”If you’ve been following me on Instagram, or reading my blog, you know that you girls are my main inspiration & motivation. This is why I recently reached out to some of you to ask about your progress and feedback. These are their stories. Hope you find them as motivating and uplifting as I have.”

In this interview, I chatted with 45 y/o Carrie from the UK. Carrie is a breast cancer survivor and she works a NHS and in my eyes, she’s a true life hero.

So when she sent me her progress pics (she followed my Lean Legs Premium Program) and told a bit about her health journey, I had to reach out and aks her would she be willing to share her story with you.

She graciously agreed to do an interview with me and tell me more about her fitness and health journey.

CARRIE’S EXPERIENCE WITH MY LEAN LEGS PREMIUM PROGRAM

1. WHAT WAS YOUR FITNESS ROUTINE BEFORE YOU STARTED DOING THE LEAN LEGS PROGRAM? WHAT MADE YOU CHANGE IT?

CARRIES:  Before the Lean Legs Program, I was working hard at recovering from a very difficult time in my life both physically and emotionally.

I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in Feb 2019 which was a terrible shock especially following my Mother’s funeral the month before.

I had surgery, chemo and radiotherapy which I successfully completed Nov 2019.

Any exercise I managed during this time was mainly for my mental health but I was basically inactive for a year. Prior to this I enjoyed yoga, pilates and jogging.

After a phased return to work at the NHS, I was back to my full hours just at the start of lockdown in March. My body had been through alot and everyone was telling me I looked great but I knew I could be stronger.

Any jogs I did at this stage still made me feel heavy and I wanted to feel light again.

2. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT THE LEAN LEGS PROGRAM AND WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO TRY IT OUT?

CARRIE: I came across your term ‘skinny fat‘ in one of your newspaper articles and could relate.

I’m a size 8-10 and looked slim in my clothes and was interested to read how skinny fat can impact on the body’s organs. I wanted to cleanse my body of all the toxins I had pumped in me and slowly gain some overall strength.

Before starting your program, I researched it thoroughly and it seemed to fit my needs and lifestyle. I had been on a Life After Breast Cancer course and your plan tallied with their advice moving forward too. (No sugars etc).

I tried your 7-day free nutrition plan first and a few free workouts and was lucky enough to be able to go to work through lockdown so ditched the car and walked!

With my music/podcasts I loved it! So I bought the Premium package. I actually thought I was reasonably fit in my before pictures but knew I could be stronger.

4. DID YOU KNOW WHAT’S YOUR BODY TYPE BEFORE DOING MY BODY TYPE QUIZ? 

CARRIE: No, I did not know which body type I was before taking the quiz.

For a petite 5ft2 person, I have a short torso and long legs so if I am out of shape, I gain around my middle section and tops of my thighs which means I’m then in-between sizes and nothing fits.

Some people would say, you don’t need to lose weight but it wasn’t about that.

It’s about being fit and healthy. I was a classic Mesomorph body type and the perfect example of skinny fat due to my inactivity and hormone treatments.

I thought I could follow your plan as it seemed achievable by being gentle but challenging too.

If you don’t know your body type, you can do my FREE body type quiz and find out how to eat and train to get maximum results.

5. WHAT WAS YOUR ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE PART OF MY PROGRAM AND WHY?

CARRIE: Gosh, hard to pick one!

I loved the recipes! The kitchen is not really my domain as my husband and kids are terrific cooks but I would shop for ingredients on a Saturday, batch cook on a Sunday and found the meals so simple and tasty.

Work colleagues would be like, ‘what have you got this week?’ lol.

I had a peace of mind knowing you had worked out all the nutritional values so I wasn’t lacking anything.

I also really loved the low-intensity cardio (power walking). Had to plan ahead and take a change of top and shoes to work but I loved getting my trainers and earphones on every day!

RELATED POST: HIIT VS LISS CARDIO – WHICH IS BETTER FOR FAT LOSS

6. WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE PROGRAM? WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO KEEP GOING?

CARRIE: Wednesday HIIT sessions! Lol.

I remember commenting on your Insta after my first attempt saying you made it look so easy!

Your reply was, ‘be patient and consistent.’ It was the best advice!

I only did what I could do and I slowly got stronger. My neighbours heard me cheer when I did the whole 20 seconds of jumps with the stool on week 8 with you and Narelle! Lol.

I was buzzing to think how far I had come. (Yay, Carrie! I’m so happy to hear that!! :D)

7. WHEN DID YOU FIRST START SEEING RESULTS? 

CARRIE: I felt a change in myself in the first 5 days!

It felt great cleansing out my body with healthy tasty vegetables and proteins. I was sleeping better from all of the walking I was doing.

This was everything to me.

And I saw physical changes within 2 weeks. I did not lose weight. It remained the same for 6 weeks. At 8 stone (which is around 50 kg/112 pounds), I did not need to lose weight.

But I lost inches every week and my muscles felt stronger all over. Clothes started to fit more comfortably and everyone said I looked healthy and happy.

The focus on my health really eased many of my recovery anxieties too.

8. HOW DID YOU FEEL AFTRE FINISHING THE PROGRAM? 

CARRIE: I felt incredible! I lost nearly 12 inches all over. My daughter says one of the biggest transformations is my skin. My skin is tighter, clearer and smoother all over.

9. WHAT ARE YOUR FITNESS GOALS FOR THE FUTURE? HOW DO YOU STAY IN SHAPE AFTER FINISHING THE COURSE?

CARRIE: I’m taking a well deserved holiday with my husband soon and then I will start round 2 in the Autumn. I’m looking forward to it.

At the moment I’m still walking to work every day, (weather pending) and I’m still cooking my favourite recipes and looking into other gluten, dairy and sugar free recipes.

I love the chicken pesto, sushi, nachos, smoothies, omelettes, pizza and obsessed with samon and avocados. Yum!

I still do your HIIT workouts and pick my fave resistance training workouts a couple of times a week. My moods get cranky if I leave it too long. Lol.

I can jog for 10-15 minutes without stopping so hopefully that will improve with time. It’s so nice to run now without all the wobble. My body is firmer, leaner and stronger.

10. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND LEAN LEGS VIDEO COURSE TO YOUR FRIENDS? 

CARRIE: I have! It stood out to me because not only that all your lean legs girls physical transformations speak for themselves but it’s a healthy, achievable and most importantly sustainable way of life.

I found the approach gentle yet challenging too. The right balance.

Moving forward, on holidays and weekends when I’m socialising I like the 80/20 rule (eating healthy 80% of the time and treating your self 20%) and I have the peace of mind that I am doing what I can to be a healthy Mum for my 2 children for the future. (So proud of you, Carrie!!)

11. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR WOMEN WHO ARE ABOUT TO START THEIR FITNESS JOURNEY WITH MY PROGRAM?

CARRIE: Listen to your own body and don’t compare yourself to others! You’re beautiful as you are and it’s about working to be the best version of yourself.

I had Rachael’s advice in my head on my down days with the exercises. Be patient and consistent! It really helped.

For me, it’s little and often, quality not quantity.

Oh and the right measures of water to the protein balls. There were a couple of batches I could not share at work because too much water meant they were too squishy. Lol. I still ate them!

OMG, this last part made me laugh so much! :) Thank you soooo much, Carrie, you have no idea how proud I am of you <3

Love Rachael xx

The post Lean Legs Program Review by Carrie from the UK appeared first on Rachael Attard.

I was quite skinny and wasn’t toned. I was eating really healthy and exercising a lot, but couldn’t work out why I couldn’t get abs, even though I did LOTS of ab exercises.

GETTING BULKY

It wasn’t until I started doing resistance training that I finally understood. The abs seemed to come quite easily! I started out with the basic 3 sets of 12 reps, training different parts of my body on different days. After a few months, I was so lean and toned and was really happy with my body.

I started mixing up my program, lifting heavier, focusing on strength… Fast forward about a year and my body had become too muscular for my liking. I didn’t look bad, but I didn’t like how my crop tops no longer fit as my back was much broader. My legs were also really muscly and seemed to have more fat on them. I hated wearing jeans because they just felt so tight and uncomfortable, and I stopped wearing shorts to the gym.

I was really unhappy with the amount of muscle I’d built. I don’t really have many selfies of me when I got to this point, because I didn’t like taking them!

GETTING TONED WITHOUR GETTING BULKY

I tried a lot of different types of exercises to slim down but still stay toned. I did a lot of cardio, which helped slim down my legs. But unfortunately getting rid of too much muscle is hard and takes a long time.

I am still trying to reduce some of the muscle. But the problem with not doing any resistance training is that you end up skinny fat and I find it a lot harder to keep a toned stomach when I’m doing cardio only. But at the same time, I don’t want to do too much resistance training or the wrong type, because then I get bulky.

I was struggling with everything for a while, not knowing how to train. But what I’ve found is that you do need a combination of both cardio and lighter resistance training to stay lean and keep toned. Let me explain each one further.

CARDIO

The cardio I am doing involves walking and running and occasionally boxing. They are my favourite because walking is really great for slimming down your legs and I try to do it every single day. It’s not too strenuous on your body, and for me, it doesn’t really feel like exercise – I really enjoy it!

Running is good for slimming down your legs too but also great for getting rid of excess fat on your whole body (especially stomach). Any high intensity exercise while help get rid of excess fat on your stomach. I only run for about 20-30 minutes and it is always on a flat surface. Running uphill and doing short sprints will build more muscle, and isn’t great if you’re trying to reduce the muscle in your legs.

Boxing is an amazing exercise, because it is a good combination of cardio and resistance. I always burn lots of calories and it really helps to tone up my upper body and core without building too much muscle (my arms always look leaner).

RESISTANCE TRAINING

The resistance training I am doing involves 2-3 lighter resistance sessions per week. These type of resistance sessions are similar to those from my 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program. But other types of lighter resistance workouts such as exercises from the Victoria’s Secret workouts, reformer pilates, pilates, barre, etc are great too! Sometimes I also do 1 HIIT resistance session per week to help keep my stomach lean. Doing too much of this type of exercise can bulk you up, legs especiall. But I try to keep it to body weight HIIT exercises only.

I no longer do any heavy resistance sessions because of the bulkiness that it causes my legs. Whilst I do love lifting heavy and I also love squats and leg days, my body just doesn’t seem to respond to this type of training the way it used to and I end up bigger than I would like.

SUMMARY

So overall, you need a combination of both cardio and lighter resistance training. If you are a really naturally slim body type (ectomorph), you may not need the cardio. But most people will need cardio to keep slim and resistance training to keep body fat down (and of course to look toned).

From my experience, this is the program that works for me and gives me the body that I prefer:

• Running 2-3 times per week
• Walking every day
• Light resistance training twice per week
• HIIT resistance training once per week
• I will sometimes try to fit in a boxing session if I have access to a gym (this will replace the HIIT session)

Everyone’s bodies are different and will respond differently to exercise. This is just my own personal experience, and the changes that I have made to my workout program over the years. I know a lot of women have experienced similar issues, and it is the main reason that I designed my 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program.

Love Rachael xx

The post #216 How To Get A Lean And Toned Body – What I’ve Learnt appeared first on Rachael Attard.

How To Complete The Challenge

For this challenge, you will either need a pedometer (to count your steps), or carry your phone with you wherever you go. The iPhone has a Health app that calculates your steps. If you don’t have an iPhone, download one of the free apps such as Runkeeper or Map My Walk to track your steps.

Every morning, you must start your day with a 30-minute (or longer) walk. It will make you feel more refreshed and will also help you make better food choices throughout the day. It is not difficult to set your alarm 30 minutes earlier to fit this in.

You must then find time throughout the rest of the day to fit in the required amount of steps. This can be by walking around the office every hour, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to work or walking to the train station, going for a walk in your lunch break, etc etc.

Beginner / Intermediate Challenge

 Advanced Challenge

For the advanced walkers, your challenge is to walk 10,000 steps every single day for 30 days. Are you up for it?!

I would love to hear how your challenge results went! Xx

The post #150 30-Day Walking Challenge appeared first on Rachael Attard.