just a few days, I will be on a plane to South Africa. This is the first time I will be visiting the region and I am ticking things off my bucket list. During my two week stay, I plan on balancing fitness acitivites with time to relax, as well as sightseeing. I am a firm believer that vacations are a time when you can unplug, find time to do the things you enjoy, and stay comitted to your health goals.
Here is a rough itinerary of what I will be doing while I am enjoying the 26 degrees C and sunshine.
Days 1-3: Visit Stellanbosch for a friend’s wedding. This is the reason I am headed down to that part of the world. Of course, there will be indulgences with eating and drinking, but I will be burning calories on the dance floor too.
Day 4: 10K trail run at Warwick Winery and dinner with a friend from London who lives in Cape Town. I love me some bling and am trying to run in every state and country I visit. This race is a trail run with lots of hills. I will need to pack my trail shoes!
Day 5: Settle into Cape Town and visit the beach.
Day 6: CAGE DIVING! The team at Marine Dynamics have invited me out on their boat to see great white sharks in their natural habitat. I am a super-fish nerd and this has been on my bucket list for many many years. This group come highly recomended and I cannot wait to bring my faux pro action cam in the cage with me.
Day 7: I am debating about paragliding or sea kayaking. What do you recomend? The bride and groom are having a farewell BBQ in the evening too.
Day 8: Park Run in Cape Town and then my husband arrives.
Day 9-10: Hire road bikes and explore the area on 2 wheels. My husband will be designing our routes and I hope I can keep up.
Day 11-12: Penguin colonies and prison visit.
Day 13-14: Safari a few hours from Cape Town. We have two safaris a day (at sunrise and sunset) during our stay. We also get to meet some elephants up close and personal.
Day 15: Relax in Cape town and then head back home.
I am looking for fitness studios in Cape Town to visit or other active excursions. Please leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for me or send me a tweet.
Most people aim to start exercising more as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 1 st January. But if you commute to work, have a family, or other outside responsibilities it can be hard to fit it in. The dark nights and cold weather don’t help much either. When Decathlon reached out to me to take part in their Decathlon Decathlon Challenge, I thought it sounded like a great idea as the events were a big unusual.
Decathlon sent me a hula hoop, darts board, and hiking boots with an assisgnment for each one. I was to see how long I can hula hoop for, try to get the lowest score on darts board, and time myself lacing up the boots. These are brilliant ways to encourage your family to get up off the couch. Most family members can take part (some will need supervision with darts even though they are plastic). Or make up your own with what you have around the house.
Here are a few ideas I had to get the family to be active together when it is too cold and rainy to go outside:
fastest up the stairs
longest wall sit
longest plank
most times hopping on one foot in 1 min
number of squats in 30 sec
how many tries to roll a double on a pair of dice. You decide if lowest or highest is the winner.
how long you can hold your breathe (be sensible here!)
How did I do? Well, I thought the hula hooping would be easy as I used to love it when I was younger. But I was absolutely rubbish! I couldn’t even make 10 sec. Neither could my husband, so I felt a little bit better about it. When was the last time you hula hooped?
The darts were a bit ‘easier’ for me as I am crap at that sport, even though we used to play with my grandpa in his basement when I was growing up. I scored a 10 if you don’t count the 2 throws that didn’t even hit the board. Since the darts are plastic, they cause less damage to the wall and were a bit safer to have in the living room. I still would only hang it on a wall you don’t care about as the darts might leave a small mark and, of course, keep an eye on the kiddies at all times.
We had a wee bit of space on the wall for the board.
Action shot!
The boots were trickier as I had to overcome my need for perfect alignment and flat laces and focus on getting the task done. It took me 1 minute 48 seconds to get both boots laced up. I changed my stratgey for the second shoe but I don’t think it made a difference in my final time. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can use any pair of shoes the laces in your closet. Hopefully they don’t smell too bad!
Ready, set, go!
Look at the focus on my face.
Finished!
