Jo's Fitness Blog

Jo | 21 | EST. 31/12/16 | 'Baller ⚽ | Fitness nerd 🏋️ Some days this is a serious fitness blog. Other days it's a women's football trash-posting site. Take your pick :)

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Upper Body Workout

First filmed workout I've done. Was very empowering to watch it back. Human bodies are fricking incredible, they're soooo underrated.

Sometimes we forget this. We bash ourselves so much and we forget things like how our bodies produce energy for us, protect us from harm and literally keep us alive.

This workout, just like all upper body workouts at the moment, was visibly difficult because my wrist is still healing from its fracture 3 months ago. This is an example of where I have to respect my body's process and take into account what my wrist can and can't do. It's getting stronger every week though, which is really encouraging.

Watching this video made me feel strong. It reminds us we don't need to be super models to work out. I would fully recommend doing it yourselves. You don't have to publish it anywhere, but just let it remind you how amazing you really are.

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I want to get back into running and start training for my 10K in September even though its' been canceled. How did you find a trail to run your 10K on? Are you running along the side of streets, sidewalks, or did you go to a park? Also great progress!

Heyy, thanks so much for your support! Means a lot :)

I did one "long" run a week where I really pushed my distance accompanied by a couple of short runs to improve speed and technique.

All my runs are on pavements (sidewalks) because I live in a pretty residential area and it made it easier to plan routes because I know all the roads around me. I started with a route that used to be my regular dog-walking route which turned out to be around 5k and then bit by bit extended it.

I found that by planning the exact route each time made it so much easier to run further every time because in my head I wasn't allowed to stay from it.

I pushed about 0.5k further each week, not too big but it was enough to make me feel like I was making good progress.

Hope that helps!

[whatkristensees]

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Shout out to those of you who have jobs or families or responsibilities or unhelpful genes. Stay calm and be patient. Sometimes life gets in the way of your goals. But just know that the top of the hill will always be there to climb, even if you have to take a detour or go backwards on your journey.

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Anyone have any practical/active hobbies to try at home during lockdown?? I'm getting hella bored :(

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hey! is there any rule how to do sprinting session? how do you do it, like, how long you "have" to sprint or just untill you can? I just started running but I would love to add some sprinting into my workouts. :)

Hi! It can vary depending on what you're trying to achieve.

First of all, sprinting is hard work. So you want to make sure you're listening to your body and checking you heart rate constantly throughout a session. Also make sure you do it on a day you will sleep well and maintain a good nutritional pattern so that your recovery us optimal.

If it's speed and power you're trying to develop, it's about sprinting at maximal intensity for about 10 secs, followed by a couple of minutes rest. And you do this constantly for about 10-20 rounds. This can be done on a flat surface or an incline depending on the level of challenge you want to set yourself. This will really boost your anaerobic power.

For endurance, the sprint intervals a bit longer and not as intense, and the "rest" intervals should include jogging. This means you're maintain at least a jog throughout the whole session, with about 1-2 minute bursts at higher speeds followed by "rest" periods of about 1-2 minutes. This will increase your natural pace and should be incorporated in your weekly shorter run.

Hope that helps :)

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I haven't run in a while but I know that doing sprints is what gets me fit fastest. I used to do cross country and at practice we would do sprints and jog as a cool down. It got me from only being able to run 3km to being able to run 8km in only a week.

You're so right, I've never regretted a sprint session because the gains are truly unreal. It's just getting the motivation to do them which is my problem 😅 I will set that as a challenge and try and do a sprint session once a week 💪

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6th April vs. 30th April

Lockdown has given me the time and motivation to really get my act together. For the last 4 weeks I have consistently worked out 6 days, with one rest day per week. I've been in control of my eating, applying 16:8 fasting which has really helped my discipline.

Week One and Two I started Shaun T's Insanity programme, and while I gained insane fitness from it, it made me physically and mentally exhausted so I lost all enjoyment from it. After that, I started applying my own schedule which wasn't as intense but still challenging, and now I'm loving working out every day.

I've been really consistent with my running. I ran my first 10k the other day which I'm so proud of. I'm not really built to be a runner, but this is proof that hard work pays off!

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy during this lockdown. It can be hard to find motivation to do anything when it feels like the world around us has stood still. Just remember, that small steps create a bigger picture. Whether that be just going for a walk each day, or cutting back on the snacks.

Mental wellbeing is so important too. I've been struggling to see an end to this and sometimes I think "what's the point?" But then I remember I will never have this much free time again so might as well make the most of it.

If you ever need someone to reach out to, just pop me a message. If its advice, support, a nice chat or just somewhere to rant about all your problems, I'm happy to help.

Stay safe and stay home ❤

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I'm back for lockdown

So I've been AWOL for a couple of months again. Quick update.

Jan and Feb were really the best months for my fitness, in terms of consistency and pushing myself harder than ever. I ran my new PB distance of 6.8km and was very close to doing my first non-assisted pull-up.

Then, Feb 23rd came along and I fractured my wrist. Twice. Distal radius and ulnar styloid. Nasty. Misjudged a save during a football game and that was it. I'm out for the rest of the season (which is convenient since there is no longer a season to play - thanks Corona 👏) so wont play a game of football again until September.

I was in a cast for 4 weeks, so my exercise in that time was very limited. I've spent the last 2 weeks getting back into my fitness. I've started the Insanity programme, which is indeed insane. But I'm 2 days in and crushing it. It's not easy, but it's the push I need after such a blow.

So now I'm finding some fun stuff to do in isolation, such as doing keepie uppies while trying to down a pint of squash - lemme know how it's going for you.

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"There is no such thing as motivation. There are only your decisions."

This is a quote I came across a couple of weeks ago. Since, every time I have been unmotivated to do anything, I've told myself that it would be my decision not to do it, and that I can't let external influences like laziness control me. Thought I'd share it so that this mindset can help you guys too.

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Turned 20 Yesterday!

Enjoyed the day with my family and friends and ate pretty much my bodyweight :O

Birthday calories don't count though 🤭

Crazy to think I was 16 when I started this blog.

Haven't been as active since I've been back at uni as I am very very busy, especially with it being exam season at the moment.

However I'm always grateful for your ever growing support, especially those of you who message and reblog my stuff. Thank youu ❤

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Vegan Myths and Facts

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My biggest advice would be to make sure where you run your half marathon is a similar landscape to where you train! I ran my half marathon in a place with a lot of hills, whereas I was training on a flat surface. Really killer lol otherwise, for me, one long run a week with increasing distances and two to three shorter runs worked for me:) good luck and have fun!

Thanks so much!! I will defo take that into account. I'm lucky that my route will be very flat and it's very close to where I currently live so I can even follow the exact route I will be taking on the day.

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Half Marathon Training Tips

So I've signed up to do a half marathon in June. I've never done any running of that proportion and I'm wondering if any of you guys have any tips for someone like me. I've been running for quite a few years but nothing more than 5k. I'm currently doing two 30 minute runs a week among my other workouts. Please help a gal out.

[collegeintro2fitness]

I’m really interested in making some real friends here on tumblr, but I’m hella awkward 😅😅 so I figure this is a good way to engage with my mutuals! I’m going to be putting up questions every so often ✍🏽

Reblog with your answer ❤️

[haveahollyjollyfitness]

I’d like to workout the moment after I wake up. That way, I will not be given a chance to convince myself not to workout.

[mindful-fitblr]

It all depends on my work schedule. If I have a lot of night shifts, I prefer to go directly after them before going to bed but if I work the day shifts, I either go directly after work in the afternoon or around 8/9pm. I don’t have a preference, just whatever fits into my day :)

What about you?

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12pm midday for some reason is like a set time for me to start my workout. I could up from 7am and get loads of stuff done but when 12pm hits I'm at the gym or starting my run. I guess it's just consistency I like for some reason.

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Hey! I’m just about to start my first year of uni, do you have any tips about staying healthy/getting fitter while being a fresher?

Hey, it's great to hear you're about to start one of the most incredible experiences of your life and I'm excited for you so throw yourself in and have a great time!!

My first tip to stay fit is to join a sport society. The choice is endless - whether it's something you're pro at or something you've never done and fancy trying. You'll meet great people and it will motivate you to get moving and keep a good routine.

Secondly, try to walk/cycle as much as possible instead of using public transport or driving. It'll depend how far you need to go to places and in some cases it may be impossible but try your hardest to take the active option and you'll be much better for it.

Lastly, try to cook as much as you can. A lot of people say this and it's harder than it sounds but getting into a habit of eating freshly cooked meals is wayyy more nutritionally beneficial than eating ready meals and takeaways. What helped me last year was cooking meals together with my flatmates as it also became a platform to socialise. It's also generally a fantastic life skill.

Hope that helps. Have fun on your endeavours!!

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Back to student life!

My second year at Uni starts in two weeks but I moved into my student house yesterday, and I'm feeling motivated to be a better version of myself this academic year.

Being a student isn't easy - from low budgets to the social norms of laziness, partying and takeaways, it all takes a toll on your physical and mental health. As much as I enjoyed the recklessness of last year, enough is enough.

This year I'm going to break the mould. Being a student doesn't need to be so degrading - you can enjoy the experience as well as build on yourself in a positive way.

Here are some of the steps I'm going to take:

1) I've pledged to cycle EVERYWHERE. Lectures, football training, work, everywhere. Buses and taxis are a no-no. The only exceptions being nights out which I will also be limiting.

2) On that topic, aside from Freshers week, I will limit my alcohol consumption to one day a week max.

3) I'm going to meal prep - I have to travel to lectures this year so having a healthy packed lunch will be a great way to keep me going without having to spend unnecessary money on campus and to stay healthy.

4) Takeaways once a term max - that was a big problem last year. Me and my friends would get a takeaway once a week as a Sunday night tradition. Deadly stuff.

5) Self care - reading books (I'm currently reading A Short History of England - great read, message me if you want more details), face masks, evening walks, colouring books, baths.

6) I'm going to work on my self discipline. I've realised I'm rubbish at self-motivation and it's something I really need to get if I wanna persevere. I'm going to start waking up early and going to bed at decent times. I'm going to say no to people, I will keep control over my life.

7) Finally, this is the year where I will push myself to discover more and more about the field I love and the career I truly want to have in the future. I'm going to look outside the box when it comes to sport science, physiotherapy and research into sport injuries. I want to continue to learn and expand my interest going into the future. Next year I will be applying for Masters courses so I want to be ready to know exactly where I'm going.

If you're also a student, or were one and have any tips, don't be afraid the get in touch because I'd really appreciate the help and support!

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ShePlays Fantasy Football League

For anyone taking part in WSL fantasy football, I've made a league for anyone who sees this to join. Also, an incentive to join - the top three teams' Tumblr blogs will get a shout out from my Tumblr account (I have over 27,000 followers). Let the fun begin!

League code: lm7szr