Top Ten Health and Fitness Tips

TOTAL Greek yoghurt got in touch with me recently to see if I wanted to be involved in their #Fit4Summer campaign and share my top ten health and fitness tips.. Sounds good to me! They have a website with their own tips on Fit 4 summer website and you can win a months supply of TOTAL Greek yoghurt here... nom!

1. Add fruit or veg to your meal or snack.
Add extra vitamins, minerals and bulk to your diet. For example if I fancy ryvitas with hummous on I'll chop up some cherry tomatoes, baby beetroot, cucumber and olives to go with them. Or add fruit to your cereal/porridge/yoghurt.. Fancy a burger and chips, have half regular chips and half squash chips or sweet potato chips... Don't forget to load up the salad! I like some by the side too :-)

2. Don't deny your cravings.
If you really want some chocolate or crisps have some. I follow the 80/20 'rule' i.e. 80% good, healthy nutritious food and 20% whatever it is I fancy... Plus I always found I'd eat more if I denied my cravings as I'd eat something instead of what I was craving, find myself still craving a certain food and end up eating both leading to more calories consumed and feelings of guilt.

3. Sneak in little bits of exercise!
Every little helps... Drop and do 5/10/20 push-ups or sit-ups in the ad breaks if you're watching tv or just do them on and off throughout the night. I've not been doing this much lately but I should be! It really helps your strength and your numbers will add up really quickly. Make a tally chart and see how many you do over the course of an evening... Bet you surprise yourself! Plus once you have a base number you can get competetive with yourself!

4. Don't neglect your strength training.
Muscle burns more calories than fat, plus you will be stronger! Try one of mine here... scroll down past the nakd review and me looking VERY different to get to the workout! You can do it in a gym but I love having a set of weights to do it in the privacy of my own home..

5. Challenge yourself and compete against yourself.
The main reason I love running is because I can really compete against myself. Buy a garmin, try go faster or further (carefully though, don't increase too much too soon, you risk injury!). Try to increase your push-up numbers or your sit-up numbers too or do some Ross Training workouts and try and beat your times... my personal favourites are the Magic 50 and Workout capacity 101.

6. Fuel properly
Both before and after exercise... As someone with an eating disorder history this one can be tricky but I try to see my body as a machine... Like a car needs petrol to run our bodies need fuel to run/exercise/function.. So put the good stuff in!

7. Join a boxing gym..
Ok I might be slightly biased here but there is nothing more motivating than wanting to be fit enough, fast enough, strong enough to win a fight! But really, you don't have to fight or spar to get loads out of a boxing gym, you'll get an amazing workout and you'll learn techniques which make me feel more confident biking home from work at night... You attack me you better be ready for the backhand that's going to land on your nose! Plus you will most likely be made to feel really welcome and part of a team.

8. Switch it up
Usually go for a long slow run? Try some intervals... Always running intervals or really tough fast paced runs try a longer slow run.. Our body's get used to the same kind of training, shock it into submission with something new! Or something completely different... see the Ross workouts in tip 5, they're horrible but it's a good kinda horrible!

9. Get people involved.
I've just convinced a few people at work to do the race for life, it's fun to have new people to train with and it feels good to inspire others at the start of their fitness journey!

10. Experiment in the kitchen.
Want something sinfully unhealthy or nutritionally devoid? Experiment in the kitchen with your own healthy version! If you don't feel too confident in the kitchen check out some of these blogs Chocolate Covered Katie and Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish who have healthified lots of yummy recipes... Try Katie's cookie pie, I've not got round to making it yet but it looks AMAZING! I must get round to it! Or just google healthy *whatever it is you fancy* you're bound to find something!
Here's a list of some of my healthified recipes
Sugar free raspberry yoghut mess made with TOTAL Greek yoghuty as it happens!
Vegan english breakfast with homemade, baked hashbrowns
Allergy free cinnamon buns (also sugar free)
Healthy pizza night
Tabouli recipe and big summer salad plate
High protein truffle balls - kind of like fudge babies but my own version made without knowing fudge babies existed!
Baked tortilla chips and homemade guacamole

I can't believe how much my life has changed since some of those posts.. some of them are in Mike and I's old university flat! Seen how tiny the kitchen is! Wow it's amazing I ever cooked in there hehe.. ohhh all reminiscent now!

Now I'm tagging 3 bloggers.. 'cause I wanna hear your top ten tips!
Jess @ Almost Over Now
Maria @ Running Cupcake
and
Lindsay @ vivoir