Fitness Friday: Tips from Personal Trainers

After my post last week where I shared my tips that I found help me to get back into my work out routine in the new year, I thought I'd share with you some tips I've found from personal trainers that might also work.

It's always the second and third weeks of January where motivation starts to disappear and you can easily fall back into your old ways before you've even realised it!

So here's some of the best tips to help you keep on going:

1) The image you have of yourself will define what you will work towards - get a mental image in your head of what you want and keep it there. This is why I love pinterest and instagram for providing inspiration all the time and giving me something to work towards. Find something that will work for your body type and work on it.

2) Eat MORE good food MORE often - love this one! Snack more on veggies, keep your protein intake regular throughout the day and don't let your blood sugar drop. I try and eat every few hours, this means I never get really hungry and get to the cravings stage so I don't ruin my hard work. It REALLY helps and although you might think its weird to eat more food more often, as long as its the right food it won't cause you to gain weight. Since January I've been so hungry I've barely stopped eating but as its all good food its OK!

3) Carbs are GOOD - Carbs are necessary and without them you won't really get very far. Make sure you have them for breakfast and lunch especially as it will carry you through the bulk of the day, and particularly before and after a workout to fuel yourself and your body. I'm talking brown rice, oats, wholewheat pasta, sweet potato and quinoa, good carbs to keep you going and on track!

4) Don't let your body adapt - We're all guilty of getting into habits, it's the easiest way to make sure you keep going. Initially making yourself go to the same classes to create a habit is great, but after a while your body gets used to it and it doesn't have the same effect. Keep changing it up, try and go to a different class on the same day at the same time to keep your habit, go for a run outside instead of the gym or go for a hike on an unpredictable route. Anything to vary exercise will make sure you get the best out of it. I'll be doing body pump tomorrow morning and I might go really heavy for a different track each week for the next few weeks to shock my muscles into working harder.

5) Don't go all or nothing though - Stay consistent in terms of efforts, don't run every day for 2 weeks and then give up because you've got blisters and shin splints. Allow your body time to build up and recover but keep pushing and don't give up just because you ache more than normal.

6) Prepare everything - Workouts and food in particular. Don't turn up to the gym and wander around deciding what you're going to do, write it down or plan it all in your head and just go for it whilst you're there. Same goes for food, prepare your meals and plan out when you're having what meal, it will help when you're tired after a workout just want to eat, and stop you from going for a takeaway or a ready meal! One of the easiest ways I've learnt to do this is to prep a load of meals on one day and portion them up. You can then freeze some for later on and keep others in the fridge. I also find having cooked chicken and a tupperware of ready cooked quinoa in the fridge helps as I snack on that instead of crisps!

7) Perfect your form - Before you start piling the weights onto the bar make sure you know what you're doing and your form is correct or you'll injure yourself before you start. Not only that but knowing your form and performing the full range of each movement for each rep will get you the most out of each exercise that you possibly can; i.e. squat lower, push up harder and stretch further, it will make you sweatier without a doubt!

8) Focus - This means ignoring your texts, calls and emails whilst you're in the gym. Focus on what you're doing for the 30 minutes or hour you are exercising, not only will this make your workout seem like it goes faster but it will also ensure you get the maximum out of it too. Blast your favourite music and concentrate.

9) Hydrate - The most important factor in weight loss and exercise. Don't forget to stay hydrated and keep a bottle of water near you, I carry one with me all the time and the benefits are endless!

10) Make a record - Take photos for a before and after. You don't need to put these on the internet (I certainly haven't!) But it can help to show you progress that the scale might not. I've also started to keep a journal of my dirt and exercise habits so that I can see progress. An increase in distance when I run, or a change in pace, an increase in weights or just about anything really. I'm hoping it will give me a boost when I see how far I've progressed or how my body has changed.

What do you think of the tips? Are there any that stand out to you that you think might help? 

I know I need to keep changing up my classes and exercise and definitely need to prepare my snacks better!

L xxx

Dr Bronner's Pure Castile Magic Soap

Well hello there!

Sticking with the clean theme for the new year this post is all about my new favourite make up brush cleaner. Most people have heard about Dr Bronner's Pure Castile 18 in 1 Magic Soap by now courtesy of a lot of reviews from other bloggers, Anna from Vivianna Does Make Up is a fan!

I saw the Citrus Orange scent in TK Maxx recently and couldn't help but take it home with me!
I'm a sucker for citrus scents as it is but with my trusty Johnson's baby shampoo running low I knew it was a sign.

