Fitness Goals | Six Month Update

Some of you may remember my Fitness Goals post from a a few months back, well it's been just under six months so I thought it would be the perfect time to do a short progress update - checking in to see if I've reached my targets.  Here's a simple breakdown my previous goals and if I've achieved them:

- Gain 1-stone in healthy weight | I did but I ended up putting fat on too

- Build upper-body strength + muscle | Making progress each month

- Increase flexibility/relieve stress with yoga | Every day for six months, but slipped recently

- Improve cardio with running + cycling | Yes Yes Yes, been cycling 20ish miles a week

- Eat healthier + more varied foods/drinks | Still in progress. Enjoying more salads

Wearing - Albam Sweatshirt | H&M Sport Shorts | Timex Weekender Watch | Nike Socks | Nike Lunarglide 6 c/o Nike

When we last checked in I was tipping the scales at 12.8 stone, after aiming to put on healthy weight and gain a bit of size. Well a couple of months down the road I realised that even though I was gaining muscle I was starting to feel pretty porky around the middle. You know, favourite shirts were getting tighter.....I knew I needed to step up my cardio game if I was going to burn off all the beer, burgers + cakes. Damn Hollie being such a keen baker!

I discussed my issues with the trainer at the gym and they set me up with a more cardio-heavy routine, aiming for 25 minutes each session plus an extra session (making it up to five sessions per week if I can make it), which concentrates on cardio and arms only. I've been on this for about two months now and I've dropped down to around 12 stone, loosing a bit of fat around the "problem areas" without loosing too much muscle. For the past few weeks I've been running in the new Nike Lunarglide 6, but still, I'm not enjoying running as much as cycling! Which leads me on nicely to some new goals:

- Cycle 20 miles per week + 25 minutes cardio each workout
- Carry on with daily yoga to help with flexibility + well being
- Continue to build upper-body strength + muscle
- Tone up stomach, sides + legs
- Be more adventurous + varied with food

Sports Nutrition

I've been trying out various brands and products for a while and it's a majorly confusing subject. Here's a few products I've been trying over the past 6 months:

I stumbled across GoNutrition on a recommendation via Twitter, but I can't for the life of me remember who suggested it. They have a decent looking website and get good reviews so I thought it was worth a shot. I've been using a their Whey Protien 80 for a couple of months now and I've been impressed. It tastes great and mixes like no other and definitely helps recovery after my workouts. Tastes great in smooties or just with water (as recommended).

Since March I've also been trying out few products c/o the people at MaxiNutrition (formality MaxiMuscle). First  I gave Cyclone a bash, which is designed to increase muscle Size + Strength. This stuff worked pretty quickly, within two weeks I was seeing results in both size but mostly strength. Ultimately, it did make me put weight on both my muscles and stomach so I slowed my intake down and gradually increased my cardio. 

Following on the team suggested I try their Promax Lean, to help me drop a few pounds and tone up. Again I saw results within two weeks, which if I'm honest I was slightly alarmed at the rate I was loosing weight; so again I decreased my intake to try balance things out once again. In terms of how both GoNutrition + MaxiNutrition mixed and tasted I'd say GoNutrition has the edge for me, and being more affordable I'm more inclined to stick with them in the future.

I'm really keen to keep up with my new cardio routine and weekly cycling, as well as bringing a new indoor rock climbing or yoga class into the mix - and continuing on with core strength, building muscle and toning up. I'd love to find out how your current fitness goals have been progressing this year and how you've found things over the Summer months?

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