Tag: weight loss

Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Food, Gym, Health, Healthy Eating

Strapping Myself To The Wagon In 2020

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Strapping Myself To The Wagon In 2020

This picture has been doing the rounds since May 2018. It was the last time I finally felt like I was getting things back on track, but sadly despite several failed attempts the gap I had created in my jeans is now well and truly full again, as is the disappointment in myself.

My life used to revolve around the gym and healthy eating. For me this was always a priority, nothing else would get in the way of it and if I’m honest with myself it was obsessional, unhealthy, made me ill and in turn made my family suffer because of it.

The cycle of super strict eating, fad diets, over exercising followed by overeating and doing nothing have since filled the years resulting in beating myself up and living with the huge sense of failure.

I have let any kind of self care go and my hair and skin have both suffered terribly because of this, so this is something I have been looking to change and have found some of the best hair products for women from Lilyhair.

As with every New Year I have filled myself with hope and a new found motivation has been fuelled with the hopes that this year things will finally change for the better and I will find a happy medium when it comes to health and well-being.

For the past few years it hasn’t just been the weight gain that has impacted my life, it’s been the implementations of this that are really showing.

I am run down the majority of the time, continual headaches and migraines that I know are linked to my bad diet, dull and dry skin that I’ve never had before and the inability to exercise like I used to.

All of these things have been staring me in the face for so long but I have been choosing to overlook them and hope they just go away which I know is not going to happen unless I change my lifestyle.

Above all of this though I want to to be a better role model to my children. I don’t want them to think that the perfect body is the only way to true happiness but I do want them to understand that we are blessed to be given the bodies we have and we should do our best to look after them, feed them, nourish them and not abuse them like I have been doing for way too long now!

Children, Christmas, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Health, Healthy Eating, Sport, Surrey

Back On Track With David Lloyd Purley

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Today hurt, it pushed me to my limits, it made me want to just give up but I didn’t. Today was my first day back in to David Lloyd – Purley since before Christmas and although each and every minute in that spin class pushed me to breaking point I got through it, enjoyed it and it has given me that much needed motivation to keep going.

I know at the moment their is a huge buzz around accepting our bodies for the way they are but this is something that doesn’t sit well with me. I have always been taught to strive to be the best I can when it comes to things such as work and parenting so why shouldn’t this be the same for the way my body looks and feels. Yes my body has carried five babies and age is no longer on my side but that is no excuse to neglect the body that has done so much for me and why shouldn’t I strive to get it looking and feeling the best way it possibly can. I know its not going to be easy and since I first started back on my fitness journey last year I have both good and bad moments but I have learnt from both.

Over the last few months I was utillising the gyms fantastic kids clubs and cafe area to catch up on work rather than for looking after myself and my own well being and although it was fantastic for allowing me to hit targets with work it meant that my fitness and weightloss were suffering. Im using this New Year to get things back on track, manage my time better and smash those goals and I hope you will join me on my journey!

  • We have been given a family membership for the purpose of these posts.
Blogging, Children, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Gym, Large Families, Memories, Parents, School, Siblings, Vintage, Weddings, World Book Day

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eleven

by thejoyoffive1 Comment on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Eleven

This weeks ‘Celebrating The small Things’ has been a seen us doing a lot of catch up with the things that got cancelled and postponed due to the horrible snow. Did the bad weather mess up any of your plans?

World Book Day – World book Day came a lot later than expected this year due to it being way to icy for the little ones to get into school in their flimsy outfits.
Frankie was super excited to get all kitted out as Willy Wonka and got completely immersed into the character; it was a different situation with Oscar though who flat out refused to join in.
He has gone from being a little boy who lived in fancy dress and couldn’t even take a trip to the shop without some form of dress up to not wanting anything to do with it at all!
I was still desperate for him to join in through the worry that he would fill singled out, but he waltzed into nursery without a care in the world it was in fact him who was the odd one out and I have to admire him for that.

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Weight Loss Goals Being Achieved – I am a few months into my membership at David Lloyd Health Clubs now and I have really been keeping the benefits in so many ways, with the biggest of those being my weight loss.
For those of you that regularly read my blog you will know that my weight gain over the past few years has been a real problem for me and something I have been really struggling with.
Since joining David Lloyd at the beginning of the year I have seen a real change to my body shape and in turn a boost to my self confidence which I hoping will allow my to be a little braver in front of the camera soon!

Bridesmaid Dress Shopping – My lovely little sister is getting married this year and the bridesmaids dress have been a bit of a problem to say the least! None of us have been able to find anything we had all liked until the other day when we had a trip to Dig For Victory and found a whole shop of adorable dresses that can be made to measure and to your exact requirements.
In a few weeks time we will be getting measured up and ready for them and I literally cant wait.

Children, Diet, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Healthy Eating, Parents, Pregnancy, Reviews

MUTU System 12 Weeks On

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After the birth of each of my first three children I seemed to manage to get back into shape within a relatively short space of time. I don’t know if this was my youth giving me more of a zest to get back to my pre-baby self, the boundless energy I seemed to have or just luck but it was never really to much of an issue.

Yes my body had changed in countless ways but I could deal with this and my body confidence(whilst clothed) wasn’t to much of an issue for me.

Along came number four and this is where things took a change in the way I felt about my body and how my body was now dealing with multiple pregnancies. If I’m honest the fact I was breast feeding a baby with multiple allergies and an impending wedding the weight loss and diet side of things were pretty on point but my pelvic floor was really feeling the strain from so many pregnancies and vaginal births and I suffered terribly with vaginal prolapse that I managed to improve a little myself before I fell pregnant for the fifth time.

Age was now not on my side, struggling to find a work life balance with caring for five children, weight gain and a completely shot pelvic floor left me in a place I wasn’t happy with and if I’m honest its taken me four years and the kick up the bottom I needed to get me back on track.

I had gone from a hugly active job as a personal trainer to writing my blog which I never imagined would be a completly new career path for me. All my time, love and passion were being ploughed into this new project and any form of exercise had taken a nose dive. This added to events with free flowing food and drink I knew something was going to have to give.

After going along to the Embrace Workshop with the owner of the MUTU System – Wendy Powell she opened my eyes to the way I looked at myself and was just the stepping stone I needed to get things back on track and my body feeling better both inside and out.

The MUTU Systems main aims are to strengthen your core and pelvic floor, heal your diastasis recti, lose weight and eat well.

The program consists of 12 modules with exercises lasting only 20 minutes or less. The programs can be downloaded to any device which makes it easy to keep up the program whenever and wherever you are.

As well as the exercise program there is an easy to follow food guide that promotes healthy eating rather than unrealistic, restrictive diets.

The plan offers realistic goals and allows the flexibility to fit around everyone. My plan still has a couple of weeks to go as I had a bit of a blip over christmas so stay tuned to see my final results…if I pluck up the courage to post them!

I am already reaping the benefits with a significant weigh loss, flatter tum and most importantly for me, less leakage. If you want to give this plan a try for yourselves then click HERE and use the discount code EMBRACE15 for your 15% discount.

*Collaborated post

Children, Children's Books, Education, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Food, Gym, Healthy Eating, Learning, London, School, Sons, Southbank, Work

Celebrating The Small Things:Week Two

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Celebrating The Small Things:Week Two

This time of year is never my friend! I get depressed by the weather, long for brighter and longer days and generally spend the whole of January and February wishing away the minutes until the start of spring.

I am however hoping that this new series of ‘Celebrating The Small Things’ I started last week is going to bring a bit of joy to the next few gloomy months ahead.

This week I have picked a couple of my favourite moments that have involved things I don’t get time to enjoy as often as I would like.

One On One Time: With five children this is certainly something I don’t get the chance to do as often as I would like so I cherish them everytime I get the chance.
We took a trip to Southbank to an event where Frankie got to meet some of his favourite characters from the Cartoon Network show – We Bare Bears and we both sampled delicious coffee that had been expertly poured and topped with incredible latte art.
Aside from having to take some pics whilst I was there we spent the rest of the morning completely screen free, talking about all those radom things that run through the mind of a six year and and really just enjoying each other.

Healthy Changes On Track: For those of you that are followers of my blog you will know that the past few years have gained an ever expanding waistline with my change in career.
Its something I’ve been battling with for a long time now and this week I feel that I’ve finally broken the cycle and things have got back on track.
There have been no faddy diets, I’ve just cut out the rubbish and reduced my portion sizes, I have got back into all the exercises I love such as spinning and kickboxing and have been feeling and seeing the benefits both physically and mentally.

Getting An Insight Into School Life: When your children set off to school they spend over half their day in the care of somebody else and we have very little insight into what they get up to; and if your children are anything like mine they aren’t to free with letting you know what they do either.
At the beginning of the week I wasn’t to excited about the thought of having a meeting at the school, but was pleasantly surprised when we got the chance to join the children in the classroom to see what they get up to during their working day.
It was so lovely to see Frankie interacting with his peers, thumbing through textbooks and asking questions on things he was coming across and seeing how much he has come on during his short time at school.

Blogging, Diet, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Food, Gym, Healthy Eating

As My Blog Grows So Does My Waistline

by thejoyoffive10 Comments on As My Blog Grows So Does My Waistline

It is coming up to nearly two years since I started my blog and my love for it is a strong as the moment I hit publish on my first post which now seems like a lifetime ago!

Blogging has bought me so many wonderful opportunities and I never in a million years thought it would be something that I could turn into a job and I am absolutely over the moon that my little pipe dream has become a reality.

The only downside to staring this journey has been my ever increasing waistline!

All my time and energy are being engulfed by my family and my blog and my passion for exercise has fallen to the wayside and been replaced with a far more sedentary lifestyle. 

