Fitness Friday| Maxitone Sculptress Diet Review

I have had my eye on Maxitone Sculptress for a number of years but always hesitated at buying it. However the other month it was on Groupon for half the price so I impulse bought it at about 11 o clock at night.

It arrived a few days later and after giving it a thourough read I was disappointed to find it was a meal replacement product; I had thought it was more of a protein supplement product. However after paying good money for it I thought I would read upon on the "Sculptress diet", give it a good go and review it for you all.

So the diet works the same as a Slimfast one would, you have your shakes and bars to replace two meals a day then eat one healthy dinner. Maxitone claim that their shakes are healthier than the usual meal replacement products because they are made up of 1 third protein. However it is quite alarming to read the ingredient list on both the powder and shake, especially for a girl such as me who was eating pretty much green and clean before hand.

I would have a bar for breakfast... yes a chocolate bar, then a shake for lunch, a healthy snack at 3ish to prep me for my workout then a healthy dinner. I was suprised to find that the bars are incredibly filling! So much so that a few times I had to nibble on it as couldn’t manage it all in one go. The shakes go down very quickly but are again filling.

I was on the sculptress diet for 3 weeks and stuck to it pretty much all the time, apart form the weekend when I would eat regularly but within a decent calorie count. As I don’t weight myself I can’t tell you if I lost any weight, but I do think it helped slim down my stomach and reduce bloating. However after 3 weeks I found I was craving normal food and missed my two ingredient pancakes at breakfast loads. However I can see why this diet is appealing to people as it is very convenient. For those who are super busy and don’t know how to cook healthy then you only have to find the time to cook one meal a day, the rest is convenient food, just grab and go. So for me the Maxitone Scupltress diet is very much like weight loss for dummies, if you don’t want to educated yourself on nutrition then go on the diet. However I bet if you went back to your old eating habits the weight would come back on.

I wouldn’t ever embark on the Maxitone Sculptress diet again however I have seen on a few fitness and health blogs that the protein shake powder can be used to make pancakes, protein bars and even cupcakes! So I may invest another bottle of the Maxitone Protein Powder and try a few recipes.

Have you ever tried the Maxitone Sculptress Diet? Or perhaps as different meal replacement diet? Do you use the Maxitone Protein Powder of other products?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Wednesday’s Workout| Tone Your Arms in 10 Minutes

Now I know I have been concentrating these Wednesday workouts on my abs, bum and legs recently because that is the area I’m working on at the moment. However the other week, my legs and tum could not take any more squats or crunches so I decided to find an arm workout and came across Cassey’s Workout “Victoria Secret Angel Arm Slimming Workout.” At first I wasn’t so sure but after the first couple of workouts my arms really started to burn. Cassey gives you simple moves to complete but makes you repeat them for at least 30 seconds… now that is a long time to be lifting a weight and you soon feel the burn. However as always Cassey is super motivating and encourages you complete every rep.

This has quickly become one of my favourite arm workouts and I am yet to complete it all the way through without taking a mini break. It is only 10 minutes long, so give it ago. You won’t regret it and if you do is a couple of times a week, you will soon really notice the difference in the tone of your arms as your arms are one of the easiest areas to build muscle and tone.

As always, let me know if you give it ago! Have to ever tried the Blogilates workouts before? Which one is your favourite? What other workouts do you recommend for your arms?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Fitness Friday|The Difference Between Good and Bad Carbs

Carbs are a funny little thing aren’t they. So much confusion over one element of our diets. I have been asked a multitude of times “ What carbs should I eat and which one’s should  I not” “Should I not eat carbs at all?” etc. So thought it was about time I did a blog post to help with all the confusion I see. Now I’m not a nutritionist so can’t offer expert advice, but I found the above images helpful and think that they summarize the difference between good and bad carbs in a clear and concise way.

Personally on a typical day I try to avoid simple carbs, my biggest issue is with bread. As much as I love it, it really doesn't agree with me as it makes me bloat so much. You will never find a loaf of bread in my kitchen unless it has been bought for a special occasion. I know many people who don’t eat carbs at all because they find it difficult to digest, so they don’t eat any bread, pasta, rice, or wheat.

