1. Eat Well
There's absolutely no point spending hours in the gym if you're not going to adapt outside of it. Working out is only half the job, if you don't fuel & feed your body correctly you'll never see the results you want.
Take it from me. At the start of my fitness 'regime' I thought I could burn 200 calories at the gym & that earned me a reward..not if you want results. Go to the gym, burn those calories then fuel your body with good fats & plenty of protein to repair itself & react the way you want.
It's so simple! Adapt the way you cook your foods, what you accompany them with & how much you have. Have poached eggs instead of fried, oven-baked chicken instead of grilled, poach fish instead of fry..these simple changes go a long way.
There's a myth to not have carbs..that's all it is - a myth. You need carbs to refuel & repair your muscles just as much as you need protein. If you remove such an important nutrient from your diet when you introduce it again your body will react worse than if you'd just kept eating your spuds & put on the pounds. Again, simple solutions: wholegrain over white rice or white pasta, sweet potatoes instead of jackets.
One thing to remember, eating well doesn't have to be expensive. Eggs are a great source of protein & will keep you full for a lot longer than a slice of toast or cereal & a box of large eggs costs you 80p..no excuses.
Remember what advice I was given.."abs are made in the kitchen."
2. Keep a Diary
Preparation I find is a great way to keep yourself on the right path. I try to plan my meals as much as I can, especially as I'm on my own at uni and it makes my food shop a lot easier if I know what I'm going to be cooking each day. Not only will it save you pennies, but if you write down what you plan on eating you're less likely to eat something you've not 'allowed' for.
Not only should you plan meals, but plan your workouts. There's nothing worse than getting to the gym and spending the best part of 20 minutes figuring out whether to run or do squats. Decide before you get there & stick with it, even if you're absolutely knackered & want to go home to your comfy bed, keep going! You'll feel so much better for it I promise!!
3. Train with a friend
Struggle to motivate yourself? No problem! Train with a friend! This doesn't always mean do the same workouts at the same time, you could just make the journey to the gym together (my worst part of actually going - guilty!) then you're there & you can get your workout on!
Why not try some partner exercises? Use medicine balls to do joint crunches, passing the ball to one another, or even toe touches against each others legs - simple, but effective & you've done your deed for the day!
I love hitting the gym with my housemates, there's something about training with a friend that's so fulfilling & it motivates me to carry on, especially if I feel like giving up!
4. Motivation
Whether it's your fitness, revision, hobbies..anything! It requires motivation to want to do something and want to achieve something.
Find your motivation for 'transformation'. To fit in a new dress you've bought? To eat more of a certain food? To achieve a certain amount of reps, or increase your weights for the week? Beating a personal best is always motivating for me & I've done that a lot recently, whether it's running the extra mile - like myself & my cousin, we wanted to hit the 5km mark & we beat it, reaching 5.5km - next time it will be 6km!
Whatever you want to achieve, set that as your goal & motivate yourself around that! It can be the simplest or intricate goal, but it's individual to you & will spur you to do well!
5. Rest
Training is important, but so is resting. If you don't give your body a break you'll over work yourself & could end up feeling worse. I try to get to the gym as much as possible, but sometimes a day off is what you need & next time you get to the gym you'll feel the benefits & also how you're improving.
Sleep is also really important! I love a good 12 hours sleep (if I can - busy student timetable and all that..) but really, the more sleep you have you'll be fuelled for a big workout & be much more productive than sleeping for 6 hours, waking up at ridiculous o'clock and trying to work out..common sense! Unless you can work on 6 hours, then fair!
6. Keep it Simple
You don't need a fancy gym membership, or fancy equipment to get lean. Try some equipment free workouts at home. Squats, press ups, crunches, lunges or even a jog outside! There's no excuse these days, and with Summer weather just around the corner what better excuse than workout outside?!
Don't think you have to train for hours either! If it's too easy you're either not working hard enough, or pushing yourself enough! Increase your weights, reps or sets and feel the burn - it's a good thing I promise! Progress is simple if you know the right way to go about it!
7. Diet VS Lifestyle
Adapt your lifestyle, not a crash diet. A crash diet is just a short term fix, which yes you'll see results from, but it's not sustainable & you'll relapse at some point..sorry, but it's true.
Been there, done that.
One thing I'll agree with from social media is that transformation is a long process, there's no short cuts and if you want to see a difference for the long term you've got to make changes & adaptations beyond the gym.
8. Reward
A final tip I think is really important is to reward yourself. I'll be the first to admit that I love a bloody fat dessert or a cocktail or ten on a night out, but everything in moderation is okay! (another I'm still learning!)
