6KM in 6 WEEKS || Running for Beginners

  

Running is a popular & effective method of exercise as it is low cost and can be done anytime and anywhere. Regular running helps to build strong bones, strengthen muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness, burn kilojoules and help maintain a healthy weight.

Whether your goal is to get fit, maximise your overall fitness alongside other forms or exercise, lose weight, complete a race, or simply enjoy the social benefits - running has something to offer for all ages and fitness levels.

Some general tips for beginners:

- If you feel out of shape, are recovering from injury or are worried about an existing condition - see your doctor for a check-up before you start a running program. This is especially important if you are over 40 years, are overweight, have a chronic illness or haven't exercised in a long time.

- If you have not been active for a while, you may need to build your fitness levels gradually by walking, then jogging (then a mix of both) before you move on to running. Ideally this would need to be done over a couple of months.

- Make sure you warm up thoroughly before you head out. Start each run with a gentle warm-up of at least five minutes. This can include quick walking, marching on the spot, knee lifts, side stepping and climbing stairs.

- Cool your body down with light stretches when you return. Focus on the major muscles groups you have been using (quadriceps, calves, hamstrings etc).

- Make sure you fuel your body with a healthy diet and plenty of fluids. Water intake is especially important in the 24 hours before your run to avoid dehydration. And of course, remember to replace your fluids after your run by drinking plenty of water and a healthy meal.

- Allow at least two complete rest days per week to avoid overtraining, which can lead to injury. Consider other low impact activities, such as swimming, at least once each week. Remember – it is better to run twice a week, every week, than to run every day one week and then do no running for the next three weeks.

- Do not wear your old sneakers. Poorly fitted shoes are a common cause of injuries. There are many types of trainers on the market, so get advice from a specialist running retailer who will assess your foot and find the right shoe for you.

- If you injure yourself while running, stop immediately and seek medical advice.

I have designed the training plan below for beginners....Enjoy!

Mel
xo

 

6KM RUNNING TRAINING PLAN (For Beginners)
	MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
WEEK 1	(Run 1min, Walk 1min) x 10	Rest	(Run 2mins, Walk 4 mins) x 5	Rest	(Run 2mins, Walk 4 mins) x 5	Rest	Rest
WEEK 2	(Run 3mins, Walk 3mins) x 5	Rest	(Run 3mins, Walk 3mins) x 5	Rest	Rest	(Run 5mins, Walk 3 mins) x 5	Rest
WEEK 3	(Run 7mins, Walk 3mins) x 3	Rest	(Run 7mins, Walk 2mins) x 3	Rest	(Run 9mins, Walk 2mins) x 3	(Run 5mins, Walk 5mins) x 4	Rest
WEEK 4	Rest	(Run 9mins, Walk 2mins) x 3	(Run 10mins,Walk 2mins) x 2 Then run for 5mins	Rest	(Run 10mins, Walk 3mins) x 3	Rest	Rest
WEEK 5	(Run 9mins, walk 1min) x 3	(Run 12 mins, walk 2 mins) x 2 Then run for 5 mins	Rest	(Run 9mins, Walk 1min) x 4	Rest	Rest	(Run 9mins, Walk 1 mins) x 4
WEEK 6	Rest	(Run 15mins, Walk 1min) x 2	Rest	(Run 12mins, Walk 3mins) x 3	Rest	Rest	Run 6km Race!!

HYDRATION || Why is it so important?

We all know that water is vital to our survival, however many of us are unaware of just how important H2O is - for weightloss, energy, concentration, digestion….the list goes on!

In terms of your body’s overall composition, water makes up around 22% of your bones, 83% of your blood and nearly 90% of your lungs. If this isn’t already reason enough to head to the sink and fill up your glass, the following statistics will highlight just how essential water is for our health, both physically and mentally.

