. April 28, 2013 .
(photo & text heavy post- be warned!)



Many of you will know through my twitter/ instagram that last weekend I was invited away to the No1 Bootcamp in Norfolk with Travel Supermarket as part of their Holiday BFF campaign. When the lovely Charlotte from Travel Supermarket first emailed me about the weekend I replied with a yes before I'd even fully read it. As someone who's had her fair share of body issues, bad sessions at the gym and stepping on those oh so depressing scales, a fitness boot camp seemed like something that would finally kick me and my big booty into gear. The weekend was full of the most intense workouts, walks and inspirational talks from the team. I'll do my best to relay it to you guys in a somewhat chronological order whilst not leaving out any of the amazing-ness that was the experience.

My Boot Camp Diary
Saturday
First things first, bootcamp is hard. No matter how fit or how fat you are it will push you to your absolute limits in the best and worst possible ways. There was moments I wanted to cry- cue 6am intense work outs before breakfast- and moments when I felt more proud of myself than ever before. So come last Saturday got my sorry ass up at 5am and headed off to London. I met some fellow bootcamp bloggers Cameron, Scarlett and Sabrina at Kings Cross then met Remi and Marin along the way. After two trains a coach another train and a taxi ride we arrived in Norfolk ready for our bootcamp weekend.
We were greeted by the lovely 'Camp Mummy' Paula, who showed us to our rooms. I was just a tad over excited by our personalized hoodies, vests and tees cutely folded up on the end of our beds! After settling in we all gathered in the lounge to get to know each other and got introduced to the total babes from Travel Supermarket. Enter the amazing trainers- Craig, Ali and Will, all ex military and all easy on the eyes! We were then taken outside to begin an intense load of exercise, we did some warm up games, running and trial exercises to make sure our squats were up to scratch and then the hard work began. One bit of training had us doing continuous squats or burpees whilst our partner ran round the field, followed by what they called the 'Gun Run' which consisted of all 20 of us carrying huge logs, tractor tyres, sand bags and med balls up a country lane then re-assembling and disassembling them into what looked like a huge cannon at various points on the circuit, it may not sound that hard spread between 20 of us but it was a work out that wore us all out and left me with splinters in the most awkward of places!
We then settled down for a well earned gourmet dinner cooked by the amazing camp chef Pete. Each meal we had was exquisitely delicious, my favorite was the homemade burger with veg and tatziki! We were limited to a 1200 calorie intake daily so the portion sizes were pretty small which a lot of us struggled with, but it helped me get a better understanding of what my daily intake really is! Craig then gave us an amazingly helpful nutrition chat after dinner which I'll talk about a bit lower down in the post. Me and some of the other girls then took an walk through the picturesque country side, we were blessed with some gorgeous weather so it was a perfect end to the evening.

Sunday
At 6:30 we were out on the field ready for a work out. Unbelievably this was one of my favorites and I've actually been doing it at home with the boyf! We started with doing 10 reps of squats, doing a shuttle run then adding another exercise each time so by the finish we were doing 100  reps of different things including crunches, burpees, press ups and all sorts doing 550 reps in total, not one of my best pre-breakfast experiences but it was an amazing session and we did it in just 25 minutes. 
After a bowl of fruity porridge we did another circuit, this time with weights. We took turns to shuttle run and do different exercises with dumbbells and kettle-bells in groups of three, it was called 'Work Rest Play' and doing it to music made it the most fun bit of training we did. After more team games we started 'Boxercise.' This was so much fun to start but doing it in a pyramid form made it bloody tiring, I partnered up with Cam and both of us had dead arms by the end of the challenge! This was followed by lunch, (see the delish fritata photo!) and an inspirational chat from Paula, they don't call her camp mum for no reason. With a background in helping people she's not just a shoulder to cry on but the one to encourage you when you feel like giving up, and sharing her story of weight loss and coming to camp was really lovely. She's also with bootcamp trainer Craig which is super cute! We then had a little chat with an inspirational girl called Katie. She'd been at camp for 10 weeks and had lost 4.5 stone already and was an amazing example of what No1 Bootcamp can do for peoples lives. 
The afternoon ended witha 7 mile hike which I actually really enjoyed, what was also great about it was we'd done so much cardio before hand it was purely fat-burning! Next up, ice bath time. As you can see from my face in that god awful photo I was not most impressed, but it was better than I thought and eased the pain in my muscles.Then it was time for a rest and for dinner. Having downtime with the girls goes a long long way after the hardest day of training, but even after dinner we found ourselves wanting to go for a walk!

