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Friday 16 September 2016

A Fitness & Health Overhaul - Things I've Been Doing Differently For My Body!

Hey guys, so today, we're talking about little changes I've made recently to my diet and my workouts in order to mix things up a little bit. I promised this ages ago so it's been a long time coming but I always like to do things for a while before writing about them. I told you guys a while back that I went for a chat with a nutritionist and also, have been working with a personal trainer at my new gym, David Lloyd (which is the best gym I've ever been to by the way!) so I guess I wanted to share a few things I've learnt with you and show you how I've mixed things up. I don't like the idea of a 'Summer fitness hype' the 'hype' is still real and my love for keeping fit, getting strong and keeping myself healthy wont end just because Summer has, rain or shine, I like to nourish my body and look after it, yes okay, cold weather tends to make me opt for a few more naughty options but my mantra is still the same: 80/20, balance is key. It's time to re-evaluate, set myself some new goals and continue to work hard maintaining my health and fitness and I'd like you to join me! At the end, you can see an up to date, taken two days ago, photo of my body after making all these changes! 
Less Sugar- I spoke to a London based nutritionist called Gabriela Peacock who basically looked at my whole diet and told me what's wrong and what's right. The great news? I'm doing well and she was impressed with my diet (oats for breakfast, seeds on top, green smoothies and snacks including cottage cheese and rice cakes) - you can read about what I eat here and also watch my video about what I eat in a day here. The thing I loved the most? She wasn't totally obsessed with everything being clean, she was similar to me, a big believer in balance, happiness, sleep and all round well-being. If you've read my blog post about the dangers of clean eating, you'll know that I'm all about balance but, there are little things you can change. One main thing I took away from the meeting was that I eat way too many bananas - this is a hard one because I've spoken to a number of experts about bananas and they're certainly not bad for you, I was just informed that my sugar intake is really high because I eat so many bananas, apparently it's best to swap these with berries as they have more nutritional value. I am not a professional nor do I ever claim to be, but I've upped my intake of healthy berries and seeds that's for sure. I was recommended blueberries, papaya, mango and pineapple which is fine by me. I also love watermelon. 
pink soda sport

Move more - I'm still trying to move more. Not only does is it good for your body, but it's great for the mind too. So when I've got a full day of meetings and can't make the gym, I'll make sure I walk between meetings or run up to the tube stairs. In airports you'll never find me on the escalator but always running up the stairs, no matter how tired I am, you'll know that if you read my how to stay fit and healthy when you're busy blog post! It's about moving more and eating better, not less. I feel so confident when I do move more and work out, I feel sluggish and unconfident when I haven't moved, read my top tips for body confidence for more on this one. 
Eat better, not less - We all go through those stages where we eat less because obviously a calorie deficit is apparently what makes us lose weight (I'm not a professional nor do I claim to be but it's common sense), but our bodies need fuel and chatting to professionals really made me realise that. It's not good to eat less and starve yourself. I try to have my smoothie every morning after my spin class now as then I'm fuelled throughout the day. My go to morning smoothie is spinach, kale, blueberries, Greek yoghurt, almond milk, chia seeds and The Super Exilir protein powder. I am obsessed with it, I was always scared that it would make me bulk up but it just refuels the muscles which I need after doing so much exercise! This one is full of superfoods and goodness too so I know I'm putting really good stuff into my body with a scoop of this every day. I guess it's all about just eating smarter and better. I then have my carby meal, usually oats and seeds every morning, straight after my session so it refuels my muscles. I was told that I really need to eat more protein so we looked at ways to get more protein into my diet, this is why I've started making sure I drink my Super Exilir powder every day after my spin class. I've also started snacking on more protein friendly snacks such as cottage cheese, chicken and Greek Yoghurt as they keep me fuller for longer. I also try to drink more water, this is standard and something I always try to do but I've been infusing water in my house so I can really watch my intake and also, always have my car boot full of Fiji water so I have to take a bottle with me everywhere I go, it forces me to drink it and refill the bottle as many times as I can!

