Cellulite. The absolute bain of some women’s existence but the joy of an industry that can make a stack of money out of this problem.
There’s the creams, the scrubs, the lasers lipo wand, special massage techniques, circular loafers motions and well, I could just keep on going on about this….
For those of you who know me, I am a simple girl who loves finding raw traditional ways that bring about results. I love all things effective and in particular take pleasure in finding kooky tricks that I am sure have been past down from your Grandmother’s Mother. Typically I find that funnily enough are usually the methods that work the best anyway.
This pearl of wisdom that I am about to share, can be put together in your kitchen within a matter of hours, can help you tackle your cellulite and also give you the most amazing array of anti-aging health benefits….I knew you were going to love this post!
But first the problem….
Why is it that some women don’t seem to have any cellulite at all, while others absolutely bust their gut in the gym, hold little body fat, but have a lot of cellulite?
There’s a few factors to consider when it comes to cellulite, such as ostrogen dominance which causes you to hold more body fat around your hips and thighs and also how efficiently blood is circulated the area. However one of the major issues which I am going to help you combat today is the reduction in the strength of you skin structure due to the weakening of your collagen. It is this weakened which allows little pockets to form in your skin which gives the appearance of lumpy and bumpy body fat.
So how are we going to do this?
….By cooking and consuming bone broth!
Now for the vegetarians out there, this I am sure will fly under the radar. But for my fellow paleo cave-women I am sure there will be no hesitation in jumping on board the bone broth train, especially that we are smack bang in the winter months of the year!
So how does it work?
Once you cook your stock for long enough it pulls something from the bone, particularly from the joints called glycosaminoglycans. This long sounding word, that is extremely hard to say is what is responsible for building up your collagen. The key factor is that only way that you can get this nutrient is from bone broth! This is so important especially now that we live in a culture that tends to only eat muscle meat which means it is somethingthat is severely lacking in our diets.
So let’s go into the science for a sec. When you consume the glycosaminoglycans it the moves through your digestive system and acts like a hormone to stimulate cells called fibroblast which are the guys responsible for laying down collagen.
How freakin exciting! Not only does this simple tasty solution help to reduce cellulite and make you look younger ANNNNNNNNNND provides all of these health benefits as well….
- Helps to repair leaky gut
- Aids in Reducing Food Intolerances
- Makes your joints feel Smooth & Reduces Pain
- Helps your skin hair and nails look amazing
- Assists in removing toxins from your Body
So many reasons to go and get your bone broth on!
Here is a recipe and clip from the awesome website Underground Wellness showing you exactly how to make broth. I have made a couple of little tweaks to the recipe by removing the flour and I use organic butter instead of olive oil to avoid it turning to a trans fat at a high temp.
This recipe is courtesy of Dr Cate & Luke Shanahan
The Broth – Ingredients
1-2kg grass fed soup bones with a joint bone (knee or other joint) & some meat on them
400g can of tomato puree
6 Stalks of celery roughly chopped
2-3 onions roughly chopped
5 carrots roughly chopped
bunch fresh parsley
Couple of bay leaves
Bunch fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 cup red wine
Himalayan Salt
3 Tablespoons Organic Butter Melted
10L filtered water!
A super big pot! – if you don’t have a pot big enough you can add the water as it cooks.
Directions:
1. Lightly coat bones and meat trimmings with the melted butter Then rub tablespoon of tomato paste onto bones and put into the oven to roast in a large pan for 30-40 mins on 200 degrees
2. Add your onions, carrots, and celery to the roasting pan and continue to cook for another half hour. Make sure you don’t burn it.
3. Add the bones only to a large stock pot, putting the roasted vegetables aside to cool. Add a cup of red wine, the rest of the can of the tomato puree and enough cold water to cover bones plus one inch.
4.Deglaze the hot roasting pan by pouring in some red wine or water to remove the nice caramelized drippings.
5. Heat stock at medium heat, stirring every few minutes and watching closely. Bring to a low, low simmer–but NEVER BOIL with the bones in the stock, this extracts bitter proteins and clouds the finished stock
6. Low boil or steep at around 100 degrees,just short of making boiling bubbles for 12-24 hours, no more, no less. You can leave uncovered or partially covered. But never cover because then there is no way for steam to escape. Every once in a while, use a slotted spoon to remove any scum that forms at the top of the liquid. That scum can make the stock bitter, so remove it every half an hour for the first few hours.
7. For the last hour of low simmer, add those roasted veggies you put in the refrigerator. Throw the bay leaves and cloves in when you add the veggies.
8. For the last half an hour of the low simmer, toss in the fresh parsley, thyme and a flat tablespoon of peppercorns. If you are using dry spices you can steep them in the stock using one of those big tea balls, dangling it from the side of the pot by the chain a full hour before you take the stock off the heat
9. Remove the dry herbs tea ball, if that’s what you used. Let the stock cool for a while on a cooling rack, until it’s cool enough to handle and strain. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into another big pot. The bones are big and heavy, so you might want to remove those with big tongs or a solid slotted spoon before straining. You can also use cheesecloth to strain, as Sean did so expertly when straining his chicken stock.
10. Once the stock’s in the other pot, chill in an ice bath in the sink. Stir both the stock and the ice water to cool quickly. Once it’s at room temperature, put the stock into the refrigerator to chill.
11. After it chills overnight, you’ll notice that the stock has formed a cap of fat on top. This can be as much as an inch thick. Remove this by cutting into quadrants with a knife and gently lifting it off of the gelatinous stock.
12. If you like, reduce the stock by up to a half. Season with a little sea salt, but keep in mind that the more you further reduce, the saltier it will get–so under-season! You can always add more salt later. Now warm the stock for a couple minutes on the stove to make it easier to pour, and pour into little plastic or glass containers and store in the freezer for up to several months. I use painter’s tape to label the date of the stock, and the type of stock. Just remember to leave a little room to allow the freezing liquid to expand. Enjoy!
Phew pretty long recipe process but obviously worth it. If you find that this is too much to make I suggest you half the recipe, or cook it in two pots so that you have plenty to freeze and use at a later date.
I hope you enjoyed this tid bit of interesting info.
Remember train mean and eat clean!
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
If I had a magic pill approach that would literally transform your body then I would say this would have to be as close as it gets. Now what I am going to share may not seem fancy, or sexy, and can’t be picked up a local pharmacy; but if you take this information and really nail it, then the rest will seem to just fall into place.
Now, maybe you haven’t given this much thought. Or possibly you’ve pondered this concept a little, but not really looked deep enough to find the true underlying answer to this question.
Trust me, it is there somewhere. If you can find it and most importantly believe in it, then this could become your secret weapon that will make you unstoppable!
We all have our WHYS. It is the answer to what gets you up early in the morning to train. Why you choose a black coffee over a large skinny latte. Why you research ways to get leaner. Why you push out those last couple of reps when you whole body feels like it is burning. Once you understand your own WHY you can understand what drives you forward and how to create additional motivation when you need it.
So what is it that you truly want?
Before you answer this, if you do in fact want to transform your body then you are going to have to give me more than just wanting to lose 5kg. You’ll have to dig further than wanting to feel a little fitter and if you really want the magic to happen it has to be more important than just getting into your skinny jeans. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great goals to have but what is it that lies underneath these goals? What is it in your soul that you really desire?
Take your time to think about it. Answer the questions below and be honest and true with yourself.
What is important to you?
What are the things that transforming your body would change in your life?
Who are the people this would effect?
What is your driving force that makes you feel like you want this as much as you want to breath?
Who do you want to inspire?
How do you currently feel about yourself? And how would you like to feel? Is there a difference?
What would achieving your goal look and feel like?
When you know your WHY, and align it with your values then the true magic will happen my friend. Remember if your reason WHY is big enough, is will always outweigh the reasons WHY NOT.
Eat clean, train mean,
Amanda x
The Queen of Lean
Are you ready to take hold, own, conquer and destroy that chin up bar? I believe there are many “king” exercises in the gym which we benchmark our level of strength, and chin ups are definitely one of those benchmarks.
It makes you feel seriously strong as you are able to clear over the bar for the first time and then even stronger when you are then able to slide (with grace) into your 2nd, 3rd 4th……
For some people that talk about these like it is a far fetched unobtainable goal but with the right training getting being able to do your first chin up is just a matter of time, and with cleaver training it shouldn’t take much time at all!
This blog post lays out a couple of upper body training sessions for you to complete over the next 8 weeks which are all focused around you gaining strength to be able to bang out the chin ups. For the best training results complete session 1 twice a week for the first four weeks and then switch into the second session which you will also do twice a week for the following weeks 5-8.
Whether you are aiming for your your very first chin up or if you are building on a foundation of a couple then these programs will help you clock up the number of chins.
Your A1. A2. etc. are indicating the order that you will complete the exercises. So for this program alternate between A1. and A2. until you have completed all of the sets, before then moving onto the B’s and doing the same.
Using slow tempos in your strength training sessions truly accelerates your results. If this is a new concept to you, then I am very excited to introduce this into your training because I know you will feel the difference. Personally I first came across this principal when I started using strength and conditioning training models that has been designed by Charles Poliquin. I have continued to use them because I noticed a dramatic improvement in my strength but also the rate at which you can transform your body.
Each number in the tempo represents seconds in time; being how long you will take to complete each section of an exercise repetition. In my instructional clips below I indicate which part of your exercise which is the first number in your tempo being the eccentric or lowering phase. This will make a little more sense when you read the explanation for the below prescribed tempo.
Therefore if you are completing a chin up with the above tempo you would lower down off the bar for 4 seconds, pause at the bottom for 0 seconds, pull up for 1 second and rest at the top for 0 seconds.
So let’s get stuck into the session….
A1. Overhead Press with a Barbell
8-10 Reps Tempo: 3010 Rest 100 sec Sets: 3
A2. Close Grip Chin Up (assisted)
6-8 Reps Tempo: 4010 Rest 100sec Sets: 3
B1. Incline BB Bench Press
8-10 Reps Tempo: 3010 Rest 100sec sec Sets: 3
B2. Wide Grip Lat Pull Down
8-10 Reps Tempo: 3010 Rest 100 sec Sets: 3
C1. 30 Sec Negative Chin Up
1 Rep Tempo N/A -Lowering 30 Sec Rest 120 sec Sets 3
A1.Seated Shoulder Press with Neutral Grip
6-8 Reps Tempo: 3010 Rest 100 sec Sets: 5
A2. 30 Sec Supinated Decline Chin up
1 reps Tempo n/a Rest 100 sec Sets: 5
B1. Incline DB Bench Press
8-10 reps Tempo 3010 Rest 100 sec Sets: 4
B2. Supinated Lat Pull Down
8-10 reps Tempo 3010 Rest 100 sec Sets: 4
C1.Standing Hammer Curl with a Pause
8-10 reps Tempo 4010 Rest 60 sec Sets: 3
C2. French Press with DB on a Bench
8-10 reps Tempo 4010 Rest 60 sec Sets: 3
Well there you have 2 pretty hardcore upper body sessions. I would love to hear about your progress and feel free to share a clip on my facebook page of you getting your first chin up over the line!
Sculpt a Banging Body!
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
What are the main things that typically hold women back from getting results? How have your turned female fitness competitors into champions? What do you believe are the main misconceptions that women struggle with when trying to get lean?
…These are just a few of the question which have been answered by my coach and friend Mark Ottobre in today’s interview.
Mark is the founder of Enterprise Fitness starting out Personal Trainer in 2006. He is a PICP Strength and Conditioning Coach, Biosignature Practitioner, Author of Eat Your Way to Abs and has featured in several magazines including T Nation and Muslcemag.
