Losing My Mojo...

Losing My Mojo...

Hello...it's me! Not Adele, it's Emma!
Sorry I haven't posted in a very, very, very long time, I've got myself a second job; I know I'm crazy for doing so, but what else is a single girl supposed to do at the weekends? So with both my jobs & trying to make time for the gym and other things in my life, I've let my blogging take a back seat.

I feel like 2015 has been my random wandering year as I've sort of lost my mojo of healthy eating & exercise, which is sad because it's something that I do enjoy participating in & I enjoy all the healthy food I make.

Over the past year, from fracturing a bone in my foot, to having my heart broken at the beginning of the year, then having a car accident; the first six months of the year didn't go as I had hoped for. These set backs meant I missed classes & some of the classes I was attending eventually closed due to low attendance, so when I was ready to return I had no class to go back too!
Even though I had these sets backs I struggled through with the help of my friends & family. My best friend Laura & I manage to complete The Suffering 5K, which was great fun but in total was 8.5K long instead, but that's another story.

The second half of the year, hasn't been too shabby; I managed to pull myself together & get out of my funk & get things back on track. I've felt great about myself & felt more confident & have become stronger in the gym, but still I have been feeling that something isn't right. Then I lost my mojo, in October a month before I was due to go away for my holiday to Australia. It just went; I was grumpy & unhappy with myself & my body but I continued to go to the gym regardless. I don't think there has been much change to my body over the year that I can see, which is a little disheartening, when I had tried to put in so much effort. I feel like I've become exhausted & feel like I've made no progress.

The Land Down Under...

Luckily, whilst I was on holiday in Australia, not only did I get the rest I needed, but I also found myself inspired again, by my wonderful cousins! I really liked Australia as I felt that the lifestyle there is more healthy, restaurants have much more to offer in the way of gluten free, dairy free etc. and there's specialist health food shops scattered everywhere full of lovely organic & alternative foods. Also the weather really helps, not only does the sunshine help everyone's mood, but you can do more activities outside, which is what sucks about the lovely English weather...roll on summer! 
So, by talking to my cousins about their health & fitness regime's & what I do back home, really helped me refocus my mind, which is what I desperately needed.
I was eating quite healthily & enjoying the sunshine by going on lovely long coastal walks whilst I was visiting Australia, it really gave me a renewed sense of what I want to achieve & what I want to push myself to do. So, that once Christmas was out of the way I can start again in 2016 with a renewed perspective.

Peace & Love.

 

Two Out of Three

Two Out of Three

Firstly, if you don't own Meatloaf's Bat out of Hell album, what is wrong with you?

Secondly, how do you know that you’re healthy? What's the right thing to measure yourself by, your Body Mass Index (BMI), body fat percentage, or waist to hip ratio?


Thirdly, why would anyone want to put their health down to a number? Unless it's the number 42, but surely people know whether they feel healthy or not?
 

Body Mass Index (BMI)
 

Body Mass Index (BMI) is way of seeing whether your weight is appropriate for your height. It's quite favoured by the medical professionals GP's and the like, to let you know whether your fat or not. According to my BMI, even though I've lost 5 stone I'm still now overweight rather than being borderline morbidly obese. It recommends that I lose another 20Kg or 2 stone to be healthy. Which when I look at myself I'm not too sure where this would come off from, there's a bit of fat left on my stomach & arms which I'd like to get rid of but I don't think there's 20Kgs of it...maybe there is who knows.

Personally, I don't like the BMI as we all know muscle is leaner & more dense than fat, therefore all of our favourite sports starts would epically fail on this measuring scale & like the rest of us told to lose some weight.

To check your BMI if you want to click here: http://www.nhs.uk/Tools/Pages/Healthyweightcalculator.aspx

 

Body Fat Percentage

Is a little trickier to calculate, unless you have a pair of callipers, which I wish I had.

I sometimes used the weight machines in Boots or at the Gym where is does measure your BMI but also your body fat but sending an extremely small electrical current though your body to measure the fat, whether this works or not I have no idea. Last time I used one of these machines was 2 months ago, where my body fat percentage was 30%.

Also there are measurement systems online where you just need a tape measure here's a link to one: http://www.active.com/fitness/calculators/bodyfat from using this link my body fat percentage now is 27%. It is possible that I've lost 3% in the last two months, with the weight resistance training I'm doing. So with my body fat being at 27% this means for a woman, my age, my body fat percentage is average, however I am working on getting this to the ideal section.

Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR)

 
The waist to hip ratio is an indicator to see whether you’re an apple or pear/hourglass body shape. As people who are more apple shape & carry more fat around their abdomen are more likely to develop heart disease. To calculate your waist to hip ratio you measure you waist & hips in inches & divide. It's simple maths that even I can do it, but here's a link to make it easier: http://www.virginactive.co.uk/active-matters/tools/waist-hip-ratio

Men with a WHR of 0.95 and women who have a WHR of 0.85 or less are in good health and are more likely to be hourglass or pear shaped, however, if your WHR is above this it means you should probably lose some weight due to the risk to your heart.

My WHR is 0.76 which is good; if I did this 3 years ago I think it would have told a different story.

Basically, above is a load of numbers, charts & calculations that are used to figure out whether a person is healthy or not. Now, I personally don't think you should go by just one measuring system, which is why I have demonstrated the 3 above. From these I'm good, average & overweight; which is why I say two out of three ain't bad.

 

A lot of slimming groups will only use one measuring scale usually the BMI, I personally don't like this as I'm currently trying to build muscle & reduce my body fat this scale works against me as muscle weigh's more than fat anyway. Plus by only using one scale I don't think you can get a clear picture of your body. You may find that you have a good WHR but would like to lose more body fat so then you can look into exercise & food changes that could help you achieve this goal. But also don't forget that it also matters what you feel on the inside as a person, as only you will know in yourself whether something is wrong physically or whether new foods/exercise or whatever it is in your life doesn't agree with you. This will be an indication of whether you’re healthy or not...not a load of numbers.

 

 

P.S Sorry for not posting anything sooner, I've been super busy with one thing & another, but will to continue to post regularly as possible. Peace & Love x

 

 

 

Motivational Monday

Motivational Monday

Aahhh Monday the most hated day of the week, if only we had an extra day between Saturday & Sunday...

I think everyone hates Monday morning, having to return to work after having a wonderful weekend. The Monday blues, make us a little depressed as we trudge back into work in our drones. However, I think we should make the dreaded Monday into something more positive. People are naturally inclined to look at the negative side of life, because it's easier to pick fault with something, than looking for the positives.

I've learnt to adopt a positive way of thinking in my life, and I try & put in as much effort, strength and determination into all aspects of my life. There's no point doing something half-arsed because you'll only get half-arsed results, so you might as well put all your heart into something to make it worth while.

It's not about how far you have to go to achieve a goal, but rather how far you've come. Life is a journey, so enjoy the ride. 

I started my journey at the beginning of 2012, I'm so proud of what I have achieved & the person I have blossomed into over that time. With a little willpower, strength and determination anything can be achieved...



8 Weeks Later

8 Weeks Later

So, I've been living life the Buffmaster way for the last 8 weeks, and I feel fantastic, probably the best I've felt in ages. I feel healthy, strong, happy, and it's definitely going to continue. 

So here's my measurements since last time....

At the beginning of February                        28 Days Later.                    End of March.

Measurements (inches)

Arm: 13.5.                                                              14.                                   14

Bust: 37.                                               37.5 (Hooray for boobies).                37

Chest: 32.5.                                                          32.                                    32

Waist: 32.                                                              32.                                    32

Hips: 41.5.                                                             41.                                  41.5

Bum: 44.                                                                43.                                  42.5 

Upper Thigh: 26.5.                                                26.                                   25 

Lower Thigh: 21.                                                   19.5.                                20

So in total over the last month I've only lost an inch, and since the beginning of the year I've only lost 0.1%  body fat, now that I've found some scales that can give me an half sharp reading. What I've lost maybe ONLY be something small, but it's better than nothing at all &  because I've been eating so well, my skin, hair, general health & wellbeing is great, I'm feeling very positive for what lies ahead...

Hope you all had a lovely Easter! 

Spring Cleaning...

Spring Cleaning

Living in the countryside I enjoy all the seasons, I love springtime & the hope it brings for new beginnings, new birth & rebirth, not only of life but of the self also. I believe that spring is a good time to sort, re-organise and set new goals for the rest of year. 

I have recently done a spring clean in my living space, which I found very therapeutic as it's sweeping away all the old cobwebs, ready for something new, or as my nan used to say "out with the old in with the new". By having a spring clean it helps me refocus on what I want, and how I'm going to get there. By getting rid & cleaning all the dust & cobwebs away is like getting rid of all negative energy that surrounds you & reorganising your living space into something more positive. 

Whilst I was doing this I also found time to go through some of my old things, that I no longer need or use anymore, most of them were clothes that are way too big for me now, luckily they were in good condition & I manage to sell some of these on eBay. I then use the money I earn to buy myself something new that fits, the down side to losing weight is having to replace your wardrobe which can be costly. Some of the items I have found I donate to charity  as other people may find them useful, this genrates good karma. 

Spring cleaning doesn't have to be about actually cleaning or materialistic objects, it can be about emotions & people in your life as well. There's no point trying to change your lifestyle if your perpetually surrounded by people who are toxic & negative, or if you feel negative about yourself or a situation your in. It's time to get rid of the negative people & feelings & embrace the warm sunlight with open arms & know that your strong enough, you deserve it & you can do it. Spread the love & positive vibes. Namaste. 

Obesity in the News

Obesity in the News

Forgive my ignorance, but I never knew that people who are morbidly obese could recieve benefits for this so called "disability".

I understand that people can develop obesity from an underactive thyroid, or from cushing syndrome and depression. These are valid medical reasons that warrant people to have such a benefit, if they let these conditions effect their everyday lives.

However, people who carry extra weight through no fault of their own by eating too much, shouldn't have any disability benefit; they've brought the problem on themselves, they should be able to overcome it by themselves. We all know that by becoming obese & eating the wrong foods can cause health problems such as hypertension, circulatory problems, cancer, depression and diabetes, so I don't see why people should be allowed to claim for the benefit, if they brought it on themselves. They will already be in receipt of free health care to help with the medical problems brought on by becoming obese, so they shouldn't be allowed to recieve disability benefit too.

I was completely appalled one day, I came home from work and scrolled through my facebook feed, to find someone had commented on a video from that days This Morning programme. It was a story about a 15 year old girl, who weighed 17 stone who wanted a gastric band on NHS. She claimed she'd tried everything, and that the pressure of society made her believe that gastic band was the only option left. This is a 15 year old girl, she hasn't even finished developing yet, she could easily lose all that weight with the right knowledge and a positive attitude, and to ignore what 'society' says that its all about how you look, actually it's all about being confident and not to let anyone mug you off.

Watch the interview here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRcSROE0hyM

I actually felt quite sorry for her, and could relate to her situation about feeling down, inadequate in 'society's' eyes, having no self esteem or confidence. I'd actually really like to help her to let her know that actually she's not alone, and that she can do it once she puts her mind to it, and that actually she doesn't need to put her self through unnecessary surgery.

When I first started my weight loss I was half a stone (7lbs/3.1Kg) away from being categorised as morbidly obese, luckily for me I hadn't developed any physical health problems yet. I've written this blog because I believe it's important to educate people about what they're doing to their bodies. I've learnt the hard way & I also fear that if something isn't done to combat this obesity crisis that is sweeping over western civiliations we're all gonna end up like this...



28 Days Later....

So, as everyone knows I reset myself at the beginning of Feburary on a mission to fight the fat & I've been keeping you all updated with my weekly progress. This week I've not been feeling myself & not sleeping properly which has led me to make poor choices when regarding caffeine...I chose builders tea instead of green, also aunt flow is on her way & unfortunately with this comes some water retention & bloating, plus it's end of the month & I decided that I'd been good all month I think I deserved a few G&T's. 

However, from having such a poor week, my weight is 80.8Kg which means I've gained 0.6Kg (1.3lbs) over the month which I don't think is that bad, I'm also hoping that some of this is muscle (fingers crossed). This week my body fat percentage is still 38.1% which means I've lost a total of 0.4% over the last month,which considering I'm an endomorph I'm pretty happy with that. 

This biggest difference has come with my measurements.....

At the beginning of February                        28 Days Later.                    Difference 

Measurements (inches)

Arm: 13.5.                                                              14.                                  0.5 gain

Bust: 37.                                               37.5 (Hooray for boobies).               0.5 gain

Chest: 32.5.                                                          32.                                  0.5 loss

Waist: 32.                                                              32.                                   -

Hips: 41.5.                                                             41.                                  0.5 loss

Bum: 44.                                                                43.                                   1 loss

Upper Thigh: 26.5.                                                26.                                    1 loss

Lower Thigh: 21.                                                   19.5.                                1.5 loss

So over 28 days I have lost 3.5 inches, by weight resistance training working one muscle group at a time & by eating properly, again this week I've forgotten to take pictures of my food (sorry) so there's no food diary this week. 

This week at PT I smashed my PB on the 45 degree leg press 10 sets of 10 reps at 120Kg, which is over my starting body weight back in January 2012. Over the last month I've become stronger & fitter, I can't wait to see my results at the end of March; besides summer is only round the corner & I can't wait, it's time to get buff! 

Week 3 Update....

Week 3 Update

Afternoon all! 

My weekly update, this week I've gained 0.1Kg again this week I hope it's muscle (fingers crossed). I've also lost another 0.1% percent of body fat! which again isn't a lot but it's hard to shift. This week; exercise wise I went to pole fitness, bootcamp & PT,  totally smashed 100Kg leg press at bootcamp (check out the video https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=889820191040043&pnref=story).

I also attempted a cheeky little jog/run yesterday I didn't go very far, but I was testing my foot as I've had a broken navicular the last few weeks, which has repaired I still have some soft tissue damage, but I can go back to kickboxing next week! 

I haven't done lovely flipagram this week of my food diary as I forgot to take photos haha but I hope everyone had a lush pancake day! 

Let's Talk About Fat

Let's Talk About Fat

Take a look at the image above, and really look at it...

Disgusting isn't it? This is what our bodies are filled with, it lays between our muscles, sits between our organs and lines our arteries. Fat. 

I've spent the last 3 years ridding my body of the excess yellow stuff, and it's been a hard slog! The reason I ended up so big was because I was eating an excessive amount of calories & doing very little movement, it's basic maths if you eat more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight. Fat takes up more room in the body & therefore 5lbs of fat looks ginormous when compared to 5lbs of muscle (Hence, the stretch marks & cellulite). 

Everybody needs body fat to function healthily, it's just how we are as humans some of us have less body fat than others, some have more. There are two types of fat in the body visceral (which protects our organs) and subcutaneous (under the skin), when I was obese I probably had more visceral fat than what I do now, as over the last 3 years I have lost about 10 inches from my waist which would probably be a combination of visceral & subcutaneous fat. It is important to maintain a healthy level of visceral fat around your organs, too much fat can put strain on your organs leading to serious health problems. 

The foods that I used to consume on a daily basis, we're full of the wrong carbs, wrong fats & full of sugar. Now, that I have changed my lifestyle & my food choices I have a better understanding of what my body needs & how much. 

Everybody needs to eat some sort of fat, what type is what defines whether you gain or lose weight. Yes, that's correct LOSE weight! If you eat healthy fats, this can actually help you shift the fat you no longer want. 

I use my fitness pal to record my food diary everyday, it counts calories & all the nutrients you eat, you just need to remember that fat has the highest amount of calories per gram, so even though you're eating healthy fats, you still need to control how much. (1g of fat = 9 calories, 1g of protein = 4 calories, 1g of carbohydrate = 4 calories). 

Avoid trans fats at all costs! Trans fats come in the form of all our favourite things, crisps, cake, chips, takeaways; all processed & fried foods. Look out for the magic word hydrogenated on packaging, then put it down and walk away. 

Saturated fat is the not so good fat, but you should still have the foods in your diet in moderation as these foods have other great nutritional values, saturated fat is found in red meat & dairy products. 

Poly-saturated fat is a healthy fat, it can help lower cholesterol and usually are foods high in omega 3 fatty acids, which are essential for building a strong body & regulating hormones. Poly-saturated fat can be found in nuts, seeds & oily fish such as salmon & mackerel. 

Mono-saturated fats are also healthy fats, these are my favourite kind mainly because I love olive oil. Mono-saturated fat raises good cholesterol which keeps our hearts healthy, this type of fat can be found in avocados, olive oil & peanut oil. 

It's taken a while, but I have educated myself on what to eat, what not to eat & other nutritional benefits of certain foods, if other people can take the time & do the same then that is half the battle, knowledge is power, use it wisely.

Personally, I always ensure I have a good mixture of saturated, poly & mono fats to maintain a healthy level of fat, but also because the food that contain these fats have other healthy benefits too, and can contribute to fat loss & overall health & well-being.