Monday, 12 January 2009

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Big Brother Bex's DIY Boot Camp Blitz

Follow our 'do-it-yourself' plan and slim down just like the Big Brother star

Bex is looking sensational after her stint at the New You Boot Camp

Carrying some post-Christmas weight? Fear not. The good news is you could get a new body in just 7 days like Big Brother 9’s Bex Shiner did, simply by following our exclusive New You Boot Camp diet and exercise plan. What’s more, it won’t cost a penny!

In the year since it launched, New You Boot Camp has achieved a total weight loss of 445st and an incredible inch loss of 6,580in. It’s the best way to get an A-list body – just ask Celebrity Big Brother star Michelle Heaton, who went down a dress size in July, and Abi Titmuss, who toned up after a gruelling 48-hour course.

Senior Training Instructor Evans, who’s responsible for whipping women into shape at the camp, says: ‘This is a really tough workout. It’s the first time it’s been made available outside the New You Boot Camp. If you follow the plan, you’ll see incredible results in as little as a week.’

Below are seven yummy sample menus to tickle your tastebuds, along with the boot camp rules. Remember that combining your new diet with daily exercise is essential to get the best results, so read on for the Daily Body Blitz workout. Nothing’s stopping you now, so get cracking. Good luck!

The boot camp rules

•    Never miss breakfast
Your body needs nutrients to function as soon as you wake up. Eating a healthy breakfast will rev up your metabolism, helping you to burn more calories throughout the day.
•    Eat three meals and two snacks a day
To balance blood-sugar levels, you need a regular intake of good foods throughout the day, with a healthy snack between each meal.
•    Replenish your fluids
Drink a large glass of hot or cold water with a slice of lemon when you wake up, to flush out toxins. Make sure you drink 2-3ltr of water throughout the day.

Try these mood foods
The New You Boot Camp menus below contain a variety of foods that’ll perk you up if you’re feeling irritable:

•    Oily fish, including salmon mackerel and trout. Its secret weapon is the fatty acid omega-3, which can help prevent heart disease, improves IQ, immune function and some skin problems and may alleviate the symptoms of arthritis.
•    Dark chocolate – it contains small amounts of chemicals that improve your mental wellbeing. It also boosts
your levels of endorphins, the brain’s natural ‘happy hormones’.
•    Brazil nuts – the No 1  source of selenium, which helps improve your mood, prevent depression and keep wrinkles at bay.


Boot camp menus

Menu One
Breakfast: Scrambled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes and coriander.
Mid-morning: Two oatcakes with sugar-free peanut butter.
Lunch: Turkey and salad in a wheat-free wrap.
Mid-afternoon: Cereal bar.
Dinner: Roast salmon with mixed green vegetables.

Menu Two
Breakfast: Porridge with blueberries and/or half a banana.
Mid-morning: Mixed seeds.
Lunch: Spinach, tomato and mushroom frittata with salad.
Mid-afternoon: Rice cake with hummus.
Dinner: Spanish chicken with tomatoes, capers and broccoli.

Menu Three
Breakfast: Berry smoothie.
Mid-morning: Two pieces of 80 per cent dark chocolate.
Lunch: Salad Nicoise (without potatoes).
Mid-afternoon: Seeds and half an apple.
Dinner: Courgette Bolognaise.

Menu Four
Breakfast: Boot Camp homemade muesli with fruit (made with 30g porridge oats, 12g barley flakes, 8g hazelnuts, 8g flaked almonds and 8g sultanas).
Mid-morning: Chopped celery with peanut butter.
Lunch: Mackerel salad with beetroot and avocado.
Mid-afternoon: A Pear and Brazil nuts.
Dinner: Chicken ratatouille.

Menu Five
Breakfast: Poached egg with smoked salmon and coriander.
Mid-morning: Nakd cereal bar.
Lunch: Quinoa chicken salad with orange and raisins and curly kale.
Mid-afternoon: Boiled egg.
Dinner: King prawn stir-fry with rice noodles.

Menu Six
Breakfast: Porridge with half a banana.
Mid-morning: Seeds.
Lunch: Butternut squash soup with hummus and rice cakes.
Mid-afternoon: Two pieces of 80 per cent dark chocolate.
Dinner: Roast cod or haddock and fennel salad.

