1.
MENTAL STATE
2. EDUCATION (FOOD,
FLUIDS & EXERCISE)
3. ACCOUNTABILITY
4. SUPPORT
These were the 4
things I needed achieve & maintain a flat, toned stomach.
I have been
really excited to share this with everyone, especially after the feedback I
received on my social media channels about this post in particular! Learning, understanding
& implementing these 4 tools is something that is a long term action for
me. Not a short term. This post is not about my 'secrets' to getting flat abs
in 10 minutes.. It is factual, realistic & I am speaking from experience -
You won’t find any opinions, I’m not a personal trainer or a nutritionist so I
am simply sharing what has worked for me.
1. MENTAL STATE:
My mental state I
believe is above all the most important factor to achieving anything I set
goals for. It determines where you go, what you achieve & how you achieve
it. Sit down & write down exactly what you want to achieve & what date
you want to achieve it by, if you don't have an end date you don't have a
finish line to become focused on. create a motivation/vision board (This is a
canvas of inspiring images of things you want to achieve in the future) and
what I found to be one of the biggest motivators that kept me on track was list
of 50 reasons WHY I want a flat and toned stomach (you can use these lists for
anything you want to achieve).
2. EDUCATION (FOOD,
FLUIDS & EXERCISE )
You can’t have a nice
flat, toned stomach or healthy body if you don't fuel your body with the foods
& exercise it needs to thrive. From my experience of achieving a nice toned
stomach I have found I need a reasonable amount of cardio/aerobic exercise. I
found long distance running (25-30 mins a day), 45 mins to an hour on the
cross-trainer, cardio-kickboxing class, skipping, weighted sit ups, gym ball
sit ups, core focused bridge exercises & bike riding are fantastic
exercises to help strengthen my core, shrink my waistline & tone my
stomach.
A major lesson I
learnt about exercise when I first had a personal trainer was not to over-do my
workouts. If I try and do a heavy exercise routine every day of the week, that
will be too much for my body. It won't allow my muscles anytime to recover from
what they've been through & actually grow & strengthen. The body needs
about a day or two to actually recover from the workout (depending on the type
of work out).
I have created a post
about my healthy eating plan in my blog post 'You Are What You
Eat... And More!' - This is a fantastic plan to take away &
alter for your everyday life, obviously my diet is going to be different to a
persons who isn't being photographed in underwear and everyones diet will be
different, but, this is great start.
Also check out my post
on my 'Top 10 Tips for
Keeping A Healthy Body & Soul!" - In this specific post, I
note on things like the importance of healthy, organic foods, organic skin
care, supplements, H20 & why you SHOULDN'T EVER diet.
MY EATING PLAN
Meal 1 –
7:00am - Breakfast
- 1 piece of organic gluten-free light rye toast +
squeeze of lemon + ¼ Avocado (No Butter) + banana
OR
-A shake with half a cup of natural fresh mixed
berries (no added sugar), 1 cup of raw oats + 1 scoop of protein from The
Supplement Den + 1 cup of water..
- Warm water with lemon & freshly sliced ginger
- 1 scoop of Pharma-Greens with water
Meal 2 –
9:30am – Snack
- 1 medium apple + 15g natural almonds
Meal 3 –
12:30pm - Lunch
50g of chick peas or 4 bean mix + salad
OR
- Salad + gluten free light rye bread made into a
sandwich (Use small amount of avocado as a substitute for butter if you need
it)
OR
Organic lentil pattie with sliced zucchini, carrot,
garlic & onion
- 1 cup of organic green tea with freshly sliced
ginger
Meal 4 –
3:30pm - Snack
- 1 cup of steamed vegetables + tofu + lentils + 4 bean mix
- 1 cup of steamed vegetables + tofu + lentils + 4 bean mix
- 1 cup of organic green tea with squeeze of lemon
with freshly sliced
Supplement
Den Pre Workout Shake (20 mins before workout)
Supplement
Den During Workout Shake (Consume during workout)
Supplement Den Post
Workout Shake – 6pm (Straight after workout)
Meal 5 –
7pm – Dinner
Vegetarian stiryfry + lentils + chickpeas+ vegetables
(zucchini, broccoli, carrot, baby corn, organic tofu, squash & spinach)
with garlic, chives, chilli, coriander, lemongrass & onion
OR
Veggie pattie with cooked spinach, chickpeas in an
organic wrap with a side of tofu
OR
Mediterranean salad (Lentils, chick peas, leafy
greens, tomatoes, spinach, spanish onion with steamed vegetables)
- 1 cup of
organic chamomile tea before bed
- MY BIKINI BODY PACK -
My bikini body pack with all of the supplements I take is now available to all of my readers - Click through HERE to read all about it, what I take & purchase it! Notes:
- I stay away from coffee & dairy products - Milk, cheese ect..
- I drink 2- 3 litres of water per day + 1 litre for every hour of exercise done
- For best results on this plan – No Alcohol is the way to go!
- I allow myself 1 meal off per week.
- Stick to this plan 100%.
- Avoid store bought juices, coffee, milk & sugary drinks/energy drinks
Great alternative to milk:
Almond milk; How do I make my own?
Throw natural almonds in a blender with water! Or alternatively you can buy organic almond milk, soy milk, rice milk
which are all still great if you still love your milk but want to replace it with something healthier!
Alternative to ice cream? You can make it!
Throw a frozen banana in the blender with water &
you have a healthier, dairy-free option.
MY NATURAL DETOXS TO
KICK START HEALTHY HABITS & MAINTAIN THEM -
○ Drink ginger tea,
Green tea & fresh juices with no additives or preservatives (stay tuned for
my GO GREEN Alkalizing foods & juices blog post)
○
Every morning before anything else squeeze half a lemon into a glass of warm
water & drink. This helps alkalize your body (Like wheatgrass does) It also
kick starts your metabolism for the day!
○ Drink only water,
fresh juice and tea the entire week – Avoid store bought juices, coffee, milk
& no sugary drinks at all! These are full of sugar, fat, ACID, hormones
& a lot of other horrible additives.
○ Take
wheatgrass in the form of powder OR tablets once a day
○
This next tip is something I learned through my Anthony Robbins Living Health
pack: Ever wondered why most smokers are slender? Well, besides the cigarette
smoke decreasing your appetite - They are taking big deep breaths in & out
which enhances the circulation of your body! Remove the cigarette from the
equation & take big breaths of air as MUCH as you possibly can! Breathe in
and out through your nose & out through your mouth. This will ensure
constant circulation through the body.
So, with the nutrition
side tuned-in (in a simple & straight
forward way) & doses of realistic cardio for your body at that time – you
will set yourself up for metabolic synchronization – By then adding the right
types of core & ab exercises this will give you the steps for getting rid
of that excess stomach fat – & resulting in achieving a tightly toned
stomach!
3. ACCOUNTABILITY
No matter what journey
you are on in life, you always need to be held accountable for your actions.
This is having your surrounding circle of influence ensuring are you on track,
checking your doing your action steps & being the person helping keep you
in check.. and also telling you the things you don't necessarily want to hear,
but HAVE to hear!
Learning to also help
keep myself accountable & maintain mental strength is also something I have
really enjoyed doing over these past few years. Sometimes, you may not have
that correct circle of influence & this is where your own mental strength
comes in to play.
4. SUPPORT
In one of my favorite
books "HOW TO GET FAT & HOW NOT TO" by Rowena Szeszeran-McEvoy
the no.1 first thing under 'The 103 ways to get fat" is; Surround yourself
with negative people. The support of your surrounding circle of influence
(Family, friends, co-workers) is important. It is the constant emotional
backing of confidence to make sure you stay on your path. Having people around
you who positively encourage you to eat regular healthy meals, work out on a
daily basis & help you achieve your goals is a very vital factor to
achieving a great body.
Lets be honest, it
doesn't really help when all your friends or family want to do is eat junk food
& be a couch potato does it? No.
At the end of
the day, you don't need people telling you how to do things - You need role
models & desire to want something so badly you will do anything to achieve
it.
All of the information
is at your fingertips, so it's time to stop procrastinating & get out there
to make it happen. Never sit around and say things are too hard or you are not
educated enough because many people in your same position in the world have
done it before you;
- You may hear a BIG
voice interrupting your plan to be fit, healthy, happy & full of energy..
It may sound something like this - "You can't do it, its unachievable, eat
something else because it's easier & more convenient, keep drinking alcohol
because your friends are, wait for Monday to come & start.. WAIT TILL NEXT
YEAR!!" I think we can all call ourselves procrastinators from time to
time but it is the action that speaks louder than the words my friends... Tell
the little voice in your head GOODBYE, because there is truly nothing holding
you back from your ideal figure & mental state but your decision &
action to do it. The end result is truly worth it.
Healthy living is ultimately
your own choice....
LOVE
ELLIE x
"EVERY HUMAN BEING IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS OWN HEALTH OR DISEASE." - BUDDHA


I love this Blog post! So many helpfull tips, It is hard when your surrounded by family and friends that are eating junk food.
ReplyDeleteBut i just have to think positive.
Thank you Ellie, for taking the time out of your busy life to share this with your Followers (:
Love Ashleigh.
xxx
Ellie you changed my LIFE after I read this post! Thankyou so much for being such an inspiration, you are amazing. I found you on twitter & I am so glad that I did because I would be unhealthy, unfit and I would still have a terrible attitude!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteAshleigh is right, I love that you share all of this with us. we love you ellie!
Love Amy xoxxxoxoxoxo
Ellie have you always looked the way you look now? How long did it take for you to look the way you are now?
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much Amy & Ashleigh =)
ReplyDeleteAnnonymous- Not at all! In 2008 just after I left school I lost about 7kgs.. Hugely because of what my goals were, and I started to really educate myself about nutrition & fitness.
I have never looked back since then, I workout 6 times a week & eat very clean. I've even seen such a rapid change since I implemented supplements into my diet. I've got a video blog coming up on my YouTube channel about what supplements I take, why I take them & what they do along with my workout videos too!
Im really looking forward to sharing them,
Ellie x
Hey Ellie! I am such a huge fan of yours and you are such a fitsporation!!! Just wondering, do you count calories? And if so roughly how many a day would you say you eat? I am having a hard time figuring out how much to eat to support my workouts and lose weight and tone up! Thanks so much :)
ReplyDeletePS LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!
you share such inspiring advice, i really look up to you and how amazing your attitude towards life and health is. I dream for a body like yours and hopefully one day my hard work will pay off. How long did it take you to lose 7kgs? was it in a matter of years, months, weeks?
ReplyDeleteEllie,
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere you love running. Do you do this in addition to your 6 workouts per week? How often and how long do you run for? Thanks :) love your fitness videos!
Anna