Ibiza

Well I'm back on UK soil wishing I was still on Ibizan sands! I had a brilliant time... Far from a healthy living bloggers lifestyle though!! Detox begins now! Apart from breakfast it was very hard to eat healthily over there, if I went again I think I'd go self catering in an apartment so I could be more in control of my food... Being vegetarian over there involved a lot of cheese toasties and chips! Oddly all the cafes seemed to have the same menus so where ever you ate you got the same choice, which for me was a cheese toastie!! Oh well, could have been worse! I hope you guys like pictures 'cause this post is full of them!

Day 1
At the airport at about 5am having been up already for around 24hrs!

Pretty sunrise over the runway

The view from our hotel bar, was a perfect location!

Still going on the first day, at a beachside cafe, least I could wear sunglasses now to hide the dark circles haha

First trip to the beach outside the hotel <3

Exploring on our first night, we found a cute market near the West End.

Me posing by the fountains... feeling a bit worse for wear by this point had been up for about 42 hours by this point! Excitement kept me going I think!

Day 2
Going for a walk on the seafront, I couldn't believe how mountainous and beautiful Ibiza was!

This was a cool little outdoor performance area, we never got to see anything there but I bet it would have been good!

Coronita! Sneaky mid day beer :-p Well when you're on holiday....

In Itaka bar, this place was cool, it had a live saxophonist playing to background music. Loved listening to him, he was doing a jazzy version of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at one point!

Day 3
View along the waterfront

In the hotel bar drinking a Capitan Morgan... a cocktail with rum and I forget what else....

View from the hotel bar <3

Our room, basic but clean!

balcony

The strangest cheesecake I've ever had... come on guys make an effort with the biscuit base it's the best bit!

Gorgeous sunset from the hotel bar

Slightly blurry waitor bringing me a tequila sunrise

yum!

We got picked on by the entertainment... Oh no!

He kept telling me 'no haha' cause I got the giggles... the tequila sunrise might have had something to do with that....

Salsa dancing (badly)

This guy was so strong!

I didn't capture it on camera (was too busy gawping) but at one point he had her above his head with one arm and was spinning her round!!

Mojito

At Ibiza Rocks bar (my favourite place!)

Ibiza rocks bar again... yuck shiny suncream face!!

Day 4
This boat was abandoned outside our hotel, apparently it had been part of a drugs deal...

Our hotel from the beach

Me in the sea

And again.. think I'd just gone a bit deeper judging by my body position, looks like I'm thinkin oooh this is cold haha

Went on a boat trip to Es Vedra Island

View of some of the clubs and fun fair, the pyramid is Es Paradis which I went to later in the week.

Our hotel

A cave

Boat going in said cave!

Pirate watch tower from the 1700's

Me in front of some cool rock formations, there were lots of these just jutting out of the water.

Es Vedra Island

Getting back on the boat after swimming in the sea, friend tried to get me in the water but she wasn't fast enough before we all had to get back on the boat :-(

Couldn't resist another sunset shot!

Es Paradis, Eden and the slingshot..

Day 5
Me in front of all the boats, you can't really tell but our hotel is in the distance too.

bendy palm tree

Ibizan cat

Hot, hot, hot!

Poser!

Ohh more sunset pics...

Ibiza rocks again! HedKandi pre party

At HedKandi in Es Paradis

Day 6
Sunset near Cafe Mambo

Weird sunset glow picture!

Heading to Ibiza rocks bar for our last night :-(

Am I really a healthy living blogger.... I don't look like one here but who am I to turn down free shots :-p

Cherry popper cocktail, this was really yummy! Vodka, amaretto, cranberry juice and I forget what else....

Judge Jules' dancers

This was a really funny dance off, was so good to watch, a really young looking guy blew the other guy out of the water!

Day 7
Sunrise for a change... from the hotel balcony

bye bye hotel...

bye bye Ibiza :-(

Woahhh you made it to the end!! Well done!

Holiday Prep (or how NOT to take a good picture of yourself!)

Well this is off the vein of my usual blog topics but I'm so excited I have to share it! When Mike and I broke up one of my best mates and I booked a holiday to Ibiza! I am so excited! I love to make lists so here's my holiday essentials list... plus LOTS of outfit pics... someone got a bit camera happy whilst making her list....

Clothes
Underwear
Polka dot bra
Strapless bra
White push-up bra
Red push-up bra
Knickers
Knee socks
Socks for travelling

Swimwear

Polka dot swimsuit 50's style Bhs

Stripy bikini, Primark

Polka dot bikini Primark

Surfer style bikini, Quicksilver

Shorts
Denim hotpants x 2 (1 from H&M 1 from Primark)
White denim hotpants (from the 9-15 section at New Look)
Sailor-esque shorts (SoulCal from Republic)
Black combat shorts (Next)

Skirts
Cherry print mini (Primark)

Dresses
Sailor style dress (A local shop near my old house)
Rainbow stripe (H&M)
Flowery sun dress (New Look)
Stripey racerback (SoulCal from Republic)
Strapless black w/ white embroider design (Primark)
Cream polka dot peter pan collar (Miso from Republic)








