wearing: New Balance Crop & Leggings

As promised on my snapchat recently, I have written out for you one of my favourite at home stretch sequences. 

It's simple, but effective if done consistently. It is PERFECT as a night time, hip opening sequence. It's even guy friendly, in fact, you and bae can do it next to each other while netflix is on. 

It's not a flowing yoga sequence. It simply requires that you hold each posture/stretch for a designated number of breaths. I chose breaths over seconds because it keeps you focused on relaxation. It also encourages the nervous system to relax which will aid in the release of the muscle and fascial tissue.

*As always, it's important that you check with a physician before embarking on any physical exercise or intense stretch.

Equipment:

Wall Space

Floor Space

Begin on the floor.

1. You're going to lie on your side, beginning to squidge your butt up against the wall. It's going to be awkward, but no one is watching, so just get into the position.

NOTE: This is not a stretch, I simple want to show you the best way to get into it; on your side.

2. From there you want to roll onto your back so that you end up in a pose called, wait for it; 'Legs up the wall'. You're legs literally extend up against the wall. Stay here for 10 breaths.

This posture is extremely relieving on the lower back. It also takes a little pressure off the circulatory system by promoting venous return (blood that returns back to the heart and then lungs for gaseous exchange).

3. Hip Opening - Now we are going to take this into a hip opening stretch. Cross the right ankle just under the left knee. Bend your left knee so that your foot touches the wall. Continue to bend the left knee until the hips start to lift off the floor. You want to make sure you keep your hips pressing down towards the floor beneath you. Hold here for 10 breaths.

This pose stretches your Piriformis, a deep external rotator within the hip, except when the hip is in a flexed position, instead the Piriformis actually becomes an internal rotator (hence why it stretches during external rotation during the flexed pigeon position). A tight Piriformis can cause pain that is very similar to sciatica (that's why it's often confused with sciatica).

4. Repeat on the other side, holding for 10 breaths.

5. Reclining Cobblers Pose (wall variation): You will take it into a groin stretch. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees press out wide. Use your hands to press the knees gently towards the wall. Keep your lower back relaxing down towards the floor. Stay for 5 breaths.

This posture is a brilliant precursor to the next more intense groin stretch.

6. Side Splits wall variation; This posture is an all time favourite amongst gymnastcs and yogis alike. While yogis tend to work towards relaxation, gymnasts will very often turn this into a drill that builds both flexibility and strength (the best cocktail for the body ever). Take the legs into a side split position, using your hands to further help the groin stretch. Stay here for 10 breaths.

Alternatively if you would like to do the gymnastics variation, take the legs into a split position as far as you can, then from there bring the legs together again without using your hands for help. Repeat this 'open and close' motion 10 times to help build stability and mobility within the groin and hamstrings.

7. Wall supported Lunge: Come into a lunge and take the one foot forward, tucking your other foot up against the wall. You will want your back knee relatively close to the wall to facilitate a deep stretch for the quad when you lift your body. Very slowly bring your hands up to rest on the knee and lift your chest. Try to tuck your tailbone towards the floor and you pull your ribs inward. You can also raise your opposite arm (to the leg that's infront). Hold for 5 breaths and repeat on the other side.

This pose is AMAZING for the Quad and hamstring but it is quite intense. I have put it in this sequence because a lot of people forget to stretch the anterior chain (front body). If you spend a lot of time in chairs with your hips flexed, it's really important to open out the psoas and quad frequently. 

wearing New Balance leggings and bra 

This weeks blog is quick (but let's face it, the good ones always are)

I get inundated with questions about the equipment I use at home to facilitate an effective workout. You'll be surprised to learn that I don't have stacks of dumbbells or TRX's spread around the house.

Here are a list of my favourite items. Part two of this blog is going to be a full body workout that you can do with these items, so stay tuned.

1. The Good Old Swiss Ball - I'm so in love with the swiss ball because you can actually perform an array of bodyweight exercises with it, including extremely advanced variations. I mostly use mine for core stability work, as well as some lower body finishers. What I mean by finishers, is an exercise that literally 'finishes' the muscle. When I can't possibly lift any more weight, I will use the Swiss Ball to isolate the highly fatigued muscle even more. You can get these online at amazon, be sure to blow it up sufficiently and only purchase one that comes with a pump because blowing up a swiss ball could potentially kill you (kidding but not really). 

2. The Powerbar 2 - I found this bad boy on amazon after loads and loads of research and I am in love. It arrived in the box already to go and it doesn't damage my door frame (I am a renter and I eventually want my deposit back). I can do pull ups and an amazing ab workout on it (which I will share with you soon). The great news is that you can use the bands you have bought for my Vertue Method workouts to work towards that goal of nailing a pull up. Get it from here:

3. The Kettle Bell - Kettle Bells are, in my opinion, easier to store than Dumbbells. To me they are more versatile and I LOVE to train with them. It's possible to just purchase one (whereas with DB's you would normally purchase two). They are also great door stops, matching the current trend for industrial interior design (#justsaying #fitandchic)

4. The long resistance band - ok so you've all seen the small loop booty band, which I will admit is great for glute activation and pilates, however, why not use a band that will give you back more than just activated glutes. The longer resistance band can be used around pull up bars, as well as on dipping stations to assist you in developing those skill based goals you have. Pull Ups and Dips are very empowering exercises, I highly recommend them, not just to build you a sculpted, baddass body - but also confidence (something that no break up or midnight binge session can take away from you).

5. Roller - because mobility is imperative and a little self-myofascial release can go a long way in preventing injury, reducing pain and even improving performance. Don't neglect that mobility.

What have I missed? What items do you love in your house 'gym'? parallettes? bench? Unicorn?

Comment below your favourite items, I'd love to know if I'm missing a trick.

Ps. This is not a sponsored blog, none of the brands I mention have paid me or even sent me these items. Integrity is important to me, so I just want you to know that I will ALWAYS tell you if I am working with a brand. I will also mention that I only work with brands I really believe in, hence why you will never, ever see my instagram feed filled with pictures of me in a bikini holding a teeth whitening device or packet of flat tummy tea (aka. total-BS-it-just-gives-you-diarrhea tea). 

As promised - here is a workout to fit your new home gym equipment.

I haven't put in an adequate warm up - I personally use yoga sun salutations and some body weight squats as a way to warm up. If you want to workout with me, try my Vertue Method videos here - we can sweat it out together.

First and foremost you're going to use the foam roller to massage out tension in the hips, legs and middle back:

Then we need to activate your bootay and hamstrings (because if we spend most of our days sitting on it, we need to teach it to switch on before we train).

1. The Single Leg Glute Bridge repeat 10 reps on each leg. Make sure you drive through the heel and lift those hips high. If you feel it in your quad, move the heel further away from your glutes.

2. Crab Walks - repeat 10 reps each way.  for this you will use your resistance band. Loop it up and place it around the legs, just above the knees.

3. Banded Deadlift/Hip Hinge: 20 repetitions - this is a tricky one as you really need to keep the spine straight. It will be tempting to round the spine, but that will have your lower back do the work, rather than your glutes. Drive the hips forward at the top of the movement, giving them a little squeeze.

The Workout:

A1. Kettle Bell Sumo Squat x 20 repetitions

A2. Single Arm Kettle Bell Press x 10 repetitions on each side

A3. Staggered Kettle Bell Romanian Deadlift x 12 repetitions on each side

A4. Power Bar Pull Ups x 8-10 repetitions (if you can't do pull ups, loop your band around the bar - I will post a tutorial on my instagram for how to do these).

Repeat this circuit 5 times with no rest between sets or exercises.

The Abs & Butt Finisher:

B1. Bent Knee Toes to Bar x 10 repetitions

B2. Frog Pumps x 20 repetitions

B3. Oblique V-Ups x 20 repetitions each side

The Chills: Don't forget to always bring the nervous system back to a calm state post workout.

Take 10 breaths in childs pose and 10 breaths in a seated meditation pose.

Happy Training! Let me know how you go!!!

Newbury Leggings and Seamless Sports bra from New Balance store in Oxford Circus. So comfy!

***As always, consult a doctor before attempting an exercise regime.***

Big phat yogi love.