Mark has made a huge impact in the figure competitor arena by coaching several champions this year including;
Caroline Hutchinson, Winner of Novice Fitness model, All Female
Classic (INBA 2012)
Belinda Walker, Winner of Intermediate figure, All Female Classic
(INBA 2012), Winner of Novice Figure, Asia Pacific (ANB 2012)
Kristine Coffey, Winner of Novice Physique, All Female Classic
(INBA 2012)
Janet Kane, Winner of Miss Australia, Australian Titles (INBA,
2012). This is the 4th consecutive year Janet has won!
Lauren Webb 3rd place of Figure international, INBA Australia
titles.
…and of course myself; Amanda Rakusic, Winner of Novice Physique, Victorian Titles and 2nd
Place of Novice Physique, Australian Titles (INBA 2012)
Aside from all of these achievements Mark is very knowledgeable, results driven and genuinely cares for the health and wellbeing of his client’s. Mark is a person that I respect greatly and I am very excited to be able to share this interview with you today.
Click here to download your podcast. Please note that this interview will not play in firefox you will need to use another browser.
I hope you enjoyed today’s interview and make sure you let us know by clicking “LIKE’ before you leave this page.
Also remember to take advantage of the Early Bird special on Mark’s seminar by purchasing your ticket now by clicking here
Till next time….
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
Wow what an unbelievable 5 months it has been!! The best part has been sharing it with you guys and seeing human spirit at it’s best and feeling everyone cheering and rooting for me along the way (insert group hug here). Most of all I am still hearing the ripples of my inspiration from people online and close to me of how my Figure Competition journey has impacted them. Whether my story has help you train harder, become more knowledgeable or even just to put yourself on the line in some way or another, aside from the trophies those things are what I wanted from all of this.
To win the Victorian Novice Phyisque was amazing and then to make it to a National level in my first year of competing and to place second is certainly nothing to sneeze at. I would be lying to myself and to you if I never said that there is a part of me that is very disappointed that it wasn’t first for the Aussie title; I guess that’s just human nature and it makes you look at the things that you should be grateful for.
This experience has changed me and help me grow in ways that I never thought possible but at the same time doesn’t define me.
My plan was to compete again this Saturday and the following Saturday at the IFBB. I had this bravado that I wanted to clean sweep across a range of federations and really make a mark. To continue on this road it would mean canceling my house warming and birthday party and heading back into drinking loads of water, tanning up and donning my bikini yet again… But after processing everything that has happen I have decided I am tired and need a rest of all of this.
For now I am looking forward to inspiring and teaching you guys what is a normal healthy body fat percentage. I want to show you how to eat to me lean but enjoy a wider variety of foods and how to have a balanced approach to your training. I am looking forward to having more time with my husband and my dog and also finishing off the 12 Week Banging Body Challenge that I am so excited to share with you. And you know what I am looking forward to having a couple of glasses of red wine on my 34th birthday.
Will I compete again? Most likely yes. In fact I can already hear some Rocky come-back tune in my head and getting back into smashing out some serious weights….but for now I am just going to train, be healthy, have a little bit of a rest and find my balance.
Thank you for your love your support and if you could show it yet again by clicking “LIKE’ before you leave this page.
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
Training for a Figure Competition for me was certainly never about parading on stage in a blinged up bikini. That part, truth be known, absolutely scared the be-jesus out of me! I was all about taking on this big challenge, the training and building knowledge to kick my personal goals into serious overdrive.
I wanted to live and breath the life of a figure competitor and to know exactly what it takes to get your body to that level of conditioning. As a Personal Trainer I believe you learn the most when you play out a role yourself and I was excited to be empowered with all of this knowledge to pass onto my client’s.
….Oh and of course without a shadow of doubt I definitely had my heart, mind and soul set so firmly on winning that I was going to do everything in my power to hold that trophy!!
So what does it take? What lengths does a gal need to go to in order to compete and then win?
My lead up time was 16 weeks. I know girls that have done it in less, but as a first timer I was actually glad to have a long 
preparation time. For this entire period I was utterly focused. I didn’t skip a meal or a training session and I always made sure that I worked to my absolute limits. I was a girl on a serious mission and I found it amazing what mountains I was able to move with this big picture goal in sight. My reasons WHY quickly became bigger than the reasons WHY NOT.
