Category: Exercise

Children, Christmas, Diet, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Food, Gym, Healthy Eating, Hobbies, Parents, Photography

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Four

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Four

This weeks ‘celebrating the small things’ is a little self indulgent as I’m unusually pleased with what I have achieved. I’m usually full of self doubt and always see the negatives in what I do which is really counter productive and something I want to try to improve so here it goes:

Happy In My Work- I recently restarted teaching my ladies fitness kickboxing classes which I have found a whole new love for. Teaching was always a huge passion for me but the more children I had the trickier it became to fit this kind of work in and sadly it stopped a few years ago.
Thankfully the New Year has bought with it some lovely faces both old and new that have made my job an absolute pleasure once again.

Weight Loss Going Well – A New Year, restarting my classes and a big hit of self motivation has seen me finally losing some weight.
I wrote a post a while ago on how the past few years have seen me gaining a lot of weigh which has really bought me down and I’m so pleased that over the past few weeks I have seen some changes for the good.
I’ve banished the scales as these are always a source of disappointment for me and have simply used how I look and real as motivation to keep me going.

Looking Back – Last week the lovely Carrisa over at Little Likely Lads tagged me in a post on Insta Stories that needed me to scroll back through my hundreds of photos on Instagram to find my first ever post.
Of course this task had me stopping and looking over all the photos through the years and made me love this social media platform even more.
Moments captured in pictures are hugely important to me and Instagram allows me to see a whole host of my favourite moments in seconds.

Christmas, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Food, Gym

Getting 2018 Off To A Swimming Start

by thejoyoffive3 Comments on Getting 2018 Off To A Swimming Start

Oh yes in only a few weeks all the jollities of Christmas will be over and it will be time to start thinking about the brand new year ahead of us.

After weeks of gorging on mince pies and mulled wine, spending hours in front of the television dipping into the christmas chocolates and feasting on three course meals with the family the first thing on my mind is going to be how to shift all of that winter weight gain!

If I’m completely honest it isn’t just Christmas that is to blame for my expanding waistline it has slowly been creeping on over the past two years and I’m finding it increasingly hard to give off that ‘I’m happy with my body at any size’ vibe!

Over my adult life I have struggled terribly with body image and still harbour a very unhealthy relationship with food that over the years has left me very poorly from under eating and over training to bringing out huge insecurities though talking things to the other end of the scale where I massively over eat and lead a very sedentary lifestyle.

Its not just what I look like on the outside that is an issue, I know I’m currently in a place when I’m not feeding my body as I should and this is leading to me feeling constantly lethargic and lacking in motivation.

My mental health is also bearing a lot of strain as my confidnce has taken a huge battering and I am finding myself avoiding social situations where I might feel intimidated by other women and am making myself feel very isolated at times.

Sitting here writing this has really brought this issue to light for me and although I’m really not a lover of setting New Years resolutions I am going to go into the New Year with a positive mind about getting myself fit and healthy so that I am happy within myself and not letting this have a detrimental effect on my family.

Through a combination of over training in my younger days, being overweight and the general effects of getting older my joints are really feeling the strain these days and I think the best way to get things back on track again is to ease myself into exercise with swimming.

Im not the strongest of swimmers but with even an easy swim burning off up too 500 calories it is certainly a great way to kick start exercise again.

The thought of donning a swimsuit however is filling me with dread but there are some great plus size swimwear options out there to ease the pain.

Once in the pool its not only calories that will be burned; it will also help to boost my metabolism and all the while keeping my joints safe.

Water is also a massive 800 times denser than air so with each push, pull and kick it will give your body a great resistance workout too.

So this new year will hopefully see me facing my fears, changing my way of life and fingers crossed getting some great results!

*collaberated post

Antenatal Exercise, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Parents, Pregnancy

We All Deserve A Body That Works:MUTU Embrace Workshop

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on We All Deserve A Body That Works:MUTU Embrace Workshop

“We all deserve a body that works” these are the wise words from the creator of MuTu System Wendy Powell who has put together a complete body makeover program to help Mums fell better about themselves.

