To coffee or not to coffee...

Quite the controversial topic amongst society.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist or any type of doctor. I am simply a girl who has a love/hate relationship with coffee and want to show you the good and the bad through my own experience and a little amount of research. No fancy smancy data! 😊

So.....
Do you drink coffee?
And if so, why? For alertness? The taste? Both?


My story:

I have been on the fence, off the fence, and back on the fence about coffee. I only had my first coffee in 2014 on my way to Nice, France with a friend for a girlie weekend. We were in Dublin airport and she was like, ah go on have one, you'll love it  (Hi Maria 😉).
So I first tasted it through a Mocha. Hot chocolate mixed with coffee. It was so tasty!
When we arrived I jumped right in and had an espresso because I am mad like that. I was wired 😂

I am now back off caffeine 9 days (First time I stopped drinking it was last year for about 4 weeks). The first 3 days were ROUGH. Like I even took a headache tablet which I HATE TAKING to help me through.

But I am past that and I feel great.

Why did I stop? I hate being dependent on anything. And I really hated that my mind felt I needed caffeine to get through the day or a gym session. I am heading down a more holistic path in life and being addicted to caffeine isn't what I want. But being addicted to dark chocolate is another post haha! Also I have anxiety, severe anxiety a few years ago and I still have it without caffeine BUT it has calmed down. 🌸

So far so good....

I have less anxiety (heart racing and excess worrying)

I have more energy. With this I mean I don't feel I need to go reach for a coffee or sugar to give me an energy boost. I feel my energy is more balanced. I even went to the gym today caffeine free 😊

I wake up in the morning feeling fresher than before 100%



So why does coffee have such a profound impact on us and our health good and bad ?

It is known as the most addictive legal substance/drug on the planet!
(Did nobody rate chocolate? Nom Nom) 😍

Lets find out more about this addictive substance (or is it):

• Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soda drinks and other produce and pills. 

• It is a psychoactive drug.

💡 Did you know studies have shown that taking caffeine out of schizophrenic helped reduce their anxiety, irritability and hostility.

• It tricks your brain into thinking you are not tired. How? By stimulating the nerve cells in your brain rather than allowing them to relax and become calm/sleepy.

• It increases your heart rate, blood pressure, alertness and delays the onset of fatigue. (Hence the increase in anxiety. Heightened awareness along with increased heart rate)

• The alertness it gives you is a artificial brain chemistry bond (basically fake energy)

• It peaks in your bloodstream 30 minutes after you drink it and can last up to 6 hours

•  Doctors recommend an average daily consumption of 300mg.

• You would have to drink nearly 6 to 7 grams of it to overdose (depending on body weight)

It is not an addictive substance like smoking or cocaine. It is a dedicated habit so that is the good news. It's possible to stop drinking it and feel fine but you will go through a few hard days at first (like I did) And then feel brand new!

The Good

Some health benefits from caffeine are:

• Full of antioxidants
• Some vitamins & minerals (B2, B5, Calcium, magnesium)
• Amino Acids
• Plant Compound

But what are the health implications of this tasty beverage?

The Bad

• Caffeine increases the stress hormone in your body so if you already struggle with anxiety then you really shouldn't be adding to your stress levels! Cut down, give it up, drink decaf!

*I went to a nutritionist in Australia who gave me the same advice regarding my anxiety levels and they dramatically reduced when I restricted my caffeine intake*

• Aggravates IBS and other bowel disorders 

• Can cause over active bowels

• Can lead to over active bladders and incontinence (not nice)

So if you notice that after your coffee or caffeinated drink you are bursting to use the toilet, your stool is not right and you have cramps, it might be time to rethink your intake.

Does caffeine impact your flexibility?

(for the yogi's amongst us)

Yes it can. Caffeine dehydrates your body therefore the muscles.

So if you are going to continue to drink coffee, cut back a little and make sure to keep drinking water throughout the day. And introduce electrolyte drinks such as coconut water or Nuun Tablets.

