Bring Sexy Back "Light" Cardio

The definition of “light” is loose in my head J

To stop myself going mad and add some intensity into my boring as hell “light cardio” sessions I went back to my circuit days and pulled this out the bag.  Actually really hard in my cardio terms, so please don’t laugh at me cardio bunnies.

My aims

·         Add some resistance and hit those fast twitch muscle fibres that are having a good old rest given my injury

·         Do a sharp 30 minute cardio session, having fuelled up before hand to remain anabolic not catabolic (read up on it if you’re a fan of fasted cardio)

·         Get a good sweat on

So here it is

Warm up

5 minutes incline walk – 6% incline, 6.0km

Lunge circuit.  Remaining on the treadmill.  Incline 3%

·         2 minutes walking lunge – 4.5km

·         1 minute side skip right – 5km

·         2 minutes walking lunge – 4.5km

·         1 minute side skip left – 5km

·         2 minutes walking lunge – 4.5km

·         2 minutes running backwards – 5km

Jump off the treadmill and perform 50 weighted walking lunches.  I held two 5km plates as I don’t like to load my back unless I really need to (thickens the core = wider waist).  But you can use dumbbells or a barbell if you find this easier.

Back on the treadmill.  Sprint circuit.  Incline 1%.  These speeds are for my ability.  I max out at 16km, as in my legs struggle to carry me.  Your max will be individual to your ability.  The gauge I gave Gabby is run like a rapist is chasing you.  THAT'S your max!!!

·         30 seconds walk – 6.5km

·         30 second sprint – 13km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 13.5km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 14km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 14.5km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 15km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 15.5km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 16km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 16km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 15.5.5km

·         30 second rest (jump onto the side of the treadmill)

·         30 second sprint – 15km

·         30 second walk – 6km

Breathing out my arse – 100 sumo squats, using 5kg plate until I can’t do anymore then just use own bodyweight.  I think I managed about 60 with weight but pretty sure I was delirious by this point.

Back on the treadmill for Squat Intervals - Incline 1%

·         1 minute side squat left - 3.5km

·         1 minute side skip left - 4.5km

·         1 minute side squat right - 3.5km

·         1 minute side skip right- 4.5km

·         1 minute run backwards - 3.5km

Incline walk (to finish off those hamstrings). 5 minutes, incline 10%, speed 6km.

This broke me!  Have fun....

Love

x

Injury Woes

It was only a matter of time until injury struck again.  Given the strain I put my body under sometimes it’s no surprise when I tweak things here and there.  However, twisting your knee in your sleep has to go down as one of thee crappiest excuses for an injury I ever heard!

According to my evil physio there’s nothing actually wrong with my knee at all – which is good news because thats months out not weeks.  After a few painful sessions in which I’ve had needles stuck in my legs (deeper than acupuncture apparently and awesome for trigger points.  Awesome = horrendously painful) and suffered the annoyance of rest I’m not convinced he’s any the wiser.  “Apparently” I’ve tweaked a tiny muscle in my lower back, which is putting strain on my glute, into my hams and quads and setting off my knee.  Jeas!

That ain’t the technical explanation I’m sure but it’s what I remember through the haze of the pain....

Anyways, injury 3 weeks before Vegas is a flipping disaster! 

No weights and light cardio.  LIGHT CARDIO!  I feel my booty deflating by the day and I’m playing old head games with myself convinced I’m turning into Miss Piggy.  NONE OF MY NEW CLOTHES ARE GOING TO FIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't do light..... and I don't do c-a-r-d-i-o......

Now the logical side of my brain is saying rest and get better, rest is good for muscle growth, tend to niggles now so they don’t turn into anything serious, you’re not gaining fat yada yada.  Well the emotional side is screaming, wanting to reach for the biscuit tin and cry that it’s JUST SO UNFAIR!!

So that’s what I’m up to.  Bored and looking pretty peeved off with life so if you see my grumpy face in the gym staring longingly at the smith machine give me a slap.  I have been a good girl and stuck to his advice.  Not doing much in the way of "light cardio" because I'm not that fussed if I gain a few kgs, its not the end of the world, and I would much rather preserve all that hard earned muscle that took me so long, and so much pain to build.

Thinking of some good news...... OH!  I do have some.  Slightly tooting my own horn, but hey its my blog so TOOT TOOT!  My trainer is actually a genius.  Not Mensa style but BANGING FOR VEGAS rate.  Despite being a couple of kgs on the heavier than I’d like side, and body fat remaining pretty static around 17/18% my waist has shrunk.  This thick old trunk I call a waist is actually beginning to resemble one.  I’m athletically built which is great for some things but horrid for others.  Waist being the main culprit.  Smallest I’ve ever measured and would be a few kgs lighter for sure is 27 inches.  It’s 26 at the moment, yeah baby!  With a booty measuring 38 - YOWSERS nothing in the shops fit me off the rain.  So I'm havign to buy a bigger size and have it altered.  Its costing a fortune but I love shape and well nothing beats your clothes fitting perfectly does it!

J Lo watch your back honey J

Right, going to leave you with this absolute beauty.  If your well enough to train, and you can't find the motivation after listening to this I will organise for you to be punched in the face.  Made for a heavy legs session!

