And who better to share their clean living tips than Russell Bateman, aka founder of The Skinny B**** Collective?
His elusive invite-only classes are dubbed 'the secret class for supermodels' and he's renowned for promoting lean, strong, empowered women by reeducating them on the misconceptions around fitness and wellness.
Indeed, just one look at the honed bodies of his clients - including Millie Mackintosh, Nicole Scherzinger, Laura Whitmore, Florence Welch and Ellie Goulding - confirms Russell knows a thing or two about getting in shape. There's even rumours that the One Direction boys are fans of his regime.
1. Don't go into a gym and spend an hour on the cross trainer. That's like going to the Tate gallery and spending an hour looking at the reception. We were born to push, pull, crawl and embrace our bodies with a variety of movements. SBC lives by that philosophy and boredom is the enemy.
2. Einstein's definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. You're not going to change physically or mentally unless you constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone
3. Remember that your priorities dictate your choices. If you want to feel amazing and look your best then you may well need to cut out some things and work a bit harder.
4. Don't let someone make you feel bad for having a green juice, and in the same respect don't let someone make you feel bad for having a bit of cake. Whatever makes you happy is all that matters. We're only human; you will crave foods and occasionally have lapses. Don’t beat yourself up. A dessert whilst eating out at a social event now and then won’t hurt you.
5. Do not underestimate yourself and overestimate others, you are stronger than you think. Plus, remember that 99 per cent of the things that you're worried about are made up scenarios in your head that will never manifest. Wake up, take a deep breath, and be thankful to be healthy and alive.
6. Go for a walk after meals: 10-30 minutes of sustained walking after meals increases your body's ability to deal with blood sugar levels and can reduce your risk of diabetes.
7. Decide on your breakfast before bed. Most people blame time for not getting a good breakfast in, that’s not an excuse to go hungry. For busy mornings, use leftovers from the night before and simply reheat. Use protein powders, eggs, salmon or pre-cooked meats. Think high protein/high fat.
8. Doing a ‘detox’ involving fluids only for short periods of time makes almost no difference to the chemical build up in our bodies. It can take 6-10 years of zero exposure to get rid of half the amount of fat soluble chemicals in our body. Zero exposure these days is impossible! Count the chemicals in your foods, buy high quality produce and ditch the fads.
9. We all do it – whether we like to admit to it or not is another matter – but masturbation is one of my go-to ‘tools’ to fight pain, stress and even a bloated tummy. It’s also a great way to burn fat. Through Skinny Bitch Collective – with female empowerment at the forefront – I encourage fantasy and stimulation and preach that boredom in the upkeep of your sexual health is the enemy. Orgasms can provide powerful pain relief – perhaps more than doubling a woman’s tolerance for pain – and they are an analgesic, meaning they can suppresses pain without nulling sensitivity. There is no reason that can’t be beneficial to your workouts in those final few reps! Orgasms will help to protect your heart and will reduce stress with a surge of oxytocin, the hormone also released during cuddling sessions. Vitamin O is your new multivitamin.
10. Take a nap: There is nothing you can do for yourself that is more important for gaining energy/vitality and restoring your body-mind than sleep. Research shows that taking naps between 10-20 minutes long can have a very beneficial restorative effect on the body and mind. This is a great form of energy cultivation and has no negative side effects either.
11. Never eat fructose before you train. It can blunt fat loss potential. Fat after a workout has also been touted as having a detrimental effect; so high protein and fibrous carbs are SBC choices. That means no banana before or during a session. The same applies with sugary drinks; one of the biggest faux pas I see in the gym is a sugar overload coating sessions. Avoid if you want to be burning fat and firing your cognitive (brain) pathways! The perfect pre workout snack? Organic coffee and coconut butter plus five almonds. The perfect post-workout meal is without a doubt lean meat or fish with green vegetables and quinoa.
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