January Goal : Moving Everyday

January is the month of good intentions, resolutions, projects and goals. We so often try to take on so much in the throes of our new found enthusiasm that we set ourselves up to fail early on and struggle to recover from the knock back.

I've set myself some resolutions, some projects I want to achieve through the year and some weekly/monthly goals. I'm as fallible as anyone when it comes to staying on track and feel as though I'm "ramping up" to some of my resolutions rather than diving in head first but one thing I felt compelled to include as a goal for January (and hopefully beyond) is moving my body every day. By that I mean doing something active, whether it be formal or informal exercise. So far this has included brisk walks, running, cycling to and from work, yoga and HIIT workouts in the privacy of my own home. I'm enjoying it and making a concerted effort to stick to it.

New Year parkrunning

As with everything, the smaller the step and the easier you can make it to achieve the goal, the more likely you are to stick to it and build the habit. I've not committed to doing a class everyday, not even something aerobic everyday, and many of these things are free as well! I've found the whole thing not only helping me to feel more energetic but also beneficial for my mental well being. Going out for a brisk walk at lunchtime helps to clear my mind and makes me more productive on my return.

Out on a chilly walk around the lake

Many of us are training for events or maybe just starting out in exercising in general but what ever your ability or circumstance I encourage you to join me in moving every day. Here are some cheap and easy ideas to get you started!

• A brisk 20-30 minute walk, perhaps around a local park, or with a friend
• parkrun. It's free, friendly and can be fun (unless you're trying to PB)
• Try a new exercise class. Check out your local community centre for nearby classes. Many will have special offers on
• Do a workout DVD. ALDI recently had some on offer but you can pick them up quite cheaply from many shops and online. Perhaps check out the charity shop.
• If you're keen on running then just go out for a run. It doesn't have to be miles. If you're tight on time try an interval workout. 
• Yoga or pilates are great for getting the body moving at low intensity. There are plenty of online videos and apps available to help you learn or to provide a routine. Yoogaia has a free 7-day trial of their pre-recorded classes at the moment.
• HIIT workouts are also brilliant for doing at home, with next to no equipment or space. Again there are plenty of ideas online but I like The Body Coach's YouTube channel at the moment.
• If you have a bike then cycling to the shops, to work, or your friend's house gets you moving without having to carve out too much extra time. 
• Skipping is highly under-rated in my opinion. Ropes are very cheap to buy and you can get a great workout in a very short space of time. Check out my blog post from last year for ideas.

And all that's just for starters. We can all find 20 minutes in our day to move around and it's so important to do. Will you join me for the rest of the month, moving every day, and let me know how you get on? What was your favourite activity? 

Working Both Sides Up : BOSU Workout

The BOSU is an increasingly popular piece of kit for both gym and home workouts. BOSU stands for Both Sides Up and is in effect half a Swiss ball mounted on a sturdy base. This makes it infinitely easier to store but still has a multitude of uses.

As the name suggests you can use the BOSU either stood on it's hard base or balanced on the soft inflated part. Here's a set of eight exercises that will work the whole body, challenge your balance and raise the heart rate. Try 2-3 rounds of 45 seconds work, 15 seconds rest on each exercise.

Toe Taps

With the BOSU on it's hard base, carefully take your start position balanced on the ball. Keeping the supporting knee soft (slightly bent), core tight and taking care with your balance, tap one toe out and to the floor. Come back to your start position and repeat with the other leg.

Burpee

With the BOSU hard side up, assume a plank or press up starting position gripping the sides of the base. Jump the feet in towards your hands then, picking up the BOSU, come up to standing and raise the BOSU over head. Place the BOSU back on the floor and jump the feet back to your starting position. You can perform a press up if you wish before repeating.

Press Ups

With the BOSU hard side up, grip the sides of the base and perform a press up. Due to the added instability this will work your arms and core more than a regular press up.

Lunges

There are two options for lunges using the BOSU, soft side up. Place either your front or back foot on the ball and perform a lunge as usual. If you are placing your front foot on the BOSU, you can perform alternate lunges, but if you are placing your back foot on the BOSU, perform all your reps on one leg first, before changing.

Mountain Climbers

With the BOSU hard side up, grip the sides of the base and assume a plank starting position. Keep your weight forwards, with shoulders over wrists. Engage the core muscles, keep the back flat and lift one knee up towards the elbow on the same side, return and repeat on the opposite side. Slow repeats will work the core more, while fast ones will give you more of a cardiovascular workout.

