Sports bras are absolutely THE most important piece of sports kit for women. Although I've got a modest bust I am resolute about adequate support for all activities, especially sport.
My list of exercise activities isn't exactly vast; running and boot camp so I find that all my sports bras are used for both (especially as I don't have all that much to keep under control), a multi purpose sports bra suits me well. I've been over the moon with my Active Multi Sports bra which I've been wearing since November. The Shock Absorber SS16 collection is made up of four fabulous styles, the other three being the Ultimate Run Bra, Active Zipped Plunge Bra and this, the Active Shaped Support Bra which I've been trying out for the last couple of weeks.
This is the first sports bra in a long time that I'd describe as dressy, it looks gorgeous and makes me feel really feminine; a snuggly bright blue base layer with a black gauze overlay with strong shaped stitching. It's supremely comfortable to wear as the soft blue base is lightly padded, soft and breathable, it wicks away moisture and doesn't budge at all. In terms of fit, I'm really happy with it, my size is just right and the single clasp at the back (it has three hooks, for just.in.case) makes it an easy one to pop on and more importantly, off. The adjustable shoulder straps are much wider than any of my non-sports bras to avoid digging in. Shock Absorber know their stuff when it comes to support; it's no surprise they are an award winning sports bra brand who specialise in breast health, that's what you expect when their designs are based around the results of scientific research in how to combat breast bounce and how us ladies can take good care of bodies during exercise.
Back in 1994 Shock Absorber designed their original bra and soon in depth research aided the constant development of sports bras to control movement and allow women to feel comfortable and confident to take on everything they want to.
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Many thanks to Shock Absorber for sending me the bra to review. It was a joy. All content and opinions my own.
Sophie

Do you know what really made me smile this week? Two things in particular. One being that I had to do a boot camp workout class with my hair down. There was an unfortunate incident involving dropping a scrunchie in a loo. I can't tell you just how fun it was to be running around with my hair swishing around in the evening sunshine, quite liberating! Now, it wasn't all that practical for some activities but it didn't seem to matter. The difference was staggering; I felt like I looked nice, it gave me a huge grin and also made me feel like a proper rebel.
My fitness journey hasn't been a consistent upward trend; I go through both patches of things going really well and then other times some rocky days and weeks where everything feels like hard work and pointless. It's sometimes too easy to get bogged down with the 'right now' and forget to take a few steps back and give yourself the credit for everything you have achieved. It takes time to make progress and move closer to reaching goals; the commitments of time, energy and money are all worthwhile in the end. It's a journey, you'll get there if you keep working at it. Give it your best each time and make little steps of improvement, they all add up! Make sure you give yourself the encouragement and praise that you afford to others. You're doing great, go inspire yourself.

This new workout gear from Matalan has been a welcome addition to my wardrobe and made me so happy! I love the digital style print activewear range and this bright turquoise stretchy top is really comfortable for working out.
Who inspires you?
Sophie
This post was written in collaboration with Matalan, all content and opinions my own.

I've been gathering my thoughts on this year's fitness goals for a while now but it's been difficult to pinpoint exactly what I want to work towards achieving this year. I want to get back into eating sensibly; plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meat, more fish and whole grains. It all sounds so simple and straightforward but putting it into practice tends to be a little more of a challenge and it's one I want to rise to. Making small changes like drinking more water instead of coffee and limiting alcohol to weekends are all within my control. After years of bad skin, I have learned to relish my clearer complexion, so I'm willing to make compromises to keep it nicer for longer.

As an early bird, I really want to get my days off to the best start I can ensuring that both my appetite is satisfied and I'm nourishing myself from the start with a healthy breakfast. I want to get back into porridge ideally. My top tip is smoothies; if like me you really can't face eating raw spinach, try a home-made smoothie with some fruit and yogurt or milk, you can have it anytime of the day and you can pop in whatever you like.

In 2013 and 2014 I had my heart set on running; it gave me something to focus on and strive towards which was great in a way because it kept me busy and the rapid improvement kept me motivated. This year I'm not so sure that I want to focus on it so heavily. More than a few times I took to the roads with nothing more on my agenda than to jog along, enjoying the peace of the countryside, the fresh air, sunshine on my skin and the ability to run along while breathing easy. The enjoyment was immense. This year I want to capture that feeling of pleasure much more often.

Conversely, I also want to pursue the harder bootcamp style workouts that seem to be right up my street. I now go to two different classes a week, one of which is just amazing and pushes me in different ways every time. My original thinking was to seek out a personal trainer which should give me a regular commitment, way to keep focussed and some motivation to do my best at all times. Maybe something I will undertake come spring?

One thing I really have learned about a healthy lifestyle is that the more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to stick with it; the longer you stick with it the more you get into it. It's a real priority for me to smile more and to take more enjoyment my lifestyle. You only live once, this isn't a dry run. There is something gratifying about brand new workout wear; I don't often treat myself to new gear but maybe this year is that time to make a change. Let me say I've never worn such fabulous quality outfit, it's a whole new experience! I have Anthropologie to thank for sending me this outfit from Pure + Good. They have a fabulous range of high quality activewear online, it's great to see some unique pieces that stand out and look special.

The static stripe legwarmer leggings are such a great fit, I went for size small which is approx. 6 – 8 which is a comfortable snug fit, made from something incredible, a thick, stretchy fabric which gives and stays in shape (and certainly wont let anyone else see your underwear through it when you bend over – we've all seen someone else's wardrobe malfunction). The foot strap detail is rather clever too, I wish all my workout leggings were as good. I'm never usually confident enough to parade around in just a crop top but I'm happy to make an exception for this stripelace racer back bra which is again made of some kind of marvellous thick material. There is a flattering amount of padding to not only offer a reassuring amount of support but also leaves me feeling way more feminine than usual with a little bit of cleavage. Blink and you miss it, but still.

The pretty lace back really deserves to be seen, it's gorgeous isn't it?!

In summary, I want to smile; I want to lead a lifestyle that makes me happy, keeps me healthy, allows me to feel strong and capable while inspires others to do the same.

Sophie

Setting goals and working towards them is something that keeps me motivated on making progress. Back in the spring, my diet and exercise underwent analysis by Josh Mann  which gave me a good number of points to work on with a few changes to make. Although I didn't follow all the advice to the letter, there were a few key elements which I took note of and applied.
Firstly, I looked at my diet; knowing that I'd been a bit/lot greedy on my carbs it was quite apparent where to cut down (I miss you....), upping my protein and fat intake has been a joy on balance so I've got no grumbles. 
Secondly, there was a weird chain of events whereby my boot camp training was cancelled for around three weeks after I received my advice from Josh, so in keeping with his suggestion to ditch the boot camp training in favour of getting in more runs. I was taking longer runs as well as intervals and averaging 4 runs a week. It was fun to start with! I liked grabbing my running shoes and heading out but by week three my enthusiasm had waned somewhat so when I heard that our boot camp was starting up I just.couldn't.stay.away. 
I once went to a talk by a world class horse rider (I've forgotten who it was, I'm ashamed to say) who amongst all her pearls of wisdom shared this; a horse she was training up loved to jump but hated flat work schooling and the more they tried to work on the dressage the more unproductive it became. To combat this they used what the horse did love to work on things it wasn't keep on. I'm seeing myself as that horse. I can use what really keeps me upbeat to work on everything else. I now run twice a week, two boot camp sessions plus one interval session as well. You know what? I feel better than ever and because I've found a balance that works for me. I tell as many people as I can; the key to exercise is to find something you love, something that you will want to keep doing again and again.
What I've been slowly been getting round to telling you is that I reached one of my goals, a recent 5k road race provided the perfect opportunity on lovely flat roads for me to give it my shot. My official race time was 22:10 but it was a race time, not chipped start to finish. My watch gave me the answer I had been hoping for. The week before the race I kept very positive about it; drumming into my head the times for each k so I would be able to keep on track to run sub 22 minutes. I discreetly asked for people to tweet me some good luck and a kindly response really lifted my spirits and filled me with that little bit more energy. I never actually considered at any point on that morning that I was aiming for 13 seconds off a previous season's best, a full 29 seconds off this season's best effort. There didn't seem an enormity of ask, or a crisis of confidence, it just felt like I'd laid out my plan and I was just going to tick each box as I came to them. At 3k I was still on track; but my mind does get very garbled by this point, thinking straight is hard. I got confused at 4k, thinking it was someone else's watch beeping so missed my time check, so had no idea what my time was other than I was fading and all I wanted to do was stop. I mentally gritted my teeth and kept going; I bloody wasn't going to let all those hours of training go to waste, all those times I could have just flopped on the sofa with cake. This really meant something to me so I gave it everything I could, everything I had left in the tank. My timer went off meters before the line so my reflex action walloped it as I ran. Even through the jostle of finishers I say my official race time as I crossed the line and my heart did sink a little while being handed my complimentary water, getting my chip removed then returning to find a medal and banana. Chris asked me what my time was and it was only then I actually looked at my watch; to my disbelief it showed my precisely what I should have seen; 21:59. 
I'd love to say I was over the moon but I couldn't really feel anything but sick as a parrot and desperately tired, which lasted a good few minutes. The idea of making that goal when I started running would have been insane, goals should be SMART don't forget. Make a goal which you realistically can work towards and make that achievement. Then make a new goal, work, achieve, repeat.
When I heard that Josh Mann Fitness had started up a boot camp class in Wymondham I just couldn't resist going along on a cool Sunday morning to be put through my paces. You have a fair idea of how things are going with the warm up and first exercises. I have to say I've never squatted as much in my life - two days on and I've still got DOMS, hurrah! With a session like this you will always find the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. We did partner work whereby each person did a different exercise then swapped once one of us had completed the reps. I'd not done this before and thought it worked far better than setting a time limit - you feel an obligation not to leave your partner suffering for too long! The workout really pushed me; with everything from weighted squats, press ups, crunches, rope throwing, shuttle runs, jumps, weighted walks, lunges, planking.... the list goes on.  The thing I think works best about about a class like this is that is is so inclusive; you work with others or alone, doing as much as you can sometimes with a considered weight. The activities always vary, no two weeks are the same which keeps things interesting. Josh was a great instructor; both focused and encouraging too; he definitely got the best out of us. You don't need much equipment, though he did bring an exciting range of shiny new kettle bells which I felt a little magpie-ish around and a few cones, hurdles, rope etc. 
Boot camp is something most people would really get stuck into - I'm sure of it, but you do have to give it a try! If you are in the Wymondham area you ought to get yourself along, the first session is free so there are no excuses! You can find out all about the class at Project FIIT. I'm gutted I don't live close enough to make it every week! 
Have you ever tried boot camp? You should. 
What about your fitness goals, do you make them and what are they?
Sophie