#sixweeksoffitness - Setting the challenge

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So summer holidays are here for us teachers and it means I have to find a way of filling my days with things to do and not just raiding the cupboards and eating my weight in Thank You Teacher chocolates.

With that in mind, plus the fact I'm starting a new job in September, need to start wedding dress hunting in the winter and am not 100% comfortable with how I feel in my own skin so I've decided to hit up the gym as much as possible and get myself back into some good habits as well as concentrating on eating mindfully rather then just grabbing whatever I can find.

I'm not setting any goals, not putting in a target on how many pounds I want to lose, I'm just aiming at working out and feeling healthy. My starting point and the progress pictures are what I'm using to monitor my own progress, although I feel a bit odd about putting the pictures on the blog, but I don't mind my measurements.

Starting
Weight - 190lbs
Thighs - 26inch
Hips - 40inch
Waist - 34inch
Body Fat - 32% (This is dodgy as my scales are not 100% accurate but its a rough starting point)
Plank - 45seconds

I'm going to track my workouts over on my Instagram, using the hashtag #sixweeksoffitness as well as some of my meals. I'm tracking all of my food on myfitnesspal to keep me accountable as well as writing the odd post on here about fitness etc

I'm not writing this for people to read, if you want to read it them please let me know of any tips, food ideas, workouts, posts you would like to see, but this is more to keep me accountable as to how I'm doing.


With that in mind, I'm off to fill up my bag with some healthy snacks for my weekend away.

Review - Upbeat Protein Drink

As part of my new, healthy attitude towards food I've been looking for ways to make better choices when it comes to snacking. I'm awful at picking the right thing, I will always pick crisps over fruit, or chocolate over healthy bars, or a bottle of coke over a bottle of water.

I know in my meal plan I need to up the amount of protein I consume to help fill me up for longer, but I'm not yet ready for some of the protein dense meals I see on Instagram for breakfasts so I've been adding protein powder to my smoothies, but sometimes during the day I need a bit of a top up so I've been grabbing an Upbeat protein drink.

Upbeat is a ready made protein drink that comes ready to drink and easy to grab whenever you need it. I always pick up the Strawberry flavour and the Chocolate & Orange flavour as it helps to have them in the fridge to throw in my bag if I haven't had the chance to prepare a protein dense snack. It's honestly like drinking a strawberry yoghurt, so easy to drink and tastes great.

Each bottle contains 20g of protein, less then 150 calories and helps keep you full between meals or as a bit of a pick me up after a gym session, I always grab one on my way home from Bodyjam on a Thursday night as a bit of a treat or I have emptied a bottle into a bowl and then frozen it for a few hours to make a frozen yoghurt style pudding.

At £1.84 in Tesco, these little bottles are fairly priced and great for grabbing on the go.

Have you tried Upbeat? How do you make sure you get enough protein?

xx

* I have been given vouchers to buy these by the team at Upbeat however I have bought these before and all opinions are my own.

Health & Fitness - Setting Goals

So after a brief return I took more time off, it seems that blogging about beauty isn't what I love to write about any more - I can see this being more of a lifestyle blog, somewhere for me to track my life rather than review the shed loads of nail polish and make up that I own. As I've written about before, fitness is something I've been enjoying more and more, I love feeling active and the aches after leave me feeling brilliant as I grow stronger and more toned.

This post is about setting goals - I've got 12 weeks until I start my new job, 8 weeks until I see my friend get married and 7 weeks until the summer holidays, all of those I want to enjoy rather than feeling fat and uncomfortable. I know I'm not massive, so it’s harder for me to lose significant amounts of weight but I think it’s important to still track the changes.

My Goals:

- Drink more water - an easy one to start with but one I need to do more as I often forget and get home feeling awful, using my water bobble really helps and tracking my water on my Fitbit app keeps me accountable.

- Eat Clean 80% of the time - I struggle with this 100% but using a few new cook books I've been picking cleaner recipes as well as cooking from scratch more, I've got a few recipe posts coming up so keep a look out.

- Track using Myfitness Pal and a tape measure instead of the scales - The scales have been hidden away and will only be brought out once a month to weigh in, I need to use the tape measure more and how my clothes feel as well as take progress pictures. 

My workout for this week looks like this currently; it might change with work etc.:

Monday - Bodycombat

Tuesday - Bodypump

Wednesday - Barre Pilates

Thursday - BodyJam

Friday - Rest Day (maybe Youtube Yoga)

Saturday - Metafit & Dog Walk

Sunday - Dog Walk

It looks like a lot but I love to keep busy and throw on my gym gear, so comfy!! Plus it's only an hour so not a great deal of time out of my day. If I get my butt in gear and get my eating on point, hopefully I can get myself a bit fitter, more toned and in a month’s time hopefully a bit healthier!

What are your goals for this month?

