Evening all!

Hope you're all feeling fab! I am, and in all honesty, this is the happiest/best I've felt in a long time and I do believe that this exercise/eating better is a massive factor of it! even if effects and changes can be slow at times, my mood has just been overall so much better!

Anyway, onto the last couple of days!

Yesterday, it was cheat day, but I still went to the gym! Me, Lucy and Louise headed to the gym to do a bit of cardio for an hour, which went pretty quickly, we attempted (Well, I attempted) sit ups and crunches, still not quite cracked them yet hahaha, I also attempted exercises (ish) with one of them big aerobic ball things, it didn't go as well as I hoped and I ended up like this:

 faceplanting the floor via aerobic ball is not the most graceful or attractive look in the world, I will agree that, but at least my booty is looking good! (I think/hope?) hahaha.

Anyway, after that, me and Lucy headed to the sauna and jacuzzi and had a bit of a chill out before heading to Louise's for pizza :) (well I did say it was cheat day!)

Anyway, tonight, I've taken Alfie out for a walk with Heather, and it was lovely! Such nice weather, be a shame to waste it!

 Not too bad a view either, don't you think?

I think Alfie enjoyed himself as well:

As did myself and Heather! felt so good just to be out in fresh air - had a day off from the gym and I felt much better for having doing something rather than nothing!

We enjoyed ourselves, it's so much better when you have someone else with you!


Tomorrow, we're both fancying a class at the gym and swimming on wednesday! - We'll see how that goes over the next couple of days!
Until then,
Hayley
xo

Morning All!

Hope you've all got a fab weekend planned, I don't think I'll be doing too much apart from the gym, which for me is bliss! 

Thought I'd give you the low down on a couple of things I did this week!

First of all, I did my first ever Kettlebell's class and it was hard. VERY HARD. I'm probably coming across as a huge wuss right now but in honesty, I do not care, I know it has definitely done me some good, because I'm still slightly aching 4 days later! *place embarrassed emoji here* - but ouch!

I attended the class with two of my best ones, that I've mentioned on here Lucy and Louise, like me, Louise had never done Kettlebells before and therefore, has had the same, if not incredibly similar effects when it comes to aching afterwards! Lucy however, has done it before and I think she probably handled the aching a lot better ha! I'm still undecided whether or not to do the class again.
SO MANY SQUATS.

Not only squats, but mountain climbers, burpees, press ups and planking... ouch.

Just to give you a slight insight into how I plank, it's probably a little bit like this:


In a nutshell, I'm not very good at it... ha!
 
But onto Kettlebells, myself, Lucy and Louise were all geared up and ready (well, before I realised what was coming anyway!) it is basically interval training, Since it was my first time, I opted for a 3kg and a 4kg Kettlebell:

 Which really aren't the heaviest things in the world, but when I started squatting and swinging them around (not literally!) I soon changed my mind ha...

I think before we started we all felt fairly confident:



 We had to do 20 seconds of each exercise with our kettlebells with a 10 second break, which trust me, is a lot lot harder than it sounds, I first thought it was a piece of cake but, I was wrong, I probably will go again at somepoint in all honesty as it did do my body some good! I just need to recover from this aching first ha!

All I can say is if you're going to do it, take PLENTY of water with you, for me, one shaker full of it was not enough haha!

Anyway, onto a slightly less painful subject ;) (ahem)

Last night, me and my family celebrated a belated fathers day, my dad works away and wasn't around on father's day - so last night we took him to Coleman's Steakhouse and Pizzeria in Bawtry and can I just say that it is FAB.

It is actually a lot smaller than I imagined it would be - but I liked that, it had a nice atmosphere and it just made the meal more enjoyable!

 Just a quick snap I took of the place yesterday, its so warm, inviting and I love the decor! 
But onto the really important stuff, food and drink...
Whilst I was there, I decided to treat myself to a Mojito cocktail, they don't actually have a cocktail menu here, however one of the waitresses was still happy to make me one up, which I thought was lovely, great customer service on her part and it tasted fab :)

 For starters we had two sharers, the homemade nachos and halloumi sticks - I LOVED the halloumi sticks, they tasted so nice and was just fab, I didn't have any of the homemade nacho's, as sour cream, jalapenos and what not just aren't really my thing but they certainly got approval from the rest of my family!

Now onto my last course (and the best in my opinion!) The main.

 My mum opted for Pork, My dad and brother opted for Calzones, but I had a steak...
I love steak, a lot.
It was an 8oz Striploin steak, served with homemade chips, a big fried mushroom and tomato and some onion rings (they're hidden behind the chips!)

The steak, was AMAZING. I have mine medium rare and they got it spot on!
Usually, I'm not a fan of chunky chips, but these were beautiful, plenty of potato and was the right balance of crisp.
I only managed to eat the steak and about the quarter of the chips mind, I was so full, there was the potential for a food coma situation when I got in (which was right, I fell asleep when I got in ha!)

But overall, this place is fab and I'd definitely recommend, I also recommend you check out their social media/website!

Facebook: Coleman's Pizzeria & Steakhouse
Website: http://www.colemanspizzeriaandsteakhouse.com/

One final note, I'm note paid to promote or endorse Coleman's Pizzeria and Steakhouse in anyway, all opinions are my own!

Have a lovely weekend! and I'll post again soon :)
Hayley
xo

Body Pump Class and Update!

Now then,

Hope you've had a fab weekend! Mine's not been too shabby, thought I'd do a progress update as well as share with you what I've done this morning.

This morning, me and Lucy have been to a class at the gym, so whilst the majority of you might of been having a nice sunday lie in, I was out the door by 8am heading to the gym, I'd like to think that's dedication! (I hope).

So, me and Lucy took part in a 'BodyPump' class at the gym, and well, all it basically is, is cardio, but with a bit of extra weight, to make it that little bit harder and burn some fat (and essentially tone up!)

So think Squats, laying down and lifting small weights (so think 1.5kg, 2.5kg or 5kg) just lifting, lunges, for an hour - and it's safe to say, I'm bloody tired! but I feel fab for doing it.

Here's a little photo of the equipment I was using:


And another little after shot of me and Lucy post workout!:


We had a quick 10 minutes in the steam room and sauna afterwards, unfortunately though the jacuzzi was out of order :( but a quick blast of a cold shower sorted me out and freshened me up! 

Now, onto my progress report...
I'm incredibly happy that after 6 weeks, I have lost 1 stone! which means that I'm down to 15st 6lbs! I still have a fair way to go but its definitely a fab start and I'm happy with my progress so far, to show, I put my first side photo together with one I took this morning so you can see the difference!:

I am wearing the same bottoms and trainers, just the tops different, apologies, but I think there is an obvious difference in my thighs and my bum (shifting the booty woo!) and my stomach.

At the beginning I also measured myself in cm to see any difference in measurements, and the good news is I can!

These are my starting measurements:

Left top arm: 42cm
Right top arm: 42cm
Left lower arm: 29cm
Right lower arm: 30cm
Bust: 106cm
Waist: 90cm
Stomach: 105cm
Hips/Bum: 127cm
Left Thigh: 77cm
Right Thigh: 80cm
Left Knee: 55cm
Right Knee: 56cm
Left Calf: 50cm
Right Calf: 50cm

And I measured myself this morning, and these are my measurements 6 weeks on:

Left top arm: 42cm
Right top arm: 41.5cm
Left lower arm: 29.5cm
Right lower arm: 29.5cm
Bust: 106cm
Waist: 89cm
Stomach: 96cm
Hips/Bum: 125cm
Left Thigh: 73cm
Right Thigh: 74cm
Left Knee: 53.5cm
Right Knee: 53cm
Left Calf: 49cm
Right Calf: 49cm

If you add all the cm's I've lost all together, in total it comes to 29.5cm which is nearly the length of a ruler! I definitely think its great start and I hope it's just upwards from here on!

I'm going to leave it for now, but enjoy the rest of your sunday, and I'll post again soon.
Hayley
xo

Now then all,

hope you're having a good week! I certainly am, this week three pairs of trousers (well, my work trousers, my jeggings and jeans) feel much looser! which means it must be coming off, progress is fab, and I love it.

