We’ve teamed up with Fitness First to show y’all that, when it comes to fitness, your mentality and mindset is half the battle. Together, we wanna retrain your brains to understand that it’s all about #HowFitFeels rather than how fit looks, because, really, we all know what’s most important. Find out more on their website HERE and Facey HERE.
Mustering up the courage to get out of bed and into the shred shed is a battle hard won.
No doubt you’ve tried all of the methods of self-encouragement: leaving your clothes out the night before, placing your alarm clock out of arm’s reach, stepping on scales.
Sometimes, you’re just not in the mood.
Fact of the matter is, we’re all human, and our kaleidoscope range of moods means we’re not always going to feel like slugging out a hard arse workout.
Instead of giving up entirely, you can channel your mood into a workout that matches.
REALLY BLOODY UPSET
You’ve just split up with your partner.
You’ve just found our your dog is terminally ill.
Your sibling ate the last scoop of the Sara Lee Ultra Chocolate.
All of the above are viable reasons to be absolutely devastated.
Instead of moping about your bedroom listening to Imogen Heap – Hide and Seek on repeat and crying to yourself in the mirror, get your Yin Yoga on!
When I’m upset, I tend to shallow breathe and in turn feel panicked. The yin variety of yoga is slow-paced and focuses on breathing, perfect for knocking those sad sack levels down a few notches.
Sadness often has the effect of making you feel alone too. When you’re in a room full of strangers, breathing in unison, with one common goal, you might gain a little more perspective.
ANGRY AS A HORNY BULL LOOKING AT A RED SHEATH
Some people have a shorter fuse than others, and thus the frequency of this mood is varied. For some, all it could take is a supposed cut-off in traffic for them to flip their lid.
Countless studies have been conducted into the calming and positive effects of exercise on an angry mind, so if you find you are the one with the beetroot red face and steam bellowing from the ears, bashing the crap out of a pad at a boxing class could be just the thing you need. You will leave feeling big and bad.
Taking your anger out on another person and/or punching bag has benefits beyond mental, too. A solid session of boxing can burn up to a whopping 700 calories. Kapow alright.
HAPPY AS LARRY
God, how good is being happy.
Naturally, it’s great, and when you’re feeling cheery, doing things that are slightly painful (exercising) is a lot easier.
Take advantage of this spritely mood, as it’s probably the choicest time to do a really bloody challenging class – a BodyPump class.
BodyPump is a challenge. It’s considered a functional workout, meaning it will work your whole rig and make you feel pain in areas you did not know existed. It’s certainly one of those classes you’ve gotta be in the right mindset to smash – and if you’re happy, you’ll most likely kill it.
AT ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE
Like feeling happy, feeling balanced is a difficult state to achieve in our modern, hectic everyday lives.
You might be juggling uni, work, a relationship, friends, a dog and a diet, and the likelihood of all of these happening at once is scarce but achievable. Enter: Reformer Pilates.
The perfect combination of balance, strength and quiet, a reformer class will only elevate your well adjusted mood. The benefits of reformer are endless, but most excitingly, the pushing and pulling motions and emphasis on right and left harmony of the body result in a longer, leaner and toned bod. Win, win, win.
HUNGOVER
Let’s cut the crap, there’s a fair chance some of your upcoming Sundays will be spent thirsty, sweaty and above all else, morbidly hungover.
That’s not always a fair excuse not to get some exercise in, though.
(Of course, you should never go near water if you’re still pissed as a fart, but if you’re sufficiently hungover and needing some moisture, a dip in the local pool is ideal.)
Being immersed in water is exactly what a depleted body needs. If you can’t muster up a full-blown breaststroke, pick up a pair of those foams water weights and work on your arms. You can perch yourself up against the pool wall, and do bicep and tricep curls. The water lapping up against your rig and the sun on your back. Heaven.
As y’can see, mood is greatly affected by exercise and vice versa. Aussie gym Fitness First have even conducted an experiment outlining exactly that, which shows how lives (not just bodies) are impacted when fitness is implemented or taken away. Rather than bore you with a written rundown, watch for yourself below and hit up their classes like Barre Attack, Hot Yoga, Mixed Martial Arts and Gymnastics Strength Training to get cha head in the game.
Photo: Bridesmaids.
