fun, accessible workouts for women
Anyone else noticed that reformer Pilates studios are popping up about the place more frequently than babies in your Facebook feed recently? Don’t get me wrong, I L O V E reformer, but it can be hard to know which studios are the real deal, and which you’d be better off steering clear of. Well never fear, today I bring you three Reformer Pilates studios in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney that you need to try….
You’re working out on the reg, but for some reason still not seeing the results you want. Well that doesn’t seem fair, does it?
Here’s a few of the most common ways you might be sabotaging your workouts, along with some simple fixes. Recognise any of them? Yah, me too ….
So it turns out that trying to write my first blog post after having a baby is quite an intimidating proposition. So much has happened in the past eight months… where do I start? How much do people want to hear? How much am I even comfortable sharing? It’s strange, I’ve never had any issue with sharing my life relatively openly, but that changed quite a bit once I fell pregnant. It felt like something I wanted to keep quieter about (for reasons that I still don’t fully understand). And it felt weird sharing parts of my life on here, knowing there was this life-altering thing happening that I wasn’t talking about. Nekminit, months go by, I haven’t written a blog post, have barely posted on Facebook or Instagram, and you still haven’t met my littlest love!…
Ahhh December. The month that binge drinking and 2am kebabs move beyond being socially acceptable and into the realms of ‘heavily encouraged’. The sad fact is though (and I promise this isn’t just the jealous pregnancy hormones talking) that such behaviour reallllllly isn’t good for you over a prolonged period of time. So… how to ensure you can have a good time AND stay healthy this party season? Well, I’m glad you asked…
Drink more water. Then, drink more water
Your alcohol intake is probably going up, right? And the temperature is going up at the same time. Keep a water bottle with you at all times (I’m a big fan of these ones from Lululemon), and make sure you’re alternating one alcoholic beverage for a glass of water when you’re Christmas party-ing up a storm.
Stock your house with healthy, simple foods
If you don’t have a fridge full of easy-to-prepare healthy foods, you’ll probably find yourself reaching for the Uber Eats app far more than is ideal. Think veggies and fruit of all colours, simple snacks like yoghurt and nuts, and pantry staples like tinned tuna, canned beans and those 90-second packets of rice (sidenote: I don’t think I’ve cooked rice in a saucepan for about three years). If you’re afraid of wastage, check out some of the meal-delivery services in your area… Marley Spoon is a fave of mine.
Consciously modify your training routing
If you know that you’re not going to make it to your usual two Pilates classes, two 10km runs and two 60-minute gym sessions then ditch the guilt and get them out of your diary! Instead, plan out an achievable program that you’re excited to stick to. It might be the perfect time of year to ditch those long gym sessions and try out some 20-minute HIIT sessions instead!
Eat (well) BEFORE you party
Hands up if you get socially excited at Christmas parties and find yourself either a) entirely bypassing food for alcohol or b) shovelling party pies into your mouth like you’ll never have the opportunity to eat another in your entire life… oh, don’t be embarrassed, we’ve all been there. Whip yourself up a quick meal before you leave the house and give yourself the nutrients you need, while lining your stomach against all the alcohol you’re about to consume. It’s what we in the business call a win-win.
Walk more
If you reallllly want to stay healthy this party season, it’s time to take things up a notch. Combat those extra cocktail-related calories with as much incidental exercise as possible. Walk to work, walk to the beach, walk to your Christmas party (bonus points and killer calves if you do it in heels), walk with friends… it’s such a beautiful time of year, why not get out, do yourself some good and burn some energy while you’re at it (just don’t forget the sunscreen).
Prepare an anti-hangover kit for future-you
It’s 2am. You’ve been dancing the night away with your best pals, skipping dinner, throwing back negronis (oh how I miss negronis) and just generally living your best life. But it’s time to go home. You COULD get a kebab and a bottle of coke on your way (eew) ORRRRR you could give yourself a pat on the back as you head home to that Hydralite on your bedside table, and that delicious (but healthy) bowl of complex carbs, protein and veggies that you prepared earlier (have I lost you there? What about a toasted sandwich on grainy bread then?). Have a shower, jump into bed and treat yourself to a sleep in… you deserve it.
