#WorkoutWeek: Motivation

Apps can be an excellent motivator to get out there and get active.

So I've convinced you to get fit in a achievable way. You're going to need some motivation for that.

Trust me, I still need it.

APPS

I love a good smartphone App to motivate me, (I'm on iOs so sorry that's all I can link) I refuse to switch off those push notifications which tell me when I've been a little slack. But there are SO many it can be difficult to pick one if not have spluge and download lots. The best thing I can say, is find one which tracks your progress in more ways than just inputting your weight. A futile activity. 

I have religiously used Runkeeper to store every outdoor activity. I can programme sprint routines, record long distance runs using GPS and put in all my vital stats. I can even input gym activities. I can see how I'm progressing, whether I'm getting faster or improving my endurance and it tells me how well I'm doing. You can even note down how the workout went. Particularly hard, or getting easier, it's like a little fitness diary. 

There has also been a surge in challenge apps available. 30 day to XX or 5K run trainers. Which are super useful tools for short term motivation to get you in the flow. Search Health and Fitness to find which you want.

Finally, relaxation Apps. I've recently downloaded the Muji To Sleep App. It's super important to rest and this free apps is a collection of soothing sounds to help you switch off.

MUSIC

I am all for a cheesy run to 80s classics singing along to every word, being Rick Astley and never giving up on this run. However, I find the best motivation to get me going is my Working Out playlist on Spotify. 

A start with a nice slow, awkening, warm-up song ala Bombay Bicycle Club and then I'm straight into it, fast paced, strong rhythm, short, sharp and guaranteed to get me moving and my heart pumping. Throw in a few uptempo indie numbers and cheesy happy songs when you're stating to feel delirious (to say the least) and then I cool down to the heavenly voice of Guy Garvey. 

If that's not your jam then I suggest you follow a similar pattern, a softly song with building layers for your warm up, songs with a constant uptempo beat, a few cheesy numbers and sing alongs and then a nice calm song to cool down and stretch out.

You can listen to my playlist below. 

SOCIAL

Can't afford a Personal Trainer to remind you how much you're not working out - well get motivated by social media instead. Now, I know, we're all obsessed with a good Get UP & GO Quote. And I could easily share loads. My Pinterest feed is awash with motivational quotes. But I think it's important that if you want to take fitness seriously, your following preferences also include key fitness motivators. Whether it be a quote junkie in-between the fashion and food pics. Or it helps seeing a group of people working out at 7am encouraging you to get out there. They're like little nudges so it never drops off my radar entirely. It's a proven motivator for me and makes me feel like you're not alone, you can do this and you can get results. And that you want to share your achievements when you do.

Some of my favourites are @thesbcollective and any of his loyal followers. 

@ResultswithLucy reality star to fitness guru.

Youtuber @carlyrowena

And of course @FitnessBlender

But search out fitness or fitspiration on any network and you're sure to find a motivator suitable for your needs. 

I hope this helps and don't forget my original post on staying motivated HERE.

What keeps you motivated? 

Andrea x

#WorkoutWeek: Fashion

Lexie Sport is not even a year old yet, but they have had a spectacular first year. Already picked up by House of Fraser to feature in their Pop-up , and mentioned by all the top fitness and fashion magazines including Vogue, ELLE and Women's Health. Clearly, creator Lily Rice, identified something missing in our fitness wear: fashion-forward and functional wear. It's meteoric rise is helped by the vast increase in the fitness fanatic women since London 2012. "Fit not thin" and "strong is the new skinny" are motivators to many women keen to create a sustainable and realistic figure. And the beautifully designed fitness wear is designed with that in mind: Women.

 Amazingly Lexie Sport manufactures in the UK. I doubt it's just me, but when you invest in new fitness clothes, I'm super eager to try it out. Whether it be a sports bra or a new top, which is great encouragement to get out there and get moving. I interviewed Lily, to find out a little more about this new and exciting brand and what her fitness much haves and weaknesses are. 

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Lexie Sport

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HOW DID LEXIE SPORT START

Lexie is just coming up for it's first birthday, something we are really excited about and was basically born in the summer of sport in 2012. We launched August 13 and it was really the gap in the market for something appealing to wear while doing sport that began the brand. I was fed up of women's sportswear designed by men for 'girls'. Yuck!

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO MANUFACTURE IN BRITAIN

Our first collection was made abroad but Lexie isn't just about fashion. As a brand we have a set of ethics and beliefs that we feel strongly about so it was important to us that what we put into the world was something we were proud of. Reshoring the manufacturing of the pieces means that from an ethical perspective we are doing the right thing. We know the working conditions are product is produce in, we create jobs in the uk and environmentally our impact is reduced. From a design perspective we can make changes quicker, we can get more involved in the production and ultimately create a better garment. It's win win and we are very proud and excited by it!

