Running the track..

Oh my goodness the day is finally here; fitness test day and the start of the Miss Galaxy Universe. Arghhh the nerves are setting in big style now and i don't know what to do with myself! I am sort of flying around like a headless chicken not really know what to do. Chill and calm down should be my first option but mum and I have just got to get going and drive down to Crawley now and I DO NOT want to be late. Its like your first day of school and your so eager to be on time, or you'll get told off! lol

Last night was a bit of a whirlwind as well as I had my final run through with Emma at Studio ELB; a full dress rehearsal and then i went off and got myself tangoed (once again) at the Tanning Station with Elise. It was déjà vu all over again!! This time i made sure i had the right clothing; didnt want any white lines on my legs whilst driving afterwards.

Pre fake-bake! Just polishing off my geisha skills

I spent the night with my mum and stepdad as it seemed more logical for the early start the next day. I had steak, brown rice and vegetables waiting for this little oompaloompa when I got there. The steak, oh my god was my first bit of red meat in months, so when i ate it I made sure i savoured every last little bit of it.

We arrived at the Travelodge in Crawley right next to GAtwick North Terminal and i had to wait for registration to open. I met a couple of lovely girls, who put my mind at ease a little with the fitness tests and what was to be expected. The support from the show is incredible already and we haven't even got anywhere. It was also nice to be around lots of other ladies who were tangoed and preened just as much as i was. It's surreal but a nice feeling. 

Once we'd registered etc and got our competition numbers, there was a fair bit of waiting around before we needed to go to the track. Granted mum and I got there ridiculously early! oopsie. So mum and I just chilled in the room; then my friend Becks came up and chilled with us too. Becks has been training so hard for a lot longer than I have, and her transformation is incredible. So proud of her and was going to be cheering her from the sidelines in her fitness tests.

Getting ready to pump the arms in the fitness tests.

Once we got to the track, we all had to wait a little while whilst things got set up and then Chris and Sarah ran us through the set up, bonus stations and where we needed to be etc. The weather was amazingly warm for Halloween, so the crop top and shorts weren't a bad idea. Little did we know that the temperature would drop and turn into the Arctic by 8pm!!  

So the way the fitness tests were set up was really good. There were 8 groups of 8 girls (as there are 8 lanes!!) and each group would do their discipline first followed by the next group. The whole thing was organised to perfection and it all ran incredible smoothly; thanks to Sarah Donohue and her A-team.

First off was the 800m followed by the long jump. Bearing in mind most of the girls in the fitness tests hadnt stepped out on a track since high school - it was an amazing achievement. My butt was shaking ready to get started, so to calm myself I was breathing heavily. Donna Kissei beat me in the first race - just on the last bit of home straight - I could see a shadow but then she appeared!

All the GG's getting ready to pound the track hard!!

Next test, after everyone had completed their long jumps and 800m was the 400m followed by however many press ups you could do in a minute. That was tough, but my timer was excellent and made sure that I was doing the fitness tests properly each rep. 2nd to last discipline was the 200m then how many squat thrusts in a minute. By this time the temperature had started to drop and turned slightly chilly. This was where the crop top and shorts was a bad idea.  This test was the hardest - after all we had done already, to then do squat thrusts, which are by far my least favourite exercise! But there was no complaining as we had to suck it up and just crack on with it. No woosies in this fitness test!

Final test was the dreaded 100m then however many sit ups in a minute. This was hard after all of the other races we had done but it had the the longest wait and by then it was really cold. But i managed to run the 100m 15.03 seconds. This is the best result I've ever done on 100m, not even in high school did I achieve that.. I am simply over the moon with that. 

My mum did a bit of cheeky filming of the tests, so once i've edited the shots and seen it in full - I'll upload them on here  and on Youtube.

