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You’ve probable heard that when performing an exercise at the gym you should use “slow and controlled movements”. But what does this mean? As a gym newbie, I was surprised to see so many people working out with rapid, fast movements. It can be tempting to go fast, the faster you are, the more reps you can do and the burn is definitely lessened. You can also smash out more sets, reps and exercises if you’re short on time. This is when it’s important to remember, quality over quantity.
You guys asked for it, so here it is, my revised food diary! I like to keep things simple so I have the same pre-work and breakfast meal every morning. It’s a great way for me to get my calories in and both taste so delicious. All my meals are super easy. You’ll notice most of my meals follow the method of “combine in bowl”. I don’t have time to cook and I don’t like it, so all these meals are great if you’re busy like me! I'm currently bulking (eating in a calorie surplus) and eating between 2,300 - 2,500 calories a day. I'm working on incorporating more fruit and veggies into my day as I've realised by doing this that I'm severely lacking! Keeping a food diary for a week is something I highly recommend, you never realise how much you're missing out on (or what you're eating too much of).
Pre-workout: Protein Smoothie
INGREDIENTS
250ml oat milk
30g rolled oats
15g Women’s Best Whey Protein
1/2 frozen banana
1 tbsp peanut butter
Ice
METHOD
Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend. Pour to serve.
Breakfast: Bircher Muesli
INGREDIENTS
150g greek yogurt
70g rolled oats
1 grated apple
70g frozen mixed berries
1 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
10g Women’s Best Whey Protein
METHOD
Mix all together in a bowl and leave to soak overnight.
Snack: Carrots and Dip
INGREDIENTS
2 carrots
1/2 avocado
15g cream cheese
1/2 lemon
pinch of salt and pepper
METHOD
Dip: combine avocado, cream cheese and squeeze half a lemon into a bowl and blend with an electrical hand blender. Mix in salt and pepper. Chop carrots and serve with dip.
Lunch: Gnocchi Napoletana
*Gonna keep it real here, I very rarely eat lunch that I have made. My lunch consists of leftovers from UberEats (gnocchi napoletana or another low fat pasta option). Or I'll have left over Indian from Monday night dinner at my boyfriend's mums house. She's very healthy and doesn't use heavy creamy, oils or fats to cook her food. I also eat a lot of Youfoodz which is a healthy food delivery service in Australia.
Snack: Toast
2 slices of wholemeal toast with Nutlex, Peanut Butter and Nutella
Dinner: Cheese + Bean Quesadilla
INGREDIENTS
1 wholemeal flat bread
80g refried beans
50g grated cheese
2 tbsp light sour cream
Salsa: 1/4 can of corn, 1/2 medium tomato, 15g red onion and a squeeze of lemon
METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 180degrees. Prepare flat bread on a plate and spread the refried beans over the bread. Mix the salsa ingredients together and spread over one half of the bread. Spread the cheese over the other half of the bread. Transfer to a tray and pop in the oven. Take out when the cheese has melted (should be around 5-10 minutes). Spread sour cream on top of the salsa and fold bread in half. Use a spatula to remove from the tray and plate up. Cut into 4 triangle slices.
Snack: Tea and Chocolate
English Breakfast tea and a Tim Tam :)
I hope this helps you out, and questions please leave a comment on my Instagram post.
Love Maddy x
I do this exact workout once a week, on Mondays after my legs are nice and rested after the weekend. It's simple and easy to follow, but you may have some difficulties with the deadlift. It may be worth paying for a session with a personal trainer to teach you the correct way to deadlift as it's a complicated move that requires the correct posture and technique to gain the maximum results. I've been doing this workout for the past 4 weeks and have already seen an increase in the size of my legs. It is important when training for muscle growth, to eat, eat eat! You're not going to see gains without eating in a calorie surplus, so remember to fuel your body with the calories it needs to grow.
Okay this is going to be a biggie! As some of you know, I got into fitness at the start of January 2016 when I made the decision to download the Sweat with Kayla app. If you don’t know what BBG or Sweat with Kayla is, I recommend you read my blog post over here. In short, BBG stands for Bikini Body Guide and was developed by Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines. It’s a 12 week resistance training guide and has also been released as the Sweat With Kayla app (complete with videos).
One of the reasons I love having this blog is I can share everything I'm learning through my Personal Training course, and this is one of the coolest things I've found out about. Most fitness knowledge is widely known, drink more water, focus on tempo, time your rests, lift heavy etc. But this is something that no-one in our class of 20 knew anything about, it's like finding the hidden level on Crash Bandicoot.
