Must have Beauty Products

I hate products which claim to "cure cellulite within 2 weeks", "visibly reduce wrinkles after 6 weeks" - the products with the huge ad campaigns and celebrity endorsed (and a nice price tag).

I mentioned on my Instagram over a month ago about the Body Shop Vitamin E Sorbet Boost and how after a week I noticed visible differences in my dark circles under my eyes.  Over a month on and I have no dark circles anymore! I am obsessed with this stuff and use it morning and night.  A no thrills add campaign, well priced and does exact what it says on the tub!

At the moment my daily face regime consists of Mac oil cleanser, Mac all day moisturiser followed by my Aqua sorbet boost, Mac prime and prep and make up!  I always shower and wash my make up off  straight after the gym to prevent pore blocking and spots and the regime starts again with the added extra of simples foam cleaner in the shower.

I have noticed a huge difference this year in the condition of my skin throughout my cut and the low carbs.

Thanks to my sister for introducing me to Clarins Hydro Body Moisturiser - again another great product and reasonably priced.

Oh and a huge thanks to Claire Ryan who is constantly posting skin care tips on her fb blog - I have ditched the baby wipes to remove make up for the Mac or the bobby brown oil and what a difference in my skin condition.

Social Media Food Posting - Targeting the Vulnerable

When I was over weight, one thing that I found hard was the conflicting information out there.  There is so much "fad" diets out there endorsed by celebrities or diet companies that pry on vulnerable people who want to make a change and think a 12 day plan will make them shed 1 stone.

The truth is a lot of these diets shed water only, and as soon as you come off the plan your body rebounds badly - putting the weight on as quick as you lost it.  (Don't even get me started on the body wraps!)

I hate the word word diet, because of the stigma it attracts.  That its hard work, you will be hungry, you can't have a life.  The truth is we all know good nutrition, good nutrition is easy!

If I put a plate of salmon, vegetables and grains on one plate, and chips, cheeseburger and coke in the other, and asked you what is the healthy option, you would all pick the plate with the Salmon, Vegetables and Grains!

The issue with most people is they want results fast, where as slow steady progress is the key to successful weight loss and maintaining what you have achieved.  Good nutrition and moving more (activity level) - it's as simple as that.

I love instagram.... however every day recently it winds me up seeing people who claim to be nutritionists or health experts, posting pictures of their diet for the day which is loaded with protein bars, low calorie sauces, diet sodas etc.  Or bowls of fage littered with tiny amounts of every standard chocolate bar.

Where is the good healthy balanced nutrition meals?

I think a healthy balanced food diary for a day should be 95% clean and 5% of some naughtiness.   Every meal should contain a good quality Protein, Carb and Fat source.  Other than breakfast I have vegetables with every meal or salad.  My carb sources are from Quinoa, sweet potato or oats.  My meat choices are varied across all meals from white fish, turkey and chicken.  My little bit of naughtiness is my protein pancakes with cashew butter or a tea spoon of nutella.

I would never consume protein bars throughout the day (nor would I ever even think about consuming this every day!) and then post pics claiming its a healthy diet and diets don't have to be bland! If your following someone on Instagram who fits this bill then remove them from your follow list because they are simply preying on vulnerable people making them think this is healthy and that they will loose weight by eating these foods.

I make healthy alternative treats and post the recipes on my blog and my personal training website, all of my clients know that these are not to be incorporated every day, but they can be incorporated once during the weekend throughout their plan as a means of a pick me up, and a healthier alternative to the bad choice they would have made.

I have started to become social media posting smart, after Bodypower and listing to DLB's views on fitness people who post selfies up of themselves, my recent pics have always stated when the pics were taken now.  Likewise any healthy meals I post will now come with a statement to be consumed as a healthy treat with a healthy balanced diet.

After all you never know who your influencing or inspiring.

Week 39 - Prep Update - 7 Weeks Out.

