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Fitness

8 Things That Could Be Holding Back Your Progress In The Gym

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After months under lockdown, many of us are feeling less than confident in dressing for the summer. While you may already have booked appointments with your favorite nail technician, hair stylist, or beautician, you’ve also reached the limits of what working out from home can do for you. You know that it’s time to (safely) hit the gym again. As more and more gyms reopen their doors, you’ve likely already started getting back into the swing of things, pumping iron and pounding rubber on the treadmill.

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But for a lot of us, returning to the gym also means returning to familiar frustrations and roadblocks. You may have hit a plateau both in terms of your motivation and your progress. You feel that something, somehow is holding you back… but you can’t put your finger on it. You’re showing up to the gym regularly. You’re steering clear of the tempting fatty, sugary and salty treats when you go shopping. You’re trying to make healthy choices. Yet, you can’t help feeling that you’re going nowhere.

Hitting a Wall? Or Self-Sabotaging?

First up, it’s important to know you’ve hit a wall rather than thinking you’ve hit one. Our perception is the lens through which we view our reality, after all, and when tel, ourselves we’re not taking progress our bodies start to reflect our internal expectations. This is why it’s so important to weigh, measure and take photos of yourself regularly. These activities (while they may be uncomfortable for you) will give you hard data against which you can measure your subjective experiences. So you can know for sure whether you’re hitting a wall or just listening to the self-saboteur (who we all have living in our minds) that keeps telling you to give up, hit the sofa and order pizza. 

If, on the other hand, your progress at the gym has begun to stagnate, you need to ask yourself some serious questions about what’s really holding back your progress. It could be one of these 8 common culprits!

Two Little Words… “I Can’t!”

It’s easy to underestimate the power that the mind has over the body. But the Mind Muscle Connection is something that’s been validated by scientific study. The more we concentrate on engaging our muscles during our workouts, the more likely we are to push through performance barriers and see the gains we want in our health and appearance. Be honest with yourself, now. How often have you actually been thinking about engaging your glutes when you dip into a squat? Or thinking hard about what your biceps are doing when you curl a dumbbell? If you’re not thinking about what you’re doing and engaging your mind as well as your body, you may find that you’re coasting your way through your exercises. 

Worse still, your mind can start actively working against you. Especially when it utters those dread words to you… “I can’t”! The mind will always give up before the body. And achieving great results often means drawing on the little reserve of energy and willpower that you never knew you had to push past your limitations and keep going. 

Your Competitive Streak

That said, you can go too far the other way; pushing yourself a little too hard in all the wrong ways. The most common and egregious example of this is when your competitive streak stops providing you with motivation and actually starts to harm your progress. Yes, a little healthy competition can bring out the best in us. But if we focus too much on what other people are doing (whether it’s our friends posting their achievements on social media or comparing ourselves to the person working out next to us in the gym) we can do ourselves a huge disservice. 

When you get too competitive, you stop thinking about your own goals and it all becomes about appearances. You want to appear to be lifting more or running further than everyone else. And this inevitably means you take shortcuts. Of which, sloppy technique and poor form when lifting weights are the most common. You pile on the weight and invariably sacrifice technique for the sake of appearances. Not only will this fail to engage the muscles properly allowing them to develop, it can also put you at risk of injury. Never lift so much weight that you can’t perform the full motion necessary in a controlled way.  

Your Clothing

Speaking of range of motion, it’s absolutely essential that your clothing allows you to move freely so that you can carry out the movements necessary for all your exercises. This may mean that you wear different clothes depending on what you have planned for each workout. Yet all-too-often we choose our clothing based on its appearance. 

Don’t let your desire to look good at the gym inadvertently hold you back in your workouts. Choose clothing that give you flexibility and breathability, so you can walk the fine line between form and function. 

Your Diet

It’s been said time and time again… you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Nor is a gruelling workout a good enough reason to treat yourself to a big bowl of ice cream or a bacon double cheeseburger. Yes, cheat meals are a thing. No, you shouldn’t chastise yourself for falling off the waggon every once in a while. Nonetheless, you need to remain disciplined in your dietary habits if you hope to see the progress that matches your efforts in the gym.

