Holiday Work Outs

I know, I know, I have done it again and left it far too long in between blogs. I had a good excuse though, I had two holidays :)

Two holidays is a lot for one month and the extra eating combined with a lack of exercise can sometimes leave you feeling a tad podgy. This year I took steps to ensure I could minimise the excessive bloat.

The first thing I did, and it sounds very simple and straight forward, but I am sure a good chunk of you will agree, is easier said than done, I wasn't greedy. I went with the mindset that I would have one naughty thing a day. While this wasn't always the case, I did make sure to not have a dessert if I had an ice cream that day, and I tended to have one naughty meal and then tried to eat as best as I could for the other meals.

Generally, breakfast and lunches were healthy, but if a naughty lunch slipped in (cheese toasty I am looking at you) I kept the portions small.

In Sweden we spent all day walking around, so even if there was time for a workout, we certainly did not need it. Our best was 26,000 steps in one day. But in Cyprus, where we lounged and lazed, we had to work out but of course, being on holiday, we didn't want to waste precious tanning time so it had to be quick and effective.

The key was to do it first thing in the morning before it got too hot. I developed a quick (roughly 16 minute) HIIT routine designed to burn fat. I did it when I woke up before I ate to put my body into fat burning mode. Even though I did it at 9am most days while the back garden was still in the shade, it was brutal. The temperature was HOT HOT HOT and I was doing this in 32-35 degrees. Please bare in mind that you should only do what you can in this weather as you don't want to overheat and make yourself ill.

Matt and I also did a couple of 1.5mile runs. Sounds short, but you try running with the sun that hot pounding on your back. The extra sweat made up for the extra miles trust me.

So here is my HIIT Routine: It worked in 30 second stints and followed the same pattern of 30 second cardio burst, 30 second body weight exercise and 30 second rest. At the end of the routine, I rested for a minute and then repeated this two more times totaling 3 sets.

Mountain Climbers: Get on all fours into plank position. Bring your right knee up to your left elbow and then back. Repeat on the other side. Continue this pattern as fast as possible for 30 seconds.

Squats: We all know how to squat! Make sure your knees don't go over your toes and work and getting your bum lower to the ground each time.

Rest 30 seconds.

Burpees: My nemesis. Stand up straight, drop to the floor with your hands flat on the ground and jump your feet backwards. Jump your feet back towards your hands and then come back up and jump. (I did a knee tuck jump here sometimes - jump variation is up to you) And repeat the whole process. Sounds easy enough right? See if you still think that after 10 burpees.

Push Ups: Harder than you think. If you're a beginner, try the easier variation and put your knees on the floor.
Get into plank position and slowly lower your chest to the ground and come back again. Go as slow as you need to, it's better to do a proper push up then 20 half assed ones.

Rest 30 seconds.

Jumping Jacks: These are the fun ones. We all know how to do these. BTW, does anyone know if there is a difference between jumping jacks and star jumps?

Walking Lunges: (Walking part is optional) Lunge your right leg forward bending your left leg until the knee almost touches the floor. Each leg should come to a nice 90 degree angle. Now repeat on the other side. Do this on the spot or get some momentum going forward  to walk.

Rest 30 seconds.

High Knees (or run on the spot if you're tired): Simply run on the spot but try and bring your knee up as high as it will go. If you really push yourself, your heart rate should soar.

Plank: Depending on the floor (I had a hard tiled floor) Put your hands or your elbows flat on the floor, toes balancing out behind you and hold your core tight. 30 Seconds is a piece of cake ;)

If you're not sweating, you're not working hard enough!
Rest for One minute and repeat the whole process at least two more times. Hardcore folk can do 5 sets!

This is made easier with an interval timer. There are plenty of good apps available, the one I use sounds a great load noise every 30 seconds and is literally called IntervalTimer on the Apple App Store.

Of course, this doesn't have to just be a holiday work out. Try it at home when you're short on time. Let me know how you get on!

Hot Holiday Bods

When I say hot bods, I mean temperature, because wow was it hot when we tried to keep on top of our fitness levels when we holidayed in Cyprus last week.

It was tough! But, I just wanted to write a post to show how easy it is to tie in a workout without the gym or any equipment.

Myself and my partner Matt, did a couple of shorts run. They were short because it didn't matter what time of day it was, it was sweltering running or not running, especially as we were not accustomed to 30 degree heat.

But, I highly recommend even a short run along the sea front. I personally hate running on the beach but most places have paths along the top of the beach which are ideal to run on. It is so serene and beautiful running alongside the sea. It would make even the most dubious of runners enjoy themselves.

Alternatively - a routine such as my 12 minute workout is perfect for a quick and effective way to get your heart rate up. It can be done anywhere and adapted slightly if needs be.

Incline push ups

That is exactly what we did about half way though our holiday when we had a slightly overcast morning.

The 12 minute workout was our cardio and then we continued to do some body weight exercises. We used what we had to create a good routine. As it was the only day with a bit of cloud we used the opportunity to push ourselves and have a bigger session to feed our craving for the holiday.

We have been looking into a lot of doubles exercises lately and these push up taps were something new. We both loved them. It looks like a simple exercise but it isn't, you can really feel it working your core and balance. It is a great upper body work out.

Push up

Touch

This exercise, in which you both do a standard push up (keeping your body in a straight line) and when you come up, clap your right hands together, return to push up position and repeat but using the left hands.

It targets the chest, triceps and core whilst also testing your balance.

So, as you can see, even for a wannabee slob like myself, there is no excuse to fit in the odd workout here and there while you are on holiday - but please make sure it isn't your soul focus and you do relax. That is what holidays are for after all.

12 Minute Work Out

There have been a few occasions lately where like many of you - I have been too busy to get a full work out in. I usually have a routine and that has gone to pot over the past few months.

So I put together a quick work out with a range of all the exercises that I know are the most effective and target the whole body.

It takes approximately 12 minutes so if you have a little more spare time try doing it twice or even three times. I have to warn you though! If you do it properly it is hard and you will sweat!

Let me know how you get on!

Davina 15 minute fit: review

I just bought Davina's new workout DVD. At home workouts are not something I am used to but I noticed there was a vast selection these days. It also seemed like a great way to squeeze in a workout when pushed for time.
I love Davina and the fact that you could choose between doing a quick 15 minute workout up to an hour meant it seemed like the ideal choice.
Tonight I had to work late so it was the perfect opportunity to try it out rather than dragging myself to the gym at 8pm.
I must say when I first started I was worried that it would be a completely negative review. Luckily my opinion changed.
I'll get my negative comments out of the way first.
There is a selection of 15 minutes workouts; cardio, abs, arms, legs and chilled. Cardio was my first choice and I have to say it will not be next time. Maybe it is because I am already fit but I found it almost too easy, not a challenge at all. What irritated me was the way Davina seemingly pretended to be knackered after each set. I find it hard to believe it was difficult for someone of her fitness level and her exhaustion felt forced.
By the time it was over I did not feel like I had done a good workout and would probably have to repeat it three times to get something out of it.
But then I moved onto the abs section. That was great. I could really feel it working my core and the exercises were great. I felt hot and sweaty just like you should from a good routine. But still I felt I could do more so I moved on to legs.
This was led by the male instructor. One thing I have to say is this felt more like a good cardio workout than the section for cardio. It was high intensity and didn't waste any time. I finished a couple of hours ago and I can already feel a burn and I am sure it was from this section.
Once again, I must say I wanted to do the arms section but didn't have the necessary equipment and had way too much to do. I only had time for 30 minutes but managed to squeeze in 45.
Each section as it says in the name, is just 15 minutes so between each rep, as a fitness lover, I did not want to waste any time but move on to the next. However sometimes it felt as though we were lingering between moves.
Overall, I felt like I was in the room having fun with the instructors and it went fast. The workouts were over before I knew it, I enjoyed it and will be reusing the DVD when I can't fit the gym in. A very handy thing to have around.