Wednesday’s Workout| Tone Your Arms in 10 Minutes

Now I know I have been concentrating these Wednesday workouts on my abs, bum and legs recently because that is the area I’m working on at the moment. However the other week, my legs and tum could not take any more squats or crunches so I decided to find an arm workout and came across Cassey’s Workout “Victoria Secret Angel Arm Slimming Workout.” At first I wasn’t so sure but after the first couple of workouts my arms really started to burn. Cassey gives you simple moves to complete but makes you repeat them for at least 30 seconds… now that is a long time to be lifting a weight and you soon feel the burn. However as always Cassey is super motivating and encourages you complete every rep.

This has quickly become one of my favourite arm workouts and I am yet to complete it all the way through without taking a mini break. It is only 10 minutes long, so give it ago. You won’t regret it and if you do is a couple of times a week, you will soon really notice the difference in the tone of your arms as your arms are one of the easiest areas to build muscle and tone.

As always, let me know if you give it ago! Have to ever tried the Blogilates workouts before? Which one is your favourite? What other workouts do you recommend for your arms?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

5 Exercises That Aren't Worth Your Time

"Any exercise is better than no exercise" is an urban legend that most of us have mistaken for truth. The fact is that some common exercises are completely ineffective and not worth doing. Plus, many of them aren't all that fun to do either. If you've been torturing yourself with waste-of-time workouts, give yourself a much-needed break. These are five exercises that simply are not worth your time.

Crunches

Many people with muffin tops folding over their jeans have bought into the myth that doing hundreds of crunches will tighten their tummy. After all, it makes your stomach muscles burn like crazy, so it must be doing something. However, crunches are perhaps the most overrated form of exercise that actually do very little for your figure. If you want to lose the fat, you need to do cardio to burn the calories. And if you want muscle tone and definition, activities like swimming, dancing, and tennis are better for you. Not only are they safer and less likely to cause back and neck problems, but they more effectively work your core as well. Crunches don't do a lot because they isolate your abs instead of working your core as a whole. Crunches are a waste of time - swap them out for something else.

Running Stairs

First of all, you need to find a large stairwell for it to be effective. It's not worth finding one because running stairs is hard on your lower body and is terrible for your back and knees. Plus, you get the same benefits from normal running.

The Superman

This is the move where you lay flat on your tummy and lift your arms and legs off the ground. Any benefits that this move promises are of microscopic proportions since the range of motion is so small. You are more likely to throw out your back than accomplish anything meaningful with this move.

Wall-Sits

This exercise from purgatory should be removed from your workout regiment. They won't help you lose weight, and the muscular gains are miniscule. The only thing this move is good for is time-outs for naughty kids.

Seated Leg Extensions

Your knees were never meant to handle the strain of raising heavy weights around your ankles. The risk of injuring your knees with this exercise is so high that it is simply not worth doing. If you want to strengthen your legs, lunges and squats are better and safer choices.
Not all exercises are created equal. Some are downright dangerous. If you want a workout that is safe and effective, nothing beats good old-fashioned walking or jogging. If you want a little more muscle resistance, you could try swimming or biking. As a basic rule-of-thumb, natural movements are generally safe while clumsy, forced movements can cause more problems than they are worth. The problem with these five exercises is that they are so commonly used that people automatically assume that they are good. When it comes to your health, don't buy into urban legends. Do what is right for your body.

This post was written by Brian S., writer for the National Council on Strength and Fitness. As a graduate from Rollins College, Brian's resourceful nature and diverse interests make him an excellent writer.

Fitness Friday| Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

 

*2 images from Gymbags and Gladrags, edited by me

Being a massive fitness blogger follower on all social media I regularly come across pictures of the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watches. In the fitness blog world they are the equivalent of the Naked Palettes in the beauty blogger world or disco pants in the Fashion Blogger world, a must have!

So a few months ago I treated myself with some birthday money and ordered the Polar FT4. I got mine for about £60 which isn't bad as I think the RRP is about £100. Upon receiving it, I gave it a first go at Kendal Bootcamp Class. The whole process is pretty easy to understand; put the band on round your chest, just underneath your bra strap area, ensuring that the electrodes on the front of it are touching your skin. Then put the watch on, set it up my adding your info such as sex, age, height, weight and when you start your exercise press start twice and off you go.

