Five Favourite Fitness-stagrams

I am an Instagram addict. There, I've said it. If I'm waiting for my train, waiting at the doctor's, or just playing around on my phone, Instagram will definitely be one of the first apps I check. Towards the end of 2013, there seemed to be a surge in fitness Instagram accounts (maybe there had been lots before, but I hadn't noticed...) and I found myself randomly stumbling across a few and following them. This year, in a bid to finally reach my goal fitness, I have followed even more and I thought I would share with you five of my favourite fitness-stagrams.

censkiii - Cenna has worked her way from being skinny to fit and every time I see her instagrams, they always make me want to go to the gym. I love her Instagram workout videos - They're short and sweet, but cover everything from working out in the gym or at home workouts and include abs, arms, legs, etc and they're great to tie into your current workout routine or to use as inspiration.

elle_fit - Elle taught herself Yoga throughout last year and her Instagram pics make me want to try it and attempt to become more flexible and improve my posture. She has some simple stretching pictures and videos for those wanting to get started in yoga, which is super handy for a yoga novice like myself. Her beach shots make me wish I was from Australia and could work out on the beach. I just need a boy to do the partner yoga moves with now ;)

kayla_itsines - Kayla was one of the first Instagrams that I followed. She has abs to die for and trains people to get a lean, bikini-ready body - now who doesn't want that? If I lived in Adelaide, I would be first in line for Kayla's boot camps. But for those of us living further away, Kayla has recently released a fitness eBook, which is on my to-buy list. She has also recently got the cutest husky puppy ever called Ace!

russellsbc - This is one of the newer Instagrams that I've followed this year. The Skinny Bitch Collective is a favourite with the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Daisy Lowe, amongst others and I can see why. Russell's classes in London have a waiting list longer than my arm, but I love the sneak-peek instavideos into his classes and routines, which give an insight into the intense workout sessions and you can use them in your own workout.

wayofgray - Sophie's Instagram has a bit of everything, from transformations, foodie posts, inspiring quotes and workouts. I bought Sophie's first eBook last year and recently purchased her second one too and boy do they break you out in a sweat. They are all based on HIIT and the second eBook is based on the Tabata format, which makes me want to die! You don't need fancy gym equipment, but just a little space, a timer, lots of water and motivation.

Who are your fitspirations? Do you have any favourite fitness Instagrams?

Joy xx

30 Day Shred Level Three Review

After much dilly-dallying, I finally finished the 30 Day Shred. I managed to do Level One and Level Two consecutively, but then took a break for my holiday and temporarily reverted to a couch potato state before bucking up and completing Level Three. I have to say, I am glad I have finally finished!

As expected, Level Three was definitely a lot more challenging than the previous two levels. I found I had to do a mix of the beginner and advanced moves throughout all ten days, whereas in the previous levels I progressed to only doing advanced moves. For the first few days, I had to take a rest in the middle as I thought I was going to throw up. I don't know if it was because I was finding the moves too difficult or because I was working myself too hard, but this passed after day three. In this level, I really hated the 'Mountain Climbers' (Circuit one: Cardio) and 'Walking Press Ups' (Circuit three: Strength). However I really liked the 'Walking Plank' (Circuit one: Strength). Each time I did the workout, I would try and remember how many reps of each I had done and tried to beat that the next time I did the exercise so that I would stay motivated.

I started listening to the radio alongside the 30 Day Shred. I put the volume of the radio station (Capital, in case you're wondering) on a bit lower than the DVD so I could still hear what I was supposed to be doing, otherwise I would end up getting distracted and miss the change in exercise. I wish I had done this earlier, as some of the things Jillian Michaels says in the DVD makes me cringe and I find the music played on Capital more motivating and more interesting.

Overall, I can definitely see a difference in my body, especially on my arms as they feel more toned. I still didn't change my diet drastically, which is something I definitely need to work on as I read somewhere that 'Weight loss is 70% kitchen and 30% exercise'. I think if I had changed my diet, I may have seen more results. That being said, I am happy with my results and am looking forward to continuing down this exercising path.

