So January is all about getting fit and healthy for the new year. You've made your resolutions - and probably broken half of them already.

So he's a little inspiration.... get that slim tummy - perfect for showing off in our bikini tops. 

Part one is all about the right foods.

1. Sinning Salt

Salt attracts water - so if you're eating a lot of salty food, it's likely your retaining a lot of water, which means you're looking and feeling a little bloated. Cutting your salt intake will lower how bloated you are. Don't forget its not just the salt you add whilst cooking or seasoning your food, but also in any pre-packaged foods. That's where the reals salt sins are.

2. Raw foods

Raw foods, take up more space in your gastrointestinal tract, meaning you get a swollen belly. Cooking your veggies means less space used, but all the same nutrients as the raw equivalent.

3. Fizzy drinks

This one isn't new - fizzy drinks with all those bubbles and gas are going to fill you up and expand your tummy. Cutting out your carbonated friends will make you feel lighter, and make you look leaner.

 4. Too many carbs

Unfortunately all those yummy white carbs aren't doing you any favours in the tummy area. Pasta and bread, are your tummy enemy. By decreasing your carb intake, your body has the chance to use the stored fuel from your older carbs - which means you'll actually get the chance to burn it off, instead of just adding to it. Plus you'll loose some of that stored fluid too!

5. Chewing Gum

Although it leaves you minty fresh after eating that cheese and onion sandwich at lunch, gum isn't helping your tummy stay flat. Whilst chewing, you swallow air which then gets trapped in your stomach, causing excess pressure, bloating and belly expansion.

Maybe try a mint instead.

6. Fried foods

We all know it - but here's the reason why. The fat in the fried food is digested a lot slower than all other foods, leaving you feeling heavy and keeping the food in your tummy for longer, giving you the big tummy look.

7. Acidic drinks

This includes tea, coffee, alcohol and fruit juices. The acids in these drinks irritate the gastrointestinal tract, causing swelling.

8. Windy foods

Some foods contain a bit more gas than others, causing bloating. These include - brussel sprouts (would never have guessed right?), cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, onions, peppers and citrus fruits.So there's just some helpful tips for foods to avoid.

So that's the foods, but remember its not all about what you eat. Sometimes it's how you eat it. Eat slowly. Not only will this give your stomach to tell your brain its full (usually about 20 minutes) but when you eat quickly, you intake large amounts of air, which leads to bloating.

Good luck girls and look out for part two - belly busting workout moves!!

Now it's a new year - so a new you... in theory. But we all know starting a new exercise regime in the cold and blustery winter, when all you really want is to curl up front of the tele with a hot choc, is pretty difficult.

But we're with you every step of the way - and we've come up with some new and fun ways to shed those extra pounds.

So how about exercising in the comfort of your own home. No tredging to the gym and slogging it on the treadmill. And how about making exercise funjQuery15203498708016655683_1358371200876?

Dance it out with 'Just Dance 4' - available on the Xbox Kinect, PS3 and the Wii, starting at £23.99 on Amazon.co.uk - not only is this a great game to play with your friends and have a laugh, but the new 'Just Sweat It Out' section gives you a real workout, and has a calorie counter, so you know exactly how much you've worked off. With all the best chart-toppers of 2012 this is one of the best dance games selling at the moment.

Or maybe you're wanting killer abs? So how about Zumba Fitness Core (Wii) £24.97 on Amazon.co.uk - which concentrates on your core to deliver tight and toned abs - perfect for all our cropped tops and bikinis.

Choose from 20,40 and 60 minute classes, and even have a friend join you with multi-player. You track of your progress, including calories burned and technique score. And being completely handsfree gives you more scope for movement and a better performance.

And last but by no means least - its the dvd workout wars. Maybe you prefer down to earth and happy Davina, or perhaps more brutal Jillian Michaels, either way, they are toughies.

We love a bit of Jillian - who's better than the trainer of Biggest Loser USA??? She's a lean, mean fighting machine, but some of her workouts are just 30 minutes of sweat (and sometimes tears) which are pretty much guaranteed to get you in to shape. 30 Day Shred is the best for beginners, with three levels working her 3-2-1 interval training formula, 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs.

And Davina's got the High Intensity Training covered - less time on exercising - but so much more intense than you're boring gym workout. She covers, cardio boxing, abs and toning in under 40 minutes, including warm up and cool down. Perfect for fitting in to your hectic schedule.

So what are you all doing to get fit this year? We want your ideas and tips!!

Love Rachel Intern Contagious

So 2013 has finally arrived - and it's now time for those New Years Resolutions.

Image from Getty Images

So whether your going to get fit, save money, find new happiness or just chill a bit more, we're going to be with you every step of the way!

We'll showcase the newest and best Contagious outfits, show you how to get killer abs, and give you hints and tips for a happier you right here!

We promise to listen to you even more - to give you the very best service.

