How To Be Fit Now

Let's get fit - people like to make a lot of New Year's resolutions about that.

I’m not one to take too many selfies during a workout à la Adriana but I share some rather fundamental and excellent tips with you that I’ve gathered over the years.

First of all being abroad in a warm place is the perfect place to kick off some fitness or improve on yourself. The heat makes you work harder and when you eventually fly home it will seem much easier. 

Key point – sweat is good. Embrace the sweat.

And obv if you’re embracing sweat you need to embrace water too, lots of it, to keep hydrated. Maybe even a rehydration sachet afterword if you’ve really pushed it.

Sprint training along any road is perfect as it doesn’t need to take long and can be done anywhere.

Try sprinting for 2 lamppost lengths and jogging slowly between one. The changing heart rate is the bomb for fitness and can be done properly in 20 minutes.

Doing smaller intervals up hills is even better. Learn to love an incline. 

Sprinting for 10/20/30 seconds full blast up a steep hill and jogging back down (repeating for as long as you can) is enough to see improvements really quickly.

If you’re abroad and staying by a beach then it’s the perfect surface for fitness, the resistance of the sand making you work harder but you also get to enjoy some cracking scenery. Win-win.

Doing it first thing in the morning is ideal due to it being cooler and there’s not as many sunbathers to avoid as later in the day.

It’s ideal to incorporate strength training alongside any cardio. 

Repeat after me: weights are friends not foe. 

If you want to tone (who doesn't?) then it is so necessary.

I apologise for the following image (and if you've already seen it) but you need to know if you don't already:

From the MTV VMAs in August, on the left a booty owned by Lady Gaga, on the right, something on Miley Cyrus. Take your pick (Gaga does weights).

At home if you’re a member of a gym sign up to some weights classes like body pump to get motivated. 

You’ll find muscles you never knew you had.

Whilst traveling you may be without gym gear but your own body weight does perfectly, including moves such as the classic push up, sit up, plank, lunges, squats and tonnes more moves. If you're at home there are so many youtube videos about quick exercise moves requiring no equipment to make it super easy.

Or how about taking a break half way through a run to find some space and get to it.

Jog on.

xx

Just one thing...

How to look fabulous for the New Year.

Wise words, betches.

Watch this gals

xx

Because Running is Fun...?

So it's that time of year again... Happy 1st December!
And maybe you've signed up for a half or full marathon.
Or maybe you're starting to think that after all these mince pies you should.
Or perhaps you're really not bothered at all.



Well, the beauty of exercise is that there's always some fun version of it, like Zumba – I hear it’s just dancing.
Even though doing a sponsored run is a fulfilling achievement, you may need a little more persuasion to sign up and do it.
Here are where the fun runs come in and there are so many to choose from, all over the UK, all different themes and different distances.



Run in the Dark:

This run raises money for the Mark Pollock Trust which funds spinal cord research. The story of Mark is pretty amazing – a keen sportsman from Northern Ireland until he was totally blind at age 22 although continuing to compete, winning two rowing Commonwealth medals in 2002 and becoming the first blind man to reach the South Pole.
A tragic fall left him paralysed in 2010 although he continues to be a motivational speaker and advocate for spinal research. Check out his website for more information.

The Run in the Dark is a great event which takes place, obviously, in the dark. I did the run in November and can say it was truly amazing. Everyone wears flashing lights and glowsticks so there is a sea of light all around you. Very cool. 

