Fitness Friday| 10 Weeks until June!

 

Wednesday was the first day of spring, although here in England you would think we were still in the depths of winter! Now I’m not one for wishing my life away at all, but I am one for preparing so with spring arriving that only means bikini season is up and coming! In fact June is only 10 weeks away! So if you, like me, are aiming to look fit and toned in your bikini this year then if you haven’t already started your body transformation you had better start now!Because if the above imagery is anything to go by, you are already two weeks behind everyone else being able to notice your body changing!

Thankfully many people have clocked onto the fact that we will be wanting to up our health and fitness efforts in the coming weeks and the Tone It Up girls are no exception. If you have not heard of Tone It Up before, you need to go and visit their site as they are really motivational! They offer workouts, recipes, regular motivating emails and workout schedules… all for free! This year they have partnered with Self Magazine and have started the Drop 10 Challenge. 

For the Self Challenge Drop 10 Challenge all you have to do it sign up and you have access to 10 weeks of fun workouts! So this means you will become bikini ready in 10 weeks thanks to fitness videos, HIIT workouts, exercise schedules, online tools, daily motivation and tips and recipes and menus! Basically everything you could possibly need.

I have signed up for the challenge as I am moving out of home next week so I need to ensure that I keep my diet on track when I’m back picking my own meals and cooking for myself. Plus I really need to increase my toning exercises. I have lost alot of fat thanks to cardio exercise over the past three months, but need to get some definition in on my arms, stomach and bum! So hope by this challenge will help me achieve that.

So far this week I have completed a couple of strength exercises and know I am out of practice! I did the workout below with a medium sized weight which I used to lift with ease, and couldn’t move my arms properly the next day! Its a great short strength workout, that says it works all areas that you need to target, however I felt it most in my arms and bum! Give it a go!

Have you started your fitness and health regime in preparation for your bikini body? If not, are you going to start now? Do you fancy the Drop 10 Challenge, if so let me know!

Fitness Friday| Weight Loss| Preparation & Planning

You rarely venture into anything new in life without first thinking about it. Remember back to when you started your blog, did you think about it before you started it? I bet you carefully thought about the name, what you wanted to say and what you wanted it too look like. Well if you are to start a healthier lifestyle, the same rule applies!

Success loves preparation! If you want your healthy lifestyle to be more than just a phase you need to plan and prepare throughout. This may sound like hard work, but as I always say; make small steps each day and they soon become habits.

Think about it. If you are not prepared for hunger you normally just grab something on the go. Be it a bag of crisps, chocolate bar or a shop bought sandwich. If you are prepared you will more than likely have a snack in your bag that is healthier, be it a homemade sandwich or wrap, nuts of fruit.

The same happens in the supermarket. If you are prepared, have planned your meals and have a list of ingredients you will more than likely only buy what is on the list which means your kitchen cupboards will be full of healthy food. However if you are unprepared you will venture into the supermarket and end up buying what ever takes your fancy, be it healthy or not.

I am not saying that you need to count calories, plan every single meal that you have and panic when you don’t have a pre-prepared snack, just become a little more prepared and it can make a big difference! Below are a couple of preparation tips.

• Plan your meals- One night a week flick through your favourite cookbooks for meals you can make. This means you will have meals for each night, reducing the likelihood of ordering takeaways.
• Stick to your shopping list- If you are too tempted by BOGOF offers then keep your head down and go directly to where your shopping list items will be found in the store. Do not browse every aisle in the supermarket… you will just buy more!
• Wake up 15 minutes earlier- This means you will have time to sit and have breakfast each morning, instead of grabbing a coffee and muffin from Starbucks!
• Keep a food diary- You can use a Diary, such as the Moleskin Wellness Journal*, a notepad or an app on your phone. Food diaries make you more accountable of what you put in your mouth. You will be surprised at what you actually eat when first starting a food diary!
• Prepare your lunch- A couple of nights a week get out your Tupperware and make up your lunches to take to work for the next couple of days. Lunch can be a meal that if bought on the go can have a million more calories that you would think. A sandwich bought from a shop can have around 400 calories in, add your crisps and cake to this and your lunch could amount to over 700 calories! By preparing your lunch in bulk you will have no excuse as you can simply grab it from the fridge before you leave in the morning!
• Keep and water bottle with you- If you struggle to get your 2 litres everyday, keep a 1 litre/750cl bottle on your desk or in your bag and sip it throughout the day. This saves you money and reduces the likelihood of grabbing a bottle of pop.
• Plan ahead when eating out- Most places have their menus online, and large chains even have the calories count on there. So if you are watching your waistline and don’t fancy splurging then check out the menu and plan your meal ahead. 
• Schedule in your workouts- Schedule in your workouts as if they were a meeting or dentist appointment. If you cancel a half an hour appointment to improve yourself then I’m sure you will feel guilty! Get your workouts written down in your diary!
• Set goals- Long term and short tem! Try aiming for so many inches lost by a wedding in the summer, or aim to take homemade lunches to work every day that week. If you have a goal you have something to concentrate your efforts on. Even better reward yourself after meeting goals… have a manicure, buy a new dress etc.

I hope these tips help you prepare for a healthier lifestyle. Tell me how you make sure you are prepared for a healthy week!

Fitness Friday| Healthy Living Tag| My Personal Regime

 

So this Fitness Friday is a little different to my other one’s and gives you a little insight into my daily life and routine, and my battle to become a healthier person. I have had quite a few of you ask me over the past few weeks what regime or routine I follow, or how did I lose weight, so this tag is perfect timing really!

I was tagged by the lovely Maya Craig from Super Food Babe, she is an avid Tone It Up girl and a great inspiration.  Her blog is full of healthy recipes and motivating posts, go check her out!

 

 

1. What did you eat for breakfast?

Today I had a banana and cereal bar at my desk. I admit that this is not the best start to the day and I do really need to work on my breakfasts. However I take pride in the fact I actually eat breakfast now, as I never used to and something is better than nothing!

2. How much water do you drink a day?

I drink LOADS of water! I have a glass when I wake up in the morning then go through 2 litres while I am at work, and then have another few glasses in the evening. So I imagine it’s about 3 litres of water. Water and tea are the only things I drink day to day. The easiest thing to do to make sure you drink more water is always have a bottle with you; on your desk, in your bag etc.

3. What is your current favourite workout?

I love my running! I am very happy that I finally do, it took me about 3 months of dragging myself outside and forcing myself to run 3/4 times a week to get to the point when I enjoyed it again. I admit somedays I have to force myself to do it and don’t enjoy it, but I mix it up. Somedays I run on the treadmill, others I go outside. Sometimes I’ll aim for distance, or I’ll do intervals, or hill sprints, or try for my quickest mile… keep it fresh and exciting!

4. How many calories do you eat a day?

I do not have a clue! I don’t calorie count at all. I have an idea of what I should aim for in each meal so if I buy a sandwich at the shop I know which one to buy. If you are calorie counting and trying to lose weight the amount of calories you need to eat vary for everyone, it all depends on your height, age, weight and exercise level, you can used online calculators like this one as a guide.

5. What are your favourite healthy snacks?

I love hummus and veg sticks, nuts, dried fruit, rice crackers etc. I get a lot of great snacks from my Graze box, which helps, especially when I have the nibbles in the office. One of my favourite healthy treats to have is a banana sliced in half and spread with a thin layer of Nutella… chocolaty goodness!

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?

I have soup everyday, either homemade, or a cup-a-soup if I’m unprepared. I have my soup with either some rice cakes, fruit, nuts, or carrot sticks and hummus. I am planning to become more organised and make more salads to take for my lunch, especially when Spring time comes round.

7. What is your favourite body part to strength train?

I’m torn between my arms or my bum. I love to train my arms because there are so many different exercises to do, plus you can see results VERY quickly so it’s very motivating. I also love to train my bum as I love to do squats. They work you hard, burn more calories than other strength moves and give you an amazing bum… what’s not to love!

8. What is your least favourite body part to strength train?

Either my abs or legs as they hinder the next day’s exercise and daily tasks. There have been times when I struggle to walk up or down stairs, or end up in pain whenever I laugh or sneeze. However the pain is always a good pain, as atleast I know I have worked my body hard!

9. What are your “bad” food cravings?

EVERYTHING! I love food, and love unhealthy food. I could not live without chocolate, Dominos Pizzas, or a crunchy fresh white baguette or bun! It is just a matter of learning not to eat unhealthy food everyday. However if I fancy a Dominos Pizza I will have one, I just choose a thin base, low fat cheese and a smaller size than what I used to have.

10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?

I don’t at the moment, but I do sometimes. If I am ill I will pop vitamins C everyday. I do try and take a multi-vitamin if I remember or some calcium supplements as I don’t get enough in my diet as I hate milk.

11. How often do you eat out?

About once a week. My boyfriend and I have a long distance relationship so at the weekend we like to go out for lunch or dinner together as a treat.  Because I know this happens I can compensate for it during the week. I make sure I eat healthy throughout the week as at the weekend I have a treat to look forward to!

12. Do you eat fast food?

Yes! I am human after all! I am trying to become a healthier person, but I don’t see why I can’t have a pizza every once in a while. I used to have a takeaway atleast once a week, however now it is more like once every three weeks/ a month. Being healthy is about moderation, not deprivation!

13. Who is you biggest supporter?

I would like to say myself, as I’m the one who pushes myself out the door into the cold to go for a run when I really don’t want to, however I know I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support from my boyfriend and my family. They are constantly telling me “well done for going for a run” and “look how skinny you’re getting”. Just the other day my boyfriend was telling my that I was disappearing!

14. Do you have a gym membership?

No. I tried the gym and figured out I can do everything I do there at home! It’s a lot cheaper! My mum and I have a lot of equipment between us; treadmill, weights, exercise balls and DVD’s. However you don’t need any equipment to workout! The road is free… get out and run! Use your own body weight for your strength training… squats, lunges, push-ups, the plank are all free to do and super effective!

15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?

