Rolling over into the new year has got to be one of my favourite feelings. There is so much hope and opportunity for what’s to come, for what you can create. If things didn’t pan out the previous year, you get another chance to achieve whatever you want!

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely guilty for writing out a whole long list of New Year resolutions and not getting past the first one. When writing out a full list of goals and resolutions, it can seem quite daunting and overwhelming and could quite possibly be why most of them don’t see the light of day. That’s why I want to help you create measurable New Year Resolutions for yourself (and myself, let’s be real!) We all know the aim of these resolutions is to carry them out throughout the year and in turn, hopefully start a new healthier lifestyle for ourselves, here are four simple steps you can follow to guide you into the right path for the New Year!

It starts with you.

No goal will begin or end if you aren’t in it 110%. When creating your resolutions you have to be inspired about it, when you are motivated and excited to start doing something it’s going to be a lot easier to continue them instead of it feeling like a chore. You can take a goal that has been lingering at the back of your mind for months if not years and use that to your advantage – if it has been there and it’s something you still think about then it’s something you need to go and grab (sounds like something I say to myself when I see a cute bag at the shop) and use that motivation. It’ll manifest itself into greater things!

Make sure your goals are realistic and measurable.

This is something I live by, whenever I create goals for myself throughout the year I try my utmost best to make sure they are realistically achievable within my specific timeframe. The goals you want to create can be as big or as small as you want them to be, just make sure that they aren’t so overwhelming that you don’t want to try at all! (I’ve been there all too many times). I like to create a main goal for myself and then break it up into smaller segments, I find this helps not only to make things seem less cluttered but also helps me stay accountable to my goals.

Find an accountability partner, whatever the goal.

There are going to be many moments throughout that you are going to feel uninspired and unmotivated, as though you’re getting nowhere so you may as well quit – don’t worry, that’s normal! That’s why on days where you’re finding it difficult to get yourself out of the house, knowing that someone on the other side is also counting on you to help achieve their goals makes it a lot easier! Plus; once you’re there you’ll be thanking yourself for it. With that said, it’s important to be kind to yourself and remember that slow progress is still progress. Although it sometimes seems easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, every small step counts towards your goals and still makes a difference. Keep going, you got this! You’re capable of great things, believe it.

Start small.

Success doesn’t happen overnight and neither does progress. It’s something you have to work on every day, little by little. Easing yourself into achieving your goals, doing one small change every day and practicing those changes will make the whole process a lot easier and a lot more maintainable for the rest of the year. Eventually it’ll become second nature, just persevere and have patience!

I know this isn’t me telling you exactly how to achieve your goals and make them realistic but if you take your inspirations, follow these steps and trust yourself – I promise you, you’ll reap the rewards you just need to be mindful and also remember that it is a lot easier to write 10 goals down on a piece of paper than go out and make them happen. You’re only human, don’t set yourself up with disappointment, it’s not fair on you!

With that said, I hope that you all have had a Merry Christmas and that you have the best start to the New Year!

Buying gifts for a fitness enthusiast can be quite a daunting task, especially because when someone that is into being fit and healthy wants something, they usually know exactly what they want. However, I have put together an array of 2018’s most favourable and popular fitness items for a fit girl (and maybe also hinting ;)) 

Accessories:

Resistance loops – Sportsmans Warehouse

R389.90

These have to be the biggest ‘craze’ in the fitness industry at the moment, every second fitness video has them in it but theres a reason for that, because they WORK! I know they seem a bit pricey, but honestly any resistance loop set you purchase is going to be but its worth the buck. I own a set from this brand and I absolutely love incorporating the bands into my workouts, whether it be for some activation exercises or throughout the entire workout 

Fitbit Versa – TakeAlot

R3489.00

This is an ultimate spoil but a great investment too. I don’t personally have one of these myself (although it is on my Christmas list!) but I know many people who do and I have only heard great things. It is both android and apple compatible, it does the whole shebang from fitness tracking, monitoring your heart rate, counting your steps to telling you how many hours a night you are in a deep sleep, from the reviews I’ve heard – I definitely want one! 

Foam Roller – TakeAlot

R250.00

Any extreme fitness enthusiast will know the importance of foam rolling, there are endless benefits and it can help relieve muscle pain. Definitely can’t go wrong with one of these! 

Skull Candy wireless earphones – TakeAlot

R499.00

These are a game changer! I didn’t know I needed a pair of these until I got a pair one year. They’re just so effortless, you don’t have to get tangled in chords or figure out how you’re going to listen to music while doing certain exercises and the quality is so great! 