Let me know which challenges you and your family decide to try by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear some new ideas too on how you stay active at home without getting cabin fever. Thanks to Decathlon for gifting me these fun items. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
Most people aim to start exercising more as soon as the clock strikes midnight on the 1 st January. But if you commute to work, have a family, or other outside responsibilities it can be hard to fit it in. The dark nights and cold weather don’t help much either. When Decathlon reached out to me to take part in their Decathlon Decathlon Challenge, I thought it sounded like a great idea as the events were a big unusual.
Decathlon sent me a hula hoop, darts board, and hiking boots with an assisgnment for each one. I was to see how long I can hula hoop for, try to get the lowest score on darts board, and time myself lacing up the boots. These are brilliant ways to encourage your family to get up off the couch. Most family members can take part (some will need supervision with darts even though they are plastic). Or make up your own with what you have around the house.
Here are a few ideas I had to get the family to be active together when it is too cold and rainy to go outside:
fastest up the stairs
longest wall sit
longest plank
most times hopping on one foot in 1 min
number of squats in 30 sec
how many tries to roll a double on a pair of dice. You decide if lowest or highest is the winner.
how long you can hold your breathe (be sensible here!)
How did I do? Well, I thought the hula hooping would be easy as I used to love it when I was younger. But I was absolutely rubbish! I couldn’t even make 10 sec. Neither could my husband, so I felt a little bit better about it. When was the last time you hula hooped?
The darts were a bit ‘easier’ for me as I am crap at that sport, even though we used to play with my grandpa in his basement when I was growing up. I scored a 10 if you don’t count the 2 throws that didn’t even hit the board. Since the darts are plastic, they cause less damage to the wall and were a bit safer to have in the living room. I still would only hang it on a wall you don’t care about as the darts might leave a small mark and, of course, keep an eye on the kiddies at all times.
We had a wee bit of space on the wall for the board.
Action shot!
The boots were trickier as I had to overcome my need for perfect alignment and flat laces and focus on getting the task done. It took me 1 minute 48 seconds to get both boots laced up. I changed my stratgey for the second shoe but I don’t think it made a difference in my final time. If you don’t have hiking boots, you can use any pair of shoes the laces in your closet. Hopefully they don’t smell too bad!
Ready, set, go!
Look at the focus on my face.
Finished!
Let me know which challenges you and your family decide to try by leaving a comment below. I would love to hear some new ideas too on how you stay active at home without getting cabin fever. Thanks to Decathlon for gifting me these fun items. As always, all opinions are honest and my own.
Let’s get right to it. The days are shorter. It actually is cold now. And wet. I assume you feel like I do this time of year and just wanted to stay under the duvet all day with the electric blanket on. Here are six tips on how to stay out of hibernation.
Stay warm with merino wool baselayer and socks–I discovered merino wool years ago and have never looked back. Depending on how ‘heavy’ it is, it will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It also has the unique ability to not smell because it absorbs moisture so well, meaning there isn’t an opportunity for bacteria to start growing on your skin. I particularly like the socks for the winter because cotton holds on to the moisture (either from damp weather or sweat) which makes me cold.
Drink plenty of fluid– If you don’t carry a water bottle around with you, now is the time to get on board. Hydro Flask is a vauum-insulated stainless steel bottle that keeps drinks warm or cold (they gave me one filled with ice and it lasted through the night!) so it is a perfect vessel no mater what time of year (or beverage choice). You should still be drinking plenty of water in the colder months, even though you are not sweating as much. Carrying a bottle is super-convenient and will help you measure how much you drink each day.
Note the beer flagon/growler size
See sunlight- I am still using my Lumie alarm clock which helps me wake up a bit more naturally when it is still dark outside. I also have a Seasonal Affect Disorder lamp at work which helps the entire team during the dark months. Another way to see more sunlight would be simply to head outside for a walk on your break or eat lunch outside on the sunny days.
