09/06/2016

How to Get Motivated to Workout Feat. IVY PARK.



When it comes to exercise, I'm the first person to admit it's not my thing. I've never understood the hype that surrounds going to the gym or going on a run and frankly I think it probably stems back to my early school days. I went to the sort of school where if you weren't good at sport, you should basically give up trying to be successful. So much emphasis was placed on who made the 1st team right from when we were in, maybe year six all the way up until year thirteen, and for someone who's sportiness basically equated to nothing, you can imagine how emotionally detrimental it can be to be constantly told you're not good enough. I mean, consciously it didn't really bother me, none of my friends were particularly sporty so we'd all wallow in the fact that none of us got picked for matches together, whilst low key laughing at the keen sporty girls. But on the inside I think it probably effected me more than I realised. It's only recently that I've plucked up the courage to go on runs or to the gym because to be honest the whole environment terrifies me. I know I'm not Little Miss Sporty and the thought of gym-type people judging my lack of fitness literally makes me want to throw up. And like I said above, it all comes back to school. Because I can remember being dragged around the cross country course each year (in which highlights include coming 69th out of about 90) and being made to run the 1500 metres whilst simultaneously dying of both my lack of fitness and the embarrassment of the entire school watching. Yep, my school was one of those hideous places that made you run the cross country course in groups whilst everyone else watched. Fabulous. I think I'm actually scarred from that horrific experience. So is it any wonder, why the idea of exercise makes me want to hurl when I can still remember the 20 something year old PE teacher (who is now incidentally married to my next door neighbour) laughing at me for missing the goal in hockey. Like wow, so much motivation, thanks for that! *note the sarcasm*



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But a few weeks back I really noticed that I was starting to feel unhealthy. Poor diet coupled with a serious lack of exercise was causing me to feel tired, lethargic and in general not very good about myself. I'm going to be honest and say that I know I'm not overweight. I'm a size six / eight but that still doesn't stop me from being grossly unfit and lazy. Since leaving school and the obligatory three hours of PE a week the little energy I had was slowly ebbing away. So I decided enough was enough, I was going to make some changes in my life, and it's safe to say, I'm really glad I did. I've cut down on what I was eating at lunch - yep, bye bye crisps and cake, hello mango - and started to drink way more water. I spoke about that in my 3 Steps To A Healthier and Happier You post, and already I feel so much more awake. My skin is better, my energy levels are heightened and in general I just feel a lot better about myself. 

But then there was the big one. Exercise. The idea of running kind of sounded good in theory but having tried (and failed) in the past to get into it, I wasn't setting out a lot of hope on actually continuing. But by some miracle I've managed to keep it up and have been running about three times a week, which for me is absolutely incredible! 

When I was considering writing this post I ran over a few ideas in my head of tips I could give you guys to get y'all off of the sofa and out on a bike ride or a run but to be honest I'm not a fitness expert (lol) so I can only say what's worked for me. But I'll give my two cents anyhow!

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1 - Don't Put It Off

I've been trying to change straight into my workout clothes as soon as I get home from work and head out on a quick run. Because let's be honest here, I know full well that if I so much as open the Tumblr app then fifteen minutes will turn into thirty which will mull over into an hour... and then: Oh Look! It's dinner! Couldn't possibly go out for a run now... Shame that. So getting it over and done with is definitely the easiest way to ensure that you won't procrastinate the entire evening away. 

2 - We All Start At The Bottom

Never be too ashamed of your fitness levels or the way you look to go to the gym. You are amazing and have just as much right to be there as that body builder in the corner. In fact the people I have the most respect for at the gym are those who are overweight or older, those people who clearly aren't the Mo Farah's of the world and yet, there they are, absolutely killing it. I take my hat off to you, you're incredible! 

However this is 100% something I'm still working on because whenever I'm on the running machine at the gym, I can feel the stares of the 20 year old, male attendants judging me, even if they're not there. Like I said above I think for me, it stems back from constantly being told I was crap at school and trying at any opportunity to get out of Sports' Day that actually volunteering to exercise feels very, very wrong. 



3 - Find Your Inspo

I'm always about the inspo, whenever it comes to blogging goals, fashion or fitness and I wanted to share a few of my absolute fitness faves with you all today. Firstly Carly Rowena - absolute body #goals coupled with a genuinely nice and totally not annoying personality! Literally the whole time I was at school I assumed that anyone who enjoyed sport was just a massively pretentious asshat like some of the kids in my year and the thought of someone who's career involved making a living off of exercise... Well they were basically the spawn of satan. But Carly is totally not like that (obviously, Lily, you're such a hater) and her blog and YouTube channel are filled with an amazing compilation of fitness and lifestyle. So yeah, if you're reading this Carly, (lol) sorry I thought all you sporty types were asses, I promise I don't think that anymore! 

My other go-to is Tumblr. Seriously I'm like the most internet person ever of course my inspo would be coming from this little gem. I can literally spend hours scrolling through random memes and gifs on Tumblr so naturally I thought I'd have to have a nosy on the Fitspo Tag and it's safe to say it's now one of my favourite places. I know not everyone reacts well to seeing perfect photos of girls with abs and a Nike collection to rule the world with, but I do.

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4 - Find Your Workout Style

Ahhh we've reached the part of the post I was most excited for. Since I've started working out more, I needed to invest in some good activewear, so naturally my curser strayed over to Ivy Park and I may have made a cheeky purchase. And then, literally not even a week later I was in Topshop on Oxford Circus and saw the entire collection in the flesh for the first time and may have *accidentally* bought more. 

So now to offer my thoughts as to whether or not this collection is worth the dollar or whether you should just stick to the likes of Adidas and Nike. Well, honestly, I would say it's worth it. As soon as I tried the pieces on I could tell that the quality is up there and the prices aren't quite as steep of some of the other well known brands - Sweaty Betty I'm looking at you! The leggings in particular are made of a lovely cool material that really hugs your figure and if nothing else, definitely makes my bum look better than usual! The only thing I would say is if you're buying online, maybe go up a size as they seem to run pretty small. I'm usually a size six / eight (US two / four) so opted for the XS size as they also do an XXS. However this was just about acceptable and I ended up going for a small when I bought more later on. 



The moral of this story was probably a tie between the fact that we should all exercise more and try to stay healthy and that schools (especially competitive ones like mine) need to do more to be inclusive and encourage everyone to partake in sport. Because at the end of the day winning the county championship means f*** all if you've got to sacrifice the self esteem of 80% of the kids. 

And after that slightly ranty post, I'm going to go now! Please let me know your thoughts on the subject, and I'll see you all very soon! *Kisses*



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2 comments

  1. I love love love the Ivy Park pieces, the leggings look so comfy - especially the band with the name on it, looks so fabulous! You're right, I tend to always put exercise off, Its not that I dislike it, I love running but I just become lazy. Once I'm home from work I just want to lay on the sofa hahaha! - really do need more of a structured exercise routine! xxx

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    Replies
    1. Yes they are amazing, I would definitely recommend getting some! I'm the worst, like even if I just sit down for like ten minutes... half an hour later I'm still scrolling through twitter most likely with a biscuit in hand! xxx

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