I find it hard sometimes to stay motivated during a workout, the best solution-MUSIC! The right music can immensely effect you workout. it can help you get motivated, remind you that there's not long left in the work out and can make you push harder. I love the music that the guys play in the gym, they have Spotify hooked up to these massive set of speakers so the music fills the entire gym! What makes it better is that they don't have set tracks organised for the class, so no one knows whats going to come on.


Music doesn't just motivate me but it keeps my mind off the workout as well, if that makes sense. One day we were doing burpees, as many as we could for three minutes. To make it harder we did them with a 5 kg plate, once the first minute passed I was feeling the burn! But I loved the song that was on, I started singing it (badly and out of tune haha) and before I knew it the three minutes were up!

Also, music is great for helping people to control their breathing! I remember I used to sing along to the songs we used to dance to in dancing. Surprisingly you don't get as out of breathe as easily while singing as your not focused on trying to manage your breathing your doing it naturally.

Music is a great tool for managing time, using songs to control how long you walk, jog, run for is very useful. I will outline below what songs are best for walking, jogging and running to.

I have loads of songs I like to workout to, and different ones for different types of workouts. Today I am just going to outline the tracks I like when I go for a run.

Okay so for a Run:
I love anything fast paced, with a good strong beat.
1. The Greatest by Sia, is one of my top running tracks at the moment. One of lyrics reads,
'running out of breathe, but I got stamina'- These words literally keep me moving!! I usually play this towards the end of my workout as a reminder haha!!

2. Move your body by Sia (Alan Walker Remix). Another song by Sia I only discovered recently, but the beat in the middle will honestly help you turn that jog into a run. it's fast paced. It does take a while for it to kick in. Thats why its a good song to use at the start of a run, use the start to walk, slowly increasing your pace until the beat kicks in and then use that as your starting point to run.

3. False Alarm by The Weeknd is a good one for the start of your workout, the song slowly builds up to the chorus where you can start running, it also slows again after the chorus, making this an ideal track for sprinting to as well as you can use the fast paced chorus as your cue to sprint.

4. My Way by Calvin Harris, perfect track for the middle section of your workout its steadily paced the whole way through, also the lyrics will help you to control your breathing which at this point will need to be managed to avoid panting!

5. Would I lie to you baby (Radio Edit) by David Guetta, Chris Willis and Cedric Gervais. A good middle section track as well, I always put this on just before Sia the Greatest, when I know the end is near! I don't know why I love this track so much, its just undoubtedly catchy! Play this if you need help finishing out your run! The beat is class, I usually find myself dancing rather than running haha!!

6. Finally the cool down, this song rarely changes for me, I like listening to the same song to help slow down my breathing again, bringing my run gradually from a run to a jog. Embarrassingly, it is always True Colors originally by Cyndi Lauper, Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake have done a cover of this for the new film Trolls, I love the original but the cover is really good too! At the end of my workout I usually listen to Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake version, since I listen to it so much I wouldn't mind getting sick of their version I wouldn't want to ruin the original for myself! I don't know why but this song just brings me back to reality after a workout, helping me to feel motivated for the day ahead at the same time if I workout in the eve it clears my mind after a mental day!

Some honorable mentions:
Obviously I don't just listen to those tracks but they're my fave at the moment, however I used to love One Dance-Drake, Side to Side-Ariana Grande, In Common-Alicia Keys, Up&Up (Freedo Remix) Shout out to my Ex is the newest to my playlist, love a bitta GIRL POWER! I know all my workout tracks are chart based but if they weren't they wouldn't be catchy enough to sing to! haha!

I know I haven't done a food diary specific update in ages. With so many changes to my diet I have honestly found it difficult to have any interest in food. By no means am I eating healthily but I am following the low fodmap diet, So I figured even though it wouldn't do anyone who doesn't suffer from IBS any help but for those on this diet I thought that outlining what I have been eating might help others to recognize triggers and I have some helpful tips as well to get us through this! Being into fitness and eating clean is horrible for anyone suffering from IBS obviously we can keep exercising but whether our hard work will actually show is another story.

