365 Days of Fitness

365 Days of Fitness

So this year I am going to do a post for every day of my fitness journey. The past few years my understanding of fitness and life has grown. This year I am giving myself a different goal to motivate myself to keep pushing on! I have always set motivational and fitness targets but nothing public. I want people to see me this year and go “If she can so can I!”. Don’t get me wrong I know I am no fitness goddess but I am going to show you this year the power and determination I have to make me the best version of myself.

Today is day number one, 1st of January 2017. The last place a lot of people want to be after New Year's Eve is in the gym but not me! Best way to start the year is how you wish to go on. Today i woke up to my nieces jumping on the bed wanting breakfast. Before even turning over I started coughing my lungs up. For the past few days I have had a horrendous cough. I have kept working and teaching classes, generally feeling well until I get that dreadful tickle in my throat… Today I was all dressed and ready to hit the gym before my family stopped and asked what I was doing. As much as I wanted to start the new year as I wished to go on I had forgotten one of the main reasons I hit the gym. To keep myself healthy! Not giving my body time to recover by working out was doing the exact opposite of this.

So here I am, at home on the sofa with hot lemon, writing fitness plans and trying to push passed this cough. I need to remember that as much as I want my 365 days of fitness to be a workout every day my body doesn’t work like that. It needs time to heal, grow and recover. Heres hoping I feel better tomorrow and I will be back in work on Tuesday powering it out!

Hope you are with me and making every day this year count!!

Things I love Thursday #15 Foam rollers

Recently with a lot of changes going on my training, planning, free time and well, general life have changed considerably and not for just for the better. I have been stressing so much about Uni and trying to get everything in my life on point that one of the main things has slipped my mind… me. I have been throwing in training when I can, eating healthily but not to macros and missing out that all important chill time. Yeah I have been spending time with the family but I mean chill time for my body. I have lost all of the work I put in when I was at yoga and gone back to a stiff grumpy old lady body.

I took a foam rolling course with Fitness Scotland. Not only was it funny, lighthearted and interesting that one class made me feel like my body was floating on clouds. I now know how to untie these monotonous knots in my body one by one! It was amazing to hear how tension in the neck/upper back could be caused by an ankle injury and how everything in the body is so connected. After the class I got myself a nice pair and tried them out on my own. I am so glad I chose to do the course not only for me but now I can pass on the information to clients, friends and family!

I would greatly suggest trying them out for yourself but keep in mind that for the best results and the safest way to use a roller ask someone who knows what they're doing! Speaking of trained people if you have any questions on how to roll or want to find out more please feel free to contact me here!

Thanks for reading my Things I love Thursday Foam Rollers and keep on stretching!

Big Fat Sorry!

Dear readers,

I can only apologise for my lack of posts in the past months. As many of you will know life can get tough and busy, and it's easy to let things you enjoy doing slip. As you will have seen if you follow my ameliahealthandlifestyle Instagram or Facebook I have been posting but not as frequently. This slip in habit has not only been in my blog but also in my own health and wellbeing.

Training is my life and something I love dearly as you will be able to tell by my posts. However sometimes the world can get you down and the things you love can seem like a chore. This post is not just to say sorry but to also say it's ok not to be ok. Life can get hard at times but just because you missed a few weeks, months or even years doesn't mean you should give up on the things you love completely. If I can do it we all can.

I will be posting a "Things I love Thursday" this week to let you know what I have been up to these past few months and share some exciting news! Til then stay strong both in mind and body and if you need me click here! 

Things I love Thursday #10 Bulk Buying

In the past I was a victim to the high costs of high protein.  I would buy protein bars at my local gym and by foods like chicken from supermarkets and butchers.  Trying to maintain a high protein diet its not easy on a low wage.  Yeah I could afford to buy food however it would be mainly bulked up by cheep carbs.  I have found two websites that are like Gods gift to the healthy.  One provides extremely low prices for meat and other food products but still maintains high quality and supports local butchers.  The other promises the lowest price for post and pre workout.  If you find something cheaper elsewhere they will lower there price!


Muscle Foods
Muscle  foods provide high quality British and Irish meat that is free range, organic and RSPCA monitored.  Its great for people like me who want to make sure that my meat comes from animals that have had a good life.  It is 100% the best meat I have ever tasted.  It is so fresh and has amazing flavours.  I normally buy my meat at the start of the month and it feeds two people for 5 weeks.  There is always a deal on.  For example today I ordered a hamper containing 5kg premium chicken breast, two 7oz Grass Fed New York Strips, two 6-7oz Grass Fed Hache Steaks, two 6-7oz Grass Fed Dragon Fire Steaks, 800g Southern Fried Diced Chicken, 800g Extra Lean Steak Mince, two 4oz Extra Lean Steak Burgers,12 x 57g Grass Fed Giant Meatballs, 6 x 75g Premium Chicken Breast Sausages and two 4oz Premium Chicken Breast Burgers all for £55.  Don't just take my word for it this place is amazing and you should really give it a look!!


