3 weeks to go

Wow so there's only 3 weeks to go till BodyPower! 

Where are these weeks going? So quick recap on what I've been up to... I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I started my new job; then next week (Saturday 9th May) I will be on stage at Miss Galaxy Universe and then the week after that is BodyPower (Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th may). 

Fit Factor Poster

I don't think it's sunk in yet how hectic these next few weeks are going to be. And if your thinking am I competing again at Miss Galaxy, no I'm not. I am only walking on stage once all the other girls have walked on and strutted their stuff. It's going to be exciting seeing the girls I made friends with last November competing again. I'll be cheering them on and I'm looking forward to watching the show as a spectator! 

So yes unfortunately the oompalompa look is coming back! And it will be making an appearance for a solid 3 weeks. I have warned work already; so I'm preparing myself for the jokes that may WILL follow. But hopefully the body scrubs we sell will exfoliate my skin back to normal. My tanning sessions have been booked with the trusted Elise at The Tanning station, in Enfield. She is amazing at doing my competition fake bake tans, so why go anywhere else. She's only down the road too so that's the cherry on top! 

And then oh boy, this coming weekend I've got my photoshoot with Lowell Mason; he is the photographer from Galaxy. 

Lowell Mason's Miss Galaxy shots...

We are shooting in North London on Saturday; but I can't tell you too much on the theme of the shoot that you'll have to wait and see what's in store. 

So stay tuned on my Facebook and Instagram pages; 

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

New start; new challenge

"If it doesn't challenge you, it wont change you"

I found this quote on Pinterest this morning and thought it was quite apt for today. We shouldn't be afraid of challenges or to take them on. Each time we do, go into them with a fresh mind; start from scratch as if you don't know anything. You never know what you'll learn from those who've done it, been there, got the T-shirt. 

The main thing though is BE PATIENT! We are all our own worst enemy (myself included!) in this; however patience will set you apart from others that aren't and go for quick results instead. 

You control your destiny

I know all of this sounds very thoughtful and deep for a monday morning but hear me out. Today is my first day in a new job and I admit I am really nervous. There are so many thoughts going through my head; what if the people in the office don't like me, what if i cant do the job? 

I know these may sounds silly but I guess it's natural to be anxious with any new challenge you face. I've just got to rise to it and have the confidence and patience to achieve what I want. As my mum would say "Baby steps Amy" and "Rome wasn't built in a day" as my boyfriend would say. Don't you just hate it when your loved ones are right?!! 

A little welcome pack full of goodies...

I guess these nerves were similar when I started training for competitions; I questioned myself then "can I train hard enough", "can I stick to the diet"? This is where mental strength will prevail - not to mention having a support network around you. Even with 5 weeks to go till Fit Factor, I'm still battling with some of these questions and challenges now. But thats part of the excitement and the fun with doing something new and challenging - you don't know what the outcome will be until you get to the end. 

So lets see if I can make it to the end of this challenge and feel confident that when I'm up on stage on 16th May in Birmingham, I know I've done everything I could to push myself and challenge my body.

#5weeksToBodyPower

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

Train together; stay together...

Oh boy I cant tell you how excited I was for what lay in store with my BFF Dani on Friday. She texted me earlier in the week and asked if we could go to the gym on Friday, at which I almost jumped down my phone to say "Yes, Yes, Yes" and to top it off she wanted to do legs!! I couldn't wait; it was going to be a girlie day done in style - I just prayed we could walk afterwards.

Time to bust these bad boys out...

So I got to Dani's and we hit the gym straight away, no messing around; we'd both had coffee and breakfast so we were good to go. I love working out with Dani, she works hard and wants to push herself; there's no whining or complaining "I can't do it". We get in, do what we need to do and leave - no time for chit chat. It was #girlsonamission

So to make the most of our session, I put a little plan together - 

Doggy Style Leg Lifts ( x10 each leg)
NOTE: if your glutes aren't burning after this, you're not doing it right!
Glute Leg Lifts (with small dumbbell. Hold in the back of the knee)

Then it was to the weights room; oh yes my friends the above was just a warm up for the glutes.
Dead-lifts (x10 with weight bar)
Curtseys (x12 on each leg) - dumbbells in each hand
Split lunges (x12 each leg) - with weight bar
Farmers lunges (x10 strides with dumbbells in each hand)
Leg press machine (x8-10 with heavy weight)
Leg Extension burnouts (x10 each foot position)

Dead ringer in the gym - check out that form!

Its official... I cant walk

We did all of these 3 times and boy were we cream crackered after. We pushed each other through the workout; and afterwards our butts were definitely perkier and on fire.

Soooo sad its over...

I find that having someone with motivation to train hard, makes you go that extra mile and pushes your body even more. The same goes when I train with my boyfriend - he pushes my body and my mind. He is the encouragement I need and the sergeant major to tell me off when I'm not working hard enough. My thought of the week is I truly believe that those couples and friends that train together, stay together.

What do you think? Share this with your training BFF if you agree.

This week is back on the cardio and weight training...#6weekstillBodyPowerExpo and got a training session with Emma on saturday. Better prepare for the pain now! 

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

6 weeks till showtime!

I cant believe how quickly time is flying by, only 6 weeks to go and if i'm honest this week I don't feel I've made any gains in shredding any additional body fat. I know I shouldn't compare but I keep looking at pictures from previous Fit Factors and I don't feel my body is nowhere near there yet!

This week I've found difficult to fit hardcore sessions in as I've been here there and everywhere, not really in my usual routine. I've been at training days for my job, day off which I spent with my mum as well as preparing to start my new job in a week's time. I have managed to fit in a couple of cardio sessions and my leg sessions but why do I feel thats not enough? 

Fuel for Leg Day...mmmm Chocolatey

Chow time...Sweet potato/ Salmon/ Vegetables

One of my highlights this week was spending time with mum and training together! She is one of the main reasons why I got into sports, exercise, healthy eating etc and generally not being able to sit down for more than 5 minutes!

So we did a bit of mother/daughter training; I showed her a few tricks and she showed me what she could do. I wish I had taken a picture; my mum didn't even think she could do 1 full body press up - and yet on Wednesday she did 2!! Now that's amazing, something I tried to keep telling her. Listening to your head when it says no, can stop you going beyond your comfort zone. The body is a powerful machine that can surprise you in the strangest way. With Miss Galaxy training I told myself I would never be able to do full chin-up and yet as it got closer to competition day I was bashing out 5-6 chin-ups in 1 go. I shocked myself and learnt that pushing boundaries is not a bad thing. 

Over the course of my training I have learnt a few things, one being don't say you can't do something unless you've tried it first. And with everything achieving what you thought was impossible, takes time and patience. A hard lesson I had to learn and am still learning. 

Hold on!! Pot calling the kettle black, I think I've just solved my own mental downer this week. I need to re-focus on my goal and don't let my head tell me I cant do it! I think I need to take my own advice! haha.. Today I am training with my BFF Dani and its legs!! I hope she's ready and then Saturday is shoulders/ back and core. 

Thank you guys for listening and reading (if you still are?!). 

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx