Oh my Quad! Welcome to the Games of Tone.
A very happy day to you…
I hope you fell happy, relaxed, and ready to take on your world today!
Over the last couple of months, I have paid special attention to building physical strength. Not only for the perfect beach body, even though it's a nice side effect (I, however, accepted the fact that I will forever be lightyears away from a six pack thanks to my love for pizzzaaaaa 🍕), but because of the way it makes me feel.
Research has shown that physical activity - apart from stress release - actually improves the chemistry in our brains. Moving our "body suits" promotes neural growth, reduces inflammation, and introduces new activity patterns that keep our neurons young and bubbly (I am sure all of us came out of a gym, yoga or running session once with a brilliant new idea). Exercise also releases endorphins, those little powerful chemicals in our brains that energize the spirit and make us feel ready to hug (or, if necessary, slap) the world.
Even though most of us can't hit the gym right now, we can use the extra lockdown time to get our mind and bodies moving. 🏆 I have been using BLOGILATES 30 days exercise sheets for arms, thighs, abs, butt and waist training - and they do magic! 🦋 You can find them all - ready for instant print out - here:
A few tips, straight from my own experience:
1. Print them out, and pin them on the wall right next to where you plan to exercise (tricks yourself into actually doing it). Keep a pencil handy to cross out the days once done (no better feeling than that! ✅)!
2. Hydrate well before and after the session. I drink 1 liter of water 45 minutes before I hit the mat, and another 1 liter of water once I am done. The reason? Especially with abs and waist training, you will easily bloat if you are dehydrated - and nobody wants to be bloated. Ever. 💧
3. Don't do them day by day, but rather alternate them with other forms of exercise. For example, you can do the entire 5 BLOGILATES sets on Monday, a yoga session on Tuesday, a deep stretch on Wednesday, and a rest day on Thursday. Rest days are by the way as important as the days you exercise! 😎
4. Warm up and cool down. No point to jump right in! Take 15 min to stretch your body out before you start, and another 15 to relax and lie down to cool your breathing. Overall, for one session with all 5 sheets calculate approximately 45 minutes. Trust me, your muscles will thank you the next day! 🥳
5. Listen to some killer music! Luckily, I am surrounded by so many talented people in my life, and the lovely Ashwin, a.k.a. Calm Chor, has just released a superb set that goes amazingly well with the exercise sheets. 💃🕺Don't hesitate to turn up the volume - your neighbours will have a blast, too!
With love from Goa,
Isabelle 🌿