Probably the easiest protein powder recipe out there. Because who can be bothered making protein pancakes every morning? I like to make this and take it with me to my Personal Training course, it's simple, easy, affordable and delicious. Ticking all my boxes! I like to use a whole tub of greek yogurt and portion out 4 servings for my week, that way I just do my washing up in one go.
When I first saw people commenting on my photos with the words, “goals” and “she has the perfect shape” I was flabbergasted. I definitely do not feel like I have the perfect shape. I feel that my legs are too short, my thighs are too soft, my boobs are too small, my arms are too long, my shoulders are too broad and that my abs aren’t as defined as I’d like them to be!
I was lucky enough this time round to stay at one of them! I spent three magical days at the lovely Sahana Villas in Seminyak. Every other time I've stayed in Bali, I've stayed in Canggu which is a really cool area, but it is more difficult to get around. Canggu is for the salty haired surfer and Seminyak is for the shopper/degustation fiend. Although I like a dip every now and then, I prefer to stuff my face with tuna tartare and drink fancy cocktails.
Hey guys! So today I want to talk to you about my diet. I went from a ketogenic diet which is high fat and low carb which worked out to be about 60% fat, 30% protein and 10% carbs to a high carb, lower fat diet which is 50% carbs, 30% protein and 20% fat. Which one do you think works to achieve your health and fitness goal? Surprise surprise, it’s the one you’re most likely to stick to in the long term.
Examples of a ketogenic diet
My current diet macronutrients
The reason I didn’t stick with keto is because it was far too difficult for me to eat such small portions of carbohydrates. I got bored easily and as I’m not an inventive cook and I’m super lazy, I ended up just eating the same 3 meals all the time. If I wanted tacos, I’d have to use lettuce leaves, if I wanted to make pizza I’d have to make a base of Philadelphia cheese and cauliflower, if I wanted pasta I’d have to spiralise zucchinis. You get the picture. I just got sick of all the extra effort that was required and gradually started going back to my old habits. That being said, I think the keto diet is great if:
You have the time to prepare and cook meals
You don’t go out that much as it’s freaking hard not eating carbs when you’re out
You don’t workout
I want to touch on the last point. I’ve seen some fantastic results on women and men who don’t workout and simply follow a ketogenic diet and have lost weight. It’s a sure fire way to lose body fat. However, if you’re working out, I do believe you need to eat carbs.
Because I had been keto for so long I took a long time getting my head around this. I had stopped being a strict keto but I would still limit my carbs and have a eat a reasonable amount of fats. I would still avoid pasta and grains. I still basically thought all carbs were the devil. Then I learnt there’s a difference between good carbs and bad carbs.
Examples of good, complex carbs are:
Beans, legumes, starchy vegetables whole grain rice, whole-wheat pasta and wholemeal bread
Examples of bad, refined carbs are:
Processed sugars such as lollies, fries, white bread, coke, white rice and white flour pretty much anything that tastes delicious!
Good carbs VS bad carbs
So why does your body need carbs if you workout or simply want to lose weight?
1. They give the body energy when you workout
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred fuel source. They propel the body during exercise. I'm not saying you should plow through a loaf of garlic bread, you need to fuel your body so it can train at its best and that goes back to the type of carbs that are important for your body, complex carbs.
2. They help muscle cells to rebuild
So to simplify it, try to think of it like this. Your muscles need energy. Energy which is provided by carbs. If you’re on low carb diet, you will have low energy. This means you won’t be able to lift the maximum amount your body can lift at the gym. If you’re not lifting to your max potential you’re not going to damage and tear your muscles which need to happen for your muscles to grow. Hopefully that gives you a good reason to start eating carbs!
3. They help muscle cells to recover
Carbs help to recover and rebuild muscle tissues, which are torn down during exercise. Complex carbs also help the body heal as your body recovers during sleep, and right after exercise. That’s why you might have heard it’s so important to feed your body carbs right after a workout.
In short, if you’re working out, you can’t afford to be on a low carb diet.
Why do I like eating carbs?
I love the variety of foods that are available to me. When I was keto, I couldn’t eat bread or pasta or rice and now these food groups make up a large part of my diet. I find it much easier when going out with friends to be able to order food and enjoy the food that I am eating. Plus the food I make takes less time and is quicker and easier. Please keep in mind, this is what works for me, you might be different as all bodies are different. Experiment and listen to what your body is telling you it needs!
