On Sunday 6th April I helped Staffordshire student Jack Sexty break a world record. Jack bounced his way into the Guinness World Records for the longest distance on a pogo stick. He also broke the record for the person to travel … Continue reading
Since I have been signed by W Athletics (Europe’s top sports and lifestyle agency), I have filmed in the new MaxiNutrition advert which was filmed back In October 2013. I am one of the girls swimming in this advert, in which we are rein-acting a swimming race. This Maximuscle commercial will be broadcast for one year in the UK and globally online. I hope that this is the first of many commercials I will be featured in.
Tackling hills may seem daunting, but with the right technique and a positive attitude you’ll achieve peak performance every time.
Whether you’re running or cycling, hills are one of the things that most people dread. As soon as a hill is in your view the fun stops, right? Even a short incline can sap your energy and leave you gasping for breath, so it’s no wonder so many runners hate hills.
But it is time to change our view of this. Rather than thinking of them as something to be avoided, see them as a great way to challenge yourself and improve your fitness.
In fact, hill training is one of the most effective ways of sharpening your fitness in a short time. So don’t avoid the hills any longer. Sure, they will test you, maybe to your limit, but the rewards are great.
so how do we tackle hills? Regardless of the size of the hill you’re tackling, take it steady at the bottom, find a rhythm for any variations in incline, and if you’re going to increase your pace, do it towards the top of the hill, to add to your sense of achievement. As you should always be doing whilst running, make sure that you lift your head and look up the hill rather than looking down at the ground in front of your feet. You will find it easier to breathe in a more upright position, and you’ll have a better feel for your progress up the hill if you don’t focus your attention on what’s immediately in front of your feet. Seeing the top of the hill is a great motivator.
One of the main benefits of hill training is that, because it’s tougher than running on the flat, sessions can be shorter. Visualize yourself powering up the hills and then use these encouraging images during your training. I usually try and engage my mind and body to get the best out of each hill session, happy in the knowledge that you can completely relax when the short but intense session is over.
So we have conquered the hill, what do we do next? It is important that we maintain our concentration as we descend from the hill. Running uphill and downhill require different techniques. When you’re running downhill your strides should be shorter-over striding increases the impact on the body- and you should lean back a little rather than being too upright. Reduce your arm movement to help you maintain control, rather than driving your elbows back as you do going uphill.
Yesterday I filmed my own fitness video, focusing on glute exercises. In this video I will show you some of the most effective glute exercises, which will give you fast and effective results.
Featuring in my fitness video is Steve Daniels who is a personal trainer at Sir Stanley Matthew Sports Centre in Stoke. Firstly, Steve mentions the exercises which are more difficult to do, preferably for people who are more advanced in strengthening exercises. After Steve I talk through the easier option of how to do that particular glute exercise.
For those people who are beginners to exercise I would suggest that you start off with the easier options, and gradually build up to the more difficult exercises.
One of my Molly Mabel Popband photographs is now on the Zest website, which specializes in health and wellbeing. Zest is a fantastic website which specializes in a variety of health topics, as well as fitness, healthy eating, sports, beauty, celebrity workouts and challenges.
They have some great tips for anyone into fitness, including Pilates, yoga, tips to help improve your running technique, and many more interesting articles and videos to read and watch.
I really liked their recent article on ‘Could you run the Marathon?‘. After I watched last Sundays London Marathon I decided that within the next two years I want to run in it. My nerves always get the best of me before any competition so it was interesting to read about how to control your nerves whilst running a marathon.
The ‘9 steps to help keep your nerves under control’ would be very beneficial for anyone who is preparing to run in a Marathon.
Whilst this website mainly appeals to women, I think that certain articles and topics which Zest talk about would be of interest to men as well. They include a travel page, which includes a variety of different holidays and getaways to suite all kind of people, such as ‘Take an Arctic challenge, snow port benefits, tough trail runners race through snow and ice, best wellbeing holidays.’’ These are just a few minorities of what Zest has to offer.
There are also a variety of ‘Zest challenges’ which would appeal to both men and women.
Since my first photo shoot for Molly Mabel Popbands they have become increasingly popular. They are a great accessory for any female doing a workout, and they add a bit of glam to your sportswear. These Popbands have now been featured on the Zest blog, which backs up my recent opinion of these Popbands being perfect for workouts.
Popbands have now started to offer a Zest exclusive discount of 30% off throughout April 2013.
Yesterday I filmed my own fitness video, focusing on core strength exercises. I wanted to show some of the most effective core exercises for fast results.
Featuring in my fitness video is Steve Daniels who is a personal trainer at Sir Stanley Matthew Sports Centre in Stoke. Firstly Steve mentions the exercises which are more difficult to do, preferably for people who are more advanced in core and strengthening exercises. Then I talk through the easier option of doing that particular core exercise.
For those people who are beginners to core exercise I would suggest that you start off with the easier options, and gradually build up to the more difficult exercises.