I was lucky enough to be invited along to meet Wendy and spend the morning taking with a group of lovely mummy bloggers about body confidence and trying out a few components from the MuTu System.

The morning kicked off with a screening of the documents movie – Embrace. The movie was made off the back of two before and after photos that were posted by Taryn Brumfitt an Australian mother of three that took social media by storm.

The buzz around these photos was so great due to the fact that Taryn flipped the usual before and after images on their head by showing her honed, bikini competition ready body as the before picture and her softer, heavier picture as here after photo.

The huge media attention from this created such an impact on Taryn that she took off on a round the world expedition to see how woman from of all different ages, cultures and backgrounds feel about their bodies and the results were pretty amazing.

It was a moving, heartfelt and thought provoking movie that really made me think about the way the over 90% with me falling into this category are in fact ‘highly dissatisfied’ with their bodies.

Thinking about the way I perceive my own body I would certainly say that I have a huge amount of hangups and these actually go back to well before my child bearing years.

After childbirth I have gained and lost a lot of weight and really lead a very yo-yo style of dieting and exercising for the past 20 years and have forged a very unhealthy relationship with both of them that I have battled with for a long time.

I am a very all or nothing person and really want to find a balance of healthy, not restrictive eating that can go hand in hand with an exercise plan that is flexible and sustainable.

This is where I was pleasantly surprised what MuTu has to offer as it fits this criteria perfectly.

Simple exercises and easy to follow diet guidelines to fix your body from the inside as well as the outside.

This is where Wendy’s phrase ‘we all deserve a body that works’ really comes into play.

So much emphasis is put on looking good that we tend to neglect the issues that can appear after childbirth such and rather than take the time to fix this we just put up with it.

Carrying and naturally giving birth to five children has certainly taken its toll on my body and after a few pretty unsuccessful trips to my GP who simply handed me a pelvic floor exercise sheet and told me to get on with it, it is by far one of the most important things for me to rectify but I have never made it a priority.

Pantyliners are now just an everyday habit when in reality I shouldn’t have to go day to day with these worries when there are resources out there to help us women to live worry free lives and enjoy time with our family without worrying about any embarrassing leakage.

During our workshop Wendy showed us some simple moves that can be carried out pretty much anywhere with the use of very little equipment and time but could have a huge impact on your day to day life.

Armed with all this information, my MuTu kitbag and bundles of inspiration I headed home to embark on the 12 week program that aims to help you lose your Mum Tum, heal your core and pelvic floor and give you confidence from the inside and out.

The course is easily accessed online where there are simple to follow videos, week by week plans and a food ideas to help you along the way.

I am currently four days in and have already been feeling the benefits.

I’ve not been hungry or felt the exercises were a hinderance to fit in around daily life, in fact I have a new found energy and am hungry to see what each new week will bring.

I will keep you up to date with my progress and will report back here after my 12 weeks are up so wish me luck!

*collaborated post

Children, Education, Exercise, Families, Family Life

Fit To Dance With Disney On Ice And Ashley Banjo

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Last week I got to have a few hours on my own with Oscar to visit Danceworks in West London to take part in a ‘Fit To Dance’ workshop with some lovely performers from Disney On Ice and the dishy Ashley Banjo!

Oscar skipped his way along Oxford Street telling me how excited he was about going to sing and dance until he was confronted with a room full of strangers and his thoughts of being star of the show soon dwindled.

Luckily enough the super friendly skaters made all the children feel at ease and after warming up and a little to much participation from me he soon soon got into the swing of things and was happy to join in independently.

‘Fit To Dance’ is a way to encourage children to dance through the use of story telling which in turn helps them to use their imagination and improve their fitness levels in a fun way.

They got together in a group to chose the story they would like to recreate through dance and each picked a character at be throughout the performance.

With characters named and a story plot in place the children were running, jumping, twirling and whirling around the hall to their hearts content.

After a few practice runs they donned their fancy dress and showed the audience their work.

Oscar was extremely happy with himself and still had a pretty big treat to come.

