Ho ho ho...

It's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas.. And I'm not just talking about putting Christmas trees and decorations up, I'm also talking about that feeling of tight trousers, sluggish bodies and wanting to hibernate underneath your duvet whilst eating that last mince pie. I'm exactly the same and I'm pretty sure most people who work out, PT's or who professionally compete have the same feeling. We are human after all!

Christmas is the time of wear where we put on a bit of weight. I don't want to do that this year; it's just being clever with the foods you do eat. Dark chocolate vs milk, unsalted nuts vs roasted & salted peanuts and portion control. The feeling of unbuttoning your trousers is an uncomfortable one. 

If your worried about that additional bit of weight over Christmas, the diet kitchen has some great recipes that you can make so easily and that taste great too. All the guilty pleasures without the guilt after scoffing your face! Simons's videos are so easy to watch and he'll give you some helpful tips and points on making good food that still tasts amazing.. And not to mention it's good for you!! Trust me I've tried the man's protein cheesecake, it tastes heavenly and no different from normal cheesecake. I'll be trying his quest protein bar recipe soon - all I need is some IMO vitafiber and I'm good to go.

We had the Galaxy Christmas party last Saturday and it was amazing to see all the girls again. Even though it's been a month, it's felt a lot longer. There was lots of merriment, drinking, plate smashing and belly dancing (and not all in that order!haha). 

Fit factor girls...

Cant touch this....

Making an entrance..

Onto this week and it's a busy one, I'll be chopping and changing gym sessions for morning and nights, just to try and keep body guessing and in shape. Focusing on back and shoulders and then see if I can train glutes/legs twice this week. I've got a photo shoot with Lowell Mason at the end of January and I need to be in tip top condition. I'm so excited to see what theme we are going to shoot.

Few top shoulder and back exercises that I find that really hit the spot.

- bent over rows

- back extensions

- lateral pull downs (whilst kneeling)

- shoulder press (drop setting). 

Drop setting; warm up with a fairly light weight and then on the next sets go heavy enough that you can only get 8-10 reps out. Then straight after get a lighter weight and do the same exercise for 15-20 reps. This will build your endurance. You'll feel the burn but that's a good sign - no pain no gain! If it's a sharp pain though do stop and rest.

Till next time. 

Little miss fitness 

Xx

The perfect pair!

What a find...

So last week I wanted to get myself a little pre-Christmas treat and I cant tell you how excited I was when I found the comfiest pair of gym trousers and from none other than USA Pro. I was shocked when I came across them in the shop; at the quality of fabric but also what a great a price they were. Once i'd left the shop I couldn't wait to get them home and try them on, let alone see what they could do in the gym.

USA Pro Capri Pants

So this week they got their first test drive in the gym. Ive never usually been one to care what I wear in the gym, but since doing Miss Galaxy and Musclemania, i've taken a new perspective that having comfortable gym wear can make you train better. You're not worrying about if your boobs are going to fall out of your sports bra or if your trousers are see-through.

Well hallelujah I can tell you these Capri Pants neither fall down or are they see through. They don't fall down when you attempting box jumps or dead-lifts, the waist band stays firmly in place. No-one wants to be humiliation central, half way through a set of burpees. It has a big waist band so it sits on the hips properly; oh and I have to tell you, it has the funkiest lining ever...bright pink! Proper girly.

The fabric of the pants is quite thick and stretchy (45% Nylon / 43% polyester / 12% elastane), so you won't feel restricted in them and you won't get any of those awkward moments when you bend over to pick up weights. As much as I like fashion and work in it for a day job, I don't really like to see other ladies knickers or (heaven help me) thong whilst concentrating on a set. Sorry for that crude picture but I'm sure I'm not the only one whose had this kind of experience whilst working out!

Everything about these trousers makes you feel really secure and a little bonus, theres a little zipped pocket at the back of the pants. Its not big enough to hold an Iphone but Ipod yes, or use it to keep your gym keys safe.  They have mesh side vents so that if you swear profusely (which I have to admit I do) then it allows your body to breath.

So my next and final tip is; if don't have a pair of these already, why not put it on your Christmas wish list to Santa? If you've been good this year, you may be surprised on Christmas Day!

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

Lets get back to it!

Legs to end the week:

I've been back only 8 days and it already feels like I never went away! Funny how that happens. The gym's been good this week though although I feel as if I've hardly been. It feels good to get back into doing abs, and some circuit work..tonight is legs and glutes; my least favourite part to work on. Oh the pain I will be in tomorrow.

Exercises I found quite tough this week were;  

- Battle ropes

- Box jumps 

- Press ups 

- Hip thrusts (with sandbag on the hips)

Jump on YouTube and type these in to see how you can do them in the gym or at home.