I would do this programme again, as I saw some good results over a relatively short period of time. I think for my body, I need something with a bit more cardio, however this is great for toning and I think it would be a good programme to do leading up to a holiday, wedding, prom, etc. I liked how the workouts were about 20 minutes and I could easily fit that into my day, whether it was in the morning or evening, and I didn't have to spend time getting to and from the gym. I also liked that I could wear an old t-shirt and leggings and do this in the comfort of my own home.

Now I have to consider what to do next. I am having a toss up between starting the Insanity 60 Day Workout, as people seem to have amazing results with this programme or carrying on down the Jillian Michaels route and doing 'Banish Fat Boost Metabolism' or one of the ab programmes, such as Ripped in 30' or '6 Week 6 Pack'... Does anyone have any recommendations?

Have you ever completed the 30 Day Shred?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

30 Day Shred Level Two Review

This level is a killer. I found this a hell of a lot more difficult than level one and did a mixture of the beginner and advanced moves. As the week went on, it did get easier, however I still found it difficult, especially on some of the plank based moves. This level also made me sweat a lot more than level one (Sorry, if tmi!).

I did not do this every day for the past ten days. Due to starting a new job and having other commitments, I started this level late and then didn't do it every day. I did add on the missed days at the end, so I still did a total of ten days.

I felt level one worked my legs more and didn't feel like it did much to my arms, however I found that this level had more emphasis on arms and legs. The strength section in circuit 3 is a killer on the arms, especially as I am a weakling. There is also a lot of emphasis on the plank position, which works the arms, shoulders and legs, but are hard!

I definitely saw more of a difference in my body this week. I feel like my stomach has more definition, and while I don't have abs of steel (ha), I have lost 1/2 an inch from around my waist and 1/2 an inch from my hips (in comparison to measurements from day 1) and my jeans now fit a lot better. That's purely from doing the 30 Day Shred, as I haven't changed my diet recently. I feel like if I had improved my diet, my results may have been more, but who knows. I haven't seen much difference in my arms and legs, but I am pleased with the results from my middle section, as that's one of my problem areas.

I am going to China today for two weeks, which I am so excited about as I haven't been in 7 or so years. I don't think I will be able to do the 30 Day Shred while I'm there and I have a feeling I may end up eating my weight in food... But I will definitely be continuing on with the 30DS level three when I get back, as I am pleased with my results so far.

Have you done the 30 Day Shred before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

30 Day Shred Level One Review

I have wanted to tone up for years as I would say I'm a little soft around the edges, but have never really done anything about it. I went to the gym 2-3 times a week while I was at uni, but since graduating my exercise levels had tailed off to nothing. As I saw my weight creeping up recently and my double chin making a reappearance, I knew something had to change. I decided to start Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred programme, as I've heard lots of good things about it and I have seen lots of inspiration before/after pictures of other people that have achieved good results using this workout.

I started Level One on the 7th of February and did 10 days of this level. I thought I would do a review of my thoughts so far.

All the workouts are split into three circuits of strength, cardio and abs. The workout takes less than 30 minutes, so it's great to add onto the end of your day and doesn't take up too much time. I tend to do the workout around 10-11pm, before I shower. It's great if you don't have a big budget, as the DVD is affordable (usually around £5) or you can find it on Youtube and it needs barely any equipment - Just a yoga mat or towel and some dumbbells. I like that you can do it at home, so you don't need fancy gym gear.

Jillian has 2 helpers, so you can copy Natalie for the more advanced moves or Anita for the beginner versions. I found this level fairly easy to do and managed to complete the level each day. I found the ab moves the most difficult and I still cannot do full pushups, even though it is one of the strength exercises. I found that I broke out a sweat, but not as much as if I'd been on a treadmill for 20/30 mins. However, apparently the workout is the equivalent of hours at the gym and is more interesting than just running on a treadmill.

So far I started seeing a minor difference on my body on day 6. I felt like there was a little more definition, however my weight didn't change over the 10 days of level one. I think this can be attributed to that I have not changed my diet drastically (as I tend to eat fairly healthy, but I need to watch my snacking) and that I found the level fairly easy, so I didn't break out too much of a sweat.

I have started Level Two now and will do a review of that once I have 10 days.

Have any of you done the 30 Day Shred before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy