tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263899250209331072024-03-05T06:50:07.480+00:00Amy Elizabeth | Manchester Heath and Lifestyle BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-8766642647704131242016-04-07T16:16:00.000+01:002016-04-07T18:47:51.810+01:00Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Raw 'Nakd' Bars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">If you are a frequent reader of my blog, or follow me on instagram, then you will already be aware of the number of allergies that I live with. Along with these, I try to limit my refined sugar intake as much as possible. However, this can really limit food options, especially when you want more of a 'treat'. Having discovered Nakd bars fairly soon after my wheat allergy diagnosis I became a woman obsessed. As nice as these raw, gluten free and refined sugar free treats are, they come with a pretty hefty price tag and the pennies soon add up if you are frequently purchasing them. Because of this, and having noticed that a number of the bars contain very few ingredients I was inspired to try and make my own, combining my two favourite flavours 'Cashew Cookie' and 'Cocoa Crunch' to make my own 'Cocoa Cookie' flavour.</span></div>
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<u>Ingredients (makes approximately 14 bars):</u></div>
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250g pitted dates</div>
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165g cashews</div>
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1 tablespoon raw cacao powder</div>
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40g gluten free soya crispies (can be substituted for rice crispies)</div>
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20g 90% or more dark chocolate</div>
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<u>Method:</u></div>
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1. Use a food processor or Nutribullet to blend the cashews into powder form (depending on how smooth or rough you want the texture of your bars you can leave these as slightly larger chunks)</div>
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2. Add the dates to the processor and blend together</div>
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3. Add the crispies and cocoa powder and blend once more</div>
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4. Press your mixture into a baking tray or into a loaf tin and press down hard to compress the mixture into the corners. This is a sticky process but the stickiness of the dates is what holds your bars together so don't worry if this seems a bit messy!</div>
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5. Melt your dark chocolate and drizzle or spread over the top of your baking tray mixture.</div>
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6. Place in the fridge for 5 hours, or freezer for 1 hour to let the bars set</div>
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7. Cut and serve :)</div>
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(These are best kept refrigerated and will last for around a week after making!)</div>
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Each of these bars is gluten free, refined sugar free, raw and super easy to make! Leave your comments below and let me know if you've tried making these yourself and what you think!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-88570653915804536542016-03-21T22:52:00.001+00:002016-03-21T22:52:57.386+00:00A Very Honest Explanation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is pretty hard not to notice that over the past few months my blog posts have been far less frequent, and truth be told I have intentionally put my blog on the back burner (a decision that was not easy for me to make, but sacrifices needed to be made and priorities chosen and after everything I've been through there was no question that my own mental and physical health had to come first). There was a time when my blog was the best thing in my world. I saw it as my baby: my little corner of the internet where I could write about my journey, write advice, review products... and amazingly people actually seemed interested in what I had to say. And then life got in the way, and blogging no longer felt like an outlet, but a chore. Not blogging manifested as a feeling of guilt, and my blog became one more stress in my already overwhelmingly stress filled life. A sad line to have to write at 22 years of age. I came to accept that maybe that was the way of the modern world. Maybe nowadays stress was paramount to success and survival in this increasingly fast paced generation. But really it isn't.</div>
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When I started my blog I made myself a promise to always stay true to myself... to never post for the sake of posting, to never project an opinion that I did not 100% believe to be true. And recently I realised that whilst I was writing about the importance of health and self love, I was actually failing to follow my own advice. I have unintentionally placed myself back in a series of increasingly stressful situations, I have over committed myself and refused to let go of the reins for fear of letting someone down. A feeling all too synonymous to the beginning of the slippery slope that caused this journey to 'recovery' in the first place. A slope that left me in a place far away from the peak of my health and happiness, and a place I am not willing to let myself knowingly and willingly slide back to.</div>
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As a result I ended up draining myself. Including time spend commuting I was working roughly 48 hours a week, I was maintaing this blog, I was doing freelance graphic design work, completing university assignments and presentations, meal prepping and trying to fit in intense training sessions practically seven days a week. I was waking up at 5.45 every morning, and not walking back through the door until 8 or 9 o'clock at night, at which time university work would be worked on until around 11 when I would finally allow myself some down time if I was lucky, before fitting in that 6 hour maximum sleep and starting all over again. Whilst all this was going on, unbeknownst to me my iron levels were slowly draining, eventually reaching the point I am now at with practically no iron storage whatsoever. It hit me like a ton of bricks; one day I was fine... the next I could barely get out of bed. My body decided that enough was enough. As much as it's breaking my heart inside to take this time off from training and blogging (my two biggest passions), the whole situation really opened my eyes to the stress that I was putting my mind and body under every single day. I regard my health in such high importance, having come from the place I have come from and travelled the journey that I have and it's heartbreaking to feel like this year of hard work could be snatched away in a matter of weeks if I don''t really take this time off to look after myself.</div>
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In a few weeks my life will be freed up a lot more; I finish my job and for the first time will have far fewer commitments. I plan to use that time to reconnect with my blog, to truly commit to my strength, training and health and most importantly to really look after myself.</div>
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So why blog now? Because I had an urge to. An overwhelming urge to write; and for the first time in months it felt like how it used to. Something so passionate came into my head that I couldn't not manifest it in some way. That, and the fact that I really appreciate my followers bearing with me and I felt like you all deserved an explanation. </div>
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I'll be back. I promise.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-12536299335939162202016-02-28T13:45:00.001+00:002016-02-28T14:04:41.061+00:00Why We Seriously Need To Stop Body Shaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The images above are my body. A body that has been abused for years, a body that has starved and a body that has binged. A body that has been called too fat and too thin. A body that has been too weak and a body that has been pushed to its limits to gain strength. The image on the left; a photo taken nearly two years ago, a photo that I thought I looked fat in, a photo where my spine didn't stick out enough, a photo which encouraged me to drop another half stone. The two images on the right; photos taken a few days ago; photos depicting 14 months of hard work, a two stone weight gain and an immeasurable increase in strength. Despite the drastic physical difference, both these images have something in common: they are both bodies that have been shamed and criticised. Fat shaming, fit shaming, skinny shaming. Call it what you want, the bottom line is we are constantly judging people based on their physical appearance. And that is something that is not ok.</div>
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Being judged is never nice. It is harsh and cruel and can lead to so many lasting damaging results; you wouldn't call someone fat to their face because you understand how hurtful this could be, so why is it any different to see someone underweight and say the same thing? Why is 'muscly' a negative adjective to use when speaking about a woman? </div>
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My answer? society. On a daily basis we are inundated with juice fads, new diets to try, new instagram filers and apps to remove any flaws. We are bombarded with ways to make our lives, our bodies and our social media accounts 'perfect', without giving a second thought to what 'perfect' actually entails. I remember a little less than a year ago I was sat in bed one morning scrolling through twitter when one tweet in particular caught my eye. It said 'real men like meat, only a dog wants a bone'. The sad reality of that tweet is that wasn't just one conceited opinion, it was a tweet that voiced what the majority of society today believes; because s<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 22.44px;">ociety has come to develop the idea that 'real women' are curvy and we mustn't all feel obliged to conform to size zero. Although I am all for positive role models showing off different body shapes, that doesn't mean that someone who is naturally petite or lacking in curves can't be beautiful too. Why does it have to be one or the other? Just because I was severely underweight, or just because now my body has muscle, it does not make me less of a woman than anyone else. Why does the fact that I am not naturally curvy detract from my ability to be a human being? </span></span></span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 22.44px;">If 'real women' are curvy, then what am I? </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 22.44px;">Women have fought for years for equality, the vote, better jobs, the right to earn the same as men, and yet we sit here 2016 and still manage to degrade everything they fought for by tweeting that a 'real woman' is not defined by her achievements but by her <u>body shape</u>. </span></div>
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Time and time again influential women's achievements are degraded due to someone's opinion on their body. Rebecca Adlington is an olympic medalist yet got more press in 2013 for the appearance of her nose during her stint in I'm A Celebrity than her sporting achievements the previous year. Jesy Nelson of Little Mix fame is constantly up against a barrage of social media abuse regarding her size despite the fact she is an incredibly talented young woman. Cheryl Cole was constantly shamed for being too thin during her appearance on last year's X-Factor, without anyone giving a second thought to the fact she might have been battling with numerous personal issues. However, as awful as this trolling and laughing at other people's physical appearance is, t<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 22.44px;">he worst part of the situation is the fact that we live in a culture where girls actually bond over body shaming themselves. Not only is it expected for us to laugh at fat women, skinny shame thin women, throw insults at muscly women, but we are expected to dislike our own appearance too.</span></div>
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For years I hated my body. I have cried countless tears wanting to lose weight, gain muscle, tone up, reduce body fat; the list is endless. But over time and through experiences I have learnt to love my body. I know now that my body is just that: mine. The beautiful thing about the female body is that it comes in so many different shapes and sizes, so instead of focusing on everyone else not conforming to perfection, focus on making your body the best version of yourself that you can be. There is no standardisation of beautiful, no amount of diet and exercise will make your legs longer, your hips wider, your boobs bigger, your height smaller. So it's about time we stop bullying each other for things far out of our control.</div>
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Last year, I spent *approximately* 546 hours in the gym. During this time my body underwent an enormous physical transformation, something not gone unnoticed by some of the regular gym attendees. Recently, I have received a plethora of incredibly positive comments from members and staff alike, such as; 'you have completely transformed your body shape and you look amazing for it', 'you've gained so much healthy weight', 'I've never seen you look so happy in the 18 months that I've known you' and 'You put us all to shame with how hard you train'. However, as nice as it is to hear these compliments there are a large number of people who do not understand the core reason behind why I spend so much time in the gym, and along the way I was victim to a number of negative comments such as 'you're obsessed with exercise', 'they shouldn't let people as skinny as you join a gym' and 'you're not strong enough to lift that, you'll do yourself a mischief trying'. Did those people ever stop to think that if they hadn't let 'some one as skinny as me' join the gym then I would probably still be sat at home 12kg lighter and immeasurably unhealthier. Don't judge a book by its cover; just because I'm small it doesn't mean I'm not mighty. </div>