So come on, what do you want to read about? What are your New Year Resolutions?!

we all know how hard it is to be able to afford the gym at the moment! It’s not easy, and workout DVD's are not that cheap either, i stumbled across this great little site the other day which has a wealth of videos and knowledge for you to do at home and for FREE!

we all know that contagious clubwear is one of the more sexy and revealing of clubwear brands and i don’t know about you! But i need a little encouragement in the body department to pull them off. And i found using this free site a great little gem!

http://www.exercisetv.tv/

this site has both full clips and short clips available to watch FREE! = AMAZING

another way to keep the work out costs down is buy your workout DVD's second hand from Ebay www.Ebay.co.uk

they do the same job at a fraction of the price .... and to me it makes nooo difference if the DVD is new or not!

My current workout Guru's who's DVD's give me the motivation to finnish are:

Jillian Michaels - she has a large number of DVD's available to purchase my current top 2 being Ripped In 30 & 30 Day Shred!

they will get you sweating like a B***h, and in the 30minutes give you what feels like an hour work out!

Remember exercise helps you sleep, releases endorphins and create a healthier happier you!

And Remember doing all this exercises - will build your confidence

dont forget to check out our website for some gorgeous designes! and start working on your beach body now! summer 2012 isnt far away

www.contagiousclubwear.com

Contact Me!

http://twitter.com/MrsBradley11

aimee@contagiousclubwear.com

We at contagious clubwear are proud to say we have 3 very strong willed women who decided to walk, jog or run the race for life 5 k this July in Portsmouth.

Jhe 3 women who took part were JAG, Pablo & MrsB

The best bit about doing the race for life was that we got to have fun, do something for a good cause AND GET FIT!

They matched in a custom pink & white styled pure dress, which was printed with both the contagious logo and the race for life logo.

I was one of the women to take part, it was sooo hard considering before this day I may have accidentally forgot ton to partake in any training …. At all! And as you can imagine doing 5k in a pair of trainers which have hardly been broken in was an effort in itself.

I did this for my mother, who suffered with breast cancer, not only that I did it for anyone out there who has fought and won, fort and lost or who is still fighting for their life.

This blog is rather short and sweet but we are proud that we took part and did our bit for the cause!

 These are CUSTOM pure halternect dresses, so if you have an event you want to look extra special drop us an email sales@contagiousclubwear.com

we do custom outfits and printing! so really make the outfit your own and be unique!

Lent to me by a very good friend, Skinny bitch has to be the funniest and frankest books about food i have ever read.

I am a self confessed food addict, hater and lover and generally All at once!

I spend my day thinking about food, trying not to eat food, thinking about what im having at each meal and how i can avoid the bad foods. Before this book i didnt know much about what was going into my mouth, i just shoveled it in willy nilly. now dont get me wrong i could tell the difference between good food and bad food but it didnt stop me wanting and/or needing bad food.

I am currently on chapter 5, also known as the dairy disaster. and i cant wait to read it this afternoon at my hair appointment, i enjoy the book so much i have order myself a copy of my very own and even gone as fas as to buy the other books in the collection - Skinny bitch in the Kitch, skinny bitchin, and skinny bitch bun in the oven.

well to give you an insite into this ever so no nonsence guige to becoming fab......

Now this is no normal diet book although its full of facts its not mundane and boring to read like other books out there, it has honestly made me laugh so loudy even i want prepaired for it! It is full of truthful, smart-mouthed revelations about food and what goes into food. its full of an obscene amout of attitude but behind all of this it has solid information. This book was written to help promote a healthy lifestyle full of wholegrains, fruits and beg and encourages women to becme excited about feeling "clean and pure and energized."

one of my fav quotes from the book is -  “You cannot keep shoveling the same crap into your mouth every day and expect to lose weight.”

This book is full of some COLOURFUL language! be warned!

~“Whenever you see the words ‘fat-free’ or ‘low-fat’, think of the words ‘chemical shit storm’.”

~“You might be fat because you don’t poop enough.”

~“You need to exercise, you lazy shit.”

Before borriwing and reading this book, i was unaware that the authers believe that the best wey to be skinny is to have a vegan lifestyle. This i do not completly agree with however i do feel that having more fruits and veg in your life is deffinatly a good thing!

Pros:
This book takes an honest look at how we eat and why we are fat. The conversational tones make for a quick, entertaining read. There is a great section in the back of the book that lists bad or potentially bad food ingredients that we should look for when reading nutrition labels (I had no clue about some of this stuff), and it includes a great vegan/vegetarian resource section.

Cons:
The book advocates a vegan lifestyle and condemns the consumption of all animal products. It does offer a menu to follow, but if you really are interested in starting to eat this way, I feel the book definitely falls short. I think a newbie to this type of eating needs more guidance than this book offers.

Still i feel its a great read :D

Available to buy at Amazon or any good book shop

Contact Me!

http://twitter.com/MrsBradley11

aimee@contagiousclubwear.com