It's Monday! That means it's time for another fitness post. This week I've discovered some rather summery active wear from South Beach Swim. I can totally see myself running along the beach in this.. I just need to find a beach... and some sun!
Until next time... x
Because why shouldn't you look good whilst working out? Plus, the more you work out this week the better you'll look on Valentine's Day!
It's Monday again - wash away the weekend with a new workout outfit.
Lipsy Sport full collection available here.
Until next time... x
I don't know about you guys, but I always want to do a lot more exercise than I actually do. I'm also the queen of excuses - I'll run tonight instead... I would run but I've just washed my hair... I'm too tired, I'll run in the morning... I would love to run home from work but I've got too many bags on me. These are just some of the excuses I tell myself on a daily basis.
Well Fitness First are making the latter an impossible excuse with their Get Fit Get Home program, and yesterday I ran 7.5km through London with a big group of people including presenter AJ Odudu and the one and only Victoria Pendleton (I know, what was I thinking?) in order to kickstart the program. Here's how I got on...
I've never been into running with a group of people and usually have my running playlist on, but it was surprisingly enjoyable and I chatted (through panted breath) to loads of different people, and the distraction made the run much more enjoyable. We ran through the park and Camden, so it was a nice way to see London. It's also much cheaper than public transport! I used my Nike Running App too and passed the 100 mile mark on the app - wahoooo!
Top: Reebok Top - The one I'm wearing is sold out, but this one is similar
Necklace: My necklace is a new collaboration between Wolf and Moon and CoppaFeel! - the most amazing breast cancer awareness charity. 50% of profits go to CoppaFeel!
Leggings: Bjorn Borg Mystical Flower Leggings
Trainers: Reebok ZQuick Running Shoes
Sports Bra: Freya Active - I have talked about this bra in a previous post but it's genuinely the best sports bra on the market.
AJ is also wearing Bjorn Borg leggings. They have so many nice ones, I also love these wild rose print ones.
The 'Get Fit Get Home' program is a sociable and safe way to run home from work, and takes place twice a week. The best part of it is you don't have to worry about your bags, as it includes a unique bag carrying service. The service is free to Fitness First members, or £15 for 12 sessions for non-members. There are four routes so you can run all or part of your way home. The options are Bank to Clapham Junction (via Waterloo), Tottenham Court Road to Highbury, Liverpool Street to Stratford, and Canary Wharf to Waterloo. Find out more on the Fitness First Home Run website.
I hope this post has inspired you to get running - even if you're a non Londoner. I've been on a bit of a health push recently, so this is exactly what I needed to motivate my exercise part of it. I'll do a post soon about the new eating plan I am doing through the Green Goddess Life (and Lucozade is definitely not allowed, sorry!).
Until next time... x
Last Saturday I headed over the Brixton Academy for the Yes Event, which is created by the National Citizen Service. The event was amazing as I got to watch artists like Nina Nesbitt, Joel Compass, and Elli Ingram perform, and hang out with my mates, including MTV presenter Lilah Parsons.
The event is in recognition of the 70,000 16 and 17 year olds who have dedicated over 1.5M hours to volunteering in their local communities, which is something I am keen to support. I actually did loads of voluntary service hours at school and was given a certificate by the mighty country of Cumbria for it. I actually did it to get out of being in the CCF (army), but I learnt some great skills along the way.
I wore a Missguided leotard and belt, with my Reebok running shoes (I was wearing them in for the Marathon), New Look leather jeans, my favourite Claire’s lion necklace, and a Lashes of London sequinned bomber jacket. I am obsessed with bomber jackets at the moment and there's so many great ones on the high street at the moment that have really cute feminine prints and embellishments.
I curled my hair using my Babyliss heated rollers - I'm still looking for a better solution as my hair drops so quickly. Please let me know your tips and tricks for long lasting curls!
Until next time... x
Hopefully you'll have read my previous post which looks at kicking the January Blues with a little bit of grooming - if not make sure you can check it out as you can win a free wax at Ministry of Waxing, and everyone can get a discount :) . The next thing I'm going to talk about is getting healthy - it's what everyone talks about in the New Year. Part of me is a little bit cynical about it because people over-indulge so much over Christmas and then go on such crazy health kicks in January that it's unsustainable. For the record, I don't really agree with tee-total, no carbs, fad diets, going to the gym twice a day. Of course I'd love to look like a Victoria Secrets model, but I know that I wouldn't be able to sustain it and would just get fatter later. My motivation for being healthy is just to look and feel better as opposed to being 'skinny' or loosing weight.
So here are my tried & tested health tips...
The JUICE DETOX.
I kicked January off with a juice diet - I felt quite unhealthy and wanted something to kick-start my healthy eating routine and feel-good factor. I used the company JouiceToU and they're great as you get four juices per day (2 green and 2 fruit) with only a three hour break in between so you don't have to wait too long between eating (well, technically drinking). I actually did a three day detox by JuiceToU in December just before Christmas as I had a shoot for lingerie brand Tutti Rouge and wanted to look lean.
The December detox made me feel slightly legarthic and lightheaded for the first couple of days - but that's totally normal as it's the toxins leaving your body apparently (there must have been a lot in my body as I lived off Coffee whilst presenting at the Clothes Show Live. Since that detox I cut caffeine out of my diet (including green tea), and this time when I embarked on a FIVE DAY detox (I know I'm mad), I had no uneasy feeling at all. Both times I've done the detox I felt energetic, full of energy, and my skin and hair felt great. I never get tired in the day anymore either, which I think is a combination of diet and excercise.
