Fun with Makeup, Fitness and Life!!!

Pink Rhinestone Nailart!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:25:00 +0000

This week I finally decided to try and use the 1mm rhinestones I bought ages ago. I haven't tried a design with them until now as I didn't have a rhinestone picker upper tool but I used my angled tweezers and it worked fine. The design was inspired by Khloe Kardashian's recent nails design that she had done.

French Tip With Rhinestone Nailart!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:21:00 +0000

Here is next week's Nailart for me! Never tried the rhinestones before and hoping they don't fall out! Hope you like them!

Graffiti Nailart

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:12:00 +0000

Purple Glitter Nailart

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:09:00 +0000

2013!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 13:56:00 +0000

Weighted Pull Ups!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:39:00 +0000

I've been wanting to see how many times I can do pull ups with 25% of my body weight attached to me so over the weekend I tried it out. I managed almost 5 pull ups, not in the most perfect form, but I was pretty proud of myself so I thought I'd just share it.

Strength Training Week 7 Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:10:00 +0000

I'm back again on week 7 of my 12 week get fitter, lose some weight, challenge myself program and since my last update I've come up with a few more goals. I don't know if I'll reach some of these by the end of the 12 weeks but I will certainly try my best to progress.

When I last left you, I had managed to complete 20 chin ups and set a goal to master at least 1 muscle up. I'm still working on that and get a little closer every week. However, the new challenges I've set for myself are:

1) muscle up
2) plyometric pull ups (lower bar to top bar)
3) dumbell press my own body weight (currently weigh 41kg and aiming to lose 1kg and bench 40kg)
4) squat my own boday weight (currently weigh 41kg and aiming to lose 1kg and squat 40kg)

Where am I right now?

Well, I've managed some narrow to wide grip plyometric pull ups and managed my first lower to upper bar plyometric pull ups the other day but only a hand full and they scared me. I think it's just the fear of not being able to catch the top bar and falling off my step box. You can check out my narrow to wide grip plyos in the video below.

As for dumbell presses, I'm benching 16kg x 2 dumbells (6 reps). With dumbells at my gym going up in increments of 2kg, I'm just 2 dumbell weights away from benching my own body weight.

And finally, I've managed to squat 30kgs (8 reps). I have been experiencing knee problems for years and people always say you shouldn't squat with your knees past your toes, but I've been doing squats with my trainer the Polliquin way, all the way down, knees past the toes and my knees have never felt better. I'm not going to go into detail about why it's better because frankly, I'm not 100% clear on the explanation but if you want to find out more, you can google Charles Polliquin.

My training:

I am at the gym 5 to 6 days a week. I'm doing 3 days of bartendaz class, 1 day of leg training with weights including 30 to 40 min of muscle up practice, 1 day of upper body training with weights and 1 day of hula hoop.

So, I am doing 5 days of intensive training with 1 day of rest and 1 day of something fun and low intensity. I know it sounds like a lot but my muscles do get a rest 2 days a week and on Tuesday, my first day of bartendaz in the week, I feel rested and usually stronger than the last week.

As I mentioned before, I have a personal trainer who has been helping me with my knee rehab. We've been doing only legs for months but now, he's added upper body to my program in order to help me get stronger for my muscle ups.

My current upper body workout involves:

1) Weighted pull ups - 1 count up, 3 counts down and dead hang for 1 second (4-6 reps with 8.5kg this week)
2) Dumbell press (6 reps with 16kg x 2 this week). We've been doing these because the dip bars at the gym are very wide and although I can do weighted dips, the width of the bar puts a lot of strain on my shoulders as I have a very narrow frame.
3) Zottoman bicep curls (6 reps with 4 kg dumbells)
4) Tricep extensions (6 reps with 4 kg dumbells)
5) Seated cable row

Thoughts for the week:

I haven't dropped another kilo since my last update but to be honest I've been having a lot of difficulty in the last two weeks sticking to the low carb diet. I was hungry all the time last week and filling up on carbs, only to realize this week it's probably because I'm so bored of chicken breast...which I never really liked to begin with but eat all the time in my salad for lunch because its cheap and my husband likes it. And...because of this dislike for chicken breast, I haven't been putting enough in my lunch and therefore end up feeling super hungry because I'm not getting enough protein to fill my stomach. So, this week, I'm back on track with my salad topped up with smoked mackerel and mixed seafood. It's a bit pricey but not as pricey as running off to Pret for a couple sandwiches that don't even keep me full for long. I guess that would be my one tip for anyone trying not to overeat. When you're hungry, don't snack on cookies, biscuits or any other kind of carbs. Have more protein as it stays in your stomach longer and keeps you feeling full for longer.

