I. Am. So. Excited!!!!!!
As you may know, Elle HairTwoHeels is my partner for this year's Tone It Up Bikini Series. I'm super lucky and SUPER blessed because Elle was one of the incredible, awe-inspiring winners from last year's challenge!
I jumped at the chance to interview her for you guys!
I am the blue text and Elle is in grey!
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| How gorgeous is my partner? |
Hey Elle! Thanks so much for doing this! Tell us, how was it that you first found Tone It Up and when?
I found Tone it Up totally randomly. I was watching YouTube videos to get ideas of what to film for my channel and someone I was watching mentioned that she had done one of their online workouts. I clicked on the link to check it out and fell in love. I had already been looking for a fitness/nutrition program, and ended up losing HOURS watching all of their videos. Their fitness videos, their vlog videos. I felt like K&K were the type of people I would get along with on a friendship level. The way they acted with each other was the same way my best friends and I act, and I just completely fell in love with the whole lifestyle. This happened to be the same week that the Drop10 challenge had started last year so I joined that challenge then became a member and entered the bikini challenge. I had yo-yo dieted/weighed for YEARS and was thrilled to find a lifestyle that was manageable, fun & yielding lasting results.
Had you been working on your fitness before? Did Tone It Up first inspire you to get going or give you that extra kick you needed?
I grew up as a dancer, so living an active lifestyle was something I grew up with. Along with high school pressure/ dance pressure, became a pressure internally for me to look a certain way, act a certain way and be a certain persnon that was not authentically me. In university my best friend and I joined a gym and I regularly worked out, but since I didn't know how to manage my nutrition, the results were successful at times, and unsuccessful at other times. I also discovered in 2010 that I had a wheat, sugar, dairy & soy intolerance and so I was looking for a nutrition plan that would help me reach my goal weight, be easy to maintain longterm, and catered to my food intolerances as well.
What's your favourite Tone It Up workout and why?
I LOVED the abs routine of the Love Your Body series. I love working my abdominals and so it's hard for me to find an ab workout that will make me sore the next day, but this one did the trick. I also love the Malibooty workout because it's one I can do without worrying about my ankle injury. I also have a love/hate relationship with Tummy Tucks.
Do you have a favourite group fitness class?
I love Zumba classes because of my dance background. I also loved Body Pump when they had it at my own gym. I enjoyed any of the weightlifting classes at my gym but with my ankle needing surgery, I can't do any of the classes right now (restricted from doing lunges, or any ankle impact activities.)
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| Elle regularly checks in on Instagram - follow her at HairTwoHeels |
=0 WE HAVE TO DO ZUMBA TOGETHER ONE DAY! You’re currently suffering with an ankle injury, what are your favourite cardio workouts to work around it?
At first I felt VERY limited cardio-wise with my ankle injury. I also felt very limited in any lower body strengthening exercises because I wasn't allowed to weight-bare on the ankle nor do any impact activities. Even the elliptical was off limits. There is a machine at my fiancé's gym where you basically sit down and use these arm pedals to make a circle motion with your arms. Picture a bike motion but the peddles being in your hands.....I felt like a TWIT using it and I found it disrupted my breathing more than gave me a workout. I pretty much exclusively do the stationary bike for cardio. I'm pricing out used street bikes now that the weather is nicer in Canada. Sometimes I will use the arc trainer but I find I can only do 20 mins of that before it agitates my ankle. I've found the best calorie burn on the bike is when I alter any HIIT workout. I will either stand for the "high intensity" parts, or I will just peddle as fast as I can for them. I can usually burn over 500 calories in 40 mins on the bike if I push myself.
That's so inspiring! What's on Your Workout Playlist right now?
When it comes to working out, I listen to very different music than my normal taste. Normally I'm an old school folk, motown or soul lover, but when working out I like upbeat stuff. Right now my playlist consists of Light's newest album Siberia, the Inner Ninja song, and a lot of Girl Talk. Girl Talk is a band that takes popular top40 type stuff with old school rap/hip-hop and mixes it into dance music. the pace is PERFECT for when I used to run, but now just keeps me pumped up while I'm working out. I highly suggest Girl Talk and Lights!!! I also like a lot of Maroon 5 stuff for working out.
Living the Tone It Up Lifestyle, like we do, is about more than just working out and eating right. Tell us one of your beauty secrets! (Seeing as you're my personal Beauty Guru!)
This is one of my favouite things about the Tone It Up community. I said it while I was in California and I find myself saying it a lot: Tone it Up is MORE than just a workout....it'll change more than just your waistline. I have made some amazing lifelong friends like you and so many others. I have found a community of friends who I feel REALLY close and connected to. Practically none of my real-life friends are into fitness/nutrition so I LOVE having this communities support! My favourite beauty secret right now is for bad under eye circles. I recently found a GREAT combo: use Benefit's Erase Paste then set it with Bare Minerals powder concealer. The powder concealer gives it some extra coverage while setting the cream concealer leaving a flawless look that still looks VERY natural! I have TONS of beauty secrets, so if you'd like more, go subscribe to my channel!
If you can narrow it down (hehe!), what is your beauty must have?
Yes. haha I like ANYTHING beauty/fashion related and for me it changes often because I like trying new products as well as finding "Holy Grail" products that work the best. I think I always am seeking a beauty regime which will consist of ONLY Holy Grail products eventually, so while I'm finding them all, I'm reviewing and sharing all my knowledge on my channel. In terms of broad beauty must have's I'd say the basics are a great hair conditioning treatment, a great mascara and a great skin product. The rest are all pretty much interchangeable for me.
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| Elle has a YouTube channel full of tutorials, fitness related fun and vlogs! |
Are there any blogs or websites you look at (besides Tone It Up of course!) to find inspiration / new workouts to get you that little bit more motivated?
To be honest, not really. I watch Blogilates sometimes, but found her not too long ago and so I can't do a lot of her workouts with my ankle yet. I like Sarah from DietSarah and had the amazing opportunity to meet her in person as well. I like watching her videos to learn diet/nutrition tips. When it comes to what I work out to though, it's pretty much exclusively Tone It Up. WAIT! ok....I also have this KILLER abs workout which is a Denise Austin VHS from the 80's that I had converted into DVD. The outfit is AWFUL, so is the music and she's of the old school "super hyper" instructor type, but it's a great workout so I do it often anyway. I also have the Brazilian Butt DVD workouts. I find him SUPER annoying to listen to, and there is WAY too much ads on the DVD, but his floor work is VERY challenging and something I can do with my ankle injury so I do that about 3-4 times a week too.
I'm so jealous that you met Sarah Dussault! I LOVE her! Nutrition is obviously super impoerant too! What are some of your favourite healthy recipes?
Other than protein pancakes (which are obviously the best) I love making any fruit smoothie with almond milk. In terms of actual cooked meals I am a brussel sprout FANATIC as well as a shrimp lover.
Do you have a favourite activity to keep you active outdoors?
I was an avid outdoor runner before my injury. My fiance Dan and I are also big outdoorsy people. When weather permits, we go for 1-2 hour hikes with our dog Rosco every weekend. I like canoeing and camping a lot as well and do it most weekends of the summer. I was never a cyclist, but have started because of my injury so that's a new outdoor love of mine. My fiance plays ultimate frisbee and although I've never played a full game, I REALLy enjoy the sport too.
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| Elle and Rosco! |
You went to Cali as a bikini series winner last year!!! What did you do when you found out that you’d won?
I literally couldn't form a sentence for 24 hours. I immediately went to my friend's house and we checked the site together because I had been stalking my computer for hours waiting for results but then had to run an errand which took me away from my computer. As I finished my errand, I saw that my twitter had blown up with congrats and so I knew I had won something, but I wasn't sure which prize (and I didn't want to get my hopes up). So I called my best friend and we looked it up together. I literally was in SOOO much shock I was shaking. I filmed a video about 30 seconds after finding out (with NOOO makeup on and making little sense) but it captures my shock for sure:
AS A SIDE: this is a video I shot BEFORE I found out that I won last year, and I think it's important for people to watch considering the 2013 Bikini Series is underway. It helps put our goals in perspective and may help some people stay focussed on the REAL prize: (I completely agree btw!)
Was it the absolute best girls trip ever?
I literally cannot put into words a) how much winning meant to me b) how amazing the trip was and c) how incredible meeting K&K as well as Holli, Sophie & Laura was. Becoming a Tone it Up girl has changed my whole life, but the trip was so profoundly amazing that whenever I try to describe it or give thanks I always fall short of appropriate words.
What’s your favourite memory from the trip?
My absolute favourite memory was when the girls and I went out for dinner one night. It was no cameras, no schedule just a bunch of amazing and inspirational women talking about life and self-growth and it's then that I felt the most connected to everyone (including K&K). It was some great conversation and a really memorable time for me.
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| The Bikini Series 2012 Winners at the JustFab.com shoot! |
It’s the Bikini Series! The most exciting time of year for the Tone It Up team! What’s your plan of attack this time around?
This time around I have the motivation of my upcoming wedding! I've teamed up with you of course, but my goal is to be the healthiest and most fit I can be despite my injury for my wedding. It's a tall order, but an attainable goal that I'm willing to work hard to achieve and committed to fully.
You're also getting married this year, you busy bee! (To find out about Elle's fiancé Dan, watch this video - you will fall in love too. Trust me!) How's the planning going!
The planning is going well! I can't believe it, but I'm less than 3 months out! I plan on having a TON of videos on my wedding channel up and running soon to share all my wedding knowledge and plans!
Do you have any goals for the next few months or for 2013?
YES! Sophie @sophiehowl27 showed me how to set small attainable goals to reach my full potential. My short term goals are to have my ankle surgery so that I can reach my long term goal of being able to run again!
To someone deciding whether to join our Tone It Up Team, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that jumping full in and committing to the Tone It Up lifestyle is a FULL LIFESTYLE OVERHAUL. It will change your waistline, outlook on life, priorities, self-esteem, friendships and SO MUCH MORE for the better. If you're ready and committed to do the hard work, committing to the lifestyle is the best life decision you'll ever make!
Randoms; Just For Fun!
Favourite Fitness Related Quote? There are a few that I live by and repeat often to myself: "life is a journey, not a destination" "change is uncomfortable" "You never regret a workout" & "the difference between a dream and a goal is determination and action"
Favourite Colour? Aqua or Pink (even before finding Tone It Up)
Favourite Pair of Shoes you own? =P my Birkenstock Sandals or my Asics GT2100
Best Place You've Ever Visited? Honestly it's a toss-up between California and this tiny island on a lake in Ontario I used to canoe to with Rosco all the time in University. We'd camp all weekend him and I on this island of solitude in the middle of nowhere and I LOVED it.
Happiest Memory? Dancing in the living room with my Mom
Tell us a joke! The 7 dwarfs were in a tub feeling happy......so happy got out :P
Anything Else You'd Like to Say?
GEORGIE IS AMAZING AND I LOVE HER! I LOVE ALL MY TIU SISTERS!
HAHA I love you too!
Thank you so much Elle!! I loved reading this and I hope you did too!
Do you have anyone you'd love for me to interview? Tweet me your suggestions!
Happy Friday everybody!
