by Mollie Millington | May 31, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
Last summer, we visited some friends in Philadelphia. I was in the middle of a run streak, so I took the opportunity to run up the ‘Rocky steps.’ Boxing is a wonderful way to stay fit and I am taking some inspiration for today’s workout. You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me.
Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 1 min walk/jog in place, 1 min star jumps/jumping jacks, 1 min speed bag bouncing left and right
1 min- Quick left knee thrusts with left toes tapping ground very lightly (not putting any weight on left foot)
1 min- Quick right knee thrusts with right toes tapping ground very lightly (not putting any weight on right foot)
2 min- Boxing combination with left foot slightly forward of right (for those right-handed). Jab (left), cross (right), jab (left), punch to the right 2x as you take 2 side steps to the right, left hook (keep elbow at 90 degrees) *you will need some space for this one*
1 min- Front kick alternating legs by bringing knee up and then flicking out foot (carefully so as to not hyperextend your knee). Arms start up above your head and go down by your sides each time you kick.
2 min- Boxing combination- Right upper cut, left upper cut, duck (low squat), cross (right), jab (left), cross (right), duck (squat), right elbow (elbow at 90 degrees, bring elbow away from body in front of the chest.
1 min- Jump rope (either with a rope or pretend)
1 min- Squat jumps
1min- Bicycle crunches
Hope this has your heart pumping and your body sweating. Feel free to run up some steps and shout “Adrian!”
by Mollie Millington | May 28, 2020 | motivation
The decorating style of our flat is a little hodgepodge. We have some framed art, a card display for the post we receive, an Ikea 5×5 of ‘stuff’ and a large overflowing bookshelf. Each of these corners of our flat display different parts of our personalities, although sometimes I feel as if we still live in graduate student housing rather then adults who are put together and have a house with matching non-Ikea furniture. There are a few things on display that many homes probably don’t have- vision boards and race medal holders.
I remember watching Oprah once when she was talking about vision boards. People in her audience told tales of how several different ovens were ordered and didn’t work for some reason until the one that did she found on an old vision board when clearing out her desk. A gentleman in the audience said he didn’t believe in vision boards when his wife started making them. But he had changed his mind when they ended up on the show because his wife had a photo of Oprah pasted prominently on her vision board. I believe vision boards follow on from the manifestation guidelines of The Secret, but I have not read it. I remember how popular it was when it first came out though! Who wouldn’t want to dream of something and then have it come true?
To create your own vision board, take some old magazines and cut out the photos that you like or the phrases that resonate with you. I had trouble finding a big piece of poster board in the UK, so settled on A3 card stock. This actually worked out better because I made three boards, each with a different theme (running, travel and my personal training business).
All you need to do is make a collage with the clippings and hang someplace to help you visualise your dreams. You might not know why you like a photo or you might be looking for something specific (for example, a kitchen appliance, breed of dog, or new running shoes, or the perfect beach holiday). You can out the picture of something specific, like I did for the Boston Marathon, if you can’t find it in a magazine or newspaper. You don’t need to make themed boards, as I did this week simply because I had too many clippings. Your’s could be a sheet of regular paper with five photos on it. It is up to you and your dreams on how you want it to look. I tend to hang them near by bed so I can see the board as I fall asleep and when I wake up. Seeing them on a daily basis reminds me of what I am working towards and gives me a little morale boost. I have really been struggling with my injuries over the last few years and trying not to give up on my dream of running the Boston Marathon.
While my vision boards tend to be very handmade and arts-and-craftsy, I do like to display my race bling in a more organised fashioned to highlight my achievements (mental note: I need to update my times). I did a lot of research before buying it (mostly on Etsy). I wanted my display to be unique and reflect multi-disciplines because at the time, I was taking part in triathlons. Many designs were about being a female athlete, but that wasn’t important to me. I really like the design I ended up with, as it allows me to display my bibs (do you save your’s too?) and my personal best (or personal record) times for different disciplines. Before I purchased this board, we used to hang our (few) medals on a old door hinge leading into our living room. Every now and again we would bump into the growing collection and hear a clatter. It is nearly full now (six years later) so I need to decide if I discard some of the medals or purchase a new display. Whenever I look at it, I remember how lucky I have been to take part in so many events and how if I work hard, I can make it to more start lines next year.
If you don’t have the space or budget for a fancy medal holder, go to your local hardware store and look at coat and key racks you can adhere to the wall. We actually started out with a five hook key rack but that didn’t take long to fill! My medals are now hanging in our living room and next to my dresser. I see them every morning when I get dressed and every night before I go to bed. I can also see them from the couch while watching TV (which I have been doing a lot of during lockdown). Once in a while, I wade through them to remember the different races I have taken part in all over the world.
Hanging these visual displays really do give me a motivational boost. I love seeing my World Marathon Major medals in a separate display and look forward to filling in the last three medals. If I had a desk, I would hang a smaller vision board too. These subconscious reminders will keep me focused on what I am striving towards- running the Boston Marathon, travelling to new places, and continuing to build my coaching business. You have nothing to loose by creating visual displays of inspiration. Hopefully, they will bring a smile to your face every time you see them too.
Where do you display your bling and/or vision boards? Do you have your bibs or race shirts displayed too? Send me a photo and I will post it here. mollie@ptmollie.com
by Mollie Millington | May 24, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
We are back to full body workout today. You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me.
Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up-1 min of jumping jacks/star jumps, 1 min double high knee jumps (jump up and bring both knees up to hit the palm of your hand. Elbows at 90 degrees, palms facing down), 1 min of jumping jacks/star jumps
1 min- Push/press up on knees or toes
1 min- Forearm plank
1 min- Crab dips
1 min- Forearm plank
1 min- Split squat (Stationary lunge with left foot forward, leaving feet planted and just going up and down)
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do regular squats
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do split squats with right foot forward
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do squats
1 min- Crunches
Bonus minute- Burpees!
Remember if you are feeling good at the end of this workout, repeat it again!
by Mollie Millington | May 20, 2020 | happiness, mental health
Here in the UK, 18 – 24 May is Mental Health Awareness week. I have shared my own highs and lows with mental health here on the blog with last year’s theme of body image and through other periods in my life when I have struggled. Even though I am the ‘Happiness Personal Trainer,’ I still have times when I feel lost, down, or completely unmotivated. It is something I have experienced my entire life, not just during corona times. During the current pandemic, I have often felt very helpless to change the world around me, with the lows a bit more extreme and my energy totally zapped. To help draw me out of the dark shadows, I have made an effort to help others. It seemed like something I could easily do, sometimes for very little money and even from afar. As I mentioned in a previous post, I check in with some elderly neighbours on a weekly basis, send brownies to my friends who work for the NHS, and sent snail mail to our friends and family as a pick me up. I just like to help (so much so that it sometimes gets me in trouble). You could even call it showing kindness.
As part of my Science of Well-being course from Coursera (I am always enrolled in something), I had to complete a character strengths test. The idea behind character strengths is that they are the positive aspects of your personality and influence your day-to-day behaviour. If you want to find a job you love, you should aim to have the top four or five of your character strengths matched in that role. I was not surprised to see these as my top five (out of the 24 total strengths):
I think because kindness is my #1 and therefore second nature to me, it was really hard for me to write this blog post. All I want to say is, be kind. It makes you feel good and others too. It has been shown to improve mental health, give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside and make you smile (I am making my way through Sonja Lyubomirsky’s The How of Happiness. Check it out!). It can create ripples of good deeds, laughter, and smiles that reach so many more people that you originally intended. I took to Facebook and asked for others to help me speak about kindness. Here is what they said:
Katie from Orbis Expeditions – “One of the best acts of kindness is when someone gives another person the benefit of the doubt. They don’t assume, they give them a chance and look at what might be behind the reaction. That to be is the ultimate kindness.”
Coach Michael – “Kindness is like love. Everybody knows it and shows it but it can be described and acted out in so many different ways.”
Stephen from How Many Miles – “I advise my boys that we never know what people are experiencing or why they act the way that they do. That being kind isn’t just about being nice to people you like or care about, but also showing empathy and respect to those you don’t. I do also say that being kind brings its own rewards. It feels good.”
Showing kindness doesn’t have to cost you much. It can be as simple as giving a compliment; leaving a love note for someone to find; calling a family member to check in; asking the new person at work to join you for lunch; attending a friend’s choir concert; baking an extra loaf of banana bread for your neighbour; cheering on strangers at the parkrun finish line; taking the day off work to show a visitor around your city; taking one million photos without complaining for the one good Instagram shot; giving away your products or services to people in need; introducing friends who might be able to collaborate; or buying your team coffee or cake from the canteen after a busy morning. You get the idea. Personally, I find the creativity part of the fun (see strengths above)! And the return for not only yourself but also the person you are kind to makes it worth it.
Use #kindnessmatters this week to share your stories of kindness you have observed, given or received and how it has helped your mental health. You can also tell your story in a comment below..
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by Mollie Millington | May 17, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
Today’s workout will target the hips and bum- just in time for summer! You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 2 minutes of squats with feet hip width apart. Keep weight in the heel. Stick bum out as if sitting in a chair. If you can get your thighs parallel to the ground at the bottom of the squat. Squeeze your bum on the way up.
1 min- Clams with left side down.
1 min- Clams with right side down.
1 min- Kneel on all all 4’s. Raise left knee up to side while keeping knee at 90 degrees (think of a male dog marking his territory on a fire hydrant).
1 min- Kneel on all all 4’s. Raise right knee up to side while keeping knee at 90 degrees (think of a male dog marking his territory on a fire hydrant).
1 min- Roll ups
1 min- Kneel by sitting on feet. Lift bum so it is barely off feet. Swing hips in little circles clockwise for 30 sec, then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Keep hips low! You will feel this in thighs and bum.
1 min- Stand and hold onto the back of a stable chair or counter. Arabesque with the left leg by keeping the leg straight and toe pointed. Raise left leg with little pulses while keeping the chest high and back straight.
1 min- Arabesque with the right leg by keeping the leg straight and toe pointed. Raise right leg with little pulses while keeping the chest high and back straight.
1 min- Continue to hold on to chair for balance. Left knee should be raised at 90 degree angle. Make small circle clockwise for 30 secs then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Smaller circles are more effective.
1 min- Continue to hold on to chair for balance. Right knee should be raised at 90 degree angle. Make small circle clockwise for 30 secs then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Smaller circles are more effective.
Well done! Be sure to stretch your booty when you are finished with the workout.
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