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My June Monthly Goals

monthly goals

My June Monthly Goals

A little late but here are my June Goals!  Website problems; it’s still a learning curve for me.  I’ve kind of taken my foot off the gas in terms of this blog, maybe lost a little focus along the way but I still love my blog just feel that other things are taking priority.  Work, family; it’s easy to lose focus and get out of the habit of setting time aside to the things you love.

New monthly goals; Summer's here, get outdoors, socialise more but remember to include something that makes you happy Click To Tweet

Since making a conscious effort at the beginning of the year set myself monthly goals instead of a list of New Year Resolutions I find I’m actually getting more stuff done and also focusing on allowing a little more time for what I actually want to do.

  1. Put together a new 15 Minute Full Body Workout
  2. Make Nutella Cupcakes  – Cupcake Jemma is my latest YouTube crush!
  3. Paint the Garden Fence – oh the glamour!
  4. Entertain more; whether it’s a BBQ with mates or just drinks Summer is the perfect time
  5. Run more!  No excuses!  I need to running motivation
  6. Switch off from work a bit more; stop checking emails late at night!
  7. Go meat-free at least twice a week; going to try Basil Avocado Pasta from Nourishyourglow.com
  8. Get back into a regular blogging routine; read 10 Habits of Successful Blogging by Blog Beautifully
  9. Start planning California Road Trip 2019; if I don’t plan this trip it won’t happen.  I’ve set up a Pinterest Board to keep me motivated.
  10. Be kind to myself a bit more often; I think most of us fail to do this or don’t consider it a priority

 

So what are you wanting to achieve this month?  If you are in the habit of setting goals each month, remember to include something that you want to achieve as a personal goal.

Summer Workout Playlist 2016

Workout Music

Summer Workout Playlist 2016

New Gym Workout Playlist for the Summer is a must especially now that it’s countdown to my holiday in Cornwall.  I’ve got a new gym programme, attempting to do 3 HIIT sessions a week and if time will throw in the odd 5km run (weather dependent as I’m a complete fair weather runner).  So here’s my workout music for the summer.

Music can motivate you to push harder when training or can take you mind off a hard set of rep's at the #Gym Click To Tweet

 

 

Playlist

 

 

Summer Workout Play List Tracks 2016

I wanna Feel by Secondcity

Tidal Wave (ft. Alpines) by Sub Focus

Don’t let me down (ft. Daya) by The Chainsmokers

Dangerous Woman by Arianna Grandee

19-2000 (Soulchild Remix) by Gorillaz

Never Be Like You (ft. Kai) by Flume

Spectrum by Florence & The Machine

Alarm by Anne-Marie

I Love It by Icona Pop

Gecko by Oliver Heldens

Me Too by Meghan Trainor

Hear Me by Imagine Dragons

Applause by Lady Gaga

Hey Mama (ft. Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack) by David Guetta

Stronger by Kanye West

 

All the songs from this playlist are available to download on iTunes or other online music stores such as Amazon Music.

 

What music motivates you to train at the Gym?  Do you use it purely to take your mind off what you are doing or to push you harder?

Subscribe to my blog for more Playlists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Running Playlist 2016

Summer Running Playlist 2016

Summer Running Playlist 2016

School’s out, work’s over till September (well for me anyway), my holiday is a few weeks away and it’s the middle of a fine British Summer!  Ok not always fine, more we than fine but that doesn’t bother me.  Ramping up my fitness pre-holiday so time for a new running music playlist when I’m out pounding the pavements or running through the park.

Summer Running Tunes to put a spring in your step when pounding the pavements! Click To Tweet

Summer Running Playlist 2016

Summer Running Playlist 2016 tracks

Bury It (ft. Hayley Williams) by Chvrches

Bullit (Radio Edit) by Watermat

Sticks ‘n’ Stones by Jamie T

Sugar (ft. Francesco Yates) by Robin Schulz

Salute (Anakyn Remix) by Little Mix

Tears (ft. Louisa Johnson) – Clean Bandit

Who Do You Think Of? – M.O

Perfect Strangers (ft. JP Cooper) by Jonas Blue

Wild Horses (Matrix & Futurebound Remix) by Birdy

Dancing On My Own (Tiesto Remix) by Calum Scott

Wish You Were Mine by Philip George

Heroes (We Could Be) (ft. Tove Lo) by Alesso

Cool For The Summer by Demi Lovato

Peanut Butter Jelly by Galantis

The Nights by Avicii

 

All the music on my Running Music Playlists are available to purchase on iTunes and other online music stores such as Amazon.

 

 

 

 

10 Summer Healthy Habits

10 Summer Healthy Habits

10 Summer Healthy Habits

Making small changes can have a big impact on your fitness and lifestyle.  Making healthy choices as and when are easier to maintain instead of adopting a whole change of lifestyle in one go.  Think evolution not revolution!  Changing things gradually means you are more likely to stick to them.

I lost about 28lbs a couple of years ago through eating healthier and adopting healthy habits; my blog post How re-thinking my diet led to sustainable weight loss tells how I managed to do this.  I have been able to sustain my weight loss but bad habits are starting to creep back in.  My Holiday is a few weeks ago so I’m making the effort to re-address the situation; one step at a time.

Here are my 10 Healthy Habits for the Summer!

 

Adopt a regular bedtime routine
Drink a glass of water as soon as you get up
Get outside!
Drink Green Tea
Food shop on a full stomach
Plan your meals
Have a meat-free day once a week
Put together a fitness plan
Get a Gym or Running Partner
Make some time for yourself

Small changes can have a big impact on your fitness and lifestyle. Think evolution not revolution! Click To Tweet

Sticking to healthy habits isn’t always easy.  Write them down in a list, stick them on your fridge door.  Focus on why you want to adopt these healthy habits, I always do this when I am struggling or I am hitting a brick wall especially when a huge slice of red velvet cake is threatening to de-rail me!  What ever your healthy habits may be, start today not tomorrow, next week or next month.

Do you find it easy to incorporate healthy habits into your lifestyle?  How do you maintain healthy habits?

x

My Summer Holiday to do List

Summer

My (very own) Summer Holiday List

The School Summer Holidays are nearly upon us.  I am lucky to work term-time.  Two of my kids are in their early teens so whilst I try and get them to do stuff with me 90% of the time they’ve made other arrangements! Normally I tend just to worry about how I’m going to get through the 6 weeks that the kids are off school but now as they are slightly older they don’t need me as much to entertain them.  But I tend to forget that it’s my holiday time to, my school-run free time, my own break from the routine.  So this year, whilst as normal I will plan the usual stuff for my kids I’m going to make a conscious effort to use this time to accomplish some of the things I’ve been wanting to do but keep putting off because other priorities take over.

One thing blogging has taught me is a good starting point is to write things down, set some goals; what do I want to accomplish and then I’ve got something to focus on achieving.  So here goes!  Note to self; cleaning out the kitchen cupboards or painting my son’s bedroom is not on my Summer Holiday to do list. This is purely an all about me list!  My getting my stuff done list!

Setting Goals helps you get things done, listing your own personal goals should be no exception. Click To Tweet

So I’m aiming to:

 

Attend at least one Metafit Class a week at my local Gym

 

Make the most of being  free of the light mornings and put in some early morning runs

 

Revisit and maybe rehash some of my Gym programmes; use this as an opportunity to revaluate my fitness goals

 

Revamp the graphics on this blog and carry out some blog maintenance such as updating older blog posts

 

Look to maybe change my WordPress Theme; still not 100% sure about the look of my blog so it’ll be good to see what’s available

 

Brush up on my photography skills.  I read a fab blog called 16 Photography Projects by LaShawn at Everyday Eyecandy and it’s inspired me not only for my blog but because I hardly take any photos anymore.

 

Have a go at making Raspberry Gin

 

Do some baking with my daughter; we’ve been adding loads of fab recipes to our Pinterest Boards in preparation for this already!  She’s the cook, I am Kitchen Porter and Chief Taster.

Past summer holidays I’ve spent most of it entertaining my kids and wishing the rainy days away.  This time I hope to get something out of this time off myself.   Yes this list is all about me, but I think we are all a little guilty of neglecting our own personal goals and needs, so maybe it is time for to readdress the imbalance a little.  I suppose writing it down is a starting point!

What do you think?  When you have downtime do you sit and chill or aim to get stuff done?

Running Music Playlist June 2016

Running Music

Running Music Playlist June 2016

Okay Summer is here, so I’ve put together my Running Music Playlist for this month.

As I’m waking up earlier I going out for more early morning runs.  Even if the sun isn’t shining over Newcastle it’s still a fab time of the day to get out and run a 5km.  I’ve added a new running route that takes me through Sandyford and Jesmond Vale.  Love being a little nosey and looking at the old Edwardian Terraces, seeing what people have done to their front gardens.  It takes my mind off some of the harder straights and hills.

Summer's here; lighter, brighter mornings perfect for getting in an early morning run. Sets me up for the day! Click To Tweet

Here’s my Running Music Playlist in a handy Infographic

Running Music

So my 15 Songs are:

Can’t stop the feeling by Justin Timberlake

This is what you came for by Calvin Harris ft. Rihanna

I will never let you down (R3hab Remix) by Rita Ora

No Money by Galantis

Remind Me by High Contrast

Berserk by Eminem

Life Changes by Good Charlotte

I Know What You Did Last Summer by Shawn Mendes

Walking on Air by Katy Perry

Give me your Love ft. John Newman & Nile Rodgers by Sigala

Broken Arrows by Avicii

Ex’s and Oh’s by Elle King

Turn the Music Louder ft. Tinie Tempah & Katy B by KDA

Cry ft. Take That by Sigma

All Four Walls by Gorgon City & Vaults

 All songs from my Running Playlist are available to download from iTunes or Amazon

So do you have running music playlists that motivate you or take your mind off a particularly hard stretch?  What are your favourite running songs?

Get your legs summer ready

Summer

Get your Legs Summer Ready

Today was probably the first decent day weather wise that we have had up in Newcastle upon Tyne.  It doesn’t happen very much up north if you consider the amount of times I hear warnings of a mini heat wave happening down in the South East of England. Believe me when it happens where I live you really do make the most of it. So there was only one thing for it.  I put my shorts on.  Ok so I’ve sat in my garden most of the day and haven’t inflicted my legs on the unsuspecting public just yet.  But still it’s been nice to strip some layers off and finally get in the mood for summer.

So if you, like me wince at the thought of getting your legs out in public here are some tips for getting your legs summer ready.

If the thought of wearing shorts fills you with dread some tricks and prep will get your legs summer ready! Click To Tweet

Get rid of the Fuzz

The colder weather is great because you can get away with not de-fuzzing the pins for ages; it’s great! But there comes a time to get rid of the fuzz, you can’t conceal it any more.  Whatever method you choose; whether shaving, waxing, using hair-removal creams or something more permanent like electrolysis or laser hair removal get back in the habit.  Treat your pin’s to a scrub and apply some ‘fancy schmancy’ moisturiser.  At the moment, I love The Body Shop’s Body Butter Range, however an all time favourite of mine is Johnson’s Baby Oil, applied on wet skin straight after a shower.

Fake it

Yep if you feel that the world isn’t quite ready for the glare given off by your sun starved pins then a little bit of fake tan is in order. Either get it done at a beauty salon or use many of the readily available lotions that you apply yourself.  I personally like the moisturisers that also contain a tanning agent so you can build up the colour gradually; my favourites are Palmers Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser and Dove Derma Summer Revived Body Lotion.  Last summer I also discovered St Tropez Gradual Tan in Shower Lotion.

When you do feel brave enough to wander round in a pair of shorts please make sure you always wear sun screen. Burning is no fun and legs are a common body area to develop skin cancer; it’s simply not worth the risk.  Slather on the SPF!

Cellulite

I can go into why women are prone to cellulite but it’s not really going to change the fact that us ladies are prone to it. It can also be genetic so not purely a reflection of your lifestyle. It’s tough to shift (if that’s possible) and you can suffer from it no matter what age and how greater a shape you are in.  But there are things you can do to minimise it’s appearance.  Tone up, interval ‘fat burning’ cardio, drinking more water, eater a healthier diet and getting more sleep can help.  There are firming lotions available to buy but I’ve never tried them.  Also disguise those really cellulite areas with what you wear, floaty layers, slightly longer shorts.  Remember 90% of women have cellulite so if you are not alone if you do suffer from it!

Tone up

 OK I always think that if you are wanting to get in shape it’s best to exercise your full body but if you want to concentrate on your legs these are the following exercises I tend to focus on when I am training my legs.  With any exercises it can take time to see results but if you keep at it you will start to notice a difference particularly if you are incorporating cardio into you exercise plan as well.  The exercises I’ve listed below will target the leg muscles (and bum which is always a bonus) and can be performed at home as bodyweight exercises.  With the exception of the Box Steps and Side Step Ups no additional equipment is required.

Squats – target Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings, Calves

Hip Thrusts/ Glute Bridge Raises – target Glutes, Hamstrings

Alternating Lunges – target Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings

Side Lunges – target Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads

Walking Lunges – targets Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings

Wall Sits – targets Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings

Box Step Ups – targets Quads, Hamstrings

Side Step Ups – targets Quads, Hamstrings

Calf Raises – targets Calf Muscles

Check out My At Home Bodyweight Leg Workout

Perhaps aim to perform a leg workout out a couple of times a week and alternate with cardio or do the cardio before your leg exercises. The leg exercises will tone you up and the cardio (think intervals) will burn fat.

For more Leg Workout ideas check out Pinterest.

Whether you are happy or not with your legs, it’s always a brave step getting those legs out for the first time in the summer. There’s still time to get those legs summer ready, so what are you waiting for?

How do you get your legs summer ready?

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