Better yet, eat your water through delicious fruits and vegetables. Fresh produce works best as the body absorbs the water easier than when you drink it.

So be mindful that: 

Caffeine = Less Water = Sluggish Digestion = Stiffness & Pain

Lets wrap it up > To coffee or not to coffee? Your choice really!!

If you don't suffer with anxiety, sleep well and enjoy your caffeine then make sure to stay hydrated.

If you are like me and suffer with anxiety then don't add caffeine to the mix. It will only make things worse for you.

Totally your choice.

It can be a social drink when out for breakfast or lunch, nothing wrong with asking for a decaf (Decaf is known to have a slight amount of caffeine but progress over perfection right?)

Let me know your thoughts below or on social media 😄

Instagram

Facebook

Lots of energetic love,

Elisa x

References:

https://bebrainfit.com/caffeine-anxiety/

https://www.youtube.com/user/scishow

https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/coffee-harm-gut/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/385118-vitamins-minerals-in-coffee/
http://www.yogabody.com/

Yoga Asana Series - #2 Uttanasana

Uttanasana 

(Ooh-ta-nas-ana)

(Mark Stephens)

I LOVE THIS POSE! Too loud? 😂 

Uttanasana, also known as Intense forward bending pose is just that, intense! It can be used as a resting posture or used to build strength.

This yummy postures gives the hamstrings some loving along with your posterior chain (back of the body). 

When I hang in this position whether it be hands to the ground or grasping my elbows, I always feel the intense stretch in my upper back. It is designed to stretch the spine & back, but it just so happens the hamstrings get some attention too. If you have tightness in your back like I do, this pose is so lovely to fall into. 

Keep reading as I have a great tip further down to help you increase your flexibility over time with a little bit of anatomy science 😍

The Anatomy:

As we fold forward we mainly stretch our:

Spine

Hamstrings (back of thighs), 

Glutes (bum), 

Traps (upper back) 

*Highlighted in red*

And we contract/squeeze/work our:

Quads (front of thighs)

Abdominals (front & sides of belly/waist)

A little bit of deltoid (front of your shoulder)

*Highlighted in blue*

To begin we stand in Tadasana (see my explanation of this posture here )

So feet together standing tall in Tadasana

Three ways to come into this posture:

1. Swan dive - Inhaling arms out to the side and up towards the sky, exhaling keeping the arms out as you fall into your forward fold.

(Now you will never forget why it's called a swan dive 😉)

     2. Heart Center: Inhale arms to the sky, fingers to touch, exhale hands come through at heart center (together in prayer at your chest) and all the way down to meet your feet.

(Couldn't find a pg version of this image in anatomy style 😋)

3. Extended Arms: Inhale arms up, exhale with the arms fully extended overhead. This requires a lot of strength and should only be performed if you have strength in areas such as lower back, legs and core.

Checklist from feet to head in Uttanasana:

Feet:

• Feet can be hip width apart if needed for stability
• Heels firmly rooted down
• Weight coming slightly forward onto toes (I mean slightly as in your heels stay grounded, don't fall over)

Legs

• Bend the knees to take the pressure off your hamstrings & lower back if needed

Relax the hamstrings as much as possible in this pose to allow the stretch. 

If these muscles are tight (there are 3 muscles under the hamstring umbrella given below), you will definitely be limited in forward bends and even internal or external rotation of your leg (external = outwards, internal = inwards). Hence the need for a bent knee ☝

(The 3 hamstring muscles:

Bicep Femoris

Semitendinous

Semimembranosus)

• Like we did in Tadasana, continue that upward pull of energy in the front of your legs, lifting the knee caps and squeezing the thighs (easier said than done when your hamstrings are screaming at you 😂 which mine ALWAYS DO). In this pose your Quads (front thighs) are contracting, which means they are strengthening. 

