Gym Dos & Don'ts

Now the #1 excuse I hear people use for not wanting to go to the gym, especially women, is 'embarrassment'.

Whether that be with appearance, not knowing what your doing or fear of being judged by the 'regular' gym bunnies; then hopefully this post will help some of you forget those worries & lose those excuses!

Here are a few helpful Dos & Don'ts for the gym!

• Do make a rough plan before you go in. Even if it's just a very rough list of what equipment you're wanting to use so you know where to head & look for first when you walk in. So if you know you're wanting to use the treadmill for a quick warm up first then keep that in mind when you go in. This stops you standing there like a lost puppy & then starting to panic. Having a rough list gives you something to follow until you feel more at ease & comfortable with the equipment & layout of the gym.
• Maybe the most obvious Do is wear the right clothes! They don't have to be expensive at all, just things that you can easily move around in & feel comfortable wearing. Shorts/leggings/tracksuit bottoms/baggy tops etc. Just any old clothes you have that you are able to workout in, the gym isn't a catwalk remember! Don't walk in wearing skin tight lycra, hot pants & crop tops if you don't feel comfortable wearing them. If you feel self conscious & can't properly do an exercise for fear of a cheeky bum flash then you shouldn't be wearing it! You'll just look silly & stand out like a sore thumb; which you don't want!
• Do ask for help if you need it!! I can not stress this enough! So many people avoid the gym saying it's because they don't know what they're doing. How will you learn if you don't go in or ask? Don't be embarrassed, the gym instructors are there to help. It's their job to explain the equipment to you & give you any help you need. You should get an induction when you first start anyway so take full advantage of this to ask as many questions, tips & demonstrations as you want. Make sure you fully understand all the equipment in your gym so when you start you know exactly what you're doing. You'll look more silly trying to use a piece of equipment wrong & be more likely to get injured than if you simply just ask for some help! Don't be afraid :)
• Don't start going to the gym & expect results straight away. This just means you'll get disheartened & lose motivation so you give up when you don't see them. Before you start sit & write down what you want to see & achieve from going to the gym. Whether it be tone certain areas, lose weight or train in specific areas like for a marathon/sport. Write it down & give yourself a realistic time scale for it. A rough, healthy aim for weight loss is 1lbs a week, so if you want to lose 10 lbs then set yourself a 10 week time scale. If you do it sooner then great! If you maybe take a week longer then who cares, keep going & you'll eventually meet your goal! Winners don't give up!
• If you feel you need someone there to help push & motivate you then Do get a gym buddy! You'll have a friend there to give you a kick to keep going & it also means you're not the only 'new person.' Remember at school when you first started a class & you were automatically known as the 'new one' & you walked in feeling a bit lost for a while, not knowing what to do or have any friends yet? But it was all okay if there was another new person as well, so you both instantly bonded over being new & had someone to sit next to? Same applies here, having a gym buddy means you're not walking in on your own & you can both help each other out. However if this means you spend the time in the gym as a social gathering, don't actually workout & sit around on the equipment gossipping then DON'T. There is nothing more annoying than wanting to use a piece of equipment & having someone sat on it doing nothing. If you're not using it then move, go to a cafe or something if you just want a gossip & catch up with your friend. The gym is for working out. If your buddy isn't motivating, pushing & distracting you then ditch them or find someone else. You won't get your results otherwise! Sorry, mini rant there!
• Lastly, Do clean up after yourself. Simply wipe down the equipment after you've used it, not only is it hygienic but it's polite to for the next person using it after you. They wont appreciate it if you leave it covered in sweat! You wouldn't like it either so keep that in mind. However don't then leave the used paper towels lying around, put them in the bin! Also make sure to return any equipment back to where/how you found it. Leaving used weights lying around is not only dangerous, but looks messy & is very annoying for other gym users.

So there we go! As long as you remember to have a rough plan before you go, have a realistic time scale for your results, wear comfortable/appropriate clothes, ask for help, have a gym buddy if needed & clean up after yourself in the gym then you shouldn't be known as the dreaded:
'The Gym Weirdo'

 

Until next time

Love

 

DIY Natural Face Masks

 
First a little background;

Skin & hair care has always been a massive interest of mine for years. I could spend hours on end in Boots looking at the various washes, scrubs, treatments & masks. I'd come home with a different range of products to try on a weekly basis, how I found the money to fund this habit is beyond me!

