We all have good and bad days, but the most important thing to know is how to deal with the bad and turn them into good… or better at least!
When the new year started, I set my self a few new goals, mainly based around learning new skills, improving my fitness and overall feeling happier, which have all lead to 5 new habits for a healthy mind, body and soul.
Coming into 2019 my fitness has improved quite a lot. I’ve been using MyFitnessPal the app, that allows you to add up all of the calories from your meals as you go through your day to track food, which I have used every day for the last 4-5 months, (believe it or not it actually works, as I’ve lost weight and it deters me from eating junk). I’ve also added more exercise into my day to day life. Every other morning I do 5 minutes of abs on top of two visits to train with my PT coach at Mile End Camp, where I do a combination of athletics training and weights training and ideally, one or two 20 minute runs locally to keep my fitness up.
I first started training with my coach in January 2017 as I wanted to work out with a sport that I enjoyed taking part in and it was the best decision I could have made. We all have those moments when we don’t want to go to the gym or we are feeling lazy but because I enjoy these sessions and see them as a way to let off some steam and clear my head doing something I enjoy, it’s become a lot easier to get fit.
I’ve been happy with the changes to my body and the overall improvement with my fitness in the last few months, but I’ve also been stepping out of my comfort zone, by attending new classes and trying new forms of fitness.
So far I’ve been to Clip ‘n Climb, which is a high-intensity fitness session incorporating climbing challenges with off -wall exercises “for a unique fat – torching workout” as quoted by the website lol. This was a lot of fun and allowed me to overcome a slight fear of heights which I didn’t even know I had lol, but it was fun conquering it. I’d definitely do this again!
I’ve been to Groove Cycle, which is a cycle dance class featuring choreographed routines. I loved the music but really struggled with this class, for someone that used to do dance classes for most of my teenage years it was shocking to know I’ve lost a lot of my coordination and once again I had to overcome the fear of falling off of the bike… I had no idea I was such a scaredy cat to be honest haha. I also found this class surprisingly painful… my feet were burning as I wasn’t used to standing up on a bike for so long, but it was fun whilst it lasted.
I attended #TwerkToTrain which was a combined session of circuit training lead by Fitness guru Just Geen and a twerk class where we learnt a sexy dance routine from dance instructor Bamie. Again the idea of learning choreography was very daunting, but the ladies told us at the start of the session it was a “No judgement zone” and we were encouraged to be free with our bodies and cheer each other on, which was a beautiful feeling! It ended up being really empowering, we all left laughing and I’ve added a few new moves for the Club or more than likely just my bedroom LOL.
Most recently I’ve incorporated Yoga into my day to day life. I downloaded the Daily yoga app, bought myself a mat and it’s been a new way for me to de-stress.
It’s incredibly relaxing and I’ve learnt how to work on my breathing techniques and stretching which has really helped me with post-training fatigue. Often when I’ve been running or doing a weights session I’ve been achy and my muscles tighten up so it’s been a nice way to relieve pain and loosen up.
Overall, I’ve come to realise that trying new ways to work out and finding fitness that works for me has been enjoyable.
2. Regular body checks
One of the reasons I actually started doing Yoga was because I visited an Osteopath who suggested I do yoga to loosen up my joints and relieve the post-training aches and it’s been great.
One of the main reasons I booked myself in with the Osteopath is because last year I was repeatedly ill with the Flu, food poisoning, low iron and overall I became very run down.
After seeing quite a few posts online about visiting osteopaths and doing the research myself I realised that Osteopathy is a way of detecting, treating and preventing health problems by moving, stretching and massaging muscles and joints.
I was told my body was doing ok but I wanted to make it a habit of getting regular checks and taking time out to look after myself, so I’ve been listening to my body a lot more, I’ve booked in regular massages, I’ve dedicated days off to just rest indoors and again I’m a lot more conscious of what I put in my body. I’ve cut a lot of junk food out and cut my snacking habits down. Note to self … must eat more fruit and veg!
3. Book Holidays
Last year I played myself!!! I kept on saying next month I’ll go away, I left gaps in my diary for holidays but then filled them with more work or plans COMPLETELY flopped for one reason or another!
This year so far I’ve booked 4 holidays, ( yup I’m not messing around) I’ve been to LA now, so I’ve got the next 3 spread out over the next few months and I might squeeze in one more for business but it’s always pleasure lol! As a freelancer, I’ve learnt its really important to plan ahead and make time for yourself, so I’ve booked with friends and treated myself to a luxury birthday holiday because all work and no play SUCKS!!!
But honestly, it doesn’t always have to be a destination holiday it can be as simple as a weekend in a spa or a city break. Whatever it is treat yourself!
4. Being more social
We’re getting older now and what used to be the perfect weekend of non-stop raving, hangovers and all-nighters, has now become, Netflix and actual chilling, duvet days and long lie-ins!
This year I’ve told myself I need to snap out of this and live my best life a little more! I’ve decided that when I get invited to places I won’t say no, even if it means attending birthdays, surprise parties or random nights out alone and it’s been really nice!
I get it, sometimes you’ve had a really long week and you look forward to just chilling… of course that’s fine and if you need the rest enjoy it, however, there’s nothing worse than skipping a fun night out and seeing all of your friends on the gram having the time of their lives and you actually had no excuse not to be there.
Recently I’ve reconnected with old friends who have invited me out, I’ve met new family members, I’ve been to some really nice restaurants and whined up my waist at a few parties! It’s definitely been worth it!
Even if it means you have to be the organiser and you reach out to some friends, or you plan some new activities to try by yourself, remember I can’t stress enough how helpful Groupon has been for me of late, get out and there and have some fun!
P.s as this year is the BIG 30 for a lot of my age mates if you’ve got an invite with my name on it SEE YOU THERE!
5. Adding new skills
And last but not least, keep on bettering yourself with new skills or by putting into practise existing skills.
I’ve challenged myself to create content and develop some of the skills that I believe can benefit me creatively and for my career.
So I’ve set goals on writing more blog posts like this, creating vlogs, practise Dj-ing and also producing and developing new show ideas and concepts!
I’ll be honest I haven’t been able to maintain all of them, as my work schedule, procrastination and lets face it laziness has got the better of me, but each week I am creating at least one new piece of content which I am proud of, which has tied in nicely to some of my brand collaborations, so I haven’t failed yet and plan to keep it up.
It takes me a while to get into the swing of things creatively sometimes but once I get going “I’m just in my zone” *Voice of Haile from WSTRN*.
Overall, I feel like I’ve been in a really good headspace since I’ve been putting these new habits to practise and I hope to share with you some new project, my fitness journey and some more content over the next few months.
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@Remel_London