The above images also explain why many adopt a carb free diet when they want to drop weight quickly because carbs are more difficult to digest. Carbohydrate foods are also higher in calories because they are our biggest source of energy. So if you stop eating carbs you will automatically reduce the number of calories you eat unless you replace them all with protein, which is lower in calories. Carbohydrate-free diets are very restrictive, so ideally you should instead just chose your carbs wisely. Replace refined white grains with healthier choices such as brown rice and whole wheat bread.

How do you feel about carbs? Are they something you avoid? Do they confuse you?

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Wednesday’s Workout| Bums and Tums

As you all probably know by now, I am off on holiday in 9 days time! It was booked last minute, but lucky for me I have been working on my “bikini body” for the past 6 months so no need to stress and panic diet, just continue what I’m doing and perhaps increase the intensity a little. So this past week and in the week to come I have been getting up in the morning and cramming in a short cardio workout to get my metabolism up and working hard all day, then doing at least a solid hour of toning exercises and interval training in the evening in my living rooms seems my bootcamp trainer is on holiday... I know, what’s a girl to do!

So as I have been busy watching countless YouTube workout videos I have found two that really stick out for me and made me really ache the next day... and aching is great as I know my body worked hard and is changing. So below is one of my favourite ab workouts and bum workouts.

If you go and check out my YouTube channel I have compiled a load of playlists full of my favourite workouts for cardio, legs, abs, arms etc. So there really is no excuse not to work-out from home when I have done all the leg work and found the best workouts for you and put them all into one easy place!

Go check out Christina’s gorgeous blog Kimi and Me for fashion, lifestyle and all things pretty.

Fitness Friday| Polar FT4 Heart Rate Monitor Watch Review

 

*2 images from Gymbags and Gladrags, edited by me

Being a massive fitness blogger follower on all social media I regularly come across pictures of the Polar Heart Rate Monitor Watches. In the fitness blog world they are the equivalent of the Naked Palettes in the beauty blogger world or disco pants in the Fashion Blogger world, a must have!

So a few months ago I treated myself with some birthday money and ordered the Polar FT4. I got mine for about £60 which isn't bad as I think the RRP is about £100. Upon receiving it, I gave it a first go at Kendal Bootcamp Class. The whole process is pretty easy to understand; put the band on round your chest, just underneath your bra strap area, ensuring that the electrodes on the front of it are touching your skin. Then put the watch on, set it up my adding your info such as sex, age, height, weight and when you start your exercise press start twice and off you go.

The first time I put the strap on it was very noticeable, not uncomfortable as its very elasticated, but noticeable, however I persevered and now never feel it when working out. Although I bought the watch to monitor my heart rate and see if I am actually working hard during my workouts of if I'm just slacking, I find the other tools very useful. At the moment I am calorie counting to ensure I am on track and find that knowing how many calories I've burnt in a workout is a great motivator to eat healthy for the rest of the day as I don't want to undo all the hard work I have done. The fat burning zone option is interesting however during bootcamp my heart rate is rarely in this zone as bootcamp is tough! You can very easily scroll through the different displays while working out; your heart rate, your calories burnt, how long you've been working out, whether your in the fat burning zone and the time. I normally keep mine on the heart rate display so I know when I'm warmed up, whether I am working out hard enough, and when I have cooled down.  

The watch and strap are very study, I've accidentally dropped them on the floor a few times, and my watch even survived the wettest bootcamp session I've ever been too! I'm talking ten minutes in the rain and I am soaked to my bone! So it's doing very well.

I would definitely recommend it to those who are looking for their first heart rate monitor and take their training seriously. It doesn't have millions of fancy options like GPS like some tracker do, but for a beginners watch it is perfect. I love mine, use it everyday and don't think I need anything more fancy. I couldn't actually imaging working out without it now, as I feel it really motivates me and is a great way to keep my on track and monitor my progress. 

Do you use a Heart rate Monitor when training? Do you use a Polar watch? Do you love it as much as I love mine?

