Scramble Those Easter Egg Calories

Let me start by introducing myself …... I'm Chris Wright an aspiring fitness model and have spent the last few years dedicating myself to getting in the best shape possible. In order to do this I've spent long hours studying both diet and training techniques in order to achieve my best; This has allowed me to use various techniques I have learned, tried and tested with great results across the board not just on my self but other as well.

Enough about me lets cut to the chase and focus on a few easy, yet effective techniques that will assist you in shaking off those calories that we maybe shouldn't have eaten over the epic Easter bank holiday. In this post I will provide you with 3 diet tips and 3 exercise tips that even with a busy and hectic lifestyle you should be able to in-cooperate some of them. 

Remember something is better than nothing so even if you can only do one of them its a start and it WILL help I promise. The first tip I am going to give you before we even start is go to you cupboard or sideboard now and throw away that egg or chocolate bar you have been saving, it will just make things difficult! You must draw a line under the weekend and start fresh ... unless of course you are very disciplined and know you would touch it... Lets be honest you don't really want to waste it...

Diet tips

Hydration ...

In the few weeks following the Easter break try and increase you water intake, I would aim for 4L on top of your normal intake.Have a glass of water first thing in the morning; The reason for this is going to sound mad, but after a period of overeating or eating the wrong foods the body will retain excess water which makes you feel bloated and appear bigger than your are. Believe it or not the way to shift this is to drink more water as this causes the body to begin a flushing cycle, washing out retained water and the toxins that are attached to it ... Just make sure a loo is in running distance.

Breakfast is a must ...

Start the day with a hearty breakfast, not only does this kicks start the metabolism, but causes the body to start burning calories - it is also great for alertness and productivity. You will find you will get more done in a short space of time and therefore less stress which all aids to weight loss. Breakfast also ensures that hunger is satisfied until lunch and stops that temptation to snack on that last bit of egg you have. My personal favourite is oats and almond milk and a tea spoon of almond butter (stevia sweetener to taste) in the morning but omelettes are great too!

Little and often ...
Eat small portions of protein, carbohydrate and healthy fats every 3-4 hours. Try and work on the basis that a portion is about your 2 hands full of food but no more. Eat until you are satisfied not full! The reason for these small and regular meals is to keep the metabolism high and your hormones balanced. Keep the carbs low GI e.g. sweet potato, oats, multi grain bread or green vegetables. Fats can be from Oily fish, nuts or whole eggs and try and stick to lean meats chicken, turkey and fish with protein.

Exercise TipsFasted cardio ...
When you wake up in the morning after a long sleep or period of not eating the body has low blood sugar levels. This means if we do exercise now we will burn our fat stores rather than the sugars floating around our body. Try to do much as much as possible, like 45 mins running. Like I said earlier something is better than nothing so have a coffee, stick on your trainers and headphones and walk, jog or dance those calories off. The coffee before is very important helps break down the fat tissue and also makes you much more focused! You will also feel great for the day.

Leave the car at home ...
If you have to be somewhere, plan to walk or jog make sure you have plenty of time so your not stressing. This is a great way of burning calories and also achieving something at the same time. Just raising the heart rate slightly increase calorie burning and has positive results on fat loss, which means burning off those chocolate eggs!

Activities days ...
If the thought of going to the gym or running makes you shudder. Try organising days out that involve activities. Meeting a friend to catch up for a walk along the river or park, take the dogs for a walk. Go for a bike ride with a picnic (make sure food is healthy) or go to a class together. There are classes for everyone nowadays, take a look at your local leisure centre or gym, I bet you will have a blast! I know you ladies love to shop so even plan a shopping trip, just being on your feet all day will again burn calories.

try and take at least one of these simple tips into you lifestyle, I promise they will all make a difference and before you know it you will be on the road to a better body and feeling on top of the world.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, you are more than welcome to message me on my fitness page on Facebook – If you could also like the page and share among your friends, I am always putting tips and hints on there too. 

