The Best Of Instagrams Fitspo

              Hey Everyone :) 

So as a lot of you know I recently started a fitness journey and got really interested in working out & nutrition. It's taken me months and months but I'm happy to say I'm finally noticing a difference and it's the best feeling ever but I'm also the first to admit I'm struggling with the motivation the last two weeks. Between this amazing weather and Thirsty Thursdays I've slacked big time and I'm desperate to get back on track and that's where Instagram becomes my best friend. 

Instagram is hands down my favourite social media app and I'm constantly scrolling through miles and miles of content daily (on both my blog account @littlepieceoflyndablog and my personal account @henners_l) so it's safe to say I follow some amazing accounts, in particular fitness/nutrition related accounts and they're the ones I'm going to talk about today. I can't talk about all the ones I follow so I'm just going to pick out my top 10 accounts that inspire me and make me want to get up off my arse and get a workout done. I hope they help you as much as they help me!! 

 Katie Crewe - @katiecrewe 

I first came across Katie on Womens Best Instagram account when they had posted a workout video and I was amazed by her, I couldn't get over how stunning she was and that bod...WOW!! So I followed her personal account and she's quickly become my instagram creep go to. If you want quick workout ideas then she's your gal!!  

 Danielle Keaney - @dkeaneyfitness 

A personal trainer and lifestyle coach Danielle has given me so much inspiration over the past few weeks and I swear there's no girl that makes working out seem so much fun. Danielle shares her daily workouts through her instagram/facebook account and the ideas you can take from watching her workouts will inspire you to get your arse in gear! I swear if you do anything today it's follow this girl, her body will give you serious envy though you've been warned!! 

Mai Kenneally - @maikenneally 

I'm not being biased when I say the strength and determination of my best friend Mai is truly inspirational and I can't express how much I love this girl. If, and when you follow her account you'll be blown away by her photos, her off season prep, her prep in general, her quotes and her amazing vlog. Mark my words when I say this girl is going FARRR!!!!  

Leanne Moore - @leannemoorefitness  

Let's get one thing straight if Leanne Moore told me to jump I'd say 'how high' I love this girls account and she is serious fitspo. Co Owner at Go Gym. Limerick gal Leanne always shares her workouts and food and is defo an account to follow if you're looking for some get up and go. 

Brian Keane - @brian_keane_fitness 

I've gotten some of the best fitness tips & advice that I know from listening to Brians podcasts and watching his instagram story and from a lads perspective of fitness he genuinely covers everything and allows people to ask him questions which I love. ANDDDD... whether you're into your fitness or not I'd give him a follow if I were you! Serious hottie!! 

Maryn- @im_fixing_me 

I LOVE this girl! I came across Maryn before I had even started my own weight loss journey and was just so inspired by her and her story. I followed her account and sent her a message to which she gave me such great, lovely advice and to this day I'm fixing me is one of my favourite accounts on Instagram. If you're like me and need a little bit of inspo then I really recommend giving her a follow and watching her progress. An amazing woman! 

Iskra Lawrence - @everybodywithiskra @iskra

I couldn't make this list without including the amazing Iskra Lawrence!! If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know about my love for Iskra after interviewing her a few years back ( you can check that out here) but if you're on the lookout for self love, inspiration, realness and motivation then you simply cannot pass Iskra Lawrence. 

Peter O Halloran- @ppt_fitness 

Peter, a fellow Tipp person ( I know lucky for us) is serious motivation!! I absolutely love watching his insta stories and following his clients progress and if you're determined to get into shape but struggling to find motivation I would seriously recommend checking out  PPT Fitness. 

Shannon Decker-  @shannonshape 

No matter what show ever came on E! I would watch it, so a few years back when a new programme called 'Hollywood Cycle' started I, of course was glued to it and loved this girl called Shannon. Years on, I still love the LA based PT and her insta account gives me serious motivation on a daily basis. From her clients workouts to her own Shannon is seriously strong, fit and genuinely gives you body goals. 

Bill Walsh - @billybubwalsh

Last but certainly not least is a man I simply couldn't leave off this list, Carrick's very own Bill Walsh. Bill is now an online personal trainer based in London and is hands down the most motivating person I have ever followed. From his free downloads to his support groups Bill is covering it all and the whole town of Carrick is behind him 100% !! If you haven't already get following this legend!!! 

And there you have it, ten instagram accounts that motivate me every single day. The people listed are seriously inspirational and of course there's so many others that I didn't get the chance to talk about, there's also the likes of the 'never gonna happen but still body goals' accounts like Khloe Kardashian and Holly Hagan but once you're healthy and happy then it doesn't matter what you look like, once you're happy. 

Talk soon,

Lynda Xx  

My Fitness Journey

Makeup Free Gym Selfie 

“Don't wait until you've reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take toward reaching your goal” 

I'd just like to start off this post by saying  I am by no means an expert in this field nor do I know basically anything about fitness or weight loss but after posting a little transformation picture on my Instagram account Wednesday night I got bombarded with messages and questions about my weight loss so I decided to write a little blog post talking about what I do, and I'm by no means saying that this is the right way to do things, but it works for me and it might work for you too.

Like most girls out there I've struggled with my weight for years and honestly didn't think I had enough willpower to do anything about it, all I knew was I wanted a 'fitness journey' and not a 'weight loss story' because my overall aim is to change my lifestyle and not just by body shape but I'll be the first to admit I didn't always go the right way about it.
 I looked at girls like Gigi Hadid whose body shape I will never resemble and thought the only way I can achieve that is through limited food and lots of cardio whereas in reality I have hips and boobs so that shape will never be me and I'm absolutely fine with that but it's taken time to appreciate my own body shape and as for my hips...well don't get me started on them but I'm getting there *eye roll emoji*

It was back in early March that I really started taking everything serious and began my own 'fitness journey' but it didn't start the right way. I had bought this weight loss shake online and religiously drank it twice a day whilst eating very little food on top of that.
 Two weeks into my shakes my manager at the time saw how sick I was getting (I literally had the shakes) and sent me home from work and that was the moment of realisation for me, I knew these shakes weren't going to be a long term solution for me so it was going to have to be a long road of healthy eating and exercise ...YAWN!! I know, but believe me it works!!
 At the time my manager was my God send and I cannot begin to explain how grateful I am to her, after previously starting her own fitness journey she gave me so much advice and passed on some amazing knowledge about fitness and food that I still swear by today! When starting your own fitness plan I think it's always a great idea to ask someone what they do or what advice they can give you and although everyone is different it's always nice to get ideas and then adjust them to your lifestyle and to what will suit you but it's going to be a lot of trial and error until you find something that's perfect for you.

Before                                    After

Getting fit came with time, I started off by walking my dog every evening and made sure to get in as many hills as I could, then I started jogging 30 seconds at a time on a flat road and before long my favourite way to relax was to go for a run in the evening...I'm still in shock at that let me tell you. I then started going to spinning classes with friends from work and that just kick started my obsession with exercising and fitness so joined the gym with my best friend Karen.
 For anyone with a low enough fitness level joining a gym is always daunting, you get it into your head that people are going to judge you but in reality no one gives a shit about what you're doing, everyone is there for the same reason and is dedicated to  their own workouts so honestly just go up there and do your own thing. That being said I love having a gym partner there to cheer you on - unless the gym hunk doesn't show up so you take it handy and take selfies.... don't judge it was only the once ;)
  Cardio roughly makes up about 40% of our weekly workouts, 50% on circuits and then 10% on weights but we always follow a plan and I think no matter what you do whether it's at home or a gym, plan your workout. It will honestly make a world of difference to you in the long run. I try get to the gym 4 times a week and get out walking every evening and a few home workouts when I can but for me now I'm focusing on losing more weight, maintaining my curves and growing the booty.
 Food wise, I can't really help there because I just try get as much veg in as I can and not eat shit. It's a lot of chicken and turkey which suits me down to the ground but I never starve myself and treat myself every weekend. It's all about that balance.

So there you have it my own little fitness journey, I don't know if I was much help to anyone but it's a process and I still have a long way to go but what I've learned is you can do 100% cardio, eat nothing but rabbit food, get skinny in a few months or you can balance out your workouts, eat sensibly and get yourself an amazing figure but it may take years and I know if you put the work in you'll achieve results but it's all about balance and consistency .
Good luck with it x