Lara Croft is one of those larger than life video game characters. She’s been the epitome of girl power ever since she became the titular protagonist of a cult classic, Tomb Raider, in 1996. Fans and non-fans alike, know her as an intelligent, independent English archaeologist who, at the drop of a hat, transforms into a strong and agile adventurer. Her character travels to distinct locations all over the world, dealing with unstable terrains, death-defying climbs, and dangerous villains. In hindsight, Lara Croft is lithe yet fervent, graceful but quick, which is why she has the makings of an influential fitness icon.

Back in the day, weeks before filming the on-screen adaptation of Tomb Raider, Angeline Jolie went through a strict 10-week fitness plan for her headlining role. She did a little bit of everything, from bungee ballet, to diving, to kickboxing, to sword fighting. In addition, Jolie incorporated core exercises such as rowing and yoga for flexibility. To gain strength and develop lean muscles, she mixed resistance workouts with aerobic fat burning routines. Aside from focusing on compound movements, an important thing to note here is how she had minimal rest periods in between sets in order to maximise her heart rate.

If the above-mentioned Lara Croft routine of Angelina Jolie proves to be too much extreme for your liking and/or conditioning, you can simplify it with a total body workout consisting of five sets of nine exercises with two minutes of rest in between. Here’s how a typical workout would look like:

Lower Body

20 Air Squats

20 Dumbbell Lunges

20 Side Leg Raises (each leg)

Rest: 2 Minutes or Active Rest: 1 Minute Crunches

Upper Body

20 Mountain Climbers

20 Push Ups

20 Dumbbell Presses

Rest: 2 Minutes or Active Rest: 1 Minute Shadow Boxing

Core

15 Plank Jump Ins

15 Side Bridges (each side)

20 Bicycle Crunches

Rest: 2 Minutes or Active Rest: 1 Minute Burpees

For beginners: three sets for time

For novices: five sets for time

For advanced: seven sets for time

There’s no denying how, even up to this day, Lara Croft remains a relevant fictional character. She’s been the focus of action movies such as the aforementioned 2001 film starring Angelina Jolie, as well as a 2018 reboot featuring Alicia Vikander. The popular video game character even had a 20th anniversary remake by Square Enix, as well as an online slot machine simply called Tomb Raider hosted on Slingo. Basically, it comes as no surprise that women still look up to Lara Croft’s character – her digital or big screen adaptation – as their legitimate fitness icon.

Yes, this routine will be hard, but it’s a sure fire way of achieving quick results – just make sure to pair it with a disciplined diet plan. Best of all: you can do this at home!

Losing weight and eating healthier are always the top New Years Resolutions made every year and research analysts Mintel say “Nearly four-fifths of UK adults have set themselves at least one health or fitness goal, yet only 12% currently use a gym”. We can all admit that exercise is good for us, it helps you stay healthy, can make you look and feel good, alleviates stress, boosts your energy and so much more. But no one really talks about the “dark side” of fitness, like dealing with sweat, aches and pains, and being confused over what machines do what. Whilst there is no way to avoid the downsides of working out, there are some solutions to help you through it that I wish I knew when I first started at the gym.

Firstly let’s get it out of the way, exercise makes you want to fart and poo more! Sorry to break it to you guys but all that pressure on the abdominal muscles forces gas out, and regular exercise makes us your bowels more regular. But contrary to popular belief everyone farts and poos, and you know what I’ll admit it, the child inside me still thinks farts are funny.

Continuing with the sexy side of exercising, I give you under-boob sweat, bird nest hair and a face that’s entering a tomato doppelganger contest. If you’re really lucky you might get all three at once, and you’ll be fighting me for first place at that contest. Use no-tug hair bands or sweat bands to keep your hair at bay, wear loose fitting clothes and stay hydrated to keep your body temperature stable and potentially calm the red face.

For those of us that are lazy (regardless of the fact we’ve joined the gym) there’s the additional washing, of clothes and yourself. I am not made of money so I can’t be buying an unlimited amount of workout gear so I have to keep on top of the washing because I’m not about to attempt getting two days out of my sweat riddled sports bra when I have a few I can alternate between. And personally my hair is so long I can almost sit on it so you can imagine the joy of having to wash and dry my hair more often, dry shampoo is definitely a good friend of mine.