Don't restrict yourself so much that you're unhappy. Reward yourself every now & then, if that's food or drink, a day off from the gym, whatever tickles your pickle. If you want a chocolate bar - HAVE ONE! It's known to help your memory incase that convinces you it's a good thing..so does red wine! So, bottoms up my friends!
Workout Time
After a great bank holiday weekend of cocktailing it up Saturday, Sunday I decided it was back on it Monday & I hit the gym beating my personal best's on my run, abs and leg reps! Very proud of myself. (not blowing my own trumpet or anything!!)
One thing people think is you've got to go to the gym to have an effective workout - wrong! There's so many thing you can do at home without equipment & that are just as effective.
My favourite home workouts:
- Side mountain climbers: Simply take a plank position, bring your knee to your opposite hand then back to the starting position. Repeat on the other side & do this for a set of 30 reps.
- Pommel jumps: taking a plank position again, start with your feet shoulder width apart, jump in brining your feet together then back out for 20 sets. Challenge yourself and as you bring your feet in, jump in again tucking your knees towards your chest, then back and out..feel the burn!
- Bicycles: lying on your back bend your knees and crunch up bringing your elbow and opposite arm to meet, do it really slow & you'll feel the burn!
- Leg Pulse: lying on your back, again, keep your legs straight & reach towards your toes for 20 reps (more if you can!) if that's too easy, try it with a weight - starting at whatever's comfortable for you, but effective!
- Press ups: not everyone's favourite by far! But a whole body workout & so simple! Need I explain these really??
There's so many other great home workouts to do - not just for your abs, but lunges (static or walking), squats, timed mountain climbers, grasshoppers, burpees, the list is endless you just need to know what areas you want to target & go from there!
Gym workouts:
Grab some equipment & go!
Tonight, I hit the gym after debating on going for around two hours..I've gotten good at procrastinating since starting uni!
After finally making it, I began with 7kg dumbbells, 12kg kettle bell & 6kg medicine ball. (change to suit yourself, of course!)
Tonights circuit was as follows...
Bicep curls X 16
Static lunges with dumbbells X 16
Goblet squats X 16
Repeated four times
Toe touches X 20
Roll up russian twists with medicine ball X 15
Bicycles X 30
Diagonal reaches (hand to opposite knee) X 20 - 10 each side
V-sits X 30
Repeated four times
Then PLANK IT OUT! 2 minutes - intervals of 15 seconds plank, 15 seconds side steps..
This sounds like such a simple workout but I've increased my weights this week & really am feeling the aftermath now! Especially walking up three flights of stairs just to make it to my bed!
I felt so much better after going though & that's my favourite part about working out - whether that be a home workout, a gym workout or my Saturday morning run with Lauren - I always feel so positive afterwards, and if that can't convince you to transform your life & your body I don't know what will!
I've hit the gym hard this week after a bit of a heavy weekend, but also as I'm heading to Spain for a few days to catch some rays & can't wait to debut my new bikini! Again, motivation for yourself!
It's so easy for me to write all this, especially as I'm not expert, but I don't want to bring you into false hope that I'm living by these rules every single day because I honestly relapse a lot more than I'd like to. But I'm also 20 years old, at Uni and want to enjoy myself whilst I'm young.
A good friend of mine told me to live a little & not obsessively worry about always being on top form eating or drinking - it's honestly hit me & I'm grateful to have friends who can be honest with me & make me see sense sometimes!
Thankfully, I have brilliant friends who always remind me of the important things in life. Priorities as well, I love my gym going but it's okay to have a 'bad day' cos what's a glass of wine, or a voddy or even a REESES (I used to be OBSESSED with these!) every now and then!
Wow, I sound so therapeutic! But seriously, it is really easy to get carried away, especially with social media always having it out there to have 'THE bikini body' or to look like a Victoria's Secret model & it's that time of year where everyone's striving for the holiday season!
At the end of the day, I want to show you that it's not as realistic as they make out. 'Normal' people like you or I have a different life, that we can't centre around looking that way, but I want to be able to inspire (if that's a word I can use) that you don't have to be a personal trainer, or a model to look & feel good & there's so many ways you can transform to something you want to be without it being a chore or something you don't enjoy or expensive!
On that note, I'll leave you with a saying I'll always remember a friend telling me,
"You're here for a good time, not a long time."
Follow me on Twitter - @aprilalexandra1 & Instagram - @aprilalexandrax
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