The Big Fitness Post - How I Keep in Shape

Hi ladies,

As promised, here is my bumper fitness post. I am a bit of a self confessed fitness freak, and with few exceptions I try to work out 4/5 times a week in some form or other. I find it helps me deal with Uni life! Since a lot of people have fitness resolutions on the go right now I thought I'd give you some inspiration in the form of my routine. 

We all know we're meant to exercise regularly. In fact, moderate exercise for 30 minutes a day is recommended by the Government. Now, that might be a little unrealistic for most of us ladies with busy lives and little time. But as far as I'm concerned, little is better that nothing, even if it's just 20 minutes fast walking a day. I use exercise to keep my weight stable obviously, but I love it more for the fact that it keep my mood stable. I could be in the most depressive, angry, irritated, insert bad emotion here, mood in the world and I will always feel better after exercise. Let's get those happy horomones cracking girls!

1. Boxfit - This is a fantastic total body workout. Yes you will want to die after an hour, yes you might have problems walking/generally moving in the morning, yes it's super hard - but my god does it work you out. This is a high intensity bootcamp like workout using a lot of boxing moves and high impact exercises like burpees and mountain climbers. It's also fantastic for literally punching someone in the face to get out any lingering aggression, not that I'e ever done that...;) My instructor incorporates a lot of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) into our classes, which is hands down the best way to work out. If you're looking to lose weight, bear in mind a hour of this can burn about a thousand calories...that's half your daily allowance!

2. Running - Always has been and always will be my favourite form of cardio workout. It's free, you can do it anywhere, all you need are a pair of trainers and you can build your endurance and fitness up relatively quickly. It has benefits for your heart, your bones, mental health and weight loss amongst others. Just plug in your ipod and go.

3. Spin - Yet another exercise where there is at least one point in every class when I think I'm going to be sick. Cycle your way to fitness with a combination of sprints and endurance exercises and watch your  legs tone tone tone up. This is an excellent way to burn calories and lose weight because its HIIT Training (see a theme here?). This is a low impact exercise so great for people who are recovering from injuries or who are prone to them. You'll build a lot of lean muscle if you keep these classes up so you'll be beach body ready in no time. Make sure you get yourself a happy instructor, it makes all the difference when you're being yelled at to go faster up a hill.

You want to tone up? You want to be more flexible? You want to carry yourself better? You want that flat stomach and toned thighs? Do pilates.

DO PILATES!

Yup I am bit of a zealot about pilates. I absolutely love my classes and I have never done another exercise that has made me look as good as this one does. It's challenging but relaxing at the same time and I always come out of classes feeling good about myself. Try it and I promise you'll never diss the power of your own body weight again - especially after you do the 1000 work out.

For those who like to exercise at home I highly recommend blogilates on youtube - hard but great workouts that you can fit into your day.

5. Yoga - This is my calm exercise. I find the flowing, low impact movements very soothing. There's something about following a set of exercises that calms even the most stressed out mind. This is a good exercise to try if you're just starting out or aren't brave enough to try pilates yet. It increases flexibility, aids good bones, fights off depression, improves your concentration and posture and helps out those with breathing difficulties. 

So there we are, my top 5 exercises for keeping fit and feeling great. Let me know what you guys do to keep fit. I'm always looking for things to add to my list of classes or things to try out!