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Wednesday's Workout| Tough Toning Workouts

 

So as of last Friday, summer is officially here! How does that make you feel? I feel excited and motivated. I bought my first bikini on Sunday and am ordering a few others now I know what size I am! I also ordered a load of holiday clothes which this year are 3 sizes smaller than last years clothes… happy dance! Even though I am feeling happy after trying on my bikini there are a few areas I want to tone up over the next three weeks before I do jet off on holiday. These are my thighs, bum and lower abs. So for the next three weeks I am going to share with you my favourite and toughest workouts that target these three areas.

Many, myself included have been left disappointed this week after Lucy Mecklenburgh revealed she is now charging for her workouts on her Results With Lucy website. For those who were disappointed,  I just want to highlight that you don’t need to splash the cash on workouts when there are so many amazing free workout videos on YouTube. I admit there are a million videos on YouTube that are rubbish, whish is why I watch a load of them to find the best one’s out there so that you don’t waste your time on the rubbish ones. So if you want to have access to the best free workouts then subscribe to my YouTube and watch the Wednesday’s Workout Playlist, you won’t regret it!

An example of my recommended daily workout is 30 minutes cardio…. get out there and run… make the most of the sun! Then come home, get your yoga mat out and do two toning workouts. Concentrate on one area a day or two. I tend to pick one 15/20 min workout for my abs, then one 15/20 min workout for my legs and bum. I completed the bottom two on Monday night after a 30 minute run. Overall I did a 1 hour workout, burnt 520 calories and worked my muscles hard… I was definitely aching the next day! 

Have you tried the workouts above? What areas are you concentrating on at the moment?

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Wednesday Workout| Results with Lucy| Lucy TOWIE Workout

I don’t know if you have noticed on Twitter, I certainly have, but Lucy Mecklenburgh from TOWIE has launched a new fitness video website and subscription service with the aim of making you look as good as her on the beach; www.resultswithlucy.com. Now I have to admit the girl looks good and its great that she’s promoting healthy living and inspiring former couch potato's to workout, but she’s not a personal fitspiration of mine, because I think it’s a bit unrealistic to think that I would ever look like her as to me she has always been slim and not struggled with her weight like I have. Plus I like a little bit more muscle tone. However I know millions of girls who would do anything for a body such as hers, so for you, she has shared her workout regime in an attempt to show you how to get #abslikelabs

Anyways after hearing about the website I was disappointed to find that there are no videos as of yet, just daily suggested mini circuits to complete at home. By the sounds of it I think when the website launches some areas of it will only be accessible after paying a fee as she is currently offering 2 free 1 year subscriptions if you sign up now.

So as the workout are just written down on Twitter or Facebook I decided to make a few little pictures so they are easier to follow and look better. The workouts themselves are designed by her trainer Cecilia and are mini circuits to be completed at home. The idea is that you complete a different circuit each day so are getting your 30 mins of exercise. as they are circuits the idea is to perform them quickly and to get your heart rate up so you are burning calories! For people who already workout a lot these workout may not be intense enough so do them a few times through, they are great if you want a quick workout.

It think these workouts are great for those who are pushed for time and want to burn calories quickly, but as with all circuits you get out what you out in. So make sure you perform each move correctly and quickly. If you move quickly between each movement you will burn more calories. They aren’t the most technical or imaginative or circuits so for those who workout often they may not be ideal but give them ago and let me know how you get on.

Had you seen Lucy’s new website? What do you think of it, effective and fun or nothing you haven’t seen before? I would love to know what you think.

Be sure to check out Chrissy Lilly’s amazing fitness and health blog. Need inspiration? Her blog will keep you right on track. Plus she’s a lovely girl!

Fitness Friday| Not all calories are created equal

Today's post is kind of following on from Wednesday as I’m going to talk more about calories. Now I don’t normally talk about calories on here as I didn’t like to restrict myself to calorie counting as I find it to be quite boring. However if you are new to losing weight or trying to learn about nutrition then I would recommend it, as it is a great way to figure out exactly what is healthy and nutritious and what isn’t.

I have recently started calorie counting again for the next couple of weeks just to make sure that I am in fact eating right and not eating things that I didn’t know were high in calories, because it’s quite surprising at what is high in calories of sugar. Food and beverage companies know that health and diet related products sell, so they try to badge up as many of their good as possible knowing people will buy them thinking it will help them lose weight, but if you actually inspected the nutritional value on “healthy” cereal and bars you would be surprised! However I will save this for another post.

Todays post is my attempt to help those who are attempting to calorie count and don’t have a clue where to start. One of the biggest things I have to say is please never ever eat less than 1200 calories at day! Any lower than this means your body has to use your muscle as fuel. 

Onwards from the lecturing, many people calorie count and it does work for them, however one of the biggest complaints with calorie counting is “oh my god I’ve eaten all my calories and its only half way through the day!” “Oh my god 1200-1500 calories is not a lot!” This is a lie! As the title suggest, not all calories are created equal, the picture above demonstrates perfectly that if you eat nutritious and healthy food 12000-1500 calories is a lot more than you would think.

The biggest thing that calorie counting has taught me is how to fuel your body correctly, yes if I ate 2 slices of toast with butter and jam for breakfast, a sandwich and bag of crisps for lunch, a chocolate bar as a snack, I could already be nearing 1200 calories before I even sat down for my dinner (estimate that breakfast- 250cal + lunch 500 cal = snack 250 cal = 1000) However if you make simple changes and chose healthier lower calorie options, then you will have enough calories to eat throughout the day and still feel full. I’ve found that filling up of fruit and veggies as we should all be doing is a great way to feel full and not exceed your calorie count. Experts say that every meal we have should be half filled with vegetables. Perhaps this isn’t realistic for breakfast, but for your other meals it’s very easy to do.

Do you calorie count? How do you find it? Any other tips on how to keep your calorie count down?

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Wednesday’s Workout| 100 Calorie Workouts| The Truth!

 

It is that time of year when everyone starts to panic about that bikini and the body they are going to be showing off on the beach, and already I have had people email and ask me how did I lose weight and how long did it take, well I lost weight through hard wok and commitment and it took me what many would say is a long time. I started to work on my “bikini body” in January! This is probably not the answer that you were looking for and are already clicking off my page and Googling “ how to lose weight quickly,” and it is because of these tweets I have been saying that this post was created.

I have seen for a long time the pictures detailing workouts that “Burn 100 calories now!” “Burn 100 calories in two minutes!” “Do this 10 minute workout every day for 2 weeks and lose a stone”… you get my gist! However I have seen hundreds of those workouts over the past few weeks from girls hoping that a 10 minute workout will help them look fab in their bikini, so I thought I would take on a few a see if you really can burn 100 calories in 2/5/10 minutes.

I decided to do the two workouts above that I found on Youtube and monitored my calorie burn with my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor. So after filling in my age and weight to the watch and securing the electrode band to my chest I put in 100% effort for both of them, and here are the results. 

Workout 1

Wow this is tiring! The burpees definitely got my heart rate up and you move very quickly from one move to the next. I burnt in 75 calories in the 7.07 minutes.

Workout 2

Again a very tiring workout! This one flows a little less smoothly than the other, so I feel like I waste precious seconds moving from lying down to standing up, but still a good workout. However I only burnt 63 calories in the 5.25 minutes.

Now obviously the calories that each person burns in a workout varies depending on your own age, weight and fitness level. This is why I thought these “100 calorie” workouts were a load of rubbish. So even though I burnt between 60 and 75 calories, typically a person who weights less than me would burn less calories in that workout and a person who weights more than me would burn more. But again it all goes down to your fitness level and the effort you put in.

So even though I didn’t burn 100 calories in the above workouts, what I need to stress is that yes burning 100 calories in a workout is all well, but to lose 1 pound you would need to burn 3500 calories, so doing these 100 calories workouts once a day for 2 weeks isn’t even going to help you lose half a pound! If you are going to keep your diet the same and use these 100 calorie workouts to lose say 4 pounds in 2 weeks you would need to do the workout 140 times! Which works out at 10 times a day, so a solid 1 hour and 10 minutes of exercise every day for two weeks! And I bet to do these workouts 10 time through giving it your full effort would be tough but more importantly boring! So as I said at the beginning… to lose weight quickly you need to work incredibly hard! Do not buy into quick and easy fixes, they just don’t work and they aren’t healthy either!

What do you think of these 100 calories workouts… do you dislike them as much as I do? Have you seen any other “Quick Fixes” that people are being lured into under false pretences  Are you upping your effort over the next few weeks to make sure you are bikini ready?

 

Check out Jennifer's gorgeous, cute and fun lifestyle blog Infinitely Charming. Full of beauty, crafts, fitness, life and more; all with Jennifer's humorous edge on top... what's not to love.

Fitness Friday| Clothes and Equipment Haul

 

Today’s Fitness Friday is a little different, being that it is in video form. You will find below a video showing you what clothes and equipment I recommend. There are also some buying tips as I have had a few questions about what clothes and equipment to buy so certain activities. I decided to film a video since I haven’t done one in a while, as much as I enjoy filming them now it takes so much time to edit them! Anyways you can expect some more videos in the near future to do with my fitness and health related posts.

I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think or if you agree with my recommendations.

Be sure to check out Chrissy Lilly’s amazing fitness and health blog. Need inspiration? Her blog will keep you right on track. Plus she’s a lovely girl!

Fitness Friday| Healthy Snacking| Total Greek Fruyo Yoghurts

Following on from my post about healthy snacking and showing you my fun with fruit recipes I was kindly given the chance to try Total Greek’s new range of yoghurts Fruyo*… now I am not the type of girl that says no to food, especially not free food so obviously I jumped at the chance to try them.

I was especially excited as I eat tones of yoghurt… in my diet it is in its own food group. You would never open my fridge and not find a tub of Greek Yoghurt in there. It is so versatile, healthy and great for those with a sweet tooth. I use yoghurt in my overnight oats, in  smoothies, in recipes as a replacement for cream and as a healthy sweet snack; top it with fruit or honey or crushed up meringue or as a replacement for icecream.

Since I have moved house I now make sure all my post goes to my work address so that stuff isn’t left in the lobby in my apartment building. With most things its alright as it’s normally, clothes or makeup that is delivered there. However when my parcel arrived from Total Greek there was a bit of confusion as to why there was a cool bag of yoghurt being delivered there…. it’s not normally something that people order for themselves. I had to explain it was for my blog to the confused looks on my colleagues faces. When I opened the massive box I was very surprised to see a huge cool bag full of a wide collection of Fruyo flavours; Vanilla, Cherry, Peach and Pineapple. I had to guard the bag with my life as my colleagues were eyeing it up all day.

Anyways onto the product it self. Total Greek Yoghurt say that “Fruyo yoghurts are an exceptionally thick, protein-packed, fat-free Greek yoghurt with real fruit pieces. Ideal for breakfast, as a snack or dessert. It is packed full of protein with 7.7g of protein per 100g yoghurt… a benefit which will appeal to foodies, slimmers and fitness enthusiast alike. With no preservative, colourings or artificial sweeteners this is a substantial yoghurt upgrade for many.”

I love them!  Their vanilla flavour is divine!! You get a substantial amount of yoghurt in one pot and it is unbelievably thick and creamy! Unlike some Greek Yoghurt I have tried there is no sharpness at all. Matt and I have been having one each day as one of our snacks and I have been using the non flavoured one in my meals. I can quite honestly say that I am a total convert. I love that they are packed full of  protein in as well! It means I'm fuller for longer!

Do you eat yoghurt as much as I clearly do? Have you ever tried Fruyo yoghurts? Which is your favourite brand of Greek Yoghurt?

p.s. The picture above only shows a couple of flavours, but as they were so yummy Matt and I had eaten man before I got round to taking pictures… whoops!

Wednesday’s Workout| Tone your arms

 

How is your week going? My week started yesterday seems it was a Bank Holiday and it started with a bang! I am attempting a modified version of the Tone It Up Seven Day Slim Down to kick start my diet seems it was lacking last week and Bootcamp last night was a killer! Like have to stand to the side for a minute to gasp air into my lungs killer… but no pain no gain! I may not be the fastest in the class but I kept going. I would love to get a Polar HRM Watch so I could  see how many calories I’m burning… maybe on payday!

Anyway, this weeks workout is going to concentrate on an areas many young girls ignore, their arms. However did you know that your arms are the easiest part of your body to tone up. If you try lifting some dumbbells, holding the plank or doing some push ups for a good 15 minutes a couple times of week you will notice a difference.

