Go with your strengths!

When I first started losing weight, I had no idea how to diet properly, it was too hard and far too confusing! So I chose to focus on exercise first and took up dieting later. 

I was so unfit when I started exercising, as in I could barely run 10 metres without getting puffed, when I was little I'd been a dancer for 9 years and was reasonably fit, but then I quit and it was around about then that I piled the weight on. Other than dancing, I've never been particularly athletic or sporty, I hated group sports in particular. When I started I didn't want to go to a gym, but I had one old yoga dvd  which I was actually capable of doing so that was what I did, every night, for about six months, I only lost about 5 kgs, but the point is by then I was fit enough to try something harder- Zumba. I was a bit gun-shy so I just used the same dvd (Sculpt and Tone from the first collection) every night for 2 months, and lost 15 kgs. Zumba still makes an appearance as my cardio atleast 4 or 5 times per week.  

I've told this story before, but then I thought hey? whose actually going to go searching through old blog posts to hear the lot, other than the seriously curious. 

The point is, most of us start out incapable of exercise, convinced we cannot do it, but as they say if you want to achieve something you've never had, you need to do something you've never done! 

A year or two on and I love exercise, its the answer to weightloss for me and my day just isn't right without it, but again, I bent the rules to make it work for me, I can't work out in the morning, I have neither the energy nor the will, so I work out at night, for about 2 or 3 hours right before bed, thats just what works for me. 

Its worked so well for me that I returned to Tap and Jazz this year, fully confident. 

I dance or go to classes at my gym about 3 times a week, but on an average day at home my exercise regime is:

• Half an hour of deep stretching
• 1- 1 1/2 hours of cardio (either zumba or elliptical)
• Strength, usually against the resistance of my own body, I have all different sets of exercises I've found from all sorts of places covering, Abs, Arms, Inner thighs, butt, overall legs. I particularly focus on my waist,  the back of my arms, butt and inner thighs. From being as overweight as I was, these areas are especially hard to fix, extra skin being a major concern for me. 

I've actually found I lose most weight from working out at home than anywhere else. 

* This is just what works for me as I have a particular body type I would like to achieve. So research, think about the end product, not just "exercise" in general. 

What's a goal without a little motivation?

My favourite fitness idol at the moment is Michelle Leigh Mozek, though I don't share her dreams, I find her determination really inspiring! A link to her facebook and twitter can be found here if you're interested, MichelleMozek.com.  

and my top 5 workout songs (because sometimes, you really need something to get you going!)

Drummer Boy- Alesha Dixon

Na Na Na- My Chemical Romance

Somethings gotta hold on me- Christina Aguilera 

Enter Sandman- Metallica 

Animal- Neon Trees

Remember exercise, eat clean and moisturise!

Good Luck!

Rosie.x