With stars such as Millie Mackintosh and Miranda Kerr promoting the ‘strong is the new skinny’ mantra, a new breed of green juice-sipping, dumbbell-lifting female fitness fanatics has sprung up.
Gym membership is booming according to a new survey – mostly thanks to the so-called ‘protein princesses’ desperate to emulate the toned and lean bodies of their favourite female stars and shape up for summer in the process.
But is getting the perfect beach body really as simple as our favourite social media stars would have us believe? FEMAIL asked three average women to see if they could shape up in just eight weeks, despite having busy lives.
All three had had access to a personal trainer three days a week, a bespoke nutritional plan and PhD protein supplements delivered to their front door, as well as Virgin Active membership.
26 Year Old Emily Furlow Of London, England
BEFORE:
Weight: 11st 5lbs
Muscle mass: 22.5
Body fat: 22.8 per cent
AFTER
Weight: 10st
Muscle mass: 28.9
Body fat: 14 per cent
Speaking ahead of her challenge, Emily, who was a keen athlete before moving to London for a full-time job in events, said: ‘I was sick of always saying I wanted to look good for summer then never achieving it.
‘I used to have a lean body when I was younger as I was very sporty but having got a bit too comfy with London life, drinking and eating out a lot meant the pounds were starting to pile on and I really needed someone to push me to change my routines.’
Emily was keen to emulate her favourite stars, who she says are promoting the toned look.
‘This look is healthy and means your body is strong, you will have a higher immune system and it shows how much hard work and dedication you have put in,’ she said.
A typical day in Emily’s diet before starting the challenge would include a sugar-laded cereal bar for breakfast, a couple of biscuits mid-morning, pitta bread and humous, followed by a chicken salad with avocado and a creamy dressing for lunch.
Mid-afternoon, she would reach for ‘anything that was lying around the office like cake and biscuits’, as well as a can of Diet Coke.
Dinner would consist of chicken or salmon with a jacket potato, butter and salad, followed by a fat-free yoghurt. But that was on Monday – Wednesday.
‘A LOT of wine would be consumed between Thursday and the weekend, as well as pizza,’ admits party girl Emily.
‘I would work out 2-3 times a week but realistically, I would be good Monday-Wednesday and then it would get to Thursday I would go for drinks and it would be downhill with alcohol/food/pizza from then.’
Emily, who cited her motivations for participating in the challenge as ‘to start enjoying the gym again and seeing progress in what I am doing’, was keen to see a shift in her lifestyle to a healthier balance one like all those girls she ‘dreamt of being on Instagram.’
Did she have any expectations? ‘I think I will lose weight but how much? I have no idea,’ she said. ‘I just want to feel comfortable in my own body again and get excited to wear new outfits as opposed to wearing whatever fits/ makes me not look frumpy.
‘I am hoping that I will feel more positive and happier overall and have improved energy levels.’
Emily worked with Virgin Active trainer, Amanda Lau, who, speaking on their first meeting, said: ‘Emily’s fitness levels were not great. I started her with a basic circuit and although she managed to complete everything, she struggled and felt DOMS (delayed onset muscle strain) afterwards.
‘But she quickly got into her new training and nutrition regimen and her body started to respond; especially as we cut out unnecessary sugars, including alcohol.
‘She was one of my most disciplined clients and earned every pound of muscle and those abs. This girl worked HARD.’
Emily and Amanda worked out for an hour-long session three times a week, which consisted of different exercises and weights each week.
As a result of her regime, Emily lost 1st 5lbs and says she’s the happiest she’s been in years.
‘I loved every minute of the challenge,’ she said. ‘Amanda was amazing and supportive, which really helped keep me motivated; constantly monitoring my progress was really important as well and taking weekly photos to see how far I’ve come.
‘The hardest part at the beginning was saying no to nights out and resisting the odd bottle of wine here and there but as soon as I started seeing results, this was easy to resist as I was starting to see how quickly my body was changing and I didn’t want to do anything to hinder it.
‘My mood increased dramatically; I suddenly had a new zest for everything and seemed to get so much more done with my time, purely just from being more active. My skin improved a lot and my general wellbeing felt great.
‘This is the happiest I’ve been in ages. Now I’ve started, I just want to keep going to getting my dream body.
‘For me this has completely changed my lifestyle and has really made me realise that if you are determined and disciplined you will get results.
‘I always thought I was just one of those girls that now my body was out of shape, there was no way I could change it, but anyone can; you just have to change your ways. The stricter you are, the quicker you will see results. And once you get there, trust me, you won’t look back.
‘Stop wishing and start doing, you will have to make sacrifices but it will be completely worth it.’
Courtesy of: Daily Mail