When I was around 13 years old I developed some problematic skin. Nothing worse than your typical teenage skin with the standard spots & blackheads but when you're at that crucial age when you discover boys & want to look good then it's like your biggest nightmare. I remember crying over my spots & buying endless tubes of concealer to try & cover the offending pimples but to no such luck. So I went to the doctors to see if they could prescribe me anything. They gave me a tablet to take, but they also offered me a cream to put on any spots I noticed to stop them even developing. It was okay for a couple of uses, but then I remember waking up one morning looking like some sort of alien. My skin was so inflamed, bright red with a rough sore rash of bumps all over my face where I'd put the cream. It felt like my skin had been burnt & I couldn't move my face without the rash stinging like a *****

So from then on I stopped using all forms of chemicals on my face to help take the rash down. I only used water to wash my face in & the plain Vaseline Essential Moisturiser
Which helped take the soreness & tightness of the rash away almost immediately. I still swear by this moisturiser 100% & use it everyday.

This horrible event started my obsession with natural skin care. I researched a lot of home DIY recipes that I could easily make at home & didn't contain any chemicals that could harm my skin.

Over the years I have accumulated an endless knowledge of how different natural ingredients can benefit your skin & hair & a million different combinations/recipes to use them. My dad often walks in on me in the kitchen stirring something in a bowl & always asks me if I'm eating it or if it's going on my face/hair. Long time running joke...

Today I have 3 of my all time standard face masks that I always come back to time & time again.

A mask for Dry skin, Oily skin & a scrub. All the ingredients can easily be found in your kitchen,
And if not then they are cheap as chips to get from the supermarket.

All the masks can be kept in the fridge for a few days after if you have any left over.
They contain no chemicals so they won't irritate or damage your skin in any way,
Just natural, skin loving ingredients perfect for sensitive skin.

Dry Skin

1 egg yolk

1 tbs honey

1/2 cup of plain oats

1 tbs coconut/olive oil

1 tbs water (maybe more if the mixture is to dry)

1 tbs mashed avocado/banana (optional)

First mix all the wet ingredients (egg yolk, honey & oil) together, then carefully add the oats. Mix the ingredients thoroughly until the mixture looks like porridge.

Start with a clean, bare face & smooth the mask onto your skin.

Leave on for 10/15 minutes.

Then wet your face slightly & massage the mask into your skin like a face scrub for a few minutes.

Wash it all off & pat your face dry.

Follow with a good moisturiser.

Oily Skin

1 egg white

1 tbs honey

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp tea tree oil

1 tbs natural yogurt (unflavoured)

 Mix all the ingredients together until they look like a paste.

Apply to a clean, bare face.

Leave on for 10/15 minutes.

Then again wet your face slightly & massage the mask into your skin.

Wash off & pat skin dry.

This mask will make your skin feel tingly & maybe slightly tight in a squeaky clean way due to the tea tree so make sure to use a good moisturiser after.

Scrub

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tbs milk/natural yogurt (unflavoured)

1 tbs of plain oats

Mix the milk/natural yogurt with the oats until it forms a porridge like past.

Next slowly add the sugar but do not mix hard as you don't want the sugar to dissolve in the liquid & therefore loose the scrub like texture.

Next wet your face & begin to massage the scrub into your skin for a few minutes.

Wash off & pat skin dry.

This scrub not only leaves you with baby soft skin but also has the added bonus of tasting amazing if it happens to get in your mouth.

If anyone liked this post & has any other DIY recipes they want me to do;

E.g. Face washes/scrubs/masks/toners, Hair masks/rinses, Body washes/scrubs, Spot treatments;

then please comment as I love thinking up recipes & these are my favourite types of posts to do!

Until next time

Love

 

Behind the blog

I thought I'd do a short post today, a 'Get to know me' one as I want my followers to feel they know me as more of a person than a blog on a computer screen! Plus these are one of my favourite types of posts to read, I'm nosey! I admit!

So here are 20 random facts about me!

