3 & 2 Week Out Progress Pics

Well I did promise I would post up my pics after my comp from Week 5 to 1 Week Out and here they are!!!!  

It also goes to show how much different you can look with changes in lighting or photo angles!!! 

I only ever measured my progress with the pics done in my Livingroom irrespective of shit lighting... The fact my picture angles were consistant, the lighting was the same everytime and my posing was the same! Which is the basis of a good comparison!!! (I won't show u those poses as I look like a zombie!)

7 Days Out

Where has the time gone? 7 Days Out already!!!

So today I started front loading my carbs... This is what I did last time and adjusted accordingly.

The plan of action is to carb up today, reduce them tomorrow, observe Tuesday (takes 2 days for change to impact me) hopefully maintain macros and then carb up again slowly towards end of the week!

On Friday I decided to be super organised!  

➡️ All my foods selected and purchased for this week taking into account any tweaks that should be made

➡️ Clothes for next weekend laid out and a checklist made!

➡️ All items such as accessories / make up etc purchased!

➡️ hair extensions topped up

➡️ hair cut and coloured

All I have this week to do is

Monday - Sun Bed

Tuesday - Waxing

Thursday - Nails & Sun Bed

Friday - Start of Tanning Up

Saturday - UKBFF Posing Workshop oh and another coat of tan!

Sunday - Another coat of tan in morning and it's "SHOW DAY"

I am feeling confident today after a good few compliments today from people I bumped into the exhibition... Already this evening am noticing the effects of my carb load!!!  

Whoooooo buzzing!

Scottish Fitness Nutrition Exhibition #SFN

Today my sister Shaz and I headed for a road trip to Glasgow to attend SFN Exhibition.  

It's the first fitness exhibition of it's size in Scotland.  Although nowhere on the scale of Body Power, I reckon this event shall shall get bigger each year!

There wasn't as much exhibitors there as I thought there would be however all the big brand name were with some fantastic savings!

I have every faith that next years exhibition if it goes ahead shall attract more exhibitors - Especially based on the publicity this weekend via social networks!

The down side to this weekend was seeing my FB littered with alot of negative comments over the exhibition being small (as mentioned above come on it's the 1st year! Start small get big) and some of the companies that were exhibiting selling "useless" products... I agree completely however any person with sense can surely see it's a gimic! And anyone taken in by it clearly needs there mental sanity questioned!!! 

I am more disgraced over the people writing the negative comments as oppose to the content, these people are PT's / people well know in the fitness industry....  

Whilst training to do my Level 2/3 PT course nearly every page on my course work is about positivity and inspiring.,. Where is the positivity in condemning an exhibition which is in it's 1st year and where nearly everyone worked for free that day and put in so much hard work to make it what it was?  

Although for me there wasn't much to see, the people I spoke to today was amazing everyone was so friendly, positive, happy and interested! That's what it should be all about!!! And that's what made the journey and the exhibition worth while!

In regards to comp prep which I noticed a lot of negativity towards based on the seminar speakers.... Well each seminar I attended they started off saying "this is what I did, this is what works for me, it may or may not work for you" .... Or there is no study to back this up this is my opinion.... Etc etc

In this industry everyone has an opinion, everyone has a way that worked for them.... What works for one doesn't for another and as Jamie Alderton mentioned there isn't a piece of paper written for a comp diet everyone can follow... Everyone's bodies are different!!!

Super inspired by everyone I met today, and although sometimes it's overwhelming where you are in a room full of opinions and their own ideas with conflicting information to digest, you do really have just to remember that you need to listen to your own body and make alterations and work to a programme suited to you! Don't let someone with an opinion change your opinion do what you believe in! 

Lots of note taken today to digest and understand!

Oh Afew pics from this weekend! 

Quinoa Prawn & Spinach Soup

Feelings fuller without compromising your portion size can be tricky! But the great thing about quinoa is you get so much for very little macros!

Ingredients

100g Spinach

1 Vegetable Stock Cube

1 Fish Stock Cube

200g Quinoa

1 tea spoon ginger

2 tea spoons chilli flakes

1 tablespoon fish sauce

5 Spring onions finely chopped

200g cooked and peeler prawns 

1. In 1 pan cook 200g of Quinoa in vegetable stock cube.

2.  In another pan bring to the boil 600ml of water (please add more water if you want a thinner soup!), add in the ginger,  chili flakes and fish stock, and cook for a minute or two until the stock has dissolved.

3.  Add in the fish sauce, spring onions and prawns. Cook for a few minutes until the noodles and prawns are cooked through. Add more water if necessary

4. Add in the Quinoa 

5.  Add in the Spinach and squeeze half lime juice and simmer on low heat for around 5 minutes!

Macros based on my chosen products were 

Posing Practice

My posing I feel has greatly improved which has improved my confidence immensely!