Going to feature two new food bits for you today and discussing my gym workout last night with Lucy! and tonight after I've posted this, I'll be going to the gym to do a bit of interval training.

Lets start with last nights work out shall we? I headed to the gym with one of my best friends Lucy, who is also into her fitness, I started off with a bit of interval training on the cross trainer for 5 minutes, then with interval hill setting on the treadmill for 10 minutes, then a short 3 minute burst on the step machine and as I discovered, the interval training really does work up a sweat! and afterwards, did a little bit of leg work on the leg press and another machine I can't really remember the name of (sorry!) for about 20 mins and then to finish off, a quick 15 minutes in the steam room and jacuzzi suite for good measure, great way to relax after a good workout! Looking forward to tonights work out too :)

Now onto food! For breakfast I had classic 2 boiled eggs and some toast to dip, pretty simple really, for lunch, I had half a pork pie and a juice/smoothie (or whatever you want to call it!).

 It consists of crushed ice, curly kale, algave syrup, watermelon, pear, cucumber, raspberries, alpro simply plain soya yoghurt, flax seeds and chia seeds.

Whizzed up in my nutribullet, it looks like this:

It looks gross, I know, but guess what, it tasted fab, so so good! and it was a great and light lunch that kept me going until my tea, which I'll move onto now:

Tonight, I had a salmon fillet from the saucy fish co (you should check out all of their range, everything I've had so far is so good!) with wholegrain rice and kale, and a bit of sweet chilli sauce to compliment it all, it all went together brilliantly, it made a nice change from meat and I didn't before tonight realise how nice sweet chilli sauce actually is, which is always a bonus!

 I tried to sort of show of with presentation, not sure if I really succeeded ha!

Right, I need to go and ready for the gym, so until next time!
Hayley
xo

Charlotte Crosby 3 Minute Belly Blitz Review

Now then,

Hope you've all had a decent weekend! Mine's not been too shabby - yesterday, I spent half my day with ice cream makers - The Cowlick Creamery at Sheffield's Peddler Market! and today I had a slight rest day, I did however, give Charlotte Crosby's 3 Minute Belly Blitz a go! so I'll review that for you guys tonight :) 

In January, I purchased Charlotte Crosby's 3 minute Belly Blitz in the hope to shed some weight - in all honesty, I neglected it and only did it a few times, because I was swept up with uni work and other work commitments - but today I gave it a proper go! 


Charlotte has managed to create the best selling fitness DVD of all time, good on you girl! and she was a size 16, and now she looks bloody fantastic, despite the title, the DVD doesn't just tackle your belly, it tackles all other problem areas with 3 minute intense exercises, however, what I did like, is that whilst Charlotte and Richard Callender (probably best known from ITV's Biggest Loser) do the more intense, high fitness speeds and intensity, Weight loss express David Souter does the same exercises but lower intensity for those with a lower fitness level or those just starting out - (like me ha!) but it's definitely a fab feature.

Overall, there is x12 3 minute workouts - it's tough, but its worth it! start off with a few and build it up, I'll be trying and building up on my progress.
There's also an eating plan that has been put on there to compliment the workouts, take a look and let me know what you think! and there's also "Extra Abs" - extra 10 minutes of killer abs exercises especially for the stomach and abdominal area! fab if you consider it to be a problem area :)


Above is Charlotte talking on ITV's "This Morning" about her DVD - with a cardboard cutout of how she looked before she started and you don't need to look twice to see how fab she looks after her transformation! she's done incredibly well and all the Geordie Shore stuff put to one side, a good person to look up to when it comes to weightloss, good on you girl - you look fantastic! and so far, I'd give the DVD a solid 4/5 stars, I'll let you know how I get on with the DVD the more I use it!

Have you tried Charlotte's 3 Minute Belly Blitz? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts, let me know guys :)

Right, that's my verdict!
I'll be back next week with more interesting (I hope! haha) posts for you!
Until then,
Hayley
xo

Now then!

It's been 10 days since I last posted (sorry!) - but i've been incredibly busy and looking for new material to feature :)

But onto today, another day, another Meadowhall trip and a little bit of spending (oops)!

So, here are today's purchases!

 These are two little pieces from the Victoria's Secret fitness range - funnily enough being me, they had a 50% sale on, yet I didn't end up getting anything in sale haha!
This sports bra is THE COMFIEST one I have ever tried on, I had to have it. and I love love loved the slogan on the top - who doesn't love a fab inspirational/motivational quote on their gym gear? (Or cheesy, whatever your preference haha!)

Victoria's secret is pricey - but it's decent quality and so comfy! so I can't wait to try them with my next workout, which is tomorrow at 10 with Lucy, I'll be sure to get a photo at somepoint haha!

And not only that, I fit into a medium size! which means I've dropped a dress size for tops in Victoria's Secret! get in. 

I also had another boost juice, this time however, I had a "skinny smoothie" - the 'mini-me mango' very similar to the one I had last time - but with a few different ingredients in there, it's made of a refreshing blend of mango, passionfruit, mango nectar, TD4 vanilla yoghurt & ice. I also had a shot of detox in there for good measure :)

If you want to know the nutritional value of this juice, I have it here for you! 

For this particular juice these are the measurements (per 100ml):

Energy Kilojoules (kJ): 168.3
Energy Calories (cal): 40
Protein (g): 0.6
Fat Total (g): 0.4
Fat Saturated (g): 0.2
Carbohydrates (Sugars) (g): 8.5 (8.3)
Fibre (g): 0.4
Sodium (mg): 5 

 
So after a somewhat successful couple of hours at Meadowhall with my mum, we headed home for tea, and tonight it was Old El Paso Smokey BBQ Fajita kit, I had two tortillas worth, full of chicken, kale and spinach with some BBQ spices! - tasted fab and was pretty filling after a short run around Meadowhall!

 I'm not a massive fan of mexican, but I find the Old El Paso kits fab, because you can customise and cook them to your fancy!
Big thumbs up from me :)

One final note - I am not paid to promote or endorse Meadowhall, Victoria's Secret, Boost Juice or Old El Paso in any way - true opinions!

Until next time!
Hayley
xo

Now Then,

Thought I'd do a little intro to the one of the gyms I've been working out at!

This is my gym card - a North Lincs gym card that allows me to use the gym facilities, swimming facilities and classes at 4 different gyms! - I've been going to The Pods/Epworth (2 most convinient gyms for me!) for about a month now, mainly Epworth.

So I thought I'd give you a slight inside scoop on where I do the majority of my workouts:


 It's only a small gym - but its convenient and definitely does the job!, there's 6 bike machines (3 high seat, 3 low seat - feel free to give me the correct names!) - 2 rowing machines, 2 step machines, 3 treadmills, 2 cross trainers, plus weights, and specialist weight machines including abdominal, leg press, pull down and more - and finally a small area with mats, kettlebell weights and smaller weights and mirrors.

Also, it has a few inspirational quotes stuck around the gym, you maybe able to see the one in the background of the photo above, it says "If you can dream it, you can do it" - pretty sure that's a Walt Disney quote, but hey, us gym bunnies like Disney too ;)

Tonight I focused on my legs, and did around 20 mins on the bike (both high seat and low seat):

This one is towards the end of the lower seated bike work out - I was on "Hill Setting" - "Around the World" - at a level of 4 (easing myself in still!) and did that for a total of 10 minutes - and then pretty much the same programme on the higher seated bike but on the "Kilimanjaro hill setting" - and then I moved onto the abdominal weight machine, the Pulldown weight machine, and the leg press weight machine, doing 5 sets of 10 reps on each machine (with minute breaks inbetween each set) - didn't want to do myself in!

Nice pink laces there Hayley ;)

but either way, I left feeling pumped and refreshed - and satisfied that I'd done a decent workout.

I usually go in the evening (unless I'm off work) as its after peak time and as you can see by the photos - the gym is pretty quiet!

So that's a little insight to where I do my workouts!

Until my next update,
Hayley
xo