I am a creature of habit, meaning I basically eat the same thing everyday, which to some people is bizarre but I actually don't get bored of eating the same thing I am just thankful that I like it and that it suits the fodmap diet. So outlining just one day will probably give a good enough idea of how the rest of my week follows.

Breakfast:

Is always tea and toast #boring
However for other tea lovers out there like myself, it has to be decaffeinated tea! Caffeine doesn't sit well with our tummies. Something I didn't know before visiting the dietitian. I drink an unnecessary amount of tea but I was just relieved I didn't have a coffee addiction I was going to have to try get rid of! It does affect you for a couple of days I suffered from headaches from the change, but once those few days pass you won't even realzse that it is decaf tea!

Lunch:

At the moment is usually a ham toastie, with brown bread and no cheese. With decaf tea and a bag of salt and vinegar taytos. Before this diet I had totally exiled taytos and chocolate from my diet Monday - Friday. Being advised to have taytos and chocolate was honestly stressful I didn't want to fall back into bad habits, but I have to try and remind myself this is to manage my IBS symptoms. I am going to enjoy it as much as I can! Have those taytos without feeling guilty!

Snack:

Decaf tea and malteasers or a crunchie bar. My dietitian advised me to bring the 'fun size' versions of these with me to college to snack on. So that's what I have been doing :)

Dinner:

This meal has been torture, and not for me for my poor mom, I still live at home and she makes me my dinner, she has honestly been so supportive and helpful. My relationship with food has been bad since I was a child I think it is only now that I am realizing how tough it was for her to feed me my mom knows I am trying and shes been helping me by making me plain Jane dinners. Which has mainly consisted of plain chicken and oven chips. #tasty

Takeaways:

No Chinese allowed! Chips from the chipper or Mc Donalds surprisingly are the best takeaways to have if your having one. Something interesting that I learned also from my visit to the dietitian was athletes after a meet or competition would eat Mc Donalds afterwards as it is the most unlikely food to upset their stomach. I didn't think it made much sense but when my symptoms started a couple of months ago, the only actual meal (doesn't include toast) I didn't feel ill after was Mc Donalds.

By eating like this my symptoms have definitely decreased, however so have my energy levels! But I would take eating like this over feeling sick any day!

Tips:

• Drink loads of water.
• Nothing spicy, think Plain Jane!
• Onion and garlic are not your friends! I was a huge Hunky Dory (cheese and onion) lover, but I had to substitute them for salt and vinegar and I'm only allowed the tayto brand. 
• Exercise has definitely helped! I felt nauseous before crossfit today and after the workout I was an entirely new person!
• Stress! Stay away from it. My mom always says pressure is for tyres, don't let stress in it only activates the symptoms. I've a few assignments building up now and I can feel the stress impacting my body already, it is so important to recognize this, your body is telling you to take a break! Listen to it!
• For anyone into protein bars, I used to love the fulfill cookies and creme, haven't been physically able to actually eat one without feeling sick in ages, don't know why but I am going to bring it up with my dietitian in my next appointment just out of curiosity. I found them handy to have in my bag when I craved a chocolate bar- not that that necessarily matters anymore! haha! 
• Oh and don't look up your symptoms online or this diet it will give you details of a diet that is gluten free and all that. My dietitian assured me that I didn't have to follow those guidelines. 

If your reading this and think you may have IBS, go to your doctor they will diagnose you and probably refer you to a dietitian, I didn't even think I had IBS, to be honest I didn't leave it into my mindset because I used to find it embarrassing. I am not quite over it yet but I'll get there. I know it is annoying but in the long run you will feel much better! Also remember everyone is different what I can't eat others might be able to, it is all about finding what works for you and what makes you feel good :)

Hope this shined a light on the diet I am following I will do an update post again after my next trip to the dietitian!

