How to Tone Up Like TOWIE Star Lucy Mecklenburgh

To be on TV all the time, you have to look good. This is why so many of us turn to celebrity fitness DVDs, and scour the magazine pages for the latest celebrity wellness tips. One such stunning celeb is Lucy Mecklenburgh, the star of The Only Way is Essex who has been working hard on her fitness videos, Results With Lucy. With that in mind, we spoke to celebrity wellness expert Sarah Jordan, who has found out everything you need to know about how Lucy Mecklenburgh takes care of her wellbeing. The TOWIE star is looking fantastic thanks to her hardcore workout routine, and so if you’re feeling inspired, you can get the toned tummy that Lucy Mecklenburgh has by following this top advice:

 

1. Think Hard About What You’re Eating: Jordan advises, ‘Make like Lucy and work on cutting your body fat levels with a diet of veggies, fruit, wholegrains and’good fats’ like avocados and nuts. If you’re an adventurous cook, you could try making your own sushi like Lucy, which is low in fat and high in protein. Remember it’s not about starving yourself. You need to feed your muscles and stay strong because this is what maintains a fast metabolism. Eat healthy, low calorie meals regularly for the best results.’

 

2. It’s Impossible to Spot Reduce Your Stomach Fat: ‘It’s not physically possible to burn fat in your desired area,’ says Jordan. ‘No matter how much you hate your stomach, fat won’t necessarily drop off there first. The trick is to focus on an all-over body workout, including cardiovascular exercises like running, skipping and rowing.’

 

3. Get an All-Over Body Workout with Circuit Training:Jordan instructs, ‘Start with squat jumps: Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, then slowly bend your legs and arms to about 90 degrees at the same time. Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, explode into the air as high as you can go. Land softly and repeat the motion again. Follow squats with some skipping rope action and then burpees. These two exercises work your whole body and will improve your coordination, footwork and balance. Add lunges and push-ups to tone your thighs, bum and upper chest.’

 

4. You Don’t Need to Worry About Bulking Up: ‘Lucy was initially worried about becoming too bulky, but its a training myth,’ Jordan asserts. ‘Building lots of muscle that alters your body shape takes years, expert nutrition and complete dedication. Unlike men, women don’t produces masses of testosterone which is key in building big bulky muscles. Instead weight training will make you shapelier, thinner and more toned.’

 

5. Tackle Your Hips and Upper Thighs Correctly:Jordan suggests, ‘Start with a series of side planks to tone hips and whittle waists. Next try leg extensions. Make sure that your legs are fully extended behind you. Rest your arms by your sides, or extended out and away from your body. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, use the muscles in your thighs to extend your legs up towards the sky. Inhale your breath, and slowly lower your legs back to the floor. Perform two sets of ten repetitions of the exercise in order to ensure optimal results.’

 

6. Stay Motivated with Thinspiration: If you can’t remember what you used to look like before you started losing weight, give yourself a visual reminder. Jordan points out, ‘Lucy’s fellow TOWIE star Lydia Bright believes the best way to stay motivated is to put the best picture of yourself on the fridge, and keep at it.’

Categories: body, body workout, Celebrity Wellness, Circuit Training, jordan, lucy, Lucy Mecklenburgh, motivation, results nbsp, stay motivated, towie star

Easy Weight Loss Tips to Banish Teenager Weight Woes

If you’ve gained weight as a secondary school student or since you’ve gone to college,  there are many ways to change your lifestyle to see great weight loss results. To begin with, exercise is hugely important and doesn’t feature very prominently in most teens’ schedules. There are so many benefits though, not just to your weight – you’ll have an improved sense of wellbeing, lower risk of diabetes and stroke, and better cardiovascular health. Most people dread the thought of working up a sweat and building their heart rate up, but the benefits are so huge. Exercise can be as intense or slow paced as you want, depending on what you choose, but as long as you’re moving and your heart rate has quickened, anything goes – from jogging around the block to dancing in your living room! The best way to motivate yourself is to make your workout fun, so try different things out to see what you like. You can also make changes to your everyday routine such as using the stairs instead of the lift or walking to work and college. Get a friend involved and you’ll not only enjoy it more but you’ll also stay motivated to keep it up.

Where your diet is concerned, the best tip you can follow is to not go on a diet – in other words, diets that are designed to offer quick results usually fail. The best way to lose weight and be healthy at the same time is to simply cut down on the fatty and sugary foods, and replace them with healthy, homemade alternatives. Teens are notorious for eating fast food and unhealthy snacks, but these make it so much easier to gain weight. You are what you eat, so make your meals healthy and nutritious. Opt for healthy snacks such as homemade popcorn, yoghurt, pretzels and granola bars. Fruit and vegetables are also fantastic snack foods, offering a healthy boost of energy. Replace all of those cans of fizzy drink with water or the occasional glass of fruit juice, to give your body the hydration it needs without a constant supply of sugar. The body also needs protein, so make sure you get plenty of meat and dairy products, as well as peanut butter and legumes.

If you’re going out with friends, you don’t need to feel as though you can’t join in, but simply act in moderation. If you’re getting a pizza, try not to eat the whole thing – share with a friend or just eat a few slices and stop when you’re full. At the cinema, opt for the freshly made popcorn instead of the branded types that are laden with toffee. And you can treat yourself to an ice cream at the beach, just limit those visits to once a month rather than every week. Weight loss and a healthier lifestyle is simply about willpower, balance and forward-planning – once you have that covered, it’s easier than you think. If you’re unsure how to go about it, gather a great support group in the form of your family and friends who will ensure you stay motivated even when you don’t feel like it. Maintaining a healthy weight can do wonders for your self esteem and confidence, as well as ensuring that weight-related health concerns are reduced. Your GP can offer advice if you’re not sure how to go about changing your lifestyle – if you’re new to exercise and are making drastic diet changes, it may be useful to run it by them to make sure it’s safe.

Categories: diet, Healthy, Heart Rate, lifestyle, simply, stay motivated, teens, weight, Weight Loss

How to Walk Your Way to Better Health, Fitness and Weight

Whether you want to lose weight, become more active or just be a bit healthier, there’s a free and easy way to do it; walking. Walking is underrated as a form of exercise, as you can do it no matter your age, fitness level, or time or money availability. Plus, when you walk on a regular basis you reduce your risk of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, stroke and some cancers. The key is to stay motivated, and we’ve got four top tips to help you do exactly that.

 

1. Make it a habit: As with anything in life, the easiest way to do something is if it’s a habit. How often do you get in from work and slump in front of the TV without even thinking about it? You probably complete your entire morning routine on autopilot, as you haven’t really even woken up yet! In the same way, you should think of ways to include walking into your daily routine. This may mean walking part of your commute to the office, walking to the shops, using the stairs instead of the lift, leaving the car at home for short journeys or parking further away from your destination. You can also get your loved ones in on the action by encouraging your kids to walk to school and going with them, going for a family stroll after dinner, or catching up with a friend over a walk instead of going for a coffee.

 

2. Mix it up: Adding variety to your walks can help to keep things interesting, which is really the only way to improve your fitness levels on a long-term basis. Although everyone loves a good country walk, you don’t have to travel over fields and valleys to find a walk that sparks your interest. Towns and cities offer very rewarding walks, be they through parks, heritage trails, canal towpaths, riverside paths, commons, woodlands, heaths and nature reserves. Walk England can give you ideas for inspiring walks, while wheelchair users and parents with buggies might benefit from a look at the Walks with wheelchairs website. This means anyone can find a route to suit, so there’s no excuse for not giving it a go!

 

3. Join a walking group: Although you may be serious about taking care of your wellbeing, life can get in the way if you try it on your own. You can struggle to stay motivated, or even get started if you don’t know how, so it’s advisable to get a little help. Walking in a group is a great way to get started and make new friends, as well as motivate yourself to go the extra mile – sometimes literally! You can search for organised walks near you, using resources like the Walking for Health’s Walk Finder, which are aimed at people who want to become more active, but at present do little or no exercise. If you’re inactive or your wellness is affected by certain conditions, The Ramblers’ Get Walking Keep Walking website organises city walks for people like you, so there’s something for everyone.

 

4. Set yourself a goal: If you have a bit of a competitive streak in you, set yourself walking challenges to give you a reason to stick with it. Try to walk 1,000 steps in around 10 minutes, or walk 10,000 steps on five days a week. Pedometers are a fun way to keep track of your walking, as these can help you to work out your average daily steps and then start adding those extra steps. You’ll be fighting fit in no time.

Categories: Goals, Habit, nbsp, stay motivated, walk, Walking, Walking Group, walks