As a young woman of twenty, I feel responsible enough to take this matter into writing. Don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with some ridiculous lecture or anything of the sort, but what I feel is necessary is a good talking to. Since being at University, this matter has become more and more apparent to me. And that is ladies and gentlemen * clears throat* the matter of virginity. Losing it, keeping it, throwing it at people, whatever.
 Growing up for everyone is hard, hitting puberty is not the best time of your life putting it nicely. But with all the stress of this, with school, college, University etc on top, I don't understand why we pile more upon ourselves. And yes, I am talking about the need, or shall I say, obsession with losing virginity's.
From my point of view, and I am in no way saying it is the only point of view, as of course thousands of you out there may disagree, your virginity is something special. You are letting a person into your life both emotionally and physically, and I personally don't think that is something that should be thrown around willy nilly (if you'll pardon the pun). Our bodies are all beautifully sculpted, each individual and each different, and that's what makes the world so special, I think we owe it to ourselves to respect our bodies. After all, they have been with us since birth- otherwise we'd just be a floating head!
When I was a few years younger it seemed majorly important to lose your virginity. Whether this was because it was seen as uncool if you didn't or because in fact everyone was scared that they'd never lose it, and wanted to get it out the way. Either way people should never feel pressured to do anything if they aren't ready or comfortable with it. The truth is when you get older you begin to regret the choices you made. Not all, but for sure some. And often the way people lose their virginity's is a regret. Whether you're 16, 18 or 25, what ever your age, never think it is acceptable for people to make you feel rubbish about whether you've had sex or not or force you to do it. Please never feel like you have to have had sex to fit in with a group. If that's the case, then those people aren't cool enough for you- for someone who is strong enough to say 'Hey, when I'm ready, I'm ready, not when you think I'm ready!'
Truth is, it doesn't matter when you lose it, the only thing that matters really is how you lose it. And I'm sure when you're 70 years old you'd prefer to look back and say you lost your virginity to someone that you truly wanted to be the one to take it. Unfortunately, we don't all choose that option, and that doesn't make us bad people. It just means we didn't think it through as much, and perhaps we, sadly, felt the pressures of society and our peers put too much strain on how we approached the matter. But for those of you reading this, you DO have the chance to think.
Sex is a very personal thing and we should take care of our decisions around it. After all its our bodies we are using. I'm sure you'd prefer to put your body in the hands of someone you love and trust! SO be brave and stand up for yourselves. Be ready for it when you want to be!

Another matter I thought I'd touch upon, and I won't go on for too long as I've already kept you a while, is about numbers. And no, I don't mean maths. Although that seems to be coming into it. Whilst being at University one of the most common things I hear being talked about, and this seems much more apparent in males( though not always) is how many people they have slept with. Apparently this matters? I see boys proudly admitting how many they've 'had' and 'bigging' themselves up to each other. I would just like to say a few words to those people:
Not only is it highly disrespectful to the other gender- thinking of them as objects or pieces of meat- but if you ask the opposite sex if they'd prefer a relationship with someone whose slept with one person or someone whose slept with 25... Who do you think they would choose?
Its not cool guys.
For those people who aren't counting, just enjoy sex, and are embracing it and aren't hurting people in the process- fair enough! Enjoy your life, I'm not hear to say don't have sex, or don't explore- go forth and do that!
My point is, sex to some people is an intimate beautiful thing and that needs to be accepted by more people! 
I'd much prefer to sleep with one person I was madly in love with for the rest of my life, than someone new each day, wouldn't you?!
After all- you only have one chance to lose your virginity! Lose it wisely!

My thoughts this morning are to blog about my thoughts, or thoughts that I seem to have daily. I don't mean the usual kind of thoughts like: 'what should I have for dinner?' OR 'What time do I need to get up?'. I'm talking about the unusual thoughts that I seem to have daily.

Okay, so I thought I'd write about you for a change. Yes you, the readers. Or perhaps you're listeners, maybe someone is reading this to you. Which ever it is I want to let you know that you're extremely important to me- without you, i'd just be talking to myself. Maybe I am. If so, hello self! But if not, then I think it is important that you know a bit about me, a bit about whose writing your reading. First of all I hope you are all enjoying my blogs, I assure you they will keep coming as I am loving writing them. Perhaps you folks could comment soon to let me know what you think or if you want me to write about specific things? That'd be great! Well I'll start by introducing myself....

Practical Action is a charity that helps fight poverty in third world countries, using technological solutions. 

Thousands of women all over the world suffer everyday from one particular thing. Comfort eating. I know, we all do it. And why do we do it? Because biscuits are fantastic. I think I might consider marrying one. Whether you do it because you actually suffer from an underlying problem or because you are just bored, we all are victims of salty crisps and the devilish chocolate digestive.
So how do we stop?
Okay now I will never tell you to stop eating; part of life involves enjoying wonderful flavours and delicious recipes. So never think you have to cut out all your favourite foods and only eat salad.
As spring and summer approach we all fantasize about having a summer body, and I am one of you. Here's what I've been doing to shed those pounds ready for summer.

Wednesday: A 3 mile fast walk around the seafront. Of course it can be anywhere. Luckily it's been sunny. This was great fun with friends and there was some great views.
Maracatack dvd. But of course there are plenty of online exercise videos for anyone who doesn't own one. I did this for about half an hour.
Thursday: An hour long power walk around Portsmouth. Got to wear some funky shades!!
Saturday: An hour long power walk and jog. Also I included some step exercises.
30 minute cardio video online by fitness trainer Jillian Michaels. My legs burn! That is a good sign!
Snacked of some salad. (Might have had a few cheeky biscuits!)