After the tests had finished it was back to the Travelodge for food, a little tipple, tanning and then to bed. We needed to make sure we were rested, ready for the big show today at the Hawth Theatre.  With regards to my tanning however, this is where my mum had to step in.. but in hindsight i don't think it thought it through. There are things mothers should never do for their children and tanning your entire body is not one of them! Oh dear, i'm sure you can imagine the stories my children will endure one day! haha 

I was really looking forward to the show on saturday, spending some quality time with the Galaxy girls backstage. I needed to practise my routine...so I made sure that practise makes perfect!

Till next time;

Little miss fitness 

Xx

D Day Tomorrow!

So it's the day before tomorrow; I have packed my suitcase and think I'm nearly ready to go. The only thing I've left to do is prep my food for the weekend, which ill do when I get home after work and then packing the car up ready for my little adventure. No I can't even eat hotel food, not even if I'm doing the fitness tests, it's only for 2 days which is nothing in the grand scheme of things and then what next? Rest....

I'll admit Ive been getting ridiculously nervous over the last few days, and even doubting myself a little as I know the show is real now. I want to do well - I've trained hard for 4 months and want something to show for it. That may sound selfish but unfortunately that's what these competitions do. They make you selfish - you have to constantly think about your food, your training and your body. You have to be disciplined because no one else is going to do it for you. Your BFF isnt going to get up at 6am to go to the gym to train upper body or legs for you. Which is why I guess I'm going in and out of mind sets. No one else can do these fitness tests for me and I'm the one whose eaten salads and vegetables like a rabbit for the last 4 months (much to my boyfriend and family's confused looks!lol)...chocolate cake what is that again?lol 

So sweet of work to give me this before tomorrow

So I've got a final run through with Emma later; my final ever session. I don't know what I'm going to do now without my weekly trips to Studio ELB to be annilated? No one shouting in my ear "push Amy push" or "there's no change without pain". I will miss your motivational lines Em.haha It's been a blast working with her and she has sculpted my body in a way I would never have got on my own. And thank you for all the nutritional advice from Simon, this and reading more on it has taught me a lot about eating clean and being organised when it comes to food. Anyone can eat healthy as long as you put your mind to it; I'm a girl who loves her food and can be quite lazy sometimes when cooking - aka can't be assed! Lol but I've now learnt that it's not that big of a ball ache to stick salmon in the oven and do some roasted vegetables with it. It doesn't take long and is delicious. It's too easy for us now to just give in and say let's get a takeaway or not even bother eating! Don't do it!! Prove yourself wrong and you'll feel better.

Then after Emma's it's off to see Elis at the Tanning station for my base layer of fake bake. Yes I will be an oompalompa once again - don't think my parents are quite ready for that yet! So the uncomfortable night of lying like a zombie is almost here and then tomorrow it's up earlyish to get down to gatwick for registration and the dreaded fitness tests. Sick bucket at the ready. Then another early night to get ready for stage on Saturday. I don't think mum knows what she's let herself in for with helping me with my tan...oops, she'll soon find out! 

Next time you hear from me I'll have done it! So I'll give you all the juicy details and pictures then. Stay tuned this weekend... Miss Galaxy here i come!

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

Must good things come to an end??

5 days and counting till I get up on stage at the miss galaxy universe competition. That means there's only 4 days till I take the fitness tests. Oh my god I hadn't really thought about it till now. I still can't believe that it's all come round so quickly.  I'm checking the weather forecast every 5 minutes to see if it's going to rain on Friday evening (please pray that it doesn't). 

Now we've found out who the judges will be for Miss Galaxy. There are the likes of Julia Hubbard, Dan Parker and none other than Alex Reid! There are a few other well known Miss Galaxy faces, so it's time to impress them all. Ive got to get all the practise and posing in that I can.. 

Run Forest Run!

Last weeks training was good, I managed 2 glutes sessions, abs, fitness tests and upper body. My glutes felt tired after the 2nd session, but i wont get a bubble butt if i don't train hard! Tonight is my final stint at the track so I've got to make it count. Then it's just about making sure I rest my tank as much as possible. Friday is going to be tough! Sick bucket at the ready lol... I've got to fuel the body as much as possible too so chicken, fish and oats are going to be happily consumed this week. Even the steak on Thursday night is going to be a taste of heaven...

I did my final abs session yesterday at mums, which felt weird. I haven't trained at my mums since the beginning (remember me doing wheelbarrows in the garden?) and looking at where I started and where I am now is up lifting. It seems strange now but i have the body i've always wanted and its given a new found respect in how i've had to get it. Don't get me wrong though I am still shitting a brick for the tests but it's all in gods hands now and for me to put 150% into everything on Friday. I was so scared last week when I saw the final list of tests; so much so I phoned my boyfriend and blubbered down the phone to him. He calmed me down, as did my mum when I told her the same. I've got to make sure my routine is spot on too, so extra rehearsals this week as well to fine tune it. It's just one week left that's all I've got to think about.

This week is a mixture of training and final competition prep. I'll be getting fake baked on thursday at the Tanning Station, after I've had a full run through with Emma. Then Friday morning its off to the hotel with mum in tow. Hair and make up is being done by yours truly as is the final layer of my tan. I don't really think mum knows what's she's let herself in for! I don't think I do either though..Oops. Well as they say it will be alright on the night.

Just before I go (as i need to get my beauty sleep), I'm not sure if any of you are bored of these posts by now but I hope you've enjoyed reading and coming along this journey. I'm sure work, my boyfriend and my family will be pleased once this is over, as all my conversations wont need to start with "training is hard" or "no I can't eat that"! AHH i cant wait for that cheat meal on Saturday night. I can assure you there will be no lady like etiquette when eating that meal! Lol 

Till next time (which may be at the track);

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

You can smell the stage

Well it's getting close to the end of the week and then we can safely say it's countdown in single digits. I can almost smell the stage (odd to say but it's true). This so surreal to say it as the last time I was doing a countdown in single digits it was Musclemania which seems a lifetime ago. Time really does fly when your a) busy and b) training your butt off.

This weeks training has been good, glutes on Monday was good. I could certainly feel them fired up. The hardest part of that session is doing frog jumps and then straight into rotating side squats. After doing sumo squats and then curtseys, the glutes are burning! Fitness tests were smashed on Tuesday, which was surprising - again some pb's were improved on, some tests however remained unchanged. At this point of the training these will not change drastically. We shall see how my last track session goes on Saturday down at lee valley.

Lift the legs up and pick your bum off the bench slightly

Then slowly lower the legs down, but don't touch the floor

The next question I have is another glute session or yoga tomorrow night? Think I need to work on the bubble butt a bit more...so glutes it is.

Just on a side note, I haven't weighed myself in a while, due the fact that it's not about how much I weigh, and also I don't want to scare myself. I'll admit I started this competition at 65.5kg and now I am dot on 60kg. For those who don't work in kg, there's 2.2lbs in a kg so I've lost a stone. That's over a 4 months, but the transformation of my body has been incredible (if I'm able to say that?). I've got the abs I've always dreamed of (I've got a 4pack showing now) however my shoulders have become a lot bonier than id like. This is where genetically I lose weight first though and with all the upper strength I've developed over these 4 months it's inevitable to be honest.

I had a great session with Emma last night, running through my evening wear routine. I can't wait to show her the full routine with my newly altered dress next week. It's exciting stuff - and Christine, my friend from work is going to come and watch my dress rehearsal! Yikes..

It's where the magic happens...

Next week however has to be stress free so it's all about making checklists, double checking I've got everything to take to the hotel and final things to do before Fridays fitness tests. Think I might start putting bits and bobs into my suitcase this weekend - better to be safe than sorry. It's going to feel such a short week at work, as I've got half day on Thursday, it's tanning time (back to the Tanning Station I go) and my final run through with Emma. I only hope I can make all the people that have supported me through this gruelling 4 months proud with the progress I've made and show them the final result...

Till next time

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

It's becoming real now..

Nerves are setting in...

Well last week was a bit manic and the next few weeks are going to be no different. It's getting closer and closer now and errr the nerves are slightly starting to set in! 

