0 How to Start Running

Running is a great source of regular exercise and has many benefits. Wanting to start running? Like starting anything new, familiarity and knowledge will come with experience and will be one of your best teachers, however, that doesn't mean that taking some advice beforehand is useless.


1. Go Outside and Run

The easiest way to start running is simply to start, which is a bit of a rubbish piece of advice but in reality is the truth. If you want to begin running then the best way to start is to simply get outside and place one foot in front of the other. Whether it's pavement, grass, soil, snow, or sand, it doesn't matter as long as you are getting out there and running. Also, you don't need to invest in some state-of-the-art running shoes, just some old trainers should do the job.

2. Choose the Right Clothes

You can all out if you really want to and get some top-of-the-range running clothes but what it comes down to is wearing clothes that you don't mind getting sweaty in and that are comfortable.  They don't have to be nice clothes, as long as they are comfortable and don't hamper/restrict your movements then it's up to you what you wear. For me personally when I exercise, I like to wear tracksuit-bottoms and a t-shirt with some old trainers.

3. Run 3 or more times a Week

If you want to get into the habit of running then you are going to need to run regularly. If you are just starting out (which chances are you are if you are reading this post) then I wouldn't suggest running everyday and would advise you to run 3-4 times a week. For someone who doesn't run at all or very much, running everyday will probably be too much and could put you off altogether.  

4. Set a Time Limit

Ok, so lets say that you are running 3-4 times a week and have gotten into a routine - which is great. However, to really solidify the habit and make consistent progress you should as well as running regularly also run for a set amount of time. It's no good running 5 minutes one day and then 30 minutes another, yes you will make progress but you don't have a reason to carry on. You may say, well the fact that I want to run should be a compelling enough of a reason to continue running. This may be true, but we all go through periods of time where we don't feel like doing something, and for those days - having a time limit is going to be important. For example, if I was running and I really wasn't in the mood for it and wanted it to end, and didn't have a time limit, then I would more than likely stop. If however, I made sure that I ran 25 minutes a session, then that time-restriction would compel me to continue until I had achieved what I had set out to achieve.

For starting out, maybe the first week or two 10 minutes is sufficient. Then for the week or two after that extend it to 15-20 minutes, and continue the process until you are happy with the amount of time spent running.

Having a time limit when first starting out, I would say, is the most important time to have one. I say this because you won't be used to running and doing too much too quickly won't help you out. So, take things slowly first and work your way upwards, but make sure that you have that time-restriction implemented into your run.

5. Add Distance

An alternative to adding a time-restriction is to add a target distance to complete. So instead of doing 25-30 minutes running, for example, maybe run 2 miles instead. It is just like setting yourself a time-limit to achieve but distance instead.

6.  Try Different Routes

Running back and forth along the same route every time you go for a jog can become stale and tedious. Try mixing it up a bit by having 2-4 different routes planned out so that you can add diversity to your runs.
Different surroundings can make all the difference to your run and can surprisingly help motivate you. Explore different routes and before you know it you'll have lots of places to choose from. Whether you're in the middle of a city or in the heart of the countryside, changing up your running route can really make a difference.

7. Don't Give up During the First Stages

When first starting out you may not really enjoy it or think that you are good at it, and so may be inclined to stop. Don't stop though. In the beginning stages of anything you can't expect to be brilliant, the beginning stages is the most likely place for people to give up. If they just persevered at it then they would improve over time and get good at it, and that's why I encourage you to stick at it before deciding if you would like to dismiss it. I'm a big believer in giving things a chance, and if you are willing to give something a chance, who knows what a big part of your lifestyle it may become.

When I first started this blog, I had a clear view of where I wanted it to be and had clear reasons to why I wanted to start a blog. However much I read up about blogging and running a website it's still not the same as actually doing it yourself. I have learnt a lot since first starting and have been through stages where I really considered quitting, but am very pleased to have given it that chance. Now it is a big part of my life that I want to continue and can't imagine not having.

8. Organise a Routine

People like routines. People like things that they can expect and rely on, having an exercise plan is one of these things that a person can rely upon.
A post of mine dealing with this can be found here: How to Create an Exercise Plan.

9. Stay Hydrated

Exercise, although is very healthy and is something that our bodies need, can dehydrate you. Taking necessary measures to make sure that you stay hydrated is a must. A lot of runners take a water-bottle with them on their jog so that they can drink on the go.
Also, many people before even beginning exercise are already dehydrated, so making sure that you are hydrated beforehand is essential. When I used to jog I would have a glass of water just before I left out of the front door.

10. Don't do Too Much Too Soon

Often when we are starting something we want to start at a level that is way above where we actually are. Wanting to get through the tedious beginning stages is a normal thing that a lot of people feel, for example when starting out with a musical instrument - you want to be able to play lots of fantastic amazing music but instead you have to go through the foundations first and work your way up.
The same holds true for running, a person starting out may (or may not) want to run a marathon but the reality is that it isn't going to happen straightaway. In fact, even a mile may be too much. So start small and work your way up to a level that you want to reach. Doing too much too soon is, whilst understandable, silly and could (certainly in the case of exercise) do more harm than good.

Detail: How to Start Running

0 Walking Challenge

Challenge: Walk 12,000 - 20,000 steps per day depending upon how active you are now.

Challenge Duration: 21 Days

Walking is healthy for us and is exercise, and our bodies need exercise (as well as other things) to maintain good health.  Something I briefly went over in two recent posts of mine is about the 10,000 steps guideline. 10,000 is the number of steps that is advised for us to try and reach each day. Researchers have said that by walking these 10,000 steps a day you are likely to significantly improve your health.
 
Before I get into this challenge I will first say that you are going to need a pedometer as it is based on the number of steps you take, unless you are willing to count them. There are three different levels to this. The first is the 'normal' level, the second is the 'intermediate' level, and the third is the 'difficult' level.
The three different levels are in place to cater to everyone. If you are unsure about which one to go for then I would first suggest wearing the pedometer for a few days so that you know how far you usually walk in your day.
Also, the duration of the challenge (21 days) is the same whichever level you are doing.

The main aim of this challenge is not for you to be able to say "I walk 12,000+ steps a day" (although you could say that if you wanted) but simply to get you to walk more and get into the habit of regular exercise. 
Here's a post which discusses the good things about walking: 9 Benefits of Walking.

Normal Challenge

I would suggest taking on the normal level of this challenge if you walk around 10,000 or less steps a day.
The normal level is to walk 12,000 steps every day for 21 days, which won't have you walking huge expeditions every day but will make sure that you are active enough to notice a difference.

Intermediate Challenge

The intermediate level is for those already pretty active people out there who either will find the 'normal' challenge too easy or already walk around that amount of steps per day anyway.
I would suggest taking on this level if you are walking 11,000-14,000 steps a day. This level cranks up the amount of steps by three thousand steps making your daily target 15,000 steps per day for 21 days. 

I think out of the three levels of this challenge, I personally would take on this as it is something that would feel challenging yet at the same time not out of my reach to achieve.

Difficult Challenge

Finally we come to the hardest of the three different levels of the challenge which is the 'difficult' challenge. This is meant for those who are very active each day and do a lot of walking. If you are already doing around 15,000+ steps per day then this one is for you, although I don't want anyone to overdo things and injure themselves, so only do if you are in peak physical condition and know you could handle it. For this one, your daily goal to reach is 20,000 steps.

Detail: Walking Challenge

0 9 Benefits of Walking

Walking is the most basic form of transportation that we use and is a form that yields a few surprising benefits. You may or may not have heard about the 10,000 steps a day guideline? Well, it is an advised amount of steps that is recommended for us to reach everyday, whether that's through walking, jogging, dancing etc. as long as it gets you to the '10,000' mark.

I used to use a pedometer which is a device (I'm sure you know) that measures how many steps you take over a given period of time. I no longer use one since my old one broke, but when I was using it I was able to reach the minimum of 10,000 steps a day quite easily, and I am quite confident that I now walk more than 15,000 steps a day.

Like I was saying above though, walking does have a surprising amount of benefits that we can gain by simply taking time out of our day to put one foot in front of the other. It doesn't have to be for an hour, something as simple as 30 minutes a day can help. 


1. Clears Your Mind

This is something that is often said when concerning walks - it helps to clear the mind. Getting out into the fresh air is great for alleviating some of the pressure that we may feel we have in our minds. Sometimes we can feel like there is too much going on in our heads for us to cope with and we just have to escape from it for a bit, just for a little bit of a break, walks are great for doing this.

You have your mind to yourself and you can go through what you want in your own time and often come to some sort of resolve.
Before I had a dog I only went on walks with other people occasionally or with family some weekends. When we got our dog, although everyone wanted to walk her, the novelty wore off and I got left with the task. To be honest I wasn't really fussed as I didn't (and still don't) mind taking her for a walk. I now use it as a time for me to think, and to think properly. Walking gives me quality time to sort through my head. If I have something that is unclear in my mind, by the end of a walk where I have had time to properly think, I normally have come up with an answer or at least have a better idea of what I'm supposed to do.

2.  Calms you Down

Exercise in general has been considered for a long time now to help calm you down and relieve stress. It is only in recent years that scientists are beginning to understand the mysteries of our mind and why we find exercise, such as walking, to be relaxing. It seems that exercise reduces anxiety while also promoting the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus, these neurons help control anxiety levels.

Walking has often been advised for people with depression or anxiety problems, and with people who take anger-management, with good reason - because it is an effective form of therapy.

I remember when I was a young when me and my sister would fall out, my mum of course would tell us off, and the atmosphere would be tense. Although I didn't go walking that often, I would always notice, and my mum would too, how much better of a mood everyone would be in after having a walk. Our mum would often suggest this after an argument or a time of tension because, even if we just walked in silence, by the end our moods would have lifted and we would more often than not have resolved our conflicts.