WHATS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE AS A BUSINESS OWNER

Lexie is growing at a phenomenal rate so at the moment the challenge is to keep all the plates spinning and not get to excited when so much exciting stuff is happening!

WHAT IS YOUR DESIGN PROCESS

I'm a bit of a lycra magpie and I'm always pulling pages out of magazines or collecting fabrics ect so I really start with referring to my mood books. I take ideas and feelings to create the direction of the season which informs each collection. Rather than just looking at it commercially I like to have a conceptual theme to each season and tell a story through the garments. Once each piece is sketched up, we create a toile which we test an amend as we feel it needs to be. Our factory will then make our first sample, this again is tested. At this point we either get super excited or go straight back to the drawing board! But if it passes the 'must have' test them we get it into production as quickly as possible so everyone can see it!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE FROM YOUR CURRENT OR NEW COLLECTION?

Our newest collection is currently under wraps but I'm already head over heels in love with it! My favourite piece of our current collection is the Diana shorts! So great with my topshop boots as well as my running sneak!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE LEXIE SPORT

Lexie is the hottest women's sportswear brand, designed by women for women and made in Britain.

WHO IS LEXIE SPORTS DREAM CUSTOMER

Our customers are already the dream! We love to get pics from them and meet them at our pop ups and they are seriously awesome! 

WHAT IS LEXIE SPORTS PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT

 We've already won a few awards but I'm always most proud to see the kit on our customers and to hear about the awesome time they had in it!

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS SUMMER

Getting out of the office and trying new things! We will be hitting up a few Frame classes and we're forever at Psycle so you'll spot us there!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO WORKOUT

I'm a big bootcamp fan and you can't beat a run to clear your head!

ARE YOU STRICT IN WHAT YOU EAT OR IS THERE ALWAYS ROOM FOR THE ODD INDULGENCE

I don't worry too much, I'm vegetarian and try to eat healthily (although you will always find my with a packet of veggie percy pigs and I'm a sucker for Reese peanut butter cups!) but you need a lot of energy in this industry! 

WHAT THE MOST EXCITING THING IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT

I'm pretty late to the show but Kale chips? Hell yes! And spinning? Love it! Plus Voga (voguing yoga!) is AMAZING! 

GIVE ME AN INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE THAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED

Done is better than perfect.

Vest, Shorts and Leggings from the Blonde Collection all Lexie Sport.

Thanks so much to Lily for answering all my questions. I think it's safe to say, we all walk away from this wanting to try VOGA (and a sneaky craving for peanut butter cups)! You can shop all of the Blonde Collection and Icon Collection Online: Lexie Sport.

Andrea x

#WorkoutWeek: Fit

My new favourite gym, my garden.

So you may recall last year I shared my love of fitness. You'll be pleased to hear I have stayed (mostly) on the wagon. Let's ignore that week in Sicily when I intended to workout but instead ate Aranchini and Gelato all WEEK. Mid-workout last week I had a lightbulb moment.. The Mibber does Fitness.

So this week is a little more lifestyle and fitness with a bit of Mibbing thrown in for good measure. Normally, these kinds of posts are saved for NY, but to be honest: there is no better time to start getting fit that right now, YES, now. And with the Commonwealth Games, World Cup and well it's Summer you have plenty of reason to get-up and go. It's coming up to a year since I started taking it seriously, so it's like a mini anniversary. Expect fashion, food and motivation this week.

But first fitness.

I still haven't joined a gym. After I completed my programme, I felt compelled to discover new routines. After a week in Centre Parcs cycling, playing tennis every morning, swimming mid-afternoon and badminton every evening, I felt I needed to take my exercise outside more. So thats what I did, long distance runs and interval training and long, long walks. And this was the middle of winter, so getting out now, in the dry weather is an excellent time to start. Fitness is all about movement, whether your walking or sprinting, movement is the most important step. Every move and step counts. So get out there, fresh air in your lungs and enjoying the summer.

I also discovered more dynamic weight training and invested in Kettlebells. Their uneven distribution of weight surprised me when I woke after their first use aching in strange places. Initially I started with this routine from Women's Health. But have since progressed and incorporated them into slightly less static routines.

But January came the biggest change in my routine since I started exercising, I got really into HIIT training and more specifically, Fitness Blender. An amazing resource of free fitness routines on Youtube. Hundreds and hundreds of videos. They're fun, motivational, and quite frankly addictive, switching up my routines based on my equipment available to me transformed my work out and pushed me to complete videos I'd initially struggled to complete all the way through. They are now firmly in my routine.

Here is one of my favourites, incorporating a warm up, HIIT routine and yoga cool down:

My aim is to work out 3-4 times a week, never being too repetitive, I'll go on a long run followed the next time by HIIT or interval training and then some light weight or body weight work but sometimes you just want a nice satisfying stretch and I love some time spent practising yoga. And whenever the opportunity arrises to workout with a buddy, I take it. Exercise, as I've learnt more recently, is to be enjoyed, it doesn't have to take up hours, it can be a quick or lengthy and me-time. It's more important to feel fit than to look it.

What's your favourites ways to keep fit?

Follow me on Twitter @TheMibber to keep up with my series of #workoutweek

Andrea x

FIT

Trainers, New Balance, Made in UK

12 weeks ago I started a fitness programme (probs why I've been AWOL). I wasn't fat, I was lazy. My body has transformed, that little bit of podge is now lean muscle. I've somehow lost almost a stone, well I think, I didn't weigh myself before I started but I weigh a stone less than when I last weighed myself at the start of the year. My clothes all fit nicely and my body looks great. I've eaten clean and my skin, hair and nails all thank me for it. I wake up with a jump in my step. I have a ton of energy. The pro's of getting fit are endless.

It's reconfirmed what I've always believed and everyone says: there is no quick fix. If you want to get fit, just do it. It's hard work. It's not meant to be easy, you'll wake up aching where you pushed yourself maybe too hard, you will dwindle with motivation at the mid point, and when you first start every temptation will be heightened.

I've always fallen in and out of staying fit, but never before have I remained so dedicated to a single programme and seen results. I can run for upwards of an hour - probably longer, I haven't tried yet. I feel stronger, I can lift more. Every Tuesday when I climb the escalators in Holborn I can make it to the top without even a pant. 

It's retrained my mind in the way I approach food. I no longer get tempted by a quick newsagent Dairy Milk on my bus ride home. I am a lot more conscious about what I put in my body. But it's not a chore, it's an attitude. It is all about balance, I would've probably gone crazy if I didn't cut myself some slack and occasionally have the night off, but treating myself to the foods I thought I craved to start with actually made me realised I no longer wanted them. My treats now involve carbs, red meat and veg to refuel me (and cheese, oh cheese has been tough).

My exercise programme and clean eating has also been supported by protein shakes. I cannot recommend them enough. They help you recover so much quicker and aid the recovery of muscle. They are essential and I wouldn't undergo a programme without them. I've used a variety though and would say try a few for a few weeks to determine which is best. They're not cheap so you don't want to invest in one that won't be suitable for what you want to achieve. They are not just for bodybuilders.

Finally my programme has been intense: four times a week for twelve weeks. I've used a combination of cardio and weights to achieve my results - sometimes working out for up to 2 hours a day. I've adapted a programme I found online to suit my build and my goals. Although I have had personal trainers in the past and been gymorexic before (to no real result) - so I had excellent awareness on correct form and how I can push myself safely. Always get advice from a professional if you're unsure of what you can undertake.

Top Tips

I'm no expert. But this is what I've learnt and what has helped me:

- Find a buddy. You're only as strong as you're weakest link - don't pick your flaky friend if you actually want to make a change. I chose my boyfriend, we live together and it's good for us so it makes sense.

- Food = Weight Loss. Exercise = Fitness. Don't be naive in thinking you can do one without the other.  Both assist each other. Going for a half hour run means nothing if you're not supporting it by eating right and eating right without exercise won't miraculously get you fitter. 

- Go cold turkey. For the first month of your programme, be the perfect example of eating clean and exercise, don't drop a session, don't treat yourself to anything - just eat clean. It will take that long to get you in the habit and break all those secret eating sessions.

- Don't weigh yourself. I don't weigh myself anyway. But I would say - don't even make it weekly, make it monthly - you'll only appreciate results if you can tangibly see a big change. You may drop 1lb a week but losing 4lb per weigh in is more significant. The age old muscle weighs more than fat is true too. I measure my success on my body fat % you can get this measured at most Boots I assume.

- Don't just do cardio. Weights are just as important as cardio. But unless you absolutely know what your doing ask a professional. Perfect form is equally important as the actual weight you are lifting - you could be over stretching or damaging yourself if you're not doing it right. And that's just inefficient.

- Cardio needs to be dynamic. Yes slogging your guts out on the pavement is good. But it doesn't actually train your body to get any fitter. You do need to go interval training and sprints and vary the intensity of the cardio you are performing. It the one biggest change to my fitness I have noticed. Whether your cycling, cross trainer or running (or whatever else) changing the intensity of the workout is far more effective than doing a constant - so make sure there is a variety.

- It can be free(ish) - so protein is expensive as is gym memberships and work out gear. I haven't joined a gym - I'm lucky to live with two boys which have built a home gym. I have everything I need to get the results - a dumbell set, a barbell set and a bench. I have a bike and I have a pavement. That's all I have needed. 

- It's for you. Who cares who's watching you run, don't feel self conscious and don't do this for anyone else other than you. Bullies or bitchy people or worse boys - don't give them the satisfaction. Make sure it's for you. It's my me time. I listen to my favourite music, I switch off from life and I get down to business. I exit gym on natural high and nothing can beat that feeling - it's addictive.