1. I have hazel eyes that match my dads. My mum & sister both have blue. I also have the worst long distance eye sight, though I never wear my glasses unless I'm driving or forced!
2. I LOVE Disney! Especially 'The Little Mermaid' & 'Hercules' I can watch Disney all day.
3. I have a rather large obsession with flavoured tea & black coffee. It's all I drink other than water.
4. I may be 20 years old, but I still sleep with a toy dog called Spotty who I've had since I was a baby. I also have a million other cuddly toys & where ever I go I always seem to buy more.
5. Neon/bright/sparkles all instantly boost my mood. Just wearing my neon trainers or having sparkly nails makes me feel happy every time I see them. I'm easily pleased it seems.
6. Even though a lot of people hate overly strong, sickly sweet smells; they are my favourite. Strong, sweet, candy like smells that over power everything. Bubblegum especially! Mmmm.
7. I have a little red car called Percy. He is my baby! Both my parents first cars were red as well, plus my mums was even named Percy too. I think it must run in the family!
8. The beach is my #1 favourite place ever. I can sit & watch the sea all day, it just fascinates me. The smell of the beach is another one of my favourite smells as well. If I lived on the coast I would be a very happy bunny! However I dislike the sand getting everywhere!
9. I have the biggest obsession with Elvis Presley! I can't go on about him enough so I'll leave it there, other than he is the most perfect person to have ever, & ever will walk the earth.
10. I buy an unhealthy amount of cheap gossip magazines. It is becoming a problem but I can't help myself! The amount I have sat in the car is sickening!
11. I am a big fan of tattoos. I think all tattoos are amazing & love listening to the stories behind them. I don't care that they might look bad when I'm older or I might dislike them eventually, as long as I'm healthy & happy then that's all that matters. They're all stories I can tell when I'm older.
12. I have double jointed fingers. Me & my auntie are the only ones in our family who have them. I can bend just the top joint like a witch, makes everyone else cringe! Mwahaha
13. Ever since I can remember I have wanted a German Shepard puppy. I wanted to call it Rusty. One day I will have my own, watch this space!
14. My dad is in a rock band called 'Uncle Gilbert' & he plays the electric guitar. He taught himself from around 14 years old & he is amazing at it.
15. My parents have always had the nickname 'Noodles' for me. I still don't know why :/
16. When my sister was younger, she randomly started calling me 'Hanker' We have no idea why, but she refused to call me my name but instead called me Hanker for roughly a year. Then stopped. Weird.
17. I used to suck my thumb until I was roughly 12 years old. It was making my teeth grow outwards so I was forced to stop. We tried everything from plasters on my thumb, to horrible tasting nail varnish to stop me. Eventually I did stop & my teeth went back to normal! Thank god!
18. I am a vegetarian & have a raw food diet, & sometimes follow a vegan diet where I can.
19. I haven't cut my hair in well over 2 years. I want it to grow as long as possible!
20. I have the biggest phobia of spiders. They make me sick just thinking about them. I'm also scared of locking public toilets & lifts, but not as much as spiders. I will however refuse to use an aeroplane or train toilet no matter what. I'd rather wet myself.

I'd love it if some of you other bloggers did a random 20 facts as well, they're my favourite kind of posts to read as I'm so nosey & I love finding out more about the actual blogger!

Until next time

Love

 

Liebster Award

I have been nominated for the Liebster Award & I just want to say a massive thank you to Nora who nominated me :)

The Liebster Award is basically like a chain letter pasted between smaller blogs to gain them recognition & help them up in the blogging world. You get asked 11 questions to help readers find out more behind the blogger then they ask 11 more questions to 10 other small/beginner blogs (200 or less followers) And so the process carries on!

 

 

So here are my questions:

 

Why did you start blogging? 

When I started blogging I never imagined that many people, if anyone would actually read my blog. I hoped with all my fingers & toes crossed though that people would maybe read & even be inspired/helped by some of the posts I write. I originally started as I wanted a platform to keep all my ideas/posts at, sort of similar to an open diary that I can look back on & other people can read & learn/be inspired from. I was inspired by blogs like Carly Rowan, Blogilates, Beautycrush, Thunder + Threads to name a few! They help me so much & I was inspired to start blogs like them.

 

If you could never fail, what would you do?