I love the packaging for this, like an old style bottle with hundreds of words on it dictating tips, tricks, suggestions and ingredients. Not only that but it's also fair trade certified and all contained within a recycled plastic bottle; it's like the most justifiably purchasable product in existence.

I love the description of how soap is made, it's really interesting a quirky touch that other products don't have. Did I mention this snapshot also shows that it's organic as certified under the USDA National Organic Program?! It's also refillable at certain stores though I'm assuming this is America only.

This 18 in 1 soap has many uses including face and body wash, and facial wraps using hot water infused with the soap and a warm towel. This has become popular with bloggers due to its ability to clean make up brushes easily and leaving them with a gorgeous scent; not to mention its super concentrated so you only need a small amount to get things clean/

As far as make up brush cleaning goes; it's one of those tasks that we all hate doing! I always seem to have used a ridiculous amount of them and facing up to an hour of cleaning is always offputting!

However using this scent i barely noticed the time going by as it just made me feel like I was on holiday in an orange grove, or in the middle of Christmas - weird how one scent can bring such opposing images isn't it?

I tested it on all of my eyeshadow brushes first and it cleansed them really well, even those that have been applying the super pigmented Urban Decay shadows and MAC pigments, especially Blackout from UD which just seems to be the blackest thing I've ever seen.

So I moved onto the dreaded foundation and powder brushes that get abused on a daily basis by me and should be cleaned  a lot more often than they do!

But you can see for yourself that they've come up almost back to their original white which is impressive considering some are over a year old.

This has been a big hit for me and I'm hoping it lasts a really long time too; I will certainly be scouring my local TK Maxx for some of their other scents in future though it's always a one hit wonder kind of place for me!

I miraculously managed to get mine in TK Maxx for a £5.99 bargain so I'd recommend checking your local shop just in case. Otherwise amazon also have some pretty good deals, it all depends on which scent you are looking for.

The soap is also available in Almond, Baby Mild, Eucalyptus, Green Tea, Lavender, Peppermint, Rose and Tea Tree. I'd love to try the peppermint one too as its my other favourite scent!

Have you tried Dr Bronner's Magic Soap? Which is your favourite scent?

L xxx

Rimmel Apocolips Lip Velvet Matte Burning Lava

Hey All

Hope you had a great weekend. Mine was pretty awesome. Friday night was spent with Wagamamas and The Theory of Everything (i was not prepared for that film to make me cry as much as it did) it was a great film though. On Saturday it was a sorting out type day and a quick pop into town where i finally grabbed some Chelsea style boots. I found a bargain in Fat face reduced from £80 to £25. How could I leave them there. I finally got some excursions planning done for Iceland, I leave two weeks tomorrow. I'm so excited to go now. Yesterday started off way earlier than I'd like for a trip down to the welsh coastline to walk along the cliffs. It was so windy at points but a lush walk and felt good to be out walking.

Today's post is on a product that became instantly loved by bloggers and until Christmas eve I didn't own any of them. As soon a I saw apocolips I loved them. The strong colours, amazing pigmentation, lasting stain and glossy lips really seemed like the perfect lip product and after trying L's I was even more convinced even so I told myself I had enough lipsticks (said no girl ever!!).

On Christmas eve I realised I hadn't taken a red lipstick back to my parents house it seemed like the perfect opportunity to pick them up. Plus they were on 3 for 2. Picking colours took a while but after seeing the matte version I opted for these as I had found the original ones transfer a lot when glossy especially onto teeth.

Burning lava is your classic pillar box red. I wouldn't say it has any blue tones too it but it doesn't make the teeth look yellow because of this.

As with the original apocolips it has the doe foot applicator with the dip in it so it picks up enough product. The shape of it also helps to get a good line around the lips and has a good enough point to define the cupids bow.The matte colours apply to the lips so smoothly. They glide on and don't drag and feel dry on the lips as some matte textures can and don't flake off the lips. I do also find the texture easy to work with to get a well outlined lip. The only problem I have is the colour can sometimes bleed a little so before applying I usually just apply a little bit of an invisible lip liner. The pigmentation is as you would expect from this range. I love the bold colours.