I always say that it truly is amazing the motivation a teeny tiny itsy bitsy bikini can muster.
I knew I needed a coach with good knowledge and experience and I made a great decision when I asked Mark Ottobre to help me along the way. I packed the determination and the discipline and he steered me in the right direction every time. I tried my little heart out but also know I couldn’t have done something this technical without him, especially being that this was first time and being able to enjoy the experience.
From the get go Mark increased both my meal frequency and volume to eating every 2-3 hours, an essential move to reduce stress hormones and to fire up my metabolism. Previously I thought that my diet was good however it was very strange having the tables turned and filling in my own food journal. I realised how many times I would get caught up with client and go without food for up to a 4 to 5 hour period and also not eat enough protein.
My Diet Structure
Things tightened up and now my meals where religiously within the 3 hour period. If I was sitting down to eat I was already checking my watch to see when I next had to dine. My goal was to eat 125g to 175g of protein six times per day with 100g of greens and alternating between coconut oil and butter for a source of good fats. This seemed like a lot of food at first, but once my metabolism caught up up I was hungry sooner and I actually started eating even more frequently as I got closer to the comp.
Mark also implement post workout carbs to see if my body responded. He introduced 150g of sweet potato in my post workout meal and after 2 week we test my body fat percentage to see that it had dropped. He then tested a carb cycle which continued to send my body fat down which was a very exciting discovery that I was a carb girl!
Carb Cycling
Cycling with sweet potato or pumpkin provides your body with a high GI carbohydrate helping to fuel my workouts and also promoted the growth of lean muscle whilst also helping with fat loss. Everyone responds differently with this method so it is best to test and track your progress with a coach.
This is what my carb cycle looks like;
Day 1- High Carb Day – 200g of Sweet Potato x5 meals
Day 2 – Medium Carb Day 200g of Sweet Potato x 2 meals
Day 3 – Low Carb Day 200g of Sweet Potato x 1 meal
Day 4 – No Carbs
Day 5 – HIgh Carb Day-as Above
Day 6 – Medium Carb Day – as above
Day 7 – Low Carb Day
As you can see this is a lot of sweet potato but strangely enough I never get tired of the taste. It is delicious cut up into slices drizzled with a little coconut oil and sprinkled with nutmeg and cinnamon then cook until crispy.
I became a food prepping queen…
I started to pack my lunch instead of eating out and would prep my food the night before or in the morning. This ensured that I was getting the volume of food but also keep it really clean healthy which I believe sent my results into overdrive.
Typical Day of Food- High Carb Day
5.30am 150g Steak cooked in Coconut Butter with Sliced Up Cucumber 200g Sweet Potato & Long Black
8am 150g Chicken cooked in Coconut Butter, with half an Avocado 200g Sweet Potato & Long Black
9.30am Weight Training- 25g BCAA’s
Post Workout Supps – 1 Tablespoon Glutamine, 2 teaspoons Glycine, 1 Teaspoon Insolitol T
11am 150g Chicken cooked in Coconut Oil with Steamed Green Veggies 200g Sweet Potato
2pm 150g Turkey Breast cooked in Organic butter with Green Veggies 200g Sweet Potato
5pm 150g Steak with Rocket dressed with Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil 200g Sweet Potato
7.30pm Grilled Flathead with green Salad dressed in Olive Oil & Red Wine Vinegar
Other Supps; Fish Oils, Multi Vitamin, Zinc, Magnesium, Dim, Calcuim D Glucarate
What about Treat meals?
While my body fat percentage kept moving down some treats stayed. It becomes a game of what I could get away with and every time I did my measurements I prayed that I had this super slick metabolism that would know just to burn right through the odd chocolate and red wine. I must say, I was pretty damn happy that I was getting away with four glasses of wine a week and a homemade chocolate mix for at least 2 months of my preparation. However once I hit around 10% body fat my result plateaued and I had to tighten my belt and was super strict going treat free for the last 8 weeks leading up to the comp.
Hitting the Weights…
My resistance training was designed my Mark as a 5 day split program, meaning that I focused on a body part per session. Prior to training with Mark I thought I lifted heavy but when you have 45kg worth of dumbells handed to you and he wants 16 reps of an alternating lunge then things just got serious!!
I focused hard during my sets and zoned my eyes in on a spot on the wall and held my little 5’3” body as tight as I possibly could never doubted that I would be able to complete whatever was given to me. I remember feeling very pleased with myself when I managed to get through a tough set and Mark just looked at me and said “The force is strong with this one.”
This is what my training week looked like
Monday – Chest back and Shoulders
Tuesday – Legs
Wednesday – Arms
Thursday – Rest
Friday – Chest Back and Shoulders
Saturday – Legs
Sunday – Rest
Cardio
Mark’s approach to cardio is to leave it out while we were still getting great results with weight training. This was a tactic which helped me maintain high energy whilst also keeping an ace card to pull if and when my results plateaued. Around the same time as I waved goodbye to the treats I introduced 20-30min of Interval training twice a week and one 45min steady state cardio session after weight training. By the time I was really close to the comp I was doing either one of these sessions after each weight training day.
The Mini Melt Down
I am told that with most competition preparation there is usually a point where you have a little melt down. Mine came at 2 weeks 
before the comp which I think was the point where I realised that I was actually drawing close to getting on stage. I was lying on the hamstring curl having a good old cry in the middle of Doherty’s gym just thinking “What have I done?” I didn’t feel ready and I also couldn’t believe that I have actually never felt comfortable on a beach in my bikini let alone on stage!” It was my fear and self doubt kicking which took me a week to work through and build myself back up again and find that determined girl who started this journey with her heart set on winning.
Would I do it all again?
Absolutely. What started as a thirst for winning and building more knowledge quickly turned into a unexpected journey of self discovery. I unleashed more determination, strength and will power than I thought possible whilst also breaking through my fear of parading in a bikini.
For those girls thinking of taking on a similar challenge I will say that it was an amazing experience but you do need to be 100% disciplined and determined. Preparing for a figure comp is an extreme sport that you have to go to great lengths for. It is important to have the support of your partner, friends and family and definitely a good coach to guide you along the journey.
A special thanks to everyone in The Queen of Lean Community who have cheered for me along the way. To my coach Mark Ottobre for always giving precise and helpful tips and training structure and to my husband Rob because you are the one that lived all of this with me and supported me all of the way.
I hope you enjoyed this insight into my preparation and make sure show your support by clicking “LIKE” and leave this page.
For more great posts make sure you are a part of my facebook page and subscribe to this blog.
A little Leaner Everyday,
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
I grab the weight ready to start my set. It’s heavy, but I don’t allow myself to think about that fact for a second. I am strong and if there is a will there is a way. Look straight ahead, focus my eye gaze on something, a poster a weight rack it doesn’t matter I just don’t look down because that is a sign I am doubting my ability.
The power of your mind when you are lifting weights is an amazing thing. I often think that the way that you train in the gym is a direct carry over to how you handle life. Maybe I am taking this weight training thing too seriously, but think about, it if you are more willing to really push outside your boundaries in the weights room then maybe, just maybe you will do the same in life?
This is a clip from one of my recent training sessions where if you had asked me a couple of months earlier if I could do this weight I would have told you that you were crazy. It wasn’t I got a brilliant coach, Mark Ottobre who completely a believed in my ability that I started using the power of my mind to my advantage which has kicked my results into overdrive.
So at your next training session I want you to walk through the doors of the gym like you are a women who knows why she is there, knows what she wants and will push to the point that you can’t push anymore.
Try it. Trust me you will feel amazing.
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
I don’t know about you but I have always had a love hate relationship with my scales. They use to sit in a prominent spot in my bathroom, right next to the shower, so of course every day they were there, right by my side.