Okay, so this is what I've done so far and I have to say I really feel like it is making a difference and believe I could keep up with it.

One of the best ways to tone or lose weight is to be motivated and one of the best ways is to not be alone. Do it with a friend- it becomes so much more fun and you can chat and motivate each other as you go.

So have a go and let me know how you're all doing!

Hope this helps!!

Biscuits are great.

There are people all over the world who aren't happy with the way they look. In fact most people would admit to not liking something about themselves. The thing is, in today's society we are encouraged and forced to look and act like celebrities. We are constantly reminded via the internet and newspapers and magazines about what looks good and what doesn't, and how to dress and how not to. We are made to feel bad about ourselves if we don't appear 'perfect'.
I think this is outrageous. We should be who we are. No amount of clothes, money or make up will ever turn us into someone else. If you try to look like your favourtie celebrity, you are still you, and they are still them, so is there any point trying to be like them? My point is being original and unique is far more admirable than copying others. Stand out and be who YOU want to be. Wear what makes you happy. Instead of silly diets that will damage your body, try a diet that works best for, that helps you get the most out of life. Instead of feeling like you have to cut everything bad out of your diet or even worse stop eating all together, think about what it is you actually want to change about yourself. Instead of modelling yourself on someone else, think about your best assets and mold yourself from yourself. Don't try to be someone else, just be a better version of yourself-(not that you need to;everyone is beautiful).

As a student, we are constantly trying to find the cheapest brands of foods. Although its tough, its actually a valuable lesson for the future. If you look hard enough you will find there are foods out there which are much cheaper and taste just as good as the more expensive ones. Here are a few tips and foods that are great for students:


I hope these tips have been useful. Don't forget to compare prices at different supermarkets too. X

ALDI and ASDA are fantastic! https://www.aldi.co.uk/   http://www.asda.com/

Relationships come in all shapes and sizes. Some can be long, some can be quick, and some can good and some can be bad. When you're a young teenager, they seem like the most important thing in the world. And at some point in your life they will be. But at that age they are not. There are so many young girls and boys who are losing out on so many important things because they are focusing too much on relationships. I'm not going to say they aren't important; relationships with friends are extremely important growing up! But when you're 15/16 years of age you have so many important things to think about without the distraction of a adult relationship. Of course i'm not saying don't have one, sometimes they can teach you valuable lessons. They definitely taught me not to trust everyone at first, which is good as it stops you befriending the wrong people. It made me realise how much I was missing out on, all the fun and happiness my friend were having- I wasn't. It made me realise I could have gotten such better grades in school and sixth form. It makes you understand men more, or women more, depending what gender you are. It makes you realise that you should never go near people like that again, and to avoid getting into relationships with similar people.
At first it made me feel like it was my fault, like I was the one causing the problems- when in fact it was the other way around- Don't ever let anyone tell you you aren't worth being treated well. You deserve the best and nothing less. Do not settle for what you think you deserve because chances are you have set your bar too low and they won't treat you right. I did this, I was cheated and lied to and I felt like I didn't deserve better. What can I say, I was young and naive. 
On the bright side it made me realise that the sun will shine again, and when things are tough you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and surround yourself with people who love you. You'll make it through to the other side. Now I am over the moon with happiness. I have found someone who is more than amazing and treats me like a princess. Now the past is the past and I realise that it was just my young self that didn't know what it was doing. So for all you young folk who think their relationship is the 'bomb', remember to focus on friends and family and hobbies as well. Sometimes there are more important things. And if you have had your heart broken or you've been torn apart by a relationship, please don't feel like giving up- things honestly DO get better!!

First there was Angry Birds and Candy Crush which took up all of our spare mintues making us anxious and desparate to score or reach the next level, but now we are cursed with yet another ridiculous game. I introduce to you Flappy Bird. Now i'm not going to sit here and slam people who play it. I play it. I feel ashamed. I installed it purely to see what all the fuss was about. My first reaction was 'What a load of rubbish, this isn't a good game!'- Then I noticed after about an hour and a half that I was still playing it- somehow! Now the past few days have been taken over by this colour changing, annoying little flyer. And lets talk about that shall we, is his wing broken or something? Why are we having to keep him up in the air? Also where are all these green pipes coming from? Surely if we saw that in the real world, the council would be on it quicker than Flappy could reach 10 points. I am amazed at how far some take it, and I thought I was bad on level 38 but some people continue playing until they reach 141 and then continue to search for a higher goal. With no reward at the end what is the point?

I know sometimes Winter can be gloomy. Cold stormy nights, wet clothes and wind swept hair. But that's no reason to feel down. And if you are feeling down you're not alone. January is always an anticlimax after Christmas and New Years, we feel the next best thing to look forward to is summer, and lets face it, that feels ages away.  If you're a student it probably means you have exams, and if not then probably plenty of assignsments. Oh goodie. If you're a worker, that back to work winter sales and rush makes you want to curl up in your duvet. It's kind of like feeling fed up and bored, but then with no energy to change that. In my opinion we all need a giant hug. Things will get better, the sun will shine again and it'll start getting warmer eventually. But in the meantime try and think of things to enjoy in the winter. Why not treat yourself to a new hat and scarf or fashionable coat, so that when you go out you look forward to feeling and looking more glamourous. Or get yourself a new box set series to look forward to watching in the evening.  Cook adventurous meals or try new cheeses and wines. Fish out all those candles you've been given as presents for many years and enjoy the different scents. Get board games out and re-live your childhood with the family or all sit down with nibbles to watch the rugby.  Little things like making the most of the indoors can really brighten your mood. Whose says its only the sun that has the ability to make us happy?