My workout today!

I didn't think I'd find myself writing a blog post about a workout I'd done because normally I would think it's not very interesting, but today's workout was something new that I hadn't tried before and I loved it and thought it was worth sharing.

 

The workout I did was from this blog post and it would be useful if you have a TRX band, two dumbbells, a skipping rope and a mat if you want one.

 

 

I call it an "add on workout" because you do the first exercise, then the first exercise and the second exercise, then the first exercise and the second exercise and the third exercise and so on.

 

I had never tried this structure before, I only tried circuit training, Tabata and workouts where you don't repeat the exercises at all. I think add on workouts are my new favourite!

 

I love how it made the time pass so quickly ad never got boring. I wanted to keep going so I could try the next exercise. In this workout there is the perfect balance of cardio and strength training so it will help you get stronger while burning calories.

 

Another reason I'm a fan of add on workouts is because they are so adaptable. It's not unusual for people not to have a TRX band or a set of dumbbells lying around in their house, so if you don't want to go to the gym, you can just change the exercises. For example, you could swap TRX chest press for swimmers or push ups. It's so simple, I love it.

 

Of course, the reason I loved the workout so much could've just been because I wanted to test out our TRX band which I didn't know we had. Or it could've been because I did it outside in the sunshine (I had to make the most of it while it was there!). Either way, I recommend you try this type of workout.

 

Remember to cool down and drink water after every workout you do (:

 

Now here are some pictures:

Can we just take a moment to appreciate my new leggings... I got them for half price from Nike and  I am very excited about it.



 

Shoutout to Poppy (my dog) for not attacking me while I did my workout! Also, I am aware of the state of my hair, I just can't do anything about it.



A little post workout selfie including me looking like a tomato but enjoying endorphins anyway.



Here's me doing some bicycle crunches. Lovely.



 



A fascinating photo of some of my equipment. I hope you enjoy it.



 

Bonus photo of me and Poppy. Don't be fooled, she looks like she loves me but she is probably trying to bite my nose or something.

 

Healthy Habits Challenge: Day 13

Today I want you to:

 

Make a new meal you've never made before!

 

There have been a few food related habits to try so far, so I don't know if there's much for me to explain that I haven't mentioned before.

 

This new meal could be a new pancake recipe to a ratatouille good enough for the Queen, I don't mind, as long as you've never made it before.

 

Hopefully you'll be a bit of a better cook after doing this challenge, and hopefully you'll have discovered some new ingredients/foods that you like.

 

Remember that it's meant to be fun, so go ahead and get someone to cook the meal with you. Whether it's a disaster or your new favourite recipe, it should be fun to try!

 

If you can't think of anything to make, there are hundreds of blogs on the internet that just make recipes and meal ideas for you to try so have a look.

 

Personally, I love the look of this soup so that's what I'll be making!

 

 

Healthy Habits Challenge: Day 12

Today I want you to:

 

Try intense cardio!

 

This means you need to get a sweat on...

 

Intense cardio is things like:

 

Running

HIIT (high intensity interval training)

Swimming

Anything that makes your heart beat fast and a drip come down your forehead

 

Cardio will help you lose weight (because it burns a hell of a lot of calories) but also if you do endurance training like long distance running, it will make your heart stronger.

 

This means that your resting heart rate will become lower because your heart can pump more blood with less beats because it's so strong. I used to do a lot of cross country and my resting heart rate was 43 beats per minute, but I stopped cross country races a while ago so it's probably risen quite a lot.

 

Not only is cardio is good for your health, I find it fun! You work really hard but the endorphins afterwards are great. When you have your second portion of pudding, you feel like you've earned it.

