Day 2 of my 12 week challenge

Suffering BIG time today...massive headache...just need to get past about day 4 and my headaches should subside along with the craving for any form of carb right now LOL...I am such a girl! Lindt chocolate would be great right about now THANKS!

So today's training involved another muscle group I love to train - BACK BABY...ok well and Biceps which I am not so crazy about as I was definitely in the back of the queue when "Guns" were handed out #BLEAK :( buuuuuut if I don't train them as hard as possible they shall stay non existent and I want a body that looks in proportion thank you!

You got to force yourself to do the things you don't want to do - like train my biceps LOL!

Back:

• Chin Ups 2 sets 8 reps per set

• One Arm Dumbbell row 2 sets 8 reps per set

• Bent Over Barbell Row 2 sets 8 reps per set

• Seated Row 3 sets 10 reps per set

• Lat Pull Down 3 sets 10 reps for 2 sets and last set 8 reps

 Biceps:

• In/Out Standing Dumbbell Curl 3 sets of 10 reps per set (both arms together)

• Hammer Curls 3 sets of 10 reps per set (one arm at a time)

• 21's 3 sets

• Incline Dumbbell Curl 3 sets of 10 reps per set (both arms together)

• Corkscrew Curls 3 sets of 10 reps per set (one arm at a time)

Cardio:

40 min incline walking
15 incline
6 speed

It ain't rocket science...You put 100% in...You get 100% out #SIMPLE

MissHagan's First Photo Shoot

So...better late than never - just before Mr&Miss Fitness SA in May this year I decided to reward myself with a photo shoot to show off my hard work I had been doing over the last couple of months.

I arranged with my friend Tatum who works at Protea Hotels to organise a loft apartment at the Victoria Junction Hotel in Green Point (wow it was beautiful and they were so accommodating) and I had asked my friend Darren Bester (check out his website: http://darrenbester.co.za/) to do the shoot- his work is amazing and I couldn't think of a better person to do the job, being my first photo shoot I was nervous as hell and he made me feel at ease and well from the finished product - you can be the judge yourself!

Here are some of the shots that I favour...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Day of my personal 12 week challenge...eating the Paleo way

So yesterday I woke up and started my own personal 12 week challenge to lose 5% Body Fat minimum ( but I know I will not stop there so let's be realistic and say about 8-10% Body Fat)

I have decided to do a 30day Paleo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paleolithic_diet eating Challenge with my mate Nic along side this 12 week challenge. I must say cutting out grains and dairy etc definitely left me feeling a bit weak at the end of the day and I wasn't able to lift half the weight I usually would but I know after a week of this basic "detox" I am going to feel refreshed and ALIVE...FULL of ENERGY so a few days of headaches, dizziness etc is well worth it!

I started my day off with a 45min cardio session - HIIT...sprints - well sort of LOL

I jogged for 10min, sprinted for 1min, walked for 3min and then sprinted for 1min again and this I repeated 3 times.

In the afternoon I hit the gym for my second gym session (yes I could do it all in one go at the gym but I have time on my hands so I split my work out up in two and training weights on an empty stomach for me is difficult as I then lack the energy needed to actually lift the weights I need to)

My second session for the day involved training Shoulders, this is definitely one of my favourite body parts to train! I am trying to build some muscle so my weight is heavy and my reps are lower than I would normally do when cutting.

Shoulders:

• Shoulder Press 3 sets 10 reps per set

• Dumbell reverse fly's 3 sets 10 reps per set

• Military Press 4 sets 10 reps per set

• Hammer Style Front Raises 2 sets 10 reps per set

• Dumbell/ Cable Lateral Raises 2 sets 10 reps per set

Superset

• Dumbell Shrugs 2 sets 10 reps per set

• Upright rows 2 sets 10 reps per set

So that concluded day 1 of my training routine. Below I have put a sample of a "Paleo" style eating plan so you get the idea...basically if you can catch it and kill it, if it swims or you can pick it off a tree or out of the ground you can eat it...well that's how I think of it.

I am eating roughly 1600 calories a day, just a little FYI

Meal 1 (after morning cardio)
2 scoops of SN Explode whey Protein

Meal 2
2 Egg Whites
2 Whole Eggs
1 Cup of Mushrooms

Meal 3
1 Apple
30g Almonds

Meal 4
120g Protein (Fish, Chicken, Beef etc etc)
Salad or 200g Mixed Veg

Meal 5
50g Beef Biltong
1/2 a Avocado

Meal 6
120g Chicken Fillet
Salad or Brocolli or Green Beans or Mixed Veg

Meal 7
2 scoops of SN Explode whey Protein

Hope this helps a little with understanding more or less what can and cannot be eaten on a Paleo style eating plan.

Have a great day fitness junkies! I will be back with Day 2 training schedule soon :)

Bye for now....

This is how I do it and this is how I did it...