Monday
6am and I felt like death. I could barely move and felt sick as a dog, and I wasn't the only one. Our morning work out got changed to a walk to the beach, and a few of us went. Half way there my blister got so bad I had to take my shoe off and head back, my worst part of the weekend as I'd so been looking forward to going to the beach, and to add insult to injury I threw up on the way back. I curled up in the lounge feeling sorry for myself but also kind of proud I'd pushed myself to the absolute limit. 
After breakfast I felt right as rain again ready for tractor tyre and log flipping. I was so surprised that I managed to lift the 75kg tyre and actually walk with it- it was such a simple task but having the trainers and fellow bloggers shout and cheer you on really made the sense of achievement amazing. My most shocking and proud moment was getting the best time of 23secs for flipping three (gigantic) logs! To end the morning we had such a helpful nutrition and exercise discussion again from Craig, he answered all of our questions and settled some of the myths and truths of dieting.
After lunch I couldn't quite believe how sad I felt to be leaving, I'd lost 2 and a half pounds in the short time I was there and didn't want to stop pushing myself further. It was one of the most intensely incredible experiences and I would love to go back. After a 7 hour journey and sushi stop in M&S I arrived at my boyfriends, ate some food and went straight to bed.



What I learned about Diet, Nutrition & Exercise

01. Weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. No matter how many calories you burn off at the gym, you won't lose weight if you aren't eating right.

02. Cut out or really cut down on carbs if you're trying to lose weight. Protein is really important especially if you're training, try to have as much as you can. 

03. Fitness is not just about being great in one area, to be truly fit you need to be equally rounded in the following areas; strength, flexibility, skill, speed, endurance, balance, agility, power and have cardiovascular strength.

04. EAT REGULARLY. I don't know about anyone else but eating less and not often seemed better than 'eating regularly' to me. But as last weekend (and this past week) has proved to me eating something every 2-3 hours speeds up your metabolism and really really helps the weight shift.

05. Stay away from white foods! If your trying to lose weight stay away from white carbs; potatoes, white rice, bread, cereals and bananas. These will make your glucose and sugar levels spike throughout the day and make you crave foods you shouldn't have and wouldn't usually want- again protein is a great food to keep you satisfied.

06. Stop using machines in the gym and isolating muscles. It's much better to do exercises on the mats like burpees, squat thrusts, crunches and add weights in that will work your whole body instead of one particular muscle group- for practically the same amount of energy.

07. Track your progress. Record your results often and monitor your intake so you can see whats working and whats not- the My Fitness Pal app is my savior!

08. REST REST REST. Make sure you're getting your 8 hours girls.

09. Pushing yourself is so worth it. My weekend at boot camp has changed my outlook on a healthy lifestyle, I want to eat healthy and look forward to going to the gym now. 

10. No1 Bootcamp is truly incredible. I've been privileged enough to see first-hand how they can change peoples lives for the better and produce amazing results. I implore anyone that is looking for a serious change or even a kick start into a healthy new lifestyle to check them out and give it a try.