Glute Bridge

Lie on the floor with your bottom close to the BOSU which should be soft side up. Bend your knees, place your feet on the BOSU and lift your hips up. You can hold this position or pulse up and down. Keep the hips high with a straight line from knee to shoulder (unless pulsing). Rest hands on the floor palms up, to reduce the temptation to use your arms to make the move easier. To make this even harder straighten one leg and perform the move. Be sure to repeat on the other side.

Plank

With the BOSU soft side up, rest your toes on it and walk the hands out to extended plank position. Hold this, engaging the core, keeping the weight forwards and remembering to breathe!

Crunch

Take up position on the BOSU soft side up, lower back pressed into the ball, knees bent and feet firmly on the floor. Contract the core muscles as you raise the head and shoulders until you feel the muscles working. This is not a sit up, so the movement should be quite small. Don't pull on the neck and keep some space between the chest and the chin.

Do you use a BOSU as part of your workout routine? What's your favourite exercise?

Resistance Loop Workout

A resistance band loop or mini band is one of the smallest pieces of exercise equipment you can buy and at around £4 it could be one of the cheapest too. But don't underestimate this little bit of kit, it can be incredibly versatile for strength work and I love using it with my PT clients as an alternative to some more traditional exercises and to really focus on the stabilising muscles.

It's probably most commonly used to improve leg strength but it can be used for some upper body exercises too. Here's a mini workout using a selection of exercises to give you some inspiration. To get the most benefit from these exercises always control the movement, whether you're increasing the tension in the band or returning to the start position. Try not to let the band "snap" you back.

Lower Body

Box Step
Place the band around your ankles.
Step the box 5 times leading with your right leg, and 5 times leading with your left leg.
Targets: glutes, quads, hamstrings

The following exercises all require the band to be placed around the mid thigh.
Crab Walk
Start with feet together and knees slightly bent, take a big step to the right. With control, step the left foot to meet the right and repeat.
Try 2-3 rounds of 5 steps to the right and 5 steps to the left.
Targets: hip stabilisers

Running Man
From a standing position, jump the legs apart, one forwards and one backwards, into a very shallow lunge. Jump again to land the feet in the opposite positions. Repeat 10 times.
Targets: all major muscles in the lower body

Standing Glute Squeeze
Take your weight onto one leg, keeping a slight bend in the supporting leg. Squeeze your other leg backwards to increase the tension in the band. Hold briefly and return to the start position. Repeat 10 times with one leg, then swap over.
A more challenging alternative is to squeeze the leg up/back while holding a plank pose!
Targets: glutes

Lying Leg Raise
Lie on your back with legs flat on the floor. Keeping it straight, raise one leg off the floor to increase the tension in the band. Hold briefly and return to the start position. Repeat 10 times on one side, then switch legs.
Try not to use your hands to press into the floor.
Targets: quads

Upper Body

Bear Crawl
Place the band around your wrists, crouch down and place your hands on the floor about shoulder width apart. Keeping your weight mostly over your wrists, crawl forwards on hands and toes (not knees). Try 2-3 rounds of crawling for 30 seconds, resting for 30 seconds. Yes this does look silly but it's very effective.
Targets: triceps, deltoids, pectorals

Flys 
Hold the band in both hands, arms by your sides but elbows bent to 90 degrees. Lift the upper arms away from the sides of your body, aiming to reach shoulder height. Keep the 90 degree bend in the elbows. Return to start position with control. Repeat 10 times.
Targets: deltoid & rotator cuff

Enjoy! You can find resistance loops on Amazon and in good sports stores.

Do you use one of these in your workouts? Any favourite exercises I haven't included here?

Skipping Rope Workout

Skipping is a great all-round exercise. It gets your heart pumping, improves your balance, steps up your agility and strengthens your legs. And because of the impact it's great for improving bone density. You don't need a lot of space or time to get a great work out and all you need is a rope!

Making sure your rope is the right length for you will make the workout that much easier! Stand in the middle of the rope and lift the handles. They shouldn't reach higher than your shoulders. The right technique will also help... Keep the elbows close to the body as you turn the rope. The movement comes from the wrists and forearms, not the shoulders. Stay tall and land lightly.

Fancy giving it a go? Here's a workout you can do in just ten minutes that will give you an aerobic and agility work out.

Warm up
Do make sure you mobilise the ankles, knees and wrists before you start.

• Ankle and wrist circles both directions
• 5 x lunges per leg
• 10 x squats
• Count of 10 high knee jogging on the spot

Workout
Put on some pumping tunes and get ready to raise that heart rate!
Make sure you have some way of timing yourself for a minute. Work your way through each of these exercises in turn, spending a minute on each.

1. Skipping: turning the rope, jump over it with both feet together. Start slowly if you're not confident, and build up the speed.
2. Single leg skipping (left): stand on your left leg and continue to jump the rope.
3. Backwards skipping: turn the rope the opposite direction, so its moving under your feet from back to front. Jump and land with both feet together.
4. Single leg skipping (right): as for left leg skipping
5. Rest: take the opportunity to have a drink and lay the rope out on the floor.
6. Forward & back jumps: jump backwards and forwards over the rope on the ground, taking off and landing with both feet together. Aim for a tuck jump if possible, landing lightly and taking off again quickly.
7. Hopping (left): stand on your left leg and hop backwards and forwards over the rope on the ground. Make the jumps as high and explosive as you can for a more plyometric workout.
8. Side to side jumps: Stand side on to the rope and jump from side to side over it. Try to keep your body centered. If you're feeling confident you can travel forwards at the same time.
9. Hopping (right): as for left leg hopping.
10. Forwards and back fast feet: keeping nice and light on your toes, quickly step backwards and forwards over the rope.

Try and get some height on your hops!

And relax, you're all done! Be sure to stretch your legs out well and rehydrate. 

Home HIIT Workout

I regularly teach a HIIT class (High Intensity Interval Training) in a center with access to all sorts of fun kit. It's great fun coming up with different way to use things like slam balls and tyres but it's also good to go back to basics sometimes. So here's a HIIT workout you can do in your own home with limited space and just your own body weight. An timer that you can set for intervals would be helpful but not essential.

If any of the exercises are unfamiliar, look for an online tutorial or ask me. Please email me if you want some tips on making the exercises easier or more challenging (info@vr-pt.co.uk). Finally, please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Enjoy!

Warm Up - Pyramid of 10/8/6/4/2
Start with 10 of each exercise then 8 and so on

• Star jump
• Squats
• Press ups
• Sit ups

Repeat each of the following circuits three times. Work hard at each exercise for 30 seconds then rest for 15 seconds before starting the next. Rest for 45 seconds before starting again!

CV Circuit

• Squats jumps
• High knees
• Burpees
• Alternate (jump) lunges

Core Circuit

• Mountain climbers
• Russian twists
• Double crunches
• Plank

Bandying About

I'm flying out to the U.S. of A with my dad tomorrow for a bit of a tour around Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans and Louisiana. We're staying in different hotels every other night on average so although my trainers are coming with me I won't have time to get used to the area and learn where's safe to run. I've done some research and although most of the hotels are quite swish and have a "fitness centre" that could mean almost anything so as a back up I'm also packing a resistance band. These take up almost no space at all so are great for travelling when you want something to ring the changes from running and bodyweight exercises. It's a new addition to my workout kit that I'm still getting to grips with, so to speak.

I got mine from MilletSports, although they're widely available, and it came with a nifty little booklet with guidelines on how to use it safely and some exercise ideas.

So I've had a little play around and come up with a mini routine that I'm going to try while I'm away. Please exercise caution when using a dyna-band. Unless you are using a flat band I would advise against doing the press up. Always remember to exhale with the effort.

Pull down - Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart and the band held above your head, hands shoulder width apart. Pull your hands out and down in front of your chest. Return to the start position in a controlled movement.

Squat - Stand on band with legs hip width apart. Hold one end of the band in each hand and bring them up to shoulder level, palms forward. Perform a squat as normal.

Double arm pull - Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart and the band held in front of you at chest height, hands shoulder width apart. Pull your hands apart and out to the side then return to the start position in a controlled movement.

Chest press - Lie on the floor with the band under your back, just below armpit level, holding one end of the band in each hand with arms bent. Extend the arms and push your hands upwards in line with your chest then return to the start position in a controlled movement.

Bicep curl - Stand on band with your legs hip width apart, hold one end of the band in each hand by your thighs. Slowly flex your arms, bringing the hands up to your shoulders then return to the start position in a controlled movement.

Tricep press - Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip width apart. Wrap the band around one hand and dangle it down your back. Reach behind you with your free hand and grasp the free end of the band. One arm should be bent, elbow pointing upwards, beside your head and the other by your bum. Extend your bent arm straight up above your head and return to the start position in a controlled movement. Repeat on the other side.