It's amazing how quickly your body loses strength when you don't train them for a long time. But once you pick it up again, muscle memory snaps you right back.

So whose getting into the Christmas spirit? It's Black Friday so I can imagine that the shops will be rammed - better do my Christmas shopping online. I bought a few bits this week; one being my favourite sweet snack - BSN's syntha 6 protein powder (cookies and cream flavour). Oh my god it tastes like the best milkshake ever! Then as if that wasn't enough, I went onto Muscle Food.com and bought some beef jerky and chocolate brownie protein bars. I look forward to trying them once they been delivered. I've never tried beef jerky before so I'll let you know how that goes. 

My not so secret love affair..

Something amazing happen this week; I had a call from a journalist at the Watford Observer, a local newspaper. They asked me a few questions about miss galaxy and asked for a couple of pictures. They said they are going to run the story of me winning; I couldn't believe it. A couple of the other GG's (galaxy girls) have had coverage of their joinery to the show, which have been so inspirational to read. I can't wait to see how it turns out

Tomorrow is miss burrows Christmas party at studio ELB. I'm so excited, I haven't seen any of the guys since I've been back from holiday so I'll have to bring the party dresses out, as I have no idea what to wear! Oh the drama's of being a girl.

Till next time;

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

Back to reality

Well it definitely feels weird (and bloody cold might I add) being back after 2 weeks in sunny Barbados. I'm sorry for those of you who had to suffer looking at my pictures of beaches whilst being in the u.k! You can continue to hate me but I recommend a holiday there if you've never been. 

Yes i took this picture myself...

In other ways I'm glad to be back; it's time to get back to training and training hard before Christmas, as well know its the season of festivity and over eating!! I've missed lifting and weight training whilst being off, but I know that my body needed it after miss galaxy. I've missed having a goal andy first session is tomorrow morning (yes my alarm will go off before 6am), I've put a little circuit together to see how it goes. Stay tuned - if I can film it, I'll post it.

So my holiday gave me a chance to get over my little mental hiccups: my body changing after the competition (yes as silly as it sounds - most girls get downers afterwards), I know it's not natural to look that lean all the time. I'm not restricted in my diet anymore, which im quite relieved about but I will endeavour to make healthy choices. Ive never been an unhealthy eater but its nice to be able to munch on the odd bag of M&M's sometimes! 

They are so good...but do you share?

You don't have to give up chips; but perhaps sweet potatoes as an alternative than normal potatoes? Cut them up the same way you would potato wedges, sprinkle a bit of oil and chilli flakes over them and oven bake them for 20 mins. They are (in my opinion) tastier and are less stodgy. I am a firm believer in that no food is bad for you - just learn moderation and portion control. Those are the 2 things I've learnt (with tears during the process), its better to give your body what it craves (if you can eat it) rather than cutting it out, because your mind will psychologically say that you want it more if you don't. 

I'm glad to be writing on my blog after my holiday. I've decided that id like to keep posting to you all (whoever is reading my blog). Im going to continue to train hard and eat healthy, and hopefully show you that its not about yo-yo dieting and fad one-hit wonder diets, but about healthy choices and not restricting yourself with food. Its not just about eating salads and crash dieting in order to get a good body. It's a combination of exercise and eating habits. Oh and those pictures you see in magazines neews flash - they are photoshopped. Models don't look like that all the time. same with bikini models or fitness models, they will prepp for a photoshoot - just like how I will do for my photoshoot at the end of January. 

I've also got a couple of busy weekends coming up - lots of Christmas parties. So the LBD's will becoming out. The first being Emma's at studio ELB on Saturday this weekend. I'll be dusting my party dresses off ready for it. Lewis, mum and Emma miles are my plus 1's..well +3 I guess! Ill make sure i take lots of pictures for you all.

Till next time; 

Little miss fitness 

Xx

Jet ski's..gets the heart pumping

What a day..

We've done pretty much everything water related this morning; Jet skiing, with the turtles. It's amazing - I reached out and touched a huge turtle a couple of times. It was awesome and id love to do it again. I haven't been water skiing in so long either, so I thought I wouldn't remember how to get up out of the water! Falling on your front and getting a mouthful of sea water isn't fun. Ha 

Nice calm sea before Water Skiing.

Emma's been kayaking in the sea just outside the house. She's capsized a few times, one of them being she lost her glasses and a very nice gentleman from the house next door came to the rescue with his snorkel!! Next thing we know we're spending about 10 minutes looking through clear blue sea water to find Emma's sunglasses. The kind gentleman found them eventually for her, which was a relief.

I have managed to stay active this holiday and do some morning workouts. Not every day but at the same time  I'm on holiday so it wouldn't be much fun if I did it every day. I've mainly some body weight exercises and some tabata exercises. There's something about doing a morning workout; Ive never been a morning person (as many people will tell you) but I did a little mini session on glutes yesterday. It was made rather more difficult than usual as the Swiss ball mum had stored away was slightly deflated. And I couldn't be bothered to find the pump to pump it up. Oh well I guess it made me work that bit harder! Then imagine split squats on a sun lounger, and tabata twists whilst looking out towards the beach.. Do you hate me yet?lol 

I have eaten so much fish out here, fresh fish! Oh my god I Love it.. Flying fish blackened with quinoa and feta with spinach leaves. I've eaten quite a few sweet potatoes and then fruit or porridge for breakfast. It's lovely out here... I have missed my weight training though, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it when I get home. Pilates and yoga has stretched me out now I would like to go back to lifting! 

So we are off home this afternoon - back to the cold and wind and rain.. Definitely not my favourite thing. I fear holiday blues will set in once I step off the plane at gatwick. 

Till next time, when I will be firmly back in the UK.

Little Miss Fitness;

Xx

Pilates in the sun...

Ah there's nothing better than stretching and twisting with the sound of a waterfall in the background and the birds tweeting. What would make it even better is for the view to be of the sea stretching out to what seems like the end of the world!

For the next 10 days the only exercise I will be doing is Yoga and Pilates. I find these 2 disciplines so relaxing; for my mind and for finding and stretching deeper muscles that you don't usually work when lifting weights or doing high intensity training. Its such a nice feeling to give your body time to reflect on days past.

The day after we arrived, I was up early (yes I'm crazy - I'm on holiday!) as the sun was streaming through my window. Then I headed off to yoga at the coral reef club. It lasted about an hour and a bit and this class was all about thinking about that special someone and focusing on them when holding a difficult position. So when I was bending backwards and pointing my arm to the ceiling (sorry my yoga lingo isn't 100%) I thought back to all those hard times when I was training for miss galaxy and thought of my boyfriend; his pep talks and supportive words to help me refocus on my objective. For that I am so grateful, but doubt whether he'd like to be in this position???haha 

Then yesterday it was off to Pilates with Leanne (aka: the torturer) at Apes Hill. Tough class but well worth it; my abs were certainly burning afterwards. It was funny though as I took my BFF Emma Miles to the class, which was probably her first ever class. At points during the class all I could hear was Miles groaning behind me; clearly stretching certain muscles was a bit painful! The other girlies had fun as well, but don't think they'll be subjecting themselves to it on Friday. Where as crazy old me loves a bit of Pilates and will be there (with pom poms....errr maybe not!) 

I would recommend Pilates or Yoga for anyone who doesn't really like heavy or intense training. It still gets your muscles working, but without the feeling that your heart is going to burst into a million pieces! You can do it even if your a beginner or if you lift weights; it keeps flexibility in the joints and muscles. So go on give it a go.. its getting to that time before Xmas when layers are our best friend and comfort food calls us! 

Till next time from sunny Barbados;

Little Miss Fitness

Xx

Passport: check!

So I'm ready, packed and sitting in the holiday inn at gatwick (yes for the 2'd time in 2 weeks)....I am flying out of this country tomorrow morning for 2 weeks to the wonderful, sunny island of Barbados. I intend to do nothing but sit on my tired butt, get some rays of sunshine and walk on the beach...Aww bliss!

I can't believe how much this week has been a blur. Not only have I been up to Manchester for meetings then on Thursday I had the luck of going to the Emirates stadium for a digital conference. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the players and Marie-Anna and I couldn't seem to find the changing rooms! I joke..

Training in the week was strange too as the competition was over I didn't have anything to work towards. I managed to do my first abs and glutes session since the show and it felt weird. Good weird to be back in the gym, but I didn't have to push as hard as before the comp. Not restricting my food has also been a bit tricky this week. I've tried to eat healthy and clean still but the sugar cravings have been rampaging. Chocolate and crisps are everywhere I look, so I have been naughty and had a few..oh well i think I've earnt a little reprive. I decided to take a week off of prepping food and just go with the flow.

Emotionally it been a little difficult last week adjusting to not looking stage ready. I guess it's something I will have to adapt to and learn quickly. You can't maintain that physique for long term, and I need to enjoy food again. The prep before competition is intense so it's nice to relax now. My body is changing and I just have to stop thinking about gaining weight and not looking lean. I lost a lot of weight and I need to gradual put it back on but after months of seeing changes it's sometimes hard to accept that your body will soften.

Anyway time for bed, and then tomorrow I am going to spread my wings and plonk my butt on a Virgin Atlantic flight. I wonder what duty free I will find?!

Till next time on the sunny beach of Barbados probably. 

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx