PLASTIC FREE JULY: DAY 31

Day Thirty One:

Do you often grab take-out meals & coffee? Have you thought about the impact all that packaging can have on the environment?

The 31st and final blog on Plastic Free July. I hope you have all taken something from our efforts of sharing ways to lead a less plastic life. I'd like to thank everyone who shared; commented or liked the posts and hope that there have been a few "AHA" moments as I know there were for me along my journey of discovering a less plastic existence. It is never easy to change and it does take time but very small changes slowly turn into habits and before you know it you look back and see how far you have come. You are not always going to get it 100% but even if everyone made a 2% effort to reduce their use of plastic it would have a massive impact on our earth!

Next time you need to grab some breakfast or lunch and you are not in a pressurised rush to get to where you're going then why not just take a breather, slow down, and dine-in. This way you will save on the take-out packaging and your sanity. Slowing down is something our society does not do comfortably and it is adding to stress-related illnesses. Alternatively, of course, if taking out is a must then don't be caught without your re-usable coffee mug; re-usable water bottle; re-usable cutlery and depending on the kitchen, you could even try and take your own container with you to put your food in, leaving zero footprint ;-). Now that's making a difference!

Make a change...
Re-think your thinking...

Pregnancy Workout Options - lunge/step

Here are some of the exercises I like to use with my pre / present / post pregnancy clients. Each week I will put up a new short clip of different movements. This is not a prescription of course, each individual is their own case.

Some things to consider when exercising during pregnancy are:
- your exercise & fitness levels pre-pregnancy
- your current state of well-being during the pregnancy
- what stage of the pregnancy you are at
- whether or not you have any pre-existing or pregnancy related health issues
- how you feel on the day of exercise
All of the above factors affect the type of exercise you would do on that day.

The 3rd movement is the LUNGE/STEP. Building lower body strength is important for many reasons:

- improving fitness climbing stairs

- enabling you to pick things up off the floor and to get yourself up off the floor if needed

- improving your walking fitness

Above is a short clip of different versions of LUNGING/STEPPING. Aim to lower your back knee down towards the ground when lunging, keeping your torso upright and achieving 90 degree angles at the hips and knees.

Pregnancy Workout Options - SQUAT

Here are some of the exercises I like to use with my pre / present / post pregnancy clients. Each week I will put up a new short clip of different exercises. This is not a prescription of course, each individual is their own case.

Some things to consider when exercising during pregnancy are:
- your exercise & fitness levels pre-pregnancy
- your current state of well-being during the pregnancy
- what stage of the pregnancy you are at
- whether or not you have any pre-existing or pregnancy related health issues
- how you feel on the day of exercise
All of the above factors affect the type of exercise you would do on that day.

The first exercise is the SQUAT. Squatting is the best exercise you could do before, during and after pregnancy. When focussing on your breathing technique it is a great exercise to encourage better functioning of your core muscles and of course to work on strengthening your legs and butt.

Below is a short clip of 3 versions of squats, each at a different level of intensity. When doing squats under load you need to make sure you maintain good Intra-Abdominal Pressure, this can be done by taking a sharp diaphragmatic breath in through your nose and holding it whilst you descend into the squat, as you are about to push out of the squat you want to let out a short Tsssss sound (with your tongue on the roof of your mouth and your teeth together gently, not clenched) and slowly continue to exhale as you come back up to standing. Repeat with another inhale before you squat down.