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Alternatively, follow me on twitter and tweet me what ever you need answers to I will be sure to answer

Twitter @ Wrighty1357

Chris x

Working Out || My Current Abs Routine

It's that time of year where summer is just on the horizon and our thoughts start turning to how we look and feel about our bodies - Lets face it we all want to look good in a bikini and have flat stomachs to show off our midriff. As a lot of you will know, especially if you follow me on Instagram that I have become quite the gym bunny and what started off as a year ago as exercising as quick fix to tone up for my holidays, has now become a way of life. Not only do I love working out and going to the gym, but I love seeing changes in my body that have come though hard work and dedication. This year I really wanted to focus on seeing more change in my body and be in a position where I can push myself, see more progress and help others along the way too. Over the last few weeks I've had so many of you come to me asking what work outs I'm currently doing and to share how I'm keeping in shape here on my blog. However if truth be told, I couldn't possibly tell you in every detail what I'm doing to tone up and keep in shape as my workout routine is forever changing and its impossible to tell you in every detail in one post just what I'm doing. However I thought I would try and share with you all today my current abs routine and just what I'm doing to keep my stomach toned and flat.

Before I go into details though, it's really important to bare in mind that I am no expert, have not been trained or am no dietitian - I'm still very much learning as I go along and there is so much to learn if your wanting to change your body shape, maintain it and if your like me push yourself to make further progress. I'm lucky enough to have quite a few people around me who do know what their doing and talking about and have helped me along my way, so I want to try and share what I've learnt to help you all out too. 

When it comes to working out, I try and workout at least four to five times a week, which I know may seam a lot to a lot of you especially if your just looking to introduce fitness into your life - I would say dedicating three sessions a week is a good amount to start with and then to start working your way up depending on what results you want to achieve. When it comes to abs and getting a flat stomach, I try and work on my abs at least four times a week and most of the time I will do the same routine, maybe mixing things up a little from time to time to keep things fresh; Doing the same thing all the time can become boring and repetitive. It was a good friend of mine who is a personal trainer that introduced me to this abs routine, I've been trying to complete it as much as possible since January and have seen amazing results since starting it, so its something that is definitely working for me.

Firstly I start off by warming up my body - it's so important to get your heart rate going and get your body prepared before doing any serious working out. I usually put on a really good song that's lively, makes me feel energetic and do some simple cardio to get me warmed up. This can be anything from star jumps, running on the spot and some squats quickly. Once the song is up I'm usually ready to start working on my routine. If I'm at the gym I'll always warm up on the treadmill and go for a 10 minute jog/run to get me ready for any toning sessions.

My abs routine is as follows - In one set I will complete ...

Crunches x 30 

Reverse Crunches x 30 (this is where you lower your legs up and down with every regular crunch)

Sit Ups x 30

Russian Twists x 30

Bicycle Crunches x 30

Plank - Hold for one minute 

Side Plank - Hold for a minute on each side

I will then rest for a minute and repeat this process three times - and its as simple as that. Like I say I am no fitness expert and when I first started working out a lot of the fitness terminology was all alien to me. I would love to be able to explain to you how to do each exercise properly, but I don't want to teach how to do something incorrectly. If your unsure about any of the exercises that I've mentioned be sure to have a look on line as there are so many videos and websites that will be able to explain a lot better than what I can. 

Depending on what other exercises I'm incorporating into my routine each day, I always find that this routine leaves my abs burning which can be unpleasant at first but its a pain that you grow to love. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I do a lot of other workouts at the gym and a lot of the classes that I take and other exercises I do incorporate a lot of abs work into them which is important to bear in mind when your trying to reach your own personal goals. 

If your wanting to loose weight, then this abs routine might not be enough for you to start seeing changes you want, but balancing the right amount of cardio with toning will help you see those results much quicker. It's also really important to point out that when you start exercising it can take some time before you start noticing and seeing any real change in your body -  But if you persevere and don't quit change is something you will start to see and you will feel great for it. A top tip is to take pictures weekly, as it's only when you start looking back will you see that your hard work is making a difference.

I'm sure most of you will have heard this before but keeping fit and eating healthy really do go hand in hand and the food part of living and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is still something that I'm getting to grips with. However if you can start making small changes with the foods that you eat then you will be well on your way to having that dream body of yours.

I really hope that this has helped answered any of your questions and I would love to know if your going to start this routine yourself. If there are any questions you have please let me know in the comments below or drop me an email or Tweet. I would also love to see your progress pictures, so be sure to send me them over on Instagram @sunshinesprkle as I am forever posting mine.

