Hannah:
Welcome back Burn Pod listeners. Today’s episode is all about getting moving. And what we’ve been doing is putting up some little moving videos, some exercise shots, and a little bit of an exercise workout plan across our socials over the last couple of weeks. And we thought we’d just sort of line up a bit of a get moving tips. This is going to be part one of a two part series, and we’re really excited to bring in to the podcast, a number of our current instructors. What we’ve got them to do is have a chat to us about what tips they have or what tricks that they use that helps them get moving. Maybe overcome any motivational slumps and maybe incidental movement. So they’re actually getting that body exercising, moving a little bit more than maybe they wouldn’t otherwise. So what we’re doing, we’re putting this all together for you all, and we’re really excited and really hopeful that this is going to give you a few little tips and tricks to get you guys to move a little bit more as well. So let’s get stuck into it.
Shani:
My name is Shani and I started as a BurnTheory studio manager earlier this year, aside from BurnTheory classes, my go-to forms of exercise are hot yoga, bush walking and running. I love a morning class. I come out of it feeling pumped and ready for the day. Plus it means that my exercise is done and I feel like I’m kicking goals early on. However, getting out of bed, especially when it’s cold and dark in the mornings can be super challenging. So I find that packing my bag and laying out my exercise clothes the night before means that it’s a little bit easier to roll out of bed and go. Having a little checklist by the door also means that I don’t have to think, and I can just get ready on autopilot. I therefore have no excuse not to go. And I get a few more minutes of sleep.
My second tip to get moving is talking to people on the phone and going for a walk at the same time. So all of my family live interstate, which means that I’m often on the phone chatting to various people. I take the opportunity to go for a walk and even if I’m not walking fast, it’s still getting me some movement and some fresh air. And I also find that I end up talking to people for longer, rather than feeling like I need to rush off and do the next thing. If it’s too, we need to talk to somebody clearly outside. Then I will jump on the phone roller or do some simple stretches instead, just to make sure that I am getting some movement in during that conversation.
My third tip is that cooking can sometimes feel like a chore in the evenings, especially if I’m tired after a long day. So when I’m stuck, standing by the stove, making sure that the rice doesn’t boil over or the pasta sauce doesn’t stick to the pan. I pop on some tunes and do a few squats, calf raises and lunges, a low packed [inaudible 00:03:18] is also great. And if I’m not full of beans or really do need to be stirring, whatever is on the stove so it doesn’t stick and burn then taking a bit of a stretch is also a really fantastic way of filling those few minutes. Even something as simple as some gentle neck rolls and shoulder shrugs helps to release some tension and it makes me feel good. It’s a great thing to do. My final tip is that I aim to make my catch-ups with friends, something that incorporates movement. So pairing a bakery class or a walk or going to a park run with a cuppa means that we get to keep each other accountable in our exercise. And we also get to hang out together too. So it’s a win-win situation.
Danni:
Hey, it’s Danny. Couple of tips for you to get moving that have worked for me. So number one, if I don’t really feel like moving my body, but I know it’s going to be good for me, what I do is I just set out to go for a five minute walk and often that five minute walk will turn into something a little bit longer, but if it doesn’t, at least I’ve achieved my goal of just moving my body for five minutes. So I love to do that. I also love to download an awesome podcast that I’m really interested in or arrange to talk with a friend on the phone whilst I’m going for a walk and on the topic of friends, I find it really useful to organise some movement with a friend. So maybe you’re going for a walk together. Maybe you are doing a class together and then catching up for coffee. I find that’s so useful in accountability.
I also like to set really realistic goals. So especially if you’ve had a little bit of a break from exercise, maybe don’t set a goal of attending one class a week for the whole week or two classes a day, but set a simple, realistic goal because you feel so good about yourself when you actually achieve your goals. So make them small, make them realistic to start with and something that I like to do, cause I love walking is either walk to work or walk to my class or just parking a little bit further away. I know it’s kind of harder to do in winter or if it’s raining, but if the opportunity is there, I do love to walk and yeah, just do something that you enjoy doing.
I also like to think about how I’m going to feel once the class is done. So sometimes, especially in the mornings, it can be hard to get out of bed and go to your class, but have a think about how awesome you’re going to feel after and just do it. I’m sometimes quite bad at just overthinking things like, do I go, do I not go? But I find it so useful just to be like, okay, we’re going, just put that in my brain. We’re going, we’re doing the thing. How are we going to feel after we’re going to feel amazing? So let’s get it done.
Jenna:
Hi, my name’s Jenna. And I’m one of the instructors at BurnTheory. I feel very lucky to be able to exercise alongside you ladies down the road throughout the week. It is really a highlight for me. At home, I’ve actually got two young children. I’ve got a little girl called Lucy who turned one in April. And I have a little boy called Travis, who is now three years old. So exercising at home looks very, very different to when I’m able to devote my whole brain to it down at BurnTheory. So at home, some of the best ways I’ve found to be able to stay active. They basically, if I can involve play, it makes it much more achievable goal. So for example, if I lay on the floor, I might have preferably Lucy because she is lighter, but I’ll have her on the tops of my legs in tabletop and I can extend my legs in and out to do some ad work with her. She thinks she’s flying like Superman. I’m actually just giving my abs a good workout while keeping her entertained. So it’s a win-win in that kind of scenario.
You can run laps around the backyard and if you’re just running laps, it’ll be dead boring for the kids. But as soon as you tell them, it’s a race you’ve bought yourself a good little patch of time there to get in some cardio. Going for walks with the kids, pushing the pram obviously that’s a bit of an additional weight there. So it is good exercise, especially if you live up where I do where you either have to go up a hill at the start or the end of the walk, there’s absolutely no way around it. And Travis can ride his bike alongside me.
