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! 

I feel like i’m forever doing life updates for you guys because life gets ahead of me and by the time I have a moment to write and post, 7 months have gone by!

First of all, Hi. How are you? How’s life been? Also, how is it already August!? The fact that there are only 4 months left of this year petrifies me. These past few months have been some of the best and craziest times of my life and I have uni to thank for that. It honestly feels like I should already be in my third year, thats how long these past 6 or 7 months have been (I mean that in the least negative way possible)

Moving to Stellenbosch, starting university, going through and trying to survive exams and all the stuff in-between is the main reason my blog has taken a bit of a back seat. At the moment, uni is my number one priority and everything else comes second, unfortunately that means my blog too! One of the perks, is that I was on holiday for 7 weeks which meant I had plenty time to work on some content, which means theres content for during uni! I am definitely still trying to get the hang of how to handle both simultaneously, but i’m getting there – slowly but surely!

I am in my first year of studying sports science and so far so good. It’s definitely been difficult at times but i’ve met incredible people, made the best memories and worked my butt off so what’s to complain about really? At the beginning of the year, before uni begun and before I knew how much time and effort it would take, I had planned out blog posts for the whole year. That’s right – the whole year, without taking into consideration what might happen in between that time and where i’d be or what would be going on. Rookie error, let me tell you.

It left me with high expectations of where my blog would be at the end of the year and I made myself feel super guilty for not posting but life happens and I had to teach myself that not everything can go as planned, adaptation is key!

I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK (let’s hope for a lot longer now)

Blogging isn’t the only place i’ve been slacking, gym too. My goals for second semester are to get back on track with gym, eat healthy and just focus on balancing everything a bit more, work, gym and social life. I’m now going into my fourth week of second semester and so far so good, balance has been key and i’m actually enjoying this term a lot more than the past two. I definitely want to be a bit more adventurous this semester, I tend to get stuck in my own little comfy bubble and don’t do much being the home body that I am but I want to explore the town some more and do things i’ve never done whilst focussing on work and tests. I definitely feel like I have a tighter grip on this semester, I’m ahead in all my work and have been consistent with gym as well as making sure I save time for friends and some me time. Lets just hope it stays smooth sailing!

Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see content based on health, fitness and beauty! I can’t wait to share more content with you guys, if there is anything you’d like me to write on, leave a comment below or send me a dm on instagram. Suggestions are always welcome and are always appreciated!

I’ll be uploading posts every Sunday  so you can sit back, relax with a cuppa and wind down for the week ahead.

Please like, share and comment on my posts – every single one makes a difference! 

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

Week 4 of my 8 week journey to a better me has come to a close and let me tell you, it has not been sunshine and rainbows all the time but it hasn’t been all that bad either.

Firstly, if you are new around here WELCOME and thank you for stumbling across my blog! 4 Weeks ago I made a decision to undergo an 8 eight week journey to a better me and i’m finally half way through! To catch up on the whole story you can click on my blogpost, “Life Update & 8 Week Journey to a better you”. before you continue reading this post.

To be honest with you, I’m loving the experience because for the first time in my life I have stuck to something and actually gotten more than halfway through it without giving up – that’s already a win in my eyes!

So here is a quick rundown on how these past 4 weeks have been for me; Week 1&2 were amazing. Everything felt so easy and natural, nothing was forced and I had zero temptations or desires for junk food (which is weird for me because usually when my body does a “detox” if you will, all it craves is everything i’m not giving it which was not the case) I thought that I was going to breeze through these 8 weeks with no hassle. I had so much energy, I was so motivated, extremely happy i’m sure I started annoying some people (lol, aint my problem) well, that was until Monday of Week 3.

I woke up feeling the complete opposite of how I was feeling the previous two weeks. I was weak, extremely nauseous and I felt like I hadn’t slept in 12 hours. I thought maybe I was starting to get the flu so I made sure I did everything to kick it before it came flying towards me – drank lots of water, kept warm, ate well, gave my body the nutrients it needed, sweated (a lot) had natural anti-inflammatories and all that jazz but nope, nothing was working!

