Sixteen Steps to Happiness…

I am always looking for constant inspiration and motivation. Scrolling through thousands of Instagram posts, Tumblr hashtags, support pages on Facebook and every now and then I come across gold. I am all for holistic health, taking care of yourself and listening and trying to take note of what your body is trying to tell you. I came across this little article that The Artidote wrote so full credit to them, but I felt the need to share this as it really spoke to me, and I felt as though I could really closely relate so I’m sure many of you will be able to as well.

Sixteen Steps to Happiness – The Artidote

1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world – start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.

2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier – start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.

3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.

4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.

5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.

6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.

7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.

8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.

9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.

10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.

11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.

12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.

14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.

15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.

16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you.

xx

5 Exercises in 10 Minutes

A lot of people are always making excuses that they can’t work out, that they don’t have time. I can fix that! I will give you a quick workout you can do in 10 minutes that will at least get you up and moving during the day.

1. Jumping Squats

Jumping squats are so great for you, not only because they elevate the heart rate but they target the glutes, quads and hamstrings. If you do 2 rounds of 20 seconds with a 10 second rest in between it’ll keep your heart rate nice and high and get your warmed up and burning fat.

2. Lunges

Similar to jumping squats, combining the strength training and cardio will help keep the heart rate up and burn fat. If you find standing or walking lunges to easy you can always turn them into jumping lunges. Same with squats, 2 rounds of 20 seconds with 10 second rest.

3. Push Ups 

You can either do these on your knees or on your toes depending on your level of strength, instead of doing the 2 rounds with a rest do a 3 sets of 10 with a 10 second rest in between sets.

4. Russian Twists 

You can use a weight if bodyweight is to easy for you, but if you sit with your knees up and feet flat on the floor and lean back. Try and put about a 45 degree angle between your chest and your knees. Twist from side to side making sure you engage your abdominals. Same with the push ups, do 3 sets of 10 with a 10 second rest in between. *If you don’t know how to find them, squeeze your tummy muscles in and up, try and tuck them up and under your ribcage.

5. Swimmers

These are taken from the Ashy Bines Ab/Booty Challenge so full credit to her! But these are great for your whole body. Lie on your stomach and lift up both your arms and legs and pretend like you are swimming, freestyle type of thing. 2 rounds of 20 seconds of this with a 10 second rest in between will be sure to get your heart rate up, your shoulders burning and your butt screaming.

Repeat all 5 exercises again so you do them all twice. These are 5 exercises that will increase your heart rate, burn some calories and very time efficient.

Work hard!

 

xx

 

3 Ways to Stay Motivated for the Gym

I know we all have the best intentions when we join the gym, we want to get fit and look toned, be healthy and have the cutest activewear but when it comes down to it it can be hard to maintain. Staying committed to the gym is hard, life gets in the way, things come up and sh*t happens to everyone no matter how hard you try and plan and organise things to the t.

1. GRAB A GYM BUDDY 

Grab a friend, drag them into the gym and make plans with each other to go to the gym on regular basis. If you have someone else relying you to be somewhere at a particular time you are more likely not to cancel plans because you don’t want to let them down. Therefore, you both get a good workout and it will be easier to stay committed.

2. MAKE A NEW GYM PLAYLIST

Start a new workout playlist, find some new songs that get you in the workout mood and put them all together. Search through the pre made and other people’s gym playlists on Spotify or go through YouTube workout playlists to find the stuff you like. Try not to listen to it when you’re not in the gym, so if you want to listen to that music you have to go to the gym.

3. GET A PERSONAL TRAINER

I’m not just being biased because I have a trainer myself and I am studying to be one, but they keep you on track. Having an appointment to see them and a plan to work towards your goals will keep you going to the gym. Also having someone you don’t want to let down helps you stay committed to working out.

 

xx

Macros.

Many people are aware that macros exist, but they don’t really know understand the concept or how to use it to their advantage. Flexible dieting is still fairly new to me, but I think I am starting to really get the hang of it.

Macros means macronutrients, the main/most important nutrients your body needs the most of. These are the nutrients your body uses to perform basic daily functions and I’ve read a bit of research and the flexible dieting seems to be one of the most sustainable ways to live. Eating healthy, but also eating the things you want and enjoy. IIFYM (if it fits your macros) has a website where you can plug in all your information and it’ll give you an average TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) in other words how much energy you would use by just functioning. From then you choose whether you want to lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight and it’ll spit out a daily recommended intake of all your macros. Please remember though it is a recommendation, if you’re wanting more specific information I suggest you see a Nutritionist. I use My Fitness Pal to track my intake, I find it the easiest and most efficient way. It is also easily adjustable so you can manually inout what your nutrition goals are and how much of what you need per day.

The 3 main macros are protein, fat and carbohydrates. These are the building blocks for the your entire being. They all work together so closely at a microscopic level to help keep your body working in the best way it can.

Protein is the molecule that goes around repairing your muscles after you’ve finished working out and tearing your muscle fibers. Protein is also important for production of red blood cells and to regulate hormone levels throughout the body. Another reason protein is so important is their molecule size, because they’re bigger it takes longer for the body to process and digest them. therefore, keeping you fuller for longer.

The purpose of fat is varied. Mostly it is used for the reason people think fat is used for, filling your fat cells up to keep you  nice and warm. However, they do have other functions. The word fat is always bandied around like it’s something to be afraid of, something to stay away from but in fact it’s the opposite. You need to have fats in your diet, just not the saturated, deep fried kind. Those are the enemy. Fat cells actually store energy for the body to consume when needed, so all the time. They also surround and protect your vital organs and act as a form of transport for the protein molecules.

Carbohydrates are a huge energy source. They turn the energy provided into glucose which is then turned into glycogen which is the source that the body can process as energy. Glycogen surrounds and stores closely to the liver and also muscles.

Although with everything, moderation is key. carbs are good for you, although some are better than others. Simple carbohydrates are smaller molecules so they get processed a lot faster and the energy they produce burns out very quickly. As opposed to Complex carbohydrates which are larger in size. The digestion time for Complex carbs is very similar to that of protein, they keep you fuller for longer.

That’s my perspective on macros, in no way am I a professional. I have studied this a little but have not gone into great depth. This method I like to keep in mind, the reasons why I am trying to hit my macro goals everyday and remind myself of what these are helping me achieve.

If you want to know anything else or don’t think I have explained something quite right feel free to flick me a message and ask!

xx

Fitness Apps

I am such a massive fan of apps, all sorts really. Progress tracking ones, motivational ones, mental health ones and ones linked to fitness equipment that I have. I have quite a few on my phone but I will talk about the ones I like the most.

I like to have a very holistic view of health, in terms of someone having 4 walls, and if all 4 walls are not strong enough the whole building falls. There are 4 main parts in my life, my physical health, my mental/emotional health, social health and my spiritual health. If one these areas is lacking I don’t feel right, I feel very incomplete and like something is missing. The apps I have reflect all of these areas and I use them all at different times in the day/week.

I use some more than others, so I’ll post them in the order that I use them in.

1. MY FITNESS PAL

I track my macros, and this app I have found is the easiest one to navigate, it has a really large food database and is so easy to use. You put all your goals into it, you can customize your macro goals and it’s a really easy way to stay on track with your nutrition. If you want to stay accountable as well you can make your diary public to your friends and they can check up on what you’re eating. My trainer and partner do this for me.

2. FITBIT

I love my fitbit with a passion, I never go anywhere without. I am really anal about starting a workout at the gym and any walks I manage to fit in. I like to know exactly how I perform and what my average heart rate is to gauge how hard I pushed myself and figure out what I could do differently next time to make the workout more effective.

3. CREATE LIVE GROW

This is an app I have recently discovered, I follow Ashy Bines on everything and her friend Jess is such an inspiration to me and when I found out she had an app I had to download it, better yet it was free! It has a whole lot of really yummy recipes, blog posts about all sorts of topics, and my favourite part is the playlist of meditations she has on there. She has a range of beginner ones and also more experienced ones.

4. ASHY BINES BOOTY CHALLENGE

I think Ashy Bines would be the person who inspires me the most, just with her attitude towards living a balanced life and taking overall health very seriously. So of course, I am  a girl with a booty and I like to maintain it so Ashy’s booty challenge is the perfect app for me. Short workouts that really target your butt and make you feel so good!

5. MY WEIGHT

It is an app that will easily track your weight loss, keeps a count of how much weight you have lost, what your average weekly/daily loss is and the time frame in which this happens. Such an easy app to use, simple to look at with all the information right in front of you.

 

Most of these apps are free from the Apple Store or from the Google Play, I think the only one I paid for was the Ashy Bines one, you buy her programme through her website and it gives you a log in for the app. The app is free but you have to pay for the programme. I hope this helps anyone, any questions feel free to flick me a message and I am more than happy to help.

 

Take care, x

Why I Want to be a Personal Trainer?

