Planning your food, eating your greens and exercising with others is great for fitness, says Siobhan Byrne.
This week, we will be looking at four exercises that when combined will help give you a great calorie-burner. We start with Hindu squats, which are different to your regular squats and are great for working the quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves.
We follow this one up with the spiderman push-up, which is one of my favourites because it is great for working the core obliques and pulling in the chest at the same time.
Next, there are some squat jumps, which are brilliant for blitzing the quads, hamstrings and calves.
There’s also a strong functional exercise in the burpee, which is really useful because it excels when you want to work the whole body.
The best-laid plans…
Our busy lifestyles can really impact the type of food we eat, and at this stage in our journey you should have learned that planning is key when controlling your diet.
The problem is, a hectic schedule can mean we don’t get the time for those healthy greens that really are that good for us.
It can happen to us all. For one reason or another, you don’t plan out your food choices and you instead just opt for what’s there, even if that means it’s meat and a small selection of vegetables.
The best-laid plans…
Why it’s good to veg out
Vegetables, and especially green vegetables, should play a hugely important role in all of our diets.
Leafy greens are a great source of vitamins, as well as being ideal if you are trying to lose weight or keep your calories under control.
One of my favourite ways to get extra greens is first thing in the morning with a green smoothie.
There are many different variations with this treat, but I usually find myself adding half an apple or a whole apple to spinach, celery, cucumber, lime, coriander and parsley for the many benefits each of these vegetables and herbs have.
I opt for a smoothie rather than juicing because the pulp helps make you feel full, unlike with the juicer.
And if you’re feeling a little bit more adventurous, you can opt to get your veggie kick from kale, broccoli and chard, all of which are packed full of useful vitamins and antioxidants.
Why it’s good to veg out.