Being Scared About the Next 60 Days!......

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and that you were able to take some time to relax and enjoy yourselves with friends and family. I had a lovely few days and got to spend some quality time with my family. I let myself indulge a little (and the waistline shows it!) but now it's time to get back to some normality with a regular exercise plan and some nutritious food.

Today I'm starting my new workout programme, and it would be an understatement to say it's going to be a challenge! This one is unlike anything I've ever done before. Normally I'm flinging myself around the lounge doing all sorts of cardio moves. For the next 60 days though I'm going to be changing tact and working mainly with weights.

The idea behind it is that it's built on SSP training (short for Stabilisation, Strength and Power). It's supposed to 'rapidly build, sculpt and refine the physique'. Hey! Stop your sniggering over there!!!!
There are different types of workouts. Some focus on 'building muscle, strength and power', whilst others are designed to 'achieve greater endurance, stabilisation and maximum definition' (lol!). Can you tell I'm not 100% convinced about this?! Ha ha!

It uses various equipment which I've had to quickly pull together and improvise. I don't know how I'll get on but I could be placing an express delivery order for a workout bench when I find out that a chair just won't cut it in a few days time! You're supposed to have weights (I've got a small selection - I hope they will be enough), a bench (which I haven't got), a resistance band (which I have!) and a chin-up bar (we do actually have one of these but me trying to squeeze even one chin up out is quite frankly a complete joke). I really have absolutely no idea how this is going to pan out. Other than the nutrition side of things this is the least I've been prepared for exercising in a LONG time.

Nutrition-wise I can stick to what I've already been doing so that's a bonus.  Just clean eating and paying attention to portion sizes and proportions of macros (carbs, proteins, fats, etc). This really shouldn't be a problem for me.

The great thing for me is that this time I'll have an accountability partner every day because Roger will be doing this programme with me. We can laugh at motivate, drive and help each other through it. And when we reach the 60 day mark we'll both completely ripped and defined...then we'll be high-fiving each other! I really should lower my expectations a little, it's just that the people in the booklet look sooo awesome. Surely that'll be me and Rog when we've finished, right???!!!

So, in preparation I've done my 'before' measurements and photos so I can see if this workout really does live up to the hype when I compare them to my 'Day 60' photos and measurements. Of course I'll be sure to share my results with all you lovely people!

I think it's fair to say that the next 60 days are gonna be hard, but it'll be worth it! (won't it? Please someone tell me it'll be worth it....)

Free 5 Day Clean Eating Support Group

Hello everyone!

I've had  a number of conversations with different people over this last week or so about Sweating the Small Stuff in my various festive jaunts.  I didn't start any of these conversations but people were coming up to me and asking me all about it. What was entirely unexpected for me was the feedback that I got from them. This was something that I hadn't really anticipated. The interesting thing for me was the realisation that some of these people weren't my 'friends' on Facebook (which is the arena that I'm currently most active in) nor were they even people that I knew very well at all. Somehow though they'd seen this blog or my Facebook page and were following everything I was posting from the shadows. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's just that I was completely unaware that other people were connecting with Sweating the Small Stuff because they weren't on my 'followers' list on Facebook or they hadn't commented on my posts. They weren't visible to me. It made me think that unbeknownst to me there were more people being affected by what I've been doing than I even thought. That really humbled me. If you've read my earlier posts my hope was that one day I might be able to inspire and motivate just one person to take control of their health and fitness and to take action. It seems like that's actually happening! I'm so amazed and excited by this! It's truly fantastic news and I've been so interested and glad to hear people's stories of how they're empowering themselves to make a change.

It got me thinking about how I could take this to the next level. How I could go one step further to help people empower themselves to make the changes they want to.
I decided that I wanted to set up a clean eating group for people who were keen to learn more about clean eating and how they can use it as a tool to change the way they use and think about food so they can take steps towards improving their health.
The timing was also important to me. New Year is around the corner and I'm very aware that people will be thinking about making changes and resolutions at the start of 2016.
During the Christmas holidays and new year celebrations it's harder and harder to maintain the commitment to eating healthily. For some people, just keeping yourself on track is an issue and for others , you may never have been on track and really have no idea where to start. Once I discovered clean eating it became very obvious to me that I had been thinking about food all wrong over the years. Diets don't work. Diets aren't sustainable. Clean eating DOES and IS! Clean eating is now my lifestyle and I feel great for it! I want to share that with you so you can feel the same!

So here it is! My very first group!
It's a free 5 day clean eating group which will be run on Facebook in a closed group for members only. It will be a small group of people where we'll all interact to learn about clean eating and why it's good for you. I'll be giving tips, a meal plan and each day I'll be setting a small challenge for everyone in the group to participate in.
To make this a great experience for us all I really want every group member to actively participate in the group each day. By that I mean - taking part in the daily challenge and posting comments to the group about how it went, asking questions, supporting the other group members, etc. It'll be a cinch!
The great thing is that as a mini community we'll all be supporting each other throughout the 5 days.

What do you need to join?

• You must participate for the full 5 days in our group - every day
• You must commit to checking into the group at least once a day

Are you ready to get started? We will begin this group on Monday 4th January so please reserve your spot today!

 >>>> Email me at tracylkinsman@gmail.com or send me a message on my likepage at https://www.facebook.com/T.L.Kinsman to get enrolled in the free group!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chilli

I tried this new recipe with turkey mince the other day and it went down a storm with the fam!

I love it because it's a slow cooker recipe and it's sooooo simple. Literally stick everything in the pot, switch it on and 4 hours later 'Hey Presto!' a one pot, hearty clean meal for the whole family. To start with I was worried that this wouldn't feed 4 people, but I was wrong! Make a note peeps, it doesn't happen often :)

It can be as hot or as mild as you want depending on what chilli powder you use.

