It was my day off on Wednesday. As the weather forecast was favourable, I made the decision to go to the beach.  This meant wearing a bikini out in public for the first time in 3 years. I won’t lie, I was nervous. I’ve only ever worn a bikini in public in the UK once before and that was when I was 16 years old…

Other times I’ve been abroad and it’s felt more acceptable to wear a bikini in public because who’s ever gonna see me again once I go home right?  So if I looked less than perfect, I didn’t really care.

I picked out a yellow string bikini that I’d bought some years ago but never had the confidence to wear as I thought it too skimpy. I decided “what the hell? I’ve been busting my ass for the past year and more to get in shape, even though I’m not where I want to be, I deserve to show off my hard work”.

I tried it on and looked in the mirror and was very pleasantly surprised at how f*cking awesome I looked!

Look at those abs starting to peek through!!

With my confidence shot through the roof, I got myself ready for the beach…

With my towel, book and iPod packed, I walked to the end of my street, to the beach (damn, I love living on the beach!)

I spent a couple of hours lounging in the sun and it felt amazing. I didn’t care that I’m a bit more wobbly than I’d like to be. I didn’t care that the stretch marks on my stomach were visible. I didn’t care that I’m not a perfect size 8.  I rocked that bikini and felt incredible!

Not bad huh?

Whilst having a guilty read of the daily mail website today, I saw the story “Real girls post their fatkini pictures” which was about larger women posting pictures of themselves in bikinis as a protest at society’s obsession with super slim bodies.

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Whilst the story irritated me beyond due to the stupid description of “real women” (why are not all women “real women”? Why does that title only ever appear to apply to obese women?) I had to admire the courage of these young ladies.  I don’t aspire to look like them and nor do I believe that obesity is something that should be celebrated but I respect their body confidence.

What do you guys think? Is body confidence everyone should have, regardless of their size and shape? Are you body confident?

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I’m JAG and I’m a tea addict *raises hand*

I remember almost two years ago, writing a similar post about my addiction to tea and included this picture, showing my tea collection…

Thankfully, my tea collection is not as huge nowadays and my tastes are a little more refined!

Over the last few months, we’ve been experimenting with many different kinds of tea but always come back to our favourite – Tea Pigs.

Apart from the occasional box of Tazo China Green Tips that we buy from Starbucks, we now drink exclusively Tea Pigs green and white tea.

Until a short time ago we were drinking the bagged tea but because we drink so much, we decided it was more economical to buy loose tea instead.  We also bought a gorgeous glass tea pot to make it in so that we can see the tea unfurl and turn the water a delicate green colour…

If you’ve not tried the tea pigs range, I can’t recommend them highly enough. If I had to choose a single personal favourite, it would have to be their white tea – it’s a beautiful, delicate flavoured tea and we drink one every night before bed.

What is your favourite tea?

Please note this post is not sponsored by Tea Pigs in any way, we just absolutely adore their tea!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Of late, I’ve been making a real effort to practice my third world squats. On occasions where I would normally bend down, stoop or sit for brief moments of time, I’ve been sitting in the third world squat instead.

Not only will this save my back in the long term, I believe it will have a positive effect on my squats in the gym as it will help to keep my hips loose and flexible.

Last night, I was making dinner and was squatting at the bin peeling an onion.  Emz glanced up and proclaimed how impressed he was that I could just sink into a squat and stay balanced – apparently I make it look easy!

As I was cleaning the flat yesterday, I made sure to squat down whenever I would normally bend or kneel and it’s gotten so much easier – I can sit in the squat now for around ten minutes which is great as I could only manage a minute or two when I first started.  It’s feeling so much comfortable now. I’m hoping to get to the point where I can stop and squat down wherever I would normally sit and to feel totally at ease and comfortable.

Does anyone else sit in the third world squat?

I had a fantastic session in the gym today. I’m *still* working to get my squats perfect so my weight is still a lot lower than it has been recently but I’m not giving up until I have this nailed!

We woke and had a nice lazy morning, drinking some green tea and coffee…

before heading off for a fasted session.

Last deadlift session I failed on my 5th rep at 110kg (242lb) so I was raring to hit 5 good reps. Thankfully, I managed it though I had to really grind out the last rep…

In the next week or two I’ll be attempting a new 1RM – the decision will be whether to bother with 127.5kg or go straight for the 130kg, which I failed on back in March.

I’m now off to rest my aching body, eat some home made dark chocolate almond butter (the recipe of which I will be blogging soon) and do some reading.

Have an awesome weekend friends :-)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

After bulking over the winter, I finally decided to take some progress pictures today. I’m a few weeks into my fat loss programme and I wanted to see where I’m at and I’m pretty happy with the progress so far.

Obviously, I’m not as lean as I was this time last year as I’m about 10lb heavier than I was then but I’d like to think some of that extra weight is added muscle.

I’m now in full on fat loss mode in preparation for my first summer in Swansea and hoping to be beach worthy – I’m calling it Mission Undressable :-D

So this is where I’m at right now…

As you can see, there has been definite growth in the shoulders, biceps, glutes & legs which makes me very happy! Just need to melt away a little squish now so that I can really appreciate my emerging hot bod!

I’ll be re-taking these pics in about 6 weeks time so watch this space…

Anyone else on a mission to shed some fat for the summer?

On a final note, I got my 125kg deadlift last week…

130kg here I come!

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

122.5kg in the bag :-)

130kg here I come…

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Howdy blog readers! I know I’ve been a very bad blogger in recent months with very few updates so I’m not even sure if anyone is reading any more – to those that are *waves*

Life has been so busy in recent months since I moved to Swansea in October. I’ve also switched jobs whilst I’ve been here doing the same role but in a different department which means working more hours but no shifts which is awesome!

Can you believe it was ONE WHOLE YEAR last month that I eliminated grains and started intermittent fasting?  How time flies.  I still hand on my heart believe it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my health and it’s two fingers to those who claim this way of eating is not sustainable in the long term – you know who you are!

There have been instances over the last twelve months where I’ve included grains and for a few months at the end of last year, I reintroduced some gluten free grains (white rice, buckwheat) to see how my body coped but it really didn’t like them – I was sluggish and bloated and my bowels stopped working properly – so much for wholegrains being essential for healthy bowels ;)  There have also been occasions where I have included gluten grains and had severe reactions – bloating, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, mouth ulcers.

I also noticed back in October that I developed a small rash on my face, either side of my nose. It was red, itchy and angry looking and quite inflamed and it coincided with me eating quite a lot of gluten containing foods which was the prompt I needed to cut them back out.  The rash has never disappeared but it has reduced and is not so red and angry any more.

Something that has stuck in my head from a post I made last year was someone suggesting I get tested for coeliac disease as my symptoms apparently matched.  I’ve been doing some reading over the last few months and all of my symptoms point towards coeliac disease.  I’ve since read that there is a condition called dermatitis herpetiformis which is very common in those with coeliac disease and often affects the knees, elbows and face but the curious thing is that the rash is mostly symmetrical on the body – I have it on both sides of my nose!

I went to see my GP last week and on explaining my symptoms, he said he had no doubt at all that this is what was ailing me. He gave me a  form to get bloods checked but the downside to this test, having spoken to a gastroenterologist at work, is that I have to consume gluten for 6 weeks prior to testing.

I was prepared to do this to get a diagnosis once and for all and last Thursday, ate a single bagel. That same day I suffered with bloating and stomach cramps and extreme lethargy but apart from that, I was ok. I figured I could cope with these symptoms for a few weeks in the hope of getting diagnosed one way or the other.  However, on Saturday, side effects really struck – severe cramps, diarrhoea and rectal bleeding :(  The pain was so bad and the blood loss so great that I have decided I’m not prepared to put my body through this just to get it written on paper that I am intolerant to gluten.  A few days later, my entire mouth is sore and inflamed and it’s uncomfortable to eat and drink – it’s really not worth it.

I know now that gluten isn’t something I can indulge in when the fancy takes me – this is something I need to avoid for the rest of my life.

Training wise, things are going well. I’m recovering from a shoulder/neck injury though I’ve no idea how it occurred. The pain started a couple of days following a sports massage and has been present now for the last 4 weeks or so. The pain changes in severity and though I had a break from training for two weeks, I’ve since been back and been able to do some light pressing and it’s felt ok. However, there are good days and bad and today happens to be a bad day where I cannot abduct my shoulder or raise my arm above my head without excruciating pain :-( I’m hoping to get an appointment with my sports therapist next week to see if he can help me out.