Of course, in an age where there’s so much advice on dieting (most of which is just thinly veiled advertorial advocating a specific product or fad diet) it can be hard to know what constitutes healthy eating. Especially when there are so many foods that are marketed as healthy yet contain all kinds of hidden sugars and artificial ingredients that do our bodies way more harm than good. 

But if you’re looking for a good rule of thumb:

  • Eat food (not processed food-like substances)
  • Don’t eat too much
  • Eat mostly plants
  • And don’t forget to keep your body hydrated

While you may need to change your macronutrient intake in line with your changing goals, the above is good advice for everyone.  

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Your Insomnia

A good diet and regular exercise are cornerstones of good overall health. But in your zeal to lead a healthy lifestyle, don’t forget the importance of rest. Sleep is extremely important, not just for exercise, but in maintaining a healthy mind and body. While you’re asleep your body is hard at work carrying out countless repairs inside and outside. Including rebuilding muscle and other tissues damaged in exercise so that they can grow back stronger.

Without a good night’s sleep, your gains may be limited. And you’re also much less likely to feel energized and motivated to work out. If you’re struggling to sleep, there are numerous natural ways in which you can help yourself to nod off without resorting to sleeping pills.  

Your Independence

You’ve always been fiercely independent and a true autodidact. Why rely on someone to help you, when you can teach yourself to do virtually anything. But while this may have stood you in good stead throughout your life and career, trying to do it all on your own may be self-defeating. 

If you’ve plateaued when exercising on your own, maybe you need the advice, support, expertise and motivation of a personal trainer. They may be able to identify where you’ve been going wrong, help you to better plan for success and make you more accountable for your own progress. If your budget won’t extend to PT sessions, however, enlisting a friend or colleague to act as your gym buddy can help by making you more accountable. 

Boredom

If you’ve been sticking to the same exercise regimen week in and week out for the past 6 months, there’s a good chance that your workouts have become boring. And while you may think that you’re getting stronger and fitter (because they’re so much easier now) the reality is that you’re just coasting through your exercise regimen. It’s time to shake things up and try something new. Will it be uncomfortable? Yes. Will you be sore? Maybe. But it’s the best way to prevent yourself from lagging in motivation and progress. 

Your… Discipline?

No, that’s not a type, dear reader. In your efforts to be disciplined in your diet, don’t lose sight of the fact that food is supposed to be enjoyable. There’s no point preparing perfectly nutritionally balanced meals if you have to choke them down. You’ll find yourself gorging on fast food within a fortnight. Instead, work on finding the balance between food that excites you and food that nourishes your body. And don’t be afraid to throw the odd cheat meal in there. 

It might provide just the kick your metabolism needs. 

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

5 Import Reasons To Incorporate Stretching Into Your Daily Routine

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While people rave about the many benefits of yoga and meditation (and rightly so), stretching tends to be forgotten about and is often an overlooked part of many people’s fitness routines. Even if you aren’t a professional athlete and are new to exercise, stretching should be a part of everyone’s daily routine due to the many short and long-term benefits. These include improved flexibility, posture and a reduction in body aches and stress, to name but a few. Here are 5 reasons why you should incorporate a 5-10 minute stretching routine into your day.

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Greater Flexibility  

Improved flexibility is probably one of the things that stretching is most famous for and one of the first things that come to mind. Lots of research has been done into stretching, confirming that it can help to improve flexibility significantly as well as the range of motion of the joints and can even help to delay reduced mobility that comes with aging. Stretching increases blood circulation to the muscles, decreasing the risk of injury when exercising, and improving the performance of physical activities as the muscles work more effectively. Improved flexibility and healthier muscles also improve balance, but it’s essential to ensure that all stretches are done safely and using correct techniques to avoid injuries. 