Now I understand that many of you do not want muscly arms, but you won’t… women aren't built so that they bulk up. Women's bodies tone up before you bulk then up. If you tone your arms, you will be less susceptible to bingo wings when you are older, and your arms will be lean and no longer look fatter in your side on photos… if you know what I mean. 

As your arms are one of the easiest parts to tone up you will see results very quickly which is a great motivator! My arms have toned up loads from doing regular toning exercise and it’s great to see muscle there instead of fat. My arms now have shape to them.

If you want to tone your arms then dumbbells are a great investment. You can buy them form anywhere now.. I think I’ve even bought some from Tesco before. If you don’t have dumbbells get inventive and use tins of beans, or water bottles filled with pebbles or sand. However you do not need equipment to tone your arms. I have included two videos in today’s post one that you don’t need equipment for and one that you need equipment for. Both are only about 7 mins long, but you don’t need long to feel the burn in your arms!

Do you want to tone up your arms? Which exercises do you use to tone your arms?

 

P.s If you enjoy my posts or my blog inspires you to workout and eat healthier, it would mean the world to me if you could vote it as “Best Lifestyle Blog” in the Cosmo Blog Awards.

 

Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Cantara from Gym Bags and Glad Rags. If you enjoy my fitness post you will fall in love with her blog. She is a stunner with a great blog!

Fitness Friday| Fitness Bootcamp Explained

Over the past few months you may have seen my many tweets or instagrams about the Kendal Bootcamp Class that I have been attending. Some of you know exactly what bootcamp is and attend one locally, others are intrigued and want to know exactly what they would be letting themselves in for. So this post is a review of the class and an explanation of exactly what you can expect at a bootcamp class.

What is a bootcamp class like?

Obviously all classes will differ, however they are all based around the same principles of getting out in your local park, getting you to work hard by mixing strength and cardio, getting muddy, having a laugh, and getting results!

So to start with there is about a 7 minute warm up which in my class consists of jogging about 100 meters about 4 times; alternating between high knees, side shuffles, heels to bums etc. During the 7 mins we also do a few 10 second bursts of sprinting on the spot, some punching and ab twists. The 7 mins really does warm you up from head to toe and can be quite tiring; in my first class I was knackered after only the warm up!

After everyone is warm we go into a cardio circuit. The cardio circuit is done in pairs and consists of 4 different stations. Person 1 completes an exercise at the station while person 2 sprints out to a lamppost about 70 metres away and sprints back. The whole time that person 2 is running person 1 will be completing an exercise such as mountain climbers, jumping jacks, holding a plank, push-ups or whacking a large tire with a 10 pound hammer. Once person 2 returns you swap. So this time, person 1 will be running to the lamppost and back while person 2 completes the exercise. Once the pair have both completed the exercise they move onto the next station which will consist of exactly the same thing, one runs while the other competes an exercise  Obviously the exercise is different at each station. Sometimes when our trainer, Ady is feeling mean he makes one of the stations a Bergan run, so instead of just sprinting off while your partner does the exercise, you have to sprint off while carrying a 30 pound rucksack on your back! It is very much pair work as the slower your partner runs the longer you have to complete the exercise. There is no rest between the exercises and you move quickly from one movement to another, meaning your heat rate is high and you are burning fat fast! It's a tough ten minutes, but much more effective than traditional workouts.

Once everyone has completed the 4 stations we move onto the next circuit which has 7 stations that vary between cardio and strength. Each one works a different area of your body. The photos above give you a good indication of what the stations can consist of. This circuit is timed and each station lasts for 1 minute, which doesn't sound long but when you are doing squats/running with a tire/holding a plank it is a loooong time! Ady walks around each of the stations during the minute to ensure that you are doing the moves correctly, getting the most out of it and pushing you to work harder. Thankfully he’s not a nasty drill sergeant that shouts in your face, he just offers gentle encouragement to push you harder, run faster and squat deeper. He knows each of the bootcampers well and understands their motives and fitness levels and adapts his approach to each of them.

After everyone has completed each of the stations we all play a game/relay race. This is  a great fun way to finish the session, and gets everyone's competitive side out, but it also provides a good laugh. After the games we cool down and have a good chat.