3. Exercise

Walking is of course exercise, and exercise is healthy. Walking is not a very strenuous exercise when comparing it to other things (I'm not including power-walking when I say this) and doesn't take that much effort to do for 30 minutes as an exercise like jogging would. It is recommend that adults up to the age of 65 should do 150 minutes (2 hours 30 minutes) of exercise per week or 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes) of intense exercise per week. A leisurely walk is not strenuous so will needed to be done for 150 minutes per week if it is the only form of exercise you do.

Two and a half hours a week may sound like a long time but it isn't when you split it up over the course of a week because remember, that figure isn't for a day but your guideline for the week. So if you were to walk only on the working days of the week (Monday - Friday) you would only have to do 30 minutes a day. This could then be broken down further into 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening. If you were to walk all 7 days of the week then it would be as little as 21.4 minutes a day - which is hardly anything at all.

4. Relieves Stress

Walking will help lift your mood by releasing endorphins into your blood system which will help to counter stress. Stress can really bring you down and really bring a turn (for the worse) to your mood.
I won't go into too much regarding stress as you can read more about it in this article: The Common Causes of Stress and how to deal with it.

5. Gives you Inspiration

As your mind is clearer and as you have your own thoughts to occupy you, you will find that ideas will float in and out of your mind. As human beings, concentrating and thinking deeply is something that we have the capacity to do, and is easier for us when we are alone and without distraction. Walking is often one of those times, and is most probably why we can find inspiration - because we are allowing ourselves to be free of distractions that we may normally face giving ourselves time to properly think.
I suppose that's why a lot of composers, writers, poets, artists, and the like, go for a walk in the countryside or somewhere serene where they can be alone to think, to seek inspiration.

6. Strengthens the Heart

Walking, or in fact any exercise that causes you to increase your heart rate, will improve the rate of blood flow around your body.  Doing this regularly will help lower bad cholesterol levels and raise good ones, reducing the risk of heart disease or strokes. In fact walking at a good rate for 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of a stroke by near to 30%!

7. Gives you an Energy Boost

I know that it may sound ludicrous that doing exercise and using energy will actually give you energy. Exercise, such as walking, will help to promote good circulation and helps improve the rate of oxygen to your cells. Although you will be using energy, you will actually feel more energetic through the rest of the day.

If, however, you are not used to walking and you walk too far then you will probably feel drained of energy. This is how I used to feel when we got our dog and I was getting into the routine of walking her each day - I would just want to sit down and relax for the rest of the day. Thankfully I got over this feeling quickly and now feel much more upbeat and alert after a nice walk. :)

8. Weight Loss

Before I say that walking can help shed those pounds I must first say that it won't if your diet isn't great. You don't have to be eating nothing but greens but if you are snacking on chocolates and sweets through the day and then have fattening meals on top of that, you aren't likely to see much of a result when it comes to this benefit. Also the more walking you do the more it will help you in losing weight because obviously you'll be burning more calories than that of a shorter walk.
So if you are going to start walking remember that weight loss will depend on your diet and on how much you walk.

9. It tones your legs

Walking regularly will help to strengthen your legs and over time help to tone them. Hills and other uneven terrain will help even more and help lift your glutes. The more you walk the more you will be helping to train your muscles to handle exercise and will in turn help them to grow.

Conclusion

It doesn't take much to pick yourself up and go for a walk, and you don't have to go anywhere particularly out of the way. 
I myself find the most relaxing time to walk and also my favourite time to walk during the early morning. Early as in 06:00 which to many of you may seem crazy but actually once you try it, it's really such a nice part of the day - and if I do get up that early when I don't need to, it's normally to go for an early day walk.

Detail: 9 Benefits of Walking

0 The Amount of Water I Drink

Water is the healthiest liquid for us to drink, I won't go into detail why in this post, but I have written a post relating to why: '10 Benefits of Drinking Water'. The thing is that many of us don't drink near to the amount of water we should and are actually dehydrated most of the time without really knowing. I think it's because a lot of us don't drink until we are thirsty, which sounds like common sense. However, when I did this, only drink when I felt thirsty, I wasn't drinking enough at all because I didn't feel thirsty enough to have enough to drink. I was having maybe 2 or 3 glasses of water a day which wasn't enough.


Another thing people do instead of drinking water is to substitute it for another drink, for example something like a fizzy drink, squash, juice, etc. Some of these substitutes are hydrating, not quite as much as water, but of course have flavourings and/or sugar and/or other ingredients.
For me, when I was younger squash was that water substitute. I would drink, what I considered anyway, to be a huge amount of squash each day. Thinking back to it now I still only drank 3-4 glasses a day I would say, which is still less than the recommended 2 litres of water per day. Also I liked squash to be strong, around 30-40% of the glass, and so was only getting (if you condense it) about 2 glasses of water a day. To put this into better perspective, a rough estimation of what 2 litres is is about 8 glasses a day.

When I had first started this blog I can remember writing two post about drinking water. One of those posts I mentioned at the top of this post (link provided), and the other was: '11 Tips to Drink more Water'. At this time I was going through a stage of trying to drink more water and made sure that I kept myself hydrated. I would drink the advised 2 litres of water each day and was getting into the habit of doing so.
As time went by however, and my days changed and my routines changed, my 2 litres a day water-drinking sadly went out the window, and I was back to where I was before of not keeping hydrated enough.

