*** STEP 3 *** Get your summer body ready to rock

So following on from last week's blog, step two for what to do to get your summer body in shape!

Here is a little recap on step one and step two :)

So... Step #3: Choose Sprints Over Long Distance Cardio

Long distance cardio, is all about efficiency. It trains the body to use the least amount of energy to produce the greatest amount of work.

Nothing about aerobic exercise is in line with the goals of fat loss or muscle building. Remember, we are MACHINES! Which means the body adapts so quickly to repetitive aerobic exercise. If you are doing steady state cardio for fat loss then you are choosing the least effective means to reach the end goal (of fat loss or muscle building... if that's what you're going for...)

Sprint training, on the other hand, works wonders because it applies a lot of metabolic stress to the body in the same way that lifting weights with short rest periods does.

How To Do It: There’s no end to sprint training options:

Beginners: Try 8-second cycle sprints with 12 seconds rest, repeated for 20 min.
Intermediate trainees: Try 30 seconds jogging, 20 seconds at 80 percent, and 10 seconds sprinting, repeated for 20 min.

Experienced trainees: Try six 1 minute all-out rower sprints with 12 military burpies then take 2-3 minutes rest. Or even Prowler sprints...

Skinny Mini Club

Our Skinny Mini Club Group is rocketing, just regular girls, training and eating clean. Posting up idea's and food plans etc. If you would like it to appear on your timeline please do the following:

1. Add me on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericabrennan.pt
2. Then I'll add you to the group
Voila

Hope you're summer POA is coming along nicely!

Erica xx

Get you summer body ready to rock #1

The sun is starting to shine, so the BIG questions is:

Do you want to lose a few pounds of body fat so you have an awesome body come summer? 

So over the next 4 weeks, I want to share with you 5 pretty awesome strategies that will improve your metabolic health instead of wrecking your metabolism (this will help you keep fat off!)

#1: Do Metabolically Stressful Training To Lose Body Fat Fast

Doesn't that sound complicated? It's not.

To lose body fat, you need to generate as much physiological stress on your body as possible (so that your body uses lots of energy and produces a dramatic buildup of lactic acid in the shortest period of time). 

Result:

A serious calorie burn, the use of fat for fuel, and a thriving metabolism. You will also build lean muscle mass, which when combined with increased protein intake, will radically improve the amount of calories your body burns daily :)

How to do it: Lift weights... fairly heavy ones AND have short rest periods. Train, doing big lifts (these use the biggest muscle groups... when you're using the bigger muscle groups, bigger muscle groups have the ability to burn more!)

So your new best friends in the gym are squat, deadlifts, step-ups, pulls, rows, chin-ups, and presses.

Good luck with this in the gym! If you need any advice in relation to your programs, you can PM me via facebook! Next Sunday, beach body plan #2 will be out! But lets take one step at a time! This week, focus on changing your gym programs/regimes!

Erica xXx

Happy Sunday

Good morning everyone,

OK, so yesterday I attended a Success Day; this is a special day that the company I work with organises for everyone to enjoy and learn, leaving feeling inspired and positive - it's awesome, BUT what I found super-amazing was a speaker that I had the honour of listening to - Molly Harvey. A Waterford woman who is truly inspiring, so I wanted to share some of the tips she suggested and I highly recommend you finding her and attend some of her seminars or read some of her books :)


Three things that I took on board :)

1. No Excuses

Who is guilty of saying "I'll start eating healthy tomorrow" or "I promise I'll go to the gym on Monday.."??

Now, we all know that excuses get us NOWHERE! We have to ditch the excuses! So I thought that this was a fantastic idea - an excuse box!

Catch yourself making an excuse and jot it down. Do this for 21 days. After 21 days, open the box and you'll see very quickly where you make the most excuses in your life! Now is that not a fantastic idea?

2. STOMP STOMP

Although everyone goes through challenges throughout their lives, everyone one of us have many things to be grateful for :)

So, first thing in the morning, when you awake, swing your legs out of the bed and stomp one foot onto the floor at a time and say "Thank You".

Say two to three things every morning that you are grateful for.

3. Get a grateful buddy!

Pick a person to be your grateful buddy - every morning when you wake up text your grateful buddy the two to three things that you are truly grateful for, then your buddy texts you theirs back.

Do this for 66 days.

Your outlook on life will change and I truly believe that.

The power of positivity is unbelievable. I used to be a negative person, always putting myself down. I actually used to assume the worst would happen in situations and if it didn't that would be a great bonus - how negative!

I am not like that anymore. When you re-train your thinking to become positive, your life will change.

