by Mollie Millington | May 24, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
We are back to full body workout today. You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me.
Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime. Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up-1 min of jumping jacks/star jumps, 1 min double high knee jumps (jump up and bring both knees up to hit the palm of your hand. Elbows at 90 degrees, palms facing down), 1 min of jumping jacks/star jumps
1 min- Push/press up on knees or toes
1 min- Forearm plank
1 min- Crab dips
1 min- Forearm plank
1 min- Split squat (Stationary lunge with left foot forward, leaving feet planted and just going up and down)
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do regular squats
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do split squats with right foot forward
1 min- Turn 90 degrees to right and do squats
1 min- Crunches
Bonus minute- Burpees!
Remember if you are feeling good at the end of this workout, repeat it again!
by Mollie Millington | May 20, 2020 | happiness, mental health
Here in the UK, 18 – 24 May is Mental Health Awareness week. I have shared my own highs and lows with mental health here on the blog with last year’s theme of body image and through other periods in my life when I have struggled. Even though I am the ‘Happiness Personal Trainer,’ I still have times when I feel lost, down, or completely unmotivated. It is something I have experienced my entire life, not just during corona times. During the current pandemic, I have often felt very helpless to change the world around me, with the lows a bit more extreme and my energy totally zapped. To help draw me out of the dark shadows, I have made an effort to help others. It seemed like something I could easily do, sometimes for very little money and even from afar. As I mentioned in a previous post, I check in with some elderly neighbours on a weekly basis, send brownies to my friends who work for the NHS, and sent snail mail to our friends and family as a pick me up. I just like to help (so much so that it sometimes gets me in trouble). You could even call it showing kindness.
As part of my Science of Well-being course from Coursera (I am always enrolled in something), I had to complete a character strengths test. The idea behind character strengths is that they are the positive aspects of your personality and influence your day-to-day behaviour. If you want to find a job you love, you should aim to have the top four or five of your character strengths matched in that role. I was not surprised to see these as my top five (out of the 24 total strengths):
I think because kindness is my #1 and therefore second nature to me, it was really hard for me to write this blog post. All I want to say is, be kind. It makes you feel good and others too. It has been shown to improve mental health, give you a warm fuzzy feeling inside and make you smile (I am making my way through Sonja Lyubomirsky’s The How of Happiness. Check it out!). It can create ripples of good deeds, laughter, and smiles that reach so many more people that you originally intended. I took to Facebook and asked for others to help me speak about kindness. Here is what they said:
Katie from Orbis Expeditions – “One of the best acts of kindness is when someone gives another person the benefit of the doubt. They don’t assume, they give them a chance and look at what might be behind the reaction. That to be is the ultimate kindness.”
Coach Michael – “Kindness is like love. Everybody knows it and shows it but it can be described and acted out in so many different ways.”
Stephen from How Many Miles – “I advise my boys that we never know what people are experiencing or why they act the way that they do. That being kind isn’t just about being nice to people you like or care about, but also showing empathy and respect to those you don’t. I do also say that being kind brings its own rewards. It feels good.”
Showing kindness doesn’t have to cost you much. It can be as simple as giving a compliment; leaving a love note for someone to find; calling a family member to check in; asking the new person at work to join you for lunch; attending a friend’s choir concert; baking an extra loaf of banana bread for your neighbour; cheering on strangers at the parkrun finish line; taking the day off work to show a visitor around your city; taking one million photos without complaining for the one good Instagram shot; giving away your products or services to people in need; introducing friends who might be able to collaborate; or buying your team coffee or cake from the canteen after a busy morning. You get the idea. Personally, I find the creativity part of the fun (see strengths above)! And the return for not only yourself but also the person you are kind to makes it worth it.
Use #kindnessmatters this week to share your stories of kindness you have observed, given or received and how it has helped your mental health. You can also tell your story in a comment below..
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by Mollie Millington | May 17, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
Today’s workout will target the hips and bum- just in time for summer! You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 2 minutes of squats with feet hip width apart. Keep weight in the heel. Stick bum out as if sitting in a chair. If you can get your thighs parallel to the ground at the bottom of the squat. Squeeze your bum on the way up.
1 min- Clams with left side down.
1 min- Clams with right side down.
1 min- Kneel on all all 4’s. Raise left knee up to side while keeping knee at 90 degrees (think of a male dog marking his territory on a fire hydrant).
1 min- Kneel on all all 4’s. Raise right knee up to side while keeping knee at 90 degrees (think of a male dog marking his territory on a fire hydrant).
1 min- Roll ups
1 min- Kneel by sitting on feet. Lift bum so it is barely off feet. Swing hips in little circles clockwise for 30 sec, then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Keep hips low! You will feel this in thighs and bum.