I aim for 7.5 as that’s the optimum, however recently I’ve been a busy bunny, so it’s more like 7 or 6.5 on a bad night!

16. Do you have a “cheat” day?

I don’t have a designated cheat day, but if I fancy a treat I will have one, I just make sure I don't’ have seconds, or have a treat the next day. If I’ve really indulged I’ll add an extra mile to my run, or make sure I workout twice the next day.

17. Do you drink alcohol?

Of course I do… I could not live without my champers! However I drink a hell of a lot less than I used to. I think alot of it comes from not being at university any more. However most of it comes from getting older… I’ve always had bad hangovers, but they are just getting worse, and I hate wasting my days off in a hung-over state.

18. Do you have a workout buddy?

I workout with my mum sometimes (when she isn’t injured, which she has been recently) and I also drag my boyfriend out for runs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It’s nice to have someone beside you as you can encourage each other.

19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a Healthy Lifestyle?

Probably that I love running again. I used to run alot before I went to uni and enjoyed it so much, but when I stopped doing it and then tried back at it, I found it difficult and punishing so I would never continue with it. However after many months of pushing myself I now have a changed state of mind. I now wake up on a Saturday morning and think “oh the weather’s nice, what a great day for a run!” ….  6 months ago you would of had to drag me out of bed on a Saturday morning.

20. What was the last healthy thing you did?

Last night I went out in the sub zero temperatures and pushed my tired legs to run 5k for the second day in a row. I am feeling it today, but I also never felt more proud when I had finished my run!

 

I hope the above answers helped demonstrate how I try to live a healthy life, and perhaps gave you some ideas and tips! Let me know if you are going to do the tag, leave your link below.

I do want you all the comment by answering… What was the last healthy thing you did? Lets share the inspiration and give ourselves a pat on the back by acknowledging our little accomplishments!

Fitness Friday| Festive Flat Tum Week 1| Highs & Lows

 

*Images from Tumblr*

As many of you will know this past week I have been following my Festive Flat Tum Challenge, and as a result will be posting regular Fitness Friday posts on my highs and lows of the week gone by, plus some motivation for both you and I. This weeks are as follows;

Lows

This week I did not get off to as strong of a start as I wanted. I have been really struggling to wake up in the mornings... why is it so dark?! So have missed my morning workouts which is not good! I must do better next week! I have been trying to get to bed earlier so I will get into a routine of falling asleep earlier so I will find waking up less of a struggle!

Highs

Diet! This week my eating has been great, I’ve been eating clean and feel great because of it! I have not eaten crisps or chocolate, my only treat has been a cupcake on Cake Day at work, so I am giving myself a pat on the back for this!

I am also really pleased that I have ran 2 5k’s this week, although they are not the quickest, I am still pleased as this is the longest I have ran on the treadmill so far. I can run 5k outside easily as it is more interesting, but the treadmill bores me so much! So to stay on it for longer than 15 minutes is torture!

This next week I aim to get up earlier in the mornings and get my morning workout in, as well as keep up my daily cardio with the aim to run another 3 5ks! This next week I am going to take my body measurements, and some pictures, so I have something to mark my progress with. I am not weighing myself as believe this only demotivates myself. Anyways measuring inches lost is a much healthier way to analyse your health and fitness than being obsessed with the weighting scale. Scales do not take in to account muscle gained, and a toned body is much healthier and sexier than a skinny body with no definition! 

Are you stepping up your health and fitness in time to look great for Christmas? What have you done this week to make yourself proud? What fitspiration do you use to keep yourself motivated?

Two Birthdays, One Dinner| The Highwayman Restaurant Review

Having just returned from the Lake District after a very busy but lovely birthday week visiting my family, I thought it was about time I got back to regular blogging, so will be writing three posts this evening as well as taking part in #bbloggers chat at 8, two to be published today, and one tomorrow.

The first, this one, is about my second birthday meal that I had in a Restaurant outside of Kendal in the Lake District. As the pictures show, I went with my boyfriend, Mum  and her partner. The photos also show my two dogs, who didn’t go, but looked cute so thought I would involve them in this post. The meal was for my mums partner’s, Steve, Birthday as well; a double celebration.

We went the the HighwayMan Inn, owned by Nigel Haworth and located in the small village of Burrow, near to Kirby Lonsdale, I have never been before but was thoroughly impressed, not only with the quality of the food and service, but more so of the concept of the restaurant. What I love is that the restaurants uses exclusively local producers for their menu. As it is close to the borders of Cumbria, Yorkshire and Lancashire they are in a prime location to use many different local and regional flavours. The restaurant was decorated with pictures of the producers with their produce, giving it a real feel of community. The first picture shown in this post was the placemat, which again was decorated with the friendly faces of the farmers and producers.

We had a selection of starters to share, sort of like an English tapas, which included deep fried cauliflower with curried mayonnaise, cheese soufflé, deep fried fish cheeks with an apple and garlic mayonnaise, and bread with olive oil and treacle balsamic vinegar. For my main I had a cheese and onion pie, and desert a lemon meringue pie (pictured). Overall it was beautiful, I admit not the healthiest…diet starts tomorrow, but definitely worth it!