Stay active with home workouts with Julia– If you are anything like me, once I get home and sit down, I find it hard to get out the door again for a pint of milk, let alone the gym. That is the brilliance behind Julia’s online gym. I don’t need to rush about for a class schedule or to meet a personal trainer. Julia is my coach and available anytime I need her. Join now for free and give it a try. The workouts last 20-60 minutes making them very easy to slot into your day. You can even do them at work as some don’t require equipment. Julia is currently offering her Bronze level membership for FREE so you really have nothing to loose.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
Cooking with colourful vegetables this time of year. Have you tried ‘crack vegetables yet? Sure, fruits in the summer are great, but now is the time of year to dig in (see what I did there) to the root veg selection at your local grocer. Select as many different colours as possible, and heck, pick one you have never eaten before and live on the edge a bit.
Pick up an old hobby– You probably don’t feel like going out quite as much as you did the summertime. You will need a new way to fill up your time did you love to read as a child.? Or take ballroom dance lessons at uni? Or did your grandmother teach you how to knit when you visited her during summer holidays? Keeping the mind active and doing things you enjoy is just as important as being physically active. You will meet new people as you take up your favourite pastime, rediscover a lost passion, and maybe even get a confidence boost if you find you still have a talent for it. How cool would that be?
These are just a few tips and perhaps you may have heard them before. Dd you act on them? Did you take control and make positive changes to feel better and stay fit? One of my favourite quotes is ‘if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got.’ Remember your goal is health and happiness, so take the first step today. And of course, let me know how it goes. Hydro Flask kindly gave me their bottle to try out. All opinons are honest and my own. This post also contains affiliate links. These are at no additional cost to you, but help maintain the cost of running the blog and supporting my activewear purchases.
Let’s get right to it. The days are shorter. It actually is cold now. And wet. I assume you feel like I do this time of year and just wanted to stay under the duvet all day with the electric blanket on. Here are six tips on how to stay out of hibernation.
Stay warm with merino wool baselayer and socks–I discovered merino wool years ago and have never looked back. Depending on how ‘heavy’ it is, it will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It also has the unique ability to not smell because it absorbs moisture so well, meaning there isn’t an opportunity for bacteria to start growing on your skin. I particularly like the socks for the winter because cotton holds on to the moisture (either from damp weather or sweat) which makes me cold.
Drink plenty of fluid– If you don’t carry a water bottle around with you, now is the time to get on board. Hydro Flask is a vauum-insulated stainless steel bottle that keeps drinks warm or cold (they gave me one filled with ice and it lasted through the night!) so it is a perfect vessel no mater what time of year (or beverage choice). You should still be drinking plenty of water in the colder months, even though you are not sweating as much. Carrying a bottle is super-convenient and will help you measure how much you drink each day.
Note the beer flagon/growler size
See sunlight- I am still using my Lumie alarm clock which helps me wake up a bit more naturally when it is still dark outside. I also have a Seasonal Affect Disorder lamp at work which helps the entire team during the dark months. Another way to see more sunlight would be simply to head outside for a walk on your break or eat lunch outside on the sunny days.
Stay active with home workouts with Julia– If you are anything like me, once I get home and sit down, I find it hard to get out the door again for a pint of milk, let alone the gym. That is the brilliance behind Julia’s online gym. I don’t need to rush about for a class schedule or to meet a personal trainer. Julia is my coach and available anytime I need her. Join now for free and give it a try. The workouts last 20-60 minutes making them very easy to slot into your day. You can even do them at work as some don’t require equipment. Julia is currently offering her Bronze level membership for FREE so you really have nothing to loose.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
Cooking with colourful vegetables this time of year. Have you tried ‘crack vegetables yet? Sure, fruits in the summer are great, but now is the time of year to dig in (see what I did there) to the root veg selection at your local grocer. Select as many different colours as possible, and heck, pick one you have never eaten before and live on the edge a bit.
Pick up an old hobby– You probably don’t feel like going out quite as much as you did the summertime. You will need a new way to fill up your time did you love to read as a child.? Or take ballroom dance lessons at uni? Or did your grandmother teach you how to knit when you visited her during summer holidays? Keeping the mind active and doing things you enjoy is just as important as being physically active. You will meet new people as you take up your favourite pastime, rediscover a lost passion, and maybe even get a confidence boost if you find you still have a talent for it. How cool would that be?