(The 4 Quad muscles:

Rectus Femoris

Vastus Intermedius

Vastus Medialis

Vastus Lateralis)

• Relax your glutes (bum) as you fall into Uttanasana. This posture is stretching your posterior chain so you want it all to be as relaxed as possible. If your glutes are tight, this will limit your forward bending.

Gluteus Maximus

Pelvis:

• As we spoke in our Tadasana post briefly, for this pose we will be bringing our pelvis into a anterior pelvic tilt. Think about what I told you about the pelvis tilts, anterior = front, hips bones fall forward. This is where we want the movement to come from for this pose. When the pelvis tilts forward, the hamstrings get the passive stretch ! 

• Keeping weight slightly forward onto the balls of your feet while your heels stay grounded as you tilt forward, think of the yummy stretch that gives the hamstrings (back of your thighs.

Back & Shoulders:

• Coming into Uttanasana through swan diving, it opens up your shoulders

• As we fall forward and place our hands where ever we can reach to, it's important to stay connected through the hands, pull them towards your mat to contract your delts (front of shoulder - highlighted in blue) if placed on the ground. If grabbing the back of your legs, attempt to pull your hands forward, it will have similar impact. This connects the upper body to the lower body.

*On a side note - I don't always use Uttanasana as a working posture. Remember it can be a resting posture and to me, that means allowing my upper body to melt down, this is where I always feel the yummy upper back stretch all the way up my neck. And this is my tip further down*

• Draw Shoulder blades together and down the back 

Abdominals:

• Contracting (engaging) the abdominal muscles in forward fold allows the back to release. I would go in to antagonist and agonist muscle groups here but I think that is for another time. Don't want you even more confused. I get a bit carried away with my anatomy 😆 Let's keep it simple and just say that if the abs squeeze, this allows the back to release as we fold forward in turn giving the muscles along the spine a lovely delicious stretch. 

Arms & Chest:

• Keep your arms engaged if you are in the working posture. This will help switch on your shoulders as well as work to keep your heart (chest) forward. Don't collapse into your chest and round your shoulders!

• By using the heart center method of coming into this posture, you can collapse your chest so be aware of that too 😊

Head:

• Allow your head to hang. You should be able to move it from left to right. This gives a beautiful stretch along your neck muscles. Yummy. Who doesn't want a neck stretch. Gosh mine cracks like no ones business haha!

💡 Tip:

So I mentioned above that I have a tip or a little anatomy lesson to help you increase your hamstring flexibility in Uttanasana. It is something I learned from Lucas Rockwood of Yoga Body 

www.yogabody.com He describes it as Gravity Yoga. 

This is where we allow gravity to further us into our stretches as we breathe deeply. Inhale for 4, exhale for 8 through the mouth. He has a whole flexibility guide about these postures.

The extended exhale tricks the stretch receptor ( our goji muscle tendon ) in our muscle to effectively stretch even further. We don't pull, we don't force, we simply hang and breathe.

The goji tendon senses our stretch but if we use extended exhales, we can work past this sense allowing gravity to extend us further. This is in all muscles. So all stretches should be held for longer and with deep breathing. 

Once you don't pull or force yourself into a stretch you won't hurt yourself. 

Always listen to your body. Never overdo or overstretch. And never stretch through pain!

I have done this and it actually really works. It is something I try to incorporate daily but need to get better at it. I might add one or two of the stretches into my morning routines 😍 

You should practice the stretches between 2 to 5 minutes. The hard part is not fidgeting, getting bored and wanting to leave the pose. This is where focusing on our breathe as we do in meditation comes in to play 😊

So for Uttanasana or just a general hamstring stretch, do this before bed every evening and see the benefits for yourself!!

So there ya have it. It was very anatomy based, if you made it this far WELL DONE YOU! 💜 I introduced some muscle names to you but not all so as not to totally scare you away 😉

I feel it's an amazing way to teach us about our own bodies, the muscles we ALL have and how best to utilise them in our poses. 

Please let me know how you are finding the descriptions and theory. 

