Challenge: Exercise! Charity: Cancer Research Total £ Accrued: £10 Status:Who the hell runs for fun?!?!
The Fifth Challenge: To Exercise Continued…
It’s been a whole two weeks, that’s 14 days, of exercising every day (bar one day when I made the 5 hour drive up to Manchester and today where I cba) and I still don’t have a 6-pack. What do you want from me, life?!
Okay I know it’s not meant to be that easy but having said that, I am starting to benefit from daily exercise already. I feel more energetic, happier and more alert but the down sides are that I’m generally achier and hungrier…
Routine & Rest
Photo Credit: http://www.kimberlycookphoto.com
My weekly routine is as follows.
Monday: Home Work Out 20 mins Tuesday: Wing Chun Self Defence Class 1 hour Wednesday: Home Work Out 20 mins Thursday: Pilates Class 1 hour Friday: Home Work Out 20 mins Saturday: Wing Chun Self Defence Class 2 hours Sunday: Home Work Out 20 mins
Now, I have recently been advised by a personal trainer that it is counter productive to exercise every day without a day off. He said it, not me! So, as of next week I will be introducing one rest day which is just as well because I will be raising the bar (pun intended, don’t judge me) with 25 minutes of exercise as a minimum and going up to the target of 30 minutes a day.
Strangely, I struggled to think of what to do for my 15, then 20 minute home work outs. I sort of found myself doing a panic plank and then following up with the typical press up/sit ups and squats. It should be no surprise to you to find that I turned to pinterest yet again and was not short of inspiration. I will put together my favourite routine for the next post.
Surprise Exercise
We can all feel like hitting that target of getting 30 minutes of exercise a day is not achievable, especially when you work a desk job and have no interest in exerting yourself. But I have some good news for you, you may be doing more exercise than you think! I call this the “surprise exercises”.
Do you do any of the following?
Clubbing
Shopping
Touring or Exploring e.g. a day out in London or elsewhere
Climbing Stairs (extra points to you if you were also tricked by your best friend into doing the 193 steps in Covent Garden station… in heels)
Cleaning or Tidying (extra points if you’ve had to move house- that is pretty much worth a year of exercise)
If so, the good news is you have most likely been partaking in the act of surprise exercise! Who said keeping active had to be boring and inconvenient? There is so much in your daily routine that can contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle and sometimes just slight adjustments can mean that we live a happier and healthier life.
So I guess what I am saying is, go on that shopping day out in London and don’t feel bad- it’s all in the name of keeping fit!
~XOXO