1 min- Stand and hold onto the back of a stable chair or counter. Arabesque with the left leg by keeping the leg straight and toe pointed. Raise left leg with little pulses while keeping the chest high and back straight.
1 min- Arabesque with the right leg by keeping the leg straight and toe pointed. Raise right leg with little pulses while keeping the chest high and back straight.
1 min- Continue to hold on to chair for balance. Left knee should be raised at 90 degree angle. Make small circle clockwise for 30 secs then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Smaller circles are more effective.
1 min- Continue to hold on to chair for balance. Right knee should be raised at 90 degree angle. Make small circle clockwise for 30 secs then counter/anti-clockwise for 30 seconds. Smaller circles are more effective.
Well done! Be sure to stretch your booty when you are finished with the workout.
by Mollie Millington | May 13, 2020 | eating, happiness, recipe, self care
How has self-isolation been treating you? Whether your government calls it lockdown, sheltering-in-place or something else, you are probably home more than you are used to. If you follow me on social media, you might have seen my link for a 28 day self-isolation challenge. It offer something relatively simple to do each day. It could be trying something new, cooking, completing a workout or connecting with a friend. The calendar also allows you to track what days you drink and how often you are active. Although I shared it in April, there is no reason why you can’t start today if you missed it.
We switch to a different format for May. I have a few bingo cards for you to try out. Since watching The Phantom of the Opera on YouTube, I have been addicted to AccuRadio’s mutiple Broadway musical channels. This has inspired me to create classic and modern musicals bingo cards (there are two different sets for each category for a total of 96 shows). You can either listen to the soundtrack or watch the film of the musical in a square to cross the square out. Click here to download them as one file.
Musicals aren’t for everybody, but I believe chocolate is, so I asked my good friend, Katie from Cake vs. Scales, to create a chocolate lovers bingo board. She went above and beyond by thinking up two chocolate heavy themes. Please remember if you have any food allergies or intolerance to please check all ingredients before consuming our suggested treats.
First up is a Baking Desserts Bingo. Katie put together 20 of her favourite dessert recipes (many from her own website) and I added a few more that I love (such as my cookie dough guilty pleasure and Guinness cupcakes with whiskey ganache). You can download 30 different boards here and then the recipe links can be found here. This is a good one to challenge friends and family to. Book in a night baking together and see who has the best presentation. Take photos and tag us on Instagram (@ptmollie and @cakevsscales) so we see what you get up to.
The other bingo challenge Katie developed for me was with different types of chocolate bars. Many are only available in the UK, so I in addition to the UK chocolate bar bingo game, I also created a US candy bar version for my readers in the States (aka my mom).
If chocolate or musicals don’t make you happy, why not create your own bingo game? There are lots of websites that allow you to create unique boards. You can use films, TV shows, breakfast foods, chores, homework assignments, whatever you fancy really, to generate 30 different cards. Then you can play against friends and family. Our bingo cards are meant to spark some joy but I know these specific ones will not appeal to everyone. There is nothing stopping you from making your own fun with a little bit of creativity and bingo.
Leave a comment below and let me know which card you tried and how you did.
by Mollie Millington | May 10, 2020 | exercise, fitness, quickie
You can use a kitchen timer to keep track of your intervals. If you are unclear what the exercise is I am describing, please look for a video or arrange for an in-person tutorial with me. Please consult your doctor before engaging on any fitness regime.
Remember to go for QUALITY over quantity. Don’t forget to breathe! Please email me if you want tips on how to make the quickies easier or more challenging (mollie@ptmollie.com).
Warm up- 2-3 minute brisk walk or jog (you should break into a light sweat, if not keep going!)
1 min- Step ups on a curb or step. (Step up with your right foot, then your left foot. Step back down with your right foot and follow with your left foot. Do this for 30 seconds then switch to left foot leading.)
1 min- Triceps dip on the curb or step. Keep hips close to step and only use arms to go up and down.
30 sec- Side plank with left arm on the bottom. Keep hips up (don’t let them sag).
30 sec- Side plank with right arm on the bottom. Keep hips up (don’t let them sag).
1 min- Calf raises on low step or curb.
1 min- Shuffle to the right for 3 steps (keep low in a squat) and then punch across your chest with left hand. Go back the other way (shuffle left for 3 steps and punch with right hand).
1 min- Feet hip width apart, squat so bum is out and weight is in your heels. When you go to stand up straight, raise your hands above your head. Repeat.
1 min- Pretend you are hitting a speed bag (from boxing) with alternating hands that is just above your forehead. You don’t need to extend your arms fully. Keep the feet moving too by bouncing on your toes. Be quick!
1 min- Run in place and get your knees up high!
1 min- Press/Push ups using the steps to make it easier (at an incline) or harder (decline).
This workout is a bit more cardio than the others. Feel free to mix and match with one of the previous quickies.
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