Gym Memberships, Personal Trainers, Exercise Equipment.. I don't know about you, but when I hear these words, I instantly see £££ signs.

This might not always be the case, there ARE gyms out there and personal trainers that don't cost the earth, but for some that are on a low budget, they may see this as an excuse to not do anything.. an excuse NOT to exercise.

However, you CAN still exercise on a lower budget and I'm going to tell you how!

Walking
Walking is FREE. All you need is some shoes which everyone should already have and somewhere to walk. Walking is low impact, it's something that anyone can do and even a 10 minute walk can make a difference. I started off with walking at the beginning of my weight loss journey as it is so low impact and it definitely makes a difference!

Go for a walk in the morning, a walk at lunch, invite a colleague to come along and have a good chat. Take the stairs and not the elevator! Park your car further away from where you need to be to get in some extra steps! Everything helps!
If you don't have as much time, go for a Speed Walk! Speed Walks are actually really beneficial as they raise your Heart Rate and can still burn a good amount of calories in a short amount of time.

Youtube Videos / Home Workouts
Youtube is something I use on a daily basis and it is an EXCELLENT source for workouts and exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home for free.

There's everything from Body Weight Workouts, HIIT workouts, Yoga, Pilates and much more! There's everything from short 10 minute workouts to longer 45-60 minute workouts.

A few of my favourite youtube channels for workouts/fitness are listed below:
 Fitness Blender | XHIT Daily | Carly Rowena | The Lean Machines | Tone It Up 

As well as Youtube Videos, there's also apps and resources that you can use to do your own home workouts!

Nike Training App is great for finding different body weight workouts and routines. They focus on different parts of the body, there's different times available depending on how long you have available and they talk you through the moves so you know exactly what you're doing!

Pinterest is an AWESOME place for finding workouts/exercise routines(not to mention inspiration!).You only have to go to the fitness section of Pinterest and there will be an abundance of workouts. If you're looking for something specific like AB workouts, you can use the search bar to find them!

One that I've seen around alot recently and quite enjoy are monthly challenges. I've seen Yoga challenges around a lot(I've participated in some before and I'm participating in one for March with Alo Yoga).

There is also a few on Running Bug too. The challenges usually require to complete a certain pose each day, or a routine each day that increases in reps each day.

Full and Original Image Source:Running Bug

Exercise Equipment
Exercise equipment doesn't necessarily mean stationary bike and treadmill! In this case, I mean skipping ropes, dumbbell sets, kettlebells & resistance bands. All of these are great, low cost ways to get in some exercise and even 10 minutes a day doing any of these can make a big difference!

You can grab most of the items above from eBay or Amazon for as little as couple of pounds upwards.
You can also go to the above suggestions to find ways to use the equipment, there are plenty of youtube videos around for skipping workouts, kettlebell workouts etc!

As long as you have space to workout, you have no problem!

Yoga/Pilates
Yoga and Pilates are very similar, they both focus on developing strength, balance, flexibility, posture and good breathing.

The biggest difference between Yoga and Pilates is that yoga is more spiritual and has a meditative environment that can help improve your overall quality of life and focuses on stress relief whilst improving your body. Pilates does not focus on this so much and instead works from your core outward and increases your body awareness, resulting in a strong body.

Both Yoga and Pilates have their own benefits and the best thing is that you do not have to choose which one you want to do, you could just do both if you liked.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I LOVE yoga. You don't actually need much, if anything for Yoga/Pilates. You CAN do the sequences/routines on a carpet, rug or towel(although I don't recommend it in the long term).Yoga mats are fairly cheap online and they're great from protecting you from the hard surfaces.

Yoga and Pilates are great forms of exercise and can be done by ANYONE. There are modifications and beginner movements for both yoga and Pilates so there's an option for all.

Here are some Yoga and Pilates Youtube channels that I LOVE!
Blogilates | Lottie Murphy | Yoga With Adriene | Erin Motz

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So there you have it! My Low Budget Exercise Options! I also did a video on this topic too which you can see here!

If you like the video, then please give it a thumbs up and subscribe if you'd like to stay updated with when I post a new video!

Question: Do you do any of these low budget exercises? Have you any ideas for people looking to exercise on a low budget?

Hi Everyone, I hope everyone has had a good week so far, this week seems to be dragging so bad for me! I'm hoping the rest of this week goes fairly quick.

Today, I wanted to talk to you about my running story share some of my tips that I think will be helpful to those that are thinking of starting out runners, tips for beginners or just gentle reminders to those that are already running. These are basically for every runner! ;)
So, I hated running when I was a kid, I hated any sort of physical activity really, I didn't like PE and I often made excuses or forgot my kit on purpose just so I wouldn't have to get involved. I think part of the reason for this is because I was so embarrassed to exercise in front of the other kids in the class. I used to hate having to go out in the summer for cross country laps around the school field, there were loads of kids that were active and would be able to run laps around me but I always found it really difficult.