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H&M Sportswear Haul

As a lot of you may know I've been spending a decent amount of time at the gym lately and for a little while now I've been wanting to update my gym gear. Being a fairly newbie to the gym, I didn't have what you would call appropriate gym attire. Yes my wardrobe has its fair share of sports bra's and training shorts, but being a cheerleader all my workout gear was very cheer related ... short shorts and spanks are great in the company of cheerleaders but not so great for the gym. Recently I've made up another long wishlist (we all know that there is the beauty wishlist and a clothing one too) this new one being filled with sporting attire. In my spare time I've been browsing the web to see what gym clothing I want to get my hands on and the wishlist has been growing and growing. What I have noticed though though my browsing  is that sportswear is a bit on the expensive side. Maybe it's just me and maybe I was looking in all the wrong places, but as most of its branded I've found that a pretty big price tag was also attached - Not cool! However a friend of mine recommended that I go take a look at H&M's Sportswear range and when I popped into my local store I was not disappointed at all. H&M had so much to offer and the shopper in me soon got carried away picking up everything from neon pink sports bras to funky patterned tops. Today I thought I would share with you all what I picked up as I know a lot of you beauty babes are loving the gym right now and this might just tempt you to have a little shopping splurge. 

Sports Trousers £14.99

Sports Top £7.99

Sports Bra £9.99

Sports Top £12.99

3/4 Length Running Bottoms £19.99

For me H&M have really hit the nail on the head when it has come to designing their sportswear range. The material of most of the range is made from a fast drying stretch material which is perfect for those hard sweaty workouts! Not only does the clothing feel great on too, but it looks amazing on! Now I know that the gym is not a place to look fashionable, however I still want to look and feel great in the clothes that I'm in and H&M have certainly thought about the modern woman and her need to feel and look good. Let me know if you agree, but I feel that the gym is a place to push some boundaries a little in terms of clothing. As you will see from the pictures, I have been drawn to neon pink, a shade which I probably would only be seen in on holiday. However wearing such a fun and bright colour down at the gym makes working out all the more fun. If your lacking on some motivation to go the gym, try buying some fun bright clothing to go the the gym in. On those mornings where I just can't be bothered, popping some good clothes on makes me feel good and makes me feel more motivated - As soon as that clothing is on I feel ready to workout and work hard- Isn't it amazing what a few bits of clothing can do?

Overall I really recommend you checking the H&M sportswear range out, especially if your looking to add some inexpensive and colourfull clothing to your gym attire. Have you bought anything from the H&M Sportswear range yet? What pieces are you loving?

Slazenger Sports Bikini || Review

Slazenger Sports Bikini* £8.99

Choosing the right swim wear for any occasion can be seriously tricky business, and sometimes you need a bikini that has more to it than a few bits of string in which to keep all your lady parts private. If you've been reading my previous posts you ladies will know that I've trying my best to keep fit and healthy and you may have seen my 'Gym For The Win' posts which tell you all about my experience at the gym. 

Now when it comes to swimming I absolutely love it and was always called a water baby as a child, however the thought of using the swimming pool at the gym was always so daunting. I can only put this down to the fact that I never had the appropriate swimwear for the gym. Yes pretty bikinis with frills and flowers look cute on holiday and lounging around the pool, but the thought of wearing such a bikini at the gym put all sorts of doubts into my head and made me feel incredibly self conscious - especially as all the gyms personal trainers could quite easily overlook the swimming pool from their office, total cringe or what?! Luckily for me, Sports Direct must have heard my silent worries, got in touch with me and kindly asked if I would like to review one of their sports bikinis. It never occurred to me at the time that I could actually buy a sports bikini which would take away all my embarrassment at the gym - I always thought the only alternative to a bikini was one of those oh so sexy speedo swimming costumes that you used to wear for swimming at school and as an adult they have never appealed to me at all.

I absolutely love my new sports bikini which is made by the brand 'Slazenger' and it couldn't be more perfect for those times in the pool where you just need to keep everything in one place! The bikini top is very much like a sports bra and has this cute blue cross detailing on the back and the bottoms do a great job at covering your butt - they remind me of my spankies which I use for cheer. The bikini is made from your standard swimming costume material and it feels ever so comfy on. I also love the blue pipping detail around the edges of the bikini as its such a bright turquoise blue and its matches my cheer colours perfectly, which is always a huge plus for me. This bikini has definitely given me that extra bit of confidence that I will need to take a plunge in the pool down at the gym - as soon as I renew my gym membership I plan on making the pool one of my first points of call. 

Although this is a bikini, I definitely think it is multipurpose and I can see me using this for a few other activities other than swimming.  Like I mentioned earlier the bottoms are just like my spankies which I use at every cheer practice. For those of you who don't know, spanks are really tight short shorts made from Lycra which you place underneath your normal training shorts or cheer skirt to avoid any embarrassing or awkward moments - I think these bottoms will do the job quite nicely underneath my funky cheer zebra printed shorts. As for the top, it fits just like a sports bra but with a little less support - I could easily wear a bra underneath the top and wear the bikini top for light training such as working on flexibility or flexacising as I like to call it. 

Overall I'm super impressed with my new sports bikini and whats more impressive is its price - Originally the blue Slazenger Sports bikini was £24.99 but Sports Direct currently have a sale on all their ladies swimwear so you could pick this up for a cheap and cheerful £8.99. Total bargain or what? If you would like to pick yourself one up you can find this bikini and many others on this link here.

What do you think of the sportswear bikini? I would love to know your thoughts!

Lots of Love

P.S For the purpose of this review I really wanted to show you ladies what the bikini looked like on as ordering swimwear online is so tricky and I know how much of a pain it can be - I was really nervous about posting these images as they are a little more on the revealing side to my usual OOTDs, but I really hope from these pictures you can get a good idea how the bikini will look and fit once on. 

Gym For The Win || Conclusion

Hi ladies! As a lot of you know I've been taking part in Money Supermarkets 'GYM FOR THE WIN' campaign which has sadly come to an end :( For those of you who are new here on Miss Sunshine & Sparkle, gym for the win is a campaign in which bloggers like myself can try and test out a gym for the month, curtosey of Money Supermarket, to see if we think paying out for a gym membership every month is worth it.  If you would like to find out all about this campaign and how you can get involved you can read my last post all about it here.

Before I took part in this campaign some of you might know that I was taking part in a series of challenges in order to get myself bikini body ready and I did all this in the comfort of my own home. Apart from open gyms (the kind gymnasts use) I've never set foot in a normal gym... apart from when I worked in one, but that doesn't count for much as I only took advantage of the free sunbeds, I never actually used the gym. Anyway with that being said, when Money Supermarket got in touch with me, I have to admit I was pretty excited to try and test out a local gym near me - Joining a gym had been something that I had been thinking about for a little while, so it seamed like the perfect opportunity. So after being a gym member for a whole month the big question to be answered is do I think paying out for gym membership every month is worth it? And the answer is....

Yep, that's right I can honestly say that from my months experience, I do think paying out for a gym every month is worth it.... So much so that I'm planning on joining up and becoming a member as soon my foot from a cheerleading injury has fully mended (I sprained it incase your wondering), which is going to take around two to six weeks according to the doctor - I really hope not as there is only so much I can take walking around with a bit of a limp, not the kind of look you want to be sporting at all! Anyway back to the point... I think gym membership is worth every penny, but only if your actually going to use it and get every pennies worth. I'm sure a lot of you are all aware that paying out for membership can be a costly sum every month and there is no point in joining if your not going to motivate yourself to go.  

One thing that I did find a little tricky was living my already pretty busy life and trying fit some sort of gym time into that schedule too. As a lot of you know running and maintaining a blog can be like working a part time job with the amount of hours that you put into it every week, not too mention working full time, cheerleading twice a week and trying to have some sort of social life.... I think it's fair to say things can get pretty busy. Whatever you do from day to day, I know that majority of us out there have pretty busy lives  - But if you really have your mind set on joining a gym, fitting it into your lifestyle can be done and once your there its actually pretty fun. I think it's fair to say that the problem I found and I'm sure a few of you will be able to relate is actually finding the motivation to get your butt down there - It's far too easy to make an excuse not to go - GUILTY. I found the more I went the more I felt motivated.

If you've been thinking about joining a gym, but was a bit like me and not sure if it would be worth paying out for, here are some pointers that may help you to make your decision about joining. 

- Have a look around a few gyms before joining one. Some of you may think that all gyms are the same, but just like your favourite shops every one has a different feel to it, and they may have different things to offer you - For example the gym I joined had a ladies only section which I loved.

- Again, when having a look around compare prices and make sure you find out all the gyms cost fees and membership types, it may sound silly, but either read the small print or ask the right questions about your membership. When I worked at a gym, they only offered a 12 month contract and there was a huge cancellation fee if you wanted to end your contract before the 12 months - A lot of people had no idea about these little details and I was often on the receiving end of a lot of complaints.

- So many gyms offer a rolling month contract where you can cancel at any time so this is a great way to try and test a gym to see if paying out for it every month is worth your while.

- If your planning on doing a lot of classes at the gym then I think you'll really get your money's worth. As a dancer I've often paid up to £10.00 for hour dance classes before, doing this once a week for a month is a huge sum to pay out for. The gym I went to so many classes with such a variety to offer which was a huge bonus.

- Do exactly what I did and try working out for free and in the comfort of your own home before joining a gym - I was doing this for a few months before I had even considered the idea of joining a gym

For those of you who are interested, the gym I joined was Fitness4Less, I had a look on the their website and they only have gyms in a few selected areas of the country, but if your living near one I can't recommend this gym enough. All the staff were ever so helpful and friendly and there was a great feel to the place, no matter what time of day I went. In terms of price it was pretty cheap costing only £20.00 a month and all gyms facilities including the ladies only gym, were included in the price. One thing that was great was that there was none of this peak/off peak business and I was able to go whatever time suited me. If you would like to see if there is a Fitness4Less in your area you can find a link to there website here.

As you can see from the above pictures I've been on a right little fitness journey pre and post gym. If your thinking about getting getting fit, it can be difficult in knowing where to start and confusing - I was so clueless about everything and what exercises to start doing. However, I've had two fantastic ladies helping me along the way. I've mentioned her loads of times on my blog before, but Carly Rowena has been a huge inspiration and a total gem when it comes to pointing you in the right direction. Carly has her own YouTube Channel, and it was her videos that put me on the 30 day abs and squat challenge... If you would like to know more about that you can read my post here - I know a lot of you ladies got involved when I put up this post which was great!

Another lady I'd like to thank is Zoe - Zoe works with me, but also works as a Personal Trainer and as soon as I started the gym she whipped up a fitness programme for me and taught me how to use the gym equipment properly - Which quite frankly terrified me slightly, Not any more though! Zoe has her own personal Facebook page filled with pictures, mini work outs and will take the time to answer all your questions. It's like the free version of 'Results With Lucy' and Zoe really knows her stuff - She's fitter than most men I know! Her Facebook is private but she has told me that she will accept a request from all readers of Miss Sunshine & Sparkle and you can find the link to it here...

Bodification Personal Training

And finally I would like to introduce to you a friend of mine who has just set up his own blog (finally) which is already filled with some great advice to help you on your fitness journey ....

If you LOVE fitness, being healthy and everything else that goes with it - Follow me - chrisrigbyfitness for my daily posts on Fitness, exercise and nutrition - you can see the services I offer as a Personal Trainer, from 1to1 PT to Bootcamps.

My name is Christopher Rigby I am 29 years old and I am from the North East of England UK.

I like to keep things straight forward and simple, no frills, no fake non sense and messing around. I have many loves in life, but one is MY LIFE & MY BODY and what i do with it in regards to the way and method that I live in it and treat it! I CHOOSE to keep fit and healthy as much as I can, and I do this in 4 simple ways: -

     1. Lift     2. Exercise     3. Eat     4. Sleep

As you can see ladies, Chris is is extremely passionate and really knows his stuff, so if you are wanting to get healthy and fit he is the guy to go too!! You can find the link to his blog below and I know he would love it if you stopped by and said hello.

chrisrigbyfitness

If you are looking to find out any more information on Money Supermarkets 'GYM FOR THE WIN' campaign you can find all the details here. I would love to know if you've been thinking about joining a gym recently and if you've taken part in any of the challenges in my previous posts.

Love