Yoga mat – Superbalist

R239.00

This is a gym bag essential! I know some gyms have these but I always prefer taking my own and I also use it when I stretch at home or do workouts elsewhere. This one is great because its eco-friendly and does the job!

Clothes:

Sports Bra – Cotton On

R150.00

Who doesn’t love a open back sports bra? The colours of this can go with almost anything and will pair so well with a cute top!

Jersey/Top – Cotton On

R150.00

I’m definitely the type of girl who loves open backs and textured fabrics, this will go so effortlessly with many different workout outfits and seems perfect to warm up in!

Active core tights – Cotton On

R349.00

I personally own a pair of these myself and honestly, they’re my favourite pair of workout pants. They pass the pants test and are super comfortable. Black is a colour that can be dressed with all colours and are perfect for indoor and outdoor workouts (you won’t see the dirt). 10/10 recommend! 

Reebok Prime runner sneakers – Superbalist

R849.00

Im a firm believer in spending a bit more money on items that will last a lot longer and will protect your feet whether it be during running or a workout. These are the perfect dusty rose colour and really will go well with many colours. Definitely putting these on my Christmas list. LOVE! Also, whats great about Superbalist is that any order over R350.00 gets free delivery and if its your first purchase on their website, you get a whopping R250.00 off on orders over R600.00, bonus!

Small Metal water bottle – Cotton On

R199.99

This is just cute. It goes perfectly with the theme of summer and fits well into a gym bag, definitely not an item that will get shoved into the back of the kitchen cupboard!

I hope some of these ideas have helped relieve some stress. If you are interested in purchasing any one of these, I have linked them. These are not affiliate links and I have not been asked to do this, with Christmas around the corner I thought it would be nice to give some ideas that can motivate someone for the new year ahead!

I’ve never done a post like this, I thought it would be interesting for someone who is just starting out their fitness journey and isn’t sure how to plan their workout days.

Essentially it is up to you and your body. I usually go by how my body is feeling, if my legs are still sore from the previous leg workout then I wouldn’t necessarily train them again even if it is my next leg day. Listening to your body is crucial when wanting results.

Before my workouts I always like to do a 5-10 minutes slow warm up, whether it be cycling or an incline on the treadmill just to make sure that my body isn’t cold when I start my workout, then once my workout is finished I do a 10 minute cool down stretch. Stretching is so important when workout out so make sure to always integrate it into your sessions (even though it can be a little tedious sometimes)!

On Monday’s I like to focus on my legs. It’s one of my less favoured areas of my body so I usually put more time and effort into planning and doing those then I would my other days. I train legs twice a week and then usually a full body session at the end of the week depending on how my body is feeling, however Ive recently been enjoying taking Saturday’s and Sunday’s off and using them as rest days.

My workout split at the moment looks a little like this:

Monday – Legs

Tuesday – Back and bis

Wednesday – Chest and tris

Thursday – Shoulders

Friday – Legs

Saturday & Sunday -Rest or Full body

I like integrating back and bis together because you’re essentially using your biceps when you are training back. It just so happens to work out that way depending on the exercises being done but I always do exercises during the workout that focuses mainly the specific areas and then I enjoy integrating supersets for both, back and biceps.

Chest and tris are definitely my least favourite thing to train, but I think it’s important to train weekly especially when trying to keep your body in proportion. A lot of girls think that only boys can train chest because they will get “man boobs” but that’s not the case at all. There are actually a few benefits from training chest, such as improving your posture, making your breasts perkier etc. So don’t neglect your pecs, your future self will thank you for it!

I definitely enjoy getting a little shoulder pump in the gym, it’s not my strongest point but it’s something I enjoy working on and challenging myself so I like to focus mainly on shoulders on a thursday.

As for full body, because it’s weekend and usually getting to the gym is a struggle I like to keep it short and simple and high intensity. If I don’t end up getting to the gym, i’ll opt for a run or a walk on the beach.

I’ll do abs at the end of every workout day that isn’t leg day, just because you need to activate you core a lot of the time when you are doing legs and it’s usually a hardcore session I personally don’t see the need for me to do abs as well but I do love doing 10 minute challenges as a burnout!

Depending on the day and time I go to gym, if it’s too busy for me and there aren’t many machines open for a specific workout I want to do – I would just swop days around to make my life a little easier (TIP: This also helps prevent a little bit of gym anxiety!) This workout split has been working for me and my schedule for the past few months, so hopefully it will inspire you to create a schedule that works well for you and your lifestyle.