Sleep better - Sleep is so important, without good sleep how will our body function? To give it the best chance, we've got to get those Zzz's, I'm the worst for this but it's so important to try and rest. I did some research into sleeping recently with HappyBeds and now I'm really focusing on sleeping more. I'm in the mood to buy a new bed actually too. A happy bed = a happy me. I find that not using social media before bed, crossing things off from my to do list (I have a really over active mind so need to cross them off or at least prioritise my list for the morning so I can sleep in peace), having a nice bubbly bath with a gorgeous candle (usually Neom or Jo Malone, my brands of choice) really help relax me before bed.


Exercise - Rather than doing crazy intense exercise every single day, (5x spin classes a week was the norm for me), I've really mixed up my workouts, so now, I do 2-3 spin classes a week, 1x yoga to stretch and relax my muscles and mind and then a body pump class to do some weights. I'm really enjoying mixing up my training as I find it much easier to stick to, I no longer get bored. I've been working closely with a personal trainer at David Lloyd in Leeds, (Lois), she is exceptional and we've been doing some epic circuits together - 15 minutes of circuits with weights can be just as effective as 1 hour on a treadmill, apparently more so. I've learnt some epic, boot kicking moves which tone the whole body (more on that soon, it means I can share all the moves with you guys) and don't mean you have to slave away doing cardio for an hour every day (I wrote a blog post all about why it's better to do shorter workouts). I've also been doing swimming on evenings as I find it relaxes me. David Lloyd have the most incredible classes, meaning I can really do different ones every single day and I'm forever pushing myself more than I would do in a work out by myself.

My top moves - I'm regularly asked what I do at the gym so I've been doing some filming for you guys! Hopefully you've been checking out my fitness videos, I've been sharing quick, easy to do workouts and you can do them anywhere. You can watch them all below and mix them up/put them into your gym routines or do them at home! It would mean the world if you could head here and subscribe to my YouTube channel too.



ARM SHAPING MOVES:

LEG TONING MOVES:


MY FAVOURITE AB MOVES:

MY FAVOURITE HIIT MOVES:


MY FAVOURITE MOVES TO DO ANYWHERE:


MY FAVOURITE GLUTE MOVES:



Fresh kit, fresh gym - I know I say it all the time, but having a fresh new gym kit (I'm always in Pink Soda) and a fresh gym (David Lloyd is just incredible for everything), really makes me more motivated to work out. It almost reset my mind as soon as I joined a new gym, signed up to new classes and got new gym kit. I am obsessed with absolutely everything from Pink Soda, particularly their comfortable leggings and crop tops - they look great, hug my body perfectly but they're comfortable too. I have absolutely hammered them at the gym and they're still in great condition. I cannot recommend the brand enough and keep shouting about them to everyone. It's pretty much all I wear! You can get the kit I'm wearing on this post online hereat JD Sports by Pink Soda. My hair was styled by the babes at Sassoon Salon. Nails by Nails Inc gel nail bar. 

Lastly: You never regret a work out. So do it. I'm all about wellness and well-being (don't forget to read my top wellness tips post), I work out because it makes me feel great and once you get into that frame of mind, you'll become obsessed with the endorphins! As I always say, working out and eating well is a lifestyle choice and once you get aboard the ship, you'll never want to jump off it. Moving more and eating better makes you feel great! 


You can read more of my health and fitness section online here and see more of me on Pink Soda's website here too - don't forget to check them out. 

This post wouldn't be complete without an up to date photo of my body! These images were taken a few months ago, but this one was taken two days ago!

Are you doing anything differently fitness and health wise at the moment? Do you agree with any of my tips? Are you wanting more fitness and health posts from me?

*I worked with Pink Soda on this but as always it's 100% my honest opinion, I adore them!

Photos by the wonderful Oscar May! 

Lots of love, Em x



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 I would also love it if you could subscribe to me on YouTube here!

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