Lights, camera, action

Wow what a day! I cant believe it, it came round so quickly. Yesterday I was getting spray tanned at The Tanning Station and now my photo-shoot is all over, finished. This was my first professional photo-shoot and I can safely say I have had an amazing time. Rebecca Andrews is a fabulous photographer and made me feel instantly at ease.  I was a little nervous the week before and in the last few days; I guess I was just hoping that my body would look good enough. But now its done, we will have to wait and see.

The night before.. all tanned up and ready to go...

I got to the studio fairly early today, just to have a nose about and get a feel for things, although I ended up spending most of the afternoon in rollers. Now thats a sight that many don't see and wont see again for some time! Emma did my hair and make up; we went for smoky eyes with make up as I feel this highlights certain areas of my face a bit more.

Sexy lady? Erm....me thinks not.

Which outfit do I pick first?

Rebecca had put together a mood board for each of us at the studio today, which was great to get a visual idea of what she was trying to do with each shot. My mood board had a mixture of fashion and fitness images on it, which is kind of what I wanted. We started off with fashion and then finished off with my fitness shots, that way i didn't get all sweaty in my tailored jacket.

Tadaaa - the finished article

I think Rebecca got some great shots for both fashion and fitness. We pushed the boundaries a little on the fashion front but I thought the opportunity may not come around again so why not go for. Emma and Rebecca made me feel relaxed about it though so it was all good. The fitness shots I have yet to see but I got to do a few bits on cable ropes, on a bench with lateral raises and some dumbbells. I have to say though it's hard trying to hold a pose with weights and make it look like your working out. Phew - it was a workout in itself!

Me and the fabulous Rebecca Andrews

Anyway it was a wonderful experience that I hope i get to do again some day. Now I can't wait to see how the rest of the shots come out. I wonder how much re-touching Rebecca will have to do?

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

ELB & Gyms Kitchen Bootcamp

Wow what a great day at studio elb with the first gyms kitchen and elb bootcamp. A nutrition specialist from Insight nutrition was also there; they took body measurements, height, weight, bmi, body fat% and a few other bits.

There were about 14 of us and as soon as got there we went straight into a good old ELB circuit class, although this time with a twist! We paired off and did superset workouts. It was an amazing full body fat blast and we did it twice - we must be mad! Some exercises included traditional burpees, planks and farmers lunges; targeting big muscle groups but we also targeted smaller muscle groups.

After dying slowly on the floor, we had the well deserved lunch made by the amazing gyms kitchen. I chose the chicken salad, with avocado, red cabbage..oh and then for dessert chocolate and banan protein pancakes. I've been dying to try those bad boys for ages and oh my goodness they did not disappoint. So much so that there were left over and it will be my breakfast for the next few days. Naughty but nice and good for you.

Bootcamp team ready to get to work...

Whilst lunch was on, I went and got my measurements done with insight nutrition. So current stats for me

Height - 5ft 7! (I'm shorter than I thought)

Weight - 62kg

Body fat carried - 9kg 

I was also shocked  to learn my body fat %! I couldnt believe it.  

A really enjoyable day, and well worth doing on the 1st Sunday of every month. If you want more information, drop Emma an email at infoelb@studioelb.co.uk. And you get to meet loads of new people.

So now it's 1 week till my photo-shoot and I'm getting excited. This week I have to drink lots and lots of water daily so that I drain any excess out of body. So déjà vu again as I'll be waking up in the middle of night to pee, oh yep and I've got to have a spray tan the day before , although this time I wont be as dark as I am for stage competitions. I'm going to try and get a few behind the scenes shots so keep your eyes peeled.  

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

I cant keep it quiet any longer...

Wow it's the start of another week again; time just seems to be flying by; I cant keep up sometimes. Another good training session last week and on Saturday I did a killer legs/glutes workout. One thing I love about training is learning new exercises that target certain body parts. On Saturday, one of the PT's at Fitness First showed me a new exercises that target the outer part of your glutes - it felt odd to start with but trust me this one is a killer!!

Outer Leg Exercise: (12-15 reps each leg on lightweight)

• Sit sideways on a leg press machine. 
• Adjust the machine to a light weight (believe me its not about going heavy on this exercise). 
• Your top leg should be placed half way up on the foot board, the lower leg should then just dangle beside the machine.
• When your in a comfortable(ish) position, adjust the seat forward so that your knee comes to a right angle, in line with the ankle that is on the foot board. 
• Release the seat so that it slides into the lowest slot. 
• Place your hands on the side of the seat next to your shoulder. 
• From your starting position, you are going to push up, through until your top leg is straight (you should feel the outer part of your bum working when doing so.)
• Then slowly lower yourself back to the starting position and then drive up again to straighten the top leg.

As I said this exercise isn't about heavy weight; it gets your body focusing on a specific area of your glutes.