If you would be curious to see some of my workouts, please let me know in the comments below or send me a dm on instagram – I would be happy to film some clips!

Moving to Stellenbosch has definitely had its trials and tribulations. I’ve made incredible friends and missed home A LOT but I think one of the biggest things I have struggled with is getting my routine back with gym, especially in the first semester!

I had to change gyms which I was excited for in the beginning until I got overwhelmed and always found an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go to gym rather then why I should.

I ended up changing gyms twice before I found one that I thought “okay, I can do this” and eventually I started getting excited to go to gym. So if you’ve been struggling in this department, don’t worry. I feel you!

Find a gym you are comfortable in. I don’t care what anyone says, I could never go to a gym that I wasn’t happy in and then still expect to see results. You work best in environments that are comforting and exciting rather than daunting and unmotivating.

I’ve said this before and i’ll say it again, find an accountability partner and start gyming with them. The easiest way to get comfortable around a gym and get used to the way it works is if you’re getting used to it with someone else. Bonus if they were gyming there before you because they can show you the ins and outs!

If you don’t have a friend that you can go to gym with, take your earphones with. I struggle to go to gym by myself if I don’t have earphones with me, it allows you to focus a lot more on what other people are doing rather than what you are supposed to be doing. Listening to music thats your own vibe will help you focus more on what you’re doing rather than worrying about what other people are doing.

Another thing that I find helps me a lot at the moment is deciding what to do in the gym, before getting to gym. I often just write down a workout in notes on my phone. I’ve found that if i go to gym without a set plan I feel a bit out of place and I become uncomfortable. I’m more preoccupied with figuring out what exercise im going to do next and seeing what machines are open then with the actual workout.

If you struggle with moving around the gym or going to the weight section, make sure you can do your workout in one spot, whether it be a full body workout without any weights or a dumbbell only workout – doing it in one area that you feel comfortable in is another way to help fight feeling anxious in the gym!

We all have times where we feel like the odd one out in a gym but just remember that everyone is there to work on themselves, they aren’t worried about what everyone else is doing. The more often you go, the more comfortable you’ll become and the more motivated you’ll get!

If you have any tips on how you fight anxiety or being uncomfortable at the gym, leave them in the comment below!

“In any given moment we have two options: To step forward into growth or to step back into safety”

It is no secret to those who know even just a little bit about me that one of the things that help keep me sane is exercise or more specifically, HIIT workouts. One of my best ways to blow off some steam is to smash out a High Intensity Interval Training Workout! So you can understand my excitement when HIIT Fit Stellies contacted me and very generously offered me a month free of charge to try out their classes.

I started going to their HIIT classes 4 weeks ago, I didn’t think I was that unfit until I was pretty much heaving at the end of the first workout (bearing in mind I have been recovering from a chest infection, but I think i’m just saying this to make myself feel better). It was honestly nothing like I had ever done before – I like to think i’m pretty good at creating killer hiit workouts but there was just something about doing a hiit workout with other people and having the coaches constantly motivating you to push harder that made it 100 times more difficult, in the best type of difficult there is.

Before the class begun, I got chatting to one of the members of HIIT fit, she was telling me how she started seeing a difference in her fitness levels and in her body after going to the classes just 3 times in one week! What’s nice about this is that the coaches were not inexperienced, they were extremely friendly and knew exactly what they were saying. One of the greater things I noticed is that they often corrected your form if you were doing it incorrectly and they also give alternative options to an exercise if you’re feeling a little too fatigued or if you have an injury of some sort.

During my first workout, I felt pretty good and fresh in the beginning but as the workout progressed, I became very tired and my body hurt, A LOT! Because this was the first HIIT workout I had done in over a month, I was exhausted when it came to the end. I definitely felt like it was a good kick in the butt and a good wake up call to get my behind back into gear this semester! One thing I really did appreciate was how the coaches explained why we need to do certain exercises in a specific way instead of them just showing us and getting on with it.

Waking up the next day was, let’s just say an easy challenge. When i’m sussing out whether a workout worked for me or didn’t i don’t only go by how sore my body is, i also go by how i feel mentally. Yes, I was stiff from my feet to my shoulders (which is always a good sign of a good workout) I woke up and got up without hesitation, which is a rare for me – usually takes me a few minutes to get up and at it. I’ve always found that a good workout the day before sets me up for a good day the next day!