This week on snap chat I gave you guys a choice of three different blogs and those of you that follow me voted ‘My Weekly Cardio Routine’ as your most preferred. So here it is… 

Cardio (for those of you that don’t know) is the shortened word for Cardiovascular training. The cardiovascular system refers to the heart and lungs and blood vessels. However, it’s obviously also plays a role in the health of the circulatory system - which encompasses blood, blood vessels, lymph, lymph vessels as well as the heart. 

Therefore cardiovascular training is about strengthening the heart, lungs and in general, circulatory system.

In addition to all this, cardio can help with weight loss, depression and anxiety. It can reduce the risk of heart disease and certain types of cancer. 

As you can see, cardio is not just about trying to fit into that Agent Provocateur bikini you like so much, it will benefit your LIFE.

The truth is, I have NEVER enjoyed cardio (until now). I had to find MY way of enjoying it or I just wasn’t going to do it. From a ‘staying lean’ perspective, that’s actually ok, because you don’t have to do excessive loads of cardio to be lean. However if you want to be healthy and badass, you do have to do some cardiovascular training. And let’s face it; we’re all here because we want to be healthy and badass right?

The benefits of cardio are far and wide but I believe the only thing that ever works is the thing that you enjoy. These rules for my cardio routine helped me to enjoy it more. This is basically how I got little cupid to shoot me and cardio with his arrow;

1. No steady state cardio unless it’s outdoors. I can’t do 45 minutes on a cross trainer, I just can’t. I watched my step dad (who suffered with a sever motoneuron disease) spend the last years of his life strapped to a bed inside the off pink walls of a sydney nursing home. If he were still alive today he would be horrified to see that I wasted 45 minutes of my life indoors on a machine that was literally made to go no where. For him, I refuse to do that kind of cardio. Steady state is AMAZING, but I highly recommend taking it to the streets, or the park, or the beach (for my fellow aussie readers). 
2. But first, coffee - I don’t abuse coffee to help me get through a day of meetings, I use it purely for exercise. It’s much better that way. Here’s a study to show that excessive coffee drinking throughout the day, will negate it’s effect as a pre workout. Those of you that follow me on snapchat will know that I make a special cafe every morning. It includes some collagen protein powder and some MCT oil - this is not for taste (although I personally love the taste). It’s for performance and health.
3. Go in with a plan and track that like a boss - So I’m about to show you my plan, but using sweat as a motivating factor for me to do cardio just doesn’t cut it. I can go to the beach and sweat, why would I put up with burning lungs and tired legs? The ONLY way I can enjoy cardio is if I plan and track. What am I tracking? My speed, my distance or my general feelings of endurance. Each week I try to either run/ride faster or for longer and I track my progression in the same way I track the weights I’ve lifted - this to me is so much more motivating than trying to find good lighting to see if my abs are showing yet … aesthetics are of course AWESOME and I love abs and lean bodies as much as the next guy/girl - looking good alone does not get me through how much I hate lung burn. It really doesn’t. 

So here is the plan:

Monday - Weights

Tuesday - Weights

Wednesday - Cardio (Treadmill)

Thursday - Steady state (basically just walking outdoors for at least 45 minutes - 1 hour)

Friday - Weights

Saturday - Weights

Sunday - Cardio (Vertue Method)

Skill Mill or Curve Treadmill (Both self powered manual treadmills)

Movement Prep: Mini Glute activation workout - see my videos here

Warm Up: 3 minute walk, 1 minute run, 1 minute walk

Sprint: 30 second sprint* : 60 second walk x 10 sets

*To me a sprint is an all out, ‘balls to wall’ kind of movement. Not a run or jog. However, it’s definitely something you should work up to.

Cool Down: Walk for 5 minutes.

Tracking: To be honest, just getting through this is enough. However, I track this by measuring the speed at which I have been sprinting. I try to hit over 20km at every sprint interval, for at least 15 seconds. This is hard (well for me anyway). Each week I am working towards increasing that speed.

Vertue Method Circuit: 

This involves a circuit of bodyweight exercises that I repeat over and over for a 10 minute period after a good warm up and booty activation routine. It takes roughly 20 minutes in total and looks a little something like this:

Warm Up: Movement Prep involves dynamic yoga movements as well as some activation to prepare the body for an intense workout. It ensures that the correct muscles fire throughout the entire routine.

HIIT (High intensity interval training):

A1. Jump squats x 10

A2. Barbell overhead press x 10

A3. Alternating Lunge Jumps x 20

A4. Pull Ups x 10

A5. Kettle Bell swings x 20

Repeated for 10 minutes in an AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) format.

Core: 

Toes to Bar x 15

Reverse Crunch (on a bench) x 15

Repeat x 3 rounds

Cool Down:

3 yoga vinyasas and 20 breaths in savasana or meditation.

Tracking: I track this workout based on how many rounds I can complete, as well as the weight I use during it. It's not a strength workout so I'm not trying to hit any PB's in weight here, I simply want to work towards fast execution, however when it starts to get a little too easy, I will add in a heavier barbell overhead press.

There you have it peeps!

Of course, everyone is different and it’s important that you see/get approval from a physician before attempting any workout.

Let me know how it goes below.

x

S

Picture by Duncan Nicholls for Womens Health, Mens Health and New Balance UK.

I get it - stretching is boring, foam rolling hurts and who in their right mind would ever choose to inflict pain on themselves by releasing their trigger points with a hard tennis ball?

However the truth is, all those things will actually improve your capability to move through your workouts. Having the mobility to sit deeper in your squats, lunges and deadlifts creates better potential for hypertrophy because the eccentric (stretch) contraction will be greater with a bigger range of joint motion. 

You would think that I (being a yogi) would just say - Yo, go do some more yoga. However that would be oversimplifying this blog and advice.

To increase your flexibility there are a number of things I believe you need to do, including the practice of a very specific type of yoga - Yin Yoga. 

Yin Yoga, is probably one of my favourite styles of yoga, yet it’s one of the hardest to get people to appreciate (initially anyway). Particularly in fast paced London.

Yin Yoga is a style of yoga that was founded by a martial artist named Paulie Zink in the 1970’s. He incorporated his extensive knowledge of Taoist teachings into the practice of Yoga as a means to stimulate the meridien lines within the body. He also applied the principles of Martial Arts stretching into the formation of Yin Yoga which asserts that a muscle (in order to properly stretch) can not be under load. 

Yin Yoga is difficult because it requires that you hold the postures for anywhere up to 5 minutes. Remember, they are not active postures, you won’t be sweating and gripping to hold some kind of warrior posture. Instead, you will be relaxing into the stretch supported by the floor or a cushion or your body in some other way.

Pigeon, pictured above is a good example of a posture we would use in a Yin Yoga practice.

The variation that I am doing is active, however if you fold forward onto your forearms it is much more relaxing.

In addition to Yin Yoga, self myofascial release and trigger point release are going to do wonders for those hips (and anywhere else you decide to practice the self-loving torture). Foam Rolling and Tennis Ball trigger point rolling are an absolute must in my opinion.

The reason that I believe in these two practices in addition to stretching is that you can’t stretch tension. You can stretch tightness or stiffness, but tension is different, trigger points are different. There is much debate in the industry (I mean, is there ever not debate in this industry) about what they actually are and how they should be treated. However they are described as hyper-irritable points in the fascia surrounding skeletal muscle. When these nodules are pressed, they radiate pain. The pain can be both local and also referred (felt elsewhere within the body). If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, ask your friend to squeeze the top of your trapezius or put an elbow in your glute med (A true friend will always be willing to get close to your butt like that) You may feel a strong pain in the butt, but it may also refer downwards into the leg, or into your back.

You can not outstretch tension. Even the most flexible person you know will have these trigger points and around the body.

I wanted to share a quick routine to help you get your hips nice and open so you can deepen that squat and push that PB a little further.

Here it is:

Using a firm tennis ball or a specific trigger point release ball, you’re going to roll over and around these points that I have listed here. They can be awkward AF to get into, hence why you may want to do them at home, rather than on the gym floor. I have no shame and practice these in airports and cafes if I have to. Pain sucks and I am willing to release it at the cost of my dignity.