In addition to that, I think I've developed some kind of mild elbow tendonitis. I may get it checked out, but so far, 2 days of rest a week, tennis ball massages, some NSAID and ice have been working and as far as I know, this seems to be very common with people who train in bartendaz or crossfit.

Anyway, that's the update for now. Check out my narrow to wide grip plyometric pull ups below.

Glitter Nail Art!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:09:00 +0000

For the last two weeks I went with some glitter. Well, for the last week I had a dark blue nail polish on, but on Thursday night at the gym had a friend put some glitter nail polish on top of it. It inspired me to do another glitter nail art look this week.

Halloween Nail Art!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Last week I mentioned that I was going to fix my Pink Stripes and Polka Dot nails once I received my striping tap. Well, I didn't end up doing that yet but just wanted to show you how I fixed that look for the week.

I took this pic today before removing the polish so it's already pretty chipped. Sorry about that!!!

In the spirit of Halloween and since I'm just a beginner at nail art, I've decided to go with an easy white ghost nail art using my dotting tool!!

Week 4 Fitness Program Update!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 14:21:00 +0000

I've just reached the week 4 milestone of this 12 week "program" I've created for myself which if you weren't following from the beginning is basically a 12 week goal I've set for myself to work out 5 days a week, follow a healthy low-carb diet, get stronger and feel better overall. So here is the update on what has happened over the last 4 weeks.

Diet Update:

So, to recap the last 4 weeks, I've pretty much followed my meal plan about 80% to 90% of the time. As you may recall, at the end of week 1 I went to a wedding and had loads of yummy food. I had done well up until that day and what was supposed to be a cheat meal ended up being a cheat day. Mondays to Fridays of the last 4 weeks have been good. I allow myself my much needed Sushi or Japanese bento lunch once a week and the rest of the days I have my usual chicken salad. As for snacks, I've been sticking to nuts strictly but allowed myself some Aero Mint chocolate this week.

Now, I have to tell you about last weekend's dinner. We had some friends over on Saturday night and one of our friends is vegetarian. Because I don't really know how to cook vegetarian meals my husband and I decided to order from a nice little local Indian restaurant down the street from us. It was Northern Indian food which for us non vegetarians included some creamy butter chicken, lamb cooked in creamy yogurt sauce, briyani, naan bread and a few other dishes. Dessert was a chocolate tart from Waitrose which after everyone left I ate another 2 pieces making my dessert count for the night 3 quarters of a personal pizza sized tart!!! I just couldn't help myself.

During this week, I also treated myself to a few little Parisian "twinkies" which my colleague brought for me from Paris. I know this all sounds like a lot but if you look at all the good meals and snacks I ate, the bad ones really only accounted for about 10% of my meals and snacks. The reason I'm pointing this out is because for those of you out there who feel guilty when you do allow yourself some treats like this, you shouldn't feel guilty. It's an awful and unhealthy mental cycle and as long as you're doing good most of the time, you should focus on that and not let yourself feel bad.

Workout Update:

The first 2 weeks I managed to get to the gym 4 days but the last 2 weeks were 6 day gym days. As usual it was 3 days of Bartendaz, one day of leg training alone or with my trainer and for the last two weeks I started taking Hula Hoop class. It's offered at my gym and is just a super fun and surprisingly challenging workout. I did about 30 minutes of cardio before the Hula Hoop classes but that's about all the cardio I do. I'm pretty happy how well I've kept up!!

