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LAZY DAY WORKOUT

Let’s face it, we all have that one lazy day. Maybe you’ve had many lazy days that have turned into weeks or months. We’ve been there, and the idea of starting again can seem daunting. I’m more of a head-first type of girl, but if you want a slow build up because well, maybe you’re just not mentally ready to start any sort of program. Here are a few ways I get a little burn during my day when I’m feeling too lazy to workout:

1. Watching Netflix?

netflix - lazy

Back in the olden days pre-Netflix, there was something called ‘commercials’ and it was the perfect time to get up, move around, maybe even fit in a few squats. Now, there aren’t any commercials, and although I am loving the easiness of binge watching shows I have found that I could spend two hours watching tv in the same position without complaint. Scary. So there are two ways I like to shake things up and force my butt off the couch.

  • I set a reoccurring timer on my phone every 20 minutes. Every time the phone goes off while I’m watching the show I have to workout for 5 minutes! I usually do two sets like this one: 30 seconds of push ups, 30 seconds of bicycle crunches, a minute plank hold, and high knees for 30 seconds. Once I’m done, and only then can I continue my show. By the end of an hour-long show, you will have done a 15-minute workout! How’s that for sneaky!
  • Another game I like to play with myself is more specific to what I’m watching. Nowadays people have made these for almost every show and movie out there, but here is a list of 43 of the most popular tv shows and how to turn them into your favourite workouts!

2. Cooking Dinner?

cooking - lazy

I find making dinner the best and funniest time to get a few reps in of any type of fitness into my lazy day. Funniest because I must look hilarious doing it!

  • You now can’t walk and must now only lunge to get to places.
  • Every time you close the fridge you have to do 10 squats.

3. Going to bed?

You can actually do some wonderful yoga poses in bed to help with any aches and strains on your body from the day. 

  • My favourite pose in bed is ‘Happy Baby’ it always feels so good on my lower back and it does wonders for opening up my hips.
  • Knees to Chest is another relaxing pose I like to do before bed, plus, it warms me up to be tucked into a little ball.

 

No matter how you get fitness into your lazy day, try it this week and fit it in the cracks of time you encounter while going about your normal day, every little bit counts!

 

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polepost

Let’s start off with saying no, I am not a stripper and I do not work in a club. I took up Pole Dancing as my only form of exercise and have fallen in love with it. Here’s five reasons I love Pole Dancing as my form of fitness.

1. I forget I’m working out.

That’s right, I never think “I’m going to the gym,” or “I’m working out right now,” I only ever think about what I’m doing in the moment, and it’s usually the name of a move that I can’t get, or counting how many seconds I can hold a pole hold. Going to the gym doesn’t have the most positive connections in my brain. It makes me think of work, of being tired, of creepy gym guys, and of the buzz of machines. I find this is why I struggle going to a gym, because my brain has learned to associate it with these things and it’s difficult to change that! With Pole Dancing, we call the location a studio, you take classes and go up in levels. You have clear goals to reach before you can move to the next level and it forces you to try harder without realizing every time you try you are giving your body the workout of a lifetime.

2. The sisterly community.

Everyone is seriously so nice. One of the things that scared me most was the girls that pole dance and have been doing it for years, I tend to get nervous if I’m joining a group that is well established. But you will soon find all these girls are here to cheer you on, everyone is so supportive and they too are working on their own goals and their own tricky moves. Being surrounded by girls and women who are there to cheer each other on is a beautiful place to be. The sense of community that builds there after is pretty incredible too. Soon you too will have your group of Pole Sisters.

3. I’m not just losing weight I’m getting stronger.

That’s right. Although it looks fun and like we’re not doing much some of the time, the moves are difficult and require a lot of muscles to look as clean and proper as they do. Muscles are in constant use throughout the entire class. Lifting your body weight with only your arms is quite a feat!

4. Self Confidence Booster

The self confidence you get by learning what is uniquely sexy about you is so special. There are many forms of pole dance, and you don’t have to make all your moves sexy if it’s not your thing, but the thing is, I never thought I was sexy or that it was something I would ever be comfortable with, I totally wasn’t when I started, but after a few classes if you let yourself explore the way your body moves and you watch yourself in the mirror for long enough you realize, you are sexy, and there’s things about you that are unique and special. I never left the gym thinking positive thoughts about my CURRENT body, I always told myself I was working towards my FUTURE body, but with Pole, you can feel confident at every stage of your weight loss, and confidence is the best form of sexy.

5. Continued Challenge

It’s always going to be challenging. That’s the beauty of Pole. Moves are created every day by different people, and even pole dancers with first place medals and trophies still struggle to learn more complicated moves. You will always have something to reach for and that’s my favourite thing. I need goals, because reaching them makes me feel good, and pole has hundreds of little goals in the form of moves, and mastering them takes time and practice – before you know it, you’re working out.

If you’ve ever thought about trying a Pole Dancing class, I encourage you to go to google and check where the closest studio is, call them and book a teaser class! They don’t require long term commitment and who knows, you might just love it!

I personally have only ever tried Brass Butterflies, but I’m sure there are some other studios that are just as lovely.

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