Trigger Point release:

Lay or sit placing the ball in the pictured areas, use your arms to determine how much weight you’re going to put onto the ball. Begin to roll around the areas searching for that intense sensation. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you hit it. 

Glute Med and Piriformis: These areas, if left tight and with unreleased trigger points can start to radiate pain into the back and legs. Before you take panadol to mute the pain, try getting to the cause of it.

Glute Medius area

Piriformis area

Abs & Obliques: Sometimes this one requires a larger ball or just simply the firm edge of a sofa. I know this is weird, but people underestimate the tension that the abdominals carry and maybe practitioners believe (including myself) that it can lead to digestive disruption.

Rectus Abdominus area

Oblique Area - roll around the hip bone on the diagonal.

Hip Stretches - Hold each stretch for 3-5 minutes. Support yourself with whatever you need (cushions, chairs etc) to ensure that you are not using any muscular contraction to hold you in the posture.

90/90 stretch: this stretches the glutes and sometimes hip flexors really well. Try to extend through your lower back to facilitate a greater stretch through the hips, rather than the lower back.

90/90 stretch

Quad Stretch - this is a tough one. A lot of people can't get all the way to the floor and that's ok. Keep yourself propped up on your hands, or with a few pillows underneath your back and shoulders. Your knees should be on the floor.

Quad Stretch - I look dead, but I am definitely alive.

Pigeon Stretch - pictured in the heading of this blog, is one of my absolute favourites and probably one of the most commonly practiced, even off the yoga mat. If you have knee issues, this pose may not be for you and it's best that you stick to the 90/90 stretch instead. Keeping your hips square will be the best option, I highly recommend that you place a block or cushion under the hip of the bent knee to lift you up slightly. This will help you to maintain pelvic alignment while still relaxing the surrounding muscles.

Each pose/trigger point release should take between 3-5 minutes so have your timer nearby so that you don't cheat.

Breathe deeply in each posture to facilitate better relaxation of the nervous system and ultimately better relaxation within the body.

I understand you want abs, you want to be shredded, you want to look like the fitness boys and girls on instagram - but what will really make you happy, really really happy, is a body that moves freely and functionally. 

Don’t neglect these types of routines. They will enhance your life for the better. 

Let me know how you go!

Shona Vertue - The Vertue Method from Shona Vertue on Vimeo.

I am absolutely, positively, excruciatingly excited about sharing these videos with you.

These 4 videos have been inspired by the London Vertue Method class that had sold out months in advance. Now you can have access to these sweat inducing and booty burning work outs any time of the day or week.

The Vertue Method incorporates my experience as a yoga teacher, gymnast and personal trainer resulting into a workout that is healthy, holistic and seriously badass.

The Vertue Method is a fusion of yoga, weighted circuit training and meditation, designed to uplift both your soul and your butt. My intention behind creating the Vertue Method workouts was to accommodate for those that either neglect their mobility work, weight training or glute activating – it is for everyone!

All the details are on the Vimeo On Demand website so get clicking and keep me on your phone or laptop.

You literally have no more excuses to skip your fitness or yoga workouts while on holidays.

Let's get sweaty and serene.

Happy Training.

x

Here's the thing. I don't really cook fancy things. I really wish I could because it just seems like such an awesome skill. I wish I could open the cupboard see a bag of prunes, some turmeric and a sweet potato and just whip up a work of art to impress Heston Blumenthal himself would be so liberating. Alas, I think that's just going to have to remain a dream for me this life time. It's certainly not my 'path' right now. 

For now, I'm all about nutritious, delicious and above all easy recipes that satisfy my muscles and my tastebuds at the same time. 

This protein pancake recipe is one of them.

I hope you find it as easy as I do. 

Ingredients

100ml Egg White

30g Protein Powder (your choice, I prefer protein powders that contain as little ingredients as possible - if Vegan I love Pulsin, if using Whey, I love Reflex Micro Whey as it’s from grass fed cows)

1 Banana

25g Oats

1 x tbs Coconut Oil or Butter

Extras:

1 x scoop nut butter

1 x handful of berries

1 x tbs of yoghurt

Method

1. Place Egg whites, oats, protein and banana into a nutribullet or similar contraption and blend until smooth in consistency.
2. Heat pan using a small ration of your butter or coconut oil. Do not put the whole thing into the pan or the first pancake will absorb all the oil - I mean, that’s just not fair on the others.
3. Pour a little of the mix into the heated pan. Now how big your pancakes are is really your prerogative. I personally go for about a two second controlled pour, I probably should tell you how many teaspoons or cups that is, but to be honest I have no idea. All my cooking revolves around simplicity and speed. I don’t want to spend the night washing up cups and spoons, so I guesstimate. Do whatever you please, you are a free, pancake loving spirit. 
4. Allow the pancake mix to cook, only flipping it when bubbles begin to appear on the surface of the pancake.
5. Once flipped it will rise, press them down gently with the back of your spatular. Or don’t, and just have really thick, weird looking pancakes.
6. Coat with either coconut yoghurt, cottage cheese or full fat yoghurt and sprinkle with berries.
7. Enjoy. Like seriously savour every bite.

Approximate Macros without toppings:

45g Protein

43g Carbs

14g Fat 

Happy Eating.

Running is an excellent form of exercise as it demands work from the entire body however, most professional runners also under go a specific weight training programme to help strengthen and support their muscles. 

If you love to run, then I highly recommend protecting the longevity of your joints with regular weight training. You might be surprised at how much it will improve your speed and endurance.

When New Balance asked me to suggest some strengthening exercises for runners, I was excited to share with them some movements that focus on working the glutes, hamstrings and TVA (transverse abdomens), because it’s actually where the predominant force comes from while running. If the glutes are weak, the quads and other leg muscles will often attempt to compensate for this weakness potentially leading to knee or other joint issues. Strong glutes and core/TVA also help to protect the lower back from pain and injury. 

Prevention is better than a cure so I highly recommend adding these simple but effective exercises into your non running days:

Step Back Lunge - although a knee dominant movement (usually recruiting more of the quadriceps), a longer stride lunge will demand more from the glute and hamstring muscles. Make sure you drive through the heel to stand up. Carrying a kettle bell on one side enables you to enhance contralateral stability demanding more from your core.

Single Leg RDL - this is a tricky exercise, but a highly effective one for the glutes. Correctly performing even a regular deadlift with both feet on the ground can be complicated, let alone one foot. However I believe it’s essential that as a runner you become proficient at stabilising on one leg. Keep your spine neutral throughout the movement and hinge from the hips. Avoid rounding the spine and be sure to engage the lats (Latisimuss Dorsi).

Squat - This is not like a regular squat as the Kettle Bell is again loading up one particular side of your body. This puts extra demand on your core to stabilise the spine and keep you moving safely and efficiently. To encourage a little extra engagement through the glutes, try sitting back as you drop into the squat, rather than just moving up and down. You can also help to engage the glutes a little more by widening your foot stance beyond the shoulders. Make that booty work.

To shop the outfit go to www.newbalance.com

Abolish guilt because it usually works against us.

The Oxford dictionary defines guilt as: 'a feeling of having committed wrong or failed in an obligation'

However, in my opinion we are all on a path to discover (or perhaps uncover) freedom. There is an element within all of us that wants some kind of freedom. We may search for it through different means, but at the end of the day - the underlying driving force is the desire to be free.

Isn’t it then, counter intuitive to assume that anything we feel ‘obligated’ to achieve is going to be liberating? You can’t attain a sense of freedom through a sense of duty, obligation or liability. Perhaps some of us are better at following orders than others, but at the end of the day, most of us just want to ‘do what we want’ and will rebel against any burdened activity.

For some of us, what we 'want' isn't always healthy, but FORCING yourself to do the right thing for your body and mind isn't the same thing as UNDERSTANDING WHY you should do the right thing for your body.

These days, it’s so common for guilt to be present in the health and wellness industry that we will even disguise it with a pretty mask called ‘motivation’. We advertise certain foods as either ‘Guilt Free’ or ‘Cheat Meals’. We aim to repent our lifestyle sins in the gym, or with a lack of food (or carbs), or worst of all through the punishment of negative statements towards the body we are unsatisfied with.

Now, the guilt thing may work for a few hours, weeks, days or even months. But, as I mentioned earlier, as creatures that are seeking pleasure and freedom - guilt (and guilts best friend, shame) just won’t help you maintain longevity in your health and fitness regime. At some point you’re going to want to break free from that sense of guilty responsibility and you’ll fall into the love child of Shame and Guilt - the binge. 

Anyone who has ever experienced this guilt and shame spiral will be very aware of the liberating binge - and it’s not fun because straight after the binge, comes another bout of guilt and shame - and the saga continues. Honestly the plot is about as repetitive as an east enders episode.

Here are my top tips to bring abolish guilt - get them into your life now:

1. Train for a skill - I harp on about it I know, but really - in my experience as an athlete and as a trainer, if you focus on achieving a skill (like a squat or a push up) you feel powerful. Feeling powerful is a big part of feeling free (not in a weapons-of-mass-destruction-kind-of-way, but in a I-am-strong-in-body-and-mind kind of way). When you shift your ‘why’, your ‘motivation’ from aesthetics to skills, you will feel great after every session and you won’t be at the mercy of your self-esteem which is always fluctuating based on life events.
2. Eat to Nourish, not to Punish - Your food is your fuel. If you bought yourself a ferrari, I bet you that you would fill it with the best Octane 97 refined petrol on the market, because you would want to keep that baby purring like a kitten. The same goes for your body. It’s important that you see you food as the life giver that it is and let it nourish you. Give your body the food it needs to best get through it’s day. If you eat to nourish you will not fall into the likelihood of a binge or of self-inflicted starvation.
3. Stop using Instagram fitness models as your fitspo - unless they are doing something physically impressive that you want to be able to do, using someone else’s body as your ‘body goals’ is not reinforcing the right message within your mind because it’s again, using aesthetics as a motivating factor. It’s also important to remember that photos are highly filtered these days, lighting plays a huge part in abdominal highlighting and you have no idea how much these boys and girls are actually being paid to stay lean. 
4. Stop comparing yourself to others - Genetics, lifestyle, career, money, body type, muscle mass, training history, metabolism… all these things play a huge part in what sets us each apart. Although we are the same at our core, it’s our physicality that sets us apart. What works for her, doesn’t necessarily work for you. Until science proves that the act of comparison leads to fat loss and cures cancer, quit comparing.  
5. Use Education to motivate - Learn not just what is healthy, but why it's healthy. The easiest way for me to keep eating more greens, reducing processed foods and drinking more water, was not because I saw Victoria Secret models doing it, but instead because I decide to learn the benefits of practicing those healthy habits. Learning facts (scientifically backed facts) about the foods you consume (or perhaps should reduce) will be more consistently motivating than just trying to copy some celebrity and guilt won't even need to cross your mind.

Any more ways that you like to abolish guilt? Comment them below!

Let's help each other.

Absolutely nothing to do with a hangover.

An unfortunately common occurrence throughout summer but what exactly is a hangover and can it be cured by ‘sweating it out’ with a workout or vegemite toast? (yes my first boyfriend told me it would cure a hangover if I had it while I was drunk. I’m not sure whether he was teasing me or just as gullible as me).

The hangover, known also as veisalgia (the norwegian word for ‘unpleasant side effects of debauchery) is usually caused by a few things;

1. Dehydration - Alcohol has a diuretic effect because it inhibits the pituitary section that secrets Vasopressin or ADH (anti-diuretic hormone). This hormone usually acts on the kidney to reabsorb water and helps the body to retain water. Obviously in the case of alcohol with this being inhibited we let go of A LOT of water. Symptoms of dehydration include; headaches, dry skin, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, bad breath, muscle cramps, fuzzy brain, poor concentration, irritability, food cravings - sound familiar? It can equate to a big portion of what you experience when you’re hungover.

2. Acetaldehyde levels - This is the poisonous stuff that, on top of dehydration just makes you feel really, really, really shit. After alcohol is swallowed, it is absorbed primarily from the small intestine into the veins that collect blood from the stomach and bowels and from the portal vein, which leads to the liver. From there it is carried to the liver, where it is exposed to enzymes and metabolized. The rate of the rise of BAC is influenced by how quickly alcohol is emptied from the stomach and the extent of metabolism during this first pass through the stomach and liver* Acetaldehyde is the result of the liver breaking down the alcohol with an enzyme called dehydrogenase. Eventually friendly glutathione comes to help attack nausea and headache inducing, toxic Acetaldehyde, converting it into Acetic Acid which is non toxic to the body. However, the liver only has so much glutathione and when you massively binge, it struggles to keep up with the overload. So basically you’re destined to feel shit until the poison is cleared.

3. Fatigue - this depends on the quality of your sleep, how long for and most importantly, in who’s bed (if it was your ex’s, it’s more than likely the hangover will be much worse). While fatigue is a pretty self explanatory factor in feeling shit, for some reason we seem to overlook it. I’ve even read articles in health magazines promoting a workout during a hangover because it will help you get over it. The only way to get over fatigue is to sleep and let your circadian rhythm fall back into it’s natural state. Barbells are an OH&S hazard at the best of times, we don’t need to increase the risk of a poor lift by adding fatigue into the mix.

The Cure:

I’m going to be really frank here scientifically speaking there is no cure for a hangover and nothing angers me more than when I hear of people going to hot yoga or for a cardio class to try to cure a hangover.

Let’s not forget why you feel like shit, you’re dehydrated - so hot yoga or more sweating is only going to make things worse. Please lets together acknowledge that it’s not the best way to care for our bodies. They don’t need to be punished, we’ve already done that by poisoning them with alcohol, now we need to rest and follow these steps of self care and love;

1. Rehydrate - with water and some coconut water. I like to use 500ml coconut water, a pinch of chia seeds, 500ml filtered water and a pinch of sea salt to help rehydrate me, then I will just smash water for the rest of the day. Slowly but consistently.
2. Bananas - potassium to again help with the mineral loss from dehydration.
3. Sleep. Yep, that’s an obvious one.

What about L-cysteine that helps to produce glutathione you ask?

Well, there’s just no scientific evidence to suggest that post dietary consumption of that amino acid can actually ‘cure’ a hangover. So by all means give it a go, but I can’t guarantee that it will work. But hey, I’m into crystals so I say if a placebo works, then it’s a win win situation.

Happy Monday!

x

Here are 5 reasons that I vote for plants over pants

Plants give you nutrients  

Pants (could) give you a rash (if you wash them in the wrong detergent)

Seriously though: Consuming more vegetables will increase your nutrient intake. Vitamins are found in vegetables in abundance, particularly Vitamin C and A which are heavily involved in immune function. Vegetables also contain minerals like Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium. 

Plants support the body to detoxify.

Pants, based on their location on the body actually hold toxins in.

Seriously though: Detoxification is a trendy word now, and has been somewhat over simplified in the wellness blogosphere. I’m going to be the bearer of bad news and say that you can’t ‘detoxify’ one night out by having a green juice the next morning. That’s not how it works. You’re body, especially your liver, is in a constant state of detoxification - there are two phases of detoxification P1 and P2. Nutrient availability (coming from dietary sources) play a huge part in the success of these detox phases. If you’re low in specific nutrients, you’re ability to detoxify is inhibited. A diet rich in various plants, particularly cruciferous veggies, will ensure that your liver (and body) detoxifies efficiently.**

Plants are high in fibre.

Pants are probably high in fibre, but it’s not possible to eat them.

Seriously though: Probably the most common benefit that comes to mind when you think of fibre is staying ‘regular’. This is definitely true and important as waste elimination is imperative. However fibre also helps to control blood sugar, can lower your risk of a stroke***, can help your skin through removal of yeast and fungus helping to prevent and reduce acne and rashes.

Plants are full of anti-oxidants.

Pants are not.

Seriously though: I recently wrote a blog about the benefits of anti-oxidants. Essentially they are nutrients that prevent oxidisation. Oxidisation occurs through free-radicals. Free-radicals are unstable molecules that are very reactive (as they are seeking electron balance). Without getting into a chemistry lesson here the main thing to understand is that if you don’t have enough anti-oxidants within the system, free radicals (both from external sources and internal production) can wreak havoc on your cells and cause damage. A lot of research is now suggesting that excessive free radicals are to blame for many degenerative diseases.****

70,000 Plant species are actually used for medicine.