You need to look up - Molly Harvey (she is truly awesome)
Please bare in mind there were LOADS of other fantastic tips and life lessons but these were the top three that I think everyone should know!)

Think positive. Be positive. Let your life change. 

Erica xx

PS. If you want to be a part of these positive success days, please email me on facebook/skinnymini and I can show you how to build your own business with no overheads, generate more income, develop personally and attend these fantastic trainings and seminars and work with me - yipee :)

Flapjackkie Thingie

Hello :)

OK, here's another good recipe one that I invented during the week - inspired by my training buddy @sfitz1 on Instagram (give her a follow, her cooking is unreal!!)

This is a healthy, sugar free flapjackkie thingie :)

The ingredients look long, but you can basically put whatever nutty - seedy stuff that is in your house in. These are what I used yesterday :)

Dry Ingredients
Whole Chia sees (2tbs)
Flaxseed mix (2tbs)
Shelled hemp (2tbs)
Linseed crunch (2tbs)
Milled linseed with blueberries & raspberries (2tbs)
Sesame seeds (2tbs)
Chopped walnuts (2tbs)
Chopped almonds (2tbs)
Mixed seeds (2tbs)
Flaked almonds (2tbs)
Dried raisins (4tbs)
Coconut segments (4tbs)
Vanilla Ultra Lite Protein Shake (2scoops = 50g)
Organic Porridge Oats (4 scoops = 100g)


Wet Ingredients
Organic coconut oil (2tbs)
Almond nut butter (2tbs)
2 Bananas
Almond milk (200ml)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven, Gas 6
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together with an electric mixer (low speed).
3. Put all the wet ingredients together in a bowl.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient mixture and mix on high speed for about 1-2 minutes.
6. Put the mix into a greaseproof papered tin.
7. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes


   

Result:

Please not: Coconut Oil =

Protein Shakes

Hi Girls,

Hope all your fitness regimes are going well and you're sticking as best as you can to your plan! Now, protein shakes have become unbelievably popular among women as part of our diet for weight loss and recovery from training.

Why drink protein? 
Here are a few reasons why women drink protein shakes...

1. If you are watching your diet and struggle with a certain meal time you can have a protein shake instead of that meal. It's calorie controlled and you know exactly what is in it.

2. You do not get enough protein in your diet (main proteins: meat, chicken, eggs, fish) and protein is VITAL in your diet for many reasons but you will not be able to shed body fat unless you have enough protein in your diet.

3. You train a lot and you need to give your body a helping hand and recovery. So women would drink their protein shake for this reason POST workout

4. Shakes are handy and you look cool drinking them!!

Are all protein drinks the same?
NO! Like hell no!! It's like any product on the market, there are millions of versions of the same thing, so you cannot just jump onto a website, pick the protein that has pink writing and weight loss written on it and buy it and hope it's going to do the job right.

MOST protein shakes have so much sugar in them you may as well be flying through a pack of jellies every day.  You also need to look out for the carbohydrate contents, there is no point drinking a drink that is high in carbs, low in protein, full of sugar, but tastes delicious... Yeah, that's really not the point of supplementing protein.

 My favourite protein supplement:

I have researched a lot of protein brands and shakes and to be honest, it's very disappointing as I discovered the facts that a lot of proteins look great, but really they're going to do nothing for you. Now, you need to remember I'm talking about women and fat loss. Protein for men is a whole different story.








I drink: Forever Ultra Lite Aminotein Protein Shake

Why? 
1. It is considered the "Gold Standard" of protein for serious athletes of all types. 

2. It is high quality plant based protein (it is equivalent quality to dairy & eggs).

3. Low in saturated fat, and contains no lactose. Lactose is the sugar in milk. So this is DAIRY FREE!

4. It is soy isolate which is NOT the same as soya. Soy Isolate is much more bio available (your body can recognise it) than whey (whats the point in taking a supplement your body won't recognise and will just excrete?).

5. Soy protein helps to stabilise blood sugar levels, this in turn reduces hunger by lowering insulin levels making it easier for the body to burn fat.

6. Ultra's nutrients provide good support for the immune system & help maintain strong muscle strength.

7. The Ultra Lite contains Aminoteins (a unique blend of enzymes specially designed to break down protein and to ensure proper digestion and optimal absorption of amino acids). Forever Ultra is THE ONLY protein shake on the market that contains aminotein. Aminotein is bio available and is absorbed into your bloodstream within 30 minutes.

8. Optimum time to take your protein shake is roughly 30mins after your workout according to Dr.Eric Serrano. That guy is a genius so I am going to listen to his advice!