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The body above has been through a lot. I am proud of every part of that body, but that body does not define me. I am defined by my mind, my heart, my passion, my education and my strength, and you should be too.</div>
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'If only our eyes saw souls instead of bodies how different our beauty ideals would be'</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-89450464475612229172016-02-07T07:27:00.001+00:002016-02-07T07:27:10.936+00:00Happy Second Birthday to Amy Elizabeth!<div style="text-align: center;">
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I think it's safe to say that I have had a pretty incredible two years of blogging, and I am so grateful to every person who has been a part of the journey. If someone would have told me on the 7th February 2014 when I finally publicised this blog that Amy Elizabeth would have grown to what it currently is I would have never believed it. Over 12,000 of you are now reading or following Amy Elizabeth in some way! My blog is my passion, I'd love nothing more than to spend hours every day writing, photographing and perfecting Amy Elizabeth, admittedly something that I used to do, until life got in the way as it so often does. Although my blog posts have grown less frequent as life as become more stressful, my blog is still such an integral part of my daily routine and I will continue to blog for as long as I can reach out and make a difference to even one single person.</div>
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Below, I have complied a short list of the biggest highlights and most important things I have learnt so far:</div>
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1. Award shortlists - This time last year I was in complete shock at having received two national award shortlists... little did I know that I'd be sat here a year later with FIVE national blog award shortlists to my name. Absolutely incomprehensible. The two award ceremonies that I have been able to attend so far were some of the proudest moments of my life, and believe me it is not often I will admit I am proud of myself. Only a few weeks ago it was revealed that I have been shortlisted to win 'Best Lifestyle Blog' in the 2016 UK Blog Awards, a blog title that would mean the absolute world to me, I cannot wait to head to the awards in April so keep your fingers crossed!</div>
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2. Confidence - It's a scary thing publishing yourself so openly and honestly on the internet. You are opening yourself up to attack from potentially millions of people who have the opportunity to voice their opinions from the safety of hiding behind their laptop. For a few months I told no one about my blog, terrified of the backlash that I could potentially receive. It only takes a minute of scrolling through twitter to learn that the internet is not always a friendly place. However, my inital reservations could not have been more wrong. The community of the blogging world is incredible and the support between bloggers is so genuine. Hand on heart, the bloggers I have had the absolute pleasure of meeting and attending events with are some of the kindest, most genuine people I have ever met and I am proud to say they are my friends. Feeling accepted by this community has worked wonders for my confidence, and seeing my stories being greeted with such a positive response is such an overwhelming feeling.</div>
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3. Blog like no one is reading - A point I wrote about in my 'Happy First Birthday' post, but one that couldn't be more true to this day: 'The turning point for Amy Elizabeth came when I stopped worrying about what every reader was thinking about my content. I stopped writing for the sake of publishing posts, and started writing for myself. The enjoyment I get now when I publish something personal, lifestyle or advice based and receive an overwhelming amount of positive responses is exponential. The idea that even one person is taking the time to not only read what I have to say, but comment on how it has helped or inspired them in some way is enough to make me want to continue blogging for as long as anyone is willing to read it.'</div>
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From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much once again. I promise that over the next 12 months my blog will become much more of a priority and I hope that you continue to want to read what I have to say!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-39125560853608751702016-02-06T13:34:00.000+00:002016-02-06T13:34:46.930+00:00#IIFYM: Flexible Dieting Explained<div style="text-align: center;">
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I think it's safe to say that over the course of my life I've had a pretty love-hate relationship with food. I have a number of food allergies, meaning I never saw food as something I was able to enjoy. Food was a chore and something that even to this day I have never been overly excited about. Throughout my life I have covered pretty much every extreme from placing my body in a state of starvation to binging on nothing but sugar.</div>
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The problem with trying to maintain a healthy diet is the amount of conflicting information available to us on what exactly we should be eating. On a daily basis we are bombarded with new 'healthy' diets, weight loss tips and fad detoxes, just this week at work I saw the Daily Telegraph's article about how 'eating chocolate cake for breakfast can help you lose weight', and only a few weeks back it was reported in the media that black pudding is the new 'superfood' of 2016... The thing people often forget is that your body is a machine, and food should be seen as fuel: put good quality fuel in and your machine will run far more efficiently.</div>
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When I started training I changed my eating habits drastically, cut sugar, tried to stay away from snacking and generally stuck to what I assumed, due to the plethora of lies fed to us by the media, to be a 'healthy diet'. However it only took a few days of actually tracking my macronutrients to discover that my balance was actually way off.</div>
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If you have never heard of #IIFYM before, (short for 'if it fits your macros'), then at first glance the whole thing can seem incredibly confusing or daunting, admittedly it is only in the past month or so that I have actually got my head round it but now it makes meal planning and snacking so much easier, knowing that everything I am eating completely fits into my plan, and I have never felt more comfortable with eating in my whole life.</div>
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<u>What exactly is a macronutrient?</u></div>
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In short, macros stands for macronutrients, the three main nutrients our body needs for survival: protein, fat and carbohydrates. Since following my IIFYM plan I know that everything entering my body is equating to the exact right amount of protein, carbs and fat for my training... because of this it removes any 'guilt' feeling associated with food at all, as I know my body NEEDS the macronutrient ratio I am feeding it.</div>
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<u>Step One: Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate</u></div>
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Your BMR is basically the amount of calories your body burns at rest, or the amount of calories required for all your bodily functions to function whilst maintaining your weight and doing no physical activity. The easiest way to work this out is using the calculation below:</div>
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For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5</div>
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For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161</div>
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<u>Step Two: Factor in your lifestyle</u></div>
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You now need to combine this BMR number with how active your lifestyle is to work out you Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This number will equal the total amount of calories that your body will burn on a daily basis, including all exercise and factoring in how strenuous your job is, i.e. if you have a sedentary job but do intense exercise 6-7 times a week (like me), you times your BMR by 1.375 to work out your TDEE... (but don't worry about working this bit out just yet, I'll pop a link below that does the whole thing for you).</div>
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<u>Step Three: Work out your Macros</u></div>
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To simplify, 1g of carbs = 4 calories, 1g of protein = 4 calories, 1g of fat = 9 calories. Once you know the total amount of calories your body needs per day, you can work out how many calories need to come from each macro depending on your end goal. For muscle gain follow a 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat ratio with a 20% increase on your TDEE calorie recommendation. For maintenance you want to stick to a 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat ratio hitting your TDEE, and for fat loss you want to follow a ratio similar to 40% carbs, 40% protein, 20% fat eating a calorie deficit of around 10% your TDEE, so for me this entails eating 151g of carbs, 151g of protein and 35g of fat per day. The easiest way to track this? Download an app (I use My Fitness Pal), and use the nutrition wheel to track that you are consuming the correct amount of these three nutrients.</div>
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To easily calculate your macros click this <a href="http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutrients_calculator.htm" target="_blank">LINK</a> (source: www.bodybuilding.com)</div>
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The reason this makes your diet so much easier (even though it sounds ten times harder) is that within your macros you can eat WHAT EVER YOU WANT. And funnily enough, I am actually finding food <i>fun </i>for the first time in my life.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-13943354571879110032016-01-31T21:20:00.000+00:002016-01-31T21:42:24.043+00:00Health vs. Aesthetics<div style="text-align: center;">
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'Exercise because it feels good. Exercise because it makes you happy. Don't exercise because you're terrified that you ate too much for dinner. Don't exercise because you hate the way your body looks in the mirror. Loving yourself will get you so much further than hating yourself.'<br />
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I love everything about the gym. I love the social aspect, the therapy aspect, the feeling of pain when you're pushing yourself to your absolute limits but still manage to continue. I love the feeling of accomplishment when you complete a workout, the feeling of success when you hit a new PB. Most importantly I love feeling fit, healthy and strong. Yet something I have recently realised is that very few people go to the gym for the above reasons. People care so much more about what they look like than how healthy they are. People glorify looking a certain way but don't actually care about their health.</div>
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My boyfriend is a Personal Trainer and Gym Instructor; he encounters hundreds of people from a wide variety of ages, genders and lifestyles on a daily basis. I can almost guarantee that 90% of the inductions carried out over the past five years of his career have been centred around one goal: aesthetics. 'I want to lose *X* stone', 'I want abs', 'I want to tone up'... Never does anyone say 'I want to become fit and healthy and if I lose some excess weight as a result then I'll be happy'. And why? Because ultimately people don't care. Why don't they care? Because society teaches girls that having abs is far more important in life than being healthy.</div>
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One of the biggest problems with focusing so much attention on these aesthetic or numerical goals is that in time your happiness becomes dependent upon them. You lose three pounds in your first week and life is great, then your weight loss plateaus and you lose all motivation and actually start to feel incredibly down about yourself. Instead of judging progress by the scales or how your body looks, judge it by performance. Today I completed an ab workout, a boxercise class, a spinning class and swam 100 lengths. A year ago I would have struggled to even do half a spinning class. My deadlift PB is 87.5kg, when a year ago I struggled to lift the 4kg kettlebell. And that is something to be proud of. THAT is something to base your goals on.</div>
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The media has the power of dictating humanities perception of beauty, but the fact is women all too willingly jump on the bandwagon in tearing each other down. I firmly believe that women are strong and powerful and deserve to be treated equally and fairly not only by the opposite sex but by each other. Unfortunately, amongst other things, women are exceptionally good at tearing each other down. Yes, the magazines say 'she's too thin', 'she's too fat', 'she's too muscly', but who is it that continues to buy these magazines keeping them in business? Women. Women who know how hard it can be to be at peace with your body in this perfection obsessed world. When did it become acceptable to judge someone else on their appearance, because that is not a world that I am happy to exist in.</div>