Review and Results

You can probably gather from my write up that I am an avid bootcamper. I go three times a week and actually find myself looking forward to class. It has to be the only form of exercise that I want to do all the time i.e no matter what my mood I still want to go to bootcamp. It works me hard, I always have a good laugh, I've made some great friends, it's affordable and I'm seeing amazing results.

I have been going to bootcamp for about 6 weeks now and I have seen a huge difference in my fitness levels and stamina. To be honest with you I thought I was fit until I went to the first class and almost threw up after only 25 minutes! I still get my but kicked every session but the joy with bootcamp is you get out of it what you put in. Everyone can benefit from it, you just have to go at your own speed... which for me is faster that it was 6 weeks ago. I don't weigh myself so can't tell you if I've lost any pounds, but I have significantly toned up and now have lovely toned arms, with a pretty good muscles definition;  my bum is more lifted and rounder, rather than just being large; my legs are getting more toned and my cellulite has almost disappeared; and for the first time in years my abs have some definition.

Overall I could not recommend a bootcamp class more. If like me you are anxious about starting a new class, please just bite the bullet. I put off coming for a long while because I was too anxious about meeting new people and starting something new, but I am so glad I had the courage to attend. I have significantly improved my fitness levels, which has helped massively with my running, and have toned up so much in only 6 weeks; I can't wait to see what I look like in another 6 weeks!

If you do live in Kendal and the surrounding area then please visit Kendalbootcamp.net for more info. Come down and give it a try or drop Ady an email or text; very often he lets you try your first class to see what its like and if it's for you. For June there is 50% off so you can attend all classes in June for only £25... bargain!

Do you attend a local bootcamp class? Do you love it as much as I do? Do you regularly attend a different type of exercise class that you love as much as I love bootcamp? 

Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Rhiannon from The Barbelle. If you enjoy my fitness and health posts you will love her blog. It is crammed full of fitspiration!

Wednesday’s Workout| Plank Challenge

Who’s ready to get some amazing abs? I’m sure the thought of bikini season being just around the corner is pushing you to try a tone up a little so you are your most confident on the beach. Now abs are completely made in the kitchen, so if you are wanting some definition yes you need to work out your core but you also need to shed the fat so you can show off your new abs.

One of the most effective moves for toning the whole of your core is the plank. Not only is it effective, it is super simple to do, requires no equipment and only takes minutes to work you hard. You can see all the muscles that the plank works in the picture above.

The Tone It Up Girls know that the plank is a super effective and have started a challenge of their own the; #bikiniseries5minplank challenge… yes we even have our own hashtag! You can see mine and others attempts in the picture above, but follow everyone’s journey on instagram and Twitter with the hashtag. So the challenge is fairly self explanatory we are aiming to hold a 5 minute plank in 6 weeks time. Yes it seems like a long time! I’m still a long way off, with my max being 1.25, however each day I rack up more seconds so I should be there in 6 weeks!

I have only been doing the challenge for 7 days but already I am seeing great results. My abs are definitely stronger, especially my lower abs, I feel more toned and solid… if you know what I mean… less jiggly! So I could not recommend this challenge enough!

If you want to plank it out and mix it up a little, the below video is a great super short workout that is full of modified planks. It is only about 7 minutes long and you hold each move for around 30 seconds, so it is very manageable if you are a beginner, but the length of means it is still a good workout for those that are a little fitter. I cannot recommend the plank enough! If you want to have a toned core in time for your bikini then start today you will soon see results within a few weeks.

What do you think of the plank? Are you a lover of a hater of it? Which other abs moves do you recommend?

Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Rhiannon from The Barbelle. If you enjoy my fitness and health posts you will love her blog. It is crammed full of fitspiration!

Fitness Friday| Healthy Snacking| Fun Fruit

A foodie post for you all today. I’m really trying to make significant changes to my diet at the moment and have found that if I plan and prepare my meals then I am more likely to eat healthier. I decided that my diet needs to change as my fitness regime is pretty much there now, as in I am loving exercising and have to do it 5/6 times a week otherwise I go stir crazy. I pretty much hate my rest days and when I injured my leg the other day my first thought was “ oh no, I won’t be able to workout” I pretty much panicked. I know that I am going to have to rest it so that it recovers quickly, but my days feel incomplete if I haven’t worked out.