Any questions or feedback, please comment below or catch me on social media below:

Instagram

Facebook

I had such a thrill and revision session writing this piece so I truly hope you find it as beneficial as I did.

Love & Light,

Elisa x

References/Photos:

Mark Stephens - Teaching Yoga
Ray Long - The key muscles of yoga

http://www.dailybandha.com/2011/01/use-your-shoulders-to-deepen-uttanasana.html

https://www.pinterest.ie/silvialozanonav/ardha-uttanasana/
http://www.yogachicago.com/may12/uttanasana.shtml
http://www.dailybandha.com/2011/01/how-to-use-abdominals-to-release-back.html
https://fitwithme.org/tag/neck/
https://fightyourinfertility.com/57/yoga-poses-for-infertility-treatment-in-women
http://slideplayer.com/slide/9893721/

Yoga Asana Series - #1 Tadasana

Welcome to my first post in this series of yoga postures. 

As you know I am studying to become a yoga teacher and to help me in my studies I am going to write to you about the different yoga asanas that we know & love/hate 😉 

We will begin taking apart the well known Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation) piece by piece and working our way through the asanas. Sun Salutations are for everyone. They warm up the body, loosen out the muscles, joints and aid you in connecting with your life force, your breathe. The first one is always an eye opener and you may curse at yourself for being so stiff. We can't all be as flexi as this gorgeous bear 😍 

There are a few different variations of Sun Sals and we will be going through the basic. 

As time goes on and you learn the names of the postures, you will come to love them and relate to them much more. Animals creep into the names a lot along with references to nature such as our first pose.

I will be using skeletal style pictures for many explanations because I am a geek and personal trainer who likes to strip away the layers of the human body to find out more more & more 😵💪

I hope you enjoy and please comment, share and discuss!

Tadasana

(Ta-daa-sana)

 (Mark Stephens)

Mountain Pose. A standing posture. A grounding posture. This asana brings awareness to the stable foundation you have in your body. You feel the support your feet give you, your legs, pelvis, spine, all the way up to the tip of your head!

I will give you a little check list below that you can run through in your head as you work from your feet to your head.

Feet

• Focus on balance 
• Distribute weight evenly between all corners of your feet (front, back, inside and outside)
• Bigs toes together, thumb size gap between heels

Legs & Pelvis

• Lift the knee caps and contract the quad muscles

So when we say this, we mean lift/squeeze/contract the front thigh muscles as seen in the below picture ( no. 9 & 10 )

• Slight internal rotation of the femurs (thigh bones) to broaden the space between the pelvis 

The feeling of this will be like contracting/squeezing your adductor muscles (inner thigh no. 8 ) slightly.

Try it now. Stand up, feet together, standing nice and tall. Now lift your knee caps as you squeeze your thighs upwards while SLIGHTLY rotating them inwards. You can feel the difference straight away. Legs locked on. Strength building in such a simple posture! Result 😍

If you tend to have anterior pelvic tilt (shown below), this may restrict you slightly so you want to focus on stretching your glutes (bum) more and strengthening your hip flexors and core.

Study Tip 💡

For any yoga teachers in training out there, the way I remember the anterior and posterior tilts are:

Anterior = front, falling forward. So your front hip bones tilt forward

Posterior = Back, falling backwards. So your front hip bones tilt backwards.

Okay shut up Elisa and get on with it 😀

Spine & Torso

• Lightly engage abdominals

Notice how your upper body magically lifts. By engaging our core muscles we are protecting our lumbar spine and helping to stabilize it.

• Once we are slightly engaged in our abdominals we lift slight, tucking our lower ribs in allowing our floating ribs to soften naturally.

Did you know we have floating ribs? Pretty cool I think!! (Don't puke 😂)

Shoulders & The Heart Center

• Lift your chest, heart forward
• Shoulder blades drawing down to blanket behind your heart

This motion creates ease in the neck by drawing your shoulders down and releasing any tension in your neck.

• Broaden the collar bones. 

A good way to get this is by shrugging your shoulders to your ears, draw them back and slowly bring them back down as you bring the shoulder blades together.

And last but not least......

Neck & Head

• Ears in line with shoulders
• Draw the chin slightly forward and slightly down.... don't look down. Just a slight tilt to lengthen out the back of the neck.
• Opening the crown of the head to the sky, standing tall.

We want to maintain this integrity in the body throughout our practice and our day to day lives. We slouch too much as a society so once you start feeling the benefits or correct alignment, you will catch yourself when you sit incorrectly. I do it all the time. I tend to slouch a little and suddenly I'll feel it in my lower back saying to me NOPE, sit up straight!!!

So the benefits of this posture:

• Body awareness
• The feeling of body alignment
• Feeling imbalances or tightness 
• Strengthening legs
• Lengthening spine
• Increased concentration
• The ability to restrain from fidgeting haha

Try stand in Tadasana without fidgeting.... not an easy thing to do 😉

Next up will be....

Uttanasana, a personal favourite of mine!

Let me know how you enjoyed this. Do you enjoy the anatomy and learning about your body? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. You can catch me on Instagram or Facebook! 😄

Love & light,

Elisa x

References:

Teaching Yoga - Mark Stephens

The key muscles of yoga - Ray Long

https://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/upper-extremities/deck/5418298

http://www.infobarrel.com/The_Amazing_Structure_Of_Shoulder_Joint_Anatomy

https://neurospine.wordpress.com/challenging-issues/

Podcast list #1

For years I didn't know what a podcast was. I remember hearing people talk about it but I never thought to check it out. It wasn't until my year in Australia that I delved into the world of them. I would walk my friends dog Rosie everyday, and podcasts kept me entertained.

(I miss this messer 😊)

I listen to the same few podcasts on a regular basis. I need to broaden my horizons but there are only so many hours in the day. I reserve podcasts usually for Coco walks now 😍

Okay enough dog photos 😂

I used to listen to my podcasts in spotify but now I have an Iphone and I have been SERIOUSLY missing out on the podcast app. So I am currently listening through there and will start delving into other channels. So for now....

My top 5 podcasts at the moment:

1. The Ultimate Health Podcast

This is the first podcast I began listening to over a year ago now. It is full of information regarding health & nutrition. Presented by Dr. Jesse Chappus and Marni Wasserman, they are Veggie/Vegans who have recently transitioned back to eating meat. Based in Canada, they are very easy to listen to. They have all sorts of guests, some you will like, some you will not like 😏 Sponsored by Sun Warrior and a few other brands, beware that ads for these products will pop up! I highly recommend listening to the episode regarding sugar!!! They also have a facebook group you can join which I love have popping up in my newsfeed!

2. Yoga Body

This podcast is all things yoga and health and another one I found in Australia. Presented by Lucas Rockwood his voice is very soothing and I enjoy his outlook. Although some things may be controversial to others (like how he is not a fan of chanting or anything religious/spiritual in a yoga class) the information he provides along with his guests really excited me to study yoga around this time last year. He has an online store with some awesome yoga props and kits too. Definitely give it a go. 

3. Tim Ferriss Podcast

This is an amazing podcast for budding entrepreneurs like myself. He interviews some of the top business men/women around the world. It is an inspiring listen to get you pumped up for life. Truly is. He is all about doing the best job in a short amount of time so he gives some great tips on morning routines, be productive, how to learn quicker and some health topics too. I absolutely love listening to one of these shows. I also love how long they are. Some can be well over an hour which will encourage you to talk your walking to the next level for a bit longer 😉

4. Sivana Podcast

For the more spiritual yogi's out there, this podcast is a goodie. Presented by Brett Larkin, she delves into the deeper level of yoga. Speaking about the chakras, ayurveda (the sister lifestyle practice to yoga), doshas and lots more. I really enjoy this podcast in line with Yoga Body for a nice mix. Its a new one to me (recommended by a friend of mine in my yoga teacher training course) so I have only listened to a few episodes. Give it a go if you want to have a deeper understanding of what yoga truly means, aside from the physical aspects.

5. Stuff you should know

I love this podcast for randomness. Another podcast I found during my time in Australia. Presented by Chuck Bryant & Josh Clark, it is a really fun listen. They really talk about all sorts from science, history, nutrition, fads and things you wouldn't even think you needed to know 😂 I like the flow between the 2 guys. 

There are so many podcasts out there and just not enough hours to get through all the episodes. 

So get on your walking shoes, earphones in and stroll while being educated either through a light hearted discussion or a more deeper understanding of how stuff works.

I would LOVE to hear all about the podcasts you listen to so I can add them to my library 😻

You can chat below or continue this discussion over on my facebook page. Excited to hear about your experiences!

Life with Elisa on Facebook

As always,

Strive for progress, not perfection.

Elisa x

My Morning Routine

There will always be a challenge in finding a morning routine that works for you. Do you have enough time before work? Have you had enough sleep the night before? Do you have kids to get ready for school or who need your attention. We all have our own obstacles. But there are some benefits to having a morning ritual whether it be 10 minutes to an hour, every minute you spend on self love is important.

Apparently the first 10 minutes after you wake up are the most influential time on your subconscious mind and therefore perfect timing for a powerful routine 😍


My morning routine story:

I recently adopted Coco, my 3.5 year old Husky. She has become my everything. My life went on hold to settle her in to her new home & environment. But this was playing with my emotions. I missed my morning movement practice. I needed some 'ME' time. Whether it was yoga or a workout. So I spent July testing the waters with my own morning routine and this is what I came up with and it's working well for us both. Its my favourite time of the day and I get excited for it when I wake up.

My alarm is set for 6am but Coco tends to wake me with wet kisses before then 😊 Some days I love it, some days I want to curse at her!!

My routine:

1. Drink water

I keep a glass/water bottle beside my bed when I go to sleep at night. I drink this first thing in the morning to rehydrate my body and get my digestion system up and running

2. Feed Coco while I boil my water for coffee

We have our routine set well now, I feed Coco, she eats and trots back to bed for an hour. It works out well because she can't be walked after eating so this is when my 'me' time begins. I am a lover and hater of coffee. Still on the fence. I love to drink it but I know it can heighten anxiety which I don't need anymore of and it can disturb other functions.... but as I sit down in the mornings, I just LOVE to sip on a black coffee ☕

3. Read some good aul wisdom

This book was recommended to me by my nutritionist Brian. He's quite the life coach as well as a really mindful guy and has a solid morning routine himself!
It is a page for everyday of the year with some quotes and a paragraph explaining the quote giving you some nuggets of wisdom to bring into your day. I really love reading this first thing in the morning. Your brain begins to take a positive spin before your day has begun.

4. Read a Sutra a day (for yoga teacher training)

I take on one to two yoga sutras a day. I won't go in to what they are within this post but again, they give you food for thought that you can cultivate into your day to day life 😊 plus I'm getting some sneaky studying in at the same time!! Win Win.

5. Journalling

I love my 5 minute journal. I used to stress so much over journalling. Its always something I did as a child, but at this age I struggle to sit down with my thoughts and over active mind. I'd with with a journal and fill the thing with what goes through this head of mine, so the 5 minute journal is easier on my brain and less time consuming....

You fill out 3 things you are grateful for, what you want to happen that day and write yourself a little affirmation. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!!! It takes no time at all and helps you put thoughts to paper. Then in the evenings you can fill out a short piece on how your day went. I personally don't do this because if I've had a shitty day, I don't want to relive it before bed, so I fill this part in the next morning with a fresh head 😃

You can buy this journal from amazon or directly from the makers (awesome present for friends & family)

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Minute-Journal-Happier-Minutes/dp/0991846206

https://www.intelligentchange.com/products/the-five-minute-journal

6. Movement

Whether it be yoga or exercise, I try to do something. Lately I've been leaning more towards yoga. One, because I am studying it but also because I just enjoy the feeling of waking up my body in a loving, calming yet strong way. Without any extras only my own body weight and breath. My go to online yogi is Adrienne Mishler and her YouTube channel is below. I am also a member of her site so I practice those videos too. I try to keep the yoga to 30 minutes.

