Workout Wednesday... So far, so good!

This week I started following my new bible - the LDN Muscle bikini guide. Honestly, I thought it was going to be expensive, boring and a struggle. Eating prescribed foods at pre-determined times, 7 times a day? Yawn.

I'd eat my hat if I had one. I don't feel like I'm being dictated to and I'm not bored. I'm eating more than usual but I don't feel gross and full and stodgy. I feel satisfied, have very rare cravings and have a continuous flow of energy. My workouts have more pump and I'm sleeping better.

Technically, I'm not supposed to eat gluten (IBS etc) but often give in and eat it and feel awful. Eating this healthy, natural diet leaves my digestive system feeling happy. Too much info? Sorry.

Having the guide and living by it religiously is a little boring, yes. But it's also making me be creative and research ways to spice up the food, healthy recipes, perfect techniques for the workouts, all sorts!

At first, the food preparation and organising is a little time consuming but as I get into a routine and get more knowledgeable, it'll become easier and more natural, just another part of every day life.

On the 1st December, I took photos of my body as it is now, in my underwear. I'd strongly suggest anyone looking to transform to do this.  Seeing yourself in your least favourable light is inspiration to work hard. Also, it'll be great motivation to continue with the dedication when you start to see results. Or so I hope.

I also recorded my measurements (arms, legs, hips, waist, chest) and will do so again on the 1st of each month and, hopefully, track my progress.

I will weigh myself fortnightly, on the same machine and also track this. I'm not so fussed about pounds or kilos, more about dropping my body fat percentage and how I look.

My aim isn't to be "skinny" or look like a certain celebrity. My aim is to become the healthiest version of me. Whatever body shape is hiding under here, I'll embrace. I'm excited to see my development and become stronger, both physically and emotionally.

Wish me luck!

Manic Monday... A new chapter

I failed at writing a Geography Sunday post again last week. Though I think it would be better as a feature as and when I find somewhere that inspires me to learn and write about it. So it'll be intermittent from now on but I promise they'll be super spangly posts.

Onwards and upwards...

Today is the first day on my new LDN Muscle Bikini Guide. So far I've been successful, in that I've managed to get up early and eat my super organised breakfast and get all my food and gym bag ready for the day. This was my breakfast, plus a protein & oat shake...

I couldn't quite finish my eggs but I feel healthy and full! I'm feeling really positive about my new lifestyle and plan. For the first time in a long time, I genuinely feel prepared to succeed at something!

I have no idea how I'm going to manage to eat so many times a day but I'm determined which is a great feeling to start the week with!


This weekend I wrapped all my Christmas presents. And labelled each one with a number. And wrote a corresponding list of what each present was, who for, and in which order to give them out. I think my OCD may be back a little bit. Though I guess if it's just keeping me organised and helping me, then I shouldn't worry about it too much.

I am so excited to get home to my family and spend some good time with them over the festive period. I can't wait to see everyone's faces as they get their gifts, especially the piglet!

Aside from the diet, I'm planning a few little life-changing projects at the moment, ready to go full steam ahead into the new year and I'm bursting to share them with everyone but I need to keep them under wraps until I'm more certain on things!

In the meantime, fingers crossed for me for the first week of my new healthier lifestyle please!

Workout Wednesdays... A new beginning

 

I have discovered during my fitness journey that I'm really bad at the diet side of things. I'm also bad at remembering what I'm supposed to be doing on each day. I've hit a real plateau in my progression and decided it's time to Eat Clean, Train Dirty and Get Lean.
 
There is so much information on weight training / diet / fat loss / health on the Internet. I've found that's a problem. There's too much information. Too many conflicting opinions. Too many contradicting articles. Trying to learn everything from the Internet with no real guide or structure can be just as bad as not knowing anything, I think.
 
I follow various health and fitness accounts on the different social media platforms and the one that is consistently praised and recommended by the social media fitness sphere is LDN Muscle. Created and run by four (beautiful) young lads, LDN Muscle has it all. Blogs, diet, exercises, apparel, the works.
 
Before you read my rave review of LDNM, please bear in mind, I have not been asked or paid to write this post. The guys don't even know I'm doing it. I've chosen to write about this as part of my Workout Wednesday theme and narration of my life.
 
They also produce and sell a multitude of digital training guides called Premium Programmes. Specifically for men, there are a wide variety, ranging from the Natural Bulking Bible to the Leg Torture Pack. Lads, whatever your aims, they have a pack for you. If you're unsure of which would be best for you, tweet them or facebook them or email them. They're wonderful at replying and full of really helpful information and advice.
 
