U Perform 31 days to a fitter & healthier you

31 days to a fitter & healthier U - Your 10 Day Check-In

As we approached the end of 2020, like many we were filled with hope and excitement for a new and better year. Unfortunately, big change like this does not happen overnight and we began 2020 taking two steps back instead of one giant leap forward.

Navigating these tough times is an on-going challenge but it is a challenge that excites and motivates us to do more to support our U Perform family in achieving their goals and to making positive changes to their lives.

Here at U Perform, not only are we passionate about nutrition and its proven ability to enhance our preparation, performance and recovery we are also passionate about inspiring and educating our U Perform family in everything else we do across our social media channels and with our team of experts and Olympians.

January 2021 is no exception. We have turned New Year’s resolutions on their head and instead chosen to focus on HEALTHY HABITS. Small and achievable things we can ALL do every day to make a positive difference to our lives and to kick-start 2021 in the best possible way.

We have already reached Day 10 of our ’31 Days to Fitter & Healthier U’ plan and so far we have shared some excellent nuggets of advice as well as HIIT workouts and Qigong sessions.

 

On Day 4 we spoke a little bit about fitness diaries.

Keeping a daily fitness diary is a great motivational tool not only for planning your workouts ahead of time but also recording how they went after you completed them.

If at any point you also find yourself losing a bit of motivation, you can also use your diary to take a look back at your journey and at how far you have come since you started. This is sure to give you that little boost you need to keep going.

Need a feel good workout? Check back in the diary to find a workout that you really enjoyed and do it again.

Our resident mental performance coach and U Perform expert Charlie Unwin also stepped in and talked us through how we can set ourselves up for success. Creating goals that work for us and harness our mindset to go about accomplishing them. Make sure to watch this one back if you missed it – click here

 

On Day 5 we spoke about inspiration and how reading can be a great source of it. Simply taking a few moments a day to relax with a book and be inspired is sure to add value to all the hard work you are doing already to achieve your goals.

After all, like our bodies, we need to train our minds too!

We would recommend Achieve the Impossible by our very own co-founder Professor Greg Whyte. By making the impossible possible, Greg’s book is THE blueprint for success in achieving your New Year goals and maximising your potential. Check it out!

 

On Day 6 we dialled things back a notch and focused on some more relaxing activities that any of us can fit into our days.

Starting the day with just 10 minutes of stretching, foam rolling, yoga or Qigong is the perfect way to de-stress and calm the body and mind, ready for the day ahead and we would recommend everyone giving this a go.

We were also joined today by none other than Olympic Gold Medallist and Personal Trainer Amy Williams with a quick glute activation workout to get our glutes fired up after all the sitting around we have understandably done in recent days and weeks.

This is a great routine that anyone can do at home – absolutely no equipment needed. Although resistance bands are a great addition if you want that extra burn. Check it out – click here

 

For Day 7 we spoke about step tracking. Daily step counts has to be one of the most common New Year’s resolutions out there as we all set out to be more active throughout the day either by walking or by running.

But, did you know why we all focus on 10,000 steps as THE magic number? Well…

The highly sought after 10,000 steps mantra actually dates back to a marketing campaign to celebrate the start of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. A company began selling a pedometer called the Manpo-kei: “man” meaning 10,000, “po” meaning steps and “kei” meaning metre. The campaign was so successful that the number has stuck in everyone’s minds.

Since then, lots of studies have set about to compare the health benefits of 5,000 vs. 10,000 steps for example and rather unsurprisingly, the higher number comes out on top.

 

On Day 8 we set you all a mini press up challenge. At the end of your workout or even at the start of the day, we challenged you to squeeze in 3 x 10 press ups to really work your upper body and switch on your core too.

U Perform Fitness Expert and Qigong Instructor Arron Collins-Thomas joined us once again today with another Qigong flow for you to try. We are incredibly grateful to Arron for sharing this amazing practice with us and we highly recommend you give it a go. It’s the perfect way to start or end your day. Catch up over on our IGTV feed if you missed it – click here

 

On Day 9 we set you another little workout challenge. Except this time, with a little twist.

We challenged you to complete a quick HIIT routine every time an advert came on whilst you were watching the TV.

No one pays attention to the adverts anyway, so why not make the most of this time and get on your feet and get active. You can even get the whole family and the dog involved too if you like!

Give it a try during the next AD break, it will be great fun, we promise:

🔸 10 press ups

🔸 10 sit ups

🔸 10 star jumps

 

And that brings us to today – Day 10

Earlier today we shared a little Box Breathing technique from none other than U Perform Fitness Expert Arron. Taking 5 – 10 minutes a day to focus on our breathing is a great daily habit that we can take forward.

The benefits for our bodies and minds will amaze you. And, when combined with moving meditations like yoga or Qigong, you can be active at the same time. Give it a try – click here

Keep following along on social media as next week we have 7 more days of healthy habits, workouts and nutrition advice for you. 

We hope you are enjoying your January journey so far. Don’t forget to get involved and show us what daily habits you are giving a go. Tag us on social media @uperformuk and use #JanUPerform

We will see at the same time next week for another weekly roundup.
Have a great week everyone!
Stay safe!