Phone a friend

There’s nothing worse than a demotivated morning gym session…. alone. You wander aimlessly around the weights area, hop from machine to machine hoping to find your motivation somewhere among the cross trainers but it doesn’t seem to show up. You try a bit of kettlebells then do some abs but really you just can’t seem to find the fun in gym today.

Excuses, excuses: Trust me I know the feeling. Happens all the time. Stop making those lousy excuses, like your too tired…. or it’s been a long day… or you’ll go tomorrow. 

Like your mother would say when you were younger, “you’ll feel better once you get there I promise you” when you’re trying to get out of going to a party or the school dance. (Plus, Mothers are always right, you will feel better once you get there).

What can help to boost your gym time enjoyment? One of your girlfriends I say. So here’s three reasons why you should try training with a friend if you’re not feeling excited to put on your gym clothes and get in the gym.

1.  

      Accountability – If you don’t feel like going one day and end up having a lay in or a chilled evening on the sofa with some ice-cream, your gym partner is there on the other end of your phone to remind you to get back on it and train together soon. You organise a gym date and ’woohoo’ you can’t wriggle your way out of it so easily.

2.   Helping hand – when you’ve got your friend to hold your feet for sit ups or throw the ball or even better count each others reps it just makes life easier and the motivation just seems to flow better you when you making a bit of a laugh out of the pathetic press ups or sweaty brow.

3.   Social time, time goes faster- although the gym is supposed to be the place that you burn off last weekend’s pizza and yesterday’s cheeky chocolate bar, completely in that focused ‘zone’. I find that by chatting whilst exercising the time seems to pass by faster and the calories drop off without you getting terribly bored and frustrated.

4.   Confidence- I sometimes feel more confident when I’m with a friend rather than alone. Especially if you don’t feel super comfortable going to the gym, by going with a friend you can push each other and laugh how silly you both look, red in the face and sweaty, great look!

If they aren’t good enough reason to get one of your friends to start coming with you on a regular basis or sign up to SportsDock then I don’t know what will. Heck I’m even motivating myself to text my friend now.

This month at SportsDock it’s refer a friend month so why not take this opportunity and give a friend a phone.

By Jasmine Wing

Phone a friend this November

There’s nothing worse than a demotivated morning gym session…. alone. You wander aimlessly around the weights area, hop from machine to machine hoping to find your motivation somewhere among the cross trainers but it doesn’t seem to show up. You try a bit of kettlebells then do some abs but really you just can’t seem to find the fun in gym today.

Excuses, excuses: Trust me I know the feeling. Happens all the time. Stop making those lousy excuses, like your too tired…. or it’s been a long day… or you’ll go tomorrow. Like your mother would say when you were younger, “you’ll feel better once you get there I promise you” when you’re trying to get out of going to a party or the school dance. (Plus, Mothers are always right, you will feel better once you get there).

What can help to boost your gym time enjoyment? One of your girlfriends I say. So here’s three reasons why you should try training with a friend if you’re not feeling excited to put on your gym clothes and get in the gym.

1.       Accountability – If you don’t feel like going one day and end up having a lay in or a chilled evening on the sofa with some ice-cream, your gym partner is there on the other end of your phone to remind you to get back on it and train together soon. You organise a gym date and ’woho’ you can’t wriggle your way out of it so easily.

2.       Helping hand – when you’ve got your friend to hold your feet for sit ups or throw the ball or even better count each other reps it just makes life easier and the motivation just seems to flow better you when you making a bit of a laugh out of the pathetic press ups or sweaty brow.

3.       Social time, time goes faster- although the gym is supposed to be the place that you burn off last weekend’s pizza and yesterday’s cheeky chocolate bar, completely in that focused ‘zone’. I find that by chatting whilst exercising the time seems to pass by faster and the calories rack up without you getting terribly bored and frustrated.

4.       Confidence, I sometimes feel more confident when I’m with a friend than alone especially if you don’t feel super comfortable going to the gym then by going with a friend you can push each other and laugh how silly you both look, red in the face and sweaty, great look!

If they aren’t good enough reason to get one of your friends to starting coming with you on a regular basis or sign up to SportsDock I don’t know what it. Heck I’m even motivating myself to text my friend now.This month at SportsDock it’s refer a friend month so why not take this opportunity and give a friend a phone.

By Jasmine Wing

Getting up close and personal

‘My journey’ sounds a bit cheesy right? But realistically it has been a bumpy journey, with SportsDock being a stable base for the ups and downs. I’m now in my final year and there is no way the workload will be stopping my gym attendance. I dread the day that I’m stacked up to my eye balls in work and the gym seems like a distance memory but until then you will catch me there six days a week!!

