Bikini Body Ready | Get In Shape

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Hi lovely ladies, I have a little bit of a different post for you all, no beauty products on show today. However I really wanted to get this post up and see how many of you are trying to get bikini body ready for the summer, or are just wanting to loose a little weight or tone up.

The summer is fast approaching us and I know that a lot of you are super excited just like me to be whisked away on your summer holidays, somewhere gorgeous and sunny. With the opportunity to catch the sun rays and turn our skin into a filthy shade of brown, means getting down into our skimpy bikinis - And I'm sure your nodding your head in an agreement here, but the smaller the bikini means less tan lines!! For me when I go on holiday, especially the sort where you just lounge by the pool and sunbathe, all I will wear predominantly throughout the holiday is a bikini. In a way wearing a bikini is just like wearing your undies out, when you think about how much clothing is actually covering you up and for me and loads of others out there, this can be terrifying and daunting. I know people look at me and think oh well she is tiny anyway - Does not mean I don't have those lumpy and bumpy bits on my body that I wish to hide away from the world. Which brings me to the whole purpose of this post - Hello mission bikini body ready! Looking and feeling good in a bikini is something that is on a lot of our minds right now, and with the weeks counting down, there is no better time to get in shape so that we feel confident with our bodies wearing next to nothing. Even if your not going on holiday and are not planning on wearing a bikini at all this summer, toning up and leading a healthier lifestyle will make you feel so much better and give you that extra boost of inner confidence. Remember ladies, confidence and inner beauty is where true beauty really shines, so if you are feeling a little bit down about those lumps and bumps on those bums and tums read on. If your completely happy and comfortable with you body, then I lift my floral crown off to you, and beg you to leave a comment below sharing your tips on how to reach this state of mind. 

So when it comes to my body, my biggest flaw or the body part which makes me cringe the most should I say, has to be my butt. Secondly my next cringe worthy body part has to be my tum... It may not be pudgy, but it would be nice to see a little definition there and get it toned up. Around three weeks ago I was catching up on my YouTube videos and came across Carly Rowena's channel  and found myself subscribing right away. Carly has all sorts of videos on her channel ranging from fitness, beauty and lifestyle - She is gorgeous and not to mention her body is perfect. When you picture in your mind a healthy toned beautiful body, this beauty has it and for that alone she is an inspiration. But what is a real bonus, is that in Carly's videos she tells you just how you can achieve a bikini body and how to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Carly's 30 Day Squat Challenge - I saved this picture to my phone to keep me motivated. You can find it on Carly's Instagram 'carlyrowena'

One of Carly's videos which completely got me hooked was her 30 Day Squat Challenge. If your lusting after a booty that will rival J-Lo's then I urge you to take part and have a look at the video. Like I said my bum is something that troubles me when I think about parading it off in a bikini, so I decided to take up Carly's challenge. So far I'm on day 15 (super proud that I've made it half way though) and already I'm noticing changes in my body and my booty. Don't get me wrong ladies, this is not an easy challenge, I've felt muscles in my bum that I didn't even know where there. The only time I felt my bum in the past was sitting on the same spot for too long and getting a numb bum from it. Not any more I tell you! And not to mention its a killer on your legs - No pain no gain as those fitness fanatics often tell you. Fifteen days into the challenge and I'm already noticing that my bum is a little more perkier and feeling firmer around the edges, which is just what I'm wanting. This makes me even more motivated to see this challenge though till the end. I even got a comment from a friend at work today who said 'Danielle, your butt is looking pretty perky in your disco pants' - Over the moon I was, I tell you!

Also on Carly's channel is her most recent challenge to help us get bikini body ready, which is the 30 Day ABS challenge, which I only just started today. The challenge will only take you 5 minutes to complete each day, which sounds easy right? No, after a grueling 5 minutes I can report that these exercises are a killer. But I tell myself that if I've noticed a change in my booty just after 15 days then I'm sure it wont be long till I start seeing good changes on my tummy too. 

As I'm no fitness expert, I wont pretend to know that I know what I'm doing when it comes to doing the right exercises and certianlly wont attempt to try and show you how I do these simple exercises properly. But if you are wanting to know Carly will explain it all in her channel and there is plenty of other material out there that will show you how to exercise properly.

These challenges are how I'm planning on getting bikini body ready, ones the challenges are over I'll be sure to update you on here and let you know where I go from there. As these are challenges I would love to know if any of you are doing anything similar, or are wanting to take up the challenges yourself. Although we might not be able to exercise together, knowing someone who is doing the same thing as you helps to spur you on, commit to the challenge and is great for motivation. So if any of you are wanting to get in touch, or just want to moan with me about our achy bodies, please get in touch with me in the comments below, or send me a tweet at @Sunshinesprkle I will be sure to reply to you! As well as doing these challenges, I also add in my 'flexacising' in the morning, which is basically a load of stretches I've put together to work on my flexibility. I don't know how many of you are interested on getting your bodies bendy and flexy - But I do know a lot about this being a dancer all my life and from cheerleading. So if you do want to know how I get my body to bend, then please let me know as I'm more than happy to help. Remember anyone can be flexible  you just have to have a lot of time, patience and determination. 

Image: WeHeartIt

I've found that doing these exercises works best first thing in the morning - Get them over and done with right? I can honestly say once the first week was over, I did start feeling a lot better. I found exercising in the morning gave me a lot more energy throughout the whole day and pop a spring into my step at work. I've also found that I'm sleeping a lot better in the evening and as an insomniac this has been a little god send -Being able to drift a little while after my head hit's that pillow has been amazing. 

So if you are taking part in the challenge, be sure to let me know beauties  as I would love a beauty blogger work out buddy. I've managed to get all the girls at work to step up to the challenge and as much as were aching, were all having a right giggle about how hard it is to walk up the three flights of stairs there. If you do take up the challenge be sure to follow Carly on Twitter too, as she loves to hear about your workouts and every time I've tweeted her, shes messaged me back with a tweet that motivates me even more - What a babe.

My Twitter 

Carly's Twitter 

Carly's YouTube Chanel 

What are you doing to get yourself bikini body ready? And more importantly where are you off on your holidays? I would love to know!