Fitness Friday: Tone It Up 28 Days to Fit, Fierce and Fabulous

Good morning!

Today I have a Fitness Friday post ( a week later than planned...) on the wonderful 28 Days to Fit Fierce and Fabulous from Tone It Up!

If you haven't heard of Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn, also known as the Tone It Up Girls, then you have been truly living under a rock.
They have an absolutely massive following in America and now worldwide and its easy to see why. They are absolutely beautiful with toned abs and winning smiles - I'd like to find any individual who doesn't want to look like them!
Not only that but they are truly genuinely THAT nice - you just need to add them on snapchat to see how happy and fun they are.

They have therefore brought out a book, full of recipes, tips, tricks, workout ideas and general life advice. It's a bible of sorts - I have loved reading it from start to finish and can't wait until all of my house moving stuff has finished so I can get on with my 28 day challenge!

I was gutted to weigh myself the other day and find that I have put on 'more than a few pounds' so I'm planning on stepping it up a gear at the gym and reigning in my eating. It is so hard when trying to be sociable but keeping your diet in check, even at work there is a constant supply of cake and 'Friday treats' that I am sometimes force fed!

With recipes and images that look like this how can you possibly not want to eat and drink healthy things like this?!
I love the recipes and cannot wait to try them all out, what I really liked most was that most days there are suggestions rather than a super strict menu plan that you have to follow - it's great to have that flexibility in your life.

Each day has a particular food and recipe to try (only if you want to) and also a mantra and fitness challenge. This doesn't only feed your body and challenge your muscles but also addresses any self esteem issues by getting you to build up your confidence.

I always think you should treat the body as a whole package and balance mind body and soul so this book is perfect for that.
There's also a HUGE section at the back with seemingly endless workouts that I cannot wait to try out, they all have pictures and guides for doing it properly so you know you are in safe hands.

This book is currently £14.88 for the paperback version that I have above, but it also comes in the kindle version for £9.49

What do you think of the Tone It Up 28 Days to Fit, Fierce and Fabulous book?

Do you love fitness plans like this? Do you need a plan to follow and tips and tricks to guide you?

I definitely need to put some structure back into my fitness regime and come up with some new diet ideas to keep me on the right track. These girls always look happy so it would be rude not to be infected by their happiness and zest for life wouldn't it??/

Hopefully in a few weeks I can get started and I'll come back with a full on review and progress report!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Spitfire Athlete App

Hello!

I've been trying to branch out and vary my routine as much as possible recently - it's hard enough getting to the gym and working it in around your life let alone now that wedding season seems to be in full swing along with trips for work and basically it's endless!

The other day I found this amazing app on the iTunes app store. Now I will straight away tell you that I've seen a number of complaints because the app is only available on iPhones and therefore not Android - so if you like the look of it feel free to make complaints as I'm sure they will have to create an Android one soon with demand!

The Spitfire Athlete app is an app that teaches you how to train to reach your goals. They follow these basic principles:

• The training plans are created by certified coaches
• Guides on training, nutrition and recovery
• Detailed exercise instruction

The most important factor? They built up Spitfire Athlete for women to show them how strong and powerful they can be.

They'd like to promote the 'athlete's mentality' to help you set and achieve your goals whether they are strength, power, flexibility or physique.

You can check out their website here, and see a quick bio of each of the two female founders Erin and Nidhi showen below, respectively.

The plans are separated into Gym workouts and Bodyweight workouts. They all have epic names that motivate you and make you strive for more: The Fighter, The Warrior, The Heroine. 

Some look totally out of my fitness range if I'm honest but working towards them is something I can definitely do. 

I would love to complete The Dauntless, a 12 week training plan to build serious muscle with each and every day with set exercise routines and rest days. Each day is dedicated to a different muscle group and contains a warm up and cool down. More impressively they include a timer for those exercises that require you to complete it in a set time - this is something that always makes me so annoyed with running apps that suggest you run for 1 minute and walk for 1 minute, they don't make it easier!

Personally I will be trying The Heroine, a HIIT based plan whereby you will build muscle, lose fat and increase metabolism, most ideal for me. It's only a 4 week plan so will give me a good feel for the exercises and hopefully some new challenges!

More importantly than anything else the app is totally free and they also have a facebook group to join (Spitfire Athlete) for you to join others and socialise.

What do you think of the Spitfire Athlete app? Do you think it sounds like something you would like to try?

I think it's a great idea and I love that the whole idea is created by 2 women, I will certainly be promoting this app and I hope more people try it out and come up with ideas like this!

It's so motivating and inspiring to know that there are other women doing the same exercises.

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me

I don't know about you, but I love reading lists and tips, especially when the tips are concerning fitness and diet.

I've been coming up with this list of tips recently that I wish I had known before I'd set out on my fitness journey, so I thought I'd share some with you, I may need to add to this in future!

Image from Pinterest

1) Progress is progress, and most progress is slow. Don't get disheartened because progress is always a step in the right direction

2) Regardless of your diet, unless you are eating enough to sustain your body through your exercise and general life you will not be able to function nor progress

3) You also need to stop yourself from going OVER your calorie allowance - it doesn't matter how 'clean' you eat if you are taking in too many calories for your body to burn

4) Don't make a big deal of your gym sessions - there's no need to snapchat, instagram or facebook your every workout. If I did that I would be doing it 4 days a week and lets be honest, nobody wants to see it. I am also firmly of the belief that posting your workouts on social media makes them seem like they're special - you don't post every meal or when you go to sleep, why post your workouts and make them more special than they need to be? Save it for your cheat meals and you know you've earned them!

