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: Hazel Wallace The Food Medic - Health Happyness and Me

Hi all!

Today's Fitness Friday post is a review of Hazel Wallace's latest ebook. More commonly known as The Food Medic, Hazel is an Irish medical student studying in Cardiff and has a huge passion for food and fitness. She has her own website and blog which you can visit here (Hazel Wallace) and not only details her Sunday Service workout suggestions but also recipes and reviews of foods.

She also has her own ebook called 'Health Happyness and Me' which I purchased a few weeks ago.

It costs £10.99 and has 110 pages in total.

The ebook is full of amazing illustrations which is what attracted me to it most - I'm a sucker for a superhero theme especially when its a female one, who doesn't wish they were like Catwoman or Black Widow?! The book is full of them too, it definitely creates a positive vibe that you can most certainly do anything you put your mind to!


The ebook contains some background to Hazel's life and how she came to be so enthusiastic and passionate about fitness. After this she details how she gets motivated, her nutrition and diet myths, how to plan and prep your way through clean eating, and training. There are also a few recipes at the end of the ebook.

If you've ever seen her instagram it will be enough to motivate you to buy this ebook as she is absolutely beautiful and and her dedication to her workouts is clear.

I loved how easy this ebook was to read - it had some really great advice and would be great for anyone just starting out or someone like me who needed a few new ideas and a bit of motivation.

One thing I absolutely loved was the quotes she used within the text, there are lots of them from many people but one really stood out to me and it was one that Hazel herself created:

'Striving to succeed according to someone else's definition of success will not offer you the personal triumph that you're searching for'

This really struck a chord with me - trying to please everyone else will not make you happy nor will it help you in your own journey in life. It's something that I definitely need to make a bigger effort to do, I'm mostly happy with my life as it is and need to stop comparing myself to other people and their ideals just because they aren't the same.

This ebook was a really good read and I've come away with a few new suggestions for workouts and slight changes in my diet. I am yet to try any of the recipes as I've been away with work but they look really yummy and are clean versions of food that many people will eat.

If I'm being picky I would have liked to have seen more recipes and also a few days of workout plans. I know that she is neither a personal trainer nor a nutritionist but any more meals or workout ideas I can get to keep my body guessing and keep me motivated would be great.
She also has a lot of recipes on her blog so it seems a shame to only have a few in the ebook when they could all be in one place together. There is a separate ebook for recipes alone which I don't own and maybe all of them are in there, I just think having them all in one document makes it easier to manage, but that may just be me. Some of the meal ideas sound amazing!

I've previously bought other plans such as Emily Skye's 28 Day Shred so I guess I'm comparing the two plans but Hazel Wallace is a normal person with normal struggles just like everyone else and this makes her a lot more relatable. 

I'd definitely recommend this ebook if you're looking for some motivation and if you need some tips to help you get started on your fitness journey. It's something you can refer back to when you need some help changing an aspect of your eating or exercising and I will be using it over the next few months to make sure I'm getting the most out of my workouts,

Have you heard of Hazel Wallace or The Food Medic? Do you like reading ebooks from normal people who have a passion for fitness?

You should visit her website and try out some of her meals and workouts - the smoked paprika and chorizo burgers just sound divine!

L xxx

Fitness Friday: Best Foods To Eat After a Workout

Good morning!

After giving you a load of tips that I've found help me and have helped others I thought writing a list of post workout foods would be a good idea. We all know that it's good to eat after a workout to replenish your glycogen stores, help prevent muscle breakdown and recover faster. The best time to eat is within 30 minutes of finishing a workout so it can be hard to have something with you if you're on the go or even just finding an appropriate snack. (source)

Most days I drive straight to the gym from work (otherwise once I'm home I won't leave the house again!) so when I finish my workout I most often have a protein shake - when I have really gone for it - and then I eat my tea. 

On the weekends however I normally go in the mornings and so need a snack to keep me going until my next meal. It's hard to choose what to eat to keep you going so I've listed some of the best foods you should eat after a workout for optimum nourishment and minimum fat gain:

1) Milk - The easiest thing you can have is a glass of milk. It's liquid so is easily digested and contains protein and fats that your body needs for recovery. Not only this is an easy and cheap snack it's also easily taken with you and if not, bought from a local shop. Perfect! Stick with full fat though, although the fat is higher it hasn't had as many chemical processes performed on it and is actually better for you.

2) Greek Yogurt - Greek yogurt has double the amount of protein of normal yogurt so is a great food to snack on, and mixed with fruit such as berries and a handful of nuts its a great way of getting in some vitamins and good fats to your day. It's also got enough carbs to keep you going.

3) Wholewheat wraps - If you really are hungry after your workout and not near a meal time your best bet is to have a wholemeal wrap, cook up some eggs and veggies and make a wrap, otherwise prepare them the night before and you can easily take them with you. Chicken, fish and feta cheese are all good sources of protein that can be put into a wrap with veggies and some other carbs such as quinoa, rice or beans and you'll be sorted.

4) Peanut Butter - One of my favourite foods! Spreading this onto some rye bread or rice crackers will help to stave off any cravings. Eating this with an apple or banana will also make a great snack and I've seen many pictures where other people have stuck 2 piece of fruit together using the PB to make a mini sandwich. Otherwise just a spoon or two straight out of the tub should see you right!

5) Quinoa - the superfood that contains a lot of protein but acts like a grain. Fills you up without filling you out, and can substitute so many other carbs such as oats, pasta and rice. I've had this for breakfast with almond milk, yogurt and fruit, as well as in salad to replace pasta and in wraps to provide some stodge to fill me up. It's a winner!

6) Smoothies - if you have the chance to make a smoothie than you're on to a winner all around. You can add in some oats or quinoa to thicken it up, whatever fruit you like for flavour and vitamins and yogurt and/or some protein powder to help rebuild your muscles. Using a smoothie maker would make this so easy and would be something I'd love to try more regularly! I'd even add in some peanut butter or chia seeds too for some extra protein and good fats.

7) Dried fruit and nut - I've made my own mix that I take to work with me and keep in a drawer for snacking on when things get a bit too hectic and the hunger just won't go away. Dried cranberries are my favourite and as for the nuts I just mix up any I can find to keep a good variety and also add in pumpkin and sunflower seeds too. This kind of snack is easily carried around in your handbag.

8) Protein shake - I tend to only have these when I know I won't be eating any actual protein any time soon. I personally think that eating chicken or fish is a much better option but sometimes life doesn't allow it! In this case I have a shake and I mix it with water, mainly to keep calories down but mixing with milk can give a better protein complex if you're not worried about calories. The protein that I have is just a normal chocolate flavour protein with 80% whey protein per scoop. I wouldn't bother with diet protein powders as although they may have less fat per scoop, you often need 2 scoops for the same amount of protein, cost more, and contains up to 10x the amount of sugar that a normal protein powder contains, pointless right??

If you want to check you can compare the one that I use - here - and the diet version from the same brand -here -

Another tip I was told by my personal trainer, as long as you consume a snack or meal that has equal parts carbs and protein then you will be sufficiently supplying your body with fuel after a workout. If you choose carbs only then you will cause your insulin to spike and then leads to a crash afterwards where you'll be reaching for more sugar to overcome it.

Just remember.....:



I'm on a personal quest this year to eat cleaner myself. I need to work on my snacks, and also wean myself off things so that they are just a treat. I've weaned myself off honey on my breakfast and now I need to reduce the amount of peanut butter I consume! It's a favourite snack but it's getting a little out of control oops!

What do you snack on post workout? Do you need to wean yourself off certain foods like I do?

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