feel the burn three

Hi all!

Welcome to feel the burn three, your hump day workout!

please excuse the squiggly lines, as i've said i'm having to make these on word and when i print screen i sometimes forget to removed the stupid lines...unfortunately i shut it down without saving it!

Anyway, as all feel the burns, it is circuit training...i've changed a few exercises so that you can do it at home with little equipment...

okay so butt blasters...i didn't no what to name this station but it hurt my butt so thats how i came to the decision...

find something to put your feet on so that you are in a declined push up position (hands lower than feet)

then step one leg down, return it and then alternate with the other leg :)

Hope you like your hump day workout! 

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Feel the burn 2

Here is your hump day workout guys!

OMG all of my energy is zapped today, i fell asleep when i got in from work for 2 hours hence why this workout is coming to you a little late...but better late than never...so if you haven't worked out today this is sure to give you a great cardio burn as well as building some lean muscle which we all know is essential for burning fat right?

can you see a resemblance to cardio burn 1? thats because Steve follows they same format but changes up the exercises each week which i really enjoy because i know what to expect...so all of Steve's workouts will be collected into the titled 'cardio burn' :)

So a couple of notes....i changed a few of the exercises so that this can be done anywhere....remember on a kettlebell swing you can just use anything that you can get a good grip on...switch arms after 30 seconds.

For chest flys lie on your back arms extended to the sides with a weight in each hand, then lift both arms up to meet each other directly over your chest (arms still extended)

I this hurts you as much as it hurt me :) I also did 30 minutes of spin after so if you want to go completely beast mode why not go for a run/powerwalk/bike ride :)

ENJOY...that body isn't going to happen by itself ;)

lots of hardwork and dedication

Bubble Butt workout

Okay have you heard that song called Bubble Butt by Major Lazer? its literally on the radio all the time at the moment so i decided that this workout should be named after this song AND my butt is killing after doing this workout so its kind of fitting.

Now in true blonde fashion i forgot to take a picture of the workout we did this morning and there was a lot to it so i've been trying to remember it as best as i can

I know it looks horrendous right? It is! try doing it while you are still a little bit hungover :( waaah! but i survived so you will too!

This is curtsy of LLoyd so if you need someone to thank for being able to 'turn around, stick it out and show the world you have a bubble butt' Lloyd will be the one :)

It is truly an insult to music that song but unfortunately its kind of catchy so download it turn it up loud and begin this workout!

LEt me know how you are finding these workouts! Are they to hard? do you want anything a bit easier? bit harder maybe? or anything else, just let me know!

Anyway im off to attempt to make some peanut butter cups, wish me luck!!

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Whim #5

Monday morning again...

Now i am only assuming that girls are reading my blog and following it (sorry to all the boys out there if you are following this) but my phone is broke which means the image i had all ready for this fine monday morning i can no longer access so as always i went to interest and i stumbled across this and thought it would be rude not to share it with you

Yuuuummy....who doesn't love a bit of ryan gosling so set you up for a good week? So if you are thinking of skipping your beginning of the week workout think again...you wouldn't want to disappoint Ryan would you?

I've already done my monday morning workout and my god it was a KILLER!! but i'm 100% sure Mr Gosling was impressed with me.

So i shall be sharing with you todays workout a bit later on when i finish work along with some other exciting stuff :)

Speaking of work, i have a new job, and for all my sudbury readers i would LOOOOOVE for you to pop in and see me...i now work at the Coffee house down Gainsborough street (opposite prezzo), they do all sorts of yummy things including freshly made sandwiches and salads, granola pots and if you are having a cheat day some cake and the best coffee ever....PLUS fresh smoothies and iced coffees for this glorious weather

I would really appreciate if you could all like the facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/coffeehousesudbury?fref=ts

Have a good monday, check back later for your 'bubble butt' workout

Lots fo hardwork and dedication

Feel the burn workout

If unlike me you are feeling fresh today here is a workout for you to do on this sunday afternoon! I did this the other day and it sure gets your heart rate up. I've changed a few of the exercises so that you can do it where ever you are. However, if like me someone forced you to drink waaaaay to much last night why not just try this one in the morning :) I don't drink very often so when i do i suffer big time with hangovers...boo!!

So i've made it in to a printable again so that you can take it with you and this time you can tick off each exercise as you go :)

Steve put this workout together, his circuits are always cardio intense so they are really good for getting that fat off :)

Enjoy your sunday!

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Your hump day workout

This morning we done an awesome cardio burn circuit and I can't wait to share it with you BUT a lot of my readers don't have access to the gym so I'm going to make it into a little printable that you can take anywhere even the park :) I mean why not make the most if this weather and catch a tan while working towards that body you so desperately want? So i shall do this sometime over the weekend as i am GRADUATING tomorrow so dont have the time today or tomorrow :)!!

So as a little workout (though dont be fooled its so hard) I thought if share with you the 100 BURPEE BURNOUT oh yes it will make you sweat but it's very satisfying :) 

So you do 10 of each variation of burpee - there are 10 variations hence the name 100 burpee burnout :)

So some are self explanatory some not so much...

Down down up up - do your burpee when you are in the press up position go down to your elbows push back up to your hands then jump up -that's 1 

Half super man - burpee, then when your in the press up position lift opposite arm and leg, then switch then jump back up  

One arm and one leg are exactly that....make sure to switch over half way through these two sets 

Front kick - burpee, get up and kick out in front of you on each leg

Shoulder tap - burpee, when you are in press up position tap opposite hand to shoulder, do both shoulders then jump up

Hip twists, do the same as down down up up, when you reach the down position twist one hip to the floor and then the other push back up and jump up 

Leg swings - do your regular burpee but instead of jumping the legs straight behind you, jump them to the side 

Tuck jump burpee - do a regular burpee but thus time when you jump up you are going to do a tuck jump :) 

And that's that, it should take around 15 minutes so what I want you to do is run 1 mile before and 1 mile after to make this into a full workout

Enjoy!! 

I think I might upload a video of this so you can see me doing it but that won't be for a few days :) so have a go and just make sure you sweat 

Lots of hardwork & dedication

Monday madness

Afternoon all

have you worked out yet? If not have no fear i have finished work and finally have time to share with you the workout i did this morning...This one is curtsy of Lloyd....so remember if you do this workout and want to thank or abuse him head over to the Zest facebook page and let him know.

Now i'm not going to lie it was a HARD workout but it is extremely satisfying when you have finished it.

 But what Lloyd fail to write was that tuck jumps are actually squat to a tuck jump...i no he led me into a false sense of security as well.

So on round one do it exactly as in the picture
On round two reduce all the 50 reps to 25
and on the final round reduce everything to 15 (except stair runs and the 0.25 mile sprint)

Or if you wanna go completely crazy and have the time do what you see 3 times

Okay so if you are working out at home here are some modifications...

• no dumbbells for the burpee press? go find some cans of beans or water bottle
• No kettle bells...find something heavy that you can get a good grip on for the kettlebell swing
• No stairs...go ahead and do mountain climbers for 2 minutes
• No pull up bar? like ive said before hold heavy weights above your head and jump :)
• Knee raise's...just do 25 crunches if you have no where to hang from 

Good luck! I felt great after completing this workout and i'm sure you will too!!

Let me know if you try it :)

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Whim #4

Monday again... time really is just passing me by at the moment and so i thought today id share something with you that i stumbled upon on pinterest

Other than being very colourful which is always good for a monday morning the words also stuck me. Lately i've been wishing the time away because i just want to start my teacher training and why time seems to be doing what i want i think its important that we begin each day being grateful for something. Most of you reading my blog are most likely trying to change your bodies but while we are looking to the future to our 'ideal' bodies we should take the time to be grateful and happy with the bodies we have and even more so, be thankful that we have the ability and power to change what we think needs changing.

ANYWAY whim over! Make sure you start your week with a great workout, one that challenges you and make sure you SMASH it...i will be posting later the workout i did this morning which was an absolute killer but i feel great for doing it....I will also be sharing with you later my experience of the first ever UK color run so make sure you check back for those...I am also working on some healthy clean eating muffins which i can't wait to share with you :)

What are your plans this week? I graduate on thursday (OMG!!) which means i can't go to one of my favourite classes on wednesday evening as i will be at the hotel in Leicester (yuck)...so i might do a little hotel workout instead!

Happy monday

Lots of hardwork & dedication

Oh my quad!!

Good morning,

So I thought id share with you this mornings workout...

Yes i know it looks horrendous...and it was. HOWEVER it was a very good workout, the workouts that make you pull stupid faces like 'what the hell' and 'i'm sure i'll die if i do this' usually are the good ones...we only have a half hour class in the morning and so the big x3 that you see was a little unachievable BUT it makes you go faster to try and complete as much as you can...I managed one and a half rounds in the 30 minutes but carried on to complete two full rounds...

So here is how it works

If you are at the gym you can do every thing on the board as i'm sure your gym will have the basic equipment needed...however here are some modifications if you are missing some stairs or a place to do chin ups

do 35 burpees to warm up

THEN THE FUN BEGINS

• 25 chin up 25 press ups 20 chin-ups 20 press ups 15 chin-ups 15 press ups 10 chin-ups 10 press ups 

simples unless you have no where to do chin ups... as an alternative find some heavy dumbbells hold them above your head and jump up as high as you can)

• now go for a 0.2 mile sprint (or sprint on the spot for 1 minute 30)

shake your legs out because you are about to understand why i titled this post 'oh my quad'...

