7 ways to get beach body ready in 48 hours

So, it’s 20C outside and everyone else is floating around looking effortless and Coachella like while you’ve got your black opaque denier 90’s on and are hiding from the sun more than Bella Swan in Twilight. You’re not ready for the sun let alone the beach but guess what the High Heel Runner is here to help with 7 quick hacks that can get you body confident and ready for Summer in 48 hours.

1. Get a colonic – I’m not even playing when I say if you’ve been overdoing it on the Krispy Kremes and know the Deliveroo driver by their first name you may find people are asking how many months on your food baby is. Cut the shit (literally) and get a colonic. It basically is water flushing out your colon and I don’t know the science but I can tell you it works!

2. Sack the Salt – Nobody loves Salt & Vinegar crisps more than you. I know! But huuuuunnnnie THEY ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND. If you wanna get rid of the bloat you gotta stop the salt consumption for a few days. Salt is delish but salt is Bloaty’s bestie and it’s time they got separated. Give that Salt it’s P45 and say adios!

3. HIIT the Gym – Even if you’re not a gym member you can still do HIIT which stands for High Intensity Interval Training. I’m not gonna lie, it’s absolute hell but it works like a dream. If you’re not sure you can come up with your own workout on this one do this video: 👇🏼

4. Start a Girlband with Lemon & Ginger – To get your body from Teletubbie to Love Island Lovely you need to cut back on your 1,500 calorie Frappuccino Mocha Grande Extra Cream Everything and replace it with a Lemon & Ginger tea. Yeah, I know “No Coffee, No Talkie” but do yourself a favour and be a mute while drinking that herbal until you’re transformed. You can thank me when your stomach is flatter than your best protein pancake.

5. Gonna Make Your Sweat 💦 – Anyone remember CC Music Factory? Nah, didn’t think so. Anyway, if you wanna get cut in 48 hours you need to sweat. Too lazy to do the exercise in point 3? Well, then hit the sauna and sweat it out. Too cheap to hit the sauna? Run around the block with a bin liner over your t-shirt. Just don’t be surprised when someone calls the Po-Po on you. At least you’ll be on your way to a hot body in lock down. *Plays Akon for effect*

6. Spray and Pray – If all else fails, exfoliate like MoFo and spray tan yourself. It’s safer than sunbeds and a tan will make you look a few pounds lighter. So get that Cocoa Brown on and rock it like an Amazonian Rainforest Goddess down the Finchley Road. You own this girl! You own this!

7. Pour Some Cocktails – Summer is here and the only six pack you have is in the fridge. Who cares? Summer is here so have a BBQ, pour an Aperol Spritz, throw on your favourite Spotify playlist and have a laugh with your friends. So what you don’t have a six pack? Get out there and have fun in the sun. Rock a floaty kaftan and let the good times roll. Turn off your phone. Be present. Enjoy life and remember that chick with the six pack on your Instagram Stories is at home eating asparagus trying to pull the perfect pose at a 45C angle whereas you have an actual life and are gonna rock this Summer! Get it!

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

Flyte Clean Energy Drink Review

So New Year, New You yeah? It’s okay you can tell me how you’d rather be home in your onesie watching Stranger Things 2 than trying to work off all the stranger things you’ve been eating over Christmas. If this sounds like you, I have just the thing!

Before Christmas, I was sent some clean energy drinks to try out from a fab new brand called Flyte and now that I’ve tested them all I wanted to share what I thought.

First off when I heard that Flyte was made up of caffeine from green coffee my heart sank a little as I’m not a coffee fan. The closest thing to a coffee that I will drink is an Espresso Martini or a Café Patron so I wasn’t sure what to expect. BUT, I need not have worried as the energy drinks which come in Green Mango, Orange Clementine, Citrus Lemon and Red Berries flavours don’t taste like coffee at all. Result!

The other good thing about them is they’re not laden with sugar yet they taste fizzy with a kick. My favourite hands down was Green Mango (even though I don’t like Mango – stop judging me!), followed by Red Berries, Citrus Lemon and then Orange Clementine. To be fair, there’s nothing actually wrong with the Orange flavour but after too much Orange Hooch in the 90s (look it up Millennials), anything orange flavoured is never my first choice. All of the Flyte flavours taste like the fruits on the bottle so they’re pretty much like Ronseal – does what it says on the tin. Except each bottle is way slicker and has a really nice black design and only 40 calories too which is much less than other energy drinks. Winner!