It goes without saying that I can't thank Travel Supermarket enough, the girls were beyond lovely and a huge well done and thank you to Charlotte for organizing such an original event, and an unforgettable experience. I've further lost a few more pounds with eating every 2-3 hours, around 1200 calories a day and training 3-4 times a week. It's not a huge amount but I've never felt better health/ fitness wise, and looking back through some insta pics I can see a difference already. If anyone has any questions I'll be sure to reply to your comments, or pop me an email luciathomashowardx@live.co.uk. Have a look at the #HolidayHealthClub hashtag on instagram & twitter for more info, pics and posts!


Travel Super Market are also running a couple of competitions including the World Wide Wardrobe and Beauty and the Beach 2 both with fantastic prizes of a £200 wardrobe, holiday and up to £1500 prize which is ah-mazing! I'll be entering so keep an eye out for these future posts. 

Taken the week before Bootcamp/ Taken this morning before the gym


#HolidayHealthClub Bootcamp with Travel Supermarket

. April 23, 2013 .



A pair of skinny jeans is a wardrobe staple, and as the warmer season is creeping into view I've created a 'Way's To Wear' post on the cult J Brand 910 Low Rise Skinny Jeans. Dark denim is figure flattering and provides a cool blank canvas for you to have some fun with your outfit. First up is Laid Back Luxe, sportswear is one of my favorite trends at the moment; I'm loving trainers, mesh detailing mixed up with gold jewelry, It's effortlessly cool. Colour-blocking can sometimes be tricky so breaking up the bright colours with a pair of dark skinnies makes it a more wearable trend, neon on neon is my fave way to wear. Last but not least I've styled SS13's biggest and boldest trend- monochrome, putting a navy jean into a fully black and white outfit makes the black and white less in-your-face but has a hue that fits in nicely. I hope you enjoyed this Way's To Wear post, you can find the J Brand Jeans here!

Sponsored Post

Ways to wear: J Brand Jeans

. April 17, 2013 .



It's a rarity I'm usually this happy with my photos! I always seem to find things to pick at when posting them, but the white-on-whiteness of my newly decorated room has acted a bit like a studio- I have a feeling you'll be seeing more posts shot in here ha. This is just a lazy outfit I put together for work, how cool is my new snapback? I've been toying with the idea of whether or not I could pull one off, but worn with the right things I manged to work it into an outfit. This one's from 47 Brand, they do an awesome range of American sports leagues/colleges snapbacks as well as clothing for men and women, I think I'ma be investing in another soon- currently lusting after this Colorado Rockies one! I bought this Topshop cami when I was in London last week, whilst admittedly I partly just wanted that holographic cat carrier bag, I'm so glad I bought it. It's one of those wardrobe staples that I cant quite believe I've been living without until now. I'm also wearing my already over-worn Motel Rocks Jodie jeans, something about a snapback and palm leaves just seems right? Or maybe that's just me, still I'm super happy with this laid-back outfit. 

In other news I've been invited along to a fitness boot camp weekend by Travel Supermarket! As part of their Holiday BFF campaign they've invited along 20 lucky bloggers to their Holiday Health Club event, so this weekend I'll be working my but off in the No1 Bootcamp situated in Norfolk. I'm both excited and nervous at the same time- I'll be running, circuit training, boxing and stretching for 3 days but hopefully I'll see some good results! I'm really looking forward to meeting all the other bloggers that are going too. Travel Super Market are also running a couple of competitions including the World Wide Wardrobe and Beauty and the Beach 2 both with fantastic prizes of a £200 wardrobe, holiday and up to £1500 prize, I urge you to check them out!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway below, you could win a pair of Red or Dead dungarees from Bank! 

Snapback

. April 15, 2013 .

I have a treat for you lovely lot this week, I've teamed up with Bank Fashion to give away a pair of Red or Dead dungarees! After searching through items on their website I decided on this gorgeous pair of dungarees by Red or Dead. A pair of dungarees are the perfect item to see you through the season. Easily dressed up or down, they're perfect for festivals, holidays or even worn with tights and a jumper in this crappy British weather. I have a paisley pair from Motel that I've been wearing the hell out of, and after clapping my eyes on these beauty's I'll be getting myself some denim ones soon. The denim fabric on this pair actually has a subtle floral print on it, making them that extra bit special! They also give a nod to '90s grunge which is my favorite trend this season. Have a look at them on Bank's website for close-ups and other views. Good luck and make sure you enter as many times as you can, giveaway closes Friday at midnight, go go go!


