Eat Clean & Get Lean

So from 1st April until 31st May, I’ve decided to experiment with my body and food with the aim of targeting my stomach. I know some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking “oh please there’s nothing wrong with your stomach”. Well… I beg to differ! I have premature packs that want to come through and my stomach is not firm…I’m so sure it’s confused. Please don’t let the images fool you because my stomach still folds when I sit down looool.

But anyway… This is the 5^th week of switching up my diet, and I’m feeling great! A typical day for me food-wise looks like this:

Breakfast 8:00am	Fruit & Veg Smoothie
Snack 11:00am	Fruit Salad
Lunch 1:00pm	Prepared Meal (Salmon, Sweet Potato & Veg)
Snack 3:00pm	Fruits & Nuts
Pre-dinner 5:00pm (usually before gym)	Salmon Sandwich (brown bread)
Dinner  8:00pm	Prepared Meal (Chicken Breast, Quinoa & Veg)

 

Yup! It's pretty simple and I'm starting to see the benefits.

What I think has made such a difference is the little things. For example, I’ve avoided saturated fats, oils, dairy and processed sugars etc. I've not had any sweets, junk food (Ok, I’m lying … :( There was that one trip to TGI lol), additional salt or dressing on my meals. If I've needed more flavour I've opted for lemon juice.

Any fats I've consumed have been natural - from nuts and protein and any sugars have come from my fruits.

Exercise wise I haven't done much because of my knee injury. So I've been taking it easy and I've still seen a difference, so just imagine how much change will occur if I went hard on the cardio.

Remember this is just an example of what I’ve done and what has worked for ME. I know loads of people don’t like eating carbs after 7 and that’s fine… But I’ve been eating carbs after 7 and I haven’t seen any negative results. I guess it’s all about knowing what works for YOUR body.

So why not experiment for 30 days and see what results you come out with.

G

MidWeek Motivation

So this week several people have asked me for advice on how I stay motivated on this journey. Firstly you need to ask yourself how bad you want it because being fit and healthy is something you have to commit to long term. All these quick fixes are temporary and so are the results.

Personally, for me short term motivation comes from team work and pushing boundaries. By short term motivation I'm talking about a day when I can't be bothered to train but I know I have to.

Team work

I've found working out with someone or in a group is more productive than working out by myself. I find I work a lot harder and push myself out of my comfort zone. I particularly like working out with males or females who are just as crazy as I am and stronger than me because we will never take it easy in the gym.

When I've trained with males I usually find that my body is able to reach targets I never knew it was capable of.  As much as I hate to admit it, let's be honest, guys are stronger than girls, so being able to keep up with a guy in the gym gives me a buzz and should keep him on his toes because I shouldn't be able to do what he's doing.

Pushing boundaries

As you've probably already noticed I like to do random things like squatting humans on my shoulders or upside down sit ups on the train. This is because I actually find them things quite fun!

People who say working out and the gym are boring don’t know how to create their own fun!!!

Obviously doing the same gym routine all the time can become boring and tedious so why not switch it up a bit. I find these random things make my training sessions a lot more exciting and challenging, plus it allows me to put my fitness to the test.

I mean what's the point in being fit and strong if you can’t test how fit and strong you are.

Staying motivated in the long run I guess comes from wanting to encourage people to look after their physical and mental well being.

It's so true that when you look good you feel good. My confidence has increased so much since the beginning of my journey.

Fitness has taught me that there are no boundaries as I've been able to do things I never knew I was physically capable of, especially as I wasn't active as a child or teen.

My journey has allowed me to turn negative thoughts into positive actions and I just hope I can inspire you guys to do the same.

So people why not stay motivated by trying random things like chin ups or pull ups on a tree, handstands on a parked car or squatting your boyfriend or girlfriend !!!

Whatever you do just make sure you have fun whilst doing it.

G

Weather Worries

So many people use the weather as an excuse not to work out, but as the weather’s always rubbish in England, using the weather as an excuse means you probably won't ever work out.

So today it's snowing and it's that cold that I'm even lacking the motivation to go to the gym (yes I'm actually not going to the gym today and no the world isn't going to end lol). However, that does not mean I can't do a little home workout. 

Why not try today’s ab workout which consisted of: 

Russian twist- Sit on the floor with your knees bent like a "sit-up" position. Your upper body should be straight off the ground at a 45 degree angle. In a twisting motion, swing your arms from side to side touching the floor on each side. To make it harder lift your feet off the floor using your core for balance.

Side crunch- Lay on the side of your body, placing your hands behind your head so your fingertips just touch each other as they rest behind your head. Bring your torso up and your side will bend as your shoulder lifts into the crunch. To make this harder lift your leg up as you lift your torso up. Repeat on other side.

Leg raises-Lie on the floor on your back and place your hands to the side, behind your ears or under your lower back for support. Make sure your back stays flat on floor and yours abs are tight. Keep your legs close together and your knees straight. Slowly raise your legs until they are pointed straight up in the air then slowly lower them back to the starting position.

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Toe reach- Lie on the floor on your back and lift your legs up so they are pointing to the ceiling. Reach as far as you can with your hands towards your toes.
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Plank- Rest your body on your forearms and toes and hold this position. Keep your body in a straight line with no sagging and make sure your bum is not in the air. To make it harder lift one leg 5-8 inches off the floor.

Try and complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds for the side crunch and russian twist and 60 seconds for the leg raises plank and toe reach. All 5 exercises make up 1 set so aim to do between 4-6 sets.

Good luck

G