Feeling fab at 30

Happy Birthday to me!! And this year it's the not-so-dreaded 3- 0! To me, the saying "you're only as old as you feel" has never been so true. And the secret? It's simple...taking good care of myself, physically and emotionally. Exercising and eating a balanced diet is the most obvious way to do this (not always easy but very worthwhile), but also relaxation and/or having fun is important too! Why not make space in your diary and do something just for you- a trip to the cinema, a girls night in (or out!), even just taking a bath- anything that makes you feel good. It'll knock years off you in no time!

Box yourself fit!

How would you like a good fun work-out which burns calories, tones you up AND reduces stress? Why not try a bit of boxing! Boxing is a personal favourite of mine as it's brilliant for improving cardiovascular fitness, toning arms and shoulders, improving balance and co-ordination and relieving stress. It's also great if you don't have much space and/or no equipment. Just 30 minutes of boxing can burn up to 300 calories (as well as the toning!). Check out these 4 options:

1. Let's Pretend! Shadow boxing is perfect if you have no-one to spar with and/or no equipment to use. It's easy, all you need to do is pretend you're boxing... in effect you are simply fighting the air! You can add jumps, twists and jogging-on-the-spot to add more variety and/or increase intensity.
2. Join a class. Most health clubs or leisure centres offer combat or boxing style classes which will teach you the moves (then you can practice the shadow boxing more effectively) and gives you a great work-out. Look out for classes such as 'Boxercise', 'Box-Fit', 'Taebo' or 'Body Combat'.
3. Train together. Another home one (or some gyms may have gloves and pads you can use), all you need is a boxing set (usually about £20), a partner to train with and away you go! Even holding the pads gives a good work-out, remember to push into the gloves a little as your partner punches the pads to reduce risk of injury. I do a lot of pad work in my personal training which many ladies really enjoy and definitely feel the benefits.
4. Turn on the telly! A great way to keep motivation high when training at home is to buy a fitness dvd, but as soon as you start to get bored of it...buy a new one! They cost about £12 each (or older ones can be cheaper, try online) and should last about 2 months before you start to tire of it, so all in all a good cheap way to box.

Feel fab loves...

Mini Straighteners!
They're cute, they're stylish and at just 15cm long, they even fit in your handbag! Mini Straightners are great for quick touch-ups, extra precision getting to your roots or just for doing your fringe (perfect after exercise!).

Remington do a great little pair called Straightini's (approx £15-30) or there's the Ice Diamond (approx £49.99) which has different heat settings, come in black, pink, purple or gold and are encrusted with diamantes (see pic). Gorgeous!

New Year, New You?

Happy New Year everyone! It's the dreaded first week of being back to normality; the hang overs have gone, the kids are back to school, our belly's are still full from all the festivities and our minds focused on one thing and one thing only... New Years Resolutuions. Yes it's that time again- time to ditch the stodge, quit the cigs and/or alcohol and embark on a wonderfully healthy lifestyle which will transform our flab to fab in no time! But will we actually stick to them? A few weeks (and excuses) later and we discover that the answer, in many cases, is er...no. "Oh well" we say "...there's always next year".

For most, this becomes a cycle year in year out, mainly because our resolutions are unrealistic in the first place. My advice? Get healthy, stay healthy! Start by making gradual changes to your lifestyle, such as doing 2 or 3 30 min work-outs per week or cutting down the amount of biscuits you eat in a day, and take it from there. Like in personal training, you could write down these goals with timescales too e.g be doing 3 good hour work-outs by March then 4 by June. Keep reviewing your goals and write new ones every couple of months or even every few weeks if you need the extra motivation. And remember, keep them realistic! If you love chips (or any other naughty food!), don't cut them out altogether. Instead, limit yourself to eating 1 portion every 1 or 2 weeks... this way you still get to enjoy them but without feeling guilty. If you work long hours then fit in exercise only when you know you can stick to it and even write planned sessions and times as appointments in your diary. Remember even 2 lots of 30 mins per week is much better than none at all! Last but not least, enjoy what you're doing. Find healthy meals or treats that actually taste good and try different activities until you find some you enjoy e.g classes, swimming, running, even walking the dog. i.e If the gym bores you... don't go!

And Wa-la.... your lifestyle is much healthier and, without even knowing it, you keep your resolutions all year long. Didn't you do well!