Category: fitness

Fitness Update

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Recently I have received some messages with questions about how my gymming has been going and what I have been up to since I last posted about fitness.

I started going to the gym around March time and you can read my first post about it here. Basically since then not much has changed however, I have gotten more consistent with going to the gym and I am still with my Personal Trainer. I haven’t hit my goals yet, but I am well on my way there.

Fitness

Today I wanted to write about my brain in relation to getting up and going to the gym. I figured that as soon as I started seeing results that my motivation would grow and grow and I wouldn’t need to force myself to go. It’s quite the opposite. If anything I am struggling more with finding motivation to attend the gym and go to my classes, etc. but what keeps me going is how I feel after. I may feel like shit before I go or before I even leave the house, but what gets me up and at it is how free and good in myself I feel when I walk out of the gym knowing that I have accomplished something. That is the feeling I have been focusing on for the last few months. That is what keeps me motivated.

I will put together a list of what I do in the gym if that is of interest to anyone, more so to anyone who is a gym novice and maybe wants a few quick things that they could add into their own gym routine.

Diet

It’s not just going to the gym though, I have spent a lot of time looking into my diet and making changes to each meal to make it a healthier version. Now, I am no nutritionist and I genuinely know nothing other than the basics when it comes to food but I have tried to familiarise myself with the foods I should be eating and what I shouldn’t. I have stopped reading into fad diets and shakes and bullshit teas and created a healthy , enjoyable meal plan for myself.

The biggest change I have made is actually eating breakfast. For someone that loves food so much, I honestly don’t know why I skipped a meal. If I would have eaten anything, at most I would have had a Belvita bar which is basically a glorified biscuit. What’s crazy is that at the time I would have thought that a Belvita biscuit was healthy but now that I am familiar with macros and what I should and shouldn’t be eating in terms of carbs, etc now I know better.

I have become obsessed with porridge. Like, I get genuinely excited by porridge. I used to think of porridge or oats as something that people in prison would have eaten because it look so uninviting but oh my GOD, I was wrong. I love mixing different things into it to jazz it up a little, like banana and a spoonful of Nutella, or some berries and honey, or peanut butter and anything. The list goes on. One of the mistakes I was making with my diet is shockingly, I wasn’t eating enough and to be honest I’m still not but I am getting better!

If I have a little more time to make my breakfast I love some sourdough, avocado, bacon medallions and poached eggs. A few months ago that would have sounded like too much effort and my worst nightmare but now I swear, it makes me salivate. Before, when I would have had breakfast I would have had pancakes or toasted soda drenched in butter or cheese, still sounds great but these other things I am eating are making bigger changes and keeping me fuller for longer.

I could keep going about what I have been eating but that’s another post for another day.

Results

Similar to my most recent fitness related post Gym Update – One Month In I have laid out my results in the same way – like before and afters.

Weight
Starting weight 89kg – 14.01 stone
Updated weight 76.2kg – 11.9 stone

Measurements
Neck – 37cm – Now 35cm
Chest – 113cm – Now 101cm
Waist – 97cm – Now 89.5cm
Hips 116cm – Now 105cm
Thighs – 70cm – Now 63cm

If you are starting a fitness journey, I highly recommend writing your results down somewhere and measuring yourself. When I stand and look in the mirror I genuinely don’t see much of a difference but when I look at the above results it’s clear to see that there is a difference.


Gym Update – One Month In

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Following on from my last post, I Joined A Gym I have received several messages asking questions about what I am doing, what I am eating and how I’m feeling and whether or not I have seen any changes so I thought I would post a little update.

In case you haven’t read my last post, I’ll catch you up. Basically, I woke one day and decided I needed to do something regarding my lifestyle and exercising. I joined a gym and started with a fabulous Personal Trainer, Ryan Spence and have been going there for a month exactly now.

While I am wholly aware that a month is not a very long time at all, I have learned a lot about myself and my body in that short space of time. I learned that exercising is difficult but also extremely rewarding. I have never felt as good in my life and while some days it can be hard to fight a chips craving, that good feeling that I get makes it all so worthwhile.

So, what have I been doing? I have been doing 2 PT sessions each week and attending the gym as often as I can outside of that. In my PT sessions, Ryan has mapped out exactly what I should be doing and he takes notes on weights each week on what I have been lifting, etc. I love having someone there that knows exactly what they are talking about and I am so thankful for him as he puts so much energy and time into creating this workout plan for me as well as taking a great interest in my diet and giving me lots of helpful hints and tips along the way. I have found a love for certain machines that I find fundamentally bizarre. When I think back to a few weeks ago, the very thought of a rowing machine would actually make me GAG. Now, I can’t wait to get there and have a little cardio workout on it. There are a few things that I outright just don’t enjoy doing, stair master for example. Ryan had me on it and I really, really, really struggled on it and told him – without being too much a whine, that I didn’t like it. I was scared of his response at the time, like it was really bad of me that I didn’t want to do it, but he was like ‘okay, no sweat.’ There is not point in doing something if I am not enjoying it because I’ll not get that good feeling at the end of my session. I am still learning and have no idea what half the machines are called, so when anyone asks me what I’m doing I am like ‘the thing you climb up onto and kneel on and pull up with…’


What have I been eating?
The biggest and best change that I have made to my diet is actually eating breakfast. Like, what the hell why have I never done that before? Being someone that loves food so much – why on earth would I skip that meal? Working somewhere where my shift pattern changes every day it can be hard to eat at the right times of the day. For example, when I used to work 10.30-7 I wouldn’t eat before work and the first time I would eat that day would be about 12 or 12.30. Even then, it would be something straight from the vending machine and something quick like a sandwich or something from Cafe Nero, because I was lazy and it was close. Now before I start I have had breakfast, something relatively healthy and filling and my lunches are healthier choices too. Anything is better than a chocolate bar and a packet of crisps.
I am still struggling to hit my calories each day and eat as much as I should be but at the same time, the things that I am eating aren’t leaving me hungry. For breakfast, I have become obsessed with oats. Like, I must have had them every day now for the last few weeks! I love chopping a banana into it and a wee teaspoon of Nutella or peanut butter in there too to bulk up a little. Even a drop of honey, just to sweeten it up! For something bigger or more filling I will have some avocado on toast with some bacon medallions and a poached egg. My lunches are more about chicken with veg and brown rice and don’t vary too much. Or I have the rest of last night’s dinner. Dinner’s haven’t seen much change as Joel and I tend. to eat relatively healthy dinners anyway. It’s more my habits for my daytime eating and be prepared to bring things to work, having it ready to go the night before that has helped me the most.

Results
I had my measurements taken at the start, before I started any exercising and had my second measurements taken again last week. I can’t see any difference in myself, but looking at yourself every day, it can be hard to see the small changes. I have been taking photos of myself – before and after styles but they are not ready to be shown to the world just quite yet! In the meantime, I am happy to report that I have lost weight and my measurements are going down!

Weight
Starting weight 89kg – 14 stone
Updated weight 82.6kg – 13 stone

Measurements
Neck – 37cm – Now 36cm
Chest – 113cm – Now 104 *I did have an extra sports bra on so I think I was just squished!
Waist – 97cm – Now 94cm
Hips 116cm – Now 114.5cm
Thighs – 70cm – Now 67cm

Isn’t it amazing what not eating shite and exercising does for you, isn’t it?
I am still learning, there are probably things that I am still not doing right but the main thing is that I am progressing.

As always, I would love to hear from you – you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

I Joined A Gym

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I did it, I finally joined a proper gym. For a few months I attended a gym probably once a month and pissed my money down the drain as I was unhappy and still ate the same old shite instead of eating better and healthier. Fast forward to 2019 and it wasn’t so much a New Year’s Resolution as I don’t totally believe in them, as it was so much that I just woke up one day and thought ‘let’s do this.’

Some people will tell you that they looked in the mirror one day and couldn’t stand the sight of themselves so they decided to join a gym and get fit. Some people will stare at fitness accounts on instagram and join to look like them. Some people genuinely love fitness and therefore being a member of the gym is a given. For me, I didn’t have a revolutionary moment or a love for fitness and I tended to stay away from those fitness accounts on insta. I just woke up and decided that if I wanted a happier, healthier lifestyle then I had to make some changes.

Anytime Fitness gym opened up less than a 10 minute walk from my house and so I thought that that was perfect as then I would have no excuse to get there. I went to check out the gym and upon entering I was greeted with the nicest, most welcoming smile I have probably ever experienced. I had been a little scared before I went because I thought ‘Oh God, they are going to judge me because I am bigger than them.’ Legit the opposite.

I was shown around and told how each machine worked and was reassured that if I needed any help at all then I could just ask. I found this to be alien as in Pure Gym no-one spoke to me. After a few days I was starting to get into a routine and kind of enjoying it when I thought about looking in to Personal Training. I have had a personal trainer before but didn’t take it seriously enough and he never got me excited or motivated to come back for the next session.

Things could not be more different this time around. Ryan Spence was introduced to me via the gym and while I am still extremely new to this lifestyle – 2 weeks to be exact – I have never in my life felt happier and more confident. Ryan booked me in for a consultation (£30) where we basically had a casual chat and taking into account what I do for a living and my normal habits and past experiences he curated a plan for me. He is so informative and every session I learn something new, which I love! I want to know why I am doing these exercises and why I am eating these things so that if I stop going to a Personal Trainer I’ll be able to handle it on my own.

With my previous trainer he didn’t sit with me and take an interest in my eating which at the time I didn’t worry about but now I don’t know how a PT wouldn’t check in on your diet. Ryan did so much more than just check in on my diet, he worked out my macro splits and even put them into My Fitness Pal for me.

I’m still in the early stages of this path but the point is I am now one of those people I hated. Those ones that were happy all the time and took photos of themselves in the gym. Cringe. I can’t help it, I am one of them and now proud to be. Anyone that gives me shit in my DMs are just jealous and haven’t had their ‘let’s do this’ moment yet.

In case you are interested in pricing for Ryan Spence and the gym – if you’re local then you can check it out below.

One Off Consultant Fee – £30
One Session – £30
10 Sessions (2 Minimum Per Week) – £250
15 Sessions (3 Minimum Per Week) – £300

And if you want to train with someone

One Session – £50
10 Sessions (2 Minimum Per Week) – £400
15 Sessions (3 Minimum Per Week) – £525

I plan on documenting updating you on my progress, if you are interested then you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

You can also follow Anytime Fitness on Instagram here

If you are into fitness or have recently started a healthier journey I would love to hear from you!