Getting Into Fitness? Things to Look For In Your Gymwear

We have all made fashion mistakes before, but making mistakes with your gymwear is not something you want to do, especially when it comes to leggings (see through leggings - not the one). I popped together my top tips of things to look for in your gym clothes if you're just getting into fitness.

 Sports Bras

Sports bras are serious business in fitness, and you have to protect those bosoms. If you're like me and aren't blessed with breasts (wow what a phrase) then this probably isn't too much of an issue, but if you have a larger bust you have to make sure you are buying the right support for your boobies. If you're running, make sure you pick up a high-impact bra - generally the hideous ones, but they do the job. The best place to grab sports bras is 100% Victorias Secret. If you don't want to splurge quite so much however, H&M do decent ones too. 

Underwear

This might sound stupid but I'm just going to brush on it quickly. Thongs are best for the gym. You can't see them through your leggings, and as grim as it sounds (we are all ladies here...), they're already halfway up your butt so you won't have to keep pulling out your wedgied M&S briefs after squatting. Also, avoid lacey pants and opt for no VPL thongs, if you're bothered by panty-lines that is!

Leggings

No one wants a camel-toe, but just an advanced warning, the majority of beautiful gym leggings will give you one. My Gymshark Seamless leggings give me the worst camel-toe, to the point where my mother has told me I must only wear them with long tops, but I love them and will wear them anyway (free the camel-toe!). But if you're someone who truly cares about that sort of thing, I highly recommend going into a store and trying on your leggings before you buy them. Opting for non-seamless leggings are less likely to give you the dreaded toe. Also, I'd definitely recommend high-waisted leggings over low-rise ones, as they tend to stay up, leaving you not having to pause your run to hoist up your leggings. They're also great if you have a little jiggle in the tummy area (don't we all?). My final top tip for shopping all things gym leggings, is to squat in the mirror to test out the candidates - if you wouldn't want your nan to see what you're seeing in the mirror, then don't buy them.

Tops

A top that flies up and hits you in the face when you are doing burpees in the middle of the activities hall is not the one - trust me, been there done that, was embarrassing as hell. I always recommend baggier tops for relaxing activities such as yoga, pilates and general stretching. If you're planning to do high impact classes, or running, I'd suggest buying tighter tops that aren't going to hit you and be generally annoying. Saying this though, again I'd say tops are something you should try on, as you don't want to have to keep pulling them down if they're rising up. I buy most of my tops from Forever 21, H&M and Gymshark.

Trainers

I have to admit, when I began my fitness journey, looking into different types of trainers and which styles would be best for my type of workout, was not something I did. However, saying this, I do immensely regret this, and before buying your trainers I urge you to take some time to figure out what sort of exercise you are going to be doing. If you're simply going to the gym I don't think it matters too much, but if you want to start running, it is so important to buy running trainers, as they support your feet in all the right places. If you have a little more money to spend, I'd recommend going into a store where they track the way in which your feet move when you run, and they then suggest an appropriate trainer for your feet. I believe that the Nike store on Oxford Street does this, but I'm sure there are many more shops that do too. 

I think that is all the advice I have to give when it comes to buying activewear, but if you have any other top tips then please share them in the comments. Just remember that the most important thing is that you have to be comfortable in what you are wearing, and most importantly, it should make you feel confident in the gym!

Losing Sight of Your Goals and Why It's Ok...

We all have goals and dreams that we want to achieve, and it's so common to sometimes put these to the back of our minds, and lose focus on these goals. Since I moved home from University in August, I've truly fallen off the 'healthy eating' bandwagon, and I am really noticing a difference in not only the appearance of my body, but also in my energy levels. I've put on a small amount of weight, and my body fat percentage has increased as well, so I know it is unfortunately not all muscle, as I like to convince myself. Although I have my moments where I feel really down about the fact I have taken one step forward and two steps back in my health and fitness journey, I realise that it is so important to not let this get you down, and sabotage any future progress from being made. Sometimes it is ok to lose focus on your goals, and you just need to take a few steps to get back on track.

Here are a few things I like to do when I have lost sight of my goals.

1) Figure Out Why

Realising the things, or even events, that have made you lose track is really important, as you can use this as an opportunity to not only learn from your mistakes, but also to identify at what point things started to go wrong for you. For me, as mentioned, the reason I fell off track was because I moved back home with my parents. After spending three years on my own and cooking my own nutritious meals, moving back home where I ate whatever my parents cooked and had in the house, things slowly went bad. I stayed pretty focussed on the gym, so the choice of food was the only true issue.

2) Write a Plan of Action!

So for me, this meant writing a food plan, alongside my usual workout plan for the week. Not only this, but also taking charge of the weekly shop, and picking all the dinners for my household. Food was my real downfall when I moved back home as my parents aren't one for healthy food, whereas at University I was eating off of healthy protein, less processed food, and generally balanced meals. My house at the moment is stocked up to the brim with crisps, biscuits, chocolate and sweets, and these are my absolute weakness. I liked to only have a couple of treats in my house when I lived on my own, as it allowed me to remain balanced and not binge.

3) Prevent A Repetition

Yes, you can attempt to prevent losing focus again, although as I've mentioned there is nothing wrong with this happening. For me, I just like to have prevention methods in place to stop myself from going off track again, as I know how it affects me mentally. In this case I have simply tried to track my calories again, as this means I will not binge, and also I am begining to buy my own dinners, now that I have a job. Being in the office also means I cannot be snacking all day, so I think that this will be a good prevention for me. 

I guess I just wanted to write this post to remind you that it's ok to lose focus sometimes, and not just in terms of health and fitness, but in other walks too. Sometimes you just need to take some time to readjust to new situations. Especially in terms of fitness, you have to remember that falling off track for a month or two isn't going to completely eliminate all progress you have made so far. Achieving your 'dream body' is not a steady journey, rather one that takes many ups and downs, so just view this period of lost focus as a chance to pick yourself back up, and work harder than you were before.

Autumn Trend: Statement Red

A statement red is arguably the biggest trend this season, and for those of you, like me, who like to stick to less...should I say 'daring' colours, this is perhaps not the news you were after. However, I've been slowly integrating this gorgeous colour into my wardrobe, and accessories are definitely the easiest way to do so. I pulled together an outfit which I have been loving wearing, and I have to say, this statement red is growing on me.

Miss Selfridge Boots - £29

Daring Top - £12

Topshop Joni Jeans - £36

H&M Bag - £34.99

ASOS Necklace - £6 

Here are some more red accessories I have been lusting over:

ASOS ASHDEN Suede Studded Boots - £60

Glamorous Red Vinyl Effect Pointed Heeled Ankle Boots - £45

Monki Vinyl Chain Bag - £20

Topshop Mini Ring Backpack - £22


Have you picked up anything from the red trend?

What I Eat In A Day #2

Hey kids, welcome back to another What I Eat In A Day, where I reveal that I actually have a very boring diet. I've included calories/macros for each meal, but I don't particularly count them myself.

Breakfast - Protein Smoothie - 334 Kcal, 28g Protein, 23g Carbs, 14g Fat.

Cinnamon Swirl Protein

1 tsp Chia Seeds

1 tbsp Peanut Butter (or as much as you like...)

Half a Frozen Banana

Almond Milk

I actually love having porridge for breakfast, but on days where I am feeling a little heavier I like to have a protein smoothie. This one actually tastes divine and fills me up till lunch time.

Lunch - 429 kcal, 28.8g Protein, 37g Carbs, 19g Fat.

Heck Sausages

Reduced Sugar Spaghetti Hoops

Whilst I haven't been working, lunch has been a little less practical...and messy....and unhealthy. I am a massive fan of sausages (no innuendos please), and Heck sausages have amazing macros. I buy the 97% pork ones, which are 269 calories per 2 sausages, with 22g of protein. As I am a massive kid I am a sucker for Spaghetti Hoops so I enjoy eating these with my sausages. I tend to buy the reduced sugar ones, just because it's insane how much sugar goes into these things. At just under 160 calories, these are a yes in my books!

Snacks - Barbeque Popchips -  71 Kcal, 1g Protein, 11g Carbs, 2.6g Fat

Special K Dark Chocolate Chewy - 97 Kcal, 1.1g Protein, 14g Carbs, 3.4g Fat

In all honesty I've really been trying to cut down on the amount I snack, but if I fancy anything sweet I will always grab a Special K bar if I have one.

Dinner - Lean Machines Cod Parcel - 346 Kcal, 39g Protein, 35g Carbs, 3g Fat. 

I won't include the full recipe for this, but honestly you need to buy the Lean Machines book and try out some of their recipes. They're all actually super easy and I haven't had one I didn't enjoy, as of yet. The cod parcels are a little smelly, as you can imagine, but they taste great. Its simply, Cod, Tomato Puree, Cannellini Beans, Tomatoes, Onion and a bit of Garlic. Unfortunately, stupid me forgot to take a recipe of the finished product, but you get the jist of things. 

Total: 1227 Kcal (Most days I eat a LOT more than this, please be aware...)

So that's another day on my plate, it's not the most interesting at all, but I'm always curious what other people eat...