Sometimes working out takes a lot of motivation, especially when there are such delicious foods around. All we feel like doing is kicking back, watching Netflix and eating chocolate after a long day. But since I've incorporated running into my daily regime there have been so many improvements to my life. I'm about to share five of them with you now...

1.) You get to go out and see the world. Whether you're running just around the block or taking on higher extremes, you feel great for having taken yourself away from your laptop screen or mobile to be at one with the world around you. Enjoy it, take it all in and if you see something beautiful, don't hesitate to stop and have a look or take a picture (if you have a phone with you for using apps like Strava).


2.) It works wonders with your legs. Okay so not everyone wants to have really muscly legs, and I think that is what worries some. But honestly it'll only tone them as well as giving your bum a lift. Since running 5/6 days a week for the past month or so, I've managed to slim my legs down. I was squeezing into a size 12 at the beginning of summer and today I slipped back into a size 8 (even if they were a stretchy trouser!)

3.) You feel less guilty about treating yourself to a bit of chocolate. Because you workout and get fresh air everyday, you don't feel quite so bad having that little sweet treat once in a while. So don't stress yourself out by trying to force yourself to do any of these silly diets.

4.) It releases endorphins. As previously discussed in my last post, getting exercise is a great way to feel happier in yourself. The release of endorphins will make you feel brighter and more energised and awake- you can take on anything!

5.) It's a great way to get fit without the need of fancy equipment of an expensive gym membership. Running is free, so go out and do it. There are no excuses!

Do it for you. Come up with some reasons why you want to start running or be fit, and tell yourself them everyday when you wake. Remind yourself that you want to become the best version of yourself. So put your trainers on and get out and enjoy what the world has to offer. And getting fit whilst doing so? Yes please!

Make a list of reasons

Hey guys!

So, better late than never. I know, I know, my 7 Day Diet ended on Sunday and it's now Tuesday but I'm actually on holiday so I've been out and abouts. However I thought it a little rude not to finish off my updates from my 7 Day Diet so let's take another look through my goals and see if I achieved them.

To be honest, not much has changed since Day 4 & Day 5. I was a bit more naughty towards the end of the week due to the motivation wearing off and going on holiday. However I did try to keep to my goals as best as I could.

Goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol 

On Sunday I did have a heavier breakfast of cereals and toast, but that's because I knew I'd be doing lots of walking on my holiday. However on Day 6 I stuck to just a small bowl of cereal with fruit.
Cutting out carbs as I discussed in my last post has been the hardest part of this diet. And I think unless it is your only goal, it is pretty hard. When combined with all my other goals I think I took on too much, there was too much for me to change for all my goals to stick. I think I've cut out quite a few of my carbs however and have tried to only eat more essential carbs.
I have drank a bit more wine and squash on my holiday, but that's because it's a holiday. But I'm pretty proud to say I stuck to water for the majority of the week!
I think I've had smaller portions but I'd like to carry this goal over and continue to do it.
I've definitely had healthier snacks. I've had more fruit and seeds and just the odd cube of cheese rather than reaching for a chocolate bar or biscuits.
I've had better night's sleep the past few day which I have felt better for.


So how has the diet gone?
Well I think for it to have a better effect it needs to go on for longer. You hear about these week long detoxes but I assume they are much more extreme, whereas what I was doing was just balancing and altering to make a healthier lifestyle.

Is it worth doing?
Yes, but like I said, these goals are good long term so why not try and introduce some of these goals to your normal routine? Take a bottle of water with you to work rather than opting for a vending machine pop. Little changes like that can make a huge difference.

What do I want for the future?
I'm definitely going to continue drinking more water and getting more exercise  and having smaller portions. I believe doing just these three things can make a difference. I also want to snack less, however if I do snack I'm not going to beat myself up over it. I am only human.

Speak soon

Hey guys, so I know I failed to upload Day 4 yesterday, and I don't really have a good enough excuse. To be honest I was busy... busy watching The Devil Wears Prada with my mum... oops!
So today I'll catch you up with day 4 as well as day 5.

It's not been easy. I've found day 4 and 5 the hardest I think because the novelty and motivation has begun to wear off. I didn't get to go for a jog yesterday. I was going to go in the evening but couldn't in the end as was waiting for a call and had some work to do. And today I haven't jogged either as again I've been working. However I did go food shopping with my mum so maybe that counts as exercise. I am again busy tonight, but if I finish not too late then I'll go out for a run... fingers crossed.

