Counting Macros| My Fitness pal

Sooo, on the subject of healthy living; I have been really trying to keep on track with what is actually going into my body. Not so much that everything needs to be healthy, more just of being aware of how much I am eating and what exactly is in each food I eat.

I have been really loving an app call 'My Fitness Pal'. You may have heard about this app before, I have previously used this app before a few years ago, but have recently rediscovered it. Although I previously used it for counting calories (which I still do), I also use it for counting 'macros'.

'What are you talking about Claudia'?.. 'What are these macros you speak of?'

These were honestly questions I was asking myself nearly two weeks ago. I had never heard of this and was slightly confused on the idea.

Macros are basically carbohydrates, protein and fats.

I honestly am throughly enjoying counting my macros and seeing how much fat, carbs and protein is actually in my diet and what I need to improve on. I found lots of information on 'if it fits your macros' about what it can do for me and what the whole idea of macros is.

I found out what my macros were by typing in my details to the If it fits your macros (IIFYM) website on the calculator and it tells you what you should aim for, for healthy weight loss/muscle growth (depending on what your aim is).

Honestly I have noticed differences already, although I will be honest I have been slacking with exercise recently! So especially when I increase my workouts, the results will be even better! (I will actually be joining cross fit soon- I did a free trial and loved it! Although I was in a lot of muscle pain for about four days as I hadn't used certain muscles before it was a great experience!).

If you feel like you are coming to a bit of a brick wall with your diet, maybe this is something for you to try?! I would definitely give it a go!

Find out more information on the linked website above as I did and see if it interest you!

Happy Sunday!!


Love C. xx

Follow me:

Instagram                    Twitter                       Pinterest                       Snapchat: claudiapoppy

Email: pureaccidentalbeauty@gmail.com

Too busy to workout| quick workouts

Although I'm trying to live my life in a healthier way, trying to exercise more can at times feel like there isn't enough time to do it.

Well, I'm going to share with you a couple little exercises I do when there is no time- whilst doing your everyday activities.

1) Waiting for a bath to run. I usually try and hold a squat for as long as possible or even put on my favourite tune and hold it for the entire song. That way I can try and distract myself by singing along and potentially even doing a little dance in the squat position- this is not only exercise but a happy hormone booster! 

2) Same principle, waiting for the kettle to boil for your tea- do some squats, one legged or two. You could even do arm exercises. While its boiling, put both arms out at a 90 degree angle and draw tiny circles with your arms. WARNING. This is a killer but so good!

3) Watching a kick-ass episode of vampire diaries or your favourite television show? During ad breaks I sometimes sit on the floor and do as many crunches or sit ups as possible. Have a break when the programme comes back on then the next break try holding a few planks for as long as possible.

4) Cooking prep can take usually between 10-20minutes. Why not multi-task and do some butt squeezes/clenches whilst doing it? Hold the squeeze/ clench for 5 seconds pulse for 10 and repeat. Have a minute break when necessary. 

5) At times, when I'm waiting for the toaster, for pasta to cook or if I just need to keep an eye on the meal then I will hold onto the counter and lift one leg at a time behind as high as possible pulsing the leg up for as long as possible and then swap legs over. Great butt,quad and lower back workout.

These are just five little exercises I try to do if I haven't been able to get to the gym or am feeling like I want to burn a few extra calories. I particularly love the squat whilst waiting for a bath- music makes the experience more enjoyable and then you have a relaxing bath afterwards. 

Do you have any quirky little exercises you do during the day when you have no time for the gym?

I know sometimes I feel a bit silly doing these things but it's just totally worth doing, especially if you're like me and you feel guilty for not going to the gym. 

Hope this helps some of you and maybe gives a little inspiration?!

P.S: Here's what the last blogpost's outfit looked like...

Love C. 

Instagram                  Twitter                       Pinterest                         Snapchat: pureaccidentalbeauty

Fitness| Yoga app

As you may or may not have seen recently, I have been really trying to get into fitness and keep motivated. More often than not, I seem to be working out from home- which has turned out to be great, and I seem to have stuck to this better than going to the gym 4 days a week.

Today I wanted to share with you an app that I have been loving recently, an app for Yoga. Yoga is meant to strengthen the body and mind, whilst also focussing on breathing and flexibility. There is even some evidence to suggest that Yoga can help with high blood pressure, heart disease, aches or problems with lower back pain and can even help with depression and stress.

I've been finding this app great as it not only talks you through the positions but you can even go through the catelogue of positions if you get stuck. From using this app for the past week and a half I can already see improvements in my flexibility and mental wellbeing.

I have found that as a new starter to Yoga this is perfect because they have beginners videos to follow, and then once you feel ready you can progress onto the more advanced videos. They also 

have expert videos for those of you who are more familiar with Yoga and would like more of a challenge. No only this but if you need to organise what class you want to do and when, there is a calendar to keep you on track with your class schedule. 

This app is for iPhones, iPads and iPad mini's only and costs around £2.99. However, I am never one to spend money on an app- this is the first time and I must admit it does seem worth it so far in my opinion. Mainly because I don't have to pay £5 a session to go to Yoga, I can do it when I want and where I want. Simple!

For those of you who haven't tried Yoga, it is hard but so worth doing. I would highly recommend trying it, even if it isn't with this app.

To preview the app click here

Let me know how you feel about Yoga and if you would consider this app?

Love Claudia xxx

Snapchat: Pureaccidentalbeauty

Twitter: @AccidentalBeaut

Instagram: Pureaccidentalbeauty 

Pinterest: @Accidentalbeaut 

Fitness| Top tips to keeping motivated

Hey ya'll!

I hope you are well?

I wanted to keep this brief and let you in on some of my tips that I do to stay on a 'healthy' lifestyle routine, and how I keep motivated for working out. These are just my thoughts that I think help me keep motivated.

I must stress the importance of having a convenient place to workout. Finding a gym or outdoor space that is easy to access, for example being close to where you live or work, easy parking and or walking distance (or running if you're super motivated). Or alternatively, try and make space for you to workout at home, put any obstacles to one side and push the coffee table to the corner of the room and suddenly you have a workout space- yes, it may not be a large space but some workouts don't need space.

Working out, doing the same thing over and over can get boring, that is why sometimes you're thinking- 'why am I doing this?'
Do what you enjoy doing, if you don't like running, don't run! Simple! Do the things you find fun and you'll find working out ...well..sometimes you won't think it's a workout.
An example would be dancing. If you like dance- even if you think you're rubbish, I can safely say that doing dance in my lounge, following a Youtube video is so fun and when I finish I don't even realise I've worked out- It's great!

In addition to this you can grab a friend and experiment with Yoga or similar. I find that if you're working out with a friend, it can draw the attention away from the dreaded exercise and can make it just fun!

Excuse my big butt, but this was so fun (I've wanted to headstand for ages and now I can thanks to Carly)

Have a reward meal once a week, you don't have to be healthy all the time, especially when you've been working hard. Reward yourself and keep positive by creating a fitness environment. I like to go on Instagram for inspiration. On there I can find clips of routines to do and even motivational body pictures.

Lastly, try to ease yourself into it. It can be quite terrifying thinking 'I've got to workout at least 4 days this week', try and start off with two days and build a routine. Once you've got a routine going you can up it from there. If you fail to go one day or have a bad day of eating and feel bad, DELETE that guilt! We all give in to a bit of temptation here and there- just get back on the band wagon and think about what you've already done for a healthy lifestyle.

Do you have any fitness tips to share with me?

Love Claudia xx

Follow me on :

Instagram               Pinterest                Twitter