I seem to get this question a lot recently because if you knew me in primary, intermediate or even high school you would know that I played netball and that was about it for fitness. I wasn’t one for running, I would do anything I could to get out of any physical activity at school. Faked period pain, faked muscle pain, you name it and I probably tried it. Even at the beginning of last year if you asked me if I would ever have a career in the fitness industry I would have told you to stop being stupid. But now, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

I have tried and failed to start on many fitness journeys, and in all honesty when I started this one late last year I thought it would’ve ended up the same. We all start out with the best intentions, we are so keen to get started and start seeing differences straight away and when that doesn’t happen you get discouraged. I get it, but I go myself a trainer and told her everything. All about how I have tried so many diets and fads and all sorts of different training but haven’t been able to stick to anything. I told her my goals, what I wanted to do and what I thought my barriers were and what I needed her to do to help me overcome them. Getting a trainer was the best thing I have ever done for myself and the people around me. I want to be that person for someone else.

Michelle is my knight in shining armour, she has picked me up so many times and encouraged me and been hard on me when I needed it, she has supported me throughout everything and has always been happy to help in any way that she could. She is actually the one that inspired me to follow my very recent dream of becoming a personal trainer. She is everything I have ever wanted to be, slim, toned, beautiful, successful, down to earth, intelligent and just an all round great person. I look at her and what she has built for herself and that everything I want for myself.

I want to be that person for someone else, I seem to have a soft spot for girls around the ages of about 15 – 23. I look around and see so many things that I believe I could help with, it makes me so sad. But I was one of those girls, I had low self esteem, struggled with mental illness, had difficulties with friends and family and ate myself into a very dark hole. I have turned it around, I have become a happier, healthier person and I want to help others to do the same.

That’s the main reason I want to be a personal trainer, I have always wanted to help people and change lives and this is a way I can do it. I want to transform people’s lives, boost their confidence, have more energy, have courage to follow their dreams and to live a better life for them.

I want to motivate, inspire and encourage women to be the best they can be, to work out what they’re good at and to pursue it. I want to help them have the courage to be who they want be and be confident in who they are.

If I can help anyone with anything at all please message me or text me and I will do everything I can to help. If this has ignited a fire in you, or you feel slightly more inspired to be more active then that was the aim. Go out and do you! Go and be the best version of you that is possible, and keep your head up. For the girls reading this, remember, you are a girl boss. You are strong, independent and you can do anything you set your mind to. If you see a barrier you are more than capable of overcoming it and making it your bitch.

Be strong, x

Food Addiction

Food addiction is something I think is not talked about enough. A lot of people talk about addiction to drugs, alcohol, gambling, video games, internet and even sex but people often forget or are not even aware that addiction to food is a very common problem.

There are always statistics being bandied around about the rate of obesity, the amount of fast food available, the amount of unhealthy food being fed to our children and the availability and price of junk food. What gets on my nerves is people talk about these issues, and yes, they should have attention drawn to them, but no one does anything about it. Most don’t even change anything themselves, or even attempt to make a change even when they are the ones drawing attention to the issue.

Being addicted to food is not uncommon, why do you think people get so overweight and unhappy with their bodies? It’s not by choice. People don’t choose to be overweight, they don’t choose to have confidence issues. However there are always exceptions and I do acknowledge that, but most people get so stuck in a hole and they feel like they can’t get out so they just dig deeper and deeper down.

I know what it’s like, I have been there, and to some extent I still feel that way. There are so many reasons people become addicted to food. Many believe it’s because they just like how it tastes, but there is so much more to it.

There is eating to try and mask how they feel, the junk food provides them with something to look forward to everyday, it tastes nice, it’s something to distract them from whatever else is going on and the list goes on and on. Personally, I am an emotional eater and I am not afraid to admit that. I don’t really truly understand the other reasons of overeating but I can be empathetic because I know how hard it is.

Sometimes it feels like you’re trapped, you’re trapped inside your mind, inside your body, inside this hole you have dug yourself. Your hole of comfort in a way, where you feel safe and content is surrounded and consuming junk food. When you’re sad, when you’re stressed, when you’re anxious, when someone was mean to you, when someone yelled at you, when someone looks at you funny you want to go and eat junk food because for the moment in time where it’s you and the 4 chocolate bars you have in your lap you feel content.

Addiction to food is glossed over to much, if people put the same time and effort into getting this problem under control it would be less frowned upon and taken more notice of. You hear about Quitline and all the other campaigns to help you quit smoking, and the ones to help you with gambling addiction, rehab for people addicted to sex but all I have ever heard of is Overeaters Anonymous for people struggling for food addiction, and even that was not very well advertised.