I know a lot of people say they lost X amount of weight on these juice diets, but that really wasn't my aim and I never ever weigh myself, so unfortunately I can't tell you whether I lost weight or not. For me it doesn't matter providing I feel good about myself so I don't look at the scales. The great news is I can offer you 50% off if you want to try the JuiceToU juice diet for yourself - just email info@juicetou.com and quote 'AJBLOG'. Please note this offer is valid until the end of January. Do let me know how you find it :)
Aside from juicing, the best piece of advice I can honestly give in my experience is to drink loads of water. It's so simple but makes such a difference to your skin & hair. If you put lemon juice in it it also increases your metabolism too! JuiceToU also provide lemons with the juices.
The GYM.
Excercise is on everybody's mind in the New Year, but like most resolutions, the excercise regimes (like the diets) are often forgotten about by February - ok ok, maybe I'm being cycnical - March. That's why I joined a gym as signing up to an annual contract will ensure I stick to my plan because I hate wasting money. I think the problem with gyms, or more specifically excercise in general, is that there's a preconception (at least in my mind) that excercise, like most things that are good for you, is boring. And well, I suppose that can be the case if you make it boring. If you don't like running don't do it as you won't stick to it, but it's definitely not my place to preach as I am completely unable (and unwilling) to kick my chocolate addiction. What unhealthy things are you unable to give up? And also what's your favourite chocolate - I want to discover a new one?
I joined the Nuffield in Surbiton which is absolutely beautiful both inside and out. More importantly than that, it has a pool (I like swimming and APPARENTLY you use every muscle in your body - is that true?), but also lots of exciting classes that make getting fit fun. I am starting POLE DANCING lessons - they offer classes every Thursday evening so I'll let you know how that goes! And no, I'm not considering it as a profession but it's really good for core strength. There's also other classes like yoga, pilates and even an interactive golf room so you can practice your swing.
Granted, the majority of you won't live anywhere near Surbiton but there are loads of gyms with amazing classes on offer to suit to many different tastes - I can most definitely vouch for Nuffield, and there's a Free Day Pass on their website so you can check out your local one for yourself with no strings attached. If you can afford it get a personal trainer too, even if just for a couple of sessions so you know exactly what you should be doing to achieve the results you want.
If you can't afford a gym, or just prefer to be out in the open air, then a good way to stay motivated is to sign up to some running events like the Great North Run, the London Marathon. Can you recommend any good ones? Not only does it potentially allow you to discover a different town, it also gives you the motivation to get out there - a bit like booking a holiday motivates me to look good, knowing I'll be in a bikini.
The APP.
If like me you do like to run, or just need a bit of motivation to get out there (and keep going back out), the best thing I did is download the Nike Running App. You can add your friends and see how far they've run - I am so competitive that if I see a friend has gone on a run, you can bet I will follow suite! You can also set each other challenges!
What's also really cool about it is you can track your progress and your routes (good for showing off to friends), and it will tell you your average speed, how many miles you've run, how many calories burnt, and even set running targets for you if you have an event to train for. My favourite things though are the following:
The GEAR.
Whether you're pole dancing, dancing like a crazy person in a Zumba class, or running - I think it definitely helps to look and feel the part. There is so much gym gear out there and I'd love to know what you all wear. I'm actually running the Bath Half Marathon for Coppa Feel and am looking for a really good pair of running shoes so do let me know your suggestions! For me the most important thing is a good sports bra as it makes excercise more comfortable, less painful, but also can prevent saggy boobs (please never happen!). I genuinely cannot recommend the new Freya' Active's sports bra enough.
Freya Active worked with the University of Portsmouth over 6 years and their new bra is the result of ground-breaking research. Without getting too technical, the Freya Active project is world leading and is the very first to study the 3 aspects - movement, strain and pain at multiple locations of the breast (applying up to 19 markers on the breast). Here are their results (in their own words):
STRAIN
The new Freya Active sports bra reduces strain to just 3% in the inner region of the breast, compared to 28% in an everyday bra.
The new Freya Active sports bra reduces strain at the nipple to 1%, reducing potentially damaging levels of strain at the centre of the breast
PAIN
The new Freya Active sports bra reduces pain by 97%, while an everyday bra reduces pain by only 58%
MOVEMENT
Testing found the new Freya Active sports bra reduces independent breast movement. 92% of participants in testing felt no independent breast movement wearing the bra.
It was more effective at reducing forwards and backwards movement in the upper section of the breast than other sports bra styles in the study.
Anyway, I really cannot recommend their sports bra enough - and you can get your own here.
Other than that I've been running in lots of Reebok clothing - purely because I think it has a nice range, but it's an entirely personal choice. Let me know if you have any pretty pieces of sports clothing - I want to look the part during the half marathon because my face will most certainly be an offensive shade of red!
The SUPPLEMENTS
If you are excercising, I came across some really good proteins and nutrients at Protein World. I literally know nothing about this kind of thing but luckily I live with a rugby player and he recommended some products for me. In the morning I take Multivitimins to get all my vital vitimans, as well as Fat Melter to increase my metabolism. Throughout the day I add Green Tea Extract to my herbal teas, which is a great antioxidant and increases my metabolism, and 30 minutes before bed I take ZMA, which are key minerals to help your body recover. If anyone has any other recommendations, I would love to hear them, as this really isn't my area of expertise. They're running a competition on their website to win £1000 and become their face (&body) and all you have to do is take a selfie - so there's a nice excuse to take a selfie! ;)
Hopefully this post will help you have a healthy end to your January, as well as a consistently healthy year! I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Until next time... x
PS If you ARE doing Dry January, or perhaps are just looking for things to do in London that aren't orientated round alcohol then check out this blog post on The London Whistler.
