Comvita Olive Leaf Extract supplements

Comvita Olive Leaf Extract is a health supplement that aims to support the immune system by strengthening the body's natural defense system, especially during the colder seasons. The supplements include Olive Leaf Extract, as well as Copper and Zinc. 

SculpSure | Consultation and First Treatment

SculpSure (by Cynosure) is a non-invasive body contouring treatment that is designed to get rid of stubborn areas of fat, e.g. flanks and thighs. I go to the gym quite regularly (I go 3-4 times a week and do spinning, Zumba, body conditioning, and body pump), but I find that the weight primarily disappears from my thighs, arms, and waist. My stomach and flanks have always been really stubborn areas with regard to fat.

I've regularly considered fat removal treatments and liposuction, but the side effects always scared me out of it when I became deep in the research stages. So as a non-invasive treatment, SculpSure was something that I just had to give a go of.

What SculpSure does is transport heat to the fat cells and disrupts them. Then, the body eliminates the fat through waste disposal (i.e. urine) between 4-12 weeks after treatment.  According to Cynosure, the treatment can result in up to 24% of fat reduction within a 12-week period, and the fat will never return once it's gone. Having said that, SculpSure does not affect body weight; it does not budge the number on the scales, but instead sculpts the area that is treated. It takes only 25 minutes to complete a treatment and there is no downtime.

Slendertone Connect Abs

About a month ago, I attended the launch of Slendertone's new Connect Abs- a revolutionary addition into the fitness industry. The Connect Abs belt aims to give you a firmer and flatter stomach in weeks, with 5 different training programmes to suit your needs, and is fully interactive via Bluetooth on iOS devices. 

As with most fitness products that claim to make visible changes to your body, I was very skeptical of Connect Abs and honestly spent the first few uses thinking 'Is this really going to work?'. However, I was pleasantly surprised after 6 weeks of usage 4 times a week. 

Connect Abs uses patented EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) technology to contract the muscles in the same way a crunch does. According to Slendertone, completing a 30 minute programme is like doing over 200 crunches, and you can definitely feel the sore core muscles the next day- so the muscle contraction does work! 

Barre at Virgin Active

This August, Virgin Active will be launching a brand new fitness class, called Barre- a fusion of ballet fresh from the studios of LA. Virgin Active are always launching new and fun classes, but this one definitely hits the nail for those who are looking for something completely unique to incorporate into their fitness regime, and I think it'll prove to be quite popular. Plus, it's a great way to get more out of your membership. 

The classes combine classical ballet moves with elements of dance, yoga and pilates and aims to increase tone, flexibility, rhythm whilst working out to high-energy music. Barre is ideal for those who wish to achieve the physical benefits of ballet but find the strict classical origins of the dance to be intimidating. 

The class lasts one hour and even incorporates arm weights, resistance bands, and pilates balls. I'll definitely be popping down to one as it sounds fun, and I've always wanted to do ballet! 

To celebrate the launch of Barre, Virgin Active have photographed 'Extreme Ballerina' Agathe Petrini doing 'extreme' ballet poses at London landmarks. How amazing are the photos? 

Barre is available exclusive at Virgin Active from this month, and you can find your nearest club here: www.virginactive.co.uk. 

Review: MyProtein

MyProtein is one of the biggest global nutrition brands- honestly, they do everything in protein capacity including porridge, hot chocolate, rice, and even breadsticks! Upping your protein intake has never been easier. I recently tried some of their products and here are my thoughts. 

Impact Diet Whey - £19.49 for 1.45kg

I've tried a fair deal of protein shakes in my time, and this one is so far my favourite. The Impact Diet Whey is 212 calories per serving with 35g of protein, and 8.1 of carbs. As well as whey protein, the shake also includes fine oats- which is a great source of low GI carbohydrates. Low GI is important in attaining your fitness goals as it provides slow release energy to keep you fuller for longer because it's digested slowly and keeps your blood sugar levels stable.

The oats also make the shake ideal for breakfast before the gym. Green Tea Extract and ALCAR is also included to assist with fat loss. But don't worry if you're not a fan of green tea- you can't taste it! 

I tried the Vanilla Cookie flavour and it tastes so good and isn't too sweet. My advice would be to not to mix it with water- it doesn't taste very nice. I mix mine with Alpro's Coconut Milk and throw in a few ice cubes. I tend to have a shake for breakfast and it's honestly so filling- it keeps me full for a good few hours so I don't have to resort to snacking. I've tried some protein shakes that have made me feel a bit sick after, but thankfully I didn't experience this with MyProtein. 