Tops
Pink polka dot strapless (H&M)
Baggy tank with horseshoe on front (H&M)
Flowery gyspy shirt (Miss Selfridge)
Red polka dot bandau.. not sure you can call it a top!? (Primark)
White tank w/ blue stripes and red bows (Zara)
Blue crop w/ white stripes and gold buttons (New Look)
Red and white stripey w/ plait rope straps (H&M)
Blue and white stripe cap sleeves with bow (H&M)
Khaki backless with sequins (New Look)
Frank's soda crop top (hand-me-down!)
Pink skull on black racerback (a custom boutique in Leeds)
Red strapless w/ bow (Oasis)
Red ballet esque top (Oasis)

polka dot strapless and black cargo shorts

red and white stripy top with rope straps and H&M shorts

polka dot bandau and H&M shorts

Cool is the rule crop and H&M shorts

Floral gypsy blouse and H&M shorts

Zara stripy top and sailor shorts

Horseshoe top and sailor shorts

red ballet ish top and cherry mini

stripy top with bow and white shorts

Red wedges... is that how I'm supposed to tie them?

New look crop top and shorts, not sure about the belt?

Full legnth of the same

My sunnies

bow detail on the side... that's what sold 'em to me!

Bikini top... and my other shorts (both Primark)

Shoes
Black stiletto peep toe w/ cream bow
Red canvas wedges w/rope ties
Grey gladiator-ish platforms
Navy flip-flops
Navy sannies


Accesories
Sunnies
Diamante bow belt
Pale pink bead set
Cream bead set
Bow bracelet
Nautical charm bracelet
Owl dangly earrings
Swallow tunnels
Anchor tunnels
Plain tunnels
Swallow necklace
Anchor necklace


Pjs
Strap top and shorts
White with lilac striped shirt pjs (I probs won't need them but I cannot sleep if I'm the slightest bit chilly lol)

Other
Makeup

Keeping it simple.. false eyelashes, waterproof mascara, eyeliner, eyelash curlers, tweezers and a little set with enough in to create a few looks...

Straightners
Hair dye?
Shower gel
Shampoo
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Sun lotion
Aloe vera gel
Towel
Spare glasses
Contact lenses
Perfume
Plug changer thingy (for camera and phone)
Camera charger
Travel kettle and coffee?
Ibuprofen/paracetamol

Hand Luggage
Books
Magazines
Passport
Tickets
Transfer info
Hotel info
Money
Bikini and change of clothes - just in case!
Camera
Mobile

Well I hope you guys love lists as much as I do... If not I have just written the worlds most boring post!!

Just before I go, I want to give a quick shout out to Rachel @ Rachel's Delicious Journey who sent me the most delicious healthy brownies yesterday. These lasted no time at all! Thanks so much Rachel!

Sparring Recap

Hello everyone! I missed WIAW again! Oops, I actually ate pretty well yesterday too, not too restrictive and no purging incidents, hooray for good days! I spent my day off snuggling with Roxie and doing a bit of tidying in the house, lovely relaxing day! I wish I had more time to spend with Roxie she seems to really appreciate it and seems so much happier when I'm at home most of the day!

Anyway, boxing!

Warm up

Run - stayed at the front of the pack.. think they were going a bit slower than usual... I'm usually a few metres behind. I had to laugh 'cause they were talking about leaving everyone behind even though we weren't going really fast and one of the guys said I was a beast for keeping up.. it made me giggle 'cause I thought what kind of woman takes being called a beast as a compliment lol.. this kind!

5 x 3 minutes heavy bag

Sparring
First proper sparring back... I was rusty but felt pretty confident, did ok.. got plenty to work on! Got some compliments on my jab being nice and fast which was good to hear I'd been working on it with Mike before we broke up... I now have a sore nose and slightly bloody lips due to letting rather more shots in than I would have liked haha! But for first sparring in goodness knows how long I'm happy!

First off I sparred a guy the same weight as me, he's had 17 fights compared to my zero so he toned it down and didn't go as fast or hard as he was against some of the other guys. That was good sparring I was trying to cut him down and get him on the ropes which I managed once but then I was stupid and moved my back on to the ropes (!) Ermm... not my most inteligent moment!! I did land some shots though I'm starting to learn to spot the gaps and pick my shots more which conserves a little energy!

I also sparred a guy who's had around 40 fights and is a GB champ. Obviously he wasn't going full force on me! It was so frustrating sparring him! He just threw a barrage of shots and I couldn't get anywhere near him really, I landed a couple of shots but he landed loads haha. It's good practice though there's a good chance I could come accross someone in a fight who just hopes to overwhelm me by throwing lots straight off and this sort of sparring proves to me I can keep calm, keep moving and avoid as many as possible when under pressure. Then in a fight situation take them down once they've punched themselves out!

I also sparred a fairly young guy who I was a bit tentative about hitting as I knew he was lighter than me... I'm often the lighter person so I don't have to alter my power much.. The coach said I should hit him harder though lol so I did! This guy could punch anyway, and he was fast. That was good sparring, I think he took it really mainly 'cause his punch rate was a lot higher than mine and he got some nice body shots off as I was guarding my face too much and leaving my body open and he spotted the gaps! Hopefully if I wasn't as tired I would be able to even this out a bit more!

