Category: Positive Intentions

Image – Pinterest Dream Dash Journal 

More and more of  us  are having to move to home working or might even be on extended leave from work as we battle  Covid 19.   We are finding ourselves having to create a new normal for ourselves during this time . I hoped these 5 tips might help even a couple of you , if you are struggling being out of your normal routine , and/or working from home for the first time ,  these are things that have helped me so much , I worked from home the past 6 years of doing my Travel job and I remember those first few weeks were a little weird as I got used to it.  I then had to create a whole new routine for myself at the end of 2018, when I left my Travel job to focus on Mis-Fit full time!,. 

1. Create a Routine for yourself 

• create a morning routine you can stick with – don’t overwhelm yourself and make it too complex,  keep it simple  . Maybe it’s getting up, putting your workout clothes on and doing a workout straight away . Maybe it’s starting your day with a meditation.   Maybe it’s as simple as hopping straight in the shower and getting dressed for the day , sitting down to have breakfast . Maybe it’s listening to an uplifting, positive podcast to get you ready for the day ahead.  Create your own routine and stick with it – Especially Monday – Friday .  Often there is a commute to work , or a whole family to get ready to head out the door. At the moment you probably don’t have that, so use that extra time productively- don’t just lounge about! Set yourself a purpose to get up and greet the day ahead like  Pollyanna would  – with positivity  – also who else LOVED that film? 😄.  

2. Move your body 

• do an at home workout,  go for a walk/Run , take the dog for a walk , maybe do some stretches. , maybe stick the radio on in the kitchen or play some music through your phone and have a little bop about – just  move your body  daily.  You’ll feel so much better physically and mentally.

3. Get ready!

Now we all love a pyjama day and let’s face it , every once in a while it is like therapy . However living in your pyjamas every day during Covid 19 is NOT  going to help you feel motivated.  So get up and get dressed , even if it is into comfy clothes if you are working out or doing jobs around the house .   Just get out of your pyjamas and get ready for the day.  It will put you in productive mode . Doing your hair and Makeup will also help you feel more in work mode. Plus we have extra time , to practice playing around with our makeup 😄. Makeup goal – perfect that winged liner!!! Or is that just mine?? 😂.  I can spend many a happy hour watching makeup videos on YouTube 

4. Create an inspiring Working Space 

 If you are working from home , create a workspace for yourself that in the vibe of Marie Kondo Sparks the joy, don’t have it all cluttered and messy , I use my 3rd bedroom as an office and I’ve made it pretty  . I know its not always possible to have an actual room dedicated to being just an office space but even if you are working from the kitchen table ,  maybe light a favourite candle as you work, just create a little ambiance 💕.  I also find it useful to set the timer on my phone to tackle certain tasks – sometimes I’ll set it for an hour , I call it my power hour and I will see how much I can get done in that hour if I put my head (and phone down 😂) .  I even use this method for housework chores too , I just find once I get started , I get in the zone – it’s just sometimes motivating myself  to make that initial start , especially if you have a long to do list, it can feel overwhelming, but setting myself that hour , often has me continuing longer, but even if not or I have to go do something else, I got more done then if I sat procrastinating over it! .  

For something like planning class sessions, I might set my timer for 45 mins and focus on that and then give myself 10 minutes to clear my head. Just find something what works for you . 

5. keep a Positive Mindset 

Surround yourself with Positivity and lessen the amount of negativity you allow around you.  Unfollow those drama Llamas on Social Media – we all know at least one 😂.   Up until these past few weeks, I rarely had the news on,   I would keep up to date with the headlines on the radio so I could keep up to date with what was going on in the world without getting caught up in it all.  The past few weeks of course, we need to know what is going on .  I tune into the daily press conference every afternoon and I might check the headlines on BBC on my phone on the morning, but that is it as far as news is concerned. The rest of the time I prefer to stick with listening to my favourite podcasts  and country hits radio. – don’t judge,  I really love it! 😂,  and reading  or listening to things that inspire and motivate me and obviously watching my favourite YouTubers talking makeup, style and home decor . Just immerse yourself in the things that bring you joy. 

Of course we are going to have moments in the coming days and weeks ahead and indeed throughout life where we feel scared, overwhelmed, anxious and that is absolutely ok , sit with those feelings, acknowledge them , but don’t allow yourself to stay there for long . Find what cheers you up and makes you feel better – a chat with someone who lifts you up , or a favourite movie/TV show – I mean even if it’s a Christmas film, stick it on – total feel good right there. Read books – one of my absolute favourites I read at the end of last year was girl wash your face by Rachel Hollis, I highly recommend it!.   

Just embrace this time though as long as we all come through this healthy that is what matters and use this time to reflect, recharge , to learn new skills, have a good declutter, keep fit and healthy, and work on that positive mindset  💕🌈

Out with New Year Resolutions and In with Positive Intentions 

As we prepare to say a goodbye 2015 and Welcome in  2016, for a lot of people its a time of reflection and making resolutions for the year ahead.
A New year equals a fresh start, a chance to make changes for self improvement.  Most people full of Turkey, chocolate, buffet food  and alcohol make  New Year  resolutions  , often with too many restrictions for you to actually be able to keep it up for any longer than a few weeks and lets face it  we can plan as much as we like, however life happens and can on occasion throw us a curveball which can knock us off track. Then when it all goes wrong, you can be left feeling like a total failure and just give up entirely.

So for 2016, why not try a different tact – rather than make a New year resolution, why not set yourself some Positive intentions for the year ahead.   Intentions are Positive calls to action  – something you would like to do rather than maybe something perhaps you feel you should. Its an ongoing process and leaves room for a little more flexibility especially when life throws those curve balls at you!.

so for example    Rather than say My New Years resolution is to go on a diet and  lose weight, therefore I am only going to eat Salad for the whole of January  and get up an hour earlier to do an hours workout before work  but   lets face it – who wants to eat salad in January – its freezing cold and Salad can get boring very quickly!!!!!!!!  And those dark mornings when you want to bury under the covers just for 5 minutes more…..  why not say this year   I will Love myself enough to make more healthier food choices   and move a little more . You could aim to try a new healthy food recipe  once a week , and/or set yourself a challenge to be active every day  even if its only 10 minutes on busy days –  something as simple as sticking your favourite song on and dancing around to it at home – its a cardio workout!.   Little changes all add up and just by make small changes to your nutrition and moving a little more , you’ll start to notice the positive benefits and want to keep it up  perhaps adding further challenges as you grow more confident in your journey.

or

I challenge myself to try something new   -maybe its a new hobby, experience ,book, a new type of food .

I aim to visit a place I have never visited before  -maybe its a Country / City you’ve always wanted to travel to.

So get your journal/notebook and a pen and think what would I like to happen in 2016 and write it down and keep it to hand as a daily reminder of your hopes and dreams for the year ahead .   After all its the first blank page of a 366  day year in 2016 – make it a good one!.

I’d love to hear what your Positive intentions are for 2016 !  Follow me on Twitter @mis_fit1 or Instagram @Littlemisfitjojo
or facebook /lilmisfit1

Wishing you all a Wonderfully Happy and healthy New Year – may all your wishes come true xxxxx

  Why the Scales are not always the best tool in your Health and Fitness Journey 

How many times have you stepped on the scales, after having what you thought was a really “good” week, only to be disheartened  not to see any movement on the numbers, or even worse a change in the wrong direction???.

As a fitness instructor, this is the most common question – why after doing all this exercise am I not losing any weight or even gaining weight.

We’ve all been there. You sweated buckets and managed to avoid the temptation of the biscuit tin and the scale hasn’t even moved!, all that hard work for nothing. Except it wasn’t  – look beyond the number on the scale. Scales are not always a true indication of how healthy you are. If you work out a lot – you will probably find that actually you maybe weigh more , why? lean Muscle is why . Muscle weighs  more than fat but takes up less room. So yes the number on the scale is higher but your clothes are smaller – hurrah. plus the more muscle you have the more fat you burn.  Look at the picture below – at her heaviest weight – she actually has the leaner more toned body.

(Thanks to Train Like Beauty for Image Use)

A lean body is gained by combining working out with  eating   clean healthy  fresh foods and Limiting the amount of processed foods, alcohol, fizzy pop, and sugar.

By all means continue to weigh yourself on occasion, but also measure yourself and just take a  look at yourself in the mirror – do you see muscle tone start to appear?, are your clothes fitting better than before? – maybe you have dropped a dress size, despite the number on the scale. Do you feel more energetic and positive? .  Do you feel fitter, stronger?, are you able to progress to the next level such as full press up? . Look beyond the scales – if you are working out and eating healthy, little changes are happening and  those little changes all add up to huge progress.

#strongnotskinny