1 month progresss

It is a month since I start to work with Michelle Brannan as my coach and I begin my diet. 
This month was full of new experiences and lessons. 

Diet itself was hard at the beginning but after some amends I got used to limited food and preparing everything in advance. As soon as first changes started to come, I was more motivated to keep it. I sticked to my cheat days, but the be honest only once I cheat in a full understanding of this word (where we went to restaurant and I had cheesburger and fries ;). Other 3 cheats were more like refeeds with some freshly baked baguette and some ricecakes. So carbs, carbs, carbs mainly ;)

my cheat meal after week 2

Training wise I am thrilled about my resistance trainings and still working on proper amount of cardio I had to do ;)

my regular foods: some complex carbs (wholemeal couscous), protein (oven baked white fish) and veggies with balsamic vinegar

If it comes to stats, after 4 weeks I've lost 2kg and minus 4,5cm in waist and 3,8cm in my hips. Wow! :) I couldn't been more excited!

trainings legs 3 times a week results in rounder booty ;)

But, the most importnatly, by doing that, I haven't feel that good in my own skin for years! This is the best outcome I got so far!

Diet week 1 update

It has been exactly I week since I start my diet and new training routine as a part of Michelle Brannan's Shape Team. 

As I already mentioned on my Facebook page, for 3 months I will be working with Showgirls Fitness and see how are my results and motivation level after. If after 12 weeks I will be in a reasonably good shape, I might think about competing in bikini fitness :) 

my coach Michelle Brannan at last Olympia contest

My 12 weeks started exactly week ago, on Tuesday. 

I have to admit that first days were the hardest day dieting I have ever in my life. Calories restriction killed me and together with very, very busy working scheldue I was terrified how I am gonna survive that next 3 months.

favourite meal of the day - breakfast :)

The is only onre reason it was that hard and it is ME only. 

meal prep in full scope ;)

I was tottaly unware that I get into trap I was alarming every one of my clients: eating too much because of tiredness and active lifestyle. I was counting my macros but I relied to much on listening to my body. And my body was sending me signals about hunger when it was not only hungry, but tired and stressed. It all result in eating too much and too often. 
When I got my meal plan and eat according to eat, for the first days I couldn't adjust. Hunger I experience was indescribable.
Luckly, during that days I was in still contact with my coach Michelle. She reacted very quickly on each of my strugglings. After few days we adjusted little my calories intake and make things easier. 

Now every day required a lot of planning. I have to do meal prep at least every second day. But on the other day, during day I don't have to think what to eat to meet my goals, everything is ready so I just have to grab a fork and eat it. 

one leg press exercise

Training-wise I am thrilled. 
I have 5 day split training and I train legs a looot! 
I thought I was keen on almost every resistance exercise, but still tried some few new for me, like one leg press. 
This exercise literally killed my ass ;)
 
Beside resistance training I have my cardio workouts. Luckly, Insanity classes count as a one of them, so only with no-Insanity days I have to do something additionally. Cardio will be definately that big change if it comes to my training since I wasn't do much cardio during winter time.

On Saturday I had my first cheat meal/free meal. I had some of them before, but that time I wasn't dieting that strictly. This time it was tottally well deserved meal.

I didn't choose anything fancy, just a toast with double cheese and ham together with some corn nachos and rice cakes. Carbs mostly ;) Nothing sweet. Again, I just realise that I don't have necessar a sweet tooth ;)





The feeling of happines while eating my toast was soooo big. I don't want to build wrong realtion with food (and junk food), but I needed that carb loading.

Now I've just send my stats and pictures to my coach and wait about her comments about how well or bad I did during my first week. 
My current form pic (I dropped 2cm in waist, and 2,5cm in hips so far):

7 days done, 77 days to go :)

Fresh start

Back in London with a good energy

Everything I know I learn from my own experience. I didn't have any coach or mentor. I've chosen the way which is harder and more complicated, with lots of ups and downs. But in the end I learn for life and then I know that as a trainer, I share only the knowledge which is proven by myself. 

beautiful Toruń by night

As you probably noticed I have been off for one week which I spend in Poland.  Main focus of my visit was to spend quality time my family and friends, but secondly I went there to recover. 