I thought for ages about this & finally narrowed it down to 2 things. I would either tight rope walk across the highest, most amazing canyon I could find. If I can't fail then I can't fall right?

Or I would free climb the biggest cliff face I could find with just a bag of chalk & my camera. Again I can't fail so I can't fall!

Favourite quote?

 

My 2 favourite quotes are: 'Fall down 7 times, Get up 8' & 'Everything happens for a reason.' These quotes remind me that no matter how many times you are knocked down/back, then always get back up fighting. You will get stronger each time & learn from your experiences so nothing can stand in your way. Life is not a simple path, it has obstacles & you will encounter set backs & you may get lost along the way but if you keep going, you will get to where you want to be :) Even if set backs happen, then they happen for a reason as you are obviously destined for a different route.

I also love all the Dr Seuss quotes as they just seem to sum up life in the most perfect, wacky way.

 

Instagram or Twitter?

This is such a hard choice! I love reading & keeping up to date with every ones tweets.Twitter is such an amazing platform to share info & stay in touch with people & meet new people. However I love looking & nosing at peoples instagram photos, I'm the type of person to buy a magazine just to look at the pictures! But if I had to choose, I'd say twitter as it has both tweets & photos!

 

What are you looking forward to most in 2014?

I'm just looking forward to taking every day as it comes. Not look to far ahead as so many things can change & as long as I make the most of every day & go to bed satisfied, I'm happy. I can't wait to spend time with my friends, boyfriend & family though & create some amazing memories & crazy adventures. The summer is my favourite time so I'm counting down the days until I can lie outside in the sun, make iced tea lollies & have beach days.

 

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of all the obstacles I have over come in my life. I have managed to turn bad situations into positive, life changing & strengthening situations instead. I have been knocked down many times, but I have always got up stronger & I am the most proud of that!

 

Are you an introvert or extrovert?

I would say I am a mixture. With the more private/personal side of my life I am more introvert, but with the rest I am outgoing & an extrovert.

 

If you were invisible for a day, what would you do?

I would say the more obvious answer of stalking & spying on famous celebrities, especially hot ones like Jonathan Rhys Meyers or Jenson Ackles! But instead I went for being able to sneak into all the secret, locked vaults that have all the worlds most private secrets. About aliens & mythical creatures. If anyone knows me then they know I have the biggest obsession with Elvis Presley so I would also read all the files on him, about his life & especially the conspiracies about his death!

 

Favourite place?

 I have 2 favourite places. First is the gym, it is the #1 place I go when I am stressed or feeling under the weather. Exercise just helps boost my mood & makes me feel so much better. My second is the beach. I love watching the sea, I can sit & listen to the waves all day. The ocean is such an amazing inspiration to me. The thought of knowing that we only know a tiny % about the sea & so much of it is unexplored is fascinating to me. All the crazy, wonderful creatures & the diverse, different habitates/niches it has & they all live & work in perfect unison together. And that's just the stuff we do know, imagine the things we don't! However I believe that we shouldn't go exploring that part & leave it private, we destroy & stick our noses in enough & we should leave some areas untouched & at peace. Much more interesting to not know anyway & use our imagination!

 

How do you stay inspired?

I stay inspired by looking at others for motivation. If I see others pushing & fighting for their dreams then it makes me want to push as well. Seeing positive, motivational people with such strong, happy personalities & outlooks on life helps keep me going as I think if they can do it, no reason I can't. I get my inspiration from other peoples ideas & activities & put my own twist on them to make them my own & fit me.

 

Favourite bloggers and YouTubers?

I have millions so here are just a few.

Youtubers: Carly Rowena, Blogilates, Beautycrush, Kaylnxo13, Bubzbeauty, Leannewoodfull & Macbarbie07

Bloggers: Beautycrush, Blogilates, carlyrowena, Leanne Woodfull, Becca Rose

 

Now my 11 questions:

1. Which 3 places do you want to visit most in the world?

2. What is your #1 dream you want to experience?

3. What is your dream job?

4. Mario or Luigi?

5. Your #1 Disney film?

6. Best childhood memory?

7. If you could have any skill, what would it be?

8. What is your favourite smell?

9. Which 3 things would you take to a desert island?

11. What is your most memorable experience?

12. What is 1 material thing you can't live without?

 