Strength Update:

At the beginning of all this I mentioned I wanted to be able to do 20 chin ups and didn't think it would happen in 12 weeks but that I would keep trying. Well, some of you may have seen the video and surprisingly I reached the 20 goal already. I didn't think it would happen that quickly but it did and my new goal is to be able to accomplish a muscle up!!! This is incredibly hard and realistically speaking it could take months and months but I am working towards that right now. I've started training Bartendaz with 3kg ankle weights and hope to increase that slowly in order to get stronger.

Weight & Body Update:

Everyone always says that the diet and workouts go hand in hand and if you stick to both you will see results. I don't measure myself but in terms of weight, I have gone down 1kg in the last 4 weeks. Considering I don't do cardio I strongly believe none of that weight was muscle but more likely a combination of fat and water!!!

Here's some updated photos!! I think 4 weeks have made some sort of difference and I believe it's just a matter of commitment to see results!!

Pink Stripes and Polka Dot Nail Art!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2012 09:39:00 +0000

I did freehand stripes for this look but it's really hard to keep the lines straight. Next week I will redo this look using my newly ordered striping tape to show you how much more professional and perfect stripes can be with this look. But for now...here it is!!!

What You May Not Know About SUGAR!!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:04:00 +0000

I love dessert and even when I'm on my 12 week low-carb diet I find it hard not to have a cheat meal every week or two that consists of dessert. I've always found information and documentaries on nutrition really interesting and over the last few years have started to get the idea that sugar is the devil!! It's worse than fat and it's probably the cause of all the obesity related diseases out there in the world. Having said all that, I do find it hard not to have dessert every now and then!

Many of you may not realize it but sugar in the form of fructose is found in all processed foods and it reacts in your body just like alcohol does. So, if you're a pregnant or breastfeeding mom, a parent who lectures their kids against drinking alcohol, someone who grabs the low fat food (which often has a crazy amount of sugar), someone who thinks that natural sugar alternatives like agave is okay for you or someone who has just never really given the negative effects of sugar much thought, this is a good video to watch!!

Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination Skin!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 06:27:00 +0000

I'm jumping up and down for joy right now!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I NEVER KNEW ABOUT REVLON COLORSTAY FOUNDATION FOR OILY/COMBINATION SKIN!!!

This foundation has been around forever and ever and ever. When I say forever, I mean it's been around since I was a teenager and all this while I have been searching for the perfect foundation for my incredibly oily skin!!!

Nowadays, it's all about illuminating foundations so a super matte foundation is hard to find. I started to google and read reviews about foundations that work well with oily skin and this came with top reviews. It's a pharmacy brand and in the UK only costs around £12. It's probably even cheaper in the US but it works like no other expensive foundation has ever worked for me. I've been using MAC Studio Fix Fluid for years together with the Studio Fix Powder and that worked well. I only had to blot a handful of times a day. I thought for years that was as good as it was going to get, but as you can see from my excitement, I was wrong!!

So let's go through the pros and cons of this product!!

What the reviewers said:

Pros:

It finishes matte
Most oily skin reviewers said they only had to blot about once in the day
Good coverage, buildable to a full coverage

Cons:

Smells bad
Too thick
No pump and in a glass bottle so the contents don't come out easily

My review:

Smell:

I find the smell to be quite decent. I don't know if they reformulated the product or if i just have a high tolerance for funny smelling products. It's more like a funny smelling perfume to me rather than the smell of plastic or chemicals like many people have said.

Texture:

It is a bit thick but in order to make sure it is worked in really well into my skin, I use a kabuki brush to spread it. If you use your fingers, it may come out looking thicker and more cakey.

Coverage:

It has a fuller coverage but I wouldn't say it's quite a full coverage foundation. Imperfections are hidden for the most part and my skin looks more flawless than with MAC Studio Fix Fluid. The finish is truly matte which is something my oily skin rarely experiences.

I highlighted my nose and cheekbones as a truly matte finish flattens the face out!!

Lasting Strength:

It does last all day. I have very oily skin so I still have to powder/blot once a day but the oiliness on my face is no where near what it was with my other foundations. I look more glowy but definitely not oily.

Colour:

I use Natural Tan which has a neutral undertone. It is probably the best skin match I've ever had. When I use MAC I will mix and NC 42 with an NC45 and use an NC43 powder over that. I found NC42 made me look too white and NC45 too dark. I'm not sure if NC43 is available in the liquid foundation as I've never seen it. I also usually use Missha Perfect BB Cream in 31. I realize now that undertone was not as good a match for my yellow undertone!!

Revlon Colourstay Natural Tan on the left and Missha Perfect M BB Cream #31

The list below is a guide to your perfect Revlon Colorstay Foundation colour.

Ivory: NW15/ NC15 lightest
Buff: NC20 best match for fair NCs
Sand Beige: NC20-25 somewhat neutral undertones
Nude: NC25 peachy undertones, definitely not for pinks or true golden
Natural Beige: NW20 tends to run pink
Medium Beige: NC27 between Sand Beige and Golden Beige
Fresh Beige: NW25 pinky undertones
Golden Beige: NC30 truest yellow/olive undertones
Warm Golden: NW30/NC30 somewhat neutral undertones
True Beige: NW30 pinky undertones (for Fresh Beige in summer)
Natural Tan: NC40/NC42 more neutral than golden caramel
Early Tan: NW35 somewhat peach undertones
Rich Tan: NW35 pinkish undertones
Golden Caramel: NC40/NC42 more golden than natural tan
Toast: NW43/NC45 neutral undertones
Rich Ginger: NW45 very peachy-pink
Caramel: NC45 seems to run true to color
Cappucino: NC50 slightly more peach than Caramel
Mahogany: NW50/NC55 the darkest of NWs but not extremely peachy
Mocha: NW55 very cool toned, almost grey undertone

*The colour chart was taken from the following blog:
Beauty with the beautifool

I definitely recommend this product for anyone who suffers from oily, shiny skin!! If you feel you look too matte, do what I always recommend and use a highlighter on your cheekbones, forehead, nose and chin.

I've heard that Estee Lauder Double Wear is really good too and is the more expensive, department store version of this product. One day, I will be trying that out too and I'll let you know. But for now, you can't beat the price or effectiveness of Revlon's Colorstay Foundation for oily/combination skin!!

20 Chin Ups Thanks to Bartendaz Training!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:46:00 +0000

Didn't think I'd reach 20 so fast!! Well, maybe half a chin up short!! Gotta reach 20 with pull ups now!!!

Purple and Blue Ombre Effect Floral Nail Art!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 08:51:00 +0000

I haven't been using any expensive nail polish from OPI or Nails Inc. Most of my nail polish are from Rimmel!!

My Polka Dot Nail Art!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 06:37:00 +0000

I received the nail art tools I bought online yesterday and I couldn't resist playing around!!!

Something to Think About!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 06:45:00 +0000

My friend shared this on her Facebook page!! I think this is so true!!! Thanks for sharing Cherry Fernandes!!!

Week 1 Diet Fail!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 20:36:00 +0000

So it's been just over a week since I started on my 12 week program of trying to eat better and making it to the gym 5 days a week. Unfortunately, week 1 did not go as well as planned.

In terms of the gym, I did make it 4 days in week 1 in which 3 of those days were Bartendaz classes. I had planned to go once more on Sunday, but a long day and a late night on Saturday lead me to sleep in and have a super lazy day. But I'd say 4 is still pretty good. I'm not going to allow myself to feel guilty over 1 less day of gym.

Now, you're probably wondering how I did in the food department!! Well, it was all pretty good until Saturday rolled around. I was at a friend's wedding and I wasn't going to say no to all the delicious food they had ordered.

Here's the damage!!!

The delicious wedding cake. Some kind of strawberries and cream cake.

Pastries and scones!!! I had one of each!!!

Salmon with pasta for dinner!!!

Chocolate brownie without the ice cream for dessert!!!

*Not shown in the list of photos is my appetizer which was a small fried calamari salad.

Remember I mentioned a cheat meal once a week? Well, a cheat meal should be all I have but this was more of a cheat day!! Not so good!! But again, I think it's important not to feel guilty and not to be overly picky and avoid eating at an event such as a wedding where your friends have put a lot of thought into the meal they have chosen for their guests.

So, I'm not feeling so bad about that but I am feeling bad about the 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter and Nutella on Monday morning. I was just incredibly exhausted and didn't have time to make my eggs and smoked salmon breakfast.

The rest of the day went on better and it's important to just get right back into it when you had a weekend that wasn't so great in the diet department!!

Nail Art!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:16:00 +0000

I've never really been big on nail polish. Unlike many girls out there who wear nail polish all the time, I for some reason never really got into it. I think it's because the process of applying and waiting for the polish to dry is a little time consuming.

However, this weekend, I went to a wedding and decided on nude coloured nails as it is the trend this season. On Sunday, I was sitting around relaxing and browsing the Internet and started to YouTube nail art and French tip tutorials. After, I was inspired to do my own nails and decided to go with a contrasting tip on my nude painted nails.

I love the effect of using a sponge to create a contrasting tip and I thought I'd just share the look with you.

I tried to add a little pink flower to my nails as well. Don't know if you can see it that well, but my husband thought it was just a blob of smudged nail polish!! Oh well!!! It was my first time trying some nail art on myself and the first time in months and months that I actually wore nail polish!!

So....what do you think??? If I feel more inspired, I may just include a nail art tutorial. But be reminded, I am no nail art expert. It would just be something for you to relate to...from one completely inexperienced person to the next. No matter how crappy my nails may end up, I have to say, the process of painting the nails with more than one colour and design is actually really fun!!! It reminded me of arts and crafts when I was little!!!

Contrasting tips!!!

A closer look at the blobby looking flower!!!

More of My Favourite Revlon Lipbutters!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 19:03:00 +0000

Several months ago I went out and bought a whole bunch of Revlon Lipbutter lipsticks and promised to put out a blog so you can check them out. I mentioned that I was waiting for a few more colours to arrive in the mail. I've obviously since received them and they are all incredibly amazing. It's been a few months and all I ever wear these days are my Revlon Lipbutters. They do last surprisingly longer than I expected on my lips depending on what I eat or drink. I still absolutely love the texture and they are incredibly moisturizing. Again, it's like wearing lipbalm, but with the colour intensity of lipstick.

The colours I wanted to share with you are Peach Parfait, Macaron, Candied Apple and Cherry Tart.

For a recap on the general colour, texture and finish of this Revlon range, you can refer back to a previous post ....Revlon Lipbutters!!!! Finally in the UK!!!

Here's a look at the final four I purchased.

Peach Parfait:

A very neutral peachy colour. It's almost nude on my lips but will show up a little more on lighter skinned girls. this is very sheer and very natural.

A great every day colour that can be worn for a nude, natural look or to balance out a pair of smouldering eyes.

Macaron:

A darker shade of Peach Parfait with a hint of terracotta. It's darker but still a very neutral colour. This one would go best with tanned skinned ladies.

It's a great every day colour as well for those wanting a neutral look that is not completely nude. Pairs well with natural eyes.

Candied Apple:

This is a red with a hint of orange in it. It's not quite a deep red, nor is it a very bright red. It's more of a watermelon red.

Pair with natural and neutral eyes. This is great for statement lips and a great evening look.

Cherry Tart:

A deep but sheer red.

This is slightly different than Candied Apple as it is a slightly deeper colour. This one should also be paired with nude eyes and worn for a night out or to achieve a classic polished look. This is great for those who like the red lip look but feel that the red in regular lipsticks appear too opaque and in your face!!!

I don't think Cherry Tart is available in the UK. I looked for it originally but couldn't find it and had my cousin bring mine from the US. They do however, come in 14 shades here in the UK and at £7.99 a pop, you can't go wrong!!!

Bikini Photos!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 11:23:00 +0000

For those of you who opened this blog post thinking you were going to get to see a bunch of bikini photos of me... well...you're wrong.

I know there are many conservatives out there reading my blog posts and have probably been shocked that I had put photos of myself in a bikini in my previous post about my weight ups and downs. Well, I just wanted to let you know that the photos were not put up there to parade myself in a bikini for the whole world to see. This is not me, trying to put up sexy photos of myself out of vanity. This is me trying to document my ability to be disciplined and achieve a goal that at my fitness level is incredibly hard to achieve. We see shows about fat people losing weight all the time, but it's much harder for an already fit person to achieve an even greater level of fitness physically and in terms of performance.

