Spring Series: Fitness!

This is the second in our new Spring Series of getting your body ready for some sunshine!

Last week's post was dedicated to Body Care and we discussed our favourite products we use to scrub and moisturise our skin into silkiness.

This week is dedicated to fitness, as we both have our own ways to keep fit and healthy, which all helps when you have to lessen your layers after indulging over Christmas!

My personal favourite ways to stay fit involve going to the gym, taking a range of classes, walking the dog and swimming.

A few years ago I wouldn't have been seen dead in a gym.

Just over a year ago though I signed up to a gym which has everything, a new personal trainer program every 6 weeks, a swimming pool, and a massive range of classes to keep even me entertained.

I am the kind of person who needs variety to keep me going in my quest to tone up.

I have classes that I dislike - pilates isn't physical enough for me and I love to hate spin though it is a great feeling when you've completed a class.

But there are so many that not even I can be bored!

My favourites are Body Pump (great for fat burning) and Body Combat (amazing for stress relief!).

The gym program is great, I would never have tried half the things that my trainer has given me to do and this I think is priceless.

I've tried swiss ball, TRX and more importantly kettle bells.

These are my absolute favourite as you really do see results after using them, they burn so many calories and require multiple muscle groups to work together maximising your workout time.

So basically what I'm saying is, if you were thinking about joining a gym 100% go for it!

It has quite literally changed my life and although it is very expensive I most definitely think it is worth it, for my health and general fitness, as well as how my body has changed.

However I don't think that you HAVE to join an expensive gym to get the most out of your workout.

Walking my dog or wandering around local areas such as beaches are a great way to burn calories and tone up, particularly if there's some sort of elevation involved like hill walking or hiking.

This is not my dog but I have such a similar picture I had to put it up!

The zumba classes at my gym aren't particularly energetic, so I have been to others that have a younger instructor and found these were BRILLIANT.

Zumba workouts are great fun, dancing around with your friends to the latest music is fun and burns a substantial amount of calories.

Swimming is also a great way to burn calories but I'll leave that to M to talk about as she's the bigger fan!

If you're lacking in motivation I find that Pinterest is one of the best places to look at.

They have so many pictures of inspirational women doing all sorts of exercises with beautiful bodies to aspire to and hints and tops for anything you can imagine.

If you're still lacking in motivation I find a new gym outfit or trainers always helps too!

If all else fails, I think about what makes me angry. It's a weird thing to do I know, but i think of what really gets on my nerves, things that have happened etc that I need to physically work off my stress or anger.

It works for me and I always feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after doing it.

What are your work out tips??

If you'd like to check out my pinterest board the link is here.

(all pictures in this post are from there!)

L xxx

L was right I do love swimming. I used to run and did a lot of it during summer last year. You can read about how I got on with Couch to 10k here. This program made running so enjoyable for me and it really is great if you've not run before as it makes it so easy to build up running. 

I ran until October but by then an old knee and hip injury had resurfaced. When new year came around I decided to start again as I enjoyed going out and it's a great way to burn calories quickly. After one run my knee was hurting again so I had to find a new way to lose weight and tone up.

Since moving I was now near a great pool and after looking on line I saw a great deal for just £23 a month for unlimited swimming. Swimming is always something I enjoy and it's a great all over body tone. I tend to do 45 mins swimming and that burns around 500 calories. I favour breast stroke at the moment but need to vary my swimming to get better toning.

I'm someone who favours at home work outs to save money. One of the best work out DVDs for me is 30 Day shred. This is a great program and only takes 20 minutes a day. Until you've tried it you won't believe how much you sweat in just 20 minutes. It's also great for when you are busy. I've written about it a bit more  here.

I also recently bought an indoor skipping rope. Most people thought I was crazy but you can remove the rope and it has weighted ends. Skipping is also a great cardio exercise.

Lastly when I had the Wii I loved Wii Zumba. It's such great exercise and fun too. I'm thinking of getting it for my others halfs play station.

I like to find ways to do exercise at home and vary the types of exercise I do so I don't get bored. L is right motivation is key. I sometimes get up super early and go before work. It's nice to finish work and know I don't have to leave the house again. Also it means you can't make up excuses all day not to go. I'm great at these.

For me at the moment my motivation is Weddings. I have two this summer to go too so really want to be toned.

What's your favourite exercise? Any tips for us?

Love M

xxx

Countdown to 'Class of 2012' (4)

So after my really good pledge to lose weight/tone up a few weeks ago, in order to look good at graduation I was full of the best intentions.

However after an alcohol fueled Halloween week causing me to miss last week's weigh in due to my horrific hangover and also a plethora of interviews to attend I've been pretty bad at going to the gym and eating healthily.

For those who follow us on twitter, you'll know that I got one of the jobs I was interviewed for and now work in Boots (hurrah!).

This means I have been sooooooooooooooooooooo busy this week starting I haven't had chance to think much about what I've been eating and keep forgetting to weigh before I eat.

However I have remembered to do it this week and ......... I have stayed the same.

This doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather maintain than gain so hopefully ill lose something over the next few weeks!

I have ended up buying some meal deals and also taking some pasta salads etc with me.

As my shifts are at random times it's a little hard to plan my meals and I'm hoping it will become easier when I have set shifts and know what I'll be doing with my day.

Do you have any tips for me about how to cope with random meal times and rushed breaks?

In order to cope with attempting to tone up, I have also upgraded my membership so that I can turn up to the gym whenever which increases my chances greatly of actually turning up!

I'm hoping next week will run smoother as I now have 5.5 weeks until graduation which is not a lot of time at all!

I need to find a dress too eek!

Do you have any other tips for me??

L xxx

Gym Training Program

I mentioned in last week's post that I had a new training program created for me by a trainer at my gym.

This is (luckily!) a free service as part of my membership which was a relief as I really don't have any more money to spend!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the exercises she has given me to do.

This routine isn't 'easy' but the exercises aren't complicated and can be done using weights that you have at home etc.

It's always hard having the discipline to actually get up and do the exercises but I always feel so much better once I've done them and after a week of doing this program I can already see a difference.

Image from 123RF.com

It's based on using your core muscles (as mine are pretty rubbish!) and just generally losing fat and toning up.

A lot of the exercises engage multiple muscle groups, and I'm all for multi-tasking!

For this you will need:

2 x 4kg kettle bell (or light weights)

8kg kettle bell (or heavier weight)

Optional:

Swiss ball

2kg weight

1) Warm up - I usually go on the X-trainer for 5 minutes to get my heart rate up and my body warm. You could cycle, run around the block, up and down the stairs etc to get your body ready for exercise.

2) Press ups - For my exercise I use a swiss ball, place my hands on either side and do 2 sets of 15 press ups. This is why the swiss ball is optional as it's the only exercise that you use it for.

You could do 2 sets of 15 normal press ups instead if you don't have the ball.

Image from Fitness Magazine

At the moment I lean the ball against the wall to help steady it, as the whole movement requires a lot of effort to complete the press up and keep the ball steady but you can move this away from the wall to make it harder, and also choose a smaller swiss ball to up the difficulty.

3) Kettle bell swing - This uses a 4kg kettle bell to engage the core muscles, particularly lower stomach and swing the kettle bell from between your legs so that it ends around 90 degrees in front of you.

You hold onto the top of the kettle bell with both hands and swing using your hips. You don't need to bend your knees much for this (as I started doing!) as this is not a squat movement.

Image from About.com

(Ignore the last image, you do not need to go that high! As long as the kettle bell swings out in front of you this is fine)

If you can feel this in your lower stomach muscles when your swinging then you know for sure that it's working! Do this constantly for 1 minute in between each exercise and it will help to strengthen and tone your core muscles and midriff, and at the end of the day who doesn't want that!

You could use a normal 4kg weight to do this and hold it at one end, just make sure you're holding it evenly.

4) Goblin squat - This is where the 8kg weight comes in! I use a kettle bell so that I can use the handle on it.

This exercise is pretty simple, all you need to do is hold the weight at your chest level with both hands, squat down making sure your heels are pressing into the ground and then after you've risen from the squat raise the weight above your head level to stretch your arms up.

Basically this is just a squat and press with a weight, it engages your legs, core and arms/shoulders so definitely a multi tasker!

Image from FitnessMad.com

Repeat 3)

5) Bike - Using a bike for this would be easiest as this is cardio number one of two in this program. The program set for me has you cycling at a low level for 2 minutes, then a high level for 2 minutes and repeating for a 12 minute exercise (normally levels 3 and 5).

The rpm's must also be kept above 80.

Instead at home you could do interval training as running for 2 minutes (high level) and then walking for 2 minutes for the low level.

Repeat 3)

6) Lat Pulldown - In my program I use the Lat Machine at 20kg and do 2 sets of 15 reps.

I have absolutely no idea how you're supposed to do this outside of the gym though so I'm going to suggest you leave it out if you're not at the gym!

Repeat 3)

7) Lunge and Curl - This is pretty straight forward and common exercise. Using a 4kg kettle bell/weight in each hand I lunge, raise back up and then curl up both arms.

This is repeated at 2 sets of 15 for each leg (so 60 altogether....killer on the arms!)

It helps when doing this if you breathe in on the lunge and out on the curl.

My arms BURN after doing this 60 times so that can only mean its working right?!

Repeat 3)

8) Side Plank - My biggest hate is my stomach, and so consequently it has no muscle tone and every exercise hurts! When I tried to do this initially it was a disaster and I was laughed at!

After doing it for a week however I can already complete the 2 sets on both sides without collapsing woo!

Basically for this one you need to lie on your side with your arm propping you up.

Then you need to raise your hips into the air so your body is in a straight line being held up by your elbow and feet.

Your other arm is then pointing at the ceiling and so your body is in a cross type shape.

If only this was the end!

You then need to move your arm that's in the air in a swinging motion (slowly! or you'll unbalance) towards your other armpit so that it sort of scoops underneath your body twisting as you go.

Image from 6packatSixty.blogspot

This is hard to get the hang of and needs practice to stop you wobbling all over the place.

I find watching my moving arm makes it easier and make sure that your fixed arm lines up directly below your shoulder, if it moves further away you could injure yourself.

Repeat this 10 times on each side, twice.

The first time you'll die, but the third time I did this today and I managed it, it just takes a little time.
Once you've got the hang of it you can also add in the 2kg optional weight and hold this in your moving hand....maybe one day!

Repeat 3)

9) Pilates 100 - This is a dream compare to the side plank!

Lie down on the floor with your legs bent like you would to do crunches etc.

Curl up and raise your shoulder blades off the floor by a good inch, and pulse your hands at your sides in groups of ten, counting to 100.

Image from VideoJug

I don't ever feel this but my stomach muscles shake! So I know I'm doing it right...

You could start off doing 2 sets of 10, 5 times to get to the hundred, aiming to do a full 100 in 1 go at the end.

Repeat 3)

10) X-trainer - This is my favourite exercise.

Using the interval training preset profile (i.e. the one that looks like a castle top, up down up down etc) you will need to put this on level 4 for 10 minutes, keeping you speed up to 120+ rpm's. 

You can again do whatever interval training you like, at home walking/running is the easiest.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my program!

I would love to know if any of you will be testing some of them out, they really are doable at home aside from the lat pull down.

As I've said, having done this 3 times I can already see a difference in my stomach which is great for me as I really want to get it toned up for my graduation.

I'm down to 7 weeks now, I'm hoping to lose 1lb per week but I'm not sure how possible this will be with eating so much protein!

As long as I'm burning fat I'm happy :)


I always use Pinterest for some exercise inspiration:

 

Would you try any of these exercises? Do you have your own fitness program?

I would honestly love to know so leave a comment!

L xxx

Gym Rat Part 2: Help!

I previously wrote a post called Gym Rat where I explained my goals for the gym and what I was doing, eating etc.

And after a long hard slog of almost 4 months, my efforts have still made minimal difference.

I am still the same weight as the last post (having lost 5 lbs from when I first started in January) and I'm still eating as healthily as is humanly possible, attending the gym 3/4 times a week and generally having a more active lifestyle.

My previous goals were:

1. Concentrate my cardio time to the cross trainer and swimming as I enjoy these and they burn the most amount of calories
2. Increase the type of arm weights and number of reps for each type
3. Complete as many crunches as humanly possible! (this is no easy feat for me!)
4. Try out new classes so I don't get bored. First up is Body Combat, an aerobics based class with lots of punching and kicking movements.

I completed tasks 1, 2 and 4, with 3 being the most complicated for me and therefore the one I admittedly slacked off on.

However, having upped my cardio a hideous amount (my body hates me!) to burn off more calories, finding myself working along all of the fixed weights in the gym a few times and attempting new classes such as Body Combat and Abs and Stretch i would have thought this would have made a difference.

I found a list of measurements that I took of myself last March (2011), and compared them to now, and in all honesty I was GUTTED.

I was exactly the same everywhere....apart from my hips and stomach which I was BIGGER on.

Bearing in mind I can't eat bread and dairy foods too much as I'm intolerant, giving me a diet of porridge, salad and a healthy evening meal, you would have thought this amount of exercise would have made a difference wouldn't you??

I've also been walking the dog once a day in addition to what I was doing during the last post.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh!

So looking forward from this and trying to be optimistic...My previous aim was my birthday which has been and gone, so my new aim is my last minute admission onto a university course in the USA during the summer term.

This means i have a reason to wear a bikini that i previously did not....yikes!

The time frame I have is 6 weeks....not an ideal amount of time but I just have to work with it.

I'm going to simplify my aims this time so that i will actually do all of them (hopefully?!)

1. Up the number of repetitions and types of arm weights, arms are out all the time so anything I can do to tone them up at this late stage would be awesome
2. Crunch, plank, side plank, twist etc etc etc my way into having some sort of toned midriff. I'm going to try every damn stomach exercise I can to tighten it up, as anything is better than the current state!

I want to look like this!

Quite simply: Curves and muscle.

Do you have any tips for me? Do you have a similar problem with not being able to lose weight/fat?

Any stomach or arm exercises or weights that you love doing and know work?

It's not that I'm too bothered by the number on the scales...but I'd like to be smaller than I am whether that reduces it or not.

This is my cry for help! Seriously if you're reading this and possibly have a tip, suggestion or even a passing thought....WRITE IT BELOW!!!!

Thanks :)

L xxx

Gym Rat

Since January I've been going to the gym/pool/classes around 4 times a week.

My main aims were to lose weight, tone up and generally get fit and healthy again.

I get stressed out easily from Uni work and other things, so the gym really helps keep that under control, otherwise I get ill with stomach cramps and headaches, nice!

After deciding on joining Bannatynes, I threw myself right in at the deep end and had my personal training session where my really nice female trainer took my height/weight measurements etc and devised a work out for me to do.