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Balance

5 Ways to Cure Sore Muscles after the Gym

Do your muscles ache the day after the gym?

Struggle with the stairs?

Does it put you off going the next day?


5 Ways to Cure Sore Muscles after the Gym

Here are 5 tricks I use to make sure I keep on track of my workouts and to keep those sore muscles at bay.

Rehydrate

This one is a bit of a no-brainer. You must replace the water lost in workouts so your body continues to function. When you put your body under stress it needs to be consistently hydrated.
Make sure you are getting at least 2 litres of water a day. You can make this more funky by having herbal teas (my favourite are Pukkaany flavour) or by putting lemon and mint in your water to add flavour!

5 Ways to Cure Sore Muscles after the Gym


Foam Rolling

Foam Rolling lets you roll out those tight muscles. This is crucial when training with weights when your muscles are getting stronger. Foam Rolling allows you to take the pressure deeper – really working into those tighter areas. This allows you to work the tightness and get you back in the weights section quicker.
If you don’t have time to foam roll in the gym (plus you can look and sound very strange when you find the tighter spots)

I recommend buying a roller for home and spending 20 minutes when catching up on your favourite show.


Massage

There will be times, especially when starting a new routine, when you may need to bring in a professional.

Massage not only makes you feel better and relax but it also helps with muscle recovery. Knots and tightness can really impact your workout – so getting a professional to relieve the pressure can really help.

Having a massage can really help you identify injuries or potential problems which could be exacerbated by certain exercises.

I recently have been having trouble with my legs and neck. My neck and legs were stiff, sore and it was affecting my sleep.

I was recommended to get a massage ASAP!

I booked a sports massage to my house (amazing – I know!) using Urban Massage App!

The masseuse worked through all the layers easing the tension. I had no idea how tight some of the larger muscle groups were. Her hands were magic and by the end of the massage, my muscles had melted.

If you don’t have the time to go to a spa or are nervous about booking a massage – try using Urban Massage App
I have the app on my phone and have now started booking massages every couple of months to help re-align from training

For a little treat click here and get 10% off your First Massage!


Warm Bath

Grab those Epsom Salts and Lavender Oil and fill up the bath with warm/hot water and soak those muscles. If you have time the optimum time to relax those muscles and detoxify is 30-40mins.

If you find it hard to sit still for that long and wind down… take in a good book or listen to a podcast while you unwind.

5 Ways to Cure Sore Muscles after the Gym


Sleep

The vital ingredient to any recovery!

No excuses: if you are not getting 8 hours you are not allowing your body to recover.

Sleep and hydration allow your body to work at its best.

Switch off your phone, turn off the tv, get into bed an hour early and read…meditate…relax and wind down and give yourself enough time to get in those 8 hours.

5 Ways to Cure Sore Muscles after the Gym


For More Stress-Free Workout Tips Click Here: Stress-Free Workout

Balance

Stress Management: Walking Meditation

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Stress and stress management is important.

Hands up whose feeling a little stressed out? Mind is racing, to do list is growing, have that cold or ache that won’t go away! These things can really get you down.

The reality is people are becoming more and more stressed. This could be down to a number of factors: Work, Diet, Lifestyle or imbalances in our bodies which are creating symptoms that are bringing us down.


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Stress can take many forms:

From mental stress such as: memory problems, inability to concentrate, anxious or racing thoughts, irritability or short temper, feeling overwhelmed

To physical stress such as: Aches and pains, stomach problems, nausea, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, eating more or less, sleeping too much or too little, procrastinating , using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax

We all have our own ways of dealing with stress but sometimes it can get the better of us and that is when you need to put the steps in to take care of yourself.

Our lives will always be stressful so creating your personal toolkit to deal with it is important.

You may go online and google help and hear people talking about meditation (which instantly makes you think of someone sitting cross legged in harem pants saying “om”) and think…its not for me.

Ever thought of Meditative Walking?


 

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There is such beauty watching the sunrise.

Rising with the sun and walking; finding the time to breathe, get in the zone and re-connect helps me to re-establish where I am right now in the world.

I have never been one to sit still and “om” and I find that walking helps me achieve the inner peace needed to meditate when the world seems a little heavy on my shoulders.

Rising with the light, getting some fresh air, exercise and stillness in this busy world can really change your outlook for the day.

Even in the busy cities you can find solace in the morning ours.


 

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Meditative walking allows you to have some time on your own, moving the blood around your body and taking in the world.

The movement can distract you from thoughts and take your mind into being consciously active.

Stress can creep up at any time – therefore establishing a form of relaxation while physically removing yourself from the situation can allow you take some time out and bring the zen back into your world.


If you are trying meditation out for the first time this could be the way to start. Here are my tips to getting the best out of your walk.

1) Start by breathing: Long breaths through your nose and out through your mouth
2) Silence: Try and do this without music and take in your surroundings
3) Peaceful: Try your best to go somewhere away from the hustle and bustle
4) Time: Don’t rush – set yourself a time in the day to do this
5) Mindful: Listen to your thoughts. how do you feel?


You are never alone in this world when you are stressed and never be embarrassed to reach out to those around you when you feel yourself being overwhelmed. You may not know you’re stressed and just feel like something is just wrong (akin to “i just don’t feel like me”).

With the right management and personal toolkit you will find the perfect way to tackle your worlds stressed your way.


Camera:Olympus Pen E-PL7 – Coat – Zara – Leggings – H&M – Boots – Palladium

 

Balance

5 tips to Stop Being a People Pleaser

  • Are you a people pleaser?

Or let me put this another way…

Do you put the needs of others before yours? 

See if you answer Yes to any of the below…

Are you the go-to person for family and close friends?

Do you avoid conflict and confrontation?

Do you agree to help others even when you don’t really have the time or resources to do so?

Does your relationship or friendships feel one-sided, that you do most of the work?

Do you feel taken advantage of?

Quite a few? Well chances are you are a people pleaser.

You may not even notice you are doing it. You may only do it to certain people in life… Your loved one, your best friend, your manager or your parents. Either way…this behaviour is making you ill.

It took me a long time to realise that I am a people pleaser and my god it was a harsh reality.

It dawned on me when someone said that I apologise for the actions of others? I thought to myself… do I? I was noticing I was making excuses for everyone in my life at the sacrifice of my own happiness. Thoughts like “if I don’t do the washing up, then no-one will, then there will be tension and I don’t like tension”… sounds crazy but welcome to my head.

I took a good look internally and tried to track back… I had been doing this for quite a while

It was becoming my natural response to put the needs of others above mine. Apologising for the actions of others? Taking responsibility for things that had nothing to do with me. Laying down horizontally to keep the Peace.

Saying No was no longer a top response in my vocabulary.

I was putting myself out, taking the blame, doing things for the sake of others, not being appreciated for the efforts and becoming internally resentful.

When you do things in life to meet the needs and expectations of others you need a reality check!

Now I am not saying that being selfless and thoughtful are bad traits but sometimes in life you need to listen to your inner self.

What do you want?

Does this action make you happy?

Are you putting your true self aside for another human being?

If you can’t put yourself first – how can you expect anyone else too.

Here are some tips for helping you re-connect with your inner self. It may go against the grain of your personality but over time the strength of the connection to the real you and your real thoughts, opinions, loves and passion will be the best feeling.

1. Realise you have a choice: Start simple and think before immediately saying yes. When someone asks you to do something pause and ask yourself “Do I want to do this?”

2. Don’t apologise – its not your fault: Your partner didn’t have a good nights sleep? There isn’t any milk in the fridge? You don’t have enough money for a big night out? Stop apologising its not your fault. Its not your fault someone didn’t sleep (well unless you’re a chronic snorer) It is not your purpose in life to make sure there is always milk in the fridge. Next time you feel yourself about to apologise – STOP

3. Don’t be scared of falling out: Life is full of confrontation. Problems arise, people vent, people calm down and life moves on. Don’t be scared of being in a conflict. Live with people who never clean? You find yourself as the free cleaner? But you’re too scared to kick off as you want to keep the peace? well guess what! Everyone wants a free cleaner. If people think they can get away with it they will. Think back to when you were a kid – and your mum would say “I am not your slave” but in the back of your head you kinda knew dinner would be on the table, your washing would be done and eventually she may clean your room? Well guess what don’t be someone else’s mum until you choose to take on that responsibility! People get over arguments more or less as soon as they start. Stand your ground, be clean, calm and collected. Don’t be the first to bow down. The best relationships are built from differing opinions and strength of conviction.

4. Learn to walk away from toxic relationships: Can you identify someone in your life that you are trying to please yet never receive the same behaviour back? This may be the toughest of them all – but it may be time to walk away from that friendship, relationship or job. Toxicity in your life brings about all sorts of negative health impacts. It may be hard at first but clearing out the toxicity in your life may be the best place to start.

5. Realise you cannot give a 100% to everyone: My mother once told me “If you try to please everyone you will end up giving 50% to one person and 50% to the other, thus you end up exhausting yourself at 100% but only really achieving 50%”. People will feel like you are only giving them a small part of your attention as you are too pre-occupied with trying to please everyone. People will respect you more if you say “no” when you cant give them your full attention and find a time when you can dedicate all your attention and love to them.

It will take time.

People pleasing is a personality type. It is a behaviour. It will take time and training but the benefits will lead to you being in touch with who you truly are and what you want to achieve from life.

I would love to hear what you think about this article. Are you a people pleaser? Were you a people pleaser? How did you change your behaviour?

Balance

When is your Matcha Moment?

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There is a new superfood lurking around the market place – it goes by the name of Matcha… makes me think of macho so I thought I would check out this new green powder on the market

I started my little investigation on the interweb and decided I would find out what the world thinks of this product and also try it out myself.

So Matcha – who are you and where are you from?

Matcha is 100% natural, organic green tea leaves which have been carefully ground down to form a fine powder.

It has been drunk in Japan as part of the tea ceremony for almost 900 years, and is used by Buddhist monks to keep them alert, awake and focused during long days of meditation.

I’m liking the sound of this Zen tea.

So lets look into the benefits

  • Boosts metabolism and burns calories
  • Detoxifies effectively and naturally
  • Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
  • Boosts memory and concentration
  • Amazing flavour
  • Full out cancer fighting ingredients
  • Anti-ager
  • Loaded full of fiber, chlorophyll and vitamins

So I think we are on to a winner.

So my own experiment…

HOT: I tried it in a tea… a very interesting flavour. It was too overpowering for me but worth a try if you like more vegetative tastes it is worth a try

SMOOTHIE: Brilliant in a green smoothie. Try it with Cucumber, Mint, Spinach and Apple.

Whats your Matcha Moment?

Try it for yourself and buy from here

Enjoy x

Recipes

Juice Cleanse – Day 1

 

 

 

 

 

Juice Cleanses! We have all heard of them! They seem to the new nutrition trend of 2014 and have been acclaimed to be the best thing to do for you gut!

In a world full of toxins, acidity, pollution, stress, sugary and processed food – these juice cleanses are designed to help cleanse your digestive system to free up some energy!

As we are peak in summer I thought I would give one of these cleanses a go. I have started going to to hot yoga every day in Clapham at Yoga haven and Glo – Juice Bar is conveniently situated en premise!

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I started doing hot yoga more frequently as I am finding from all my weight training that I am gaining muscle at a rate that I am not happy with and looking to find a way to lengthen and lean out my body. (I have taken before and after pictures and I will share these at the end). I felt the juice cleanse would aide with the new change I am looking for – ridding out all the crap and maybe lose a few pounds on the way

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So – back to the agenda.

After my hot yoga I collect my juice package which has been freshly prepared for me. At the collection point there is a cup of hot water and lemon ready for my morning commute and shot of apple and ginger to kick-start my day.

I make my way to work and pick up the essentials (see below) cannot wait to read about Mrs Victoria Beckham in this months Vogue – after spending hours watching the tennis and of course the Beckhams – I still can’t work out who I am more in love with out of that beautiful power couple….

Breakfast

I open my package at my desk – inside there are tea sachets, my juices and smoothies for the day and an envelope listing my two day menu and some frequently asked questions.

So as I sit down to start my first Green Smoothie – I am going to fill my head full of the positivity and confidence in myself to stick and complete my cleanse and enjoy every moment.

Will blog later about my days menu, my thoughts and feelings, the ups and downs and any other info that may be helpful to the next juicer in line

Have a wonderful day xxx

 

Balance

Today’s Workout – HotPod Yoga

 

 

 

About a year ago I started investigating yoga. Being a typical westerner I was silly in thinking that yoga was something that post uni “finding themselves in India” students picked up to exemplify how spiritual they were upon returning…how wrong was I!

The more I found out, read and tried but more hooked I became!

Joseph Pilates once wrote…

“If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old; if it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.”

From doing weights I have noticed my flexibility has suffered and was finding myself un-able to touch my toes! as a 25 year old…this is serious!

So I took it upon myself to sort this out. I joined hotpod yoga – a hot yoga company based in Brixton (They have other venues dotted about but for the full list go to www.hotpodyoga.com). The “pod” is 37 degrees – as a sun baby its like stepping into a tropical paradise – which allows you to warm your muscles to increase your stretch.Snap10

The ambiance is like no other yoga I have ever attended. The instructors play minimal dub/electro which I believe is more relaxing then some of the conventional music played at other yoga’s which can be off putting or make a dis-connect if you focus on the music. The pod is in the dark with only a purple light allowing you to fully focus on the yoga rather than fretting that people will notice the limitations of my stretch!

The instructors are incredible: Cool, calm, know their stuff and also make an effort to create an environment of relaxation. If all of the abve was not enough – sometimes you receive a head massage in the final rest and relaxation when you least expect it – trust me – its incredible!

Within 2 weeks – I could head stand, touch my toes, balance in various yoga poses and focus on my mind and body.

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I found my ability to zen at situations and found an inner strength of relaxing into a stretch when situations of stress arose.

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Whatever your fitness thread is – try and fit in some yoga. Even if you’re not a gym bunny – the amount of hours we spend on the computer these days has an impact on our spines. To live a long and youthful life we must invest time into protecting our spines.

Use yoga as a practice to un-wind, stretch and have some you time. It is amazing how quickly your ind can reset if you allow the oxygen flow and the quiet to rule for just one hour a day.

Yoga santorini