Kayla Itsines and BBG Midlands

In February I started a fitness guide. That was all it was, an e-book on my phone, laptop or tablet, a fitness routine that was hopefully going to get me from A-B. Not for one second did I think that this... Guide... Was going to be anything more than it said on the tin. 

Little did I know that this guide, Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide to be precise was actually going to become a way of life, it was going to take my world by storm, it was going to introduce ladies, amazing beautiful ladies from all over the world, it was going to to push me well and truly outside of my comfort zone and make me do things that I would never have done before. 

On top of course of pushing my body into realms that I never ever knew it could go....You can read more about that here.

In June I met the queen bee herself - Kayla Itsines! She was on her world tour and I was lucky enough to be there and experience #DeathByKayla in all of it's sweaty glory! Then... @Lisa_PittBBG and I decided that we had to re-create that buzz, that adrenaline, that empowering feeling that you get when you work out with fellow #BBGGirls!

So that's what we did. Together we put the word out, we created a Facebook Group for ladies from the Midlands area, we got to know local girls who all shared our love and passion for Kayla and of course fitness. We set a date, we found a venue, I designed BBG Hoodies and T-shirts and the amazing Colin of The Printed Gift Shop turned them into a reality! Lisa put together an awesome BBG routine that will forever be known as #DeathByLisa.

Once upon a time the prospect of meeting ladies I had never met before would have scared me out of my wits. I wouldn't have done it, no way, and absolutely no how. With the date looming (Sunday 25th October 2015) in Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park, I felt nothing but excitement. I knew that these ladies were going to be friends. They weren't to be feared, they were to be embraced. 

With my good friend Alessia (who I had roped into coming along only the day before), I drove us to the BBG Meet. I drove to Birmingham which in it's self was un-heard of. I had vowed a long time ago that I would never drive in or around Birmingham, but I was doing it. There was no worry, no dread. 

I was confident. 

I arrived, late as always and everyone was already there and waiting for us. We walked around the park to find the perfect spot. It was a sunny but chilly Sunday and the 9 of us were all feeling the cold (unless you count Lisa in her shorts!).

We kicked off with a warm up, and it wasn't long before we were drawing attention to ourselves. I glanced over my shoulder and saw a group of young guys snapping photos of us. I only hoped they caught the back of our t-shirts and made use of the #DeathByKayla hashtag! What surprised me was how I just didn't care that they were watching, that they were capturing the moment. 

The warm out expanded into the 4 circuits that Lisa had lovingly laid out to destroy us! They were only 6 minutes long but I am sure I am not alone in saying that we all felt them! Then of course there were the bonus work outs, just in case Lisa hadn't killed enough of us off as possible in the first few rounds!

The meet was so surreal, it's not everyday that you walk into a group of ladies (most you have never met before in your life) and feel like you have known them for years and years. That's exactly how the first BBG Midland meet went down. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and it didn't take long for the giggles to start, and if working out together doesn't break the ice... Well I really don't know what will.

Of course we seized the opportunity to talk all things Kayla, I can count on one hand how many people I can discuss this rather amazing lady with, without their eyes glazing over and them wondering when I may shut up. These ladies got it, they got all of it. They live it themselves, they know how burpees are the evilest invention in the history of exercise, and they know that there is no escaping them. They know first hand how fantastic this community that we are all apart of really is, and they know that we will support each other through thick and thin.

Shaena reserved us all a table at the Plough in Harborne and everyone soon experienced Laura and her love of food.. Most of us ordered the very tasty Quinoa Chipotle Chilli which just so happened to come with a mountain of flat bread. I guess I am pretty proud that I was the only BBG Girl to demolish the entire lot... 

The giggles and chatter continued and by the time we left, we were already discussing our next meet, which is now all organised in Nottingham for the 29th November at Gotham Memorial Hall. If you are local to the Midlands and want to come along, please do! You can join our Midland's Facebook group here.

I tell you what though... I cannot even begin to put into words how proud I am to be a BBG Girl and be part of this absolutely incredible community. 

Here's to Kayla Itsines, and here's to the BBG and all of the girls who complete it.

You guys ROCK!

This girl loves denim

Would you believe that I used to live every day in a pair of leggings? I owned that many that they literally fell from every draw and clothes storage unit I could pack them into. For me leggings were a comfort, I felt that they looked ok, and it meant that I didn't have to worry so much about my weight. 

You see underneath the smile, I was more than a little bit aware that I had gained a few lbs (and the rest!). It was because of this that I point blank refused to wear anything but leggings, and any denim I owned had been either given away or pushed to the very back of my wardrobe with the intent that...One day I could fit back into it.

For me jeans were the ultimate insult, they pushed your love handles together and really did have the pretense to make me feel that much worse about myself, where as leggings would sit underneath a baggy top or dress and allow me to face the world. It really was a confidence thing for me and deep down I didn't think that I would ever have the motivation to get myself where I knew I wanted to be.

Of course for those of you who are regular readers of Life Unexpected, you will know that a year ago in June 2014, I made a big change to my life. Clean eating became a way of life and slowly but surely I found the girl within me who had dreamed of wearing denim and feeling confident again...

In August 2014, a mere 2 months into my fitness mission I purchased my very first pair of jeans, and I decided there and then that the time had come to say goodbye to the leggings that had monopolized my wardrobe and my life. 

I cannot express how different I feel being able to wear everything that I had longed to, and knowing that I have got to where I am today by hitting some pretty enormous goals makes that feeling feel even more amazing.

In all I lost 2 stone in the year that followed my fitness revelation, and of course when you drop 2 dress sizes you soon discover that you are going to have to replace your entire clothes collection. It means that you get to take absolutely everything you own to a charity shop, it means you can hop online and buy a new outfit for every day of the week, you literally need to replace the entire contents of your wardrobe from outfits to underwear!

Of course it has meant that I have been able to purchase a collection of jeans, and really feed my passion for denim. Esprit have a great selection of different jeans from skinny though to wide, and it has enabled me to shop the new season looks in one place.

I cannot even beging to describe the feeling when you can look at yourself in the mirror, and for the first time in a very long time, be happy in the skin that you are in. 

Self confidence is such an important mind set, and I truly believe that absolutely every women has the right to that feeling when they look in the mirror.