Weightloss Wednesday- Body Fat

Hi lovelies

Hope you're all well! So if you read my blog you will know that it was my mission to lose weight after gaining 2 stone and get a more healthy lifestyle. After some hard work I am finally getting there but after getting a personal trainer and learning more about health and fitness I have learnt not to be sooo obsessed with what the scales say.

So recently it got me thinking that maybe I did think too much about what the scales were saying when really what I should have been basing my success on were my body fat results. Now my reason for thinking this is I've always wanted to get back to 8 stone which I was when I was 16 but looking back there was still parts of my body that weren't toned and I wasn't 100% happy with my body. So why was this my goal?! 

I would be happy with my body when I'm toned (especially my tummy!) and have some definition- this doesn't necessarily mean being 8 stone! So how do you measure something like this?

Obviously those with toned tummies have a low body fat which is what my main goal over the next few months will be. To get the results I want it means having a lower body fat. 

For those who maybe don't know how body fat is measured, it's measured by percentage and there is a few different ways of measuring it. Some scales measure it by sending a small electrical current through your body but with these it is debated how accurate they are. Another way is a manual way where different sections of your body are pinched by some clippers and then the results are added and out comes your percentage.

When I first got this done I was dreading my results and thought I would be off the chart haha! However I was pleasantly surprised with the result. It came out at 27% which is considered healthy. Now I'm not by any means saying this is the best result it was just better than I first thought. Since then it has dropped to 25%.

Now obviously these are just numbers to some people so I found this photo below to indicate what different body fat percentages look like. I'm not saying the photo is 1 million percent accurate but it's a good start. Obviously the percentages look different based on whether you are a man or woman as women naturally carry more fat on their body.

So my goal is to drop to around about 19% over the next couple of months. Depending on what my body looks like when I get there I will either work to maintain it or try and lower it by a percent or two. Personally I think this is a better way to measure success as now that I've lost a bit of weight it's all about tightening everything up! To do this I will be aiming to do at least 3 cardio sessions a week plus weight training at least 4 times a week.

I hope some of you found this interesting and maybe learnt something new :).

Lucy x

Holiday Blues

Hi lovelies,

Hope you're all well. So recently there have been no posts and not just because I haven't been able to fit in them in or whatever other excuse, it's because I have been on holiday!

I went to the beautiful Greek island Corfu and I fell in love with it. It was such a beautiful place with lovely people and such a relaxed atmosphere. I have to say it was one of the best holidays I've been on ... Ever! So obviously I had an amazing time, but now that I've been back a few days, the holiday blues have definitely arrived!

Now on one hand I'm feeling so sad and down because I had an amazing time and I wish I was still sat at the beach on my sunlounger or on a lilo in the pool but then on the other hand I hate feeling like I'm being ungrateful because some people don't even have the chance to go on holiday!

So I know I'm lucky that I have had this amazing experience but lets face it though when you have had an amazing holiday or break away, most of us do get the holiday blues. So I decided to look online to see what tips and tricks people have posted to getting over the holiday blues. I've picked my favourites and these are what I will be doing to get over mine. So if you want to know keep reading :).

1) Do Things You Love

Obviously you will need to go back to work or school but make sure you make time to do things you love to do too. This should make you feel more positive and therefore more happy. Writing this is helping me as it's making me realise how much I do love blogging. I'll also be getting myself to the gym as I really enjoy the gym now and can't wait to get back into the routine!

2) Have Something To Look Forward To

This for me is looking for my next holiday. Yes I know that I've only just came back but to beat these blues I need something to look forward to and what better than another holiday! Thomas Cook is a tab which is currently permanently open on my phone. If anyone has any suggestions of good holiday resorts let me know!

3) Positive Thinking

This is probably the hardest when all you want to do is be back in the sun but try and think about all the good things that are happening and all of the good memories you have which you made on holiday! Try and turn those negative feelings around! Sounds cliche but can definitely help. For example, I wish I was back on holiday can be turned around to I had such an amazing time on holiday can't wait for my next one!

4) Eat Well

You get out of your body what you put into it so by making sure you eat well should affect your mood positively and help avoid you feeling sluggish and tired. Although I have loved every minute of stuffing my face on holiday I am looking forward to eating healthily again as it makes me have more energy and will help me achieve the body I want! Like I've said before to get results it's meant to be 70% nutrition, 30% working out.

5) Share Your Memories

Don't just pretend it didn't happen as it might make it easier, talk to family and friends about it! Share your amazing memories with them, whether that's stories, photos, videos, share them all! I took loads of photos and normally I would just keep them on my phone but I'm going to get them printed off and put them in an album. Something people might see as not necessary but something I'm looking forward to!

So that's what I'm going to be doing to get rid of these holiday blues. Hope you've found this interesting and if you have any more tips share them below! 

Lucy x