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: 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 Friday: Motivation and Inspiration

Evening!

I didn't plan anything for this weeks Fitness Friday post so this is an impromptu post written after a long hard week at work and with a full tummy after my tea of poached eggs, beans and mushrooms. It was exactly the comfort food I was looking for and I managed to forgo any toast so it was all in all a healthy meal. I may treat myself to some greek yogurt later too!

I though I'd give a general update and try to inspire myself and hopefully others too to get back on track. Last weekend I had some bad news which left me feeling quite rubbish, not only that but work has been getting me down for a few months and with lots of people off on Easter holidays with their kids I knew it wasn't going to get any easier. I spent the majority of my weekend sleeping as I genuinely couldn't get up, I was 'exhausted' I suppose, physically and mentally. This meant I did the best thing possible; I ate healthily and slept as much as I could whilst forgoing any exercise of any kind. It was the best thing, although I was tired going back to work on Tuesday I managed to survive the day which seemed impossible initially.

I've been getting quite bored with my exercise routine and meals. I am always looking for new things but my serious lack of funds restricts my capability to go out and try rock climbing, canoeing and every other outdoors task that I would just love to try. Even though I need to keep adding distance to my runs I find running so boring and its ten times more of a mental battle with me. I'm so proud when I complete a run but its like climbing Everest to get myself going!

Because of this I have instead started to search online a lot more, reading articles and peoples posts on other fitness and meal ideas. I thought I'd share some of the things I've been reading and what has inspired me to change a few things and get myself back on track. Enjoy!

1) Emily Skye - if you haven't heard of her already then a quick google will show you everything you need to know. She's gorgeous, has the BEST accent and is super friendly, how much do you want to be her?

Her amazing set of abs and arms are what makes me particularly want to be like her. If I could ever get halfway to having a body is beautiful as hers I'd be so happy, which is why i have bought her Ab Shred program when it was on offer a few weeks ago .

I plan on following as much of the meal plan as much as I possibly can and incorporating some of her ab exercises into my routine to blast more ab fat. I'm sure I'll dedicate a whole post to this program soon but in the mean time you can check her out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and her website itself by searching on Emily Skye. She has the normal shred and a specific ab shred for you to choose from.

2) The Tone It Up girls. Who hasn't heard of these absolutely stunning girls before? Beautiful and lean beach bodies, they're the perfect motivation to get bikini ready and right now they're allowing you to sign up for their Bikini Series for FREE! You can find more information on their site HERE but also you only need to type Tone It Up or KarenaKatrina into the search boxes on instagram, twitter or just about anything to find them. Serious bikini envy!

(I've signed up for their bikini series so you should make sure you get involved too!)

3) Chocolate Covered Katie - a SERIOUSLY amazing healthy dessert blog, Katie is an absolute genius who seems to have converted all of my favourite treats into perfectly acceptable recipes. Why would you EVER consider giving up desserts when you have people like Katie to create healthy versions for you?!

I can see me spending a lot of my weekend on that website! Not only are her recipes amazing but she has also calculated all of the nutritional info for each of them, now you know EXACTLY how many calories and how much your macros are in each serving.

4) Peanut Butter Fingers - It was love at first sight even with the name of the website, any girl that thinks its ok to stick her fingers in a jar of PB for a snack is ultimately my best friend. Written by Julie the blog is designated for general lifestyle, food and fitness and as a writer and a personal trainer (with a gorgeous dog called Sadie) I can see me wanting to experiment with her recipes and her love of Body Pump is almost on par with mine! Though I imagine she lifts a better weight than i do ha. Trust me, you'll get sucked in by her enthusiasm too!

5) Oh She Glows - My last blog link goes to Angela of Oh She Glows. She's a write of a vegan food blog with to die for recipes, Instant Chocolate Chia Pudding anyone?? Not only are they dairy and meat free but most are also free from gluten, soy and processed foods which sounds pretty damn good to me. 

Her photography is pretty epic in itself (I love a good photo and when it's of food it rates highly with me!) but she also has a list of popular recipes if you're overwhelmed by choice. Not to mention she's award winning and has her own cookbook out, I mean how much more inspirational can you get!

So how gorgeous are all of those ladies?? If that doesn't motivate you i do not know what will.

I hope these links have inspired you during a dull and dreary time. The weather here has been rather grey again and suiting my mood, but tomorrow I vow to be back on it and working hard for my weigh in with my trainer in 10 days time (EEK).

I've signed up for a body pump class at 9am and I already know I'll be having pancakes to start my day, after that with these new sites to drool over....who knows?!

Have you tried the Ab Shred or the Tone it Up programs before? Do you have an favourite recipes from Katie, Julie or Angela?

Is there anyone else you can recommend for me to read? I'd love to see some more!

L xxx