I have some very exciting news that I just cant hold it in any longer. In less than 2 weeks now I am going to be doing a photo-shoot with the fabulous Rebecca Andrews at Studio ELB; alongside some other amazing athletes who put their heart and soul into their training. Oh my goodness I can't tell you how excited I am. I haven't decided on outfits yet, so I guess I should get my butt into gear and sort some bits out. I've never done a shoot like this before, so am just training and dieting as if it was for stage. I'm starting to get nervous now; Emma will point me in the right direction, but biting my nails is not an option right now!! 

Just some Rebecca's amazing shots from Studio ELB already

Another exciting thing that happened last week, I was approached by The Athletic Colony to do an interview about winning Miss Galaxy win. I was stunned that someone was asking me to answer a couple of questions for an interview, but it was so cool. I had to try and jog my memory a bit, but it was an amazing opportunity to be asked by Oli. You can read the full interview here. There are success stories on their website from other fitness competitors, so go check it out. 

Snippet from my interview with The Athletic Colony

Countdown to Fit Factor: we are at 81 days now and now I'm trying to up my cardio to 2 sessions a week, plus all my weight training. Blasting body fat isn't easy and I'm starting to feel a little tired but I've got to power through.

Right i'm off to the land of nod my gorgeous people. Rest and recovery are key...and boy do I love my bed!

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

Sweet or Savoury??

So as its Shrove Tuesday (Pancake day) I thought I would follow the crowd and make a batch of pancakes. But I wanted to try and do something different from the traditional batter of flour, eggs and milk etc and in order for me to keep my diet clean, whilst training for Fit Factor I've had to find a recipe that kind of fits in with my plan.

So I did a bit of research and came across a really simple recipe that uses Almond flour instead. Wahey!! Low carbs and a new cooking experiment! Lets see what havoc I can cause in the kitchen.

Low Carb Almond Flour Pancakes:

Recipe: Makes 6 pancakes (dependant on whether you like large or small pancakes)
NOTE: These pancakes are not thin, they are a little more dense (similar to the american style pancakes) 

Ingredients:
1 cup of Almond Flour (whatever brand you can find)
1/4 almond milk (unsweetened) or water if you prefer
2 eggs (medium)
2 tablespoons of olive oil or coconut oil 
1 tablespoon of agave nectar (dark or light)
1/8 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Prep time: 5-10 mins max
Cooking: approx. 5 mins

1) Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl & whisk together to form a batter. Put to one side.

2) Heat a saute pan or frying pan, on a medium heat with a little bit of olive oil or coconut oil.
3) When the pan is hot enough, take a nice big tablespoon of the batter and drop it into the middle of the pan.

4) Wait for the edges to brown, and then gently flip the pancakes over and let them brown on the other side (this should take between 30 seconds - 1 minute)
5) Once cooked on both sides, simply dish up straight away with your favourite topping. Mine's Nutella hands down, but whats yours?

I've finished making my batch now; the first few were a little bit of a disaster but I got the hang of it by the 3rd go! And they say 3 times a charm...

Tadaaa...they smell better than they look

Now I am planning to save these as my breakfast tomorrow (madness I know), however I did have a cheeky bite (or 2) from one of them. They taste delicious on their own, with a slight sweetness to them - but you can go the traditional way and put lemon and sugar on top or Nutella or why not try savoury with cottage cheese or prosciutto?

Tomorrow is another early morning rise to hit the gym before work. Today was spin, which definitely got me working up a sweat. Tomorrow abs are on the agenda, and then before the week is out, I've got to cram in another legs session, back, arms and some more HIIT. Wow, lots to do so I best get to bed and get some rest, whilst dreaming about my pancake breakfast tomorrow.. yummy!!

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

Strong Beats Skinny!!

Another great start to the week; I'm feeling strong which makes a change from a couple of weeks ago. Last night I dead lift 70kg for 8 reps for the very first time in my life! For some it may not sound a lot but for me thats a PB and having long legs, I have further to lift. Well that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it. So this week and last week were both good starts and on legs, which are my least favourite sessions, perhaps I should start training them on a Monday?! Leg press also went up and beat last weeks PB; 170kg this week and leg curl burnouts are up to 20kg for 3 sets. I feel like progress is being made, which is a nice feeling. 

What goals have you guys achieved so far this week? It can be anything big or small; I love to know if you feel the same way when achieving something you work hard for.

Since I started training properly and with the guidance from people, I've learnt that you'll have good days/weeks and bad. Success doesn't happen overnight, it takes time and patience. So for someone like me who likes to run before she can walk it was really frustrating not seeing results automatically. Im not the most patient of people, so its taught me that patience and determination are key. So when I see my friends frustrated or upset they aren't seeing results I try to keep them positive and focused on what they're trying to achieve. I have my off days too, which is why i look to my friends and family for support. Mental strength is half the battle!!

Tuesday morning treat - time to get strapped in..

So time on the countdown clock till Fit Factor? We have 94 days and counting not much time when we think how quick it will go. Picking up the training and trying to keep to a strict diet is a tough routine to get back into but not impossible. Do you know of anyone else competing this year? Or are you competing? 

I made another batch of homemade Quest protein bars at the weekend. Thanks to the genius that is Simon Roshdy, from The Diet Kitchen for this simple recipe. This time I have  adapted the cookies & cream recipe for a few new flavours - think chocolate, coconut and chillies. Since I've started using vitafiber I love it, I can't stop. I'm still on the quest to try some more recipes from Simon's YouTube channel; that might be homework for tonight. I'll post the recipe for the Quest protein bars sometime this week for you. 

Shhhh.. youll have to wait and see

Ooo before I go I have some really exciting news. In just over 3 weeks time I will be taking part in something big, with a well-known name in her industry. But its top secret for now so stay tuned, you'll find out soon...

Little Miss Fitness,
Xx

Mondays are made to be broken

So today was one of many firsts. For one I've never done a legs session on a Monday night, and as its a new month I thought I would mix it up by doing cardio at the end of my workout. I've read a couple of articles recently, suggesting that doing cardio after a weights session can help burn more fat than doing it before a workout. As I'm one for a challenge, I wanted to see how this went...

Well I can tell you now that after tonight's session, the treadmill became the devil! My legs just felt like jelly - but I will persevere and do it again tomorrow after my shoulder/ back workout.

I also broke some PB's; Monday's are fast becoming a day for things to be challenged and broken. Todays PB's were;

167KG Seated Leg Press

60KG Straight Leg Deadlift

45KG Squat

This is how i feel right now

I felt strong today in the gym; I guess I should take it as a good sign that this week will be better in the gym. Lets see what other PB's I can break - whose up to see this challenge through with me?

And now for a victory dinner deserving of such a workout - I love adding new vegetables and spices to this Chicken stir-fry. I've popped the recipe below, so you can create your own. Its healthy, quick and tastes yummy - so all round winner.

Victory Dinner; get in

Recipe for Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry: (serves 2-3)

2 Chicken breasts, into chopped medium sized chunks (smaller chunks will cook quicker)

1/2 head of brocolli 

2 handfuls of sweetcorn (can be frozen)

1 handful of broad beans (can be frozen)

1 red pepper (chopped)

1 handful of fine beans (chopped)

2 gloves of garlic, grated

3cm of fresh finer, grated

1 tsp of light soya sauce

1 tbsp of organic Agave

Optional: 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice

Cooking:
Prep time: 10-15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

- Put a bit of olive oil into a wok and let it heat up
- Pop the chicken into the wok and fry between 5-10 minutes (cut a piece open to check its cooked).
- Before placing the chicken in a bowl to one side - throw in the grated garlic & ginger.
- Use the same wok, no need to add any additional oil 
- Throw in the vegetables altogether and stir-fry for a good couple of minutes. After a few minutes, stir in the Agave and light soya sauce.
- Just before serving, put the pre-cooked chicken back into the wok.
- Ey Voila! You want to waste time eating this....

- Optional: if you want to add some carbs - then throw in the brown rice towards the end with the pre-cooked chicken. Mix everything together, then serve and enjoy! 

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

It's official!!

Yep it's official..its just over 100 days to go until myself, Louise and Amy will be hitting the stage at Fit Factor, part of Body Power; Europe's largest fitness and nutrition exhibition at the NEC! I am so excited to be getting up on stage with those 2 gorgeous girls. I also can't wait to see some of the biggest names in the fitness industry: Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, Paige Hathaway are just a few. Not to mention some of the amazing brands that us fitness peps buy and devour. The likes of protein pick a mix, shredz, Scitec, USN and many more. Sad as it sounds but I can't wait to learn more about the industry and meet new people.

Countdown begins...again!

So now it's time to up my training and work on those areas that need improvement aka: getting that bubble butt!! You will no doubt in the coming months hear me moan and whinge about my hardcore sessions with Emma and the diet that will commence just before comp.. So bear with me! But youll be able to see some more protein bar creations that I'm dying to try with my vitafiber, and protein ice cream as well. Yes now that I have found a new blender, smoothies and protein ice cream will be special treats for me to make to curb those cravings.

Protein bar recipes from The Diet Kitchen

This week has been a little up and down; today I've not felt 100% my heads felt a little fuzzy which is unusual for me. I go through little blips sometimes but not one which lasts the majority of the day. So with the loving advice of work colleagues and boyfriend, the best thing was to come home and rest my body. Tomorrow is a new day with a new frame of mind. I'm not sure where it's come! I feel as if I've fallen off the wagon this week with diet and training. I have been to the gym but perhaps not as much as what I feel I should.. I'm a weird one yes! I've got to try and keep myself busy, as I feel like I'm not doing much at the moment. Perhaps that's why I'm so much like my mum. If I'm not busy I easily get tempted into the wrong things and become lazy with training. 

Do you ever feel like this or am I talking rubbish? 

You can follow me and my training and nutrition experiments on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Please like and share my videos and photos with friends, even if it's to laugh at my cooking skills!

Instagram - @littlefitness88

Twitter - @littlefitness88

Facebook - Little Miss Fitness

Till next time 

Xx