If you love your body when you are thin, but hate it when you are not, then you  love yourself conditionally, which is not love at all.  If you can’t love your body, then you can’t really love yourself!

- Marianne Williamson

Happy Tuesday people! Welcome to today’s 5TT, let’s talk about self-love, let’s talk about body image: DO YOU LOVE YOUR BODY? Yes? No? Sometimes?

There really isn’t any better feeling than loving yourself, inside out, no matter what. Developing a healthy self-image and learning how to love & respect yourself is truly empowering! When you don’t love yourself, you cannot receive love and you cannot give love, you’re life becomes limited in so many ways…

Read through these articles to find some self-lovin’ yummy content!

1) 11 Steps To Rebuild Your Relationship With Food: click HERE to read on…

2) When Women get TOO Ripped: click HERE to read on…

3) My Night of Dance and Learning To Love My Body: click HERE to read on…

4) 20 Ways to LOVE your Body: click HERE to read on…

5) Body Image in the 21st Century (Infographic): click HERE to read on…

 Love yourself first & see the world change before your eye!

Love,

Isabella Xoxo

MFS Suggests…

The Lift Like A Girl Guide: The Sane & Simple way to build a Better Body by Nia Shanks

Lift Like a Girl is a Complete Video Series That Will Show You How to Design Your Own Workout Programs & Follow Eating Patterns Based on Your Experience Level, Lifestyle, and Preferences. Click HERE for more details on this program.

A BIG thank you to everybody that has been sharing this Gymboss giveaway through Facebook, twitter & by email! This way MFS’s 3rd Gymboss Interval Timer Giveaway & it has by far been the most popular one so far!

Without further ado, let’s announce our lucky winner!!!

DRUM ROLL…….

And the WINNER is……..

Participant no. 34: IVA!!!

Congratulations girl, I’m sure that you will be lovin’ this little gadget just as much as I do

Enjoy your workouts, your pink Gymboss is on it’s way!

And just because it’s my B-day & I’m feeling extra happy, I want to offer a second Gymboss….

to…

Participant no. 4: Carla

Black Gymboss is coming to your doorstep!

Enjoy!

MFS Suggests…

Gymboss Interval Timer – NEW DESIGN -

Better Workout. Better Results.

The GYMBOSS is a small, easy to use, repeating interval timer. This multi-use timer has many versatile functions that make it beneficial to virtually any type of exercise program. Start working out like a pro and reaching your goals TODAY!

Get your Gymboss in the color of your choice HERE

MFS Suggests…

You might have noticed that I haven’t been working out as much as I used to in the last few weeks. Lately, I haven’t been as motivated and excited about exercising what so ever. After a few months of teaching up to 2 high intensity workouts classes a day, my energy levels, degree of motivation and drive have taken a fall. I’ve been struggling with this lack of energy & motivation ever since I stopped teaching a couple months back, I kept torturing myself for being so “lazy” and wondered when in the world would I get back in the game and get fueled by my desire to become a “fit beast” again! Unfortunately, every time I’d decide to take a challenge and get back into working out as frequently and intensely as I used to, I’d fall down before I’d get back up on the wagon… this cycle got me even more drained & down. Yesterday, while browsing through other fitness blogs, I’ve realized that it’s not uncommon, especially for fitness instructors, to get into a fitness funk over the weeks, months, years of teaching and working out non-stop! Perhaps I overtrained, perhaps I pushed myself and my body a little too far?

Have you been pushing yourself harder and harder without being able to get back into the game, without getting stronger, fitter, more energized and without reaching your goals and seeing results?

Sometimes, we need to slow down and take the time to recover, mentally as well as physically. We are not energizer bunnies, even top athletes  take the time to fully recover before getting back to their strenuous training programs. More isn’t always better; more can be detrimental and only get you further away from your goals on the long run!

Not feeling motivated & feeling lazy & tired from time to time isn’t necessary a sign that you are overtraining, but if this state persists and is accompanied by other symptoms, such as:

- Frequent fatigue
- Decrease in performance levels
- Longer recovery time after working out
- Lost of interest for exercising
- Feeling down, low, blue, maybe ever angry, irritable and depressed
- Elevated resting heart rate
- Trouble sleeping
- Increase or decrease in appetite
- Lowered function of the immune system

This might indicate that you are physically and/or emotionally burnt out because you have pushed yourself too hard.

Don’t panic, it happens to the best of us and there is a solution to this problem:

RELAX, RECOVER, TAKE A FREAKIN’ BREAK & LISTEN TO YOUR BODY, LOVE IT, NURTURE IT AND TAKE CARE OF IT!