Using the advice I got from Lynn Carmichael back in March I started posing quite early on in this prep and posing twice a week using the mirror.  Once I was happy with using the mirror / closing my eyes and memorising the feeling of the poses, I started posing with my eyes closed Infront of the mirror then once in the pose opening to see if my pose was correct.  

When I got to 4/5 weeks out I rarely used the mirror only checking when I felt something felt different with the pose.  

Now I have reached 2 weeks out I am practicing holding my poses a lot longer than the 10-20 seconds I have been, instead it's 60s per quarter turn.   

It's so strange when I started practicing the bikini fitness quarter turns on of my side poses was weaker than the other.... Now it's my best side!!! Probably because I spent a lot of time trying to master it!!!

12 days out now, although am posing every day, I tend to do a 45minute posing session every 2nd day which is when I hold the poses for 60s, and then a quick 20 minute session on the alternative days.

Over the past 10 weeks I have been doing a lot of Pilates and I feel it has really helped with my posing and elognating the appearance of my muscles.  

2 Weeks Out

So here we are.... 2 weeks out 🙈 

This week I have been keeping food super clean after last weeks lapse, heads been down, training smashed (maybe on a few sessions iv even over done it!)... Thursday being one... Morning cardio, leg day and then step class with Laura!

Then came Saturday.... Emotional Breakdown... Tears and everything!!!! Big thanks to Andy for helping me through yesterday, a very emotional skype chat to say the least!!!  

So what happened?... I always find on an off day it's essential you review everything that happened and assess what was done differently?

1.  I did my weights in the morning after my breakfast.. Infact I enjoyed this change and I don't think it was to blame.

2.  Post workout I feel I didn't have enough carbs (downfall)

3. Four hours spent walking round the shops with money to splash and not seeing anything and generally turning my good mood into a bad one (downfall2)

4. 2 large Americanos and a stupid lunch of a quest bar and rice cakes (insulin spike downfall 3)

5.  Having snack 2 4 hours after lunch.... (Downfall 4)... Which resulted in me starving... Ratty and my snack 2 took too long to digest!!!

Then hello an emotional crying mess, but weirdly craving a turkey subway and cheese on toast?! wtf people who know me know I do not like soggy bread and am not even a fan of wager sandwich turkey yuk!  It's so weird I was craving this random shit because normally id crave chocolate?! So strange!!!

It's amazing how much good a good bubble can do to clear ur head... Along with some caring motivation, pep talk and help, a bubble bath, cheap gossip magazines, frozen yoghurt and a diet cherry coke can do! Most of all having a brill network of understanding sympathetic friends!!! 😘

Now the week ahead .... It's a busy one!!! I have to keep an eye on my sodium, water, be consistant with my food prep and workouts!!! 

I need to smash in plenty of posing practice, decide on my hair for the day, extensions topped up, hair cut and coloured, skin routine upped, and lots and lots of rest!!!!

Oh and I also have SFN next Sunday with my sister!!! For those of you who follow my sister on insta that's her 12 week plan complete and she looks amazing! Who would have thought she gave birth 19 weeks ago!!!  Give her a follow @shazney84 

It's Friiiiiday!!!

One more week to go before some small tweaks are made for peak week /prior to comp.

Although I feel abit tired I have to say I feel so much better for this comp than last time round... Maybe it is because I know more what to expect and understand my body even more.... Perhaps because I have had less personal issues going on this time? Either way I have enjoyed this prep a lot more and starting from a better foundation has slowed.

Although I have been having cravings I genuinely believe this is just down to knowing the end is almost in sight as oppose to actually wanting these treats!!!!

2 weeks to go!!!! 

Buzzing

It's so strange..... 3 weeks out from comp in May and I was a walking brain fried zombie! Zero motivation, hormonal, irritable and questioning if competing was worth it?

This time round everything has been a lot different.  I have had down days am not going to deny that but I would rather have some down days than down weeks.  I am sleeping better, I haven't done as much morning cardio as I was doing.

All in all I just feel so much better in this prep... Working from a better foundation has greatly improved how I have approached prep this time.

I am also loving going to gym at moment and dare I say it buzzing for comp!!!

EFN - Elite Fitness Network

As mentioned afew weeks back can't wait to share my photos from my last EFN shoot!

So chuffed I have been made the EFN Ambassador for the Northern Team.

Give EFN a follow on IG & FB!!!

Giant Peanut Butter Protein Cupcake

It serves 8... That's if you want to share it 😂😂😂