Happy Tuesday! Hope yere week started good!

I spent today mainly doing college work, trying to get organised for the next few weeks with assignments due and all that!

Last week was mental health week, I only found out today and it triggered this idea that so many people go unnoticed. I didn't even know about mental health week until after the fact, I feel like that is the exact attitude that is attached to metal health issues, they are always after the fact- after someone hurt themselves or has to come to the point of feeling like there is no way out. Between crying in bathrooms to anxiety attacks in class and these people will come out of the bathroom not a tear to be seen the same as when they leave a classroom, cool as a breeze. I think its scary how well these symptoms for lack of a better word go unnoticed by us. These people are our friends/colleagues I think it is time we start noticing when someone might need a helping hand.

All in all, if you are suffering no matter how silly you think you might be, talk to someone you trust be it a friend, family member, or even a member of staff at school- there is always going to be someone there. I know some people say that talking does nothing, its pointless but at least you know that someone out there has your back if your having an off day you've someone you can trust to turn to, not even to talk to to just hang out with.

It may be hard but find a way in your own time to break through the negativity, be it through exercise, writing, reading or playing music the opportunities are endless. Also, fill your life with people that you love, people who are fun, motivating and who support you! Be ambitious in every aspect of your life- the sky's the limit.

One more piece of advice that has always stood to me- don't listen to what other people say, go with your gut if you believe in it, it will happen. Having this attitude was the only way I could bring myself to starting this blog. Taking that leap for me was a big one and I haven't looked back since. I love writing about health, fitness and well-being! Seeing that even one person has read a blog post is the best feeling, I hope that anyone who reads this takes something positive from it, be it a small bit of motivation, determination or even inspiration.

College work has totally gotten the better of me, so I haven't set any time for writing in ages!
I was going to go for a run this eve but instead I think I am going to try and write a couple of blog posts to have ready to publish during the week.

So this post is going to be about my trip to the dietitian, about two weeks ago.
Long story short, I was recently diagnosed with IBS, a.k.a Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It is something I find very embarrassing and was even feeling apprehensive about writing about it. But I figured if I feel like this there is definitely others who feel the same so hopefully I can help people to not feel so ashamed by it.

IBS doesn't just come on you, it is a condition caused by stress and irritated by food basically. When my Grandad died, the pains started, because of all the stress and worry that time in my life brought on me. It was hard to believe how much I was affected physically as well as emotionally.
Anyway, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with IBS, so then I was referred to a dietitian. Who basically advised me to follow a low FODMAP diet. I still don't fully understand it myself, but the main thing I took from the consultation was that for now its going to have to be okay to eat the sugary foods. For example I love weetabix with a sprinkle of milled linseed in the mornings. I was told to stick to rice krispies and coco pops instead. As well as that salt and vinegar taytos and malteasers have become my new best friends! I hate eating like this but if its going to cure the IBS I am going to just have to stick it out for another few weeks.

I'm not in pain as often as I used to be, which is good it is partly food but also I have tried really hard to not get stressed. Another reason why I joined Crossfit. Its a place where I can focus all of my worries, writing helps a lot as well even this blog post is making me feel better.
To anyone else suffering with IBS your not alone I know it sucks and its incredible embarrassing but if you don't come to terms with it you'll never feel better!

My Dad thought it would have been the best thing for me to hear I can eat toasties and taytos to my hearts content-guilt free. But it was honestly the worst thing I could have heard during my consultation I spent two years getting rid of those bad habits, surviving on toast taytos and chocolate. Don't get me wrong I am allowed other food mainly chicken and oven chips- everything has to be plain! Also another weird thing, the only takeaway I'm allowed is Mc Donalds or chips from the chipper! I'll see the diet out and hope for the best. I have a review check up at the end of the month I will write a post all about it!

For now, wish me luck with it!
Talk soon,
Robs XO