Yoga With Adriene

And I do all this still in my Pj's! #Winning 😊

By now it's about an hour since I sat down on my yoga mat. Time to walk the pup and begin my day! I listen to podcasts on my walk. I will do a separate post on the ones I've been listening to 😊

So this is just MY routine because I have the time at the moment. Don't compare and don't stress if you can't do that same. When I begin my business, it may change. I will adapt to new circumstances and if it means going to bed a half an hour earlier to rise earlier, so be it. Because it's become so important that when I don't do it, I feel the difference.

My top 5 tips you can start including tomorrow:

1. Drink a glass of water upon wakening
2. Read a page of your book or some wisdom
3. Try avoid looking at your phone within the first 10 minutes. Turn the alarm off and put it back down
4. Try get outside, even if it's in your back garden with your cup of tea. Or open the back door to your kitchen. Allow the fresh air of a new day sweep in. And breath it in! Find gratitude!
5. Stretch, move, do 5 minutes of yoga. Get the juices flowing however you want.



Tim Ferris has a great podcast about this topic with some well known names. Its worth a listen on your walk when you get the chance. Below I will leave the link to this podcast along with the link to his 5 morning routines:

Tim Ferriss 5 morning routines Podcast

Tim Ferriss 5 Morning Routines Show Notes


I hope you enjoyed this view into my morning routine!

Once I sit on my mat I will upload any nuggets of wisdom I may come across on my Instagram stories, follow me if you would like to see them. And I am also on facebook too.

I do tend to avoid being on my phone tooooo much in the mornings but I get a whole half an hour between getting up and sitting on my mat to myself and Coco!!!

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on any of these platforms. What is your morning routine that is just for you?

And as always,

Strive for progress, not perfection.

Elisa x

Cardio v Weight Training - 3 tips for each!

Cardio or Weight Training... 

The good old question, should we be running or lifting weights?

My opinion, do whatever makes you happy!!

I was the girl who became a cardio bunny. Spin class 3 times a week and jogging every other day. But at the time, it's what I needed to get through that patch in my life. Cardio is AMAZING for endorphins, stress relief and mental health. There is nothing wrong with cardio once you enjoy it 😊Just like there is nothing wrong with doing more weight training than cardio.

There are added benefits to both and I encourage you to include both in your weekly routine!!!

Personally, I like the mix it up. Weight training 3 times a week, a spin class once a week, maybe a hiit routine here & there and yoga everyday. I do take two rest days where I will only do yoga/stretching! One of those days will be a yoga class and the other, yoga at home.
Again, I was the girl who trained insane 6 times a week and sometimes twice a day. I am no longer that girl. I don't have her body shape anymore and I am happy with that. My yogi life has taught me to love my body, honour it and give it plenty of TLC 💓

But at the end of the day as Adriene Mishler says, Find what feels good.

Lets begin with Cardio:

1. Heart Health

Hello to a happy heart. Who doesn't want this. It is our life. It is everything. Why don't we look after it now while we can?? 

Our heart is also a muscle. It needs some yummy training just as much as our glutes (yes you girls working for a bigger booty 😉) 

When training the heart, it becomes stronger and more efficient and can pump more blood out with each beat. So think about it, if you heart can pump MORE blood in one beat, it does not have to beat as often to keep the blood flowing.... and whaaaalaaaa 💫- a happy heart. 

Bonus points: Because we have more blood pumping around our body, we can train at higher intensities. Who doesn't wanna do that eh? 💪 (I can hear you all complain as you read that hahaha)

But as I said above, I love my spin classes. My heart rate can get up as high as 185 in a spin class. So please do not neglect it, that which keeps us alive & ticking.

2. Boost weight loss

There are different systems we use in our body when we exercise, during cardio workouts this is the aerobic system. Within this system we breakdown fat as well as glucose (broken down carbohydrates) to produce energy... this is good news for our waistlines 😋 There are a few ways to go about this. 

We can look at low to moderate intensity workouts such as slow jogging or a brisk walk where our body will be more likely to hit into those fat stores. Or on the other end of the scale, studies have shown that by doing sprint sessions (on a bike or treadmill) like 10 seconds on / 20 seconds for 20 minutes, the participants lost more fat than those who were doing steady state cardio for 40 minutes.

I say include both. Some brisk walking, a jog here & there and a Hiit routine 😊

3. Mental Health

The whole reason I fell in love with exercising and went a bit crazy at the beginning. I used cardio to battle my mental health. It is an amazing tool. And I am not saying to go out and jog a 10k every day (unless that is your fave thing to do 😊)  but the benefits outweigh the dread I promise!
Cardio (and exercising in general) reduces stress and anxiety, increases endorphins, increases relaxation after a good workout and just makes you feel amazing from the inside out!

Types of cardio: Jogging, running, sprints, cycling, hiit workouts, skipping, jumping, brisk walking, walking and lots more. Swimming would be another but I never swim so I always forget about it!
And don't forget, DANCING!! 💃

I could go on and on and on about all the benefits but this post would get too long. Lets move on to weight training:

1. Calorie BURN 

So I said above that cardio was the best route to take to burn fat BUT that is just in one workout. 
The secret delight to weight training is your body continues to burn calories AFTER you have finished training without you having to lift another weight. 

This is why I like to mix it up. I know plenty of people out there in the land of social media are very focused on weights and zero cardio (you do you 💪) but our first point in the cardio section should give you enough reason to include it. Heart Health. Forget what what you look like on the outside and remember its what is inside that counts. If you heart is basically crap, who cares what you look like... ya get me?

The calorie burn can continue up to 72 hours after your sessions so if you include some weight training 2 to 3 times a week, you'll be a calorie burning machine (Hangry much?)

(don't ask me about this picture.... I don't know what the F I got it from but it's cool looking haha)


2. Muscle Growth & strength

Everyone wants to be "toned".... first thing we were taught in college, there is no such thing as a toned muscle. You can't tone a muscle. So remember this:

Fat loss + increased muscle size = Lean (aka toned)

Basically when you shed off the fat over the muscle and train the muscle to grow stronger, whaaaalaaaa, you have that "toned" look. Which is pretty much low body fat and muscle mass 😊

But yes, weight training causes muscle growth and strength. And no, not big beefy muscles. Women would need to be taking steroids to become "bulky" so strip that word out of your vocabulary now!

Its so amazing to see strength grow, exercises becoming easier (the push up) and not to mention feeling like a bad ass lifting heavy weights. Yeeeeeooooowwwwww!
So go pick up some heavy stuff 3 times a week! You won't be sorry!

Insert girl crush.....

Katrin Davidsdottir - Crossfit Athlete 

Ps: Remember good form & quality over quantity when lifting weights. Which is a controversial topic surrounding crossfit.

3. Joint Health

A pretty overlooked topic in our age group these days. But strength training is so so so beneficial for them bones that hold you upright. Your joints that help you move. Without getting too scientific, here are a few reasons strength training helps our bones & joints:

It helps with strengthening connective tissue
Creates what is know as osteoblasts in the bones and in turn enhance the strength of the bone
Increases joint lubrication, stability and strength
Increases range of motion
Increases the ease of day to day movement (aside from DOMS of course 😉)

Remember we age right? Lifting weights now could help us avoid bone diseases. So what's stopping you? 

I know starting out can be scary so reach out to me with any questions or fears you may have, because even as a trainer, I still have those fears too. You are not alone.

I hope you enjoyed this little rant.

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Let me know your thoughts below and as always,

Strive for progress, not perfection.

Elisa x