Let’s start off from a physical health perspective. It is no secret that your muscles play an important role in maintaining & improving general fitness, as the main function of the muscular system is movement. What some of us may not be aware of is the fact that our muscles are composed of 75% water. Whether your daily life is fairly sedentary (a conversation for another time!!) or you are a professional athlete, the fact is - muscles are made primarily of water. Of course the more physical activity you do, the more water you need to consume, but in order to simply MOVE – today and for the rest of your life, you need to be drinking enough H2O. If you are exercising on a regular basis, water becomes even more essential, as dehydration can prevent muscles from properly contracting. When you aren’t drinking enough water & your muscles lack fluids, they become fatigued. This then means you won't be able to perform as well during your workouts. Increasing your water intake BEFORE and AFTER you exercise will help prevent muscle cramping, improve the strength of muscle contractions and quicken muscle response. All of these benefits will contribute to increase in your fitness and a more speedy recovery time!!

Moving on to the role of water for your health from a mental perspective, let me start off by saying this:
The brain is also composed of 75% water. This means that your mood, your concentration span, your energy levels, your memory, your decision making, your coping mechanisms, your productivity, your resilience, your learning skills and so much more…..are ALL greatly affected by your water intake (or lack of!). When you feel tired, foggy, forgetful, unmotivated, grumpy etc. etc.  – this may be because your brain is simply dehydrated. Ensuring that you drink enough water can drastically improve these symptoms or quite often completely eradicate them!

I could write a novel on the benefits & significance of getting enough water on a daily basis, but hopefully by now the message is simple – DRINK WATER and STAY HYDRATED.

Water will keep you feeling full in between meals, help you to stay energised & productive throughout the day and fuel your body & your brain with the energy that it needs.

Drink at least 2 Litres (approx. 8 glasses) of water per day - more if you are exercising - and I promise you it will contribute considerably to a healthier, happier mind and body!

Mel

xo

HEALTH || Mental & Physical || My Personal Story

When we hear the word “Health” or we strive to be “Healthy” – the components we automatically associate with this are usually based solely on fitness & nutrition. While it is true that the foods we consume & how frequently we move our bodies do play a significant role in fighting illness & maintaining a healthy weight, an important (and too often overlooked) aspect is our mental health. To look and feel our best, we must address both physical and mental elements. To achieve optimal health, we cannot have one without the other.

Health itself is multi-faceted and is affected by every aspect of your life – whether it be physical, mental, emotional or social influences. All these factors contribute to your overall health & wellbeing – which is strongly linked to your personal happiness and life satisfaction. Listed below are some of the vital elements thought to shape your health as a whole:

- Happy relationships with friends, family and/or partner
- Enjoyable & fulfilling career
- Enough money
- Regular exercise
- Nutritional diet
- Adequate sleep
- Beliefs(spiritual and/or religious)
- Hobbies & leisure activities
- Healthy self-esteem
- Optimistic outlook
- Realistic & achievable goals
- Sense of purpose
- Sense of belonging
- Ability to adapt to change
- Living in a fair & democratic society

In short, Health is so much more than eating well and keeping fit.

The main focus of this post is to draw more attention in particular to MENTAL HEALTH. This holds a personal significance for me and through my own experiences has created a purpose and a passion to continue to create awareness about something that could affect any of us at any time.Mental Health is something we all need to be more aware of, understanding of and educated about. It is both sad & hard to believe that in a society where mental illness is so common – there is still a stigma attached. I strongly believe that the more people talk about it, seek help for themselves and offer support to others , the sooner we will be on our way to ‘normalising’ mental illness, in the same way that we would any other illness – be it a broken arm or the common cold. A mental illness is just as real, just as painful and just as debilitating as a physical illness. By the same token, it is also just as treatable – but there needs to be equal understanding & support when it comes to our brain as there is for any other physical part of our body or body system that is damaged or ill.

Let’s start with the facts. In Australia, it is estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime – Depression and Anxiety being the most common. In any one year, around 1 million Australian adults have depression and over 2 million have anxiety. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. While depression and anxiety are different conditions, it is not uncommon for them to occur at the same time. Over half of those who experience depression also experience symptoms of anxiety. In some cases, one can lead to the onset of the other – which in my case, was exactly how it happened.Years of built up anxiety surrounding study, work, relationships, body image, social situations & personal circumstances, gradually led to an onset of depressive symptoms that became so debilitating I was no longer able to work and dreaded being around other people. I no longer enjoyed the things I used to, was constantly tired and every little thing was too much of an effort. The only things I wanted to do on a daily basis were to eat and to sleep. Anything further than this would have me constantly on the verge of tears and in a constant state of anxiety - heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, shaking and panic attacks. There would be days where I would sit in my car for hours and cry for no reason other than feeling so completely alone. For those of you who know me, you would know that this is not due to lack of amazing family & friends – had I gone to them for support, they would have welcomed me with open arms. It was my own insecurities that led me to feel embarrassed to ask for help, assuming that no one would understand and that I needed to just ‘get over it’ and ‘get on with it’. This attitude towards my condition only made things worse until I finally things became out of control. The first step for me was acceptance. Accepting that it was not a sign of weakness and having the courage to trust in others for guidance and support. Though I am by no means at the end of my journey – a weight was lifted from my shoulders the day I accepted things as they were and sought help to do something about it.

I hope that my story inspires more people to open up, ask for help and realise that it is not your fault and it will get better. Have faith in humanity that compassion still exists. For those of you that haven’t had a personal experience with mental illness (whether it be yourself, a friend or family member) I urge you to remember this:

Mental Illness does not discriminate. Even the most extraordinary and privileged life can be miserable and isolating when the mind is sick. We don’t get to decide how happy someone should feel by how wonderful the world is around them. This is something I struggled to understand about my own situation, as I felt guilty for feeling anything other than happy. With everything going my way, beautiful family and friends, a good job and good physical health – I was still not immune to mental illness. 

My advice to anyone currently struggling, don’t blame yourself and don’t be afraid to ask for help. It doesn’t make you any less brave, smart or grateful for the things you do have. If anything it makes you more so!

Be kind to others and be kind to yourself – your happiness is your health!

If only ONE person reads this and is able to either help themselves or help a friend, then I have succeeded in what I wanted this post to achieve.The quote below was given to me by a beautiful friend and is an important reminder for when things seem too tough to continue. Remember you are always stronger than you give yourself credit for!! Both physically and mentally, your mind and your body are capable of amazing things!

Mel

xo

“Breathe. You’re going to be okay. Breathe and remember that you’ve been in this place before. You’ve been this uncomfortable and anxious and scared, and you’ve survived. Breathe and know that you can survive this too. These feelings can’t break you. They’re painful and debilitating, but you can sit with them and eventually, they will pass. Maybe not immediately, but sometime soon, they are going to fade and when they do, you’ll look back at this moment and laugh for having doubted your resilience. I know it feels unbearable right now, but keep breathing, again and again. This will pass. I promise it will pass” – Unknown

GOOD VIBES || Words to Live By

SELF LOVE || Love The Real You

In a society largely influenced by social media, our 'normal' daily lives are held in constant comparison to the highlight reels of others. From our next door neighbours to A-grade celebrities, it is not uncommon to measure our own happiness & fulfilment against the seemingly more luxurious lives & successes of others. Whether it be another person's weight, salary, possessions, lifestyle or physical appearance -  there wouldn't be many of us that haven't fallen victim to envy or jealousy of people we perceive to be superior to ourselves.  

In many ways, social media perpetuates this issue, in a way that often leads us to feel as though we are as less fortunate and in turn lose sight of what we do have. I believe it is so important (particularly for younger generations who are vulnerable to the influence of what's on the internet) to remember what is realistic, what is achievable, what has a positive affect on our health & development and at the end of the day - what really matters. 

I came across some words by Scarlett Johansson, which focuses in particular on self love. I have included this quote at the conclusion of this post, as I believe it is a vital message that is too often overlooked in today's society. 

As a personal trainer, i feel I have a responsibility to continue to educate people not only to keep fit & healthy, but more importantly in my opinion - to do it for the right reasons.

Exercise because you love your body and you are blessed to be able to move it. 

Eat healthy foods so that you can feel great from the inside out. And so that your body can efficiently fight off disease. 

Get enough sleep so that you are mentally alert and capable to continue to grow & face challenges. 

Focus on the positives in your life and things that you are grateful for. 

Cherish your family, your friends and the things in your life that make you happy to be here. 

And finally - LOVE YOURSELF, without comparing yourself to others.

You are more than enough and you are more than capable of achieving whatever it is that you desire.

Mel

xo

" Behind the glamour, behind the make-up, behind all those flashy clothes, there's an ordinary girl who just happens to have an extraordinary job. I have seen young girls follow celebrities and try to be one of them. They try to attain perfection, have the perfect body, perfect skin tone. They aren't fully aware of the fact that behind the looks there are a lot of designers, make up artists and Photoshop/video editing. Their whole sense of beauty is flawed. There is no good to looking good if you are concious all the time about how you look. You should be care free. Love the real you the way you are, so that even if you are without make-up, you can look into the mirror and with a big smile and embrace your imperfections. Just imagine if you don't even love yourself, how do you expect anyone to love you. So first and foremost learn to love yourself by being who you are and not who the world wants you to be. All you need to do is have a great heart and be compassionate towards others. I hope you spread the message and let the world know that you value your inner beauty more than outer appearance" - Scarlett Johansson.

DRINK YOUR GREENS || Smoothie Recipe

Smoothies are my go to meal on the run.....particularly green ones! A Green juice or smoothie is a simple and tasty way to include leafy greens in your diet.

Listed below are some of the many benefits of leafy, green vegetables and why it is important that they make up a substantial part of your diet.

- More nutrition per calorie than any other food.
- Rich in vitamins A, C, E & K as well as several B vitamins.  
- Contain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron & potassium. 
- High fiber
- Extremely low in fat & carbohydrates 
- Excellent source of protein.

So if you haven't tried putting greens in your smoothies - don't let the colour put you off! 

The smoothie below was sweet and kept me full and energised for the afternoon. 

Note: (This particular recipe contains spinach as the "leafy green" ingredient as it was all that was left in the fridge- but i often experiment by using 2,3 or 4 different types. Be creative!)

Enjoy!

Mel

xo

RECIPE

Ingredients (pictured below)

2 cups of Spinach
1 small banana
1 small apple
1/2 cup chopped pineaple
2-3 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
ice cubes to fill

Hint: if you don't like your smoothies too thick - add some coconut water

Blend all ingredients in a food processor (I used a nutribullet) and serve!!

STRETCHING || Pre & Post Workout

In my personal experience and professional opinion, stretching is just as important if not more important that the workout itself. If you are wanting long term results – it is essential that you include a warm up at the beginning of your workout and a stretch at the end of your workout every time you train.

From a physiological point of view, training on a regular basis and neglecting to stretch, leads to the gradual strengthening and tightening of your muscles, which can cause them to pull on the joints that surround them. In many cases, this can lead to injuries, postural abnormalities and a change in the natural curvature of the spine. These problems are also commonly reinforced in the workplace by sitting down all day.

If you are serious about maintaining and improving your health and fitness, make a conscious effort to include a warm up and cool down to each of your training sessions.

Warm Up – BEFORE you train
The purpose of a warm up is to physically prepare your body for the demands of a strenuous workout by gradually increasing your body temperature. You should only need 5 – 10 minutes for a good warm up and should include movements that gradually increase blood circulation throughout the body. For example, a brisk walk or a light jog and other dynamic movements, will increase your heart rate gradually and warm up your muscles. Your ligaments and tendons will become more flexible which will reduce the chance of tears or further injury to the muscle.

Stretch – AFTER you train
Post- workout, stretching the major muscle groups you have used is SO important.
It increases blood flow, which in turn brings a greater nutrient supply to muscles themselves, thereby reducing soreness and helping to speed up recovery.
Stretching also helps to ensure correct posture by lengthening tight muscles that pull areas of the body away from their intended position. For example, stretching the muscles of the lower back, chest & shoulders can help keep the spine in better alignment and improve overall posture. Finally, the most obvious benefit of stretching is to help improve flexibility. As your body ages, muscles can become tighter and range of motion in the joints can be minimized. A lack of flexibility can cause movement to become slower & less fluid, making you more prone to muscle strains or other soft tissue injuries. This can hinder not only your exercise regime, but potentially also your day-to-day, normal motions.

....If you take one thing out of this post – please look after your body as much as it looks after you!!

Mel

xo