Had such a lovely day with Lisa last week taking these fitness and boudoir images. I have teamed with Lisa on photoshoots before as she is an amazing hairdresser and also have had the pleasure of shooting her pinup and boudoir session a few years ago. She has completely transformed her body since then.  I’m a bit of an outsider to the gym world (preferring to observe with a GnT , a cupcake and do light yoga ) … but I was fascinated to hear the story behind her taking this on and have her offer some advice to those considering changing their body shape :

My Fitness and Boudoir Photoshoot:

My fitness journey began just over 5 years ago. I was approaching my 30th birthday & knew I needed to make some lifestyle changes, not just for me but for my son too.
In January 2013 I signed up for the women’s mini marathon in June of that year & began training for it. I ran every single day, rain hail or snow!! You could say I bit the bug!
After I completed that I started boot camps/kettlebell classes. I then progressed from that to a weight lifting class-I was nearly 32 & had never lifted a weight before in my life. I enjoyed the feeling of lifting weights & pushing my body hard but still wanted something more, thus leading me to sign up for membership in a free weights gym (a non classes gym) something I would NEVER have imagined doing.
During all this time I still continued to socialize. Drinking alcohol at the weekends & being very free with my diet-not really watching what I was eating. After a while I started to get a little frustrated because even tho I was working hard, I wasn’t really getting results.
In November 2015 I signed up for a white collar boxing event the following March & began training for that in January 2016. That was fairly intense, training every Tuesday & Thursday for 8 weeks & still going to the gym getting in my weight sessions. Training twice a day some days didn’t bother me, I just fell into it. I got into fairly good shape but still strived for more. I knew I had to get my nutrition in order but couldn’t do it on my own so I approached a trainer in the gym for help.
He asked me what I wanted to achieve & I told him I had always admired bikini athletes & how they worked so hard to get their physiques, never in a million years would I be confident enough to do that but I was interested to see how much it would take to look something like them. So he suggested maybe doing a fitness shoot & so I began a 16 week prep with my shoot booked for August.
When I had that finished I was beyond proud of myself & how hard I worked. I knew I would have what it takes to do a competition prep. Unfortunately my trainer in the gym didn’t do Comp prep so in Oct of that year I got myself a coach in Dublin & started gearing up for May 2017.
From oct-Jan I was eating a lot of food with no cardio & training weights 5 times a week. I was doing what some may call a bulk or building phase. I absolutely loved it & so did my body. I was still having the odd drink here and there & enjoying all the foods I loved but in moderation.
In Jan I started my “diet” which was a total of 17 weeks. That’s when it becomes super strict & I followed my plan to a T. I was eating 6 times a day, my diet was packed with good, wholesome, nutritious food. But No alcohol, no sweets, no crisps, no chocolate, no fizzy drinks, nothing with sugar. I had 5 weight sessions a week with cardio gradually increasing. Some days I was training 3 times a day. Fasted cardio in the morning, a weights session in the afternoon & more cardio in the evening. Having a cross trainer at home was a massive benefit. I loved it my prep. I loved watching my body change week by week & the progress I was making.
I got up on stage in the best shape of my life & knew I done all that was asked of me but this isn’t for everyone & it’s very extreme for some but it’s what you have to do to get into shape for the stage.
Competing has shown me the discipline that’s needed to get in shape & taught me that if you really want something you will work hard for it. No excuses.
My 16 year old son has also learnt a lot from it. He plays rugby & is fast becoming a fantastic MMA athlete. He knows the dedication it takes for him to get in shape for future competitions & he himself has started to follow my lead in looking after his diet & just recently started weight training in the gym alongside me.
This year I had intended on competing again. After starting prep in January & thinking about it long & hard I decided against it & pulled out in March. I had my photo shoot booked with Nat start of May so continued to prep for that but not going as extreme as my show diet. I wanted a soft, feminine, sexy but toned look for it & I could not be happier with how the photos turned out (I look at them & think is that really me)
I have shot with Natalie in the past so we had plenty of laughs throughout the shoot & she is an absolute PRO at what she does. She made me feel so relaxed & at ease throughout it all.
I have done a few photo shoots now & I have to say this one without doubt is my absolute favorite. I would encourage EVERY woman to do a shoot at least once in their life. Not for anyone else but for themselves. The sense of achievement & self confidence you feel after it is amazing & personally I think when you work so hard on your body you have every right to show it off! It’s not about vanity like some may think, it’s about feeling confident in your skin, which as women is very important.

For anyone looking to change their lifestyle I would give the following advice

  • Don’t be afraid to start. I hear so many people say oh but Im scared to join a gym what if I don’t know what to do & people look at me…Remember everyone had to start somewhere. Even the most advanced athlete was once a beginner. The hardest part is taking the first step believe me.
  • You don’t want to overwhelm yourself & jump in at the deep end so start off with small changes. Maybe write down one goal every week. It could be anything from aiming to drink 2 litres of water a day or having one glass of wine on Saturday night or walking 3 times a week.
  • Look at your diet. Do you have breakfast? If so what? In my opinion eggs are one of the most underrated foods. They are my breakfast staple every single day. And no-too many eggs are not bad for you. I eat 6 every morning!!!
  • Fill up on your veggies with every meal. And do not cut carbs!!! A car needs petrol to run just like your body needs carbs. Eliminating carbs is a recipe for disaster & always leads to binging.
  • Don’t work hard Monday–Friday & then think ah sure feck it it’s the weekend I can eat what I want. No you can’t. Saturday & Sunday are 30% of your week too. Don’t throw all your hard work in 2 days.
  • Don’t restrict foods you like otherwise you run the risk of binging. Every day I have 2 squares of 85% dark chocolate & it keeps me sane. I have a meal of my choice every Sunday evening with my son. It could be home made or takeaway but I make sure it’s something that I like.
  • Go easy on yourself. People always want to see results straight away & when they don’t they get deflated. It takes anything up to 12 weeks to see the changes occur so be patient cause I guarantee you when you do notice them it will become addictive & you’ll be so glad you didn’t give up.
  • Remember you are only human & we all have bad days. If you have an extra bar of chocolate or bag of crisps so what. Just put it behind you & move on.
  • You only have one life & one body. Always love yourself no matter what & never compare yourself to anybody else. You are you & that’s what makes you unique ❤️

 

Inspiring or what .. although I am still an ‘eat the cake , buy the dress kind of girl – I have to say I know how much Lisa has put into this and she has earned it all and its amazing to behold. I love the fun we had while capturing the shots for it with a slight nod to 80s flashdance ! Anyone interested in a fitness style shoot we are offering free makeup application with the studio shoot for the month of may if you mention the code FIT! We provide the Gym , the coconut oil , select outfits and posing help. It is recommended to bring your own outfits as well and contact me with ideas prior to the session to nail the looks you want.

For anyone interested in boudoir we also have makeup included in our luxury boudoir book package and this is suitable for bridal boudoir, gifts , milestones etc. Suitable for ladies of all sizes and ages of course !