The World Health Organization defines health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. Fair enough. But what does “wellbeing” mean? Well, according to the dictionary well-being is “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” So health = wellbeing, and wellbeing = health. It’s all just circular gibberish!

When we look around theses days, we can find many definitions and there’s is a reason why.

Every product is being advertised as ‘good for your health’ or ‘a healthy alternative’ and sure, it sounds good but we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what that actually means. And that’s why the marketing works - it’s an empty promise. Though compelling, most terms in the fitness and wellness industry are so ambiguous and vague that even if you don’t see visible results, you can still be fooled into thinking it works. Just think about buzzwords like 'clean eating, detox, cleanse, wellness, optimal, natural' and the list goes on. Have you ever thought about what they actually mean? 
They're all meant to grab your attention in order to get you to spend money on something you don’t need.
As a fitness professional, I’ve learned a lot about the industry over the past two decades - and I don’t like where it’s going. 
The word ‘health’ has been redefined, repurposed and became essentially meaningless. 
Instead, I honestly believe that true ‘health’ should reflect the body’s self-maintaining, self-healing and self-developing properties. But it’s hard to sell a product that you already own ie. yourself!
Being healthy doesn't mean drinking a superfood-shake everyday or spending a ton of money on supplements. It means listening to your body when you need a break, eating food that has recognizable ingredients (think fruit or vegetables), and creating a life that doesn’t leave you exhausted at the end of every day and longing for the next yoga retreat.
The point is, if you like health-related products, that's fine (these are all great ‘options’) but it shouldn't be necessary or marketed as necessary in order to be ‘healthy’.
I believe that certain knowledge about fitness and nutrition should be free and accessible to everyone so we can each form our own opinions on what is best for us.
My mission is to educate people on how and why you should spend time on learning about your health and take charge of it. Simply, because no one else will.

 
​Join me for this 25 Day Summer Challenge!

Staying active and living a healthy lifestyle does not have to be expensive or complicated. One little task each day will help create better habits.

Download your Bingo-sheet, encourage friends and family to participate and keep me posted with comments, pics and data :)

Have fun!

You might have heard of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) - Workouts before - meaning, you do short bursts of intense activity followed by a break. I quite like the idea and use one form called "Tabata" a lot. Invented by Japanese scientist Izumi Tabata, you complete 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds break. It will take you a total of 4 minutes to complete an exercise.

Of course, there are many variations and ways you can go about this but they all have one thing in common:
Short workouts (about 5-15 minutes) can have many of the benefits you get from a typical one hour workout.

Here are the 5 most common ones:

1) Increased blood circulation
2) Increased mental alertness
3) Increased cardiovascular health
4) Acts as a mood stabilizer
5) Makes you feel refreshed and energized

Given the problems people encounter when trying to carve out time for fitness (no time, can't leave the house, no money, etc.) this is a great way to incorporate more movement into your day and become healthier. It will also help you become more aware of your body's abilities and limits.
This is a major part of reconnecting with ourselves and gives us the opportunity to spend some time checking in on what we need.

 Tip: Try your workouts at home!
Grab some basics - like bands or a big bottle of orange juice and work on full-body exercises or just use your body weight.
For low impact: Alternate between step touches and fast squats
For high impact: Burpees
For core: Planks all around (front, right side, left side, back)

Have fun and tell me know about your favourite tabata exercises!