Browsing Tag

exercise

Posted on October 1, 2018

5 simple ways to add exercise to your daily schedule

fitness

Committing to exercise isn’t a skill that comes naturally to everyone. Even avid gym goers struggle to stay on track of their health and fitness game during seasonal changes. The many obstacles that life throws at us can undoubtedly place having regular exercise at the bottom of our list of priorities.

However, sporadic workout sessions tend not to amount to anything – at least in my experience. Inconsistent workouts usually result in me dropping my workout schedule for weeks without end. Then I finally remember why having a concrete gym schedule is of the utmost importance to me.

I think making time to work out is a key ingredient for achieving long term goals and staying committed, even if it does mean sneaking it into a 9 – 5 work schedule. That may only seem like tiny efforts to some. But the little consistent things we do really add up. Who knows, the small efforts might even lead to a more strenuous training program!

So without further ado, here some non-committal ways to add exercise to your daily schedule 🙂

1. Yoga stretches in bed

As a morning person, I find that exercising first thing in the a.m keeps me pumped for the rest of the day. A timeless way to get your muscles moving is to do some early morning yoga stretches in bed. As soon as you open your eyes, take a few minutes for yourself to practice some muscle-wakening stretches. About 10 – 15 mins every morning is just about enough time to make you love stretching and want to add more exercise to your daily routine.

2. Get off one stop earlier

If you use the bus to commute to work then a great way to add exercise to your routine is to get off one or two stops earlier. This means you can walk the rest of the distance to get in some light cardio. Drivers could try to park a little bit further than their destination to get that walk in.

3. Cycle instead of walk

If you normally walk to work but you want to increase your cardio activity then cycling to work might be something worth looking into. I haven’t owned a bike in years but I do remember how useful they were for getting from point A to B while getting the heart pumping at the same time. Bikes are a great investment for that reason, even if you don’t use it as your main method of transportation to work!

4. Use a stability ball as a chair

Swapping over your office chair for a stability ball is a sneaky but effective little way to add exercise to your routine – if your office allows for it, of course! It takes little to no effort and it is very uplifting. An hour or two in the morning before lunch will help improve your core muscles and posture for the rest of the day – you might even be able to sneak in a few crunches on it when no one is looking…

5. No Netflix and binge

Apparently, we consume 15% more food when we eat in front of the telly – that’s quite a lot if an evening snack in front of Netflix is a normal part of your day-to-day life.  It might be tempting, but it probably isn’t the best habit to have in the long run. It would probably serve you better to exercise in front of the television instead.

Focus on one part of your body and do a few exercises that target your desired area. You’re not losing anything by exercising in front of your favourite series – if anything, you are killing two birds with one stone and saving valuable time!

Do you have any clever ways to add exercise to your daily schedule? If so, I’d love to hear what they are! Tweet me @FilomenaKaguako  and be sure to have a look at my related posts! 🙂 

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Posted on March 2, 2017

#BFitBFree with Claire McGrath & BFree Oaty Loaf

fitness/ Health

Bfree Oafy Loaf

A nutritious and delicious alternative to porridge

Yesterday morning, was like no other Wednesday morning. Myself and a small group of health conscious bloggers got into our best #FitFam gear and made our way to the super spacious and creative Iconic Offices, for an intense yoga session with fitness expert Claire McGrath to celebrate the exclusive launch of the new BFree Oaty Loaf.

BFree6

The WFF Fitness PRO started us off with a few breathing exercise. She then went on to speak about the power of the mind and how we can hold ourselves back by having negative thoughts. Similarly, surrounding ourselves with positivity and good vibes can have a positive impact on our lives – these are some of the main premises of yoga.

bfreebfit

After regulating our breathing and injecting positive energy into the room, we did a combination of various yoga movements such as the downward dog, the halfway lift and an arm balance pose that I likely would have never attempted to do previously due to not having the strongest core or upper body strength. Thankfully, Claire was incredibly helpful and patient with us all as she guided us one-by-one with poses that required a little more effort –  no paramedics were called, phew! Following our workout, we went on to the next room to get a taste of the new BFree Oaty Loaf.

