Janay Brazier

A fortnight ago I posted on my blog about my first two weeks of the Tone It Up 2016 challenge (see that post here). I am so pleased to be able to say that I have stuck with it and have made it to the end of week 4, so I'm halfway through the challenge now.

I have noticed some many improvements in myself already, especially having more energy. I feel more toned and I can go for longer in a cardio session now (not because I was stupidly unfit before, I just couldn't be bothered and didn't have the will power, but now I do!)

So here are my updates for weeks 3 and 4...


Day 15: I completed the Bodyweight HIIT routine first thing this morning and then treated myself to a chocolate TIU pancake!


Day 16: I completed the new Toned Arms routine, but I didn't have the mini bands that the workout suggests you use, so I tied the two ends of one of my resistance bands together and used that. I then did a 45 minutes session of dance aerobics. Dance aerobics is definitely one of my favourite cardio workouts.


Day 17: The Kettle Booty workout was my morning workout, followed by Hustle & Sweat. The Kettle Booty routine is one of my favourites from this challenge.


Day 18: I completed the Total Body Tone Up first thing this morning (my favourite workout) and then did half an hour of yoga before bed.


Day 19: I did the HIITy Bitty workout this afternoon, followed by the 5 minute abs routine (three times through - so 15 minutes)


Day 20: Another dance aerobics session and the Toned Arms routine from Tuesday.


Day 21: I completed 5k but I had to walk in rather than run. The previous afternoon I slipped over in the kitchen (on what I'm not sure, I have no idea how I did it apart from the fact that I'm just very clumsy!) and hurt my right ankle. I didn't want to make it any worse by running on it so I walked the distance instead. As I wrote on the TIU community page, feel free to laugh at my expense. (Note: I am OK, it was just a bit sore through Saturday night and Sunday, but come Monday morning it didn't hurt!)


Day 22: A morning walk, followed by the Bodyweight HIIT routine and foam rolling to stretch it out.


Day 23: I completed the new Band Burner routine and followed it up with the Total Body Tone Up workout. I then posted my midway point selfie to the TIU team and community. I was bowled over when I realised Karena and Katrina had liked two of my photos on Instagram, and then commented on my midway photo!


Day 24: I started my day with the Hustle & Sweat workout and the Calorie Crush Cardio routine, and then ended the day with the Foam Roller routine to stretch again (which felt amazing!)


Day 25: Today I did an hour of yoga, which was a lovely break from the full-on cardio.


Day 26: I did an hour of dance aerobics and completed the Mermaid routine.


Day 27: I worked my way through the Toned Arms routine again this morning, and in the afternoon I did the Toned & Ready routine (my new favourite Self/TIU collaboration workout)


Day 28: Sunday means 5K! I went out and completed this in the morning, and then went shopping to sort my meals for the week. I love meal prep day because I like to be organised and have a menu for the week.

Here is my recipe for healthy honey flapjacks with only four ingredients. Normally flapjacks are made with sugar and butter, but mine replaces these with Truvia and coconut oil.

Honey Flapjacks (makes approx. 12 bars/24 squares):

• 100g coconut oil
• 70g Stevia (I used Truvia)
• 6 tbsp clear honey
• 250g plain porridge oats

1. Preheat the oven to 180.
2. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan over a low heat.

I had been excited to see the newest Viva Glam products ever since I heard that Ariana Grande was fronting it. I love Ariana (she features heavily in my workout playlist! Both posts about my playlists are here and here) so I was desperate to see what she came out with.

However, I was very disappointed when I first saw the colour of the lipstick because it's so dark! I own a couple of dark shades, and I do like them, but working in a primary school means that I don't wear colours like this during the week and then after a week of putting on makeup everyday I sometimes spend the weekends without any on at all (It also gives my skin a break!)

But, when I saw the colour properly I realised that it was actually a very pretty deep plum colour.

I fell in love with the lipglass right away, being a light shimmery pink.



First of all, how beautiful is this packaging?! They are adorned with Ariana's signature, covering the classic MAC boxes. They kept it simple and I love it.