As of frequent, the last month, I have got back into the habit of drinking more water, and I now drink more than ever before. In fact I don't aim for the recommended 2 litres a day guideline - I aim for more and actually drink 3-5 litres every day. It sounds a bit excessive but it really isn't and I've felt so much more healthy for doing so. It's great, I've seen my skin look healthier and my liver is going to be benefiting greatly. Now that I've got back into the habit of drinking lots of water and have been doing so for now just over a month, I now rarely drink anything else and prefer it this way too.

Now going back to this rough estimation of 8 glasses of water per day, I decided to measure out the glasses in my house because I'm just that sort of person. The two most common glasses that are in our shelf are (if filled up to around 95%) 310ml. There is also a green glass in there which comes in at around 540ml, and finally my large cup which is 700ml. As I have measured these I can now keep an idea to how much water I do drink. Normally I will have 2-3 glasses of my large cup. So that is 1.4 litres-2.1 litres right there. Then on top of that I will normally have around 6-8 of the normal glasses, which is another 1,860ml-2,480ml on top. Lastly, I may have 1 or 2 glasses of the green one, which is 540ml-1,080ml. Adding all that up, the amount of water I typically drink in a day is 3,800ml-5,660ml, or 3.8 litres-5.66 litres of water per day!

I started on 02/09/13, and it's definitely a good new habit to have gotten into to that I know will benefit my health and will help my body for many years to come (I hope)
I feel that I must also mention, in case this has made any of you reading this to want to drink more water, that I drink that 3.8 litres-5.66 litres over the course of the whole day, and that drinking too much water at once is dangerous and could cause water intoxication. I will also encourage you to not enter into such events as water drinking contests as they are actually very dangerous.

Detail: The Amount of Water I Drink

0 6 Tips to Improve Balance

Feeling unstable and a bit wobbly from time to time could indicate that you have balancing problems, it's not the biggest concern to have - unless it is quite serious. However as we get older and our bodies become more and more fragile, slips and falls become harder for us to take, and not having good balance could cause these future falls (hopefully not).

I'm not going to discuss the exercises you can do to improve balance (well I suppose I mention one,) but tips on how to improve balance overall, here they are:

1. Practice Balance Every Day

If you want to improve at balance then you are going to have to practice balancing, and not just every once in a while but regularly. I would recommend doing balancing exercises every day. It's up to you what time of the day you decide to do them but doing them at the same time each day will help get you into a routine quicker.

One of the most obvious balancing exercises that I'm sure the vast majority of you reading this will know is simply standing on one leg. You can do it with your hands by your sides of stretched out - it's up to you. Hold your position for 1-2 minutes before proceeding to your other leg and again hold your position for another 1-2 minutes. One or two minutes doesn't sound like a lot, and that's because it isn't, but it's surprising how much of a difference 1-2 minutes can make. Of course you are welcome to practice for longer if you feel like it.

There are various different balancing exercises out there for you to do, the standing on one-leg exercise is just an example of one, and how many you decide to do a day is up to you. Yoga has many poses and stances that will help improve your balance if you fancy looking into it.

2. Keep your Eyes Fixed on Something

In the early stages of improving balance try not to let your eyes wander, when you do you can become uncoordinated and lose balance easily. Fixing your eyes on something (stationary) will help you yourself remain stationary as you can see much more clearly if you are losing your balance. Looking at a something still, that is close, will allow you to feel and notice subtle and small movements that you are making whilst trying to remain still, whereas looking at something far away will make noticing your own movements not so obvious.

Once you are better at balancing, looking around and letting your gaze travel around your surroundings will not have as much of an affect on you as it once would have.

3. Try Closing your Eyes

Once you are more familiar with balancing, try doing it with your eyes closed. I say try it once you have become used to balancing because closing your eyes and balancing is harder to do, so I wouldn't recommend it until you are confident with balancing. 

With your eyes being closed you obviously won't be able to use your line of sight to help steady you, you'll now have to rely solely on different senses to keep still, you'll be able to feel your movements very well and will know how steady you are. It might take some time to get good at balancing with your eyes shut but be patient and continue to practice and you'll get there in the end.

It's a surprisingly difficult thing to do. In fact why don't you quickly get up and try it right this instant, it will only take a few moments. Stand on one leg and once you have gained balance, close your eyes - you will notice the difference within a couple of seconds. If you somehow find this just as easy, then you have good balancing skills to say the least. I tried it just before writing this paragraph and found that I became seriously wobbly as soon as I had closed my eyes - I think a bit more practice for me is needed. :)

4. Change your Support Width 

When you are standing up your legs are your support, and the wider your legs are means you have a wider support, which often means that you will have better balance. Narrowing this support is going to have the opposite effect and make balancing harder, that's why a tightrope is harder to balance on than the pavement. Use this knowledge to help challenge yourself. First start by improving your balance on a large surface and as you become better, decrease the surface area, until eventually you are balancing on much less surface area than you were before and your room for error becomes smaller and smaller.