Wednesday Workout #1

I don't remember a time where I didn't dance, I started ballet way back when I was 3 and I only stopped at 16 due to a serious injury, but I've continued to dance in some form or other since then (in my pjs counts right?!) I still dance in a gym class each week, but part of me really misses ballet, there's something about being elegant and graceful, plus every little girl wants to be a ballerina some day.

When I saw that Sweaty Betty had an online class in Ballet along with their instore Get Fit 4 Free classes, I knew I had to give it a go. So I threw on some lycra, dug out the old leg warmers and took to the living room, praying no one could see me through the window.

You get a warm up, arm session, cardio session and then an intense stretching session, all in 40 mins. As I've previously danced, the moves were ones that I knew, but if you were totally new to it you would pick them up to. The routine is fast paced and you do get sweaty very quickly. You're shown some of the moves first and then encouraged to switch on the music and watch on full screen.

After the first session, I hurt a bit, I've lost a lot of flexibilty so need to work on that, but now I've done it 3 times, I'm feeling much better, its becoming comfortable again. 

For a free class, this is one that is very good plus doing it at home means no excuses,  you don't need any equipment or special kit, bare feet and a bit of space and you good to go.

If you want to check it out then head over to SweatyBetty.com 

Were you a ballerina? xx

Friday Fitness - The Gym

The gym, the two words that inspire such a wide range of emotions. The faces people pull at you that tells you that they are non gym going folk, and they feel sorry for you. 'I can imagine nothing worse...' is something I hear so much when people ask what I'm doing that evening.

The gym doesn't have to be a place if torture, where men go to get fit and women go so they can eat.

As someone who is fairly self conscious of how I look, and how others see me, the idea of spending an hour in the torture chamber, looking like a bright pink hippo is something that really puts me off. I always seem to get to the gym at the same time as the good looking people, those who exercise for fun and enjoyment.

Once you get past the door it really isn't that bad. There are 3 types of gym goer. The 'gym bunny' the 'class addict' and the 'would rather be anywhere else in the world than here.' I used to think I fell into the last category, I hated the gym, but if I wanted to have pudding then I had to serve my time.

In the gym, the resistance machines scared me, the cardio machines gave me visions of flying off backwards and the free weights were a no go area.

That was until I had a proper gym induction. Yes the finding out my true weight was awful, especially as the instructor was a good looking man! However once he showed me how to create a work out program for myself and how to use the machines, I was well away!

I've now been attending regularly for nearly 6months and feel so much better walking into the gym!

It's really important to get a good quality induction, it helps you to feel better about being in the gym as well as keeping you safe. A good induction should include a discussion of your goals, a walk around the gym and help with creating a routine, especially when using machines you are unsure of ( resistance machines :S)





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friday Fitness - An Introduction

Hey all, hope your ok and looking forward to the weekend.


Today marks the start of a new school year for me, now my second year of teaching. September is always about new school uniform, new shoes, new pencils and pens and other stationary. It's 4 months (scary I know) until the start of 2012, a time when many of us vow to make changes in our lives and try to stick to them for all of a week (from personal experience) So, instead of making a New Years resolution, I'm going to make a New School Year resolution.


This is something that Rosalyn from over at Primpsandpreens  and I discussed when we met up this summer, that September has always felt like a new year, especially to us teachers.


Getting to the point, my new school year resolution is to improve my current fitness levels and lose weight whilst at school. And this is where this series comes in. Everyweek on a Friday I will put up a post about something fitness, diet or health related as a sort of review. I will also post my lunches of the week to give people inspiration as well as any recipes and things I make that might interest people.


I'm not a fitness or nutrition expert, it's just something I have an interest in and am learning about to make myself fitter and healthier.


One thing I do need is comments from my small but valued group of readers, what do you want to read? Exercise class reviews, fitness DVDs, Exercise Games, fitness clothing, please help!


I will do my best to post every Friday, and posts will vary from week to week!


I'm really excited about this as it's something I really enjoy doing and I hope it will motive me and you guys, especially in the run up to Christmas.


If you would like to let me know your September resolutions then please do, or any thing else please do comment below!




Thank you for reading xx


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Six Weeks of Summer Challenge, Week One

Afternoon all, hope your well and have been out enjoying the sun!
Today I bring you an update of my Summer Challenge. If you haven't seen my previous post then what I'm aiming to do is to see what difference I can make to my body over the course of 6 weeks through exercise and healthy eating. I am weighing myself weekly as well as taking my measurements every week.


So my previous measurements were:
Thigh -26.5 inch
Bum -46 inch
Hips -43 inch
Waist - 36 inch
Bust- 36e
Arm - 14 inch
Weight -14stone 7lbs


Week one measurements


Thighs - 25.5 inch (-0.5)
Bum - 44.5 inch (-1.5!)
Hips - 42 inch (-1.0)
Waist - 34.5 inch (-1.5!)
Bust - 35 inch (-1.0)
Arm - 13.5 inch (-0.5)
Total inch loss 6 inch!
Current weight 14stone 6 lbs ( -1 lb)


I'm really happy with my weight loss this week as it's the inchs that matter more. The fact that I have lost very little weight, but my inch loss is good which means I'm losing fat and putting on muscle which takes up less space.


I'm now up to two classes a day with a mix of cardio and resistance. I hope to keep pushing this for the next 5 weeks!


If you have any questions about what I have been doing, or want to share your success as well then please comment, I love being motivated by hearing your stories!


Enjoy the sun!!!

Six weeks of Summer Challenge

Can you change your body in 6 weeks? This is something I really want to find out, and so this is become a bit of an experiment for the summer.


I have 6 weeks off work (thank the lord for summer holidays) and I plan to use this to get to the gym every day.


I aim to start making changes to my figure, not drastically but in a healthy and safe way that is possible for the average, working person! 


To help I have signed up to Weight Watchers online to track what I eat and record my achievements.


So, the all important measurements, this is what I am looking at but I will be tracking my weight on the scales! 


Currently I measure in at 14st 7lbs (3stone heavier then this time 5 years ago :( )


Thighs -  26.5inch
Bum - 46 inch
Hips - 43 inch
Waist - 36 inch
Bra Size - 36E
Arms - 14 inch
Clothes Size - 16 on bottom, 14 on top.


I will be measuring these once a week on a Tuesday, as well as weighing in! I have no idea what effect this will have on my body, but I don't want to go back to school in September as big as I am.


Is anyone else on a health kick like this, if so what are you planning to do and how are you getting on with it? I'm going to do a weekly update, please comment and let me know how your getting on! 

Les Mills - Body Jam

Afternoon lovelies, hope your having a good weekend. I'm just cooling down after my spinning class, in a world of unimaginable pain! I've really fallen in love with spinning, however I do get a bit bored and needed a new class to try.

I really love the Les Mill classes, I have tried every single one of them, and I will try to write a post about each class. So when I saw a new class on the list at the gym,I was intrigued. 

Body Jam is advertised as 'the cardio workout where you are free to enjoy the sensation of dance. An addictive fusion of the latest dance styles and hottest new sounds puts the emphasis as much on having fun as on breaking a sweat. Funky instructors teach you to move with attitude through this 55-minute class. So grab a friend, get front and center, and get high on the feeling of dance. Like all the LES MILLS™ programs, a new BODYJAM™ class is produced every three months with new music and choreography. Each new class will be a different dance experience depending on what’s current and hot.'


My first class


As it's a dance class, I dressed in light clothing and lightweight trainers. I knew it was going to be hot so packed lots of water and a towel. I arrived at the class and met the instructor, who was friendly and instantly put us all at ease ( it also helped that he was very good looking!) As soon as the music started, I knew I was going to enjoy it, loads of pop music, both current and old school (think N*Sync Bye Bye Bye!!)


About half way through I realised that I had not stopped smiling, and got a bit lost, but the instructor soon slowed the steps down for us, talking us through the steps, changing the view he gave us (not a bad view either!) We only did about 3 different routines in the hour class, but each one was really easy, and there were options for those new to dance and those who are more confident. To really enjoy it, you need to leave your insecurities at the door and just let your self go - everyone looks as red and sweaty as you! 


By the end of the class, I was ready for the cool down, I have honestly never sweated so much in my life! Talking to others, they were feeling nicely tired like me, as well as bubbling with adrenaline from the class. I'm already looking forward to my next class! 




Rating


Instructor: 9/10
Music: 8/10 ( would have loved some really old school pop!)
Calorie Burn: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10!!!




I would really recommend this class, it is really enjoyable and I smile every time I think about it! If your planning to go you will need:

• Water - lots of!
• Loose clothing - you need to be able to move freely
• Lightweight shoes - less tread on them

If you get the chance to try this class, let me know! Are there any other classes you would like to see a post on?

Monday Night Pledge and 8 week challenge

I'm getting worse at writing this post every week so I have decided to move it to a Monday when I am in a blogging frame of mind, ready to start the new week.

This post marks the start of my 8 week countdown to a wedding I'm going to and I am going to be 2 stone lighter! Since last weeks pledge, I have had a manic week, totally losing control at work with report writing! So this week is a fresh start.

This week I pledge to:
1) Keep drinking lots of water as I am starting to recognise the difference between hunger and thirst!
2) Get back into a high protein diet, cut down on nasty, IBS inducing carbs :(
3) Go back to spinning!!!

Weight: a scary 14 st 6

Where do you want to be in 8 weeks time with your weight loss/lifestyle change. I challenge you to take on the 8 week( or however long it is for you) challenge and let me know so that we can motivate each other! Next week I might even brave a before picture! What are you going to change this week?!