Last weeks training went a lot better than the previous week..no more breakdowns last week! I did Abs on Friday night so yes I took my routine trip to the bar!lol A couple of people in the gym saw what I was doing and thought it would be sportsman like to make me do extra sets and extra reps..for that I am grateful! My abs however are not! Lol 

Emma's session on Thursday also went really well. We did upper body and shoulders; which I found really good, my upper body strength has come a long way since I started training. Anyway she got me swinging from the monkey bars to start, followed by endurance shoulder presses...then to top it all off I was pulling a 20kg weight with rope. That exercise was fun, as sad as it sounds I felt like someone out of strong man!! Haha (hardly) It let out a lot of frustration though. Pull ups weren't missed off the list either; these made an appearance. Damn it! 

Feeling strong after lugging this thing around.

Oh my god ive completely forgotten hockey training on Wednesday! How could I forget; I got absolutely soaked. There should be a law for sportsmen and women, allowing them to sack off training when the weather is that bad. I couldn't see anything and the rain was literally dripping off my face. All my clothes were soaked through. You can't grip the stick properly, so as you can imagine there were a few sticks flying across the pitch that night!lol It was nice to go back to practising the basics though; it's good to refresh and go back to every now and then.

Unfortunately I didnt get chance to get to the track on saturday as lee valley had the outdoor and indoor track fully booked with hundreds of scouts. Aww they all looked so cute in their uniform and looked so excited to be doing some athletics. That's so nice to see young kids getting involved, I don't think we do enough as a country or as people to encourage children to take up sport or keep fit. It's al too easy to just sit on our asses and become lazy..anyway before I go into a full on rant, I'll move on.

On a side note, I've got to get one of my evening dresses taken in for miss galaxy, so I made a trip to crouch end, to gold needle tailor to get it altered ready for next week. I couldn't believe how much material they took at the back - about 3 inches!! Now this dress fitted me like a glove at university for the law ball. It just confirmed how much weight I've lost and how much my body has changed during this journey.

So I've started the week off on a high and this week is all about posing posing posing, I need to crack my routine for the show and then I'm seeing Emma on Thursday to go through my evening wear routine. Oh so many little things to do still..will I get them done in time? Hope so...

Time is running out... best get my skates on

2 weeks to go and it's all becoming so real now. I'm getting excited, and I am looking forward to getting up on stage and showing how much hard work I've put in. This isn't just for me though, it's also for the support I've had around me. I started on this journey trying to take each day as it came and it has certainly made me grow and become a more patient person..and a hell of a lot more organised (how long that will last is debatable!lol).

Happy Monday everyone. I hope your day is full of happiness and joy

Till next time

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

Up up and away

Run Forrest Run!

Wow what a weekend! I had sprints with Emma on Saturday at Lee Valley Fitness centre, which nearly killed me.. oh and she also got me running round the track. I hadn't been round an athletics track since high school so it was a little daunting at first but i got into it eventually. I think it helped having other people there on the sidelines and on the track. Somehow it helped me focus. I had had a mentally tough week before seeing Emma, which was more than likely due to me being tired and my diet. So Saturday I had to conquer a few mental walls. I even had a go at parachute sprints, which I have to admit was really fun. I was a little nervous at first thinking I wouldn't be able to do them but they certainly woke my muscles up and i thought i was going to fly away.

Will i blow away with this on???

So as i was running on the track on Saturday I couldn't play hockey for Tring, which Im always gutted about. On to Sunday and I have to say i decided to go on a little adventure. The alarm went off early(ish) as i made sure i went to bed early the night before. I haven't been giving myself much recovery which i know is bad as the body needs to rest in order to progress. So this is what my Saturday night consisted off, sleep and more sleep. Then Sunday I decided to go on a little adventure and ventured to the fitness first in harrow. After driving round the shopping centre about 20 times I finally realised that I needed to drive into the multi-storey car park! Duh blonde springs to mind..

The fitness first was nice and it was busy when I got there at 9am. Yes some of you may think I'm mad but it had to be done. But now I know I can go to that gym at weekends if I need to, so theres a silver lining to some things.. I smashed an abs workout and then came home quickly to have breakfast before my boyfriend came over to see me. Since Musclemania he's been even more patient with me (which i didnt know was possible) and the training ive had to do and the diet. I think he's looking forward to a break just as much as i am! lol 

Just before take off!!

So onto this week; Ive made a decision that i work best when i train after work so Im going to try and do that more this week, hopefully I wont feel so tired. Training twice today; this bubble butt is going to be worked hard then Wednesday is hockey training. Its supposed to rain but i'm praying that it misses us by then. Theres nothing worse than training in the rain. Also I can't keep missing training so i've got to incorporate it into my current training regime, as I soooo want to stay in the 1's this season. Then Saturday is match against west Herts, Watford. I'm up for that game so we shall how that goes - gum shield at the ready. It was a little bit of dirty game at the end of last season so lets hope its not going to be a deja vu moment on saturday...

Its' time to really lean up now for comp, so Emma has changed my diet slightly again. There's still lots to do for my costume and organising stuff for the day but I'm feeling on top of it all, which is shocking. I thought id be stressing right now.. However if you dont hear much from me over the next 2 weeks, this will be why, I'll be getting in my last few bits of training, posing practise and sorting stuff for the big day! Wish me luck.

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness 

What a week!!

Mental Strength can make or break you;

I'm sorry to anyone who usually reads my blogs; I've not posted in a while but I'm sure you can guess by the title of this blog post that it been a manic, headless chicken type week. I'm not going to lie its been horrible, not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. Early morning starts (I'm not a morning person) and pushing my body further, even though it's exhausted and wants to rest. However there is no rest for the wicked. I feel sorry for my mum and boyfriend who've had to suffer in silence will I cry and moan about anything and everything - sorry! They must want to put a muzzle on me by now. I've also been up to Manchester for work too, which is always a long journey and if at the start of the week, just makes the week seem that bit longer.

However every cloud must have its silver lining and now we are at the 3 week mark. Training this week I have worked my glutes (yes I'm aiming for a bubble butt), arms, ran through my fitness tests and abs. I have, amazingly achieved some milestones that a month ago I couldn't even do or thought I'd never be able to do. You know the saying that practise makes perfect; well, whoever said that must have been doing something like Miss Galaxy! Pull-ups are coming and every time I get 1 more in the gym I do a little celebratory dance and sigh with relief. I know I must look rather odd doing a dance in the gym but I think pull-ups were the last of my mental barriers and weaknesses I needed to conquer. Now I can take on the world!mwhahaha only kidding

My diet this week has been ok, I'm slowly but surely falling in love with my veggie omelette; adding smoked paprika, garlic and chives just adds that bit of magic. Adding chicken would just be icing on the cake. Protein pancakes and banana have also made a welcomed return into my life for breakie...if you haven't tried them then do so, they will fill you up till lunchtime (well almost for me!lol).

hello old friend...i'm glad to see you again!

I had a staging session with Emma last night which went really well. We've now chosen my evening wear and started putting bits and pieces together for my routine. I have even brought my prop for the show - I can't give anything away about my routine or costume though for those eager beavers. Those of you who are coming to watch the show, you'll see in 3 weeks time.. For those of you who can't make it, there'll be pictures up soon after the show. I'm excited about this costume, it's different and a little eccentric, I'm enjoying it though.

So the weekend is continuing with training - tomorrow is track day with Emma and then yoga on Sunday. I need to rest my mind and strength and yoga is perfect for that. It's not hot yoga, I probably wouldn't come out alive with that kind of heat! Lol So again no hockey for me which is saddening. Id love to be able to do both, but I think that's me being greedy and trying to do everything. Then Monday is rest day.

I think id need an ambulance if i tried this pose...

Wish me luck with Emma tomorrow, I think there's a parachute involved? I've already done a skydive so unless me has a plane and can fly I doubt the parachute is going to be used for that.

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx