#FitNotSkinny models

Catwalks are having a makeover – with seriously fit models! Lucy Denver walked in Charli Cohen’s show this week and says #FitNotSkinny models were the order of the day. We approve! Read how to get a fit, models’ figure with her LFW-prep diary, hot insider tips and delicious recipes

When you’re asked to open the first ever catwalk show for British luxury sportswear designer Charli Cohen at London Fashion Week, you take your preparation pretty seriously (after dancing around the lounge and grinning for at least 24 hours non-stop). Charli may have deviated from the norm by using models better known for walking into a gym than down a runway, but we make up in determination and fitness knowledge what we lack in catwalk experience. This begs the question: what do you do when faced with exposing your stomach to a crowd of 300 (and the rest!) fashion experts? Read on and I’ll let you in on a few secrets…

We Heart Living – Charli Cohen AW15

Step #1 – Make a plan
By this, I mean a plan you’ll stick to. Set out your goals (lose body fat; increase lean muscle mass) and deadlines (four weeks’ time – eek!) so you know what you’re aiming for. Then you can design your training and nutrition plan to fit around it, taking into account commitments like work and family.

Step #2 – Don’t panic!
Stress and sleep have a HUGE impact on our bodies’ ability to let go of body fat. Stress elevates cortisol levels, which can contribute towards that attractive muffin-top effect. Even when you have a million things going on, it’s important to unwind. I booked a spa weekend with a girlfriend and had at least my fair share of early nights!

Step #3 – Food, glorious food
I cannot express just how important food is: if you want results, you have to be strict with yourself. Everyone has a weakness be it booze or that morning plate of crumpets (mine is chocolate), but you need to clear all of it out of the house if you want to get through this unscathed!

Replace the contents of your snack drawer and cereal cupboard with fresh vegetables, nuts and seeds, lean meat and eggs ready to scramble for a sumptuous breakfast teamed with smoked salmon. Oh yes, you can still eat if you want to lose body fat! It’s just a case of being mindful about what you put in your mouth, and making good choices (there’s a life lesson in there somewhere).

Step #4 – Like a bullet, train
Nutrition may make a big difference to your body, but there’s no doubting you’re going to have to do some exercise, too. Do whatever it takes to stay motivated and stick to your plan: accountability may suck, but you’ll think twice before cancelling a training session if it’s arranged with a friend or personal trainer. Equally, a good tactic is to tell your friends about your plan so they’ll stop you from stuffing your face on a Friday night/catch the bus when you could walk etc. My target was five to six sessions per week and come hell or high water I was going to get them done!

Step #5 – Dressed To kale
Needless to say, training in a beautiful piece of kit like the Laser Leggings from Charli Cohen’s Odyssey collection certainly boosts my motivation by about 50%. Try it and see what I mean.

Now your Fit Mission is all planned, it’s time to put it all into action! I can guarantee you’ll have days when you feel invincible and others when you’re so grouchy you may well snarl at the next person who dares talk to you (I have a solution for that, by the way). BUT the only thing that beats how proud you feel of your body after a tough training session and a clean meal is the elation of walking down a runway at London Fashion Week, and now you know what it takes to get there…

We Heart Living – Charli Cohen AW15

Week 1
I am SO ENTHUSIASTIC! Each day I get up and cannot wait to train (my Twitter posts say as much). I start the day at about 6am with a lemon and ginger tea, and drink water from my clever Black & Blum charcoal-filter water bottle all morning at work. I am trialling ‘intermittent fasting’, a technique that encourages an eating window of 8-10 hours. I begin mine at 11am with a smoothie or bullet train coffee if I’m about to get stuck into a sweaty workout (recipes below). I am determinedly sticking to my ‘no sugar’ rule, which as anyone who knows me is tough because I’ve always had a sweet tooth. I am energetic though, bouncing out of bed even on a Sunday morning to go and lift some weights. My training is my own special blend of CrossFit and traditional studio work I like to call Fit Missions (see my workout below). They are fun, fast and usually leave me in a sweaty heap on the floor.

Week 2
I’m already seeing a change in my body – my jeans are fitting more loosely around my hips and abs, and my arms feel more toned. It’s getting easier to avoid sugar, too (hurrah!). At the weekend I decide to get outside, but what was meant to be an interval run along the Edges in the beautiful Peak District turns into a stomp through the snow, where of course I fall face-first into a snowdrift. Better now than on the catwalk, I suppose.

Week 3
This is the week when I’m like a grouchy caricature of myself. I’m grumpy and lacking motivation to train. I decide to power through to the weekend, then have a cheat meal followed by a one-day juice fast, just to see what it’s like. I counteract the grumpiness by adding some carbs – protein-laden quinoa – to my diet and a homemade Performance Flapjack (recipe below) as an extra snack. I also rope in a training buddy to share the pain of those workouts neither of us really wants to do, but do them we must! We get in six sessions each and feel mighty proud of ourselves and the progress we’re making. I owe her!

Week 4
One week to go! It’s all quite enjoyable really (that’s the carbs talking) and I love having such a great excuse to prioritise training and clean eating. I manage not to trip up on my box jumps (I still have the scar from last year) or to come down with food poisoning: it’s all going rather well. The only hitch was the cheat meal followed by a juice fast the next day. I thought it was a great idea but it didn’t really work for me as it took my body about three days to get back to normal afterwards. One to try when you have more than four weeks before your deadline.

By Saturday though, the day before the show, I definitely feel better than I have for months. I have better definition all over, my skin is clear and I feel ready for anything, which given the circumstances is just as well. It’s been hard work but it’s made me want to train harder and eat cleaner all the time, and to keep improving my body as much as possible.

5 Rules for a flat stomach

Limit your sugar consumption in a BIG way. You don’t need it, you just think you do.
Lift weights to burn body fat. Weight training doesn’t bulk you up, but muscle burns about five times as many calories as fat does, so it’s worth having in your body!
Finish eating by 7.30pm to give your body a break from digesting overnight. Try the 8 hour eating window and if it’s too tough, stick to this simple rule instead.
Don’t make excuses. If you want something badly enough, do it! Don’t let yourself or anyone else talk you into temptation. Hard work makes us feel alive, so embrace it.
Invest in a pair of Reebok Nano 4.0 trainers for the most comfortable feet ever. Team them with Charli Cohen Laser Leggings and Nitro Tank for a look that will make you happy it’s gym time!

Typical day
7am – lemon and ginger tea
8am – 11am – charcoal-filtered water
11am – bullet train coffee
12pm – 2pm – Chocolate berry smoothie
2-4pm – large chicken and avocado salad and peppermint tea
6pm – chicken and steamed vegetables
7pm – healthy hot chocolate

Extra snacks if necessary:
Apple slices with 40g nut butter
Performance flapjack

Fit Missions
Try out my training for yourself. Complete 3 rounds of these exercises, as quickly as possible, with 1 minute’s rest between each round:

Fit Mission #1 – ‘Zero to Hero’
50 box jumps, 50 skips (or double unders, if you can do them)
40 box jumps, 40 skips, 40 deadlifts
30 box jumps, 30 skips, 30 deadlifts, 30 cal row
20 box jumps, 20 skips, 20 deadlifts, 20 cal row, 20 kettlebell swings
10 box jumps, 20 skips, 10 deadlifts, 10 cal row, 10 kettlebell swings, 10 press ups
500m run to finish.

Fit Mission #2 – ‘The 100-Skip Drop’
100 skips
9 prowler laps/sled pulls
80 sit ups
70 kettlebell swings
60 burpees
50 pistol squats
40 slam balls
30 press ups
20 medicine ball cleans
100 second plank

Recipes

Mission Salad #1 – Chicken & Avocado

Ingredients:
Salad leaves
Cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Red peppers
Olives
Baby spinach
Rocket
Chicory
Sundried tomatoes
1 grilled chicken breast
½ ripe avocado
Crushed hazelnuts and sugar-free balsamic vinegar to serve.

Method:
Grill the chicken, wash and slice the salad ingredients. Mix in a large serving bowl, placing the chicken and avocado strips on top. Sprinkle with crushed hazelnuts and balsamic vinegar, and enjoy!

Snacks & beverages

Bullet Train Coffee

Ingredients
Single shot of espresso
1 heaped tsp cacao powder
1tbsp coconut oil

Method:
Add coconut oil and cacao to a pan and warm over a gentle heat, bringing it to a lazy simmer. Make the espresso separately. Pour coconut oil and cacao mixture into a cosy mug, then add the espresso, stirring continually.

Performance Flapjacks
1 cup of gluten-free oats
1 scoop of protein powder
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup of broken cashews
1/2 cup of flaked almonds
1/2 cup of dried coconut
1 tsp vanilla extract or one vanilla pod
A dash of honey and a splash of almond milk to bind
(Optional: cacao powder)

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then pour into a square, silicon baking tray
Bake in the oven at 170c for 15 minutes
Leave to cool before cutting into slices. Store in an airtight container until you want to eat them!

***You can train with Lucy in person at born2move, or contact her via Twitter @denvertronix for a bespoke fitness and nutrition package. ***
***You can follow Charli Cohen on Instagram @charlicohen or visit her website charli-cohen.com for pre-orders and more information***