I wanted to do an updated blog post featuring all my top health and fitness tips, I thought it would be nice to do it in the run up to Summer as Summer is something that just personally motivates me to take more care of my body. Please don’t think Summer means you have to lose weight, it doesn’t. For me, it just motivates me to nourish my body more and work out. Any excuse. Everyone has different body ideals and my body ideal may be totally different to yours, that’s okay, what I care about is taking care of our bodies, no matter what your end goal is, what season it is, or, if like me, you just keep fit and healthy as a way to maintain. As you all know, weight/body shape don’t matter to me (I could not possibly tell you how much I weigh, I have no idea, weight is not a reflection of health) and it’s all about how you feel. So today, I’m going to give you lots of tips and tricks to feel healthy, rejuvenated and fit this Summer. If Summer is an excuse to get us moving and eating better, then so be it. Let’s talk through some simple health and fitness tips....
Swimsuit / Watch my swimsuit lookbook
My Simple Health & Fitness Tips:
1. It's A Lifestyle: My main tip when it comes to health and fitness is it's a lifestyle, not a fad. If you read my blog a lot, you're probably sick of hearing me say this but it's so important. If you read my blog post about the dangers of clean eating and why I do not believe in diets, you'll know that I have never dieted in my life, I do not believe in them and never will. Getting fit and healthy is about constantly nourishing and looking after your body, not just doing it for a special occasion or for a week. Once you make it part of your every day routine, it becomes so much easier too. Make eating well and moving more part of your daily routine and then it will feel weird not doing it.
2. Eat Better Not Less: Another one you'll have heard me say a lot but it's so important. People seem to think that losing weight is all about eating less but actually, it's about eating better, not less. Low fat things are usually made up with more sugar. I never eat low fat, ever.
3. Simple Choices: There are simple things you can do to make eating choices better for you, I look at saturated fat and sugar, I never look at calories, I have never counted calories in my life. If you do simple things like make your own tomato sauce for pasta (it's so easy, mash tomatoes and herbs up and you're all done) it's way better than buying supermarket branded stuff, always check the sugar label, there's so much sugar hidden in things and I honestly didn't realise until recently. Make sure you're checking the sugars.
4. Clear Out, Prepare: If you think cravings are bad, clear those cupboards out and then you wont ever feel like you need to grab unhealthy things. Make sure you have healthy snacks to grab, I like to snack on things like apples, PopChips (my absolute favourites, I eat them so much), bananas, rice cakes to keep me fuller for longer. Read about my favourite healthy snacks.
5. Move More: Eating good is all well and good, but you should move more too. Don't sit on your bum, take the stairs, get off the bus one stop earlier. Walk between meetings. Try to get those steps in wherever you can, even if you are busy. I wrote a blog post about how to juggle everything even if you're busy.
6. Don’t Compare - Something really important is to never compare your body or your journey to someone elses. Bodies are different and our body ideals are different, what works for someone else may not work for you. You must find what works best for you. Social media can make us feel pretty rubbish, use it as a way to motivate and inspire. If you've lost your motivation for fitness, read my post all about how to get your fitness motivation back.
7. 80/20 & Never Deprive - Another piece of advice I preach the life out of but the 80/20 rule is something I live by. I eat well the majority of the time but then 20% of the time, I'll eat whatever I like. It means I'm never depriving myself. If you deprive yourself, you will binge and then you'll feel worse. Life really is not about depriving ourselves, it's about enjoying ourselves. When you're sat on your death bed (sorry to be morbid), no-one is going to regret that pizza they had. You will regret the things you didn't do though.
8. Don’t Beat Yourself Up - You can't gain weight overnight, just like you can't lose weight either. These things don't happen instantly so don't beat yourself up if you had a bad day or a bad week, sometimes life takes over, we genuinely are too busy, we eat rubbish and we don't move enough but you know what, get back on it as soon as Monday comes around and you'll smash it.
9. Well-Being Is Important - Sleep, rest, lack of stress - Never underestimate just how important well-being is. Getting enough sleep, resting up, not being stressed are all things that are so important in your fitness and health journey. Stress is something that massively takes it's toll on our health. Here are some of my wellbeing tips.
10. Little Changes - Little changes can make a big difference, whether you start walking more, you drink more water, you sleep more or you don't stress yourself out as much, it's little things that contribute towards your health and fitness.
11. Find What Works For You - It's so important to find what works for you. Try different things, is it swimming, walking outdoors, running around your city, classes, spin, or watching YouTube videos that get you motivated and moving? For me, I do adore the gym. I've been going to David Lloyd for almost a year now and I've never been happier. I use the TRX to do regular circuits and I also do their synergy classes on a weekly basis, they push me so hard. I know that I love spinning because of the endorphins it releases. Some people hate the gym, my Mum isn't a gym lover but she loves David Lloyd because there's a range of things to do even for the biggest gym lovers, it's more of a country club with something for everyone.
12. Set Goals - Never underestimate how much goals can help you. Whether it's getting a diary and ticking it every day you go to the gym, telling yourself you're going to work out for 12 weeks or, finding a work out buddy who pushes you every single day. My best friend didn't think her body was changing but took photos and saw that it was changing so much, her weight was going up but she was getting more toned every single day. Proof that weight does not define how healthy you are or what your body is doing. Read about why I never weigh myself.
So there we have it, 12 easy health and fitness tips to get you motivated and ready. Remember: life is about balance and moderation, your well-being is so important, never beat yourself up, never compare and also, it takes 12 weeks to see any changes in your body, so keep going. Don't give up. Set your own goals and targets.
What are your top health and fitness tips? You can watch fitness videos on my YouTube channel here.
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Lots of love, Em x
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