I only started running in February of 2012 after I'd lost about 70 lbs. I probably could have started sooner than and wish I had but I didn't feel comfortable with running outside and I didn't have a gym membership.

I started running with the C25K program which is a run walk program. It aims to get people from off the couch to running 5 km in a 9 week period. I stuck to the runs consistently, taking a rest day in between each run. At the 6 week mark, there was a large jump between the run walk intervals and it went from doing a 5 minute run to doing 20 minutes. I ended up just trying to run for a full 30 minutes or 5 km whichever I got to first. I was successful in my attempts, I was pretty emotional about it too.I decided that I would just try to consistently do 30 min/5 km runs since then.

My plan/schedule since then has been to have 3 to 4 runs per week, I usually have a rest day in between each run unless I only run around 1.5 miles in which case I will run the next day if I want to. Currently, I rest/cross train on Mondays and Tuesdays, I do a short(1.5 mile) on Weds, typically a 3 miler on Thursday, rest on Friday, short run/rest Saturday and my long runs on Sunday and then repeat.

I've done 3 races thus far, I did a Half Marathon in 2013 after just 3 months of running, A 5 mile race in July 2013 and then I had to take a running break due to surgery last year. I have done one 10 km race this year at the beginning of February and intend to get involved in a lot more races this year :)

That's it for my running story and how I started running. Now I'm going to share some tips that I used when I started running and things I think will be helpful to others.

Go and do a Gait Analysis
I can't stress how important this is. A gait analysis is where you run on a treadmill and your running is filmed and analysed by a professional. They'll be able to tell whether your legs are aligned, whether you're a toe or heel runner, if your feet roll outwards or inwards and recommend a shoe/trainer for you.

If you don't get fitted and just wear normal trainers, you could do yourself an injury and you can have terrible blisters. You also need to make sure that you try out the trainers, make sure they're comfortable and supportive enough and fit correctly. Having shoes too big or too small can also cause problems.

Make sure you're wearing the right gear!
Main essentials for running are crops/tights/shorts dependent on the weather, then a sweat wicking t-shirt or vest. A good supportive sports bra for women is a must, you need to keep those girls strapped down, I personally use Shock Absorber and they're brilliant. Running socks are a good choice too help to prevent blisters.

Have a Plan
I think it's always important to have a plan. As I mentioned, when I started running I used C25K, they now have an app and you will have a plan for running, it will tell you how many runs you will do during the week, and what your run and walk intervals are.

It's good to plan out which days are going to be your run days and which will be your rest days, that way you know when you need to be organised and go out for that run. When you plan, you're usually more likely to do it.

Always Warm Up and Cool Down!
This is SO SO important. You should always warm up before you run with Dynamic Stretches and a 5 minute warm up walk. This helps to warm up your body and raise your heart rate. You supply oxygen to the muscles and it helps to make them more flexible and efficient for the run ahead.

After you finished running, it's a good idea to cool down the body and you can do that with a 5 minute cool-down walk and some stretches afterwards.

If you'd like me to do a post/video on the types of stretches you can do for warming up and cooling down the body pre and post run, then let me know and I'll do that!

Don't forget to rest!
Rest is very important. In fact its just as important as the actual run. It allows your body a timeout in order to rebuild, recover and improve your muscles. Without the rest of muscles and joints, you can end up feeling sore, sluggish and tired during your runs and your joints can end up sore and inflamed.

Failure to rest can also lead to injuries and issues commonly associated with over training such as shin splints and stress fractures.

 Run for you. Don't care what others think!
If you're feeling nervous, scared or self conscious of running outside my first most important piece of advice is to just ignore people. A majority of the time, its just you being paranoid, I was exactly the same, but the reality is that most people just don't care and don't say anything to runners.

Besides, its better to see someone out running, improving their health and fitness rather than seeing someone munching on junk all day, right?!

Other ways in which you can still run outside might be to join a running club or find a running partner. Running clubs are a great way to socialise and be with people that have the same interest as you. Running clubs usually accommodate all types of runners with all paces so you will definitely fit in.

A running partner is also an option, maybe find a friend that would like to start running or improve their fitness too. This is also a great way to stay accountable for your runs as you wouldn't want to bail on a run and let your running partner down!

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These are just my main tips for running and something that I stuck by when I first started. I hope that someone finds these tips helpful and maybe encourages someone to start running! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask away and I'll be sure to answer!

You can also check out my video for this week where I talk about my running story and my tips for running. Subscribe if you want to see more Health, Fitness and Running Videos, leave suggestions in the comments of any videos you might like to see from me! :)

Question: Are you a runner? What is one tip that you would give to someone wanting to start out?

Hi Everyone!

Sorry for the lack of updates here on the blog. I have just been strung with a lot of bad luck recently and honestly, didn't have much to talk about.

As you'll probably know from my last post. I stubbed my toe on Saturday and I haven't been able to exercise since. I went for a checkup on Monday morning just to make sure I hadn't broken it. Luckily enough, the nurse thinks it's not broken and just badly bruised!

Either way, I've not been able to put any pressure on my foot at all for the last few days so exercise has been out of the question, especially since walking has been particularly difficult! It's getting better though, I'm able to put more pressure on my foot and the bruising and swelling is coming down so hopefully within the next couple of days, I should be back into the swing of things!

I'm actually gutted that I've had to miss a few days of #Janathon, I really wanted to do 30 days of exercise!

I also ended up getting a 24 hour sickness bug, it started whilst I was at work, I had terrible stomach ache and was feeling sick all the time. I ended up throwing up at work and when I got home, it was basically just trips to the toilet, being sick and sleeping in between. It sucked! I'm feeling better now.. I don't know if I could have handled more than one day with that!

So yeah, that's why I haven't been so present recently, I've just been quite down about not feeling 100% and not exercising definitely puts me in a bad mood!

The only thing I did manage to do whilst I was wallowing in self pity is film my next Youtube Video! I filmed my Weight Loss Story. I tried to make it very Q+A like with questions that I've usually been asked about my weight loss. If you're interested, the video is below!

If you have any questions that you don't think I covered, please feel free to leave them! Like the video to let me know you enjoyed it! and obviously Subscribe if you'd like to see more Health & Fitness Videos from me!

I hope you have a lovely rest of your day!

Speak to you soon! x

Question: What type of videos would you be interested in seeing from me on my channel?

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Another quick update for Janathon! I definitely think it's best for me to just do these updates every couple of days rather than every day just because I wouldn't have a lot to talk about otherwise.

Since I last did my #Janathon workouts, not much has really changed. I'm still doing #30daysofyoga with Adriene and my Skny Box workouts. Both are going well. Yoga with Adriene is great and I'm loving the daily practice. Im definitely going to try and carry it on after January, even if its just for 5-10 minutes!

Skny box workouts are still going well. They're definitely hard work and get me sweating! I'm not sure I'm seeing any results at the moment but its only been 2 weeks and I'm still getting my eating in check. I have 2 weeks left, so I'm sort out my eating and have healthier things for snacks and up my protein. Maybe I'll see some changes in the next 2 weeks, we'll see!
Top from Legacy Sportswear // Shorts from V3 Apparrel

I'm not really an adventurous person, so I don't do any other sort of workouts or activities that aren't in my plan.

I went for a 3 mile run this morning. It sucked, I can't put it any other way. I was doing 10 minute miles, which is at least 30-40 seconds slower than my usual pace per minute. I'm not sure what it was, maybe I didn't fuel properly before my run or maybe I got too hot from wearing a long sleeved top and a jacket but I just didn't feel right.
My legs were heavy and sluggish and I felt like I'd been running for hours. Hopefully, I will have a better run tomorrow. Fingers Crossed.

That's all I've been up to for Janathon these last couple of days, when I'm not updating here, it's usually on my twitter and Instagram so if you're not following me there and want to stay updated, then what you waiting for?! :)

Follow me on Twitter HERE, Facebook HERE and Instagram HERE :)

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Totally unrelated to Janathon, but I said in my Sum It Up.. Sunday post that I was going to start again with my Youtube channel and upload a video this week. I only went and did it! It's just a basic 50 Facts About Me video as like an intro and for everyone to get to know a little about me.

I'm aiming to put up a video every week, I'm planning ahead already and I want to upload about my weight loss story video next week. I haven't decided on my upload day but I'm thinking a Thursday or Friday but I'm not set on which day yet!

My channel is going to correspond with my blog and I'll talk about health and fitness, weight loss, yoga, running and I MIGHT  do vlogs every so often to give you an insight into my day.. but that will be later on I reckon!

So, if you're interested, Ill leave my video for '50 Facts About Me video Below if you want to check it out. Give it a like if you.. liked it and subscribe if you want to stay updated with my uploads.

As I said, I'll be putting up a video about my weight loss journey/story next week, so if you have any questions you'd like me to answer in that video, then leave me a comment and let me know!

Until then! Have a great rest of your weekend! :)

Question: How have you been active this week? Are there any videos you'd like to see from me on my Youtube Channel?

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