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I do get asked this question a lot by my members and it requires a careful answer. It is safe to exercise every day but it entirely depends on the level you are working at. It is fine to exercise but not at a high impact level every day. You need to think about why you are exercising so much and your motivation behind it. If you find an exercise which you enjoy and it isn’t at too intense a level then that is fine such as walking or yoga. You also want to take into consideration the length of time of each session – ultimately you want to find a routine that optimises your efforts and doesn’t undo them, remember the importance of rest and recovery for fitness gains and to avoid injury.

Regular exercise provides a whole heap of benefits to our overall wellbeing –  it helps protect against many chronic diseases, aids weight management, lowers blood pressure, improves heart health, improves sleep and mental health etc etc.  It improves our muscle and bone strength as well as our memory and brain function. A daily commitment to movement can improve our lives in so many ways and the benefits are as much mental as they are physical.

However…too much exercise also has some very real negative factors – so why do we need rest days? Rest days are vital especially if your fitness routine revolves around high intensity exercise. You need rest days to benefit from your workouts. Why? When you exercise especially at a high intensity you break down muscle tissue. If you do not give your muscles adequate time to repair and are overtraining you put yourself more at risk of injury and illness. Your muscles also need time to refuel and replenish their glycogen stores. 

On top of this if you don’t rest you will lose your motivation and be more at risk of “burnout” and in the long run your fitness levels as well as your performance will suffer. Rest days don’t mean that you have to completely stop all moving! Once again walking, yoga, gentle cycling, swimming are all good – any exercise which isn’t putting your body through undue stress.

If you are worried that your exercising has become obsessive try to take some time away from the gym, decrease the time of your workouts and find other forms of low impact exercise which you enjoy i.e. tennis, swimming, walking, gentle cycling, yoga. Think about why you are exercising too much – is it that you simply enjoy it or is it weight focussed?  Try to build in your rest days and find alternative hobbies alongside your fitness which you enjoy daily so that you really are allowing your body time to recover and repair – it will thank you for it.

A great exercise schedule that I would recommend to my clients would be along these lines – 30-40 minute workouts 4x a week – a mixture of medium to high impact workouts for example on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday interspersed with lower intensity workouts once or twice a week (such as jogging, swimming, cycling, yoga, Pilates) with either a mobility stretch session or long walk on the weekend. The high intensity sessions could be either strength or cardio focussed but I would definitely recommend at least two strength-based sessions a week, you can alternate upper body and lower body sessions.

I do not recommend more than 3 sessions of HIIT workouts per week and would advise one day of complete rest of any high impact exercise. Alongside this routine I advise clients to focus on getting 7/8 hours of sleep per night and eating a balanced diet, drinking lots of water and watching their alcohol levels. Keeping your workouts varied is also key!! And finally enjoy your exercise, see it as enjoyment rather than a chore and if you find something you love you are more likely to stick with it and be consistent. 

I might be biassed but I LOVE a home workout so I have plenty of tips for waving goodbye to busy gyms and expensive fees and getting stuck into some brilliant home workouts. No matter where you are on your fitness journey, a home workout can really benefit your fitness. So what are my top tips for exercising without going to a gym?

1. If possible, find yourself a dedicated area in the home to become your workout space. It doesn’t need to be set up all the time but have a place that you know works, where you can roll your mat out and get started. It can be as simple as the corner of the living room, a space in the garage or if you have the space perhaps in a spare room. You don’t need much room at all, just the size of the mat really.
2. Invest in a couple of pieces of kit – people always ask what they need to get started and it isn’t much at all but they are key to success! My key pieces of equipment are a mat, a short looped resistance band and a set of light (approx. 2kg) dumbbells – you can increase the weight gradually as you build strength over time (you can read my blog on this here). If you’re not ready to start with weights you can start off with bodyweight only and then add in some water bottles until you’re confident to purchase the weights.
3. If you’re new to exercise or want to shake up your routine it’s a great idea to follow an online programme. My platform has 4 live workouts a week as well as an express class series, the In Ten series and a library of on-demand classes. It is always helpful to have someone to guide you through the workouts and exercise and to give you that motivation boost to keep going and keep you accountable. 
4. Plan plan plan – plot out at the start of each week where you can fit your workouts in (remember you don’t have that gym commute now so you’ll be saving some time there!). Try to carve out enough time and then stick to it – tick them off as you go, it’s quite satisfying! You’ll soon find that these workouts become routine and you can’t imagine life when you didn’t do them.
5. Mix it up – if the weather is nice try to get outside to do a few of these workouts. Not only will you get your Vitamin D fix, the fresh air does wonders for the brain and you’ll be riding that post-workout endorphin high for the rest of the day. 

Let me know how you get on and remember you can use code picknmix20 throughout September for 20% off your first month on Caroline’s Circuits.

Caroline x

Do it, In Ten! The new Pick n Mix series is here! This September, I am launching a brand new, ten-minutes only, workout series on my platform. From now members will have access to an exclusive new series to kick start their exercise following the summer break.

For many this is the first week back to work or school after the long holidays and the first time exercise is back on the agenda. The ‘In Ten; Pick n Mix’ series will be available for women looking to build strength and find a routine following the summer months. 

I am always looking for new solutions to help my members hit their goals and be consistent with their exercise habits. I have therefore created the In Ten series to knock down the barriers for those women struggling with low motivation and overwhelmed by the commitment of longer class lengths. Research has shown that short sharp workouts really are as effective if not more so than longer length sessions and are ideal for keeping focus & boosting mental health too (take a look at my previous blog on this here).

This series makes exercise accessible and achievable for everyone – in shorter bitesize sessions – all of which can be completed in the comfort of home, without much equipment and expensive gym memberships. 

Workouts consist of just ten minutes of exercise, working different muscle groups each session. I have released all ten new, Pick n Mix In Ten sessions at once for you to complete in your own time. They can be done as one singular activity or stacked, to create longer workouts based on your needs. The In Ten workouts can be selected at your choosing and repeated whenever suits you – think of it as the Pick n Mix of the exercise world! Due to the length of the sessions they will keep you focussed and motivated – shorter workouts add variety and there isn’t time to find an excuse!

For many, starting something new can at times feel overwhelming. With the In Ten series, there’s nothing to lose and yet so much to gain. Below are just some of the incredible benefits associated with strength training.

• Increases bone density: post-menopausal women are at greater risk of osteoporosis due to the drop in oestrogen, weight training stimulates new bone growth to counteract this.
• Aids weight management: when you train with weights you build lean muscle which increases your metabolism, burning more calories over the day post workout.
• Boosts mood: strength training releases the endorphins helping relieve anxiety and stress and putting you in a great mood.
• Reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes: strength training has been proven to aid cardiovascular health to help reduce the risk of heart related conditions.

This feels like a really exciting and accessible series for the platform.I hope the In Ten series provides a solution for many, squeezing in shorter workouts throughout the week but still gaining all the benefits of strength exercise.

Sign up using the code picknmix20 for a 20% discount for your first month of membership to the entire Caroline’s Circuits platform including the Do it, In Ten series.

This is a question I get all the time – what is the best time of day to workout, so this week we are talking morning vs evening workouts…spoiler alert it really doesn’t matter! A lot of it is down to personal preference and when you can guarantee you can commit to being consistent and getting it done. There are definitely pros and cons of both morning and evenings for workouts but for me it is definitely the morning that wins.

Both morning and evening workouts require discipline and motivation to get them done and make sure they don’t get bumped down the to do list. First off let’s talk mornings…

Morning workouts have been proven to boost energy and alertness levels throughout the day, you benefit from the post-exercise endorphin release all day and can put you in a better mood to start the day. Working out in the morning does usually mean that other distractions such as work, socialising, cooking dinner, laundry and the rest don’t get in the way and cause the workout to be missed. That said, if you’re getting up super early to fit in a morning workout you might be cutting short your sleep which is vital for recovery as well as mental wellbeing. Did you know that 45% of women choose to workout in the morning rather than the evening? Furthermore, on average women who worked out in the morning completed more workouts than those who opted for the evening (from TreadMill Survey).

Evening workouts definitely have their benefits too. You don’t necessarily have a tight time scale in the evening meaning you might be able to fit in a slightly longer workout (as you’re not rushing to finish in time for work or school run) so perhaps you could fit in that core finisher or a longer cool down? Some studies have reported that people found they could train harder in the evenings vs mornings, although this did vary between strength and cardio. This may in turn help you sleep – if you’re training a little harder and not getting up quite as early to train pre-work you might just find your sleep quality improves. In contradiction, some people report that workouts too late in the evening will result in an inability to switch off and they end up going to bed later. In addition it can be harder to be consistent in the evenings due to other commitments. 

So the true answer to this is to do whatever works best for you! If working out in the morning is going to help you be consistent then go for it, if it’s the evening then definitely do that. The difference in performance is so minimal, that it really doesn’t matter. So my take home message is that consistency is key! 

Let me know what works best for you – get in touch.

Caroline x

Struggling to stick to your normal routine whilst in the midst of summer holidays? Do you find you’re juggling work, children, holidays and socialising and the thing that keeps slipping is your exercise? Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Do you think you could find time for a 15 minute full body sculpt blast? 

The best part about it is that it is all body weight – no equipment needed at all so you can run out into the garden (if the rain allows!) and do it quickly or a speedy session by the pool on holiday. It will be over and done with before you know it and you’ll feel amazing afterwards. 

This is a HIIT workout so it’s high intensity for short high energy bursts with a short rest period before moving onto the next exercise. This format is great for short, sharp workouts as it is varied, you don’t get bored of the exercises and it’s a real metabolism booster as you continue to burn calories long after the workout has finished. 

This workout has been a real hit with my members this summer and I have been sent some fab videos of my lovely members from all around the world completing this workout in all sorts of different locations, so I thought I would open it up for everyone to try. It is part of my 15 minute summer express series which launched in June and is available in the membership hub alongside the weekly classes. 

Have a go and try the class for free here.

Let me know how you get on with it.

Caroline x

A new piece of research has been released which reveals that isometric exercises are more effective at preventing high blood pressure than a run, a walk or a cycle. This sounds great but what does it actually mean? 

First of all, what is an isometric exercise? These are exercises which involve holding the body in a fixed position with no muscle or joint movement at all. So, examples would include a plank, a wall sit, a squat hold or box plank. One of the best things about isometric exercises is that they require no equipment and you really can do them anywhere, at any time.

The study from Canterbury Christchurch University in Kent suggests that doing 4 sets of 2 minute isometric exercises 3 times per week is effective, provided the exercises are performed with good form. Of course, the benefits of resistance training like this go much further than just blood pressure, they include improved bone health, strengthening muscles, boosting immunity and of course the mood enhancing bonus.

So, whilst these exercises are very beneficial when performed with good form they are also some of the moves most commonly performed incorrectly. So, let’s have a quick look at how to access the power of the plank and what you need to do to create the perfect wall sit! 

Plank – this can be either a forearm plank or a high plank, the principle of both is the same. The key is to have a nice, straight, strong back and core without your hips in the air! So the key steps to perfect this are:

• Engage the core, pull the belly button to the spine
• Squeeze the glutes
• Lift through the quads
• Shoulders back and down
• Neutral head position – try not to drop the head or look up too much
• Think straight line from shoulders to hips to knees to ankles
• And don’t forget to breathe!

Now what about a wall sit…these are just like a squat but up against a wall. The key here again is to engage the core and get low enough!

• Make sure the back is pushed against the wall (don’t let the lower back arch forwards)
• Weight is in the heels 
• Get down low to have a 90 degree angle at the knees so the thighs are parallel to the floor 
• Make sure the knees don’t fall in
• Nice deep breaths! And try to resist the hands resting on the legs.

Now don’t panic if you can’t immediately jump into a perfect 2 minute plank! The most important thing, as I always say, is consistency. Keep practising. Planks are brilliant for building upper body strength and will really help with lots of other compound exercises such as your press ups. Wall squats will similarly help with your lower body strength! These are the perfect exercises to tack onto the end of a workout too as a  finisher. 

Let me know how you get on, as always please do get in touch!

Caroline x

There are so many reasons why I love TRX training, anyone who knows me will know I am a big fan! Read on to find out why! TRX suspension training is resistance training with your body weight and is proven to improve total body strength, core stability and heart health. So here are my top ten reasons you should give TRX training a go…

1. Great for all fitness levels – TRX training really is for everyone. There are loads of modifications to all of the exercises you can do with this piece of equipment. You can use your whole body weight by being suspended or for a gentler workout you can use the TRX for greater support and adopt more of a standing position as you build strength and fitness.
2. It’s different to other workouts – unlike conventional resistance training with weights where you challenge yourself by increasing the weight/number of reps/sets, with TRX the slightest shift in body position can dramatically increase your workout intensity!
3. It hits your core hard – almost every exercise you do with the TRX activates your core muscles. Research has shown that many TRX exercises show greater core activation than when performing these exercises without.
4. Low risk and low impact – a lot of the exercises focus on mobility and flexibility whilst building strength. The exercises are gentle on the joints and do pose lower risk than many other forms of exercise because they are very low impact.
5. There’s no denying it, TRX training builds muscle. It is a form of resistance training and it really does build muscle effectively.
6. Increase in metabolic rate – because it is resistance training it gives you that sustained calorie burn post exercise that you get from weight training.
7. Pack it and take it! You can pop it in your suitcase to take on holiday, throw it in your bag for a work trip or pop it up in the garden for a summer workout!
8. Cardio and strength – depending on the style of workout and the exercises you do you can tick the cardio and strength boxes with your TRX. Squat jumps with one are not for the faint hearted. 
9. Fast, effective whole body workout – TRX actually stands for Total-Body Resistance Exercise and that’s a pretty good summary! With the little piece of kit you can hit your whole body in a short space of time. Both upper body and lower body exercises are equally effective. There are some very advanced abs moves too!
10. Functional fitness – loads of the TRX exercises are great functional fitness exercises (if you missed my blog on this, you can find it here) which means that they are building strength in movements which mimic those we do in everyday life. Think of it as training for real life! I also really like to use mine for single leg exercises which help hugely with stability and any muscle imbalances. So a great solution for rehab too.

I often get asked what my favourite TRX exercises are and which ones I would recommend. Take a look at my IG post for a great TRX legs workout recommendation here. Let me know how you get on! Keep your eyes peeled for more TRX inspo coming soon!

You can use code TRX15CC for 15% off at TRXtraining.com if you want to have a go.

Caroline x

This is an ad for TRX.

This is a question I get asked all the time… which is better – cardio or weights for results? Here is my verdict! 

Before we get into the answer when I say cardio I mean running, walking, cycling, swimming, hiking etc and weights or resistance training I’m referring to strength training, weights, bands, circuit training etc – basically anything that means you are working against resistance to build strength. The answer to the cardio vs weights question also depends on your goals. 

So, first up is cardio – cardio training works on improving your cardiovascular fitness and health, that’s your heart, lungs and blood vessels. This type of training helps this system work more efficiently under higher intensity. Let’s look at the benefits of cardio training…

• It really does improve heart health.
• It aids fat loss – but it is important to note here that it does depend on the type of cardio. LISS (low intensity steady state cardio) is great for weight loss goals and good for those new to exercise. HIIT (high intensity interval training) is great for maintaining muscle, encouraging fat burning enzymes and efficient fat burning – and don’t forget weight training can be cardio in this scenario too. However your goals may not be just about fat loss and it is so important to maintain muscle tissue for a healthy metabolism and toned physique (cue resistance training – more to follow on this!).
• Cardio is very cost effective – running, walking, hiking are totally free, a skipping rope doesn’t cost much and cycling can be done on a budget!
• Getting a sweat on can save our brain! Research has shown that those who regularly undertook cardiovascular exercise had the most robust brain tissue over time. 
• It is great to maintaining healthy blood pressure.
• Immune boosting – regular moderate exercise boosts immunoglobulins (part of our body’s defence system).

So cardio definitely has its benefits, what about weight training…spoiler alert it definitely helps with fat burn and weight loss along with a whole host of other benefits like toning, boosting metabolism and let’s read on for more!

• Firstly it helps to build lean muscle – training with weights breaks down the muscle tissue and triggers the body to rebuild the tissue in a stronger fashion thereby building strength and endurance in the muscle.
• Boosts metabolism – to put it very simply weight training increases muscle mass which means a higher metabolic rate and so more calories burned. So, you might burn more calories per minute of workout in a cardio session but weight training will keep that slow burn of calories going all day – think of it is a marathon of calorie burn!
• It increases bone health – anyone who has followed me for a while will know that I am a huge advocate of this point. It is so important, especially as we get older, loading our bones with extra weight through resistance training helps them to stay strong and improves the health of our bones.
• Stress busting – a good weights session does wonders for the mind and body, it is one of the best ways to relieve stress!
• Sleep – it is great for sleep for two reasons, the first is that it tires your muscles, the second being it reduces cortisol (stress hormone) so cue a good night’s sleep post training.
• You can adapt and take it anywhere – you don’t need fancy weights and machines, you really can take weighted workouts anywhere. You can use water bottles, a resistance band etc and you hardly need any space so you can do a resistance workout on holiday, in a hotel room when working away, in the garden…you name it, it can be done!

