Tag: fit

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Bam! And I’m back at classes, yay!

Last week was a little difficult to keep on track, I did a lot of traveling and spent time away from home, but I didn’t slack off even though I didn’t manage to get to classes. I spent time walking and running instead. I’m gradually grinding my 5k time down which I am very pleased about. I’m quicker than I was at any point last year so I’m counting that as solid progress!

I was back at Salsa class on Friday night. It’s such a lot of fun, and I definitely worked up a bit of a sweat. We worked on turns for the first time, which was tougher than I anticipated- getting my head movement right is not easy! I had a relaxing weekend, with the first of my Clarsach lessons on Saturday- I really enjoyed it, and I kept up with those who were able to attend the first lesson which I missed. The next class is this coming Saturday and I’m excited to have another go, to see what I can remember!  I spent some time on Sunday doing some food prep. I didn’t do much more than I would normally do, but I was a little more organised and prepped some dips and some extra snacks. My thinking is that I might make better food choices if it’s ready to go and needs no preparation when I actually want to just eat!  Some of my snacks for this week include:

  • Sugar snap peas and caramelised onion hummus
  • Red pepper sticks and salsa
  • Apple and peanut butter
  • Sweetcorn and diced red pepper
  • Edamame beans
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Strawberry, blueberry, Greek yoghurt with flax and chia seeds

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it! 

Tonight, I was back at class as I said: we had a combo of WAR and Body Conditioning which was ace! It was certainly a workout I needed. I didn’t quite work hard enough, though: I planned to work at 60-70%of my max heart rate which would have been around 107-125BPM. My average was 106BPM so I must do better next week!

Here’s some motivation for this week: Get out there!

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 4 Comments

Hello, how was your festive break? Did you have time off- from work and from running (or fitness)? I did, but I managed a few runs while classes were off, so I haven’t been completely idle.

Some classes return this week, and hopefully most will be back next week, but until then I’ll be running to make sure that I kick off my 2017 health and fitness goals the way I mean to go on.

This year, we kicked things off by taking part in the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh, which was absolutely brilliant. Although it was only a 5k, it was well worth the overnight trip to take part in it. I loved it! I’ll post a full race review later in the week, but meanwhile here’s my medal:

Over the past 10 days or so my running splits have improved, which is really encouraging. Tonight I braved the rain and the wind to get another 5k in. @TheWelshWookie and I recently joined Vitality UK and I’m enjoying the additional health motivation that comes with that. So much so that I’ve decided to take part in their 10 week #FittestYearTogether challenge which kicks off today. Day one down, and so far so good!

Here’s hoping that my motivation continues:)  Have a good week. 

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Brrrr! Is it just me, or is it chilly out there? 

I had such a busy end to my week, last week: I managed to squeeze in a couple of classes before Wednesday when @TheWelshWookie, my bestie Pauline and I saw Deacon Blue in concert. They were AWESOME!   I then had a couple of days in Blackpool for a work seminar, and after that @TheWookie and I headed to Coventry to see family before Christmas. We got back late last night, and I was very happy to be back in my own bed!

Tonight I was back at body conditioning. I opted for lighter weights than usual which meant that I was able to better focus on my form and core. Boom! Love the class! Tomorrow night we have a fundraising evening, with back to back sessions of Glowercise, Pound, Zumba and VeraFlow. Bring it on! 

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Was it just me, or was last week over in a flash? It seemed to me that it raced by.

I had my first full week of classes, and it looked something like this:

Monday – Body Conditioning. I worked hard, and had DOMS for days. We had a new track for triceps, and it really told on me afterwards. Loved it!

Tuesday – Pound and Zumba. I think Zumba is going to take some time to get used to, with new routines, and co-ordination needed for arms and legs. After Monday’s class my arms were already sore, and by Wednesday morning I was aching all over!

Wednesday – Jog Scotland. A leisurely run was just what I needed after the exertions of Monday and Tuesday, and it felt good to get outside in the fresh air for half an hour. I was really glad that I went along, as is always the case.

Thursday – PiYo and VeraFlow. I needed this stretch out, and it was fantastic. At PiYo, we put together the flow routines, doing the whole thing on the right side, and then on the left. It was hard work, and I still can’t fo the half moon, but I love this class. There was a new VeraFlow track (Jacqui, I don’t know how you remember all of this!), so it was good to mix it up a little.