Lastly I sparred a guy who was heavier than me but more evenly matched on skills as he hasn't had any fights yet either. He was afraid to hit me and I hope he changes his mind 'cause I think we could be good sparring for each other being at a similar level skill wise. I do understand where he's coming from as I'm always a bit worried I might hit a lighter person a bit hard if I don't alter my power correctly. But if people tone it down too much with me in sparring because I'm a girl I will get in a fight situation and get a shock and that's the last thing I want! We did talk about it so hopefully he will lose his qualms about hitting a girl! I felt like I didn't do too well in this round anyway as I was really tired by this point.. To a non boxer I cannot describe the tiredness you get in sparring haha it's like nothing else, ring fitness feels so hard to acheive!

Circuit, joined by a football team

• Jumping on to the blocks with 5k medicine ball.. who got on to the top block with the medicine ball oooooh yeah!! Shocked myself there hehe
• Shrugs
• Push-ups
• Star jumps
• Elevated push-ups
• Upright rows (20kg)
• Leg raises
• Tricep dips
• Step ups
• Punches with weights
  
• Mountain climbers
• Weighted hook twist exercise (15kg on one end of olympic barbell)
  
• Calf raises
• Power drives (15kg on one end of olympic barbell)
• Sit-ups with twist

Then instead of doing the circuit again I had to bail as my dad was giving me a lift home and we were going to be late picking my mum up. I had no feelings of sickness after this workout and was able to eat when I got home. I was so happy! Maybe I've finally kicked this virus to the curb!

I'm getting really excited for my holiday! I have a holiday post coming soon with soooo many pictures in.. got a bit camera happy while I was getting some of my stuff ready for it! It's been five years since I've been out of the country I can't even tell you how excited I am! I'm off now to think about packing my hand luggage and sorting out my holiday make-up... making sure I haven't forgotten to buy anything!

What are your holiday essentials?

Strange Sparring

...and other boxing...

I did go boxing last Thursday before I woke up ill on Friday morning... I can't remember what we did anymore though to be honest! So we'll move on to Mondays... I didn't have the best workout... nutrition was all wrong, didn't eat breakfast before my early shift (gotta be there for 6.45 so not always able to eat that early..) only took a total greek yoghurt with me and forgot I was staying late so at work til 4pm on just a yoghurt after being up since 5.30... managed to eat a banana and 2 slices of toast with pb and honey by about 4.30 but it was too close to training and not enough food overall to do a boxing workout.. By the time I'd finished boxing I felt so sick I couldn't eat anything I just showered and went to sleep... Oh and there was the palaver with the escapee bunny, those of you who follow my twitter (@boxruneat) will probably know all about it... he's still running free in the garden, little b*gger!!

Warm up
Run
Heavy bag 5 x 3 minute (1 minute rest)
Pads 1 x 3 minute (1 minute rest)
Felt so sick and dizzy during these rounds, I didn't feel like my work rate was good at all but I was literally dripping with sweat (sorry tmi!) Not sure whether it had more to do with the poor nutrition or the fact I was just coming back from an illness or maybe a combination of both... I felt like I was either going to puke or pass out blehh

Now, the strange sparring...
We paired off, sat on the floor opposite our partners each person had one leg over the others so you had one leg on top and one leg underneath theirs, you had to sit close so it was emulating in fighting where you couldn't use your footwork to escape an attack.. Let me tell you I was not too enthralled being so close to all the men/boys haha I felt rather awkward but I got on with it! No time to be prudish haha it's not like that anyway obviously I'm just easily embarrassed! Anyway moving on! We did about 5 3 minute rounds with 1 minute rest with a different partner each time. I really enjoyed getting back into some sparring and I think this was about the only sparring I could have coped with tonight full sparring would have been too tiring! I'm glad to say I wasn't flinching as much as I was last time we did touch sparring! I found it hard to get through some of their guards but I found myself timing shots quite well and spotting openings.. I still need a lot of work obviously I'm pretty rusty but it felt good to be doing it again!

After that we did the legs circuit... yowza, mine were like jelly after this!

• Jumping over a bench with a 5kg medicine ball
• Jumping onto steps and off again with 15kg bar bell then stepping on and off the steps on the way back..I did it with the proper squats this time, a lower weight though otherwise I think I would have been stuck sat on the floor
  
• Clean and jumping lunge press... clean to waist then to shoulders with feet together then press to full arm extension whilst jumping and landing with your feet in a lunge position.. hope that made sense... it would be so much easier to show you.. (15kg)
  
• Jumping onto blocks... I got on the big tall scary one hurrah! Granted not with the medicine ball but I didn't end up on my arse, bonus!
  
• Lunge jumps over and onto a step
• Walking lunges with 25kg barbell
• Bunny hops with 5kg medicine ball
• Power drive with Olympic barbell plus 10kg on one end
  
• Calf extensions
• Hook movement with Olympic barbell plus 15kg on one end

Thank god we only did this once, I actually couldn't have coped with a second circuit, I seriously considered dropping out 'cause I felt so sick and I do not drop out of workouts lightly, I hate quitting! We did a cool down and I was so glad my dad was giving my a lift home, I felt really rough!! I showered and went straight to bed when I got home, good nights sleep though!

Like a glutton for punishment I went back last night!
Warm up (inc 10 push-ups)
Run
6 x 3 minute heavy bag (1 minute rest)
3 x 3 minute partner footwork drills (1 minute rest)

Cardio circuit 2 mins each station 30s rest between stations

• Exercise bike
• Exercise bike
• Power drives
• Weighted punches
• Step ups with 15kg weight
• Incline sit-ups
• Treadmill
• Treadmill
• Cross trainer
• Rowing machine
• Rowing machine
• Jumping lunges on step

and collapse!! (cool down) Felt really rough tonight aswell, bath and straight to bed... I'm hoping I feel better tonight, if not I'll give Thursdays session a miss.


My Foodie Blog Swap goodies arrived from McKayla @ Green Groats.... Sadly they did not survive the journey :-( But I do have the recipe to try them myself when I have the ingredients in... Gutted, they sounded gorgeous! I'll share the recipe with you all anyway.

Peanut Butter Flaxy Fudge Protein Bars
1 cup chocolate protein powder
2/3 cup flaxseed meal
2 TBS natural chunky PB
1/8 cup water
1tsp chia seeds
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp maple extract
1/4 tsp stevia

Mix all ingredients together, add a little more water if necessary. Divide into 8 balls and mold into desired shapes, wrap individually and store in fridge or freezer.




What a shame, they sounded so nice!

Luckily I have a few goodies to keep me going, I bought out H&B on their BOGOHP offer over the weekend and my granola I won from Laura @ Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish arrived to keep me snacked up!

H&B goodies

Lots of xylitol (some unpictured... I love this stuff)
Maca powder
Time release B vitamins (stress depletes B vitamins and deficiencies can lead to depression so I figured with everything going on right now I could do with ensuring I'm getting enough!)
Healthy habits bars, 4 hazelnut and honey (my fave), one oat cranberry and one almond pecan to mix things up a bit!
Bear fruit yo-yo, one blueberry, one raspberry.
Bounce protein bars 2 almond, 1 peanut and one spirulina ginseng
Finally 4 tubs of natural PB, 3 smooth (for porridge) and 1 crunchy (for toast)

So... I've never used maca before? Can you share your fave maca recipes with me?

June Recap

June goals
Finish the Allerthorpe half marathon - probably now unattainable sub goal was to get my time in under 2hrs which I have acheived in training but.... DONE!!! Can't even believe it!! Recap of Allerthorpe half marathon :-)

Try not to lose anymore weight DONE!! - ok so my feelings around food are not totally healthy at the moment but I'm happy if I maintain this weight. It's a weight I can cope with and it's not too low to be really unhealthy but not too high that I'm constantly freaking out.

Get back in that boxing gym DONE, and loving it!

June totals
Push-ups - 200
Miles - 17.1


for comparrison May totals
Push-ups - 60
Miles - 24.1

Ok so push-ups are coming back and miles are going down! I just need to find my balance with running and boxing and work.. and sleep haha honestly I see some peoples blogs and I do not know how you do it! I'm always striving for this balance I can never seem to quite get. There is always something that I feel is lacking.. Maybe that is the perfectionist in me coming out.. Never satisfied, but that can be a good thing it means I'm always trying for something more! I just need to get my routine sorted, which is hard when my shifts are always changing! But Late shift = run, early shift = boxing should do the trick!

Those of you who follow my twitter account will know I've been feeling very sorry for myself since yesterday. I got that bloody virus. Woke up yesterday morning feeling very sick, decided to go to work anyway as I had felt really sick on Tues morning and it just passed... Anyway part way there on the bus I have to get off and ring my brother for a lift home. Luckily he bought a bucket 'cause I was sick on the way back.. Apart from my brief attempt at going to work and an hour on my laptop yesterday I slept for 32 hours!! And I still feel exhausted.. it's really taken it out of me :-(

Busy Little Bee

Wooo it's been a while! I have been working like a mad woman. There has been a nasty diarrhoea and sickness virus going round the home I work at and I have been doing lots of overtime, including a 15.5 hour shift on Monday, my day off... I must be mad it was a gorgeous day should have sat myself in a beer garden and worked on my tan haha.. but the money will be good when it comes in and plus I might still end up catching this virus and having to take unpaid sick days... How bad is that I would have to take unpaid sick days for a virus I would have caught at work... Anyway... My body had been strong so far against it. I really feel like a ticking time bomb though haha. In all this I've actually just had a stonking cold... nothing to stop me working or getting to the gym though, just a bit tired and run down, probably from working too much and still not sleeping well. I'm up at 5.30am tomorrow and I'm writing this post wide awake at 11.15pm.. and that's the time now... Goodness knows what time it will be when I finish writing!! (ahhh only 11.30... is this full of mistakes?)

Anyway... you don't come here for my rants about how hard I'm working or to hear me feeling sorry for myself! I'll share with you my latest boxing workout instead!

Warm up 20 mins of the usual, jogging, stretching, tuck jumps, push-ups etc

Running team drills - this consisted of a few drills which we each did 3 times

• run to the ring (approx 50m) pick up heavy bag, run back to team then back to ring, drop heavy bag and sprint back to team.
• run to ring pick up heavy bag, run back to team, run back to ring, drop heavy bag, run back halfway to team and do 20 jumping lunge type things off a high step, sprint back to team.
• run to ring, back to team, back to ring, back to half way, step up onto steps with med ball when you reach the top fully extend arms then bring back to chest, repeat 10 times for speed, jump sideways over steps 10 times, sprint back to team.

6 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min rest)

7 mins continual skipping

Partner drills with medicine ball

• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is sat on the floor, person B lies down, touches medicine ball on floor behind head, does sit-up and throws back to person A. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
  
• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is kneeling on the floor, person B throws back, drops straight down into push-up then back up ready to catch again. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
• A & B stand back to back and pass the medicine ball from side to side 15 times each side x 2.

Weighted hooks with olympic barbell plus 15kg (3 x 12)

Cool down, 10 mins of stretches.

Plus I biked there and back... I'm not keen on road biking (always feel like I'm going to die on the roads or be fined massively if I go on the pavements..) but I'm trying to save money on bus fares. It costs me 2 pounds a night to box but would be over a fiver including bus fares, now if I go three-four times a week thats 15-20 pounds gone when it could be 6-8... Big difference if I suck it up and bike! Plus it's an extra little workout, it's about 25 mins each way, not sure how many miles but it will be good for leg endurance so... thinking of the positives!

Last bit of good stuff, I got my Matcha powder from Teapigs you can expect a proper review but so far all I have to say is LOVE IT! I had some the day I got it and really felt energised, moreso than my beloved coffee! Shock!! p.s. ETA just noticed they have an offer on the matcha at the moment, 2 for 40 instead of 25 each (sorry my pound button doesn't work!!) it ends 30/06/11 so get in quick if you want to save a bit! Enter matchabod at the checkout!

Hope you're all having a good week, hope I get to post more regularly this week I miss blogging when I'm busy!

Yet Another Boxing Workout

How's everyone's weekend been? I'm just experimenting on my new phone and blogging from work on my break.. Not sure I could do this all the time though! On Friday I went boxing, only four including myself turned up!

Warm up (this one included squatting atg style and jogging? moving? as fast as you can along the floor in that position, moving as fast as you can in a bear hold and then in a crab hold... the first was the worst!)

8 mins continuous skipping

3 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min rest)

5 x 3 min touch sparring - working on technique - the coach seemed happy with me here but I was disappointed, I kept flinching and blinking even though it was only touch sparring and I knew I wasn't going to get hurt so it was annoying that I was flinching.. I know that will go once I get used to it again but...

Leg Circuit... Ohhhhhhhh.... Ouch!!

• Jumping over a bench with a 5kg medicine ball
• Jumping onto steps and off again with 25kg bar bell then stepping on and off the steps on the way back.. I realised afterwards seeing another guy finish it that I think this was meant to be squat jumps.. not just jumps.. think I may have ended up on the floor if I'd tried a squat jump though haha
• Clean and jumping lunge press... clean to waist then to shoulders with feet together then press to full arm extension whilst jumping and landing with your feet in a lunge position.. hope that made sense... it would be so much easier to show you..
• Jumping onto blocks... still bottling the big tall scary one haha.. I will get up there (and hopefully not end up on my arse..)!
• Lunge jumps over and onto a step
• Walking lunges with 25kg barbell
• Bunny hops with 5kg medicine ball (the WORST!! yowza)
• Calf extensions
• Hook movement with olympic barbell
  

We did it twice, once with 1 min per station then a second time with 30s per station we had a short break in between, maybe 5 mins... This was tough!

My legs are still hurting today from all of that! It's still feeling so good to be back though!

Is everyone excited about the Healthy Living Gathering? I cannot wait!

Healthy Living Gathering

Healthy Living Gathering: We want to know what you think!


A few of us have started to investigate the potential to hold a UK healthy living bloggers event (similar to the Healthy Living Submmit that takes place in the U.S) It’s very early days yet, but we wanted to post about it so that we could see how many of you would be interested in taking part!

There are 4 of us trying to organise things at the moment: Emily from Sparkle and Shade, Laura from Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish, Emma from Coming Up Easy and me, Laura from Box, Run, Eat.

At the moment we are looking at a possible date of the 8th and 9th October 2011.

If you would be interested in attending an event like this please send an email to healthylivinggathering@gmail.com with the following information:

• Venue preference: Leeds / Manchester / Nottingham
• How much you would be willing to pay for a ticket

We know it will be difficult to find a venue that suits everyone, but we have tried to keep the options as central and affordable as possible. If you'd like to come but can't make that weekend, please still get in touch - the date isn't set in stone, the main thing we need to find out is how many of you would be interested in coming along!

We really hope that some of you would like to join us at an event, it would be lovely to meet you all! This isn’t just restricted to bloggers either, anyone that’s interested could come along.