Training partner:  Before coming to University I battled with my weight. It was my first time away from home and now my eating habits were in my hands.  I was certain that I wanted to grab control of my weight issue and ‘transform’ myself. Luckily my housemate, Sarah, was of the same mind frame and we both set our minds on losing weight. Minus those movie nights with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s between us, oh and the late night chocolate trips to the corner shop. We went to the gym together and helped motivating each other, it was great.

Calorie counting control: Knowing little how to lose weight, I started to count calories and doing excessive amounts of cardio. The whole counting and control of my diet became a bit obsessive, oh and not to mention the cardio overload. I did manage to lose weight but I didn’t feel exactly healthier. I was tired all the time mainly due to not refuelling my body properly. My obsession with eating and going to the gym restricted my social life. Now this may seem a bit extreme and you probably feel as though you’d never become like that. One of the purposes for the women's wellbeing blog was to help raise awareness on subjects that are topical. I feel some women have a blurred vision on such wellbeing issues as calorie counting and weight lifting.

One of the lads: In my second year, my housemate had returned to Australia and I soon found myself among the lads in the gym and ended up training with them, hey it was better than training alone. Although I loved training with the boys in the gym I ended looking like one and my weights to cardio ratio has completely switched. I gained muscle but the weight around my mid drift was staring back at me in the mirror. I was unhappy with the way I looked, a re-occurring theme, when returning home for the summer, I ‘up-ed’ the anti and was determined to lose weight!

A ‘loner’: As my interests shifted towards weight lifting, I realised a real lack of women in the weights area. I started to become more and more curious as to why there wasn’t the same sense of community between the females as there was with the males. So here comes my sob story… the men at SportsDock would greet each other each morning, share fitness tips, chat and they would laugh together in-between sets…. and then there was me. Alone.

It was love at first sight: My adoration for the gym has grown and grown, some say I’m crazy, some say I’m obsessed but most I believe admire my dedication. I may not have the ‘celeb’ body but I’m a lot happier in my own skin than I was and continue to challenge myself from week to week. The love for the gym has helped me love my own body. Being a journalism student I wanted to be able to combine my two passions, health and writing. By creating the blog I was able to reach out to women like me or educate girls so they wouldn’t fall into the same traps as I did.

If you have similar interest or want to become more involved with UEL's women's wellbeing project then email me at jasminenatashawing@gmail.com. 

Quality and quantity

I often get bombarded by my friends and family for diet advice along with a bunch of nutritional questions. This is not to due to a wide range of degrees or some nutrition qualification but simply because I have made the same changes they all want to accomplish, I have tried most things and found which works and which doesn't..... And I'm continually researching.

Getting back to my point... I feel as though I tend to repeat myself explaining and answering the same things. So I've come to the conclusion it is about quality as well as the quantity.

It’s great that you've already made that decision for a grilled chicken salad over a McDonald's big Mac. BUT we are all aware that a big heap of fat free Greek yoghurt is a no-no even though it’s better than a bowl full of ice-cream.  Bear with me I’ll explain what I mean.

After watching the television series ‘Secret Eaters’ I realised that most people have this mindset that because it’s a lighter option they can indulge more however this is not always the case. ‘Just because a food packet contains the words 'lower fat' or 'reduced fat' doesn't necessarily mean it's a healthy choice’ stated the NHS. 

Making those initial swaps is great but remembering not to overdo it is the answer, keeping both quality and quantity in mind. Whilst keeping an eye on the balance on your plate and not getting to fixated on things such as ‘good fats’ and going protein bonkers.

‘But there good fats’, that statement alone is one I hear very often. Take an avocado for an example, they are great and do contain ‘good fats’ but they are still high in monosaturated fats.  It’s the quantity as well as the quality of the fats you are consuming.

Some tips and tools....

Shelf checker: 

I recently took a friend food shopping with me and explained what I buy and why. After she picked up something that seemed ‘healthy’ I showed her to always look at the labels and compare it with similar products and always go with the one lowest in everything. I compare and contrast products ALL the time and believe this is a vital skill in eating better.Most products have the ‘each serving contains’ label on the packet. Take a closer look next time you go to the shops and familiarise yourself with the colour codes. If it has RED it means high in that nutrient so unless you’re really under doing it in that area then I would say put down the packet and step away from the shelf. ‘But while choosing healthier fats is better for your heart, when it comes to your waistline, all fats have about the same number of calories’ said one online source.

Self assessment: 

Sitting down and look at your week’s food diary and assessing the areas YOU think could do with adjusting is a great tool. Too much sugar or not enough carbohydrates may be affecting you weight loss. Keeping a record of your food and reviewing is very important, I believe. 

So remember....the right things, the right amount, knowing right from wrong and swapping this for that.

By Jasmine Wing

Timing is key

My latest revelation which I think I should share with you all is... nutritional timing.  After knowing what to eat (as a change of a healthier lifestyle) now it just gets more confusing... latest addition to your health concerns.... the time you eat what.

Alpha – the beginning of the day! It’s the kickoff time for you and your body. And we all know it’s important to begin your day with a good breakfast, breaking the fast of the night before and replenish your body. C’mon let’s start as we mean to go on! Commence your day which a good source of protein (meat, eggs, fish etc) with a small amount of carbs (a piece of toast or small bowl of porridge). If you’re training in the morning you may want to include some simple sugars (white carbohydrates or sugary fruit).

Pre-workout: You’re rearing to go for your workout but what is the best thing to eat and why? Make sure you feed your machine of a body some carbs, carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy, to drive your way through your workout you’re going to need some of them!

Post-workout: Feeling slightly deflated and hoping this drained feeling doesn’t continue for the rest of the day? It is important to reward your body with some simple carbohydrates and give your blood sugars/energy levels the spike they need after an exhausting workout.

Omega – shuteye time! Zzzzz.....Yawn.  It’s been a tiresome day and the last thing consuming your mind is what food with the highest source of casein protein in the house to burn fat whilst I’m snoozing.... but it should be! Late-night snacking can actually increase your fat loss results.

Think of your body as a treadmill the casein powers your body to slowly move all night where as whey protein is a speedy jog. By keeping your metabolism active over night you will burn more calories. Try to eat at least two hours before bed. The ‘no go’s’ are any bread products, fried food and caffeinated drinks.  Rule of thumb, avoid carbohydrates and lash out on green veggies, cottage cheese or chicken/turkey.

By controlling what time you eat certain types of foods but looking in to what affect those foods have on your body you can aid your body in reaching the goals you want... think of it as it as informing your body on what you want it to look like instead of sometimes it feeling as though its working against you. Work with your bodies timing and your body will work with you!

By Jasmine Wing

‘You can’t out exercise a bad diet’

Whilst researching the importance of diet and key components of a ‘balanced’ diet, I realised more and more how it really is a balancing act-one that can become quite complicated if you let it. Not too little, not too much, bit of this, bit of that, increase this and decrease that, lots of those and tiny amount of them, it can all get a bit overwhelming if I’m honest!

So here are a few tips to help you out:

Be individual! Firstly, you need to assess what it is you are trying to achieve.Whether it is to improve your health, lose weight or increase your performance. It is important to remember that everyone has individual goals, individual requirements and differences therefore no one diet is going to suit everyone.

You are what you eat! I believe it’s important to understand what your bodies’ requirements are. As well as the uses of the food you consume every day, for example the main function for carbohydrates is energy.However, large amounts of carbohydrates will cause fat storage. White carbs (simple carbohydrates) are quick releases of energy and brown (complex carbohydrates) are slow release which take longer to break down. Protein builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body.

Julian Dominque , SportsDock fitness instructor said ‘it’s quality of food rather than quantity of food’.

Calorie counting! Although I personally despise calorie counting and crazy diets, I do advise keeping a record of your food intake for a short period of time. Investing in a heart rate monitor is another really good idea that I often recommend to women who want to lose weight. (A heart rate monitor can tell you directly how many calories were burnt during your workout according to your height, age, weight and beats per minute) or track your progress with Preva on all the machines in SportsDock.But why?! If you monitor your calories IN and calories OUT just like a factory, business or machine then you can get the best return on investment. If losing weight is your goal then you want a higher number going out than you do coming in to lose weight.

Finding your balance! Lastly through personal experience of training, eating healthy and managing my weight, I really would advise trial and error. I believe that your health journey is about finding YOUR balance. Find which exercises works for you and which ones you enjoy (monitor your personal progress by pictures, measurements or the good old mirror). Find out which foods you like that are healthy and good for you, find recipes that suit your lifestyle, whether you’re a student or working-it is about balancing this around your life and income. You may find that you can manage 3 days a week at the gym or 3 evening exercise classes around your schedule. You may find that increasing your breakfast portion makes you fuller for longer and swapping those snacks for healthier options helps you to lose weight. Remember find your balance!

By Jasmine Wing