Cheerleading

I have had so much trouble finding the wheat-germ and flaxseed oil for the Hollywood Diet so I have ordered some and will hopefully be able to start the diet next Monday!

:)

I am in a lot of pain today as I had Cheer practice last night and managed to pull nearly every muscle in my body. If only my Uni room had a bath. A long soak with Cosmo and a cup of tea would go down a treat right now!

At the moment we are preparing for a first competition of the year. We'll be competing at Future Cheer in two weeks!

Exciting stuff!! 

Cheerleading has been a huge part of my life for the past four years but I haven't entered a competition with stunts before which makes it even more exciting. 

Lets just hope I don't drop someone.

Although I love my new squad I miss my home squad a lot, it's where I found my passion for Cheerleading. Without my coach I wouldn't be the Cheerleader I am today! 

I'm a coach myself and the feeling of pride and joy I get when my group hits their first stunt or pulls off a full routine in front of their parents and friends is incredible.

Through Cheerleading I made some of my best friends! Having a common interest that you're all so passionate about makes your bond even stronger. They are my family ... My Cheer Family!!

I wish Cheer had been as popular when I was young because I would have taken it up in a heart beat. 

Nothing beats the feeling of putting in your bow and covering yourself with glitter for a competition. The adrenaline rush you get is unreal. 

The pride of competing against some of the best teams in the country and placing in the top three can't be beaten (unless you place first of course!)

I feel that the skill and ability of Cheerleaders is so often over looked. So many people just assume it's girls prancing around in short skirts and lots of make up.

The ability to lift a 20 year old in the air from a squat isn't something that's easily done. 

You have to have an intense amount of trust in each other. The promise that your bases will catch you from such large heights is one that can never be broken otherwise body parts will be as well! 

So many times I've heard people say it's not a sport and devalue the real strength, power and time needed to pull a routine together. 

I agree it's not a sport, it's so much more! 

It really is a way of life.

'Athletes lift weights, Cheerleaders lift people.'

The highlight for me so far is when The Funky Phantomettes (my home squad) provided the half time entertainment for Derby County Football Club at the last game of the season. 

We had endless amounts of people telling us it was the best half time show they'd seen all season. To impress 33,000 people was an amazing feeling.

Basically Cheer is my life and I love every second of it. 

It is worth every moment of pain and every butterfly you feel before a competition whether you place or not. 

Fad Diet Review: The Cabbage Soup Diet part 2 & The Hollywood Diet

I intended to post this straight after I finished the diet but I have had the most stressful week house hunting but here it is.
:)

Sorry for the delay!

♥

So I have finally reached the end of my 7 day Cabbage Soup Diet!!!

Ok, it's confession time ... 

I cheated a little bit. 

Well it wasn't cheating - why as a society do we attach such a negative word to eating or drinking something we want?

I ate the soup everyday and I followed the daily plan but I did drink alcohol. 

I had three glasses of white rum and a glass of vodka. 

BUT even with this little 'cheat' I still lost 6 pounds by the end of the week.

I found it really hard to be motivated to carry on with the Diet but I think a really important thing I learnt from my little 'cheat' night is that even if you have one bad day/evening whilst trying to be healthy you shouldn't give in and eat/drink rubbish all the time.

It's OK to eat food you want.
McDonalds or a pizza isn't bad for you if it's eaten in moderation.

I hope that when I finish trying out these fad diets I will be able to keep up a healthy life style. This diet really opened my eyes to healthy meals as I am a self confessed junk food addict!

After eating normally for a few days I have put 4 pounds back on and many critics suggest this is because the weight lost is water.
I would suggest that this diet is useful if you have a special event coming up and you want to shift those last few pounds but if you want long term results you should always opt for a healthy lifestyle and slower weight loss.
But I guess if it was a long term weight loss plan then it wouldn't come under the fad diets umbrella.

♥

The next diet I'm going to try is the Hollywood diet.

I'm going to make the juice myself although you can buy it on Amazon.com for about £20.
The diet should only last 48 hours and consists of drinking the juice throughout the day and a lot of water.

The site I am using claims you can lose 8 pounds within the 2 days.

I personally think it will be hard not to eat for two days but I also think because it is only a two day diet it is easier to feel motivated and I'll be less likely to give up!

♥

Recipe
♥ 1 cup low-fat vanilla soy milk
♥ 1 cup orange juice
♥ 1 cup cranberry juice
♥ 1 cup yoghurt (plain)
♥ 1/4 tsp. wheat-germ oil or 2 tbsp. wheat germ
♥ 1/4 tsp. flaxseed oil

Blend all ingredients together, then divide into two portions (each portion is a full day's diet drink). Sip throughout the day, along with plenty of water.

I promise I will review this one as I go along!
I will start on Monday.

Charley x

Fad Diet Review: The Cabbage Soup Diet

It's January and that means lots of News Years resolutions and the renewal of gym memberships. Most people will have made the promise to lose weight and by February many gym memberships will become an expensive walk on the treadmill every two weeks.

Another tactic some will use is to try and starve themselves to lose as much weight as possible or begin a fad diet and give up after two days. 

So many times I have trawled through the internet to find quick ways to get that celebrity figure but I feel that nothing gives you enough information or reviews the negatives of putting your body through the diets. 

For the next few weeks I am going to try some of the most popular fad diets and see which ones actually make you drop ten pounds in a few days. 

Along with reviewing the weight loss I will also keep you up to date on how I feel about the diets. 

♥

The Cabbage Soup Diet

This diet was given to me by our family nurse and is used when a large amount of weight needs to be lost quickly. It is said that it can make you lose about 10 pounds in one week. (The diet should not exceed 7 days.) 

I love cabbage so this diet actually sounds tasty to me (although I can imagine only eating cabbage would taste very bland and I would probably find a lack of people wanting to spend time in a close proximity to me). When I told my friends the title they all pulled the same face and then gave me that look that said 'rather you than me' but don't be put off by the name it isn't just soup made of cabbage.

♥

Ok, so the basic rules are you can eat as much of the soup as you like with some versions even claiming the more you eat the more you lose. You can only drink water and are advised to drink a minimum of 4 glasses a day, sugar free fruit juices are allowed on certain days.

 

Recipe

 ♥6 large onions, chopped

♥2 green peppers, diced
♥ 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
♥ 250g mushrooms, sliced
♥ 1 bunch celery, chopped
♥ 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
♥ 3 carrots, sliced
♥ 1 package dry onion soup mix
♥ 1 or 2 cubes bouillon (optional)

♥ 148oz can of low sodium V8 juice (optional)

♥ Salt and pepper

For added flavour: Cayenne pepper, curry powder, mixed herbs or any other seasoning.

I only eat red peppers so I didn't use any green peppers in my soup.

1. Use spray oil to sauté the chopped onions in a large pot.
2. Add the green pepper pieces and heat for a minute.
3. Add the chopped cabbage leaves, sliced carrots, celery and mushrooms.
4. Sprinkle over a little cayenne pepper or curry powder.
5. Add 12 cups of water and any additional stock cubes and V8 juice.
6. Cook over a medium heat until the soup and the vegetables are tender and the soup is the right consistency.

♥ 

Daily Plan

Day 1: Unlimited cabbage soup and fruit (excluding bananas). Water and sugar-free fruit juice to drink.
Day 2: Cabbage soup and additional vegetables. One jacket potato with butter for dinner. No fruit at all.
Day 3: Unlimited cabbage soup plus any fruit and vegetables you choose (excluding potatoes or bananas).
Day 4: Unlimited cabbage soup and skimmed milk. Plus up to eight bananas.
Day 5: Unlimited cabbage soup and 565g of beef and 6 tomatoes. Drink 6-8 glasses of water today to flush extra uric acid from your body.
Day 6: Unlimited cabbage soup and limitless beef and vegetables (excluding potatoes).
Day 7: Unlimited cabbage soup with a little brown rice, vegetables and sugar-free fruit juice.

♥

Like any female I Love, Love, Love!!!!!! Chocolate!

My other addiction is tea.

I am now on day three of The Cabbage Soup diet and it's safe to say I am missing my Tea and chocolate biscuits.

I feel like a drug addict going cold turkey.

Although this has made me realise the reason I could stand to lose a few pounds is because of my chocolate addiction!

Day one was a slight shock to the system, especially after pigging out over Christmas, the diet doesn't provide you with many calories.

Yet saying this, one of the bonuses is that you can eat as much of the soup and fruit/veg (whatever applies to the day your on) as you want.

Day two I was feeling more hungry but did enjoy experimenting with vegetables, being a student I usually live off pasta and foods that are quick to make so making a meal out of veg has encouraged me to eat healthier when I am no longer dieting.

Another disadvantage of being a student is that I have been surrounded by people eating pasta and with it being one of my favourite meals it has taken a lot of will power not to cave and give up on the diet. (Although I may have stolen one cheeky piece from my flatmate)

I can safely say I am getting pretty bored of the soup. I had to force myself to eat some earlier as I was so hungry.

I just keep thinking of the final goal and I know I would only feel guilty if I didn't lose any weight due to my lack of will power.

So far I have lost 3 pounds in two days which suggests I am on track to lose nearly ten by the time I reach the end of the diet.

My Dad's promise of bringing me some chocolate biscuits on my seventh day is another thing helping me pull through.

I speak about this diet as if it is a chore and to be honest it is hard work but it has made me realise I don't need as many calories as I am consuming on a daily basis.

I have been busy house hunting and that has helped me keep my mind occupied but had I been sitting around at home all day I think I would have given up by now.

♥

4 days to go.

Wish me luck.

Charley x

Christmas treats

Sooo I know its a bit later but here are some of the treats I got for Christmas

☺

I spent Christmas and New Year in Melbourne, Australia visiting my older brother and TBH that was the best present I could have asked for!

I am completely obsessed with Penguins so my brother took me to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade (I was half expecting Penguins in fancy hats holding trumpets but it wasn't that sort of parade!) 

When the sun went down the Fairy Penguins (really, that's what they're called) leave the sea and walk up the beach right past your feet and to their nests. We were lucky enough to see lots of chicks! 

'IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE!'

♥

Okay so I'm going to start with my favourite item. 

I want to start by saying I'm very lucky and blessed and I am eternally thankful for everything in my life. 

I think it's a really good idea to have some more expensive pieces in your wardrobe, signature pieces, because they can be worn with cheaper pieces of clothing and immediately make and outfit look well put together.

I received this gorgeous pink Louis Vuitton silk scarf from my Parents. My Mum purchased in from Geneva and I can't find the exact scarf online but there are similar ones on the Louis Vuitton website. 

♥

♥

I also received this years Soap and Glory tub. I love Soap and Glory and the fact they bring out a different tub every Christmas is brilliant!

I have dry legs and the Sugar Crush is brilliant for exfoliating the dry skin and I then use the Smoothie Star Body Milk (it smells like popcorn ... mmmmmm popcorn) or The Righteous Butter. Both are brilliant moisturisers and my skin just soaks it all up and they leave me smelling wonderful - if I may say so myself. 

Another favourite piece of mine is the Sexy Mother Pucker lipgloss. It gives the effect of fuller lips and they now have it in a few different colours. Again it smells lovely!

You can buy Soap and Glory sets from Boots, they have so many different gift boxes from miniatures up to the christmas tubs and also sell the items individually. There is something to suit every budget.

♥

♥

Like any girl I love my heels but there is nothing like a good pair of converse and I am in love with my new beauties!

They were 69 Aussie Dollars which is about £46 and again I can't find them online but I have seen them in England. They come out at christmas so I assume they'll be back next December.

Another Aussie purchase was this beautiful Rip Curl bikini. I love the different colours. I normally play safe with bikinis and buy black/ pink strapless ones so I thought I'd venture out of my comfort zone. Although there is not a lot of coverage from the top so I'll have to make an extra special effort to put lots of sun cream on. 

♥

♥

Finally my purchase from the airport. 

I have always wanted to try a Mac foundation, from what I've seen it gives brilliant coverage. I had previously gone to buy some when in London but the woman serving me wasn't very friendly and I was put off spending my money there so I was delighted when an amazingly helpful woman assisted me in Melbourne airport. 

 I ended up buying the Studio Fix Powder. It is a powder and foundation in one and gives brilliant coverage. I wear it by its self but it also work well over liquid foundations. 

I went for the NC40 which works well with my tan now but will still work with my skin when it begins to fade. I would definitely recommend investing in some!

♥

♥

I hope you've enjoyed this post. 

Love Charley x

Follow me on Twitter & Instagram: @charleytunni