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I cannot believe that the end of 2020 is just around the corner!
Good riddance! How fast has this year gone though considering we’ve been stuck in for most of it?
It’s been a trying time for most of us if not all of us and I know for a lot of people including myself, keeping fit and looking after my mind and body has been the only thing keeping me sane! I would love to know how all of you have been coping during the past few months, any tips I can steal?
For me, the main reason I work out is that not only does it keep me looking good but it also keeps me feeling good, I can almost feel the endorphins flowing around my body when I’m working out. It gives me so much more energy, I feel more focussed and it gets me ready for my day ahead. So I thought I’d share my top 3 tips for keeping fit.
Tip number one, plan plan plan! For me personally, with such a busy life I know if I didn’t plan anything (that goes for anything, not just fitness) I wouldn’t get anything done. Managing my time enables me to prioritise my jobs/to-do list for the day and gives me some sort of structure until I switch off for the evening.
I usually like to plan my workouts for the morning unless my workload doesn’t allow me too, why? Because I find myself making excuses the later on in the day I leave it. The famous phrase ‘I’ll do it later” just means it’s not happening ???? Which is why I think if I plan my workout for as soon as I get up I have less time to ponder over convincing myself to skip the day!
A morning workout just works best for me, as much as I talk about making excuses, I genuinely do love working out, sometimes I just need a kick up the arse (or out of bed!) to get one done. If an evening workout is more your thing then go for it! Just do what works best for you.
Personal preference is I like to have it written down, could be in a diary, your notes app, or a post-it on the fridge, but I feel like having my days schedule in writing makes it more official. I know it’s probably all physiological but I am so much more likely to stick to my routine if I can visibly see it. So plan your workout and then there’s no time for excuses.
Tip number 2, understand your body and do what you need to do to reach your goals. This tip is all about knowing what works for your body, for me, a workout that is low impact and not too hard on my joints is exactly what I’m after, I know my body responds well to these sort of workouts and I see the results I want from it.
Remember low impact doesn’t have to mean low intensity, I can do an amazing intense workout that has low impact exercises. If a high-intensity, high impact workout works best for you then go for it, maybe a heavyweight session is what gets you feeling your best, there’s no right or wrong because it’s all about your body!
For example, there is no point trying to do a high-intensity workout if you’re prone to sore joints because it’s going to do more damage than good, it won’t benefit you the way it might someone else so it’s important to listen to yourself and your body when working out, not what Mr Muscle tells you you should be doing on Instagram.
My favourite workouts have to be core exercises and low impact full-body conditioning. I also love the flexibility and stretch workouts, which are completely necessary by the way, just because they don’t get your heart racing as much as a run or jumping jacks doesn’t mean it’s not doing amazing things for your body. If like me these are your favourite type of workouts then all I’ll say is keep your eyes peeled in the coming months… ???? For more sneak peeks and potential teasers, you’ll have to head over to my Instagram!
My final tip for you girls is tracking your progress! I know I speak for many when I say being able to visibly see a difference makes you so much more motivated. A bit like tip one, when it’s in front of me it gives me so much more of an incentive to do it or carry on.
It’s easy to not give yourself credit for how far you’ve come, especially when you’re going about your day to day life, those small changes you’ve made become unnoticeable and taking the time to acknowledge them and congratulate yourself just gets shoved to the bottom of your list. But when you look at the first photo and see how far you’ve come, it gives you that drive and determination to carry on.
As women, our bodies go through incredible things, we carry our children, we bring them into the world, we feed them and to top it off, that time of the month comes and the devil gets to work ???? So I think it is so so important to mention that inevitably our appearance and weight fluctuates a great deal, which is why I always stress that the numbers on the scale don’t mean a thing if you feel healthy, love the body you’re in and love how you look, that’s all that matters.
Please do not undervalue your progress because one day or a couple of days of the month you’re slightly more bloated, or you’re carrying more water weight than usual or god forbid you treat yourself to a chocolate bar! We are amazing humans, and just because we don’t look how we did 15 years ago doesn’t mean our bodies aren’t beautiful.
So if that progress picture doesn’t look like an improvement from the last one you took, who cares! Carry on living a healthy lifestyle, working your arse off and doing everything you can do to bring positive changes into your life and that next picture just might show you the results you’ve been working towards.
Those pictures are there to motivate and applaud you of your achievements, they do not define you.
I’m so proud of you, so you should be proud of you too. Even if you’re just thinking about taking that next step in your fitness journey you’re already one step closer than you were, so don’t give up. If any of my tips have helped at least one of you then my job here is done!
What’re your favourite fitness tips?
With Love, Leanne
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