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Over the past year I have worked incredibly hard to change my outlook on life, shift my priorities from worrying about trivial things to focusing on important things like family and health. It is all too easy to forget that what is going on inside your body is far more important than what it looks like on the outside, and it only takes a quick look at my medical history to know my inside needed some serious work. As a result? I've gained 11 whole kilograms. I GAINED weight, and a lot of it, yet I am HEALTHIER than I have ever been in my life.</div>
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The point I am really trying to make is that I wish women would stop glorifying a particular body shape or size and in the process diminish someone else's self confidence. What is important is your health, not the number sewn into the clothes you are wearing. You deserve to be respected, you deserve to be happy and most importantly you deserve to be healthy.</div>
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Train hard, eat clean and abs or not, be proud of how your body adapts as a result... Beauty doesn't have a weight limit.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-76809112393671513682016-01-27T10:28:00.001+00:002016-01-27T10:28:11.174+00:00There is no Excuse for Being Unhealthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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'Happiness is an inside job, don't let anyone else take that much power over your life.'</div>
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Your priorities are not what you say they are, they are revealed by the way in which you choose to live your life. I spent so many years of my life trying to achieve things for other people's happiness; living, reacting and responding to other peoples opinions. It wasn't until a therapist who was incredibly instrumental in a lot of the changes I've made told me that to care for yourself, to prioritise your own happiness and to most importantly love yourself how you wish to be loved by another is not selfish; it is essential for a mentally healthy and fulfilling life... Yet how many of us actually take time to make <i>ourselves</i> a priority? Sometimes you have to take a step back to realise what's important to you in life... sometimes it takes an awful event to spark a realisation that change is necessary... however it may be that you decide on what matters most to you, the thing to remember is that you and you alone are responsible for your own actions.</div>
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Sadly, health is something taken for granted, something that goes unappreciated until it has gone and only when we have a diagnosis do we begin to become concerned about it. Health is a luxury, and we should treat it as one, but unfortunately we live in a world where money and success are prioritised above health and happiness. People are full to the brim with excuses for why health is not a priority to them, to why they 'needed' that chocolate bar, to why their life is just too stressful to worry about their diet and fitness too. But what people fail to understand is that all of this goes hand in hand... feel stressed? Exercise. Feel sluggish? Eat nutritious food. Making your body happy on the inside goes a very long way in helping you feel the same on the outside. Below I have compiled my list of answers to these countless excuses to prove that if you wish, you can always find time to prioritise your health.</div>
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1. 'Instead of 'I don't have time', try saying 'it's not a priority' and see how that feels'. -</div>
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Including time spent commuting, I work 53 hours a week, I am maintaining a first in my degree, running my blog and still have time to train six days a week (minimum), with some days involving both a morning and evening gym sessions and find time to meal prep. It is so important to dedicate time to your health. Remember: everyone has the same amount of hours in the day, it's not a case of not having time it's a case of not finding time. OK, so let's break it down... you work full time meaning at least 8 hours a day, in a less than ideal scenario your commute is two hours a day, in addition to this you want a good 8 hours sleep and you need an hour in the morning to get ready for work and make your lunch. That totals your current daily hours to 19, leaving a clear five hours left. Take off an hour or two for dinner and seeing friends and family and you still have three whole hours to binge on Netflix... obviously a bigger priority than your health right? </div>
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2. But then comes excuse number two 'I've worked hard and deserve time to chill'. - </div>
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Correct, down time and relaxation are also incredibly important for your health, but three hours a day EVERY DAY? Just in the 'working week' this totals 15 hours of 'Netflix' time, (not including the 48 hours of weekend freedom), and you're still convincing yourself you don't have time to fit in an hour of exercise? So yes, relax, unwind and take time for your mind to switch off but I promise this relaxation will be infinitely more beneficial after exercise. </div>
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3. Excuse number 3: I don't have enough money to join the gym -</div>
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Firstly there are a plethora of flexible gym memberships available for under £20 a month, costing you an average of 66p a day, or £4.66 a week. Skipping on that Starbucks once a week or having one less cocktail on a night out could fund a gym membership for a week. Even more, not buying that new £20 bargain dress could pay for a whole month. Ask yourself what's more important. If money really is a struggle it isn't even necessary to join a gym to stay fit and healthy. It costs absolutely nothing to go on a run, or even a walk and if you're not feeling confident to exercise in public you can always complete bodyweight based circuits in the comfort of your own home.</div>
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4. The worst one of all: I can't think of anything worse than spending my free time exercising -</div>
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Would you still feel that way when being treated in hospital for diabetes, heart disease or liver failure? In most people books I'd like to think an hours exercise here and there is infinitely more enjoyable than a lifetime of medical treatment to help minimise the irreversible damage to your health. When you take away your health you have nothing... in fact if your health really suffers you won't be able to see your friends or go on those nights out... but you will have infinite Netflix time. Which somehow doesn't seem so appealing when it's your only choice.</div>
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This blog post isn't meant to be a lecture or a moan, it's meant to be a plea. A request from me for you to spend some time to really assess what is important to you in this life. Remember: if it's important you'll find a way, if it's not you'll find an excuse.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-24706210588826518392016-01-07T21:57:00.001+00:002016-01-07T22:02:25.551+00:00Food is Fuel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dealing with weight gain can be hard, especially when you are eating a diet consisting solely of foods that most people would eat to lose weight. I have to admit that there have been times when I have questioned my training and my decision to allow my body to gain muscle, curves and size; Times when eating no sugar and only freshly home cooked meals has seemed arduous and nothing short of a bore; Times when I have seen people indulge in snacks and meals full of sugar and saturated fat and in my head would still have 'better bodies' than I did.<br />
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A confession: up until fairly recently, despite the huge changes in my body, strength and attitude, I have to hold my hands up and admit that there were days when I wasn't seeing progress or results. Don't get me wrong- I am immensely proud of everything I have achieved through my blog and fitness journey, but there were days or even weeks on end when sometimes I just felt like the effort I put in did not equate to the results I was getting back out. I didn't just give this whole healthy lifestyle a half hearted try, or make myself a lacklustre New Year's promise to eat a healthy diet and join a gym- I fully 100% committed every single aspect of my life to the decision I made. I do not drink alcohol, I rarely eat sugar, I pushed myself to my absolute limits in the gym around 300 times in 2015 alone, yet still there were days when all I saw was a <b>bigger</b> version of myself, and I am sad to admit, days when I was ashamed of myself.</div>
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Was everyone just looking at me and commenting on how 'big' I'd gotten? Did I even look like I went to the gym? How much food is too much? How much weight gain is too much? When I reach my target weight what do I do to stop myself continually gaining more?</div>
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Raw facts - when you go from nothing to something, you will see results, and you will see them quickly. Eventually, these will even out over time as your body becomes used to its new level of activity, and this then becomes the new 'norm' for your body. Everyone will hit a wall within their training and people will react differently when this happens to them. A plethora of different reasons can cause these hiccups, and although I was probably aware what was causing mine, it was something I was not 100% ready to admit to myself. Strangely enough, despite my weight gain, I discovered I still wasn't eating enough. I learnt a crazy lesson that eating more food does not necessarily equate to weight gain. Sugar and alcohol and saturated fat lead to weight gain- and more importantly lead to heart failure, liver disease and diabetes. So then I had this mini revelation - does a few extra pounds really matter if that weight is lean muscle? Yes, I could easily lose half a stone again and may feel more familiar in my body, but I would sacrifice by strength by doing so and that is not a risk I am willing to take... and funnily enough, since cutting sugar again and upping my protein intake, despite eating additional calories, I feel like my body looks better than it ever has before. </div>
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The bottom line is: Food is fuel. I remember being told once in a therapy session months and months ago 'your body is like a car, if you don't put petrol in it you can't function'. At the time the comment just washed over my head, but now I understand the true importance of that lesson. Looking ok on the outside does not equate to being healthy on the inside, and piling food into your body that is not going to nourish it will not allow you to become the fastest, fittest, strongest version of yourself.</div>
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People need to learn to stop being afraid of food (myself somewhat included), and by that I don't just mean people suffering with some sort of eating disorder. I mean anyone who would openly admit to taking the 'lazy' option when it comes to diet and health. I am currently the heaviest I have been in nearly four years, but I am also the strongest I have ever been in my life, and that is such an empowering feeling.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*P.S. I would absolutely love it if you'd click </span><a href="http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/amy-elizabeth" style="font-size: small;" target="_blank">HERE</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> and vote for me in the UK Blog Awards!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-29380218036076565012016-01-06T10:11:00.000+00:002016-01-06T10:11:47.126+00:00UK Blog Awards and BIG Beauty Giveaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a year last year was! I had no idea when starting my blog that it would ever get to the level it has now reached. The fact that I have managed to turn my three biggest passions: fashion, fitness and blogging into a platform which thousands of people are now following and regularly reading is really quite humbling. As a thank you, I want to run a big beauty giveaway worth over £40!*</div>
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In just short of two years, Amy Elizabeth has been shortlisted for four national blog awards - an achievement that I never expected and something I am still incredibly proud of. I know I have hounded you a few* (*a lot) of times about voting for me for various awards, however I must once again ask for your support! Amy Elizabeth is currently on the long list for two 2016 UK Blog Awards- 'Best Lifestyle Blog' and 'Best Health and Social Care Blog' - so please, if you have found comfort in my blog and feel like I am worthy of making it on to the shortlist for these awards then I would once again truly appreciate your votes. You can vote by clicking <a href="http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2016/my-entry/amy-elizabeth" target="_blank">HERE</a> and selecting the first option on the 'category' drop down menu for 'Lifestyle + Health and Social Care', which will allow you to vote for my blog in both the long listed categories.</div>
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Thank you once again, and good luck with the giveaway!</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="9c27fabc8" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9c27fabc8/" id="rcwidget_wnpiw8lb" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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*Giveaway includes: Benefit B.right! Radiant Skincare 6 Piece Set and Rihanna Rogue Perfum gift set.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com62tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-45693113936817776382016-01-01T22:52:00.000+00:002016-01-02T08:10:42.165+00:00THE SECOND OF JANUARY: MY NEW YEAR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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'One day it just clicks... You realise what's important and what isn't. You learn to care less about what other people think of you and more about what you think of yourself. You realise how far you've come and you remember when you thought things were such a mess that they'd never recover. And then you smile. You smile because you are truly proud of yourself and the person you've fought to become'...</div>
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A year ago tomorrow marks the anniversary of an event that changed my life. An event that happened two years after events that I would describe as the closest I have come to hitting my 'rock bottom'. That statement will not be easy for some people to understand as I have a happy home life, a loving family, I was studying at university, I got perfect grades in school... on the outside I was living a pretty perfect text book life, but on the inside I was battling with crippling anxiety, - (and it is thanks to my amazing support system that I am now in a place, three years on, where I can talk about my experiences with honesty in the hope of helping someone else do the same.) J K Rowling once said 'rock bottom became a solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life'. And sitting here now I feel the exact same.</div>
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On the second of January 2015 I had my first ever personal training session. </div>
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On the 9th January 2015 I wrote the following passage in a blog post: 'I can't remember a time in my life where I haven't felt inferior to somebody else around me, be it in academic achievements, personality, talent, body shape. I am guilty of constantly comparing myself to other people, over analysing myself and my achievements in comparison to those of the people who surround me and time and time again the conclusion of this analysis was that I was not good enough. I went to an extremely academic school, and although I loved my time there, I constantly struggled with the fact that every subject I considered myself to excel in, there was someone else who was just that little bit better. It was not that I had a desire to be the best or to be better than anyone else, I just longed to not feel inferior.'</div>
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The feeling of worry and fear of acceptance hung on to me for a very long time. It is a feeling I can date back to being as young as five years old: I was young and innocent and believed magic was the most wonderful thing in the world. I believed with every fibre of my body that Fairy God Mothers and Happily Ever Afters (and singing mice) really did exist. I believed it so strongly that when Santa dropped off a Snow White dress at Christmas, I cried from the irrational fear that if I wore it the wicked witch would come and kill me. <i>I was five years old, and I was already letting worries ruin me.</i></div>
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When I was eighteen I first asked for help. But it wasn't until I was nearly twenty one that I was 100% dedicated to wanting to become truly content and happy with myself and my body.</div>
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In the early afternoon of the Second of January 2015, I spent just over an hour getting ready before leaving my house, I tried on every single piece of gym clothing I owned at least twice and didn't feel comfortable in anything. I hated how the tight fabric grabbed my skin, I thought the elastane stuck and stretched over my fat and as I looked in the mirror I very nearly cancelled my session. But there was no fat for those clothes to grab, I was underweight, fragile, sad and fed up, but as this terrified girl stared in the mirror an imaginary image of what I thought my body looked like stared back at me. I was terrified that people would look at me and laugh, what was I expecting? Years of dodging P.E. lessons at school told me that my fitness levels were awful and I was so weak that I struggled to even open bottles of water or walk up the stairs without feeling out of breath. </div>
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The reality? I thrived off feeling small and empty, it allowed me to place a physical symptom on the emotional opinion I had of myself. It is less scary to feel mentally empty and worthless if you physically make your body feel the same too. 'I'm not mad, I'm ill' became a justification for a string of increasingly dangerous habits and for a very long time I pushed away nearly every person who had my best intentions at heart. </div>
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But I knew the situation I had got myself in could not go any further. I had to get myself better, and so I left my house and arrived at the gym early. I sat in my car and counted down the minutes until it was time to leave my safety zone. I spent my first ever personal training session doing body weight based pilates exercises because it was all my weak frame could handle. Slowly, after hours and hours and hours of hard work I began to see a change. It took three months from that first session to my first ever 'strength session', and that was when I learnt the biggest lesson of my life: 'life begins at the end of your comfort zone'. Twelve months down the line I couldn't imagine my life in any other way. People will always have an opinion on how you choose to live your life, but having been so close to destroying my own I am proud of the way I have chosen to live mine. This time last year I made the best decision and the biggest jump of my life, and time and time again people have tried to tell me that my lifestyle is too obsessive or extreme... But to me obsession is a word lazy people use to describe determination. </div>
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I wrote a blog post a few months back which began with the line 'My worst fear used to be that one day the whole world would wake up and see me the way I saw myself'. I am proud to say this is no longer my worst fear. I have evolved and changed a lot over 2015, but the most important lesson I learnt is that everyone deserves to be happy, and everyone deserves the right to show that happiness as publicly or as privately as they wish, regardless of what someone else's opinion may be. </div>
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In reality, I am incredibly sad to see the back of 2015... it has without a doubt been the most life altering year of my life. Important people have both entered and left my life and I feel like I am finally ready to say goodbye to the old me as the new year begins. I have grown as a person, my priorities have shifted and although I feel positive to enter 2016 in a much more emotionally stable place, I feel a sense of loss in saying goodbye to the struggle and fight that 2015 was. I am confident that I will forever look back on this year as being one of the pinnacles of my existence, and I will never forget how hard the journey was for me.</div>
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Bring on 2016, let's hope you're even kinder to me.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-55758199935554444572015-12-23T11:01:00.000+00:002015-12-23T23:59:06.298+00:00Ignoring Negativity <div style="text-align: center;">
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When I started my blog, I was aware that there was always a chance of receiving backlash... the fact is if you have an opinion, there is always going to be someone who is going to disagree with you. I always found it easy to brush off those rare comments on instagram or rare tweets from someone I'd never met, as these were always over-shadowed by the array of positive messages received. However, the message seems to resonate deeper when it is received from someone you know on a personal level.</div>
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For some unknown reason, people seem to have an issue with other people's happiness: whether this is from jealously, a longing to be happy themselves or some other narcissistic deep routed psychological reason stemming from unhappiness in their own life- the fact of the matter is: one person being happy does not detract from your ability to be so. It is not a case of for every happy person there must be an equally unhappy person- in fact it is possible for everyone in the world to be happy. So there is no excuse for trying to detract from someone else's happiness. Making someone else unhappy will not make you and happier, making a harsh comment on someone else's appearance will not make you any more attractive, and tearing down someone's self esteem will not build your own self confidence.</div>
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If you are a frequent reader of my blog, then you have some sort of insight into what I have been through over the past three and a half years of my life. I made a decision to publicise a lot of this journey through my blog, twitter and instagram NOT to gain approval or praise from others, but to share a positive story of recovery, and promote a healthy lifestyle and body image. It was not an easy decision for me to make to publish some of the darker aspects of my life on social media, when so many other people use their facebook timeline as a highlight reel showing how amazing their life is. I made a decision to share my story and this has now been viewed nearly 400,000 times. If even one of those blog visits sparked a positive reaction in someone's head then I have done my job, and I'd love to sit here and act like negativity never gets me down, but unfortunately, behind the blog, behind the instagram filters and behind the twitter followers: I am still a person. Who takes the time to read every comment. And who still has feelings that can be hurt when these comments are negative.<br />
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There are countless people that have been spectators to my journey, and the majority of these people have supported me and gained respect for me. These are the people who's opinions I care about. Unfortunately, for every positive response, there are always going to be some people who can't sit quietly and let someone else have even a moment of glory or happiness about something they have poured their blood sweat and tears in to achieve. The way to deal with this? Cut these people out your life. I have decided that in 2016, anyone who has any form of slight negative influence on my life will not longer be a part of it. I want my focus to be on the people that reciprocate my support of them. I learnt through my training in the gym that feeling physically positive and strong goes a long way in supporting you in feeling mentally positive and strong.</div>
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People are beginning to come out of the woodwork after years of no contact, people who now try and give me advice, give me their misjudged and completely biased opinion on a situation which they had no interest in until it caught their attention on social media. I am tired of people acting like they are looking out for my best intentions when really they are sadly mistaken. If you were a friend to me where were you over the past three years when I was going through therapy in the hope of bettering my life, and where we you when I made the decision to begin personal training (DESPITE a fear of weight gain, a hatred of the gym and any form of physical exercise). I put myself through that hell to get myself out of the hell that I was currently existing in. I could not continue to live my life as a shell, and I made a proactive (and incredibly expensive) decision to change. </div>
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A year on since making that decision I don't even recognise the girl I once was... and apparently neither do a lot of people. Despite the odd negative comments, the vast majority of the comments received have been incredibly supportive, and so I would like to end this life altering year not being upset by the negative, but celebrating the positive:</div>
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"Your blog is wonderful: to read about it your progress in posts bursting with honesty, warmth and determination is just astonishing. You have an excellent voice, and you have no idea how utterly inspiring your posts are. I've been feeling so down with weight loss/mental health at the moment but just reading a handful of your posts has cheered me right up. While our starting points may be on opposite ends of the spectrum I can relate to you on so many levels, and hearing someone else battling to succeed and refusing to give up helps more than you know. You've inspired me to push harder and keep going: I will not be defeated by a hideous voice in my head! Basically, thank you. Your blog has provided me with exactly what I needed to hear."<br />
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"For what it's worth, after reading your blog I think you are an incredibly inspiring individual - to work so hard and to have achieved so much is incredible and I hope that next year is an even better year for you because you really do deserve it"</div>
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"You're entitled to be happy, you're entitled to celebrate that as publicly as you like not tied by any past"</div>
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"Amy, I just wanted to tell you that I find your blog so so inspiring! I have struggled with an eating disorder for the past 4 years that I am only just overcoming. I love your positivity and motivation. Your post on willpower has helped my outlook on things and your journey is extremely encouraging and makes me feel like a positive outcome is possible! Thank you." </div>
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Every time I receive a comment like the one's above it makes my day... it makes the whole struggle worthwhile. However, the one that resonated with me the most happened in the gym around September time. I will never forget the moment a young girl came into the gym whilst I was training, she walked up to me, gave me a hug and told me what an inspiration I was to her. She told me she followed me on instagram, had seen my journey and it had inspired her to get better herself. She told me that she was going to try and gain weight, gain strength and regain her life. </div>
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So please: if you have a problem with me or anything I have done over the past twelve months, do me a favour and delete me off social media. You are not important to my life, if your comments do not promote positivity like the one's above then I have no desire to read them. 400,000 page views represent support and comfort that I have provided to people's lives, if you disagree I'd rather not share my story with you.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-85433019305390537802015-11-23T10:25:00.000+00:002015-11-23T10:29:08.757+00:00Strength is Beauty<div style="text-align: center;">
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“There are people who spend their entire lives allowing the reflection in the mirror to determine their self-esteem, submitting to a cultural judgement established decades ago. Fitness [should be] gauged in reps, in speed, power, virtuosity. And beauty measured in joy. And in pride,” - Marty Cej.</div>
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I’m going to start from the beginning of my fitness journey: An early morning in October 2014. I woke up, weighed myself, cried, tried to eat breakfast and cried again. I got dressed in a pair of leggings and a my old ratty GCSE leavers hoodie, and drove to the gym with my 10 visit pass to spend an hour sweating in the sauna in the hope of coming home a few pounds lighter. A destructive and unhealthy means of weight loss, but something I relied so heavily upon. At that point in my life I had considered myself somewhat recovered; no longer drastically underweight I didn’t really see any need to change my current habits. My daily life was a constant loop of eating, crying, weighing myself, crying and starting all over again. My happiness was solely dependent on my weight, but conversely my weight was never at a figure that made me happy. I don't know what it was about that day, but as I left the sauna to go home and weigh myself (for not the first and certainly not the last time that day), something in my head felt different. At some point that morning I made myself a promise. I promised myself that I would do anything in my power to get better, to get stronger and to be a person again instead of the shell I had spent too many years living as. The immediate days that followed were spent trawling through instagram for hours on end, scrolling through image after image on the hashtags #edwarriors #strongnotskinny #girlsthatlift…. If these girls could recover then why couldn’t I? What if one day people looked up to me the way that I looked up to these girls? I stared in awe at how strong they were, how far they’d come, and surprisingly how good they looked. But needless to say I stayed in my destructive ways.<br />
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By the time January came around, my weight had dipped again and this mini relapse forced me into making my final decision. And once I've set my mind to something, failure is never an option. </div>
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I got myself a personal trainer (and trust me, this was not the Hollywood star type luxury that you may think it was). I spent a lot of money and a lot of time putting myself through what can only be described as utter hell. Constantly questioning whether it was worth the tears and the sleepless nights. My trainer was harsh, he was mean, he deliberately put me in situations that would not only question my physical health but my mental health too. Hours and hours were spent sat in the dreaded fitness assessment room, talking and analysing and crying about my situation. For months on end my training became just as big a battle as my recovery, and my mind was finding it increasingly hard to accept that the weight I was gaining was muscle not fat. But after the months of hell, came progress. Yes my trainer was mean and harsh, but he had done it for a reason. He had increased my fitness levels, showed me strength I never knew I was capable of and ultimately gave me my life back.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">People started to make comments to me in the gym, mostly positive but it was the negative ones that stuck with me. People remarking that I was 'obsessed' with the gym, that I don't want to lift too many weights or I'll get bulky, and that I couldn't possibly simultaneously be working hard for my degree as I spent all my time in the gym (despite the fact I was still maintaining a very high 1st at this point). People see someone trying to do something different from the norm, and they don't like it. And that is the problem with society today: you can't win. If you are seen eating someone is judging your choice of food, if you're not seen eating it is assumed you must be skipping meals. If you go to the gym you're obsessed with your looks and if you don't you're lazy and unhealthy. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Women have fought for years for equality, the vote, better jobs, the right to earn the same as men, and yet in 2015 we are still subject to sexism in the view that weights are a privilege kept solely for men. </span></div>
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It was partially these comments that spurred me on. I started to reevaluate my beauty ideals, I started to thrive on seeing an increase in my strength. I felt healthy, I felt fit, I felt strong. Things that I had never before felt in my life, so what did it matter if I was heavier? Women are supposed to be dainty, thin, pretty little things right? Wrong. There is a new generation of women that are strong, athletic, confident and beautiful. And I am proud to be one of those women.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDKdmzo8EgAkfUYOSmav8kUacN0cr1cCB6O118SnmI17GJzr7rLj96JApMq9pv2JEZP3vjK7VR5w_4oTcHkdbNtNBmmbxW5R2IW7NudYMw3xxilc46hxnm5jMIWfAZCpAVGM4iHxyDmU/s1600/SIGNATUREEEEEEEEE.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDKdmzo8EgAkfUYOSmav8kUacN0cr1cCB6O118SnmI17GJzr7rLj96JApMq9pv2JEZP3vjK7VR5w_4oTcHkdbNtNBmmbxW5R2IW7NudYMw3xxilc46hxnm5jMIWfAZCpAVGM4iHxyDmU/s1600/SIGNATUREEEEEEEEE.png" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-19336446443010271012015-11-05T11:10:00.002+00:002015-11-05T11:10:55.119+00:00The Benefits of Green Tea with Quinteassential*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfGkBOylHKjwiPKguBgAb8fVqL81ZVSvQnDvRLmNsLfxmKBHgBjKxjDVIn6u57t376wSd_YMw81YijbYLVgWd02PPgcd0Gn6GC8DzRKaZ8AgAVtjXmfNakPRm_yc_xKdQFE6VkNF9tvc/s1600/2b.jpeg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfGkBOylHKjwiPKguBgAb8fVqL81ZVSvQnDvRLmNsLfxmKBHgBjKxjDVIn6u57t376wSd_YMw81YijbYLVgWd02PPgcd0Gn6GC8DzRKaZ8AgAVtjXmfNakPRm_yc_xKdQFE6VkNF9tvc/s1600/2b.jpeg" /></a><span style="text-align: center;">Anyone that knows me will know that I am a self confessed green tea addict. Cold green tea, hot green tea, ginger green tea.... I literally consume green tea in every possible way all day long. In the morning an ice cold glass of green tea wakes me up and gives me energy for the day, and at night time a warm cup of it helps me to relax and prepare for a nice long sleep... So when I was contacted by </span><a href="http://www.quinteassential.co.uk/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Quinteassential</a><span style="text-align: center;"> about sampling some of their loose leaf luxury tea I couldn't resist.</span></div>
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The creator of Quinteassential says she is passionate about flavour combinations and would love to take the tea drinker with her on an imaginary voyage. 'Bernadine Tay is a unique story teller with tea as her medium. As her creations evolve, scenes, textures and colours are amalgamated to kindle new flavours. Her signature style is defined by her love of ingredients that straddles East and West she uses in all her creations. Inevitably, this translates to an explosion of flavours that underpin many of her tea designs.'</div>
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Along with the refreshing taste of green tea, there are also many proven health benefits of drinking the recommended amount of between 1-4 cups a day:</div>
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1. Green tea helps to burn fat and increase metabolic rate</div>
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2. The chemical theanine found in green tea can help you to relax, especially if brewed in slightly cooler water</div>
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3. The cafine will help to improve physical performance</div>
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4. It can help to slow the rise of blood sugar levels after eating, helping you to stay full for longer</div>
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5. Green tea contains anti-inflammatory properties which can help to slow the signs of ageing and reduce sun damage.</div>
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All the tea leaves used in Quinteassential teas are delicately mixed with fruits, flowers and spices creating a harmonious blend. The 'Green Flamingo' flavour I sampled was the most delicious green tea ever tasted and I cannot recommend it highly enough. The beautifully packaged tea would make the perfect gift for someone this Christmas.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-83541021869635128822015-10-29T11:24:00.000+00:002015-10-29T11:24:48.428+00:00Why Women Should Deadlift - Amy Elizabeth X ADMFitness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUp_9f90vSn9UM0fivQ30XmzdAZL7ayXF3bRfjF8C87nXz-PCyd7isYCddW-KKsGyK2_yQZMShtpBz1rY-cI1b6NwW8v1r8nb9TVUPQM-oomup6drN6wDBwUVjtkGoIA5e_T98oc27CE/s1600/.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUp_9f90vSn9UM0fivQ30XmzdAZL7ayXF3bRfjF8C87nXz-PCyd7isYCddW-KKsGyK2_yQZMShtpBz1rY-cI1b6NwW8v1r8nb9TVUPQM-oomup6drN6wDBwUVjtkGoIA5e_T98oc27CE/s1600/.jpeg" /></a></div>
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'The myth that women shouldn't lift heavy is only perpetuated by women who fear hard work and men who fear women.'</div>
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It's nearly been three years since I first started therapy, nearly one year since I first started training, but really only about 9 months since I 100% committed myself to recovery, to strength and to health. 9 months since I decided not to focus on the weight on the scales going down, but the weight on the bar going up. Sometimes, you need to remind yourself that a scale cannot measure character, talent, beauty, purpose, strength or love. Deadlifts are without a doubt my favourite lift and have completely transformed my body and increased my strength immensely...(constantly trying to hit that 87.5kg PB). Below, myself and Ant from <a href="http://www.amyelizabethfashion.com/admfitness/" target="_blank">ADM Fitness</a> have collaborated shared some of the benefits of deadlifts for women: fighting the stigma of girls who lift.</div>
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When it comes to weight lifting, there is a far too common misconception amongst women that lifting weights will make them bulky. However, this is a myth with no grounding which both me and Ant would like
to dispel. It is not surprising that women shy away from heavy lifts like The Deadlift when the weights rooms in gyms are often full of groups of big 'beefed up' guys trying to lift
as much weight as possible and making noises only found in the Amazon Rain
Forest. But there is so much more to this exercise than trying to lift
as much weight from the floor as possible, and the benefits for women are just as great as for men.</div>
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1. The deadlift is a <b><i>real
transferable life skill</i></b>, anytime you need to pick something heavy off the
floor, you Deadlift.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. The deadlift can help you <b><i>improve your posture and can help correct anterior pelvic tilt.</i> </b>All
those years of nights out in high heels, and all those long days in work sat at a desk can lead to what
you call anterior pelvic tilt: when the front of the pelvis drops and
the back of the pelvis rises which increases the arch in your lower back, potentially leading to future lower back conditions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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3. The deadlift is a great exercise to <i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">increase your metabolism and incinerate fat</b> </i>as it uses so many
different muscles. It will <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">tone your
hamstrings, thighs, glutes and back and strengthen your pelvic floor</b>. (For
those of you who have children will realise the importance of a strong pelvic
floor).</div>
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4. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>IT WILL NOT MAKE YOU BULKY. </u> Instead, i</b><b>t will allow you to realise how strong you can be</b>.</div>
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5. The deadlift<b> will
give you <i>amazing abs and a strong core,</i> it will </b>transform your body and improve your confidence.</div>
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<b><u>HOW TO DEADLIFT:</u></b></div>
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'With my clients, I have found that if we start with Romanian Deadlifts
with a light weight, the transition to other variations is much easier. Click <a href="https://instagram.com/p/9J-2I9lmx1/?taken-by=amyylyons" target="_blank">here</a> to see a video of Amy performing a 70kg Romanian Deadlift. A deadlift like this at nearly140% of your bodyweight takes time to work up to and
I recommend starting with a very light weight in order to develop perfect technique first
before progressing to heavier weight, eventually progressing to incorporate them into your workouts
once or twice a week.'<br />