As the weeks progressed I found that I was starting to get a lot fitter doing these workouts, I noticed I was doing more reps and had more endurance for those last few seconds of the exercise – don’t get me wrong, I was definitely still struggling but I could see results even after two weeks which is almost always the aim, to progress!

HIIT Fit is an amazing way to do a good workout in a short amount of time, their memberships are crazy good so if you are in stellenbosch and are wanting to try it out – all of the information is on their instagram or you can just dm them, @hiitfit.stellies

Some things to take note when you do try it out; I made the mistake of not taking a towel to my first class so when we did exercises on the floor my little knees got a bit sore and I ended up using my jersey. So make a mental reminder that water and a sweat towel are essential and some of the floors are wooden and get polished so make sure you wear shoes that have grips or else you’ll find your lower back will start to pain because it’s slippery! Lastly, push yourself. If it burns, it means it’s working!

The HIIT Fit workouts didn’t only push me mentally but also physically. I learned some pretty cool new exercises, realised I embarrassingly have no coordination whatsoever and that you can get a sufficient amount of exercise in 30-35 minutes! I’ve absolutely loved every minute with the HIIT Fit fam and I know you will too! 

I just want to say a little thank you to HIIT Fit Stellies for allowing me to come into their space and experience the magic they project and offer the beautiful women in and around Stellenbosch! 

Disclaimer: HIIT FIT Stellies did offer me a month free trial with them and asked me to write about my experience. I want to make it clear that I would not promote or encourage something I do not believe in but with my love for health and fitness, I felt right at home with the HIIT FIT fam and believe you will too! 

You’ll know from reading my previous blog post; “Week 4 progress update & tips for you!” I tell you all about my 8 week journey to a better me, the struggles I overcame and the triumphs I celebrated.

By week 4 I was feeling so good again, couldn’t wait to get back into the swing of things after not feeling so great and having no appetite. Well, week 8 has come and gone and let me tell you – it’s not the happy ending I hoped for.

During week 5 I was put on my first course of antibiotics to overcome an internal mouth infection and if you know anything about me, you’ll know that I absolutely hate pills or anything of sort. My medication made me feel so awful that every time I tried to exercise, I would become dizzy/light headed/faint and would have to cut my workout short so yes, I haven’t trained in 3 weeks (since the end of week 4). As soon as my first set of medication finished, I went to the doctor for a checkup and was told that I need to get my wisdoms taken out sooner than later because they are the main reason I have been having such terrible headaches, toothaches and earaches as well as the fact that there was no space for them. Needless to say, I was put on another set of antibiotics, and that was me – man down. I got my wisdoms removed on Wednesday, in the chair, AWAKE (I know, I clearly got the wrong end of the conversation because I was sure I was going to be sleeping. Nope, wide awake!!!) but I made it, HALLELUJAH!

If i’m honest with you, the worst part about all of this was the constant nausea I was experiencing from my medication, not even the pain matched up to it. Luckily my second set of antibiotics are complete and I am officially on the mend. Few painkillers every now and then for my mouth but that’s about it and I am SO HAPPY cause of it! I’ve definitely taken this as a sign to be more aware of what’s going on inside of my body and have realised how important it is to have your necessary check ups whether it be with a doctor or a dentist because although you may feel 100%, you might not actually be – which was my case.

So yes, I literally did go for hero to zero in a few weeks but I suppose it’s all part of life and if your body is tired, it will make you stop overworking itself one way or another. The best thing I can take away from this 8 week experience is listen to your body and take it at a pace that won’t burn you out.

Where to from here? Well, back to week 1 we go. I’m really excited to get back into the gym and to start new exercise routines. Over these past few weeks I’ve learned so much about my body and what it’s capable of doing, i’m curious to see where I can take it from here and how far I can push myself. I of course have new goals and desires for myself such as; wanting to start swimming and doing yoga but my main focus right now is getting my health back and with that, gym will follow.  

That’s my 8 week story, not exactly what I thought I was going to be writing at the end of this journey but that’s just the way the cookie crumbles. I’m extremely motivated to pick up where I left off and get the results i’ve been wanting to get! Don’t get discouraged when things don’t go the way you planned, may be it’s supposed to be that way and you’ll get back on track in no time!

Seeing as I can’t include any before/after photo’s of my body, I’ve included some ridiculous photo’s of myself after I had my operation. I hope these make you smile you as much as I cringe looking at them!

Thank you for all your constant support, every like/share/comment I get does’nt get unnoticed and I am extremely grateful for you!

Lots of love,

Jeanna x