Improves Posture

If a typical day for you includes being hunched over a laptop for hours on end, you are not alone with sedentary jobs having increased up to 83% since 1950. Sitting for so many hours a day isn’t only detrimental to our fitness, but also our postures. Nine times out of ten, most of us are sitting incorrectly, slouching, and hunching over, leading to weakened and shortened back, core, neck, and shoulder muscles. Over time our bodies start to adapt to these poor postures, leading to potentially significant health problems, not only with our physical form but impacting blood circulation and how the body produces hormones. Once we have gotten into the bad habit of slouching, it’s tough to get out of. With just five to ten minutes of stretching a day, you can strengthen your back muscles, improving postures and encouraging proper alignment. Not only will you feel better and stronger physically, but you’ll also appear taller.

Relieves Stress

We all know that stress has a significant negative impact on our bodies and general health. Long periods of stress can contribute to problems including high blood pressure and a weakened immune system as well as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. 

When experiencing stress, no matter the level, your muscles’ response is to tense up. Stretching is, therefore, a great stress reliever, helping you to release much-needed tensions in areas prone to holding stress such as the neck and upper back. Stress also causes your breathing to be narrow and short but can be combated by a few daily stretches. These relax the body, encourage you to be calm, and help you get a better night’s sleep – and the benefits are often immediate. 

Reduces Pain After Exercise 

If you’ve ever experienced stiffness and soreness after a workout, to the point where it hurts to walk or even move, you’ll know just how painful delayed onset muscle soreness can be. This is especially true if you’ve been applying the muscle mind link when weightlifting or practicing Calisthenics. Even though it is necessary to break the muscles down to repair themselves stronger than before, the immediate after-effects can cause tiredness and affect coordination, which isn’t always ideal in our daily lives. The key to reducing delayed onset muscle soreness is to prepare your body through performing dynamic stretching before you exercise rather than after. This makes it easier to deal with any pain you might experience afterwards and helps to prepare your muscles for physical activity. It is also recommended to stretch after a workout when warming down; however, if you have pulled a muscle or are incredibly sore, then you should stop. Remember that stretching doesn’t actually heal your muscles post-exercise, but just like with stress, it is a great way to release any tension or tightness that you might be feeling. 

Calms the Mind

Much like meditation, stretching regularly has a calming effect on the mind, providing a mental break for the stresses of everyday life. The production of stress hormones is slowed down as stretching stimulates the nervous system’s receptors while improving the circulation and flow of blood throughout the body. Combine stretching with meditation techniques and exercising to recharge your batteries and feel calmer. 

•Do you stretch? Share your routine below!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

Fun Lockdown Workouts To Keep You Motivated

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Working out at home is one of the ways you can stay fit while social distancing is happening. Exercise is always important, but even more so now. It helps keep you healthy, keeps your mental health in check, and gives you something to do to give some structure to your day.

But one of the issues with exercising at home is finding the motivation to do it. It can be hard to make workouts fun and to get yourself psyched up to sweat each day. 

So what can you do to make working out at home more enjoyable? Here are some fun lockdown workouts to keep you motivated!

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Challenge yourself with a HIIT workout

HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts are a fantastic way to exercise. They’re short, sharp and super high-energy – not something for the faint-hearted. But that’s all part of the fun! HIIT workouts provide a fast-paced, challenging session that will help you tone up while losing fat, plus help to improve your cardio health. They’re difficult, but full of some fun moves to keep you busy. Check out some of the best HIIT workouts on YouTube and start pushing yourself.

Get yourself a rebounder

If you’re looking for a great way to exercise, get yourself a rebounder. But what is rebounding on a trampoline? Rebounding is an effective form of exercise, while also having the benefit of being a lot of fun. While many people have trampolines in their backyards for the kids, this is a type of equipment that’s more suited to the adults in the family. With so many great exercises you can do on a rebounder, it’ll certainly liven up your fitness routine.

Try partner exercises

Working out with someone else is a great way to stay motivated, so why not give some partner exercises a try? There are some great partner exercises you can do with a resistance band, as well as bodyweight moves. Partner workouts can be fun, challenging and could even bring you closer together – making for one highly effective way of working out!