Press up - Place the band flat across the widest part of your back, roughly in line with your arms. Hold the ends in your hands so that you can feel the tension. Perform a press up as normal.

Side step - Stand on band legs hip width apart, holding one end of the band in each hand. Keeping the tension in the band, take a small step to one side, then bring the other leg to meet the first. Perform 10 side steps on each side.

Leg press - Lie on your back on the floor with hips and knees bent at 90 degrees. Loop the band around your feet crossing the band to make an X. Hold an end in each hand near your shoulders or hips, depending on how much resistance you want. Brace your core and slowly extend your legs, pushing your feet away from you until the legs are almost straight. Return to the start position in a controlled movement.

Have you used one of these before? Got any other good exercises I can include?

P.S. Just because I'm away doesn't mean there won't be posts. I've scheduled a few for while I'm away which I hope you enjoy. See you in June!

Disclaimer: MilletSports allowed me to choose products up to the value of £50 in return for a review on my site. All views are my own. The fitness band was priced at £9.99 at the time of writing.

Medicine Ball Workout

There's really no excuse for not being able to do a workout in your own home these days. There are loads of simple bodyweight exercises you can do and you can find basic pieces of equipment quite easily. Supplier of sports clothing and equipment, MilletSports, contacted me recently and asked if I would like to write a product review for them. Now I'm a sucker for a bit of kit but as I'm trying to build up my collection of equipment it seemed a perfect opportunity to fill a couple of gaps. I already own a weighted hula hoop, BOSU ball, skipping rope, kettlebell, dumbbells and yoga mat but there's a couple of other pieces I'd like. They have a huge range of kit and equipment for all manner of sporting endeavours at competitive prices with free delivery on orders over £50. They produce a nifty magazine that you can read online to boot.

Now the title of this post has probably given away the fact that one of the items I chose was a medicine ball. A 5kg medicine ball to be precise, that arrived just 2 days after ordering. It's a versatile bit of kit that I'm hoping to get a lot of use out of. To kick things off I've put together a little workout that you can try yourself either in the gym or at home. Try 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps of each exercise. Oh and please excuse the quality of the photos. I was trying to do them with a timer in a small space...

Squat with overhead reach - Start by holding the medicine ball at chest height. Perform a normal squat but as you rise back to a standing position, raise the medicine ball overhead. As you squat down again, bring the medicine ball back to chest level.

Shoulder press - Start by holding the medicine ball at chest height and then extending the arms up and pressing it towards the ceiling. Return to start position. Remember to brace your core and step one foot slightly behind to stop yourself swaying too much.

Chest Press - Lie on the floor and hold the medicine ball with both hands just above the middle of your chest. Extend both arms straight up and press the ball away from your chest towards the ceiling. Lower back to the start position.

Glute bridge - Lie on the floor with both feet on the medicine ball. Push down through the heels and raise the hips to a bridge position. Hold briefly then carefully return to the start position. Make this even tougher by balancing on one leg at a time and keeping the other leg raised.

Bicep curl - Hold the medicine ball with both hands, elbows tucked into your sides. Starting with the hands at your thighs, curl the arms up until the ball almost touches your chest and lour back down again.

Tricep Press - Hold the medicine ball above your head with both hands. With the elbows pointing forwards bend the arms so that the ball drops behind your head. Extend the arms back up to the start position, concentration on keeping the elbows still.

Russian Twists - Sit on the floor with legs and hips bent at 90 degrees and body leaning back at around a 45 degree angle, holding the medicine ball with both hands. Twist your body to one side, moving the ball with you. Return to centre and repeat on the other side.

Crunches - Lie on the floor with knees bent at 90 degrees and feet on the floor. Lift the medicine ball   towards the ceiling with straight arms. As you curl up into a crunch, keep your eyes looking towards the ceiling and arms straight, lifting the ball slightly. 

Pressups - Adopt a standard press up position but with one hand on the medicine ball. Do a press-up then roll the ball to the opposite hand and repeat.

Plank - Place both hands on the medicine ball and hold a plank position. This pose is more unstable than a regular plank so don't fret if you can't hold it for very long to begin with. Work up to 3 x 30 seconds.

Happy workout! Keep your eyes peeled for another workout featuring another piece of new kit soon!


Disclaimer: MilletSports allowed me to choose products up to the value of £50 in return for a review on my site. All views are my own. The 5kg medicine ball was priced at £29.99 at the time of writing.