Fed and watered the children all gathered by the door to await the arrival of two very special guests…Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Their eyes literally lit up and such excitement filled the room.

They all got the chance to meet the cuddly pair and it was certainly a very special treat.

We couldn’t let the afternoon pass without getting a snap of Ashley Banjo too which certainly made my girls very jealous when we arrived home.

The ‘Fit To Dance’ program is available online and is certainly worth taking a look at and trying out at home for yourself.

With Disney On Ice’s Passport To Adventure currently on tour this would really be the perfect way to get yourself ready in the the run up to the show.

Children, East London, Education, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Food, Healthy Eating, Learning

Keeping Kids Hydrated With Fruit Shoot Hydro

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Keeping Kids Hydrated With Fruit Shoot Hydro

Children are like sponges, they soak up everything around them and retain every bit of information they pick up.

So for me this is why it is super important to try and let them experience as many different things as possible at a young age so that they can find things they are passionate about and hopefully take that with them into their adult life.

Robinsons Fruit Shoot are currently running a campaign called #itsmything that is encouraging real kids to celebrate what they are passionate about and through this allow them to channel their creativity and individuality.

To support this fantastic campaign I took my super individual child Izzy along to Castle Climbing in Hackney where Fruit Shoot had put on a fantastic event allowing the children to take part in a 90 minute session of climbing to get them active and try something new.


Izzy is by far my most individual child who will always buck the trend if it is something she feels passionate about is truly a free spirit.

As she approaching those akward teen years it is important for me to keep that zest for life going and hope that peer pressure doesn’t steer her away from trying new experiences.

Izzy confidently set to the challenge of the climbing wall and was happy to have meet up with a friend that she has made through the wonderful world of blogging whilst I went outside to listen to a talk from the highly knowledgable dietitian Jo Travers.


Of course all this fun and exercise is fantastic for young bodies and minds but we need to be aware that it can take a toll on their growing bodies and one of the most important things we can do to keep their bodies and mind fit and active is to keep them hydrated.

For me this a no mean feat and aside from my youngest who guzzles litres of water a day, hydrating the others…especially Izzy is a constant challenge and something as bad as it is I often forget to do!

I took away so much from Jo’s session and it is now my mission to keep us all as a family more hydrated.

Here are a few of Jo’s top tips on keeping your kids hydrated:

The choice of drinks is always a constant battle in our house, especially with the older children who are easily lured towards the unhealthy fizzy drinks as let’s be honest water doesn’t have a great appeal when there are so many other drinks with more flavour readily available.

This is where the clever people from Fruit Shoot have come up with Fruit Shoot Hydro that has all the goodness of water with a hint of flavouring making it much more appealable to youngsters.

It is a naturally flavours spring water with no sugar of artificial colours and comes in a handy sized bottle with a resealable cap, making it perfect for kids on the go.

With my mind buzzing with all this new information I was going to take home and hopefully implement with my family and Izzy warn out and super hyped after her climbing adventure there was a chance to have a delicious lunch and of course sample some of the Fruit Shoot Hydro.

My water dodging daugher was extremely impressed with the flavour and even went back for a second bottle which is pretty much unheard of.

Full up and hydrated our afternoon was bought to an end and we set off home with a fantastic goodie bag full of great stuff to keep Izzy active and a voucher to try out Go Ape which be fantastic in her bid to keep the #itsmything challenge going for that bit longer!

*collaborated post

Charity, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Large Families

Getting Messy At NSPCC Messathon

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Through the course of the year I always like to try and find ways a way give a little back.

Be it a cake sale at school, a sponsored silence or a jumble sale there is always a way to raise funds and I feel it is especially important to include children in this.

We can all get caught up in our own lives and forget about those in a much harder situation than ourselves and this awareness should be bought to the attention of our children in the hope that is will help them to become thoughtful and compassionate adults.

A great way to do this is to find something fun that the whole family can take part in and this is where the NSPCC Messathon is the perfect event for family fundraising.

The clever people at the NSPCC a charity who’s aim is to help neglected and abused children launched their first Messathon and we were lucky enough to be asked along to take part.

