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Kayla Itsines' Bikini Body Guide


So as of Monday, I will have 6 weeks until my trip to Las Vegas and will be trying my absolute best to eat well and workout consistently before then as I have a whole bikini collection to show off by the pool at Planet Hollywood. I am a big fan of pre-made routines for myself because I just don't have the knowledge and education to plan a reliable regime for myself. That's why I'm going crawling back to the Bikini Body Guide created by Kayla Itsines. 

Kayla is a certified fitness trainer for down under in Australia who has taken the fitness world by storm with her 12 week guides that will work your ass off for weeks 1 to 12 and 12 to 24. These guides can be purchased from Kayla's website and there is also an option to get a free 7 day free workout here to see if the style works for you. Electronic copies of the guides are sent to you directly to keep on your electronic device or print to get a physical copy at hand. 

Kayla also offers a nutrition guide which I think is excellent. It is not a strict meal plan that you should stick to by the gram but it does literally guide you through how to eat better to suit your needs which I think is so refreshing compared to the strict meal plans you find online or in magazines which are not personalised for an individual's needs. It walks you through how to eat more healthily and recognise how to nourish your body properly to support all the extra activity brought about by using the guides. 

The workouts are mix of resistance training, stretching, Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) cardio and HIIT sessions towards the end of the guide. The resistance workouts use minimal equipment so that you can workout using just your bodyweight, or added weights if you wish, for the 28 minute workouts. These include 2 circuits each with the first circuit being performed as many times in 7 minutes, resting, performing the second circuit for 7 minutes, resting, performing the first circuit for the second time, resting and finishing with the second circuit to complete the 28 minutes. You can choose to do the resistance training for 2-3 sessions a week to begin with. They are split up into Legs & Cardio, Arms & Abs and a Full Body workout. These are brilliantly illustrated in the guides so you know exactly what you need to be doing for each move and how your form should be. If you're unsteady in terms of form then don't forget to focus on quality before quantity. It really helps to practise the moves in front of a mirror to see where you need to make adjustments. 

The LISS cardio sessions can simply be walking, slow cycling etc. for 35-45 minutes 2-3 times per week depending upon where in the guide you are up to. The HIIT sessions are 10-15 minutes of interval sprints which are introduced in week 9 onwards in the first guide. The intensity of the workouts increases as you progress into the guide and build up your stamina which adds pressure to your body to respond to the training. How to fit these workouts together into your week and further guidance to consider is all laid out in the start of the guides so that it is very hard to get confused once you have read it through for yourself. 

The equipment required is absolutely minimal. You will need some dumbbells (I sometimes just use my kettle bell), a foam roller for post-workout/stretching sessions, a surface to step up onto and a bosu ball if you have the funds to buy one. This post I wrote on how to start leading a healthier lifestyle has some links to where you can find cheap but reliable fitness wear and equipment. 

Every Sunday night, as of the 6th of September, I will now be posting a weekly catch up of the workouts I have done that week so I can have some accountability to make sure I try my best! I am by no means a serious athlete or some superwoman so I would be classed somewhere around beginner because my workouts have always been basic and things like Insanity scare the life out of me. Hopefully this will act as a long term review of the guides and may help you decide if you want to spend your money on them
XOXO

The 30 Day Shred




The majority of questions I get in reference to workouts are generally about The 30 Day Shred as I recommend it so much. I decided it would be easier to do a full review of it and that way I can direct people to it so that I don't miss out on anything.

The 30 Day Shred is a workout regime created by Jillian Michaels who is most notable from her appearance on the US Biggest Loser series. I first found out about it through Tumblr and I wish I had discovered it sooner. It involves 20 minutes of circuit training on workout days. Each workout combines cardio, strength work and ab moves. In the video, each of the moves is carried out by two other girls. One of the girls does the harder version of the moves so you can really test yourself and the other does modified versions of the moves so that you find the workout easier if you're just starting out or haven't quite perfected the harder versions. This can be not using weights, going slower, changing your form or reducing the number of reps. 

In each circuit there are 6 different moves and 3 circuits to complete with a warm-up and cool down for each workout. The circuits begin with 2 minutes of cardio (jumping jacks, butt kicks etc.), 2 minutes of strength (squat and press, push-ups etc.) and 1 minute of abs (basic crunches, bicycles crunches etc.). As a beginner, I found the moves very easy to grasp as the instructions that Jillian gives are thorough and not rushed which is an issue I find with other workout videos. There are 3 levels in total and each level is done 10 times. There are different ways to do the shred depending on who you speak to; I did the shred solely on its own as a workout but others alternate it with extra cardio. Below is a printable calendar, from start-living-the-dream.tumblr.com, which you can use to track how far you've come. 
This is calendar that I used and a larger version is available here
A major bonus is that you only need minimal equipment and space to complete the workouts! The maximum amount of equipment you need is some hand weights and a comfortable surface to lie on and maintain some grip. I bought some relatively inexpensive hand weights from Argos and began by using 1kg in each hand. If you don't have access to weights or don't want the financial outlay, you can use water bottles filled with sand/stones or tin cans. If you don't have an exercise mat then it's pretty comfortable to do the workouts on the carpet and just lay down a towel to absorb any sweat (you WILL sweat!). 