Menu Seven
Breakfast: Smoothie with berries.
Mid-morning: Chopped fruit salad.
Lunch: Small baked sweet potato with tuna and spring onions.
Mid-afternoon: Two oatcakes with sugar-free peanut butter.
Dinner: Thai green curry and rice noodles.

Each day, you can also drink an unlimited amount of: water, fruit tea, green tea, soya milk and rice milk.


Boot camp body blitz

Follow this 30-minute home workout every day for a week and you could lose up to 7lb without even leaving your living room. See below for the exercises that will hone and tone your body. Ideally the circuit should be completed in one go, but if you’re in a rush you can break it into three 10-minute circuits (four exercises each completed twice).

Three-minute warm up
Choose from the following:
•    Jogging on the spot
•    Skipping
•    Star jumps
•    Walking up and down the stairs

Then do each of the following moves for one minute and repeat twice.

Stair running
Run up and down the stairs – or on the spot if you don’t have stairs – for one minute. If using stairs, be careful not to trip on carpeted areas!
Good for: legs and bum

Squat with lift
Stand with feet hip distance apart with a full water bottle in each hand. Keeping your arms straight, squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Lift the bottles to your shoulders, then raise your elbows in the air – directly above your head so that your arms are almost straight. Wait for three seconds, then lower the bottles back to shoulder level. Remain squatting as you repeat the arm movements.
Good for: thighs, shoulders, back and bum

Static lunge
Stand with your right foot forward and left foot back, about 3ft apart, with a full water bottle in each hand. Lower your body towards the floor, making sure you lower straight down rather than forward and that your front knee doesn’t go over your toes. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Good for: thighs, bum and hips

Star jump
Stand upright with your feet together, your knees soft and your arms by your side. Jump so that your legs are wide apart, moving your arms up to shoulder level, making a star shape. Land on bent knees and repeat for one minute.
Good for: legs and arms

Box press-up
Lie face down with your hands underneath your shoulders and fingers facing forward; your knees and feet should be resting on the floor. Make a box shape with your arms, trunk and thighs. Bend at your elbows, and lower your chest down to no more than 2in from the floor. Keep a straight line through your spine - avoid forcing your bottom into the air or arching your back.
Good for: chest and upper arms

Tricep dip
Place a chair with its back against a wall and stand in front of it, with your back to it. Put your hands on the chair with palms down and your knuckles facing forward. As you do this, bend your knees – your legs should be at a 90-degree angle. Lower your body for a count of two by bending at the elbow. Make sure your elbows don’t point out away from your body as you lower. Straighten your arms, which will push your body back up. Inhale slowly through your nose as your straighten your arms.
Good for: chest and upper arm

Upright row
Hold two full water bottles in front of you about 10in apart, thumbs facing in. Pull the bottles straight up until level with your chin. Keep your elbows up and out and the weights close to your body as you slowly return to the starting position. Repeat.
Good for: shoulders and arms

Skipping
Bounce lightly on the balls of your feet, keeping knees relaxed (not stiff) and feet together. When turning your rope use small circular wrist movements, not large arm circles. If you don’t have a rope, don’t worry – as long as you don’t mind looking a bit silly, you can do it without by simply jumping on the spot.
Good for: legs, bum and arms

Plank
Lie on your stomach and raise your body by putting your elbows on the ground beneath your shoulders. Hold a straight line with only your elbows and toes touching the ground, like the press-up position. Hold for 60 seconds.
Good for: stomach and core muscles

Vertical leg crunch
Lie face down on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed. Keeping your back flat on the floor, move your chest forward towards your feet. Keep the legs in a fixed position as you imagine bringing your belly button towards your spine.
Good for: stomach muscles

Bicycle abs
Lie face up on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head. Bring the knees in towards the chest and lift the shoulder blades off the ground without pulling on the neck. Straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body to the right, bringing the elbow towards the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow to the left knee.
Good for: stomach muscles

Cool down
Walk up and down the stairs or on the spot for three minutes.

For more information on New You Boot Camp, call 0871 2230066 or visit newyoubootcamp.com.