I nominate:

https://www.bloglovin.com/user/1193000

https://www.bloglovin.com/gogogutest

https://www.bloglovin.com/user/5818665

https://www.bloglovin.com/annie2215

https://www.bloglovin.com/noramelendez

https://www.bloglovin.com/clarecoyle

https://www.bloglovin.com/charlottebuckle

https://www.bloglovin.com/dimpletodimple

https://www.bloglovin.com/user/2772099

https://www.bloglovin.com/katiesimmons
 

Until next time

Love

 

Photo update Italy

 I'm currently sat in a little local cafe called 'Cafe Igloo', drinking green tea & hogging their wifi. I thought I'd do a little update & post some photos I took today before my phone died.

How cute are their tea cups!

Today was a more chilled day as I didn't go skiing, but spent the day with my mam exploring & basically going from one cafe to the next & sampling endless cups of their flavoured tea.

I went in the gym this morning as I was craving some exercise burn & got my sweat on for an hour. It's always completely empty which is good as I have free run of the place, but it's so weird as I'm used to a packed gym back in England! They also have no air con so even for someone like me who barely sweats, I always come out melting. Mmm lovely!

If not now, when?

I then met my mum outside the hotel & we caught the local bus to the bottom of the runs at the 'Jafferau' site. We got the ski lift up to the top where there was a cute little bar/restaurant & we met my dad & sister for a drink break as they had been skiing up there all morning. 

As the weather was so clear & sunny up that part of the mountain, they had lots of deckchairs lined up outside to sit on & soak up the sun. There were people in just shirts & shorts sitting out, even though the temp was in the minus & they were surrounded by snow! I tried to sneakily take a photo of them but I couldn't haha

View from the little bar at the top of the mountain

Tomorrow I think we're doing much of the same & taking the ski lifts up & exploring further up the mountain. I will be sure to charge my phone better this time & take more photos. Some of the views are absolutely breathe taking!

Even though I am having an amazing time here, I can't wait to get home & be reunited with this face. I miss it!

Until next time

Love

 

Italy update and Emergancy Gym Bag Essentials

 

Good Afternoon cupcakes :)

I'm currently sat in a little cafe in Italy at the bottom of the ski runs in the resort Campo Smith watching the world go by & drinking a cup of green tea. I'm in heaven.

I skiied all this morning but I thought I'd take the afternoon to sit & do some blogging as I haven't for a couple of days.

 

This is only going to be a short post on Gym Bag Essentials.

The hotel we're staying at has a gym that I go in every morning but I obviously didn't bring my standard gym bag with me here as it's fairly big & I only wanted a litte one with all my essentials in that I could chuck in my suitcase & not take up much room. This got me thinking about what I'd need to bring & I thought I'd do a little post on gym bag essentials that you can use if you're maybe running to the gym before/after work, on holiday or to just keep in the car for if you find yourself having to head into the gym unexpectadly & need some things.

1. Cheap pair of trainers. They only have to be an old, cheap pair to keep in your bag so you always have a spare pair of trainers to change into if you forget or don't have access to your normal ones.

 

2. Spare clothes. E.g. Shorts/leggings, t-shirt, jumper. Whatever you prefer to workout in. I also always have a spare pair of knickers & socks in my back, for emergancies & it's always nice to feel prepared!

3. Small towel

 

4. Headphones

 

5. Phone/ipod or whatever you chose to listen to music on

 

6. Water Bottle! #1 essential

 

7. Lip balm. Now I don't know about anyone else, but if my lips are dry then I will spend the entire workout thinking about nothing but my dry lips. I'll constantly be licking them & getting them more dry so I always make sure to have a lip balm otherwise my dry lips will drive me insane!!

 

8. Pack of baby wipes to wash your face with after

 

9. Hair brush & spare bobbles/clips

 

10. Deodrant. Need I explain this one? haha

 

11. Little makeup bag with the basics in. E.g Foundation, concealer, powder, blush, mascara etc

 

12. Small first aid kit incase of emergancies with paracetamol, plasters, hand sanatizer, tampons/pads etc

 

13.Spare change for lockers

 

Have all this in a small gym bag & you're always ready & prepared to go into the gym. Now you have no excuse not to go in!