 

You could make your own cardio workout by doing some of these exercises (or others):

 

Burpees

Jump Lunges

Skipping  Rope

Jumping Jacks

Skater Hops

Mountain Climbers (fast)

High knees

 

If you don't want to do that, there are plenty of workouts on youtube, pinterest or anywhere on the internet if you search "cardio workout"

 

Good luck! If you are in the middle of the workout and you're finding it hard, remember that the harder you work, the better it will feel afterwards (:

Sorry, this is the least blurry photo we had. Thanks Juliette for skipping rope so photogenically!

 

Healthy Habits Challenge: Day 11

Today I want you to:

 

Be a vegetarian for the day!

 

If you're already a vegetarian or vegan, lucky you! This one should be easy.

 

Otherwise, this is something that won't necessarily make you healthier, but it will just give you a chance to cook without meat and use other substitutes instead.

 

Everyone is different- some people might really benefit from being a vegetarian, other people might not, but it's worth a try.

 

Some studies show that vegetarianism can reduce risk of cancer and other diseases, but on the other hand, there are millions of people who are perfectly healthy who eat meat.

 

Being a vegetarian for the day will encourage you to use some different recipes and ingredients.

 

I mentioned them before, but Food 52 have loads of delicious looking recipes including plenty for vegetarians.

 

You might find it fun to be a vegetarian, and who knows, you might convert to be one!

 

Good luck!

 

A picture of a vegetarian quinoa salad from the Food 52 blog



Healthy Habits Challenge: Day 9

Today I want you to:

 

Write down everything you eat!

 

I've never tried this before, but I know that it will make you more aware of what you put in your body, and you'll think twice about whether you want to eat it or not.

 

This will help you eat more healthily because, even if you don't show it to anyone, that page with everything you wrote on it is proof that you ate healthily/unhealthily. I feel like we get into the mind-set that if we eat something unhealthy, it doesn't really matter- it's just one thing and we can move on. If we write down everything we eat, we will know exactly how much healthy/unhealthy food we eat, so we might think a bit more about eating something unhealthy because we can't just move on- we will write it down and read it later.

 

Sometimes we mindlessly snack, but knowing if you eat something you have to write it down might make you think that it's not worth the effort.

 

You might find this really tedious and boring, while some of you might find it helpful, but I want you to try it anyway and see if it's useful.

Thank you Kale for the photo!



Healty Habits Challenge: Day 4

Today I want you to:

 

Make all of your meals from scratch for the day!

 

This means that you don't buy any ready meals or eat anything that you don't know what's in it.

 

This is good for your health because processed foods are a massive cause for people to be overweight because there is so much hidden sugar and preservatives and other nasty things in them, so by making your own meals, you are avoiding this completely.

 

As well as this, cooking can be fun! You can choose exactly what you eat and how it's made, and how much of it there is. It will also help you become a better cook if you practise.

 

Some of you might do this already, but if you don't just give it a try for one day.

 

Good luck!

I tried this, and on second thought, I realised that bran flakes aren't really made from scratch by me- all I do is pour a bit of milk on them. Either way, I ate them and they were delicious.

A different breakfast which I love to make (and is definitely from scratch) is a smoothie because they taste so delicious and sweet, don't take long to make and are healthy (but not healthy for your teeth so make sure you have some water afterwards!).

A smoothie that I make a lot contains a banana, some frozen raspberries and other berries like blackberries and blueberries and milk. It's so quick and easy so I recommend you try it.

I think I'll do a post full of some smoothie recipe ideas because I can think of so much that I want to write about...

Luckily for me, my school finishes at 2:20 so I get home by 3. Normally I'd make a salad or sandwich and eat at school but yesterday I tried eating lunch when I got home so I could make an exciting (this is exciting for me) lunch.

It was a quick omelette containing broccoli, tomato and a cheeky bit of grated cheese. I think I'll make a post about lunch recipes and ideas because I love reading them and seeing what other people have for lunch (even though for me it is sometimes just lettuce with tuna which isn't very interesting).

If you're short of ideas of what to make for dinner, go an look at the recipes on Food 52, they look delicious, different and not too difficult! I'll definitely be having a go at lots of their recipes.