The best thing about Flyte drinks are that they actually give you energy and a boost which doesn’t make you crash and burn like the empty wrapper of a Toblerone tube. I tried the drinks on different days. The first day I tried one was an hour before my Insanity class which is 50 minutes of pure HIIT hell. You’re lucky to walk about without needing crutches by the end so I was super surprised when I still felt I had energy before, during and AFTER the class. It really did give me a kick without making me feel like I was gonna have a heart attack like other drinks that I’ve tried.

I also tried the drinks when I wasn’t due to work out. I tried it just as my food coma was set in around 2pm before a big work meeting and I have to say I was alert, with it and was able to focus for longer. Happy days!

All in all, I’d give Flyte drinks a 9 out of 10 which is pretty epic praise. If you’re new to working out or have fallen off the wagon I would recommend giving these Flyte drinks a go to give you a boost. They’re not in the shops just yet but when they do get there they’ll be flying off the shelves.

Check @flytedrink out on insta and if you wanna order yours before they go mainstream you can do so on http://www.flytedrink.com.

Have you tried them? Let me know what you think!

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

#MySportLondon Leggings Review

Recently I met the founder of MySportLondon. She was an absolute howl and had a great energy so I thought I’d try out the new MySportLondon fitness range which I picked up at the launch at Stylist Live.

I got an ink coloured technical legging (also known as running tights to you and I) to test and after deliberating over what size would be right I went for a Small. Here’s an honest review on what I liked and what i think needs improving:

What I liked:

THEY STAYED PUT: I like to wear my running / workout tights like Simon Cowell or Kim Kardie – high, like under my boobs high. These tights are good but they sat just over my belly button and not over my ribs. Feel free to ignore this comment as I realise I sound like some kind of twisted corset loving diva but the reason I usually like the waistband high is I like to say no to crack and don’t like to have it on show and sometimes when you run with hip sitting leggings they run down your hips faster than I can down a bag of Haribo. BUT, what I liked about these My Sport Leggings is they didn’t move at all even when I wore them on a trail 10K with lots of leaps, lunges, sprints and they have a nifty waist drawstring. Result!

THE FIT: I put these on and my legs felt like they were compressed tightly in a good way and I loved the polyamide/ elastane mix fabric. I actually felt so snug at one stage that I thought I didn’t have them on. Luckily for everyone in the audience they were on and felt like a second skin. Happy days!

NOT TRANSPARENT: The biggest win for me with these tech leggings is that no matter how deep you squat or lunge these are not see through. They stay in shiny tact and don’t look like a pair of 100 denier opaques from Primani. TMI girls, TMFI!

THE COLOUR: Wicked colour – felt like a GB Athlete in my blue, red and white leggings. Much more going for them than most leggings on the market.

What needs work:

THE STITCHING: I hate to be harsh but some of the stitching made the leggings look like a prototype particularly around the inside zip by the ankle. There were parts that started to unravel which isn’t really good enough for a £70 price point. This needs more seeing to by the seamstress.

THE FINISH: If MySportLondon want to sell these leggings to the masses they need to iron out the teething problems. The waistband twists, the wording with the washing instructions fell off after Day 1. I was finding random blue letters around my home. I thought it was Jesus sending me a message but turned out to read “Hand wash only”. Luckily I watched Countdown back in the day so I’m nifty with an anagram.

All in all, I would give these MySportLondon leggings a 7 out of 10. It’s a new brand so obviously it’s gonna have things to improve but for a £70 price point I’d expect the bits that need work fixed up quick if it’s to keep up with the competition. You can check brand out on @mysportlondon on insta.

Have you tried out the range? Let me know what you think.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

Why Massages Should Be 1 of the 7 Deadly Sins

I’m covered in oil. Completely covered in oil. I’m so covered in oil that you could fry bleedin’ fish and chips on me! Where am i? I’m about two steps away from the shower to wash off the manky Massage I just had.

I love massages. Even the sore sports massages. Between cracking and pulling and kneading and pressing I love everything that a Massage entails until today.

So today, I went for a Massage in a place where I don’t normally go. Thank you Treatwell for luring me in with your cheeky voucher. Pricks….I got there and the first thing I noticed was they had no paper towel over the face rest. Y’know the bit where you lie down with your face between the cushion and wish your bed at home had this built in so you could lie down face first after a full on Friday night full of too many shots and whisky sours? I digress.

So I asked the beauty therapist if she has the disposable paper towel for the face rest and she looked at me like I’d just asked her if she could get me a tonne of cocaine from Colombia by the morning. She said “Oh eh no. I don’t have that. You can just rest your face in on the cushion and I’ll be back in a minute to give you some time to get ready for your massage.”

Needless to say I grabbed her by the ponytail and got some facecloths to line the face cushion. I mean who the hell would rest their face in that hole without any towels/tissue. Freaks! That’s who.

Anyway so we managed to get by that part and the Massage began. In fairness to the girl she was great in terms of strength and pressure but her music jolted off in the middle of the massage and instead of just pressing the “Repeat” button she announced that the music had shut off. No shit Sherlock. Bloody Einstein had nothing on you. You’d wanna get on Dragon’s Den quick before Deborah Meaden misses out on your big ideas!

So, as you can tell by now, I get tetchy. Hence the need for the Massage in the first place! So I thought half way through, I just need to chill, go with this Massage circus and relax. Try to forget about the fact that the girl is using a vat of Aveda oil to slick up my body so I can be mistaken for an oil rig that Shell would be proud of or a female mud wrestler about to go into her final round. No, I’m just gonna chill, breath and meditate with my eyes closed. So that’s what I do for all of 35 seconds before Ms Masseuse shouts “YOU LOOK SO RELAXED!!!!!” That was the bloody point. Why announce it?

Seriously, a message to all the masseuses our there. If you ever see me coming in for a massage just Massage and muzzle. No need for back chat or small talk. Just get the knots out of body, without the chit chat and I’ll be on my way and you my lovely will graciously receive a generous tip.

But now, excuse me while I wash this oil away so I can start to resemble Ms Relaxation rather that Ms Deep Fat Fryer. What has been your Massage nightmares? Lemme know!

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

The Hunger Games Guide to Salad

I LOVE salad. I don't mean two spinach leaves with a wrinkly old asparagus spear salad. I mean all in, show me what your momma gave ya, shake it like a Polaroid picture salad.

If you are yet to be convinced about salad and why it should be your lunch / dinner of choice check out this amazing infographic from Hello Glow on how to make the most bad ass salad of your life. You can thank me later.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

Wiggle it just a little bit with dhb

If you’re a cyclist you’ll know all about the sportswear brand dhb, but as a runner I didn’t have a breeze that they would cater for me. I jumped at the chance to try these affordable yet effective fitness tights which you can get at Wiggle.

I was chuffed when asked to test out their technical running gear and decided to put it through its paces not only running but at HIIT classes and Zumba too. The results were surprising when I tried out the tech running tights. 

The first pair were these bad boys – dhb striped print tight (guys work on the same please!).  I loved the blue design and these did not budge when I was jumping, kicking, squatting, lunging, running and dancing. Just what I needed. My only criticism on these is after wearing them a few times you feel the sweat does cling to your skin and not to the fabric. But the price point is one of the best value for money on the market and they do keep their shape. They’re also on sale in a price drop for £16 so get in quick! Overall 4/5.

The second pair were the more standard black tech running tights. When I tried these I kid you not they were so light I thought they had split (luckily that wasn’t the case!). They’re so light you don’t even feel that they’re on you but what’s even better is they are not see through like some other brands can be. They’re still supportive without being restrictive and it has a wide waistband and drawstring so you’re secure and stable. They’re usually £25 but they’re on sale for just over £18 here which is pretty much a bargain. I’ve spent stupid money on running tights before but never again after trying these. They’re handy, reliable, wash well and aren’t shiny or see through. Overall they’re a 4/5 too. 

If you haven’t tried dhb before and you’re into running and working out give them a try. www.wiggle.com. Sale is now on! 

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner 

REVIEW: What’s the Deal with SiS Caffeine Shots?

I don’t drink coffee. I don’t drink cola and the only caffeine I have in my diet is a daily green tea or two so when I received a box of the new Spring/Summer Caffeine Shots from Science in Sport (SiS) I thought this review is gonna be interesting! 

For those who are not in the know, Science in Sport, is a leading sports nutrition company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative sports nutrition products for professional athletes and sports enthusiasts. 

I used Science in Sport products when I was training for and running the London Marathon but I haven’t used them since then so I decided to give these caffeine shots a whirl.

The shots come in Cola and Tropical flavour and they’re designed to use before or during exercise and are supposed to help you to maintain focus and concentration while reducing tiredness and fatigue. 

Each shot is 60ml and contains 150mg of caffeine alongside a mixture of vitamins & minerals. I decided to try both flavours before an intensity 50 minutes Insanity (HIIT) class and an energetic hair flicking, chest pumping, high kicking Zumba class.

First things first, I thought when I saw Cola and Tropical when I was downing the shot it was gonna taste like a Cuba Libre (minus the rum) and a Pina Colada (minus the eh rum again). They didn’t taste like either. In fact they didn’t taste like cola or anything tropical. It was clear this little shot was more electrolyte and isotonic and less tasty fizz. Given the choice I would prefer the taste of the SiS gels in the same flavour BUT in saying that the shots are a lot less messy and much better when it comes to workout performance.