So here were my goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol 

How they've gone:

1. I have eaten a light breakfast each day. I've tried to have something different each day so I don't get bored. Sometimes I've eaten fruit other days egg and yesterday I had a small bowl of cereal with berries on top.
2. Look, this was never going to be easy. Quitting carbs cold turkey is honestly so much harder than it sounds. And have I achieved it? Well, no. I've cut out a lot though. I don't eat crisps, or biscuits. I've had the odd slither of cake, and the odd piece of bread, but that has always been accompanied by veg or salad. As much as we assume carbs are the unhealthy part of our diet, we don't realise that for a balanced diet we need carbs. Carbs are just as important as other foods and cutting them out completely probably isn't natural. I have felt less bloated when I've not eaten carbs which is a great benefit, however cutting out carbs is so much harder when you live at home as you can't always dictate what food is cooked etc. I feel as though I've done really well with this goal though to be honest, because it is really hard and I've made a lot of alternative choices for carbs in meals.
3. I think I've done really well. I have only drunk water for the whole week, except for one cider at the pub and one teeny glass of red wine. Other than that, I've stuck to water. 
4. I tried the cup of coffee one hour before a workout thing, but personally I didn't think it made much difference. I think just sticking to a protein breakfast and water will do just as good.
5. I have made sure to have smaller portions for dinner and I have never over eaten, and I am yet to feel too full after a meal this week. That for me is one of my biggest issues. I always graze, snack and eat too much which causes bloating, nausea and most of all it's just greedy. It's calories that I don't need.
6. Healthy snacks? I think I've done this really well during the day. In fact I haven't really snacked or had much urge to. I have however had the odd piece of chocolate in the evening. Naughty I know, but... well I have no excuses other than, I wanted some chocolate.
7. I think getting a good night's sleep is not something you can always control. I've been going to bed at an alright time and I haven't been having huge lie ins, nor have I been waking up super early. Due to the heat it has been difficult to get a good nights sleep consistently, so whether this has had an effect on my diet I am unsure.
8. No alcohol? Well as I've said, I have had 2 drinks this week. I think that is good considering I usually have about 2 glasses of wine a night. So that's 2 drinks instead of 10. When you say it like that it sounds great. Think of what those extra 8 glasses does to your body. My body is 8 glasses of wine healthier this week!!

Okay so there have been good points and bad points. I was semi on this diet last week as well ( I just chose to write about it for this week) and in the two weeks I have just about lost 4 pounds. Of course this alters during the day due to water weight and food etc. But I have managed to shed 4 pounds- just from living a healthier more balanced diet and lifestyle! Result!!

Speak soon

Okay, so today I am guilty of slacking slightly on my diet. Not necessarily intentionally but sometimes it's hard to completely monitor what you eat when you aren't the only person who is eating. Because I live at home currently, my mum buys food that everyone will be eating and so I can't exactly always dictate the meals!

So, I had a high in protein breakfast of scrambled eggs with spinach. This was really easy to make and super yummy. It gave me more energy for my run than the previous days.

I then went for a short run because time was ticking and I didn't want to be out for too long as I had things to do.

For lunch I did have some orange juice as a treat as I have stuck to water for ages so I thought a glass of juice wouldn't hurt. I then had my typical lunch of a garden salad with chicken, cheese and ryvita. I then had yogurt, granola and mixed berries for dessert and a small slice of Jamaican Ginger Cake. The cake was of course carbs but according to my Fitness Pal app, it was only about 94 calories.

I've also been on my feet a lot today as I went for a run as discussed, and have walked my dog twice and been out and about doing errands.

I've kept at drinking more water than usual as well which I really feel is benefiting me.

For dinner, I was rather naughty as we had some pizza bases to eat up and so we made some pizzas for dinner, which of course is a high carb however we had some peppers on top and a side salad. I then had no dessert.

However I did then go to the pub where I had a light cider- again naughty! However it's not every day that I get to see my friends and so it was a treat. I have now had a few cubes of chocolate as well, oops.

