Sunday 28 February 2016

Two words.........second word YOU!

Hey Guys,
Now I can probably guess what you are thinking as I am normally straight to the jugular with my emails! 
However the first word is............THANK!
Today I just want to say a massive THANK YOU
Thank you to all my clients, past and present
Thank you to everyone who takes time out to email me about my blogs/emails
Thank you to everyone who shares my blog
Thank you to everyone who has recommended me to their friends
Thank you to my supporters who inspire me to keep going
Thank you to my haters who make me laugh and want to prove them wrong
Thank you to my friends and family who have kept me going when things get tough
Thank you to everyone who shares my love of fitness................................................................
And a massive thank you to my Mum and Dad for being who you are.......amazing!
Without all of you I wouldn't be where I am today, following my dream and doing a job I am passionate about.
So as a thank you to all of you I am reducing the price of the LifeForce Transformation plan for a limited time only!
So get ordering today as that summer body needs to be under construction now!
Have a fab week!! 
Andrea (feeling grateful) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 25 February 2016

A week of confessions and rubbish panties!

Hello Guys,
Another week bites the dust!
What a week it has been..........first of all thank you for the response to my 'ditch the scales and start with the selfies' e-mail/blog. I had some great feedback! Now one thing that did actually make me laugh was the amount of people that commented on my underwear (all men I would like to add!). Basically the feedback was that I needed to get some 'better' underwear. Now guys I was doing progress shots, not auditioning for Anne Summers, so I think my 'plain' underwear was appropriate for the use of pictures!
Now for those of you that read my emails/blog on a regular basis you will know that my Mum is currently undergoing treatment for Cancer. Now this is something that I have found hard to deal with and I wanted to show my mum how amazing I think she is and what an inspiration she is. She has still been going to work and doing bootcamp twice a week whilst having treatment! Anyway her favourite song is 'Flashdance' by Irene Cara (listen on link below). A line in the the song is 'take your passion and make it happen' I think this is a great motto to live life by.........whether it is for work, fitness or love!
So the other week I went and had a tattoo done with those lyrics and a butterfly.............now the person that was the inspiration for getting it done was one of the people I was dreading telling (along with my dad!) Yes at thirty (cough) something I felt like a naughty teenager! Now I had one when I was younger and it didn't go down well (mainly because I aren't supposed to have any type of piercing due to a heart condition) anyway in my widsom I had it done. So telling them about this I was basically bricking it!! I went round last Sunday and was going to tell them then bottled in. So on Tuesday I grew some balls, manned up and told them. The reaction wasn't as bad as I thought and I think the reasoning behind it softened the blow! Now one thing that made me laugh was that my Mum was concerned about if you would be able to see it in a Wedding dress! My concern is finding a guy first (well one that is worthy of marrying at least!) and no you wont be able to see it on my Wedding day (unless I get married in a bikini!!).
For those of you that have not seen Flashdance, it is basically about a young women who wants to become a professional dancer. She works as a welder by day and 'exotic' dancer by night. Her ambition is to apply to a college of dance and doesn't go through with it as she thinks she isn't good enough...........as you can probably guess as the story unfolds a love interest gets her an audition, which she initially turns down as she didn't get it on her own merit. Then after a death of a friend and seeing results of others failed dreams, she goes for the audition and smashes it! 
I think the story is so inspirational as no matter what your background, if you work hard, are determined enough and follow your dream then great things can happen.
Its the same with diet and exercise, it doesn't matter what other people do.......if you want something bad enough you will work hard to achieve it. You will turn up to training and put the effort in, you will turn down those buns in the office and you won't give up at the first hurdle. Success does not happen overnight, it take months even years of hard work and dedication. So if you feel you are not where you want to be, don't give up. Carry on and you will get there............all it takes is one audition or one last push to get where you want to be.
The girl in Flashdance practiced her routine over and over again to smash that audition.......its the same with training, one bootcamp or one day of healthy eating is not going to bring success. The consistant training and healthy eating make it a lifestyle which leads to ongoing lasting results!
Andrea (feels the need to wear leg warmers) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Tuesday 23 February 2016

Ditch the scales and start with the selfies ;)

Hello Peeps,
Now hands up if you are obsessed with your weight?
Now you cant see me but my hand was up! Yes even as a fitness instructor I get obsessed with the number on the scales. The thing is, it has been drilled into us by society that we must weigh ourselves to monitor progress. Now I do admit to weighing myself, however I also do my measurements as this is a true indicator on how we are doing. If we train and build muscle then the scales may tell us we haven't lost any weight (or even put it on!). However by doing measurements we can see the inches we lose..........losing inches is what makes us look better and what people actually notice!!
So my goals for 2016 are to be able to do 10 x strict pull-ups and get a six pack. Now no matter what I have done over the years my abs never show. Now I know that I need to drop my body fat% in order for them to pop out........so I am on it.
My role model is Andreia Brazier (fitness model) so I have been doing some of her ab work-outs. I took before pictures and did my mid way picture last week. Now I am not one for selfies (mainly because I look a dog when I do them lol), however this is one type of selfie I recommend everyone does. I took my mid way photo feeling a bit jaded as I didn't think I looked any different.......plus I was 3lb heavier than in my before picture!
Anyway I then put them side by side and could see a difference! I was more toned and my mid section had shrunk!
1.2.16 - 19.2.16
                                         1.2.16 - 19.2.16 - side






Excuse the underwear!!
Now if I had gone by weight alone I would be getting fed up that I wasn't getting any results!
I was speaking to some of my clients about it this week as some of them admit that they get obsessed with weighing themselves. I asked them the question that everyone should ask themselves.........'If you had YOUR dream body, would you give a shit how much you weighed?' Now I can bet that most people would answer the same way as my clients........NO!
So start with the selfies (no bloody trout pouts as you are doing them though!) 
Forget the numbers and concentrate on the figures ;) 
Andrea (mission abs) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Sunday 21 February 2016

Some people look after their cars better than their bodies

Hello Troops,
Where do the weekends go? This weekend I was helping out at a Charity car wash at Halifax Fire Station. I was so suprised how many cars we washed on such a miserable rainy day! It was good fun and we made lots of money for charity.
Now we all probably know of one person, who without fail at least once a week cleans their car. Whether they get it done at a car wash or spend hours cleaning it themselves. Come rain or shine they are out washing, scrubbing the wheels and cleaning the interior.
Some people seem to take more care of their car than they do their body! Those that wont let any takeaways be eaten in their car, or fizzy drinks cant be consumed in case they are spilt. How about the fact they are bad for your body aswell as your car!
Then you have the opposite end of the spectrum where some people don't give a damn about their cars, never clean it and if you got in you would probably come out dirty!
Now what if when we pass our test and we get our first car we were told that the car we pick will be the one we have for the rest of our lives!? I am guessing that those that don't look after their cars would soon start to as it has to last us a long time. I am bettting that every car would be clean, full of oil, water tanks filled up, washed and vaced on a regular basis and I bet it would even get a polish!
In reality we can change our cars when it decides to break down, get old or we just fancy a newer, faster, sporty model. Unfortunately we cant do this with our bodies. WE GET ONE LIFE, ONE BODY! So we need to take care of what we have. Every day we wake up a day older, if we get injured we don't get to trade it in. If we get fat we cant just do a trade in for a sporty version. We can however work at getting a sporty version, we can get into a routine of maintaining it, making it run better and fuel it right. Fuel is the key to success............you wouldn't put diesel in a petrol car and expect it to run properly. Fuel our bodies right, keep maintaining them so they run better and it will last us longer! 
So if you want to avoid the scrappers yard, click one of the links below ;)
Andrea (not an old banger yet!) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 18 February 2016

See exercise as a blessing........not a chore!

Hey Guys,
Nearly the weekend again.........where does time go!? Time flies as you get older!
Today I took my mum to a hospital appointment and whilst she was in her appointment I was sat in the waiting area, having a drink and eyeing up fit Doctors ;)
Apart from the Doctors, it was a good spot to sit and see all the different people come in and out. It also made me realise the amount of people that are barely mobile and cant walk (for whatever reason). exercising is a blessing
It got me thinking about how much we take for granted...........
I get up, go train, go to work, teach boot camp, run, go to the gym basically I take it for granted that I am fit enough to exercise. Some people aren't in a position to walk to the shops let alone exercise! So why do so many people who are able to exercise see it as a chore or just decide not to do it!?
Anyone that is physically well enough to exercise or just to be active should see this as a blessing! There are so many people out there who are ill or injured that would give anything just to have the ability to exercise.
For those of you who read my emails will know that my Mum is undergoing treatment for cancer.........now she is an amazing woman and is still attending my boot camps. However as time has gone on there is less and less she can do and she is starting to get frustrated that she cant do as much she used to. Now the fact that she is still exercising is still a lot more than the so called 'healthy' individuals who decide not to do a thing.
So if you wake up in a morning, fit and healthy then see this as a blessing and owe it to yourself to keep your body in the best shape it can be. You get one body.........look after it!
Andrea (grateful for health) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Wednesday 17 February 2016

Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

Hey Guys,
The other day I came across a picture and it got me thinking.............
The picture said on it 'Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.
Now I thought that this was so true, how many people do you know that are 'victims' of circumstance or blame what has happened to them for lack of success or lack of them taking action. This is so true with health and fitness.
How many people can't exercise because they have been injured or have something wrong with them. How many people can't lose weight because they don't have time to cook healthy meals. How many people are overweight because they have had a baby (who is now 15 years old lol!)
Whatever the reason or circumstance it is what we decide to do about it that counts.
Now if you don't already know this about me, I was born with a hole in the heart, I had open heart surgery at nine years old and to this day I still have two leaking valves. Now that is 10% circumstance that life threw that shit at me. Now what I decided to do with the other 90% is what has taken me down the path I am on today.
Now I am lucky that I didn't have soppy parents, they made me go to school unless I was puking up, they made me get on with things and that has made me more robust. I grew up watching my mum and dad do running & going to the gym so that was my first road into fitness. When I entered my first marathon it not once crossed my mind that I shouldn't do it because I had a heart condition............my only thought was to get round without having to walk!!
My first marathon was in 2004 so nearly 12 years ago (god I feel old now lol!) so 6 marathons later, I train regularly in the gym, box and do bootcamp so I got on with life and didn't care about the 10% bad circumstance that life dished out.
So if you are sick of being a 'victim' do something about it. If you want something bad enough you will work hard to get it.
My next goal is to get a six pack........most of you will have heard the saying abs are made in the kitchen not in the gym, so when my craving for a hot chocolate kicks in I push the 10% to the side and concentrate on the 90% reaction...... that I actually dont need it!
If you want help achieving your 90% then click one of the links below..........just by clicking a link you are 50% on your way to changing! 
Andrea (90% reacting) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.uk
www.fit4force.co.uk

Tuesday 16 February 2016

How come more time you have, you seem to get less done!

Hey Guys,
Well its half term, so I am not working at my part-time job. I was looking forward to it so I could do loads of work on my business...........and this is the first e-mail/blog of the week!!
So here I have a week of having more time to get stuff done and I seem to be less organised and not have any time! I think sometimes the more time you have the slower you seem to be at getting stuff done. Whatever time you have you seem to fill it.
Now I see this in the gym, you see people go in and spend hours there! I often think what on earth is someone doing spending more than an hour training?! Well alot of the time people I see spend more time texting than training!!
Now if you have loads of free time to spend in the gym then yes I suppose you can go in and catch up on facebook whilst slotting in the odd exercise. If you are like most people and want a high intesity work-out in a little time as possible then your best option is to try bootcamp.
Get in, get told what to do, sweat and get out and get results! Win win.........
So it doesn't matter how time you have, its what you do in that time that counts.
So ditch the texting and get your booty to bootcamp ;) 
Andrea (time flies) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 11 February 2016

Believe it or not some people choose to be single

Hey Guys,
Hope you have all had a good week and ready for the weekend?
The other day I was chatting to some of my single friends at the gym and the conversation turned to how we can't get a fella, ....... I turned to them and said we could all get a fella if we wanted to settle for second best!
In all honesty I could probably be married by now if I had settled for boring or a douche bag! One thing I am certain on when it comes to relationships is that I won't settle for second best. I want someone to give me butterflies when I see them, someone I am attracted to and have things in common with and most of all someone who keeps my mind stimulated and makes me laugh!
Now until that person comes along I decide to be single rather than settle for second best.
Fitness is a lot like a relationship...........
You have to first of all want it
Then you need to build it up and commit to it long term
And most of all be patient when it comes to getting results
Now so many people want the quick easy option when it comes to health and fitness, unfortunately the quick fixes 99% of the time lead to failure and normally reverting back to how you were before.
I don't expect to meet someone, fall in love and be married within a month so why do people expect miracle results when it comes to diet and fitness!?
Meeting the right person, building a relationship and finally getting the ring takes time, effort and commitment. The same goes for fitness, you have to be committed to the journey to get long lasting results and not expect miracles overnight because you ate healthy one day and trained for 30 minutes.
So you can sit and moan that you are unhappy and moan when you don't get results........or you can commit to making diet and fitness your way of life.........The true meaning of the word diet is 'way of life' so live by the meaning and not by what the media has portrayed diet to be, a quick fix that normally doesn't last!
Now if you are single a good way to meet people is often at fitness sessions........so why not try bootcamp, you might meet the love of your life! (in fact I have had a couple who met at bootcamp, are married and expecting their first child in a few weeks!)
Andrea (will wait for Mr Right) Springthorpe
P.s As I'm typing this email, my friend has tagged me in a post to go on the programme 'First Dates' hahaha.........I think other people are more worried about my love life than me! 
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Sunday 7 February 2016

Food hangover

Hello Troops,
Hope you have all had a good weekend? I have had a busy one, out Friday night, I was driving so after only 5 hours sleep I still managed to get up for work Saturday morning fine as I didn't have the usual crap feeling you get after drinking too much alcohol. Saturday afternoon I had a lovely facial thanks to my friend buying me a voucher and then I was out Saturday night for my baby cousins 30th Birthday!
She is currently pregnant with her first baby so we went out for a meal.
Now after I did my full 21 days on the LifeForce plan I have been sticking to the plan and allowing myself one 'cheat meal' a week. So Saturday was cheat night. We went to a lovely Italian restaurant so I had some pancake thing to start, followed by Pizza (as I never have them at home!), plus Tiramasu and then birthday cake!! Yes I did eat it all and yes it was one extreme cheat meal!
I still haven't had any alcohol since New Years eve so at least I wasn't drinking on top.
My god when I got home I felt crap! All that sugar and carbs in one sitting nearly killed me off! I got home straight in the P.J's as my jumpsuit was starting to get tight lol and I could barely keep my eyes open whilst watching TV. Granted I hadn't had enough sleep Friday night but I just felt so sluggish! In fact I felt like Jabba the hut!
jabba the hutt
So Sunday morning I woke up all set to go for a run and I felt absolutely knackered. I felt sluggish and tired and couldn't be bothered to do anything. My eyes looked puffy and my skin looked crap. The day before it was glowing after my facial so it was a shock to look in the mirror. I felt and looked hungover!
So I googled food hangovers to see what the symptoms were............and I have self diagnosed that infact I was suffering from a food hangover :(
A food hangover is basically your body giving you feedback about what you just ate. If it didn't do this then we would constantly be eating crap!
Just like certain alcohol can give you worse hangovers, so can certain foods. Anything too salty, fatty, sugary or carby.........basically everything that I ate in one huge cheat meal!
The three worst culprits are, Salt, fat and sugar!
3 best worst friends
Salt dehydrates you which can cause your body to retain water, making you feel puffy. It can also trigger a headache.
Fat takes a long time to digest, another recipe for bloating
Sugar & carbs will make blood sugar levels spike leading to more headaches and jitteriness when levels fall again.
On top of all this, eating more than you normally would in one sitting can result in a food hangover too. To aid digestion of large amounts of food, your body diverts blood away from your brain, lungs, and heart to you GI tract, which causes fatigue and brain fog. 
So, yes we can enjoy the odd treat meal, just don't go on a crazy binge without realising that you are going to feel crap the next day.
For me the sluggish can't be arsed feeling wasn't worth eating all that food in one sitting...........

Andrea (done with hangovers) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Thursday 4 February 2016

Treat your body like it belongs to someone you love

Hi Guys,
Weekend is nearly upon us again, where is the time going?
I saw a picture on facebook the other day and the saying was 'treat your body like it belongs to someone you love'! I thought it was a great saying and really got me thinking.
How many people abuse their body through bad diet, unhealthy lifestyle choices, too much alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise. If your body belonged to someone you loved, would you feed it with unhealthy crap and too much sugar? Would you let it sit on the sofa and not do any physical activity?treat your body like someone youlove
Wouldn't you want to take the best care of that body so it lives a long happy healthy life?
Now we do this with children, we nurture them, feed them well and healthy and encourage them to go out run around and play..........(although as I'm typing this I am thinking we don't even do it with children as much as we should!)
Anyway imagine that your body did belong to someone you love, you would want it around for a very long time, in great condition so it could live its life to the full! Would you be happy if that body decided to skip a training session because it would rather watch some depressing soap on TV? Would you be happy if it stuffed it's face with unhealthy processed crap?
Now I know I get frustrated with some of my loved ones when they make bad choices as I want them to be fit, healthy and be around for a very long time.
So now is the time to treat your body in that way, yes we all have treats every now and again. However you need to limit these, eat fresh healthy natural food and get active. Relive your youth, go out be active and make the most of the body you have. You get one life, one body, one chance to be the best you can be. 
Andrea (loving bodies) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk

Tuesday 2 February 2016

Quality over Quantity

Hi Guys,
The other week I wrote about how much effort you put into your training sessions. I went out for a run on Sunday morning and I did some interval sprints. After the first interval sprint I was sick! Now I have trained before and pushed myself to the limit and got to the point where I have been sick.
On Sunday I think I did go running before I had let my smoothie settle and each time I increased the intensity I ended up being sick, three or four times in fact! Now I'm not saying that you should make yourself sick in every training session, however, you should feel uncomfortable. Exercise shouldn't feel easy........if it does then you need to push harder, train at the next level and increase intensity
You could train every day of the week, however if you don't work hard in those sessions you are not going to get results. It is better to do three quality training sessions a week over five or six half hearted sessions.
So the next time you train, just ask yourself, does this feel uncomfortable or does this feel easy. If it is the latter then up the tempo and get better results!
cute
Andrea (projectile vomitting) Springthorpe
07949 959 547
info@fit4force.co.ukwww.fit4force.co.uk