After what feels like the longest spell of being ill (firstly just run down with colds and sleep deprivation, and secondly the most severe food poisoning last week) I am desperately seeking out motivation to bring back the positivity and get back on track with my fitness and general health & wellbeing!
I’ve taken inspiration from YogaByCandace for today’s blog post in doing a Motivation Monday! I never post on a Monday but for the above reasons I feel we need it right now! So here are a few of the things inspiring me this week in fitness, nutrition, professionalism, and self-care!
1) Podcasts- I only started listening to podcasts when I was on maternity leave, patiently awaiting my baby’s arrival and needing something to occupy my mind! I didn’t realise how great they are for education and general learning of topics you are interested in such as nutrition, exercise and general healthy living. My favourite podcasts currently are The Food Medic, Food for Thought by Rhiannon Lambert, and Namaslay by YogaByCandace. I’m also following the Clinical Athlete for a more professional listen too. Usually listened to whilst walking the dog or driving to pick up the baby from nursery, not quite as relaxed as sipping mugs of tea here!
2) New Glutes strength programme- Being sick has meant I’ve lost count how many gym sessions I have missed recently. When time is already limited this is a real tough point for me. An app that I subscribe to (YBC) just released a 16-day Glutes strengthening programme and this is perfect timing to give me a focus & get back to my gym routine, without having to think too much about where to start. Pilates is a great compliment to gym work, you can read more on my thoughts of this here.
3) Professional assignment– Part of my business involves writing sports medicine based articles for a subscription only magazine, and my current assignment is a 3-part series based around proper exercise physiology and strength & conditioning within injury rehabilitation. It’s been a long time since I wrote detailed exercise science and I am just loving revising these topics! It is also great for my profession as I am refreshing things I work with everyday in much greater detail. As an added bonus I’m also currently changing the way I train as I review my sports science, so a personal win there as well as professional!
4) Lululemon collaboration– Just this week I landed the most exciting collaboration since I started Freshly Centered! I’m teaming up with one of my favourite workout brands Lululemon (see picture below for their workout gear!) later this year and I cannot wait! I have loved Lululemon since living in Vancouver many years ago, and their original store was just down the road from my apartment! More details coming soon!
5) Nutrition- The severe food poisoning that I had last weekend has me terrified from eating the same meat again anytime soon… which is unfortunate as I do eat meat regularly. On the positive side I have been cooking much more than normal this weekend and I am really trying to focus on good, nutritious foods with lots of vegetables, yet still hit enough calories for weight gain. I’ve also been reading about a link between diets rich in certain vegetables and a reduction in body inflammation/skin problems/stress etc, so perhaps I’ll benefit in other ways too.
6) Holidays!– I’m going away for a long weekend break with a group of friends in just under 2 weeks time and it’s just what I need! Because socialising with good friends is good for the soul! A complete break from the manic everyday life race and the constant rush of fitting in work around my schedule (and my baby’s!).
Is there anything that motivates you to have a good week right now?! I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