The event is aimed at families with competitors as young as four allowed to compete.

We were up early on Saturday morning with Frankie absolutely champing at the bit to get started.

Tshirts and headbands at the ready we made our way to the starting line at Frimley Park  in Surrey for the warm up that got everyone going and eager to get started.

The claxon sounded and each team set off one at a time to make their way around the 2.5km obstacle course.

My super competitive family raced ahead to get going with the fun and I have to admit I was really excited to see what the course had in store for us.

We were faced with hay bales to scale, bubbles to slide through, a water slide to plumit down, a squelchey pool of mud to wade through and so much more.

It was a welcome break from the technological world that seems to take over our life so much and brilliant to have some good messy fun.

It had us in fits of giggles and really bought is together as a family by cheering each other on and helping each other to overcome each of the obstacles.


We bounced out way across the finish line on space hoppers to collect our medals of honour for taking part.

Sufficiently covered in mud and soaking wet we stopped and grabbed a well earned bite to eat from one of the many stalls offering great refreshments.



Everything has been though of at this event to made it fun and stress free to take part as a family.

There were plenty of toilets and changing facilities to get out of your soggy clothes or capes to save your car from the mess if you are unorganised like us!

Plenty of places to keep you entertained before and after the race with face paints and tattoos and an area to educate you a little more on the good work the NSPCC do.

Or simply spend a few hours in the beautiful surroundings the event is held in.

There are still two more Messathons for you to take part in this year with the first one being in Bristol on 29th July and the second in Herts on 19th of August.

If this takes your fancy then I have the discount code BLOGM25 that will save you 25% on your entrance fee if you add it at the checkout. 

We are now champing at the bit to take part again and I would love to know of any of you decide to have a go yourselves!

Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Kids Days Out

Little O’s At Oxygen

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Little O’s At Oxygen

Any of you that read my blog regularly will know that I am not a huge fan of soft play.

It’s sometimes needs must as a parent but spending time there…especially with my youngest two brings me out in a cold sweat!

I’m always looking for alternative indoor activities that the children will enjoy, keep them entertained and most of allows them to let off some steam.

Recently Oxygen Freejumping Trampolining Park has come to Croydon and unlike most trampolining parks we have visited there is a session dedicated to five and unders.

The other week we doned our yellow grippy socks and went along to see if it was something Oscar would enjoy.

After a quick health and safety video we were given free run of the trampolining park from the free jumping zones, airbag runway, huge foam pit, soft play area and so much more.

Oscar was kept amused for the full hour and loved being able to move freely to and from whichever area happened to take his fancy…with the airbag runway being his favourite section.

As well as being bags of fun it helps to improve their motor skills and flexibility, helps them gain confidence and most of all is a brilliant workout in disguise!

The sessions last an hour which is the perfect amount of time the keep this age group entertained and a good coffee area to grab a well deserved treat after all their hard work.

We went along specifically for the Little O’s sessions but they also offer great activities for older children and adults too.

I was particularly interested in coming back to try out the Bear Grylls obstical course that is a great alternative to most fitness sessions.

Please let me know if you decide to try any of the activity sessions out as I would love to know how you get on.

 

Beauty, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Festivals, Holidays

Relax And Regroup At Camp Bestival

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Relax And Regroup At Camp Bestival

Last year was our first time at Camp Bestival and we were a little overwhelmed with the amount of fabulous stuff going on; So much so that there were a few areas that we didn’t really make the most of, with the Slow Motion area being one of them.

Last year was all about the kids for us really and all our activities were planned around them. What would have been fabulous would be to get a little break from the excitement and take a little time out for ourselves.

Slow Motion has a range of massage treatments from sports massage to reflexology, Reiki sessions that you can go along to on your own or with your children or a relaxing and revitalising Shiatsu massage that will help you restore the calm and leave you ready to enjoy the rest of the festival.

The indulgence doesn’t stop there though. The Transformation Station allows you to get away from the communal showers and hop into a solar power shower and treat yourself to the use of a hairdryer and straighteners which I know is something missed by a lot of people when camping!

From here you can head over and enjoy getting your hair braided, some nail art done or get really festival ready with some super cool body and glitter art by the talented Jingo.

I know that after a few days of one to many G&Ts and lots of indulgent food my body was craving something a little healthier and this is the perfect place to grab some healthy and nutritious food and drink.

Something my husband was keen to try last year was the nature run. It’s a perfect way to set yourself up for the day and allows you to step off site for a while and take in the beauty that surrounds Lulworth Castle with the chance to clear your head and slip in some peaceful meditation too.

I know this is a must for us this year and I’m sure something that would be a big pull for many busy parents.

 

Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life

Getting Kids Active In The Great Outdoors

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Getting Kids Active In The Great Outdoors

A while ago now I wrote a post about the sad decline in outdoor play and it is still something that I am very passionate about.

Getting outside has a huge number of benefits; many of which you might not have even considered:

  • Boosts Mood all children have some level of stress or anxiety, even if it isn’t glowingly obvious to us as parents. By getting out into the sun they can get a boost of serotonin from the sun that will help to lift their mood and help them release some of those feel good chemicals.
  • Sleep Stimulation the brain contains the pineal gland that is stimulated by the sun. This helps with promoting sleep so anything that can help induce this is a winner in my book.
  • Improves Vision it has been found that children who play for extended periods outside have better distance vision than those that play inside.
  • Builds Social Skills without the use of electronic stimulation or other distractions, being outside makes it easier for children to come together, socialise and make strong friendship groups.
  • Builds Immunity that old favourite ‘the five second rule’ is always used in our house and I really don’t worry to much about a bit of dirt. Getting ourside and getting dirty allows the immune system to build itself which in the long term will help your little ones fight off the bigger nasties that childhood brings.

For me though the biggest benefit to outdoor play is exercise.

With obesity increasing twofold in the past decade it is down to us as parents to educate our children on the effects of exercise and try to get them into our everyday lives.

What child doesn’t love a trip to the park to jump on the play equipment and have fun.

They are having fun whist exercising and not even knowing what wonderful benefits it is having on them.

Outdoor play equipment allows children to build their gross motor skills, promote well being, build self confidence and put in those foundations for healthy living habits for life. 

What do you do to get your little ones out in the great outdoors?

*collaborated post

Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Flowers, Gardens, Kids Days Out

My Top Five Places For Snowdrop Hunting In Surrey

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One of the biggest things I love about the UK are our changing seasons. 

I may moan continually about the amount of cold weather we have here but once those first signs of Spring start to show I get super excited about the warmer weather we have to look forward to, and start plans for when we are going to get out and enjoy the longer days and the glimmers of sunshine.

For me one of the first signs that Spring is on its way is the arrival of the pretty snowdrops and here are my top five places to go and enjoy them for the short time they are around.

Gatton Park, Reigate

We took a trip to Gatton Park the other day as always were really pleased with the display of snowdrops and pretty yellow aconites that cover the banks and are scattered throughout the stunning Japanesse gardens.

There are often activities put on for the children too. We didn’t see any on our trip last week but enjoyed some snowdrop related crafts last year.

Painshill, Cobham

Painshill is a favourite destination for us at Christmas time but is also very special at this time of year.

You can take in the sights of the beaufiful spring flowers whist visiting the stunning crystal grotto and gothic towers that Painshill is so rightly famous for.

Wisley, Woking

The snowdrops at Wisley cover a few different areas and are a beautiful sight to see.

Whist you are there a trip to the butterflies is a must, as well as taking in the sights of the vast, gorgeously cultivated gardens.

Polsden Lacey, Great Bookham

The magnificent home and gardens of Polsden Lacey make the perfect home for a beautiful trail of snowdrops that line Lime Walk all the way from the reception to the grounds at the back of the house.

A trip to the adventure playground is also well worth a visit!

Winkworth Arboretum, Godalming

Another National Trust favourite for snowdrop hunting is Winkworth Arboretum that hosts thousands of varieties covering the beautiful grounds that are perfect for exploring at this time of year.