Tuesday's Change Week 25 - Revision Time

Like in previous weeks I've given you all a week off to catch up, refresh and re-focus on the previous changes. So this week you'll be doing just that.

Here is a re-cap of the changes made over the last few weeks.

Gratitude - Click Here

Green Tea - Click Here

At home Fitness - Click Here

Chia Seeds - Click Here

Sweet Potatoes - Click Here

Meditation - Click Here

No drink with meals - Click Here

Was there something you feel you should give another go? Or try harder with? Is there one you just didn't really understand and need to ask me a few questions? I'm here to answer or help whenever you need me.

Best of luck and enjoy revision week!

Tuesday's Change Week 20 - Fitness Blender

You may have seen my previous post on fitness here. This may seem like repetition but to me exercise is so important.

My good friend Bríd introduced me to this amazing website. Bríd is a marvellous woman who works, raises 2 kids and supports herself and her husband's business (check out their wonderful café here in Kinsale that does the tastiest and healthiest food for miles!).

So like the rest of us Bríd is a busy person juggling lots of priorities. Yet she still finds time to exercise. She discovered this wonderful website and kindly shared it with me. This really fits into her lifestyle and allows her to be in control and not have fitness as a chore.

FITNESS BLENDER CLICK HERE

Here you can pick how long you want the work out to be, the amount of calories burned, areas of the body targeted, the training type and equipment needed, if any. You select all these requirements, hit enter and it gives you a plethora of videos that match your criteria. You chose which one suits you best and away you go!

This is excellent for all those busy parents, people on budgets who can't afford the gym memberships, people travelling or who move around a lot. And best of all this is completely free! There are some adds and pop ups but nothing over bearing. It really is a great service.

So your change this week is to visit this website and ideally do a few work outs. 2-3 a week would make such a huge difference to your body, mind and soul!

Keeping Hydrated Top Tips! Tuesday's Change Week 1

So it's 6 days into Tuesday's Change Week 1 - Drinking more water and I hope you are all feeling the benefits! Here is the link if anyone missed it.

I have put together some top tips to help you keep going with the challenge. The plan is to stick to it for the 7 days and then it should become a habit and part of your daily routine.

1) Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. Put it out beside the bed the night before.

2) Drink a glass just before you go to sleep (after you go to the toilet!)

3) Drink a glass before each meal

4) Drink while driving - the only time you are allowed drink drive! Keep a bottle in your car and sip every time you are in traffic or cruising along the motorway.

5) Sip while watching TV. Chug at every add break!

I always like to know why I'm doing something. So here are some great reasons to drink more water!:

It aids digestion which aids fat loss

It boosts your metabolism

It is good for your skin

Helps you think better

Helps you work out better

Prevents headaches

Helps aid detox

Helps all your internal organs and systems function better

Helps you sleep better

Now surely you don't need any more reasons than that?

I'd love to hear from you so send me on your top tips or things that you feel work well. Sharing knowledge is what it's all about!

Keep a look out for Week 2's change announced this evening!

#EatClean #Train Dirty #LiveEasy

Train Dirty

Lots of people have been asking me what my exercise of choice is. This is something that has differed constantly throughout my life. As I change and my body changes I learn more and more about health and fitness I am constantly discovering new things.

At the moment I am a big fan of CrossFit. It gets a lot of bad rap in the media and rightly so when it is taught poorly. If you are thinking of joining a CrossFit Box then ask the owners and trainers what qualifications they have. If it's just CrossFit certification and they have no other Fitness/Personal Training or Strength and Conditioning certifications then I would seriously question joining. It is these gyms that teach CrossFit poorly that give it a bad name. They don't monitor form and alignment and often get caught up in the sensationalised aspects of pushing the body to the extreme. Yes you have to work hard to see results but you shouldn't get injured while doing so. Train Dirty, but don't train to be sh*t!

Anyway enough of the negatives let's look at the benefits! I attend CrossFit Cork and can not recommend the trainers enough. They are all highly experienced and well educated in all manners of form and movement. They foster a positive ethos and genuinely care about helping everyone lead the healthiest life possible. We are like a little family and all encourage and help each other out all the time. They regularly hold fun sessions where we train together and then have a social, healthy BBQ where everyone brings a side or dessert. It's like being a part of a team. Check out their wonderful video here (keep an eye out for myself, I pop up in a few bits)

You do NOT have to be fit already to join. That is probably the biggest misconception. You would regularly have highly fit athletes training alongside people who have just got off the couch for the first time in 6 years!