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Below is a breakdown of how to perform the 'Romanian
Deadlift' as shown in the video:<br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Step up to the bar with your feet shoulder width
apart, knees over toes, shoulders over knees and toes under the bar</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Grasp bar with an overhand grip</div>
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</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sit back with your arms straight and chest up
and shoulders pulled back and stand up (this is the deadlift)</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Once tall stand with softened knees and keeping
the shoulders pulled back so to maintain good posture in the back (don’t let
the back round) bend forward at the hips and lower the bar to just below the
knees and keep the bar as close to the body</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Using the glutes and hamstrings stand tall again</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Remember to maintain a good alignment in the
spine and keep the core strong throughout</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Perform 6 - 10 reps for 3 sets and only increase
the weight when your technique is sound and the reps are easy to perform and
remember: start light and work your way up.<br />
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'We aim for progress not perfection'<br />
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For more fitness tips, guides and nutrition plans<a href="http://www.amyelizabethfashion.com/admfitness/" target="_blank"> register your interest now</a> with Amy Elizabeth x ADM Fitness<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-56922455376825327082015-10-19T15:30:00.000+01:002015-10-19T17:15:06.827+01:005 Things: Monday Motivation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4caGCIbTIfSEFT_sbbHJLJDroLc4Z_iU0Dk2DFJT-6SS6XKcMH-cOHJTSm8K1EAiEbLVQ88FrMW8teBlgLFg5ZOzqlHpzVAVhBI5rmMD2-XO72SPrxC8LIpX2hVjXYkrjKf9FD0H-fN0/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4caGCIbTIfSEFT_sbbHJLJDroLc4Z_iU0Dk2DFJT-6SS6XKcMH-cOHJTSm8K1EAiEbLVQ88FrMW8teBlgLFg5ZOzqlHpzVAVhBI5rmMD2-XO72SPrxC8LIpX2hVjXYkrjKf9FD0H-fN0/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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Life recently has been crazy. Like whirlwind 'is-this-really-real-life' kind of crazy. And somewhere along the line in this amazing few weeks, I seemed to have somehow misplaced my passion, belief and pride in myself. Life got in the way, as it so often does, and I forgot to give myself time to reflect on exactly how far I have come this year, how much hard work I have put in and the amazing results I have seen out of it. So today being a Monday, I decided it was time for a new start: a week of appreciation for my strength, health and fitness.<br />
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Below are some Monday Motivation quotes that help me to get my mind back on track, and I hope they will help you too:</div>
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1. 'The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have fought their way out of the depths. these persons have an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen'</div>
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2. 'There is an inner beauty about a woman who believes in herself, who knows she is capable of anything that she puts her mind to. There is a beauty in the strength and determination of a woman who follows her own path, who isn't thrown off by obstacles along the way. there is a beauty about a woman who's confidence comes from experiences; who knows she can fall, pick herself up and move on'</div>
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3. 'Keep going. No matter what you do, no matter how many times you screw up and think to yourself "there's no point to carry on", no matter how many people tell you that you can't do it - keep going - don't quit. Don't quit because a month from now you will be that much closer to your goal than you are now. Yesterday you said tomorrow. Make today count.'</div>
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4. 'Strength doesn't come from what you can do, it comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn't'</div>
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4. 'Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma- which is living with the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.'<br />
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(Please don't forget to vote for Amy Elizabeth for Best for Fitness in the 2015 <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a27807/cosmo-blog-awards-2014-shortlist/" target="_blank">Cosmo Blog Awards</a>)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-2121763487875649152015-10-07T10:11:00.000+01:002015-10-07T10:11:29.320+01:00Cosmo Blog Awards Finalist - Thank you<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I remember the day I sat on my bed in my studio flat in Manchester and wrote my first ever blog post. For weeks I would blog every single day, spend endless hours and sleepless nights teaching myself HTML, designing and redesigning logos and headers on photoshop until I finally settled on a design I was happy with. For months I didn't tell anyone that I'd started a blog, I kept it a secret between myself (and every single person on the internet), until I found out that after 7 months of blogging I was shortlisted from 47,000 entries to the final 9 for 'Best New Beauty Blog' in the 2014 Cosmo Blog Awards. I was so humbled that people out there were not only reading my blog, but thought it was worthy of such a prestigious nomination. Following this, in December last year, after 10 months of blogging the second nomination came in: 'Young Person Recognition' in the 2015 UK Blog Awards.</div>
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On Monday, something truly incredible happened. After just twenty months of blogging my blog was shortlisted for it's third national blog award: 'Best for Fitness' in the 2015 Cosmo Blog Awards. Over the past year and a half I have poured my heart and soul into this website, and it has become a place where I hoped to provide comfort and advice to other people struggling with similar issues to the ones I went through myself. I wanted to create a place where people could read about my own struggles with stress, anxiety, eating problems, lack of body confidence and general disbelief in myself. I hoped that by sharing my journey I would inspire others to do the same. To be recognised by one of the biggest selling magazines in the world as one of the best bloggers is an incredible achievement, but more than that, the comments and messages I have recently received from people I barely know telling me how I have personally affected their lives for the better or inspired them to change their lives have touched me and made me so proud of how far I have come. I am eternally grateful for every single person who has ever taken the time to read my blog. From the very bottom of my heart: thank you.</div>
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Despite all these amazing experiences, the moment it hit me that I might actually be changing people's lives came a few weeks previously to the third nomination. I was in the gym halfway through a cross fit workout, struggling to breathe and sweating out of my eyeballs when a 15 year old girl battling in the way that I once battled walked up to me and told me that after following me on instagram she wanted me to know that I had inspired her to seek recovery. She gave me a hug and told me that my strength was such an inspiration to her… what she probably didn't realise is that her strength to approach me and tell me that makes her an absolute inspiration to me.</div>
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So to every single girl out there like that one brave girl: thank you. You are truly helping me just as much as me and my blog may be helping you. I wish I had the words to express how much this nomination means to me, thank you once again for your continued support and if you have a few minutes to spare please <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a38875/vote-shortlist-blog-awards-2015/" target="_blank">click here</a> and vote for Amy Elizabeth in the 'best for fitness' category. </div>
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Thank you,</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-40119889503112128772015-10-04T11:43:00.000+01:002015-10-04T11:43:36.837+01:00My Recipe for a Summer's Day with Aperol Sprtiz*<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ix0IO-vMzduIGWl1JUmzQeAKLrBu1u9xC9cJCmOKdL8o_O2ZHp5-gXJ4CpmjXwgN_j69VgrSphyphenhyphenc5KJSoTIqhg4iDeiuiwAky9JQdYZ14ueezmK5jtHptebCuDPN4frzFRAbd8OHJAc/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ix0IO-vMzduIGWl1JUmzQeAKLrBu1u9xC9cJCmOKdL8o_O2ZHp5-gXJ4CpmjXwgN_j69VgrSphyphenhyphenc5KJSoTIqhg4iDeiuiwAky9JQdYZ14ueezmK5jtHptebCuDPN4frzFRAbd8OHJAc/s1600/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.aperol.com/gb/en/" target="_blank">Aperol Spritz </a>, the 'taste of summer' cocktail consists of 3 parts prosecco, 2 parts Aperol and one part soda. Super easy to make, this refreshing 'taste of summer' can be easily created by clicking here and <a href="http://www.aperol.com/gb/en/aperol-spritz/aperol-spritz/ready_to_spritz" target="_blank">watching the video</a>.</div>
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In light of the new drink, Aperol challanged me to share a taste of my summer by giving you a recipe for a summer day in the life of Amy Elizabeth:<br />
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<b>3 Parts Passion</b></div>
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Do it with passion or not at all. I am an all or nothing kind of person. When I commit to start something I will give it 110% until failure, and then I will pick myself back up and continue trying. This summer I have been extremely busy. Working 9 hour days, running my blog, finding time for my gym training and meal prepping and completing freelance graphic design work. For a lot of people this would be the summer from hell, but for me this summer has been perfect. Because it has been filled to the brim with the things that I am most passionate about: my career, my blog and my health. </div>
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<b>2 Parts Company </b></div>
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What is the point in having amazing experiences, striving for new goals and working towards your dreams if there is no one around to share them with? Company is what helps to turn an experience into a memory. A huge part of my summer recipe is the company you can share those precious moments with: friends who have helped me through dark times, laughed with me through amazing times and never been more than a phonecall or dodgy snapchat away and family who have unconditionally supported every decision and loved me regardless of the mistakes I've made.</div>
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<b>1 Part Relaxation</b></div>
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When all is said and done, hard work must come hand in hand with down time. The final component in the recipe for my perfect summer is relaxation. Time with yourself, for yourself. Time away from social media and the never ending stream of communication of today's society. Time to recharge your body and mind and find peace with yourself. My perfect relaxation is the pool and sauna at my gym: a time where my phone is in the locker and no one can contact me. </div>
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Leave your comments below and let me know what your perfect recipe would be and don't forget to try this refreshing cocktail and let me know what you think</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-23834636843974032015-10-01T16:36:00.000+01:002015-10-01T16:36:14.094+01:00Training: The Importance of Willpower<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-JN-QDoZU377ejTI57ElfKL0qtS3JaH3BHi4bVO1Lmb4KgVWAS5d_dwVWb-E3T9akvXhgvbJDsTBm_iV4Usr0rM2fzS9QpkYK8HkmPx8MtIaDe8er5SPLMWHw6xEqArXuO3nGrWDbGA/s1600/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH-JN-QDoZU377ejTI57ElfKL0qtS3JaH3BHi4bVO1Lmb4KgVWAS5d_dwVWb-E3T9akvXhgvbJDsTBm_iV4Usr0rM2fzS9QpkYK8HkmPx8MtIaDe8er5SPLMWHw6xEqArXuO3nGrWDbGA/s1600/photo+2+%25283%2529.JPG" /></a></div>
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'Will power is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets'</div>
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Modern society tests your willpower each and every day. Wherever we look there are adverts for sugary snacks, 2-for-1 deals on chocolate, and ever so tempting #foodstagram shared all over social media. During the week it is easy to avoid the gym with the excuse of being tired from work and come the weekend all you care about is some well deserved social down time. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find the willpower to stay on track and motivate yourself to being healthy, strong and fit. The bottom line is this: willpower is easier than you think. If you want something enough, nothing will stand between you and that goal. It is simply a case of prioritising your own health and goals rather than taking the easy way out and reaching for that chocolate bar whilst watching another episode on Netflix every night. Yes, habits like this can be hard to break but if it's worth fighting for, it's worth working for. Remember: Nothing worth having comes easy and if it were easy everyone would have it.</div>
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If you are used to snacking on sugar all day in work and crashing on the sofa as soon as you get home, starting a new training programme or diet plan can really put your willpower to the ultimate test. Below are a few little tips that I have put together to help you retain that willpower:</div>
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1. <b>Believe in Yourself </b>- </div>