5. Lose Weight if Necessary

An overweight person is unfortunately on average going to find balance tougher than a person that is in shape. Their body is heavier and will be putting more stress on their joints and muscles, which will have a harder time holding them in place. Also being heavier they will have more momentum and correcting movements can be trickier. 
That's not to say that you can't gain good balance if you are overweight because you can, it just will be more difficult.

6. Strengthen your Legs

Having strong legs is essential for good balance. Your legs are what holds the rest of your body upright and what you are using to steady yourself when standing. If you have weak legs then practicing balance will be a little more strenuous on you, and you may find they start to 'shudder' because they're not used to it. If you have stronger legs then you are going to be able to hold yourself up better and for longer. To have strong legs you don't have to have 'ripped' legs but doing exercise will help.

Conclusion

How good at balance you want to become is up to you, whether it is the route of a yoga master you want to follow or just reduce the wobbliness you may sometimes have, I hope these tips, and any more that you come across help you.

Detail: 6 Tips to Improve Balance

0 Water Drinking Challenge

Aim: To drink 2 litres of water every day

Duration: 40 Days

Our bodies need at least 2 litres of water every day to keep ourselves hydrated. If you don't know about the benefits that your body gains from drinking lots of water, I'm not going to go into it on this post as I have already written an article about that which can be found here: 10 Reasons for Drinking Water. 


Seeing that I have just mentioned that our bodies need 2 litres of water a day, it should come of no surprise that this challenge is all about getting yourself to drink 2 litres of water a day. This challenge will have you drinking that amount for 40 consecutive days.
To give you an idea about how much 2 litres is, it is roughly equivalent to 8 average sized glasses. Before starting this challenge I would recommend reading a previous post of mine; 11 Tips to Drink more Water, for some ideas and advice to help you drink more water.

The goal of this challenge is to get you to drink 2 litres of water a day, however, this target is only a minimum so feel free to drink more than this if you can manage - don't go overboard though and don't drink too much water in one go. 

On a calendar mark down the day that you start this challenge, and for every day that you complete, cross that day off (to show that you have completed it). Once this string of crossed-off-days reaches 40, you will have completed the challenge. :)

Detail: Water Drinking Challenge

0 30 Day Pushup Challenge

After posting the 30 Day Squat Challenge for the ladies, I thought it fair to post one for the men...so here it is: the 30 day pushup challenge.
Depending upon how good you are at pushups will determine which challenge I think you should go for. If you can do 0 - 25 I would suggest trying the beginners 30 day pushup challenge. If you are someone who can do 50 pushups or upwards then I would recommend trying the advanced 30 day pushup challenge. For anyone who falls within the 26 - 49 range I would leave up to you to decide which challenge you should go for, in fact however many pushups you can do it's up to you which challenge you take on - just try to stay realistic about your abilities and don't go so far as to injure yourself.

The challenge is based on a number of reps & sets for you to complete per day. Many people who know about reps and sets won't need this explaining to them but for those of you who don't it's not something that is hard to grasp. Basically a 'rep' stands for a repetition, so if I were to do 10 reps of pushups that would mean that I have done 10 pushups - 10 repetitions.
A set is a group of reps. For example if I were to do 2 sets of 10 pushup reps that would mean I did two lots of 10 pushups. 

Beginners Pushup Challenge (30 - 90 seconds rest in between each set)

The number of sets is displayed first before the number of reps followed by the total of pushups.

Day 1: 2 x 10 (20)

Day 2: 2 x 12 (24)

Day 3: 2 x 14 (28)

Day 4: 2 x16 (32)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: 2 x 20 (40)

Day 7: 2 x 22 (44)

Day 8: 2 x 24 (48)

Day 9: 2 x 26 (52)

Day 10: Rest

Day 11: 3 x 14 (42)

Day 12: 3 x 16 (48)

Day 13: 3 x 18 (54)

Day 14: 3 x 20 (60)

Day 15: Rest

Day 16: 3 x 22 (66)

Day 17: 3 x 24 (72)

Day 18: 3 x 26 (78)

Day 19: 3 x 28 (84)

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 4 x 12 (48)

Day 22: 4 x 14 (56)

Day 23: 4 x 16 (64)

Day 24: 4 x 18 (72)

Day 25: Rest

Day 26: 4 x 22 (88)

Day 27: 4 x 24 (96)

Day 28: 4 x 26 (104)

Day 29: 4 x 28 (112)

Day 30: 4x 30 (120)

Total = 1,552

Advanced Pushup Challenge (30 - 90 seconds rest in between each set)

The number of sets is displayed first before the number of reps followed by the total of pushups.

