Out if this universe...

What a weekend - and it all started with a birthday..

My birthday was an interesting one to say the least; what can you do when your depleting and cutting for a competition??Not much!! However I was spoilt rotten with cards and presents. I got flowers, money and shopping vouchers which was so lovely of everyone. It really did make the start of what was going to be a long weekend!! 

It was the Miss Galaxy Universe competition this weekend down in Crawley. So Friday started with a trip to my trusted tanner Elise @ The Tanning Station. I can't rave enough about how good her tanning is. I love them. Then after drying, it was driving down South to the K2 track where the Galaxy Games were taking place. It was gorgeous weather when I got there but it didn't bloody stay like that. The heavens soon opened and the drizzle stayed to watch. 

Once I got there, those timing the events  were given our t-shirts and a stopwatch. It was fun to spur the other girls on doing the 800/200 and 100m, they looked like fun. This year there were even strong woman events like pulling a smart car and sandbag carrying. I think it was a really nice idea to incorporate events like this. It gave the Games a different twist instead of just track events. It was just a shame that the weather couldn't of held off, as some of the girls tans were ruined, which was so sad to see. Don't worry they were redone by Jolene the resident Galaxy tanner.

Let the Games begin...

Then Saturday, after the Games, it was the time for the stage show. This is the exciting bit, being back stage with the girls and getting ready. There is such a family atmosphere and the girls all helping each, running up and down the corridor. 

Time to rock the stage with the girls...

I did my own hair and make-up and then made my appearance as the current Supreme Champion by walking on stage, once all the girls had gone on stage. Then it was onto the bikini rounds for each category, and my mates Amy Stephens and Nicola Ashcroft were amazing. Amy was in bikini diva and Nicola in beach bunny. They rocked that stage and showed off all their hard work and dedication: I was so proud of them. And to have the cherry on top, Amy placed 3rd in her category.

Me and my girlies - love them...

A big Congratulations goes out to Victoria Strelciunaite for being crowned Supreme Champion. She thoroughly deserved it and she looked amazing on stage. Enjoy the crown-it's a gorgeous tiara, I was even tempted to swap mine for it! Only kidding,.

It was a great weekend catching up with old faces and making new friends. There were quite a lot of new faces this time at the show which was nice to see. 

So now 1 week to go and body power is here-depletion and water loading begins. Upping the cardio this week for that final push..oh and practising my t-walk. Not much to do at all. 

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

2 weeks to go

Yep you read that correctly, this time in 2 weeks time it will all be over. 

All the prep and the mini-meltdowns in Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys (well pretty much every supermarket) will be no more. I think I've had more tantrums this time around than when i trained for Miss Galaxy. Either that or the tantrums haven't increased, they've just got worse - erm not sure which! I may need to phone a friend! Even my boyfriend has lost count I think! It's not something i'm proud to admit but anyone who has competed knows that mood swings and food tantrums are part and parcel of dieting. My boyfriend deserves a lot of beers for the tantrums and snappiness from me, as i think him and my mum have suffered and seen the worst of them. And even he can get a bit mardy when he's hungry - so you can imagine the combo of him and my tantrums. Our supermarket visits are always pretty much like supermarket sweep!  

I know the next 2 weeks are going to be hard, perhaps the hardest - water loading, carb depletion, additional cardio to burn that access fat. Yes there isn't any beauty aspect in the run up to a competition. And to make it that little bit harder, this coming weekend I am going to be on stage performing at Miss Galaxy. How have these weekends come round so quick?

It is sad to think that whilst the girls who've competed in Miss Galaxy are stuffing their faces with chips and wine after the show, I will only be able to chow down on chicken and veg..mmmmm yummy!! AS my trainer would say though, its only 1 week and then ill be able to have my cheat meal too.  Oh my god I cant wait. Its got to the point now, whereby im sniffing cookie jar tins for that sweet smell of chocolate (AKA: SUGAR!!!!)

My saving grace when cravings hit!

This week is going to be a bit manic - Ive got to finish blinging up my bikini, practise my t-walk for Galaxy, water load, train..oh yeh and do a full-time job. I think birthday celebrations will have to wait until after BodyPower!

So apologies now if you don't hear much from me in the next 2 weeks; my mind may be elsewhere and ill probably be spending more time preening and getting spray tanned than actually working!

Little Miss Fitness
Xx

Lights, camera, smoke? and action

Turning up to Belt Craft studios yesterday was an experience; querky and minimalistic is the best way to describe it. The studio was tucked away off the main road, which was a bit unnerving, but once I saw Lowell and his team it was fine. The studio was big and simple, with lots of different types of furniture in it. Once Lowell and the guys had set the room up, with the boxing punch bag and bench, it felt more like an old school boxing room - kind of like the one you'd see Sylvester Stallone training in; no i'm not comparing myself to Sly, that would be hitting below the belt! How many more boxing puns do you think i could get in there!? Haha

The before picture

The photo-shoot was one of the prizes i was given for winning Miss Galaxy, and to be honest I didn't know what to expect from it. I did the shoot with Rebecca Andrews back in march, which feels like a lifetime ago. The shoot there was a mixture of fashion & fitness and I got some gorgeous shots from that shoot. For this photo-shoot Lowell had gone for a boxing theme which I thought was different, seeing as i haven't done any boxing in a long time. Its not something I've ever done properly, but putting the gloves on and giving the punch bag a good old smack felt really good.

To try and give the photos a bit more of a natural workout feel, I did the shoot in bare feet with the punch bag hanging from the ceiling. To warm up Lowell got me to hit the punch bag a couple of times, much like a workout and then started clicking away! I think i soon got a bit carried away and then went to kicking the bag! Now that felt really good....

An extra bonus i really liked was that I could see all the shots that Lowell had taken on his computer, so I could then adjust my body to get a better shot and make sure my eyes weren't closed! Some shots were left to be desired but others I was really surprised with. The lighting and props that were used really enhanced certain shots.. 

So now its time to wait until the proofs get sent through. Im really looking forward to seeing what they look like; then cherry pick my favourite ones. 

BodyPower Expo countdown = 2 weeks!! now i'm getting nervous and excited! I saw Fit Factor organiser Renee yesterday whilst at the shoot and she put any unnecessary nerves to bed. She was really sweet and understanding. I just hope I'm going to get chance to look around the exhibition as well during the weekend. 

Europe's largest fitness & nutrition exhibition

Little Miss Fitness 

Xx

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