The first time I put the strap on it was very noticeable, not uncomfortable as its very elasticated, but noticeable, however I persevered and now never feel it when working out. Although I bought the watch to monitor my heart rate and see if I am actually working hard during my workouts of if I'm just slacking, I find the other tools very useful. At the moment I am calorie counting to ensure I am on track and find that knowing how many calories I've burnt in a workout is a great motivator to eat healthy for the rest of the day as I don't want to undo all the hard work I have done. The fat burning zone option is interesting however during bootcamp my heart rate is rarely in this zone as bootcamp is tough! You can very easily scroll through the different displays while working out; your heart rate, your calories burnt, how long you've been working out, whether your in the fat burning zone and the time. I normally keep mine on the heart rate display so I know when I'm warmed up, whether I am working out hard enough, and when I have cooled down.  

The watch and strap are very study, I've accidentally dropped them on the floor a few times, and my watch even survived the wettest bootcamp session I've ever been too! I'm talking ten minutes in the rain and I am soaked to my bone! So it's doing very well.

I would definitely recommend it to those who are looking for their first heart rate monitor and take their training seriously. It doesn't have millions of fancy options like GPS like some tracker do, but for a beginners watch it is perfect. I love mine, use it everyday and don't think I need anything more fancy. I couldn't actually imaging working out without it now, as I feel it really motivates me and is a great way to keep my on track and monitor my progress. 

Do you use a Heart rate Monitor when training? Do you use a Polar watch? Do you love it as much as I love mine?

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Wednesday’s Workout| 100 Calorie Workouts| The Truth!

 

It is that time of year when everyone starts to panic about that bikini and the body they are going to be showing off on the beach, and already I have had people email and ask me how did I lose weight and how long did it take, well I lost weight through hard wok and commitment and it took me what many would say is a long time. I started to work on my “bikini body” in January! This is probably not the answer that you were looking for and are already clicking off my page and Googling “ how to lose weight quickly,” and it is because of these tweets I have been saying that this post was created.

I have seen for a long time the pictures detailing workouts that “Burn 100 calories now!” “Burn 100 calories in two minutes!” “Do this 10 minute workout every day for 2 weeks and lose a stone”… you get my gist! However I have seen hundreds of those workouts over the past few weeks from girls hoping that a 10 minute workout will help them look fab in their bikini, so I thought I would take on a few a see if you really can burn 100 calories in 2/5/10 minutes.

I decided to do the two workouts above that I found on Youtube and monitored my calorie burn with my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor. So after filling in my age and weight to the watch and securing the electrode band to my chest I put in 100% effort for both of them, and here are the results. 

Workout 1

Wow this is tiring! The burpees definitely got my heart rate up and you move very quickly from one move to the next. I burnt in 75 calories in the 7.07 minutes.

Workout 2

Again a very tiring workout! This one flows a little less smoothly than the other, so I feel like I waste precious seconds moving from lying down to standing up, but still a good workout. However I only burnt 63 calories in the 5.25 minutes.

Now obviously the calories that each person burns in a workout varies depending on your own age, weight and fitness level. This is why I thought these “100 calorie” workouts were a load of rubbish. So even though I burnt between 60 and 75 calories, typically a person who weights less than me would burn less calories in that workout and a person who weights more than me would burn more. But again it all goes down to your fitness level and the effort you put in.

So even though I didn’t burn 100 calories in the above workouts, what I need to stress is that yes burning 100 calories in a workout is all well, but to lose 1 pound you would need to burn 3500 calories, so doing these 100 calories workouts once a day for 2 weeks isn’t even going to help you lose half a pound! If you are going to keep your diet the same and use these 100 calorie workouts to lose say 4 pounds in 2 weeks you would need to do the workout 140 times! Which works out at 10 times a day, so a solid 1 hour and 10 minutes of exercise every day for two weeks! And I bet to do these workouts 10 time through giving it your full effort would be tough but more importantly boring! So as I said at the beginning… to lose weight quickly you need to work incredibly hard! Do not buy into quick and easy fixes, they just don’t work and they aren’t healthy either!

What do you think of these 100 calories workouts… do you dislike them as much as I do? Have you seen any other “Quick Fixes” that people are being lured into under false pretences  Are you upping your effort over the next few weeks to make sure you are bikini ready?

 

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Wednesday’s Workout| 30 Day Abs Challenge

Image from Carly Rowena Instagram

How did last weeks workout go girls? It was a tough one! This weeks workout is again all about the abs… it’s only 6 weeks until June, so it’s definitely time to work at those abs to make sure you look and feel great on holiday! This weeks Wednesday workout is again a challenge, it is the 30 day Abs Challenge from the gorgeous Carly Rowena. Carly is an amazing fitness and beauty blogger who is stunning, has a great attitude to health and fitness and posts regular videos, so if you need some motivation go and check her out! She is definitely one of my favourites and I find her so inspiring and refreshing.

Her 30 day Abs Challenge asks you to workout for only 5 minutes each day for 30 days continually. She gives you 2 moves to carry out for 30 seconds at a time and then repeat then 5 times over. So it is super simple, but will be super effective. As you can see from the picture above, the moves vary each week, and they are all tough! I do a few of these at my Bootcamp Class and can promise you they are tough! However if you want to improve your abs in 30 days with only 5 minutes of work, the work has got to be hard work! You have to put in the effort!

As Carly states in the video, abs are made in the kitchen. To achieve definition and a nice toned middle you need to have a great diet. Abs are 80% diet and 20% exercise, so remember to put in the effort in the kitchen aswell! Carly explains the whole challenge very well in her video, so check it out for info, tips and the demonstration of each of the moves mentioned in the picture above.

I am going to start the challenge today! Are you going to join me? Just think of how good you will look in 30 days! If it looks too tough, just try to complete 1 minute worth of moves and build it up from there! It’s completely adaptable to your fitness level, and a little exercise is better than none!

Be sure to check out my blogger of the week and fellow Cumbria Blogger Anna from On The Dressing Table. She has the most amazing beauty blog, full of insightful and honest reviews, plus she is the sweetest girl!

Wednesday’s Workout| 6 Week Six-Pack Abs

 

It’s that time of the week again, it’s workout time! Firstly, thankyou to you all for the amazing feedback you have given me about this feature. There really are so many of you who say it helps them and inspires them to try something new, and I’m always over the moon to hear that I can help others. I hope that you all workout more that once a week, but even if you only manage the workouts I post on Wednesday, it is a lot better than doing nothing!

As last weeks workout was for the booty this weeks will focus on the majority of people’s problem area the abs. I am currently on a massive mission to gain a flat stomach in time for my birthday in exactly 4 weeks time! I currently have a little flabby bit on my lower abs and would love for it to be gone by then. Obviously abs are gained in the gym but shown in the kitchen so I am upping the strength moves for my abs but also trying my best to eat clean and lean so I can reduce my body fat and start to show off some of my abs.

The below workout is from one of my favourite trainers Jillian Michaels. Jillian is to credit for the 30 Day Shred that I’m sure many of you have heard of, but in America she is most know for being the tough trainer on The Biggest Loser. She takes crap from no one and makes them work hard, but after watching her on many programs it is easy to see that she truly cares about her “victims” and only wants them to be the best they can be.

This workout is similar to the 30 Day Shred but more concentrated on the abs and a little tougher. It really works all the muscles in your middle and makes you sweat. It is only 30 minute long, which is a short workout so there is no excuse not to try it. I have tried it only a handle full of times and found that I have had to adapt a few of the moves until I build up my strength but I am enjoying it.

I hope you give it a go. Let me know if you do and how you get on with it. Do you have any Ab workouts that you recommend for me? Or are there any workouts that you would like to see featured on Wednesday’s Workout?

Don’t forget to check out my blogger of the week Natalia from Natalia’s Beauty Blog. If you enjoyed this post Natalia often posts about fitness too, so be sure to give her blog a read. She also has the most gorgeous OOTD posts.

Fitness Friday| How to Squat| Get the perfect bum

 

After the many positive responses to this weeks Wednesday’s Watch I thought I would stick with the topic of squats as they are a very loved but hated move. I myself have been working on gaining a perfect bum this week with my first Bootcamp session at Kendal Bootcamp (more on that later) and obviously by partaking in the Ultimate Squat Challenge that I shared with you all. As a result I am currently sitting here writing this with a very sore glutes, but no pain, no gain girls!

I saw the above image showing the muscles that squats use on my Bootcamp Coach’s Facebook page and thought I would share it with you as it really shows you how much of your body a simple squat works! It seems that everyone I know loves squats because they know that they are good for you, but hate them because after doing a few correctly performed deep squats you will start to feel that burn! Squats are actually one of the most effective exercises you can do… they are a big calorie burner! However you have to do them right to get the most out of them and also prevent injury, so here’s some tips for you.

1. Stand with your head facing forward and your chest held up and out. Place your feet shoulder-width apart or slightly wider. Extend your hands out to keep your balance.
2. Sit back and down like you’re sitting into an imaginary chair.  Keep your head facing forward and tilt forward from your waist. Keep your back straight and abs tight so you don’t round your back.
3. Lower down so your thighs are as parallel to the floor as possible, with your knees over your ankles. Press your weight back into your heels.
4. Keep your body tight, and push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position.

My biggest tip for squats it to try and fit them in throughout your day. They will soon add up and you will notice a difference quickly! I actually do squats while brushing my teeth and when making cups of tea at work (as long as there is no one else in the kitchen! ) I have notice a massive difference in the tone of my bum since I have started doing them daily.

Did you partake in the Ultimate Squat Challenge this week? Do you love or hate squats? Have you got any tips to share with others?

For even more motivational fitness and health pictures check out my Facebook Page and give it a like!

Don’t forget to check out my  advertiser of the week Cantara from Gym Bags and Glad Rags. If you love my Fitness Friday’s you will enjoy her blog. A gorgeous girl who posts beauty, health and fitness.

Wednesday’s Workout| Call Me Maybe Squat Challenge

After Easter weekend I’m sure many of you over indulged and are not feeling the best this week. So what better time to kick start your health and fitness regime in time for summer. If you read my last Fitness Friday post you will know that there are less than 10 weeks until June, so I am currently following (loosely) the Drop 10 Fitness challenge and it’s really helping with my diet and improving my tone and definition, so I would definitely recommend it.

This weeks Wednesday’s Workout that I want you to try is a little less intense than the Ab ripper X, a little bit silly and lots of fun. I can’t help but giggle when I first start this one, but the smile soon fades after I feel the burn! There has been a lot of emphasis on squats recently as everyone is after that perfect booty. This workout is perfect if you want to work your bum hard and achieve the perfect booty, but also good for raising your heart beat and burning some calories!

The workout below is a squat and plié challenge to Carly Rae Jepson’s Call Me Maybe. You will tone your bum, burn calories and can have a little sing along at the same time! It starts out manageable but as the squats continue you will feel the burn! The challenge is to finish the entire workout!

Let me know if you give it ago. The song is only 3.13 minute long so there is no excuse not to!

Don’t forget to check out my  advertiser of the week Cantara from Gym Bags and Glad Rags. If you love my Fitness Friday’s you will enjoy her blog. A gorgeous girl who posts beauty, health and fitness.

Wednesday’s Workout| The Best Ab Workout| Ab Ripper X

Image from tumblr

Today is the start of a new feature that I am going to run on my blog. I decided that since you all seem to love my Fitness Friday posts I will offer you even more help with your health and fitness by sharing some of my favourite workouts with you. I am going to create a playlist on my YouTube channel so that they will all be in one place for you and will be easy to find when you want to try them.

This weeks workout is one of the hardest ones I do but also one of the most effective ones. I have previously reviewed the P90X workout program and this is one of the workouts from that program. It is a 16 minute ab routine that is to be followed no more than 3 times a week! For legal reason I cannot post the actually video on here, but thanks to Youtube there are plenty of kind people who demo the moves for you so it’s exactly the same!

Ab Ripper X is a very short but very intense workout, that encompasses 11 different ab moves repeated for 25 reps. I warn you, you will not be able to complete all the reps the first time you do it, you may not even be able to do some of the moves, but give it a try and work your way up. You will be surprised at how quickly you can improve your performance. I still don’t attempt the Cross Leg/Wide Leg Sit Ups or the V-Up Roll-Up as I don't have enough core strength to do these without putting strain on my back or neck. Instead I do one of the other moves from the routine or good old bicycle crunches.

Here is a complete list of the moves;

In & Outs- 25 reps

Seated Bicycle- 25 reps

Crunchy Frog- 25 reps

Cross Leg/Wide Leg Sit Ups- 25 reps

Fifer Scissors- 25 reps

Hip Rock & Raise- 25 reps

Pulse Up (Heels To Heaven)- 25 reps

V-Up Roll-Up- 25 reps

Oblique V-Up- 25 right, 25 left

Leg Climb- 12 per side

Mason Twist- 40 reps, 10 bonus. 

It really is one of the best ab workouts there is out there because it works all areas of your core. Don't be put off at the difficultly give it a go and you will soon master it.

What do you think of my new Feature Wednesday's Workout? Have you ever tried this workout before? What is your favourite ab workout? 

Fitness Friday| Freeze Your Fat| 15 Minute Isometric Workout

 

I don’t know about you but when I workout I am guilty of hammering the cardio and sometimes forgetting about strength…. which is not good! Strength exercises obviously build up your muscles and it is a fact that the more muscle you have the more fat your body will burn during the day! Now you don’t have to hammer the weights to get your strength workout in, in fact you can stay completely still and still work your body hard.

Above is a range of isometric exercises that slim you down and tone you up without moving a muscle! Isometric exercises require you to remain static and use your body's own resistance and weight to challenge your muscles. So all you have to do is hold each of the positions for 60 seconds, three to four times, will a 30 seconds rest between each.

1- Plank- Lie face down on the floor and prop yourself up on your forearms and toes. Keep your bum down and your body in a straight line. Concentrate on your abs and glutes and squeeze them as tightly as you can and hold still.

2- T-Stabilisation- Firstly get into a push-up position. Next shift your weight onto you left hand and rotate your chest to the right as the raise your right arm towards the ceiling. Keep your feet stacked. Hold for a few seconds, then try it on the other side. That’s one rep!

3- Wall Squat- Stand with your feet should width apart and back against a wall. Lower your body, slowly down the wall, until you knees are at a 90 degree angle. Push into your heels and hold still.

4- Lateral Raise- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart with your arms at your sides and a 1kg to 2.5kg dumbbell (if you have no dumbbells, use a tin of beans). Slowly raise your arms until they are in line with your shoulders and hold them there!

5- Static Squat- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder width apart  or slightly wider. Extend your hands out in front of you to keep your balance. Sit back and down like you are sitting on an imaginary chair. Keep your head facing forward as your upper body bends forward a bit. Lower down so that your form a 90 degree angle with your knees and hips, ensuring that your knees never go over your toes. Press back into your heels and hold still.

Have you tried isometric exercises before? Or do you prefer to use weights? Which one of this moves is your favourite?

Fitness Friday| How to get a flat stomach

 

As many of you will know I have been taking part in my Festive Flat Tum Challenge for the past month with an aim to tone up and get a flat tum for Christmas. You may be asking… why work out in the run up to Christmas, with all the parties and food… am I mad?! Well yes, it is proving to be difficult especially with the boxes of chocolates being brought into the office weekly, but I want to look fab for Christmas so the challenge is worth it!

So with an aim to get that flat tum I have been doing my favourite, most effective ab workouts daily, and I wanted to share with you my tips on how to gain a flat tum. I am in no ways a nutritionist or qualified personal trainer, these are purely tips I have learnt through my passion for fitness and health. So here goes!

Firstly to gain a perfect flat tum you firstly need to get rid of the fat hanging around your midriff. You can do as many crunches as you want but if you have fat around your middle this will always hide the muscles you are building underneath. So you need to combine both cardio and strength exercises. Ab exercise alone won’t get rid of belly fat!  Think of it this way; you use strength exercise to tone from the inside, and you use cardio to loose the inches on the outside that will allow you to show your sexy toned stomach! So make sure you are working up a sweat for 30 minutes 5 times a week, at least!

Next step is strength, I want to share with you the go to strength exercises that I recommend to tone that tum as quick as possible. Basically you should be doing exercises that use as many muscles as possible in one go and for this I recommend The Plank and Bicycle Crunches!

The Plank is the best move I can recommend as it works a tonne of muscles all at the same time! You don’t need any equipment, you can do it anywhere and it works you hard in relatively little time! The Plank works your muscles more effectively than traditional crunches! It has been scientifically proven to build endurance in your abs, back and arms, as well as stabilise the muscles. It is also the perfect move building up strength for those dreaded pushups! Here is some tips on how to perform The Plank;

1. Lie face down on mat resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor.
2. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows.
3. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels.
4. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abdominals to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air or sagging in the middle.
5. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

Bicycle Crunches are my next tip! These little painful beauties have been proven to be the most effective abs exercise! This move, like The Plank works a series of muscles all at the same time. They work the  rectus abdominals (the six pack area) and the obliques (the waist). The Bicycle Crunch works those side abdominal muscles like no other core exercise, so if you want that sexy waist get going girls! Here is some tips on how to perform Bicycle Crunches;

1. Lie face up on your mat and place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting it with your fingers.
2. Bring the knees in to the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the floor without pulling on the neck.
3. Rotate to the left, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee as you straighten the other leg.
4. Switch sides, bringing the left elbow towards the right knee.
5. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedalling' motion for 1-3 sets of 12-16 reps.

So there we go! To gain your flat tum you need to burn off the fat with cardio and perform effective core exercises such as these often. I do them daily, but try to at least do them 3 times a week.

What are your favourite ab moves? Do you have any other exercise your recommend to tone up that stomach in time for Christmas and New Year?

Motivation Monday| Festive Flat Tum Challenge Week 3

 

*Images taken from Tumblr*

I am writing this post to give both you and myself some motivation as this past week my motivation has been zero!! I am actually appalled at the lack of exercise and control I have had over my diet, I have been a inspiration to no one this week, so I apologise to you, but mostly to myself! I need a good kick up the bum, and need to get my bum into shape!

I have picked my favourite pictures from Tumblr this past week, to motivate myself and you. Who doesn’t love picture of girls looking fit and fab, while working out hard! And  a good motivational poster always makes me want to go outside and run! I think my favourite picture this week is the Princess Tshirt.. I definitely need that to go running in… very cute!