If you're opening up the fitness blogs to gawk at my photos, show them to everyone and judge and gossip about how I could even think about putting bikini photos (and/or photos of me in a sports bra) of myself on the Internet then you should be gawking at yourself, telling everyone, judging and gossiping about yourself for being judgmental and for gossiping. From a moral and even a religious standpoint, judgement and gossip is equally as bad if not worse because it involves the feelings of another person.

So, if you opened this blog thinking you were going to get more ammunition for your gossip and judgement, I suggest you re-evaluate your thoughts and your mind. If you can't read the fitness blogs without judgement and gossip then I suggest you don't read it at all until you have become a better and more understanding person!!!! After all, your judgment and gossip are immoral and you wouldn't want to be more or just as immoral as someone who puts bikini photos of themselves on the Internet would you??

A Typical Day in Low Carb Meals!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:11:00 +0000

This is the first day of the12 week program I've set for myself so I thought I would share with you what I would normally eat. Keep in mind, I'm not really counting calories. I used to count calories but I'm more or less familiar with roughly how many calories each of my meals has.

Breakfast at 7am

2 eggs scrambled (with yolk) with 2 slices of smoked salmon and a black coffee (no sugar or milk)

Snack 1 at 11am

3 dates (Normally I would have a hand full of unsalted mixed nuts but I forgot to buy some this weekend. I understand that dry fruits like dates and raisins are high in sugar but 3 won't be that bad I suppose. They are high in fibre after all.)

Lunch 1.45pm

Salad with spinach, cherry tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers and chicken breast (cooked in water and curry powder)

Snack 2 at 5pm

3 dates

Dinner 6.30pm

Ground beef, broccoli, carrots, sugar snap peas, onions and mushrooms cooked in light soy sauce and a BBQ chicken thigh (I made a whole pot of this so I'll be eating it most nights this week but I don't usually eat this much red meat. I usually try to cook for the whole week on Sunday and when I made this dish, it slipped my mind that it would mean eating red meat every day!!)

.
It's about 7pm right now and I'm probably going to have a banana and a cup of black coffee. Just for the record, the banana and the dates, although healthy, will probably slow down the fat burn Yes they are healthy but there are other things I can be eating right now that are way more effective for fat loss.

I also usually eat 6 smaller meals rather than 5 small meals. I'll have dinner at work about an hour and a half before the gym and then have a chicken breast or a protein shake after the gym, but I went to the gym at lunch today so I could manage to have an early dinner at home. I don't usually like having dinner past 7.30pm.

Anyway, so there you have it!! It's easier to eat healthy during the work week too. My lunch is so basic and super healthy mostly because it's just so easy to throw a bunch of salad ingredients in a Tupperware. If you can't eat a salad without dressing, then go ahead and add some yourself. I just can't be bothered when I'm preparing mine in the evening. And if you're thinking my bringing lunch to work has to do with the fact it's easier to eat healthy that way, well, you're only half right. London is expensive and I feel that eating out everyday for lunch would be throwing away money that could be spent on other things!!

Today's Bartendaz Workout!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:39:00 +0000

Today was a Bartendaz day for me! I went during lunch, which is not something I do every Monday but I really wanted to get a workout in today and get home early.

Lunch hour Bartendaz classes only go for about 40 minutes but for such a high intensity class with little rest throughout, 40 minutes is all you need.

Here's the breakdown of what we did today!!

Chin Ups: 6 reps x 5 sets (alternating with partner)
Pull Ups: 6 reps x 5 sets (alternating with partner)

Military Push Ups: 10 reps x 5 sests (rest time only long enough to switch positions with partner)
Diamond Push Ups: 10 reps x 5 sets (rest time only long enough to switch positions with partner)

Lunges 20 reps (10 on each side) x 3 sets (I have knee problems. Others were doing power lunges)
Squats with Calf Raises 20 reps x 3 sets (Again, others were doing jumping squats)

Flutter Kicks (abs) 10 reps followed by Cycles (abs) 10 reps x 3 sets with no break in between.