I carried on with my normal routine, I mean I wasn’t sick I just felt it and I had stuff I needed to do, by Wednesday I was besides myself because I honestly felt more ill than ever and I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me so I decided to give myself and my body a break and see if that would do the trick. I exercised on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and gave myself the rest of the week off. By Saturday I was feeling a little bit better and after doing some analysing of my week and what I ate I realised that I had a lot more carbs and gluten then I did the weeks before, which my body does not react well to (clearly.)

My body was just exhausted, overworked and although I was eating healthily, my body didn’t cope well with those foods (That’s why you should keep a food diary kids) but at least I now know for the future what I should and shouldn’t eat!

“You can’t pour from an empty cup,

Take care of yourself first”

Week 4 came round a lot sooner than I thought it would and I actually felt good again. I was excited to get back into gym and motivated to continue my journey and push myself! For the first 3 weeks I worked out about 3-4 times a week and Week 4 I started working out 4-5 times a week. That extra day made a huge difference to my routine! Although, towards the end of the week from around Thursday/Friday I struggled to eat, mainly because I just didn’t get hungry but when I did eat all I felt like was junk food so it was tough but I managed and conquered through.

I feel as if these past 4 weeks have been a good trial run to see where I am with my fitness and where I can go from here. I’ve understood what foods work with my body positively and which ones not so much.

I honestly believe that understanding your body and what works for you is a crucial step in creating a healthy active lifestyle for yourself.

And with that said I have written up 4 tips that i’ve learned from these past 4 weeks that I wish I knew before but didn’t so now I am hoping to enlighten you if you are wanting to take on this journey (if you haven’t already!)

1. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

The point of this is to create a lifestyle for yourself that you love. We want to live a long and healthy life mentally and physically, the minute you start doing things you don’t enjoy because you think it will get you to where you need to be a little bit quicker you will begin to resent the whole point of this and end up quitting rather than continue it. There is always an alternative way to do something and in a way that you enjoy it so whether that means it takes a little bit longer well at least you are doing it the way you could see yourself doing this for a long amount of time!

2. You’re allowed to give yourself breaks.

I’ve struggled with this many times in the past and to be honest with you, I still do I’ve just learned to understand when I really need a break or not. When I set my mind to something (for example like an eight week journey to a better me) I give it my all even if that meant I pushed myself until breaking point which actually ends up doing more damage than progress – There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself to the best of your abilities and I am on that train all day, every day but when you are tired or your body is too sore to do anything GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK, make it a priority to include rest days into your routine and train yourself into that habit. It’s so important to let your body recover from all the amazing things it does for you everyday, don’t see it in a negative light. If anything you will almost see better results from letting yourself heal rather than pushing yourself too far and injuring yourself.

3. Reinvent your routine, weekly.

I’m actually excited to share this tip with you because I found that it was what helped me when I struggled to get up to go and train or eat well. Constantly doing the same routine, same workout split and eating the same meals week after week can get extremely monotonous and tedious. That’s why I found reinventing my week, every week helped me so much. I make a point every Sunday evening to plan my week, I start with the things that have a set time like au pairing or appointments and then I plan around that – I will include things such as experimenting in the kitchen or working out in my back yard instead of in the gym and change of environment really makes such a big difference to you mentally as well. Have fun with it! If you do it in a way that you love, you will never get bored and lose motivation!

4. Don’t turn a bad day (in the kitchen or gym) into a bad week.

First things first, get rid of the guilt! If you have half a gym session because you lost interest or if you had one too many peanut butter cookies, know and tell yourself that it’s okay. We’re all human, we all get it. But what I don’t want you to do is get so sucked into your own guilt that you don’t make a conscious effort to change and you turn a bad hour of your day into a bad week. You can start fresh with a healthier meal or better workout as soon as you decide to and this does a full circle back to tip number 1, don’t take yourself too seriously! Be mindful of the food you eat, do mind to muscle connection in the gym, drink lots of water and you’ll be a happy human!

“Either you run the day or the day runs you.”

I hope these tips and my story so far has helped or inspired you to continue this lifestyle. Always remember that if it were easy, everyone would do it!