People struggle every day with food addiction, and society makes them feel alienated and judged so they sink deeper and deeper into their hole of comfort and food. How is that helping? I want to make people feel like it’s okay to talk about it, it’s okay to admit you struggle with forcing yourself to stop eating, or to stop eating junk food everyday. I struggle with it, even now. I ate 3 chocolate bars the other day, do I feel guilty? Yes. Should I have done it? No. Am I going to learn from it and own my mistake? Hell yes I am.

People are not perfect and I am determined to spread the message about food addiction and the damaging effects it has on people and their lives. I want people to know it’s okay to admit they struggle with it, and that it’s okay to talk about it. I want to help as many people and I can to try and change the way society sees obesity. Fat shaming, and bullying people into not eating junk food is not going to work, they will eat more behind your back and then you just go round and round in circles. We will get absolutely nowhere.

Im determined to find a place to provide encouragement, support and motivation to help anyone who struggles with food addiction or even people who need motivation to continue in their recovery from food addiction. It’s hard, it’s always going to be hard. But with an encouraging and supportive team behind you, it’s possible.

A Different Perspective.

This is a topic I could write forever about, I am so passionate about this and spreading the message to everyone that I just want to stand on top of the world somehow and shout it out so everyone, everywhere can hear it.

Some people will be able to relate to this, some won’t.

Being overweight sucks, it sucks balls. Not going to sugarcoat it, you can try and fluff it up all you want, but the health risks and the barriers do exist. They are there, no matter how much society wants you to believe everyone is invincible, they aren’t.

BUT! There is such a massive but here, (also a massive butt, cause we squat 😉 ) if you take the necessary steps to be safe in what you do, you can achieve anything.

Coming from an overweight background I understand how hard it is to move around, to go shopping with your friends and not fit anything, to secretly stuff your face full of chocolate and chips and Maccas in your car before you get home from work. At the time you love it, but you feel so embarrassed about the fact that you find it really difficult to stop yourself from overeating that you have to hide it from everybody. That makes it even harder to ask for help because 1, you have to admit to yourself you have a problem and need someone else to help you deal with it and 2, you have to be honest with someone else about the extent of the problem and admit what food you eat and how much you eat. It’s one of the hardest things I have done.

I had tried many times, to be healthy and lose weight. I did it, a few times, but it wasn’t in a healthy way and I put on twice as much twice as fast as I lost it so once I found this way I wanted to make sure everyone knew about it. I want to make people like me, men and woman feel as empowered about health and wellness as I now do.

Becoming a personal trainer was such a massive life direction change, if someone had told me a year ago I would no longer be at Uni I would be studying to work in a gym and help change people’s lives I think I would’ve honestly laughed in your face. I would’ve thought it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. Being where I am now, I can’t see any other options for me, nothing would fulfil me as much as being the person to change someone’s life for the better, and be that positive influence for someone like my trainer is for me.

Coming into the industry I feel as though I have somewhat of an edge compared to others, not trying to blow my own trumpet or anything I just feel as though I can relate to people because of where I started in my journey. Weighing in at 117kg, no self confidence, an anxiety disorder and next to no motivation I know how hard it can be to get yourself up in the morning and head into the gym before the rest of your family and friends are awake. Having to turn down going out for dinner with friends because you know you don’t want to be put in the position where you might overindulge and ruin everything you’d done that week.

Becoming a personal trainer one of my biggest aspirations is to inspire people like me. In particular girls, no I am not being sexist, I just believe that I can understand the issues they face alot more than I can boys. I want to be the person they text at 10pm at night because they really want to go and get McDonalds because they had a shitty day, I want to be given the opportunity to share my experiences and my mistakes so others can learn from them.

I hope this post inspires just one person to look after themselves, maybe someone who has been thinking about it for a while but wasn’t to sure how to begin, or what to do, but wants to feel the change and in turn change the rest of their life. If anyone needs anything, support, motivation, stories, experiences, advice I will do my best to provide you with all of those.

Please, if you are thinking about it reach out to someone. Find someone you trust, or someone you don’t know might be easier. Confess everything, write it all down and burn it. Or just make a small change in your life that you can build on in the months and years to come. It takes one little change to produce results, once you start seeing those results it will fuel your motivation fire and you take it from there.

You can do this. If you take nothing away from this post, please just remember that you are brave, you are beautiful and if you are committed you can do anything you set your mind too.

 

Becs x