Bikini Body Ready | How I Plan On Getting In Shape!

If you've been a dedicated follower you will know that a few years ago I went a bit fitness crazy and really took the time to look after my body, exercise and ultimately get in shape. However pregnancy thew all of this up in the air and the last thing that was on my mind was taking part in any physical activity. Actually I'll be fully honest with you, I ate so much chocolate and sugary stuff so much so that my now post pregnancy body is suffering. The days where I had mini abs and fitted comfortably into size 6 jeans are long gone and are a thing of the past. To those of you who don't know me that well may look at me and think I'm still quite tiny (or so I'm told) but the truth is I don't fit into any of my old clothes whatsoever. My booty has gotten ridiculously big and my hips seem to have widened more than a few inches and it's my goal to not necessarily getting back into those size 6 jeans, but to at least be at a stage where I feel comfortable and happy with my body.

Now I know that I've named the title of this post bikini body ready - Now with my little man on the scene, James and I have decided not to go on holiday this year. However I know that a lot of you are and I think its every woman's mission this time of year to get ourselves motivated so we at least feel happy, comfortable and more importantly confident in our naked selves. The post that first started me on my life changing fitness journey a few years ago was titled 'Bikini Body Ready' and I feel that that a much needed follow on from this will help to inspire and motivate me and hopefully you too. If you would like to see that post, you can find it here.

Exercising

When it comes down to it, exercising is definitely the key to getting your body where you want it to be. Now I am no fitness expert, but over the years I've learnt a lot and I know a good few exercises or two that really help to target certain areas. The areas I really want to focus on are my butt, my hips and my tummy. The idea for me it too loose a little weight and tone it up. My exercises will consist of a bit of cardio and lots of exercises that work on toning. As Archie is only 7 weeks old and my main job is being a mummy, I have no time to get down to the gym, so all the exercise I'll be doing will be done at home - Which sometimes I actually find better, all you need is the motivation!

I'm not really the best person to tell you what exercises to do or how you should be doing. But when it comes to working out from home YouTube is your best friend - There are so many great YouTubers out there who focus and specialise in fitness. My personal favourite has to be Carly Rowena, not only are her videos amazing, but Carly is the one who inspired me to start working out three years ago when I first starting working out. I can't wait to try out her 'one song workouts' because having a baby to see to every 10 minutes or so means theres not much time so this is a great way for me to fit exercising in.

I'm also planning on getting some exercise in by working out to some fitness DVD's - I have a huge stash that I've collected from over the years so I'll probably get some use out of these again. I've also recently bought Charlotte Cosby's 3 Minute Bum Blitz which I did for the first time yesterday. You know you've had a good workout when your body is aching the next day and today I really feel that burn. I think its a really good workout and combines a lot of interval training which I personally think always give the best results. I'm going to try and do this twice a week.

I also think it's really important to keep active throughout the day - Archie loves his pram and being pushed around. Not only does he sleep so much better when we've been out on walk but it means that I'm keeping active. For those of you who don't have a baby to push around try walking more places, walk your dog or just get up and about and get active.

Clean Eating

Eating healthily is so much easier said than done right? It's so easy to pick up a bar of chocolate than it is to peel a banana and lets face it the chocolate tastes way nicer. Chocolate is my weakness and cutting it out of my diet completely is just a no go. I think when it comes to eating, its a case of everything in moderation - I'm going to try and eat more fruit and nuts for snacks, more home cooked meals in the evening and allow myself to indulge in all the naughty things at the weekend.

As for my love of chocolate, I'm going to switch it up to dark chocolate - Not only is it so much better for you, but you don't feel the need to eat it all. Whenever I eat it I find that it jus gives me the little bit of sweetness that my body is craving. I actually really want to try and make sweet potato brownies at some point, but I'm still hunting for a recipe, there are so many online, but I'm not a great baker so want something thats fool proof as me in the kitchen equals a huge disaster.

The Challenge

As with any exercise, change of diet or lifestyle change I know that realistically it's going to be a while before I see any results. But we are on a journey and I do want to share with you all my progress and definitely get those before and after shots done. I'm going to give myself a good eight weeks, which takes us up to July, the time of year where you want to have a good body! 

For me, getting this post up is my first step of commitment to my new fitness journey, I know its going to be hard work, but I'm more than ready to put the effort in. I would love to know what changes you're going to make to help get yourself bikini body ready this summer. Any tips, tricks or advice would be so appreciated. If you are planning on getting in shape, let me know as we can help motivate one another.