Pants are so restrictive that they cause us to feel sick and eventually need medicine.

Seriously though: Before the era of pharmaceuticals and lab made drugs we used plants to heal from various ailments. Still to this day many herbalists, chinese doctors, ayruvedic doctors, shamans and many more alternative doctors use plants to heal the body. We tend to use synthetic medicines in the West because they are fast acting and efficient and I would by no suggest avoiding or ignoring the benefits that have come from technological advances made in the way of medicine, however science is well researched on the various benefits of plants for medical purposes. A study on ginger and sumatriptan found that it yielded comparable results in treatment of Migraines with much less side effects*****. Cool right?

*Statements about plants are backed by science, statements about pants are not. They are purely based on my own observational studies.

**http://www.acudoc.com/phytonutrients%20and%20detoxification.PDF

***http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/03/27/STROKEAHA.111.000151.abstract

****http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7619452

*****http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23657930

Food is fuel, there is absolutely no doubt about it, and yet somehow over time we have started to develop a different opinion about its role in our life.

Unless you’ve been living in an isolated, wifi free, himalayan cave (which would go down perfectly for me right now, I’m currently about to board a rush-hour tube), you will probably have noticed the increased attention to food over the past decade. This is great - because now we are more open to sharing healthy recipes and food ideas, highlighting that healthy can be delicious and nutritious and that eating açai might very well make you a better person.

Thanks to advancements in technology food is much more pleasurable, an art form almost. It is also a very big part of our social lives and social media material, the fact that #foodporn is a very commonly used and understood word should speak volumes to that fact, also proving that it consumes a very big part of our minds, not just our bodies. 

To eliminate the gargantuan amount of conflicting nutritional information there is out there, I aways recommend that my clients think of their food as fuel - that’s it. Everything from a Snickers bar to a lettuce leaf is a make up of Macro nutrients (protein, carbs, fats and fibre) and also Micro nutrients (various vitamins and minerals). So no, not all fuel comes with the same energy potential or even nutrient breakdown - but, it is all fuel.

Pre and post workout nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t have to carry around a supplement box the size of a supermodel's make up bag to be strong, lean and athletic. Instead, you just need to ensure you're getting a range of nutrients to fuel your goals - be it fat loss, muscle gain or a little of both.

Following on from my last blog post on strength training with New Balance, I wanted to give you guys some matching nutritional suggestions to go with it, including a few tips based around eating to fuel your workouts:

1. Protein is amazing and is made from amino acids. We are amino acid built organisms so it’s imperative for us to consume them, not just for our muscles, but also for our hair, skin, nails - all connective tissue really. I eat protein with nearly every meal, accept in the cases of an in-between-meal green juice or green salad where I am just trying to increase my greens consumption. If you don't achieve balanced and adequate amino acid consumption you will also find that you recover a lot slower which will ultimately slow down your results and leave you feeling really tired and grumpy - no amount of instagram fitspo is going to cure a protein deficient brain.

2. Consume your carbs around workouts. Carbohydrates are used for more than just energy, they actually help your muscles to recover through replenishing depleted glycogen stores in the muscles that occurred during the workout. Glycogen is the primary fuel your muscles use for energy production so it’s extremely important to replenish it. Now you can understand why you got so tired during that low-carb diet...

3. Eat fat to be phat - essential fatty acids are imperative for recovery from training. Essential because the body can’t produce them by itself, it needs additional help. These two essential fatty acids are linoleic and Alpha-linoleic, these fatty acids are used to create specialised fats called Omega 3 and Omega 6. As well as disease prevention these fatty acids are also responsible for recovery, the faster you recover from your workouts, the more intense your training regime can be, the more intense your regime the better and more efficient the results. 

Here is an example of a post workout smoothie (after a weight training, strength session):

Protein: 30g Rice & Pea Protein or 30g Whey

Carb: 100g Mango & 100g mixed berries (on top)

Fat: teaspoon coconut oil (while it isn’t omega 3, 6 or 9 it contains amazing muscle sculpting benefits including the stimulation of insulin secretion and the replenishing of intramuscular fatty acids to again support recovery).

Other ingredients:

Ice - Sh*t loads of it because ice just makes all smoothies better

Filtered water

Oat Mylk (but feel free to use whichever you prefer)

Blend and Consume!

Ps. My gorgeous purple shoes come from New Balance of course! I get so many questions about these bright babies via social media. They are Boracay V2's and they make you feel like you're running on a gymnastics sprung floor. If only I had these when I was a gymnast! 

I've got a shit load on my plate at the moment. I am not complaining about it, It's amazing and my heart is bursting with excitement, but it's still stressful, and stress is a fact of life. 

One of the projects I'm working on is particularly creative and I find that if I'm even 2% more tired or stressed or even dehydrated, I see about a 67%* decline in general brain function and my ability to be creative and efficient. (*Obviously these stats are completely made up, but rounding up the percentage doesn't hold the same weight. 67% is just so much more legit right? Point is, you get my point.)

The irony of the situation is that I'm so busy that if I take time to relax, I get less done, which makes me more stressed. Sound familiar? I'm sure we've all experienced that conundrum at some stage in our life - perhaps it is life. 

However if your work is better quality you’ll spend less time on it, the only way to achieve quality work is to have quality rest. So finding clever ways to get R&R is actually a must.

Now when I’m this busy (and stressed) I’ve got one of two options;

1. Quit, shave my head and eyebrows and become a tibetan monk. I’m not joking, that is something I’ve always been interested in. Or;
2.  I can just make my relaxation practices more yielding and consistent which will enable me to be as effective as Donald Trump’s publicist but as chilled as a Caribbean coconut vendor. 

This week I've compiled for you some quick and effective ways to become more relaxed in less time - Kind of a busy Londoners guide to calming down - no it doesn’t involve signing to plants or investing in crystals (even though I do both those things);

1. Wake up in the Amazon: Unfortunately I’m not referring to online shopping, I’m talking about the actual Amazon (yes the one we keep cutting down to support our ever growing beef addiction). If not the Amazon, perhaps you find the beach more relaxing? What I’m referring to is your Alarm. Waking up to those naff alarm presets on your iPhone are hardly conducive for a relaxing start. I have set the following songs to wake me up in the morning. It prompts me to wake up calm, it’s also a reminder to meditate before I even leave the bed (see point 2). These are some of my favourite wake up songs/artists;
   • https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/native-american-flutes-sounds/id365433570 (Amazonian Flutes)
   • https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mantra/id273554553 (Mantras)
   • https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/gymnopedie-no.1-single/id847714522 (Classical Piano)
2. Meditate before you caffeinate: Following on from above, as soon as I wake up, I meditate. Hence why my alarm sound is key because I don’t have to look at my phone to turn off the alarm, the sound actually gets me into the meditation. The morning meditation is simply deeply conscious and mindful breath awareness - it’s nothing too complex. Just allowing the senses of my body to take over before my mental (or to-list) awareness takes over. Researches at the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy in Wake Forest's University School of Medicine found that even 4 days of brief meditation can improve the ability to sustain attention.1
3. Set regular stretch reminders on your phone: Apparently, since the invention of smart phones, our attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds (less than a gold fish). However our ability to multi-task has improved. Great, but my job requires more than 8 seconds of my attention, and I’m sure yours does too. Setting regular breaks to stretch (which will improve circulation to the brain) but will also alleviate the pressure that comes from trying to stay focused. I set a reminder every 45 minutes to get up, move and stretch and I find it helps tremendously.
4. Stop doing HIIT: If you’re stressed, why would you go and elevate your cortisol in a highly excessive way. High Intensity Interval training is great for burning fat, but NOT for supporting a calm body and mind. Don’t over do it. If your diet is in check, twice per week will be enough with one steady state cardio session if you’re really hell bent on fat burning.
5. Spend time in Nature: It’s hard in London, I really struggle with this one however it does reduce activity in the part of the brain that is responsible for depression and anxiety - so it’s kind of important.
6. Eat to nourish: Optimal brain function is fuelled by proper nutrition and potentially even nutrient timing. The reason I prefer to have carbs in the evening and protein in the morning is because Carbohydrates stimulate the release of serotonin (the netflix and chill neurotransmitter) and Protein (in particular Amino acid, Tyrosine stimulates Dopamine production and release (the gratification / motivation neurotransmitter that just helps you get stuff done like a boss).
7. Tech Detox: I have a rule, no social media past 9pm. It’s not necessary and at night time, my only time to let my brain recover, I don’t need to be getting into the deep vortex that is stalking your ex boyfriends new girlfriends dog. The scientific reasoning behind this tip is related to the disruption of our circadian rhythms with blue light technology on laptops, tablets and smart phones. It can actually wake us up and over stimulate the brain which in turn will effect the quality of your sleep.
8. Uplifting pre-bed reading material: So whatever you think about before you sleep is going to marinate in your subconscious for a good 6-8 hours. I have a strange obsession with reading true crime novels, but I had to stop because although they took my mind off work, they weren’t exactly cultivating beautiful thoughts before bed. Before bed I choose philosophy as it is a humble reminder of bigger and usually more positive concepts.