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A strong body comes paired with a strong mind. Strong self control and self belief will dramatically help with your motivation. One of the biggest forms of discouragement can be when your goals seem unobtainable or when you tell yourself you will never be able to look like/ lift as much/ run as fast as a certain person. Telling yourself that you can achieve your goals will help give you the willpower to do so! </div>
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2. <b>Stay Prepared </b>- </div>
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Take control of a situation before a problem even arises. Therefore, when something crops up to test your willpower you are already prepared to smash through temptation and continue to achieve your goal. For example if you know you're incredibly busy during the week do a huge food shop on a Sunday and then sticky note each item with they day you plan to eat it: bye bye take away on the way home. Always have a pre packed gym bag ready in your car so that you always have the option to go to the gym if you find you have a bit of extra time in your day. Being prepared means avoiding excuses!</div>
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3. <b>Monitor your Progress and Review your Goals </b>- </div>
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I keep a little black book next to my bed at all times. Every single night I start a new page in the book and write the workout that I have completed that day (including noting down rest days). By doing so, it keeps me on track and when I'm feeling discouraged I can look back to the same date a few months ago and actually see the progress I'm making. Visualizing your progress and goals in this way will make you so much more determined to carry on and see your goal through to the very end. Encouragement is the key to feeling good about ourselves, so tracking your workouts in this way will allow you to see the transformation you have made, serving as a positive mental reminder.</div>
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4. <b>Reward Yourself</b> - </div>
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Willpower is especially vital when first starting out on a new eating plan or training programme. At first, you will need your willpower to keep you motivated... over time new habits will form and it will simply become second nature to you. In order to really change yourself and your habits you have to <u><i>want</i></u> to change, you have to accept that it will be hard and you will struggle at times. To keep yourself on track in these difficult times set yourself smaller goals and when each is reached reward yourself. By allowing yourself little rewards your body won't feel deprived but make sure these are still infrequent and you must work hard to get them!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-59393872061503199822015-09-23T08:50:00.001+01:002015-09-30T12:23:30.032+01:00Recovery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzLyvz2H_rYsomG6_LITimulvKlO6MD17zfxkGSTkjPkW6uWIchBbkxJJwkrUZdQSVS4FwODYkJh7G30DjFIPF2ciJAwSggxU_0ZJabGSP7PnWNzn_4IDnGHM6yu-hu9oPcCW0MM0MuQ/s1600/1.jpg" /></div>
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The problem with society is that thin has become a synonym for beautiful. </div>
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The moment it hit me that I was sick was the day I realised I was categorically petrified of drinking water. I had become so addicted to weighing myself and so frightened of weight gain that I refused to drink a thing in the complete fear that I would step on the scales and see a higher number. Water is essential for life... yet I would risk dehydrating myself to the point of danger rather than momentarily weigh a tiny bit more. Because weighing less would mean perfection. Weighing less would mean acceptance. Weighing less would mean that even if I struggled at university, pushed all my friends away and lived the sheltered, sad and lonely existence that I was living, at least society may accept me as beautiful.</div>
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A few nights ago, I decided that the dictionary definition of recovery is unbelievably ill-defined.</div>
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<i>'Recovery (noun): The action or process of regaining possession or control of something.'</i></div>
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Shorty after this, I had a second revelation. A revelation that recovery is not what I thought it was. Recently I've been struggling with my weight, but not in the same disordered way I used to. Struggling because I always assumed that 'post-recovery' I would look, weigh and feel exactly how I did 'pre-illness'. So learning to accept that my body is so far removed from anything it has ever resembled is a pretty hard thing to comprehend.</div>
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After (wrongly) feeling quite down for a while about these changes, I had a third revelation: I realised I needed to stop trying to be the person I was before. I am not the before- I've lived through the during and now I am the after. Recovery does not mean going back to the way things were. I am not regaining anything, I am not recreating the old me. I am not recovering something old, I am discovering something new. A new braver, stronger person who I am proud to be.</div>
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I have poured my heart, soul, sweat and tears into the gym over the past nine months and I am proud of the muscle my body has gained, I am proud of the inches added to my thighs and the additional weight I carry with me. I have worked hard for this healthy, strong, functional body and I am so appreciative that my mind allowed me to have a second shot at creating this body.</div>
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I may still be far from where I want to be (I WILL deadlift that failed 87.5kg bar one of these days), but that doesn't mean I am not proud of the journey.</div>
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'When you do what you fear most, you can do anything'.</div>
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Thinner means just that... thinner. Not happier, not healthier. Just thinner.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-72088509495320224022015-09-17T08:55:00.002+01:002015-09-30T12:24:00.751+01:00GIVEAWAY- Win Two Tickets to the Clothes Show Live*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktPvt7yJ1kk4eXfEeL5O7_rUmphY9aNBgdFVqGj-pfYcJ8GkCOX4Zhz5pMRtxJlrSfX6MuG2yjvdbfMmZqJ0PLN1wB8IEpILaQGBXMwNTAZwKEb3qOmxN7sRvaX3jg2u859WGv_00Jjc/s1600/Bauer+Clothes+Show+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktPvt7yJ1kk4eXfEeL5O7_rUmphY9aNBgdFVqGj-pfYcJ8GkCOX4Zhz5pMRtxJlrSfX6MuG2yjvdbfMmZqJ0PLN1wB8IEpILaQGBXMwNTAZwKEb3qOmxN7sRvaX3jg2u859WGv_00Jjc/s640/Bauer+Clothes+Show+pic.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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'Welcome to a new era of The Clothes Show, where the line up of brands, boutiques, celebrities and inspirational stage features are more glittering than ever before.'</div>
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Amy Elizabeth has teamed up with the clothes show to give you a chance to win two tickets to attend the clothes show on Friday 4th December 2015. The tickets include a dedicated seat in the ALCATEL ONETOUCH Fashion Theatre in association with Capital FM, along with the opportunity to shop at over 350 fashion and beauty pop ups, watch non-stop runway shows, attend seminars with fashion experts and receive exclusive style advice. Treat yourself at one of the many bars and cafes and enjoy a luxury beauty treatment in the Pamper Lounge.</div>
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To win all you need to do is fill in the rafflecopter form below and vote for Amy Elizabeth to win Best for Fitness in the 2015 Cosmo Blog Awards.</div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="9c27fabc7" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9c27fabc7/" id="rcwidget_bdy12at7" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Good luck!!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-71646177716993119982015-09-09T09:11:00.001+01:002015-09-30T12:24:17.585+01:00Holiday Workouts for When you Can't get to the Gym<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I recently got back from a four night holiday. A lot of people would see that as a chance for relaxation, a chance to take some time off from the gym. But if you're anything like me, you'll hate knowing that for those days you won't be able to make it to the gym and know that you'll feel much more confident in yourself if you can squeeze in even the tiniest of holiday workouts. </div>
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With the help of my personal trainer, (@ADMfitness1 on instagram, @ADMartin810 on twitter), we put together some great home workouts for when you're on holiday, have a spare 20 minutes at home or simply just can't make it to the gym.</div>
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Once you have a set daily routine, fitting in your training becomes easy. You develop a schedule which allows you to fit that all important 'gym time' in. However, when this routine is disrupted it can send your mind and your training plan into orbit, and finding the time to workout becomes an additional stress. For many people, when life gets tough or stressful, or you don't have access to a gym, this becomes an excuse for having days off or giving up, but the most important thing to remember is that although time off is necessary, for your training plan to really work you have to make it an absolute priority, meaning no matter what else is going on in your life you <i>will </i>find the time to fit in your workout.</div>
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Below are some little hints and tips for how you can find that extra time when on holiday or busy, and some quick workout ideas to try at home:</div>
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1. Wake up an hour earlier - Once you get into the habit of rolling out of bed and rushing straight to work/uni/school it can be hard to see how you could possibly get through the day without that extra hours sleep, but if you get all your workout gear ready the night before you can get out of bed and complete your workout, still have time for a healthy breakfast and I can guarantee you will actually start your day feeling much more refreshed</div>
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2. Split your workout into 3 ten minute sessions - first thing in the morning, just after lunch and just before bed. When you only need ten minutes to complete three quick but effective circuits there really is no excuse. </div>
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3. Plan - if you plan your workouts before you go away it will be so much easier to actually complete them and stick to your targets. Don't be over ambitious, you are on holiday to enjoy yourself, but completing some short bursts of exercise will keep you on track until you get home and settled back in to your routine.</div>
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<b>Templates to try:</b></div>
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1. As many rounds as possible - pick a time: 10, 15, 20 minutes. Pick three exercises. Pick a rep number for each. Complete as many rounds as possible in your allocated time. </div>
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<i>e.g. 20 minutes: 21 squats, 15 press ups, 9 burpees. How many rounds can you complete?</i></div>
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2. 5 Rounds for time: similar to the above, but this time you stick to five rounds and try and complete it in the quickest time possible.</div>
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<i>e.g. 40 lunges, 30 squat jumps, 20 mountain climbers. Five times through. How long does it take you to complete?</i></div>
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3. Tabatas: Only 4 minutes long, but absolute killers. Pick an exercise, work for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds. Repeat 8 times. Try and complete four different tabatas</div>
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<i>e.g. sprints, get ups, burpees, press ups. Each for 4 minutes = 16 minute workout.</i><br />
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<i>***I'd really appreciate it if you'd nominate my blog for 'Best For Fitness' in the Cosmo Blog Awards… click <a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a38227/enter-cosmopolitan-blog-awards-2015/" target="_blank">here!</a></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-518037993493305512015-09-02T14:32:00.001+01:002015-09-30T12:24:30.255+01:00Why Women Should Lift Weights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is a common misconception amongst women, particularly young girls when it comes to fitness. Instagram is full of girls striving to get a perfect 'bikini body' or to fit into a certain dress size... we have come to live in a generation where the physical aesthetics are prioritised over health. I was once guilty of this very thing myself. Countless girls wrongly think that the way to go about achieving the body that they want is hours and hours on the treadmill. I truly wish that for once the emphasis wasn't on girls looking a certain way, but <i>living</i> a certain way. Train hard and what happens to your body naturally as a result will be out of your control, but you should feel comfortable in the knowledge that you worked hard for that muscle and should be proud of your body for being healthy and functional.</div>
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Weight training has quite literally saved my life, (read more about this <a href="http://www.amyelizabethfashion.com/2015/08/how-gym-saved-my-life.html">here</a>). I want to break the misconception of girls being afraid to lift weights, afraid to be strong and powerful and dominant. Below are my list of reasons for why it is important to fight this stereotype and fight to be strong:</div>