DUNGAREES GIVEAWAY with Bank Fashion!

. April 14, 2013 .

Céline Tee via Ebay/ Snood- knitted by my nana! Vintage Levis & belt/ Primark heels & coat/ River Island bag

I feel like I'm slacking on posting, I have had a super busy week! I was working in Bristol Monday Tuesday then traveled up to London on Wednesday for the Motel Press Day, which was SO much fun- I will be posting about it soon, caught up with my family in London then got the train back to Swindon to see my boyfriend then came back to Bristol last night. I bought a few bits whilst I was in London (finally got my hands on some & Other Stories stuff!) so may do a little haul this week.

Back to my outfit, I've finally jumped on the lookalike Céline tee bandwagon! Picked up this baby on ebay for just £9.99, I've worn it every other day since it arrived on Monday, I love it. Today I paired it with my vintage Levi's but to be honest it goes with anything- probably one of the most versatile things in my wardrobe at the moment. I wore this out for lunch today, and as it was a little windy so paired it with my camel coat and my new snood! I've been waiting to talk about this lovely new addition, I've been after a white snood for a long time and after having no such luck in the shops I asked my wonderful Nan if she could make me one. So,on a shopping trip with my Nan a few weeks ago we picked up some wool, and a couple of weeks later she finished the final piece! We chose a beautifully textured wool that's so silky smooth and comfy to wear, and the colour goes with any outfit. I'm so so happy with it, thank you Nan! 

Céline

. April 06, 2013 .
 Bliss Facial time!
How amazing is this Moncler jacket?
My fave pick of the day, Stella McCartney sheer sweater
Face-mask at the Sisley counter, I went for Revival!

Katie and I having our Tom Ford Makeovers! 
Some of my favorite pieces from the collection we were shown
Well today I've had the most fabulous of Saturdays. A few weeks ago I was invited along to a bloggers event at the Harvey Nichols Bristol store. Thirteen of us girlies were treated to a selection of treatments on the beauty counters, given a talk by the amazing Womenswear Manager and a goody bag crammed with beauty treats to take away. I headed down with Katie from Katie Says, we both live in the same nook of Bristol and are old friends from school! 

We were greeted with champagne upon arrival and then given a talk on all the current trends in at Harvey Nichols  by the lovely womenswear manager Dniel Pollock. It included a slide show that I may try and get a hold of to show you guys as it was total runway, prints and street style eye candy. My favourite trends in there at the moment had to be White Out, Sheer Drop and Pop of Colour- as you can probably see from my favorite picks. I was most impressed with pieces from Stella McCartney's Collection, falling head over heels for that sheer sweater- she combined sports fabric with luxe materials to create this spongy white number, it was so very hard to resist that £400 price tag! 

We then went down to the beauty counters to have our treatments done. Firstly I opted for a Bliss facial, I tried out products from their oxygen collection, foams, cleansers and toners that all work to get more oxygen into your skin and get rid of impurities. I followed this by having a Sisely facemask so as you can imagine my skin was left squeaky clean and incredibly soft, perfectly ready for my Tom Ford makeover. My make-up was done by a wonderful little Greek make up artist called Konstantino, who spent an hour making me look fabulous. The Tom Ford make up was absolutely divine, I opted for a black orchid and violet lip that I am sure I will invest in soon. I really had the most lovely time and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday! Me and Katie went for some lunch at Yo!Sushi afterwards which was the perfect way to end the pamper session. I want to say a huge big thank you to Nada and everyone at Harvey Nichols for making such a special day for all of the bloggers.

Harvey Nichols Blogger Event