5) Don't cut out food groups or foods unless you really do have an allergy/intolerance. Cutting something out just makes you feel like you're missing out, a balanced diet is the best lifestyle to live

Image from Pinterest

6) Save your money on the latest 'must have' products - a decent protein and caffeine are probably all that you really need to complement your fitness plan

7) If you're tired or run down, don't force yourself to the gym. Your body is telling you it needs a break - don't make it worse by running it down even further!

8) Put down the slimmer teas, stop drinking your calories in the forms of juices and fizzy drinks. Just stick with water and normal teas such as peppermint (good for bloat) and green tea (good for metabolism and natural caffeine) and you don't need to spend £25 on a few bags of stuff that will give you stomach cramps for a few days.

9) Concentrate on warming up, form, and cooling down. The benefits of these cannot be underestimated, it's no use pumping weights if you're doing it wrong and injure yourself.

10) Everyone is different, embrace advice and suggestions but know what's working for you - notice someone at the gym doing something you might want to try? Go for it, don't feel like you need to use the same weights or do as many reps

What do you think of my list? See anything on there that might help you?

I'm nowhere near perfect but if I had known some of these things a few months of years ago then maybe I wouldn't have fallen off the wagon so many times in frustration!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: 5 Ways to Swap Fixed Weight Machines for Free Weights

Morning!

I'm really getting back into my routine so I thought I'd share some ways I'm trying to vary some exercises and make my time spent in the gym the most efficient.
Swapping out using your fixed weight machines for free weights is a great way to use more muscles and burn more fat. So here's my top ones to swap out!

1) Seated Leg Extension. This trains your quads, the huge leg muscle at the front of the thigh.
Now I think we all know that isolating your quads from other leg muscles isn't going to get the results that you want very quickly.
Squats will most definitely help your quads and glutes together, ranging from wide leg squats to one leg pistol squats.............ooh err!

2) Seated Chest Press. This trains your pectoral or chest muscles.

Using your upper body muscles is much better when you use them all at the same time, performing push ups will not only use your chest muscles but your core and shoulders too. Doing them on a box as an incline push up will maximise all of these muscles and help you build up to full push ups when you're strong enough.


3) Seated Leg Press. Another that targets the leg muscles, including quads, glutes and hamstrings.
As mentioned above, squats are the best exercises for these muscles groups. Starting with body weight squats get used to the movement and ensure your form is perfect before progressing to holding weights in each hand or even a barbell.


4) Bicep curl machine. Pretty self explanatory, but I have to admit I really don't get this one!
I'm not sure why you'd use this fixed weight machine when you can pick up a pair of dumbbells and perform a better bicep curl and engage more of your muscles therefore burning more calories and fat.

The same goes for the tricep version, you can do so much more with tricep dips!


5) Any Ab machine such as a Seat rotation or Cruncher. I used to use these all the time and I can honestly say that I never saw any results from using them.
I hate to stick with everyone else but planks are the signle best exercise you can do for your core, you see progress really quickly and just need to persevere. I try to alternate normal planks with side planks, with and without pulsing my hip up and down and curling my arm underneath and back out again. 

Using bodyweight exercises are so much better than fixed weight machines. Not only do you use more muscles because you engage your core and require more muscles to help balance your body during the exercise, but you can see faster results and that's something I can agree with having experienced it myself!

What's your favourite bodyweight exercise? Do you have any favourite routines?

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Current Workout

Hello there!

Fitness recently has been a topic that I just haven't been able to get my head around.

I absolutely love it and still enjoy going to the gym and trying out new exercises, however with my training in work being seemingly endless and the copious amount of paperwork and appointments involved in buying a house it has definitely taken a back seat in reality and in my head.


The last two weeks though I have been getting back into it with all of the muscle ache to go with it!

Here's my latest program:


5 minute warm up on the cross trainer - a lot of people have a bit of an obsession or a loathing of the cross trainer, I have neither. I think it's useful for my 5 minute warm up as it loosens my legs and arms and gets my heart rate going!

Image from Technogym

After this I've been getting on the Wave Machine - it simulates speed skating which means your legs move on pedals in a similar way to a cross trainer, but instead they go out to the sides. You can stand in 4 different positions, leaning on the hand rail or standing freely for the intensity to be in different muscle groups, but essentially it targets your glutes, hamstrings, quads, lower back and if you manage to balance and stand up for whole time then you'll target abs as well!
I've been building this up as my lower back has a weakness but 10 minute blocks at a high level of 12 is how I've been doing it. The higher the level the wider the pedals move apart, therefore making it more difficult.

Once my 10 minutes on that are up (and I'm dripping in sweat, it really gets me working hard!) I head to the mats.

Image from Lifehack.org

At this point I've been working on my Bulgarian Split Squats. If you don't know what they are you can view this video on youtube of Erin Stern.
I've been varying my weights whilst I get comfortable with the balance and the motion of squatting essentially on one leg, but I definitely need to work harder and squat lower, I am nowhere near Erin's level of almost hitting the ground with my lower knee where I've dropped so low, I need to work harder!

I've also been twinning this into a superset with tricep dips, and using the bench for those putting my feet as far out in front of me as I can. My shoulders are starting to look better for it but I can't say my triceps look any smaller! The arms always take such a long time to get smaller and show muscle.

Image from Women's Health Mag

After doing two sets of each of the squats and tricep dips I've been using 2 4kg dumbells and doing another super set of 15 x lateral raises followed by 15 x shoulder press. My shoulders need so much work and they burn after doing almost anything, I need to vastly improve on this area too!

Once I've completed this I get back on the Wave machine for another 10 minutes, as long as I've got some decent music plugged in this second set can go faster that the first set!

Needless to say I come off it a bit of a sweaty mess, last night it actually almost ran off my nose, then you know that you're working hard!

Then I get back to the mats. I've been loving doing some glute bridges recently as they were something I'd never tried before, here is a video for you to see. I've been trying to do them with a 5kg or 8kg weight to make it a bit more difficult, but you can feel the burn in these and the bonus is its a lying down exercise too!

Recently I've been getting as much ab and core exercises in as possible, planks are always the best but I can't say I'm good at them.
I actually prefer side planks with dips so I do a couple of them too,

My lower stomach area is definitely my worst feature, so I've been working double hard on doing leg drops but have to be careful with my lower back. I either hold a weight and alternate left leg, right leg and then both together, or I go crazy and do a many together as I can and I'm definitely improving.
I've been trying to push my hips up at the last minute to do a reverse crunch too and it's a killer ab combo!

So this is what I've been doing recently, trying to rev up my metabolism again and get back into fitness with some completely new exercises.

What have you been trying out recently? Have you mastered Bulgarian split squats? Do you have any tips?

Are you a fan of the Wave machine for burning calories and getting you sweaty?

I'm aiming to lose some pounds that I've gained recently, hoping to lose half a stone over the next few weeks by getting back into exercise and reigning in my diet.

What are you fitness goals?

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Spring Shake Up

Hello!

The last few weeks I've been struggling to keep up the motivation and focus. The 'New Year' enthusiasm has definitely packed up and gone so I've been looking into new ways to get back into it.

Working long hours with training, sorting out house stuff for my mortgage and solicitors and travelling with work have all meant that my exercise regime has all but disappeared. Now things with the house is mostly sorted and my work trips are only 2 days long I've been trying to get back into it.

I've been catching up on my fitness magazines and finding new workouts to try out but noticed that there were a lot of new programs starting online soon or that are available on the internet for free.

Tone It Up: Bikini Series 2015 - the TIU girls are amazing, I have huge crushes on both of them and I would absolutely love to look like either of them! 

Look at their beautiful abs!

I signed up straight away for their latest Bikini Series, they do it every year and it's an 8 week challenge. You get a new timetable every week with exercises and they regularly post recipes too - worth signing up for to give you motivation into your inbox regularly!

Muscle and Fitness 6 Week Fat Blast Program - another program this time for 6 weeks. This program consists of 3 full body workouts a week with 2 days dedicated to cardio and 2 for resting. This allegedly maximises fat burning and muscle growth and the workouts are detailed on the website, 2 full body workouts that you alternate and also 2 cardio routines. 

For someone that needs everything given to them at once so they can get their head around it and plan, this is perfect!

Shape's No Fail Fat Loss Plan is also another 6 week program. This program is also given to you in advance, it contains 11 different programs detailed in separate pages with videos and demonstrations so you know exactly what you need to do. The good part about this program is that there is a good range of exercises to keep you entertained including tabata, cardio, stretches, HIIT and metabolism boosters. 

I haven't tried any of these programs myself but having had a quick browse they look pretty good to me, a good range of exercises and catering to those who need time to prepare and those who need regular contact via email to keep their motivation up.

I will be reading through more closely and choosing some routines to try out myself, changing things up will boost my metabolism and keep my body guessing, both of which will help the fat burn faster!

Which of these do you think would be best for you? Will you be signing up for TIU as well as downloading the other programs?

It's 2 months before 'bikini season' arrives, it might not be bikini season in the UK strictly, but holidays are definitely looming and baring my body isn't going to be a pretty sight at the moment!

Hopefully this will keep me interested!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Afternoon folks!

I haven't written a fitness update in a little while nor any recipe posts, things have just been so busy with a new job that I haven't really had chance. My hours have changed (again!) with the new job so now I've had to change up my schedule again too. This isn't really a problem just more difficult to get into a new plan and make it a habit again.

I've been trying to get to at least one Body Pump class in the week as well as my normal Saturday morning class as it is definitely the most beneficial for me. My progress in it is slow but every week I push myself to go heavier in something different and squat lower, hold my plank longer and try not to have sneaky breaks in shoulder track! I hate working shoulders as it's such a weakness for me and the burn can sometimes end up being real pain. I'm working on it.......but it's hard.

That said I've been making up my own routines as well as using my latest program from my trainer.

My latest program uses a ladder formation with a 15 minute recovery period on the cross trainer in between. She's got me doing squat jumps and burpees all the way from one each to ten of each, then all the way back down to one. I'm not going to lie, it's a killer but really good for an all over work out. I've felt a difference since doing them but in all honesty I've only ever made it up to 10 of each and haven't ever got as far as doing back down to one......yet. I think it's mostly an issue with time as it would take me so long to do and my evenings are limited but i also get quite dizzy sometimes too.

After the recovery period I then have to do press ups followed by an oblique crunch (bringing round one knee to your elbow at a time whilst still in press up position). These have also been good but the same problem still exists and I'm yet to make it back down from 10!

Aside from that here's my routine that I've been doing by myself, taken from instagram videos and other programs I've had in the past:

It's an absolute killer and i repeat it twice with a bit of active recovery in between. It's a full body workout with almost everything I could think of thrown in to keep my body guessing and my abs and shoulders were definitely still feeling it a few days later. It was exactly what i needed and I'm going to do it a few more times and then switch it up and make a new one.

If you have any suggestions for things to add to my next workout leave them in the comments! If you try this workout let me know :)

Do you have a personal trainer? Do you follow any particular programs or get inspiration from any online sources? I'd love to know!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Long Term Progress

Hi there! 

I've been a bit relaxed about writing my Fitness Friday posts recently, life has been so busy and with quitting my job, my mum being in hospital and really trying hard to train for Tough Mudder 

But my mum is doing really well, Tough Mudder is completed and I started my new job this week so fingers crossed things are all on the up!

I've debated showing comparison photos before; I'm not one for taking underwear photos in the mirror anyway as I just don't want to see myself but i have forced myself to do it just to see how progress is being made. My weight has stayed the same (roughly) for a long time but I know my body has changed composition and shape slightly so I needed to do it to see results.

I highly doubt anyone will see those pictures but I do have a comparison photo wearing a dress of mine that is a huge favourite! It's a crepe shift dress with leather waistband and bottom from M&S Limited Collection. I love the style of it being so simple and it has been brought up to date with the addition of a leather waistband which is so simple but chic and it goes for many occasions - apart from maybe an all you can eat buffet, it definitely doesn't stretch!

Here's a picture from my phone from when I wore it out in March when me and M went out with some uni friends. It was a really good night out and I loved wearing the dress with a new found confidence.

Here's a comparison photo from when I first bought the dress to now:

Apart from my hair being longer I think there's such a big difference between the photos.

My waist is definitely smaller, my arms are smaller (might not show up as much but I know for sure they are!) and my lower stomach and hips are also smaller. most of this can be seen by looking at the latest picture and seeing that the dress actually fits me rather than being too tight in the first picture.

There's also much less of a double chin in the latest picture!

After all the recent set backs I've had in my fitness plans it has been really important to look back and see how far I've come. Whilst these changes have happened over the last 3 years and aren't that drastic, I know I haven't lost 5 stone or anything, but progress is progress and it has been such a lifestyle change.

I was a bit disheartened with my exercise leading up to Tough Mudder even though I'd been working so hard in the 8 months leading up to it, on the day I found it hard as some of my fitness had gone where I was so exhausted from all the mental and physical stress going on in my life.

But moving forward I KNOW that I can complete it again because I've already done it once.

I've also had a meet up with my trainer from my gym and after getting all my latest stats, I've put on 1lb since last time but have lost fat and gained muscle so it has actually, in the end, all worked in my favour and my composition has improved.

I've enjoyed a week or two break from exercise, only doing dog walking and some easy stuff in the gym but now my trainer has given me a new program to follow which involves so many squats, burpees, press ups and oblique crunches that I'm hoping it will boost my metabolism into burning more fat.

In a few weeks I will write an update on my progress with the new program, and how it feels getting back to classes now that my new job will allow me to make it there much more easily. I'm hoping the decreased stress levels and ease of getting to and from the gym around work will make me much happier!

Do you have a new fitness program to follow? Have you completed any Tough Mudder type courses?

I'd love to read more fitness blogs so if you have any links of your favourites or you write one yourself leave the link in the comments below!


L xxx

Fitness Friday: New Training Program

Hey there! Happy Friday afternoon!

I've been anjoying posting a lot more fitness related posts every Friday afternoon in between my usual fashion, beauty and life posts. If you've enjoyed any of them in particular and want to see more of them let me know. So far I've reviewed some products such as coconut oil and protein pancakes; shared my latest training programs; listed some of my favourite motivational blogs and fitness gurus and lastly showed you some of the recipes I've been loving lately.

Today's post is dedicated to my latest training program. I've been working hard the last few months without much in the way of change in the scales. So I've changed my routine around a bit and have started to lose some fat! I was so pleased i cannot wait to continue and lose a few more pounds of it.

My latest weigh in showed that I'd lost 4lbs which I was happy with but 1lb was of muscle which is not the way to go. Nevertheless I'm trying to stay positive, eat lots of protein, consume more protein shakes as I have slacked off on them for a bit and keep working out.

So my new program! It's very similar to the last which I absolutely loved. The last one was a full body workout with moves that incorporated multiple muscle groups at a time and it was great. This one is similar in that way. It's full of supersets where I have box step ups, squats and lunges all with heavy weights followed by the rowing machine. I repeat this circuit 4 times before getting on the cross trainer for 10 minutes for some active recovery.

After this I then use the chest press and superset it with tricep extensions, followed by the low row superset with bicep curls. This is then followed by a further 10 minutes on the cross trainer before my core work. This involves the pilates 100 and then 5 roll downs which I repeat twice.


I've only done this a few times so far as its so new to me but I really enjoyed the feeling that I could increase my weights so much from what my trainer had written down. She'd been far too lenient with me and was laughing that I'd increased them so much on what she thought. 

It's such a great feeling to know that I've improved so much on what I used to be able to do. I just wish that my running was going as well as the strength is!

I read something the other day which has stuck with me so I'll leave you with it too:

'Don't concentrate on your weight going down; concentrate on your weights going up'

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Emily Skye

Hey there, happy Fitness Friday!

A few weeks ago I wrote about my current fitness motivations and inspirations which you can read here.

One of those beautiful people was the lovely Emily Skye of the 30 Day Shred and 30 Day Ab Shred fame. You can see pictures on both of her websites of her previous clients and I hope that one day I can look as good as they do!

I bought the Ab Shred a few weeks ago and have been taking a good look at it. It costs $50 (australian dollars), which converts to £28. I bought it when she had a flash sale and so it cost me £12 which I thought was worth paying out for when I saw how much was in the package and I needed some new ideas.

In the package you get:

• 30 Day beginner Ab workout
• 30 Day advanced Gym workout
• 30 day meal plan
• Full shopping list for each week
• 60+ exercise videos all available to watch online

The meal plan is endorsed by a nutritionist and there are low carb versions available as well as bonus workouts and tips and tricks. 

Once you've paid for the plan you get an email through with your login details. You can access the program online and download it in a PDF form, and the workout videos are all in the same place. 

Not only this but there is also a forum on Facebook for you to join and chat to other members, sharing tips and tricks, asking for help and any time you need a boost of confidence.

So far I haven't stuck to it 100% as I bought it for some food inspiration more than anything else. I have my own routine that I like to stick to but the additional ab workouts have been great to add into my own routine. It was nice to see that I already do a lot of the workouts she recommends but her meal plan is one that i am completely in love with!

The meal plan is amazing, there is no way that you will ever be hungry with 3 meals and 2 snacks every day. If you made each meal as and when you need to eat it then you would probably waste a lot of time and ingredients so because of this preparation is key. Some members spend their sundays prepping food for the week which is what I do a lot of the time anyway.

I make up a huge batch of quinoa to sort me out for breakfasts and lunches for most of the week and also grill a huge pile of veggies and a few batches of muffins. One of my favourite things that is on the meal plan are the muffins, you can have cake as a snack??! WHAT THE.


Not only that you can have pancakes for breakfast, pizze for tea and the mixture for the muffins actually allows you to have 3 muffins as ONE snack. I'm in love, and I'm never hungry, never run down and never low on energy.

There are so many recipes that I'd love to share with you and might do in future. I think that if you are totally lost in your diet and fitness regime its the perfect antidote. It has structure, guidance and so many helpful tips and tricks to get you to lose those extra stubborn pounds.

I'd fully recommend this is you need the guidance and support of fellow members, Emily Skye herself also comments on lots of posts and her boyfriend can also be very helpful too with helping to fit the regime around your current life. However this plan isn't easy and requires a lot of hard work and preparation, you do need to be motivated and put the effort in and trust me you will definitely see the results!

Check the results out on the links above and you will see what i mean!
I will be taking recipe ideas and ab workout ideas from the program and adding them into my own routine over the next few weeks and fingers crossed I'll see some good results soon.


Would you buy a program like this? Do you want to see some recipes from the program that will help you blast ab fat?

Let me know what fitness programs you've been taking inspiration from recently! I always love finding new ideas and ways to stay fit and healthy.


L xxx

Fitness Update

Hello!

I thought I'd start today's Fitness Friday off with my own personal fitness review. A few weeks ago i attended a session with my trainer and I'd been working so hard to get a few pounds off. 

If you've never read a fitness post of mine before then let me fill you in. I'm 5ft 9 so quite tall for a female and a few years ago I weighed a little more than I do now. A few years of uni binge drinking and late night take aways meant I'd piled on about 14-20 lbs (I'm unsure exactly as I've never been someone who weighed herself).

Due to stress i found myself feeling ill after every meal and kept getting stomach cramps so I ended up changing my diet completely cutting out crap food, dairy and bread, and citrus fruits as they were too acidic for me. I lost 17lbs and ever since have been OBSESSED with food in a good way and I absolutely love going to the gym, planning my meals, and generally eating as who doesn't love that?

Obviously i love a binge like everyone else but I've totally changed my lifestyle over time and now i don't crave bad food unless I'm hungover, I combat stress with exercise and I'm generally enthusiastic about the whole thing, reading and researching new foods, recipes and workout routines.

However as with all stories that go along this line, even with my relatively healthy diet and regular exercise, usually 4/5 times a week I've been finding it hard to shift some pounds. I'm not overweight by any means, my BMI is 22 and I regularly do weights so probably have more muscle than others but I'm really conscious of trying to get my fat % down. 

I actually can't remember my specific percentage as my trainer keeps it all recorded for me, but i was OVER THE MOON when I had lost 3lbs of fat the last time I was weighed. It was a huge confidence booster and I was so unbelievable happy.

I've got a long way to go to getting where I want to be as I'd like to lose a further 10lbs of fat before the summer but I'm clearly doing something right this time.

Moving on from that my trainer also gave me my new program which is AMAZING! I'm so into it at the moment that I could scrap all my classes and running just to do it, but I need to keep up my stamina in the others too.

This routine incorporates box step ups with weights, mountain climbers, lunges and lat raises with weights, and squat and press with weights.

In total I use the cross trainer, bike, rower and treadmill for short bursts of cardio and i also have a circuit of exercises to do using TRX which I repeat three times.

It's an all over body blast and although i love it it does take a considerable amount of time. Sometimes i have to cut out the third circuit of TRX exercises because there just isn't enough time during the week.

How have your fitness routines been going lately? Have you got any new programs you'd like to share?

Do you have any running tips for increasing distance to 10 miles plus?

I'd love to hear any of them!

L xxx

Fitness Update

Morning everyone!

Hope you're having a great week so far. I am spending today with my mum at Swindon's Shopping outlet as we need to get a load of birthday presents for family members.....and I can't guarantee I won't pick up a little something for myself too! I need to be good though and hopefully not pick up any more than 1 product....

Anyway, my main reason for posting today is to give you an update on my fitness plans and goals so i hope I don't bore you too much with my waffling on but it's as big a part of my life now as blogging is and I'm sure I'll be mentioning it a lot in future.

I would imagine we've all been on a bit of a health kick after the gluttonous Christmas period and kicking up the exercise a notch was my first priority. I've put together a plan for myself to kick my metabolism back into action, drop the few (!) extra pounds I put on over Christmas and get myself fit and ready for the challenges I've set myself this year.

Let's list these first:

1) 10km run on March 1st
2) Dirty Dozen on June 22nd
3) Tough Mudder August 16th
4) Cardiff Half Marathon October 5th (this is provisional...depends on how TM goes!)

These are the physical tasks I've set myself this year. I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination but I've started on the treadmill so that I can force myself to learn! I need to increase my distance so that i can reach 10km by March, and increase this slowly to 20km for TM in August.

If you don't know what Tough Mudder (TM) and Dirty Dozen races are then give them a quick google....basically they're both obstacle courses that require you to run a certain distance and then also tackle a number of obstacles. These range from climbing walls, swimming through ice, running through fire and getting electrocuted all before a free pint and a big party!
They sound very fun and a massive challenge for me as I'd never run further than 5km before let alone completed any obstacles like this.


My current plan is the following:

Monday - Body Combat. This will help with cardio as it burns around 750 calories per class and will help me strengthen my leg and core muscles without high impact like running does. Plus i really enjoy it!

Tuesday-Friday - Gym program. I have one at the moment which is great but I'm planning on meeting with my trainer to update my program and therefore get some new exercises related to TM training. I will need some serious upper body and core strength to get me through it! I plan on going to the gym to do this program with 20 minutes on the cross trainer or a run twice during the week.

Saturday - Body Pump. I love this class and it will hopefully help me increase the weights i can use and therefore get stronger, i just need to be committed enough to increase my weights each week!

Sunday - Run day! Sunday's will be dedicated to an outdoor run around the parks near my house. This means I will be running outside in daylight instead of on a treadmill as it's currently too dark to do this when I've finished work at the moment. As the nights get lighter again I'll be running outside in the evenings.


Having been doing this loose plan for 2 weeks I can say that it is hard but achievable to go 5 times a week if you plan your life and put the effort into it whilst you are there. It's hard to be motivated all the time especially when you don't see any results. I've been trying to eat more veg than fruit recently and have been having soup instead of fruit on my morning breaks to fill me up. That combined with increasing my water intake and I've been feeling like a beached whale!

Luckily my body has got used to it not and hopefully I'll start seeing some results soon.


Aside from these challenges I am hoping that it will help me lose about 1 stone (14lbs) and tone up my arms and core where I could do with being a bit less wobbly! I'd like to be comfortable in a bikini in case the situation where I need to wear one arises!

If any of you have some tips for my diet or exercise plans, or anything that will help me in my quest to survive TM then I'd be grateful. If you have any challenges you've set yourself this year please share them with me below, I'd love to know of any others and of your plans :)

L xxx

Spring Series: Fitness!

This is the second in our new Spring Series of getting your body ready for some sunshine!

Last week's post was dedicated to Body Care and we discussed our favourite products we use to scrub and moisturise our skin into silkiness.

This week is dedicated to fitness, as we both have our own ways to keep fit and healthy, which all helps when you have to lessen your layers after indulging over Christmas!

My personal favourite ways to stay fit involve going to the gym, taking a range of classes, walking the dog and swimming.

A few years ago I wouldn't have been seen dead in a gym.

Just over a year ago though I signed up to a gym which has everything, a new personal trainer program every 6 weeks, a swimming pool, and a massive range of classes to keep even me entertained.

I am the kind of person who needs variety to keep me going in my quest to tone up.

I have classes that I dislike - pilates isn't physical enough for me and I love to hate spin though it is a great feeling when you've completed a class.

But there are so many that not even I can be bored!

My favourites are Body Pump (great for fat burning) and Body Combat (amazing for stress relief!).

The gym program is great, I would never have tried half the things that my trainer has given me to do and this I think is priceless.

I've tried swiss ball, TRX and more importantly kettle bells.

These are my absolute favourite as you really do see results after using them, they burn so many calories and require multiple muscle groups to work together maximising your workout time.

So basically what I'm saying is, if you were thinking about joining a gym 100% go for it!

It has quite literally changed my life and although it is very expensive I most definitely think it is worth it, for my health and general fitness, as well as how my body has changed.

However I don't think that you HAVE to join an expensive gym to get the most out of your workout.

Walking my dog or wandering around local areas such as beaches are a great way to burn calories and tone up, particularly if there's some sort of elevation involved like hill walking or hiking.

This is not my dog but I have such a similar picture I had to put it up!

The zumba classes at my gym aren't particularly energetic, so I have been to others that have a younger instructor and found these were BRILLIANT.

Zumba workouts are great fun, dancing around with your friends to the latest music is fun and burns a substantial amount of calories.

Swimming is also a great way to burn calories but I'll leave that to M to talk about as she's the bigger fan!

If you're lacking in motivation I find that Pinterest is one of the best places to look at.

They have so many pictures of inspirational women doing all sorts of exercises with beautiful bodies to aspire to and hints and tops for anything you can imagine.

If you're still lacking in motivation I find a new gym outfit or trainers always helps too!

If all else fails, I think about what makes me angry. It's a weird thing to do I know, but i think of what really gets on my nerves, things that have happened etc that I need to physically work off my stress or anger.

It works for me and I always feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders after doing it.

What are your work out tips??

If you'd like to check out my pinterest board the link is here.

(all pictures in this post are from there!)

L xxx

L was right I do love swimming. I used to run and did a lot of it during summer last year. You can read about how I got on with Couch to 10k here. This program made running so enjoyable for me and it really is great if you've not run before as it makes it so easy to build up running. 

I ran until October but by then an old knee and hip injury had resurfaced. When new year came around I decided to start again as I enjoyed going out and it's a great way to burn calories quickly. After one run my knee was hurting again so I had to find a new way to lose weight and tone up.

Since moving I was now near a great pool and after looking on line I saw a great deal for just £23 a month for unlimited swimming. Swimming is always something I enjoy and it's a great all over body tone. I tend to do 45 mins swimming and that burns around 500 calories. I favour breast stroke at the moment but need to vary my swimming to get better toning.

I'm someone who favours at home work outs to save money. One of the best work out DVDs for me is 30 Day shred. This is a great program and only takes 20 minutes a day. Until you've tried it you won't believe how much you sweat in just 20 minutes. It's also great for when you are busy. I've written about it a bit more  here.

I also recently bought an indoor skipping rope. Most people thought I was crazy but you can remove the rope and it has weighted ends. Skipping is also a great cardio exercise.

Lastly when I had the Wii I loved Wii Zumba. It's such great exercise and fun too. I'm thinking of getting it for my others halfs play station.

I like to find ways to do exercise at home and vary the types of exercise I do so I don't get bored. L is right motivation is key. I sometimes get up super early and go before work. It's nice to finish work and know I don't have to leave the house again. Also it means you can't make up excuses all day not to go. I'm great at these.

For me at the moment my motivation is Weddings. I have two this summer to go too so really want to be toned.

What's your favourite exercise? Any tips for us?

Love M

xxx

Countdown to 'Class of 2012' (4)

So after my really good pledge to lose weight/tone up a few weeks ago, in order to look good at graduation I was full of the best intentions.

However after an alcohol fueled Halloween week causing me to miss last week's weigh in due to my horrific hangover and also a plethora of interviews to attend I've been pretty bad at going to the gym and eating healthily.

For those who follow us on twitter, you'll know that I got one of the jobs I was interviewed for and now work in Boots (hurrah!).

This means I have been sooooooooooooooooooooo busy this week starting I haven't had chance to think much about what I've been eating and keep forgetting to weigh before I eat.

However I have remembered to do it this week and ......... I have stayed the same.

This doesn't bother me too much, I'd rather maintain than gain so hopefully ill lose something over the next few weeks!

I have ended up buying some meal deals and also taking some pasta salads etc with me.

As my shifts are at random times it's a little hard to plan my meals and I'm hoping it will become easier when I have set shifts and know what I'll be doing with my day.

Do you have any tips for me about how to cope with random meal times and rushed breaks?

In order to cope with attempting to tone up, I have also upgraded my membership so that I can turn up to the gym whenever which increases my chances greatly of actually turning up!

I'm hoping next week will run smoother as I now have 5.5 weeks until graduation which is not a lot of time at all!

I need to find a dress too eek!

Do you have any other tips for me??

L xxx

Gym Training Program

I mentioned in last week's post that I had a new training program created for me by a trainer at my gym.

This is (luckily!) a free service as part of my membership which was a relief as I really don't have any more money to spend!

Anyway, I thought I'd share with you the exercises she has given me to do.

This routine isn't 'easy' but the exercises aren't complicated and can be done using weights that you have at home etc.

It's always hard having the discipline to actually get up and do the exercises but I always feel so much better once I've done them and after a week of doing this program I can already see a difference.

Image from 123RF.com

It's based on using your core muscles (as mine are pretty rubbish!) and just generally losing fat and toning up.

A lot of the exercises engage multiple muscle groups, and I'm all for multi-tasking!

For this you will need:

2 x 4kg kettle bell (or light weights)

8kg kettle bell (or heavier weight)

Optional:

Swiss ball

2kg weight

1) Warm up - I usually go on the X-trainer for 5 minutes to get my heart rate up and my body warm. You could cycle, run around the block, up and down the stairs etc to get your body ready for exercise.

