My Top 10 Favourite Fitness Youtube Channels

I recently have fallen in love with health and fitness and I am currently on a journey to transform my body from flab to fab. As a beginner it can be really to hard to stay motivated and also to learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle. Thats why I turned to YouTube. These days there are YouTube channels for everything, from DIY's to fashion tips, and If you didn't know already there is a whole community of fitness YouTubers to help keep you motivated. 

Today I am sharing with you my Top 10 Fitness YouTubers. I have followed the majority of these YouTubers for around 6 months and I have learnt so much from them and I know if you watch their channels you will too. I have seen a big change in myself physically over the last few months from watching these ladies and have also built up my knowledge of fitness. If you are just starting out on  your fitness journey or really enjoy living a healthy lifestyle I recommend you checking these ladies out.

1) Heidi Somers (Buff Bunny). Heidi is a Texas based sponsored athlete and struggled with her weight throughout her teens. She has lost over 88lbs and now runs two inspiring YouTube Channels that document her journey. Heidi is one of my favourites on this list as she is very sweet and her videos are motivating. 

2) Sarah's Day. Sarah from Australia is also one of my favourites on this list. Even though her channel is quite small compared to the other fitness YouTubers on this list I really enjoy her vlogs as she talks about other subjects too. Sarah regularly vlogs her meals and workouts and I feel like I learn a lot about nutrition from Sarah. I also struggle from sensitive skin like Sarah which she talks about in her videos.

3) Nikki Blackketter is very popular American bikini competitor and sponsored athlete working for brands such a GymShark. Nikki's channel is very motivating as she shows you her workouts, nutrition and her travel vlogs. I have found over the last 6 months from watching Nikki I have learnt a lot more exercises to do at the gym. 

4) Robin Gallant. Robin is a Canadian Bikini competitor and powerlifter. Just like Nikki she is also a GymShark sponsored athlete. She likes to use her social media as a way to inspire more women to lift. I have just recently started to watch Robin but I find her to be very humble and down to earth. Her channel follows her work out routines, diet and work as a sponsored athlete. 

5) Beth Truman is a local YouTuber to me (Leeds) and is one of the newest YouTubers on this list but she certainly deserves to be up here. Beth is a sports student and personal trainer. Compared to some of the other YouTubers on this list, I feel Beth is more knowledgeable about fitness and I think this is because of her degree and experience as a personal trainer. From watching Beth you will certainly learn more about nutrition and technique.

6) Bethany Tomlinson. Bethany Is another British fitness YouTuber and has the smallest channel on this list. She is relatively new to YouTube but her videos are enjoyable. Bethany discusses her workouts and nutrition and gives helpful tips to beginners.

7) Britney Dawn Fitness like Heidi is a Texas based fitness YouTuber. Her videos follow her daily life and a look into her workouts and nutrition. Her videos are of good quality and her personality really makes them enjoyable to watch. Britney also likes beauty so she sometimes uploads makeup related videos. 

8) Carly Rowena. Carly is a London based YouTuber and personal trainer. She is the fiancé of Leon, one half of the YouTube duo The Lean Machines. I really like Carly's channel as she is very entertaining and also very knowledgeable about exercise, and nutrition.  Oh I forgot to mention her food will have you watering at the mouth. 

9) Jen Heward (HunnyBunsFit). Jen Heward is another American based fitness YouTuber and she also runs her own gym. Jen started to get into fitness when she was just 16 years old, so has many years of experience behind her. Her videos consist of her work out regimes, diet and advice videos. Even though I have only just recently subscribed to Jen I find her to be one of the most motivating YouTubers on this list. 

10) Zanna Van Dijk. Zanna is a London based fitness and travel blogger. I have only recently found Zanna on YouTube after following her popular Instagram for around a year. Zanna's social media accounts are so popular they have given her success as fitness model and now author. I find Zanna really motivating as her insight into fitness and nutrition is really helpful. 

I really hope you subscribe to these ladies and hopefully their channels will help you, like they have helped me. Feel free to follow my own fitness journey on my Instagram @kayleighmplatt

Kayleigh

x

Delicious Coconut and Date Protein Balls!

Omgosh! I think I just created the most delicious healthy and vegan snack. If you like chocolate and coconut you are going to love this. I have seen this recipe before so it's not fully originally however I did change it a little bit.  This is also in english measurements as I have only found this recipe in cup measurements previously. 

For the ingredients you are going to need:

• 15 Pitted Dates blended in a food processor (I used a smoothie maker).
• 8 Tablespoons of shredded coconut (you will also need extra for rolling the balls in).
• 5 Tablespoons of melted coconut oil.
• 2 Teaspoons of raw cocoa powder.
• 3 Tablespoons of chia seeds.
• A dash of coconut milk.

Makes 10 snack sized Protein Balls.

• Blend your pitted dates together until they are fine and sticky. In a large microwave safe bowl melt your coconut oil.

•  Once your coconut oil has melted, add in your shredded coconut and mix.

•  Add in your dates, raw cocoa and chia seeds mixing between each ingredient.

• Stir the mixture until it comes together like a biscuit dough and add in a dash of coconut milk. If the mixture is too wet add in more chia seeds.

• leave the mixture to stand for 20 minutes to allow the chia seeds to soften. After letting it sit the mixture will be ready to roll in your hands to create small balls. Put some extra shredded coconut on a small plate and roll the balls in it until they are covered. You can keep them in the fridge or freeze them.

Enjoy!

Kayleigh

xx

little haul including Nike and Bank

I must be a little late on the news as I had no idea Bank Fashion had gone into administration until I went to the Leeds store today. I have always being a fan of Bank as it stocks some great brands so I will be sad to see it go. So whilst having a cheeky little look at the sale items I came across this cute playsuit by the brand Hearts and Bows. I feel like I was destined to get this playsuit today actually as I saw it a while back but they didn't have it in my size so I just forgot about it. However it's now in my possession and ready to be worn on my holiday. It's was originally £32.00 and I purchased it today for £9.60. Unfortunately we can't save Bank by going and re-homing all there sale items however you can go treat yourself and make a few cheeky purchases. 

After I was side tracked by the sale at Bank I got onto my main focus of buying a really decent pair of running/work out trainers.  I usually run in my cheer shoes which are okay and support my ankle however there not suppose to be worn outside. I also sometimes naughtily run in my Converse which is the worst idea ever as there not running shoes, have no support on the ankle and are flat. No wonder I currently have a painful ankle. After looking around a few shops and comparing online I picked up a pair of Nike Downshifter 6. There black which I wanted with a neon pink tick so they can be visible if running at night. I have never decided faster on a pair of shoes in my life before. I only tried one on and was like these are so comfy and supportive I will take them. These beauties were also on sale for £32.99. So today was a good day for bargains and I can't wait to put these through the test with all the working out I have being doing lately. 

Kayleigh x

My second Aliexpress Haul!

After seeing different YouTtube videos of Aliexpress hauls and being impressed with my previous purchase of the Celine style bag ( review can be found on my previous post) I decided to go a head and purchase a new bikini for my holiday. With my weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey I decided to get a neoprene one. Neoprene is the diving suit material and is used by the Bikini brand Triangl.
The product was delivered in under a month and yet again I am very impressed with the quality. It seems very durable and will last a long time. The colour is also bright and complimentary. It cost me around £9.00 including shipping which is amazing since it's made of neoprene. My tip regarding ordering this bikini is to measure yourself before hand. The company allows you to mix and match sizes you just leave the sizes you require when ordering.
I look forward to wearing it on my holiday and hopefully grab a few snaps in it. 

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Swimwears-Triangle-Women-s-Fashion-Neoprene-Bikinis-Woman-New-Summer-2015-Sexy-Swimsuit-Bath-Suit-Push/1935324604.html

Kayleigh x 

My Diet!

A lot of people start on a weight loss journey but give up because there not seeing any results. Most people believe exercise is enough but it's not! You have to eat clean. Nutrients are key for the body to function and protein gives you energy whilst helping to re-build your muscles stronger. I flick through the weight loss and healthy eating hashtags on Instagram and see things like chocolate, baked beans on white bread and a bowls of cereal. these are certainly not healthy nor full of key nutrients for the body.  I never used to eat healthy, I'd eat what I want when I want. Luckily I have never being a big portion eater and usually eat little and often.

1. My first tip for eating better and losing weight is eat smaller portions (unless you already do). Make sure your having breakfast, lunch and dinner and no more than a couple of snacks a day. 
2. Cut out sugary drinks like pop or soda and Juice drinks as there usually full of sugar. Stick to water and tea. I also recommend lemon detox water.
3. Cut out sugary and fattening snacks like chocolate and crisps. Replace them with fresh fruit which can be frozen so they don't go off, peanut/cereal bars, and yoghurts.
4. Swap your white bread for brown.
5. Eat more eggs as there a great source of protein.
6. Swap cereal for porridge and top with frozen or fresh fruit and a teaspoon of Nutella or pea nut butter.

My daily food intake is around 1200 calories sometimes 

maybe less. I start the morning off by having my Protein World Slender Blend which usually takes me up till lunch time. For lunch I will usually have something like egg and soldiers or salmon on crackers and then a yoghurt, humus 

with fresh veg and fruit, or meat and salad. In the evening I like to have a normal cooked meal such as chicken in sauce with brown rice, quinoa paella, or homemade sweet potato fish pie.  

Changing your eating habits is not hard and I recommend it to everyone! I feel so much happier and healthier and the weight is coming off. 

Kayleigh x

Small Primark Fitness Haul

So I popped to Primark the other day to check out there fitness collection. I have being losing weight lately around half a stone so far and have managed to drop a dress a size. I was in desperate need of a sports bra and some leggings. I am really impressed with Primarks fitness collection and think they have some beautiful designs and brights colours. This time around I only picked up what I needed but will be certainly going back to purchase some more. 

This time around I picked up 

• Neon Green sports bra (Smoed colour if your a cheerleader) that was £3.50
• Thick leggings which where 3 quarters £3.50
• Thinner full length leggings £3.00
• Skipping rope which was on sale for a pound

Kayleigh x 

My 25 minute home workout which has results!

I noticed the key to getting fit is interval training and it's used by top trainers such as Jillian Michaels.  I started out by doing her thirty day shred however I soon became unmotivated and bored with it and that's because I didn't find it fun and it's not tailored to you personally. So I thought why not create my own which is fun and motivational. I first started out by picking a work out track list with my up beat favourite songs. Select a track list around 25-30minutes long. mine includes songs such as Real Love by Clean bandit and Ellie Goulding Burn.  
The first song you need to start of by doing cardio as this gets the heart pumping and you warmed up. Do cardio exercises which you enjoy for  like 30x each or like half a minute.  For my cardio warm up I do exercises such as

• Jumping jacks
• On the spot skipping (you can do this without a rope)
• Frog jumps (go down to a crouching position like a frog and jump straight up) 
• Jump twists
• High knees

Once my first track is finished I then move onto strength. I added weights to my work out which include tow light weight hand weights and I found my brothers old weights bench so I also use a bar with two 5lb weights on.  If you don't have weights at home don't worry you can just do strength exercises such as push ups, burpees and squats. 

• Squat stance punches with hand weights
• Squat and arm raises with hand weights
• Chest press with heavier weights
• Over head press with weights 
• Dead lift bar 

On the third track I then move onto my ab workout my favourite part of the circuit. Choose your  favourite abs focused moves. I do

• Reverse crunch
• Crunch 
• Full sit ups
• Plank
• Bicycle
• Abdominal twist with a weight 

After your third track has finished re-peat the circuit again starting from cardio. When you have done the circuit twice your work out track list should have finished.  I have seen really good results from doing this but make sure you are eating healthy too. 

Follow me on social media for my journey to a healthier lifestyle :-) I will continue to post my progress, healthy recipes and work outs. I also challenge you to warm up to Taylor Swifts Shake it Off without stopping. It's a lot of fast paced jumping, shaking and dancing put it gets the heart pumping and is lots of fun. 

Kayleigh x

Protein World Slender Blend Review

I recently started on the Protein World Slender Blend after hearing so many positive things. At first I got to admit I thought it was all lies due to being heavily celebrity endorsed however it has certainly proved me wrong. I have lost half a stone in 3 weeks and I believe I could have lost more quicker if I would have taken two a day like the company say. however I choose to have one shake a day as I was already a healthy weight I just wanted to loose around a stone and most importantly tone up. I chose the chocolate flavour Slender Blend which goes really nice with milk. it can be quite sickly so I don't recommend drinking it fast or in big gulps. I have also tried it with water which I did not like at all as it tasted like chemicals. I would certainly recommend this product to anyone wanting to loose weight or tone up. Please remember to eat healthy and exercise daily whilst taking the shakes. the shakes alone wont make you loose weight that's impossible as its protein. You don't need to be a hard-core gym addict or even have a gym membership. You just need to spare 25 minutes of your day to workout at home just like I do. I will do a follow up blog with my home work out.

 

 

The tub Costs £30 and can be purchased from Proteinworld.com

 

Kayleigh x