Day 1: 2 x 20 (40)

Day 2: 2 x 24 (48)

Day 3: 2 x 28 (56)

Day 4: 2 x 32 (64)

Day 5: Rest

Day 6: 2 x 40 (80)

Day 7: 2 x 44 (88)

Day 8: 2 x 48 (96)

Day 9: 2 x 52 (104)

Day 10: Rest

Day 11: 3 x 28 (84)

Day 12: 3 x 32 (96)

Day 13: 3 x 36 (108)

Day 14: 3 x 40 (120)

Day 15: Rest

Day 16: 3 x 44 (132)

Day 17: 3 x 48 (144)

Day 18: 3 x 52 (156)

Day 19: 3 x 56 (168)

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 4 x 24 (96)

Day 22: 4 x 28 (112)

Day 23: 4 x 32 (128)

Day 24: 4 x 36 (144)

Day 25: Rest

Day 26: 4 x 44 (176)

Day 27: 4 x 48 (192)

Day 28: 4 x 52 (208)

Day 29: 4 x 56 (224)

Day 30: 4 x 60 (240)

Total = 3,104

Detail: 30 Day Pushup Challenge

0 30 Day Squat Challenge

Quite recently there has been a challenge for women floating around the web that has gained much interest. It seems to becoming more and more popular, having Facebook, Tumbler, and other website pages devoted to it. I first heard about this challenge through my sister who decided to take it up, in fact it was yesterday she started. After hearing it from my sister I also found out that 3 female colleagues from work, well actually 2 colleagues as 1 of them has now got another job, so 2 colleagues and 1 ex-colleague has taken up this 30 day squat challenge. 
I hear that it is quite the challenge so prepare for some hard work!
So here is the plan:

Day 1: 50 Squats

Day 2: 55 Squats

Day 3: 60 Squats

Day 4: Rest

Day 5: 70 Squats

Day 6: 75 Squats

Day 7: 80 Squats

Day 8: Rest

Day 9: 100 Squats

Day 10: 105 Squats

Day 11: 110 Squats

Day 12: Rest

Day 13: 130 Squats

Day 14: 135 Squats

Day 15: 140 Squats

Day 16: Rest

Day 17: 150 Squats

Day 18: 155 Squats

Day 19: 160 Squats

Day 20: Rest

Day 21: 180 Squats

Day 22: 185 Squats

Day 23: 190 Squats

Day 24: Rest

Day 25: 220 Squats

Day 26: 225 Squats

Day 27: 230 Squats

Day 28: Rest

Day 29: 240 Squats

Day 30: 250 Squats

A useful motivational and tracking technique you can use to go alongside this would be the 'Don't Break the Chain' technique.
 

Detail: 30 Day Squat Challenge

0 How to Improve your Mood: 12 Tips

Having to go through low moods and/or depression is a tough and hard thing to escape. With practical changes to ones life though these feelings can be suppressed and you can improve your mood. 

Depending upon how bad a persons depression/low mood is, will have an impact to how well these tips will work. If they are mild enough then these tips may be all that is needed to help them, however if it is more serious then whilst these tips will be helpful for the individual - professional medical advice will be needed.

1. Talk to other People

Having problems and life-dramas can certainly bring your mood down and make it hard for you to deal with them, and when you've got no-one to talk to about it, it can be all the more difficult.

Just having someone to talk to (even if they can't actually change the situation) can really make a big difference because they can offer their moral support and advice.

We all need help sometimes and having people who you trust to depend upon is a comforting prospect. There are those who will offer you emotional help and those who will be able to offer you practical help, both of which you should be (and would be I'm sure) grateful of in a bad situation.

Friends and family members are an obvious choice to start with and can simply be by letting them know of your situation and what you're experiencing. Friends and family members aren't the only choice you have, their are people who you know and are friendly with, yet don't class as a close friend (e.g. A person at work) who you can ask for advice. You can also arrange to go and see support groups in your area or can even phone up support lines. Help from other people can make all the difference.

2. Exercise

Exercise is a great way to lift your mood and is often advised to place into your daily routine as a form of dealing with low moods and/or depression, in fact, it's advised for you to include it in your life anyway in general.

It keeps you active both physically and mentally, keeps you fit, gets you out (unless if you do home exercises), and just makes you feel better in general. It's such a simple thing to start yet so many people push it aside as they doubt that something as simple as exercise can help...but it can.

A couple of reasons to why people don't take up an exercise routine are 1. They see the whole exercising and creating a routine too much of a hassle to organise and to follow-through with, and 2. They believe that it's going to consume too much of their time and they don't have that time to spare.

Well as a matter of fact these people need not worry as it isn't hard to get yourself into a routine and you can work around your time allowance, even if it's only 10-20 minutes a day.

It doesn't have to be something that you hate to do, find something that you enjoy doing, for example: walking, football, swimming, going to the gym, etc.

If you would like to start exercising but aren't sure where to start or to how you go about doing it then here's an article that you may find useful: How to Create an Exercise Plan.

3.Wake-up Early

Waking up early is a fantastic way to kick-start your day. Getting up earlier will allow you to have more time in your day to do things (maybe start that exercise plan), you will feel as if you have more energy throughout the day - which will lead to a more positive outlook.

I won't go into any more detail to why getting up early is good for you but if you would like to read more into it then this is the full article: 10 Benefits of Being an Early Riser.

