Ballroom Dance Style Faves

3. Waltz ♡
A beautiful dance of romance and love. The Waltz is a relatively simple dance to learn and when executed well, is truly amazing.

2. Argentine Tango ♡
A technically very difficult dance, but visually stunning. The emotion in this dance is usually sexy and powerful, combined with magically complex footwork.

1. Quickstep ♡
As you can probably tell from the name of the dance, the Quickstep is the fastest Ballroom dance around. To effortlessly glide across the floor at such a speed whilst being technically perfect throughout is difficult, and this challenge is something that makes the dance even more enjoyable!

Fitness Age - Fitness Test

Women's Health recently posted on their website an article and fitness test based around your fitness age. Norwegian researchers created this test that asks you a few questions to determine whether you are healthy and fit for what your average age fitness should be.

The article is here: http://www.womenshealthmag.co.uk/fitness/fitness-blog/2019/whats-your-fitness-age-this-simple-test-will-tell-you/

(The link for the test is about halfway down the page of the article)


My results are shown below!

VO2 is how much oxygen your body uses during exercise and how fit you are. This result is important, as it could be 'a matter of life and death'. If you are unfit for your age, your life expectancy decreases dramatically.

If you have average or above average VO2 levels, your chances of dying prematurely are at lower risk and your chances of getting cardiovascular disease are much lower too.

Fortunately is you score is bad for your age, by increasing your fitness levels, your fitness age can reduce!

Well... let's see how I get on when I reach my 20's!

Jas' Fitness Journey - Weeks 5 to 8

After a hectic and very stressful 3 weeks, my fitness journey still continues.

At the 4 week mark, you're meant to see a change in yourself - something which I saw at the 3 week mark. At the 8 week mark, others are meant to start noticing a change in your fitness - something which is still yet to come for me! However, different people's fitness levels change at different rates and after progressing quickly at the start, this section of my fitness is probably just a slower phase, so only time will tell.

Exercise:
My exercise has increased from what was originally about 3 and a half hours per week to 6-10 hours of dancing per week combined with a short circuit training session.

Over the next few weeks I plan on increasing the number of hours I dance even further and doing an additional circuit training session too. As anyone who dances knows, it is a very intense form of fitness, albeit very fun too. It is a great way to build up your muscles and cardio without you even realising!


Food:
My healthy eating has gone downhill a bit over the last 3 weeks. I still eat healthily most of the time, however those few too many meals out and take-aways have definitely been holding me back from reaching my full potential at this stage of my fitness journey.

Over the next couple of weeks I need to knuckle down and hold back from buying that ever so delicious Snickers bar, or that tantalisingly tasty Domino's pizza.


Progress:
On the upside, much progress has been made! Even though I have eaten a pile of junk food as well as healthy foods, my body is getting there. My fitness has burnt off more than my food intake - the vital element that helps you lose body fat. For me, this is good, as I have also put on muscle.

With muscle weighing more than fat, this effectively means I have put on weight - but it's all a good and positive thing and putting on weight in this way is always a good thing!


Progress Images:

Week 1                                          Week 4                                                Week 8

     Week 1                                     Week 4                                              Week 8

Jas' Fitness Journey - Week 4

As week 3 of my fitness journey comes to an end, week 4 begins. Apparently it takes 4 weeks to notice a change in your own body and at the end of my third week, I can see a change already. I have lost a bit of fat and gained a lot of muscle, especially in my legs and core. This is due to a combination of increasing how much I exercise and important changes in my diet.

Such a change to my lifestyle has changed how my body looks - but whether it's overly noticeable, you could question. So, here is one of my progress pictures so far:


PRE-FITNESS JOURNEY

END OF WEEK 3 OF FITNESS JOURNEY

So as you can see, the lighting is slightly different in the photos, which could be a little deceptive - although, at the end of week 3 it looks like I have lost muscle. BUT, what has actually happened to my body is, I have lost a layer of fat, hence why I have smaller 'love handles' and my stomach muscles have come together and become a more dense and ultimately stronger.

From here, I need to keep up the exercise, healthy eating and hard work in order to build up my muscles further and to make them more toned.

Jas' Fitness Journey - Week 3

It's the start of week 3 and having taken part in my fitness journey for nearly a month, I am slowly but surely making progress. Today, is a a quick progress update - if you missed last week, you can view that HERE.

Little steps, but we are getting there:

• I have started working out once a week. 
• I have started drinking lemon water (one of the best drinks for you!)
• I have exchanged unhealthy snacks for healthy snacks (although I did have a sneaky chocolate bar for the first time in ages!).
• I am back dancing again - Yay!
• I am still battling, but I am eating 3 meals a day more often that I used to.
• I feel much healthier in my body, even if I can't see any physical results yet.

My Healthy Lemon Water Instagram this week...

Jas' Fitness Journey - Week 2

So after a great start to last week, this week is filled with even more fitness, healthy food and energy!

My last post was written on a Tuesday and involved how I started the fitness journey, you can read more about that HERE. So what have I done since?

Wednesday and Thursday - I went food shopping! 
This involved buying plenty of fruit, healthy snacks and substantial meals that I know would make me want to eat the full 3 meals a day instead of skipping meals here there and everywhere. It sounds pretty awful that I skip meals, but with a busy lifestyle and being used to not eating breakfast most days, it has become a truly horrific habit. Especially considering breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day.

Friday - Intense 20 minute workout
This involved a whole long list of exercises:
Jogging (on the spot)
Heel Flicks/Butt kicks
Jumping Jacks
Cross Jacks
Back Lunge to High Knee
Skater Kicks
Full Body Bridge Raises
Single Leg Bridge Raises
Boxing Jabs and Kicks
30 Second Plank
Mountain Climbs
Leg Raises
Burpees
Squats
Lunge with Twist
'Inchworm' Press-Ups (on knees)

..... I did say it was a long list!

Saturday, Sunday and Monday - I saw lots of family and moved the rest of my stuff (basically everything), into my flat!

Tuesday and Wednesday - FOOD!
The last couple of days, I have been focussing on making sure I have been eating 3 meals a day and I have been getting in the routine of taking supplements. Not any old supplements and not to replace meals, but because I need to make sure my body is getting the right nutrients. As a result, I have been taking multi-vitamin and mineral tablets daily and Spatone, an iron supplement daily. This is because a crappy student diet doesn't fulfil everything that my body needs.

As a result, this has actually stopped me feeling as drowsy during the day and has meant that my body can last from when I get up until I go to sleep without wanting to fall asleep at several times during the day due to lack of nutrients!

Thursday - Today...
I have been in a meeting pretty much all day - I had an early start, getting up at 7am and I will be off to dance and do some choreography for a couple of hours soon!

Jas' Fitness Journey - Week 1

So I started my fitness journey yesterday and did quite a small workout, consisting of:

5 full press-ups
10 press-ups on knees
10 sit-ups
10 crunches
10 bicycle crunches (per leg)
1 minute of mountain climbs

After the workout I felt normal and the next day my shoulders were aching slightly (I think this was also due to moving into my new flat recently!)

Then a few hours later I went to the dance studio to do choreography and danced for 2 hours and ended up walking with friends to Wetherspoons and the shops. Without a doubt, straight after dancing, the pain of exercising has hit me all the way through my legs - I feel like a penguin that is trying to walk like a human! My legs will most likely feel like jelly tomorrow and the day after, but I will keep pushing on to try and improve my fitness levels.

However, even if my fitness improves, to meet my goals (HERE), I need to eat healthier and more regularly. To start this off, I bought lots of fruit as snacks, porridge for breakfast and I have given up alcohol again at uni (yes, I managed to do this last year too!).

To help me keep track of my workouts and how well I am doing, I downloaded a fitness app called Fitocracy. Here, you simply record what exercises you have done in your workout and gain points for everything you record. The more points you get, the higher the level you attain and so far I have managed to reach level 3 already! Great motivation to continue exercising!

The Health Mission - Kenny

Dear Jazzypzazzy,

               As you may well remember I wrote a piece a month or so ago, illustrating and explaining the transformation I made, when I lost 5 stone in body weight.  Having read one of your latest blog posts, I have decided to write back again to give you my opinion on the use of supplements, and whether or not the media pushes the public to be skinny rather than fit and healthy.  Please be aware that these are my opinions, and that others reader can challenge these opinions as they see fit.

First of all the use of supplements can have both a positive and negative impact.  People use supplements to enhance muscle growth, and to also help muscle recovery times.  Supplements can also be used to increase carbs into the body if the person cannot eat full meals at regular times.  

Before I joined the British Army I worked on a building site and relied upon whey protein and carbs supplements to ensure I performed my best at my gym classes. However on social media sites such as Facebook over the last few months, adverts for supplements such as Juice Plus and Herbal Life have been increasing. 

Fundamentally people who are ignorant to these supplements believe that these are easy weight loss techniques that require little effort except to drink these shakes. Although, truth be told, in order to get fit and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle requires dedication and determination. Having these shakes may make you lose weight but you are essentially starving your body and any weight you lose will come back on when the person starts to eat normally again - you will not get any fitter without working out.

Getting fit is the person’s prerogative and this will only happen if the person puts in the time and effort.  There is no point wasting your money on a simple solution that people believe requires no effort.  

Kenny.

The Health Mission - Ellie

Hiya everyone, I'm Ellie, a 19 year old, curvy, 3rd year student and I wanted to share my opinions on health and fitness and feeling good about yourself.

The "perfect body" is defined by the media as tall, skinny and tanned, but is this really healthy?

Does it really matter what dress size you are or is it more important to be healthy an active and happy in your own skin? I personally think that being skinny is far too overrated and people should feel beautiful no matter their size or shape!

As long as you aren't putting your health at risk, what is wrong with being curvier?!

The media is constantly posting pictures of the "ideal" body which in reality is often not healthy. Models put themselves through hell to be skinnier and spend dangerous amounts of time on sun beds topping up their tan, which can often lead to serious conditions such as anorexia, bulimia, malnutrition and skin problems including premature ageing and more seriously, skin cancer!

I definitely think we all need to be aware of what is healthy to eat and how much exercise our individual bodies need to stay fit. Magazines and websites at the moment seem to be obsessed with "magic foods" like acai or kale, and fancy exercise like different kinds of yoga and variations of Zumba etc. whilst these may work for some people, they can be expensive or hard to get to and often not great for busy or low-budget student lifestyles. We all need to be reminded that "normal" fruit and veg and just going for a walk or jog is great too!

So everybody in the JazzyPzazzy blogosphere, eat good food, have fun exercising and most of all love yourself for who you are!!!

Ellie xx

The Health Mission - Intro

I recently came across an article (HERE) about the most photoshopped celebrity pictures, in which some photos really shocked me! I noticed in a lot of the photos, celebrity's muscles had been gotten rid of in order to make them look slimmer.

These videos show you what the power of photoshop can do to both men and women:

With the media pushing forwards a particular image for both men and women to aspire to, I want to promote a healthier, more positive image for society to adhere to. Not one that will lead to negative routes to get what is desired, such as magic foods, crazy diets, food supplements and medication/drugs that aren't good for you! 

So there will be a few guest posts over the next couple of weeks featuring my 'Health Mission'.

Thank you to everyone who takes part!!!

Jas' Fitness Journey - Preparation

When The Fitness Journey Starts
The beginning of September!

My Goals
1. To become more toned.
2. To eat healthier.
3. Stay hydrated.
4. Eat more regularly.
5. Reduce stress.

How I Will Show My Progress
I will show my progress with photos, workouts and with what I eat.

My Current Fitness Levels
Between September 2013 and April 2014 I danced 3-4 times per week varying from 30 minutes to 4 hours of dancing different styles.

Since April 2014 I moved back home for the summer and pretty much stopped exercising altogether. I have lacked motivation due to the environment I'm in and finding it difficult to enjoy exercise. I walk the dog every day and that's what keeps me going. 

Below are the 'before' photos of this fitness journey. I want to put on muscle and become more toned. I am not interested in losing weight or getting slimmer, if anything, I would rather put on weight. As long as I am healthy, I am happy. 

5 Reasons Why Running is Rarely in my Fitness Regime...

1. It does havoc for my knees.

2. It's boring.

3. I'm a dancer, not a runner - I just end up prancing instead.

4. It is a mental obstacle I doubt I will ever overcome.

5. Starting up running properly, makes me feel awfully self-conscious.

I have been nominated!!!

The Liebster Awards 2014

Today I found out on one of my blog post comments, that I have been nominated for the Liebster awards. Liebster is German for sweetheart, love and dearest. It is like an online chain award that is given to bloggers by other bloggers. It's great exposure for those who are new to the game and It's a great way to get to know other bloggers.  To be eligible you have to have under 200 followers.

You have to be nominated for this award and I was so lucky to be nominated by Kiarna Lewis at Mama's Journey to Slim 'n' Curvy. This was such a surprise to me! Thank you so much Kiarna!

Once you're nominated, you have to answer the 11 questions and nominate 11 followers. Remember, they have to have under 200 follows to qualify for a nomination.

The Rules: 

1. You have to link back to the person that nominated you.

2. You must answer 11 questions given to you by the person that nominated you.

3. After completing the questions you must nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers and give them 11 questions of your choice.

4. You must not nominate the person who nominated you.

5. You must let your nominees know that they have been nominated and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it.

Kiarna's questions...

1. What do you blog about and why? 

I blog about fitness, fashion, lifestyle and travel.
Fitness - Because I enjoy being healthy and exercising, I love motivating others and I am a dance obsessive!
Fashion - Because I like to take an interest in fashion trends, even though the majority of the time I don't actually follow the trends myself! And, a lot of people in the fashion industry inspire me.

Lifestyle - This is a pretty open category, it gives me more choice in what I write about and it provides readers with experiences to read about, which they can directly relate to!
Travel - This is a recent add-on to my blog. I read a lot of travel blogs and after doing a little bit of travelling myself, I thought it was time to get stuck in.

2. What's your favorite blog post you've written?

This is such a tough question! I am passionate about everything I write about, if I wasn't then there would be no point in me blogging - but if I had to choose 1 post that I favour the most, that would be: A Walk in the Field.

3. How often do you blog? 

I blog every day except Saturdays. I have missed a couple of other days as well, but that has been due to having such a hectic lifestyle - bad blogger!

4. Where do you see yourself in a year's time? 

In a year's time I will be preparing myself for my final year at university and hopefully much more comfortable in this huge blogging world!

5. What's your most successful blog post?

My most successful blog post in terms of views has been: Engaged at 19 and my most successful blog post in terms of comments has been a post that went up just the other day!: 7 Long Distance Relationship Worries.

6. What's have you learned so far about blogging?

I have learnt that the blogging world is much bigger than I expected and that connections with other bloggers is very helpful!  

7. Apart from blogging, what else do you do? 

I am going into my 2nd year as an Advertising and Brand Management (BA Hons) student at Staffordshire University and I am the Student Academic Representative (STAR) for the course, I am also the President/Manager of the Dance Club at uni and I teach non-competition Ballroom, Latin and Jazz there. I am also in a long-distance (soon to be military) relationship with my gorgeous fiancee and I look after my lovely chocolate Labrador, Oscar, when I'm back at home! 

8. Do you enjoy blogging?

I love blogging! If any blogger didn't enjoy blogging, I'd be a bit worried!

9. What are your goals for the next 6 months? 

To settle back into uni life for my 2nd year, to increase the number of blog readers and followers and to have fun and get even fitter!

10. What social media site do you like the most?

Instagram, Instagram, Instagram.

11. What's your dream job? 

Not exactly a job, but to have a decent size business that provides stability.

Well that's my questions answered!

Now, It's my turn to nominate.

My nominations are: 

1. A Paige at a Time

2. The Fashion Fictionary
3. Eat, Play, Live
4. Through the Looking Glass
5. Reclusive Fox
6. Loving Life with Little Ones
7. The Recipe Resource
8. Calamity Jen
9. Minneapolis a la Mode
10. STREETSTYLEBOOK
11. Fashion, Well Done


Answer these 11 questions: 

1.  What do you blog about and why? 
2.  How often do you blog? 

3.  When did you start blogging?
4.  What's your most successful blog post?

5.  What have you learned so far about blogging?
6.  What's social media site do you like the most?
7.  Apart from blogging, what else do you do?
8.  What are your goals for the next year?
9.  What do you enjoy reading the most? e.g. magazines, books, blogs etc.
10.  What is your favourite colour?
11. How long do you spend on blogging everyday?


Congratulations on your nomination everyone!

Fitshion Fridays - Manchester United Sponsorship

So with all the drama going on, with football players being bought and sold to different clubs, and Manchester United's squad being almost completely turned over by Van Gaal in order to become champions again, Manchester United have got themselves stuck into the middle of sponsorship deals.

Nike recently decided that they didn't want to be involved with Manchester United's sponsorships any more and decided to opt out of being on any of next season's kit.

When I saw this originally I was in two minds about it. On one side, I thought that Manchester United had really been kicked in the the teeth for coming 7th in the Premier League last season and on the other hand, I thought how stupid it was of Nike to let go of such a big team.

Nike is one of the largest sportswear companies in the world and with Manchester United being one of the greatest football teams of all time, you'd expect that Nike would have stuck with them. However, being hungry for cash, Nike has stopped all deals with Manchester United, giving the opportunity for another sportswear brand to invade and take over this multi-million pound opportunity.

ITV mocked Manchester United on social media site, Twitter, when they found out about Nike and Manchester United going their separate ways, but this came to bite them back when Adidas struck a £750 million deal with the football club. This really shut ITV and the public up, when they knew serious money was being dealt with.

Was this a situation worth being made a mockery of? Or has it gone to bite people in the bum? After all, Nike has lost out and Adidas are set up to gain in the next year or so to come.

Fitshion Fridays - Running Shoes

So this is the first Friday of my Fitshion Fridays, where fitness and fashion come together. Recently I got a pair of Karrimor running shoes (as shown below) and they have made a huge difference to the way I feel when exercising, making it much easier. From previously exercising in any trainers I could find in my wardrobe, these running shoes have been a worthwhile investment and I bought them at an affordable price (around £30) from Sportsdirect.com. The whole mens range for Karrimor's were also at a reasonable price too.

For my requirements, these shoes are perfect, but some people require extra support for their feet and ankles. This is where some other brands could be more beneficial, such as Asics and New Balance. They tend to have more padding and an improved ability to absorb shock, therefore giving your feet, ankles and knees more support.




If you have any questions or queries, please view the contact page and email me or click through on the links. Thanks!

5 Tips to Successfully Lose Weight

Following on from the insight in yesterday's blog, Kenny Petrie reveals some tips into how to successfully lose weight. Best of all, no food replacements or strict diets!

1. Never Give Up

Always have determination and commitment. This will allow you to succeed where others will fail.

2. Have Reachable Targets

Rome was not built in a day, losing weight will not be done in a day either.

3. Have a Break

Everyone has bad days, so you will too.

4. Keep a Positive Mental Attitude

Positivity will keep you going, negativity will set you back.

5. Be Disciplined

Always put the effort in, whatever the weather.

18st to 13st in under 2 years, this reader lets us in on their weight loss secret...

Dear JazzyPzazzy,

" I wanted to let your readers in on my story. With those who inspired me to achieve my goals, I am now becoming the inspiration to many others. Being the fat kid at school was never easy, not fitting in at P.E., not receiving attention from girls when all your mates were; or simply being too scared to go swimming with your class because you were the fattest in your year. At the end of the day, I felt side-lined. The main thing I seemed to have in common with anyone was a dream. Everyone has dreams, whether it is to be a footballer, a lawyer, or a gardener. Everyone has them. For me, I wanted to be a soldier - try explaining that when you are 18 stone. This is my story of how I transformed from an 18 stone boy, into a 13 stone man in less than two years.

It all started within a small gym in the Dundee Detachment of the Royal Marines Reserve. I had been training very lax for about a year when I got a stern talk from my uncle. “Son put in the effort, or leave and stop wasting my time”. These words reinforced that if I did not lose weight I would fail my ambition to be a British Soldier. I quickly began to pay attention, start eating properly and working hard. I pushed my body and my mind to its limit. The food I ate was simple, usually consisting of chicken, vegetable and healthy snacks. I also began to play sports more often at school and I would exercise at any opportunity. Within a month I had lost almost a stone, along with finding out that sports is a good way to de-stress! Within a year of starting to lose my weight I worked my way up to be one of the most respected members of the gym and I became known for never giving up. I represented my cadets in football and running, and I also went ahead with my army application. The female situation also changed, as I started to gain more female attention from time to time, albeit I was focused on my fitness. From here on, I practised the fitness assessments for the army and alongside the gym I would train, doing running and circuits in my own time.
By 2011 I had my army selection centre invitation and I went with the determination to smash all of the fitness tests. During selection I was credited with a good pass time, and I passed all the tests with a high score. That was three years ago. Today, I am proud to be a fit and healthy young man, who recently got engaged, and I am now on my way to achieving more great things. "

Kenny Petrie 

Kenny's top 5 tips to successfully lose weight will be revealed in tomorrow's blog. Keep a look out for them! 
Plus, if you have any stories you would like to share via this blog, please email JazzyPzazzy at: emailjasmines@googlemail.com