fun, accessible workouts for women
Kate Kendall is kind of a big deal in the yoga world… so much so that even I (one of the un-yogiest people in Sydney) know exactly who she is and admire her from afar – in a completely above-board and non-creepy way. The co-founder and Director of Yoga at Flow Athletic in Sydney’s Paddington, Kate’s approach to yoga is inspirational but still accessible – she’s hosted a couple of events I’ve been to and has a knack for making even total novices like me (I struggle to touch my toes and my downward dog looks kind of like a basset hound having a fit) feel really comfortable. And – lucky us – today she’s taken time out to share her thoughts on how to add yoga into a fitness routine….
Fridays are for fun, right? And although some of us (me! me!) would consider a 45-minute gym session fun, I’m willing to accept that not everyone feels the same. So… what to do when you want to do something, but not that. When you want it to be short, sweet and to the point? A 15-minute HIIT workout of course!…
A couple of weeks ago I spoke to Michael Cunico, National Personal Training Manager at Fitness First, to get a little insight into the most common mistakes he sees happening in the gym (you can check out the full post here). Today he’s back, and we’re talking personal trainers – how a good trainer can help combat these mistakes and what you should look for when you’re searching for a PT.…
So you know how I did that post last Friday on Five Health Mistakes to Avoid This Weekend? Yeah I definitely made a few of them myself on the weekend. Irony is a bitch. So is wine when you drink too much of it….
Oh my oh my oh my. I feel like I blinked and now the weekend is over Team. It was a crazy busy one, full of workouts and catch-ups and puppy cuddles and a little too much wine. Some would say that’s exactly the way a weekend should be!…
Can I let you in on a guilty secret? I’m always skipping out on ab stuff. Unless I sneak it into the middle of my workouts there’s no freaking way I’ll be doing it… I just always find something better to do, like run off to my next appointment, eat my lunch, watch the grass grow. So usually I try to approach abs in a similar way to a mother trying to get her child to eat veggies without it noticing what’s going on. Except in this scenario I’m the mother and the child. It’s a bit like squats, push-ups, plank, lunges… what? Noooo, no abs here Jess, you totally imagined it.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Let’s face it, it can be hard to fool yourself in this kind of scenario. I shouldn’t be such a baby about it though. After all, I know how good it is for me, and who doesn’t want a killer six-pack? (Or at least a two-pack, right?). And throughout the 28-Day Abs Challenge I’m really diligent! But then I fall back into back habits.
Anyway, this week I’ve decided that I will commit to a short standalone abs workout on five of the seven days. It’ll only take 10 minutes and you should do it with me!
Whaddaya ya say?
Super cute yet largely irrelevant meme. Tenuous boxer/boxing link is all I’ve got.
Skipping. It’s not something I’ve done a huge amount of since Jump Rope for Heart back in primary school. Well, that was the case until this past week or so anyway. A few friends and I from work are in the process of learning how to box properly (as opposed to the more boxing-for-fitness stuff I currently do with my groups). As part of that, our trainer (also a colleague) is making us do a lot of skipping, to help us become lighter on our feet. Can I just tell you, I had almost forgotten just how awesome skipping is. What a most excellent workout indeed!…
Exercise. We’ve all gotta do it, right, but sometimes the idea of getting to the gym is about as appetising as swallowing a handful of super-hot chillies. I.e Not that appetising (unless you’re into that sort of thing)….
Holy moly it is good to be home. Got here about mid-afternoon yesterday, hung with my very excellent
family and then went into my bedroom to unpack only to realise that I’ve made two fairly epic packing fails: 1. I left my laptop charger in Sydney and 2. I appear to have packed 7 gym tops, 6 gym bottoms and NOT A SINGLE PAIR OF REGULAR BOTTOMS. No shorts, no skirts, heck, not even a casual dress. What an idiot…
Anyway, this morning I got up at 5.30am and put on one of my 85 gym outfits, then Fraser and i did a (very painful) 7km run (note to self: alcohol is not conducive to PBs) and now Keat and I are heading to Yamba to buy some normal-person clothes and have breakfast. She’s driving, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to post my final pre-Christmas advanced workout… On my phone, given the laptop sitch.
It’s a bit of a doozy, I hope you enjoy it!
2 sleeps ’til Santa! Xxx