Here is the lipstick. Now you can see why I was so disappointed - and slightly terrified - by the colour, because it looks so dark. It almost looks black. But don't be fooled by the photo, it's a gorgeous colour when swatched.


And here is the lipglass. It's a very sheer, light colour when applied. It is not as bright and pink as it appears in the tube. But it is still very pretty. If you missed out on the MAC Cinderella collection where they had the 'Glass Slipper' and 'Happily Ever After' lipglasses, then this could be a great alternative.


The left swatch is the lipstick and the right is the lipglass, but I have also heard that they look great when the lipglass is applied over the top of the lipstick. I'm not normally a fan of that because it makes the gloss brush the same colour as the lipstick and they sometimes get mixed up and go a horrible, dirty colour that doesn't make you want to use it.

They are both beautiful thought and I think if you're a MAC Cosmetics fan then you will absolutely love these. If I had to choose just one then I would pick the lipglass. That might surprise some people because they will probably look at it and say 'it's just a clear, shimmery gloss', but it's more wearable for me and I love a lipglass!

Both products are available online now on the MAC Cosmetics website and will be in stores 4th February.

I went to see 'Creed' yesterday and I must admit that I really wasn't looking forward to it. I've never been a fan of boxing and I never got into the 'Rocky' films, but Clay is a huge fan of them. He owns quite a few Rocky-related t-shirts and they are films that he never gets bored of.

I was interested to see what they would do with 'Creed' though. I knew the story and where it would have all originated from, so I hoped I would be able to follow it without seeing all of the 'Rocky' films.

I also wanted to see it because when Clay and I went to New York back in 2013, we took a trip out to Philadelphia. We went out there solely because Clay wanted to see the steps from the 'Rocky' film, and the statue as well. It was amazing to stand where he stood and see the sights of a classic set of films, even if I wasn't a massive fan. Some pictures from our trip are below:


The famous steps (Clay ran up them, I walked!)


Me at the top, overlooking the view that Rocky had.


Stallone's footprints at the top of the steps.


Me at the Rocky statue, next to the steps.

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So we went along to the film, and I didn't have very high expectations for it. The only thing I had confidence in was Stallone because he had already won a Golden Globe for his role.


However, I enjoyed this film immensely! I was hooked on the story right from the start and even thought I'm not a fan of boxing, because I think it's too violent, I was so invested in the fights.

Again, I won't give too much of this film's storyline away, but what you do need to know is that Rocky's old boxing opponent-turned-friend, Apollo Creed, died in the ring in a past fight and never got to meet his son. Cue Michael B Jordan stepping in as Creed's son, who wants to become a top boxer and seeks out Rocky to help train him.


All of the actors in this movie were amazing, especially Stallone who did a fantastic job of reprising his role. I can see why he's already won a Globe.

I would give this film:

I did a blog post back in June about my workout music playlist. I still use that playlist (here) but I have since added quite a few more songs. I won't tell you every single song I've included, but here is a selection of twenty tracks that I love working out to:

1. Brave Honest Beautiful - Fifth Harmony (The lyrics to this song make me feel great when I'm working out)
2. Focus - Ariana Grande (This is my ultimate workout song right now! I don't know what it is about it but it just gets me moving)
3. Diva - Beyonce (An older song but still a great one for a workout)
4. Me and My Girls - Selena Gomez (Another favourite since seeing Selena perform it at the VS Fashion Show last year)
5. Shut Up and Dance - Walk the Moon (This is such a brilliant uptempo song that is great for cardio or HIIT workouts for keeping rhythm)
6. Better When I'm Dancing - Meghan Trainor (This is just such a happy song, I love working out to this one)
7. Sax - Fleur East (Another fab uptempo track to get me moving)
8. Buttons - Pussycat Dolls (An old song but I rediscovered this a couple of weeks ago and had forgotten how much I love it)
9. Sorry - Justin Bieber (I'm not a Bieber fan but his last couple of songs have been so catchy)
10. Wordshaker - The Saturdays (This one came on the other day when my iPhone was on shuffle and it's another one where I had forgotten how much I like it)
11. Renegade Runaway - Carrie Underwood (I love Carrie's upbeat tracks on her latest album, but this one is definitely my favourite)
12. Move - Little Mix (I love Little Mix and this song - as the title suggests - makes me move)
13. Broken Heels - Alexandra Burke (Another old song but it's a great track for strong women)
14. Hands on Me - Ariana Grande (I love Ariana! This is another one her tracks that really motivates me)
15. Mama's Broken Heart - Miranda Lambert (This is my favourite song of Miranda's)
16. Drag Me Down - One Direction (I don't know why but I love boxing to this song)
17. Run the World - Beyonce (Another song that empowers women and makes me really go for it in a workout)
18. Crank It Up - Ashley Tisdale (I love Ashley Tisdale's music and this song has a great beat to it)
19. Break a Sweat - Becky G (This is a new discovery for me from the TIU challenge video and it's the perfect workout song)
20. Beep - Pussycat Dolls (Finally, another oldie but a goodie. This was one of my favourite songs as a teenager)