Lots of love, Jeanna x

Going to gym for the first time alone can be a bit daunting and too much, I mean even I still feel a bit confused and all over the place and i’ve been going for a year or two but I like to remind myself that everyone is there to do the same thing; let off some steam, make some gains, get “swole” if you will. No one is judging you so don’t judge yourself! But for those days that you really don’t feel like facing the gym or being around people, here are some exercises that you can do to stay on top of your game!

A Lot of the time people think that the only way to stay fit and be active is to have a gym membership, which is not the case at all. Having a gym membership doesn’t automatically equal an active lifestyle. You determine that for yourself, not a building.

There are many ways that you can get the results you desire WITHOUT having a gym membership and sometimes (almost every time) it’s more enjoyable as well!

Doing this ‘Eight week journey to a better you’ has forced me to explore my surroundings and find other ways to keep my fitness up and exciting. At first I thought it was going to be a tedious task not doing my usual routine. But honestly, i’m kind of loving the addition/change and so is my body.

I’ve loved it because it has helped me balance my life a little more. I get to catch up with my girlfriends or go on a romantic walk with my boyfriend whilst still being active – it’s kind of a win, win situation!

Throughout this post i’ll be sharing favourite ways on how to have fun being active outside of the gym.

#1: HIKING

Hiking is an amazing way to get some fresh air, explore your city and go where you have never been. It improves your cardio-respiratory fitness, improves your mood and best of all, you get to spend quality time with those whom you love the most and create special memories.

I personally love it because within the first 5-10 minutes of hiking, my heart rate is already up, my thighs hurt and i’m already laughing unnecessarily with my friends and family. (Mostly laughing at my family for laughing at how unfit I am, but still laughing nonetheless!)

I would say hiking is my number 1 on my therapy session list! There’s just something about being outdoors and between the mountains or in the forests that immediately brightens the spirits.

#2: SWIMMING

I never saw myself swimming.. FOR FUN. Quite frankly i’m not a swimmer. I go as far as doggy paddle and that’s where it ends.

But honestly, I was quite amazed when I actually tried to make a conscious effort to swim properly. I was EXHAUSTED afterwards! My whole body was sore for a good few days after that.

Swimming is a great out door exercise because if you don’t have a lap pool near you, you can go to the swimming pool in your back garden or if that’s a no-go, there are lakes, rivers and of course the ocean! Just please, make sure wherever you swim it’s safe and always go with a friend!

It’s loads of fun and is a good way to alleviate some stress!

#3: STEPS

Now this is a goodie! I promise you, you could be able to run for miles on end and feel golden afterwards, as well as do hours of cardio in the gym but come and do steps, you will still suffer after the first or second set of stairs! They are KILLER.

I know I do, at least.

I absolutely love the stairs. Immediately increases your heart rate, burns fat like theres no tomorrow, tones the quads and the peach and it’s high impact (obviously).

Running up and walking down repeatedly can get a bit boring, I know. So the best thing to do is switch it up every second set or so. You can do jump squats and donkey kicks, walking lunges and so on.

#4: WALKING

This may seem like a bit of a boring one but honestly, if all I had around me was a beach, I wouldn’t mind walking for an hour everyday with my feet in the sand.

There’s something so pure and refreshing about walking on the side of the ocean line, letting the water touch your feet.

It shows you how big the world is and how small you and your problems are. Often, we as humans have a nasty habit of making our issues seem bigger than what they are at first. I find that walking along the beach or the promenade helps me with not only showing how small my issues are but it’s also a good place to find inspiration or even a good place for reflection.

It’s a fantastic way to set yourself up for the day. Let everything run through your mind slowly and freely. Nothing seems too overwhelming or complicated.

#5: JUNGLE GYMS

I know this sounds a bit odd but trust me on this one, you can create a killer circuit using a kiddies jungle gym. Anything from “box jumps” onto a bench, monkey bars or even tricep dips on a good old piece of wood (just mind out for the splinters) – it’s fun, it’s a different way to workout and it’s outside!

Photography / Ashley Tapsell

It’s a new week to create new goals and have a good time! I hope this motivates and encourages you to step out of your comfort zone and get out the house a little this week.

If you are interested in more ways to be active outside of gym, please be sure to leave a comment below to share with everyone or let me know on my latest Instagram post what you do to stay active outside of gym!

Lots of love, Jeanna x