Apart from that, my lifts are still looking good though the break from training meant I had to build back up to my previous weights.  I deloaded my squats to work on my form as I was having problems with coming forwards onto my toes and my knees caving when I was fatigued.

I’ve since switched from low bar squats to high bar and my form has improved dramatically – in fact, I’d say I’m squatting the best I have ever squatted – hurrah!

As my shoulder/neck is injured at present, I’ve not gone for any new deadlift PR’s as the last thing I want is to make things worse. I’m still repping at 105kg though and I hope to increase that to 110kg in the next week or so.

In other news, I’ve finally given up my membership to Weight Loss Resources.  I’ve been a member for over 6 years and though I love the food diary and the help team, who are all amazing and so helpful, I really can’t deal with the closed minded, ignorant individuals that post there any longer. I feel sad to be leaving as it’s the end of an era for me and I’ve made some wonderful friends there.  However, I feel that it’s time to move on and stick to posting on forums with like minded people. I’ve also joined My Fitness Pal and have the app on my iPhone which makes it easy to keep track on the move.

I’m still in my cutting phase at the moment and am leaning out nicely though the scales aren’t really moving too much – proof that you should not rely on the scales but judge by how you look and how your clothes fit.  I’ll be hoping to take some progress pictures in the near future so watch this space!  However, here are a couple of recent pictures until then…

I’m really pleased to see some definition starting to appear and I just LOVE the width of my back dipping into a small waist – I do love that sexy “V” shape!

Here is the gluten free lemon meringue pie that I made for Easter (no chocolate was consumed)…

A picture of moi, glowing with health…

And finally, just in case you needed any motivation to deadlift…

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Healthy eating. I wonder if any of us know what that means any more? Do you eat healthily? What is your definition of healthy eating?

With so much conflicting information out there it’s easy to get overwhelmed – grains are evil/grains are essential, sugar is poison/artificial sweeteners are worse, saturated fats will kill you/saturated fats are better than PUFAs – you can understand how people can get confused and focus too much attention on the minutia.

I read a lot of diet and fitness websites; in fact, the majority of my time online is spent reading diet/fitness websites and chatting with like minded people.  As you can imagine, I read a lot about the behaviour of others in their quest to become “healthy”.

The truth is, it’s scary what some people class as healthy behaviour.

Only this weekend, I’ve seen posts from women proclaiming to have eaten thousands of calories more than they should over the Easter holiday and having to “exercise like mad” to “claw back the calories” before they weigh in.  Does this sound like a healthy attitude towards food? Really?!?

Compensatory behaviour is held up as normal on many diet and fitness websites. I’ve read many posts from many women who are excited because they can “eat whatever they want as long as they exercise to burn it all off”. Whilst I agree that to lose weight, you need to burn off more than you take in, exercising like a demon to burn off a treat is just crazy.  Likewise, under-eating for days following a day of over indulgence is equally nuts.

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Do you think those that are naturally slim, with a healthy attitude towards food would behave in such a manner? Can you imagine them forcing themselves to hit the treadmill for an extra 30 minutes over the next few days because they enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake with their family?? Of course not! Can you imagine them slashing their food intake to something miniscule for the fear of gaining 1/8lb? No!

Having a history of disordered eating, I’ll admit I’ve fallen into the above traps on numerous occasions. However, now I’m working hard to establish healthy eating habits and a sensible, healthy relationship with food, do I realise just how damaging this behaviour can be.

Something else I’ve been guilty of, that I see regularly held up as sensible behaviour, is deliberately spoiling food so that one cannot eat it.  I recall feeling so proud of myself because I’d gone our for a meal with my family and stuck to just steak and vegetables. The rest of my family all ate desserts and I was the only one that abstained. My sister ordered a slice of cheesecake but couldn’t finish it so I deliberately poured salt all over it to stop myself from eating it.  Isn’t that crazy? Yet I see women asking for advice because they can’t stop eating their kids leftovers and so often they’re advised to “squirt washing up liquid all over it” or “cover it in salt” – this is NOT HEALTHY BEHAVIOUR!

The scariest thing I recall reading about was a woman that ate a chocolate, chewed it up then spat it out. She couldn’t decide if she was weird or smart for doing so only to be told by several other women that she had amazing will power and how it was an excellent idea! In case you didn’t know, chewing and spitting food is a well documented form of disordered eating! I remember some years ago, I had a lovely friend that suffered from this disorder and it was really traumatic for her. It’s about as far removed from healthy behaviour as you can get.

