How to stay motivated to exercise during the winter

The clocks have been pushed back, the days are shorter, the temperatures are colder and motivation is hard to find. This can only mean one thing- winter is officially upon us *welcomes with open arms*.

Unfortunately, winter can even discourage the most motivated exercisers and it can become really easy to pack away your lycra leggings and dri-fit clothing for some extra moments with your hot water bottle and duvet. Most people dread winter training but strangely enough, I really enjoy it.

I actually prefer winter training to summer training. Why? Well “hot bodies are made in cold conditions”, that’s why.

From past experience, I've found that my body responds to exercise much faster during the winter than in the summer. I haven’t figured out why this is, but knowing that this is the case, I’m making sure that my winter training doesn't go in vain.

I’ll be completely honest though, I do have the odd occasional days where I can’t be bothered and would rather stay at home, but there are certain things I do to stop this from happening which I will list below:

1.    Going to work out straight from work

If you’re like me, then you know that once you get into your house and it’s warm, you’re not going to leave again. So, plan to workout straight after work. This should allow you to avoid the temptation of staying at home. Plus, I always see it as; I didn’t carry my heavy gym bag around me all day to not make use of it.

2.    Dressing appropriately

When you think about it, once you start working out, you actually can’t feel the cold, so the weather shouldn’t really be an excuse. However, you should invest in some thermal clothing, socks and gloves to keep those key areas warm. Also, wear layers that can easily be removed once you start to sweat. You don’t want that chilly feeling once you’re dry and your clothes are still wet because that way you’ll catch a cold.

3.    Home workouts

Why not exercise in the comfort of your own home. If you don’t own any fitness DVD’s YouTube is your best friend. There are tons of fitness workouts online that you could try, which don’t require any equipment. Im currently doing the ‘500 Core Ab Circuit’ at home, which I will upload in a separate post.

4.    Revisiting goals

I use this time to reflect on my progress over the last few months and decide what I want to accomplish before the seasons over. For example, one of my new short term goals, before the end of the year, is to be able to do full chin ups from a dead hang position, because I currently can only do them from a 90 degree angle. By re-evaluating your goals you can analyse how far away from them you are. It may be the case that you realise your short term goals have changed and you want to accomplish something new within the next few months. This should keep you on your toes and see the new season as a new challenge.

5.    Rewards

So once I’ve reached my goal, I plan to treat myself. I haven’t decided on the treat yet but I know the treat will not undermine my efforts. So no, I will not be treating myself to a trip to Hagen Daz lol but you get the idea...

6.    Try something new

I want to take my training to another level so I’m going to join a CrossFit gym and I’ve also started pole. Trying something new doesn’t have to be life changing; it can be as little as changing your fitness regime or trying a new piece of gym equipment. Either way, adding something new might be another way to stay motivated to exercise in winter.

7.    Buddy up

I currently work out with different people. For example, I work out with specific people when I’m doing legs, when I’m doing arms, and when I’m doing cardio. Just make sure whoever you’re working out with, has the same goals as you. Working out with someone else will give you a reason to keep going and to stay motivated as you won’t want to let them down as well as yourself.

There are probably loads more other things you could do, but these are the main ones that have and are currently working for me.

Why not try incorporating a few or all of these into your current regime and see if they help you stay motivated this winter.

G

Marathon vs Sprinter

The way you exercise is important because it determines the shape your body eventually moulds into. Here we have a marathon runner (left) and a sprinter (right). Can you spot the difference in their physiques?

Although both are runners, the difference in their training is important. Cardio is the most effective way to burn fat and calories. However, it can also burn muscle. Whilst doing long periods of cardio, the body has to find its largest resources of calories, which more often tends to be from the muscles. When your cardio is maintained for long periods of time at low/moderate intensity level, a hormone called Cortisol is released which leads to muscle burning.

However, short intense cardio utilises and uses up your bodies stored sugars more (needed for short bursts of high intensity) and has a greater after burn effect. Cortisol is again released by the body but this is also released alongside growth hormones and testosterone, which enhances fat burning and leads to a higher muscle building state.

You tend to burn more fat during high intensity workouts rather than low/moderate intensity workouts because high intensity has an after burn effect. This is basically where your metabolism has been kicked into overdrive and the body continues to burn off calories after your workout. 



Education is key and to be honest as I was reading this I surprised myself with the knowledge that I did know. Sometimes doing your own research and asking fitness experts in the industry is the only way to truly understand how the body responds to different exercises. This way you will always be pointing your body in the right direction as you’ll know exactly what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

My current goal is to shed body fat without losing too much mass, whilst still maintaining my curves. Although the majority of my training involves high intensity cardio anyway, I will still embark on a few low/moderate intensity workouts to help target my stubborn fat. I will also combat any risk of muscle loss here by ensuring I maintain my weight sessions in the gym.



So next time you decide to do cardio, think about your goals and what you are trying to achieve. If your aim is to achieve lean muscle and get that ‘tight look’ as opposed to just weight loss, think about doing intervals or simply running that much faster so you reduce your time…remember it is NOT about duration, it is about intensity.

G

Just Geens Fun Day

Hi guys, as you all know I’ve been on this fitness journey for over a year now and to celebrate I’ve teamed up with my good friend Verlonge and present to you…

Just Geen’s Fun day (supporting the British heart foundation)

Date: 11th of August

Venue: Play on Sports, 100 Preston's Road, Wood Wharf Business Park, Wood Wharf, London E14 9SB

Time: 2:00 – 7pm (Football tournament starts at 2:30)

Activities on the day include:

-7 a-side football tournament

-fitness challenges (squats & push ups)

 -dodge ball

-egg & spoon race

-3 legged race

-relay race

-tug of war

…and much more including free prizes and giveaways

THIS IS A TICKET ONLY EVENT

Tickets are priced at £10 whether you’re participating or not and this comes with free food.

The football tournament is £10 per player which also includes free food-those involved in the football tournament do not need to buy an additional ticket. Teams can consist of up to 10 players and teams must register before the event to participate. Please note: No studs or moulds.  Astroturfs and trainers ONLY.

Music on the day will be played by Neptizzle and Jammy D.

For general enquiries, please call 07565723515 or 07903456371

For tickets, please call:

 -South/West London: 07903456371

-East London /Essex: 07565723515 or 07867334274

-North London: 07545066825

Or visit www.shoobs.com 

To enter the football tournament please email: Thepeoplescup@outlook.com  or call 07903456371

More details of the event can be found at:

Facebook: Verlonge

Twitter: Just_Geen

Instagram: just_Gina1

Come and support a good cause and I hope to see you there x

G

Nike & Elle -We Own The Night

 

On Saturday 18th May, me and 3385 women took part in Nike & Elle's 'We Own the Night' women's 10k run in Victoria Park.

 

This was my first ever race and I had never ran 10k before or even trained for the event. Minor I thought- this will be a walk in the park…NOT!!! My knee injury had been holding me back for a while so when I first heard about the race I decided I wasn't going to do it. However, two days before the race I changed my mind.

 

I went to Nike Town to pick up my kit with my good friend Christabel Rose and we took our event photo- it was confirmed- we were running the race.

 

I’ve decided to make this post a little different. You’re probably bored of hearing what I have to say so I’ve asked Christabel to give her version of events and tell you about why she decided to get involved in the race.

 

“Right - so a few months ago the thought of running on concrete was a big NO! Until one day I looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of myself and thought "Wait! What's that? Where did this come from?" #BingoWings&Tyres. I just thought as time passed it would disappear but denial isn't only a river in Egypt! Gina who goes spartanfam told me to come along but I'm not a fan of circuits, so I made excuses and didn't go.

Then she told me about Run Dem Crew! (RDC), who run around the great city of London exploring hidden places and great bridges. I quickly got on my running gear and joined in April. I did my first run with Food & Lycra (Super Steep Sundays) and nearly passed out but the girls encouraged me throughout - shout out to Laura!

 

18th May Race Day - was close to bottling it because I was so nervous and my anxiety started kicking in but once I saw all the RDC ladies and Gina I was like "ok I can do this - I got this". By 7k I'm sure my mind had shut down and I was just cursing myself but the ladies from RDC kept pushing me to the finish line!

It was a great experience and with the emotional tears I would probably do it again! I'm not a fitness freak nor am I very healthy but I feel so much better than I did in January mentally and physically. Now it’s not even about the running, it's knowing I'm getting away from things that do my head in daily and just meeting the RDC family.

I would like to thank Food & Lyrca, Gina and Run Dem Crew for the constant encouragement!”

I would just like to add that 7k was also the mental mark of where it got tough for me- I literally wanted to slit my wrists!!! But I just kept thinking #NoExcuses #JustKeepOnRunning. At least now I know what to expect when running Race for Life (RFL) in June. I will definitely be training for that event as I can’t deal with the shock again.

 

But anywho…that’s it from me and Christabel for now.

G

Traded In My Heart For Muscle

So what's this ‘traded in my heart for muscle’ jazz all about then? Well as you know, I found my love for fitness during a state of depression after breaking up with my ex boyfriend. I've always been a 'guest appearance gymer' and had issues with my weight, so I guess my story’s much deeper than my ex-boyfriend- but that’s another blog post (soon come). Anyway, I got really slim and lost 1.5 stone in one month...I know some of you are thinking that's amazing-but nah, it wasn't cool.



Look at my collar bone -_____-



I started looking ill, my hair fell out, I skipped periods – I was a hot mess. Eventually, I started eating again and with being a food lover; I went a bit overboard lol. As my body had been longing for the food I had been depriving it of, the weight came back on FAST!

One day I was feeling really upset and I needed to get out of my house so I went for a run. I found it so soothing and therapeutic and soon it became a way of channelling any negativity I was feeling. 

Anyone that knows me personally can confirm that I'm a moody cow *makes cow noise*. I used to have serious mood swings, well I still kinda do but I'm working on it lol. But working out has made this a lot better. Whenever I felt upset, annoyed, in a mood - anything negative, I would just go to the gym and work it off.

Soon it became my addiction - an addiction that only I understood. It was from then on I decided to trade in all my emotions in relation to my break up and anything negative for a long term relationship with my health and fitness.

The amazing thing about breakups is they change you. Some let the break up break them but I chose to build myself up and focus on being and becoming a better me. By the way I still think love is amazing *gag* (I'm not bitter).

Just to be clear, traded in my heart for muscle doesn't represent being anti-men or love, even though that's the vibe I sometimes give off-trust me it's all banter. It's about turning negative energy into positive results. 

The aim of the movement is to empower others especially females, yes you had a bad day, yes your boyfriend cheated on you, yes you didn’t get the job, yes your heartbroken, yes you've gained weight and have rolls that seem to have appeared from no where. I know you can't fit into that dress you bought last summer and yes yes yes - I know you want to wear that backless dress but you know things ain't looking how they used to be, but it can change.

Just focus on channelling that negative energy into something positive to build a better you. Get your mind right and your body will follow. So whenever you’ve had one of them days, just focus on YOU. Eat right, go for a run or go to the gym - I don't want to hear excuses just do it #NoNike…work that negativity to the ground!

G



Bare With Me ...I'm Just Having A Moment

Have you ever had those moments where you feel down and you don't know why? Well I've been having one of them recently as well as suffering a knee injury.

So I haven't been able to work out as much as I would like because of my knee and it's stressing me out. I've felt de-motivated to even do anything (I’m even struggling to write this post). So what have I turned to for comfort...food! Yes you heard correctly comfort food!

I've found myself comfort eating and doing things so out of character and its doing nothing but making me gain pounds ...ecccckkkkkk! Whatever ab ‘definition’ was forming on my stomach is now non existent :-(

...But not to worry...I know what I need to do :-)

For the next couple of weeks I'm going to shock my body and play with it, (laughs hysterically) that sounded so wrong but Im basically going to put my body through trial and error. I'm looking to eat clean and I mean squeaky clean. For example, no salt, saturated fats, refined sugars etc.

My meals are going to be pretty boring and bland, no dressing or nothing. The only thing I’ll be using to season my food is lemon. This is to try and reduce my body fat and to try and get them abs to come through.

I've been trying to get abs for agggessss now and it's not easy! But I'm not going to give up until I've tried everything there is to try. I’ve figured that it's all about trial and error and finding out what works for your body and to be honest I still have a lot more to learn about my own.

I already know that what works for one person might not work for another and I may not necessarily see any results, but at least I’ll be able to tick this method off my list if it doesn't work and ill continue to try others. 

I decided to post this really just to show that I am human lol. Yes that's right I bleed red not blue just like the rest of you. I know a lot of people think I live, eat, breathe & sleep fitness which is true to an extent, but I do have my moments as well lol.

Anyway...I shall upload progress pictures in four weeks about my trial and error period.

Until then…happy fitness

G

Race For Life

This year I'm taking part in race for life. I haven't personally lost anyone  as a result of cancer but I have friends that have, so I've decided to take part to help raise money for cancer research.

On Saturday 22 June 2013 me and some of my girls will be running 10k at Finsbury park.

I'm not a long distance runner, or a runner in general. I'd rather squat or do push ups to be honest, but running 10k will push me out of my comfort zone and take my fitness to new heights.

This is definitely going to be difficult, but with hard work and training I know me and my girls will be able to kill it.

I'm gonna start switching up my training from this weekend. For example, tomorrow me and my girls have aimed to run from Stratford to Oxford Circus. I worked it out to be just under 7 miles and it would take about 2 hours and 10 minutes if walked, so it should take us less than that.

Just thinking about it right now it sounds so long and ambitious... BUT this year is all about breaking boundaries so were going for the kill.

Please show support and sponsor me by clicking here.

Hopefully some of you will also come and show support on the day and watch us run.

Wish us luck and see you at the finish line.

G

Happy Holiday

Whilst everyone has been suffering from freezing temperatures and snow flakes, I've been away on holiday. 

The majority of the time a holiday is used as an excuse to go wild and throw away good habits. The restaurant dining, lazing about, lounging, fast food meals, late night snacks, excessive alcohol consumption and messed up sleeping patterns can sometimes leave you feeling more tired than before you left for your holiday.

But not me, I decided to take my healthy lifestyle with me.

To some extent I've still managed to "eat clean and train dirty'' as Get Bodied By J would say. I say to some extent because if I told you I didn't have the occasional cocktail I would be lying lol.

I wasn't away for long so I could have waited and continued when I got back. Not working out for 5 days probably would not have made much of a difference but every little helps. The little I done would help to balance any excess fat I would gain whilst out there and would also help me from getting physically stale. I mean theres nothing worse than returning home after a holiday and feeling like your starting from scratch. 

I didnt have access to a gym so body weight training was my best friend. As most of you would have realised by now, I literally workout anywhere! My fitness has no boundaries...from public transport, to beaches, you name it... I'll do it.

Whilst in Portugal my routine consisted of runs across the beach and circuit training wherever I found space. Obviously a couple of people stopped and looked at me weird in the process of my circuits on the beach but that's nothing I'm not used to. I also practiced a couple yoga moves with my friend. 

I done the 300 circuit I got from my Spartanfam trainer Chaka Bars.

The circuit consists of:

-30 tricep dips

-15 chin ups & 15 pull ups

-30 sit ups

-30 Russian twist sit ups

-30 squats

-30 lunges

-30 burpees

-30 wide pulls with feet on the floor

-30 push ups

-30 box jumps

I won't lie...when I got to 30 burpees I was so tired I didn't know what to do with myself.

If you don't know what some of these exercises are YouTube is your friend. (I will start uploading videos very soon I promise)

Im glad I took this frame of mind with me on holiday though. I exercised, ate smart and still managed to enjoy my holiday.

So people, when your away, find ways to stay as active as you can and eat as clean as you can to avoid unnecessary weight gain and to make the transition back to real life a little easier.

G

The Perfect Fit For The Perfect Run

After a long day at work I jetted off to 'Somerset house' for a sneak peek at the new Nike trainers - Flyknit Lunar1+.

These trainers are available for both men and women and are great for running.

What makes these trainers so unique is that they provide the perfect fit and feel as though they were made just for you. How have Nike done this? Well, when you go pick up a pair of these trainers you’re taken to Nike’s Steam Lounge. The trainer is placed in a steam machine for several minutes and then you try them on. Whilst the trainer is still warm, gentle pressure in the form of a foot massage is applied to the trainer to mould it to the contours of your foot.

I could physically see the transformation!

I could actually feel the difference and the trainers felt a lot more snug and comfortable.

 

 

Thanks to these beauties there will be no more uncomfortable trainers for your morning runs!

So head down to Nike town and get your pair just in time for spring!

G



Nike Flyknit Experience at Somerset House

So from today untill Wednesday, Nike will be hosting a Flyknit experience at Somerset House to launch the new Flyknit Lunar1+. What makes these trainers so special? Well, they are as light as a feather and provide the perfect fit for the perfect run. 

At the event you’ll be able to have a one-to-one footwear consultation, take the shoes for a trial run and learn more about the shoe design. Anyone going should make good use of this foot consultation because it’s important that you wear the correct footwear when working out. Your footwear should be fitted to suit your foot type. 

How do you find your foot type?  There are two options:

1.       Go to your local Sports Direct store and use a machine they have in store, this is usually found near the running trainers; or 

2.      Wet your foot and step on a dark, flat surface. If your foot imprint is wide and fat with practically no arch showing, you have flat feet. If your foot imprint has an arch but it seems to almost be on one side of your foot, you have a high arch. If your foot imprint shows both a bit of flatness and a bit of an arch, then you have a normal foot.

Obviously the first option is the easiest. 

I’m flat footed so I should be wearing trainers that provide extra support, slight motion and cushion because being flat footed causes your feet to hit the ground harder. Wearing the correct footwear not only enhances your performance but also prevents injuries such as blisters, black toenails, back, knee and hip pain, Achilles tendonitis and shin splints (leg pain). 

You’ll also be able to join the Nike Flyknit run clubs for a 5k run. Unfortunately I will not be participating in this because my knees are on their last legs right now, but it should be fun. 

For more information on the event click here.

I’ll most probably go down on Wednesday so hopefully I will see some of you there.

G