My diet on the other hand needs to improve, I still give into my cravings which is ok every now and again but not all the time. I need to eat less processed food and less sugar. So the snacks I am sharing with you above are perfect! Yes they do have sugar in them due to the fruit and little amount of chocolate spread, but they are a healthier alternative to chocolate bars or cake.

The snacks are super easy to make for the Banana Bites all you need it Nutella and a banana… these remind me of banana and Nutella crepes that I used to live on when I lived in France. You simply slice the banana then spread the Nutella onto one piece of banana and top with a second to make a little Banana Sandwich.

For the Apple Chunks you need Peanut Butter, desiccated coconut and an apple. Slice an apple and chop off the end so they are flat, this gives you an area for coat with peanut butter. After spreading on the peanut butter sprinkle desiccated coconut on top. The Apple Chunks are great to prepare for the next day in the office. I tend to have half in the morning and half in the afternoon. The Banana Bites I have in the evening if I’m craving something sweet.

Snacking is very important if you are trying to watch your weight as having a healthy snack between your meals can help reduce the amount you eat during your meals, it ensures that you don’t over eat as you are never hungry. If you prepare a healthy snack and have one to hand you are less likely to grab something unhealthy on the move. You should always have some fruit of nuts in your bag to ensure you don’t grab a bag of crisps or chocolate bar while at the train station etc. A healthy snack that is made up of complex carbs, protein and health fats increases your energy levels for a longer period of time than a sugary snack does. This will ensure that you don’t have the 3 o clock slump in the afternoon.

Nutritional value (approx..)

Banana Bites - Calories-205 carbs- 27g Fat-6g Protein-3g

Apple Chunks - Calories- 225 Carbs-27g Fat- 12g Protein-0g

Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Cantara from Gym Bags and Glad Rags. If you enjoy my fitness post you will fall in love with her blog. She is a stunner with a great blog!

Wednesday's Workout| Tone your Muffin Top & Love Handles

Firstly I would just like to thank each and every one of you for your amazing comments on the progress picture I posted on Friday. Your feedback has completely overwhelmed me and made me very proud of my achievements so far, however it is has also encouraged me to work harder so that my next progress picture will be just as impressive. I was literally brought to tears by some of your kind words; I've even had old uni friends comment on how much better and happier I look.Yesterday my Granddad rang me to inform me that he'd read my blog and just wanted to let me know how amazing I look and how proud he is of me. All of your support and amazingly kind comments always make my low days easier, and they always encourage me to lace up my trainers and drag myself out for a run when I really don't want to. So thankyou so much for reading my blog, commenting, tweeting and instagramming me, your support means the world to me.

Anyways enough of the smoochy stuff and onto our next workout! How is your week going? We are now half way through the month, so you should be half way through your newest fitness and health goals... if you aren't what are you waiting for... start now! There are only 6 weeks until summer so if you don't start now, when are you?

This weeks Wednesday Workout is going to concentrate on your muffin-top; that area of fat that sticks out from over your jeans, and Love Handles; the area at the side of your waist. Now you may be very lucky and have very little fat on your lower or side Abs but these workouts will help you tone up so still give them a go. These workouts will work the side, middle and lower Abs. They are both short videos of around 10 minutes long and both incorporate a number of moves all designed to work your Abs. Some of the moves are repeated in both videos, but there are new moves in each video so I wanted to share both of them with you. They are a little tough and will work you hard, but if you do manage them with ease just do the workout another 2 or 3 times to increase intensity. 

Please be warned the intro to the second video is very weird and a little scary so if you scare easily please skip it to 32 seconds in. If you don't scare easy then you will sit and wonder what the hell did you just watch as I do every-time I see it. 

What are your favouirte moves to tone the Muffin Top and Love Handles? Let me know what you think of the workouts. Or if you have any areas you would like to tone and would like me to find a good video for you. Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube so that you have all the workouts in one easy place! 


Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Cantara from Gym Bags and Glad Rags. If you enjoy my fitness post you will fall in love with her blog. She is a stunner with a great blog!