I was always a five times a week girl when it came to training in the gym and this would always be a priority, which in turn managed to keep my love for food under control.

In the past two years I have managed to gain a considerable amount of weight that has been really getting me down…yet apart from some sporadic training I have done little about it.

With the New Year started I have decided that with some organisation and getting my butt out of bed they little earlier in the morning I have the ability to give just as much effort to losing weight as I do to my blog and I’m feeling really positive about the changes I have been making.

Last year I attempted to get my old self back by tracking my progress on here.

This was an epic fail so this time I am going to put less pressure on myself, throw away the scales and just get back to a healthier and happier new me.

Wish me luck X

Allergy Free, Children, Dairy Free, Diet, Egg Free, Food, Healthy Eating, Nut Free, Recipes, Soya Free

Spicy Mince With Cauliflower Rice

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One of my biggest pitfalls when it comes to eating a healthy balanced diet is portion control and my love of all things stodgy!  Bread, pasta and rice in abundance are my love and something I need to try and get under control.

I had seen a few recipes for cauliflower rice in the past but had not tried it until today and I was very presently surprised.  It’s light cous cous like texture was the perfect accompaniment to my spicy mince.

Spicy Mince And Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 500g turkey/beef mince
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 thumb sized piece of garlic
  • 2 red chilli
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 100ml stock
  • 1 onion
  • Half a bag of kale
  1. Chop the onion and garlic and fry with a little olive oil until softened.
  2. Add the mince and cook until browned.
  3. Add the grated ginger, chopped chilli, soy sauce and stock.
  4. Simmer for 15/20 mins and add a little water if it begins to dry out.
  5. For the last 5 mins add the kale and cook until it is wilted.
  6. Whilst the mince is cooking take the heads from the cauliflower and place into a food processor and pulse until it is the consitincy of cous cous.
  7. Transfer to a bowl and cover with cling film and pierce a couple of times.
  8. Cook in high for 7mins.
  9. Serve together with the mince.
Diet, Exercise, Fitness, Healthy Eating

A New Me For Christmas: FAIL

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on A New Me For Christmas: FAIL

Well a few months ago I set out will every intention of being in the best shape I could for Christmas and started a weekly blog post ‘A New Me For Christmas’ unfortunately this never happened!

I lost my way, started eating way to much and the exercise dwindled.  The Christmas outings and parties then started and any work I had done was completely undone.

Today I have woken up feeling bloated and massively out of shape and in fear of stepping on the scales!  I feel in my worst shape ever and am now eager to get started on a healthy eating regime again.

Just before Christmas I was given some fantastic weight loss shakes and soups from Exante Diet to try out and had fantastic results.  I combined a shake or soup for breakfast and lunch with a healthy dinner and two healthy snacks.  I also did 30/45 mins of HIIT training every day and lost 10lbs in a week!

I was feeling super healthy, my clothes were fitting well and I had bundles of energy.

  
I’ve never really been a fan of meal replacements but these were great to get me thinking about how much a really needed to eat and with the yummy flavours I found the plan really easy to stick to.  I completely gutted that I didn’t stick to this as the results were fantastic.

  
I’m under no illusions that I will be able to get right back on track until after the New Year celebrations.  So until then I’m going to start exercising and cut down but still enjoy my last few days if the festive season.  The Exante Diet will defiantly be the way to get me back on track.
I was given the shakes and soups for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinion .

Diet, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Healthy Eating, Marriage

A New Me For Christmas:Week Seven

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on A New Me For Christmas:Week Seven

  
Well my big night out has come and gone and I can say that I felt a lot happier in my dress than I was expecting.

I’m not where I want to be yet but the weight loss and toning that has happened so far has really helped with my confidence, something of which I wrote about a while ago.

Due to a few to many drinks and a big fried breakfast in the morning my weight has remained the same.  I’m not surprised or disappointed about this as I had a much needed night out with my husband that is far more important than losing a few pounds.

Week Seven

Weight 10

BMI 22

Body Fat 24

Goals

Lose another 2lb this week

Make the most of this good weather and train outside

Get the family involved in my training

Exercise, Families, Family Life, Gym, Healthy Eating, Uncategorized

A New Me For Christmas:Week Six

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on A New Me For Christmas:Week Six

  

After a very poor week last week I’m back in full swing, which to be honest has been prompted a little with the fact I have a night out at the end of the week.

As im sure is the same with most of you, nights out are rare so I always like to try and look and feel my best as I’m never sure when the next opportunity will be!

I’ve trained everyday even if it has been a quick 20 mins in the front room.  My diet has been good in the whole apart from a couple of chocolate slip ups!!

I am however trying to take a different approach to food as it is something I really enjoy so if I really fancy a treat I’m going to have a little as life is to short to not have a little of what you fancy!

Week Six

Weight 10

BMI 22

Body Fat 24

Goals

Loss another 2lb

Up the weight sessions to improve tone and strength

Get party dress ready for the weekend!!