 

Until next time

Love

 

Current favourites #1

Happy Valentine Day cupcakes!

Doesn't matter if you're in a relationship or not, go out & show the world some love <3 If you didn't receive anything from a S.O, then spoil yourself instead!

This post is going to be on my current loves. I never have much change with things I use day to day, as when I find something that I like & works for me then I tend to stick to it. I'm not someone who switches up their routine a lot. If a new product comes out that has amazing reviews then I may be persuaded to try it but normally I just stick to my trusty regulars. So these sorts of posts will be rare from me unless I have some kick ass new favourites I'm dying to share!

1. Scrunchies:

I have been wearing nothing but scrunchies in my hair now for months, how they've gone out of fashion I'll never know! They are so perfect to use & so easy to style. They spice up any hair style in seconds & come in a million different colours/textures so go with literally any outfit. They are the most versatile accessories, wearing with pyjamas to just keep your hair out your face to a night out with a cute high ponytail.

Mine are just a pack of plain black ones from Primark. Only a couple of pounds so they are well worth stocking up on! I wear mine all the time in the gym to keep my hair out my face & they never slip or become lose when I'm working out. They also don't damage your hair with any hard metal joins so another bonus!

2. Sainsburys Orange & Mango teabags:

Now if anyone knows me then they'll understand my obsession with tea. Any flavoured/green/black/white etc tea & I'm all over it! However I don't like builders tea, with milk for some reason? I recently tried these Sainsburys orange & mango ones as they were cheap (80p!) & I wasn't disappointed. I have to be careful with fruity teas as they can be to weak & bland for my taste buds but these were perfect. They had a strong fruity flavour that was sweet enough to not need any for of extra sweetener. The teabag also didn't rip or tear which can sometimes happen with cheap brands. For the price I will definitely be re purchasing these & trying some of the other flavours they have. I already have a box of chamomile teabags waiting for me after I finish these!

3. Cross trainer:

If you read my previous posts you'll know I had a bit of trouble with some muscle pain from my running. I have cut out using the treadmill for maybe a month to try & let my pinching muscle heal itself so I switched to the cross trainer as an alternative. I love using the cross trainer as I can switch the resistance & use different profiles (e.g Random, Cardio, Fat loss, Incline etc) to keep my workouts varied & stop them from becoming boring. As I'm not as used to the cross trainer as I am running, using this makes my heart rate increase higher & I feel like I get more out of my workout. I can really feel it working my legs, primarily the glutes so hopefully it will help me improve my poor excuse for a bum!

4. Herbal Essences Bee Strong Hair Mask:

I am a big fan of thick, luxurious feeling hair masks as I have previously abused my hair with many heated appliance & buckets of bleach (guilty!) so my hair is now very dry & frizzy. Especially the ends. So I always like to use a thick conditioner/mask to help fight my frizz & prevent further damage. I thought I'd give this a go as I love most Herbal Essences products & it's formulated to help strengthen damaged/dry hair so I thought why not. Firstly the smell! It has the most heavenly smell, like milk & honey. Secondly it left my hair feeling so soft & smooth when it was dried. Bye bye frizz! My hair can also be a pain for getting knotty but I found it much easier to drag a brush through it after using this mask. Again for the price, quality & the amount of product you get in one pot (a little goes a long way) I will definitely be repurchasing. However be warned it is quite thick, so if you have greasy/fine hair then this maybe isn't for you.

5. Dry Shampoo:

This has literally been my saviour the last few months! I could not live without it! It has got me through many bad hair days when I just don't have time to wash/dry my hair (I always shower though I promise!) A quick spray on my roots, rub in & throw my hair up in a messy bun & I almost look presentable. In a no effort/but did actually make an effort way. My current favourites are Batiste (spray) & Lush 'No drought' (lose powder) If anyone wants a review on either of these I will do!

Until next time

Love

 

Simple, easy ways to add exercise to your everyday life

 

Not everyone is lucky enough to have the time to spend hours in the gym every day (like certain lucky celebrities!) or the spare money to pay for a membership, so when I was doing a business admin 9-5 job around a year ago I used to spend my lunch time googling & researching simple, easy ways to add exercise into a busy lifestyle as I found it hard to fit in a gym session around work.

This post is going to be on my 6 favourite ways of adding in exercises into your day which are so simple & easy to do! You have no excuses!

 

1. This one is my all time favourite. Every time you go to the toilet during the day, do 10-20 squats before you leave the bathroom. This is sooo easy to do & only takes an extra minute to do. So if you go to the toilet maybe 5 times, that adds up to 100 squats! If you're like me & drink insane amounts of water throughout the day, you'll know the annoying feeling of needing to pee constantly so the squats will all add up! After a while doing this became as much of a habit as washing my hands!

2. Similar to the bathroom one, whenever I found myself stood waiting for the kettle to boil or even the microwave to ping, I'd do calf raises or hold a wall sit. I was once caught at work doing squat jumps while the kettle boiled, I got a very funny look & the guy backed out the kitchen but soon everyone got used to walking in on me doing weird things like that. Don't know whether that was a good or bad thing haha. I sometimes use the microwave timer to do 30 seconds knee highs/star jumps/tuck jumps etc then 30 seconds rest & repeat until the timer stops. Simple easy way to add in some exercise while you make your tea!

 

3. Now this is probably the easiest way ever to add more movement to your day. Forget the lift or escalator, always take the stairs. Instead of waiting to go in a cramped lift, run up the stairs. You'll boost your metabolism & probably reach your floor faster than the lift users anyway!

 

4. Another simple, yet effective one is to park a few streets away from your work. Or at least the far end of the car park. This gives you that extra 5 minutes walk before work to get some fresh air, clear your head & stretch your legs before you have to sit behind a desk all day. Doing this every day will add up to 10 minutes extra a day, totalling 50 minutes per week of extra exercise you wouldn't normally have got. Remember, even though they may seem small & simple; the little things all add up!

 

5. I always used to do this one tip at work & I recommend people do this regularly through out the day. I used to set an hourly alarm to go off which reminded me to take a quick break & walk around the building. This helped stretch my legs & get a well needed break from my computer screen. I found doing this helped my aching back from sitting all day & it gave me a little boost of motivation when I sat back down with my work. This can be applied to any ones day, make sure to take regular breaks from whatever you're doing to stretch your legs & clear your head. It can help de stress you & when you sit back down you can have a fresh view on your work.

 

6. Lastly, instead of sitting at your desk on your lunch break & wolfing down your food. Make a conscious effort to get out of the office, even if its just for 10 minutes. Take your lunch to the park down the road or go sit in a cafe instead; similar to the above idea; helping give you a break from the work atmosphere, de stressing you & giving you a chance to clear your head. You might even bump into some cool new people, or a potential partner! You never know sitting cramped up in the office all day!

I hope some of you find theses tips useful, as I can totally understand with peoples hectic lifestyles it can be difficult to fit in some exercise around your other priorities. Even though I have gone back to college, I still regularly do number 1 & 2 every day. I even caught my mum holding a wall sit the other day while she boiled the kettle!

Yes they all might seem very little, simple things. But remember they all add up!

Until next time

Love

 

My Perfect Imperfections TAG

 

This tag is always one of my favourite to read as I am a big believer in loving yourself as everyone is beautiful. No matter what imperfections or flaws you think you may have, they are

what makes you unique & they are seen as beautiful to many other people. This tag sort of forces you to think of any bad points you see in yourself; but then turn them into something good & positive. Something you should love & embrace! So here are my 3 imperfections and my 3 perfections.

 

Imperfections

1. My Smile:

I used to hate my smile when I was younger. It's always been so big & sort of takes over my whole face. I can't smile with my mouth closed as I just look very constipated (Sorry!) so it's either no smile or full on teeth & everything smile. However it's the one thing people always comment on first about me, 'my beautiful smile'. Apparently it goes right up to my eyes so as I've got older I've grown to like my huge, crazy smile. Smiling in general boosts my mood & I always make sure to give strangers I see my biggest smile to maybe boost their mood as well haha I get some 'she's insane' looks but mostly I get some lovely big smiles back. So win for my crazy lady smile! :D

2. Wrinkles:

I have the worst smile wrinkles around my eyes it's unreal. This links in with my smile imperfection as when I do smile, it creates all these little wrinkles around my eyes that could rival my nans, seriously! I was so self conscious of them as I am only 20 years old & getting wrinkles this soon surely isn't a good sign?! But if I ever feel conscious about them, I just think well they're there because I smile a lot. I would 100% have my smile wrinkles than a frown line. It just shows I'm obviously an overly happy person!