If you’re on Twitter, make sure you’re following @HLG11 for all the latest info and updates over the next few months.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Emily, Laura, Emma and Laura x

Lots More Boxing

Went boxing again on Wednesday after a rather lazy day sitting down lots as it was my only day off out of 17 days... damn overtime why did I agree to you! Coupled with the fact my sleeping pattern has been destroyed lately - bed at 1 to wake up at 5.30 for work knackered straight after work then wide awake when I need to sleep.. I hope this stress goes soon, I really am not good on any less than 7.5 hours!! I needed to get my feet up! I spent the day thinking about some very exciting ideas... I promise I'll tell you more soon but October promises to be a good month - keep your diaries free!

Anyway, back to the boxing!
Usual warm up - jogging round the gym, few sprints, few tuck jumps, lots of stretches...
Then we went for a run, out of approx 20 male boxers I made it back 4th.. I was well pleased with myself! Maybe they weren't trying as hard as me but I was happy anyway! I'm guessing it was 1.5-2 miles... not sure really, only a quicky!
We did some partner drills after the run.. that's when it all started to go down hill for me.. I felt like I had absolutely no co-ordination tonight, I was slow and sluggish and I just wasn't getting it right. Really frustrating!
4 x 3 min heavy bag
10 mins core work (owwwwwwwww really got to me tonight!)
Cool down

And being a glutton for punishment as I am after finishing my early shift today I went home chilled for a bit with Roxie my doggy... rather old picture... need to take some new ones!
Anyway, after having some Roxie cuddles and then taking her for a walk I got myself ready to go back to boxing... and so long as I don't completely flake out I plan on doing the same tomorrow! I can have a lie in before my late shift on Saturday!

Warm-up inc jogging, tuck jumps and stretches
Sprint drills (this was fun!)
8 x 3 min heavy bag/shadow alternating (1 min rest)

Partner drills with medicine ball

• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is sat on the floor, person B lies down, touches medicine ball on floor behind head, does sit-up and throws back to person A. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
  
• Person A throws medicine ball to person B who is kneeling on the floor, person B throws back, drops straight down into push-up then back up ready to catch again. Repeat 15 times then swap. x 3
• A & B stand back to back and pass the medicine ball from side to side 15 times each side x 2.

More core!! After last nights core this didn't hurt as much as I was expecting but it did hurt haha I expect to be sore tomorrow.. that kind of sore when you dread someone making you giggle... and I happen to be on shift with a girl who cracks me up all the time tomorrow! Oh well! It'll be better than being down in the dumps as I have been so often lately... I'm still so up and down... One day I'm fine and feeling like it's the right decision and the next I just feel so fed up.. I really can't wait to go on holiday and get away from 'normal' life for a while! At least going back boxing has given me something to focus on... now all I need to do is keep my running up and sort my eating out and I'll be well on the way to sorted!

Top Ten Health and Fitness Tips

TOTAL Greek yoghurt got in touch with me recently to see if I wanted to be involved in their #Fit4Summer campaign and share my top ten health and fitness tips.. Sounds good to me! They have a website with their own tips on Fit 4 summer website and you can win a months supply of TOTAL Greek yoghurt here... nom!

1. Add fruit or veg to your meal or snack.
Add extra vitamins, minerals and bulk to your diet. For example if I fancy ryvitas with hummous on I'll chop up some cherry tomatoes, baby beetroot, cucumber and olives to go with them. Or add fruit to your cereal/porridge/yoghurt.. Fancy a burger and chips, have half regular chips and half squash chips or sweet potato chips... Don't forget to load up the salad! I like some by the side too :-)

2. Don't deny your cravings.
If you really want some chocolate or crisps have some. I follow the 80/20 'rule' i.e. 80% good, healthy nutritious food and 20% whatever it is I fancy... Plus I always found I'd eat more if I denied my cravings as I'd eat something instead of what I was craving, find myself still craving a certain food and end up eating both leading to more calories consumed and feelings of guilt.

3. Sneak in little bits of exercise!
Every little helps... Drop and do 5/10/20 push-ups or sit-ups in the ad breaks if you're watching tv or just do them on and off throughout the night. I've not been doing this much lately but I should be! It really helps your strength and your numbers will add up really quickly. Make a tally chart and see how many you do over the course of an evening... Bet you surprise yourself! Plus once you have a base number you can get competetive with yourself!

4. Don't neglect your strength training.
Muscle burns more calories than fat, plus you will be stronger! Try one of mine here... scroll down past the nakd review and me looking VERY different to get to the workout! You can do it in a gym but I love having a set of weights to do it in the privacy of my own home..

5. Challenge yourself and compete against yourself.
The main reason I love running is because I can really compete against myself. Buy a garmin, try go faster or further (carefully though, don't increase too much too soon, you risk injury!). Try to increase your push-up numbers or your sit-up numbers too or do some Ross Training workouts and try and beat your times... my personal favourites are the Magic 50 and Workout capacity 101.

6. Fuel properly
Both before and after exercise... As someone with an eating disorder history this one can be tricky but I try to see my body as a machine... Like a car needs petrol to run our bodies need fuel to run/exercise/function.. So put the good stuff in!

7. Join a boxing gym..
Ok I might be slightly biased here but there is nothing more motivating than wanting to be fit enough, fast enough, strong enough to win a fight! But really, you don't have to fight or spar to get loads out of a boxing gym, you'll get an amazing workout and you'll learn techniques which make me feel more confident biking home from work at night... You attack me you better be ready for the backhand that's going to land on your nose! Plus you will most likely be made to feel really welcome and part of a team.

