MidWeek Motivation

So this week several people have asked me for advice on how I stay motivated on this journey. Firstly you need to ask yourself how bad you want it because being fit and healthy is something you have to commit to long term. All these quick fixes are temporary and so are the results.

Personally, for me short term motivation comes from team work and pushing boundaries. By short term motivation I'm talking about a day when I can't be bothered to train but I know I have to.

Team work

I've found working out with someone or in a group is more productive than working out by myself. I find I work a lot harder and push myself out of my comfort zone. I particularly like working out with males or females who are just as crazy as I am and stronger than me because we will never take it easy in the gym.

When I've trained with males I usually find that my body is able to reach targets I never knew it was capable of.  As much as I hate to admit it, let's be honest, guys are stronger than girls, so being able to keep up with a guy in the gym gives me a buzz and should keep him on his toes because I shouldn't be able to do what he's doing.

Pushing boundaries

As you've probably already noticed I like to do random things like squatting humans on my shoulders or upside down sit ups on the train. This is because I actually find them things quite fun!

People who say working out and the gym are boring don’t know how to create their own fun!!!

Obviously doing the same gym routine all the time can become boring and tedious so why not switch it up a bit. I find these random things make my training sessions a lot more exciting and challenging, plus it allows me to put my fitness to the test.

I mean what's the point in being fit and strong if you can’t test how fit and strong you are.

Staying motivated in the long run I guess comes from wanting to encourage people to look after their physical and mental well being.

It's so true that when you look good you feel good. My confidence has increased so much since the beginning of my journey.

Fitness has taught me that there are no boundaries as I've been able to do things I never knew I was physically capable of, especially as I wasn't active as a child or teen.

My journey has allowed me to turn negative thoughts into positive actions and I just hope I can inspire you guys to do the same.

So people why not stay motivated by trying random things like chin ups or pull ups on a tree, handstands on a parked car or squatting your boyfriend or girlfriend !!!

Whatever you do just make sure you have fun whilst doing it.

G

Stretch Sundays

So today was supposed to be 'leg day' but when I got to the gym I had a change of heart. I actually couldn't be bothered so I decided to work on my flexibility and stretch out my body instead.

Flexibility is important because it:

• Improves your performance
• Decreases the risk of injury
• Reduces muscle soreness
• Improves your posture 
• Improves muscle coordination
• Improves balance and coordination

I decided to practice some Yoga stretches and although I've never been to a yoga class I would like to thank Instagram- my yoga teacher.

I seem to be quite flexible so I think yoga is something i'm going to take up.

By increasing your flexibility through stretching, your balance and coordination improves during a workout. Whereas the lack of flexibility can cause your movements to become slower and increases the chances of muscle strain and injuries after a workout.

So make sure you include stretching as part of your exercise regime.


G

 

Orange Wednesday

 

So its Orange Wednesday and I’ve decided to brighten up my Wednesday by researching the benefits of some orange fruits and vegetables.

You must think "Gina is  well boring"...but this is my alternative to going to the cinema!

But anyway ...I present to you;

Oranges:

Oranges are rich in vitamin C which is good for the skin, helps the digestive system. The skin of an orange can be a useful exfoliating facial scrub and skin moisturizer.

Males: Did you know oranges protects sperm from genetic damage which can cause birth defects ?

Tangerines:

Tangerines are also rich in Vitamin C and good for the skin. They contain fiber which helps regulate bowel movement and can assist weight loss.

Carrots:

Carrots are rich in vitamin A which is very good for improving eyesight. Not only are they specifically good for your skin, eyes digestive system and teeth, carrots are low in calories and contain no fat.  

Sweet potato:

Sweet potatoes are also rich in vitamin A and are useful in the prevention of different types of cancer. They contain double the fiber as other potatoes which give them a slow burning quality. This quality means that they are a low-fiber carb as their energy is used more slowly, which makes you full for longer. Sweet potatoes have a great source of potassium which can help prevent muscle cramps.

Females: did you know sweet potatoes can reduce pre-menstrual symptoms (PMS)? This is because when you’re on your period your body experiences high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone. However, sweet potatoes are loaded with hormone-balancing vitamins which can help reduce your stress levels and mood swings. Also, its rich Vitamin A content helps prevent PMS acne.

So there you have it guys, its not as good as going to the cinema, but unfortunately this is as good as it gets for me.

Tip of the day

Males: for all those shooting blanks...KEEP CALM and eat an orange.

Females: for all those moody and going through PMS ...KEEP CALM and eat sweet potatoes.

Happy Wednesday

G

Pancake Day

So today is Pancake Day and JustGeen’s stomach will definitely be getting involved.

Along my journey, I have found that there are many different healthy ways to make pancakes and Protein Pancakes have become my favourite. Not only are they low in carb and low in fat, they are delicious!

The recipe is quite simple:

Ingredients:

• 3 table spoons of wheat flour
• 3 egg whites
• ½ cup of oats
• 2 table spoons of protein powder (optional)
• ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• pinch of nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons of rice milk
• 1 teaspoon of honey

Instructions

• Whisk all the ingredients into a bowl until it is lump free.
• Your pan should be warmed on a medium heat with just a little bit of olive oil or olive oil cooking spray.
• Pour your mix into the pan and cook on each side for 1-2 minutes.　

Your pancakes dont have to be topping free so why not add some strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, bananas, honey, natural yoghurt or nuts.

Bon appétit!

G



MudNMadness

So over the weekend me and SpartanFam put our training to the test by taking on a 7.5k mud race. Two words frikkin amazing!!!!

Words can't begin to describe how exhilarating the whole experience was.

The race consisted of army style challenges, canoeing, an obstacle course, river crossing, archery, mud alleys, river dips and a beasting session.

Me and my two team mates completed the race in an hour and 28 minutes. Considering the team was suffering from knee and ankle injuries we still managed to make it to the finish line.

The time we finished in was not even what we cared about. We just wanted to finish it together. We didn't see it as a race in the literal sense but rather a challenge. We did not whine or moan and our main goal was exercising our teamwork rather than completing the course in the fastest time.

To be honest the actual race wasn't even that hard besides the canoeing bit. That’s probably where we lost a lot of time because we were scared as hell. Gospel, Bashment, RnB, HipHop I mean we sang them all just to get through that river.

Also, the freezing cold water didn’t help. You'd think your body would get used to it after a while but nope! I lost all feeling in my legs, toes and fingers for the majority of the race.

However, I would definitely do it all over again. It felt so good to actually put my fitness and training to the test. Sure I got mud in my hair, dirty water all over my body and almost lost my trainers but it was all worth it in the end.

Now I know my mental and physical strength has no boundaries I'm going to push myself till I can't push myself no more and you should do the same.

Bring on the next mud race!

G

Motorway Madness

So me and my two buddies decided to conquer our fear of heights and get our blood pumping by doing a flyover session over the A13.

Flyover sprints: we started off at the base of 1 side of the flyover (1), sprinted up three flights (2) and then back down again. We repeated this twice and this made up one set. We took a two minute rest in between each set and repeated it three times.

The average times were:

BigBoat 1.07min average

Nana 1.13min average

Gina 1.21min average

Flyover endurance: we started off at the base of 1 side of the flyover (1), ran up the three flights (2), across the bridge (3), down the three flights on the other side (2) and then all the way back (3) to finish at the base (1). We took a five minute rest in between each set and repeated it three times.

The average times were:

BigBoat 1.54mins average

Nana 2.1mins average

Gina 2.30mins average

I will be totally honest and say this session killed me. After the first set of the flyover endurance, I was ready to call a cab and go home.

So for those of you who want to have a go GOOD LUCK because you will definitely need it.

G