Positive (Fitness) Quotes

Just as much as I love a positive quote, recently, I've needed the odd positive fitness quote to spur me on and get my butt out of bed in the mornings. The bright blue skies hanging over Manchester in the mornings are now helping me more than ever in my quest to work out before work, but a little quote now and again, honestly does put a pep in my step.

I have days when lifting weights or adding another 10 minutes on a treadmill feels hard. I want to stop running, quit and leave, but if I remind myself that it will be worth it, then those few words can push me further and longer. It also helps that I'm starting to feel and see some results. Be they small, they are great. My thigh muscles are becoming firmer, there's alot less jiggle going on these days. Getting there of course involved alot of the dreaded squats, but as well as it being worth it, it also gets a little easier.

So whether fitness is your long term goal or perhaps you have another finish line in mind, just know that while it won't be easy, it will be worth it.

January Detox

We're 11 days into 2012 and I'm 11 days into a very important New Years resolution, a resolution which is made by numerous people every January and then again every Monday morning for the rest of the year! The resolution, the belief and power that this year....this year, you will get fitter, trimmer and healthier! This year I feel differently about this tried and tested resolution, perhaps because I turn the big and dreaded 3-0 in May and I don't want to spend my thirties obsessing about looks, weight, fitness and my lack of it, like I have done for the last 10 years. Life is too short.....but also life can be or could be considerably shorter if I don't improve my fitness levels!

With that in mind, I've joined the lovely gym in the university. I have and always have been a hater of the gym, I would stroll in, already demotivated, in bad form and annoyed for having to go there in the first place and then, I'd leave early, having barely broken a sweat. The best part is that I would wonder why I wasn't slimmer or fitter and pester the other half (who works out four times a week and has done every week since I've know him) to be my personal trainer!

This year, I have a new secret weapon, or at least have discovered something that is working incredibly well for me. Music, plain and simple. I've never been the type of person to buy mountains of CD's or drool over a boy band in my teenage years, but since becoming a lover of the iPhone, I've also become a lover of itunes, and as result, I've bought and downloaded albums specifically created for you to listen to when working out. 

Listening to music while working out may seem like an obvious "oh my god, I can't believe you DON'T listen to music while working out" choice, but honestly I had not realized the mega impact a good tune can have on your workout! So for those of you out there, thinking or currently engaging in a new regime...get yourself some tunes!! I recommend the following albums...(note: they are of the "Normally you'd run off to Ibiza  and drink the head of yourself with your 18 year old bezzie mates" type tunes!) 

• The Workout Mix 2012 
• Pump It Up - The Ultimate Workout Mix

All of the above are available on itunes, and will help towards a more fun workout!

Oh....and a decent shock absorbing (very important!) sports bra, don't forget to buy one of those!!