Less Crunching, More Crunches: Get That Summer Shape!

So this post has been slightly delayed, due to a very busy start to the year that 2017 has thrown at me! But it's never too late if you haven't already started slimming into shape to get that all-important bikini body for Summer!  

So we're nearly a month in, still rehearsing that "new year, new you" routine and telling ourselves that this year will be the one.  We'll definitely turn over a new leaf this time.  Reaching for that self-proclaimed last glass of wine and digging into that last slice of cake, we later excuse ourselves to go outside and smoke our last couple of cigarettes of the pack.  It WILL be the last one.

Whether it's been 30 days or 30 minutes, if you've set yourself
New Year's goals and targets you're one step ahead already!

...Won't it?

But the reality is that only 46% of people will make it half way through the year in keeping with their New Year's resolutions- with people in their twenties nearly three times as likely to stick to them than the over-50s.  So, what goals are we all setting for ourselves?

• Give up smoking
• Travel
• Live a healthier lifestyle
• Find love
• Be less judgemental
• Learn a new skill
• Join a new class or find a new hobby
• GET FIT

The list is endless.

You might even be trying to adhere to all of these, this can be overwhelming and make it hard to find the motivation to stick to any of them- especially if many of these goals are fitness/weight related.  It's been proven that on average girls put on up to 5lbs over the festive holiday.  Naturally, after hearing this I promptly took to the scales...

I was horrified.  I'd gained 7lbs...7!

Over the remaining Christmas period I tried my hardest to be more sensible with Christmas treats and snacks.  And I hadn't been bad, especially with my cut-back on alcohol- it was just a drastic difference to my normal eating habits.  With friends and family around you constantly eating and offering you Christmas nibbles it was hard to stay motivated (even after continuing with regular exercise).

For me it's frustrating when people brush off any weight gain or out-of-shape comments you make, as if they know your body better than you.  I often find myself being told that I wouldn't put on any weight if I tried by the person whose mince pie offering I politely declined.  The fact is it's possible for anyone to put on any amount of weight- and whilst I never looked in the mirror after the holidays and thought I was overweight, it was personally a disappointing downhill slide.  It's all about your perspective as an individual, another reason why post-Christmas personal goals and aims are so important.  Society is a confusing blend of appearing to indulge, but not to a "shameful" extent- and for many it's so hard to find this socially acceptable balance.  

So to me, post-Christmas is the perfect time to detox the body after indulging in all those festive foods.  After munching on mince pies, dining out on delicious dinners and snacking on the sharebox, I was left feeling deflated, disgusting and depressed.  I'd caught the Christmas blues. And I was done with it.

Harriet's holiday is over💪🏼🏃🏻‍♀️

I was on a quest.

As soon as New Year's Day was done with I set about beginning to undo the damage Christmas had done as part of my resolution.  I was out for early-morning runs with my favourite tracking app Nike + Run Club- which you can download from the app store to your device and start tracking your progress here. I'm back at the gym after a month off and I've dug out some of my favourite sports attire (as seen here on my Instagram) and you can find out where I got it from over at What Harriet Wears.

It all started at the end of November last year with an app called MyNet Diary which works like a dream for me.  I always find myself in a stressful schedule juggling work, travel and university so it's hard to keep track of everything.  This app tracks not only your logged exercise and steps per day- but allows you to log food and drink consumption and set yourself a personal weight loss goal.  This was good for me as I'd been worried that I had fallen into snacking to substitute for meals which I rarely had time for some days.  This helps me shed pounds but at my most stressed it also left me hungry, moody and fatigued.

I used to think that eating less would be the answer- and whilst I insist it still partly is, maintaining a healthy diet whilst still indulging on your guilty pleasures on "cheat days" is the balanced way to go about it.  Here you can find my Top Ten Tempting Treats alongside slimming substitutes!  Besides, there are plenty of exciting health bandwagons to jump on as of 2017: coconut flour, teff, seaweed chips and jackfruit are set to be huge trends this year!

Work-out ready

So far this month I've branched out into a completely new health and fitness plan that I'll be guiding you through with meal tips, exercise regimes and healthy alternatives to your lifestyle throughout the year.  My routine has always involved trying to fit in as much cardio as possible, with the added bonus of these generic exercises not taking up much of your busy January schedule yet still guaranteed to pay off.

Start easy:

• 40 Jumping Jacks
• 30 Crunches
• 20 Squats
• 10 Push-Ups
• 15 minutes of Supine Bicycle
• 15 minutes of Rotary Upper Body Windmill Exercise

This is just a basic template to start off with, aim to up the amount of reps you do by at least 10 every two weeks.  When the time is right for you, begin including a variety of diverse moves that work different muscles in your body.  When I'm out of inspiration for new exercises I use SWork It as it's never short of tons of toning techniques for you hardcore gym fanatics.  To cool down I use the apps Yoga (download from iTunes here) and Calm (download now) which really helps me de-stress.

Ready for a run: Let's get going!

This year has already been productive, effective and fun!  Setting about tackling my dilemma with an extra efficient health regime I'm kissing those Christmas pounds goodbye already!  I'm looking forward to making this year a positive one.

Bring on 2017!