Transformation Tuesday! YOU CAN DO IT!

Transformation Tuesday

I hope everyone had an amazing long weekend! Did you manage to fit in any fitness? 

My first picture that I always show was from my 21st birthday and was the trigger for my initial weightloss journey. Looking back at old dancing pics and a few others I realised that I was actually at my biggest before my birthday. 

I was working a 7-6 job, eating whatever and whenever I felt like it, I was still however quite active (dancing, Kempo and workouts etc). My day consisted of eating, working, eating, working, followed by more eating and working then sleeping and then I would repeat. My ability to chose healthier meals and nutritional options turned to the quick and easy options such as BK and McD's and when your working with kids all this food is 'normal'. 

I was feeding my body fat not fuel and in return it was giving me back just that - FAT!

Once I kicked my bad habits to the kerb, I definitely noticed a difference.  The weight started to drop a lot easier, I has a lot more energy, I was getting a full nights sleep , my skin was clearer and on top of all that my PCOS symptoms started to decrease. (It is generally a lot harder for women with PCOS to lose weight. For more information on PCOS please check out the website: - http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycystic_ovary_syndrome)

You have no idea the wealth of knowledge you start to acquire once you've made the conscious commitment to the happier, healthier and fitter lifestyle. For example you become more aware of food in general - but more so in the areas of what is really in our food, is that really 'healthy' or just processed, portion sizes, healthier options and you become a whizz in the kitchen!

My goal is to also encourage others to begin their journey whether it be a weightloss journey or even a fitness journey. Any journey to better yourself and your health is a great journey to begin. Remember for anyone needing a helping hand or someone to talk to I'm here - I know the road to weightloss can be hard and unforgiving sometimes but with the right motivation and enough support you can do it!

Remember happier, healthier, fitter 😄🍏💪

Love,

Milly x

Kale - The Queen of Greens 👑

Kale - the queen of greens 👑🌳

An amazing little superfood packed full of powerful antioxidants. Kale is low in calories, high in iron, has high vitamin K levels and is a great detox food.

Kale has many health benefits and can be incorporated into your daily diet without much change. 

Try out my Kale-fornia Smoothie ☀️

➡️ 2 cups of chopped kale

➡️ 1/2 cup of coconut water

➡️ 1 1/2 cups of chopped pineapple

➡️ 1 ripe chopped banana

➡️ 3 ice cubes

Combine kale, coconut water, pineapple, banana and ice in a blender and purée till smooth. Enjoy <3

Milly's 4 Ingredient, No Bake, Healthy Snack

Here's one for you peanut butter and chocolate lovers!

As promised the recipe is below for my healthy clusters:

> 8 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter - organic, or natural is better.

> 8 Tablespoons of low fat milk

> 1 cup of dark chocolate chips - dark chocolate is much better for you

> 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats

1. Mix peanut butter, low fat milk and chocolate chips together on a low heat in a saucepan until melted.

2. Add in the oats and mix well - take off the heat

3. Drop 16 clusters into muffin cases or baking paper (I prefer muffin cases as it's less messy later)

4. Place in refrigerator - eat as necessary 💛

Each cluster is roughly 130 calories but still taste great - I even have my flat mates fighting for them 👊

Happier, healthier, fitter

Milly x

5 Tips to Improve your Weightloss Journey - Tip Two: Cut Out Counting Calories

As I look back at my journey now I can see the fundamental points which lead me to my initial weight gain, but then I also saw the small changes I made in my life which made a huge difference on the scales for me. So below I'm going to share with you 5 tips to improve your weightloss journey - and they were all tried and tested by ME - they are probably ones you may have heard before but these are the things that really stood out and worked for me!

I hope these might help you get past your current plateau, begin your own weightloss journey, adapt the journey your on or simply provide a few tips to help you out along the way.

I am going to be releasing tips over the next few days

First Tip: Change your Surroundings - Click Here to read

Tip Two: Cut out Counting Calories

Counting calories can be a long and sometimes depressing side of the fit lifestyle - however it doesn't have to be that bad.

For anyone starting their weightloss journey it is important to understand the nutritional value and calories for food in general - it will also give you an understanding of the work needed to counteract the calories you have consumed. This can actually be quite informative and may surprise you - but that's what were here to do. I found when I viewed the exercise equivalent of the food I was eating it really made me change as I knew I had not done nearly enough exercise if any to cover the bad food choices I had made.

I like to use this site as an all round guide to understand the exercise equivalent to a specific food or item: http://www.athleteinme.com/caloriecounter.aspx

Its is quite helpful as it has a drop down box with the menu's of most fast food joints so you can pick from the menu. I do this as a fun experiment sometimes to show family and friends.

Did you know? That to work off eating only ONE McDonald's cheeseburger you would either need to cycle for 44 mins, jog for 27.9 mins, swim for 38.7 mins or walk for 69.1 mins. That means you would need to walk for more than an hour to work of just ONE cheeseburger.

When I first began my weightloss journey I became obsessed with counting calories and making sure I met my requirement for the day but it became more of a job than a lifestyle change so I stopped counting the calories of every single little thing I ate but became aware of the foods I was eating and the affect it would have on me.