At the start of the week I seen so much changes with my body.  I felt leaner, I looked leaner and my abs (4 of them) were pretty much out all day.  As the week progressed I just started to look less lean, a quick check of the diary and I realised that I would be coming into the week most women dread.

For most women they are bloated throughout that week, I am bloated the week before.  It arrived sooner than I thought and it came with a 3 lb increase on the scales.  (Not happy), however I know that by Wednesday I will be back to looking good.

Carbs are dropped again this week, cardio has been increased each week as well.  Although the scales  gave an awful reading this morning, the stats more than made up for it!  Increases in my calves, quads and biceps (slight but an increase never the less) and my measurements are down in my hips and waist #boom  Back/Chest remains the same - but I am fine with that as the last few weeks it has been on the increase anyway so I expected it to slow down.

Seven weeks to go, and each gym session I am getting stronger and feeling more challenged.  With the carbs going down you have to start thinking out of the box with carb dispersal throughout the day At the moment I am mainly protein / fat meals all day right up until mid afternoon, when I start back loading the carbs for my workout.  If I was back home I would be removing the post workout shake for food, but since the gym is 30 to 45 minutes away from the apartment in Vienna and to factor in potential issues like trains being delayed etc, I am opting to keep this shake in.

I am in a better place in regards to how lean I am getting now, it can take up to 2 weeks for afew hard weeks worth of work to reflect on my body so persevering and trusting the process is vital to my progress.

Home on Friday for a few days to pick up my new car! and also to attend my friend Donna's 30th!  Prep should never stop you having a social life or alienating yourself from your friends.  I eat out as close as 2 weeks before prep.  When I eat out I only look at the Vegetarian Menu and if I see any dressings or sauces I just ask for them to be removed when ordering.  Don't order food with the intention to remove certain items when the dish arrives... because temptation is staring you in the face!

On Sunday Sharon, Laura, Donna and I are going for pancake breakfast! This is my last treat during the final phase of prep and I am so looking forward to it!  Again as I mentioned above never sacrifice your friends for prep, although I am going to have to watch them gorge into stacks of nutella pancakes, I have made the decision to have some as well, when they are getting 5 pancakes, at ordering I will be asking for just the 2 please.

Enjoy your weekend x

The Perfect Pancakes

Thanks to Andy I have now perfected the art of perfect protein pancakes (using pancake mix).

1.  Pay no attention to the instructions on the back of the packet.

2.  Take a mug and pour a tiny amount of water on the bottom (about a 1mm depth)

3.  Place in the mug desired amount of powder... (I use 25g of Body Building Warehouse mix)

4.  Spray your pan with low calorie cooking spray and heat.

5.  Run your tap very slowly a little more than a dribble.

6. Take a fork and mix the mixture.  Add tiny bit of water then mix, add some more water and mix until you have a cake mixture consistency.

7. Pour into pre heated pan.

8. EAT

Prep Update - 8 Weeks Out

For those of you who follow me on instagram you will have seen afew of my latest pics where I have mentioned I am not as lean as I would like to be at this stage.

Hands up, I have not been doing as much cardio compared to last year.  This is because I had a better starting point this year for cutting and started leaner and with lower body fat than last year.  I am also very in tune with my body and I know that my body can plateau very easily, so this years prep was all about playing one card at a time.  I perhaps have played the cardio card abit later than it should have been played it!

I eased into cardio about a month ago, only factoring in 20 minutes of cardio after small muscle group workouts, Two weeks later I upped it to 30 minutes.  This week I am now doing 30 minutes of cardio at the end of each workout (I am currently on cycle 1 of my Y3T).  When I hit cycle 2, I plan to do 30 to 40 minutes of fasted cardio on the days I train large muscle groups, and then 30 minutes post workout cardio on the days I train small muscle groups.  On Cycle 3, I plan to do 30 Min fasted Cardio every 2nd day with PWO Sprints for 10 to 15 minutes at the end of each workout.  After this I will assess my cardio levels again.