So this next week is a fresh start, I am sticking to my Festive Flat Tum Challenge calendar, and I’m going to incorporate my new Zumba game* into my workout regime to see if it really will give my abs a good workout as it promises. I will also be trying out the below Holiday Squat-athon regime.  As I said before, I need a kick up the bum and need to get it into shape. I have a couple of dresses that are too small at the moment, with the hips and bum area being the worst fitting area, so I really need to loose a good couple of inches off them, and hope this regime as well as my Festive Flat Tum Challenge will help tone my bum up so I can fit into the dresses by Christmas. It’s a big ask, but I’ve got to try!

Squats are a great exercise move, and so simple! I’m going to try and get into the habit of doing my squats while brushing my teeth or while waiting for the kettle to boil… might as well make use of the time rather than stand still! I have also shared the poster next to the Holiday Squat-athon picture, as this shows you that you only need to do three simple moves often to workout out your whole bum and get a lovely toned one for Christmas! So aim to do the squats mentioned in the Holiday Squat-athon picture, but also incorporate lunges and jumping jacks into your fitness regime to get that perfect peachy bum!

How has your week been… inspiring or disappointing? Are you going to join me in the Holiday Squat-athon? Or are you still working on my Festive Flat Tum Challenge? Where do you get your fitspiration from?

Fitness Friday| Row row row your boat

Carrying on with my fitness phase, this week my mother decided to mix it up a bit and go canoeing. I have done pretty well this week with my workouts and even managed to run up the hill I shared with you in last weeks Fitness Friday- Here. I was all ready to go for another run on Thursday evening, however as it was so warm here, my mother had decided that it was too hot to go for a run with the dogs, so a canoeing session would be more ideal.

I was excited to try this sport, and a little anxious, as I have only ever done it once before and I was 11 years old, so I was definitely out of practice. Thankfully while I was in Finland in June I had gone White Water Rafting twice, so had some practice with staying on a boat and controlling an oar. However I did not realise how sensitive your actions would be when in a smaller boat, to say mum and I had some difficulties when first starting was a bit of an understatement. We actually spent a good 10 minute rowing round in circles, shouting at each other and gaining some funny looks from passers-by. We mostly struggled with matching the strength of our rows, as I would always pull harder than my mum, but my mum would row quicker. At times we managed to get a rhythm going but we spent a good hour and a half on Lake Windermere zig-zagging across the lake. We did make the whole exercise a lot harder seems we had the boat back to front, so instead of draining water we collected it. It was a great evening, as it was so peaceful on the lake and a great way to see a sunset, we also caught sight of an otter than decided to follow us and play around behind us, which was rather cute.

I enjoyed my canoeing workout and would definitely do it again, and recommend it to others, especially with a friend. It was hard work at times, but mostly a great laugh and loads of fun. Its actually a great workout for the areas I need to target for my bridesmaid dress; arms, chest and back, and also hits your oblique (your waist muscles). For the 1 hour and 15 minutes I actually canoed for, it is estimated that I burnt around 150 calories. So it’s not as a big calorie cruncher as running, but it is perfect for toning. I now aim to do this once a week as a toning exercise, as I it worked my arms hard and was a great laugh. I always think its so much easier to work out if you are having fun, and if you have a variety of workouts. It also helps with your weight loss as your body is kept on its toes and doesn’t get used to just one single workout.

Have any of you ever tried canoeing, or other water sports? Or have you tried any new sports recently?

Fitness Fridays| Fitspiration not Thinspiration

Just a quick Fitness Friday post for you girls; motivation for both you and I. I am a big advocator of being fit not thin, and much prefer to see girls aiming for health not starvation, hence the  name of my blog.

I use images such as those above to keep my motivation up. Pictures of girls working out, healthy fruit and salads, and motivational sayings really help, especially on days such as today when the last thing you want to do is go out for a run, or go to gym; much rather snuggle up on the couch with a cup of tea.

One of the most inspirational sayings for me is; ‘Forget about getting skinny, Eat well and exercise, and the weight will take care of itself.’ This couldn’t be anymore true. Far too often we worry about losing weight quickly and seeing results immediately, when this is not where our focus should be. Its about making small healthier choices everyday, and over time our results will come.

Always make atleast one healthy choice a day, don’t let a bad start determine a bad finish to the day. Today my choices are to walk my dog for 45 minutes twice today (despite the rain) and to have a healthy salad for my dinner.

What are your healthy choices today? Are you going to work out? Or have a healthy lunch and dinner? Or resist that afternoon treat of a drink or cake? Let me know!

*Images are not my own and are taken from tumblr.

Fitness Friday| P90x and BeachBody Review

I had promised to keep these Fitness Friday posts regular, as I was jumping back on the health and fitness wagon, that did not happen. However this time I promise it will, as the countdown for my bikini body is on! I go on holiday with two of my slimmest friends in 22 days, and I need to tone myself up.