So what is the verdict, cardio vs weights…. you might have guessed it but it is WEIGHTS!! It is better for fat loss and building lean muscle but cardio shouldn’t be ignored, it has some great benefits and the two work very well in tandem! My advice (if you’re looking to tone up, build some lean muscle and improve your fitness) is to try doing a variety of both – 3-4 strength sessions per week alongside a couple of cardio workouts is ideal (of course with some mobility and stretching too if you can). It is also important to remember the nutrition side of things if you want to see results, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg and protein as well as complex carbs will tick the boxes for hitting those goals you have set! And always always take one if not two rest days.

As always, any questions please do get in touch. 

Caroline x

How are you feeling about exercising this summer? Many of us are time poor with the school holidays starting and the idea of going to the gym for a long workout or worse attempting a run in the heat is far from inspiring. But we don’t want to distrub our schedule or fitness that we have built up? Temperatures in Europe are particularly high at the moment and it’s hard to feel motivated in the heat.

Research has shown that short, sharp workouts are the answer especially at this time of year. Just 15/20 minutes of high intensity training 2 or 3 x a week can lead to better results than slow and steady workouts performed 5 x a week! Not only does it raise the heart rate, burn fat and boost your cardiovascular health but a short intense workout also will help improve bone and muscle strength too. You will start the day feeling energised, mood boosted and alert – all from the comfort of your own home (or holiday destination)!

So why are express workouts so effective? There is plenty of evidence to show that these sessions add up and with consistency can really get results. They are great for focus as they require concentration and for motivation as their variety keeps you interested! Less excuses to say no too with just a short time slot! When you work for shorter periods you are also more likely to push yourself harder. You can tailor them to different muscle groups or goals and they give a brilliant boost to your mental well being. An added bonus is that your risk of repetitive or overtraining injuries is reduced too – win win!

So what are my top tips for keeping your consistency over the summer?

1. Start early – the heat is not your friend here
2. Hydrate hydrate hydrate
3. Wear SPF and light fabrics
4. Take the trusty resistance band on your summer hols!
5. Interval circuits vs a long run!

I have just launched a summer series of express workouts which are included in the platform. They are all interval training circuits which work different muscle groups and challenge the body, keeping the heart rate moderate to high with passive or active rest – they give the perfect mix of strength and cardio for the best results. These are available for you to do at your leisure with next to no equipment! You can use them as stand alone workouts, pair a couple together for a 30 min session or use them as a spicy finisher to another session you are planning!

Intrigued to know more or have a go? Try a class for free here or read more about the platform here.

If you have any questions please do get in touch.

For more workout inspo and to find out a bit more about me check out my Instagram.

Caroline x

Yoga and Strength Training – The Perfect Combo

Anyone who has followed me for a while or read my blogs will know I am a huge advocate of strength training, especially as we get older. However you may not know that I am also a new fan of yoga which is one of the reasons why I decided to include yoga on the platform with the wonderful Andrea. Yoga and strength training are a match made in heaven and yet many people fail to combine them in their training routines. So today I wanted to explain a little more about this…

Combining the mobility and flexibility work of yoga and the muscle building features of strength training along with the restorative mental benefits of both bring you a balanced, formidable duo that are hard to beat. 

First of all let’s talk about yoga – there is no disputing that we all need to slow down sometimes, take a breath and yoga gives us the space to do this. It is a true mind-body workout and it has been well documented that it provides stress-relief and enhanced emotional health as well as improved flexibility, balance and strength through a greater range of motion. You may not be aware of some of the deeper benefits which include spine, cartilage and joint preservation, increased blood flow, improved bone health and immunity boosting. Like all exercise, consistency is key to unlocking these benefits which is why I am diligent about my weekly class. 

Now let’s talk strength training – the benefits are so far reaching. If you would like to read these in more detail please check out my previous blog post here. To summarise these include (and I really could go on!):

• Increased bone density
• Boosted immunity
• Enhanced metabolism
• Mood boost
• Improved posture 
• Reduced back pain

So why bring yoga and strength together? Why are they so complimentary? 

When you partner yoga and strength training you unlock a duo that brings strength and joy to body and mind which has a profound impact on your health and wellbeing. They really do complement one another so well.

When you pair the two you will find that you build flexibility and strength – if you are strong through a great range, you will breathe better during your strength workouts. In addition your form will stay strong, you will reduce your injury risk, you’ll boost your speed and power and finally your mood and stress management will be unparalleled – trust me! 

Give it a go and see how you get on!

Caroline x