If you’ve been working out hard-core for some time now, take a week off or take it easy, maybe enjoy some leisure time outdoors engaging in lower intensity physical activity. NO, you won’t lose all of those hard-earned muscles; NO you won’t gain 10 pounds of fat if you don’t workout obsessively… on the contrary, you might be surprised with the outcomes of a good rest and recovery period! Being in “BEAST MODE” 360 is not only stupid, it’s harmful and won’t get you the results you’re looking for, it’s crucial to know when enough is enough in order to reach your fitness goals and remain sane.

If you don’t want to put your training completely on the side, you can try reducing the number of workouts you do on a weekly basis or decrease your intensity. Another option is to try something different, something new… whatever you do, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! You don’t want your workouts to feel like a nagging chore, something else you have to do but really just want to avoid all together. Taking a few days or even a few weeks off may be just what you need to get that Mojo back!

Sometimes, it really is necessary to cut back on something great to realize how much we miss it, in this case, how much we miss feeling strong, fit, energized & healthy!

Have any of you ever felt like you’ve lost your fitness funk? What did you do to get back in the game and get your groove back on?

MFS Suggests…

The Betty Rocker Body Fuel System

A 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body Ever!

Discover the best-kept secret in the food marketing industry and uncover the strategies that will effortlessly shed pounds off your body. The Body Fuel System comes with a 30-day customized weekly eating plan, a weekly shopping guide, a weekly food-prep guide, healthy fitness recipes, Betty Rocker’s top 5 ab-shredding moves, additional tips & tricks to keep you lean and much more. Click HERE for more details.

Banana + Hazelnut Butter

You can use any nut butter really, but hazelnut is my personal favorite! nomnomnom…

Betty Rocker’s Hulkmode Green Smoothie

Try this energy boosting spicy green drink for some mighty hulk powers! Click HERE for the recipe.

(Also, make sure you check out Betty Rocker’s Body Fuel System for a 30-day eating plan that will rip off that stubborn fat and get you all fueled up & healthy in not time!)

Nutty Mix

I’m totally nuts for nuts, they are the perfect combination of crunchy, salty and filling! YUM

Strawberries + Dark Chocolate

Go for at least 70% cacao in your chocolate. For an extra special fit treat, melt your chocolate and dip your strawberries inside!

White Bean Dip + Raw Veggies

Craving something salty & creamy? This combo might be just what you’re looking for!

Check out the recipe HERE!

Your turn; what are your favorite go to healthy snacks? Leave your answer in the comment below!

MFS Suggests…

The Betty Rocker Body Fuel System: A 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body Ever!

Discover the best-kept secret in the food marketing industry and uncover the strategies that will effortlessly shed pounds off your body. The Body Fuel System comes with a 30-day customized weekly eating plan, a weekly shopping guide, a weekly food-prep guide, healthy fitness recipes, Betty Rocker’s top 5 ab-shredding moves, additional tips & tricks to keep you lean and much more. Click HERE for more details.

• 1 x 20min Circuit Training
• 2 x 12min. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
• 1 x 26min Lower Body Circuit Training

This week was all about breaking through my lazy lifestyle and getting out of my comfort zone, on top of my tree workouts, I’ve also been riding my bike and spending more time being active outdoors! I’ve also put a great deal of attention to my diet, during the last few months, I’ve put on a few pounds (10 to be exact) and I’ve decided that it was about time to shed off those winter pounds and get back into shape for summer. I’ve been following somewhat of a paleo diet, mainly eating veggies, healthy fat & protein sources, nuts and a bit of fruits. I did however include the occasional treat and daily coffee into the mix, it turns out that I’ve lost 3 pounds during the first week of changing my eating habits, I feel much better already! It’s amazing what you can achieve by switching things up in the kitchen, I’ve been using Bree’s Body Fuel System to guide me and help me reach my weight loss goals over the past few weeks & I’m loving the results, If you’re looking for a non-bullshit guide to help you drop those stubborn pounds for good, I highly recommend her 30-day Eating plan!

Tip of the week: Nutrition is KING when it comes to fat loss! Working out will help you tone up, get stronger, leaner and fitter but if you really want to see results quicker, you need to make the necessary adjustments to your diet. You can have a look at my Instagram account to get some healthy meal and snack ideas. I don’t like to deprive myself, so I never do and you don’t need to either, you can prepare delicious and satisfying meals even when your goal is to lose weight, don’t get trapped in the dieting cycle, ever!!

MFS Suggests…

Gymboss Interval Timer – NEW DESIGN -

Better Workout. Better Results.

The GYMBOSS is a small, easy to use, repeating interval timer. This multi-use timer has many versatile functions that make it beneficial to virtually any type of exercise program. Start working out like a pro and reaching your goals TODAY!

Get your Gymboss in the color of your choice HERE

If you’re not familiar with the Gymboss, let me tell you a little more about its functions and featured…

The Gymboss is a multi-use timer, it can be used as a countdown timer, a stopwatch & of course a repeating timer (interval timer)! Since I am a huge fan of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as well as circuit training, my Gymboss is always by my side to allow me to focus 100% on my workout instead of having to worry about timing. This mini-gadget is a great equipment for virtually any type of training: from hiit to weight-lifting, crossfit to running, kettlebell training to Tabata as well  cardio workouts!

It’s versatile functions will give your workout the discipline and structure necessary to take your workout to the next level. The Gymboss will also make any workout easier to plan and execute with more accuracy and consistency.

Check out it’s cool features:

• 1 or 2 intervals  – 2 seconds to 99 minutes
• Repeat up to 99 times
• Beep and/or Vibrate alarm
• Alarm duration 1, 5, or 10 seconds
• Stopwatch function
• Secure Belt clip
• Compact Size (1 ¾ x 2 ¼ x ½  inches)
• Water and shock resistant
• AAA battery required

Now we’re talking, it’s time to start training like a pro with style!

How To Enter!

• Like MFS on Facebook
• Leave a comment below letting me know what colour you’d like to win!

*For an extra chance to win; SHARE this Giveaway on Facebook or/and Twitter with the share buttons below this post!

The winner will be announced next Sunday; 19th of May (YeaY, that’s my birthday)!

!Good Luck!

MFS Suggests…

Gymboss Interval Timer – NEW DESIGN -

Better Workout. Better Results.

The GYMBOSS is a small, easy to use, repeating interval timer. This multi-use timer has many versatile functions that make it beneficial to virtually any type of exercise program. Start working out like a pro and reaching your goals TODAY!

Get your Gymboss in the color of your choice HERE

How to prepare zucchini fries: Simple!

• Cut up 2 zucchini lengthwise in stick shapes (about the diameter of your finger)
• Add 1-2 pinches of salt
• Heat frying pan with 2 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• Grill zucchini sticks a few minutes on each side until golden

Serve with hummus or white bean dip! Yum!

Click HERE for Hummus recipe.

Click HERE for White Bean Dip recipe.

MFS Suggests…

The Betty Rocker Body Fuel System

A 30-day Eating Guide to Your Best Body Ever!

Discover the best-kept secret in the food marketing industry and uncover the strategies that will effortlessly shed pounds off your body. The Body Fuel System comes with a 30-day customized weekly eating plan, a weekly shopping guide, a weekly food-prep guide, healthy fitness recipes, Betty Rocker’s top 5 ab-shredding moves, additional tips & tricks to keep you lean and much more. Click HERE for more details.

1) Healthy Breakfast Ideas: What Fitness Experts Eat In The Morning: click HERE to read on…

2) The Emotional Truth of Changing Your Diet: click HERE to read on…

3) What’s Beautiful: A competition to redefine the female athlete: click HERE to read on…

4) Kandee’s “Feel Good Look Good” Smoothie Recipe: click HERE to read on…

5) Pamper your body with a workout!: click HERE to read on…

Xo- Isabella

MFS Suggests…

The Lift Like A Girl Guide: The Sane & Simple way to build a Better Body by Nia Shanks

Lift Like a Girl is a Complete Video Series That Will Show You How to Design Your Own Workout Programs & Follow Eating Patterns Based on Your Experience Level, Lifestyle, and Preferences. Click HERE for more details on this program.

• 1 x 10min. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
• 2 x 12min. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)
• 1 x 10min. Reverse Bridges from the Ballet Beautiful Workout

I’m proud of myself for this week’s workouts, to be quite honest I didn’t really have the drive to do any of them, but I kept saying to myself “what’s 10 minute in a 24 hour day”?!

I ended up completing 3 HIITs + a little booty toning workout from the Ballet Beautiful Book which I absolutely love. If you’re looking for a series of quick and effective workouts to tone up all over while developing grace and strength, it’s definitely a great buy!

Tip of the week: When in doubt; workout! Whenever you feel lazy, tired & simply not motivated to workout, try doing a short & simple workout, these mini sessions will add up & keep you in shape on the long-run! On top of that, you might just get motivated as you start hitting up a sweat & end up doing much more than you intended…

MFS Suggests…

Gymboss Interval Timer – NEW DESIGN -

Better Workout. Better Results.

The GYMBOSS is a small, easy to use, repeating interval timer. This multi-use timer has many versatile functions that make it beneficial to virtually any type of exercise program. Start working out like a pro and reaching your goals TODAY!

Get your Gymboss in the color of your choice HERE