Before my short holidays I found myself in a place where my body was tired, my soul was tired and I was n a bad state of mind - suffered from lots of indigestion problems (due to lactose and dairy intolerance) and then from terrible lower back pain due to constant over train. I had to STOP.  

So I took 8 days off from training, sport supplements and take care over my body. Had two 180 minutes massages, walk a lot and eat naturally (with some nice treat meals) food. But, most importantly, I get the connection with my body&mind again. 
There are lots of people who say that you have to love your body in order to see change but I really can say this is true!

After charging my batteries with love, friendship and rest, there was a time for some change with my training approach. 

from my first run this year in Victoria Park

This s what I learned this time: don't focus only only on training, recovery is a important part of a training process. What does it mean in practise? I reduced weight training to 2 split trainings. I will have pull and push days. The rest will be dedicated to Insanity training (twice a week) and cardio. Plus long stretching sessions at least 2-3 times a week and sauna session once or twice a week. More time for cardio and flexibility. And maybe some massage from time to time :)

back to food prep after some time of rest from lunchboxes

Now I feel more in balance with my own body and I hope that my new approach will show results quickly :)

Insanity UK

By the end of December 2013 I had an opportunity to become one of the first certificated Insanity instructors in UK. My gyms, Soho Gyms, were the first ones in England to introduce that format to their clubs.

With every week more and more people sign up because they want to do Insanity training. I am more than thrilled! And I can definitely say that this course was a milestone in my fitness instructor's career.

What is Insanity?
It is a high intensive interval training where you use your own body weight to do specific moves for exact amount of time with some short breaks in between.
Training itself is based on home DVD series made by Beachbody. It was that popular, they decided to introduce it to clubs as well. 

What can you achive?
This is the type of training where you definitely go out from your comfort zone. You work on your stamina and endurance but improve your strength too. As I often say to my group - you hate it during the process, you think it is too much, but when you're done you feel amazing and you have that endorphins kick! Check the video:

And here you have some moves you can expect during the class:

Is Insanty for everyone?
Class is designed for everyone, on every fitness level. You can always do low impact modification of the move.You can move in your own pace and this is not a class where you exercise to music. 

But definitely not everyone will goining to like that tempo. If you have hearth and serious back and knee injuries, you should not take it. But you still might consult your instructor before class, so he/she can help you with finding some other variations of the moves. Or propose some other suitable form of training.

Can you join anytime?
Yes. This is the main difference between DVD series and class in a fitness club. I introduce new moves and keep them changing a lot, but there is nothing like day 1 or 60. Even if you already know some of the moves, there is always room for improvement. 

Where and when?
Try class (as a guest if you are not a Soho Gym member) at one of my classes at Bow Wharf (East London). Wednesdays 7:00 PM and Sundays 10:00AM! :)

Here you have a timetable for all Insanity classes at Soho Gyms.

Free from...

Internet is back! Now I can blog again for real! :)

find me on instagram: majanordic

With previous Faceboook post probably you have noticed that I was forced to try gluten and lactose free diet. 


For couple of weeks (or even months) I've been feeling bad. Always bloated, with water retention, with huge problems with indigestion. For a person who works in fitness industry (but as well as for any other person!) this was a nightmare. Imagine coming on a class and your instructor have a belly like a 3 month pregnant woman! ;)

I started to look for some reason of that and accidentaly saw that at Stratford they make allergic tests. I took one of them and the results were obvious: highly intolerance for wheat gluten, intolerance for dairy (milk, yoghurt, cheese), yeast, leek, onion and chive. 
The only think to do for now is just to try avoid those products.

my test's results

But what is exactly a problem with intolerance of gluten and lactose? 

  
Gluten is a protein from wheat, rye and barley. 
Some people tolerate it good, some can't have anyting with gluten (one who suffers from celiac disease) and others have gluten sensivity. I am in the third group. 