There are no words to describe how good it feels to be strong. Looks aside I bounce out of bed each morning full of energy. I look at heavy things and know I can pick them up. I look at small people and know I can pick them up! It's exhilarating feeling and even better strength training is the most efficient way to lose fat. BOOM! Your body is a fascinating instrument when trained to function correctly. The empowerment that comes with strength training is mind blowing. 'No I'm not just strong for a girl, I'm just strong.'

My other movement of choice is yoga. I'll discuss this in another post soon but for me Yoga is just sheer bliss. Not only does it strengthen and stabalise the body, it does the same for the mind. And let's face it we all could do with more mental strength and stability to get us through this weird and wonderful world.

But either way, whatever movement you chose to do, the take home message is you should move EVERY DAY! Yes that's right you should do some form of exercise every day. I'll just leave that sink in for a minute...

The Irish Heart Foundation suggest 30 minutes of moderate activity (e.g. a brisk walk) everyday and that's just to maintain health. This needs to be increased if you want to lose unwanted fat or increase fitness. 

But don't be disheartened. You don't need to spend 3 hrs a day in the gym. 20+ minutes of higher intensity work can be just as beneficial. Think about it. 20 minutes, that's the amount of time you spend on the Daily Mail app? Facebook? Watching some crappy TV show? And you don't need expensive gym memberships or equipment to do this. There are plenty of online tools to help you out.

Follow me on Pinterest for lots more of these quick and easy work outs (warning I do post a lot of puppy pictures on here also!). These workouts are a great when you are travelling or can't get to the gym. They are fantastic for people on a budget or who are stay at home parents and can't leave the house easily. Fitness is for everyone. You just need to know how!

If your current fitness regime is at zero then start small. Go for a walk or swim, go for a jog with friends. Eventually building up to become an every day activity. 

I know people get bored with repetitive movement and so shake it up! At the moment my routine is:

CrossFit Mon/Wed/Fri

Yoga Tues/Thurs

Cycle to work typically Thursday

Sat/Sun either climb a mountain/hillwalk, go for a swim, go for a walk on the beach/go to the park/meet friends for kayak etc

Don't exercise to be skinny. Exercise to be healthy and strong. The minute you remove this obsession with looking a certain way you'll become obsessed with becoming healthy and that is so much more rewarding. It becomes a way of life. And guess what?! You'll begin to look amazing as a result. Win Win!

It doesn't have to be boring. Switch it up. Try out new things. There is a world of movement out there for you to enjoy. Your body will thank you.

Insanity

Like my old pal Bertie here is saying, I think we are all guilty of being insane sometimes.

For years, during my teenager phase, I was overweight and felt like crap. I'm a former fatty and not ashamed to say it. Any other former fatties out there will know what I'm talking about. High five homies!

I would look on enviously at my friends or people I would meet and wonder how they could be thin and still eat all those sweets or not do any exercise and have those toned abs. I was going to the gym or dancing maybe once or twice a week and never really lost any weight. Nothing changed and I wondered why. I felt the universe was against me. Like I was just unlucky and it was all so unfair. I was trying so hard (or so I thought!) and nothing was changing and it was all so terrible, like the world was going to end. Who knew teenagers could be so hormonal and unreasonable like this?!

Yet I never once thought to try something different. To change things up and try something new. What I was doing clearly wasn’t working for me yet I was still expecting to see different results. Back to Einstein here, I was doing the same thing over and over and expecting each time to see a change or a different result. I was insane.

Then one day it just hit me. Bang smack in the face like a stray frisbee. I need to change things up. And keep changing. I need to work harder and work differently. A true light bulb moment! (I still remember it now, I was sitting on the couch watching MTV and eating a cream cake at the time. I remember it vividly!)

So here is my advice to you. Take a minute to check in with yourself. Are you happy with you current physical performance and appearance? Can you move without pain or discomfort? Do you feel fit and physically strong? Do think you could make a fair shot at any physical activity if you were thrown into it? Could you out run those pesky zombies coming for you when the end of the world is nigh?

If not then it might be time to change up your training routine, or for the couch lovers out there begin a training routine. And I hate the word routine. It should never be routine, it should be constantly varied. This is key to keeping your body on its toes. It is key to losing fat/weight and it's key to a healthy body. 

Whether your exercise of choice is running, weight lifting, martial arts, dancing or football then begin to look for new avenues, even once a week. Take a swim in the ocean, run a different route, try out a new class, climb a mountain, cycle an off road bike trail. You'll learn something about yourself, you will challenge your body and most of all you may even have fun!