Friday – Salsa. This is both lots of fun and needs concentration to get right. I think that the footwork is beginning to get there, but I’m really struggling with arms at the moment! But after only three lessons, it’s early days. I’ve ordered dance shoes, so I can’t wait to give them a go when they arrive.

We then had the Jog Scotland Christmas night out after Salsa, which was such a laugh! It’s a really good crowd of people who are so supportive and fun. We even all recevied a present from Santa’s sack 🙂 I got rainbow laces for my trainers, and bib clips! Yay!

On Saturday evening, @TheWelshWookie and I went to the cinema, for the first time in ages, and we saw ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. I had low expectations, if I’m honest, and so I was pleasantly surprised by the film, I really did enjoy it. Although a cinema trip is by no means a low cost night out – it was the best part of £50 for tickets and snacks for two, ouch! Just was well we don’t go often! I’m now looking forward to reading the screenplay:

Sunday was the Country Living Christmas Fayre in Glasgow with my mum and sisters. I managed to get the last couple of things off of my shopping list, before we headed to The Scullery for a lovely late lunch. We rounded the evening off with a wee glass of vino in a lovely Italian bar off Byres Road, and with ice cream from the University Cafe.

So here we are, with another week stretching ahead, and I’m heading to Body Conditioning still tired from last week. I think I need a holiday! 🙂 I’m glad I have a Monday night class to look forward to, otherwise I’d definintly be tempted to just head home and sit on the sofa for the evening. Having a commitment to a class certainly makes all the difference on dark, cold nights like these.

Here’s something to help you, if you’re feeling the same way:monday-inspirational-quotes

Have a great week!

 

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

So tell me: how was your week? Mine was mostly positive. It started off great, with a fantastic Body Conditioning class on Monday, followed by a double session on Tuesday: Pound and Zumba. It had been a really long time since I last tried Zumba, and it was fun! On Thursday, I had car trouble (it’s a long story) so I didn’t make PiYo, or VeraFlow which was disappointing. 

On Friday, @TheWelshWookie and I were back at Salsa, and I think we made more progress. It’s such a great workout, my hips are still aching so it must be working muscles that I don’t usually use in other classes. Putting the arms and the legs together is certainly challenging!

Saturday saw our first lessons as part of Tarbert’s Feis: I had a go at accordion and clarsach 🙂 So we had dance lessons and music lessons, fab cultural activities two days in a row!  We rounded off our busy weekend by taking part in Glasgow’s Mo Run along with my bestie Pauline, Gavin, Olivia and Christopher. The weather was very kind to us, and the rain stayed away until after we finished. It’s such a fab medal and we had a really good time! 

All in all, it’s been a busy weekend!

I’ve started off this week with another Body Conditioning session. I’m really loving this class, I’ve been pushing quite hard, tiring my muscles out as much as I can; Jacqui is really helping us to improve our form and developing the effectiveness of each movement, and I am feeling the benefits. This week I’ll be trying to work on my tricep press ups so that I can make the most of them in class. 

Here’s something that does cross my mind from time to time:

 Do you sometimes wonder that? Have a brilliant week!

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 2 Comments

Hello, everyone. I hope I didn’t bombard you too much last week, while I was catching up on my race reports. It feels good to have them done, and up to date.

How was your weekend? Mine was amazing: we had a night out in Glasgow on Friday night for my birthday, followed by Stacey’s baby shower on Saturday which was such great fun. Yesterday, we had lunch with Pauline and Gavin before seeing Miss Saigon’s 25th Anniversary show at the cinema. What an awesome weekend!  Tonight, we are back in Tarbert, and instead of lounging about after a busy weekend, we’ve been to Body Conditioning, to start the week off right. 

My autumn fitness fun is looking something like this:

  • Monday- Body Conditioning 
  • Tuesday- Pound
  • Wednesday- Jog Scotland
  • Thursday- PiYo and VeraFlow
  • Friday- Salsa

Yes- you read that correctly- dance classes for adults are coming soon to Tarbert and the first session will be Salsa! I’ve never tried salsa before but I’m very much looking forward to trying it. I’ll also try to get a weekend run in at some point, but not at the expense of some rest of course. 

Here’s a little Monday Motivation for you, if- like me- you need it: Have a lovely week!

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Welcome to a wet, windy Monday here on the west coast of Scotland. After a lovely, sunny and warm weekend, I’m looking out of the window to a deluge of water and some decidedly autumnal winds. Urgh! Looks like summer may be over!

How was your weekend?

I had a lovely time – Tony’s parents were visiting, and we spent the day on Saturday at Portavadie, using the fabulous spa facilities (yes, again). It’s very relaxing, with stunning landscapes across Loch Fyne. Even the sauna has a stunning view. Needless to say, I’m planning my next trip already….

My last run was back on Tuesday, but I’ve managed to walk a fair bit, and I also had PiYo and Veraflow classes, back to back, on Thursday. You all know that I love PiYo, but Veraflow was new to me. It was our instructor, Jacqui’s first time teaching it, and it was good fun!

The warm up involved latin-style dance steps, combined with some gentle stretching. Actually, that sums up the class well, too – lots of lovely stretches with fun dance-style routines that I’m hoping I might get to grips with after a few weeks 😉 I’m not the most co-ordinated person, as many of you will know.

Tonight, I’m off to Body Conditioning again – I worked hard at last week’s class, so much so that my DOMS lasted though until Saturday! 😮 I’m looking forward to feelin’ the burn again tonight – though I might have to make sure I don’t take it too far. I’ll then pull on my trainers again tomorrow night, Wednesday night and again on Saturday – we’re less than two weeks away from the Disneyland Paris half marathon – eek!

Here’s a little something to get you started this week, if you are struggling:

22motivation-fitness-quotes

Have an ace week 🙂

Monday Motivation

Monday Motivation

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello, everyone! Did you have a good week? I did. Yesterday marked the end of this year’s 5×50 Challenge and despite injury, I’ve really enjoyed it. Here’s a short photo summary of my 5×50 adventures: 


I’m not quite finished with challenges, though, as we are mid way through Paths For All’s eight week step count challenge. 

To celebrate the end of 5×50, we booked our flights and accommodation for the inaugural Disneyland Paris Half Marathon this September. We have our training plan at the ready, and once my injury has healed we’ll get back out running. In the mean time I’ll keep up with the walking and PiYo. 

Here’s a little something that reflects my current feelings: 

 Kidding! Here it is, really: 


Have a wonderful week!

  Monday Motivation 

  Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Hello! How has your week been? The weather here has been stunning, if a little breezy at times. But, we’ve made the most of it, getting some runs and walks in as part of our 5×50 Challenge. In case you don’t follow me on social media, here’s the evidence:


 

  Tonight, we had a brilliant PiYo class, learning the basics of a new round. There are some moves that we haven’t done before, and it’s really challenging some muscles- which is great! It also reminded me of this, which I had pinned a while ago: 

 Whether the weather lasts or not, I’ll be getting on with day 31 of 5×50; bring it on!

Monday Motivation 

Monday Motivation 

by TartanJogger ♥ 6 Comments

Hello, did you miss me last week, when I was away gallivanting? @TheWelshWookie and I were off visiting the Harry Potter Studios Tour and it was awesome! Here are a couple of snaps: 

    
 If you get the chance to visit, you have to take it- to visit the actual set and to walk through the Great Hall, Diagon Alley and onto the Hogwarts Express was amazing! 

From a fitness point of view, we did lots and lots of walking in London and around about. We also visited Southend and walked the longest pier in the world, which is 1.3 miles long!  

 I’m glad to be back into a routine, though, and we were back at PiYo tonight, starting the next round, which is round 40. I think I’m going to love some of these routines and the 80s music is fantastic! I tried out my new mat tonight, but it isn’t sticky or grippy enough and I couldn’t grip properly, so I ended up swapping it for one of Jacqui’s. Any tips on how to make a mat more ‘sticky’ if you know what I mean? 

  it is pretty, though!

After a break, and with the summer looming, it’s easy to fall away from routine and to not stick to fitness goals. If that rings true for you, I hope this helps; it has helped me this week: 

 Have a great week!