This blog post is an epic Merry collaboration with our blog partner, Synxsole. We only collab with people and brands we love and woah do we love them (read more, we think you will too! PLUS there’s a discount code! BOOM!).
Before we started Merrymaker Sisters we were kind of obsessed with going to the gym, you probably could’ve called us gym junkies. And by probably we mean definitely.
We worked out so hard and ate so little calories and good fats that our bodies stopped functioning properly (did you read the where did our periods go? post) and we had ZERO energy.
Life was not magical.
We continued to exercise hard core but then we found the Merry way of eating, the real food way (and yes, back then we would’ve called it paleo!). This way of eating rocked and gave us way more energy and we felt really good. Like magical good.
We started CrossFit style training which brought back the fun into exercise (yay for that!). Soon after we started, back in crept the pressure and kind of obsessiveness to workout ALL. THE. TIME. We were lifting heavy stuff (like REALLY heavy) and sprinting and jumping and pulling upping and rowing and you name it 5 times a week.
HELLO adrenals in crazy mode, plus our traps went huge and we weren’t enjoying it anymore. It was a ‘task’ to tick off our day, not something that made us smile.
So we stopped. Full stop. Like just stopped.
We had the eating down pat but we flat out stopped exercising. Sure, we walked, did a pump class here and there, went to yoga once a fortnight but even the thought of exercising made us both feel sick.
Why would we go and exercise if we didn’t enjoy it? Made no sense. That’s why we stopped.
There was good reason for our big break (perhaps it was a little tooooo long), we needed to re-find the joy. But we’re now in a happy place with our exercise, that has us excited and enthused all over again.
Stop the freaking interwebs: WE ACTUALLY LOVE WORKING OUT AGAIN.
It’s a Christmas miracle. So what are we doing? How are we getting our MerryFit back ON again, how have we learned to ENJOY exercise?! Oh don’t you worry, we’ll share every detail right… NOW.
First things first, we wanted to get our backs sorted. Emma has always had a shitty back (boo back) and Carla not far behind, add in tight hips, tight hamstrings and far out, what the hell bodies?! You’re only in your twenties!
The lovely team from Synxsole hooked us up with their orthotics (yes yes, they were on SharkTank). We thought orthotics were only for people with severe pain and stuffed up feet. But these are for everyone and it got us excited when we read what they’re all about…
Everyday orthotic: a step in the right direction to help fix your pain PLUS we love their business story (that’s the #MerryBiz coming out in us!).
A lot of body pain starts from your feet. Crazy. But makes sense! They’re the things that hold us up! And if your foundations are crappy then the rest of you will be crappy too. No thanks, we’re going for magical!
With the goal to get our foundations RIGHT, we started wearing our Synxsole orthotics in our runners.
So, wanna know why we’re loving them? Yah!
One: they absorb shock from impact, which protects our ankles, knees, hips and lower back from absorbing any of that. This is good. #winning
Two: they are super cushiony and comfy. If you think your normal inner-sole from your runners are fine, think again! You are missing out on cushiony goodness! It’s that bouncy new runner feeling errrry day and it feels GOOD.
Three: we can fit them into our runners but also other day-wear (fashion? Yep, we’ll call it that!) shoes. So yay for comfy feet all the time, not just when we’re working out.
We asked Rachael and Marie from Synxsole, about looking after our feet…
“Our feet are the foundation for every step we take in our life. During an average day of walking the forces through our feet can equal hundreds of tonnes which is AMAZING! In order to do this, our foot joints need to adapt to the ground and every joint from our ankles up to our shoulders need to move in a certain sequence to ensure we walk effectively.
Occasionally this sequence is interrupted and muscles can become tight, triggered and knotted and this can cause referred pain throughout the body.
If our feet are not supported correctly this can lead to increased pressure from our feet up to our knees, hips and spine which can lead to widespread pain and discomfort.
By aligning our feet and ensuring we are supported correctly from the ground up, we can reduce the strain and pressure on other joints and muscles in the body.”
Think we’re all on the same page that looking after our feet = a very smart, good thing.
That discount code you’re probably like gimmee gimmee gimmee (please) is…
GETMERRY
So if you’re like yeah, I want these magical orthotics then head over to Synxsole and use the discount code to get 20% off! Yay!
EXTRA ADVICE…
If you want more from Rachael and Marie (they know their stuff!) you can also grab their free ebook: 5 Tips for Optimal Health!
THE WORKOUTS!
Alright, so what’s our week of workouts looking like now after the whole obsessive/must workout ten times a day > no exercise/hate exercise > to now?
We’ve implemented a #1 rule. Not only for workouts but pretty much for life.
Follow the fun.
And we’re sure we’ll get a comment like… well washing the dishes isn’t fun! But it’s all about perspective. It might not be fun but FAR OUT we are grateful for that clean water. Ok, now we’ve cleared that up! Moving on!
Follow the freaking fun!
Following our own advice of fun following this is now a ‘normal’ week for us:
MONDAY
Pilates Barre. Holey shit Barre is the funnest, most hardest thing on the planet. Our pilates instructor always says: sculpting the butt girls! Oh ok! We’re happy to sculpt the butt!
TUESDAY
#FitMerryDan! Oh, you don’t know that hashtag yet? Now you do! We went to the gym and Emma’s BF came along (@thedannorris), we had fun, but we didn’t dig the gym vibe. So Dan bought a gym and turned the spare bedroom into a weights haven.
This is #FitMerryDan…
Mind you, sometimes we’re in the corridor but still, it’s FUN! So we workout here and do light weights. Yesterday we did this:
3 sets of 12 x lunges on each leg (holding dumbbells)
3 sets of 12 squats (with one dumbbell)
3 sets of 20 pulse squats (no weight, thank gawd)
3 sets of 20 push ups (ON OUR FEET :O! Oh yeah we do!)
A bunch of triceps until they burned like hell.
Freaking epic and freaking fun because we pump the tunes and dance sometimes.
Dan is wearing Synxsoles at the moment too and he said: Before I used to get chronic knee pain and everyone who I saw about it said they can’t fix it. Then I discovered Synxsole, at first I thought how can such a cheap device work so good? But I trusted the brand and the Merries advice so I gave them a go! Immediately I noticed the pain had gone, I could run, hike and workout with no pain!
#Boomshakalaka
WEDNESDAY
Floor pilates. Not as hard. But maybe just as hard as Barre. We can’t decide. AND sometimes we will head to Pilates Reformer too! Because that is the best thing ever and makes you like 3 inches taller.
THURSDAY
Yoga bliss time. Freaking hell. Yoga is good. Annnnd we might head to #FitMerryDan again because FUN!
FRIDAY
Pilates Barre (ouch again). It is the BEST.
SAT/SUN
Whatever goes! Yoga, pilates, hikes! Who cares! Just enjoy!
Sounds fun… right?! RIGHT! This plan is good for us right now but we’re always open to trying new things and swapping things up! That’s the important thing to remember, nothing has to stay the same. As soon as we start noticing friction or un-enjoyment… we’ll make a change to bring back the fun!
If you’re still in the mindset of I hate working out… and you really want to start working out again (like we were!) then throw in some gratitude. After all… it’s the game changer!
I’m grateful for my body and its ability to move and function.
I’m grateful for the safe city I can walk in.
I’m grateful for my yoga studio.
I’m grateful for my Synxsoles and no pain! YAY!
I’m grateful for my workout buddies.
I’m grateful for the sunshine and fresh air!
Are you ready to get #MerryFit?!
Always merrymaking,
Emma + Carla