Emtalks: Move More, Eat Better

I love any excuse to write a fitness and health post. Todays topic? Mixing things up so you don't lose motivation as we get into Winter. If you've been reading Emtalks for a while, you'll know I'm all about health and fitness, I'm obsessed with green juice, clean eating and working out but, I'm all about balance, so yes I'll have a green juice and spin four times a week but, I'll also never turn down pizza. Someone asked me recently: Do I work out more so I can eat pizza? Or, would I go away to Italy and turn down pizza so I stay in shape? I guess they were right, I work out really hard so I can maintain my weight and enjoy life (and food), life is not about being deprived. The way I see it, if I move more, and eat well 80% of the time, I wont feel guilty when I do enjoy 'naughty' food the rest of the time. If you read my recent health overhaul post, you'll know that I have been massively mixing things up recently with both my diet and my workouts, so today, I wanted to talk to you more about that I guess too. As I've said, yes Summer may technically be over (in the UK anyway) but getting fit and healthy is a lifestyle choice, it definitely isn't seasonal! If you're feeling unmotivated now the hot weather and bikini motivation has gone, hopefully this should get you back in the zone.

I've been away for a few weeks and now, my motivation is at an all time high as I've come back rearing and ready to go. I feel horrible for not moving myself whilst I was away (there was a complete lack of gyms in Sri Lanka) and now, my body is basically crying out for vegetables (yes, really) and exercise! So today, I wanted to share some of that motivation with you so that we can all move a little bit more this Autumn! Hopefully this will help to inspire and motivate you. Happy October 1st! Let's make this our month.

Find Exercise That Works For You... I one saw a group of girls saying that they wanted to get fit and healthy but they don't like exercising so can they just not exercise but still get in great shape? I think we need to get over the mind set that we 'don't like exercising'. I remember the girls who used to sit out in P.E classes at school. 1. It's cool to work out and be fit, why not love and nurture your body? No-one ever regrets a workout. 2. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore, you just have to figure out what works for you. For example, my Mum always used to say she just cannot exercise as she isn't a sporty person, but then she fell in love with power walking and recently, got involved with our local park runs and now, my 50 year old Mum does 5k park runs every weekend. She's lost so much weight through it. If she can do it, you can too. She finds them fun, she runs with friends and grabs a coffee at the end, it's all about finding out what works for you. For me? I love intense exercise but I did tire of HIIT, HIIT is so effective but it is really hard and I really have to be in a good motivated frame of mind, particularly without the right sound track it's pretty much impossible to push myself sometimes which is why I started a new gym. I joined David Lloyd back in July and I've never looked back, I know a lot of people don't like the gym but I use them mainly for their epic classes. I've always been nervous to try new classes and to do classes by myself but now, I go to at least 5 classes a week at David Lloyd, I pushed myself out of my comfort zone and every time I go to those classes, I have to work incredibly hard, much harder than I would if I went by myself, because an instructor is telling me exactly what to do! So whether it's dancing, walking, fitness classes or home work outs, try some new things out and see what works for you. Read my post about how to get the most out of your workout.

Track Your Progress... I know that so many people find it easier to work out when they have an end goal in mind, even though fitness and health is a lifestyle choice, it does really help me personally to have a target, for example: I want to feel confident in my Christmas party outfit. One way I track my progress is by always writing down on the notes section of my phone exactly what I've done at the gym (or if it's a spin class, I'll take a photo of my bike at the end of the ride), you then set yourself goals and make sure you beat your times or reps every single work out. Another great way to track it is with the TomTom Touch, I was kindly sent one recently and it's revolutionised my workouts. Not only does it track your steps, sleep and heart rate (I seriously needed something to track my sleep!) but it also tells you what your body is made of, it can help you be stronger, fitter, leaner or just generally more active but measuring your body fat, muscle mass percentage and more just from the touch of a button on your wrist. It can help you work out how your body composition changes over time so you can understand your fitness level more. I was inspired to try this out after standing on something similar at David Lloyd (Boditrax machine), I stood on it and it basically told me how my metabolic age, heart health etc. Rather than becoming obsessed with these numbers (everyone has a different idea of what their ideal body shape is and that's totally okay!), I used them as motivation to know that I'm on the right track and it motivates me to work better every single time. I feel like it really helps you set the right goals, targets and stay on track when you're not really in the zone for a work out when you can track your progress.

Get The Right Tools... Whether it's a skipping rope so you can work out in your garden (I love skipping!), a yoga matt so you can work out at home, new trainers so you don't injure yourself or, like I just got, a new piece of wearable fitness technology like the TomTom touch, you don't have to spend a lot of money to get fit and healthy, you just have to make sure when you are spending money, you're spending it on the right things. For example, for me, a gym membership is so important and I don't really mind how much it costs because health and fitness is such a big part of my life, I'd pay anything for a good gym because I think it's so important and I know then I'm forced to work out as I've got that membership. I know other people would rather not go to the gym and work out at home, meaning you have more money to invest in some new trainers for example. It really is a personal thing but I find, once I have the right tools, e.g., gym kit and a good gym, I'm way more motivated to work out. It basically means I have to work out! If you're looking for some home-work outs, check out my YouTube channel.

Once You Get Into It, It Feels Weird Getting Out... I've been away recently and it honestly felt so weird not working out, I think that's a good way to be, making it such a big part of your lifestyle and daily routine that you feel weird if you don't work out. I need to move my body and it's great when you feel like that! If you're finding it hard to fit your workouts into a busy lifestyle, read my post about working out when you're busy. That's another reason why I love my new TomTom Touch, it helps me get into my routine and stay on track. It's all about making it part of your daily routine.

Gym kit online here.

My Workouts... My current workout schedule looks a little something like this: 3x spin classes, 1x hot yoga, 2x body pump classes per week. If I can't make the classes, I'll do 20 minutes of HIIT followed by weighted squats and lunges. This works for me, but it might not work for you, it's really great to find people for inspiration, for example, I follow so many girls on Instagram who are professional personal trainers and do their videos in the gym. I'd say one of my top tips is to find someone on YouTube and do their videos in the gym if you're stuck for motivation!

So there we have it, a little more fitness chat from me to hopefully get you in the mood to move more this Autumn! Remember the motto, move more, eat better!

Do you agree with any of this? How do you feel about working out and eating better?

*I worked with TomTom on this post but as always, it's 100% my honest opinion.

Lots of love, Em x

Don't forget to follow me on bloglovin! to stay up to date with my posts!

I would also love it if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here!