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1. The dictionary definition of strength is 'the quality or state of being physically strong.' Personally, I don't believe this definition is sufficient for explaining what strength truly is. Yes, physical strength may be the most obvious reason to train with weights: the heavier you lift, the stronger you become. But for me, with every rep, with every additional weight, with every lift I became mentally stronger too. Resilient to life, confident in the knowledge that I was strong, powerful and independent. The mind is not a muscle, but a goal without a plan is just a wish, so the stronger your mind, the stronger your body. Weight training will allow you to strengthen both.</div>
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2. A lot of people fail to realise that a high intensity weight training session can actually burn more calories than a standard mid-intensity cardio session. Lifting heavy combined with plyometric high intensity interval training actually requires a much higher energy output, meaning more calories burnt and more fat lost. Fat loss however will not necessarily lead to weight loss, but will make a dramatic change in your physical appearance. I actually lost 11% body fat over 7 months, but gained 11kg at the same time, however despite this gain still wear the exact same pair of jeans and my waist measurement has not changed at all. The weight gained is muscle, and this muscle was created not through hours of cardio but through lifting weights. Weights will help you to develop shape, tone and definition.</div>
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3. Most importantly for me, with strength comes growth - not in the traditional '#GrowMusclesGrow #Gains' sense that floods our instagram feeds daily, (although this is a pretty great result of weight training too), but in the sense of personal growth. Weight training taught me that it's OK to fail, in fact that failing is a good thing. Failing to hit the weight or reps that you intended provides the motivation to walk back into that gym with even more determination to succeed the next time. When you fail, let this fear be your motivation to succeed. I appreciate that not every girl will share my fitness goals to become as strong and healthy as physically possible, but whatever your goal the great thing about weight training (no matter how heavy/ light your weights may be), you will see progress, you will see progression, you will see growth.</div>
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Training for yourself, by yourself will lead to a sense of independence and with this will come confidence. Confidence in your strength in the gym will translate into confidence in yourself</div>
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'The myth that women shouldn't lift heavy is only perpetuated by women who fear work and men who fear women'<br />
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*Just a quick favour too! I would absolutely love it if you would nominate my blog to win best for fitness in the 2015 cosmo blog awards by clicking<a href="http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a38227/enter-cosmopolitan-blog-awards-2015/" target="_blank"> here</a>*</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-24974814037228388142015-08-29T09:37:00.000+01:002015-09-30T12:24:35.789+01:00How The Gym Saved my Life<div style="text-align: center;">
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRokkNOj-QJbTJTqYFlsS2vUzwQl354PxoIlsUweBWiOa6yapRDaRZ0rLLE07Ltb5kJijBYObFXwVPLxlga6wm6_zkIAN8nrv5vnYO-L2HwiqYn5HBl-zoVoEMAx_C95NqbUlwfC6ri4/s1600/hi2.jpeg" /> </div>
4p.m. on the 2nd of January 2015: A shadow of a girl walked into the gym for her first ever personal training session. She weighed just over 7st, having already gained about 6 pounds. She was wearing UK size 4 gym leggings, couldn't do a single press up and had never really lifted a weight in her life. Constantly on the brink of tears, she was severely anaemic, a habitual insomniac, fighting generalised anxiety disorder, body dysmorphia and trying to overcome many years of disordered eating. That girl <i>was</i> me. Yet I now feel so far removed from her that if I were to pass her in the street I don't think I'd even recognise her to stop and say hello.</div>
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9a.m. on the 29th August 2015: Just shy of eight months later, I am 10kg heavier, immeasurably stronger and unbelievably healthier than I have ever been.<br />
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Although at this point it is easy to look back and remember a journey of strength, determination and hard work, at the time the story was very different indeed. Countless people have told me recently that they admire what I've done, that they wish they had the determination to spend the amount of time in the gym as I do, that they would love to train with me. And what it is extremely hard for those people to understand is that they are looking at the product of 238 days of hell. The journey has not been easy. Unbelievable amounts of tears have been shed, frustration has reached peaks and I have gone through periods where I have felt more down about my own body than I ever have in my life. It took me about three months before I managed something that even came close to a press up, so even though I can now deadlift 82.5kg, not one part of this came easily to me. I wanted to give up on more than one occasion, I felt defeatist, angry, heart broken every time I scrolled though instagram and saw a picture or video of someone training in the gym who could do more than me. How could I be spending two hours in the gym <i>every day </i>and still be unable to do a press up?!<br />
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But in reality, the answer to this question was simple. I had spent years of my life mistreating my body, disregarding my health and paying absolutely no attention towards my nutrition. I had knowingly and willingly continually made myself weaker and more ill for the sake of fitting into a smaller dress size. The bottom line was my happiness solely depended on the weight shown on the scale, and years of treating my body like this meant that I wasn't just training as someone who had never trained before, I was training as someone who at one point could not walk up the stairs without needing a lie down, had periods where I lost my sight completely due to malnutrition, would wake up in the morning with clumps of hair on my pillow from where it had begun to fall out. Did I really think that a few more pounds lost would bring me happiness? That a few pounds gained would make me even more miserable? My life was just a continuous cycle of trying to make my mental happiness equate to the number on the scale. I felt like I wasn't good enough, I felt disappointed in everything I did. I looked in the mirror and wished with all my might that I would see something different, to not feel the shame I felt every single day. I became an addict. Addicted to weighing myself, addicted to hunger, addicted to weight loss, addicted to seeing how much smaller I had gotten. I became my own worst enemy. It was a miracle I could even <i>walk</i> for an hour, let alone spend an hour in the gym. </div>
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But I had made my decision. I no longer wanted to be that anxious, heart broken shell of a girl. I wanted to be brave and strong and healthy, and I was finally willing to accept recovery. The thing people don't understand about recovery is that you don't just choose it once, you choose it again and again and again, every morning, every night you choose to recover. Every relapse, every failure you have to choose to recover. And choosing recovery is not easy. Those first few sessions were <i>hard</i>. Harder than I could have ever dreamed. Hours filled with exercises that I could now do in my sleep, but at the time seemed like the most difficult things in the world. Squats with 2kg dumbbells in each hand slowly become back squats with 55kg. Planks become press ups. Reps became supersets. And finally I was seeing progress.</div>
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I never in a million years thought I would revolutionise my life through fitness, but that statement only scratches the surface about what fitness has done for me. I gained 10kg. ten. whole. kilograms. Eight months ago I couldn't even pick 10 kilograms UP let alone dream of adding that weight to my body and carrying it with me wherever I went. But despite this massive (and equally massively scary) weight gain, the most dramatic change came not in my body, but in my mind. In my confidence and in my determination. Training became a form of therapy for me, a time where I was alone with my mind and had nothing to distract my thoughts from telling myself how strong I could eventually become. I could push myself mentally and physically to my limits, to the point where I wanted to cry and scream and give up, but afterwards feel so proud of the power I was developing. This strength and determination started to shine out of me in my day to day life, I became focused: determined to be the best version of myself I could possibly be.<br />
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Fitness has not only changed my life, it has saved my life. This blog post has not been an easy thing for me to write, and there is still so much of the story that has been removed and left out as there are dark times that I am still not completely at peace with. I am not writing this blog post for sympathy, or for praise. I <i>believe</i> I am strong and brave and for me that is enough justification. The reason I am writing this blog post is because I would love nothing more than if I could use my blog and my passion for fitness to help other people change their lives too.<br />
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My training became the foundation of my strength, upon which I was able to rebuild myself a better, happier, healthier life. Remember: 'the struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow'<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-36170204128655811862015-08-21T17:17:00.000+01:002015-09-30T12:24:40.688+01:00Learning to Appreciate the Little Things in Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This year, my New Year's Resolution was to find one thing at the end of each day to be grateful for, something to be happy about, an achievement to be proud of. My aim was to find even the smallest little shred of appreciation in every single day, and to document them to serve as a reminder that even when times seem hard or bad days arrive, there is always a silver lining to the cloud. When it's rainy look for rainbows, when it's dark look for stars.</div>
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As far as presents go, I'm a sentimental girl. Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than when someone finds a gift that is thoughtful, relevant or special <i>to me </i>and/or my relationship with that person… so when this little 'one line a day' book was given to me, complete with the most amazing personalised motivational message written inside I experienced one of those little moments of appreciation I'd been documenting. A moment of joy that someone took the time to really think about something that would make me smile.</div>
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The idea of the book is to form a condensed diary filled with five years worth of happy thoughts/ special memories all documented in just one line per entry… a way to reflect on the good times instead of dwelling on the negatives as we so easily do. Life tends to pass by at lightning speed, days merge into weeks and weeks merge into months and before we know it another year is over and we can't really pinpoint the little day to day events and happenings that made you laugh or smile, yet with this book you will always be able to.</div>
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So my new 8-month-into-the-year's resolution is to write in this book every single day, to form a special keepsake filled with 1,825days worth of smiles… and who knows maybe every once in a while I will share some of those entries with you :)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726389925020933107.post-67399317508603542982015-08-08T14:03:00.002+01:002015-09-30T12:25:00.941+01:00Skinny Mint Teatox*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Drink. Feel. Believe.</div>
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Recently, my instagram feed seems to be full of girls who are constantly looking for the latest quick fix to get them the dream body they want. The truth of the matter? No such thing exists. Hard work, intense training, healthy eating. Being a huge advocate of natural ingredients and an avid green tea drinker (bordering on fully fledged addict), when approached by Skinny Mint I was incredibly excited to try it out. Skinny Mint involves drinking their 'morning boost' tea every morning, and their 'night time cleanse' tea every other night in order to assist you to detox your body with the simple and original two Step Natural Tea Detox Program.</div>
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The teas are formulated with natural high-performing ingredients designed to increase energy and naturally cleanse the body. Step one: morning boost consists of a blend of guarana, Green Tea & Yerba Mate to create a fruity and fresh tea blend, intended to maximise naturally occurring vitality boosting ingredients. Step two: night time cleanse is a formulation of Ginger root, Lemongrass, Senna leaves, and Psyllium husk, combined to purify and detox the body.</div>
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Consisting of completely natural antioxidant rich ingredients which not only help to rid the body of toxins but also improve energy levels, the combination of ingredients promotes a healthy heart and will improve the appearance of your skin. The green tea will help to burn fat, whilst the lemongrass will assist in you achieving a good nights sleep. For me, an absolute winning combination. </div>
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Try yours now: https://www.skinnymint.com</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04944931853162274363noreply@blogger.com16