Dolphin Fitness
Average protein bar costs about £2.50 from a vending machine.  When you buy in bulk from Dolphin Fitness its more likely to be £1.25! Now I know that still sounds like a lot but on a high protein diet you need an extra boost (or two..) and bars are a great alternative to high sugar snack foods.  In my gym they sell bars with more that 15g of sugar in them at £2.20.  These are pretty much chocolate bars.  At the moment I am eating PHD diet bars that only have 0.7g of sugar and taste amazing!  The other thing that is great about Dolphin Fitness is that the more of a product you buy the cheaper it gets!  One box might be £15.50 but if you buy two you get them for £14.99 each!  Also if you find it cheaper elsewhere they will lower there prices! 


A good tip when ordering food online is to follow their Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as they will always post information about good deals and discounts.  Cant see any discounts that work for you, Google discount codes or coupons.  Its amazing what is out there and available for people on a tight budget. 


Hope this was helpful!  I would love to hear about any places you know for good deals or your experiences with Muscle Foods and Dolphin Fitness.  Leave a comment below or email me here!

Things I love Thursday #9 Fat

"But fats are bad!" I hear you cry.  Well guys sorry to break it to you but cutting out all fatty foods is not the way to go when you are trying to lose weight.  Your body needs fats but the good kind.  Fatty foods are a rich source of energy.  They are vital when working out and exercising to lose weight. I have made the mistake in the past of buying low fat everything.  Your body needs good fats to survive and keep you going.  If you don't have good fats in your diet you are more likely to snack on foods high in sugar.  This is because your body is lacking in energy and sugary foods like chocolate give your body a quick boost. 


The recommended amount of fats for women is 70g and for men 95g.  This may seem like a lot but when eating the wrong kinds of fats this can go quickly.  During the day to keep me going I sometimes have some dry roasted unsalted nuts (average amount 40g).  These contain 17% of my daily fat intake.  Some people try and avoid foods like nuts, yogurt, avocados, humus etc. as they think that fats will give them body fat.  This is often when people begin to crave or eat foods that contain a higher amount of fat.  This will make it easier for you to go over your recommended daily allowance.  A croissant with butter and cheese that might satisfy your cravings but this is a massive 99.5% of your daily fat intake. 


You can quite quickly check the percentage of fat in packaged foods as these are displayed on the label.  Products with less than 3g of fat per 100g are colour coded green on the label.  This is good but you need to make sure you still meet your daily allowance.  Green foods are a good option to snack on to keep you going.  Products with between 3 and 17.5g of fat per 100g are colour coded amber on the label.  Amber foods are good for helping up your daily fat intake if you are running low.  Products with more than 17.5g of fat per 100g are colour coded red on the label.  These are products that you should try to avoid.  Have a look at the below table for some quick switch foods!

Swap	For
Whole milk, cream and full fat cheese	Lower fat dairy products like skimmed, semi-skimmed or 1% fat milk and reduced fat cheese
Fatty cuts of meat	Lean cuts with no visible fat
Roasted and fried foods	Grilled, steamed or baked foods
Butter, lard, ghee, coconut and palm oils	Oils rich in unsaturated fatty acids such as olive, rapeseed or sunflower oils and spreads made with these
Cakes, biscuits and pastries	A handful of unsalted nuts

Facts and figures taken from https://www.nutrition.org.uk Last reviewed December 2013. Revised February 2016. Next review due December 2016

Keeping an eye on your fat intake can be hard but its worth it.  If you want more advice or a meal plan please feel free to contact me here!  Hope you all enjoyed this weeks things I love Thursday!

Things I Love Thursday #8 Confidence

One day walking home from school with some friends, age fifteen, a boy walked passed me and commented on my jiggly legs.  That boy insulted me and will have forgotten about it in days. It stayed however, lurking in my mind; when trying on new outfits, putting on my gym clothes or getting ready to go out someplace.  Its a horrible feeling thinking that you must look so bad a random stranger decided to comment on how you look.  Even now when I pull on a pair of shorts I think of that day and question if I should go out looking "like that".


Last weekend my boyfriend bought me the cutest pair of shorts.  They are so comfy, fit amazingly and have pockets.  We were going to the gym the following Monday for international chest day.  I threw on my new shorts and thought;  This is it, they day I face my fears.  The whole time I was in the gym I kept looking at myself in the mirror to see if I looked ok.  Thing was, I did.  I looked good in my shorts and even more I noticed that other people were just getting on with there day, meeting there goals and focusing on themselves.  Yeah ok there might be some people judging my choice of clothing but I was confidant and happy in myself. 


When you can put on an outfit and a smile follows everyone will notice the smile first.  Having confidence in yourself is so important and not in just how you look.  This is something that going to the gym has helped me build.  Not just because now I look better but it has shown me with hard work you can progress and succeed.