4. Do Something Fun

Try doing something fun to lighten your mood. It may seem a little childish to some of you who are reading this but is something that will prove its worth soon enough. Whatever you feel like doing (within the law of course:) ): maybe go for some exercise, play some sports, play some games with people? Whatever.

You want to be able to have some enjoyment in your life and by doing something fun can really help you feel better.

I don't include t.v, browsing the Internet, or video games, as doing something fun. Whilst I'm not saying that these can't be fun and/or entertaining, they're really just wasting your time. Coming away from t.v. and the like, I don't know how all of you feel, but I never feel like I have benefited or gained anything when I come away from watching t.v?

The full article about this is here: Is T.V Wasting your Time?

Often it's not even about doing something fun, it's normally about doing something and we will appreciate doing anything to keep our minds off of what is bothering us - it's just nice for it to be fun. 

5. Get a Hobby

Similar to point #5 however this is more of a regular and consistent way to cheer yourself up rather than just doing anything that is fun. Having an activity to partake in which is your hobby is an excellent way to take your mind away from the stress you're going through. If you share your hobby with a friend and you both do it together (for example: golf, tennis, pool/snooker, bird-watching, etc,) you can use point #1 and talk to them about your situation.

6. Get enough Daylight

There are depressive moods that scientists know about that are linked to not having enough exposure to daylight.

I watched a documentary about a year or so ago about the effects of varying light exposure to a person but can't remember what it was called. On this program there was an experiment where they made a person stay inside of their house for a week with his windows boarded up and only a limited amount of the usual light making it through, and throughout the week they monitored his mood. As the week progressed his mood declined and by the end of the week he hated the lack of natural light. When he was allowed to have his house un-boarded and the sunlight was able to shine in again - his mood dramatically improved.

Get outdoors more too and expose yourself to the natural light (don't get burnt when it's sunny though :) ). Morning light is said to be the most beneficial and is something I recommend everyone should get-up to experience.

7. Eat Healthy

Eating the right food with the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to be sustained is what it needs to have a consistent amount of energy lasting throughout the day. making sure that you eat your 5 fruit and/or veg a day is definitely beneficial for your overall health and well being.

If you are interested here are some posts about fruit and veg: The Benefits of individual Fruits (Part 1), The Benefits of Individual Vegetables (Part 1), and Top 10 Most Popular Fruits.

When people are feeling down they can often turn to alcohol, when they are feeling low on energy they turn to things that are high in caffeine (for example: energy drinks or coffee), it's not too hard to see a slight connection to a persons feelings and food.

8. Get Enough Sleep

There is still a lot that is unknown about sleep that science has yet to uncover but it has been advised that people with depression or low moods should make sure that they are getting enough sleep. People who feel refreshed and aren't tired allow their mind to function better than that of a sleep deprived person because our bodies need sleep to recharge, and will prevent, or at least limit, tiredness bringing down their mood.

Not only is it advised that you should get enough sleep but also that you should stick to a regular sleeping routine.

Here are two articles that go more into sleep: The Functions of Sleep and How much Sleep do we Need?

9. Deal with Stressful Problems 

There are so many stressful problems that enter our lives that we have to deal with. Sometimes they appear like a bull in a china shop and other times they very discretely enter into your life without you realising it and cause you hassle. 

Stress is a killer and can definitely without a shadow of a doubt bring down a  person's mood. 

Go through what stresses are in your life (if you have them which most people do) and then decide what you are going to do about it. A lot of stressful things are things that can be sorted or will get sorted, for example: starting a new job, moving house,meeting new people, having more work than usual to get through, etc.

Sometimes there wont be a quick fix to your problem(s) and so will have to be something that you have to make the best of a bad situation about, for example: losing a job, dealing with an illness, having social problems, etc.

I've written an article about stress before if you would like to read more about it: The Common Causes of Stress and how to Deal With it. 

10. Smile More

Such a small and simple action to do yet can still have an effect on your mood. Forcing yourself to smile and telling yourself that you are happy can have a positive effect on how you view situations in life. If you're always optimistic and are trying to look on the bright side of life, then you won't have as much time for dwelling on the negatives. 

11. Stick to a Plan

A suggestion that is often made by professionals and is normally encouraged for those dealing with depression, is to make sure that your life has structure to it. If your mind isn't kept busy then it can start to dwell on matters and make it seem worse than it is, which is why suggested that you stick to a schedule.

Make sure you are strict about keeping to your schedule as it is very easy to skip one or two things on it, and once that happens you can be sure that you are likely going to stop doing more jobs that you are supposed to do, and then next give up on it all together. 

Productivity is a great way to make use of your time and has an uplifting response once you've completed what needs to be done and it's this positive effect that is good for your mind. You can see that you are getting things done and you like the results you are seeing and in return for your labour you are able to experience the satisfying feeling of productivity.  

Two posts that you may find helpful are: 7 Benefits of a Schedule and How to Plan a Schedule.

12. Don't Over-schedule

Another thing that can quite easily bring your mood down is having too much on your plate. When you have too much to get through and it becomes an endless fight trying to finish it all, can make life feel like you're living for the schedule - which it shouldn't be about. 

