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

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