I said HEAVY ladies, and deep, I wanna see some strain on your pretty faces!

Love

x

Gabby's 3rd Blog

Hi guys

Well it’s been a couple of weeks since I blogged. And although the workouts have been going well and I’ve been doing more cardio as well my eating has not been as tight as I would have liked. This is down to a few reasons but no point going in to them, I know what they are and I know how to address them. But the main thing for me is not being in a routine.

After acknowledging this fact I’ve had a good eating weekend and have kept really active (surfing yesterday was great I highly recommend it! it’s fun but exhausting!).

Three weeks to go until my birthday and I really am on the home stretch now and I don’t have many things on socially as well so that’s good, it stops me from cheating and being naughty. Anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist a wee pick! I’m just going to knuckle down with the workouts, increase my cardio and eat as clean as I can.

I stocked up at the shops yesterday on chicken, veg and greens so I have no excuse! Ive prepared my lunches for the week so I’m not caught on when I’m out about on the go and have my food with me.

So keep your fingers crossed for me it’s going to be a hard three weeks x

Hey boys and girls

Slightly less perky check in this time.  But I’m glad Gabby has blogged as this is her journey and it’s hard.  We had a big heart to heart on Friday morning.  I had watched her take her foot off the accelerator for a few weeks and it was quite hard to stand back from and a real personal challenge with my type A personality not to physically grab her, shake her and go clean out her fridge.  At the end of the day we are accountable to no one other than ourselves and the only person you are cheating, is yourself.

The “journey” is difficult but Gabs can and will do it if she knuckles down.  It’s all down to diet, and again I’m going to point out that cardio IS NOT THE ANSWER for a number of reasons.  Mainly because this will hinder muscle growth, increase cortisol the stress hormone into your body and frankly how long do you really want to spend in the gym for the sake of a Mars bar??

Take a read of this article on the effects of cortisol on fat loss.  Cardio will hinder your progress if not used correctly.

I’m sitting at around 17% body fat and I do one 30 minute cardio session a week.  Leaning out all comes down to a consistent diet, pure and simple.  And getting my head around this was the biggest lesson I learnt and one that I think we all struggle to acknowledge. 

80% of how we look is what we put in our mouths. 

But, I really do want to point out that Gabby’s body is changing and progressing every single week.  Lately I have seen a great improvement in her lower body, her hamstrings in particular!  The workouts are transforming her body shape, now we need to bring in the diet to lean out.

Let’s rally round and support her because SHE CAN DO THIS! 

Love

xx

Banging For Vegas - Day 20 - Gabby's Blog

Hi guys that's me just under 3 weeks in to the new regime and its going well!

I've lost another 2 pounds this week and I can def start to see changes in my body, especially my tummy and arms.

The sessions this week have been quite long and hard but I’m trying to lift heavier weights as the weeks are progressing. The plyo sessions are always awful and last night was no exception. 5 weeks to go before Vegas so if I can continue at this pace I should def reach my target of a stone, so the sequin shorts are still in sight!

I had a couple of compliments off friends at work this morning so that's always a good motivation. I’m going to ramp up the cardio next week as I’m finishing up work today so hopefully that should speed up the weight loss a little bit.

Speak next week!

Gabs x

Another great week from Gabs.  I’ll second the awfulness of the plyo session we did last night.  Close to vomit a couple of times!  But we dug deep and suffered together, now that’s friendship J

I have definitely started to see some changes in her body as I blogged.  Everything is moving in the right direction at a good pace.  She is a great example of what can be achieved through the right workouts and nutrition.  Only one cardio session again this week and my spy’s tell me she was a naughty little minx on Sunday with her nutrition but look, like I said before, cheats are ok.  They matter less when you are consistently following a balanced nutrition plan and training programme.

I feel a little like the fun police and sure Gabs wants to kick me at times when I’m giving her shit but so happy to see her doing so well.  Her strength is improving each session and I’m sure she is even surprising herself when she is pushed to try a couple of kgs heavier and smashes the reps out.  I'm pushing her because I believe in her abilities so I hope you don't hate me friend.....

I’d be happy if next week she only did two or three HIIT session.  I don’t believe at this stage the cardio is required if the nutrition is on point.  I know Gabby is keen to speed things up but this is a learning curve and if more than a couple of lbs comes off a week, it ain't fat that's coming off, its muscle tissue.  WHICH IS THE LAST THING I WANT!!!

Well done my friend, SO PROUD!  Keep it up!!

xx

Why I Think It’s Ok To Cheat

.....on your programmes of course

Personally here are the benefits for me to cheating now and again

1.       Keeps me sane

2.       A bit of what you fancy now and again never hurt anyone

3.       Sometimes you just need a rest, mentally if for nothing else

Here’s my approach to cheating on your diet or workout programme.  Sometimes life gets in the way and that can’t be helped, you’re genuinely stuck without access to clean food, some tit eats your lunch from the fridge at work (true story), your injured and can’t workout etc...  Why waste time beating yourself up about it and feeling guilty.  It’s one day, one meal, get over it, move on and don’t waste precious life feeling shit about it.

When it comes to deliberate cheating here’s my approach.  I call it conscious cheating, closely linked to conscious eating (look it up).  Sounds lame but bear with me.  Instead of thinking life is the thing that is happening to you; approach all elements of life, including your diet, exercise and therefore your physique with the acceptance that it is all in your hands.  Your appearance, fitness and to some extent confidence and self esteem are as a result of the choices you make every single day. 

When I cheat, have that Greggs Sausage roll for lunch or take a biscuit from the tin at work I do it putting that food in my mouth KNOWING that my choice will not help me reach my goal.  I consciously accept that I am making a decision that is not going to support what goals and boundaries I have set for myself.

Uh, sounds like a lot of effort for a biscuit?  Well, how much energy do you expend wishing you were that magical ½ a stone lighter? Or your tummy was flatter? Or your biceps bigger? 

This approach makes me think about my actions and also the consequences of my actions.  I’m not saying turn into a crazing nutter and over analyse all the decisions you make but if you know something is bad for you, accept the consequences of that decision to do it anyway.  Ignorance is not an excuse when it comes to fitness; neither is finding an excuse for your cheat.  Just have the dam thing if it’s that important to you but consciously accept what results that choice will bring.

For example:  “It’s a birthday party, I’ve got to have cake at a birthday party!”  You walk away from this situation thinking well it was ok and won’t affect me because I had a good excuse.  WRONG!  Or even worse you’ll spend the rest of the day feeling guilty for having a piece of cake.  Wasting a day of your life feeling shit for a few moments of eating.

It will affect your progress, and if you choose to accept that it’s fine, but don’t be surprised when the scales give you a disappointing reading, or you don’t reach your target inch loss.  And don’t have the cheek to be upset about it either. 

Your body is a pretty simple being.  It doesn’t care who’s birthday it was or what the occasion for the cheating was.  All it knows is “I have no use for all this refined sugar so I’m going to store it”.

It works for me, personnally I ate birthday cake this Sunday much to the surprise of the other attendees.  You eat that???  Yes I do, I eat very well the rest of my meals so I can eat a slice of cake and not beat myself up over it.  I may not be the leanest I could be, because I choose to cheat.  But I am the most sane, in control and accepting of the choices I make on a daily basis.

Think about it....

Lots of hippy love

x

PS - My side note to all this is the word CONSCIOUS.  I could literally kick people who play the ignorance card and do not know what it is they are putting in their mouths.  It’s ridiculous.  So if you have no idea what carb, protein, fat or most importantly sugar content of the foods you eat you need to have a word with yourself.  People, IMO, hide behind the EXCUSE it would be obsessive to know the content of your food.  I strongly disagree - its education!  You wouldn't put the wrong type of fuel in your car.  You wouldn't drink an unknown liquid someone handed you so why do you eat something a supermarket puts a nice label on without knowing what it is you are consuming.  You only get one body so look after it.  Rant......

Milestones

Monitoring progress is hard and can become a bit of a head f**k when you are working so hard.  Bob, rightly so, pointed out that we should notice all the small milestones, not just what the scales are reading on a weekly basis. 

*  the first time someone comments you have lost weight
*  the first time your regular size no longer fits
*  the first time you can run a certain distance or lift a certain weight

Well, forget what the scales say.  I hadn't seen Gabby in a couple of days and last night I notice she has lost body fat.  Mostly around her shoulders and arms.

Its really difficult for me to tell because we train together everyday but yesterday I could see a change in her physique.  She is beginning to transform in front of my eyes, and its awesome to see :-)

Stay healthy and motivated people, it won't happen overnight but it will happen!

Love

x

Gabby's First Blog & Weigh In

Hi guys, well that's me ten days in now and all I can say is that its been tough but really enjoyable. As a reformed cardio and carb (its the Italian in me) junkie its been a big lifestyle change. At first I was also a little bit intimidated being in the weights area but you soon get over that and the eye candy certainly helps!!

The food was hard to get my head around at first, especially the eating 5 times a day, and preparing the food is also time consuming. But I have saved money not buying breakfast and lunch everyday which is also an added bonus. Without sounding clichéd I no longer feel bloated and do have much more energy. Those that know me know I love my food and have a massive appetite on me, but I don't seem to be hungry and even sat in the pub last night with the girls and just ate chicken and edamame beans even after an awful plyo workout!

I've lost three pounds which isn't a massive amount but a loss none the less. It’s been really good to have something to focus on so has been great for the mental health too! I also keep telling myself that I need to trust the process (it will all come together) and that things are not going to change overnight. I’m a firm believer that things that are worth it in life are never going to be easy.

And as hard as it is to believe its been a laugh as times as well, I always worked out on my own before but having someone push you really does make the difference and having some banter does lighten the pain. Having a couple of hours in the day to focus on nothing else but exercise and listen to my tunes has been invaluable.

I can feel and see a little bit of a loss around my tummy and had a couple of compliments from friends so that always helps to push you through when you are feeling low. My skin is clearer and with the increased protein my nails are stronger and my hair even shinier!

Next steps for me are to rank up on the cardio and get my weights a little bit heavier. I am quite pleased with my weights so far I’m not that far behind Kelly even though she's been doing it a lot longer than me. A little tip that I think is good to share (maybe just for the girls though) is that it’s good to have something hanging in your room that you really want to wear but just don't have the confidence yet to wear, and mines is a pair of sparkly sequin shorts! Silly but it works!

So its 6 weeks to go before Vegas and 18 months to go before I'm a bridesmaid (woo hoo)!  I will blog again next week on my progress.

And lastly a massive thanks to Kelly for helping me out and giving me something that's in my control that I can work hard for.

Gabs x

 

I'm absolutely delighted with Gabby’s hard work and effort!!  Believe me she's been put through some tough workouts and has risen to the challenge each time.  Even in that first horrible week when her legs were in shock and turning to jelly. 

Personally I am very happy with Gabby's weight loss so far.  Pure fat loss, achieved only through weight training, all be it one cardio session.  From my point of view I want her to lose fat and keep it off.  We’re building muscle to not only to firm everything up but make her body more metabolic.  No starvation diets and hunger pangs around here thank you very much!

The weight room can be intimidating, but she is practicing perfect technique and working to failure.  This girl is going to be a machine come Christmas let me tell you!!  And those sequin shorts - she will ROCK THEM with her firm, tight buns!!! :-)

Our initial plan was to do cardio but the workouts have taken longer than I would have liked as we have spent time working on technique and getting that perfect.  There was a little problem with muscle soreness in the first week also which would have just been pure evil to ask her to exercise on. We will introduce some cardio next week but again this will be minimal.

A wonderful start and I’m really enjoying workout out with my friend.  I feel a great sense of responsibility and also very honoured that she is trusting in me and my methods.  We’ve had a great laugh at times!  Pleased as punch and very excited for what’s to come.  Stick at it girl!!

Love x

My Project

“Project” isn’t a nice way to refer to my best friend but it’s her words not mine!  Last week, with her 30^th birthday approaching, a big girls holiday to Vegas 8 weeks away and quite simple a wee bit fed up with a shit run of luck lately, my best friend agreed to give me the reigns.

I really do believe in the uplifting power that taking control of your mind and body through exercise and nutrition has.  Seeing what amazing accomplishments the body is capable of can have a great effect on the mind and spirit.

So, she is allowing me to train her, diet and all, in our lead up to our holiday to Vegas in November.  We’re calling it get “Banging for Vegas Baby!”

I have promised her that if she follows my plan, we’ll have a stone of fat off in 8 weeks, but most importantly she will see incredible changes in her body shape and conditioning.

Gabby will be weight training 4 /5 times a week, with a plyometrics session thrown in there too.  She will also have 4 cardio sessions a week which I am changing up her usual stead state routine and focusing on short sharp bursts of HIIT.  She will be in the gym marginally longer, I reckon an extra hour a week in total as I want her to do these cardio session split from her weights.  I don’t want to kill her J

She is you typical cardio bunny.  5 regular cardio sessions a week and is frustrated with the lack of results.  I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to pull her over into the weights section but she refused.  Telling me, like I have heard so many times before “I’ll start toning once I have lost weight”.  I cannot tell you how much this infuriated me.  But she has handed over the power and trust and will be following my plan J 

Long gone are the hour long treadmill session, and now we will weight train for no longer than an hour, and cardio will be a mere INTENSE 20 minutes!  She shouldn't be able to talk, read a magazine or watch the tv.  If she does I'll be evil and make it harder.

Weight training burns more calories – FACT! 

Increased muscle mass makes your body more metabolic – FACT! 

Cardio will NOT lift your ass off the back of your legs – FACT!

It feels like a great deal of responsibility but I am confident that she will see results she never could have imagined her body capable of.  I’ve promised to look after her and track how her body responds, and amend where necessary.  And she has promised to follow my plan.

Fat loss and “toning” or building muscle which essential it is, is our primary focus but I want to give Gabby the tools for her to do this for herself one day.  We have shopped together, looking at food labels and sat down and talked about foods she loves, when she can eat them, and in many instances why she shouldn’t be eating them.  We went out and bought her cooler and Tupperware so she can take her meals with her and cooked up in advance.  Planning for success!

What we have designed here is a diet and workout plan that will build muscle, shed fat and in turn speed up her metabolism.  She will be eating 5/6 clean meals a day with the reliance on whey protein for only one of those.  We want a nice steady intake of calories and macronutrients at the right times of day to keep her metabolism active.  Her sample daily diet is

·         Meal 1:  30g porridge with a tub of 0% natural yoghurt (no sugar variety) with a chopped fig.

·         Meal 2:  2 homemade turkey meatballs, 1/2 cup of brown rice, fresh spinach and cherry tomatoes

·         Meal 3:  Chicken breast, 1/2 a sweet potato and green beans

·         Meal 4:  (Post workout) 2 scoops of whey protein (low carb, low sugar variety) and an apple

·         Meal 5: White fish, green beans and broccoli

·         Meal 6:  (if necessary) Egg white omelette

You’ll notice the only sugar we have in this diet is natural sugar from fruit, and plenty of protein, complex carbs and green veg.  Depending on how her body responds we may take the fruit out of her diet however we have timed her fruit when she will best utilise this sugar – in the morning to burn off through the day and post workout to increase protein absorption.

We prepared this plan together based on what was available to her given her work and lifestyle and have agreed that she can have a homemade protein bar or a rice cake with peanut butter as a treat if she feels she needs it.  As much water as she can drink.  One diet soda a day – aspartame is the devil! 

She is allowed one cheat meal a week – that’s ONE MEAL, not a cheat day!  Her cheat meal must consist of carbs, protein and fat as I don’t want to starve her body of any nutrients.  By her own choice she will be avoiding alcohol.

I will be weight training with her to ensure she is working out safely and exercising at the right level of exertion.  Too many girls stand there lifting what equates to a can of beans yawning, that ain’t going to do nothing doll!  I will be teaching her weight lifting technique so she learns to train safely for when the time comes for her to train alone.

It is a lot to take on, but nothing she can't handle with some discipline and determination.  I am confident in her abilities and I want to show her just exactly what she is capable of!

For those that are interested, my training is going great and my diet even better.  I had my body fat tested a few weeks back at the results shocked the heck out of me.  18.2%......BOOM!!!!

I’ll keep you updated on Gabby’s and my own progress. 

Can I reform a cardio junkie?  Lets see......

Love

x

Guest Blog: Bob's 30lb Loss - Part 2

As promised everyone, here is the second part to Bob's blog. How he did it and his before and after pictures.  Looking sharp in that suit my friend! 

 

 1. Setting a realistic goal within a realistic time period.

Laid awake one night in bed I set out my goals I knew that it would take me 6 months based on the math that you’ve all heard – losing 1 – 2lbs a week. Knowing this from the start really helped me focus, and not get impatient.

Some weeks it will be more, some less. I would set my self short-term targets (and rewards) as well. 6 months does feel like a long time, and during a gym session can feel an eternity away. So I would break that down into weekly and monthly goals.

A big one for me was to lose a stone by the time I turned 29 and also set myself a reward that if I achieved it I was allowed to hire a personal trainer to get me through the next stone.

Look out for the little ego boosts along the way as well, like the first time someone says you’ve lost weight. My favourite was when I tried on an old suit for a wedding and realized I looked like a kid playing dress up in his dad’s suit. I then went to buy a new one and was shocked that the best fitting suit was a 40inch chest. The previous suit I bought was a 44 chest, only 6 months previous. Needless to say I looked a lot better in the 40!


2. Eating better - First 3 months

I have the sweetest tooth in the world and I have a habit of over indulging! I have been known to eat a whole pack of hob nobs in a day! I used the iphone app MyFitnessPal to help monitor what I was eating. The minute you see that that half a packet of hobs nobs is you entire daily allowance, you quickly change your mind. You have to be honest with this though, otherwise you’ll just be disappointed and won’t see the results you want. You can use it to work out how much you’re burning off in the gym as well…but a word of warning…10 minutes on that vibrating machine does not burn off 400! Don’t let it fool you.


3. Exercise Regime. – First 3 months

For the first 3 months of my regime, I primarily focused on cardio. This was simply because I enjoyed it more. I would usually do about an hour with different combinations of bike, cross trainer, swimming, treadmill (more often than not hill walking due to having shin splints). I focused on the cross trainer mainly, usually doing it for 30 mins on a preset programmes, But each week I would increase the level of difficulty. I started out on level 9, now I start on 18 and increase it to 20. I would throw in some weight sessions, but I could never get in grove of it.

Result of this first 3 months was that I lost the stone I wanted. In the last month I was moved into the office at work so I could be a bit more organized with my work outs and diet but I was getting bored so that prompted a huge change and I activated my reward. As a birthday present to my self I hired Dave to help me achieve my goal of getting back in the Banana Republic Shirt and I don’t think I could have done it without her.


4. Exercise Regime – Last 2 months.

Dave as I shall affectionately refer to her, or Davina as she’s known to normal people has completely changed how I exercise. I’ve been doing 2 sessions a week with her for the last 2 month focusing on complete body work outs, using my own bodyweight and the scary looking equipment in the gym…kettlebells, viprs, gymnastic rings and my nemesis, squat rolls! Every session she shows me stuff that looks easy, and I think that’s not going to do much. I do 2 reps then quickly change my mind. It’s tough!!! But feels amazing afterwards! She’s been great at spotting my weaknesses and working on them without destroying my confidence. Not only have I lost the weight I wanted but, I have a much better posture and increased core strength. I haven’t done anywhere near as much cardio in the last 2 months as I did in the first 3 months, because I haven’t needed to, which means I spend a lot less time in the gym! Not only that, but my cardio fitness is improving regardless. I got on the treadmill about 3 weeks into my programme and decided to see how long I could run for. This was the first run I’d done in about 2 months because of shin splints. I got to 5km and thought, I’m not out of breath yet, so I kept going. I ran 10km with out slowing down, the 1st time I’ve ever done this. Since then I go for a run at least once a week, and I enjoy it. Last week I ran 17km ,no stopping in 1HR 26MINS. I went to sleep that night thinking, I could do a marathon. I HAVE NEVER DREAMED THIS POSSIBLE BEFORE!!! And no sign of shin splints. Proof that doing full body workouts improve your overall fitness and reduces the risk of injuries.

Trainer’s are expensive, but if you get a good one, who tailors your work outs to your individual requirements, are worth every penny.


5. Eating Better. (Last 2 months.)

I tend to eat 6 times a day (as Kelly has advised before),

A typical day for me would be;
Breakfast - Porridge, with a tablespoon of flaxseed, and blueberries.
Mid-morning snack – Apple and Peanut Butter or natural yogurt and fruit, smoothie (homemade)
Lunch – Chicken Salad, or lean meat/fish (Chicken Turkey/ Extra Lean with wholewheat pasta or brown rice
Afternoon snack – Carrots and Hummus / handful of nuts.
If I go to the gym then I have a protein bar straight after
Evening meal – Lean meat or fish with vegetables.

The abs diet cookbook is great for recipe ideas and I often create my own versions of stuff. The weeks I’ve stuck to this I’ve seen huge benefits…and the weeks I haven’t I hit my self with a stick!

Over the last two months I lost the 2nd stone (a whole month quicker than the 1st). Since achieving my goal I’ve had a week of celebration and am back on it from tomorrow. My weekly regime at the moment is 2 sessions with Dave (eventually I’ll do these by myself), 1 full body workout without Dave, 1 run, and 1 cardio interval training session. If I can I throw in a swim in a couple of times a week as well.

A big thanks to Kelly and her incredibly motivational and helpful blog, Dave with her words of wisdom and ability to kick my ass into shape, and to everyone’s kind compliments and feedback. I feel in the best shape of my life, not only physically but mentally as well. It could be a big year coming up with my career and I feel better equipped to handle it as a result. I’ve now set new goal, too lose another 5% body fat…lets see how that goes, hopefully it will result in a shopping trip to Banana Republic.

I can't thank Bob enough for putting this down for us.  Here it is guys, in black and white.  Its hard, and everything you read but don't want to believe is true.  There is no magic cure, pill, supplement, fitness craze that will give you the body you want in two weeks.  Its a lifestyle choice you have to make, and commit to.  As my trainer says:  "This is a lifestyle, not a life ALTER!  YOU deserve to feel sexy, strong, confident and happy.  So get to it.  Get OFF YOUR ASS and go!!!"

*She's American so stop rolling your eyes all those cynical Brits*

Love

x

Guest Blog: Bob's 30lb Loss - Part 1

I met Bob at uni back in 2000.... JESUS CHRIST, 2000!!  Anyways, I think it was in foundation management and Bob was in my tutor class.  A friendly, charming and full of banter lad - I instantly warmed to him.  Since uni we have stayed connected via Facebook.  I'd be lying if I said we were best buddies, having gone our separate ways since uni, but this last year, since I began the blog, Bob has offered support and friendship that has been invaluable.  I received occasional updates and "thanks" but was blown away when this week he informed me he had lost 30lbs since March and thanked me for my blogs.  I hate to sound like an old cliche but this made me beam with happiness.  Putting your life and thoughts, albeit a tiny proportion of your life, onto the internet for the WHOLE WIDE WORLD to see is effing scary - believe me!  Ex boyfriends, fake frienimies, future employers - nightmare!! But Bob's journey not only makes me feel happy that we're all battling to balance our lifestyles and fitness/aesthetic goals together; but the nattering on here actually makes a difference in someones life.  In turn he has inspired me to continue in my battle to balance my nutrition and unlock my potential.  (I've had a glass of wine so if in the morning this reads terrible please forgive me)

I'm beaming!  This is Bob's story...

So a bit about me…My name’s Bob, I work as an assistant director in the tv industry and I used to be a porker. Well maybe not a porker, but I was carrying a little bit more timber than I would have liked. I’ve never been the fittest of individuals, as a child and a teenager I was rubbish at sports as I have little co-ordination and even less skill. My only real physical movement was walking to and from school every day, which was a good hour walk. I could eat for England and never but on weight. Lucky boy! I went to uni, and obviously being in control of my own diet and the drinking culture, meant I filled out a bit. As I’m almost classed as a giant (6ft 5 and a bit) it never really showed. It wasn’t until I returned from a years study American 2003 that I started to gain weight/fat.

Having missed Greggs Sausage rolls for a year, I over compensated on my return and before I knew it my favourite Banana Republic shirt didn’t fit anymore and was stored away in a cupboard.

As I entered professional life I kept a steady weight as I used to walk every where, joined a gym and would go 2 – 3 times a week, usually for stints of 2 -3 months at a time. But then I bought a car…or fatmobile. All of a sudden I would get up in a morning, then sit in the car, drive to work, sit at a desk for the majority of the day, sit in the car, get home, sit on the couch with a cuppa and half pack on hob nobs, then go to bed. I was still going to the gym, but my efforts were pointless. Naively I started to wonder if there was something wrong with me! Nope, simply eating too much and not moving enough. This combined with increasingly pressurized jobs, and eating whatever was at hand meant my weight eventually hit 18 stone! In my uni days I was between 14 and 15 stone. I would hate to know what percentage my body fat was, but I would say it was 30% plus.

