HOW I STAY SLIM AND (HMMM...) FIT.

I get a lot of messages on instagram, whatsApp and facebook asking what I did to lose weight and how I stay fit. I also get some telling me; 

“Oh, no. You should eat!” 

“You’re disappearing” 

“Your cute butt is gone” 

Lol. 

But, I decided to stay true to myself, especially because I feel really good and I love working out, running precisely. 

This post is for both groups, but most importantly for the first, who also want to, but don’t know what to do or how to stay consistent. I’ll just let you know what I do and how I stay consistent. Here goes…

CAVEAT

With my fitness regime, you’ll probably lose those parts you want to keep, unless you have targeted exercise to enhance them.

My routine every morning. 

• I Run. 

I leave the house at 5:45am and run a distance of 6km (3.72 miles). This includes a mix of power walk and running. I cover more distance on Saturdays and Sundays (Used to be 15-18km, but reduced to about 9km because- not so great knees).

5:45am. Ready to go...

• Get back home, do a couple numbers of “side twists” (pictured below) to help reduce my folds (you know those protruding “tubes” that won’t let one be great) and for some curves. I created this exercise for myself. I don’t know if it works, but it’s become a routine, and I’m almost convinced it helps some.

Back. Had an exhilarating run

Well...

Side Twists.

• Boil water while I do some abs- work out (mostly but not limited to 100 sit up, 100 crunches, 60-120 seconds planks, 40 leg raise, a couple opposite arm and leg raise, plank with knee taps, and plank with side twists). (Names not accurate. App linked below).

• At the end of my work out, I sit on the kitchen counter to drink 3-4 cups of now warm water while I catch up on Climate Change news, Instagram or Wendy Williams on YouTube (lol).

Guess what I do right after that? :) 

Let’s just say it helps my metabolism.

WHAT I EAT

I have my breakfast every morning, except days when I have to go into work very early or when I’m running late for work. This ensures that I have the energy required for my morning and I don't fill my gut with unnecessary and unhealthy snack s at work (whisper: I actually do this more than I like to admit. Thanks Tina).

I really don't restrict myself much, but I control how much carbs I eat in a week. 

When I indulge, it's mostly on Friday or Saturday, because I know I'll run longer distance the following morning, so the calories don't linger and give me the fat I don't want. 

AT NIGHT

There are times I feel like pecking on something, not necessarily because I’m hungry, but I don’t feel quite right eating especially because it’s mostly late when I get home from work. I'm sure this happens to most of us. At times like this, I don’t want to deprive myself the satisfaction of indulgence. What I do is eat fruits or make a quick salad if I have lettuce and cabbage in the fridge. I make sure I always always have fruits in the house. This keeps my tummy full enough that I can't eat anymore, and it helps me go in the morning, especially the oranges.

I often cut fruits and keep in portions in the fridge for when I'm peck-ish. 

I also mostly eat twice a day, not because I’m watching my weight but because I’m always just fine once I have anything at lunch. It can be a cup of coffee and biscuits or a proper meal: rice, pasta, anything. Really. On days that I indulge, I MUST run the following day. I cannot be lazy.

I found that I got used to running after a consistent daily routine of 2-3 weeks. After that, it pretty much became a part of me. I’m so used to running so much that I’m really grumpy and almost miserable on the mornings that I don’t go. 

Now, what motivates me:

Seeing the result (my abs especially), and knowing I cannot relapse and mess it all up. 

Believe it or not, the cheer I get from my new app as well (Nike Running Club). (Linked below)

Seeing the pace that I run/walk at the end of the routine, makes me want to beat my own record and run more instead of walk.

The friends that cheer me on and those that tell me I don’t look a day older than 26. (In my mind, I’m 28). 

How extremely good and healthy I feel (now, this is for those asking me to eat). I know you’re concerned but how about the fact that I feel great? 

There’s only so much calories we need to get through everyday, anyway. Anything above what we need is pure indulgence or excessive eating (there’s a nasty word for this).

The most exciting part is I didn’t have to spend money buying equipments, hiring a trainer or joining a gym to loose weight, which is what discourages some people. 

Ultimately, my regime is so simple, but really effective. 

You can try it too. I enjoy carrying people along and getting results with others that want to. If you’re up for it, you can hit me up, let’s do it together this time.

- Look for the right and safest path (good road helps too)

- Before you go to sleep, lay out your clothes: vest, joggers or leggings, socks and running shoes (sports bra is of utmost importance for women)

- Go to bed early, so you feel energized to run when you wake. 

- Go when it’s bright enough but not so much because the road gets busy and you may feel uncomfortable when it does. If you have a partner, its almost always better.

- Pace yourself, and gradually increase duration and number. 

- Choose your targeted workout for what parts of your body you want to enhance. Remember running reduces EVERYTHING! Helps when you do them immediately after your run.

- You'll be amazed at the result at the end of 3-4 weeks. If you don't get into it by this time, it's probably not your thing, we can try something else then.

- Portion control is important. When you eat too much, think; "there goes all my trouble and calories I burnt running and working out." It helps me. I can't stress enough how essential fruits are to my regime.

- Note: You won't necessarily get it all locked down immediately you start, but you'll grow into it, so much it will probably become a lifestyle (or not. lol). 

You need a motivation to start, and hopefully, the result will be the motivation to stay consistent. My own start story and what motivates me (pictured) is below if you want to continue reading after the break.

As always, I’m here to help cheer you on, walk/run with you, anything you need, even if I'm not there with you. Just reach out, let me know and we’ll hatch a plan (myfriggingstyle@gmail.com or instagram). 

I hope this helps.

Good luck, and cheers to a better you... 

x.

30Day Fitness Challenge App.

Tracker (Nike Run Club does same thing + Trainer)

ALL MADE POSSIBLE AND EASIER BY:

Fitness tracking watch (Mine is Apple Watch series 2)

Apps (Both are amazing)

30Day Fitness (As spelt. On iTunes). There are a couple of them on this link, but this one is by Shane Clifford 

Nike run club (choose trainer, cheer and pace)

Oh, now I have more sports wear, but not without turning some day wears into sports wear though. I also bought some.


WHAT I WORE:

Vest: REDX
Sports Bra: Champions
Leggings: INOC
Running Shoes: Sketchers
Tracker Watch: Apple
Hat: Adidas
Knee Braces: Everlast

P.S: I'll also let you know how to run better to avoid the knee issues I'm experiencing. 

A little story

When I moved to my place (rented) a year and a half ago, I immediately saw there was a good run/walk path so I started power walking every morning. I was almost lazy at first and wasn’t quite consistent but it helped clear my head and get me ready and sharp for the day. It was difficult at first getting up to work out so early, but as a Muslim, I have to wake up most times at past 5am to say my morning prayers anyways, which made that part a little less daunting for me. After prayers, I would change into my sports wear and go. At this time, I had only one cool sports wear, and ended up turning a few of my t-shirts into work out clothes. 

I wasn’t so committed at the time, I just wanted to keep fit. Then, a friend sent me a dm on instagram and said I looked like a size 12. SIZE 12?!!! I was always a 10 that looked like an 8, but a 10 that looked like a 12 meant I was on the verge of being a comfortable 12, and then 14 if not controlled. That terrified me. I didn’t want to be anything but a 10, so I decided to be a bit more serious. I already liked it, anyways. 

Note that I didn’t immediately start running, I originally was just power walking, until my sister advised that I ran instead or more than I walked (she runs and looks too good for her age), so I started running. It was a lot of work, but I started slowly. Then, I upped the ante and ran the whole of the distance a couple of times, but I couldn’t sustain this. It was exhilarating and a lot of work, so I mixed it up. Run and walk. The result was almost instantaneous. 6km during the week because of work and as much as 18km over the weekend (power walk and run). I also downloaded an app that helps me with my abs and arms. It had a lot more but I chose to do those and sometimes, squats. (linked below)

I almost always have to start over when I’m out of Abuja, especially because I hardly ever do anything to stay fit, and I eat A LOT during this period, I can hardly control myself. But getting back into routine is never a chore because it's become a part of me.