2015 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!! I find it impossible to believe that another year has passed already, but it has and here we are! January 1st 2015. I wonder how long I'll keep writing 2014 for!! Every year it's the same hehe! 

As I've done in previous years, I wanted to post my New Year's resolutions. Although, this year - I don't have any! As you may have seen from my Year in Review post, I have had the most amazing 2014. I really don't see how it could get much better. All I can really wish for and hope to achieve in 2014 is to maintain and improve! I'll explain in more detail below.

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2014 Year in Review

2014 has without a doubt been the best year of my life. So many incredible things have happened and I have learned so many lessons. To pick only a few highlights has been so difficult! I knew coming in to 2014 that I would be heading out to the US but I still had a semester to go in the UK. I wanted to really make the most of my time at home because I really did not know how I would feel out in Arizona on my own when August came. I was also determined to work so hard at University to get great grades to avoid feeling the disappointment I had felt for the 2013-2014 academic year. 

That being said, this year has been one I will never ever forget. Moving to Arizona is one of the best things that I have ever done because I've been able to learn so much about myself, on top of that I've been able to do things I would never have dreamed of. 

Below are just a few of my highlights of this year. 

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2014 New Year's Resolutions

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, 2013 will be over! Can you believe it? Me either. 2014 promises to be a massive year with massive change for me. On August 6th I have a one way ticket to California booked - from there I will travel to Arizona where I will live for the 2014/2015 academic year. Crazy! I'm so excited but so nervous and scared too - living in the desert will be a huge change from living in the UK!

I reflected yesterday on the highs and lows I've faced in 2013, but today's post is all about looking forward. I never really set New Year's Resolutions but this year I've had some time to think about what I want to achieve next year and writing things down never hurts anyone!

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2013: Year in Review

As I sit writing this on December 30th, I'm struck that I'm entering 2014 as a completely and wholly different person than who entered 2013. I have grown and prospered. Early 2013 was not easy. It was an uphill struggle following a heavy relationship breakdown but I picked myself up and grew. I sit here today proud of the woman I've become and I can't wait for 2014!

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Setting SMART Goals; a follow up post

Two years ago I saw in a relatively uninspiring Business Studies class and I was inspired. My teacher who was usually a laughing stock actually gave us some pretty sound advice which lead me to write THIS post about goal setting. To this day, that post is still one of my most viewed from the early days! If you haven't already read it, I really reccommend that you check it out!

I got an email from OnlineEducation.Net (who produced the graphic below) earlier on in the week about a graphic that had been created about the importance of goal setting and efficient ways to do it and I wanted to share it with you guys. 

What I like is that they talk about the importance of writing your goals down. It really does help and it all goes back to the visualisation aspect of goal setting. What's more you've then got something to check yourself against. I also like the emphasis on having clear cut, achievable goals which goes back to my SMART SWOT method =D 

Check it out and see what you think

Love and hugs,
Georgie x

Why I Don't Count Calories

***I'm writing this after writing the blog below and you know when you get that feeling that this is the worst blog post you've ever written haha? I've got that feeling! Sorry in advance for my ramblings and nonsense!***

About this time last year, just after New Years, I was using the iPhone app, MyFitnessPal religiously, like a freak. Let me start by saying that if you are going to count calories, I do really recommend the app; it's really clear, quick and user friendly. It also has a social aspect which was the reason that prompted me to write this post; a few people in the last few days have asked me to become a friend on there; I accept so feel free to!

The MyFitnessPal iPad app - really like the layout of  this!

However, with that being said, I do not count calories. I do not count calories because I eat clean and if you eat clean you don't need to count. It's as simple as that :) When you're on an eat clean diet plan, such as the one I follow; Tone It Up, you're not eating heavily calorific foods and the high calorie foods you do eat are good fats anyway such as avocado, for example. What's more, the variety of different foods all balance out anyway and consequently the saying "eating clean makes you lean" does not come from the imagination! Clean eating helps to expose the muscle we are all working so hard for! 

This is why I recommend eating clean over other diets, such as Weight Watchers or eat-according-to-your-blood-type diets! For me, eating clean is more of a lifestyle than other diets, it really becomes a part of your life in the kind of way that you can't remember what life was like before - do you know what I mean? What's more, I really struggle to see that with Weight Watchers, how you're ever going to look lean and toned if you don't change your eating habits other than you're eating less of what you were eating before. Let me say again, I am not dissing Weight Watchers, it's worked really well for some of my family members but I believe there are certain diets for certain "goal bodies". Do you agree?

My Clean-Eating results/progress pics!

What's more, I found that when I counted calories, I became obsessive. Like really really obsessive. I would spend my entire life on my phone (yes I know, I do anyway but I wasn't on Twitter!!) and become so meticulous about food that it wasn't fun anymore. That's not the best description but what I'm trying to say is, when your "diet" becomes hard work instead of just another aspect of your life as I described above, it's never going to work. This is completely individual, but I find that when I become obsessive; it becomes unhealthy. Now I know that is 100% to do with my past but it just doesn't work for me, I don't want to put myself on the edge of going back down that road!!

With that being said, it is 100% individual! What works for me might not work for you!

As always I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about my life in following the TIU plan!

Happy New Year!

Georgie xx

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 

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.