Another fun one that you can do is also just laying on the floor and having the kids sit on your hips and you can do hip lifts with them there. You can do pushups with them on your back and as ridiculous as this is going to sound to somebody who might not have a child, if they actually sit down and wrap themselves around your legs, you can just walking with them, hanging onto your legs. Although that is going to sound so ridiculous, but it’s a good workout believe it or not. So yeah, I suppose if you can involve the kids and make it fun, you can actually sneak in quite a bit of active time at home.
Something else that I think that you do need to do, obviously when you become a mother, you have to shift your priorities. What you think is important in life might change, so for me, I have always made a conscious effort to prioritise my physical fitness. This is because I essentially, I want to be able to be fit and strong, to keep up with my kids, to be able to run around with them. I’d like to them to have those memories of me as they grow up, being able to be running alongside them. Yeah. That’s important to me. And I think it’s also sets a good example for them. So they see what I do and then they can hopefully exceed that, that’s something that they can do for themselves as they grow and something that can he keep them feeling really good. It’s obviously a good little mental health boost as well. If I’ve had a stressful day or anything like that, and that applies with, or without kids, I just think that the mental impact of physical exercise shouldn’t be ignored. It’s so important.
So another reason that I’ve always tried to prioritise staying fit and healthy, even though I’ve got a whole lot more on my plate now than I did three years ago, believe me. So, yeah I think that’s essentially the reasons how and why I keep moving the way that I do. Even when I’m planning classes, I’ll be in the kitchen, trying out a few moves, seeing how they flow together. And then a little bit later I’ll look around and I’ll see Travis doing something that looks a little bit like what I was doing. Maybe not quite, but yeah, I’ll say, what are you doing, buddy? And he, oh, I’m just doing some exercise mum. And I think, that’s so cool because they really do see and they watch and they take up so much of what you are doing. So if you can remember the good example that it sets for them as well, there’s another little boost to make sure that you stay active and yeah, take the kids along for the ride where you can.
Mon:
Hi I’m Mon and this is how I get moving. So my first thing that I do is I get up early to get it done. So after a hectic day at work I often find that it’s easy to want to either keep on going with work or go home and just chill. So I found if I book up a class early and get myself ready before I go to bed, I’m more likely to go in the morning. And when I finally sit down at my computer, my body feels less stuffy. I’m in a better mood and I don’t have to rush around at the end of the day.
My second tip is owning my body in the movement is actually needs. So again, it feels so easy to fall into the trap of, I should be doing something high intensity or boxing, which I absolutely love. But on days when you’re feeling tired and overwhelmed, that’s probably not going to be the best thing for your system. So I find on days like that, a nice little home yoga flow, or I walk with the dog is exactly what I need to move my body and calm my system down.
My third one is leaving my desk for lunch. So I find in the industry that I’m in, we fall into the track of eating at our desks a lot. And this means that I make a really conscious effort to go for a walk during my lunch break, just to go somewhere to eat my lunch. It doesn’t have to do far from the office, just a little bit of distance so I feel like I’ve moved and often have a much better afternoon because of it.
And my fourth one is finding a tribe that you love to move with. And I think this one’s a really important one and a really big part of it, so every class that I turn up to as a client or as an instructor is filled with familiar faces and laughs, and being in a room full of strong and real woman who loved to chat makes the exercise seem more like a social thing and less of a chore.
Chrissy:
Hey guys, it’s Chrissy here. I’ve been a BurnTheory gym instructor for just over a year now. Aside from teaching my BurnTheory classes, my top three favourite ways to keep active are probably hiking, dancing, and playing tennis. I do have a few tips though that I use to help me keep moving in everyday life that I’m going to share with you today. First one being walking my puppy, I think most of you now know that I have a new puppy. His name is Tommy. He’s a legend. He loves to go for a walk and explore the world as new puppies do. So we’ll go for short walks or if we’re feeling adventurous, we’ll go to the beach for longer ones, depending on the day. However, as the weather has been a little bit cold and rainy lately, we’ve also started to play this chasing game inside the house. He absolutely loves it. And it’s actually a really big workout. So running around, chasing the dog for 15 minutes, it really gets that heart rate up. So I definitely recommend that if you have a puppy or a dog at home.
I also go for long walks and listen to audio books. It’s a great way to get your steps in and also stimulate the mind at the same time. Sometimes if I’m listening to a really exciting chapter as well, it makes me walk for longer so that motivates me to get more steps in without even realising it. Thirdly, I like to park further away from my destination than I need to. So generally these days, when I go into town, I’ll park about four to five blocks away. It all started because I didn’t want to pay for parking. And then I realised I could get exercise in as well. So by doing this, you can add about 10 to 15 minutes of walking to your destination, 10 to 15 minutes back. So all up about 20 to 30 minutes of walking, which is great. I also generally park up the top of a hill just for that extra challenge on the way back.
So my last tip would be to dance. I love dancing, and I I think everyone loves a boogie. So sometimes I’ll just play a banger in my house and I’ll just dance in the living room for about 10 minutes. Dancing is one of those things that just make you feel good, while you’re dancing and also after you’re on a high. So put some music on that inspires you. It’s a bit like boxing, really. So you get the benefit of the workout, which is amazing, but you also might be releasing some stress or emotions that you’ve been holding onto that day. So yeah, pop some music on and have a dance.
Hannah:
And they have it. Everyone. We hope that you’ve found some really great tips for getting that body moving. Even if it’s tips just to incidentally move, or if it’s tips to sort of overcome that motivational slump or slumps that happen and getting that body going and getting into that exercise programme or that class or whatever it may be that you are looking to do a little bit more of. And we are going to get into get moving tips part two on the next episode until then have a wonderful rest of your day.
