On moving to Copenhagen, I was determined that my focus on
fitness and health wouldn’t suffer.
Although I had treated short visits like mini holidays, eating lots of
Lakrids by Johan Bulow and refined carbs, I had also continued to work-out
alone. I would get up early in the
morning and get a workout done before the kids woke up.
The most difficult thing about working out without a trainer,
however, is the timings. Having attended
over 50 classes with BodyTransformations in Baldoyle I knew the exercises, the
principles and the sequences but I couldn’t possibly remember everything whilst
working hard and using a stopwatch.
I searched for an Application that I could use on my phone
and came across Skimble, which was free.
I used it for the first time, and was a little sceptical but I shouldn’t
have worried. It allowed me to search
for routines that targeted certain body areas, lasted a particular length of
time or used specific types of equipment.
I could mix it up, spending 10 minutes on my arms, 12 minutes on my abs
and 30 minutes doing cardio, for example.
A computer generated voice cued the beginning of the
workouts, which for the most part had warm up and cool down exercises
included. There were instructions on how
to perform the exercises, should any of them have been unfamiliar, and images
of a person performing each movement in the exercise. The voice would introduce the next exercise
and count down from 5 seconds to allow you to prepare for the next part of the
workout. I was in heaven!
I used it so often that I decided to pay for the ‘Pro’
version that offered more workouts, video imagery and cues and tips from real
Personal Trainers. Not alone did it
offer workouts created by Skimble, it allowed me to create my own workouts and
share them with other users. I could
also access workouts created by these other users.
I have used this App for almost six months now, and I can’t
praise it highly enough. If you have
only ten minutes to do some exercise every morning, Skimble has something to
offer you.
The best time to use the App is in the mornings. I find that I function better in the mornings
if I have woken myself up with some exercise and a shower before I have to deal
with the kids. It’s hard enough to get
ready whilst dressing and feeding a two-year old and organising a seven-year
old without being half asleep and in pyjamas whilst doing it all!
If you still need some motivation to get going, why not get
some of your friends together and have some fun whilst getting fitter and
stronger? Don’t keep making excuses, the
hardest part of working out is making the decision to do it. Once you decide, don’t let anything stop you –
the weather, the kids and being tired are all fantastic excuses not to train….. But that’s all they are, excuses. I’ve offered some tips below to work around
those excuses:
Weather
Training Indoors - It’s raining or snowing so you can’t
drive/bike/bus to class? Get some
waterproofs on and just do it! You’ll
feel so much better afterward.
Training outdoors and the weather is…..
Cold - it’s actually easier to train when it’s cold. Wear layers that you can remove as you warm
up.
Raining - the rain is refreshing when you’re feeling the
burn and trees offer protection from torrential downpour.
Hot - If it’s hot, seek some shade under a tree and try to train
as early as possible, before the sun gets really hot.
Snowing – see ‘cold’ above J
Kids
Having the kids around when you want to train is difficult,
but there are some ways to work around this:
Get up early and train before they wake up. You’ll be better prepared to get them ready
for the day when you are fighting fit.
Get a friends together with their kids and have all of the
kids hangout beside you while you train.
Encourage older kids to look after younger ones and have plenty of
snacks and activities for them to do.
This can be done at a local park or at someone’s home. Take turns hosting the workout group and
providing healthy snacks after training.
It’s a great way to keep motivated.
Encourage your kids to join in – it sounds crazy but kids
love to be included, especially when it’s something to prove how strong they
are. We have kids from 2 to 12 taking part
in our workouts. They don’t do the whole
session or even whole exercises, but they love exercises like Burpees, Mountain
Climbers and Jumping Jacks because they’re great fun!
Tiredness
When you’re not feeling great, it’s sometimes your body’s way
of telling you to slow down and take a break.
But be honest, have you been pushing yourself really hard or are you
tired because this is a new way of life and your body needs time to
adjust?
Don’t put unnecessary strain on yourself or push yourself to
exhaustion, but do push yourself.
Becoming more fit and healthy is difficult and training is not
pretty. Even people in great shape look terrible
when working out and if it was easy everyone would be doing it! It will be worth it in the long term and it
is a lifestyle choice, not a fad. Think
of how proud you’ll feel when you start to see the benefits of more energy and
more strength, not to mention how fabulous you’ll look!
If you are starting on an exercise plan, do chat to your
doctor about your general health and well-being to prevent injury.
Good luck J
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