You can either do 5 or 10k and it takes place in multiple cities all over the world – look out for it next year, early places are now on sale.
http://www.runinthedark.org/



The Colour Run:

This cheerful run has four locations around the UK throughout summer taking inspiration from the Hindu Holi festival. Raising money for Stand Up to Cancer it is a 5k untimed run with participants covered in different coloured paints at each km and given coconut water at the finish, what’s not to love? 
Check it out here

Tough Mudder
One for the badasses. Can’t say I have the confidence to sign up quite yet.
It’s a super hardcore obstacle course testing all over strength and fitness of participants. The course is completed in teams and complies of around 12 miles of hellish fire, ice, walls, electric shocks and plenty of mud. If that seems appealing then you’re crazy enough to do it. 
Money goes to Help for Heroes in the UK and the Wounded Warrior Project with worldwide events, and guess what there’s even the option to give an entrance as a Christmas present, now who wouldn’t want to open that on Christmas day? Exactly, get buying.

xx

You're Invited to the Nike Party

So you need some new trainers but don’t know what to get? 

Let’s discuss your options.

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Nike. (But should be).

First up the Free Runs, an easy little shoe but not so good for impact. Personally I'd enjoy wearing causally, exercise isn’t always the aim. Enjoy the following examples, plain black, super brights and patterns are all excellent.

Now the lunarglides, shown as models 3 (black and pink in first photo) and 5 (below). Good supportive shoe if you have knee problems or your feet tend to roll in (overpronate) as you run, like running (or jumping) on air, solid air.

Air maxes. Very edgy. So you should probably buy them if you want to look cool. Also like walking on cushions. So would go well on a hangover. Come in millions of colours and patterns. Very jealous of Victoria Beckham's metallic.

Overall lunarglide is probably best for more intense activity like runs, free runs decent for the gym or casual, and air maxes for casual (and comfy). Yes you could get this information from Niketown, but why do that when you can learn from the comfort of your bed?

Guys can also enjoy this unisex trend so don't shy away from BRIGHTS:

Edgy juxtaposition with the cigarette butts and wine bottle (I claim neither)

Don’t forget there really are other trainer brands than Nike.

Stella McCartney for Adidas is a goody for more chic sneaks.

xxx 

Assisted by Alexandra Barbour  

"Help me I’m poor" – Sport for the needy

Ok so not that needy, but still, money does nada grow on trees and as a current student I am well aware of the need to spend less.

A major concern about where to save the cash is on exercise. Gym memberships also do not grow on trees and frankly even when you do have one how many of the dozens of machines do you actually use??

Let’s explore the treadmill. It is running. Running which can be done anywhere. ANYWHERE. I might just be the biggest proponent of running outside, literally anywhere. Surely it’s much more fun to have a gander around the great outdoors rather than staying in one position staring at the wall in front? But hey that's just my opinion.

You don't get this array of foliage in the gym. Point made.

And then there’s the argument about weather, its raining blah blah. If you want to exercise you want to sweat right? If that’s not the case it’s probably best you just stop reading now. Actually just stop thinking. hush now. So you’re going to shower afterwards anyway right? (right?!). therefore a little extra water shouldn't affect you too much I believe same argument for if it’s muddy or too hot or cold etc.

Then theres the huge array of static exercises you can do at home – weights, core exercises, balancing etc of course not forgetting the lunge.

If you want reason to start, this is it. The bottom line is, if you want to exercise and get fit there is no reason to join a gym.

*I say this already being a member of a gym but that's because it's cheap so if money is not an issue then go for it if you love gyms and hate the outdoors!

xxx

In The Beginning...

This blog was created in the face of an online world which fully embraces blogs with new ones springing up everyday. However, although many of these blogs excel at their own particular focus I became weary with an ongoing slog of fashion blogs where the creator persistently uploads pictures of themselves wearing the newest trends. But what is the point of logging on to emulate someone else? Jog on. 

So, in response The Lunge has been born with an aim to go further with fashion, literally – sometimes we need a physical test on clothes. Alongside a central fashion element is a health and exercise focus that is ever more present in today’s society. Fashion so often overlooks a healthy attitude but I believe that they can be so easily and positively intertwined to mold healthy, fashionable lives.

Linking the two worlds of fashion and health seems the next logical step in exploring today’s trends and lifestyles.

 

The Lunge motto: work out to look beautiful; look beautiful when you work out.

ENJOY

xxx