Meet Rachel Wong - Fitspo Queen

Rachel Wong is a busy fourth year student at Western University who loves health and fitness. At 21, Rachel has accomplished more than most people her age. This past summer, she worked as Brand Partnership Intern at Much Music in Toronto, while working as a make-up artist at MAC Cosmetics. Currently, Rachel is a media manager at Rapture Events in London, Ontario.

Despite all of her commitments and extracurriculars, Rachel manages to get good grades in all of her classes in the Media, Information, and Technoculture (MIT) Program. That's a lot of responsibilities to manage, yet Rachel always finds the time to excercise and eat well, despite being on the go.

When she's not working out Rachel is studying hard at school, learning new beauty tricks, or updating her blog: Happy Glam. Growing up in Unionville, Ontario, Rachel recalls when she first began her health and fitness journey.

"I started getting into health and fitness for prom season in my last year of high school. It started off as a last minute resort to fit into my dress and also because all my friends were, but it turned into a lifestyle."

What started off as a fix to look her best in prom pictures, turned into a new habit of healthy eating, working out, and self-improvement. After all, it's once we see progress that we are motivated to see more.

Despite this fact, it's important to keep in mind that progress can take what seems like a long time to notice. So, when you're wondering why you're squats aren't making your booty as toned as you had hoped - don't give up.

Women's Health Magazine reached out to Jon-Erik Kawamoto, a strength and conditioning specialist, for some insight on the matter. Kawamoto says it can take "between four to eight weeks" for your muscles to show improvement.

He points out that although your body might not be changing on the exterior, your fitness levels are still increasing, such as your stamina. Furthermore, incorporating shorter HIIT workouts burns fat more efficiently than long, low-intensity ones.

Another important tip is to "make sure to give yourself off-days between workouts to let your body recover from new muscle activations; pushing yourself too far can lead to injury and slow your strength improvement".

So in order to see positive changes in your body, you need to challenge yourself, give your muscles enough time to rest and recover, and most importantly be patient rather than giving up.

I asked Rachel a few more questions about her health and fitness habits.

How often do you workout?

4-6 times a week

What’s your favourite cardio routine?

I love doing 15-20 minutes of HITT (High Intensity Interval Training) on The Curve treadmill. I will rotate between 3 minutes of jogging, 30 seconds of sprinting and 1 minute of walking.

Which exercise do you most look forward to?

I love working my core, maybe a little too much! I'll finish off every workout with an ab cool down with a one minute plank, V-ups and leg lifts.

Which do you dread?

I absolutely hate doing lunges, but they're amazing for your legs and glutes.

What’s your go-to healthy snack?

Carrots and hummus are my absolute favourite.

Who is your fitness inspiration?

Paige Hathaway is my ultimate girl crush. Everytime I need a little motivation, her Instagram page will give me that extra kick and motivation to put in an extra rep or two.

Rachel is an example of how working hard pays off. Her 6-pack is no joke! She has it for a reason. She is dedicated, and gives health and fitness the same worth as every other commitment in her life. Rachel may be 5'4'' but she squats heavy, runs fast, and pushes herself with each rep. Follow Rachel on Instagram to keep up with fitness journey and for inspiration.

#Fitness