I also recommend you purchase a shaker for £1.99 as the one from MyProtein is the best I've ever used. It's smaller than most shakers so it's more compact, and the lid screws on very tight so there's very little chance of leakage- especially when you shake it. It also comes with a spiral spring to reduce lumps in the mix, which is very handy and even with the oats, my shakes are lump-free. Plus- it's pink! 

Protein Porridge - £12.99 for 20 sachets 

What I love about MyProtein is that they offer samples of their products which you can purchase on their website. There's nothing more annoying that buying a huge 1kg bag of whey protein only to try it out and realise you don't like it. Trying out samples first saves you money, and allows you to give different flavours a go so you can choose which ones you like. 

I tried samples of the Protein Porridge in Strawberry and Chocolate, and they tasted really nice. It just tasted like normal porridge but flavoured. It was so filling that I could never actually finish a full sachet so I ended up having half at a time. The Protein Porridge contains over 13g of protein per serving and the oats are low GI. 

The strawberry one was a little too sweet with the Coconut Milk but the chocolate one was delicious.  I think the Unsweetened Almond Milk works better with the Strawberry flavour. I'll definitely be trying the Vanilla flavour soon.

You can check out MyProtein's wide range of products here: www.myprotein.com/home.dept

Have you tried MyProtein before? 

Why I Love Virgin Active

I joined Virgin Active in 2012 and have never looked back, especially after exceeding my fitness goals. I'm constantly raving about Virgin Active to readers, friends and family so I've put together a little write-up on my positive experiences of the club and why I love it. 

Disclosure: this is not an advert. I've been asked so many times to recommend a gym so I thought a write-up on here would be much easier and more accessible. I'm just sharing the love :) 

Facilities 

- Up-to-date and on-trend equipment: My local club recently went through a huge renovation and brought in brand new up-to-date equipment onto the gym floor. So now most of the strength training equipment focuses on functional training. There are also cool variations available of traditional cardio equipment such as the Water Rower and the Woodway Curve treadmill, both of which I enjoy using.

- Amazing swimming pools: The pools at Virgin Active are visually stunning and incredibly photogenic. Daniel Craig even swam in VA's Canary Wharf pool in Skyfall!

- Club lounge: The club lounge's facilities include catering, seating, the availability of newspapers/magazines, and computers. I honestly don't know what I'd do without my local club's lounge. I like to sit down after my workout to unwind whilst sipping a smoothie and surfing the net.

- Fun classes: Virgin Active don't like sticking to hosting traditional fitness classes and regularly launch fun and innovative classes that prove to be quite popular. Current classes include: The GRID (high intensity obstacle training), Anti Gravity Yoga, and Body Balance (a twist on the traditional yoga and pilates class).

- Fancy changing rooms: The changing rooms include lockers, luxury showers, saunas, lit-up dressing tables, excellent bathroom facilities, and even leather sofas! Also available to use in the changing rooms include hair dryers, shower gels, soaps, lotions and facial cleaners. 

I have to say though, some clubs are better than others but VA are constantly bringing in positive changes. For example, not all clubs currently host an in-body tracker but I've been told by staff that this facility will be coming to all clubs over the next few months. 

Motivational staff 

I joined Virgin Active at a time when I didn't know a thing about fitness and this is why I'm incredibly thankful to the staff as I was given advice and tips on the very first day of joining. Additionally, I was provided with a free kick-start session where my goals and body weight/measurements were assessed in order to come up with an effective training plan. 

Because of this, I was able to achieve my goals and I love Virgin Active for encouraging me to change my lifestyle. My initial goal was to lose a stone to see how I would do; I ended up losing three- much to my joy. Prior to Virgin Active, I was a member of three different gyms (not at the same time, of course) and I hated them. I kicked myself over the fact that I didn't join VA sooner! 

The staff are very knowledgeable and love to socially interact with members If there's a new piece of equipment on the gym floor, they're more than happy for me to ask them how to use it and also provide tips and advice on fitness, nutrition, and being successful in achieving goals. 

I love this quote from @VirginActiveWay on Twitter! 

Prices and memberships 

When I'm asked about a gym recommendation and I say 'Virgin Active', I'm always told that it's a little pricey, which is understandable. I agree; it is pricey- but only initially. If you make the most out of the club's facilities and regularly visit, it's totally worth it. It's so easy to make the most out of your membership; even on my rest days, I sometimes pop into the club to chill in the lounge or attend a yoga class. 

Membership prices vary per club, and single club and multi-club memberships are available. So if you live local to a club but also work near another VA club, a multi-club membership may be the option you go for. I was also talking to a member of staff the other day and she mentioned that the clubs offer temporary monthly memberships that can be paid for up-front (payment is usually via Direct Debit), but I'll check this for definite and will update this post soon. Membership info and options can be found here: www.virginactive.co.uk/memberships/options.

Virgin Active also offers the occasional complimentary guess pass so members can take a friend along to the club with them! 

I hope anyone looking into joining Virgin Active or any gym finds this post helpful. Feel free to ask me any questions! 

*Images provided by Virgin Active's press office

Nike Air Max Thea | Grey & Pink

I'm a big fan of Nike Air Max Theas- which are available in different colours every season, so I picked up another pair. I previously owned a Blue/Pink pair which I love, but I thought it was time to treat myself and purchase another pair. 

Nike Air Max Thea | Fuchsia Pink

I wrote about Air Max Theas in Grey/Pink a couple of weeks ago, and the views for it were much higher than expected! So I thought I'd post about my new pair in Fuchsia Pink.

The NutriBullet | Why It's Amazing

The NutriBullet is something that most people have heard of, and almost every fitness fanatic swears by. I decided to bite the bullet (see what I've done there ;)!) and purchase the NutriBullet for myself back in January. 

This model of NutriBullet is priced at £99.99 which may seem a little pricey for a blender at first. I do love my post-gym, fruit, and breakfast smoothies so I knew that I needed a good new blender (my previous one was useless!), but I never imagined myself constantly banging on about NutriBullet and recommending it to my friends. The NutriBullet is truly special and I'm actually angry at myself that I didn't go in for the plunge earlier.

Mini V Nutrition by Vicky Pattison | An Introduction

Geordie Shore's Vicky Pattison had already taken the fitness industry by storm with the very successful launch of her 7 Day Slim DVD. But now she's determined to go further by launching an exciting nutritional range, called Mini V Nutrition.

The range consists of health and fitness supplements as well as protein shakes and snacks, and has proved to be incredibly popular so far. A few of the products have already sold out so it's safe to say that's Vicky's done amazingly well.

What's great about the range is that Vicky has experienced successful weight-loss herself (and now looks absolutely amazing!) so she knows exactly what women need in order to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Her knowledge is evident in the concept of Mini V products, and I've actually given some of them a try!

Protein World | Chocolate Slender Blend review

My review of the Vanilla Slender Blend was incredibly popular and I received lots of e-mails to review the Chocolate flavour one, so voila!

So, a little bit about my Protein World journey so far: I try to have 2 protein shakes a day so my overall protein intake averages at about 100g as I eat meals high in protein too. I've been using Slender Blend alongside an exercise regime for just over a month now, and in the first week I lost 2lbs. I plateaued for a bit after the first week, but that's understandable considering the first week's results and the high-protein diet. So far, I've lost 8.5lbs in 7 weeks which doesn't sound like much when compared to the results of Protein World fans on Twitter- but I've just been using Slender Blend and not the capsules. Also, I've noticed more fat reduction on my waist and thighs which is amazing.

Protein World | Slender Blend review

After constantly seeing tweets and Instagram posts raving about Protein World's Slender Blend, I gave in and had a go of the popular stuff myself! So far- along with my exercise routine, I've experienced some amazing results whilst having a serving of Slender Blend a day, including a 2lb weight loss in 5 days, an inch off my waist and stronger nails in the process!

Slender Blend was recently launched for women, and is specifically targeted for weight loss. It contains Whey Protein, Raspberry Ketones, and Green Tea- which is proven to support fat loss. Protein World has done well to make a product high in protein appealing to a female market as I know so many women who keep away from protein shakes due to the fear of 'bulking up'. But protein is key for weight loss, and toning too- results won't be as quick and effective without protein.

Zaggora Atomica HotPants!

Throughout the month of January, Zaggora offered customers 30% off its items. I've been wanting Zaggora HotPants for ages ever since I began my fitness regime over a year ago, but the expensive price tag for a pair didn't really seem justifiable to me at the time. So obviously I jumped at the chance of buying the pants at 30% off to see if they'd work as I'd read so many positive reviews on them.

Grainy Photo :/ - I was so keen to try on my 

HotPants that I  took a photo 

with the label on!

Zaggora HotPants use special fabric technology to boost calorie burn by upping your body temperature at an appropriate level, and increasing energy expenditure during exercise by up to 11%.

My HotPants arrived a few days after I ordered them online, and I wore them straight away that day to the gym. At first I thought they were slightly thick but they were so flattering when I wore them that I didn't care and now I'm pretty much used to them. My Atomica HotPants are incredibly comfortable, and came with a black/grey waistband which I love!

I can honestly say that the HotPants intensifies my workout by making me feel warmer and sweatier [but not to the extent where I'd want to stop my workout]. When I first worked out in these pants, I did 20 minutes on the crossover, 30 minutes on the cross-trainer and then 15 minutes on the recline bike. As soon as I got off the recline bike, I could feel the sweat dripping down my legs which
                                                                    felt weird but strange.