In the summer of 2008 apart from being heavy I was physically and mentally exhausted. I’d worked the previous 9 months with only a handful of weekends off, and when I did have them off I was too tired to do anything. I decided to take a bit of time off work and rejoined a gym in London. Over the course of 3 months I was going to the gym 6 times a week, doing mainly cardio and was introduced to the concept of interval training. The weight dropped off me and I got back down to 16st. Over the following year I managed to keep active and reached 15st, which I was pretty happy with. I had completely changed career and now spent most of my day on my feet. I was eating healthily but still feeding my sweet tooth. I always had in my head though that I wanted to get back to the weight I was when I was living in America and fit back into that Banana Republic shirt!

Last year my weight started to creep up again, as I was doing a bit more desk work. I was still going to the gym on a regular basis, but the catering provided by work meant my weight was flat lining around 15st 10 no matter what I did. I had a trainer for a little while but it didn’t seem to make much difference. At the end of last year a lot of things in my life changed very quickly. I started the new year with new set of life goals and good intentions when it came to my health, but I had a number of false starts. Reading Kelly’s blog really helped and seeing how hard she was working made me realize what it takes to get what you want. Reading her posts let me gain the perspective, that going to the gym 3 times a week and just doing cardio I would not achieve my goal, and I would be more likely to give up and be back where I started in 2 months time. By the end of March this year I was back to 16st., nothing major to worry about but I was feeling tired again and was annoyed when I didn’t like the fit of any of the clothes I’d wear. So re-reading Kelly’s blog and taking a lot of her points on board I hit the gym and changed how and what I was eating.

And….last week I hit my target. Since April 3rd I’ve lost 2st and 2lbs, 4 inches off my waist, 5 inches of my stomach, and 3 inches off my chest. I can run 17km without taking a breathier, I can do an hour with my personal trainer without passing out, and I can fit into that Banana Republic shirt. But the bad news is…it’s too baggy!

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2:  HOW HE DID IT: including before and after pictures!.  Coming up this week.


Love


x

Bumping Steady State

I've just read this fantastic article on HIIT vs steady state cardio on simplyshredded.com.

I was mixing HIIT and steady state for fear of over training.  Basically slipping back into a bad habit, psychologically its hard to stop doing what has provided results in the past.  Plus, steady state is easier.... shhhhh, did I just say that :-)

I urge you to read this article!  In summary, scientific studies have proved time and time again that HIIT burns MORE body fat in a shorter period of time and preserves the muscle that took us all those hours in the weights room to build.  Hours and pain!

Love

x

Pet Peeve's

Holding On

If you are holding on to the treadmill or stepper you are cheating yourself.  I'm terrible for holding onto the stepper when I get tired so I developed my own method of punishment.  For every time I hold on I do 30 seconds with my hands held behind my head, it's certainly helped me break my bad habit.

If you are holding onto the treadmill when walking on an incline it's reversing the good effects of the incline.  Instead drop the speed and go for it.  I often slap my friends hands when I catch them holding on, and actually now I think about it I reckon the gym staff should all be equip with sticks to give you a wack when they see you doing it!


Sweaty Machines & Benches

Why would you walk away without wiping your body fluid off?  I don't need your DNA on me thank you please.  JUST.GONNAE.NO.DO.THAT!


Boys in the Women's Changing Rooms

If you know what boobs are, you shouldn't be there.  Parents please, for the love of god, make your little perverts change in the mens changing room.  If they are old enough to stare at my boobs, they are old enough to dress themselves!!


Gym Cafe Menus

UK gyms seem to have not cottoned on that offering brownies, panini's and the sort is kinda defeating the purpose.  Its like an assault course just to get out the gym without a muffin in my hand!  Wouldn't it be nice if at least the basics were on offer - sweet potato, chicken, brown rice, cod...... nup?  Never mind, I'll bring my own.....


Stealing My Equipment

I cannot tell you how many times this has happened to me.  I'm super setting - turn around and someone has already jumped into my spot.  I'm a fan of working in but hijacking I am NOT!  The ladies do this too but I have to say men are the worst for it.  And surprisingly not the big boys but just your regular Joe.  It's embarrassing for me to reclaim my spot back, it's embarrassing for you too.  Sometimes I have just shrugged it off and this has attracted the attention of one of the big boys who have defended my honour.  See... embarrassing all round!  So please just don't do it - oh and if you throw my jumper onto the floor, we will be heading for a falling out....

This leads me on to my final bug bear.


Reserving

We ain't in Spain, this isn't some cheap hotel.  So putting your shit on a piece of equipment and sodding off for 10 minutes to talk to your mate is not allowed! 

Ahhhhhhh..... that feels better!

Love

x

Progress

Hey guys and girls

I'm unable to blog my workouts, I mentioned before I signed a confidentiality agreement with Team Bombshell which is fair enough.  Kinda leaves me stumped what to say sometimes....

So, progress in my eyes since I began training with them.  Firstly, I haven't been following the diet plan.  If I had I know for a fact I'd be lean as but right now I've not had the motivation to do so.  Its hard.  The training on the other hand, I LOVE!

I'm into my 3rd 4 week cycle and I can see a definite improvement since I started training with them.  My legs have grown and I look more balanced than I ever have.  Naturally my upper body is far more responsive than my lower.  I train my legs 3 times a week and in particular I have seen a dramatic improvement in my hamstrings.  I was very quad dominant before.  My booty is higher than I ever have seen it, this little girl has some serious junk in her trunk!! 

Now I've seen the gains I was looking for in my trouble area I'm reintroducing cardio into my routine.  I'm forever beating on for girls to get off the cardio machines and into the weights room, but right now at this stage in my training I can afford to do more cardio.  I read this once and sums it up beautifully I think.... cardio will make you a smaller version of your current self.  It will not sculpt or shape your body in any dramatic fashion.  Muscle is really difficult to grow, naturally we can only gain something like 6lbs a year and that's with the right training, nutrition and hormone levels.  If you see those dudes at the gym who have gained more, trust me they are cheating - AND CHEATING DOESN'T COUNT!!

Eating lots and training hard has given me the gains in the areas I wished to sculpt my body hence why I am happy to be a smaller version of my current self.

Tonight I completed my back and biceps programme in record time and went on to do an hour of cardio.  I didn't follow the Bombshell cardio plan, instead I did:

• 15 minutes treadmill, 4.5km speed, 4% incline - 1 minute walking lunge, 1 minute side skip left, 1 minute side skip right and repeat
• 20 minutes stepper machine level 9
• 25 minutes treadmill - speed 5.5, incline 10.5km

I'm careful not to over train at the minute so I am mixing up my Bombshell HIIT sessions and stead state.  A happy, sweaty betty session.  Tomorrow its back to the dreaded arc and another legs day - OUCH!!

Love

x

Cybex Arc

I'm back from a well deserved holiday and straight back into my training programme. I'm not going to lie to you, I've been a fat lazy bastard for the last 2 weeks, and a borderline alcoholic but hey ho sometimes a girl needs to let loose.

Time to up my cardio game I thought to myself this morning. I've been sticking to the weights sessions of my bombshell programme and ignoring the cardio element. But after a scolding email from my trainer I got a much needed kick up the arse.

Ladies and gentlemen.... the cybex arc!

The most amazing piece of cardio equipment I have ever encountered.  My regular gym don't have one, and told me to bugger off when I emailed requesting they buy one, so I went in search and eventually found it in the Scotman gym and signed up on the spot.  It's lush! 

I did 6 x 10 minute intervals - 5 minutes on the arc, 5 minutes on the treadmill.  Instead of having a rest interval, the intensity increased each minute in the block until peaking at a 2 minute insane interval.  An hour on this bad boy left me wobbly and cursing.  I actually mouthed "fight for it, fight for it" as I held in the vomit that was creeping up on me.  Sore sore sore....the burn in my booty was awesome!

My trainer kept telling me over and over again that the elliptical was not an adequate substitute for this machine and I was kinda thinking yeah yeah - I'm converted!

Refuel, potter around the shops, then onto Virgin Active for the first this week's legs session.

Murder on the dancefloor but no pain no gain.  Tomorrow is going to be interesting....

Love

x

Saintly Fish Choices & Recipes

I only came across Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Big Fish Fight Campaign on Monday night.  I'm probably the last to pick up on this (darn you self involvement) but

1.  Love the cause - absolutely shocking EU Fisheries Policy!!
2.  Fantastic resource

I've come across a few "discard" fish species in Waitrose recently and put them in my trolley, well, just because they were cheap. *squeak squeak*  Eating healthy is far from kind on the purse strings, so when I saw fresh white fish for literally a 1/4 of the price of my usual cod I was delighted.  Genuinely, it tasted just the same....

I eat fish a lot, just because its so good for you and I'm excited to try some of the recipes on the site.  Here is a link to them - awesome recipes.  The site is cool there is a guide to sustainable fish species and where to buy them. There is even an app you can download with all the information for your smartphone.

Personally I'm not a fussy eater - bit of lemon, pepper, chili or lime (or both) and I'm a happy gal.  But I will definitely be trying some of these.

Healthy, affordable and good for the environment.  Three gold stars!

Love

x

Are You Present?

Are you present during your workouts?

Does your mind turn up as well as your body?

Nope, I'm not losing it, stay with me on this one....

So I've not had a training partner in months now.  Its kinda lonely, and have definitely missed it.  However the one thing that occurred to me today is I felt more "present" during my workout.  What I mean by that is mentally I was focused on each set, during each rep.  Tuning my mind into each contraction...

where am I feeling it?
how fatigued is the muscle?
am I maintaining form?

I hold my hands up and say rarely do I train with such consciousness and focus.  I take my workout sheet into the gym- thank you team bombshell, have a scan of the exercises, sets and reps and get going. 

Generally my mind is focused on just making it through and any mental pain avoidance/distraction techniques I can come up with, and I got loads of them :-)

Today I switched on, stayed focused, and really felt each contraction.  Judging by my wobbly legs and the hoarseness in my throat from the pain grunts (sexy!), I definitely worked extremely hard.

Rattling on about working hard and making the most of your workout is one thing.  But once the workout is designed, your up off your butt and in the gym, staying mentally tuned in and making the most out of EVERY SINGLE REP, is quite another.

Pleased as punch with my hard work - gold star me.

Love

x