EVOLVE FITNESS

Hi 👋 I thought I’d share a little about my journey towards health and fitness. I’ve always LOVED food and grew up eating a healthy balanced diet but as I reached my teenage years like many, takeaways, late nights, and alcohol came into my life and my weight increased to the point where I wasn’t happy with how I felt or looked. I went on to loose about 2 and a half stone in under 6 months by severely restricting my calorie intake. I counted everything I ate- eating well below what my body needed and I was exhausted. I may of reached my “goal weight” but nothing about this was healthy, it caused me to have an really unhealthy relationship with food for years after. I was terrified of fats and carbs, would obsess over the numbers at the end of each day and I can still remember the exact calories in many items of foods now. Roll on a couple of years I joined a gym and my whole relationship with food changed. Instead of restricting calories, I began eating foods to fuel my body and athletic performance. Slowly all my fears and obsessions over food and calories disappeared. What I’m trying to say is extreme diets might seem the quickest easiest option but it can take years to heal what that can do to your relationship with food. Eat well, move often and you slowly you will feel the benefits 💜

What does “being physically fit” mean to you? Is it having the endurance to run a half marathon? Is it having the strength to squat your own body weight? Is it having the power to throw a ball? Or having the flexibility to touch your toes? Or is it simply being able to carry out daily tasks like carrying shopping bags, or walking up a flight of stairs without fatigue? The truth is there are so many components of fitness. All have benefits to our health, neither component is right or wrong, or better then the other. So do what you enjoy, try something new if you want too, and most importantly keep moving.

The first thing that springs to mind when most of us think about exercise, is the physical benefits.. Reduced body fat, increase in muscle mass and a more efficient cardiovascular system. But what about the mental benefits? More often many people are now turning to exercise for a mental health aid and it’s no wonder why. Exercise releases chemicals like endorphins and serotonin that improve your mood. It has been shown to relieve stress, improve sleep quality which increases energy levels, and it can have a positive effect on your self esteem. Not everyone uses exercise for the same reason, but whatever reason it is, regular physical activity can have a profound effect on your body, health and mind. 💜

The benefits of walking are often overlooked. Why spend an hour walking, barely raising a sweat when we (usually) have access to well equipped gyms and a variety of different classes?! Well here’s why... These are just a few of the benefits walking for 30 minutes each day can do. Improves your mood and reduces stress, Increases your cardiovascular fitness, reduces conditions such as high blood pressure, and helps with weight loss and management. If you can’t manage 30 minutes at a time because of work and other commitments here are some other ways to get your steps in throughout the day! ⠀ ⠀ 1.Get of the bus one 2.Take the stairs instead of the lift 3.Park further away when you go to the supermarket 4.Walk around while chatting on the phone or brushing your teeth 5.Walk around the block after your evening meal. Might not be the most exiting form of exercise but get those steps in and feel the benefits 💜⠀

Why weight loss isn’t always a measure of good health. With all the pressure from society to look a certain way, diet culture has spiralled out of control. Cutting out entire food groups, massively reducing calories and replacing whole foods with processed low fat options. What all these diets have in common is the prime focus on weight loss but what about the long term health effects that these can cause? Extreme diets put a huge amount of stress on our body’s and this can have profound consequences on our physical and mental wellbeing. Nourish your body with what it needs and deserves, and you’ll come to realise that there is no need for a quick fix or fad diet which ultimately could be hugely damaging to your overall health. 💜

Why lifting weights won’t make you “bulky.”This is a common concern amongst females and that is, if they embark on a strength training program they will gain huge amounts of muscle and their biceps will be popping out of their T-shirt’s within a matter of weeks. Well I hate to break it to you but this just isn’t the case.No 1 it’s really important to understand that lifting weights has so many more benefits then simply achieving a leaner frame and looking good in a bikini. It helps us get stronger, improves joint and bone health, reduces risk of injury and so much more.Building large amounts of muscle takes time, commitment, a significant increase in calories AND testosterone which is a key element in building muscle and strength. Unfortunately for us ladies, we have far lower levels of testosterone which is why it’s so much harder for women to pack on the muscle like men can.So if you want to get stronger, leaner and most importantly healthier, don’t be afraid to lift weights and lift heavy (once you have mastered the correct technique)

How many of you have had a bad experience with exercise that has made you believe that it’s just something that you would never enjoy or be good at? I remember being at primary school and being told to run around the field a number of times. All of the naturally sporty kids sped off in front and I was so paranoid about being last, I pushed myself so hard that I cried when I got to the end. That experience made me think that I was ‘bad at sport’ and it made me think I hated running for years.. It was also the fear of being picked last for a team or not being picked at all. This caused me to have such a negative mental attitude towards exercise from a young age It was only when I started exercising for myself, because I chose to do so, when, and how I wanted, I realised that I wasn’t bad at sport at all I just didn’t enjoy the competitive aspect of it when I was a child. (Thankfully I love it now) I’d love to help get you on the road to enjoying fitness again. If you work with me we will work together to find something that you don’t just enjoy but something that you are good at

