Making Progress and Loving It!

Last night my husband kindly helped me to check my measurements. The last time I had checked my measurements was 2nd July 2014. I'm happy to report that my body is changing for the better!

Following the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan and working out regularly each day is really working. I'm so excited!!!!

 

My left calf has gone down by 0.5cm, my left thigh has gone down by 1cm, my hips have gone down by 0.5cm, the largest change has been my waist, which has gone down by 2.5cm, my abs have gone down by 2cm and my right arm has gone down by 1cm. 

I'm so pleased to be able to see that things are finally working! I will be checking my weight and my measurements again on 1st August, so hopefully I will have more good news to report!

I think that banning the scale was a very good idea. It means that I am more inclined to stay on track because I don't want to inadvertently undo my hard work! 

I have really been focussing on my nutrition and really trying to get a hold on the bingeing. So far, I am on day 6 binge-free! I think this is because I am taking part in the July BED Challenge on MyFitnessPal as well as doing a Shoot Your Food challenge that has been set up by Brooke (a.k.a. CrazyRunningMom). I'm posting the foods I eat each day on my Instagram page, so come and follow me on there if you don't already!

This journey I'm on is one of physical, emotional and spiritual change and I feel so blessed to finally be able to show myself enough love to make positive changes. If I can do this, you can definitely do it too.

Fitness Haul and Tone It Up Check-In

I wanted to catch up with you all and also show off the goodies that I bought this week at Cheshire Oaks - I thought a video with be a bit quicker than a long blog post - so here we are!

I will make a separate "What's in My Gym Bag" video with a review of the Nike gym bag I picked up as soon as possible. 

Have healthy days!

Clare x

Menu Planning for Bikini Series Week 2

In a bid to avoid falling off the Nutrition Plan this week, I have decided to plan out my menu for the week and to post it here. All the recipes (except the Trout Salad, which is self-explanatory) are from the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan, which you can purchase from here!

What are you planning on eating this week?

Day of the Week	Booty Call	Meal 1	Meal 2	Meal 3	Meal 4	Meal 5
Monday	Meta D	Slim Down Scramble Strawberries	Tone It Up Kale Salad+ mackerel	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz lamb Orange	Lemon, Spinach & Chickpea Salad	Red Lentil Bolognese & Green Beans with Cashew Nut Parm
Tuesday	Meta D	Slim Down Scramble Strawberries	Tone It Up Kale Salad + mackerel	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz lamb Orange	Lemon, Spinach & Chickpea Salad	Red Lentil Bolognese & Green Beans with Cashew Nut Parm
Wednesday	Meta D	Slim Down Scramble Strawberries	Grapefruit	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz pork Apple	Lemon, Spinach & Chickpea Salad	Chicken Collard Wrap & Salad
Thursday	Meta D	Slim Down Scramble Strawberries	Grapefruit	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz pork Peach	Canellini Citrus Salad	Trout Salad
Friday	Meta D	Slim Down Scramble Strawberries	Grapefruit	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz chicken Peach	Canellini Citrus Salad	Walnut-Crusted Salmon
Saturday	Meta D	Egg & Veggie Breakfast Wrap Strawberries	Orange	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz chicken Peach	Zesty Quinoa	Green Garden Pot Pie
Sunday	Meta D	Protein Pancake Strawberries	Orange	Slim Down Lunch Salad + 4oz chicken Peach	Zesty Quinoa	Green Garden Pot Pie

Bikini Series 2014 Week 1 in Review (May 12-18 2014)

What to say about this week? There have been highs and there have been lows and lots of new things!

I want to remind you all that the 2014 Tone It Up Bikini Series officially began in the last week of April, so I am behind the Tone It Up website. My Bikini Series started on Monday May 12th and is due to finish on Sunday 13th July 2014.

Food-wise I have fallen off the bandwagon a fair couple of times this week, which is why I am not expecting a weight loss when I weigh in tomorrow. I am very much an emotional eater and I suffer from compulsive overeating;  something that I am hoping to be able to control better as I get further into the Bikini Series. The support on Twitter and at the Tone It Up Community has been amazing and I want to say a big thank you  to all the Tone It Up girls who have been cheering me on this week - particularly Lauren!

I am proud that I have worked out every single day this week - if even just for 30 minutes. I have been particularly en pointe with my workouts and even on those days when my nutrition was far from perfect, I still made sure to exercise.

The Tone It Up girls have challenged us to achieve #100bysummer (or #150bysummer for TIU veterans). Each 10 minutes of cardio exercise you do counts as 1 mile towards your #100bysummer. This week's exercise breakdown is as follows:

Monday 12th - 64 minutes
Tuesday 13th - 97 minutes
Wednesday 14th - 164 minutes
Thursday 15th - 61 minutes
Friday 16th - 31 minutes
Saturday 17th - 225 minutes
Sunday 18th - 26 minutes

Total Week = 668 minutes

668 minutes divided by 10 = 66.8 miles towards my #100bysummer !!!!

I'm amazed that in one week I'm already past the halfway mark! 

Even though I'm assuming there will be a gain on the scales in the morning, I'm really hoping that my measurements will have gone down because I really have tried hard all week long with the exercising!

I've done my first ever pilates workout! I've done the Bikini Body routine twice this week! I've tweeted more this week than I think I have ever done!! There are so many amazing women out there who are empowering each other to live better, happier and healthier lives and I really am loving that aspect. 

I've also vlogged a couple of times this week over on my YouTube channel:

What are my goals for Bikini Series Week 2 (May 19-25 2014)

• Minimise bingeing / Give it 100% to stick to my food plan
• DRINK MORE WATER - minimum of 3 litres daily
• Be grateful for every day!
• Exercise every day for at least 30 minutes
• Daily Wii Fit Body Tests
• Compliment someone every day
• Carry out at least one random act of kindness
• Follow the TIU and Blogilates Workouts and calendars

What are your plans for the week?

Tone it Up, Clare

Hello :)

In case you missed it, my name's Clare and I'm here to Tone it Up! I am overweight, unfit and unhappy. After years of watching the ToneItUp girls Katrina and Karena on their YouTube channel, I've finally gone and purchased their Tone It Up Nutrition Plan.

Tomorrow (actually, today, since I am writing this after midnight) marks Day 1 on the Nutrition Plan and I am more than a little excited. The ToneItUp community seems to be so friendly and so welcoming - I am really looking forward to getting to know my ToneItUp team better!

Last weekend saw me undergo neck surgery - so I am still very much recuperating from that op, but that doesn't mean I can't get my nutrition sorted now and get back into the fitness side as soon as I'm given the nod from the specialists. I will be doing light exercise, things which keep me supple, but that don't engage my neck. Once I've identified what those exercises are, I'll let you know!

I have spent a long time of my life overweight and I did not put all the weight on overnight - I can't expect to lose it overnight either, but I also need something that I can stick to and something that has a great community atmosphere. I want to lose over 100lbs in total, so this is where I'm going to hold myself accountable and track my progress. I hope you'll come along with me for the journey.

You can contact me via the following links:
Twitter: @TiUClare
Google + Profile
YouTube