Irrespective of me now upping my cardio, I have still got leaner in the waist, and my weight has dropped slightly each week along with my body fat dropping.  What I am chuffed about is my measurements on my chest, quads, calves and biceps have remained the same and pretty much the same since February when I started decreasing my calories.

My trouble area is my mid section, both of my last comps I was 10.1 and 10.2% body fat and ab wise I had 4.  My sister and friend Laura can get shredded with full obliques showing and 6 pack at 15% so it just goes to show that everyones different!

I compared some pics to last year when I competed in Bikini Fitness for UKBFF (Exactly a year ago today), and when I looked at pics ranging from 10 to 2 days out, what became apparent was that my abs started to show between weeks 6 to 4, so hopefully this happens again - but I am quite confident the additional cardio over the next few months will benefit me!

I am starting to get a lot more tired now and fatigued even with playing about with my macro ratios during the day.  The sleep monster has crept back into my life and i find myself having a snooze at every opportunity.

I did my measurements 2 weeks ago and since then there has been changes, however I knew this myself! Weight is down by 1 1/4lbs, waist in 1.5cm.  Chest/Back is up by 2.5cm!! boom.... and my hips, biceps and calves all the same but there is a slight change in my quads with a reduction of 0.25cm (am hoping its just mis measurement with placement of the tape measure).

I also got confirmation from Sammie at Sparkling Sapphire bikini's that she is starting my bikini in the next 2 weeks whooo!!! I can't wait to see it, all the bikinis Sammie has posted over the past year have been amazing!

Yeh don't put me down for cardio

I am 8 weeks out today, and although I am getting lean, I know that I should be leaner than this so the cardio is going to have to be increased.

I love cardio, when it doesn't feel like a chore, but I always find on prep it doesn't feel as enjoyable.  I love morning cardio - if I have had a decent sleep as it sets you up for the day.

Afew months ago I seen a post on fb by 2 friends, one was a bikini competitor the other a marathon runner.  I have nothing but respect and appreciation for both girls. 

The post was on the bikini competitor moaning about her cardio - which I can so relate to! And the marathon runner retaliated that cardio isn't bad! -  100% right and hats off to anyone who can run marathons and half marathons like this girl can #machine and she lifts!

Sometimes its hard for people who haven't prepped for stage to understand what a stage competitor has to go through.  Your carbs are going down, your training twice a day, having to be sensible with carb distribution, giving your all in your resistance session and ten you have posing to do.  To add to that your head is compleatly fried with the lack of carbs and your having to hold down a full time job.  You become irratible, super sensitive to any comments, fighting demons in the mirror and lack patience.

I don't know anything about marathon prep so am not going to comment on something I know nothing about.  But what I do know is iv ran 5 and 10ks in the past and its mentally challenging And I have a half marathon in October which am really worried about! Il defo be going to this girl for tips! 

My thoughts are and this goes for anyone if you haven't been there don't comment on something you can't relate to.  

Right now I am finding cardio challenging

It doesn't mean any of my posts relating to cardio have hate towards it - cardio assists in getting lean - just right now I bloody hate it! 😂😂 so please folks don't take it personally.  I hate turkey steaks too but I haven't got anything against turkeys 😂.

Bodypower 2015

Last weekend I went to Bodypower with my sister Sharon (the other half of Nemesis Personal Training).  This was my first time at the expo, and although I loved it, I can’t help but think I didn’t make the best of the 3 days there.  There was lots of seminars by well established personal trainers, competitors and nutrition experts and on the Saturday we planned 4 back to back seminars, but with the first speaker being late, it caused disruption to all our other planned seminars which was abit gutting.

The highlights for the weekend for me was obviously spending time with my sister, meeting DLB and finding out about her prep etc, and the Pro Figure Show.

