Fitness and Wellbeing for Women
Emma Mulrooney, PT, Pilates Teacher, Health Coach and studying Degree in Naturopathy discusses Fitness and Wellbeing For Women.
January can be hard, most of us have decided to wait until the new year to start our new goals and it can become overwhelming and we go to start and don't know how to or it feels too hard. Be kind to yourself, it is a long year and your goals are so achievable.
Goal Setting & Visualisation
Start with baby steps, it won't happen overnight if you are starting a new fitness regime or changing your diet but making small changes and seeing a long term goal is easier.
Close your eyes and visualise yourself at the end of the year , how do you feel, how do you look, who will you be with , what will you be wearing? (FitPink High Waisted Leggings I'm sure) Write it down and run towards that feeling.
Create Space & Routine For Your Fitness and Wellbeing
The January weather is not really in our favour but we can get out for a walk or run in between showers and if not try to find an exercise you like at home. We dont need a lot of space or equipment to start a Fitness and Wellbeing plan. Find your corner to exercise and have it ready, with a fitness mat, a water bottle and enough space to move a little. Give yourself a dedicated time for example 30minutes or 45 minutes a day. If you don't complete the whole 30 minutes because somebody wants a snack at home or you have to hop back on a Zoom that's okay, aim for the full amount but be flexible too.
There are so many online options now. We have Joe Wicks workouts you can do with the children. We have all of our local studios running online classes (
Rushe Fitness), some are renting bikes and equipment. We have apps like FIIT and SWEAT and YouTube has so many videos. These apps run challenges (21 day or 30 day challenges which are great to get you started).
FitPink Squat Proof Sports Leggings and Elevate Leggings are perfect for running and HIIT. What I love about the apps is that you can follow the classes 1-100 and tick them off. YouTube can be inconsistent for us to see progression. Make sure you have your favourite pair of FitPink High Waisted Leggings, shoes and equipment always ready so you have no excuse.
Nutrition and Wellbeing Tips.
The first one is water, aim for 2l of water a day it is a common tip but the benefits are endless. Not only does it stop us feeling peckish, it nourishes our muscles and speeds up our metabolism.
Shopping and planning : Plan ahead when shopping, think of what you will make that week if you are following a plan, write down a list and grab that. Try to cut out sugar and swap it for fruit. Swap white carbohydrates for more veg, make things like Zucchini Pasta (courgette that looks like spaghetti) or cauliflower rice as side dishes if you have them with your curry or bolognese you will be consuming less calories and more nutrients (so will look and feel better).
Stock up on easy to grab snacks like hummus and carrot sticks, nuts, or low fat crackers. put those easy to reach in the fridge and hide the other snacks up in a hard to reach place.
If you are feeling really low on energy see a qualified naturopath or nutritionist, Vegans are often low in B12 and many of us are low in Vitamin D and C both which are great for our immune system.
Plan ahead for example make your overnight oats the night before or have eggs ready if you don't have those to hand chances are you will start your day off with less healthier options.
What are your vices, notice when you grab these foods, when you are stressed or tired can you substitute your chocolate bar for a cup of herbal tea or a bottle of water or a healthier snack like nuts. Remember your goals from your visualisation.
Mindful eating, try to eat slowly and with intention notice everything you are eating and chew slowly, sound silly but if we eat super fast whilst we are watching tv or on emails our mind won't register what we are eating and we will be hungry again sooner.
Find a friend to motivate you, although we can't walk together for a while soon again we can. Try joining a virtual class together. Exercise with your kids it's actually fun when they are around, just be careful with weights.
Mind Your Mind
Finally, stress : try to find sometime options to destress and unwind. There are great meditation apps out there like @headspace @calm or simply journaling your feelings, this can help destress and so can taking a bath with relaxing aromas. Stress can create the fight or flight hormone which tells are body we are in danger and therefore stores our food rather than burns it so really work on this one. But also remember a long walk or a good dance fitness class is a great way to destress and burn calories.