Motivation - The Best Sport Movies

It is time for some inspirational Wednesday and I've been wanting to do this post for a while now, so here we go! I don't know about you, but I get very motivated whenever I see someone fighting for something in movies! If it's Elle Woods going to Harvard or Harry Potter becoming a great wizard I am rooting on my couch. So imagine this being sports in movies? This is a huge source of motivation, I'm telling you! So I decided to find my top ten sports movies and maybe you'll watch some of them (maybe for the first time, maybe not) and get a little inspired to do some new things!

Bare in mind this is my personal list - this isn't box office competition this is strictly what I think is cool! So you can disagree, but I don't really care - I love them!

#1 - Bring It On

Well, could it really be anything else on first place? No? I mean, don't lie - you have, just like every other girl doing the year 2000, dreamed about becoming a professional cheerleader. Don't lie!! I serious STILL consider this when watching it as a 23 year old. What can you do? This movie is a masterpiece and if you haven't seen it at all then shame on you! GO WATCH IT!

#2 - Bend It Like Beckham

British movies at it's best! Never thought football could be such a delight?! With great actors on the cast list and a plot so simple, yet the greatest in history it's in the top 3! And we don't even mind David Beckham isn't even a part of the movie! Who needs him?!
Teenage rebellion, following your heart and family values are all main focuses along with a lot of love (not as lesbian as Paula might think) and friendships to die for!

#3 - Wimbledon

Yup, did somebody say cute british lad? Never mind, Kirsten Dunst stole him away! Sport and love is always a great mix and in this sweet, clumsy, lovely movie we finally figure out just how the rules actually are in tennis! ... Well, not really, but we do know what Wimbledon is!
A burned out, world famous tennis player, playing on his last beat meets young, promising tennis player -  he distracts her from the game, love love love, dad gets angry, forbidden love and tennis! This can't go wrong!

#4 - Whip It/Roller Girl

"Be your own hero" - with roller skates on. I mean, already now you should go watch it! Ellen Page plays this young girl looking for more to life than just hanging in the small town she's from. She then joins this crazy ass roller group doing tournaments in some game you never really get the hang of. I have no idea what the rules are, but you don't care! Some butt is kicked and it's actually a fantastic movie. Great cast, great plot, great attitudes. You'll be bringing out those old skates the minute you're done watching it!

#5 - Soul Surfer

I've been having an obsession with surfing the last few months. Maybe it's because it's impossible where I live, I don't know, but I turned to the movies then. And my all time favourite was this one with Annasofia Robb playing the part of Bethany Hamilton - a professional surfer who lost her arm doing a shark attack on Hawaii, but kept strong and fought her way back up the professional ranks in surfing with only one arm. Such an inspirational movie, I cried like a baby! PLUS it's a real story! I considered popping it in my top 3, but since the movie is very religious because Bethany and her family are very religious I lost a little relation to it. BUT GO WATCH IT! SERIOUSLY!

#6 - She's The Man

From serious to not so serious! Well, yes, serious about soccer. Not only is this movie a comic masterpiece it is also a sports movie - yes! Written over Shakespeare's Twelfh Night - not that his story involved football, but it did involve a girl dressing up as a boy to achieve something. In this case, that girls can play as good soccer as boys.
Plus we almost liked Amanda more when she was a boy.

#7 - Stick It

Girl walks out on World Championship in gymnastics and consequently disqualify the entire US team. If you haven't guessed, she's real unpopular in the gymnastic circles. But she don't care, she's out riding her bike, being badass. A lot happens, she gets arrested and well well well - it's either jail or back in shape at the good old gymnastics! (Very American, don't think too much about that).
It's not like the other movies about gymnastics and if you're thinking "naaah" - watch it just because of the main character Missy Peregrym. She's a funny one. And a GREAT body too!

#8 - The Karate Kid

Yes I know, I'm all about the old one, not the new. So not mainstream. Well, I haven't really seen the new one and besides the kid in this movie is dressed as a shower at one point.
We have the classic cocktail here. Kid is being bullied, kid meets a bit crazy mentor, kid gets badass, kid kicks ass. Yes please!

#9 - Zero to 100

Another surfing movie! I know, I got a little crazy, but this movie was actually a lot better than anticipated! It's a documentary as the only one on the list. I found it on the Danish Netflix some days ago and I did not regret watching it.
We follow Lakey Peterson as she rises from, well, zero to 100 in the professional surfing industry and apparently she has mad talent. But failure is not part of her routine and she needs to learn how it is to lose before she can win.
If you're not crazy about this kind of movies, watch it as motivation to work out - that girl has the most amazing body you'll ever see!

#10 - Dirty Dancing

It had to be on the list guys! Dancing is FUN! Especially when it's dirty! Do I even have to sum this movie up? If you haven't watched it I'm going to be so mad at you!
It's the forbidden love again, we can't really live without it, can we? Well, Patrick was kinda cute back then.

Take a break - Rest Days

Hi guys!
August is here - I read somewhere that August is like the summer's Sunday and it is true! Slowly we start adjusting to everyday life again, school, work etc. I'm a lucky one, I'll be leaving for Greece next week to celebrate the last working year for me is official over! I'll be starting university this September. Freaked out much?

Well, this post is not about important things like Greece, but it is about something important though! I guess the headline sais it all? Yep, we're talking rest days! I chose this subject because it is very relevant for myself these days. The active girls I'm following on Tumblr keep mentioning this and I know if you just started working out or haven't started yet a rest day sounds like the best thing in the entire world! But I am this far in my addiction to exercising that I have a really hard time going just one day without it. Especially now when I'm leaving for Greece in a week, things need to speed up and I don't feel like I can miss one day's workout. This is bulls***! Pardon my French. Rest days are so important and I need you all to remember this! Because many people forget this when they start feeling the addiction of exercising!

Some days you need this more than the gym - and it's okay!

So do something else on your rest days - make them fun! Go to the beach, go shopping, see some of those friends you haven't seen in a while because you had to work out! Go go go have a life! Or you could, like me, watch all the tv you normally can't!

"Well, why are rest days so darn important then", you might ask. There are a million good reasons and I'll give them right now:

TISSUE REPAIR:
The first reason to stay home from the gym! Like it or not, when you are lifting weights your body is actually making damage to the muscle tissue and this is not a bad thing because that's what makes them grow - but after damage follows repairing and you need to respect your body for that. You'll be feeling those sore muscles for days if you've been doing it correct and hard enough.

REPLENISHES ENERGY STORES:
What the hell does replenish means, right? Don't worry, I had to google it too. It basically means rebuilding something - in this case energy stores. This makes perfect sense to all I hope! If you take a rest day your body will be even more ready to a H.I.T class, crossfit, weight lifting etc. the day after tomorrow.

KEEPS THE MOTIVATION:
Yep, you might end up hating exercising if you keep pushing yourself every single day! Don't get me wrong, people do that for a living - but for us just doing it as a hobby you need to take a break or else you'll have a bad time. I myself are definitely not there yet, but I think you really need to be careful. Make your workouts a reward, not a punishment and these rest days will also come more easily.

DECREASES RISK OF INJURY:
Also pretty simple. Don't push your legs/arms/stomach to maximum every single day, your body don't like that! You can push yourself, I love people who push themself, but keep it realistic. People who run 10 km a day, every day - it's a fact that their knees are ruined as they hit 40. Not cool! Respect your body!

So yeah, I think those were some pretty awesome reasons to keep it down - how many restdays you need I actually can't tell. It depends on your workouts and how long you're at it. But just always use your brain. If you feel your knee is stupid or your body is impossible to work with take a break that day.
Go easy on yourself!

Delicious Summer Yummys

Hello there!
The summer can be a hard time eating healthy and staying fit when one's routine is out of balance and all you really want is unhealthy stuff. Fear not my friends!
I've been searching my Tumblr for some healthy recipes to try out here in the summer heat and I must say they look SO good! I found my top 3 and I hope it's of any use to some of you!

#1 - Avocado Chocolate Pudding - Recipe video here

#2 - Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt - Recipe link here

#3 - Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta - Recipe link here