2) Press ups - For my exercise I use a swiss ball, place my hands on either side and do 2 sets of 15 press ups. This is why the swiss ball is optional as it's the only exercise that you use it for.

You could do 2 sets of 15 normal press ups instead if you don't have the ball.

Image from Fitness Magazine

At the moment I lean the ball against the wall to help steady it, as the whole movement requires a lot of effort to complete the press up and keep the ball steady but you can move this away from the wall to make it harder, and also choose a smaller swiss ball to up the difficulty.

3) Kettle bell swing - This uses a 4kg kettle bell to engage the core muscles, particularly lower stomach and swing the kettle bell from between your legs so that it ends around 90 degrees in front of you.

You hold onto the top of the kettle bell with both hands and swing using your hips. You don't need to bend your knees much for this (as I started doing!) as this is not a squat movement.

Image from About.com

(Ignore the last image, you do not need to go that high! As long as the kettle bell swings out in front of you this is fine)

If you can feel this in your lower stomach muscles when your swinging then you know for sure that it's working! Do this constantly for 1 minute in between each exercise and it will help to strengthen and tone your core muscles and midriff, and at the end of the day who doesn't want that!

You could use a normal 4kg weight to do this and hold it at one end, just make sure you're holding it evenly.

4) Goblin squat - This is where the 8kg weight comes in! I use a kettle bell so that I can use the handle on it.

This exercise is pretty simple, all you need to do is hold the weight at your chest level with both hands, squat down making sure your heels are pressing into the ground and then after you've risen from the squat raise the weight above your head level to stretch your arms up.

Basically this is just a squat and press with a weight, it engages your legs, core and arms/shoulders so definitely a multi tasker!

Image from FitnessMad.com

Repeat 3)

5) Bike - Using a bike for this would be easiest as this is cardio number one of two in this program. The program set for me has you cycling at a low level for 2 minutes, then a high level for 2 minutes and repeating for a 12 minute exercise (normally levels 3 and 5).

The rpm's must also be kept above 80.

Instead at home you could do interval training as running for 2 minutes (high level) and then walking for 2 minutes for the low level.

Repeat 3)

6) Lat Pulldown - In my program I use the Lat Machine at 20kg and do 2 sets of 15 reps.

I have absolutely no idea how you're supposed to do this outside of the gym though so I'm going to suggest you leave it out if you're not at the gym!

Repeat 3)

7) Lunge and Curl - This is pretty straight forward and common exercise. Using a 4kg kettle bell/weight in each hand I lunge, raise back up and then curl up both arms.

This is repeated at 2 sets of 15 for each leg (so 60 altogether....killer on the arms!)

It helps when doing this if you breathe in on the lunge and out on the curl.

My arms BURN after doing this 60 times so that can only mean its working right?!

Repeat 3)

8) Side Plank - My biggest hate is my stomach, and so consequently it has no muscle tone and every exercise hurts! When I tried to do this initially it was a disaster and I was laughed at!

After doing it for a week however I can already complete the 2 sets on both sides without collapsing woo!

Basically for this one you need to lie on your side with your arm propping you up.

Then you need to raise your hips into the air so your body is in a straight line being held up by your elbow and feet.

Your other arm is then pointing at the ceiling and so your body is in a cross type shape.

If only this was the end!

You then need to move your arm that's in the air in a swinging motion (slowly! or you'll unbalance) towards your other armpit so that it sort of scoops underneath your body twisting as you go.

Image from 6packatSixty.blogspot

This is hard to get the hang of and needs practice to stop you wobbling all over the place.

I find watching my moving arm makes it easier and make sure that your fixed arm lines up directly below your shoulder, if it moves further away you could injure yourself.

Repeat this 10 times on each side, twice.

The first time you'll die, but the third time I did this today and I managed it, it just takes a little time.
Once you've got the hang of it you can also add in the 2kg optional weight and hold this in your moving hand....maybe one day!

Repeat 3)

9) Pilates 100 - This is a dream compare to the side plank!

Lie down on the floor with your legs bent like you would to do crunches etc.

Curl up and raise your shoulder blades off the floor by a good inch, and pulse your hands at your sides in groups of ten, counting to 100.

Image from VideoJug

I don't ever feel this but my stomach muscles shake! So I know I'm doing it right...

You could start off doing 2 sets of 10, 5 times to get to the hundred, aiming to do a full 100 in 1 go at the end.

Repeat 3)

10) X-trainer - This is my favourite exercise.

Using the interval training preset profile (i.e. the one that looks like a castle top, up down up down etc) you will need to put this on level 4 for 10 minutes, keeping you speed up to 120+ rpm's. 

You can again do whatever interval training you like, at home walking/running is the easiest.

Hope you enjoyed looking at my program!

I would love to know if any of you will be testing some of them out, they really are doable at home aside from the lat pull down.

As I've said, having done this 3 times I can already see a difference in my stomach which is great for me as I really want to get it toned up for my graduation.

I'm down to 7 weeks now, I'm hoping to lose 1lb per week but I'm not sure how possible this will be with eating so much protein!

As long as I'm burning fat I'm happy :)


I always use Pinterest for some exercise inspiration:

 

Would you try any of these exercises? Do you have your own fitness program?

I would honestly love to know so leave a comment!

L xxx