• 25 squats 25 squat jumps 20 squats 20 squat jumps 15 squats 15 squat jumps 10 squats 10 squat jumps

Now for some lovely stair runs...in the gym we are lucky to have two sets of stairs that lead to other training areas...if you are at home i'm sure you have stairs (unless you live in a bungalow which would be unfortunate for this workout)

MODIFICATION - 30 second mountain climbers

• So run up the stairs or do 30 second mountain climbers
• 10 crunches
• run back down or do 30 second mountain climbers
• 5 burpees

repeat this section for a total of 10 rounds

To finish off row 500m or if you are without a rower run half a mile

and when you finish all of that...you have completed ONE WHOLE ROUND!! so you only have two more!

NOW i would like to again remind you that i have not made this workout up...we have Duncan the instructor from the gym to thank for this torture :) so remember if you make it to the end and have time (and live near) pop in to the gym and let him know how hard it was...or if you're so dead you can't make it to the gym go to the Zest page on facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ZestGym?hc_location=stream ) and THANK HIM or abuse him for the pain.

Completely off subject but i'm too excited not to share this news....one of my best friends Vanessa (the girl who inspires motivational mondays) won entry into the color run UK in london and guess who she asked to do it with her...ME!! and im soooo excited! I've wanted to do one for years and its finally come to the UK!! so i shall post after sunday all about the days events!!

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Why not try mixing it up

So i absolutely LOVE it when people tell me they are actually reading my blog and a friend of mine has asked if i will start posting some more cross fit style workouts that i do...some will be easy to do with out a gym others not so much HOWEVER i will try and give at home variations so you have no excuses not to do it!

So this morning as per usual i went to the gym at 6am, i sat down in the coffee area as we do most mornings awaiting our early morning death sentence...we entered the gym to see the WHITE BOARD...yes it is a moveable board which the instructors write exercises on which means you work on it at your own pace but you have to do a certain number rather than doing circuits where you have a set time. So im trying to remember what we did today and it went a little something like this

(warm up for 5-10 minutes before the class starts)

50 dead man press ups (go all the way down and take your hands off the floor, takes a while to master the technique)

0.25 mile sprint

50 plate lunges (hold a weight above your head and alternate lunges - 25 on each leg)

0.25 mile sprint

50 burpees

20 chin ups (if you can not do chin ups at home what i want you to do is hold a dumbbell in each hand above your head, arms straight...then simple jump as high as you can :)  )

1 mile run

100 crunches

100 squats

try this and tell me how you felt...this is how i felt...

It was such a good workout and something you can easily do at home...however i love the buzz of doing it in a group so why not get some people together and have some cross fit fun :)

Lots of hardwork and dedication :)

(just for the record i did not make this workout up! Compliments to JAN the gym instructor for putting this workout together...so if you do it and love it be sure to pop in to zest(if you live near by that is) and thank him for an awesome workout)

2% down

Okay so I had my body analysis done 3 weeks ago...not know what a body analysis is?
 well it says it in the name...its an analysis of your body...what you are made of in terms of fat a muscle...i was really happy with my results...18% body fat with a muscle mass of 41.8kg not bad....then yesterday i had it done again...thinking i had gained weight i was very skeptical about my results BUT although i had gained .7kg i had LOST 2% body fat and gained 1.5kg of muscle! I nearly fell over (just kidding but i was very happy) One of the best results was the visceral fat rating...which is basically the fat around your internal organs...mine is as low as it can be (unless you can get zero but i'm not sure you can) and i maintained that over the three weeks...to me knowing that i am healthy on the inside is one of the best things to be told because you can see the benefits on the inside so to know what im doing is making me healthy is a great feeling.

Heres my body analysis's

So how have i done it? Pure hard work and determination....you may have noticed i sign all of my posts  'lots of hardwork and dedication' and there is a reason for that....its the only thing that will get you results....you cant half arse a workout or slack on your diet and expect to see a change....also for the record when i say the D word (diet) i don't mean starving yourself to the brink of death i mean eating good whole foods that fuel your body for a positive attitude CLEAN EATING

So i have been doing a lot of this...

Crossfit style workouts are the best way to get fat off your body because it is never the same so your body doesn't get used to what you are doing, you can do so much with this style of workout and it can be great fun (as well as pure hardwork). A lot of people think that running on the treadmill for an hour everyday will get them nice lean shape BUT ladies you need muscle so that you can optimise your metabolism (thing that burns calories) even when you are doing nothing

I've been eating a lot of these...

Until recently i have been eating ALOT of fruit....but apparently all the sugar in fruit causes your body to store fat...who knew? not me thats for sure! but since i've cut down to one or two pieces a day and swapped on to veggies i feel less bloated and my tummy is flatter which was one of my main goals.

I couldn't have done it with out the encouragement of all the gym instructors...finding a gym that you feel comfortable and happy in is so important because it means you are confident to try new things. There is a group of us who go the cross fit classes every morning i like to call us TEAM AMAZING because lets face it we achieve more by 7am that most people achieve in a day! They also keep me going when i want to give up!

So, train hard, eat well and find a gym (or a group of people) that you can workout with and have fun doing it but remember it is okay to have a cheat meal once a week AND I SAY CHEAT MEAL because i mean it...you can't have a whole cheat day because lets face it that is just full out cheating...so plan a cheat meal it will give you something to look forward too!

Im still working on my one week clean eating diet plan so keep your eyes peeled for that in the next week or so!

Have you achieved anything this week that you are proud of? Let me know i would love to know!!

Lots of hardwork & dedication

(converted) Peanut Butter Lover

In a bid to eat cleaner I've ditched the Nutella and turned my attention to peanut butter and i have to admit it is growing on me!

So today for lunch i added in some peanut butter...now i hate sandwiches and i hate salad so lunch time can be quite a tricky meal for me but alas Wholemeal bagels have saved lunch times

So today i toasted my bagel and spread some peanut butter on it, added in some chicken and cucumber and woola! it was done! I thought it was really tasty but i guess some of you may find it a bit dry...but i dont like soggy foods so this is perfect for me!

What do you have for lunch usually? are you sure you are getting everything you need into your main meals?

This week i have sort of written myself a 'clean eating' plan...im going to share it once ive tried it out and tweaked some things...(and actually written it down because actually its in my head)

Anyway

Lots of hardwork and dedication

Whim #3

Sorry this is a little late in the day but i've been trying to catch some rays on my day off...but better late than never right! There is still time to motivate yourself to eat well, drink more and workout.

Im a true believer in positive energy. If we surround ourselves with a positive people it causes us to be a lot more optimistic and therefore we put a lot more into our workouts and diets. NOW one thing we have to be truly grateful for is the glorious sunshine that we have been blessed with this week....I myself am a major sun worshiper and like to make the most of it when it comes around because us poor brits are a bit hard done by in the sun department. Don't you just feel so much better when the sun is out? i do! my whole attitude changes, i become a lot more positive, i find it a lot easier to avoid junk food and i find that my body craves water! And finally the sun also acts as a constant reminder that it is BIKINI season and i will soon be on holiday and having to wear my bikini...if that isn't motivation i don't no what is!

So remember
Be positive, take control and be confident with yourself

Lots of hard work and dedication

Oat & Maple Cookies

So a little while ago i tried to make these banana and oat cookies and i have to say they were and EPIC FAIL! So i decided to make up my own recipe and i must say i actually impressed myself!

Okay, these cookies are sooooo easy to make and even better still is that they are super tasty and really low in kcal.

So all you are going to need is 3 ingredients, oats, almond milk and pure maple syrup. Yes i know your wondering how you didn't think of it before right!

So for my recipe which made 6 smallish cookies for 31kcal & 0.05 sat fat each you will need

• 32g of oats (i couldn't be bothered to take oats out thats why its 32 so you can do 30 if you wish)
• 20ml of almond milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp of pure maple syrup

Preheat the over to 180 degrees Celsius 

Mix all of the ingredients together and then split into even sizes. like i said i made 6 but you could make less if you want them bigger.

Grab a piece of grease proof paper and lay it on a baking tray

I then sprayed 6 sprays of 1kcal spray onto the baking paper (one spray for each cookie to sit on)

Place the balls of the cookie dough (which will probably be quiet wet and sticky) onto the sprays and flatten them down. I flatten mine quite a lot as they get a better crunch at the end.

Then put them into the oven for about 12 minutes and then flip them over. I then put mine back in for another 10 minutes but use your judgement as to how crunchy you want them.

And thats it....super clean, super tasty and super easy! What more could you want for a snack?

The oats should give you energy so would be a great pre-gym snack but for more energy why not try and little bit of peanut butter on top of each cookie or try mixing it into the mixture.

Let me know how yours turn out! Also what have you done today? I went for a 6am spin class and i will be doing crossfit and spin again later on after work! Remember this week is about no excuses!

Lots of hard work & dedication

Whim #1

A lot of people will say that they 'can't' workout because they have work, children, a dog to walk, cooking to be done, they aren't strong enough, their toe hurts, etc etc BUT these are just excuses....your body will not go where your mind doesn't push it, so this week its mind over matter....i really didn't want to get up at 5.45 this morning for what i knew would be an intense (but very good) crossfit session but i did because if you start you week with an excuse you will end your week with an excuse!

Be strong and remember it does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop

Happy motivational monday

Lots of Hardwork and dedication