Hi again :)
Now we all know keeping to a routine isn't the easiest thing to do, especially when it comes to healthy eating! Me personally, I love healthy eating.. fruit & salad are one of the main parts of my diet, especially fruit! But I also love sweets and chocolate.
(DO YOU SEE MY PROBLEM)
So Summer last year I joined the gym, and in the space of about 6 months I think I used it 2 times, waste of money I know but I thought to myself I'm determined to get back into it which I have. I even went and bought some new trainers and gym clothes, which to me made me more motivated! I thought I would do a post on exercise and healthy eating to hopefully motivate those of you who might be lacking in encouragement and determination, like I was a few months ago.
Firstly I don't usually have a lot of time in the day to just sit around and do nothing, what with work and everything so this is just a quick and easy workout you can add in to your daily routine that takes up to about 10 minutes each day! So if you're like me and don't like your legs this is a 10 minute 'legs, bums and tums' at home workout;
So before you begin make sure you're warmed up and are hydrated, if it helps stick some music on to get you motivated a bit more.
First you start with squats which is absolutely perfect if you want a firm bum and thighs. Begin with 2 sets of 24 reps, ensure your feet are shoulder width apart (you don't want to be looking like you're taking a dump!) put your arms down by your sides or if you're a bit unbalanced holding them out in front of you is helpful. Lower yourself down by bending your knees until they are at a 90 degree angle with your thighs parallel to the floor. Make sure your back is straight and don't let your knees extend to over your toes! Like I said before, do 2 sets of 24 reps at a pace that you think is suitable for you, don't over work yourself.
Next.. LUNGES! Again, these are great for your bum and thighs! So I'm pretty sure you all done these in P.E. class when you were in school. Simple, stand in a split stance with your right leg forward and your left leg back. Bend the knee slowly, lowering yourself into a lunge position, your knees should be at a right angle near enough. Keep the weight in your heels and push back into the position you started with. Ensure your back is straight and once again don't let your knees extend to over your toes. Do 1 set of 20-25 reps on each leg.
Now a bit of a relaxing one for us all, after those 2 I was pretty tired out but I put a bit of 5 Seconds of Summer on and I was loving life, haha! So next we'll do some side-lying leg raises, now I don't know if yous have done these in P.E. class. To begin lay on your side with your knee bent at 90 degrees and your other leg straight and in line with your back. Make sure your hip is tilted slightly forward and raise your straight leg as far as you can get it without letting your hips tilt back, slowly lower your leg to the position you started in and repeat around 10 times then swap legs! Simple as!
Finally, I like to end with a little stretch and cool off routine which increases your flexibility and reduces your heart rate. Make sure you're stretching all the muscles you've used during the workout for example your Buttocks, Hamstrings and Inner Thighs.
So that's it, repeat these as much as you possibly can and hopefully you'll see the difference after a few weeks! I'm going to try and stick to this and do it as much as I can, maybe every day if I'm not slaving away behind a bar!
Onto the healthy diet part, WATER WATER AND MORE WATER.. I say this but I drink around 1 glass of water every other day, it's really bad! I always say to myself in the morning that I'm going to drink more water today and it never happens.. I need will power.
I'm trying to find a flavored tea that I'm going to actually enjoy drinking, so far I've tried green tea, lemon tea, raspberry and chamomile and they've all made me feel a tad sick so I'm still on the search for one that doesn't turn my stomach!
It's important to have a balanced diet when you're trying to lose weight because what's the point in doing all that exercise and then going home and stuffing your face with pizza and kebabs! Despite what it says in a lot of magazines and on TV programmes, healthy eating is actually pretty straightforward if you try to eat plenty of fruit and veg, plenty of starchy foods like bread, rice and pasta, some meats, fish and a small amount of foods that are high in fat or sugar.
Thanks for reading & leave me some feedback in the comments if you've tried any of the exercises.
Bye now! xxx
