Hello hello! After the success of my recent 12 easy fitness and health hack posts, I thought I'd do something similar, but with a little twist. Today I want to give you my top ways to nourish and love your body this year. I really hope this will help you whether you're totally new to working out/eating well, whether you're a seasoned pro and work out every day or whether you're just someone who's lost their mojo and wants to find their way again. Let's nourish and love our body but enjoy life too.
1. Love Yourself First - I wrote a blog post a while back about the importance of loving yourself and I think before you embark on nourishing your body, you've got to realise just how much our bodies do for us and why we should show them love and nourishment. My brother is one of the healthiest and fittest people out there but in November was struck down with a number of chronic illnesses, leaving him bed bound and unable to do anything. The doctors have no answers and everyone is pretty much telling him 'you just did too much' 'you worked too hard' 'you exhausted yourself' and if it's taught me anything, it's taught me to put my wellbeing first and love myself and the body I'm in. It's taught me to take serious care of my body and mind, that means working out so I'm fit and healthy but also, giving my mind and body downtime too. I'm trying to sleep at better times and rest more. Once you start to appreciate your body and what it does for you, you'll realise the benefits of caring for it and nourishing it properly. How can you expect anyone else to love you and your body to be on your side if you don't love yourself first? Appreciate what you were born with, there's only one you, look after it. Nurture it.
2. Preparation is key - I always say a good gym kit is essential, find something that fits you, fits your body and mainly, something you feel comfortable in. I stupidly bought the IVY Park leggings just 'because Beyonce' brought them out and they made me feel so uncomfortable. They were way too low rise, I felt like you could see far too much when I squatted and also, they flattend my body entirely. I think it's so important to feel comfortable and confident when you're working out. This varies from person to person, so you may feel more comfortable in shorts, it may be leggings, it may be a baggy top. Whatever it is, if you get some good, comfortable gym kit, there's no stopping you. The gym kit on this blog post is very different and very out there but I actually love it. I feel the most comfortable and confident in leggings and a top and this set is pretty stand out but it's so comfortable. I bought this set from Sports Direct, you can get it online here. 
3. Life is for living - The sooner you realise life is for living, the better. It frustrates me beyond belief when I see people depriving themselves of things in order to have a good body. I've never deprived myself of anything and you shouldn't have to either. Life is about moderation. When you're sat on your death bed (as morbid as it sounds) are you going to be really glad you didn't eat that pizza? No. I'm not telling you to eat pizza every day, I'm just saying, don't be so harsh on yourself. Eating out is one of my favourite things to do and I wont ever be the girl that orders a salad. 
5. You Don't Gain Weight Overnight Just Like You Don't Lose Weight Overnight - Back to the not beating yourself up thing, you wont gain weight overnight just like you don't lose weight over night, one pizza will not make you fat just like one gym session wont make you lose weight. I'm totally guilty of doing extra cardio if I've eaten more pizza but hey, that's just my way of dealing it. I work out because it makes me feel great, but working out lots means you never have to feel guilty for eating. You should never feel guilty for eating anyway.
7. Consistency Is Key - I once read somewhere it takes 12 weeks for anyone to see a change in your body, so don't give up. Perseverance really is key. To make it easier, I find marking a 12 week period in my diary really helps and ticking how many days I gymmed over that period, it's like a mini challenge for myself and keeps me motivated.
8. Don't Be Boring - Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring. Eating well gets a bad rep and people seem to think it's all about lettuce leaves. There are so many delicious recipes out there which are hearty, nutritious and delicious. I have a huge recipe section, including things like healthy brownies, chocolate peanut butter cups, healthy pancakes and more. It's just about substituting unhealthy options for healthy ones in your favourite dishes, for example, I use honey rather than sugar, it means it's a natural sugar rather than a refined ones. My Mum makes us healthy bars and I eat them all day every day, you can't believe how much goodness is in them. Just like food doesn't have to be boring, working out doesn't either. Find exercise that works for you, is it hitting a spin class, a Zumba class (I go to David Lloyd and cannot recommend their classes enough) or is it a walk in the countryside or a swim? Figure out what works for you and then you wont get bored. 
9. Check The Labels - I said this on my 12 easy health and fitness hacks post but an easy way to nourish and love your body is to check the labels. It's such a simple but effective way to make the right choices when trying to nourish your body. Supermarket foods can have so many hidden sugars and fats so make sure you're checking the sugar in items and try and make things like pasta sauces etc from scratch. It makes such a difference. I never count calories, ever. I simply make conscious decisions when it comes to looking at the saturated fat content and the sugar content. I eat well 80% of the time and eat whatever I like the other 20%. 
10. Small Things. Big Difference - Ultimately, all of these things are small but when added together they make a huge difference. I know I say it over and over again but balance and moderation are key. You're more likely to stick to eating well if you allow yourself to have your 'naughty' things and don't beat yourself up about it. As I always say: eat better, not less and move more. That's really all there is to it! Now stick to it!
The kit on todays post:
I got this beautiful Adidas kit from Sports Direct (available online here and currently in the sale!!!). I felt so confident and comfortable in it.
The top: Obviously you can wear it like this or throw a t-shirt or vest over the top. This is one of the best sports bras for actually sucking me in but still looking nice too. I feel so supported in it!
The leggings: For me it’s really important to find gym kit which doesn’t go see-through (some do on the bum) and this one is perfect for squatting as it isn’t low-rise and definitely isn’t see-through. I'd suggest sizing down in the leggings and even then it's ridiculously comfortable. I'd say these are honestly the loveliest leggings ever.
The trainers: I often get issues with my ankles in the gym and was told to wear padded trainers with a particularly thick bottom, these from Sports Direct are perfect because they completely cushion my feet and take the strain from my ankles. The best bit? It’s currently all in the sale. All links can be found below!
I really hope these tips help you. Do you agree with any of them? Do you have any of your own tips to nourish and love the body? Thank you so much for reading! See you on the spin bike!
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*In collaboration with Sports Direct
Lots of love, Em x
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