To buy the DVD is inexpensive now that it has been around for a relatively long time. I have seen it on Amazon for under £6/$10 or you can download it via iTunes and keep it on your laptop, ipad etc. which makes it easier to do as a workout if you have a shared computer or want to keep active when you travel. 

I achieved fantastic results with the shred and I would widely recommend it to anyone that it is safe for. Obviously I would suggest individuals speak to their physician if their health isn't fantastic or they suspect it would be bad for their joints. I started the shred when I was around 230/235lbs with a BMI of ~38 and hadn't had a proper workout in years. Across the regime, I lost over 10lbs and over 10 inches from my key measurements (waist, thighs, arms and under my bust). I combined it with better eating and staying hydrated. I did not do the workout every single day and I made sure to take 1 or 2 rest days a week so it did take me longer than the 30 days. 

One of the issues with the shred is that you need to be mindful of your form. You do not have a trainer physically present to tell you to adjust your form so it would be a good idea to check your form in a mirror and remember quality over quantity. It is important to do this to avoid injury such as during the squat moves and ab work as well as to increase the overall effectiveness of the workout. I think it is vital to stress how important the warm-up and cool downs are in terms of avoiding injury and soreness the next day. These are done along with you on the video so there's no real thinking to be done but at the end of the video it might be a little tough to maintain that final push and get it done. 

Motivation is key in that some may find it repetitive and hard to push through because you might be doing it on your own. It was hard for me for the first few days but I felt a big difference in my fitness by about days 5 and 6. I knew I was doing more reps and took fewer breaks than I did on the first day when I could barely complete level 1. It's key to know that you shouldn't weigh yourself too much during the shred. In general, you're more likely to lose inches than you are pounds so you are physically smaller but your weight may not change dramatically. I measured and weighed myself after each level. 

One advantage of the shred is that you can do it at basically any level! You can decide for yourself how arduous or easy you would like it to be by deciding how many reps you complete, how much you commit to each rep and the size of the weights that you utilise. It's also useful in that you don't need to design your own routine and it is pre-made for you so all you have to do is press play and push yourself. Post-completion of the shred and once you feel capable, I would suggest doing Ripped In 30 which is another regime designed by Jillian. It is basically of the same format but is made up on 4 levels and harder than the shred, in my opinion. 

Overall, it is quick, cheap but by no means is it easy (if any workout is easy then it isn't a workout). 

xoxo

Eco by Sonya


I've been wanting to do a product review for a while but I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to review! I knew I wanted to try something that was cruelty free because as consumers we have more choice and it is lovely knowing that animals or the environment are not suffering for us to buy beauty products. Generally I always think of LUSH as the leader in cruelty free products but recently discovered Eco by Sonya Ecotan products which are an absolute lifesaver!

All of the products are certified organic by the Organic Food Chain of Australia, cruelty free and 100% free from toxins. What we put on the outside of our body can be absorbed into our skin so we don't want any hidden nasties creeping into our systems making the toxic free certification a real bonus as some fake tanning products contain harmful substances. 


I got to try the Winter Skin (Here), Invisible Tan (Here) and the Extreme Exfoliant Glove (Here) and I couldn't be happier with the results. They arrived really quickly and in really beautiful packaging. Firstly I used the exfoliant glove to ensure I got rid of any dry skin before I put on the Invisible Tan which is recommended to stop any build up. You can use it in the bath/shower with, or even without, your favourite soap or simply as a dry rub which is fantastic if you're short on time. 

The glove worked absolutely brilliantly and I don't think my skin has ever felt so smooth. I used mine in the bath and wet the glove before gently massaging my body and face without the need for any extra exfoliating cream. I used to use the £1 exfoliating gloves from Primark but I think they are a bit too harsh on my skin as it is sensitive plus they're not very nice to wear so now I am converted for sure!
I decided to use the Invisible Tan first as I wanted a fast result to wear shorts the next day. This can be applied like any normal tanning cream in the morning or before bed and it will not stain your sheets or clothes! I have white sheets and I couldn't find any marks on them at all when I woke up. I did however wake up to a lovely honey-coloured tan and silky smooth skin. There was no orange patches on my knees or ankles and making sure that I washed my hands after application meant that I definitely didn't have dirty looking palms. These were my results after a single application of the Invisible Tan.


Unfortunately I couldn't get the same light but after one application I had people asking me if I had been on holiday! It worked so well on my face that I didn't have to wear any foundation and just put on some mascara! I'm going to use the Winter Skin to keep my Invisible Tan topped up as it works on the same principle as tanners like Johnson's Holiday Skin or Dove which build up with each application. It extends the life of the tan and also keeps your skin beautifully soft and nourished with the natural ingredients such as aloe vera. If you are in the UK then the Eco by Sonya products can be purchased from Naturally Wright (Here) or if from the Ecotan webiste (Here) if you live in New Zealand, The USA, Australia and Canada. 

I will definitely be getting them again and I would recommend them to anyone!

xoxo
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