Back with the Body Coach-SAS Month 1

So back in 2015 in the three months leading up to our wedding I done The Body Coach 90 Day Shift, Shape Sustain (SSS) plan, ending up in the best shape I had ever been, which you can read all about here.

From the end of the plan I generally maintained my new fitness and eating habits (and dress size), that was until Mr B and I bought our flat back in December 2016. In the two months leading up to us finally getting our keys we moved in with a friend and once we eventually moved into our flat we started working to make it how we wanted, which included a full bathroom makeover (you can read about that here) and knocking a wall down between the living room and kitchen to make it open plan. All in all it was a tough 6 months and it most definitely had an impact on my routine. I kept up with the gym but had began slowly started eating carbs with rest meals and eating other treats/takeaways when we were busy. I fell down with my prep, firstly as I didn't want to take over someone else kitchen, then second our own kitchen was a bit of a building site. I put 9lbs on (after having stuck at the same weight for the previous 2 years) and with that added on the inches I had previously lost.

Anyway, last month I decided I needed to get myself back on track so I signed up to The Body Coach Support And Sustain (SAS) 30 Day plan which is exclusively available to 90 Day SSS graduates. You can learn about and sign up to the plan here but in simple terms you get 4 weeks worth of training plans, 20 recipes and macro calculated lists on ingredients to make your own recipes. Perfect. It works on a rolling contract so when you submit your measurements and pictures at the end of the month you decide whether you want to pay for the next month.

4 weeks later, 1.5kgs (3.3lbs) lighter and 1 inch smaller, here are my results from month 1:

Now I know, the room/lighting/bra is different but I am going to try and keep that consistent for each month going forward. I was just in a  rush to start month 1 so asked my husband to take these first pictures quite late one evening.

I'm happy with the progress as I think my bum seems more defined and there seems to be less fat at the top of my back.

My favourite things about the plan

Structure in the gym. Before signing up I had been following the year one challenge from Michael Matthews, which you could argue is structured, but I feel like it was getting so repetitive and boring so this felt like a breath of fresh air. 

Price/value for money. For half the price of one PT session I feel like this is an absolute bargain!

Favourite workout

Leg Day (always)

Favourite meals

From the set recipes:

For rest day it would have to be Coconut Porridge, which you may have guessed this if you ever watch my Instagram stories, I'm obsessed! It's a low carb alternative to porridge, super easy to make and sooooo delicious.

My fave post workout breakfast was the french toast with berries (I used frozen)...

This one was more of a weekend treat though, to keep it simple in work I tended to stick with chicken sausages on a bagel for post workout breakfasts (not so pretty to photograph).

Favourite meal I made myself from the list of set ingredients:

Rest Meal: Bolognese with Courgette (sometimes courgetti). I tend to exercise in the mornings so the only carb meals I get are breakfast which means I need major inspiration for low carb evening meals. This is easy to make and can be done in bulk so you have meals ready for a few days.

One thing I learned this month

Having to submit pictures and measurements is a major motivator for me.

One thing I'll improve on next month

Be more varied, I have been quite organised in planning meals this month (even when I've had meals out *or two hen parties to go to* I've known ahead what I will eat) however, I have tended to stick to maybe 4 or 5 go to meals max...next month I hope to use the other books I have (including the new one which I haven't made anything from yet) and try to come up with some different meals using my given ingredients list as a guide.

I'm now actually three weeks into month 2 (it took me too long to get round to writing this) and will be posting on my progress each month. I'd love to hear from anyone already taking part in this plan. Any tips, let me know in the comments below.

xx J xx

Surviving the Festive Season

The Festive Season is here, and with it comes lots of celebrations...team nights out, office parties, Christmas meals with friends. That's before you even factor in Christmas itself. I don't know about you but my December is pretty booked up already and everything seems to revolve around eating and drinking.

All of the rich foods, drinking and late nights takes its toll on our bodies both inside and out. So how do we go about surviving this mince pie mine field...?

Well, this is my plan:

Healthy Holidaying

A lot of us live for our holidays, those couple of weeks each year where we can just relax away from home and work, in the sunshine. Just because you take time off though, doesn't mean you need to take time off from your healthy lifestyle. I follow these few tips in order to stop myself from over indulging;

1-Keep Hydrated

Our bodies are made up of about 60% water. Drinking water is important; it flushes out toxins, clears your skin, and fills you up so that you only eat when you are actually hungry. I'm not quite a gallon a day kind of girl but I do tend to get at least 2 litres in on an average day.

When away on hotter climates than our beloved UK it is more important than ever to keep hydrated. It helps your body regulate your temperature and if you drink enough it should prevent those holiday hangovers.

2-HIIT

High Intense Interval Training (HIIT) isn't just the most effective (in my humble opinion) form of exercise for fat loss, it's actually easy to fit in. On your balcony, in the hotel room, at the beach. You really don't need much space, or time. Most HIIT sessions last between 15 and 30 minutes...easy to fit in before breakfast so that you feel less guilty tucking into those pastries.

3-Low Carb

When I'm away I tend to stick to low carb foods, unless I've fitted in a HIIT. On holiday I usually find this easier to stick to than I do when I'm back at home. When the sun is shining the idea of a huge salad for lunch is actually amazing. Fresh seafood and veggies for dinner, yes please.

4-Less Cocktails

Wait, hear me out. I'm not saying I don't have any cocktails while I am on holiday. I love a frozen strawberry daiquiri as much as the next girl. However, I do, these days think of such drinks more like empty calories. Calories that could have been spent elsewhere, like on yummy food. So I do tend to stick to my beloved G&T whilst away. I have found, that for some reason when you are on holiday slimline (or diet) tonic doesn't seem to exist and have actually sometimes resorted to gin & soda (you get used to the taste) rather than have the full calorie version.

5-Guilt Free

You are on holiday after all, so if you do decide to miss a HIIT one day, have those carbs anyway or have a few too many Mai Tai...let it go. Enjoy yourself and get back on the bandwagon the next day. Just don't make it a whole week of guilt free craziness that you will only regret when you get home.

I'd love to hear about your tips to staying healthy when you're away...

My 90 days with The Body Coach

Picture borrowed from @TheBodyCoach instagram

Unless you have been living in a bubble I am pretty sure that you will have heard of Joe Wicks and the instagram sensation that is 'Lean in 15'. If not, well, in a nutshell Joe is a personal trainer who exploded in popularity following his 15 second instagram videos claiming to be able to get people lean by eating more and exercising less using simple recipes and high intense interval training (HIIT). I know what you are thinking, sounds too good to be true.

Well, a friend in work had mentioned his instagram account to me last year so I followed him for a while, like a lot of people, wondering whether the transformations he posted were too good to be true. It was less than four months before our wedding, I had been training harder than I ever had before and was not getting the results I wanted so I thought, what have I got to lose?