For years, cardio has been heavily associated with burning calories, losing weight and trying to “undo” whatever we ate the night before.

But cardio can give us so much more than a calorie burn.

In this episode, I'm talking about why I think we need to change the way we look at cardiovascular exercise - because cardio isn't something you do to make your body smaller. It's something you do to make your life bigger.

We'll chat about building stamina, improving cardiovascular fitness, supporting our mood and mental wellbeing, and having more energy and capacity for normal life. Because fitness isn't just about being able to complete a workout - it's being able to walk up the massive hill on holiday, run for the bus, dance all night, play sport, explore new places and generally do cool stuff without your heart and lungs filing a formal complaint. 😂

I'm also talking about future-you. We don't only want enough fitness to do the things we enjoy today; we want to keep travelling, walking, dancing, exploring and saying YES to stuff for as long as possible.

And the best bit? Your cardio doesn't have to look like anyone else's. Run, swim, cycle, box, dance, play sport, take a class — you get to choose the fun bit.

This week's Flex This Week Challenge is to choose three 20-minute cardio sessions and get that heart rate up doing something you enjoy. Come and join in over on my Facebook and Instagram and let me know what you're doing!

And if dance fitness and aerobics are your cardio of choice, there are LOADS waiting for you inside Flex by AMF, alongside resistance training, mobility and structured workout plans you can do at home or in the gym.

Check out Flex by AMF: www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

Real-life fitness for real life. 💜

Ever started work at 9am, looked up what feels like five minutes later and somehow it’s 1:37pm, you haven’t moved, your water is untouched and you desperately need a wee? 😂

In this episode, I’m talking about the bitesize movement we do outside of our workouts — and why it matters.

Going to a dance fitness class, lifting weights or heading out for a run is brilliant, but our bodies also benefit from moving regularly throughout the rest of the day. Especially when work, commuting and Netflix have made us extraordinarily good at sitting still for hours at a time.

We’ll chat about simple ways to break up long periods of sitting, why everyday movement doesn’t need to involve gym kit or a formal workout, and how getting up regularly can help us feel less stiff, more mobile and generally a bit more human by the end of the working day.

And this week’s Flex This Week Challenge makes it ridiculously simple: choose a song and use it as your movement break. Walk around, clean something, make a cuppa, do some mobility or dance around your kitchen while the bloke laying your patio wonders what the hell is happening. 😂

A few minutes might not feel significant on its own, but all those little bits of movement add up.

Because your workout matters — but so does what you do between your workouts.

If you'd like more workouts, challenges and realistic ways to fit fitness around an actual life, you can find Flex by AMFhere:

Flex by AMF

Real-life fitness for real life. 💜

We talk a LOT about motivation when it comes to looking after ourselves. How do I motivate myself to exercise? Why can't I be bothered to cook properly? Why do I keep snoozing my alarm instead of getting my workout done?

But sometimes the problem isn't motivation at all.

Sometimes we're just bloody knackered. 😂

In this episode, I'm talking about the difference between going to bed and actually going to sleep — including those innocent little 10-minute scrolls that somehow turn into 45 minutes of watching videos about goats we didn't know we were interested in.

We'll chat about some of the knock-on effects of not getting enough sleep, from appetite and food choices to energy, recovery and how difficult our usual workouts and everyday tasks can suddenly feel.

I'll also talk about why recovery deserves just as much attention as our workouts and nutrition, particularly if we're trying to get fitter and stronger. Sometimes getting better results doesn't mean squeezing MORE into our lives — it means giving our bodies enough opportunity to recover from everything we're already doing.

This week's Flex Community Challenge is therefore beautifully unsexy: set yourself a bedtime and stick to it — preferably without scrolling yourself into a goat-video vortex once you're there. 😂

If you'd like more support with building a realistic fitness routine around an actual busy life, Flex by AMF includes a full year's structured programme alongside resistance training, dance fitness, mobility and plenty of shorter workouts for those weeks when life gets in the way.

www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

Real-life fitness for real life. 💜

If you've ever caught yourself saying, "I'll start properly on Monday," then this episode is for you.

So many of us think being healthy means eating perfectly, smashing every workout and never touching a biscuit again. The reality? Most people who stay fit and healthy long-term don't do everything perfectly... they just make enough good choices, often enough.

In this episode, I'm chatting about why small daily habits matter so much more than chasing the "perfect" week, how tiny changes can build momentum, and why looking after yourself doesn't have to involve kale smoothies, misery or giving up everything you enjoy.

We'll talk about practical ways to make healthier choices that actually fit around real life, why consistency always beats perfection, and how those little decisions you make today can have a huge impact on how you feel in the months and years to come.

And if you'd like a little extra support, this week's Flex Community Challenge is all about adding protein to breakfast. Come and join us over on Facebook and get involved! Search 'Anna Martin Fitness'

If you're looking for a simple, realistic programme that combines resistance training, dance fitness, mobility and a full year's worth of structured workouts that fit around real life, you can find out more about Flex by AMF here:

www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

Because getting healthier isn't about being perfect... it's about making enough good choices, often enough. 💜

💜 Real-life Fitness for real life 💜

Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could exercise consistently for four weeks, tick the FIT box and then remain strong, mobile and cardiovascularly fabulous forever? 😂 Unfortunately, our bodies have other ideas.

In this episode, I’m talking about why fitness isn’t something we ever really finish - and why that’s actually quite a positive thing.

We’ll chat about finding forms of exercise you genuinely enjoy, why your version of cardio or resistance training doesn’t have to look like anybody else’s, and how experimenting with different ways of moving can help you build a routine you’re happy to keep coming back to.

I’ll also talk about ageing, strength and why the goal isn’t necessarily to become someone who LOVES every second of every workout. Sometimes finding something you quite like - or at least don’t bloody hate 😂 - is enough to help you build a habit that keeps your body doing all the cool stuff you want it to do for years to come.

Because there is no finish line. We're playing the long game. 💜

If you'd like help getting your resistance training, cardio and mobility into a routine that can actually flex around real life, you can find out more about Flex by AMF here: Flex by AMF.

When we think about getting fitter and healthier, we tend to focus on the obvious stuff — gym sessions, resistance training, cardio classes and workouts. But what about all the movement that happens during the rest of our day?

In this episode, I’m talking about why everyday movement is so underrated and why one workout can’t completely compensate for spending the other 15 hours of your waking day sitting still.

We’ll look at simple ways to build more steps into a normal working day, why walking can benefit everything from cardiovascular health and mobility to blood sugar management and mental wellbeing, and why getting yourself moving throughout the day can actually make doing your proper workout feel easier too.

No elaborate fitness regime required. Sometimes it really can be as simple as walking around the block, taking a lunchtime wander or creating your own little “commute” when you work from home.

And this week, the Flex Community Challenge is 8,000 steps a day — so if you fancy joining us, get those trainers on and give it a crack!

Because exercise doesn't always have to look like exercise.

To join Flex check out www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

We all know that one workout isn't going to change our body overnight... so why is it so easy to get frustrated when we don't see instant results?

In this episode, I'm talking about the compound interest of fitness – why every workout is like making a deposit into your body's bank account and how those small, consistent efforts add up to something far bigger over time.

We'll chat about why falling in love with the process matters more than chasing quick transformations, why missing a week isn't the end of the world, and I'll introduce you to Jim... my 90-year-old gym friend who's still lifting weights, fixing his house and proving that looking after yourself really does pay dividends.

If you've ever felt like your workouts aren't making a difference, this episode is the reminder you need to keep making those deposits. Future You will be very glad you did.

💜 If you'd like a simple, supportive programme to help you build strength at home or in the gym, take a look at Flex Membership at www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

Ever been pissed off at how long it's taking for you to see results that you thought you'd get in 3 months? Listen to this one. Here we discuss the results that you might not be able to physically see... and also how long it could really take to see or feel the changes that you are after.

For a program that you can follow anywhere, visit www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

In this episode, we follow on from Part 1 where we discussed training (how to 'stay hard' and how to push to the right intensity). Here we discuss what other factors can contribute to our progression with our training and how we can use these factors to get the biggest bang for our buck.

Here we will cover nutrition, sleep, recovery, consistency and supplementation.

For training programs for every level, visit me at www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf

Been training for a while but want to make sure you're getting the most bang for your buck? Give this one a listen. In this episode we talk about how to make sure you are utilising your time wisely, whether you are working out from home or training in the gym or a class.

We'll talk about progressive overload and what that means, what training to failure means in real life and how to use your rest sets and rest days to your advantage.

For help with your training and for a workout program you can do at home or at the gym, visit www.annamartinfitness.co.uk/flex-by-amf