In times when I was particularly focused on getting lean I would jump on them WAY too often, daily in fact. Other times we would catch up every week or even as scarcely as once a month; but still we stayed in touch.
You think that the scales are there rooting for you, ready to give you encouragement and reassurance that your hard earned sweat is paying off. They may even be the type of friend that gives you further feedback of a body fat measurements and tell you whether you are dehydrated or not. So kind hey?
Don’t be fooled my friend the bathroom scales are like that conniving friend that is a smiling assassin which back stabs when you least expect it!!
The moment that I did away with measuring myself on the scales was a very liberating one and I highly encourage that you do the same and here are a couple of reasons why….
In my 6 year career as a Personal Trainer I have overall dropped around 10% body fat which is huge. In that time the scales have always hovered in the range of 55kg to 58kg. This, had I not used other means of measuring would be enough to make a girl cry.
These days I use the scales alongside my Biosignature measurements which gives myself and my client’s a reading of the percentage of fat they have lost, the muscle in kilos they have gained and an overall hormonal profile which will help you work out the next best plan of attack.
If you are still not convinced I here is a snapshot of my Biosignature measurements which have been taken leading up to my figure comp. Note that in column 5 my starting weight and last recorded weight then head over to the 20th column where you will see how much my body fat has dropped with the scales only going down by 100g.
Maybe you have heard all of this before and there is still a little part of you that wants to hang onto this friendship but it is time to let go. Mark my words the only way you can really become friends is just to be done with it and break up!
A little leaner everyday,
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
- Note the double up in the dates on the Biosignature table is because the measurements were taken on 12th June 2012 but entered into the computer at a later date.
As you probably already know I am in full swing figure competitor mode! As a newbie to the sport, I am super stoked at how I have been able to just knock my bodyfat percentage continuously down down down!
These days I like to think of getting lean as a magic trick; once you know the secrets of the trick it is relatively easy to to do. In fact, most of my client’s are currently knocking off 1-2 percent of body fat each and every week!
Now I know for some this might sound frustrating to hear, and don’t for a second think I have personally always found getting lean this easy. There have been many bumps in my road. It is years of experience and knowledge that has brought me to this point and this journey is exactly why I created this blog; to share these pearls of wisdom with you.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of this community. I feel so lucky to be able to connect with you and most of all I love meeting woman from this page on a one on one basis to help build their individual plans and unveil their personalised “magic trick” to create fat loss.
Here’s what one client from last week had to say;
With regard to the food – WOW I can’t believe how I am feeling already. I haven’t had a craving for sugar at all. I been hungry about 30min before it is time to eat and I am generally feeling awesome! Way more energy than I was expecting. Alicia Johnson
So with all of that being said, let’s get to the sugar hit that get’s you leaner….
When eating the right amount of food and eating clean your cravings should be mostly under control, but of course this doesn’t happen 100% of the time. This has been my absolute savor for when that sugar hit grabs hold.
QOL Magic Chocolate Trick
1 Tablespoon Organic Coconut Oil
1-2 Teaspoons Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
1-3 Drops of Stevia
1 Teaspoon Cocoa Powder
Mix and mush all of the ingredients together and spoon straight into your mouth. YUM!!
So how does this little combo help to get you leaner?
The magic ingredient in this combo is the fact that stevia has zero effect on your blood sugar and adding to that the list of benefits that goes with coconut oil;
1. Boosts your metabolism by up to 12%, in fact helps you to get leaner through your hips
2. It is medium-chain-fatty-acid which is shipped straight to your liver therefore creating an instant source of energy.
3. Along with eating other kinds of fats, coconut oil will help you feel full and satisfied sooner and also assist with helping you get rid of sweet cravings
4. It’s anti-inflammatory properties helps with joint health and even keeping the common cold at bay
5. Coconut oil is one of the most stable oils to cook with unlike Olive Oil. Make the switch and save your good quality olive oil for your salad dressings.
6. I have also read that Coconut Oil can get rid of Cellulite
So ladies, the next time a craving grabs hold of you tight just hit it with this trick and know that your results are still heading in the right direction.
Let me know that you enjoyed this post by clicking “LIKE’ before you leave the page.
A little leaner everyday,
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
We all have our own personal rules when it comes to fat loss. Whether they are kooky or not, give us results or not, we seem to get stuck on a certain way of doing things.
Perhaps for you it is exercising on an empty stomach, drinking a certain tea as the clock strike 12 or maybe it is a particular type of exercise that is your number one magical fat loss miracle maker?
Whatever rules you have created I think sometimes we can hold onto these concept so tightly and feel we must do them or the world will simply fall apart!!
Don’t worry as a female, I have these rules too. However, it wasn’t until I became comfortable with stepping outside of my own set ways and challenging these “rules’ that I really started to get outstanding results.
Two of the main “rules” that spring to mind which I commonly find holding woman back are;
1. I HAVE to do Cardio to Be Lean and Fit!
Whenever there is an ad for fitness, sure enough there will be a person running. Now, I am not saying that running is bad for you, it never hurts to break a sweat, but it is not the be all and end all criteria which creates fitness. Certainly not like it is made out to be.
You don’t HAVE to do it in order to get leaner. In fact by using your time in the gym to do weight training you will get faster results whilst sculpting womanly curves.
Currently as I am training for a Figure Competition I am doing absolutely ZIP cardio and sitting around 11% bodyfat. I hope to reach the stage in September with maintaining this philosophy just to prove it can be done.
I completely understand the solace in a of a piece of cardio equipment or the freedom of just being able to step outside your front door and go for a run. Mostly I think people feel drawn to cardio because you know what to do, right? One foot in front of the other or pull the one handle one way while the other goes the other way.
All I am saying is don’t rob yourself of results in the weights room if it is for lack of knowing what to do. Work with a coach, explore a different world that may break some of your own rules, but at the same time may unlock the results you want.
2. Restrict Food/Calorie Consumption
I still hear recommendations in the industry to restrict food to lose weight. In fact I had a client that was told no matter how hungry you are DO NOT EAT! This is ludicrous! In order to keep your stress hormones down and your metabolism firing you need to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours. The key element that you need to get right is in the CHOICE of food.
So what is a good choice you ask?
Let’s break it down…
Each time you eat you want your meal to be balanced including protein, fats and carbohydrates from vegetables.
So let’s break it down further…
Protein
With this sum I am using meat as the example to give you a clear guideline of what you should be having for the best fat loss results;
Your Body Weight in Kilos MULTIPLIED BY 2.4 = Protein for the whole day
Protein for the Whole Day DIVIDED BY Number of Meals per day (Should be 4-6)= Protein Per Meal
Protein Per Meal DIVIDED BY 22 then MULTIPLIED BY 100 = Grams of Meat (before cooked) Per Meal
If you are confused by the last sum it is because there is 22g of protein in 100g of meat (raw)
Carbohydrates
If you are trying to get leaner your best choice of carbohydrates is the least starchy green vegetables. These you can basically load up on and go for your life!
Fat
My favourite get-lean-fats are organic butter and coconut oil which should be 1-2 teaspoons per meal.
Phew, a lot of information but if you follow that formula you can’t go wrong.
RULE NUMBER ONE WHEN BREAKING YOUR OWN RULES!
Make it Measurable
Breaking a rule can be a scary experience. It is like you are in a dark hole wondering if this change could be the thing that finally gets the results you want, or god forbid could it actually take you in the wrong direction??
With any change to your training, diet or lifestyle you want to know it is the right fit for you. Measure your results and work with someone who knows what they are doing, not only does this move you forward, but helps you to keep piece of mind you are on the right track.
Making a Biosignature appointment is a perfect way to work out your ideal plan.
So ladies, if you feel that it is time for change and you have been getting a little stuck in your ways I encourage you to go break your own rules every now and then.
I hope you found this post helpful and informative and I would love to know by you clicking LIKE before you go on your merry way.
A little leaner everyday,
Amanda
The Queen of Lean
