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Friday 19 June 2015

Health + Fitness: Running and Yoga

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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