I really hope these help, as beautifully put by the incredible Vivian Greene, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, t’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Life can be stressful, it’s how you choose to react to the stress that determines your ability to survive and thrive.

If all of the above fails you can always book on my retreats:

Greece: 14th - 18th September in F_ Zeen Resort, Kefalonia - book here

England: 7-9th October in Champney’s, Forest Mere - book here

References:

1. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810010000681

I cringe at the thought of that title because you guys will know by now that I actually despise quick fixes and the ever constant focus that is placed on aesthetics and body fat (or a lack there of). I believe that the key to health and fitness sustainability lies in your intention. Focus upon feeling better, stronger and more skilful and you’ll always feel good about our training and nutrition. If being ‘slimmer’ is your only or number one reason to train or eat clean then your motivation will be at the mercy of a fluctuating self esteem. Add being a Cancerian to the mix and you’re guaranteed an undulating emotions and therefore emotional cravings regardless of self esteem. #shoutouttothewatersigns

However, that being said, the five tips I am about to share with you, will help you both short term and long term. They are very healthy practices that will only enhance your life if you take them on consistently. 

But sometimes what gets us on to a long term path is seeing the changes that can occur in a short space of time. So here they are:

• Hydration: Drink 4+ Litres of water per day. Now while it’s not imperative for you to drink that much water (as we can often get water from our foods) it does ensure that you’re adequately hydrated. Adequate hydration is imperative for fat loss and not just that, a leaner looking body. More often than not, looking puffy or undefined is related to water retention a common symptom of dehydration. Water also supports the kidney’s to do their job properly, allowing them to eliminate toxins. A high build up of toxins can also lead to fluid retention. Get that water down throughout the day particularly if you’re struggling with a little bit of retention. Adding a teeny bit of Sea Salt to the water will help you to stay hydrated too (but not too much, just a pinch). 

• Drop the booze: As a health professional I always feel this pressure to justify peoples cultural need to drink. But I can’t, in fact if you really want to get leaner, alcohol is absolutely a big obstacle, staring you right in the face, waving it’s high-caloric poisonous arms around. We slandered carbs as the bad guy but happily turned a blind eye to the blatant disruption and havoc that consistent alcoholic consumption can have. Now, I get that this may not be a long term possibility but if you want to be leaner in a short period of time, stop trying to out drink Russell Brand (well, the ‘old’ Russell, he’s changed now). Just try two weeks for me - including weekends. You will see and feel results. 

• Eat your starchy carbohydrates and sugars after weights workouts: When you lift weight, you use up the glycogen stores within the muscle to fuel the movement. When you finish a heavy (which I recognise is relative) weights workout you actually want to raise insulin to shuttle amino acids and glycogen back into the muscles for recovery. How can you do that? By consuming starchy, relatively high GI carbohydrates - think sweet fruits in a post workout protein shake or your protein choice with a nice big serving of baked sweet potato, or if you really can’t be assed, a scoop of protein and a scoop of dextrose in a shaker with water. A big sugar spike post weights workout will raise insulin at the right time to support muscle growth. Might I remind you that muscle growth is also what you mean when you say you want more definition, it’s not ‘getting bulky’. You can’t just drop body fat and expect their to be some shape under there - unless you’re going for that whole skinny fat look which is fine too but this is the wrong website to be on for that. Try TracyAnderson.com 😉 Kidding (but not really). The other benefit to doing this, is that you still get to have carbs in your diet, you just make use of them at the right time. They are important for brain and metabolic function so removing them from the diet completely can actually slow down the process of fat loss. 

• Go High protein and Fat post HIIT and Cardio: After a HIIT/Cardio session you actually want to keep insulin levels relatively low so that you don’t switch on storage. So think protein shake with water or mylk and cinnamon (to help lower blood sugar), or just simple protein like eggs and avocado with some greens (because less pants more plants).

• Have protein with every meal: If you’re not counting your Macros, use  the hand method of eating: 1 x protein portion the size of your palm and 2 x fist full of veggies at every meal. It really helps to keep portions both bespoke for you, but also consistent. Protein helps to produce and stimulate the wonderful neurotransmitter Dopamine which will help you to feel motivated, both in general for life, and for your workout! It will also satisfy you for longer meaning you’ll be less likely to reach for those crisps to pick you up at 3pm.

Take a calendar and mark out the 14 days that you’re going to stick to these tips verbatim. Let me know how you feel and look. Combine it with a regular weights, cardio and stretch regime and BOOM, you’ll be surprised at how incredible you’ll feel.

Remember these aren’t dangerous practices, I would NEVER recommend a crazy juice diet with lemons for breakfast and enemas for dinner because not only is it not sustainable (and risky if you’ve got to get on a busy tube), it’s highly likely that you will lose muscle, which will negatively effect your metabolism, potentially slowing it down.

After the 14 days, take note of how you feel and hey, if you feel good - why stop there?

Health is attainable but only if it’s sustainable. 

Wow. I never thought I’d start a blog like that. Although I will say that it has momentarily satisfied my mischievous and very immature inner child.

Before you click away in disgust at the title, the whole point of this blog was to talk about things that people don’t like to talk about, but often need to talk about.

Everyone farts, even that girl/guy you’ve been crushing on. Apparently 14 times per day (or half a litre per day) *although I have struggled to find any substantiated evidence/data on that, it just seems to be what everyone on the interwebs says.

The problem is that farting is also a social faux pas. The thought of farting in a public (quiet) place is awful, and yet holding in a fart is also unhealthy. What a predicament we so commonly find ourselves in.

I know many of you will have experienced trapped gas, which is very uncomfortable, but because of its social taboo, have probably felt too uncomfortable to ask how to release it.

I can’t stop you from farting - it’s commonly caused by the following;

1. The air we swallow
2. Chemical reactions in our intestines or the bacteria living there
3. A very tiny portion of gas (less than 20%) comes from venous blood seeping into the gut. 

There are obviously dietary precautions you can/should take to minimise gassiness, but this article is more directed at those of you that HAVE gas and need to alleviate it asap.

The reason the yoga fart is so common has a lot to do with the way in which yoga postures massage the digestive organs. I have constructed a series of postures that are best for getting out the gas - see them below;

• Pavanmuktasana - In sanskrit this pose literally means ‘Wind Removing Pose’. So yeah, it’s number one on the deflatulating list (yes I am well aware that it’s not a word, but I am making it a word). This posture massages the ascending and descending colons.
• Ustrasana - This posture is a back bend (obis). Safe backbends also massage and kind of open up the digestive organ area. Provided you are performing it without over extending, a backbend can bring about some very nice relief to trapped gas. I use camel pose as a reliever of motion sickness - unfortunately I don’t have the science to back this claim, it just works for me.
• Good Old Ass to Grass Squat - OK so I know this isn’t a yoga pose, it’s actually a life pose. As humans we should try to squat rather than sit. When you squat you naturally compress the ascending and descending colons as well as supporting the anorectal angle to facilitate some elimination. I know, sexy right? Maybe not sexy, but definitely healthy.
• Twisting Postures - Obviously there is a pattern forming here, we are trying to create some space, movement and blood flow around the gut area. Twists do just that. Be careful with the spine and never push beyond your limits.