I follow DLB on Instagram, fb and You Tube, and I was interested to find out if she lived up to my expectations and if she was down to earth like she comes across on social media.  She succeeded my expectations, not only was she completely genuine but she says it like it is and no mincing her words with a lot of F words thrown in.  It is very clear that fame and success have not changed her.  When she came on stage she said straight off that she does not do seminars and she would rather everyone asked questions and they could ask her anything they wanted.  Her husband Rob Bailey even decided that he would take the mic round.  She was thrown questions about her training, opinions on other professionals and her personal life and there wasn’t one question that she didn’t answer.

She said that although she follows a constructive training programme, eg a set programme of exercises for a 12 week period, she alternates the reps and sets each day / week based on how she feels when she enters the gym that day.  She admitted she is an ego lifter and tries to smash pbs whether weight or rep everytime she is in the gym although it goes against what your meant to do.  She trains for 3 to 6 hours a day and only hits shoulders once a week in a dedicated workout (obviously shoulders are being hit in chest days etc as well as a secondary).  

When quizzed about her diet she rattled off a typical day.  Breakfast is an omelette with waldens low calorie sauce (from the science farm), and every other meal is turkey, vegetables and white rice.  On her off season it is exactly the same with anything naughty thrown in if she craves it.  Rob kept slating her diet but her answer was “I love turkey and vegetables so why can’t I eat it everyday if I love it”.

Another person asked her measurments, and she said she has never taken measurements in the last 8 years so wouldn’t know how wide her quads are, the mirror is her form of measurement (high 5).  Both Rob and Dana admitted that they pay no attention to all the “science”.  They eat and train based on how they feel, and they also threw back the following statement “remember when you didn’t know about nutritional timings, how much you ate or what you should eat? Remember how hard your training sessions were when you were clueless and you trained and trained and got the results”.  It’s a good statement to make as I know I am hung up on food timings, time spent in the gym, recover periods etc… and some days I do feel it has taken over my life, so its great to get other professionals take on it.

As mentioned the Pro Figure show was another highlight for me.  I am 8 weeks out on Saturday and I am starting to get nervous over my condition and the mind games are well and truly starting to kick in.  One of my weakest areas is posing, however this year I have been posing at every opportunity and seeing a real difference with some help from people at the gym.  Seeing the pro girls really motivated me and push me into getting my head down and putting 110% into this last 8 weeks.  

Vanilla Quinoa Mini Protein Loafs

Another quick and easy protein bread recipe.

Ingredients

• 250ml of Water
• 60g of Pumpkin Seeds
• 75g of Quinoa Flakes
• 65g of Almonds
• 2 Whole Eggs
• 1 Egg White
• Pinch of mixed herbs
• Pinch of Pink Salt
• 10g of Chia Seeds

Method

1. Pre Heat Oven
2. Blend the Pumpkin seeds, quinoa flakes and almonds until they form a flour.
3. Add the pink salt, mixed herbs and chia seeds and mix.
4. Add the eggs and slowly stir in the water.
5. Place the mixture in the fridge for 20 to 30 min to allow the water to be soaked up by the ingredients.
6. Pour mixture into a 10 mini loaf tray.
7. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes at 180 degrees (again based on how moist you prefer you bread to be and how hot your oven is)

Macros based on my product choices per mini loaf

110 calories

Protein 7g

Carbs 6.4g

Fat 6.2g (good fats)

Fibre 2g

Vanilla Coconut Protein Bread

Prep time for this is less than 5 minutes!!!

Tastes amazing and is a perfect protein treat accompanied with some nut butter and a cup tea.

55g Coconut Flour

75g Ground Almonds

15g Chia Seeds

3 Whole Eggs

2 Egg Whites

2 Table Spoons of melted Coconut Oil

25g Vanilla Protein Powder

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl then add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.

2. Pour into a bread tin

3. Bake at 180degrees in a pre heated Oven

Now cooking time for this bread is critical to how moist you prefer your bread.  30-40 min.

4.  Leave to cool for 15 to 20 min then cut into 10 slices 

Macros based on my product choices were 

13g of GOOD FAT

15g Protein

2.2g Carbs

4g Fibre

99 calories

Enjoy!