12 Week Spring in to Summer Program - PERSONAL TRAINING SALE!!!

Hi everyone,

We have been pretty fortunate this winter to see a lot of blue skies and mild temperatures, which makes you think that this Summer is going to be an absolute scorcher!

Spring is so close you can almost smell it in the air!! And with that change, I hear a lot of people talking about getting back in to shape ready for the beach weather that's just around the corner.

Are you one of those people?

Have you thought that you wouldn't mind losing those few KGs you put on over Winter?

Maybe you did a really good job of maintaining your physique over the cooler months but now that it's getting warmer you would like to take things to the next level?

Perhaps you've spent the winter exercising consistently and are now bored and looking for a new challenge?

And lets not forget about the Mums out there...Have you just had a baby and don't know where to begin to regain your strength the safe and effective way? Or Mums that never give themselves any time and are wanting to change that and get back to feeling their best?

This 12 week Spring in to Summer Program could be exactly what you are looking for!!!!
  
** THREE 30 minute personal training sessions per week for the PRICE OF TWO - valued at $165 per week, now available for $110 per week

  

OR

  
** TWO 45 minute personal training sessions for 30% off the usual price - valued at $160, now available for $105 per week

  
All clients participating in the 12 week program receive the following for FREE...
 

* Initial goal setting session
* Complimentary movement assessment
* Complimentary 30 minute foam rolling and stretch tutorial
* Two six week, individualized training programs tailored to suit your goals AND your schedule
* Nutritional Guidance using macro-nutrient portions - no counting calories or weighing your food. I will teach you how to correctly nourish your body without you feeling any type of deprivation
* Supplementation Guidance
* Unlimited support by phone and email
* Bi-weekly progress check in to keep you on track towards your goals

There is no better time than to join Erin Eleini Fitness and enjoy results that other clients have achieved whilst working with me!

I am ready when you are!!

Client Story - Bunny

Client Story- Bunny

One of the many highlights of my job as a Personal Trainer is seeing not just the physical changes in my clients but the mental changes that you see as well.

Take my client Bunny for example. She came to me at the beginning of 2016 wanting to tone up and lose her baby tummy that she just couldn't seem to shift! She'd never stepped foot in a weights room, never undertaken any strength training and her visits to the gym saw her doing Body Pump classes and Yoga which, put simply, weren't getting her the results she wanted!

Fast forward six months to the middle of 2016 and she had achieved what she set out to achieve. Then I went on maternity leave and she trained with my stand in trainer and continued to get fitter and stronger. Bunny has now moved over to my new gym and is back training with me each week. She turns up, puts in the work and is rewarded a fit and healthy body and mind.

She is lifting weights she never thought were possible and completely understands how her body is designed to move and how good it is designed to feel.

Bunny wrote me a lovely testimonial which I would like to share with you below...

I first started strength training with Erin in February 2016 to improve my fitness and to get in shape. It was difficult for me to return to my normal pre-baby weight by going to the gym on my own. At the beginning Erin asked what my goals were and she then gave me a program and also nutrition advice to follow. Each week Erin provided me a record of exercises and weights that we used.

After six months of weekly strength training sessions I saw amazing results and I was back at my pre - children weight and my clothes fit me so much better.

Erin is a wonderful, engaging and professional Personal Trainer. During our sessions together she would explain what muscle groups we were working on and she really motivated me to exercise well.

I would highly recommend Erin as a Personal Trainer.

If you have been thinking that whatever you are doing exercise wise just isn't cutting it then maybe now is the time to try something different!

I know what works to get people looking and feeling their best, maybe now is the time to get in contact with me and give personal training a try!

Serious results are guaranteed if you are willing to put in the work!!

Erin

Client Story :: Laura

Meet Laura, a very good friend of mine and also a client. Laura and I have been working together for the last 18 months and to describe her transformation as AMAZING would be an understatement. When we began training together, Laura ate very little, drank a lot, pounded the pavement and overall wasn't in the best place. I pretty much bullied her in to coming and training with me, I am so glad I wouldn't take no for an answer.

Fast forward 18 months and Laura packed on 7kg of lean muscle, competed in her first bikini competition, trains with heavy weights five to six days a week, does very little cardio, eats more than most men and looks incredible. As a trainer, this is an amazing transformation to be a part of...

Laura also had some great things to say about training with me which makes me very happy...

"My name is Laura and I have been training with Erin Eleini for just over eighteen months now. Erin has been a good friend of mine for many years and I had always admired Erin's commitment to her training. When Erin was returning back to the fitness industry after having baby Frankie she asked me if I would be interested in signing up for a session per week, after a moment’s hesitation I agreed, after all I figured, What did I have to lose?

When I started training I was not in a good headspace, in fact I was treading water at rock bottom. I was 30 years old and trying to navigate my way through the devastation of my marriage ending to a man I adored. At 175cm tall I would have been lucky to weigh 55KG and my diet consisted of sugary snacks and take away foods if I even bothered to eat, on top of that I worked in a high stress job and would hit the party scene every weekend and drink most nights.  

From my first sessions with Erin I found myself learning so much about my body. Erin's approach to introducing me to fitness was to ease into a training program and continually show me new things. Erin would explain to me each exercise and what muscle it was training. Erin was nurturing every step of the way and would always ask me what I did and did not enjoy to ensure I was getting something out of each session.  It seemed like not long before I was hooked, and equipped with my personal training program put together by Erin I was hitting the gym each morning and seeing my body change in ways I could have never imagined. 

I have made this statement many times to Erin and I will stand by it that her personal training sessions saved my life! Eighteen months on and training is a daily habit that I look forward to. I see Erin twice per week and I am in preparation for my first  bikini completion. Erin also provided me with ongoing food education and I learnt that eating well not only supports a healthy body but also a healthy mind.

One if the unique qualities I found in Erin as my trainer is that she never tried to make me feel guilty about anything and constantly reminded me to be kind to myself. Her approach was one of nurture and guidance, not to make me feel bad that I ate that Chocolate bar or had a set back reaching my goal. 

While the training has been such a positive change in my life I would also recommend Erin to any person who is seeking total change in their life or who are striving for professional or emotional change. Training with the support of Erin changed my mindset and assisted me with battling my emotional sadness. Training has also given me the gift of being strong both mentally and physically and I know this contributed to my recent career successes. 

There have been highs and some lows during my fitness journey and I have been fortunate enough to have Erin by my side every step of the way and for that I will be always grateful."

If you are interested in learning more about how we achieved Laura's results please don't hesitate to get in contact. I would love to be able to help you with your transformation.

strong for Frankie...

I haven't come here and spoken about my post baby fitness journey.

To be honest I haven't come here a lot since Frankie was born.

There is always something else to do and with a very small window whilst Frankie sleeps there are a million other things that need to be done around my home or admin work for my business.

I have sat her for half an hour trying to work out what to write so I thought I would write about how I have gotten myself strong after having baby Frankie.

At this point in time, I am strong...

I am the strongest I have ever been. I see a lot of girls on Instagram and Facebook who are super strong. I am not strong like them, but for me I am strong. Strong is currently in fashion. It is a good trend to be a part of. There is a hashtag on social media #femaleliftingarmy I like this hashtag, it makes me smile and think of deadlifting.

For the first twelve months after having Frankie I worked on re-building my body. I was left with a five centimetre separation in abdominals. I also had lots of work to do on my pelvic floor following Frankie's birth. I was weak and had done nothing but swim for the last six weeks of my pregnancy so I really did feel like I was starting from the beginning.

It took me a good nine months to start to feel any resemblance of my former fit self. I made a decision to not rush getting back to where I had once been. My prioritise shifted from wanting to be lean to just wanting to be stronger. When you are used to being strong you take it for granted. When your strength is gone you miss it, all I wanted was to be strong.

Training around a baby is hard, finding the time, finding the child care when your husband works, training through lack of sleep is horrible.

But I did it. I trained consistently four times a week; sometimes three, sometimes five.

I walked everyday that I did not train. Walked for an hour pushing Frankie whilst she slept.

I ate nutritious food and I ate a lot of it as I was breastfeeding. And the days I trained I ate more food. I stopped constantly obsessing about what I was eating and just ate good, wholesome food that served me, my training and most importantly my breastfed baby.

And then I was back. My body was back. I had worked hard but it was the consistency in my training and nutrition that got it back.

I was lifting weight that I was lifting before I was pregnant.

And then I lifted heavier.

And I realised that I really liked getting stronger. And as I got stronger I realised I was not caring so much about how I looked. I wasn't caring about how lean I was or how ripped my stomach was.

And the less I cared about how I looked the more I started to really like what I saw in the mirror. I actually like my strong body now more than I liked my ripped, lean body from before I was pregnant.

I have focussed for the last eight months on the three main strength lifts; Deadlift, Squat and Bench press.

I have written my own programs for these lifts along with the accessory exercises needed to continually improve my strength on these lifts.

My deadlift has gone from a shaky post-pregnancy 20kg to a 1Rep Maximum of 95kg

My squat has gone from non-existent due to a hip impingement to a 1RM of 72.5kg

My bench press from a 5RM of 25kg to a 5RM of 40kg

**

And these increases in these lifts have transferred across to every other exercise I do. I am literally picking up weights that used to be super heavy and finding them easier. Very, very empowering and I am filled with self-pride at how I have focussed on something and every week I am getting better and better.

This has also carried over in to how I am training my clients. I have a number of girls that have also been bitten by the strength training bug and I am getting them strong as well. Having clients that now train for strength instead of purely focusing on training to lose weight/fat is truly wonderful to see. And they, like me, are changing their body composition whilst doing training that they love.

Training becomes less of a chore and hitting numbers you've never hit before is f*cking awesome.

So where to from here? Would I love to powerlift....yes! Will I get there....one day!

x

** please excuse the terrible music on the video, the very funny camera man added it, yep I love myself <3

Client Story :: Louie

Completely dispelling the myth that lifting heavy will make you bulky...here is Louie...

The picture on the left taken towards the end of her backpacking trip around Europe at the end of 2013. And the photo on the right taken during here Christmas holidays just gone. Louie and I have been working together since the beginning of 2014, I stopped training her whilst I was on maternity leave but she continued training without me until I returned to work.

She lifts heavy weights, she trains regularly, she is strong, she does high intensity interval training, she eats well with no restrictions and truly embraces a life of balance. She is open to trying new things, she follows my guidance and she is testament to the fact that if you look after yourself you will be rewarded with a body you can be proud of!

And on top of all this awesomeness, she had some pretty lovely things to say about training with me....

I am not sure whether I can put into words how happy I have been since training with Erin over the past two years. When we first met the only goal I wanted to achieve was to lose weight and tone up. 

When I first signed up to the gym I had the incentive to lose weight and tone up and got a nasty surprise when I realised walking on the treadmill for 40 minutes wasn’t going to achieve that. I didn’t have the confidence to do anything else and felt like everyone was watching and judging me when I did anything. 

I remember within my first month of training with Erin my whole attitude towards the gym changed, and I couldn’t get enough of it. She gives me constant support and motivation so I look forward to my work out with her and trying something different every week. Not to mention I gained all the confidence that I had lost and have never felt better.

It’s a really nice feeling knowing she genuinely cares about me and my success. My results with her have been nothing short of amazing, physically and mentally and I can’t thank her enough. I can confidently say I know that I couldn’t have reached and then surpassed my goals without her. 

I signed up to personal training to lose weight and tone up but ended up meeting someone I can now call a good friend and an inspiration. Erin gave me the most special gift I could have asked for from a trainer - being comfortable in my own skin.

I have some pretty big goals for Louie for 2015. I want to get her stronger than she ever thought possible!

Getting Festive...

So the man in the big red suit is nearly here and what a week it has been over here! I am working through, taking only the public holidays off, helping my clients stay on track over the Christmas and New Year season. I find training them helps me stay motivated; if they are smoking their work-outs then there is no reason that I shouldn't be smoking mine, right?

The last three days have seen me smash a massive pull session on Sunday, a monster quad session yesterday and tonight a sweaty conditioning work-out at my new gym The Cube. Tomorrow is shoulder day, my favourite, with my friend and client Michelle. Last week I pulled a 70kg deadlift for six reps for two sets and on Sunday I did three pull ups with the smallest resistance band {my clients love/hate these}. I am finishing off the year strong and am excited for what the new year will bring for me training wise.

Have you given any thought to what you would like to achieve next year? Have you set some new goals? Maybe 2015 is the year that you try something you have been wanting to try...give it some thought over the Christmas holidays. Make a list, create a vision board, recruit a training buddy...the motivational tools are there in abundance. I am also here to help!

Most of the gyms are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day so I thought I would suggest a few work-outs you can do at home with no equipment. Commit to 30 minutes on these days and then go and enjoy the rest of you day!

Work-out 1

Warm up 200 metres jog {100 metre along the road, 100 metres back}

AMRAP 30 minutes

A1. 25 x body weight squats
A2. 25 x push ups
A3. 24 x body weight static lunges {12 each leg}
A4. 24 x mountain climbers {12 each leg}
A5. 25 x abdominal crunches
A6. 200 metre sprint

Cool down 200 metre walk and stretch

Work-out 2

Warm up 200 metres jog {100 metre along the road, 100 metres back}

Time each set, completing three sets trying to beat your previous time
A1. 10 x jump squats
A2. 10 x burpees
A3. 20 x step ups {10 each leg}
A4. Plank
A5. 100 metre sprint
B1. 20 x jump lunges {10 each leg}
B2. 10 x narrow grip push ups
B3. 10 x box jumps
B4. 10 x death planks {go from hands to forearms then alternate}
B5. 100 metre sprint

Cool down 200 metre walk and stretch

Work-out 3

Warm up 200 metres jog {100 metre along the road, 100 metres back}

Find a set of stairs, sprint up them, walk back down. Repeat for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool down 200 metre walk and stretch

All three will kick your arse and keep you on track even if you do reach for the mince pies and Christmas Pudding come Christmas Day! Enjoy every mouthful, it's what this time of year is about!

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years. For me 2014 has been an amazing year for obvious reasons but I am excited for what 2015 will bring and welcome it with open arms!

And finally a massive thank you to my wonderful clients! Thank you for your commitment to me and my business and for bringing your A-Game to every session. You certainly make getting up at 5.00am worthwhile!

See you in the gym.

Erin

x

Fibre...

Lets talk gut health, exciting stuff! Did you know that you have more bacteria in your gut than you do cells in your entire body? That's why, if your gut isn't in good shape, I can guarantee that your overall health is being compromised. Micro-flora in your gut play a vital role in your overall health and wellbeing whilst also affecting the immune system, weight and the increased risk of numerous chronic and acute diseases, from diabetes to cancers.

Symptoms of poor gut health include bloating, burping, farting, diarrhoea, constipation, fullness, nausea, rectal itching, weak and cracked finger nails, acne, iron deficiency, parasites, candida, food allergies, eczema, dermatitis, hives, psoriasis, rosacea, B12 deficiency and arthritis.

So there is the odd fart in our house and I do feel bloated from time to time so Simon and I are taking part in the Metamucil Challenge that is currently being run at all Fitness First Gyms. Available from reception is a 14 day starter kit of Psyllium Husks for $1. Yep, just $1 to set you on the road to better gut health.

Psyllium is the husk of the seed of the Plantago and is a top herb used for general intestinal health. It contains a spongy fiber that can reduce appetite, improve digestion and cleanse the system, making it an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

Simon and I are half way in, we both feel better, he is farting less and I feel great!

In addition to taking Psyllium Husks, here are some other ways that you can improve your gut health...

1. Probiotics
Naturally occurring “good” bacteria allow for the normal functioning of our gastrointestinal system – however this simply cannot happen when there’s too much “bad” bacteria (such as parasite, yeast and fungi) present in the gut. The easiest way to rectify this imbalance is to keep up probiotic intake {fermented foods, yogurts} or take a pro-biotic supplement

2. Diet
Eating a healthy, balanced, fibre filled diet rich nutritious food. Think lots of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, good fats and low GI carbohydrates {legumes, whole-grains}. Remove all the processed food from your diet especially refined sugars {lollies, chocolate, chips}

3. Water
Drinking plenty of water is also essential for the correct functioning of the digestive system. If there is too little water in the system, it slows down the body’s ability to pass stools through the digestive tract. The more build-up of waste in our system, the more likely our gut will become a hot bed of bad bacteria

4. Stress
An unexpected cause of bad bacteria in the gut is stress!! Check out one of my previous blogs here on my top way to manage stress

If there is one thing you do for your health this week...add some fibre!!

Naughty parabens...

I am a big believer in making small changes. Small changes that, in turn, improve your health in a huge way. Imagine if you made 10 small, positive changes to your lifestyle how much improvement you would see in your overall wellbeing

I have been making a few small changes in our home. One of them is switching all our skin care products to Paraben Free. I think having a baby in the house has made me a lot more aware of not just what I put on her skin but also on mine, Simons and my step-children's skin. It has been surprisingly easy to find Paraben Free products. Yes they are a little more expensive than your mainstream brands of skin products but I believe it is money well spent and here is for why...

A Paraben is a chemical that is used to prevent the growth of microbes {bacteria causing disease or fermentation} in cosmetic products and can be absorbed through the skin, blood and digestive system. They can be found in shampoos, lotions, deodorants, scrubs, eye make-up remover.

Parabens are several distinct chemicals with a similar molecular structure. Four of these are used frequently in cosmetics: ethylparaben, butylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben so if you see these on the ingredients label of your skin care products then it might be worth checking out a switch to something Paraben Free.

Parabens are known to disrupt hormone function, an effect linked to increased risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. Parabens mimic estrogen by binding to estrogen receptors on cells. They also increase the expression of genes usually regulated by estradiol {a natural form of estrogen}; studies undertaken on cells show that these genes cause human breast cancer cells to grow and multiply. Parabens are also linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity and skin irritation. If you think about it, parabens are used to kill bacteria in water-based solutions so they must have a good level of toxicity to be able to do this.

Next time you are shopping for skin products make sure you read the ingredients label and avoid those that use Parabens. There are more and more skin care companies that now offer "Paraben-Free" and "Preservative-Free" products. All good health stores will stock a great range of Paraben and Presevative Free products and I have found that Chemist Warehouse carry quite a few ranges that won't break the bank. You could go one step further and look at using Organic products {I'll save Organic for another blog post}.

Here are some of the products we are now using in our home...

Gaia :: For Baby Frankie

 

Sukin :: smells amazing

Cetaphil & Redwin {& Dermaveen} :: all available from the supermarket

 

And I also switched all my cleaning products to non-toxic products when I fell pregnant. These are great products that you can get from the supermarket; Earth Choice and Earthwise. Both are plant based, contain no chlorine or solvents and come in recycled packaging.



 

This is definitely a small change worth making!

erineleini.com is live...

I am so excited to announce that my new website www.erineleinifitness.com is now live!!!

Building a website around a little baby has been quite a juggling act with most of the creation, writing and editing done during day sleeps and in to the evenings after Frankie has gone to sleep. But I am thrilled with the finished website and would love to hear what you think!

I am also really proud of myself with the extra work I have been putting in behind the scenes to get my independent Personal Training business up and running in time for my return to work in just five sleeps!

I am truly humbled that the people I worked with prior to my maternity leave have chosen to return to work with me and I can't wait to get started with them again and see them continue to smash their training and their goals!

I do have a few sessions available for any new clients that would be interested in working with me. If you are looking for a Personal Trainer that can offer you a 360* approach to your health and fitness then I am the girl for you so please do get in contact! I would love to have the opportunity to get you in awesome shape in time for summer!!

Sugar Free September...

Today is the last day of winter!! Tomorrow we wake up and Spring should be in the air! The days will start getting longer and beach days won't be too far behind.

I posted this photo on my instagram a few days ago...

A challenge to go Sugar Free for the whole of September. A photo challenge to post a refined sugar free photo each day of the month. I love this challenge and I am looking forward to getting a bit more creative with my instagram as well as completely ditching sugar.

Are you up for the challenge? Could you go a whole month without the sweet stuff? Are you sweet enough?

To offer a bit of encouragement to you all I have decided to run a competition to those that want to take part in Sugar Free September.

Successfully complete Sugar Free September including a refined sugar free photo each day of the month and you will go in the draw to win ONE MONTH FREE one on one personal training with yours truly.

And here is the fine print for the competition.
1. Your refined sugar free photo must be posted each day to my facebook page so that we can all keep each other motivated. Jump over now and like my page here and be sure to upload and tag me in your photo each day.
2. There will be two one on one personal training packages awarded at the end of September. Winners will be selected randomly.
3. New clients will receive two 30 minute PT sessions a week and existing clients can double their number of weekly sessions already booked. The sessions must be taken over the four week period in October.
4. Personal training sessions to be taken at Fitness First Balgowlah where you will need to be a current member.

Good luck and have fun!! I can't wait to see your pictures!!

New chapters...

I am a creature of habit. I love routines. I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning; I get this habit from my Dad. I do the same thing in the shower each morning, in the same order. I can't help it, I am a stickler for routines.

Having a new born baby has taught me that not every minute of the day has to be planned. Frankie has taught me that it is ok to not get everything done that needs to be done. It doesn't matter if the house doesn't get vacuumed. If the washing doesn't come in off the line. I have learnt that I should sit; sit and enjoy being her Mum; cuddle her for as long as I want. I can now go and sit in a coffee shop for half an hour instead of getting a take away on the run. I can sit and smile at her, hold her and enjoy my latte.

Having said that, I am looking forward to Frankie getting in to a routine. She is not likely to do this for another four to six weeks until her biological clock has developed a little more. Until then I am going to enjoy her random feeding times, her unusual three hour day time sleeps that seem to happen every now and then for no apparent reason.

When Frankie is in a routine is when I will return to work. I will be a working Mum. I am truly blessed to have a job that I can work around Simon's work. I don't, at this point, need to worry about child care. This doesn't make it any less hard knowing that I will have to leave her for a few hours in the morning. And it doesn't make the thought of getting up after her morning feed any easier. But I love my job, I love my clients and I am looking forward to being a personal trainer again.

This is kind of a new chapter for me. I am closing the chapter on working for Vivid Fitness and I have decided to become an independent personal trainer. After 12 months working as part of Vivid Fitness I have decided that it is time for a new challenge of running my own personal training business and working alongside a new mentor that can help further my professional development.

Erin Eleini Fitness, not quite sure what will happen to the name when I get married next year but it definitely has a certain ring to it! So my business name has changed and I am working independently but everything else will stay the same; the same awesome personal training sessions, the same great customer service, the same bespoke lifestyle and nutritional coaching, and most of all the same great relationships I have with my clients.

My mobile number will be the same but my new email address will be erineleini @gmail.com. Keep your eye out for my new website that I will be launching soon. And don't forget to follow me on my social media pages. I post quite a bit of info that encompasses health, fitness and well-being on these pages so they are definitely worth checking out!

Facebook www.facebook.com/ErinEleiniFitness
Instagram http://instagram.com/erineleinifitness
Twitter https://twitter.com/erineleini1984

I am looking forward to starting this new chapter and I hope you will continue to share my fitness journey with me!

Skin...

I've got extra skin on my tummy. Not surprising since there was a baby in there 10 weeks ago. I would be lying if I said I didn't look at my tummy and wonder whether it will ever go back to what is used to be like. Probably not. I am ok if it doesn't because Frankie is way more important than abs and I loved every minute of being pregnant and watching my tummy grow.

But I want to give my tummy the best possible chance to recover. I don't want to get 12 months down the track without having done anything to help my tummy so I decided to give it some love and attention.

Here are my top five tips that seem to be working for my saggy skin...

1. Drink more water
Hydrated skin equals healthy skin!! Drinking plenty of water will help keep your skin flexible and supple. I aim to drink three litres of water plus an extra litre on the days I train. I keep a one litre bottle with me at all times and ensure this is drunk and re-filled three to four times per day.

2. Dry body brushing
Exfoliating helps remove excess and dead skin cells and actually stimulates the growth of new skin cells. As these new skin cells grow they are more likely to fit your new body shape; in my case, my non-pregnant tummy. Body brushing also helps remove toxins from your body. Grab yourself a dry body brush making sure you exfoliate before you shower every day. Start furthest away from your heart working the brush in circular motions towards to your heart. This helps your blood stream carry away the dead toxins. Jump in the shower and wash away all those dead skin cells.

3. Moisturising
Keeping your skin moist will improve it's overall appearance and prevent dryness and stretch marks. I have been using a moisturiser from Kosmea that contains Rosehip Oil and I massage this in to my skin after every shower. Rose hip oil is a naturally rich source of essential fatty acids which help to regenerate skin cells and to repair damaged skin tissue.

4. Lift weights
Training to add muscle mass to your body is a great way to reduce the effects of loose skin. Muscle will take up space on your body frame as well, helping to fill out the stretched skin and give you a strong, active-looking physique.

5. Food
Vitamin A is great for your skin so I try to eat a lot of carrots, sweet potato, tuna and red capsicums. I also ensure I eat plenty of green leafy veggies, fruit and nuts. These are packed full of anti-oxidants and help clear out damaging free radicals which don't help with loose, sagging skin.

Photos on the left taken four weeks after Frankie was born, photos on the right four weeks later.

I am happy with my mummy tummy!

Baby bump...

I am sorry for the silence. I have been busy. Busy being heavily pregnant, busy giving birth and now busy looking after a newborn baby. It is a good busy, a busy I am really enjoying. Before I write about what I have been up to since my baby girl Frankie was born two months ago I think it is best to write first about my pregnancy.

I have been asked a few times over the last six months about why I didn't blog throughout my pregnancy about being pregnant. My blog is about health, fitness and wellbeing and being pregnant really did incorporate all three of those things so why did I decid not to share my experience.

I shared some photos on social media and I posted some work-outs that I did whilst pregnant. I also referred to my pregnancy in my blog and on my facebook page but I really didn't discuss what kind of pregnancy I had, how I felt, what training I was able to do.

When I sit back and think about the reasons why I chose not to share my pregnancy in greater detail it is not because I believe pregnancy to be a private, personal experience. Nor was I ashamed or unhappy with the obvious changes that I saw happen to my body. I really believe that everyone is entitled to their own pregnancy experience and the need to see what someone else is doing, or eating, or growing or how much they are exercising wasn't necessary.

When you fall pregnant and you start to tell the world your exciting news you very quickly realise that there are a lot of well intentioned opinions. You get very good and smiling and thanking people for their advice and you take or leave what you choose.

Many people will tell you you shouldn't be weight training when pregnant. If I heard one more person tell me I was going to "strain" something I thought I would scream. Even my very well meaning physiotherapist told me, at 14 weeks pregnant, to stop weight training and start gentle walking and swimming. I didn't listen and when the physio checked me over at 30 weeks he said my hips and pelvis were in great shape! Little did he know I had kept on training which had obviously caused no issues or injuries.

I trained as much as I could and really did listen to my body. I lowered my sets, adjusted the weight and each week worked out what felt good and what I knew I no longer could do. My aim was to try to exercise every day and an ideal week was three or four days training with walking on the other days. There were weeks when this was spot on and there were weeks when I only managed a few days.

At 31 weeks I started to experience terrible Public Symphysis which felt like I had been kicked in between the legs and it made standing painful let alone moving around. My tummy was strapped which did nothing to help and I soon realised the only cure for this was to give birth. I managed for five weeks to continue training sitting down and did mainly upper body work with very little lower. At 35 weeks I said goodbye to the weights and swam four times a week from then until 40 weeks.

I suffered morning sickness from week six to 11 and lost my appetite completely until I was about 25 weeks pregnant. This was challenging and really frustrating; going from loving food, eating five to six meals a day to not knowing what you feel like to eat for weeks and weeks on end. It was stressful. I wanted to give my baby all the nutrient rich food I was used to eating and all I could eat was sausage rolls and toast. I couldn't stomach chicken, couldn't eat meat until the evening and the thought of cooked veggies made me gag. I drank a lot of green smoothies and veggie juices as that was all I could stomach in the way of veggies.

