Hey everyone. So today I wanted to have a little chat with
you all about health and fitness. No, that was not a joke, health and fitness.
I just wanted to begin by saying that I am not a fitness obsessed, salad-only
eating and gym-going girl but you don’t need to be that to stay healthy, so I
thought I’d tell you a bit about me, a larger gall, giving running a go and
getting into a healthier lifestyle.
So yeah- I love biscuits and cake, and nothing- no diet-
will ever stop me from treating myself every now and again. So I’m not going to
write this post pretending that I never have a cheeky tea-and-biscuits break
from revision, or pudding on weekends, but I have tried to be more active in my
day to day life.
Last year ago (about last March if you’re interested), I
signed myself, my sister and my dad up to do the 3 mile Sports Relief charity
run. For me, a girl who only ever ran in school PE, this was a huge challenge.
The distance was, of course, a test, but one of the hardest things with running
is just going for it and getting out there. At first I had zero confidence,
running in the evenings covered by my hoodie, but week by week I learnt that I
had to stop caring about others. I smashed the run, and it has been one of my
proudest achievements in the last few year, but I also continued to run.
Now I run every week, if possible, normally on Saturday
mornings. I wake up nice and early, when it’s not very busy outside and the
temperatures nice, and I go running. Some days I do shorter runs or interval
runs, and my furthest distance so far in 5 miles. This may sound like a small
or big hurdle, but for me it’s getting me closer and closer to be 10km aim for
this year.
I know running won’t be for everyone, but I want to say give
it a try. I would never have seen myself as someone who runs routinely but it
makes me feel so much better and more confident. I don’t run particularly fast
(my pace is around 1 mile in 11 minutes) and I still go red after, but this won’t
stop me from continuing. Although having to peel yourself from your comfy sleep
is one of the worst feelings, I truly enjoy running and getting outside. And,
in fact, getting up and whimp-ing out of a run, is a far worst feeling to have.
When I run, I use the Run Keeper app. No this is not sponsored,
but I really do want to recommend it to you. I’ve heard the Nike version is supposed
to be really good- I haven’t tried it yet- but the Run Keeper one works a treat
for me. It calculates your route, pace, calories burnt, distance and you can
even enter where you’ve run after, if that’s more appropriate. You can set
goals, select workouts (like certain interval runs) and it lets you know how you’re
doing.
One thing that people may worry about when running is how
you look. To get motivated, you could go out and buy a whole new workout
outfit- but when I started I just wore an old top and leggings and went from
there. Now I wear a sports bra (this really helps btw), F&F running leggings
–which were a complete bargain- and H&M running tops. Nothing too special
but for me its comfy and practical. I also was lucky enough to receive Nike
trainers for Christmas. I was running far before I got these- so they’re definitely
not essential- but since wearing them I have found them a lot more comfortable.
Another way I’ve been recently staying active is with yoga.
I tried yoga once or twice before, but to go to my local gym and do a class (no
doubtable-y full with oldies) you have to have an adult and blah de blah de
blah… However, I still decided that yoga would be suitable to me and a great
way to get my body moving and getting stronger. So I tried online yoga, tuning
in to Yoga with Adriene videos on Youtube. I don’t use a yoga mat, just my
carpet, and do a session every now and again when I feel like it. I love Yoga
with Adriene’s videos because there is so much choice and you can find
different routines perfect for you. She does Yoga for beginners, yoga for
stress/ relaxation, yoga for weight loss, yoga for mornings- even bedtime yoga.
Yes, I still look like a bit of an idiot doing it but in my bedroom behind
closed doors, who really cares?
So that’s what I currently do to try and stay healthy. Along
with this I do school PE and play netball (in and out of school) when it’s in
netball season. I hope that if you are not a fitness-perfect person like me,
you may feel motivated by this post… or maybe you just liked learning a bit
about my routine. How do you like to keep fit? Please let me know in the
comment and I hope you have a great day too, much love,
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