Let’s say it’s date night and you’re about to stay over at your bae’s house for the first time, sneak off to the bathroom and perform these postures, holding it for a good 5 -10 breaths. Of course be gentle with your body and get permission from a physician first.

Hope it helps.

If you have chronic flatulence, I would highly recommend speaking to a dietician or qualified nutritionist.

x

Shona.

For a scientific review on what flatulence is check out - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16574342

Running is an excellent form of exercise as it demands work from the entire body however, most professional runners also under go a specific weight training programme to help strengthen and support their muscles. 

If you love to run, then I highly recommend protecting the longevity of your joints with regular weight training. You might be surprised at how much it will improve your speed and endurance.

When New Balance asked me to suggest some strengthening exercises for runners, I was excited to share with them some movements that focus on working the glutes, hamstrings and TVA (transverse abdomens), because it’s actually where the predominant force comes from while running. If the glutes are weak, the quads and other leg muscles will often attempt to compensate for this weakness potentially leading to knee or other joint issues. Strong glutes and core/TVA also help to protect the lower back from pain and injury. 

Prevention is better than a cure so I highly recommend adding these simple but effective exercises into your non running days:

Step Back Lunge - although a knee dominant movement (usually recruiting more of the quadriceps), a longer stride lunge will demand more from the glute and hamstring muscles. Make sure you drive through the heel to stand up. Carrying a kettle bell on one side enables you to enhance contralateral stability demanding more from your core.

Single Leg RDL - this is a tricky exercise, but a highly effective one for the glutes. Correctly performing even a regular deadlift with both feet on the ground can be complicated, let alone one foot. However I believe it’s essential that as a runner you become proficient at stabilising on one leg. Keep your spine neutral throughout the movement and hinge from the hips. Avoid rounding the spine and be sure to engage the lats (Latisimuss Dorsi).

Squat - This is not like a regular squat as the Kettle Bell is again loading up one particular side of your body. This puts extra demand on your core to stabilise the spine and keep you moving safely and efficiently. To encourage a little extra engagement through the glutes, try sitting back as you drop into the squat, rather than just moving up and down. You can also help to engage the glutes a little more by widening your foot stance beyond the shoulders. Make that booty work.

To shop the outfit go to www.newbalance.com

Abolish guilt because it usually works against us.

The Oxford dictionary defines guilt as: 'a feeling of having committed wrong or failed in an obligation'

However, in my opinion we are all on a path to discover (or perhaps uncover) freedom. There is an element within all of us that wants some kind of freedom. We may search for it through different means, but at the end of the day - the underlying driving force is the desire to be free.

Isn’t it then, counter intuitive to assume that anything we feel ‘obligated’ to achieve is going to be liberating? You can’t attain a sense of freedom through a sense of duty, obligation or liability. Perhaps some of us are better at following orders than others, but at the end of the day, most of us just want to ‘do what we want’ and will rebel against any burdened activity.

For some of us, what we 'want' isn't always healthy, but FORCING yourself to do the right thing for your body and mind isn't the same thing as UNDERSTANDING WHY you should do the right thing for your body.

These days, it’s so common for guilt to be present in the health and wellness industry that we will even disguise it with a pretty mask called ‘motivation’. We advertise certain foods as either ‘Guilt Free’ or ‘Cheat Meals’. We aim to repent our lifestyle sins in the gym, or with a lack of food (or carbs), or worst of all through the punishment of negative statements towards the body we are unsatisfied with.

Now, the guilt thing may work for a few hours, weeks, days or even months. But, as I mentioned earlier, as creatures that are seeking pleasure and freedom - guilt (and guilts best friend, shame) just won’t help you maintain longevity in your health and fitness regime. At some point you’re going to want to break free from that sense of guilty responsibility and you’ll fall into the love child of Shame and Guilt - the binge. 

Anyone who has ever experienced this guilt and shame spiral will be very aware of the liberating binge - and it’s not fun because straight after the binge, comes another bout of guilt and shame - and the saga continues. Honestly the plot is about as repetitive as an east enders episode.

Here are my top tips to bring abolish guilt - get them into your life now:

1. Train for a skill - I harp on about it I know, but really - in my experience as an athlete and as a trainer, if you focus on achieving a skill (like a squat or a push up) you feel powerful. Feeling powerful is a big part of feeling free (not in a weapons-of-mass-destruction-kind-of-way, but in a I-am-strong-in-body-and-mind kind of way). When you shift your ‘why’, your ‘motivation’ from aesthetics to skills, you will feel great after every session and you won’t be at the mercy of your self-esteem which is always fluctuating based on life events.
2. Eat to Nourish, not to Punish - Your food is your fuel. If you bought yourself a ferrari, I bet you that you would fill it with the best Octane 97 refined petrol on the market, because you would want to keep that baby purring like a kitten. The same goes for your body. It’s important that you see you food as the life giver that it is and let it nourish you. Give your body the food it needs to best get through it’s day. If you eat to nourish you will not fall into the likelihood of a binge or of self-inflicted starvation.
3. Stop using Instagram fitness models as your fitspo - unless they are doing something physically impressive that you want to be able to do, using someone else’s body as your ‘body goals’ is not reinforcing the right message within your mind because it’s again, using aesthetics as a motivating factor. It’s also important to remember that photos are highly filtered these days, lighting plays a huge part in abdominal highlighting and you have no idea how much these boys and girls are actually being paid to stay lean. 
4. Stop comparing yourself to others - Genetics, lifestyle, career, money, body type, muscle mass, training history, metabolism… all these things play a huge part in what sets us each apart. Although we are the same at our core, it’s our physicality that sets us apart. What works for her, doesn’t necessarily work for you. Until science proves that the act of comparison leads to fat loss and cures cancer, quit comparing.  
5. Use Education to motivate - Learn not just what is healthy, but why it's healthy. The easiest way for me to keep eating more greens, reducing processed foods and drinking more water, was not because I saw Victoria Secret models doing it, but instead because I decide to learn the benefits of practicing those healthy habits. Learning facts (scientifically backed facts) about the foods you consume (or perhaps should reduce) will be more consistently motivating than just trying to copy some celebrity and guilt won't even need to cross your mind.

Any more ways that you like to abolish guilt? Comment them below!

Let's help each other.

Absolutely nothing to do with a hangover.

An unfortunately common occurrence throughout summer but what exactly is a hangover and can it be cured by ‘sweating it out’ with a workout or vegemite toast? (yes my first boyfriend told me it would cure a hangover if I had it while I was drunk. I’m not sure whether he was teasing me or just as gullible as me).

The hangover, known also as veisalgia (the norwegian word for ‘unpleasant side effects of debauchery) is usually caused by a few things;

1. Dehydration - Alcohol has a diuretic effect because it inhibits the pituitary section that secrets Vasopressin or ADH (anti-diuretic hormone). This hormone usually acts on the kidney to reabsorb water and helps the body to retain water. Obviously in the case of alcohol with this being inhibited we let go of A LOT of water. Symptoms of dehydration include; headaches, dry skin, sunken eyes, low blood pressure, bad breath, muscle cramps, fuzzy brain, poor concentration, irritability, food cravings - sound familiar? It can equate to a big portion of what you experience when you’re hungover.

2. Acetaldehyde levels - This is the poisonous stuff that, on top of dehydration just makes you feel really, really, really shit. After alcohol is swallowed, it is absorbed primarily from the small intestine into the veins that collect blood from the stomach and bowels and from the portal vein, which leads to the liver. From there it is carried to the liver, where it is exposed to enzymes and metabolized. The rate of the rise of BAC is influenced by how quickly alcohol is emptied from the stomach and the extent of metabolism during this first pass through the stomach and liver* Acetaldehyde is the result of the liver breaking down the alcohol with an enzyme called dehydrogenase. Eventually friendly glutathione comes to help attack nausea and headache inducing, toxic Acetaldehyde, converting it into Acetic Acid which is non toxic to the body. However, the liver only has so much glutathione and when you massively binge, it struggles to keep up with the overload. So basically you’re destined to feel shit until the poison is cleared.