8. Switch it up
Usually go for a long slow run? Try some intervals... Always running intervals or really tough fast paced runs try a longer slow run.. Our body's get used to the same kind of training, shock it into submission with something new! Or something completely different... see the Ross workouts in tip 5, they're horrible but it's a good kinda horrible!

9. Get people involved.
I've just convinced a few people at work to do the race for life, it's fun to have new people to train with and it feels good to inspire others at the start of their fitness journey!

10. Experiment in the kitchen.
Want something sinfully unhealthy or nutritionally devoid? Experiment in the kitchen with your own healthy version! If you don't feel too confident in the kitchen check out some of these blogs Chocolate Covered Katie and Keeping Healthy Getting Stylish who have healthified lots of yummy recipes... Try Katie's cookie pie, I've not got round to making it yet but it looks AMAZING! I must get round to it! Or just google healthy *whatever it is you fancy* you're bound to find something!
Here's a list of some of my healthified recipes
Sugar free raspberry yoghut mess made with TOTAL Greek yoghuty as it happens!
Vegan english breakfast with homemade, baked hashbrowns
Allergy free cinnamon buns (also sugar free)
Healthy pizza night
Tabouli recipe and big summer salad plate
High protein truffle balls - kind of like fudge babies but my own version made without knowing fudge babies existed!
Baked tortilla chips and homemade guacamole

I can't believe how much my life has changed since some of those posts.. some of them are in Mike and I's old university flat! Seen how tiny the kitchen is! Wow it's amazing I ever cooked in there hehe.. ohhh all reminiscent now!

Now I'm tagging 3 bloggers.. 'cause I wanna hear your top ten tips!
Jess @ Almost Over Now
Maria @ Running Cupcake
and
Lindsay @ vivoir

Half Marathon Pictures and More Boxing

I went boxing again on Thursday night... I've not really been sleeping so it was hard but a lot easier to motivate myself to go to the gym and train there than it would be to do the same thing at home! Also I have to say, people who've commented saying they'd like to try boxing do it! You don't have to fight and you can go to an amateur boxing gym and get a really great workout, learn how to punch (good self defence and proper punching will work more muscles..) it's not daunting or too full of testosterone, all the gyms I've ever been in have been really friendly, the only potential downside is there aren't many women at all so if you don't like being a minority you might not like it but that doesn't bother me personally!

Anyway here's how they killed me on Thurs!!

Warm up
5 x 3 min skip (1 min rest)
8 x 3 min alternating heavy bag and shadow (1 min rest)
1 x 3 min pad work (this was done in the middle of the bag/shadow rounds... totally killed me! My boxing fitness is definitely down!)

Another killer circuit... slightly different to last time... might have forgotten some stations but hopefully not!

• Medicine ball sit-ups - twist each side and one in the middle
• bar bell over the shoulder (it's a barbell with a heavy weight on one end and the other end is on the floor, you kind of punch it from one shoulder to the other... couldn't find a picture and my attempts to draw one on paint were no more helpful I'm afraid..)
• Medicine ball rugby pass (to the wall and catch, 2 hands alternating each side of the body)
• Neider press back against the wall
• Raised push-ups (feet on second rope of the ring x 10)
• Raised push-ups (feet on first rope of the ring x 15)
• Resistance band punches (jab)
• Resistance band punches (straight)
• Resistance band punches (uppercuts)
• Resistance band punches (hooks)
• Push-ups (20)
• Sit-ups
• Jumping squats from side to side on a step
  
• Jumping on to blocks with 5kg medicine ball
• Jumps over benches
• Jumps over piled up steps with some push-ups at the end (yeah this section FRIED my already dead legs haha)
• Front of neck press (think I used 10kg)
• Shrugs (used 10kg e/a I think)
• Bent over row (think I used 10kg...)
• Back of neck press (7.5kg for this I think...)
• Squats and lunges (25kg I think)
• hook type thing with barbell (this is similar to the other barbell exercise I couldn't describe haha weights on one end, other end on the floor and hook from one side to the other)
  
• Raised calf extensions

push-ups = 55

Cool down

So tired after that! Been loving being back though, can't wait for more sessions and to get back in the ring for some sparring... my fitness definitely needs work though, don't want to be puffing and panting as much as I am at the moment ha!

The official pictures from last weeks half are online now... Loving mine for a change actually!

This is the pack I was with for a while at the beginning, when I checked their finish times I gained about 15 minutes on them so I made the right decision to speed up! (I was tentative at first in case I couldn't keep my lead haha)

Can't believe my muscles on this!!! This is a rare picture of my body where I can look at it and think yeah I look ok, maybe even good.. That's such a rare thought for me, I'm pleased, might buy this one even though I'm not a huge fan of my facial expression!!

Ready to stop the garmin... getting priorities straight!!

And I think I'm going to be sick...

Hope you're all having a good weekend!

Back to Boxing

So back to boxing last night! Here's what we got up to! I'm buzzing to be back in the gym, I can't wait to get in the ring either... I could have gone to do some sparring tonight but I ended up sorting some stuff out with Mike and decided it was probably best to wait too 'cause it was at another club and I'm not quite looking my best yet... Want to get a reputation for myself for being a good, strong, gutsy boxer not a tired boxer haha

Warm up
3 x 3 min Skip (1min break)
8 x 3 min heavy bag (1 min break)
1 x 3 min pads (so good, but so tiring haha and my legs were dead but I found some power... I would like to think I'd be stronger if I hadn't run a half on Sunday!)
Circuit... this circuit has got even more awesome since I last went!

• Medicine ball sit-ups - twist each side and one in the middle
• bar bell over the shoulder (it's a barbell with a heavy weight on one end and the other end is on the floor, you kind of punch it from one shoulder to the other... couldn't find a picture and my attempts to draw one on paint were no more helpful I'm afraid..)
• Medicine ball rugby pass (to the wall and catch, 2 hands alternating each side of the body.. kind of scared I was going to drop the ball and knock someone out... I didn't luckily!!)
  
• Resistance band punches (jab)
• Resistance band punches (straight)
• Resistance band punches (uppercuts)
• Resistance band punches (hooks)
• Jumping on to blocks with 5kg medicine ball (I only managed the first two... last one was too high and since I almost bottled the first I didn't try it yet but give me some time I'll be leaping on to that thing don't worry ;-) I was so scared of falling on my bum in this one haha)
• Jumps over benches
• Jumps over piled up steps with some push-ups at the end (yeah this section FRIED my already dead legs haha)
• Front of neck press (think I used 10kg)
• Shrugs (used 10kg e/a I think)
• Bent over row (think I used 10kg...)
• Back of neck press (7.5kg for this I think...)
• Squats and lunges (25kg I think)
• hook type thing with barbell (this is similar to the other barbell exercise I couldn't describe haha weights on one end, other end on the floor and hook from one side to the other)
  
• Raised calf extensions

and collapse! We did a minute on each station and I must admit my heart sank a little when the coach said we were doing it again it was tough... he was joking though hehe I like to work hard but I wasn't disappointed when he was joking haha not sure I could have taken another round!

Finished with about 15 mins abs and a cool down

My body feels beat up today but in a good way! I'm still sore from the half too, bending down to get in the meds trolley at work I'm groaning like an old lady and needing to pull myself back up haha.. Don't think that will stop me boxing tomorrow night though! Thought I was on a late but on an early so get me to the gym :D

Hope you all had a happy hump day!

Alpro Vitality App

I must apologise for the length of time it's taken me to get this post up! The guys at alpro contacted me ages ago asking me to try out the vitality app and sent me some yummy soy deserts, the dark chocolate flavour... First time I'd tried those and I'll definitely be getting them again, much better than the regular chocolate... anyway I digress.... I tried the vitality app out at the beginning of my relationship breakdown with Mike when my eating was probably at its worst and it was good for helping me realise just how little I was surviving on a day... I also imagine it's good for people looking to cut down as it's probably more geared towards, or just people wanting to keep track. I think sometimes you just don't realise how many calories are in something..

Pros

• Takes into account that there is more to health and wellbeing than exercise and nutrition and there is an option to add in social time and other non food/exercise related activities such as recycling.
  
• Able to keep track of meals and snacks separately and collectively as the day goes on
• Keep track of water intake as the day goes on so you don't do what I often do and forget all day and cram it all after tea meaning I'm up and down to the loo all night.. doh!
• Also keep track of reaching your 5 a day, however, I wish there had been options for adding to this section as some people like to try and eat more than 5 often I ate more and would have liked the little ego boost of being able to put that down haha maybe that's just me!
  

Cons

• At first I found adding meals hard to do I figured it out eventually but it didn't seem very intuitive..of course that just might be my lack of computer abilities...
• No spelt on the ingredients list so I hd to use brown rice instead as I thought they might be similar, also no blueberries and a few other items which I had to try and put the nearest option in.
• On a few occaisions it doubled the calorie count of one meal whilst stating the correct number of calories on the meals bit.. I had to half the grams of the meal for it to appear right on the chart although then it appeared wrong on the list... not sure what went on there, I tried all sorts to fix it and that was all I could come up with, but again someone more computer minded might not have found that so difficult!!

Whilst I think this is a great tool I probably shouldn't continue to use it. It's too easy for me to become obsessive about these things and whilst it did give me a kick in the right direction at first it would be too easy for me to use it in a bad way, and generally counting calories and I don't go well together... That's nothing really against the app though just personal choices, it's a great free app for people who get on with that kind of thing it's just not too healthy for me... Leads to too many up and down emotions from feeling high that I'd not eaten anything one day to looking at the same day and thinking what are you doing to yourself Laura you idiot.. In some ways these things are far easier not written down for me, on a computer program or otherwise... Anyway, go check it out here just 'cause it's not for me doesn't make it bad!

In other news I got back in the boxing gym tonight!! It felt SO good! I sweated buckets and worked hard, the coach said he thinks I'll be ready to fight come the new season in Autumn so that's great news! I'll write a proper post on that tomorrow... must sleep soon up at the ungodly hour of 5.30 for work :-( After 6 days off and lie-ins it's going to be so hard haha