What’s your fave way to stay healthy when everyone and everything is just B E G G I N G you to head out and party hard? Hit me up in the comments below.
As I write this, we are one month (minus one day!) out from Christmas. Yikes, right? And as if that wasn’t enough, between now and then I’ll be having a real life human baby of the male variety! I’m terrified and excited in equal parts, in case you were wondering. Now the good news for you is that the impending birth has made me more organised than usual. So much so, in fact, that I’ve got your one-stop 2018 Christmas Gift Guide right here AND I’ve turned it into a massive giveaway, with every single product up for grabs in the lead up to Christmas. Excited? You darn well should be!…
…but not in the way you might be thinking!
Big news, Team. Actually technically it’s little news, but you catch my drift. I’m adding to the Lazy Girl Fitness team, with a baby boy, due in December!…
As a platform, Instagram isn’t always the best thing for our mental health, so I try really hard to follow only people and brands that add some value to my life. The five inspiring women I’m sharing with you today are all very different humans, from very different backgrounds; some on the world stage and some local to Sydney (for now at least). I like each of them for different reasons, but they do all have one thing in common: they make me feel good about myself.
@becchambersfit
Bec has been real and raw and genuine on Instagram since way before it was cool. She’s strong, she’s fit, she is truly hilarious and she posts videos of herself dancing awkwardly on occasion (although not as often as she used to unfortunately). If you’ve ever felt like you’re not good enough/small enough/big enough/strong enough/’girly’ enough… any of those ‘enough’ statements, then you really need to be follow Bec. She’ll help you more than you’d imagine someone you’ve never met from Instagram possibly could.
@mistyonpointe
Oh man, Misty Copeland is just ridiculous. In 2015 she became the first African-American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, a groundbreaking achievement given there have been hardly any African-American principal ballerinas at major companies. Her Insta is a mix of breathtakingly elegant dance photos and images that give a bit of a peek into her ‘regular’ life (if we can call it that).
@becklomas
Beck Jackson is only 23, but she seems to have the maturity of someone 10 years older. Honestly if I’d had 30% of her maturity at that age I’d have been pretty grateful. Beck struggles with skin issues and I love how open she is with that conversation; it’s really refreshing. She’s super fit, and you can expect a decent whack of bikini images in her feed with captions that are often quite thought-provoking and always very real.
@chrissyteigen
OK so Chrissy Teigen has 16.3 million followers and you’re quite possibly already one of them. If you’re not, you don’t know what you’re missing out on! Chrissy is freaking hilarious, and I love how unashamedly herself she is, even with so many eyes on her. She says all the things we like to think we’d say if we were famous (but probably wouldn’t be funny enough or brave enough to actually say them).
@becomingjuliet
Julia Hunt must be one of the most likeable humans on Instagram. She uses the platform to spread messages of inclusion and love, and to talk about her experiences with anxiety and clubfoot. She’s gorgeous, funny and incredibly sweet. Must be something in the genetics because Julia is the younger sister of Libby Babet (2017 Biggest Loser trainer,) who is one of the nicest humans I’ve come across in the fitness industry in Sydney. Julia also has a really cute dog and I appreciate that in a person.
So that was 2017 huh? I swear that just before I blinked we’d been discussing 2016, but I guess until someone figures out how to slow down time (highly unlikely to be me guys) that’s the way the years are going to roll on.…
Hi team!
I am SO excited to announce that Lazy Girl Fitness has been named a finalist in the 2017 Bupa Blog Awards, in the wellness category….
I’ve sat down to write this blog post many, many times over the past few years. I’m not sure why I think that now is the right time… but here we are.
What you probably know about me is that I am genuinely passionate about making fitness and good health accessible to everyone, everywhere and that I truly believe in living a fit, healthy and balanced life, rather than one focused on achieving a particular type of physique. But what you probably don’t know, is why. Well today you’re getting the back story, so strap yourself in.…