3. Fatigue - this depends on the quality of your sleep, how long for and most importantly, in who’s bed (if it was your ex’s, it’s more than likely the hangover will be much worse). While fatigue is a pretty self explanatory factor in feeling shit, for some reason we seem to overlook it. I’ve even read articles in health magazines promoting a workout during a hangover because it will help you get over it. The only way to get over fatigue is to sleep and let your circadian rhythm fall back into it’s natural state. Barbells are an OH&S hazard at the best of times, we don’t need to increase the risk of a poor lift by adding fatigue into the mix.

The Cure:

I’m going to be really frank here scientifically speaking there is no cure for a hangover and nothing angers me more than when I hear of people going to hot yoga or for a cardio class to try to cure a hangover.

Let’s not forget why you feel like shit, you’re dehydrated - so hot yoga or more sweating is only going to make things worse. Please lets together acknowledge that it’s not the best way to care for our bodies. They don’t need to be punished, we’ve already done that by poisoning them with alcohol, now we need to rest and follow these steps of self care and love;

1. Rehydrate - with water and some coconut water. I like to use 500ml coconut water, a pinch of chia seeds, 500ml filtered water and a pinch of sea salt to help rehydrate me, then I will just smash water for the rest of the day. Slowly but consistently.
2. Bananas - potassium to again help with the mineral loss from dehydration.
3. Sleep. Yep, that’s an obvious one.

What about L-cysteine that helps to produce glutathione you ask?

Well, there’s just no scientific evidence to suggest that post dietary consumption of that amino acid can actually ‘cure’ a hangover. So by all means give it a go, but I can’t guarantee that it will work. But hey, I’m into crystals so I say if a placebo works, then it’s a win win situation.

Happy Monday!

x

Here are 5 reasons that I vote for plants over pants

Plants give you nutrients  

Pants (could) give you a rash (if you wash them in the wrong detergent)

Seriously though: Consuming more vegetables will increase your nutrient intake. Vitamins are found in vegetables in abundance, particularly Vitamin C and A which are heavily involved in immune function. Vegetables also contain minerals like Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium. 

Plants support the body to detoxify.

Pants, based on their location on the body actually hold toxins in.

Seriously though: Detoxification is a trendy word now, and has been somewhat over simplified in the wellness blogosphere. I’m going to be the bearer of bad news and say that you can’t ‘detoxify’ one night out by having a green juice the next morning. That’s not how it works. You’re body, especially your liver, is in a constant state of detoxification - there are two phases of detoxification P1 and P2. Nutrient availability (coming from dietary sources) play a huge part in the success of these detox phases. If you’re low in specific nutrients, you’re ability to detoxify is inhibited. A diet rich in various plants, particularly cruciferous veggies, will ensure that your liver (and body) detoxifies efficiently.**

Plants are high in fibre.

Pants are probably high in fibre, but it’s not possible to eat them.

Seriously though: Probably the most common benefit that comes to mind when you think of fibre is staying ‘regular’. This is definitely true and important as waste elimination is imperative. However fibre also helps to control blood sugar, can lower your risk of a stroke***, can help your skin through removal of yeast and fungus helping to prevent and reduce acne and rashes.

Plants are full of anti-oxidants.

Pants are not.

Seriously though: I recently wrote a blog about the benefits of anti-oxidants. Essentially they are nutrients that prevent oxidisation. Oxidisation occurs through free-radicals. Free-radicals are unstable molecules that are very reactive (as they are seeking electron balance). Without getting into a chemistry lesson here the main thing to understand is that if you don’t have enough anti-oxidants within the system, free radicals (both from external sources and internal production) can wreak havoc on your cells and cause damage. A lot of research is now suggesting that excessive free radicals are to blame for many degenerative diseases.****

70,000 Plant species are actually used for medicine.

Pants are so restrictive that they cause us to feel sick and eventually need medicine.

Seriously though: Before the era of pharmaceuticals and lab made drugs we used plants to heal from various ailments. Still to this day many herbalists, chinese doctors, ayruvedic doctors, shamans and many more alternative doctors use plants to heal the body. We tend to use synthetic medicines in the West because they are fast acting and efficient and I would by no suggest avoiding or ignoring the benefits that have come from technological advances made in the way of medicine, however science is well researched on the various benefits of plants for medical purposes. A study on ginger and sumatriptan found that it yielded comparable results in treatment of Migraines with much less side effects*****. Cool right?

*Statements about plants are backed by science, statements about pants are not. They are purely based on my own observational studies.

**http://www.acudoc.com/phytonutrients%20and%20detoxification.PDF

***http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2013/03/27/STROKEAHA.111.000151.abstract

****http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7619452

*****http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23657930

Food is fuel, there is absolutely no doubt about it, and yet somehow over time we have started to develop a different opinion about its role in our life.

Unless you’ve been living in an isolated, wifi free, himalayan cave (which would go down perfectly for me right now, I’m currently about to board a rush-hour tube), you will probably have noticed the increased attention to food over the past decade. This is great - because now we are more open to sharing healthy recipes and food ideas, highlighting that healthy can be delicious and nutritious and that eating açai might very well make you a better person.

Thanks to advancements in technology food is much more pleasurable, an art form almost. It is also a very big part of our social lives and social media material, the fact that #foodporn is a very commonly used and understood word should speak volumes to that fact, also proving that it consumes a very big part of our minds, not just our bodies. 

To eliminate the gargantuan amount of conflicting nutritional information there is out there, I aways recommend that my clients think of their food as fuel - that’s it. Everything from a Snickers bar to a lettuce leaf is a make up of Macro nutrients (protein, carbs, fats and fibre) and also Micro nutrients (various vitamins and minerals). So no, not all fuel comes with the same energy potential or even nutrient breakdown - but, it is all fuel.

Pre and post workout nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated and you don’t have to carry around a supplement box the size of a supermodel's make up bag to be strong, lean and athletic. Instead, you just need to ensure you're getting a range of nutrients to fuel your goals - be it fat loss, muscle gain or a little of both.

Following on from my last blog post on strength training with New Balance, I wanted to give you guys some matching nutritional suggestions to go with it, including a few tips based around eating to fuel your workouts:

1. Protein is amazing and is made from amino acids. We are amino acid built organisms so it’s imperative for us to consume them, not just for our muscles, but also for our hair, skin, nails - all connective tissue really. I eat protein with nearly every meal, accept in the cases of an in-between-meal green juice or green salad where I am just trying to increase my greens consumption. If you don't achieve balanced and adequate amino acid consumption you will also find that you recover a lot slower which will ultimately slow down your results and leave you feeling really tired and grumpy - no amount of instagram fitspo is going to cure a protein deficient brain.

2. Consume your carbs around workouts. Carbohydrates are used for more than just energy, they actually help your muscles to recover through replenishing depleted glycogen stores in the muscles that occurred during the workout. Glycogen is the primary fuel your muscles use for energy production so it’s extremely important to replenish it. Now you can understand why you got so tired during that low-carb diet...

3. Eat fat to be phat - essential fatty acids are imperative for recovery from training. Essential because the body can’t produce them by itself, it needs additional help. These two essential fatty acids are linoleic and Alpha-linoleic, these fatty acids are used to create specialised fats called Omega 3 and Omega 6. As well as disease prevention these fatty acids are also responsible for recovery, the faster you recover from your workouts, the more intense your training regime can be, the more intense your regime the better and more efficient the results. 

Here is an example of a post workout smoothie (after a weight training, strength session):

Protein: 30g Rice & Pea Protein or 30g Whey

Carb: 100g Mango & 100g mixed berries (on top)

Fat: teaspoon coconut oil (while it isn’t omega 3, 6 or 9 it contains amazing muscle sculpting benefits including the stimulation of insulin secretion and the replenishing of intramuscular fatty acids to again support recovery).

Other ingredients:

Ice - Sh*t loads of it because ice just makes all smoothies better

Filtered water

Oat Mylk (but feel free to use whichever you prefer)

Blend and Consume!

Ps. My gorgeous purple shoes come from New Balance of course! I get so many questions about these bright babies via social media. They are Boracay V2's and they make you feel like you're running on a gymnastics sprung floor. If only I had these when I was a gymnast!