How?
I take one scoop as a meal replacement i.e. for breakfast mainly if i'm rushing or if i've ran out of eggs. I blend it in a kenwood smoothie maker with almond milk and a dash of water

Result?
It tastes amazing and I'm nice and full.

(The reason I don't take it immediately post workout is because I drink amino's (Argi+) which refuel your body post training. Aminos are amazing, but that is for another day)


"Keeping your blood sugar even is just about the most critical balancing act of your body. It not only determines your weight, it's also key for energy, stable mood, concentration and longevity" - Patrick Holford, Founder of the Institute of Optimum Nutrition 

New Year, New You!

Good Morning Girls!!

OK, so you can decide right this second if you want 2014 to be as good as 2013, or even better!! I know that I want to make progress this year in terms of my fitness, so if you do, I've designed a little progress report that you can download and print off. 

Now the key to making dreams a reality is to actually physically see it! So use this progress report and stick it up somewhere that you can see it every day. 

So, fill out the correct information and watch your results happen over the next 12 months! I'm looking forward to starting mine on Wednesday!! To download this PDF, please click here (dropbox)

But you see, I think this is key!

I'm also going to offer food plans and workouts for any of you girls who want kick ass this year and get where you want to be!! Please just private mail me on facebook. 

Have a fantastic new year and just remember...

Healthy Regards, 

Erica xx

Fitness Advent Calendar!

Day One!!!

Monday Evening 2/12/2013 - if you haven't trained today do this NOW (or if you have, you could be really good and do it also)

- 15 Burpies
- 20 Push Ups
- 60 Mountain Climbers
- 20 Leg Raises
- 1x30s Plan

Go on... it'll take about 4 minutes! DO IT!

If you're feeling really good.... you could do it 3 times!!!


ps. Don't dilly dally.... just do it, fast burpies and keep good technique on all!

Fat Free for Christmas

OK, feeling festive?? Here's some fun tips to help you get through this festive season!! 

Workout for today - are you going to the gym??

Fit Festive Program 1

a1. Barbell Squat (10Reps) (elevate your heels if needed, so you're squatting ass to grass)

a2. DB Lunge & Reach (20Reps) (touch back knee down, db's in line with front foot, make sure you hit both ends of the dumbbells off the floor)

a3. Dumbbell Row (15Reps) (make sure your back is flat, tip the db's off your shoulder & pause)

45 second rest, 4 sets

b1. Back Extension w/ Reach (15Reps) (light enough plate, stretch out at the top)

b2. Decline DB Triceps Extensions (20Reps) (lock your arms out at the top)

b3. Leg Raises - Abs (20Reps) (legs straight)

b4. Upper Ab Crunches (20Reps) (pause and squeeze you're tummy at the top)

45 second rest, 4 sets

c1. Burpies (10Reps)

c2. Push Ups (15Reps)

c3. Mountain Climbers (30sec)

c4. Squat Jumps (10Reps)

c5. Lunge Hold (20sec)

c6. Plank (30sec)

NO rest! 3 sets 

Girls, enjoy!! 

Erica xx

ps, I did it yesterday, it was hard, but a good session! Make sure that you're lifting heavy enough! 

Christmas Treats

Good morning girls,

Well, I'm the kind of person, that is always organised for Christmas. I have my gifts bought and wrapped by the middle of December. Are you like that??



Well if you want to get organised, I'm going to give you some discount on our amazing health care gifts :) You all know that I carry an amazing range of health care products, which I think are a perfect gift for people. You can find something that'll suit everyone!!!

Here is my fun display:

                             

BUT I'm willing to wrap up ANYTHING that you want and give you a 10% discount if you pre-order before next Friday - November 29th :) 

Some of the gifts that  I will be giving;

Girlie Gifts

Relaxation Massage Lotion (amazing lavender body moisturiser) 

Aroma Spa Set (LOVE this such a nice gift)

Serum (do you like serums, then you MUST try this one!!)

Sonya Skincare Set (does your loved one like skincare... beautiful big gift!)

Fleur de Jouvence (an amazing skincare set, for young skin - you can buy them separately too)

Sporty Gifts

Mix & Match Supplements (there's lots of things to choose from)

Heat & MSM Lotion (great products for those who train)

PUPP Box (personal use product pack)

To be honest, there is so much nice stuff, even little things, like the toothgel, avocado soup, herbal tea and organic honey... have a root around but make sure you don't purchase online, send me an email so I can get you some discount - but only if ordered in November :) 

You can mix and match whatever you like! If you want some help, you can email me :)

Website: http://bit.ly/1cjCUd4

Email: ericabrennan.pt@gmail.com