And, it's a cheap one too. Top marks for tasty, filling, clean eating on a budget.

 

Go and make it.....

 

Slow Cooker Turkey Chilli (Serves 4)

500g 2% fat turkey mince
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin black beans
400g tin kidney beans
340g tin sweetcorn
Half an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp. tomato puree
2 tbsp. chilli powder
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp onion granules
1 tsp salt
4oz grated cheese to serve (optional)

1. Brown the mince. Discard any fat.
2. Drain the beans and the sweetcorn.
3. Chuck it all in the slow cooker.
4. Give it a mix.
5. Cook on low for 4 hours or for 2 hours on high.
6. Sprinkle with grated cheese to serve if that's your type of thing!

Bob's your uncle!

 



Second Workout Programme Complete!!! Another 4 Weeks in the Bag - How Did I Do?

 

Hey, hey y'all!

I'll admit that I've been a bit slack with this blogging lark over the last week or so. I can only apologise. What can I say... it's a busy ol' time of the year.

Anyway.......Another 4 weeks has flown by (can you even believe it?) and I've now finished the second phase of the HIIT workout programme I've been following. That's 9 weeks in total that I've been committed to working out and sticking to clean eating (with the 80/20 rule of course!)

So, naturally you all want to hear how it's gone..... :)

As before I've been fully committed and dedicated to both the working out and the clean eating. But this time there have been a few added challenges. Christmas meals. Christmas meals with alcohol. Two of them. Hmmm, what's a meal or two with friends without a glass of wine??? But I was sensible about it and made sure to get my workouts in and I made a point of picking the best food option from the menu up front both times. At all other times I've stuck to clean meals and snacks. Heck! I even had a carrot and pea salad for lunch in the hotel on Friday. I don't really know what I was expecting but that's exactly what I got. A few cold peas and carrots in a tiny little bowl. That's it!!! And it cost me £4 for the pleasure. Lesson learnt :)

Where I have been slacking is with my water intake and it's been noticeable because I've had a few headaches and I haven't felt as fresh and raring for my workouts the last week or so. The good news is that I still haven't had a single glass of squash since I gave it up a few weeks. It's been water all the way. I'm impressed.

 As before, this second phase of my workout schedule is prescribed and it tells you exactly what workout to do every day. Suits me fine! I've not missed a single workout from the schedule (20 in total). It's definitely been a step up with more weights work but I was ready for it and was able to handle it all. Now it's done I feel considerably stronger and fitter than I was, and pretty much badass whilst I'm working out!!!

My body is visibly changing and I'm liking how it's going. I've especially noticed it in my shoulders and around my rib area.
In the last 4 weeks I've lost 2lbs, 2 inches in total, and 2% body fat. All the twos!!! I'm currently the lightest I can recall being in my adult life, but I think the number on the scale is plateauing. That, however, is absolutely fine by me. If I'm replacing fat with lean muscle then I'm doing a good job!
You know, I have been amazed at how quickly I've been able to change how my body looks and feels. It just takes some commitment, planning, making those considered small choices every day, and some sweat! If I can do this then you absolutely can too!

 

 Next steps.....

 Still planning on remaining accountable going into the festive season. I am committing to:

• Follow a new workout programme and not miss any workouts. Again, it's just 30 mins out of my day, 5 times a week. This time it's a much higher intensity and it's TOUGH! There are no weights with this one, just your own body weight. Good job I've lost some!!! I've dabbled with it before, but I wasn't ready to handle it. This time I'm hoping I am (fingers crossed). The premise is that you go as hard as you can for as long as you can until you HAVE to take a break. Then you get straight back into it and keep going. There's no pacing yourself with this one. It's gonna take some commitment to get through this but I'm going all in!  
• Stick with clean eating but continue to allow myself one laid back meal or an evening where I have a few drinks or sweets,
• Stay accountable by checking in regularly with you all on my Facebook page and Twitter (I'd love for you to follow me!),
• Meal plan every weekend and keep clean eats in the house to reduce temptations,
• Keep rocking it!

Pretty much the same as the last 4 weeks! No surprises there then!

Still on track to make 2015 better than I started!!!!

 

Beating the Festive Season Before it Beats You!

It's that time of the year again when we're all caught up in the Christmas hustle and bustle. It can get so bad that we forget to look after ourselves, to eat well and it's easy to make excuses for ourselves. I know I do! I feel my energy levels dropping, I get tired more easily and I want to slack on my eating and fitness.
Holiday game-plan desperately needed!!!!!

Here's mine:

1. Just because it's Christmas it doesn't mean I'll use the "I'll start afterwards because I'm too busy" excuse. I'm sticking to my workout plan and pushing through. I'm only working out for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. It's totally doable! It's even more important on my splurge days. I'm going to earn my meal on those nights!
2. I'm getting on track with the 80/20 nutrition rules. Enough room for a festive meal, but not enough slack to ruin my progress. With the odd mince pie here and a few choccies there you can easily undo all of your hard work. Don't do it, it's not worth it! Remember that the fat lasts longer than the flavour!!! This week I'm out for a meal and drinks on Friday but the rest of the week I'm sticking to my game plan. I want to rock my new party dress!!!
3. If I know I'm going somewhere where there'll be zero good food options I'm going to have something small and healthy to eat before I go. That way I won't feel so tempted to eat the bad stuff. For group meals out I always make sure to order the healthier choice on the menu up front.
4. Enjoy myself!!! Life is for living and I intend to do that in a healthy and happy way.

What's your game plan to end the year healthier than when you started?