I tried the caffeine shots 30 minutes before my insanity class, a morning run and also before my Zumba class. I noticed I had a lot more energy than usual and was able to give my workout more effort than without the caffeine shots.

I would recommend these for early morning workouts or runs but would lay off them for evening sessions. The evening I took the caffeine shot at 6pm, I was still up at midnight watching The Keepers on Netflix. I can’t say for sure if that was down to the shot or to the show but either way I was wide awake wondering who killed Sr. Cathy Cesnik? 

If you’re looking for a boost in energy for your workout give these a go but don’t expect the shots to tickle your taste buds. All in all I’d give them a 3.5 out of 5. If SiS can improve the taste I’d give them a 4 out of 5.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner 

The Beginner’s Guide to Mindfulness

Today, I want to share a secret with you. I practice mindfulness and I love it. Now that might not seem like a big deal to you but it is for me. Here’s why Headspace has saved me and why you should try it too.

First things first, hands up if you thought mindfulness was all a bit hocus pocus, focusing on the sky being blue and the land being green (or concrete if in London)? I’ll be honest, up until three months ago I thought mindfulness was a load of shite. I thought it was all about looking at cracks in the footpath and chanting “OMMMMMMM” while sitting alongside yummy mummies at rooftop yoga with a chia tea latte instead of a gin and slim. Well, I’ll be the first to admit I was completely and utterly wrong. Phew!

Mindfulness doesn’t mean you have to walk around hugging trees and telling everyone how zen you are when inside you’re frying like a crispy rasher. Nope, I discovered a different way to be mindful after I experienced full on road rage at a car that wouldn’t move for an ambulance with the sirens flashing. In that moment in my mind I was mentally wrecking the driver’s car, smashing every window and kicking the bumper. I was hand gesturing, getting more pent up than the ambulance driver and after that I realised I needed to calm the hell down before I got arrested for my road rage thoughts against humanity.

Anyone who knows me will know, I’m an optimistic and positive person but if I get a hint of unfairness I turn into a major Medusa and hell hath no fury than an Irish-Armenian scorned. I literally was getting the rage that would appear from nowhere and then disappear faster than a 2-4-1 cocktail on a Thursday.

It was after this particular incident that I knew something had to change. Enter Headspace. Headspace is essentially a free app that has made mindfulness cool. They describe it as personal training for the mind. It’s essentially the Mr Universe of mindfulness. In my opinion it’s the best of the best because it changed my life. What’s brilliant about it is, you can decide how long or short you want your session to be (I do 10 minutes a day) and you can pick from a big selection around health, relationships, sport, performance and then a session to suit your mood and lifestyle. So far I’ve done the foundation course, anxiety, stress and next up is patience for me. Turns out what I thought was stress is just me getting infuriated because I have no patience. I’m a masterpiece in progress. Don’t judge me. I’m working on it.

What I would say is I’ve been doing Headspace for almost three months now and it has MASSIVELY changed my outlook and ability to live in the moment and step away from the Medusa rage. If you feel like you want to try something new, check it out. Headspace run a free trial which you can sign up for here.

Let me know how you get on. Who knows you might just free your mind.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

Why I’m Taking the Plunge!

Woo woo! The High Heel Runner blog is back! Hiiiiiiii! I’m back with my biggest challenge to date. On 11th June I’m going to take on the UK’s highest freefall abseil on the UK’s tallest sculpture is the Arcelor Mittal Orbit. It’s a mere 262 feet above London and it’s gonna be epic! Here’s a snap and yes those little dots are people!

This time last year I took on the London Marathon and this year this abseil is my challenge and it’s all for The Children’s Trust which is the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury; giving them the opportunity to live the best life possible. They’re pretty epic.

If you’d like to do your good dead for the day please sponsor me and my AdRoll colleagues who are hoping to smash our team fundraising target of £1,750. Anything you can afford will make such a difference to so many children who need the Children’s Trust. Thank you.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner

The HighHeelRunner is Back!

Woo woo! It’s Spring and I’m a Libra so that means I changed my mind about not doing my blog anymore. It turns out I just needed a Season out to focus on chilling but after lots of chats and requests my blog is back! *Runs and plays a saxophone medley, just casually.*

So, in the coming weeks and months I’ll be blogging about all things food, fitness, fabulous fun things and interesting stuff around London. I’ll be focusing on things that help me get wedding ready as I’m getting hitched next year (yay!). 

If there’s anything you want to hear about or want me to review specifically drop me a line and I’ll do my best to give you the best insight that I can.

Until next time,

The High Heel Runner