Fitness

10 Most Annoying Things At My Gym


As I am on my fitness/ weight loss journey cutting out junk is not the only thing I have to do in order to reach my goal… Exercise is also vital!

I must admit I hate exercising BUT I love the feeling of accomplishment afterwards and the pain I feel in my body the next day. Getting to the gym is more challenging than ever now that I’m not driving so when I do eventually drag my resentful ass to my gym the last thing I want to face is annoying ass people or things to disrupt my workout. Unfortunately annoying shit happens on every visit so heres a list of 10 things that grinds my gears!!!

1. Hogging Machines – Don’t you just hate it when you’re coming to an end of your workout and you’re waiting to use another machine but some inconsiderate twat is just sitting down NOT WORKING OUT! Many times this occurs at my gym where I’ve actually witness a man reading a newspaper STILL NOT WORKING OUT and a woman playing Candy Crush.

2. They steal machines/ equipment when they’re still being used – Now I’m all for sharing and not being a fellow hog but it’s so annoying when someone clearly sees that you have been using an equipment but feels the need to pick up it between sets. I’m having a 20 second rest sir I’m NOT finished!

3. Having full blown LOUD arguments/ conversations on the phone – I kid you not this actually happened one day. This meat head, Johnny Bravo shaped man actually had a massive argument on the phone whiles hogging a machine! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It was so distracting especially when I was pushing 180 kg on the Leg press trying to keep strong. Although I could not understand what he was saying ( Eastern European) this man managed to out sound the loud music that was blasting from the speakers. It got so bad that eventually me and my girl turned around and told him to Shut up! Lol

4. Sweaty Betty/ Bobs forgetting to wipe down the machines – I’m a firm believer in if you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough BUT the last thing I want to endure is having your bodily fluids gaining contact to my skin! Gross!

5. Staff persistently offering their personal training service – I understand that personal trainers have to hustle hard and build up a clientele but if you have approached me already about what you have to offer, please leave me be until I am ready to make contact. I don’t want to have to keep dodging and diving you! Lol

6. Equipment disappearing – So annoying especially when I have a workout planned in my head and I need specific equipment which has either been stolen or misplaced.

7. Space Invaders – you know the kind of people who have no awareness of personal space! People who get on the treadmill right next to you when there are loads of empty ones. Or when you’re trying to skip and they decide to stand right in front of you!

8. Smelly People – I understand that we all get a little sweat funky after a hard workout but what drives me mad is people who smell BEFORE a workout. This only enhances the disgusting fragrance throughout their workout which results to getting a burning sensation in my nose.

9. Unattended Fully Booked Classes – My gym is the worst to book a class. You can try book a class a week in advanced and it’s still fully booked! But what annoys me the most is when I do get a place to a spinning class and there are loads of empty bikes! The least people can do is cancel their booking so that someone else can have opportunity to attend!

10. Front desk gates & security – My gym is literally on the scale of an airport! Two front desk gates which requires a gym pass to access them both! There’s been times I’ve forgotten my pass and the passionate security guard wants me to report to front desk to show some form of identification. Like to say I wasn’t here yesterday and the day before! You know my face dude just let me in!

 

*Sigh* Im going to the gym later today and just thinking about all these annoying points is getting me down! Lol I think it’s time to move to a new gym!

Sunday Hike 

Having recently sold my car going to places have become more of a challenge. I’m just so used to the convenience of jumping in my car and driving anywhere especially to work and the gym. For the last week and a half I’ve been slacking and not going to the gym but Ive started back on Thursday and I must admit it felt really good getting my body moving again. Trying to shift the pounds is a challenge in its self so along with drinking my Protein World shakes and going to the gym I decided to go for a Sunday hike with my girl. We went to this amazing park called Cassiobury in Watford. It’s so huge!  Filled with nature reserves, river gades, willow banks and golf courses . The scenery is lovely especially in sunny weather like we had today and they have many steep hills to do sprints. 

We recorded our hike via Fitbit which Calculated that we hiked 4 miles in an hour and 48 minutes. I really enjoyed my time and this is definitely going to be a weekly thing (depending on good old English weather)

As usual I’m never shy from the camera or snapping so here are some pics xox


Protein World..1 week down 9 more to go!


I’m really enjoying my Protein world shakes but I would be lying if I didn’t admit that this first week has been challenging. Belly rumbles and cravings for anything sweet and cheesy is still occurring.. Shit as I write this I’m thinking about the lemon drizzle cake I had to decline and return back to my colleague ( my team at work want me to remain the same). I’ve been mixing my powder with different milks such as almond, hazelnut and coconut for different flavours which is delicious. Having the shakes is not the issue, it’s the inbetween of not having them that I’m finding hard. Dinner time is my favourite time of the day where I make healthy, nutritious and yummy meals such as fish and veg, lean turkey meat balls and salad. Ive also been hitting the gym hard, focusing mainly on cardio and a little weights. With 9 weeks to go of my 10 week challenge, I’m hoping these hunger pains will shift and I will start to smooth sail into my target weight!  xo

The Start Of Protein World

  
I’ve been hearing and seeing really good things about Protein Worlds products specifically from my girl crush/ fitness guru Tammy Hembrow so I decided to incorporate the shakes into my healthy eating to kick start my road to getting a sexy body. I ordered the vanilla flavour as I thought it would give me more room to mix it with not just almond milk but also hazelnut and coconut. This morning was my first day and I must tell you it is soooo delicious. I was pleasantly surprised as majority of the branded shakes I’ve had in the past were all repulsive! Hence why I always ended up cheating and having a snickers lol. But Trust me when I say this shake is yummy. They have a few other flavours, banana, chocolate and strawberry  all of which I plan on trying! 

12 more days…

Till I have completed my 30 day Vegan Challenge and I am still feeling optimistic and just a tad but lighter 🙂
I am essentially sticking to 3 meals a day with the odd snack In between such as fruit or Ryvita. I am 100% back on my fitness, attending spinning, boxing and freestyle sessions… I am in agony as I type this lol

Cooking my meals has become a way of life for me now, I don’t have to think about what I’m going to cook in advance. I just raid my fridge, cupboards and create yummy dishes.

Here’s some meals I’ve devoured this week 🙂

Dish 1: Cauliflower & Butter Squash with Couscous and Avocado

Dish 2: Red Pea and Sweet Potato soup

Dish 3: Sweet Potato, Butternut Squash & Red Pea (Kidney Beans) curry with Couscous

Dish 4: Half a Sweet Potato topped with Cannellini Beans, Flageolet Beans, Adzuki Beans cooked with Mushrooms, Green Beans and Spinach

 

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Mid way through my challenge

I am now mid way through my second week of my 30 day Vegan challenge and I’m feeling great! I am really enjoying this way of eating and my body feels better for it, however I do now and then miss my smoked salmon and cheese.
When it comes to fitness I am in need of an effective workout plan to get my body right and tight so i am currently researching etc. But that is no excuse to skip the gym so this week I have managed to dragged my bum to spinning classes and freestyle sessions to jump start the burning of unwanted fat! Lol

Here’s a few dishes I made this week
Lentil vegetable soup and vegetable stir fry cooked with soy ginger teriyaki sauce 🙂

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30 Day Vegan Challenge

I have not been feeling good about myself (physically) I have reached the point where I’m actually sick of meat and mostly sick of feeling down about my constant weight battle. I’m constantly trying new things regarding diet and healthy eating. After seeing the success stories on Instagram and through my friend personal journey, I decided to do the 30 day Vegan challenge. For those who are unaware what Veganism is, it’s essentially  a person who does not eat or use animal products. So from September 1st, for 30 days I am going to stay away from meat, fish and all things dairy from my diet and work my ass off in the gym. Coming from a family of 3 uncles who are strict vegans this should be a breeze as I have had countless Rastafarian dishes free from all animal products and as a foodie I’m pretty sure there is nothing I don’t like to eat.

I will try to keep posting updates of my 30 day challenge throughout the month!

Fingers cross I will see positive changes in the way I look and feel. 🙂

 

Chickpea vegetable curry with Couscous and Avocado

Chickpea vegetable curry with Couscous and Avocado 

Homemade Falafel, Vegetables & Avocado

Homemade Falafel, Vegetables & Avocado

I Am My Own Worst Enemy

Before & After

Before & After

For as long as I can remember I have constantly battled with my weight. I started to notice I was different around the age of 7. I was tall and chubby and far different from all my friends and cousins. As a kid I always had an idea of who I wanted to be and what I wanted to look like but my reality was always exposed when I looked in the mirror. I guess I always wanted to be looked as a delicate flower, some sort of a princess ballerina but I was always seen as cute, chubby, bubbly Jade. My mum always encouraged, forced me to lose weight in the past but I guess when you feel the pressure from a parent to be/ look a certain way the rebellious side tends to come out and I always did the complete opposite (secretly). I guess I can sit here and blame the dysfunctional childhood I had with my dad, being mistreated and neglected by him and all the drama he caused for my mum and myself but the truth is I LOVE FOOD. I am 100% a foodie! I love the comfort it brings, I love to cook, I love to chill out on my own (I love my own company) with a good movie, with a side of some sort delicious snack. When I reached my teen years I became more and more self-conscious about my weight but I would put my best poker face on and lie to myself thinking everything would workout for the best and come full circle. Although thankfully I was never bullied about my weight, I went through my entire high school, college and first year of university being self conscious about myself. I was always looked as the funny girl, the girl that was cool with everyone but as a young woman, never having compliments about my appearance, never having desirable guys wanting to date me or be my boyfriend my confidence level was nonexistent. Although one should always love themselves first and never look at another for approval or acceptance, I’m sure we all can admit that being desired, wanted by someone you equally want and desire is a confidence boost. It is a good feeling knowing someone wants you just as much as you may or may not want them.
After years of tears, depression and resentment about my weight towards the end of my first year at university I decided enough was enough and it was time for a change. Once I handed my last assignment I went ghost for the entire summer and completed a diet programme. For 12 weeks I hibernated and stayed in my house determined to make a change for myself. All I’ve ever wanted was to be happy and proud of myself, to feel comfortable in my own skin, so staying focus on my weight loss journey was mandatory.

**** Side bar**** When you decide to make positive changes in you life loyal friends, people who really have your back 100% come to light and those who really should have never been in your life at all are exposed. I have gone through a lot of negative shit in my life and people who I always was loyal to I later found out that they were not true of a friend to me as a thought. For those who are making a positive change for themselves unfortunately you will always get people trying to keep you down with them. When I started my weight loss Journey I had so called friends and family asking me ” Why do you want to lose weight for?” ” You’re only going to put it all back on once you finished” oh and the classic bullshit comment “you’re fine as you are, you don’t need to lose weight” meanwhile these same people are slim and tightly tone with a waist the size of my thigh. I came to the conclusion that certain people are scared of change, deep down they find you as a threat but the one thing they had over you or in some cases share the same quality as them is the same thing you have decided to change for the good. True friends give words of encouragement, they support and love you no matter what changes you make to your life whether it be a new boyfriend, a new career, a new car etc. If anytime you share good, positive news with a so called friend and they don’t support or show you love and encouragement, just know that it is time to distance yourself and move on to positive like minded people. Not everyone you started out with must always remain in your life. ********

Towards the end of my summer I had dropped 4 Stones (56 pounds, 25.4 KG) and I began to love what I saw in the mirror. The shocked factor was in full effect when I decided to come out of hibernation. Seeing the faces of the negative people who doubted my will power was priceless! I didn’t 100% reach my target weight but the left picture above was just before I started my weight loss journey. The craziest thing is I actually became even bigger than that before I started my journey. Although I have never gone back to the size of the left pic, it has been a long ass ride (like I said I love food too much). I have continued to lose and put on a few pounds here and there, back and forth. Truth is I’m still struggling to jump the last hurdle and reach my goal. I sit here writing this post today feeling deflated about my body, I am still my own worst enemy and harshest critic. Not one person can make me feel worst about myself the way I do. Mind fucking myself is definitely my downfall, I constantly over think shit but for the last 3 months I have been putting my all into watching what I eat and going hard in the gym. Every diet you can think of I have done, shake diets, starvation, juice diets, you name it, I’ve done it. For the Last 3 months however I have decided to do it the correct way, eat healthy, no crash diet and workout out hard till my whole body becomes crippled.
Main reason why I am feeling more body conscious is because I am going to a well deserved luxury holiday with my girl to Dominican Republic and I have been breaking my back trying to feel good about my body before I fly out on July the 1st. I have created tremendous pressure for myself constantly comparing myself to what my friend looks like and the idea of what I should look like. I have 3 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS left for a miracle to happen, lord knows I need it. I know losing weight and making a body transformation takes time, patients and dedication but time is not what’s on my side right now. I know realistically I wont be at my goal weight by July the 1st but if I can shift some more tummy weight and feel good when I walk out on to that gorgeous Dominican beach, I will feel that all this hard work I have been putting in was not all in vain. Prayer and a positive mindset is what I need to stick to and my 5th gym session this week… Spinning tomorrow morning 9am.

Wish me luck!