Oh and let’s not forget the extra shaving time whilst we’re at it. Avoiding any arm exercises because you forgot to shave is no fun and let’s all be honest, who actually enjoys shaving. If you get away with going a few extra days on the hairy side you’re going to do it, but just not when you go to the gym. Make sure to shave the day of or day before doing any exercise that requires lifting your arms, wear thin leggings and short sleeves to hide on a non-shaved day or just say YOLO and embrace the hairier lifestyle, most people are too busy looking in the mirror at themselves to notice anyway.

Grunting. For me this is not fun, it’s all well and good knowing that you’re pushing yourself but you’re training in the gym with your guy mates and you’re on the floor grunting it gets a bit awkward. Although the more it happens the more used to it you get and unfortunately for me they just see it as something else to laugh at me over.

It isn’t all just subject to workout time either, there’s the joy of after workout hunger and muscle pain the next day. Try to time your workout to before meal time as then you shouldn’t over eat, or get yourself a protein shake or energy bar as these tend to fill you up anyway. Certain protein shakes will also help with post workout pain and help soothe muscle soreness.

If you are increasing your water intake alongside exercising you have the delight of needing to wee all the time, seriously when is my body going to get used to it. All I ever hear is “you’ll get used to it eventually” well I’ve been making I drink enough water for months now and I’m still rushing off to the toilet numerous times throughout the day, they probably think I have something wrong with me at work. I hope I’m not known as Toilet Girl!

The worst for me is the way some men react to women being in the gym, don’t get me wrong I go to the gym sometimes with the boys and they are very supportive and proud of what I achieve. But I’d say a good 50% of them look at you as if you are a fragile parcel that can’t go near weights, perv at you like you’re there as a personal show for them, which to me just says they do not get a lot of action! I’ve even overheard guys mocking and laughing at girls in the gym, although its usually rather beautiful when they are swiftly shut up if she can lift more than them.

Potential chaffing, try to wear a material that drys quickly and draws moisture away from your skin and avoid loose clothing in sensitive areas. You may not notice the rubbing of material at first but, if you’re running especially, after a while it’s going to rub your skin raw. Ouch!

You also have the lesser problems of missing out on daylight, particularly in the winter, quick battery loss on your phone, only if you wear headphones during a workout or look up exercises whilst in the gym. I tend to wear headphones if I am working out alone as I have no interest in listening to inane conversations or shite music on the gym speakers, I have no interest in hearing every pub you’re hitting for Frank’s leaving do or what Phil in Accounting had to say about the new water filter. And yes, I am very aware that people feel the same about my conversations when I go to the gym with friends. Headphones all the way!

Starting the gym can be a daunting prospect, what with all the machines you’re likely to have never used or possibly even seen before, being surrounded by people who seem to have the gym sussed and who have bodies you are aiming for. Firstly make sure you are going to the gym for the right reason, don’t go because it’s the popular thing to do, all your friends are going and you feel left out or someone told you to go, go because you want to use the treadmill to train for a 5k or you want to workout to improve your health and fitness levels.

To avoid feeling nervous see if a friend who knows their way around a gym to take you, they don’t even have to go to your gym, see if you can get a free day pass for theirs and get them to walk you round the machines and show you some workouts. No friends that are into the gym, not a problem either, most gyms will happily give you an induction day where they walk you round the gym explaining what machines are best for whatever you are focusing your workouts on or give you suggestions of what you can use. Give yourself smaller goals to start with, like do 10 sit ups holding a weight or do 10 squats with a barbell on your back and then leave. Give yourself a mental high five and do a little more on the next visit.

If you have joined the gym or are considering it and are worried or nervous the main things you need to know is act confident, fake it till you make it. Remember to breath, expect set backs but don’t let them turn you off, be persistent and if you really don’t want to go to the gym alone why not take up a group class where there’s a teacher showing you exactly what to do. And the main thing, remember that everyone had a first day once, everyone had a first day at the gym but stick with it and you’ll be so proud of the end result.

In 2014 I took part in the Race For Life 10K with three of the girls I worked with, we might not have been the fittest group ever but for charity you don’t have to be. We walked most of the course and did it in memory of our loved ones we had sadly lost to cancer, or were fighting it at the time.

We chose to do the 10K as it was the ten year anniversary of two of the girls losing a parent to cancer. I took part in honour of my friend Gemma that I lost to cancer 5 years ago, in support of my friend Ross who was going through chemotherapy and to celebrate that my friend Emily had just had the news that she was 99.9% cancer free. We finished the course in 1 hour and 38 minutes and raised about £800 between us so we were a rather proud bunch as we crossed the finish line.

This year I am taking part in the Race For Life 5K on the 31 July, only three weeks away today, with fellow blogger Charli. Last year I dropped a dress size at the gym but after moving jobs my fitness levels have definitely nose dived as I don’t have the time to fit in the gym after work. I have since purchased a workout DVD, and researched a number of at home exercises but whether I run, jog or walk it the main thing is raising money for a great cause. If you’d like to sponsor me you can do on my JustGiving page, and if you want to help out at the event or just come along to cheer everyone on with a bunch of bloggers get in touch with the lovely ladies at ldnmeetup who will be there on the day.

Unfortunately due to starting a new job in a new location I have lost my easy access to the gym (it was literally opposite Debenhams) so I have had to come up with another way to keep up my exercise, and with the limited time I now have as well a workout DVD seemed like the best option, and so I bought Charlotte Crosby’s 3 Minute Belly Blitz.

I am a big fan of Geordie Shore and I follow a number of the cast on Snapchat so I was well aware that Charlotte had released a workout DVD as she regularly snaps herself working out to it. I know that a lot of people say that celebrities pile on the weight just to do a workout DVD and make money off it, I have always thought regardless of their reasons if it gives you the result you want then what’s the problem. I have to admit my drinking and eating habits are not far off that of the Geordie Shore cast during the time they are filming and I don’t see them changing any time soon. I have a poor diet and I drink alcohol most weekends, so I felt drawn to her DVD out of all the choices.

The DVD features trainer Richard Callender, who you may recognise from The Biggest Loser UK, and weight loss expert David Souter. The workout comprises of a warm up, 12 3 minute routines, a cool down and an extra 10 minutes of “extra abs” work for the hardcore. I wouldn’t recommend doing all 12 routines in one go as the DVD is quite intense, although David does show you a beginners version of moves throughout. Even Charlotte herself says “Start with just one 3 minute round and build up to all 12” and as an added bonus there are a selection of recipes on the DVD to help you make a healthy eating plan.

Every time you workout it’s imperative that you complete the warm up and cool down, and then work through as many routines as you feel comfortable with, push yourself but don’t overdo it and end up injured. I have tried this twice now, the first time I completed two routines and the second time I lasted through three. The routines alternate between cardio and resistance and I have to admit that both times I was sweating and could definitely feel the burn. As much as I miss the gym I am happy with my choice of DVD and I don’t feel like I am completely missing out anymore. I lost a dress size last year but over the last few months I have put on half a stone so I am counting on you Charlotte to sort me out with the exercise and I’ll attempt something with the food side of life.

In the DVD they wear weighted gloves so I have ordered myself a pair as I found some of the moves difficult holding weights, and of course I had to find myself a pink pair. If you want to invest I bought mine on ebay, and you have the option of each glove having 0.5kg or 1kg and they come in 5 different colours. I think these will be a great investment for any workout session and I can’t wait for them to arrive so I can give them a try.

Have you ever bought a workout DVD, and how did you find it? Do you have suggestions for a unhealthy eater who doesn’t particularly like anything healthy, I’m talking I don’t like vegetables and yes I have tried them. Any help welcome!

Last January I joined the gym opposite my work and vowed to do it properly and I can happily say that I did and I dropped a dress size to boot. I went with a girl from work who had been going with a group of guys so she had a lot of knowledge including weight training and pushed me to stretch myself and achieve things I didn’t think I could. I even started going to the gym with the boys, and alone doing a proper workout and not a half arsed attempt like I used to. I could see the difference in not only my physical strength but how I looked, Timehop was throwing chipmunk cheek photos at me daily, and weirdly enough one of the first things people noticed was when my face got slimmer and more defined.

In 2014 I took part in the 10k Race For Life with some girls from work, none of us were particularly fit so we walked the course but still raised money for a great cause, and were proud of the time we did accomplish. This year I have decided to do two 5ks, which I plan to run alongside my best friend Charli who also chose last year to begin her fitness journey. We are already signed up for the Race For Life 5k in July, and we are waiting for one of the dates and venues to be released for the Color Obstacle Rush race in June. I look forward to another great fitness year, attending the gym twice a week and cheerleading once a week, betting all my personal bests with my weights and hopefully being a part of the official cheerleading squad.