Feeling Stylish

I thought that once I went freelance it would be easier to fit workouts into my daily life. I’m nearer the gym, it’s fine to sit at home a bit sweaty after a workout and my schedule isn’t always 9-5.

However, now that I only get paid for the time I work, it’s not as simple as just swanning off to the gym when I feel like it. I have to get everything done before I can even think about working out what to wear.

I have to think about how long I can take out of my day to gather my things, get changed, head to the gym, work out for 1-2 hours, go home, have a shower. That’s a huge portion of the day. I think I’ve got my head around it now, though, so here are a few tips for juggling fitness and work.

Early in the morning

Get up an hour early and go for a 30 minute jog. It sets you up for the day and you can do it in the area around your home. If you’re not one to go out running then perhaps do a workout video. The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred is amazing and just 30 minutes. If you want something a bit more challenging then go for the Insanity workout. It’s…. insane.

I normally get up at 7:30 (ish) but I find that if I get up at 6am, run three miles, shower and then get straight to work, I’m much more productive throughout the day.

Lunchtime quickie

You don’t need hours out of your day to get some fitness in. There are studios that offer 30 minute classes, if you’ve got one nearby then you should take full advantage of this.

If you don’t want to get too sweaty at lunchtime then perhaps just go for a walk around the block. It beats sitting at your desk, staring at your computer and eating a sandwich.

Don’t make excuses

• “I don’t have time to get to the gym.”
• “I don’t want to be sweaty at work.”
• “There’s no personal trainers near me.”
• “I can’t find any classes I want to go to.”
• “I know I need to workout but I can’t find the time.”

I’ve heard all of these numerous times, I’ve even made them, but now I have quick answers for every single one of them. If you don’t have time to go to the gym during the week, go at the weekends, or in the morning. A one hour workout is 4% of your day, just get up earlier or watch less televisions in the evenings.

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a gym that doesn’t have showers. If you don’t have time to shower just pile on the deodorant and change into clean clothes. You’ll smell fine.

That’s a lie. What about personal trainers that will come to you?

Then don’t go to a class. Go for a jog around the park.

Watch less TV, get up earlier. Stop being lazy, stop making excuses.

Watch this video, it’ll make you think hard about the next time you use any of those excused.

Convenience

Try and find the most convenient form of exercise you can. If you enjoy it, even better. Perhaps go for a personal trainer like those at Moose X-Training. They come to you. Wherever you are, whenever you want. They’re single-handedly giving you no excuse to not workout.

Motivation

Set yourself little challenges and goals that will keep you motivated. If you’re working towards a race or a certain body fat percentage then you’ll know that you’ll need to keep your fitness up. It’s much easier to make time for something when you know you have to do it.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a long time will know that I used to be obese. I weighed 17 stone and am 5’7″. I’m not going to go into how I lost all the weight, there’s plenty of information on that in the fitness and weight loss tags here on the blog. I just wanted to show you my transformation in a quick two minute video I put together.

It’s difficult to see the difference when you’re looking at my blog regularly (or, for me, looking in the mirror). I wanted to put this into one place so you could see true comparisons. I might be inviting haters for putting underwear photos of my on the blog but they’re on my Tumblr, so they’re already out there.

It’s been a difficult journey and I’m not ever done yet. My mental strength, though, has increased an insane amount. I’m stronger than i ever thought I could be and I’ve loved sharing it all through Feeling Stylish, on Twitter and on Tumblr.

I’ve got roughly two stone still left to lose but that’s not my ultimate goal. The real goal is to be fit, really fit. My fitness level was so low at the beginning of all this in 2009 that I’m still not fit, even after all these years of exercise. I’m pretty strong, I like lifting weights but my cardio and endurance levels are still a bit crap. I’m going to be working on them over the next few weeks and will hopefully experience some serious fat loss int he process.

If you have any questions about my weight loss, feel free to ask in the comments. I’ll reply to every one.

During the boot camp experience, I learned loads but I’ve been saving the biggest chunk of information for one post. On our final day Craig, boot camp trainer extraordinaire, gave us his top tips. These come from a man who has not only gone through his own weight loss journey but who also regularly changes people’s lives for the better.

He gave us these ten tips and I’ve expanded on them where I can. Of course, I’m not an expert, I’m just speaking from my experience (which is limited in some areas).

Nutrition

Fat loss is 80% about what food you eat. These tips are a good starting point.

Eat every 2-3 hours

This keeps your metabolism ticking over and stops your blood sugar from tanking. When it does drop we get all sorts of cravings that are very hard to ignore.

Eat balanced meals – 15% protein, 30% fats, 60% carbs

This includes snacks. Keep an eye on those percentages and learn which foods fit into which categories. You’re probably not eating as balanced a diet as you think.

Increase protein intake

Protein will keep you fuller for longer and will help to repair your muscles after a hefty workout session. Even if you don’t workout regularly, you should be getting about 1g of protein for every 1lb of lean weight. My lean weight (me minus any fat) is about 120lbs, which means I need 120g per day of protein.

I have to say, I really struggle to get near that number.

Reduce carbs

Carbs aren’t the enemy but you’re going to have more success with your fat loss if you reduce your intake. Especially simple carbs like white bread, potatoes, white rice and white pasta. If you need a ‘proper’ carb fix go for brown bread, rice or pasta. You’re less likely to get the huge sugar spike and drop that comes from eating lots of carbs.

Push it on for 21 days

It takes us 21 days to form a habit so keep going, after that it’ll get much, much easier. Just 16 days to go for me!

Training

Moving more is always good but follow these tips to get more from your workouts.

Stop isolating muscles

Bigger movements are going to work more muscles. A bicep curl will only work your bicep. However, big moves like burpees, bench presses, squats and deadlifts all work multiple muscle groups. Instead of focusing on ‘arm day’ try and get a full body workout every time you exercise.

No machines!

Weights machines were designed for people with injuries who needed to isolate a muscle group without moving another body part. Due to this they really do isolate muscles. Gyms caught onto these machines and saw them as an easy way to get people working out without having to have trainers there to direct them.

Head on over to the free weights section. It might be daunting at first but pick up those weights and do your moves. You’ll be working a wider range of muscles.

Stop LSD (long, slow distance training)

There are people who go to the gym and hop on the treadmill/cross trainer/bike and do the same time, speed and resistance as they always do. I always thought this was a bad idea, you’re not pushing yourself. However, when I read an article about why running makes you fat I thought it was a load of rubbish. But that article talks about just banging out the same 5k everyday and never improving.

Running doesn’t make you fat but long, slow distance training will. Try and better yourself on every run, add in some intervals or run as part of a circuit where you incorporate strength elements too.

Track your progress

This isn’t just about weight. The scales can be deceiving because you could be losing fat while putting on muscle. I’m not saying don’t weigh yourself but restrict it to once or twice a month.

You should also keep an eye on your measurements, you’re more likely to see a change here rather than on the scale.

Finally, measure performance. Did you better your 1k/5k/10k time? Can you lift more than you could last month? Did you manage another five reps?

Rest, rest, rest

Don’t over-train, give your muscles time to repair and get adequate sleep. Craig told us we’re ‘not sleeping, we’re healing’. While we sleep our muscles repair themselves. Get to bed early and you’ll be more than ready for that 6am start…

Thank you so much to No1 Boot Camp and Craig for educating us.

If there’s anything you agree or disagree with here, I’d love to hear your story in the comments below.

Going to No1 Boot Camp has affected me in ways I can’t even begin to explain. I’ve learnt so much, not just facts about nutrition and fitness but also about how strong I am – physically and mentally.

You are your only real competition

Generally, I don’t like competition. It upsets me. I don’t like to be the worst at something so, generally, I don’t even try. See: golf, go karting and running.

However, boot camp taught me that the only person I’m really competing against is myself. Can I finish all those reps in the allowed time limit? No, I was practically the last to finish but I gave it my all. Next time I will have improved and will be able to beat that timer!

The same goes for 5k times. It doesn’t matter that someone I know can do it in 25 minutes. I’m going to beat my 34 minute time.

You’re stronger than you think

I had no doubts I’d be able to flip a series of huge logs if I gave it my all. However, loads of the boot camp girls were sure they wouldn’t be able to flip over the biggest log. Every single one of us did it. Tiny beauty and fashion bloggers included.

Weight loss is 80% food and 20% fitness

This weekend reminded me that I really need to get on top of my eating habits or all this exercise isn’t going to get me anywhere.

Carbs aren’t bad but…

Reduce your intake, especially of white carbs like white bread, potatoes, white rices and bananas. They give you a sugar spike and subsequent dip that affects your will power, thought processes and metabolism. (More on that in a later post…)

Think big

You can’t spot reduce fat so instead of working on toning your biceps with curls, focus on bigger movements and bigger muscle groups. We’re talking full body workouts here that incorporate strength and cardio. I’m sorry but burpees might be key to this.

A little motivation goes a long way

It’s amazing how motivating it is to be shouted at by a trainer to keep going. You can get the same effect with a friend. If you are boxing, for example. When Ali and I were doing Hurricane Boxing at boot camp, we were cheering each other on, trying to get one another angry and were reminding each other to channel Rocky/Apollo.

If you can’t get a workout buddy then at least have someone online who can congratulate you for your hard work once you’re done. If you need someone, I am always on hand to talk about fitness, food and motivation over at Twitter.

You’re only cheating yourself

If you cheat, miss out reps or don’t do your best then it’s only yourself you are cheating. You’re burning fewer calories, toning fewer muscles and aren’t furthering yourself to your goal as much as you could be. Work as hard as you can, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.

Again, massive thanks to No1 Boot Camp and Travel Supermarket for letting me try something so inspiring.