BfreeBfit

I’m already a massive fan of the BFree wraps so to avoid sounding biased about the new Oaty Loaf, I will say this: it tastes very much like traditional soda bread except it is free from yeast, gluten, wheat, nut and soy! This means if you have any food intolerances (like myself) or if you simply want to healthify your life, then you can enjoy this oaty loaf without compromising on taste! First impressions? Not only is it light & fluffy, but it didn’t leave a bloated feeling in the tummy after consumption as most other breads have done for me in the past.

BfreeBfit

Made with certified gluten free oats, the bread is the perfect morning alternative to porridge. Every two slices of Oaty Loaf provides you with the same amount of oats as 1 bowl (40g) of porridge and is high in fibre with no added sugar making BFree Oaty Loaf a nutritious and delicious breakfast for the whole family

BfreeBFit

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The BFree Oaty Loaf will be available from Dunnes Stores nationwide from March 6th, Supervalu from the end of March and in Tesco nationwide from April 3rd  for the price of €3.49 🙂

A massive thank you to Claire McGrath, Revolve, BFree, Iconic Buildings and everyone who contributed to the success of yesterday’s launch!

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5 ways to make your workouts fun

fitness/ Health/ lifestyle

workouts fun

I often get asked how I find the motivation to get up at 6 o’clock in the morning, get into my workout gear, drive all the way to the gym for a morning session, and then carry on with the rest of my working day. Now putting aside the fact that I am a bit of a crazy person (aren’t we all), I think one of the main reasons I am able to find such motivation is because I know how to make my workouts a bit more enjoyable.

Naturally, I’m the type of person who easily gets bored. Be it a job, a hobby, people – yes, people. I just get sick of things very easily. That’s why switching things up in the gym is a must for me. Now by no means do you have to be a gym member to make exercise more fun, all it comes down to is being creative with your workouts!

So now that you have the back story, here are my top tips for making exercise feel less like a chore:

1. A killer playlist

Music, music, music. MUSIC. I really can’t stress it enough! A kickass playlist – excuse my French – will keep you going throughout your workout. A good techno remix does the job for me, but some people might like to listen to their favourite artist – whatever works for you! Just try not to get too carried away because you might just find yourself doing the Single Ladies dance in the middle of your workout!

2. Join a class

Some people hate dancing, but absolutely love swimming. Others can’t stand both but enjoy boxing. The point is, there is something out there for everyone. Once you find a class that doesn’t seem like a drag to go to, then you’re half way to becoming a #FitnessFanatic!  My advice is to try everything at least once, because you never know what might work for you. I tried a Boxfit class recently and loved it!

boxing fitness

3. Have a plus one

By nature, we are social creatures. So partnering up with a friend is always a good way of making exercise more pleasant. Not only does it make you look forward to your (super fun) workout, but the chances of you sticking to your exercise plan are much higher when you have someone to exercise with. Also, there’s always a bit of comfort in seeing your bestie struggle with burpees as badly as you – very fun indeed!

4. Set a target

Setting a target before your workouts can add a game element to them. If you set a goal, you will have something to strive for and as you will soon come to learn, there is nothing more rewarding than being able to push past your limits (or what you thought were your limits). What makes setting targets fun is the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel afterwards. Not sold? Try it! 

5. YouTube

And for the times I don’t wake up at crazy hours to go to the gym……YouTube of course! I genuinely don’t think being a gym member is a must if you want to keep fit. Obviously if you have other fitness goals, then you’d need to lift a bit more than the 2kg dumbbells you have at home! But if exercise is just a means of staying healthy, then YouTube is the name of the game! Because there are so many fitness channels, it is near impossible to get bored! Some of my favourite channels are Blogilates, Tone It Up and Fitness Blender!

If you want more tips or tricks for making workouts more bearable, feel free to add me on Snapchat @FilomenaKaguako 🙂

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Posted on December 8, 2014

What are your breakouts telling you?

Skincare

face mapping

Your skin is a very good indicator of what’s going on inside your body. Usually, when someone has breakouts on repeated areas, it could be a sign that something more is happening internally.

While genes have a huge impact on whether or not someone is or will be prone to acne, there’s no harm in learning a bit about face mapping and finding out what your spots could be trying to tell you.

Forehead acne

Breakouts around the forehead could mean that you don’t get enough sleep, you eat a lot of sugary foods and are generally under a lot of stress.