As I mentioned the diet starts tomorrow, which it definitely must! I’m off on holiday in 4 weeks, and the past week of birthday celebrations has not be favourable to my figure, I’m looking and feeling a little more rounded… oh dear! To encourage my health kick, I will be posting a few healthy recipes that I am going to give a go… I’m an awful cook, so it could be quite entertaining!

Fitness Fridays| Smoothie Love

Firstly apologies for not posting any Fitness Friday posts over the past couple of weeks, I hope you understand I was busy with my dissertation. But fear not they will be continuing, and are becoming a little bit more personal, as I am currently starting a health kick, to ensure I’m looking super fit for summer. It is the perfect time to start in my opinion (if you haven’t already) as the short bursts of sunshine are really motivating to remind you that bikini season is just around the corner, June is only 2 months away!

As the title suggests this post is not really fitness, but diet related. For those of you have been a loyal follower of mine from the beginning you will remember that I adore a good smoothie, and if it is homemade even better! So for my health kick I decided the first small step I am taking is to change my breakfast from carby bread and cereals, to homemade smoothies. If you have a blender there really is no excuse, as they don’t take long at all, especially if your fruit is already prepared. And if you don’t have a juicer, you can buy them relatively cheaply on ebay for around £20.

Smoothies themselves are a great start to the day, here are some of the benefits for you;

• They are full of fibre, which will help you feel fuller for longer.
• If you add natural protein such as spinach or whey powder then the smoothie will keep you even fuller!
• Smoothies can contain 2 or 3 portions of your fruit or veg for the day… so it gets you off to a great start for hitting the magic 5!
• They are perfect for summery and spring days, as they are cool and refreshing.
• The vitamins in your smoothie will significantly improve the appearance of your skin, hair, and nails… great for us beauty bloggers especially with those close up photos!
• The high water and nutrient content will help keep you hydrated throughout the day.
• Obviously they are a low caloried option. The recipe below contains only 200 calories…great for girls wanting to shape up.

Here is a really easy one I have been making and drinking most mornings this week. It has three ingredients, and takes 2 minutes to make. Your ingredients are a packet of frozen mixed berries, a carton of grape juice, and a pot of natural yoghurt. Throw in a bit of each (I don’t know measurements I just throw it all together) and blitz… there you go breakfast! I admit this is quite a sweet smoothie, so not great if you don’t like sweet things, put you can Google recipes, or try your own!

I hope I inspire someone to give it a try. Give it a week, and you will notice your skin becoming a lot clearer, and maybe your waistline reducing.

*Apologies for the blackberry photos..bad quality!

Graze Box Review

For a while now I have seen a few insert advertisements in a few magazines for Graze Boxes. The advertisement offered a free first box, I have always had my eye on them, but it wasn’t until the other day that I took the plunge and joined the website.

The idea of Graze boxes are that you sign up to the website, rate the products based upon whether you would like to try them or not, then based on your conclusions the company send out a random selection of the products you said you would like to try, so its like a little surprise. All the snacks are health and natural, making your snacking throughout the week a little healthier.

You receive 2 boxes a week, at £3.79 per box, you get to choose between the 100 different product, then they deliver them to your home or work.

In my box, I received honeycomb Flapjack, Copacabana, Salsa Mexicanos and Mississippi Bbq Pistachios. The calorie count for these boxes ranged between 51 cal and 290 cal. I enjoyed each of the products, especially the flapjack. For the entire range of products, due to my own personal taste, the products that I would like are quite limited, but this is due to the fact that I dislike dried fruit, and this features heavily in a lot of the products. Overall I love the concept, and will continue to order my boxes, as I know it will help me snack more healthily having one of these little boxes in my bag, rather than a bag of crisps.

As part of this scheme I have 3 vouchers for a free first box, that if are used by my friends, I get a pound off  future boxes for each one used. So if you are intreeged by this product and would like to try it, then comment below with your email and I will send you the voucher code for your own free box to try.  Its is only for the first 3 people, so be quick!

Fitness Friday| How To Reduce Cellulite

Image from Google

I'm going to be honest here, so I don't know about you, but I know I suffer from the dreaded cellulite, but thankfully I'm not alone as apparently Ninety per cent of women suffer from it, including celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Blake Lively! It is caused by a combination of factors including toxin build up, water retention and poor circulation.

Below are some tips I have picked up over the year to help reduce the appearance of cellulite!

Step One- Change your diet

Healthy eating is very important when it comes to cellulite, as eating processed, junk food only encourages our bodies to retain water and slows down our circulation. Reducing your consumption of saturated fat, caffeine, wheat, salty foods, alcohol and refined carbs will make a big difference. 

Step Two- Move your body

Exercise it the most effective way to ridding cellulite. For the best results you should try and mix up your work outs, include; aerobic exercises such as jogging and cycling or swimming; toning exercises such as weight training and lots of squats; lymph-boosting exercises like yoga and Pilates. 

Step Three- Stimulate your system

Stimulating your lymphatic system increases the oxygen travelling through the body, and gets rid of toxins. The most effective method is through body brushing. You do this by selecting a brush which is not too soft or not too hard, and brush before your bath or shower. Start at the feet and working up your legs and across the hips, bottom and stomach in upward strokes. Move from the hands, up the arms to the shoulders, always brushing towards your heart. 

7 Top Tips

1. Eat plenty of fresh foods and reduce your processed food consumption.
2. Eat protein daily.
3. Cut out fatty, sugary foods which are stored as fat, mainly on your lower body. 
4. Drink loads of still water!
5. Exercise! Exercise and Exercise! 
6. Relax once a day- take a few minutes to concentrate on your breathing.
7. Body brush to improve the skin texture and use a good moisturiser. 

Do you have any of your own tips?

Fitness Fridays| Little changes equal big changes

Image taken from We Heart It

So a few of the past Fitness Friday articles may have been a little daunting or a too big of a challenge for some of my lovely readers and followers. Therefore today I am offering some advice on the little changes that everyone can make that will make a big change to your life and health, so here we go;

1. Eat before you exercise- research shows that your body burns the same amount of fat whether you eat before exercise or not. However exercising on an empty stomach means you exhaust your supply of glycogen (this is glucose you store for energy). If you do this you will end up burning more your muscle instead of building it... not good girls!
2. Combine your strength exercises- do not just lift your arms weights while standing still. If you are doing arms lifts with your free weights, combine these movements with squats, as the more muscles you use at the same time the more calories you will burn. Don't over do it though! 
3. Beware of mini-sized snacks- you may think eating snack size treats is being good, however studies have shown that it is easy to overeat these. This is because it makes it harder to stick to one portion, your silly little mind believes that because the calorie count is so low on these snacks, you convince yourself that its OK to have seconds. Its OK if you have the iron will and will power, but just be careful girls! 
4. Reduce your rest time- The fewer rests you do mean you do the same amount of work, but in less time, therefore reducing your workout time, or meaning you can do twice as much work in the same amount of time. In a study, it was found that people who waited 35 seconds between exercise sets lost 27% more body fat than those who rested for three minutes.
5. Eat protein at every meal- Please please so this girls! This will dramatically change your diet for the better, so if you make one change do this! You will fell fuller for longer, which prevents you from snacking. The best sources are eggs, lean meat and fish, and nuts.  

Fitness Fridays- Jumping Jack Challenge

I am going to start a new feature on my blog, so it is a bit more organised and less random. So I present to you all 'Fitness Fridays!' Each Friday I aim to post a article on a fitness tip, review, or anything fitness related. This will hopefully inspire you to try it the next week, and we can all get fitter together :D

Right girlies, I know a lot of you may have made resolutions to get fit/ loose a few pounds/ tone up/ drop a dress size... Whatever! We would all like to find an easier way to do this. Nobody wants to spend hours in the gym, and eating salad all the time.

Through tumblr I have found a challenge in which burns plenty of calories and takes little time out of your day.

Its the Jumping Jack Challenge! the science is that for every jumping jack a person does they burn 5 calories. So if you do 100 everyday for a week you would loose a pound. (As to loose a pound a person needs to burn 3500 calories, or eat 3500 calories less, a week.)

This is just a guide, so you can tick off days that you reach your target!

100 jumping jacks is really not that much, and won't take more than a few minutes! So come on girls, what are you waiting for?!

A Week in pictures

* My last Festive feast :D Yummy Krispy Kreme doughnut*

* My adopted cat, tuna*

* Christmas mug, its has its own cosy :D*

* University work, multiple assignment and dissertation writing and mass highlighting*

* Mini haul from Primark*

So I have unfortunately been super busy with university work this past week, so I feel like my posts aren't really interesting, and my lovely followers deserve more than that, so please accept my apologies.

The story behind the photos;

I am meant to be starting my health kick this week, so this doughnut was one of my last treats. I am back onto a diet of smoothies for breakfast, chicken wraps or soup for lunch, and a healthy low carb dinner. I also need to up my exercise again, as I am feeling really unfit. 

Tuna meet the world, everyone meet Tuna! This is a cat that occasionally pops into our flat, he is extremely friendly and loves tuna (hence the name). I assume he has a home, as he has a collar and is well fed and groomed, but he just likes to pop by and say hello and give me some cuddles. He's a very welcome visitor. 

This is my new favourite mug that I received for Christmas, it has it's own cosy! Wow! I am a massive tea lover!

As I said previously I am extremely snowed under with university assignments at the moment. In my final year, and still manage to leave it till last minute... argh! So as of Friday I will be more free, although still having  the dreaded dissertation. 

This is my little treat that I bought after work. Total sum of £26.. bargain! Love Primark for some little gems every now and again. 

I hope you all had a great previous week, and have a good week.

Are Detox a sham or not?

So its that time of the year again, where health and fitness comes to the front of everyone's mind. Detoxing is obviously one of the most popular ways to kick start this phase many of us go through. From juice diets, to yoga, to beauty treatments, there are many different ways to detox. However I recently read an article in the Daily Mail saying that detoxing, in fact, had no benefit to health and is a sham. To be honest I always take any article published by the Daily Mail with a pinch of salt, as I believe they can over react a lot!

So I did some researching into the topic. Experts believe that the body is perfectly capable of ridding of all the toxins in your system without the need of detoxing. They even claim that some detoxes out there can even be dangerous. Detoxing is not what improves your body's functionality, it is the increase in the healthiness of peoples diets that make them feel better, and it is in fact bad diets and lack of exercise that make people feel sluggish and heavy, not toxins. Basically experts say detoxing is no more than a marketers dream and a million pound industry.

I personally agree that the body does detox itself, but to a degree you can help your body through many methods. You cannot cram your body full of rubbish continually, do no exercise and expect it to still function effectively and properly for the rest of your life, you need to nudge it in the right direction. I don't agree with spending large amounts of money on special products, but instead, upping your intake of vegetables and fruit, restricting carbs, taking up yoga and Pilates (exercises that concentrate on breathing and stretching), just using your commonsense. Do not buy into fads and pills, if you up your vitamins and fibre you will see more movement in your bowls (lovely I know, sorry) which will help rid the waste you have in your body.

For example my mother had a series of colonic irrigation, and the benefits she gained form this were great. When she saw the therapist she obviously listed all the possible benefits, but my mum personally lost around 7 pounds, which was most obvious on her upper abdominal area, as this is supposedly where waste in our body become crammed, and makes us look bloated no matter how much exercise and toning you try to do. She also felt less lethargic, and recommends the treatment to everyone and anyone who will listen.

A personal example of detoxing is when myself and my friend did the Maple Syrup Diet, which is famous because Beyonce used it to lose weight for her role in Dream Girls. Basically you are to drink nothing but a mixture of lemons in hot/cold water, organic maple syrup and cayenne pepper (it was pretty gross). You drink this for 6 times a day for 10 days, me and my friend managed 4 1/2 days. Surprisingly my hunger disappeared after 2 1/2 days, however my humongous headache made me want to die. This is an extreme "Detox" and I would not recommend it, as personally apart form losing 5 pounds, I saw no other benefit, I think I actually looked worse.

What are your opinions on detoxing. Have you ever tried a detox, or bought any products?

Victoria Secrets Model Diet| Miranda Kerr Diet when she is at home

For those of you want to start your health kick right away, here's a little show of what a Victoria Secrets model eats. It may give you some inspiration.

Breakfast

Yoghurt and muesli with a fresh fruit salad.

Boiled eggs with rye toast and avocado

Lemon and Ginger water

A cup of green tea

Lunch

Spelt crispbreads together with fresh tuna salad

Lemon water

Dandelion tea

Dinner

Either fish or lamb chops, or salmon steak or steak with salad or vegetables.

Eat heaps of greens and sweet potato and pumpkin roasted.

Cup of green tea. 

Are you going to have a health kick start this year? What are your ambitions?

Look Perfect Despite Not Feeling It| How to Cure a Hangover

So its that time of year, when a lot of people burn the candle at both ends of the stick. Meaning some of us can end up becoming unwell and looking even worse. Due to myself working in hospitality I don't get much time off work, so I am guilty of not having much sleep, too much alcohol and energy drinks, and a poor diet. Here are a some tips that I follow or have heard of through the years.

Tired Puffy Eyes

We've all woken up with little piggy eyes, despite getting what we thought was enough sleep.

These puffy eyes, are actually caused by things such as dehydration from excessive alcohol consumption, or from sleeping in dry stuffy rooms. 

To reduce the symptoms try letting gravity do its work, so prop your head up while you sleep with an extra pillow. If this does not help, try gently tapping the eye area lightly with your finger tips, working from the inner eye by your nose, toward the temple. 

If this does still not work, use the good old trick of cupping each closed eye with a chilled stainless steel teaspoon for five minutes. 

Bloodshot eyes

Eyedrops! Eyedrops! Eyedrops! These work miracles, as often bloodshot eyes are the telltale of a tired or hungover person. For those who wear contact lenses, so cannot spend the day putting eye drops in many companies now have solutions that you can spray on your closed eyelid and they still have the same effect.

There also exists a homemade remedy, however I have not tried it, so do not know whether it works, but to me it sounds painful due to the witch hazel. Anyways you are to add a couple drops of witch hazel into an egg cup of mineral water, then place it snugly over the eye allowing it to wash the eye for around 10 seconds. 

Chapped lips and noses

Shiny, peeling noses are often around this time of year to the risk of colds and flu. The easiest way to get rod is of a slick of one per cent hydrocortison products such as Hc45 cream, which is available at chemists. 

Chapped lips need protected and healed from products such as Vaseline, use this especially at bedtime. 

Always avoid matte, pale, frosty lip colours of you do have chapped lips as this highly emphasized the flaky lips, instead use moisturizing lipstick with a sheer gloss or satin texture. 

Dry, Flaky skin

Due to low humidity, central heating and other dehydrating elements pf the colder months, our skin becomes dry, flaky and dull.

I am an avid believer in exfoliating, but it is needed even more so in the winter. We do not shed our skin unlike reptiles, so we need to give ourselves a helping hand. Exfoliating will rid the old dead skin cells, and reveal more fresh healthy cells. Always layer on the moisturiser afterwards though, otherwise you will see no benefit. Outdoor exercise will also help boost circulation and will improve the look of your skin. 

Dull complexion

Diet and exercise will always help your complexion, there is really nothing better. So despite the cold months and stodgy food, please still keep up your exercise regime. 

Boost your complexion even more so with the use of a good moisturiser, a radiance-enhancing one will work best. Really massage the lotion into your face, then let it absorb into your skin for five to ten minutes before applying your foundation. 

The dreaded hangover

You feel awful because of the alcohol leaving you dehydrated, which affects the blood vessels around the brain giving you an awful headache. 

- The things you can do to minimize the symptoms are lining your stomach before you go out with a good meal. This helps slow down the rate the alcohol is absorbed. 

- Drink water before, during and after drinking alcohol this is the best thing you can do as it slows down your drinking, and helps flush your body of the alcohol and stops dehydration. 

- Treat headaches with paracetamol rather than aspirin or ibuprofen painkillers as these can irritate your stomach.

- Eat protein rich meals (if you can keep it down) scrambled eggs, or a chicken wrap are ideal.

- If you are feeling sick, ginger helps as it has anti-nausea qualities. So have a smoothie with ginger included in it, also  a smoothie will help replenish your body with vitamins. 

- Eat yoghurt, better still live yoghurt. As the "friendly" probiotic bacteria in your gut can help to boost recovery from alcohol-induced liver damage. 

What are your go-to tips to ensure you look alive after a heavy few nights? What hangover cure do you use? 

Snooki's weight loss

Snooki posing in her bikini on Twitter

Snooki with her boyfriend (again a personal picture from her Twitter account)

Another shot in her bikini

So I have been following Snooki's weight loss for a while now, as she frequents my twitter, and is often mentioned on websites and magazines I read.

I never really thought she was massively huge, like the media portrayed her to be. Yes she was a bit overweight for the height she is, but not massively. Now she has been losing weight, she looks great, I just hope she doesn't go too far as I know she has had eating disorders in the past. She admitted to battling both anorexia and bulimia in high school, and once only weighed 80lbs. She told OK magazine "There were these little freshman girls, and I was scared that these little freshmen girls were going to take my spot [in the  cheer-leading squad]. I just started eating salads... and then I got to a point where I was just eating a cracker a day. I was down to 80 pounds. I almost died."

 I know that her current weight-loss is credited to weight loss tablets called Zantrex. She stated on her twitter that she eats less, workout more, but credits the pills for her transformation. The pills are fat burning tablets, which have also been used by Britney Spears.The side effects include palpitations, anxiety, cold sweats, nausea, diarrhoea, increased heart rate and irritability.

On the website it states that the tablets just cause fat loss, not body weight loss, and that they should be taken twice a day, two in the morning and two with your main meal.

Personally I admit, I have been tempted in the past to resort to miracle weight-loss tablets, but never have. I believe now that every person is capable of changing their body without taking pills and tablets that cause such dangerous side effects. I would be too scared of the side effects to take any of these fat-loss tablets. I think especially celebrities who have access to personal trainers and nutritionalists (most of us don't have the pennies so such luxuries) should be losing weight the healthy way through exercise and healthy eating. For us without these luxuries become your own personal trainer and nutritionalist, educate yourself, there are thousands of free websites to read up on what you need to do to change your body if you have the desire to.

I want to know what your reactions are to celebrities using weight loss tablets? Or even in general your opinion on the tablets. Or on Snooki, should someone with previous eating disorders be taking weight loss tablet.

Diet Tips| Dinner Do's and Don't

After my article on "18 days to look fabulous" a few comments mentioned that they find the many dinners they share with family and friends the hardest part of trying to be healthy during the holidays.

So I am going to share a couple of tips I have picked up.

Make sure even when following these tips that you enjoy your dinners. Do not spend Christmas worrying about what you put in your mouth, still indulge, just don't over-indulge!

• Fill up half your plate with vegetables or salad. These obviously are extremely good for you both on your waistline, but also your skin and hair. The more food you have on your plate that has less calories, the less you are going to eat over all. 

• Try everything, don't panic about eating something that may have a high calorie count. Just make sure you only have a couple of bites. Mariah Carey followed this rule to lose weight for her world tour. It is called the Morsel Diet, named so, because you have a tiny portion/couple of bites of whatever food you want, but ONLY a couple of bites. (I'm not saying to follow this diet, just follow the rule for your big dinners)

• Only have what is on your plate! Do not nibble before hand when preparing food, and do not take seconds. If you must, have more meat, more vegetables, not more potatoes. 

• Ask for a smaller plate. If with your own family, this is a simple ask, if not do not worry. If you have a smaller plate, you can not fit as much on it, so will definitely eat less.

