You’ll only get fit, healthy and stay that way if you enjoy the journey that takes you there. Rather than seeing exercise as punishment and pain, try treating yourself with kindness – like you’d treat your best friend – and you’ll have a regime that you love and stick to through thick and thin.
This is the approach of Jess Schuring, trainer to the stars, who made her name in Beverley Hills and is now taking London by storm with her fitness studios Heartcore. Let’s learn how to apply the fun factor to your workouts...
Hey Jess! Over to you...
The human body is an incredibly beautiful, adaptive and efficient wonder. It also happens to be the home of our heart, mind and soul. To live a full, happy and healthy life, we need to look after ourselves in a way that fuels our body, feeds our mind and allows us to improve our lives joyfully with passion and consistency. With this in mind, here are my top 5 tips on how to enjoy a healthy and fit life.
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Have fun!
Find a training routine you love. Mix and match as your heart desires and surround yourself with like-minded people who enjoy the same things as you. When you do, exercise will shift from a monotonous, competitive challenge to a collaborative, social event and you'll have a lot more fun on your journey. -
High 5 yourself!
Remember that you're the only person who can control how you look and feel. Enjoy your achievements, but also embrace any difficulties you encounter with an encouraging mindset. Be patient on your journey and be proud of yourself for making positive changes in your life. -
Go for it!
Training forever but can’t see any real change anymore? You’ve probably reached a new equilibrium and are cruising in an exercise comfort zone. Try pushing your boundaries by asking yourself for 10% more effort – one extra rep, 3...5...10 extra seconds. As with everything in life, you won’t see any changes if you’re not prepared to make any! I call this effort the magic 10% because I consistently see the biggest changes in myself and my clients when we bring out that small bit extra we never knew we had! -
Chill out!
Not feeling like a full on workout today? That’s cool. Swap it for something less intense like a light jog, a Yoga session or simply shorten your initial workout time. But stick to your routine! If you miss one session, you're far more likely to miss multiple and there's no doubt you'll feel better afterwards. -
Listen to your body!
Treat exercising like Me-Time. Connect with yourself during training time and focus not only on what you're doing, but how you're doing it and as importantly how it makes you feel. Slight variations in form and posture can make a huge difference in performance and results, so pay attention to yourself. Focus on your breath. Listen to your muscles. Feel your heartbeat. Once you do they'll naturally tell you what's holding you back, guide you toward the right path forward and leave you looking and feeling better than ever before you know it!
