My inspiration

March 27, 2024 / No Comments

http://simplytaralynn.com/ - Great for everyday inspiration as well as tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and body

http://eatmoveimprove.myshowroom.se/ - Amazing breakfast food porn and body image inspiration

http://projecthb.co.uk/ - Just a normal girl trying to get back in control of her life. Reviews of London-based fitness classes and regular meet-ups

http://www.bangsandabun.com/ - Serious #girlswholift inspiration as well as some heartfelt insights into body image

http://beprettyfit.com - running inspiration! And she has the same name as me which always helps…

http://www.challengesophie.com - This girl takes on the most extreme challenges, all in the name of #onelifeliveit. Her latest is the Alpine Coast to Coast challenge, involving days of mountain cycling and climbing the highest peaks in each country she passes through

http://makemeaspartanbeast.com - Laura trains at my gym and has taken on the challenge of 3 Spartan races this year. Madness

More to be added…

Sometimes it feels like you’re running backwards

March 21, 2024 / No Comments

I’ve been flying pretty high for the past few weeks because I feel like I’m getting stronger, my 30 day paleo challenge has been going well and my body shape is noticeably changing.

But even with all of that, I suffered a bit of a setback yesterday.

I went back to Dean’s Boot Camp at London Fields Fitness Studio last night which I’d been loving before I went to India. There’s a lot of running and cardio involved in this class which takes place outside in London Fields.

Now, as you all know, I’m not the strongest runner, but I am getting better. That said, mixing burpees and push ups with laps around the park was a real struggle.

I was getting back to base last on every single run, often quite a way behind everyone else. As much as I wanted to run faster, I realised that I couldn’t have completed the reps at that tempo so I stuck to my slow and steady plod.

However, shuffling along by myself started to get to me. Everyone else seemed so much fitter, faster and stronger. I started to feel like a failure which I haven’t felt for a while. I’ve come such a long way already but the huge distance that I still have to go suddenly seemed like a step too far.

The only thing that picked me up was a massive high five from Dean at the end of the circuit and some encouraging words from him to tell me to maintain my tempo and that I was doing well.

Following that class I’ve added a new aim for 2014: to not come last in every running circuit.

It’s something to aim for and I’m going to start getting there by going back to Dean’s class on Saturday morning and running my little legs off.

Photo credit: http://www.motivationblog.org/running-inspirational-posters/#.Uyxpnz9_sVA

Mash Up - circuits and boxing all in one… ouch…

March 18, 2024 / No Comments

This week’s new class was Mash Up with Kate from Form Fitness at my favourite place in East London, London Fields Fitness Studio.

Picture credit: Kate Stewart (http://www.formfitness.co.uk/about-me/)

It’s an hour’s worth of circuits, boxing and some core work. Now, I like circuits because you get to work lots of different muscle groups and just when you think you’re about to pass out from effort, it’s time to move on to the next exercise.

I’ve always been a bit sceptical about boxing because my upper body strength is largely non-existent. However, that is one of my aims for 2014 so along to the class I went.

The circuits were a great combo of squat jumps, skipping, punching with dumbells, slips to tuck jumps (yeah, I had no idea either) and some core-activating downward dogs to plank moves.

By this point everyone was glowing nicely and I was sweating heavily. As usual.

We paired up, put on the gloves and pads and got down to some serious padwork. Kate paired punch combos with sprints and core work which was great for hitting some cardio as well as conditioning.

By the end we were all glad to lie down on our mats and do some quick core blitzing.

Overall this was a great class. As it is split into sections the time flies by but you’re working hard all of the time. Kate helps to count down the sets and keeps everyone laughing and encouraged.

The most important things that I learnt were that I punch like a baby, I have less than no strength in my puny left arm but I bloody love boxing!

Details

When? Mondays 19:30 - 20:30

Where? London Fields Fitness Studio, Railway Arch 379 Mentmore Terrace, Hackney. E8 3PH

How much? Only £5 for a right a**e-kicking!

Hot Pod Yoga - You win some, you lose some

March 13, 2024 / No Comments

As part of my 2014 goals, I’ve decided to try out a new exercise class at least every other week. This week’s new adventure was Hot Pod Yoga at The Trampery on Mare Street, Hackney.

I’d always avoided bikram or hot yoga in the past as I suspected that I wouldn’t enjoy it. I’m great in the heat as long as I’m lying in a hammock with a book. Having to actually do anything when it’s hot makes me grumpy. Good start.

First off, the space. The inflatable pod is up on the first floor and first impressions is that it looks like a giant purple and black bouncy castle with a roof!

I was worried about a number of things:

- Would it smell of sweaty people?

- Would the mats be clean?

- Would it have that slightly moist sweaty thing going on that bouncy castles sometimes have…?

You can breathe a sigh of relief, it was beautiful inside! It was clean, smelt like eucalyptus and the mats were spotless. The hard floor meant that once you were inside it didn’t feel like a bouncy castle any more. With the purple walls and lights it felt like being inside a tellytubby’s tummy. In a good way.

And so to the yoga. It was Vinyasa Flow which I’ve been doing for the past 8 months or so with the lovely Jess at Fat Buddha Yoga so it felt comfortable. You flow through a series of asanas, working your whole body, especially your core. It’s not for those who come to yoga expecting an hour of meditation!

However, it was slightly faster than I was used to and the sweat pouring off every part of my body made the mat slippery which complicated some poses.

Overall, I found it difficult to focus on the poses as the dripping sweat completely distracted me. Within about 15 minutes I was praying for the end of the class so I could get a gulp of fresh air.

It was a good experience and I slept very well afterwards but it’s not for me. It was too hot, I couldn’t concentrate and an hour was a little bit too short.

However, for someone looking for hot yoga I would definitely recommend it for being a clean, professional and affordable option.

Goals. No, not the football kind

March 7, 2024 / No Comments

When I started on my fitness journey, I wanted to look like this:

That’s it. That was my goal.

I soon ran into problems though because:

a) My genetics will probably never allow me to look like that

b) It’s discouraging when you don’t look like that within 1 month

So I realised that I needed to set more realistic step-by-step goals and learn to notice each small change, whether anyone else can see it or not.

Having already lost 10lbs and run my first non-stop 5km, I’m feeling incredibly proud of how far I’ve come in terms of taking control of my weight but also of building my fitness and changing my lifestyle.

So proud in fact that I’m going to do something that I never thought I’d do. I’m going to post a ‘before and during’ photo of myself. Here goes…

Making comparisons like this help me to remember how far I’ve come and to motivate me to go the distance.

My 2014 goals are:

1) Lose 10lbs by June

2) Run 5km in 30 minutes by September

3) Build my upper body strength

4) Try a new exercise class every other week

5) Stick to the 80:20 rule (eat clean 80% of the time but have fun the other 20%!)

I’m determined to stay motivated, even if the scale is giving me a number I don’t like, or the mirror isn’t showing me any progress. True dedication is not seeing any progress and putting your trainers on and going for a run anyway.

Let’s do this!

Advertising in India - it’s all in the detail

March 5, 2024 / No Comments

I recently spent two weeks in India, travelling through the beautiful states of Goa and Kerala by taxi, train and boat.

Apart from the jaw-dropping countryside and life-changing food, the thing that really struck me was the level of effort that is dedicated to roadside advertising.

While more traditional billboards exist in the bigger towns and cities, the prevalent form of advertising in rural areas is repeated hand-painted brand logos on the walls lining the roads.

Photo credit: Sophie Kay

Every single one is exactly the same, even when you travel 15 hours across the country.

There must be an army of sign-painters across India, all trained in the art of hand-painted cursive script and specific logos. It’s mind-boggling.

Photo credit: http://www.firstpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/TelecomIndia_Airtel_Reuters_380x255.jpg

In the UK at the moment there is a feeling that brands need to be connecting to people on a very personal level and this often includes physical items that could be ‘retro’ or handmade to spark conversations. While we’re striving for that personal feel here, on the other side of the world they’ve been doing it for generations.

Hanif Kureshi, who works for Wieden+Kennedy in New Delhi, has begun a project to preserve the hand-painted sign fonts of his childhood. He’s recognised that this is a valuable part of India’s culture and is determined not to let the fonts disappear by digitising them.