If you experience bloating, pain in your joints and bones, 'chicken skin' in the back of your arms, dizzines, chronic fatique, you might suffer from the same condition as I. 

With dairy intolerance is even eeasie to explain. Most of the people has very little lactaze enzym which digest lactose, sugar from milk. But there is group of people who tolerate it even worse than others and  after consuming milk products they get bloated, sometimes diorrhoea, winds and stomach pains.


Luckily nowadays we have lots of gluten and diary free products. Not mentioning all the natural ones like vegetables, fruits, meat and fishes. However, I love yoghurts and kefir and there were always the best snack for me, so I will have to look for some other snacking choices..

even with gluten and lactose intolerance, you can still eat lots of food, just be creative!

If you also can't consume gluten (in my case only from wheat) and diary, you can still have:
* gluten free oats
* pure whey protein with little carbs in it (the less carbs - the less lactose in it)
* rice
* lentils 
* groats
* coconut, hazelnut, almond milk
* vegetables
* fruits
* starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes and so on
* eggs 
* soups (watch out for ready ones, they are often with flour)
* pastries from sesame, oats, rye or buckwheat flour
* nuts and peanut butters
* rice and corn cakes 

story of my life! cottage cheese I miss you!

Stay away from:
* bread, rolls
* yoghurts, creams
* souces
* cheeses
* tortillas
* crispbread
* cookies, muffins and pastries
* beer (contain gluten!)
* pastas 
* supplements like gainers (they have lots of carbs, with lactose included)

now we can find a big range of gluten and lactose free products! ufff!

Protein&spinach muffins

Recently I've ordered few products from bulkpowders.co.uk
 

psyllium husk&spinach powder, proteins plus coconut oil from bulkpowders

I still look for my healthy food supplier and checking English companies out. Bulkpowders was one of them, recommended by my friend. Despite the name, they don't have only products for those who are on bulk ;) 


They don't have fancy packing, just simple, minimalistic ones. Together with no big adds. But the variety of products is really big. I got few protein powders from them (simple whey and mixed), gainer for my beloved, psyllium husk, hmb and spinach powder from them. For now whey protein chocolate orange is my unquestionable favourite, especially with my mornings oats. 

my recent baking

Having some day off I decided to use ordered spinach powder. I used it for muffins and they came really tasty.

For 8 muffins you will need:
* 1 scoop of vanilla protein
* 2 tbsp of sesame/quinoa/regular flour
* 0.5 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder 
* 0.5 tbsp spinach powder
* 1 egg
* 1dl of almond/regular milk
* sweetener (Sukrin or other)

Mix all dry ingredietns first, then add egg and milk for dough, watery consistency. Mix together and put into muffins forms. Bake for 30 minutes in 200 degrees.

ready to eat muffin with glaze and dried raspberries on top

Glaze:
* 2 tbsp of Philadelphia Light (or other soft cheese)
* powdered sweetener (Sukrin Melis)
* dried raspberries on top 

Enjoy gluten free, sugar free, protein&spinach muffins! :)

isn't that true? ;)

New Year

Such a shame that only after 18 days I was able to write something on the blog first time this year. Crazy times! Moving in and lots of work resulted in my absence. And lack of internet! We have been waiting for weeks to have one in the house and we still have to be patient. Till that I am using only my phone, which makes things difficult. 

hi world, I am still alive ;)

I feel like I've started a brand new chapter of my live in England. With my own place to live, with my own kitchen where I can cook and my own space where I can write and work... Things are going to be much easier right now. I hope so and strongly believe in it!

new green tea to my collection in lemon honey flavour, perfect for a sick girl

Unfortunately, my body didn't take all that stress good. Recent weeks were crazy busy at home and club and I totally over-trained and overworked myself which resulted in 2 weeks cold. After doctors appointment I decided to take some time off to recover. Only 2 additional days, but it is still something and I hope it will work.

luxurious home made food - mash potatoes, sourekaut and pork lion in mushrooms with cooked beetroot

Good food, lots of hot drinks, blanket and newest season of How I Met Your Mother is my best remedy. Together with love. Lots of love. It always helps :)