I know I’m not going to make any dramatic changes to my body in 22 days, however I can make some noticeable changes! I aim to do this with a healthy diet, low in carbs and by working out at home with the help of my P90x DVDs from Beach Body. I have used the P90x DVDs before and was really impressed, as they are high impact and hard going workouts; think boot camp style. I only managed to follow the routine for 20 days last time before loosing my willpower, however in 20 days I lost around 10 pounds and I think 8 inches.

This time embarking on the Beach Body workouts came in perfect timing with an email received by Emily Coleman a rep from Beach Body. She noticed I had previously posted about health and fitness and asked if I would share some of their new and old products with my followers, the links are as follows;

New Programs;
P90X App for iPhone
P90X Certification
Ultimate Reset Body Cleanse
Body Beast Workout
Older (but just as good) Programs;
Insanity 60 Day Total Body Conditioning
RevAbs Workout
P90X2

Now I know my followers, and after looking through the information about these programs, I know programs such as Body Beast will not appeal to some. However based upon my experience with P90x and hearing information about P90X2 and Insanity I cannot recommend these enough.If you are like me and need a workout that pushes you hard, makes you sweat buckets and make you aches in the morning, then these are for you. I’m personally excited about the P90X iPhone app, as it means I could take my workouts wherever I go.

I will tell you a little bit about P90X, as this is the programme I am familiar with. At first, like many I was put off, as I don’t want to look like a body builder. However after learning about the advantages of girls building muscle, and learning that it significantly increase the calories you burn throughout the day, plus the fact it makes you lose inches just as quickly as burning fat, I decided to give the workouts a go. The nutritional guide you receive helped sway my decision, as it’s very informative; giving meal plans and recipes.

The P90X programme consists of 12 workout DVDs, which you do a combination of 6 times a week. The workouts vary significantly, there is yoga, great cardio exercises such as plyometric and a martial arts routine, along side arm, legs and abs routines. Now don’t get me wrong these DVDs are extreme! I admit when I first started them I could not do the entire routine, but the programme is about progress, you do what you can, and aim to improve. Due to the high intensity, you will see results quickly, which is why I am following the program for the next 20 days. I follow the lean program along with my boyfriend; which is obviously designed to burn more calories as it incorporates more cardio that strength workouts, so you will lose fat quicker and develop lean muscles. I enjoy the boot-camp style of the workouts as I need someone shouting at me, encouraging me to work harder. The Plyometric workout is one of my favourites, as from this 1 hour workout you can burn around 700 calories!

Have any of my followers participated in or heard of P90x or other Beach Body programs? Do you like Boot-Camp style workouts? What are you doing to prepare yourself for your bikini?

Note- Although contacted by Emily to talk about Beach Body, this review is completely honest and is based upon my own personal experiences. I bought the program with my own money.

Fitness Fridays| Workout at home

I know many of you can't get to the gym, or don't enjoy it, or don't have the money to go. Don't let that stop you from working out, you can squeeze in workouts anywhere. If I can workout in a tiny dorm room at uni then you can workout anywhere. Here are some little tips to help you;

• Every little helps- Even if it is just 10 minutes, 10 minutes of sit-ups or squats is better than nothing. Get into the habit of doing them before you go to bed, or when you get up in the morning. I always try to do 100 squats while I brush my teeth... its better than just standing there. 
• Mix it up- If you're easily bored, build up your own selection of DVDs, you can buy exercise DVDs relatively cheaply on Amazon and Ebay.
• Weights- You don't need to won dumbbells. I used to use tins of beans or soup, or fill water bottles with sand or stones. Use these for your weights, they are effective and a cheaper option.
• Hey Six Pack!- The plank can be done anywhere, you don't need equipment, it only takes a minute, and its one of the most effective movements for toning. It targets your core muscles, lower back, hips and bum. 
• Hula Hips- Hula-hooping is great for your abs, Beyonce apparently swears by it. A hula Hoop is a cheap buy and you don't need much room. 
• No Equipment- Create your own mini boot-camp. Do circuits of skipping, high knees, squats, star jumps, lunges. Set a timers on your mobile and do 1 minute of each exercise then go straight onto another. See how many reps you can do, you will soon tire out. 
• Up your game- You don't need fancy gym equipment to get arms like Jennifer Aniston. Make your workout harder by doing one arm press ups or decline press ups. Do as many as you can even if its 5. If you do it regularly you will soon see a difference. 