Work to become the person you want to be, follow your dreams and don't let other peoples doubt get in the way.

Things I love Thursday #7 Burning Up and Stressing Down

Day to day life isn't always easy and I know that I get stressed quite a lot.  It wouldn't be a normal day for me if I wasn't worrying about one thing or another.  I have noticed that when I hit the gym, cardio, weights or classes I always feel a lot more positive about life afterwards. You often hear people say: "No one says they regret working out."  This isn't just because of their health or strength increases, a lot of it is the therapy they get from it.  On rest days I even notice that I am still carrying the weight of the day later on into the night.  I am not saying train every day, because your body needs a break, but giving your mind a break is important to.

 For example when lifting weights, let say squatting, do you ever fret about work or money or deadlines when you are squatting?  I know that I don't because I am concentrating on the task in hand (Not falling over is the main one!).  Giving your mind something else to focus on makes it harder for you to worry.  This can also work in reverse and I know this from experience.  Trying to work out when that worry cant be distracted can be very dangerous.  You stop concentrating so much on technique causing you to slip up and make mistakes.  When this happens my best advise is to take a break from whatever you are doing and focus on something easy or repetitive.  Getting on a treadmill and giving you time to calm your head might be the way for you (keep in mind to go slow and not get your heart rate up to high!). I however like doing circuits.  Slamming a ball onto the floor 15 times really helps take the anger and stress out of me. Its not something that you can forget all form for but something that is quite simple to do.

Whatever way it works the gym is there to help and at a much cheaper cost than a therapist!  Keeping fit helps you keep happy and full of energy and is the reason I am a gym junky.  If you ever want advice or someone to destress to drop me an email at amelia.gourlay1@gmail.com.


Keep it up and remember to give me a follow!  See you soon!

Everyone makes mistakes...

So today I did something that will shock most of you and quite possible make most of your stomachs turn.  I ate chips and cheese... Yes, yes, I know its bad for me and I can feel the fat pouring back on but I am admitting it.  Admittance is the first step and probably the biggest hurdle.  That I currently couldn't jump because I now weigh a ton! As much as this is a bad thing there is meaning behind this post.  I am not trying to just share my guilt with the world.


Everyone makes mistakes, whether it be in life, love, health or money.  When you do make a mistake though, the thing that actually makes it wrong is when you see this one little mistake as the end of all your work.  I have been trying to eat well and keep fit for nearly half a year now.  These chips and cheese are not the end of all the hard work I have put in over that time.  First step is admitting that you have done wrong, however the second and most important step is realising it is not the end.  You have to look at your mistake and see where you went wrong.  In my case it was my lack of preparation.  I came to work without lunch and my colleague bought chips and macaroni cheese.  The smell was so enticing and before I knew it BAM! there I was eating this cheesy pile of fat.  If I had planned the night before and brought in my gigantic salad like I normally do this wouldn't have happened.  Another thing that I should have resisted was "peer pressure".  No I am not blaming my colleagues for my bad decision making however I was strongly encouraged to join them in the fat eating as it is close to Christmas.  I am normally very much a "do what I want" type of girl.  This normally involves turning down alcohol or buying dresses I really shouldn't but today I gave in.


Looking back I know that I will regret this later on with probably some stomach pains and feeling bloated.  I am not happy with myself however I am not down hearted.  I am ready to get back up on my feet and go! Literally because I need to burn this off.  I have been logging everything that I eat on myfitnesspal and typing in chips and cheese will be very hard as I know I have let myself down.  I can look back at my diary and see what things I should be eating and get this problem fixed!  Feel free to add me on myfitnesspal and track my journey!  My name is ameliagourlay. 


Thanks for reading guys and see you one Thursday for "Things I love Thursdays"!

Things I love Thursday #1 Coffee

Coffee has and always will hold a special place in my heart.  Sadly the Toffee Nut Latte of Starbucks also holds a place in keeping me plump for winter.  It was something that I use to always crave and am not going to lie, dream about every now and then. 

Starbucks however is not the meaning of life. Yes I said it.  I know that some people may find this hard to believe and being a gold member myself (for the next two years) its quite hard to admit.  Thing is though, I do love a Venti Toffee Nut Latte with Christmas Blend and whipped cream but is it worth 400cals?  To burn that off you would have to play doubles tennis for an hour and standing at the side running away from the ball doesn't count.

When I decided that I wanted to improve my healthy lifestyle these fancy lattees were one of the first things I kicked.  Now I stick to Americanos with a little bit or no milk.  I can still go out and enjoy a coffee with my friends but I don't feel like a chubby cherub afterword.  The other week me and my best friend hit the gym instead of grabbing a fatty coffee!  Never in million years would I have believed we would be gym fairies but there is always time for change.

Todays "Things I love Thursday" is coffee and it shows being fit doesn't always mean loosing the things you love!  Hope you enjoyed my Christmas themed things and I'll see

you next Thursday!