It is important that we do these core exercises correctly so that we do not injure our backs or any other parts of the body. Make sure that your back is fully flat on the floor so that there is no arch in your back. Steve will mention the importance of keeping a neutral spin during these exercises.
After the excitement of todays 32nd London Marathon it is safe to say that is was another magnificent day. It was great to watch the youth Mini Marathon this morning, which got underway at 9 o’clock. There were so many talented youths racing and it just proves what great athletes Britain has for the future.
I was standing at the 400 meters from the finishing line, waiting to watch my younger sister run passed me. Megan ran extremely well. She finished third fastest in her borough and she held a strong position throughout the entire 3 miles.
Megan said: “The crowd at the beginning of the race gave me goose bumps and it gave me such a strong adrenaline rush, which made me more motivated to not give up at any point.
Denise Lewis was at the start line with us all, interviewing a few of us. It was serial to meet her in real life as she has been one of Britain’s top athletes.
I would love to do it all over again next year if I am able to qualify again. Next year I will be in the top age group, which is 17 years of age. I really enjoyed the whole experience today.”
You can listen to my radio package on last Sunday’s Marathon here:
Today my sister will be competing in the 2013 London Mini Marathon. Megan is aged 16 and will be running against some of Britain’s top youth runners.
The course is 3 miles long, stretching from London’s Old Billingsgate to The Mall. The event is open to entrants from the 9 regions of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and will include teams from all 33 London Boroughs.
The London Mini Marathon is sponsored by Virgin and it is the running championships for all qualified young athletes below the age of 17. I think that the Mini Marathon is such a great way of attracting new talented youth athletes. These young athletes will be running in the last 3 miles of tomorrow’s 26.2 mile marathon.
I am really excited to watch my sister compete at such a globally well-known sporting event. It is such an amazing accomplishment for her to qualify, as her main sport is swimming not athletics.
Since Megans qualification for the Mini Marathon in February she has been gradually increasing the amount of running she does per week and steadily upped the amount of mileage she has been doing.
Megan talks about her preparation for tomorrow’s competition and what sportswear she will be competing in. She will be wearing her Molly Mabel wrist bands for good luck.
As I am currently finishing my second year at University and still attend my training sessions most days I understand that time is precious. The truth is that if we organise our time constructively, and then we don’t need to miss out on cooking a healthy and substantial dinner.
I always make sure that I eat well during these busy days so that my energy levels are topped u, which reduces my chances of getting unwell. If we are training or are doing exercise most days then we must give our body the energy it requires for functioning. Skipping meals is not the correct way to lose weight and is not nutritional for those of us burning those calories off in hard working training sessions.
Eating healthily does not have to be as time consuming as you think. Let me start with what I frequently cook when time is not on my side. I always try and make sure that I include protein in one of my meals a day. Vitamin B in protein helps our bodies release energy and aids our body’s recovery.
In order to make sure that I get my five a day I always try and cook a meal where I can mix a variety of different vegetables together, which also makes healthy eating more enjoyable and tasty. After today’s training for the London to Brighton bike ride I cooked a stir fry which only took me half hour to prepare. After I had cut up broccoli, peppers, and red onions and mixed it with green beans and peas, I only had to wait another 20 minutes for it to all cook and it was ready to eat. Whilst taking the time to cut all of the vegetables I placed the chicken in the oven so that it was already starting to cook.
Eating healthily does not have to be a chore. Plan your meals in advance and you will be able to prepare much healthier meals for yourself, which will be beneficial to you a great deal
Last September I cycled 58 miles in the London to Brighton bike ride. Me and the rest of team raced for Brain Tumour UK, which I individually raised £500 pounds for. It was such an enjoyable day, however, 58 miles is a very long and tiring journey to undergo when you’re on a bike for the majority of the day. A lot of preparation and training was sustained before we raced on Sunday 16th September 2012.
I enjoyed the challenge of this event so much that I am cycling in the London to Brighton again this summer on father’s day, Sunday 16th June. However this time round I shall be cycling for the British Heart Foundation. Practise makes perfect so I started training back In February.
As I have said before, a gradual build-up of training is much better for our bodies, so I started off with small bike rides, and every other week I increased my mileage just that bit more. I started off with 3 miles and now I am preparing for the ‘British Heart Foundation’ training bike rides which will be staring next Sunday on the 28th April.
British Heart Foundation have announced that British Cycling will be hosting three training rides open to all London to Brighton Bike Ride participants. As I me and my team are priority participants we have been offered this brilliant opportunity to sign up to these free training rides.
These group rides will be led by experienced British Cycling ride leaders who will be able advise me and the rest of the team on how to make the most of our training so that we are ready for the big day in June. Each ride is approximately 25 – 30 miles along a circular route. The training rides are going to be held on Sunday 28 April, 10am, Redbridge, Sunday 5 May, 10am, Brighton and
Sunday 12 May, 10am, Richmond.
Here are some pictures from today’s cycle.
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