Fitness Fridays| Little changes equal big changes

Image taken from We Heart It

So a few of the past Fitness Friday articles may have been a little daunting or a too big of a challenge for some of my lovely readers and followers. Therefore today I am offering some advice on the little changes that everyone can make that will make a big change to your life and health, so here we go;

1. Eat before you exercise- research shows that your body burns the same amount of fat whether you eat before exercise or not. However exercising on an empty stomach means you exhaust your supply of glycogen (this is glucose you store for energy). If you do this you will end up burning more your muscle instead of building it... not good girls!
2. Combine your strength exercises- do not just lift your arms weights while standing still. If you are doing arms lifts with your free weights, combine these movements with squats, as the more muscles you use at the same time the more calories you will burn. Don't over do it though! 
3. Beware of mini-sized snacks- you may think eating snack size treats is being good, however studies have shown that it is easy to overeat these. This is because it makes it harder to stick to one portion, your silly little mind believes that because the calorie count is so low on these snacks, you convince yourself that its OK to have seconds. Its OK if you have the iron will and will power, but just be careful girls! 
4. Reduce your rest time- The fewer rests you do mean you do the same amount of work, but in less time, therefore reducing your workout time, or meaning you can do twice as much work in the same amount of time. In a study, it was found that people who waited 35 seconds between exercise sets lost 27% more body fat than those who rested for three minutes.
5. Eat protein at every meal- Please please so this girls! This will dramatically change your diet for the better, so if you make one change do this! You will fell fuller for longer, which prevents you from snacking. The best sources are eggs, lean meat and fish, and nuts.  

Fitness Friday| Looking hot while becoming hot!

This week, I'm being less lecturer like, and I am going to ask you all to look hot while you work out... a bit more fun, as we all love shopping!

It will be much easier for you to be motivated to work out if you have cute new workout clothes to wear, so chuck out those tatty leggings and over-sized T-shirts and get yourself something hot. 

Depending on which exercises you do, you will need different clothes for the activity.

Running

Properly designed footwear is essential.
Nike Air Max Excellerate Plus
 Ladies  Running Shoe-  £75
Sports Direct

Jacket- £65
Sweaty Betty

Yoga

Yoga Pants £60
Sweaty Betty

Yoga Top £38
Sweaty Betty

Dance/Aerobics

A sports bra, is essential for
every workout you do!
Look after your boobs!
£22
Sports direct

Capri Pant £17.95
Nike.com

I hope you all invest in some sexy workout clothes!

Fitness Friday| Lets get Fab Abs!

I present to you all another challenge! Yes it is the third day of the month, so we have technically missed 3 days. But we can all start together. This is a challenge I found on my dashboard on Tumblr, and I love it! I  especially love it because it rhymes... how cute!

So it is fairly self explanatory, just do what it tells you to do each day and I'm sure we will see some improvements. These exercises will only take 15 minutes each day so there is no excuse!

Set this as your desktop, or print it out and place it somewhere you will see it often so you are more likely to do it.

It doesn't matter if you can't do all of them, just do the most you can. I for one can not do more than 10 push-ups in a row, so its going to test me!

For an even larger challenge for your abs, how about trying the plank challenge also (the number is in seconds);

For those who want to follow the jumping jack challenge,  Click here for the plan for February.

Let me know what you think, and if you are going to join me on any of the challenges.

Fitness Friday- Benefits to strength training

I hope some of you have done some jumping jacks this past week! I did! I thought they were going to be alright, but they soon get tiring, great all over body workout! I'm definitely keeping it up, as feeling my legs are a bit more toned.

This week my concentration is on strength training. I know far too may girls that are scared of strength workouts and think they are going to end up big and bulky, when in fact this is wrong. All that will happen if you incorporate strength training into your workouts is you will lose inches and weight quicker and you will look better naked... more toned! Now who doesn't want that! 

Studies show that women don't build bulk, and gain size from strength training like a man does. You instead develop muscle tone and definition.

Even if you don't have weights, use tins of beans or soup, or use your own body weight by doing lunges, push-ups and crunches. 

All images from Tumblr

I'm not going to preach to you , I will only list the benefits; 

1. You will obviously become stronger- With this your confidence will grow!
2. You will lose body fat- For every 3 pounds of muscle you gain, you will burn an extra 120 calories a day, thus causing your body to burn fat without even trying!
3. You burn calories for longer- After lifting weights you body continues to burn calories for an hours after the workout!
4. You will more likely have a flat stomach- Studies found that lifting weights just twice a week can prevent you from gains abdominal fat!
5. You will reduce your risk or osteoporosis, heart diseases, diabetes, and depression!
6. You will reduce your risk of injury- This means you can work out harder for longer when you are at the gym without risking damage to yourself. 

The best thing you can do is both... do strength and cardio. 

Think of it this way- Cardio sculpts the body from the outside in (Because you are burning away your fat), and strength training sculpts your body from the inside out (Because you are building your muscles underneath your fat).

I hope this article helps a few people, and opens a few peoples eyes to what they are missing.