How is it even possible that it’s already nearly 9 months into the
year? I said 2016 was going to be a good year, it’s been a little challenging
at times for sure but all in all, with a few hiccups in tow I’ve grown, learnt
and made progress towards goals.
My goals change almost daily, but here are a couple of more consistent
things I’m working on right now:
The Shred… this is
probably my biggest challenge at the moment. It’s taking a lot of time and a
lot of focus, determination and discipline. I started strictly following the if
it fits your macro’s with the goal of losing 6% Bodyfat. I’ve been doing the
shred religiously now for 2 weeks and have so far lost 2.4% with a further 2.6%
to go. At the same time I’m fairly small and don’t want to lose my muscle that I
do have so I am eating a fairly high protein diet with moderate carbs and low
but essential fats. A lot of people think the idea of if it fits your macros is
that you can eat whatever you want so long as it’s within that particular macro
count for you, which is true. Howeverrr… your body is not going to benefit from
eating 51g of carbs from a donut as it’s going to eating 51g of carbs from
sweet potato or oatmeal. So being mindful of what makes up your macro’s is
going to impact not only the final results of your shred but also the energy
levels in your body as you aim to hit your physical activity goals during a
shred. My go to foods are: Proteins: Salmon, Egg Whites, Impact Whey Protein, Chicken Breast, Ground Turkey & Tuna Fish. Complex Carbs: Oatmeal, Brown Rice,
Sweet Potato, Beans Healthy Fats: Salmon,
Egg Yolk, Avocado, Coconut Oil, Extra virgin olive oil, Almonds. High Carb Fruit & Vegetables: Apples,
Bananas, Corn, Sweet Potato. Low Carb Vegetables: Sprouts, Spinach, Lettuce, Mushrooms, Avocado,
Cucumber, Green Beans, Brocolli, Peppers, Zuchinni I typically
Avoid: Processed foods, cereals, sugared drinks, fried snacks. Drinking 2-4
ltres of water and green tea per day plus BCAA’s and Protein shakes to support
exercise. In regards to the exercise.. I aim to workout a minimum of 5 days a week, it really depends on how much time I have
available to me, if I have only 45 minutes first thing in the morning I will do
a fasted cardio session, LISS training being my preferred option and then I will
chuck in a 5/10 minute ab blast at the end. If I have 60-90 minutes available
to me I will do a 10 min cardio warm up and then hit the weights. Sometimes I will
design my own workout but lately I’ve really been enjoying following workouts
from Jen Heward and Michelle Lewin on FitApp. Form Over Technique: I am not the strongest chick in the gym… not
by a long shot!! So I don’t over bare my squat rack with heavy weights and I will
only lift what I feel comfortable I can personally handle. I would rather lift
10lb lighter than the chick next to me and get it right, safely, and make
progress a little slower than try to compete and match weight affecting my form
and end up bruising my muscles or damaging my back. At the end of the day,
these are my goals, this is my body, I have no interest in competing with
anyone or being better than anyone, other than myself.
Minimalising… I’ve
moved house twice this year, lugging a walk in wardobes worth of heels and
dresses twice in 9 months was enough for me to decide I would rather go forward
with my life with a less is more approach. Soooo knowing I was going to move
again in the first move I vacu packed 80% of my wardrobe other than my day to
day clothes I actually wore and my gym clothes. I decided if by the second move
I had forgotten what was in the bags, they would be donated or sold to better
homes. Sure enough by the second move I didn’t have a clue what was in them.
Donating and selling brand new tops/dresses with the tags for little to nothing
still on was really hard, all that money I had spent, gone. At that moment I vowed
I will be more mindful about what I spend my money on. I do like 3 laps around
a store with the item in my hands, if at the end of that only if I can still be
bothered to stand in line for the check-out is it a keeper.
Learning… I invested
in myself this year, to qualify as a personal trainer. Currently 3 quarters of
the way through Level 2 (Fitness Instructor) I’m amazed at just how much knowledge
is required to train someone else professionally! I mean I know I’m not the
first person to think ahh that’s easy, you just earnt £30 stood there bossing
someone around! I take my hat off to anyone that has REPs qualified themselves
it’s hard stuff!! I purchased an at home training course buying both Level 2
& 3. Not entirely sure what I’m going to with the qualification once I have
it, maybe I’ll train people in a gym, maybe run boot camps, might even just do online
coaching. I will most likely go on to do a qualification in nutrition afterwards,.
If completely honest, I’m just really enjoying learning something new and being
able to expand my knowledge to improve my own training right now.
Generally being the best that I can be… I’m not particularly superstitious nor do I believe in Karma but whether it’s turning up to the
office on time, helping an old lady cross the street, hitting my personal goals
consistently 3 days on the trot or just doing something small to make a loved one’s
life easier for 5 minutes – I think being a good person, with good intentions
is far more rewarding than focusing your minds energy on the negative side of things that need
to be improved in the world or your life.
~ There’s nothing more badass and sexy than a happy,
confident woman who has got her sh*t together! *Blonde opinion.
Okay I’m rambling… off to Paris to enjoy some relaxation and
fine French foods for a couple of days and then it’s back to routine next week!
Happy Bank Holiday Weekend!
Blonde xo