What songs feature on your workout playlist?

I've been taking part in the Tone It Up 2016 challenge, an eight-week fitness plan that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago (you can find it here).

I have followed some of the plans before, having been a fan of theirs for a few years now. But this year I've decided to start 2016 with that bit more effort and I am happy to say that I am already seeing the results!

I feel so much better in myself and I'm starting to see ab lines (how cool is that?!) and have a lot more energy and will power to stay on track. That's all in just a fortnight!

So I thought I'd share with you some parts of my fitness journey so far and some photos from my workout journal that I keep on the Tone It Up website in the community section and post to my Instagram.


Day 1: The HIITy Bitty workout was hard work but it set up my expectations for the first week!


Day 2: The new video 'Total Body Tone Up' was released and it is now one of my all-time favourites from TIU. I then completed half an hour of Zumba using videos from YouTube.



Day 3: The Hustle & Sweat workout was a great cardio routine that I used to start my day, followed by an afternoon walk and the Bikini Buns and Thighs workout.



Day 4: An hour dance session in the evening as my cardio for the day. I'm loving Fifth Harmony, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande right now (I'm posting a workout playlist post really soon!)



Day 5: Total Body Sculpt workout, followed by some yoga (the Bikini Yoga Flow workout).



Day 6: Two round of 'HIIT the Beach' from Tone It Up's first Beach Babe workout DVD, and then 10 transformation ab moves from their website.



Day 7: 5k walk followed by looking through healthy food recipes for the following week. I love Jamie Oliver's Everyday Super Food book.



Day 8: Total Body Tone Up and then an hour of dance aerobics. This was another great way to start the week, with an intense hit to motivate me for the rest of the week.


Day 9: Power Intervals to start the day, followed by the new workout (Kettle Booty) in the evening. Kettle Booty is also now one of my all-time favourites, I really felt it working.



Day 10: Bodyweight HIIT in the afternoon (I was out of the house earlier than usual this day so I had to put my morning workout on hold and move it to the afternoon). I also added in yesterday's Kettle Booty as an extra, just because I loved it so much.



Day 11: The Mermaid workout is an older video but still a great one, especially for your abs! I felt it the next day! I also received my protein order this week. Living in the UK means it's hard for me to get TIU's own-brand protein, Perfect Fit. So I went for The Protein Works (anyone wanting a free bag of protein (250g) or a free protein snack box with their first order can use my reference code: JB941143)



Day 12: I completed 2.4 miles (fast-paced walk) and the 5 Minute Abs workout three times through. 



Day 13: I completed the Kettle Booty workout for a third time this week (I love it!) and then did the Stretching Routine. It was meant to be a foam roller routine but I don't have a roller yet, so I swapped for a stretching one instead.



Day 14: The final day of Week 2 is what TIU calls 'SYC', which stands for Spin, Yoga, Class. You choose a class to go to such as spin or yoga, or a different class on offer. Sunday is a busy day for me, prepping for the following week's meals, getting ready for the next working week, studying for my university courses and planning what I need to do for my studies for the following week too. So I normally do 'SYC' at home, choosing a yoga workout online or doing some other kind of cardio. As long as it lasts 40-60 minutes then it counts. Today I did 5 miles, and then two yoga videos on YouTube.