20 times, 20lb bar pull downs, pushups (modified and real) usually 10-12, weight pull ins (for arms and back) 20 lbs 15-20 reps, etc! A lot of these are hard to describe in words, and I usually tend to always change them up depending on how I want to work my arms that day. I usually do each workout 2-3 times in a circuit before changing).

I love doing ab work!! Nothing feels better than glancing down at your stomach (something that was always a ‘problem area’ for me) and seeing a subtle formation of abs:) Clear proof of hard working paying off!
For my ab work, I do a lot of lay down crunches with my feet in ‘table top’ position. I’ll sometimes do yoga bicycle twists to get some formation on the side abs, and will sometimes keep my feet up in the air, legs straight, and do a set of 20-30 crunches there. I also enjoy doing planks and side planks as this not only works my abs but also shoulder/arm area.
Another favorite of mine that I’ve been doing a lot of is laying either on the floor or workout bench and lowering my legs together so they’re parallel with the floor (but not touching) and then lifting them back up in a steady motion. I’ll usually do 15 of these, and then do scissor kicks of the same motion.

This is one of my least favorite spots to workout…! It’s difficult because if I overwork them, they become quite muscular which isn’t always the best look for my work. However, if I don’t pay attention to them they lose their tone.
A few I can recommend that seem to work well are: standing up and lifting one leg perpendicular to the floor to your side 20 times, a couple reps each leg, positioning feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart, toes slightly turned outright and doing low squats, split squats and lunges, (good for butt too!) laying on the floor and lifting leg to side for 20-30 and repeat a few times on each leg and the stair master or any cardio machine for that matter.
All of these can be paired up with arm/ab/butt exercises so you’re working your whole body!