So I have been asked a few times by different people how I train, what I eat etc etc...

2011 I made a conscious decision (as I am sure you all now know from my previous blog posts) that not only would I better myself by becoming healthy, losing weight, living a better lifestyle and making Gym my second home LOL, I set a Goal to Compete in the Mr. & Miss Fitness SA 2012 pageant. It’s good to set goals for yourself, it keeps you focused….

So dieting for comp started last August 2011, I had 7 months to drop the massive amount of weight or should I say body fat I needed to while packing on muscle before I moved over to Opus (a diet that cuts you in to get you looking lean, but that’s a story for another rainy day)…I had my work cut out for me but as they say:

Clear Mind ∙ Full Heart ∙ Can’t Lose

My journey has included a lot of trial and error as everyone’s body is different and you have to find what works best for you. I am still learning something new everyday and I will be forever improving on what I already know.

My eating plan as I like to call it because diet is such a dirty word ;) consists of high protein with a balance of good clean carbs and healthy fats. I try to eat as clean as possible all year round but we are all Human so I allow myself a ‘piggy meal’ – not day, just a meal people...let’s not get carried away please.

An example of my daily eating plan would be as follows:

Meal 1:           2 Scoops of SN Explode Whey Protein

                        30g Oats

Meal 2:           50g Beef Biltong or 100g Smoked or Grilled Chicken Breast (No Skin)

                        1 tbspn Flaxseed Oil

Meal 3:           100g Grilled Chicken Fillets or Smoked Chicken

                        120g Sweet Potato

                        1 tbspn Flaxseed Oil

Meal 4:           3 Egg Whites and 1 Whole Egg

                        1 Slice of 100% Rye Bread

Meal 5:           2 Scoops of SN Explode Whey Protein

Meal 6:           120g Fish

                        100g Green Mixed Salad (Cucumber, Lettuce)

                        1 Medium Tomato

OR 150g Broccoli/Asparagus/Green Beans

                        1 tbspn Flaxseed Oil

Meal 1 I will have after my morning cardio work out and Meal 5 will be after my evening weight training session. I try drink a minimum of 3L of water per day and keep my meals 2 to 3 hours apart.

My supplementation is pretty basic:

SN Explode Whey Protein – So yummy it tastes like I am cheating every time I drink it!

SN Detonate Pre - Workout – If I feel I need it, I am not a massive fan of stimulants as I feel funny and light headed but they help give you that extra pump.

BCAA’s – During my workout

Glutamine

A good Multi Vitamin

Vitamin C

Flaxseed Oil

The guys at SN Cape Quarter, Somerset Road, Green Point Shaun and Marco (Find them on twitter @SN_Cape Quarter) help me with information regarding my supplementation and they assisted me with any training tips I needed while prepping for the competition and trying to shed the kilo’s – they are definitely a great team down at that store and anyone looking for some advice or motivation should go check them out, their down to earth nature and willingness to help where they can makes you feel like you’re part of a family and I love that!

My training routine during this time,

1 hour cardio every morning on an empty stomach

Monday:         Chest and Triceps (and calves)

Tuesday:         Back and Biceps (and abs)

Wednesday:   Shoulders (and calves)

Thursday:       Legs and Focusing on Glutes

Friday:            Full Upper Body Workout (and abs)

Saturday:        Take it outside if the weather is nice a walk on the beach or climbing the stairs at Clifton for a great ass workout or any form of functional High Intensity Training

Sunday:           Rest and Recovery Day

When trying to build muscle I keep my weights heavy and my reps at 8-10 and the closer to competition I got and the more I want to cut and define I would move my reps to 12-15 and a lighter weight.

I set realistic short term goals for myself, like 2-3% Body Fat and 1kg down every 4 weeks. To stay motivated I take progress pictures of myself every two weeks and use my clothes as a judge to how well I am progressing. I avoid the scale at all costs – muscle weighs more than fat and until you wrap your mind around this – the scale will be your worst enemy as weeks may go by and the scale wont budge but it is only because you are building muscle and I learnt this the hard way after being left in tears a few times looking at the number on the scale!

If I could give anyone trying to lose weight some tips, they would be as follows:

-         Drink at least 3L of water a day

-         EVERYTHING in moderation

-         Try eat as clean as possible every day and allow yourself that 1 “piggy meal” a week if needed.

-         This one is for the LADIES – DO NOT BE AFRAID TO LIFT HEAVY! You will not look like Johnny Bravo ever, you do not have the testosterone levels to look like a man, what will happen is you will tone and there isn’t anything nicer than a toned, sexy body!

-         Be consistent and remember it took you years to put on the kilo’s so it won’t take you 1 week to lose it all, be patient!

-         Make clean eating and exercise a lifestyle then it won’t seem like a chore. There is NO quick fix, trust me – I know!

Muhammad Ali once said:

DON’T QUIT! SUFFER NOW AND LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE AS A CHAMPION…