Suggestions: Go to bed earlier and try to find a regular sleeping pattern. If you can, do some light exercise (about 20 – 30 minutes a day) to help you have a sounder sleep. Practice some meditation to help you feel calmer and cut down on sugar foods.

Between the brows

This could mean that you consume more alcohol than you should and that you have a few too many late night snacks – uh oh!

Suggestions: Cut down on the booze and smoke – you’ve probably been told that a million times before! Avoid late night snacks and include lighter foods in your diet.

Left cheek

Acne on your lower left cheek could be a sign of poor dental health, while left cheek acne in general could mean that you sleep on that side of your face a lot.

Suggestions: Be sure to take good care of your teeth and floss regularly. Practice good hygiene by changing your pillows and duvet covers every few days.  It’s also a good idea to avoid overeating – particularly junk food.

acne means

Right cheek

Again, acne on your lower right cheek could be a sign of poor dental health. Break outs on your right cheek in general could mean you sleep on that side of your face.

Suggestions: Be sure to take good care of your teeth and floss regularly. Practice good hygiene by changing your pillows and duvet covers every few days.  Make sure you clean your mobile phone as well, all those late night calls could play a role in this too.

Temples

This could mean that you eat a lot of processed foods and not enough fruit and vegetables.

Suggestions: Avoid eating too much junk food and try to eat more foods that have a high water content. i.e. cucumbers and celery. It’s also a good idea to practice better hygiene by not having your hair in your face.

Lips

Lip acne could be a sign that you eat a lot of spicy foods and not enough fiber. It could also be an indication that you’re using the wrong toothpaste too!

Suggestions: Cut down on the Mexican and get some more fiber into your system! Also,  switch your toothpaste and try using something without fluoride for a while. This might or mightn’t make a difference, but sure give it a try!

Chin and jaw line

Breakouts around this area of your face are usually linked to hormones.

Suggestions: Take more omega-3’s to help regulate your hormones, and if you can, get checked out for any hormone imbalances. Avoid eating before going to bed and try to reduce stress as much as possible.

It is important to remember that this is just a general guideline and it may not be the case for everyone. While diet changes and topical treatments won’t help you get rid of acne completely, they can help you regulate it! No matter what you think is causing your breakouts, be sure to drink a lot of water!

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Posted on July 21, 2013

The Liebster award

Beauty

I was recently nominated for the Liebster award….excited, enthusiastic and anxious, I just couldn’t wait to see what that meant! of course being me I quickly discovered that I was getting a bit ahead of myself….

The Liebster award is a way for early stage bloggers to connect and get to know each other.  ‘Liebster’ which is German for ‘beloved’ means that being nominated for this award meant that I was favored by the beautiful closbeautyspot to answer a few questions about myself….

To keep this nice and short, I decided to make a video for the second part of this task so get reading!

Questions asked by Closbeautyspot:

1. Favorite beauty/hair product of all time? Apart from water, my matte red lipstick

2. Movies or books? Psychological thrillers all the way! 

3. What is your idea of a great day off? Not having to lift a finger all day

4. High end or high street makeup?  Assuming high street means pharmacy makeup…..high end makeup!

5. Favorite country? J’adore Paris

6. Glass half full or half empty? Half empty (but it’s something I’m working on!)

7. Why did you start bloggingI decided it was time for me to explore my deep rooted passion for beauty 

8. Favorite thing to eat or drink? Watch the video below to find out 🙂

9. Night in or night out? Depends where I am! 

10. What character would you be in Harry Potter & why? Harry Potter because he’s as complex as me!

We’re half way there everyone, here is a quick video on ’11 facts about me: IMG_0256 make sure you comment below on anything I’ve said in this video!

Now I’m going to tag 10 other bloggers on twitter and get them to give us 11 facts and answers to this:

1. What’s your favorite food?

2. Where did you celebrate your last birthday?

3.Favorite makeup brand? (why)

4. Least favorite makeup brand (why)

5. How long do you spend on your makeup?

6. What’s the longest part of your process?

7. Would you leave the house without makeup?

8. How often do you exercise?

9. Is there anything that annoys you about applying makeup, if so what?

10. Did you have a good weekend?

Hope you enjoyed my post and video! Make sure you check out closbeautyspot  she’s very stylish and creative (always a good mix!) and keep an eye out for my post on Summer essential this week!

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