Looking back now I feel like I should have eaten better throughout my pregnancy but at the time you do all you can to eat whatever your body will allow. I try not to think about the sausage rolls and lack of veggies and focus on the fact that Frankie came out big, healthy and strong. I did a good job growing her.

I want to say I didn't weigh myself but I did. I was 61kg when I fell pregnant and I was 74kg when I gave birth to Frankie. This was more than I expected to put on, I thought I would be one of those women that put on 8 kilos, but I believe my body put on what it needed to put on to safely make my baby.

And this is Frankie. Born at 2.10am on Monday 14th April 2014. My 30th birthday.

She is the most amazing thing ever!

Headspace...

I find it really hard to switch off.

I find it really hard to sit down and do nothing.

My mind goes 100km/h with the things that I need to do.

Being pregnant has really tested this part of my personality. I have reached a point now where I can't do everything that I want and need to do. I have to now ask for people to help me or put things off until tomorrow when I have more energy.

I suffer from anxiety and have been medicated for this for a number of years. I was first medicated for depression. I truly believe exercise helped me overcome by depression. Although the depression has gone, the anxiety is still there. I get stressed easily and I panic if I am out of control.

I can't wait for the baby to be here but I also do feel anxious that looking after a new born baby, something I have never done before, is going to be quite stressful. I can feel the start of the anxiety attacks coming nearly everyday...

So I have been meditating. Something that I am trying to do every day. Something, that like most things in life, takes practice and patience. I am getting better. I am loving the 15 minutes each day where I can just sit, try to shut out the world and think of nothing more than my baby wiggling around in my tummy. It is our time together and a time that I feel the baby really enjoys; no noise, no stress, just calm.

 

I have downloaded an App on my phone called Headspace Take 10. It is a free App where you do 10 minutes of guided meditation every day for 10 days. The App just talks you through how to meditate. At the end of Take 10 you can purchase the Headspace App for more meditation tools and techniques.

I cannot recommend meditation more highly. I have only been doing this daily for the last three weeks and I think it is helping hugely with the anxiety I am experiencing.

Meditation isn't completely about stopping the mind from thinking but rather trying to stop the "chitter-chatter" of the mind by focusing on each breath. Think of meditation more as conscious breathing rather than trying to completely shut off the outside world.

From doing Headspace Take 10, the main things I try to practice when meditating are...

One.
Find a comfortable seat. You don't need to be sitting in the lotus position in a Zen garden to meditate. You could be on your sofa, at the kitchen table, even sitting behind the wheel of your car. Conscious breathing is easiest without distractions so picking somewhere that is comfortable is quite important.

Two.
Close you eyes and lengthen your breath. Breathe in for a count of six and visualise your lungs filling up with air and your chest expanding. Breathe out for a count of six and visualise your lungs empty and your chest descending. I count my breaths; inhale is count number one, exhale is count number two, and so on until you get to 10, then start back at number one.

Three.
Starting with your head and working down to your arms and feet, notice how you feel in your body. Taking in your head and neck, notice if you feel tense, relaxed, calm or anxious. See how much you can spread any sensations of softness and relaxation to areas of your body that feel tense. Once your reach your feet, work back up your body.

 

Four.

You will get distracted, your mind will wander to the sounds around you, you will start thinking about what you need buy at the supermarket, the deadline you have a work. It is natural for your brain to continue to think of things. Don't try and force your brain to stop, simply recognise when your mind has wandered and draw it back to your breathing.

 

Five.
You don't need to meditate for an hour, five minutes is a great start. We are all busy and telling yourself you are going to meditate for an hour when you know that you simply don't have the time is only going to see you putting your meditation to bottom of the to-do list.

There are numerous, proven scientific benefits of meditating which I am not going to go in to but I do want to outline the emotional benefits you may receive from taking 10 minutes everyday to practice meditating...

• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations
• Building skills to manage your stress
• Increasing self-awareness
• Focusing on the present
• Reducing negative emotions

Happy breathing x

Bodies...

Do you know your body type? And I don't mean apple shaped, pear shaped, lean, round....I mean your real body shape?  When you ask someone about their body type most people will answer with one of the above, or something similar, that are descriptions of how they look physically. There are actually three body types that can provide an insight into how our bodies respond to our food intake, training styles and our Sympathetic Nerve System (SNS).

Have a look at the photos below...

 

Which body type category do you fall in to? Do you fall in to one or are you a mixture of one or two?

Ok, so there are three body types; Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorph...

Ectomorph

Megan Fox and Alexsander Skarsgard would be your classic ectomorphs; they are skinny with small frames and lean muscle mass. Ectomorphs don't gain weight {fat or muscle} easily, they generally small shoulders and the females have flat chests. If you asked someone to describe an Ectomorph they would use the words skinny, lean, small, slight.

 

 

Ectomorph Nutrition Guidance

Ectomorphs have a fast metabolism and a high tolerance for carbohydrates. They need a high carb intake to aid in muscle growth with a moderate protein and lower fat intake. An Ectomorph's ideal diet may be 55% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 15% fat.

 

Ectomorph Training Tips

If your goal as an Ectomorph is to gain muscle then you need to train each muscle group at least once a week using heavy weights! Heavy weights with a low repetition range of 8-10 for 4 sets is perfect Use lots of big compound exercises; squats, lunges, deadlifts, push ups, pull ups. Try to keep cardio to a minimum as you want to use as much of your energy as possible to grow more muscle mass.

 

Mesomorph

 

Michelle Bridges and Hugh Jackman would be good examples of the Mesomorph body type. They have an athletic, rectangular shape. If a Mesomorph is physically active they will have a hard body and defined muscles. Mesomorphs have broad shoulders, are naturally strong and gain muscle easily and gain fat easier than Ectomorphs. Some descriptions for Mesomorphs would be athletic, muscly, ripped, toned.

 

 

Mesomorph Nutrition Guidance

Mesomorphs tend to respond well to a mixed diet consisting of a good balance of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. A good guide to a Mesomorph's macro-nutrient split would be 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats.

 

Mesomorph Training Tips

If you are a Mesomorph and don't want to build too much muscle then circuit style training is best for you. Moving quickly from one exercise to another with minimal rest will result in an increase in strength and stamina without gaining too much lean mass. Moderate sized weights are best with around 15 reps for each exercise and four sets of each. Try not to do too many different exercises on the same muscle group, ideally three is enough so as not to stimulate too much muscle growth on one particular muscle group. Aim for three strength sessions plus three HIIT {High Intensity Interval Training} sessions per week to keep fat loss in check.

 

Endomorph

 

Kelly Clarkson and Jack Black are your Endomorph examples. They have soft, round bodies with large shoulders and are typically short and stocky. They can gain muscle easily if physically active but also gain fat very easily which they find harder to lose. Endomorphs have what is best described as a slower metabolism so they have a tendency to store both muscle and fat. An Endomorph may be referred to as big boned, chubby, round, stocky.

 

 

 

Endomorph Nutrition Guidance

Because Endomorphs are a lot less tolerant of carbohydrates they do best on a higher fat and protein intake with the correct timing of their carbs {ie. after exercise}. A good guide to an Endomorphs Macro split may look like this; 25% carbs, 35% protein and 40% fat. They should drink lots of water and load up on fibre to transport the nutrients from their food and flush out waste. Aiming to eat five to six small meals a day to ensure their metabolism is constantly working.

 

Endomorph Training Tips

Endomorphs should lift moderate to heavy weights as this will build muscle and in turn boost your metabolism. All over body training is best, working lots of different muscle groups in the same session. Think giant sets moving from one muscle group to the next as part of the same set or circuit style training. Aim to do this three to four times per week with two days of HIIT for 20-30 minutes each session.

 

If you find after reading the descriptions that you fall into two categories pick the category that greater describes your body type. Give the nutrition and training tips a try and see how your body responds. If you see little or no changes after eight weeks, try the other body type tips.

 

Please bare in mind that the guidance above is just that; guidance. They are tips for the wider population and haven't been put together with any particular person or individual's goals in mind.

 

And for more info on HIIT have a quick read of my previous Sprints blog post here.

Hooray for Chicken...

I have not eaten chicken for 24 weeks, not eaten it since two weeks before I found out I was pregnant. The fact I couldn't bare the sight, smell or even the thought of chicken was probably what made me realise that we had fallen pregnant.

On Sunday, I felt like chicken! Hooray!

Simon received Fast Ed's Dinner in 10 recipe book for Christmas and flicking through it I came across his Piri-Piri chicken with zucchini fritters and avocado. In the book Ed uses chicken drumsticks which I am not a huge fan of; too much fat and skin even without the pregnancy challenges. So I substituted the legs for tenderloins.

Ingredients {serves 3-4}

2 lemons
500grams chicken tenderloins
Salt & pepper
1tbsp of chilli flakes
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp ground coriander
2tbsp olive oil for chicken
1tbsp olive oil for zucchinis
4 large zucchinis
2tbsp plain flour
2 eggs
1 cup of chicken stock
1/2 bunch of oregano leaves
2 avocados

Instructions

1. Finely grate the lemon zest and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper then add the spices

2. Pour the olive oil in to a 5L saucepan and add the chicken. Shred the zucchini on the course blade of a box grater into a second large mixing bowl. Put a frying pan over a medium heat

3. Stir the flour & eggs into the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and mix. Add the olive oil in to the frying pan

4. Place 8 large spoons of the zucchini mixture into the hot frying pan and flatten in to disc shapes

5. Add the chicken stock to saucepan and put the lid on

6. Turn the zucchini fritters

7. Pick the oregano leaves

8. Peel the avocados and remove the flesh

9. Place the zucchini fritters on the serving plates. Slice the avocados in to fans and arrange on the fritters. Take the chicken and plate up garnishing with the oregano!

AMAZE!!!!

I have also just realised that I have not done a recipe blog post for a looooong time. This has had something to do with my very limited appetite which I have had to deal with during my pregnancy. I joked this morning that I have been on a carb detox for the last six months...living purely on carbs with very little protein. I have been going with the flow and just giving my body what ever it needs but fingers crossed this is the start of getting back to trying new, adventurous, healthy meals which I can then share with everyone!

Build me muscle...

I know I sound like a broken record when I say this but....

WEIGHTS TRAINING WILL MAKE YOU LEAN!

 

It is as simple as that! Why? The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolic rate, the more calories you burn at rest. Simply put it takes more energy for your body to run when there is more muscle to maintain. Make sense?

 

Are you now asking yourself one of the following questions....

 

1. Why am I doing weights but not getting leaner?

2. Why am I doing weights but not getting stronger?

3. Why am I doing weights but my body isn't changing?

4. Why if I'm eating all the "right things" aren't I getting the results I want?

 

The answer could be that what you are eating isn't allowing you to get where you want to be. You may be training correctly, frequently and with enough intensity but if you aren't fuelling your body correctly, or are under-fuelling it, you will never get the results you want.

 

Here are my top five guidance tips for building muscle outside of the gym...

 

1. Are you eating enough?

 

Not eating enough is probably the number one mistake you can make when trying to gain muscle. The bottom line is, many women overtrain and under-eat in an effort to lose weight but what they don't realise is this can actually have a negative impact on fat loss. Keep track of the amount of exercise you are performing and how hungry you feel. If you are hungry all the time and can't think of anything else but food then chances are you are not eating nearly enough to function let alone build that beautiful, calorie burning muscle you are after. You don't want to pack on the weight too quickly as this won't be the quality lean muscle you are after but stored body fat. Try slowly adding slightly bigger portion sizes or one extra small meal a day and watch your lean muscle increase whilst you body fat decreases.

 

2. Are you eating enough protein?

If you aren't eating enough then its pretty safe to say you aren't eating enough protein. So increasing your total calorie intake is the first step but making sure you are eating the right amount of each macro-nutrient {protein, carbohydrates and fats} is the next. Failing to eat adequate amounts of protein will result in protein imbalance which will make it not only difficult to build muscle but your body will find it hard to maintain the muscle you have.

3. Carbohydrates ARE NOT the enemy
Complex carbohydrates are an essential part of any muscle building diet. Our body's preferred source of energy is cards. In a nutshell the body stores carbohydrates as glycogen in your liver and in your muscle tissues. Post-workout, when the body needs energy, the stored supply is utilised via conversion of carbohydrates and sugar into ATP or energy through the process of glycolysis.
If you have a high metabolism and have problems putting on weight, chances are your body is burning through its supply of carbohydrates quickly and efficiently. When carbohydrate levels are low, the body will switch from glycolysis to the process known as gluconeogenisis, which is the conversion of protein into carbohydrates as an energy source. This means it may begin utilising your hard-earned muscle for fuel. However, if you are providing your body a sufficient amount of complex carbohydrates {30-40% of your caloric intake depending on the speed of your metabolism as a guide} you will be able to maintain muscle and fuel recovery, repair and muscle building.
Choose complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly and provide {low GI} sustained energy between meals. Good selections include oats, brown rice sweet potato and legumes.

4. Eat fat = lose fat
Being deficient of fat in the diet, particularly Essential Fatty Acids {EFAs}, can impede muscle building. EFAs help to preserve muscle tissue and even decrease body fat. They can also assist in amino acid uptake, increase insulin sensitivity, provide building blocks for growth factors, boost testosterone production and assist with transport of important nutrients in and out of the cells.

Try adding a portion of fat to each meal; avocado, olive oil, butter, nuts. The right kind of fats will have you feeling fuller for longer which will stop you snacking in between meals and/or over eating at the next meal!

 

5. Post Work Out growth

Do you leave the gym feeling hungry and tired? Then hear is the tip you have been waiting for! For about an hour after we finish our work-out we have an "anabolic window" and it is imperative we feed our body the nutrients it needs to recover and build muscle. Aim to consume a 2::1 ratio of carbs and protein post work out to kick start muscle protein synthesis and increase testosterone production. A good amount would be 60grams of carbs and 30grams of protein; pack a protein shake, a banana and a few rice cakes in your gym bag and away you go!

As women we are already at a slight disadvantage when it comes to muscle growth. We need the hormone testosterone to be able to build muscle and women only produce approximately 0.5mg per day whilst men produce 6 to 8mg per day. That's why it is so important to tick all the other important muscle building boxes so your all hard work in the gym doesn't go to waste!

If you have any questions about my top tips or would be interested in receiving further guidance on nutrition please don't hesitate to get in contact with me here.

Great outdoors...

I recently wrote a guest blog on the website Muscle Mayhem on the benefits of doing some of your training outdoors. I never shared the blog so here it is...

What is your morning constitution? Do you even have one? Would you like one? Do you even know what the phase “morning constitution” means? It’s a beautiful phrase, one that I have heard many times before from the older generation. A constitution refers to a person’s health and vitality.

 

 

For me, my morning constitution is my gym session. I have no issue spending an hour each morning lifting and it is something I look forward to. For others, an hour in the gym would be a form of torture. Many find it so outrageously boring that they very rarely reach the goals they set out to achieve when they take out a gym membership.

Exercising indoors is a relatively new phenomenon. When you think back to our primal selves, exercise came from hunting and gathering, climbing, digging, throwing and running. Nowadays with the advancement of technology we see so many people walking or running on a treadmill inside the gym which is their form of exercise.

Is this better than getting outdoors for your walk or run? The answer is a definite no. The treadmill fails to activate your glutes and hamstrings in the same way that the outdoor ground will. So this is one benefit for taking your running outside but there are so many more benefits to training in the great outdoors!!

 

 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from natural sunlight. Vitamin D is a nutrient you can obtain for free and it prevents osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and even effects diabetes and obesity. Probably one of my top reasons for getting out of the gym and into the sun!

Endorphins

Who doesn’t love those feel good hormones!!?? And training outdoors has been associated with higher levels of these chemicals which are produced in the pituitary gland and hypothalamus during exercise. Another natural and beneficial chemical that the body produces is Serotonin. Exposure to sunlight helps boost Serotonin levels which in turn helps you feel calm, alert and capable.

 

Clean Air

We all know how air-conditioning is the perfect breeding ground for germs so why not avoid the winter colds that are currently circulating and enjoy the fresh outdoor air. Fresh air is refreshing and invigorating due in large to the rich negative ion content. Negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain and have been linked to an improved sense of well-being, increased alertness, decreased anxiety and a lower resting heart rate.

Burning the calories

Time to bust out of that fitness rut and shock your body by mixing things up with some more challenging terrain. Training outdoors challenges your body to move in more varied and complex ways which in turn will increase your calorific burn.  You may also be pleasantly surprised at how quickly time flies outside of the gym. Changing your routine, seeing new faces, taking in the scenic shrubbery can all help combat exercise boredom and before you know it, you’ve doubled your workout to 60 minutes instead of the normal 30 minute treadmill slog.

Ready to rock

The great outdoors is ready whenever you are! No gym opening or closing times to worry about. No class schedules. No waiting around for a treadmill to become available. When you get outside of your front door, the outdoors is there to greet you with open arms!

 

So what are you waiting for?