My Fitness Routine

So my fitness routine is soooo varied! Like honestly I wouldn't put my self in any one specific category. I'm not just a runner and I don't only lift weights - why limit and label yourself when there are so many different forms of exercise out there to enjoy?! Now obviously I'm not jack of all trades and I do have my go-to routines but I like to be flexible and am always willing to try new things. Not everything I try is for me, but who cares I'm happy to give it a go!

At the moment I'm training for a couple of events, the biggest one being Rat Race Dirty Weekend which is a 13 mile muddy run with over 150 obstacles in between! There is a 20 miler one but I don't think I'm quite cut out for that just yet! This event is in May so I do have some time yet but I'm trying to ensure my training is building my strength and endurance up for that. I'm pretty nervous about this event because it's pretty challenging but will be so much fun at the same time. Prior to Dirty Weekend I am participating in my first half marathon, which is in the middle of March. I wouldn't say my training is dedicated entirely to running - at the moment I have been going once every 2 weeks or so but make sure it is a long run when I do go. I will probably start to step that up a bit now as the event gets closer!

Everyone always asks me how often I train and well the answer is - as much or as little as I like to. Realistically I probably do train 6 days a week however note that some of these training days are not half as intense as the others. For example I will do personal training twice a week which is usually resistance style training and HIIT with intervals of weights circuits. I'm finding that is my favourite kind of training - along with weight lifting - I am really enjoying the process of learning to do different power lifts etc and each week my trainer shows me how  I can progress or increase the weights. These are my most challenging sessions by far. Which is good because it means I get my money's worth! The rest of the week I participate in classes - my go-to ones are Body Pump - (high rep low weight all body work out) and Functional Rig Class - a bootcamp circuit style class - think battle ropes, TRX, burpees, pull ups etc, it is brutal but such a good work out! Other days I like do to do HIIT cardio and on the very rare occasion I will do a really low intensity work out such as the treadmill on an incline or cross trainer at a steady pace just to get some cardio in but this is more of an easier session that I take or leave as I please.

I go through phases of enjoying different things, some weeks I'll be all about the weights and other days I will just want to get outdoors and run (very rare that happens!!). Spinning is a class I have a love-hate relationship with and will go through phases of doing. I love doing boxing in my PT sessions when I get chance.  I've recently tried Pilates, and whilst I can appreciate it - it's definitely not for me, I can't sit still and prefer doing more explosive workouts so it just didn't do it for me but I'm happy I gave it a go!

Don't limit yourself to one form of exercise, it's out there to be enjoyed and varied!

Weightloss - How I lost 30lb in 5 months

Okay so you guys may have noticed I have been completely AWOL on the blog over the past few months and honestly it's not even because I have lost passion for blogging or anything. I have just been using other social media outlets to document what I've been up to and been so busy learning new things. I feel over the past 6 months I have really grown as a person and made both a mental and psychical transformation - which leads me into the topic of this blog post! 

So since the end of July last year I've lost 30lbs. Lots of people have been asking me 'what's your secret' and everything but I don't have any secrets, I will just tell you how I did it! Before I get into it though I'd like to point out I still am on a weightloss journey and have found such a passion for fitness in the past year so I would really like to start posting more of this content with of course a mix of the stuff I've always posted on here. 

Find something/someone to keep you accountable

1.The first thing I did was sign up to an event called 'survival of the fittest' which is a 10km obstacle course by a company called rat race. After that I thought right okay, how am I going to achieve this goal, like I didn't want it to get to race day and me not be prepared, so I knew I had to put a lot of hard work in or I would just be embarrassed on the day! So I would seriously recommend either signing up to something to train for or to put a date on something you'd like to achieve a goal by - that way it makes it real and you can begin to put the hard work in! 

2. I hired a Personal Trainer who I train with twice a week and still do to this day. Now I know not everyone can afford a personal trainer but don't let money restrict too much. You could always find a few friends who enjoy the gym and do a group PT session to spread the costs and still get a banging work out in! The other option is to go to gym classes, I find these to be a great way to meet like-minded people and also to keep you motivated.  I know PT's are expensive but I honestly find I get every pennies worth. The way my trainer puts me through my paces is amazing! I always like to think I do push myself when I train on my own, but not to the extent that my trainer does. Every time I train we do something different as well! 

What is your diet? 

This is a common question people have asked me, and rightly so because when I see other weightloss transformations, I am always keen to learn how others have achieved such amazing results. For me, I didn't calorie count at all! I just tried to eat the best I could and fuel my body in the right way. I'm a vegetarian and also try to eat plant based where possible as I don't think my body works well with dairy - it gives me spots etc! I will be totally honest and say the old phrase of 'everything in moderation' mantra is true. Believe me when I say I've had sooo many cheat days where I've had dominoes, Chinese, the odd Krispy Kreme etc. Do not deprive yourself! The diet part is actually the bit where I struggle most but I am working so hard to get better every day and you can do the same. Remember the mind gives up before the body! 

What exercise do you do? 

So over the last 6 months I have definitely upped my exercise regime and I am completely loving it. I enjoy a variety of exercise disciplines - classes I currently do include body pump and functional rig class. I also enjoy running and my favourite day at the gym is leg day. Spinning is something I dabble in and go through phases with! Like everyone there are days where I seriously can't be bothered but I have fallen in love with the feeling after a workout, and I love to work up a sweat! The only workout you regret is the one you didn't have!

Let me know if you guys enjoyed reading this, I feel I have a lot of content that I can potentially start posting about fitness and food that I think you will all find really useful and plus I love to have an excuse to keep on track too! 

What Lara Did #2: Running

Good morning guys!

So I posted my first installment to this pretty inconsistent series a while back now - all about Juicing! (Read here). I thought it was about time I did another. You may or may not know, but a while back my dad and I signed up to a 5km race. Now I'm sure some of you fitness fanatics are thinking that's nothing but to me it's a pretty big deal. I'll input some context to the situation; I'm no stranger to running. I used to do athletics all throughout my childhood and was most interested in middle distance running so it is something I have my fair share of experience in. I used to also participate in the school cross countries, I even got through to the English School finals once but never ended up attending (something I really regret now).

Anyways, I did Athletics until  I was about 15 and then  I stopped due to a persistent injury in my knee. Still now I don't entirely know whats up with my knee and I've given up going to physio. However, running is something I always used to enjoy and it's only since I've stopped being good at it it seemed sort of a chore. My dad also was quite the athlete back in the day and so we thought it would make sense to take up a hobby together and hopefully get fitter along the way. We've been doing a mixture of training on our own and together. The 5KM run is on 19th April in Liverpool. As I mentioned, the run is mainly for fitness and hobby purposes however we are raising money for those who lost their lives at the Hillsborough 96 as well, so if anyone would like to donate it would be very very much appreciated and it is for a great cause. You can donate HERE.

I'll be sure to update you of how my run goes, my training has been going well so hopefully it will be a success. After this we're looking at signing up to The Color Run which looks so fun!

Have you signed yourself up to any races this year?