The thoughtful lads at LDN Muscle have realised that it's not just men who want to train insane. They've collaborated with each other and some of their female guest bloggers to create a pack especially for women wanting to lose fat and gain lean muscle. All herald the Bikini Fit Guide!

 

With 34 pages of intense advice and direction, I think this guide is going to drastically change my training and, hopefully, my body! It has information on: diet, including a sample week menu plan; exercise, with different training types and picture descriptions of all exercises; supplements, including what / when / where / why / how to take!
 
To quote their website:

"The price of your comprehensive ticket to bikini bod glory? Just £29.99. To put that in context, these days that could would buy you;

- A 30-45 minute session with a PT. Once.

- Half a bottle of perfume.

- A top you’ll wear twice."

 

So I figured I had to at least try it. It's payday today and I'm feeling good so I went ahead and bought it. I've glanced through briefly at work but will devour it in full at home.

 

I've set a date to begin my new regime - Monday 2nd December. I'm going to fully embrace every aspect. I'll be sticking to the diet as tightly as I can and training exactly how they say. I'm going to record a before and after of weight / measurements (and maybe even pictures) from Sunday and then after 6 weeks and see what results I get!

 

I'm nervous and excited. I'm always scared of failure, as we all are, but I'm excited to discover what fabulous body I've been hiding for so many years!

 

And yes, I know it's ridiculous to start a new plan before Christmas but if I don't start now, I never will. I'll always find some excuse to prolong it and avoid success!

 

 

 

Workout Wednesdays... Woe is me

My poorliness from last week is still lingering, now in the form of a chest infection. Thus, I'm giving myself a break from my regime and not exerting my body in the hopes of getting better.

I did, however, manage a lovely revitalising yoga session on Saturday which left me feeling quite uplifted. Note - coughing in Downward Dog causes you to fall on your face.

Seeing as I have no update on my new workout plan whatsoever, I think I'd quite like to waffle on about how much I love yoga.

I never thought I would get into yoga as much as I have. I'm not a particularly spiritual person, nor am I very good at letting go of my mind and being 'in the moment'. I've tried yoga classes on and off over the years and never really got into it.

I don't know at what point I realised I love yoga. I started going again earlier in the year after joining my new gym (Virgin Active Kingston, thoroughly recommend it) and something magical clicked. I go for an hour on Tuesday evenings and again on Saturday afternoons and find myself really looking forward to it.

The classes are mixed up every time so I'm constantly challenging myself but definitely noticing improvements. My strength in my arms is improving slowly which means I've got a better foundation for some of the poses and I can really feel a difference in my tight hips which is pleasant.

I'm also finding that the two one-hour sessions are the only part of my week where my brain isn't running at a billion miles an hour. I constantly have a hundred thousand different thoughts in my head, even when I'm running or lifting weights. For some reason, when I'm doing yoga, I'm so centred on that moment and focused on my breathing and the feelings in my body, that it's all that I think about.

I'd love to join an actual yoga school but I really can't afford it unfortunately so for now the two sessions at my gym will have to suffice but I'm so glad I found a love of yoga.

Welcome to my world...

Welcome to Holly's little corner of the internet.

I've been blogging over on tumblr for a while now but I've been quite inconsistent with my posting and it's mostly my instagram pictures. I've decided I want to get more dedicated to blogging and tumblr doesn't really offer me much. It's also mostly full of emotional teenagers and pro anorexia pictures, neither of which I particularly enjoy.

So here I am, a brand new Blogger. Or is it Bloggerer?

So a little about me... if I were in XFactor, I'd be in the "Overs" category yet I'm still under 30. I work in the PR / Marketing world and dream of being a Beauty PR Exec. My humble abode is in SW London and I live with a German who is awesome. I have the best nephew ever (who I'm sure I will blog about a lot, not sorry) and a hanful of lovely family and friends to keep me entertained.

I know that the most succesful blogs have a specific topic / purpose but I've yet to find my niche so this will be a scramble of the things in the world that entertain me: music; food; the gym / exercise; things I think are beautiful; things who annoy me (of which there are many, I'm afraid); whatever else comes across my life.

If anyone has any blogs they can't live without (beauty / fitness / entertainment preferably), please share! I'd love feedback and comments on my posts. The social media world is amazing and I love the interaction!

You can also find me here on Twitter and my instagram is 23HRH too.

This is my face...