3. My Wonky Teeth:

All my imperfections seem to link in with my smile & this one is my wonky teeth. This was another reason I avoided smiling when I was younger as I hated my wonky teeth. I had a lot of over crowding with my teeth when I was younger & was forever in & out of the dentist. (Probably why I hate them so much now! The smell :S) They removed 5 teeth over all & the bigger teeth did grow in more straight but the bottom set are still over lapping & slightly wonky. They aren't that noticeable to other people but to me I can see them in every photo, like my eyes are drawn to them first. But when I get asked if I'd like a brace to fix them I always say no for some reason. For all the complaining I do about them, I secretly like them as they give my smile some personality & uniqueness. If everyone had the same straight white Hollywood smile then the world & especially the dentist occupation would be a more boring place.

 

Perfections

1. I'm Small:

I see so many people complaining they hate being small but I absolutely love it! Yes it can be annoying when I can't reach the higher shelves or if people make the obvious 'wow you're small?' comment but I generally like being small & petite. I like how I can curl up into small spaces & fall asleep, like on aeroplanes or in cars. Everyone else has to suffer with leg cramp & no room but I can curl up into a little ball & sleep in comfort. I also like having small feet & hands, I think they can pull of the anklet & dainty bracelets/rings quite well. However my favourite reason I like being small is purely for being the little spoon haha

2. My Hair:

Me & my hair have a love/hate relationship. I hate it when it need washing & it just gets in the way all the time, strangling me in my sleep. Arghh but then I love it as it's long & it's sort of like my safety blanket. I'd be lost without it. I can't imagine not having my long hair, twisting it round my finger is sort of a subconscious calming method for me & I like spraying my perfume in it so when my hair moves I always get a hit of my perfume. I'm quite lucky as no matter what damage I've done to it with heat/bleach, it's always stayed shiny & fairly strong. So hair, you annoy me so much but I love you deep down! <3

3. My Fitness Level:

The reason I love this so much is it's something I have worked my ass off to improve. I used to have terrible fitness levels just over a year ago. Running on a treadmill for 5 minutes killed me & I'd ache just walking up some stairs, but now I can do intense exercise without any fatigue or loss of breath. I can run for hours, do hard aerobic exercises without getting tired & I love it! Sometimes it's annoying if I want to get my heart rate to a certain level & I have a real struggle but it just means my amazing body has improved so much & is running so efficiently now that I can't really complain. I'm so proud of how much it's improved & hopefully it'll help me if I teach classes & need to keep my breath when talking/explaining moves to clients.

 

So there we go, my perfect imperfections! I hope this post helps at least some of you realise that those flaws you see in yourself are actually beautiful & make you who you are. That freckle on your nose you hate? Your ginger hair? Your appalling singing voice? All beautiful! <3

 

Until next time

Love

 

I'm back!

So it's been well over a week since my last post (Sunday aches & pains) & I feel like I've been neglecting my blog & not putting the same focus into it as other things in my life at the moment. It need some loving!

I've been so busy with college & course work this past week & brace yourself, I have somehow acquired myself a boyfriend (What!? I know haha) so I have been fairly distracted/busy this week. But I am back & feeling motivated with so many new ideas for this blog so keep your eyes peeled for my new posts!

 

A quick update on my last post regarding my running pains. My feet arches thankfully no longer hurt so I am able to exercise now without having my feet in constant cramp which isn't nice, trust me!

However my hip flexor pain keeps rearing its ugly head so I think I am going to have to go easy on that to let it fully heal. It'll start to get better & the pain will fade but then it'll flare up again if I put to much pressure on it. So any long distance/sprints are out for now, I'll be sticking to just slow steady paced runs for maybe the next month & see how my hip feels. I'll be gutted if I have to cut out running again after I've only just rediscovered my love! But I think there is a fine line between dedication & pushing to hard where you just end up causing damage, something I really want to avoid!

 

Until next time

Love