Finally we ended with 2 rounds of the following with no break in between:

6 Chin Ups
6 Pull Ups
10 Military Push Ups
10 Diamond Push Ups
15 Lunges
15 Squats with Calf Raises
15 Flutters
15 Cycles

The crazy thing about todays workout was that it was one of the easiest days we've had in a long time!!!

Big Junk Food Meal!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 19:09:00 +0000

My big junk food meal before starting back on the healthy eating tomorrow.

My trainer says a one meal a week binge is okay. I'm going to see if I can make it 3 weeks before I cheat.

A Brief Look at the Past, Present and Future...in Body Shape!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:58:00 +0000

A look at the ups and downs of the past!!

Over the years, my weight has gone up and down. I don't have any photos at the moment from back in the beginning of June when I was probably the most defined I've been but these are some of the examples of the ups and downs. The aim was always to maintain when I reached my milestone target but as most of you know, when life throws a curve ball at you or in my case, my constant country to country move, it's hard to maintain a routine.

So here's my story!! In year 2 in South Korea (2006), I lost 6 kg in order to be as slim as I could be for my wedding. I did this purely by cutting calories and doing an hour or more of cardio. The result was a slimmer me, but a me that was not very toned. Note to everyone out there, cardio burns muscle so if you do a crap load of cardio, you're burning the muscle you worked so hard to build. It is much easier to burn muscle than it is to gain.

After the wedding in August 2006, I moved to Singapore. I worked with a trainer in the first year in Singapore and he whipped my body into great shape and I was extremely toned. Unfortunately, I have no photos to record this. Over the next 2 years of living in Singapore, I was depressed and proceeded to put on the weight again.

In the middle of 2009, I moved to the Philippines. I traveled a lot during my first year there and continued to put on more weight. I worked out a lot in 2010 but never really controlled my diet. I worked with a trainer but the continuous traveling that year hindered any real results. Finally, in the beginning of 2011, I decided to get serious. I watched what I ate for the most part, making sure I ate on a regular basis but cutting out sugar 90% of the time. I did a lot of cardio and weight training and then discovered Pole Dancing in March that year. That was a turning point for me as I was bored with weights and cardio. My target was to fit into my wedding dress again for my sister's wedding. I met my target and lost 6 kg again.

Where I am today!

My sister's wedding was in July of 2011. Since then I have pretty much maintained at the same weight and lost and gained about a kilo here and there. This is probably just water weight. From October 2011 to April 2012, I did the usual weights and cardio routine as I moved to London and Pole Dancing classes are ridiculously expensive. I managed to maintain but in April I joined the most amazing gym I've ever been a member of. It's called Gymbox. Gymbox lured me in with the fact that it offered not just your usual cardio and weight equipment and fitness classes but it offered boxing, Muay Thai and...you guess it...Pole Dancing!!! I started Gymbox for the Pole Dancing but then discovered Bartendaz and have been a fanatic ever since. Through Pole Dancing, Bartendaz (and with the knee rehab training with my trainer) and a strict low carb diet, by June of 2012 I managed to really shred my obiques and was in the best shape I've ever been. Again, I have no photo record of this. I went to Malta right after this but was incredibly bloated and feeling unwell during the trip so I didn't take any photos on the beach.

So, as I mentioned before, I had a string of vacations and guests and the healthy eating habit had suffered a little. I'm still pretty toned but not as cut as I was a few months back. This is where I'm at now.

My goals!

My goal is to get more toned within the next 12 weeks and get back to where I was before my vacations started. I want to shred my obliques and commit to working out 5 times a week.

However, unlike many I am not motivated by physical appearance. Yes I want that super toned body but thinking about that alone does not motivate me. I'm motivated by strength and my goal is to be able to do 20 strict pull ups/chin ups in a row and 100 push ups in a row. I'm currently at about 12 to 15 chin ups, about 8 to 10 pull ups and 60 push ups. I'm also aiming to perfect some of the pole tricks that I've been struggling with this whole year.

Follow me in the next 12 weeks, motivate me, and share your experience and knowledge with me. As of Monday 1st October 2012 and exactly one year since I've been in London, I'm committing to a body, style and makeup overhaul!!! Feel free to point your finger at me if I start to slack off!!!