Fitness Friday: Balance and Stretch

Good morning!

After a few setbacks recently due to work requiring me to go away I have been making a massive effort to make up for my week off exercise. My first day back was hard, really really tough but I pulled through it and 'got back on the horse' so to speak. 

One thing I've really been enjoying recently is my Body Balance class. It was one of my fitness resolutions for the year, to try out a yoga/pilates type class and Body Balance is a combination of yoga based moves mixed with elements of Tai Chi and Pilates so fits this perfectly.

Les Mills Body Balance 56 Poster

Stretching after a workout is one of my favourite things - after a really tough workout there's nothing better than stretching into those muscles and feeling the burn. Not only that but it's also great to have 5/10 minutes to yourself at the end of a workout to just think about everything and nothing, holding some stretches requires minimal brain effort and you can just relax into them and allow any residual stress to float away.

I always stretch at the end of a class (it makes me really angry when people walk out before the stretching!) and sometimes when I'm working hard in the gym I look enviously at the people lying out and stretching on the mats having completed their own workouts.

I don't know why I didn't try a balance type class before but I've wholly embraced it, even though my flexibility is something that needs major work and my muscles shake throughout the whole class!

Aside from the Les Mill's Body Balance class that I now do every other week there are also many other classes dedicated to stretching. Yoga, pilates, tai chi, even combination classes such as yogalates.

Cassey Ho - Founder of Blogilates

YouTube is also great for finding videos when you can't make it to a class and channels from people such as Blogilates and Tone it Up are great for this.

The above image shows Cassey Ho the founder of Blogilates and she is beautiful! I can definitely see the benefits of having a strong core in everyday life but for fitness and exercising it's a must and I really need to work on mine!

Have you tried a Body Balance type class? Do you have any other classes similar that you would recommend?

I'm so glad I've finally tried it out and hopefully over time I'll see improvements in my flexibility and core strength, though maybe I'll need to start going more regularly!

L xxx

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