As Autumn comes in with September, a nostalgic feeling of going back to school brings about a renewed motivational urge to ‘start afresh‘. For most, this may mean getting back into shape, becoming fit or eating more healthily (perhaps all of the above). These feelings are commonly universal to those who want to redeem themselves after a Summer binge of gelato and rose. Therefore, an Autumn detox is more or less necessary to help prevent the accumulation of extra ‘baggage’ i.e. a comfortable layer of insulation for those Winter months.
Chi explores some ways to keep motivated with health and fitness on track…
Eat clean with a designer lunchbox
Make lunches more exciting with Yumbox who are all about eating a balanced and healthy meal. A range of colourful but practical lunch boxes for adults and kids allows you to balance and portion your meal with separate compartments for your main meal, side salad and fruit. What’s more, using a lunch box reduces plastic waste and the leak proof lid means no nasty surprises in your bag!
Go refined sugar free
Satisfy your sweet tooth through other ways. Try recipe books such as:
Sensationally Sugar Free: Delicious Sugar-Free Recipes for Healthier Eating Every Day
The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Look Years Younger
Treat yourself to some new trainers
Did you know that you should change your work out trainers every 6 months? (on average). If you are running, trainer experts at Asics recommend that trainers should be changed every 450 – 550 miles. Although this may be difficult to calculate with other work out sports which are not as high impact, signs of wear and tear other than looking at the underside should be noted. This may be:
- If the midsole shows excessive horizontal creasing or wear on the areas that absorb the most load – the heel and the ball of the foot
- Try out the ‘press test’ – where you press on the outsole of the shoe and inspect for compression. If the outsole gives very little, that means that the material is highly compressed and is not giving any support to your feet at all.
Running
For women
For men
Work out
For women
For men
Gym anywhere with ClassPass
Now there is no excuse to say that your gym is too far away from your home, or your work place. Class pass allows you to go to any class that you wish around the world! Tried and tested… and highly recommended; from boxing to yoga to pilates. The range and variety of classes can maintain motivation to stay fit and healthy. As well s this, the flexibility of ClassPass means that you can book into a nearby gym class at the very last minute (provided the class is not fully booked).
Two membership options are either a base plan of 5 classes per month or an unlimited pass.
Set a goal
Having a fitness goal to work towards immediately motivates you to train hard in order to achieve the end goal. Therefore, setting yourself a challenge out of your comfort zone, and one that you would not usually consider, may inspire mental and physical motivation. Here are a couple events in the UK that may tickle your fancy:
Bath half marathon
Sunday 12th March 2017
Sign up here
London marathon
Sunday 23rd April 2017
Sign up here
Tough Mudder
Established in 2010, with more than 200 events in the UK and attracting over 2.5 million participants, Tough Mudder is globally renowned as a challenging obstacle race for those who want a little more adrenaline and excitement than a marathon.
Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile mud and obstacle course (20+ obstacles) taking you out of your comfort zone and challenging your physical strength, stamina and mental grit. There are no podiums, winners or clocks to race against, its not about how fast you can finish the race but rather a challenge that emphasis teamwork, camaraderie, and accomplishing something almost as tough as you are.
There are a series of various events other than the original Tough Mudder (10-12k) to suit different preferences:
- Tough Mudder half: test your physical skills first with this shorter 5 mile obstacle course before tackling the Tough Mudder
- Toughest Mudder: 8 hour obstacle course between midnight – 8am
- World’s Toughest Mudder: need to have qualified through the Toughest Mudder as this is an extreme 24 hour obstacle course challenge
- Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder: for kids!
See event locations here
Men’s health survival of the fittest
Choose between endurance races or adventure runs! For both men and women, solo or in a team!
Enter here
