How to embrace your curves and perfectioning the jump squat
Soooo as per it’s been a very busy week! Filled with cobbles, dumbbells, sweat and food (my favourite kinda week).
A couple of weeks ago I did a great photoshoot. The theme of the shoot was 1950′s/60′s – very ‘Mad Men’ – which I simply adore! The clothes back then embraced and graced a woman’s curves, celebrating a womanly figure through classy, tailored, feminine clothes. If like me, you’ve got boobs, a bum and a small waist – this style is made for you! I loved every second of the shoot and enjoyed sharing my thoughts on nutrition and body image. It really is true what they say isn’t it? The older you get the more comfortable you feel in your own skin!
This saddens me really- we need to be encouraged to love and celebrate our bodies from an early age. But so much holds us back. Our quest for ‘perfect’ and airbrushed media images, can make us feel so bad about ourselves. Look into the mirror…go on…do it now. Look at yourself and shout ‘I AM beautiful’. Give your body the praise it deserves!
My hair was done by the amazing Callum at Terence Paul salon in Hale this week. I love it!
When I was younger I’d often curse the parts of my body I’d like to change. We all do it, don’t we? But guess what? It’s SOOOOOO much more productive to be proud of your achievements, be grateful for your health and start setting goals!! Goal setting keeps you focussed, be it in a physical or mental manner. Life is about being HAPPY and HEALTHY – and we all know it’s scientifically proven that physical exercise raises those lovely little endorphins! So try setting a goal – something to work towards. Be it a holiday, a wedding, a works do…etc. When you reach that goal – not only do you feel pride and love yourself just a little bit more, you’ll also find it easier then to set another goal… and another one! Which leads to you maintaining a happier, healthier you!
This week my good pal Ashleigh and I went horse riding! I haven’t ridden for years so I was a little nervous. But once on the horse it all came back to me! I found it so calming and therapeutic. Tell you what – its crackin’ for toning the inner thighs too! Oww! (top tip – don’t go horse riding after a legs session…big mistake). We even took Dexter (you’ll gradually hear me talk about this little chap more and more!) Ashleigh’s little Chihuahua.
Horse riding with my friend Ash
He entertained himself running after horses then encouraging them to chase him back. My nerves were shot!
Also this week my trainer and I @paul_boys took part in the Sport Relief mile! Now I’ll be honest with you guys. I HATE running. Always have, always will. But the beauty of this fun-run is that it’s just that! Fun! It’s only a mile, you’re running for a great cause AND we had an absolute blast! Win-win! If you didn’t get involved there’s still lots of ways you can help: http://www.sportrelief.com/
I’ve been experimenting with some new recipes myself this week (oh heck I hear you say!) Well sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t right? But it’s good fun trying! I plan to start growing my own herbs and vegetables this summer too (my parents find this hilarious as they often refer to me as ‘Margo’ from ‘The Good Life’) Nonetheless- there’s nothing better than fresh organic produce! And guess what – it’s cheaper too! So over the next few weeks I’ll be posting some more of my own recipes. Which will all be Paleo and easy to make. For those of you wanting to learn more about the Paleo lifestyle, I can highly recommend this book – ‘The Paleo Manifesto’ by John Durant. It’s straight forward, simple and passionate. It’s common sense.
Now, there’s nothing @paul_boys likes more than killing me off at the end of a heavy weights sesh. The TRX jump squat is one of his favourites (horrible man) TRXs are reasonable to buy and there’s a shedload of things you can do with them:
The jump squat is performed by slightly leaning back with full tension on the TRX at all times, while both feet firmly planted, squat as deep as you comfortably can without raising the heels, then fully explode as fast as you can from the bottom range of the squat in to a jump with your feet leaving the ground, then land both feet with soft knees, forcing yourself down back into a full range squat and perform the movement continuous with no pauses in between, until the predetermined repetitions have been performed.
The TRX Jump Squat is a great way to raise your heart rate and improve cardio based workouts, without having to spend time on a treadmill! It improves ones ability to deal with lactic acid build up and helps improve squatting SQUATTING range by allowing you to squat full range using this dynamic movement.
Also this week , I treated myself to a lovely, relaxing pamper treat for my hair at Terrance Paul in Hale. Callum their creative director gave me a lovely new ‘do! I’m taking a Nioxin supplement now to help my hair to grow stronger too.
Next week I’ll be looking at some fab leg exercises with Paul and another great Paleo recipe you lot can try at home! Might even spoil you with some links to special offers ;-) Ciao for now! Stay happy, stay healthy and dream big!