Join a group workout with friends

Video calls have become a part of people’s daily routines, with both work and social lives taking place on applications like Zoom. But have you thought about doing a group workout with friends online? A video workout can be a fun way of spending time together and help you look forward to a workout. You could follow another video together, or task someone to design the workout each time! This is an ideal solution for those who miss going to classes and want a bit of company when they work out.

Staying motivated to exercise is never easy, but there are a lot of things you can try while in quarantine to stay on top of your fitness. Check out some more fun ways to workout at home to help you stay strong and healthy and keep on top of your fitness goals!

•What have you been doing to stay on top of your workout routine?

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

Five Easy Ways To Shed Some Weight

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Is there anything worse than unintentionally gaining weight and being unable to shed it again? Nope! And you’re not alone in feeling that, either. Plenty of us want a quick fix for weight issues; we imagine ourselves the slim, healthy individuals we want to be. The thing is, weight loss isn’t an instant thing. If you find a solution that makes you drop the weight too quickly, you will not learn anything about what to eat and how much you need to eat. This is where the cycle continues of eating your weight back on again and not knowing much about what you are consuming.

It’s possible to lose weight quickly initially, whether that’s with the HCG Diet Info here that you can read about or another dieting method. The initial losses are down to water weight, but shifting the fat when your body fat content is high? Well, that takes a little more time. Weight loss comes down to two very simple things: a calorie deficit, and movement. Of course, there are a number of diets out there to try, and all of them have a calorie deficit in common. So, if you are looking for an easy fix to get rid of some weight before an event, we’ve got five easy ways for you to shed weight for it. Let’s take a look!

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  1. Intermittent Fasting

As we said, the biggest key to losing weight is in reducing calories. However, most people don’t want to calorie count – they find it time consuming. With intermittent fasting, you don’t calorie count, you instead reduce the time you eat. Some people choose an 8 hour window in their day and only eat food within those times. 12pm – 8pm is very popular, and instead of three meals and snacks, people eat lunch, dinner and a snack. This instantly reduces their calories and weight loss follows as a result.

2. Lift, Lift, Lift

Exercise is the next tip we mentioned, but it’s not all running yourself ragged with cardio. Instead, learn to lift weights. You don’t even need to use dumbbells when you first get started; use your own body weight with a TRX system at home and a carefully laid out plan for exercise. You break down the muscles with lifting and then they repair themselves far stronger. Your body needs energy to do this, so it uses the fat supply to keep the muscles repairing themselves well. Strength training offers you higher lean muscle mass, making you look leaner, too.

3. Get Moving

You don’t have to carve out time to go to the gym, but you need to get your movement up. Get a shiny Fitbit and track your steps, aiming for 10k a day. You don’t even have to go anywhere, walking around the house can do the job! 

4. Hydrate

Often, not drinking enough water can hinder your weight loss. Dropping your water retention is a big key to dropping a few pounds, so try eating fewer salty foods and consuming more magnesium.

5. Up Your Protein

Upping your protein to feel more satiated through the day is important, but it doesn’t mean it has to be all you eat. If you make sure that you have a balanced diet with good levels of protein, you’re going to be successful!

Protein provides the building blocks of our bodies and it is crucial that we eat enough of it every day to stay healthy and strong. There are plenty of different protein sources you can bring into your diet, and all of them will work together to repair tissue, keep your bones strong, and help you grow muscle. 

Using the Clarity Health App you can test what protein sources will work best for you as well as avoid anything you may be intolerant to. 

These are some of the best sources of protein you should add into your diet this week: 

  • Red meat – red meats such as beef are packed with protein to keep your body healthy and strong. However, red meat is also quite fatty; so try to reduce your portions of red meat to 1-2 times per week for a healthy and lean diet. 
  • Chicken – chicken is one of the most versatile foods you can add into your diet. Full of protein and lean fat, it is the ideal choice for every day lunches and hearty evening meals. 
  • Fish – fish is not everyone’s taste, however it provides a huge volume of lean protein as well as omega fatty acids to help digestion. Oily fish such as salmon can be a particularly good choice for you this year 
  • Nuts – for a healthy afternoon snack, a handful of nuts pack a protein punch, but be careful with quantity because nuts are highly calorific! 


Thank you reading!

Fitness

4 Tips For People That Feel Self Conscious About Exercising

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We all know that exercise is important, but if you are an anxious person and you haven’t exercised much in the past, you may be feeling self conscious about it (example: me). Many people find the idea of working out in a busy gym or running in public quite scary, so they put it off. But it’s important that you find a way to overcome these fears so you can stay fit and healthy. These are some of the best tips for people that feel self conscious about exercising!

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Buy Stylish Workout Clothes 

When you wear nice clothes that you like, it gives you a confidence boost and that is true for a lot of people when they exercise as well. If you spend some time picking out some nice workout clothes, like these stars and stripes leggings, for example, you will feel a bit better about yourself. This isn’t going to solve the problem completely, but it can help you when your confidence is low and you are worried about working out. Investing in good quality workout clothes will also help you to stay motivated as well. 

Start At Home 

Many people are worried that they will be judged by others at the gym because they are beginners and their workouts are not advanced. It’s daunting to go into a gym and start lifting small weights right next to somebody that is more advanced, but it’s important to remember that everybody is there for themselves and they are not paying attention to what you are doing. However, if you are still worried about it, why not start working out at home first? You can build your fitness up and get a bit of confidence before you start working out in public, and that will help a lot. There are some great online workout videos that you can follow to get started. When you do feel confident enough, look for some beginner workout classes where everybody will be in the same boat as you. 

Workout With A Friend 

Having a friend with you when you workout can help a lot if you are feeling self conscious. You can focus on what you are doing and a bit of moral support goes a long way to boosting your confidence. Most people find that their workout sessions are more effective when they have somebody else there to motivate them as well, so you will get more out of it. 

Pick The Right Gym 

When you feel comfortable about going into a gym, it’s important that you look at a few different options and pick one that works for you. For example, many women feel a lot more comfortable working out in a gym that has a women-only section. When you look around a gym, go at the time that you would normally exercise so you can see how busy it is. If you can find one that will be relatively quiet when you are there, that will help a lot. 

If you feel self conscious about exercising, follow these tips and you will be able to build up your confidence!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

Ways To Motivate Your Sports Team

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When it comes to a sports team, the word team is the main focus. Without a team, you won’t have the same success as you would by simply focusing on one or two members of that group. There are several elements that contribute to a team that respects and builds up one another. Here are some ways to motivate your sports team!

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Get A Personalized Kit

Professionalism is important because you’re taken more seriously when you look and sound professional. When you’re trying to motivate your team, looking good can make a huge difference, and therefore, you might want to look at companies that make football uniforms or sports uniforms that can be personalized with your team’s name and colors. Having consistency and uniformity is essential, and it can tell your opposers that you mean business. A personalized kit makes your team feel part of something special, and that’s a big factor in helping them be inspired to do better and perform better.

Provide Leadership

Leadership is an essential part of motivating your sports team because, in times of hardship, where your team might be losing a game or not on particular form that day, they look to a leader for support. That could be a specific team member, but you also want to have a trainer outside of competitions that provides some direction and is the overall leader of the team. By providing this leadership, you help those individuals who find that they prefer being led rather than being in the position of making decisions.

Create A Safe & Supportive Environment

Creating a safe and supportive environment is important, and the less time spent improving this, the more demotivated your team can become as a result. You might also lose team members for the lack of support they feel from other team members or those in charge. Just like a business with employees, a sports team needs to be listened to. Their concerns are important to take on board and address. Making a safe environment that they can escape daily life from is important to have too. That’s what makes a great sports team in that they care for one another beyond the sport itself. Everyone should be supportive and friendly with one another, even if they don’t necessarily click outside of the sports environment. That’s okay, as long as they have a connection in terms of the love that they have for the sport they play.

Keep It Fun

And finally, whether the sports team is a professional one or simply plays in local competitions, you want to keep it fun. Try to find new ways of how you could motivate your team that makes training or the events engaging. You could do socials where the sports team goes out for drinks or for dinner every month. These small elements can help contribute to the happiness of the team.

So if you’re looking at motivating your sports team, use these tips to help improve the happiness and environment that this team is in!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness

How To Feel Confident In The Gym

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Confidence in the gym isn’t something everyone gets straight away. The gym domain can be a bit of a terrifying place for first-timers, and it can often feel overwhelming or an invasion of privacy in some respects. Here is how to feel confident in the gym so that you can take advantage of all the benefits it can bring to you.

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Wear The Right Sports Gear

The right sports gear is an essential part of feeling good in the gym. Think about what you’ve currently got in the way of fitness gear in your wardrobe. For most people who’ve never been to the gym or don’t do much working out, you might not even have any proper fitness wear. It could be a collection of joggers and loose clothing. And although that feels comfortable, it’s not going to necessarily help you feel confident in yourself. Find outfits that help hug your body in the right way and make you feel good. Something from godashsports.com, for example, is a good place to start when you’re shopping around.

Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help

When you’re trying to navigate your way around the gym, there’s a lot of equipment that you’ll likely be unfamiliar with. It’s important that you’re not afraid to ask anyone in the gym about certain equipment because sometimes attempting to use a machine that you’re not aware of can be dangerous. If you’re wondering who to ask, it’s a good idea to seek out one of the personal trainers that will be lurking around the gym for help. They might do a sales pitch to be your trainer, but it’s worth it to know how the equipment works.

Have A Routine Ready Before You Go

Going to the gym and simply making it up as you go along is a little counter-productive. It’s worth it to plan ahead after you’ve been going for a couple of weeks and that way you can feel  more confident in what you’re doing. You appear more experienced too if you’re confidently going from machine to machine. You might also want to break it down by body parts. So one day you could do chest and back, and on another day, you do legs.

Get A Personal Trainer

As mentioned previously, personal trainers will be at your local gym, actively trying to assign clients and it’s up to you whether you take up their offer of a consultation or not. A personal trainer is really useful to have if you’re someone who wants to hit certain goals, get motivated more or to build their confidence in the gym. There’s nothing like being in the presence of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing and is accustomed to the gym environment.

Feeling confident in the gym is something that you’ll figure out because it’s sometimes a case of finding what works for you and makes you feel most comfortable. Use these tips to help with that and enjoy getting fit!

•What makes you feel confident in the gym?

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

Fun Ways to Stay Fit This Spring and Summer

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Has the winter weather turned you into a bit of a couch potato? It’s easily done, when it’s cold, wet, and windy outside, it’s tempting to just stay home, pull a blanket over you, and eat lots of snacks while watching Netflix! When spring rolls back around, many of us start thinking about our exercise regimens again and looking into ways to get back outdoors, start having fun, and burn off some of the winter weight we’ve accumulated. One of the best things about the warmer weather is it naturally makes you want to be outside, and when you’re up and out, you’re much more likely to be being active. Here are a few fun activities you can add to your summer workout schedule. 

Go on hikes

Lace up your walking boots, fill a backpack with a few supplies such as a map, some water and a light lunch and get out for a day of hiking! You could go rambling along hills and mountains, you could walk through gorgeous countryside, through forests, wherever you have near you that’s suitable. Hiking helps you to feel at one with nature as you really have time to take it all in as you walk, it’s such great cardiovascular exercise but unlike other forms of activity doesn’t feel overwhelmingly like hard work because you’re busy enjoying your surroundings. It’s the perfect way to take in natural beauty, get some great photos and enjoy an outdoor lunch. Plan the route depending on the time you have and your fitness level, but the good thing about any kind of hiking and walking is that if you’re struggling you can always slow down on steep hills or sit down and catch your breath for a while if you need to. It’s all at your own pace. You don’t need any special equipment meaning it’s very accessible, just be sure to wear properly fitting shoes to avoid blisters, corns and calluses. 

Go on day trips

Going on a fun day out, whether it’s to the zoo, the theme park, a trip to a new city, or a shopping expedition, you’ll naturally do a whole lot of walking. Since you’re occupied by whatever else you’re doing that day you won’t notice until much later when your body starts to ache that you’ve actually done some fantastic exercise. Going on day trips is a great way to spend time with family and friends, plus get outside and do something fun, so the fact that you’ll be doing a lot of walking and moving around is just an added bonus. It just goes to show that exercise and staying healthy and fit doesn’t always have to involve structured workouts or the gym. Sometimes you can just get out and about and enjoy life, and staying fit and active is a result of that. 

Get out your bike

Do you have a bike in the shed that’s collecting dust and cobwebs? Get it out, pump up the tires and test the brakes, as getting out on your bike is one of the best kinds of exercise you can do. Not only is it loads of fun (for most of us it will definitely bring back childhood nostalgia) but it’s really good exercise. You’ll pump your heart and lungs giving you a full cardiovascular workout, plus it’s good for toning and sculpting legs and glutes. Have a look online for local cycle routes near you, if you can find something scenic then all the better. If not, put your bike in the car and head out somewhere where they have great places to ride. Don’t forget your puncture repair kit and always wear your helmet too. If you’re going to be riding at dawn or dusk anywhere near roads (such as cycling to work) it’s crucial that you have a light on your bike- you should wear a high visibility vest too to avoid accidents. 

Go for a swim

When the weather is cold and wet, it can be a struggle to find the motivation to get in the pool and know you’re going to come out with wet hair and feeling generally damp and uncomfortable. However, when the sun is shining and temperatures soar, jumping in that pool can be the most refreshing thing in the world. Hit your local pool and do some laps; any stroke you choose will work out just about every muscle in your body. Other options would be to put on a wetsuit and go swimming in the ocean or lake, or enjoy activities like surfing or paddleboarding. 

Play some outdoor sports

Lots of parks and recreational centers have outdoor courts for things like tennis, badminton, and basketball which you can use for free or hire for a small fee. Another option would be to play volleyball on the beach if you live near the coast. Rope in some friends and enjoy the friendly competition while soaking up the glorious weather and getting your body moving. 

Practice yoga on the beach (or anywhere!)

Another great beach activity, if you’re lucky enough to live near one, is practicing yoga. If you go early in the morning and set up your mat, you can take in the views as you practice, it’s so relaxing and can set your day off to a really great start. Alternatively, practicing late in the evening as the sun sets can be the perfect way to wind down and prepare for a relaxed night. Yoga is as much about the mind as it is the body, so a relaxed and beautiful environment can really help with your practice.

•What activities are you excited to do this spring/summer?

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

The Incredible Long-Term Benefits Of Regular Exercise

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Everyone should try and do as much exercise as possible. Aside from being excellent for your fitness, there are plenty of long-term benefits that can improve your whole life. Most people just associate exercise with getting stronger and looking better. But here are the other ways it will benefit you – if you remain consistent!

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Improve cognitive function

Cognitive function is a bit of a buzzword these days. Everyone’s talking about it, and you can see websites like Health Naturals selling nootropics that target your cognitive abilities. Effectively, it’s the idea of your brain health. Cognitive function refers to things like memory, processing speed, ability to multitask, etc. It’s something we should all look to improve, and regular exercise can do just that. If you work out regularly every week, then you can improve your memory, develop better problem-solving skills, and increase your ability to process lots of information very quickly. 

Enhance your mental health

It’s worth remembering that your fitness journey isn’t all about your physical health. Yes, this is a big part of it, but you also want to think about your mental health. It’s proven that regular exercise will have positive long-term benefits on your mental health and wellbeing. This is because working out releases hormones that make you feel happy and elated. Not only that, but the physical changes you experience will lift your mood and boost your self-confidence. As a result, you can become less anxious, less depressed, and feel a lot better about yourself. This leads to a much clearer mind that’s free from many of your mental demons. 

Reduce the risk of diseases

Exercise also helps ward off a lot of common diseases. Mainly, there’s a lot of evidence that supports the notion that regular exercise can reduce cardiovascular diseases. In simple terms, it lowers the risk of heart diseases. This is because exercising will rid your body of bad cholesterol that can clog up your arteries and cause problems for your heart. There’s also the link between being overweight and having an increased risk of heart disease. Therefore, by exercising and losing weight, you will lower the risks once more. 

Improve your ability to carry out daily tasks

Daily activities are easier for you to complete when you exercise. Your body begins to develop more muscle tone, your sense of balance can improve, and this means you’re able to do loads of things without suffering from pain or putting yourself at risk. For example, when you get older, you reduce the chances of falling down because your balance and spatial awareness are better. Even right now, you can play with your kids or go shopping for hours on end without feeling too tired. So, don’t underestimate the importance that regular exercise will have on your daily routine. 

If you ever doubted the benefits of exercise, then all your doubts should be wiped out by now! Everyone should try and exercise at least 30 minutes every week – preferably more. You will definitely see benefits that extend beyond your physical fitness and appearance. Basically, if you want a happier life, then exercise!

Thank you for reading!

Fitness Health

Debunking 3 Common Fitness Myths

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The nature of the fitness industry means there is so much information floating about. Everyone has an opinion, and a lot of these opinions are complete and utter bullshit. This means that loads of individuals are following the wrong advice or believing inaccurate things about fitness. So, let’s debunk some of the most common myths!

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MYTH 1: You can target areas of your body to lose fat

How many times have you seen a video or an article that tells you how to lose stubborn belly fat? Loads of people want to lose fat from specific areas of their body. This can be the arms, the legs, the waist, etc. So, you look up exercises that claim to help you do this. Unfortunately, you can’t lose fat from specific areas of your body. If you want to lose belly fat, then you have to enter a caloric deficit that means you burn more calories than you consume. This is what burns fat, and you can’t target a specific area. So, don’t focus on exercises that say they will help you burn fat from one part of your body, it’s simply not possible. 

MYTH 2: Girls shouldn’t lift weights

Again, loads of newbies think that women shouldn’t lift weights. They think it’ll turn them into a bodybuilder with huge muscles. In reality, this will never happen. Women don’t make enough testosterone to produce the muscle mass that men have. Weight training is actually a staple in a healthy lifestyle. It helps you burn calories, it develops muscle tone – which makes everything look tighter and firmer – and it develops strength. All girls should train with weights, especially if you want to see improvements in your body – like bigger glutes or more toned abs!

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MYTH 3: Gyms are overpriced and not worth it

There’s been a fitness trend of home workouts over the last few years. This plays to the idea that gyms aren’t worth it – and are overpriced. In some ways, gym memberships can be expensive. But, this is when you’re forced to pay an annual contract all in one go. With places like Fitness 19, the idea or affordable rolling contracts has come into play. This makes gym memberships easier to afford, debunking that myth. 

Secondly, gyms contain far more equipment and machinery than you’ll ever have at home. While home workouts can be very effective, there will come the point where you stop seeing progress as there’s no way to make the workouts harder. One of the ways you see fitness results is by increasing the intensity of your exercise sessions. This comes from adding more resistance. In a gym, you have machines that can go up in levels to increase the resistance, and you have more weights to keep going heavier and heavier. So, they are definitely worth it if you have the money. Home workouts are usually best in cases where you have no money, or you’re a beginner that wants to start their fitness journey and gain confidence before joining a gym. 

Have you fallen for any of these myths? If you have, then they’ve probably held back a lot of your progress. Now you can consume the right information, get back out there, and start achieving your goals!

What fitness myths have you been told?

Thank you for reading!