LIFESTYLE

Sunday, 29th June 2014

Managing your fitness & the rest of your life,

Hi guys,

First of all I'm so sorry I haven't blogged in such a long time.

I have to confess I have been very busy, and been neglecting my fitness.

I am just getting back on track and I want to advise you all how you can manage your work, social life, family, your dog, your fitness and your diet. I have recently started a Monday to Friday placement and I have been finding it terribly hard to find time to go running, get my conditioning done or prepare meals...

Click here to read more,

Thursday, 6th March 2014

Le Tour de Yorkshire is coming, 

So Le Tour de France, is coming to Yorkshire! On July 5th all the cyclists will be coming to Yorkshire to cycle our leg of the tour! 

I am not  a cyclist, I never have been, but recently I have been training for an Olympic distance triathlon and the thought of cycling 40k in a couple of weeks is making me want to cry, how these guys complete 3200k over the three week period is completely beyond me.... 

click here to read more,

Thursday, 13th February 2014

Three easy detox tips,

Make these three things a way of life!

Green tea!

I know it doesn't taste fabulous, but it really is wonderful at speeding up your digestion. I always feel like my stomach is flatter when I've been drinking it for a few days! Aim for a cup a day, to keep the bloating away!

Click here to read more...

Saturday, 25th January 2014

My healthier lifestyle & weight loss journey,

Since stopping gymnastics at the age of 16 I slowly, but surely piled on the weight. I didn't even realise that I'd put on so much, because I had never weighed myself before, I always presumed I was around 7 stone- wrong! I was 9 stone 12, and I'm not even 5 ft. My BMI was 27.6 and I was over weight. Not only was I over weight I wasn't at all in shape compared to how I was the summer before. I hadn't done exercise for a year, and I knew that getting back into it wouldn't be easy.

Summer 2009/2010

Weight 138lbs

Summer 2013

weight 105lbs

I am very proud of my before and after pictures, although I still find it hard to look at the before pictures. I genuinely didn't think I was that size or shape. In April 2011 I was inspired by another girls weight loss, she seemed to have lost loads of weight and she looked fabulous. I messaged her to see what she had been doing, and her reply literally changed my life. She explained that it's a lifestyle now, not a diet, and she was so much happier, healthier & fitter. It's about eating the right things most of the time, and having a bit of what you fancy when you fancy it as long as you've exercised. Moderation! Before reading this message I literally thought I was addicted to food. Every night I'd go to bed thinking 'right my diet starts in the morning' come downstairs and have toast and chocolate spread because I just LOVED it so much! However, I did like healthy food, I enjoyed it, I just often couldn't be bothered to make it! I was stuck in a rut after starting my first full time job with spit shifts.

I started using my split shifts to my advantage, I joined a gym and went there in-between my morning and lunch shifts and took my lunch in a pack up. I would prepare meals to avoid rushing, and I would ensure I did some form of exercise six days a week. This was usually a few gym sessions a week doing 40 minutes of cardiovascular (walking, running, cycling, rowing, cross training) or going for a 40 minute walk with the dog. With in the first four weeks I lost 10lbs! It was dropping off me, yet I was still having puddings twice a week, and usually cheese, or maybe a bit of chocolate most days. This really started to show me how little exercise I must have been doing before, and how much food I must have been eating! I never pushed it and never though of this as a diet, it literally was a case of making the right food choices. Over 18 months I lost 33lbs which is 2 and a half stone, and over the next six months I have managed to maintain that weight loss, without struggling too much. Yes I go up and down a couple of lbs, but I stay between 103-108 lbs, and I feel comfortable. Don't get me wrong, there's still bits I don't like, surely we all have that?! I have the shortest legs in the world, my calves and thighs are probably the same circumference, but I only have to look at my mother's legs to see where I get them from! There's something's we can't control but putting the right foods in your body and getting out and about to exercise is something we have full control over. I honestly believe that everyone can achieve a healthier lifestyle, and I am so glad I have realised this for myself. I am a completely different person to the girl I was in 2010 and I am so much happier how I am now. I wanted to start writing a blog so that anyone who reads this feels they can change, and they can do it, because I am so passionate about how much a healthier lifestyle has changed my life.

Good luck to anyone starting their healthier lifestyle journeys,

believe in yourself, you are amazing and you can do it, x