Also by downloading the MyFitnessPal app it took all the hardwork out of counting the calories for me as it completely takes into account everything including exercise, water intake etc. At the beginning you add in your weight, height etc and how much weight you would like to lose - this then sets your daily calorie limit. Once food and exercise is added in the calorie counter on the side will increase and decrease depending on what you ate or the exercise you have added. I found this app really helpful as it charted out my weightloss and gave me a rough indication of how much I could lose each week if I stuck close to my calorie intake for each day. It is also great because you can add friends on MyFitnessPal and see the progress they're making - and lets be honest your more likely to complete your diary for each day if your motivated by others on a similar journey.

I'm not telling you to forget about calories all together and just go for it - but make it less of a job and stop focusing on the calories. At the beginning of your journey it is essential that you understand the calories and have a rough idea of the exercise equivalent as it does help you to make better choices. However as you are progressing through your journey you will find it becomes less about counting the calories and more about the progress you are making.

Plus remember everyone is allowed a treat every now and then but it doesn't mean to make it a treat week, turned treat month, turned treat year - A treat is a one off, every now and then. Maybe to reward yourself for something you have achieved - but all things in moderation.

Hope these tips are helping you all to achieve your goals!

Milly x

Thank You For Your Support!

To thank everyone for their support and getting my Facebook Page to 100 likes - I am doing a giveaway! For now it is only open to NZ residents as I love to give back to my locals so I have teamed up with a local NZ business called Smoove who provides natural coffee body scrubs to giveaway 2 packs for FREE!

I would really love everyone to have a chance at winning this as these scrubs are amazing - they help to diminish stretch marks, psoriasis, eczema, cellulite and acne!

To get in the draw jump on over here:

 GIVEAWAY - CLICK HERE

Keep an eye out for my next tip which will be coming to you within the next few days! I'm really looking forward to sharing this one with you as it worked wonders for me! To check out my Facebook page the link is below - also Smoove's page is there for anyone wanting more info about their body scrubs <3

Milly's Journey to Muscles Facebook Page - Click Here

Smoove Body Scrub Facebook Page - Click Here

5 Tips to Improve your Weightloss Journey - Tip One: Change your Surroundings

As I look back at my journey now I can see the fundamental points which lead me to my initial weight gain, but then I also saw the small changes I made in my life which made a huge difference on the scales for me. So below I'm going to share with you 5 tips to improve your weightloss journey - and they were all tried and tested by ME - they are probably ones you may have heard before but these are the things that really stood out and worked for me!

I hope these might help you get past your current plateau, begin your own weightloss journey, adapt the journey your on or simply provide a few tips to help you out along the way.

I am going to be releasing tips over the next few days - So first up is

Change your Surroundings

You may be thinking 'change my surroundings'?? How can I do that and why? 

I used to work in childcare; I was working 7am - 6pm, Monday - Friday and although very rewarding I started to pack on the pounds without even noticing and slowly became the size I once was. It was fine though - well that's what I told myself - No one else noticed, or said anything and everyone else I worked with was the same so for me this was normal.

Fast track down the road a bit to where I changed jobs to working in Real Estate (complete change of careers - I know). I'm working 8:30am - 5pm, Monday - Friday and this is where I lost all my weight and slowly became the size I am now. 

Now how did this change of surroundings affect me and help me to lose the weight I've lost?

Well it was very simple; working in childcare is difficult, you eat when you can, generally eat what the kids are eating and when they are eating (which is all the time) and by home time all you can think about is finding the easiest fastest meal you can shoving it down your gob and then sleeping. And that was literally my routine - for roughly 4 years.

Where I worked we would buy lunch because it was easier than making lunch and I never really had time. My options that surrounded my work were McDonalds, KFC, Burger King and the Food Court (Mall) - So not exactly the healthiest options, but were all options I was choosing because hey it was fast, cheap, tasted like food and gave me enough time to grab it, eat it and get back to work. My work colleagues were the same, did the same, and funnily enough were around the same size as I was back then.


Whereas working in Real Estate although it can be very full on at times; I eat at specific break times (morning, lunch, afternoon), eat healthier options, and actually eat a meal for dinner with my flatmates every night.

I still buy lunch most days but the options I have around me are much healthier than the options I had at my previous job. Here I am surrounded by Subway, sushi, the supermarket, cafes and a bakery (probably the unhealthiest option). Yet it is still relatively priced, tastes amazing and still gives me a decent lunch break. Again my work colleagues are the same, do the same and are all around the same size as me.

Now I'm not telling you to up and leave your job because there is a McDonald's around the corner from your work - but more so be aware of your surroundings and what they have to offer. I was simply making the wrong decisions, surrounded by the wrong options and it took a career/job change for me to notice.

So when you head to work tomorrow have a look at what surroundings you might change? It may be as simple as scoping out other places to eat, sitting with a different group of colleagues at lunch or pre preparing lunch and taking it instead of buying. 

What surroundings of yours are you thinking of changing?

Remember happier, healthier and fitter!

Lots of love,

Milly x