I prefer that the matte colours don't transfer as much as the glossy colours but have kept all the good features that everyone liked with the original apocolips. The colour will initially transfer to a glass or something while it sets but not as badly as the glossy version. It leaves a great even stain to the lips but I do find myself reapplying as the first time it fades I find it gives the ring around the lips. If I then reapply it'll fade and stain the lips all over. I love wearing this to work if I'm going out after work especially as I know by then I have a fuss free perfect red lip.

Have you tried the matte version of the Apocolips?

Love M

xxx

Fitness Friday: Tips to Keep Your Fitness Resolutions

Hi all!

I'm starting the new year with so many ideas and I'm full of enthusiasm for the future especially with my fitness plans. Every Friday will continue to be Fitness Friday and I'll be blogging anything that takes my fancy on the topic from tips, recipes, workouts, class recommendations and inspiration.

I've been back to the gym and trying to get into a routine and creating more habits for myself so that it becomes as easy as possible to keep fit, keep my overeating at bay and get stronger ready for events in the summer. I'm trying to do as much as I can and stop making up useless excuses like these ones:

I've been using my usual tips to get me back in the game and I thought I'd share them with you in case you need any motivation to launch your fitness plans, so here's my top tips:

1) New gym gear - there's nothing that will get you motivated like some super cute, super hot sweat pants, running leggings and bright and colourful tops and sports bras. I'm bigger on top so prefer to wear patterned gym leggings and then brightly coloured baggy tshirts or neon sports bras and fitted black sports vests. - It is a funeral for the fat you know...
But I've seen some amazing neon animal print gym wear from H&M that I've also snapped up as motivation. The post christmas sales are a great time to stock up!
Want to know where I've got my reasoning for this tip? Have you ever seen a fitness guru on Instagram looking depressed in their neon gym kit?? Look at the Tone It Up girls Karena and Katrina, they look happy and beautiful and that's enough to get me on the treadmill!

2) Variety - I normally stick with a gym circuit that I make up including kettle bells, burpees etc to change things up plus I'm a very big Body Pump fan. But to shake things up for the new year I'm determined to try out more classes.
I've already been back to Body Combat on Monday for the first time in 6 months and I'm still aching in the shoulder area! I've also started my running plan to get to the 12 mile distance necessary for Tough Murder. Next Monday I'm going to Body Balance which I've been meaning to try for well over a year. Will be really interested to see how I do as flexibility and poise is not my strong point!

3) Goals - having a goal is always a great way to kick start your fitness plan and give you something to work for. I know that I have a 12km event in June and a 12 mile event in August and I also know that running is my weakest point so I've started early. I know from last year that I found it hard to increase my distance so I'm starting early and giving myself as much time as I can. The less the pressure and stress I put on myself the more enjoyable and hopefully easier it will be!
Even if it's a holiday or a wedding you have to go to, giving you a time frame will give you something to head towards.

4) Motivation - Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest are your number one goals here. Find people who are just like yourself and striving for a better you in 2015, follow fitness gurus and personal trainers with their own goals and use them as motivation. Otherwise there are plenty of 'celebrities' whether real or just social media experts who give enough inspiration on an hourly/daily basis that can get you to the gym. Emily Skye, the Tone It Up girls and Tana Ashlee are just a few but as soon as you being searching you'll find 100's of accounts! Best of all, they are totally free.
Women's Health and Women's Fitness are also both great sources of workout ideas, recipes and gym gear that you can read too. I buy every issue of both magazines and find it spurs me on!

5) Plan Ahead - Have no plans for the week? Schedule in your fitness so you don't forget about it and keep planning on 'going tomorrow'. 

Busy week? Schedule it in like an appointment and don't miss it, you wouldn't miss work or meeting up with friends and 1 hour is only 4% of your day. 

Have a busy weekend away and it's likely to be indulgent? Keep it simple in the week, make sure your diet is clean and you get your exercise done throughout Monday to Friday, that way you can enjoy your weekend off guilt free! It's all about balance and finding what works for you, but the guilty feeling is the worst so planning ahead can really help. My February is looking really busy so I'm using January to work off my Christmas pudding and save my money for my future plans. That way I know when I've had a few days of eating and drinking I can relax and know that I've been working out enough.

What are your top tips for keeping your fitness resolutions this year? Do you have any specific goals in mind for this year?

There are so many tips and tricks, and if you have a friend that can be your fitness buddy to get the new year off with a bang then even better as having a friend join you is one of the better ways of sticking to it.

If all else fails.....a personal favourite quote of mine from DailyHiit.com is this!

L xxx