• When at a buffet at a party or other event, follow the same rule. Have one plate only, fill it half with salad or vegetables, and have plenty of chicken legs (they always seem to have these at buffets) Just keep away form the carbs (pastry/ crisps etc) and stock up on protein (chicken, ham, sausages)

• Do not nibble on sweets, crisps, nuts throughout the day! If you must have some then portion it, take a separate bowl and have a handful (one handful) and eat this portion and this portion alone. If you don't portion and instead nibble and graze, you do not realise how much you have eaten, and can over eat very easily.

• For desert, have some!! (only if you want) But have a normal portion, not a huge one, you can always say you are full from dinner, so can not manage a large portion. The key with dessert is, if you can have it without cream, ice-cream etc; this can easily add another 200 calories.

It really is all about portion control, here's a picture to help you.

If you can not follow these tips, it does not matter! What you need to do is pick 3 or 4 big events, and have whatever you want during these dinners/parties, and just eat moderately and healthily for the rest of the time.

I hope these tips help you take control of your diet over the holidays. Let me know what your favourite portion control tip is. 

Girls with muscles| Weight Training for Girls

Oh good grief  I get sick of the media having a go at Jodie Marsh for her "new look". I don't particularly like the girl, but then again I've never met her, she might be lovely. But I do admire what she has done. She has radically changed her lifestyle, diet and exercise to make herself the fittest she can be. Yes the world of bodybuilding can not be the healthiest thing you can do to your body, due to extreme dieting shortly before the show and dehydration to draw out your muscles. But it sure is a hell of a lot more healthier than sitting on the couch eating chocolate and crisps.

Now because Katie Price has been photographed with a muscly man, the media are now scared she is going to end up looking like Jodie Marsh as well. I my honest opinion I agree when she is in competition and tensing then no its not a sexy look in my eyes, but when she is dressed up nicely in a dress, not tensing, she looks great, lovely and toned.

I hate that most girls are scared to do strength training because they are scared of getting muscles, but getting muscles will not mean you grow big, it means you become tight, not jiggling, not covered in cellulite. Girls should train more often, its a great rush to know you are just as strong as the next guy (literally). That you can lift a good weight, that you can do "man" pushups. Try it, you may surprise yourself.

What girls look like who weight train

Remember strong is sexy! Try adding some toning moves to your next workout! Don't be scared of those dumbbells!

18 Days To look Fabulous| Tone Up Quickly

It is 18 days till the big night, New Years Eve! This means we all have 18 days to look and feel amazing for the big event (whatever your plans are.) Most people spend the occasion catching up with those we have not seen for a while, so what better occasion to turn up and make jaws drop. It is obviously very hard to maintain our weight throughout the holidays, never mind lose weight. However it is doable, especially during the week between Christmas and New Year, as the majority of parties and get togethers happen before Christmas day. 

So what I'm suggesting is that we do not punish ourselves with relentless calorie counting, but instead make healthier choices. Here are my top tips;

• Do you need an extra glass of wine after the 3 you've already had? Try swapping a large glass of wine (185cal)  for a vodka lime and Soda (76 cal), this will save you around 110 calories.

• Always have a healthy breakfast. You can at least start the day right. Have a healthy filling and nutritional breakfast, for example a smoothie, for your vitamins, then scrambled or poached egg on wholemeal toast. The protein will ensure you stay full untill lunchtime, and if you are hungover the eggs enzymes are good for your hangover (if you can stomach it.)

• Have a health lunch as well! If two out of 3 meals are healthy, it will make a difference. Plus if you have eaten well for most of the day, you will less likely want to ruin your good work, by indulging too much for dinner. Have some soup, hummus with carrot/ celery/ pitta bread, or warm Chicken and pasta salad (in a tomato sauce, not creamy!!)

• Have a 30 minute brisk walk 5 days out of 7. Try going for a walk after your dinner, this will help your digestion also, so you will feel less bloated. Wrap up nice and warm and take the family or dog with you. If you don't fancy walking at night, then try walking to work, or get off your bus or tram a stop early and walking the rest. It may only be 10 minutes extra, but it will help boost your metabolism meaning you will burn more calories when you are sat at your desk all day.

• Do some strength exercises, even if you are new to it. Did you know that for every pound of extra muscle you gain, you burn an extra 150 calories a day! Plus it will help your posture, and the dreaded cellulite! So if you plan on wearing a short dress you need to be doing some lunges! 
• All I am asking you to do is 50  bicycle crunches in the morning when you wake up, and 50 before you go to bed. Bicycle crunches work the whole abs area, so will help trim your waist quicker. 
• Plus 50 squats while you brush your teeth in the morning and again in the evening. It is better than just standing there, plus squats are a great calorie burner, but make a great difference to the toning of your legs and ass... We'll all be looking like Beyonce in no time.

Now I am absolutely certain that everyone of you reading this will be able to do these small but significant things every day over the next 18 days. It really will make a difference your body, your skin, your hair, and it will ensure you look fabulous on the biggest night of the year.

Lets go for it! Let me know what your plans are for the New Year?