Happy New Year! My Resolutions

This is it! Another year is over! It seems crazy that 2012 is done already. I can happily say that 2012 has been a year that I will remember for the rest of my life. Highlights include, meeting more of you!, the Olympics, going to Disneyland and of course, getting into the school of my dreams to do the perfect course for me; against all the odds!

At the Olympic Stadium

Now I'm usually not one for making resolutions, because like most people I forget what they were three months down the line! For years my resolution was "This year I'm going to lose weight" and to be honest that's so broad that realistically it's never going to happen anyway! I like my goals to be specific (see be a SMART SWOT). 

This year I've set myself some resolutions for all aspects of my life!

1) Be an amazeballs friend, daughter, colleague and sister
2) Drink more water (at least 1.5l a day)
3) Give everything I do my all, be it at school, work or fitness
4) Be brave, push through and inspire people as I have been inspired
5) Complete the half marathon
6) Be the change I want to see in my life
7) Continue to see the positive in everything
8) Blog more!! (I know, I'm sorry!)
9) Work harder at getting a better balance between work, school, health and fitness and me-time!
10) Get better at giving myself compliments
11) Let go of all of the negative people or people that don't car about me in my life. 2013 means change. 

There you have it! 

I have a LOT to look forward to during 2013! I'll complete the first year of my degree, I'll celebrate becoming twenty!! (Ahh that seems so old to me haha!) I'll choose and be approved by the American university that I'll be at for the 2014/15 academic year and you can bet I'm going to grow as a person! 

I'm starting my year off in the way that a lot of people do; with a bit of a fitness kick ;) 
Tone It Up are launching the Love Your Body Challenge (this challenge is linked with Victoria's Secret!!!!) on New Year's Day. The challenge runs through to Valentines Day, it's completely free and it will be 6.5 weeks of motivation, emails, vlogs, making new friends and more!! TIU Challenges never disappoint so I can't recommend joining this one enough!

Whilst at the moment I am pleased to see the end of 2012, I will never ever forget this year as being the best of my life. I am so grateful for all of you and it's pretty amazing how much my life has changed in the last year because of each of you!

Have a fantastic New Year and I'll see you in 2013!!

All my love,

Georgie xx 

2012 Transformation: March Update

We finally have weight loss! Overall in March I've lost around 6lbs! I'm totally over the moon because I've shown myself that I can do it. What was my secret? Booty Calls. Twice a Day workouts. If you want results you've got to work for them! 

Then came injury and a week of chaos. In the first two weeks of March I lost 6lbs, in the second two weeks I gained back four. I had a back injury and my first race coming up so whereas I normally would have pushed through, I didn't workout that week and the scale reflected that. Then last week was the last week of the Winter Term at College and there was a load of work, a load of timed essays and a lot of friendship issues that distracted from any workout time. I'm now on a two week break and it's my goal to work out HARD (as I've got no time constraints) for at least 12 days out of 14. 

I RAN A RACE!!! On the 25th March I ran in the Sport Relief 3 Mile Run in 28 minutes, raising £125 for the charity. I knew I could run a 5k, but actually doing it in race conditions was a massive achievement and I'm thrilled. 

This month I am extremely happy with the fact I have lost weight and shown I can do it. So I've got no excuses for April not to lose. I'm hoping for 8lbs. Fingers crossed!! 

The Tone It Up Bikini Challenge also starts this month!! EEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKK! I'm so excited! I'm also really excited about the launch of the Tone It Up Ambassador program. I'd love to be a part of it and hope I can be lucky enough to be!

Although I am slightly dissapointed with some aspects of the month, there are still 9 months of the year left and I'm not going to be discouraged. I will be beach ready - I have a holiday booked now!!

How is YOUR 2012 going?

Share, Love, Inspire, Sweat ♥

Tone It Up Anniversary Post!

It's hereeeeeeeeeee!!! I have officially been following Tone It Up for a year! (Although my actual diet plan anniversary is in October but that doesn't matter hehe; I'll have another annniversary then) And oh my gosh, what a difference a year can make. 

The Women Who Have Changed My Life

This time last year I was fed up, frumpy and depressed with the way I looked. I was classed as overweight and had no self confidence at all. I would try on a million different outfits in the morning and see which one would 'hide the bulge'. I'd get so frustrated with myself I'd break down and start crying. 

I was a member of the gym but had no direction or guidance. I would go 3 times a week but never see any results. I felt so alone and so disgusted in myself, and given my history with eating disorders, I felt trapped. I felt like I was going to look the way I did forever. 

This was Summer 2010. I'm amazed I had the confidence to stand there like that. I look at that now and see a totally different girl. I'm not ashamed of how I looked because I can say I've earned my body and I'm proud of it today. At the time, although evidently not in this photo, I felt so 'fat', embarrassed and different; I always had 'skinny' friends. 

This is one of the photos that made me so drastically want to change. This was actually taken a month in to my TIU journey. I'd lost some weight already.

Then Tone It Up came along. I was scouring YouTube to find some Motivation to get some results in the gym and stumbled across one of Sarah Dussault's videos. On the sidebar was a video from Tone It Up. That was the moment my life changed for the better, for good. 

This is a happy post so I'm not going to dwell too much on the past but instead share what has happened and what I've learnt. 

Officially I'm down 20lbs. (Exactly- crazy right!), my hips are (as of the beginning of March) 6 inches smaller and my waist is 4 inches smaller. I'm down two to three dress sizes and have the confidence to wear things I never would have dreamed of wearing before.

Overall I'd say that the biggest change is in my confidence levels. I've been told now that my smile is cs infectious! I've got a new found love for myself which is something that I didn't think was possible.

One of my proudest achievements I think has got to be that my stomach is flat now without me having to breathe in!! I'm aiming to tone up now in time for Summer :)

Through Tone It Up I have met some incredible women and it is here that I would like to begin with some Thank You's. 

Of course my first 'Thanks' has to go to, Karena and Katrina at Tone It Up. You girls have truly changed the way that I look at my life, my diet, my lifestyle in general. Thank you for acepting me into the team the way you have. Thank you for showing me a way of life that I never even dreamed possible. To you I owe so much and I will forever be grateful for how you've made me feel.

Secondly, to my boyfriend Charlie who has supported me throughout the entire journey. Every single morning he's told me "You look gorgeous," his nickname for me is "Flatty" (after my stomach although sometimes I mishear and think he's said Fattie hehe) and he's done more for me than I think he's realised so THANKS CHAR <3

Thirdly to Miss Bridget Nicole! This girl is my 'big' (as in sorority terms hehe) and she's looked after me from day 1. I know I can turn to her any time and ask her advice. She's there for motivation, she's there for a sing a long (hehe) and she's always, always willing to help. Thank you Bridget for being a key player in the way that my life has turned around. I can't wait to meet you soon! (I WILL get over there I promise!)

Lastly but by absolutely no means least there are four women that have made this journey a joy and I will be forever thankful for. To Emma Christie, Promise Joy DuBose, Liz Trewhitt-Schultz and Kari Burghardt I would like to say I love you. Thank you for your constand support and motivation. 

With so much of my journey left to come I know that with the above people I can achieve what was only my wildest dream before.

To everybody reading this blog post I say thanks. Thank you for your support and ongoing well-wishes. There are some really really exciting things happening here at Camp Beach Babe and I can't wait to share them with you.

I'll leave you with this :)

2012 Transformation: February in Review

I can't believe it's March already! My 2012 transformation is well underway! Although it's just a short month I've come on leaps and bounds!

Best moment of the month! Yes I'm crying!

Weight wise there was no big change. I'm down 1.4lbs from my end of January weight but I'm happy with that all things considered. The start of February marked the begining of my trip to Disneyland with my boyfriend. We had an absolutely amazing time and on average I burnt 400+ calories a day due to all of the walking but the  meals we were eating were not the healthiest so there was no real weight lost there. But in saying this I have no regrets because I had the most fantastic holiday and when I'm at a loss of things to blog I will blog about it but I try to keep things fitness related!

Me and my guy in front of the Castle

So I'm only down 1.4 lbs but I'm so relieved to finally break through the plateau thats been taking over for weeks!! I haven't checked my measurements yet so I'm not entirely sure if there's been any change but I'll tell you this. I feel fan-freaking-tastic. I've never been more confident in my body, I feel as if my waist is shrinking before my eyes and my stomach is finally flat after all these years of wishing for it! I'm down a jean size and I also got in a UK size 10 top last Friday and that was the most amazing feeling. It was my sister's top and she's always been the 'skinny one' in the family so the joy on my face was contagious! I've never felt so comfortable in my own skin and I've not got dresseed one day and thought "Ugh you don't look good" which is an unbelievable achievement for me!

In the Size 10 top! Proud of how my booty looks too =P

Another change in February was my hair! Trivial I know but there is no more ombré! I was inspired by Karena and got it dyed dark brown. I've always loved my hair dark and was happy to go back. It's getting really long now so I'm one step closer to my Kardashian hair! (obsessed!)

New hair - it's darker in real life =)

I'm looking forward to March! (It already is March but who's counting hehe) I'm running my first race! It's just a 5k so I know I can do it but I want to experience the conditions of a run without being worried about completing it. It's for Sport Relief ( a UK Charity which supplies sports equipment for schools in the UK and in Africa) so it's for an amazing cause. That will be an incredible feeling! 

I also get the results of the exams I took in January which will determine whether or not I get to go to my University of choice on the 8th of March so I am very much looking forward to getting that out of the way! 

I'm also very much looking forward to finidng out more about the Tone It Up Ambassador scheme as it is something I'm really interested in! Tone It Up has changed my life so it would be a dream come true to pass their message onto others too! March is also my Tone It Up-aversary which will celebrate my first year of following TIU so to become an ambassador in the same month would be amazing!

My targets for March include running a 10k (it's about time), and majorly toning up my abs now I can see them (hehe) and getting rid of my love handles!!

I'll leave you with some of my picture highlights of the month!

Share, Love, Inspire, Sweat

Georgie ♥

I had a wardrobe clear out at the end of Feb and I threw away this skirt. Can't believe I ever got in it!

Did you make the extra day count?

Valentines Day! Felt amazing and looked even better ;-)

These shorts were too tight last summer! 

Skinny waist! This is a Hollister Medium shirt. (Sorry about the messy room and the dressing table hehe!)

Same outfit from the side. Who is this girl! Can't believe it's me!!!

Haha yes I'm in a onesie! Flat TUMMYYYYYY (Sorry my beds a mess haha)

Just got out of bed - excuse my hair ;)

New Year, New Goals: Transformation in 2012

Happy New Year!!

Let's start by getting the formalities out of the way, I wish you, your loved ones and your family the most blessed, peaceful, exciting, healthy and happy 2012.

It's an exciting time of year here at Camp Beach Babe (with all of our one campers hehe) because for the last few weeks I have been planning something monstrous! That's right I have been scheming, plotting and planning to make 2012 the best year for you, my readers, and for me too!

I'm going to list some of the up and coming features of the blog! Brace Yourselves! In 2012 Diary of an Aspiring Beach Babe is going to feature;

- Challenges

- Interviews with some of the most inspiring Tone It Up Team Members (the first is already in progress!)

- Giveaways

- Comments/Advice 

- Motivation

- Recipes

- More of the same posts from this year

....and MY TRANSFORMATION!

As well as planning for my blog I've been planning for myself. 2012 is going to be the year that I totally transform my body. I am in no way belittling my progress so far because I have come an unbelievably long way but starting tomorrow (1.1.2012) things are going to be kicked up a knotch (or three!) 

I've been doing a lot of research and I've noticed quite a few weight loss transformation blogs and I'm going to aim to turn Diary of an Aspiring Beach Babe in to one. My goal for 2012 is to drop at least 14lbs and tone up to transform myself into the girl I've wanted to be for so long. 

A TIU Friend recently compared me to Candace Swanapoel, since then it has been my goal to resemble her (the healthy her that is!)

There are many ways I'm going to make this happen; this is kind of my New Year's Resolution list I suppose,

1. I'm going to lift more weights. - You do NOT get toned by cardio alone, I do strength train but not enough...at all. I'm going to dedicate a lot more time (20 minutes each visit to be specific) to strength training in the gym and aim to do a routine at home with the equipment at home at least twice a week.  
2. I'm going to drink more water - I am honestly rubbish at this! When I did my 7 Day Slim Down (see my blog post about it here) I was great at solidly drinking the required amount of water but since then it's gone so so far downhill! I'm vowing to drink AT LEAST two bottles (750ml - 1litre each) of water a day
3. I'm going to blog more!! - I'd really love to make this almost like a job! I love blogging and I NEED to do it more often! I really want to make this blog all about you guys so tell me what you want to see!
4. I'm going to start running again - Since joining my new gym in September my running has really ground to a halt. I'd gotten so far and I was still active - I just went for the gym instead of running. This is all going to change in 2012. I'm going to run once a week - namely Saturday (more likely than any other day) before work. 
5. No Carbs at Dinner! - This is one of my weaknesses and I admit it. I love carbs. I love food but I really love carbs. I have got much much better since TIU and have cut out most of my bread intake but I'm a sucker for rice and pasta. I'm going to try my very very hardest to cut out carbs at M5 and substitute with salad! I'm going to stick much more to the TIU Plan this year (as much as I can when I'm living at home and not in charge of the meals!)
6. I'm going to dedicate a larger part of my life to Tone It Up - There is no doubt about it, Tone It Up has changed my life and I want to keep giving back to my TIU Community however I can so I'm going to aim to be so much more active and try my hardest to do my trainers proud ♥

For years and years now my New Year's Resolution has been to lose weight and I've never ever done it. This year was different. I am doing it. Next year is going to be even better; I will do it. 

Stay tuned to Diary of an Aspiring Beach Babe to see my progress. I love you ♥

I'll leave you with this image, Happy New Year.