So what do I class as a healthy attitude towards food? Geneen Roth sums it up nicely :-)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday, I had the *best* ever birthday. My first in Swansea, sharing the day with my insanely handsome boyfriend. It was an amazing day.

We started the day off with a walk along the promenade in the glorious sunshine, before taking a little diversion to the Grape & Olive for coffee.

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The views were absolutely stunning…

I absolutely adore the marina in Swansea, it’s so picturesque…

After coffee, we headed down to Mumbles to visit Verdi’s Italian Ice Cream Parlour for a bowl of their delicious ice cream.

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Afterwards, we headed back into town and to a local beer garden for a cold beer – yes, we totally drank beer and enjoyed every mouthful! – before heading to our favourite place in the marina, The Pumphouse…

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We sat outside in the sunshine for the remainder of the day, sipping wine, eating good food, enjoying the warm weather and getting slightly pishty – the perfect end to a perfect day :-)

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Progress isn’t always visible in the mirror or on the scale.

I recall not so long ago I was over the moon to hit a new 1RM of 105kg on my deadlift. Now I am pulling that for reps and am going for my 130kg 1RM on Sunday!

I’ve gained 5lb since Christmas, most of which appears to have gone to the twins (and yes, my  boyfriend is *loving* that!!) but it’s doing wonders for my deadlifts so I’m not complaining!  It’s hard not to gain weight when you’re caning 3000+ calories on a regular basis, I’m only surprised it’s not more.  However, I’m porkier than I want to be so I’m now two days into a cutting phase.  I will be rocking a bikini in time for my first summer in Wales – just you see!

Still have my glow going on though…

In other news…

My bike is punctured after my lovely long bike ride the other day. I’m so gutted, I always had my fabulous dad to fix it for me and now I’ve got no choice but to learn how to fix it myself.

But…

I have recently got some roller blades so expect to see some pictures soon of me in a heap on the floor with bloodied knees :-D

I’ll leave you with this picture, which I really love…

Make each day count…

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.

It was my day off work today and as I woke, I noticed the sun peering in through the blinds and thought it would be the perfect day for a ride along the sea front.

I sat with the balcony doors open, a gentle warm breeze blowing in and enjoyed a green tea before heading out. I hadn’t decided how far I was going to ride, the greatest distance I have ever ridden before is just a couple of miles as I was only cycling the very short 1m to work previously. So, I put on my ipod and sunglasses and set off beach bound…

I forgot just how much I missed my bike! I’ve not really used it since I moved to Swansea apart from riding to the supermarket a few times in the last couple of weeks. Now the weather is getting better and I have the beach literally at the end of my street, I’ll be out on it a lot more often. I may even save myself some cash and cycle to work – there is a cycle path along the sea front all the way to where I work so it’s safe.

I really love my new home – living so close to the beach is awesome and I’m really going to make the most of it this coming summer.

I rode about five and a half miles along the sea front to Mumbles, a picturesque seaside town with a pier. Once I got there, I had a little sit on a bench, looking out at the sea and relaxed for ten minutes, just enjoying the peace and quiet and my surroundings, before turning my bike around and heading home…

All in all I cycled 11 miles which isn’t too bad for my first “long” cycle ride. I could certainly have cycled further and will do next time.

When I got back the clouds that had rolled in whilst I was out riding had been burnt away by the sunshine so I headed out for a little walk around the marina. Did I tell you how much I bloody love my new home?

I’m off work again tomorrow as is my gorgeous boyfriend so we are off to the gym for a fasted training session. I’m adding in overhead squats as part of my warm up routine, not only because I love them, but because they are great for getting form correct prior to adding on the weight for my working sets.

I’ll be going for my 130kg deadlift either next session or the one after that as I’m back up to repping 100kg+ x5 after my brief hiatus. I’ll be sure to video it when it happens!

Have you got the gorgeous weather right now? Do you live by the seaside? If so, do you take it for granted? Lots of people that I speak to at work say they don’t appreciate what’s on their doorstep as it’s always been there whereas I’m like a big kid on holiday :-D

©2012 JAG's Fitness Blog. All Rights Reserved.