There's nothing wrong with having a lot of things to get through daily because for some people they thrive in that environment, but for others (and in fact for those workaholics too) when there is too much to do it can become too much for us to cope with and handle.

Detail: How to Improve your Mood: 12 Tips

0 10 Benefits of Growing your own Food

You hear it all the time nowadays about how human-impact is affecting the planet and how we need to cut-down on fuel and other resources. Some people do take this to heart and start trying to help where they can: switching off lights when unnecessary, walking or cycling to work, using public transport more often, etc. These people, whilst their efforts are good and they are doing a great job in helping to lower our impact on the environment, remain a minority and the majority of us don't change at all. 

One thing that can be done to help reduce our affect on the environment would be to simply grow our own food which comes with many benefits for doing so. Obviously when I say simply grow your own food I mean the concept is simple, the actual work that is needed to produce your own fruit and vegetables can be quite hard work but that's something that usually comes with something beneficial.

1. Health

A great benefit that will come with growing your own fruit and veg will be in the form of the health benefits. What you are going to be growing is going to be healthy (I hope anyway) and so you will be getting these nutritional foods into your system which your body needs. 

I won't talk to much into the healthiness of fruits and vegetables but instead refer you to two different posts you may be interested in: Benefits of Individual Vegetables (Part 1), and Benefits of Individual Fruits (Part 1).
Also a third post you may like: The Benefits of a Healthy Diet.  

2. Keeps you Productive

When at home their is often a temptation to not do much and relax, and why not? I mean that's what homes are for - relaxing and getting some time to ourselves. However, being productive is a great way to pass time and can in itself be not only relaxing and enjoyable but also rewarding.
In fact it's good to keep ourselves productive and busy as we're designed to work, it's in our nature. Often people who have worked their whole life and then later on go into retirement find it boring as they have nothing to do (this isn't the case for everyone but it's something that a lot of people do feel, and maybe that's why a lot of the older generation like to spend their time gardening as it does keep them busy). You can set yourself personal goals too which is always good to do.

Here's a related post to this point: 21 Ways to Boost Productivity.

3. Saves Money

Another great benefit you will gain with growing your on food, which I'm sure that a lot of us will welcome, is the money-saving part. If you're going to grow your own fruit and veg then you will not have to pay for them at the shops and packets of seeds don't cost much at all. Of course when you first start out you will have to as you will need to wait for your plants to grow, and will have to go through a trial-and-error approach to how much of a certain thing you should grow etc, but after these things you will certainly start to notice a reduction in financial payouts towards food. Some people become almost self-sufficient once they have a system up and running. 

You can also preserve food for use during other seasons and grow different variates of fruit and vegetables during the different seasons of the year.  

4. Better Taste

This is often said about home-grown fruit and veg. The food will be straight from your garden (or allotment or somewhere) and will be what is really fresh. Fresh fruit and veg from the shops are fresh but won't be nearly as fresh as your home-grown stuff, they could have been sat there for a day or two and would have taken some time in getting delivered to the store too, all-in-all not being as fresh as yours.  

The satisfaction that comes with growing your own food could also enhance the taste in your mind but the freshness will definitely make the taste better.

5. Exercise

Whilst it may not be on the same level as cross-country and other exercise of that nature, gardening can be quite the strenuous activity in itself. Of course the more you have to do the more hard work it will be but when you have to lift and dig and walk here and there, can after some time become quite the form of activity. 

6. Satisfaction

As briefly mentioned in point # 4 growing your own fruit and veg will bring you a sense of satisfaction. It's great when you put in hard work and see the fruits of your labour (excuse the pun), not only does it inspire you to continue your work but it also is a very rewarding and satisfactory experience. From nursing them from small saplings to full-grown plants - this joy is a great feeling and will help with confidence of your own abilities. 

7. Reduces food waste

People throw away hundreds of pounds-worth of food every year. The reason why growing your own fruit and veg will reduce the amount of food you throw-away will be because after weeks of loving-care that you have put into growing these plants you will be less inclined to throw them rather than ones bought from the supermarket in 10 minutes. You'll want to get full-use of all your plants and so wasting them will not be on your agenda.
You will still have food waste but less of it.

8. Composting

Any food that is of waste or is bad that you have grown can be put immediately into a compost bin. This will save you money on compost (if you're a keen gardener) which you can use in the future for helping future fruit and vegetables grow, a great way to recycle. This is another benefit which can come from the growing your own food and which can help with reducing your impact on the environment.

9. Pesticide-free food

Contamination of food from pesticides and other chemicals that many farms spray onto their food because of the mass-production of crops that they don't want to be touched by insects and various other things, will not be upon your home-grown food and is something that you will not need to worry about. You will know that your food is clean and safe to eat.

10. Family activity

Growing your own food can become a daily commitment and if you are looking for a family activity for you all to participate in - this could be it. It will be a great chance to talk to one another and the fresh air is great for your mood and health.

Detail: 10 Benefits of Growing your own Food