Healthy lunches can be hard to stick to especially when we are forced to grab something on the go because we are busy at work, and don’t have access to our kitchens at home.So here’s a few healthy lunch boxes full of protein, complex carbs and veggies guaranteed to keep you fuelled throughout the day and help to avoid that brain fog many of us experience in the afternoon 🧠Making these on a Sunday or using leftover meals from the night before is a great way to save time! Here’s a list of the ingredients I used for these but you can play around with food combos, just make sure you’ve got some protein, carbs, and fruit/veggies in there.1- Left over chicken breast, cajun sweet potato, and roasted vegetables, spinach, carrot and cucumber sticks2- Can of Tuna, brown rice, chopped beetroot, red onion, spinach, carrot and cucumber sticks3- Veggie lunch box. 2 boiled eggs, green lentils, feta, pumpkin seeds, chopped peppers and spinach

How many times a day do you pick out things you don’t like about yourself, and compare yourself to other people? I used to hate my legs, I compared them to everybody else’s, I thought they were too big, too short, and wanted more then anything to make them smaller. It was only when I changed my mindset and started to concentrate on all the things my legs could do, like sprinting, jumping high, having the power to cycle up hills, & squatting heavy loads that I thought oh my god my legs are awesome why would I want them any other way?!?! It’s easier said then done and I still have negative days where I pick out things I don’t like about myself, but we are all unique and have so many more qualities that aren’t based on our appearance Our body’s are literally incredible so let’s stop abusing them and start appreciating what they can do!! Surround yourself with friends that empower each other, give people compliments and if you see someone new that’s been working hard at the gym tell them how brilliant they are doing!! 💜

Working out with another person or a group of people can make exercise so much fun, socialising, motivating each other, AND getting a sweat on... what better way to start the morning. So grab your partner, best mate, sister, brother, mum or dad and get moving! Guarantee a competitive side of you will come out that you’ve never seen before 😉

Who else feels like they’ve lost strength or fitness due to lockdown? I have certainly have lost strength but if I’m honest I’m not bothered. I’ve concentrated on perfecting my technique, unilateral movements with lighter weights, and more running and cycling which I’ve really enjoyed. No one could of prepared us for what lockdown would bring, some people rely on gyms, personal trainers and classes for motivation and when that’s taken away from you it can be really hard to maintain fitness and strength and that’s okay! Whatever you’ve “lost” you can get back, it’s not gone forever and probably for lots of people (myself included) it’s given your body a proper chance to rest and recover which is so important.

LETS TALK FATS Remember when the latest diet craze was that “fats” made us fat? So everyone stopped eating high fat foods and either cut them out or replaced them with low fat foods in fear of gaining weight... I remember that I was actually once scared of eating nuts and avocados because of the high fat and calorie content. Not quite sure how I cut them out for so long cos they are two of my most favourite foods now 😂 Fats are essential for a healthy lifestyle they provide us with energy, are essential for vitamin absorption and hormone function and protect our organs so why did they get such a bad rep? Well the truth is fats per gram do have more calories in them 9 calories per gram to be exact whereas carbs and protein have 4 calories per gram. There are also many different types of fats, some much healthier then others Foods like avocados, nuts, seeds, oily fish, olive oils are great sources of fats to include in your diet, they may be higher in calories then other foods but as long as you are conscious of portion sizes they will offer you many health benefits. Eating these might also stop you from reaching for the “unhealthy” snacks later as they are satisfying and help to keep you fuller for longer So eat your peanut butter on toast or, if your like me eat it straight out the jar with a spoon 🤣

IMPROVE YOUR POSTURE Anyone’s posture look a bit like the picture above? It’s known as upper crossed syndrome and it’s much more common then you’d think. This posture can be created due to our lifestyles, that involve sitting at a desk, driving, slouching, and looking down at those phones and iPads we are addicted too 😉 it can also be caused by focusing on too many “push exercises” and neglecting back exercises. This creates a forward rounded posture and over time can lead to chronically shortened tight muscles and lengthened weak muscles which can cause pain and discomfort over time. I work with many clients on these postural issues, and it requires lengthening (stretching) the muscles that are tight and activating and strengthening the muscles that are weak!

“I finally realised that being grateful for my body, was key to giving more love to myself” Oprah Winfrey Let’s stop hating on our body and start appreciating all the wonderful things they allow us to do! I am grateful for my body because it allows me to walk miles with my friends and family. Think of something that your body allows you to do that you are grateful for 😊💜