These are just a few tips and perhaps you may have heard them before. Dd you act on them? Did you take control and make positive changes to feel better and stay fit? One of my favourite quotes is ‘if you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always got.’ Remember your goal is health and happiness, so take the first step today. And of course, let me know how it goes. Hydro Flask kindly gave me their bottle to try out. All opinons are honest and my own. This post also contains affiliate links. These are at no additional cost to you, but help maintain the cost of running the blog and supporting my activewear purchases.
Today was my first EVER Julia Buckley workout. She recomends starting with 5 days of bootcamp sessions, so that is the plan for this week. I have to teach spinning Monday and Tuesday night, which means double sessions for me. The moves were simple and Julia gave exellent verbal instructions, along with options to make the moves more or less intense. It is up to the viewer to decide what level they are at and to work towards a positive progression over time.
One of the reasons I signed up to be a #FitnessRockstar was for the accountability. Strength training is something I never make time for, but always wish I had when I line up at the start line. Working with Julia means I have no excuses. Everything I need is available at my fingertips as all her workouts are available online. Luckily, I have some weights and mats at home which means I just need to take over the living room for an hour each night. Oldland isn’t too keen that he can’t see me when the door is shut but he will get over it.
To make this experience with Julia as real as possible, I am posting my ‘before’ photos. Note they were after 2 bottles of Diet Coke, a posh kebab, and small popcorn at the cinema. I am an apple-shape and am finding that the stress from work and lack of sleep make my stomach the place for even more fat to hang out. To combat this, I know I need to work on my food choices. For this first month though, I am going to work on sticking to my exercise schedule and then work on healthy food selection in November. It is important not to change too much too fast or too drastically because it can be overwhelming and cause you to quit. I am not about to become a quitter!
Drumroll please……
Julia thought it would be fun for all the Rockstars to share a bit about themselves and what fitness means to them, Here is the quickfire #JuliaBFit Fitness Rockstar Spotlight Interview with,errr, me:
1. For me, fitness is all about: Feeling healthy and hanging out with like-minded people who are always up for new adventures. I pride myself on being a capable person and being fit helps me be independent too.
2. I get most excited to do my workout when: I know the tunes are going to be awesome. Good music makes everything more enjoyable.
3. When a workout really pushes me to my limit, I think to myself: ‘Come on, Tubbs!’ which is my maiden name and what my husband shouts at me when I am finishing my parkrun. 4. I’m most likely to skip my workout if: I am super-tired, have to work late, or it is raining, hence why I need my community to hold me accountable with this project! 5. In a group fitness session I’ll be the one who: Is up-front so I can see what the movements are. I am also watching the other participants to see how they are doing. As a fellow instructor, I can also be a bit critical of the instructor if I feel they are being unsafe. 6. The item of exercise equipment I’d most hate to go without is: A sports bra, my running shoes or my GPS watch. Soon to be dumbbells? 7. The last thing I usually do before starting my workout is: Take a sip of water 8. My top 5 workout music tracks are: Well, I haven’t downloaded new songs on my iPod in several years, so ‘Put Your Hands Up For Detroit’, ‘Dog Days Are Over’, ‘Womanizer’, ‘Insomnia’, and anything 80s. 9. If I start feeling meh about fitness I give myself a boost by: Signing up for a race or setting up a meet up with some blogging friends at a new fitness class, follwed by coffee or drinks. 10. The most important thing I’ve learned about fitness in the last year is: Everybody struggles and nobody is perfect. But if you consistently work hard, you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
A photo posted by Mollie, the Happiness PT (@ptmollie) on
If you want to join me, Julia, and the other Rockstars, click here to sign up today. Online access is much cheaper than a gym membership. Plus you can do it at home, on your own schedule.
This post contains afflitiate links, which cost you nothing but help me maintain the blog. All opinions are honest and my own.
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