To fall (and stay) in love with exercise, I… started focusing on how I feel afterwards. I think there’s a belief that people who work in the fitness industry love exercise so much that they’re always motivated and have loads of energy. For some that may be true but for many, including myself, we have days that we absolutely do not feel like working out. I remind myself of the endorphin rush afterwards, how it’s going to make me feel mentally as well as physically, and that any form of movement is going to help improve how I feel – no matter how stressful my day is. I think movement heals.
The one thing that has improved my workouts is… pigeon pose. It’s my absolute go-to stretch to increase hip flexor flexibility which is needed in all kinds of exercise, like running and squatting, and it also helps alleviate tightness in the muscles surrounding the pelvis that cause back pain. If you’ve ever come to one of my classes, you’ll know pigeon is a pose I swear by.
The fitness tip I swear by when I have no time is... steps, steps and more steps. You’ve heard it time and time again but don’t fix something that isn’t broken. Got to take a call? Go take a walk. A long commute to work? Get off a stop (or two) early. Meeting a friend for a coffee? Get it to take away. Like the look of that escalator? The steps are ready and waiting. You get the idea.