Okay so today overall hasn't been as healthy as my previous two days, however when I look at it, it still has been relatively healthy. I've had plenty of vitamin C and salads and so the carbs and sugars I have consumed I feel can be justified.

I have noticed that today I have felt a lot more energised and not exhausted, so perhaps that is due to the protein breakfast, or the carbs I had. All things to take on board.

Tune in tomorrow for day 4!

Speak soon

Back again with today's update on how my 7 day diet is going.

This morning I started off with a white coffee with no sugar. I then had a bowl of cut up mango and banana. This was so sweet, perhaps a bit too sweet for breakfast, but was definitely refreshing and helped wake me up. For more energy I think I need to have more protein in my breakfast. So tomorrow I think I may make myself some eggs with spinach.

I then went on a 6.1km run where I ran solidly for about 2km and then mixed jogging with power walking for the rest. This was one of my longest routes I've done so far around my area, so I felt really good about it afterwards.

For lunch, I had a healthy garden salad topped with cold chicken and a couple of Ryvitas to help fill me up. During the afternoon I did, once again, feel rather exhausted. I believe this could be from lack of sugar, perhaps not a lack but because I've lessened my sugar and carb intake so my body is probably having slight withdrawals.

For dinner, I had a chicken and leak pie. I know that is carbs however it was complemented by some lovely fresh vegetables and new potatoes and I had yogurt, fruit and a tiny bit of granola for dessert. So even though the pie might not have been as healthy, I think it gave me the energy I needed and that I was lacking during the day.

I have also had a few cubes of chocolate (which was a present) which is very naughty but I'm only having a couple of squares to help my sugar levels.

I have also, once again stuck to water, besides the two small coffees I have drunk today. I feel brighter and more cleansed due to having more water.

I also weighed myself this morning and had lost about 2 pounds since the last time I'd weighed myself which is a bonus.

Check out the blog tomorrow for my next update.

Speak soon

Hey folks,

So as promised (we all know I'm rubbish when it comes to keeping blog promises) I am back to update you and report back on my first day of dieting. As outlined in my previous post, I have set myself several goals.

I want to be clear that this is a diet to become a healthier me with an outcome of a happier mental health and happier physical health. I am not doing this purely for weight purposes but truly to become a better version of myself.

Okay, now we've got over the disclaimer part, I can get cracking with telling you all how my first day has gone.

Well, it started off good and bad. I did have a morning coffee (see my goals and explanations here)and an hour later I did a good workout which included: cardio, abs and yoga. I also walked my dog. However I didn't have breakfast. That wasn't because I was trying to skip it, as I never really skip breakfast, but I woke up feeling rather full of air and as a result I didn't feel hungry and then before I knew it it was around 11 O'clock and only an hour until lunchtime.

In hindsight I know I should have had breakfast because as a result I believe I've lost a fair bit of energy.

For lunch I had a healthy salad with some cold chicken from last night's roast, and some ham and cheese on top too. I finished off my lunch with a fruit salad. I did also have a homemade gluten free fairycake, which goes against my 'no carbs' rule, however I baked them yesterday and they needed to be eaten up!

All day I've only drunk water and I am starting to feel better for it. I can't quite explain how, I just feel fresher and more awake I suppose. I also avoided the temptation of having a glass of wine with dinner, and stuck to water.

For dinner I had a smaller portion than I usually would, but still enough to satisfy me. I had salmon with new potatoes, cauliflower and carrots; a healthy and nutritional meal that filled me up. I also had some granola with natural yogurt and mixed berries for dessert. I suppose granola is classed as a carb as well, but it's full of fibre which is important in a diet and so I can excuse things like oats and granola etc.

Right now I feel really tired. I am unsure why this is. Perhaps it's due to the disturbed sleep I had last night due to the heat or whether my different diet has started to effect me. Either way, I will be sure to try and get a good rest tonight. And of course my diet is still balanced and good for me.

So that is today's update. Unfortunately my scales are a bit weird so I haven't been able to weigh myself today, however there would hardly be any point considering it's only day one. Overall I feel confident that I can complete my 7 day diet! Tune in tomorrow to see how day 2 has gone!

Speak soon

Okay guys, so as you can see from the title, this post is about dieting. Basically I am putting myself on a diet. I've put on a few pounds in the last few months and my jeans are starting to notice...

So this week I thought I'd blog about what I do each day, and report back with the end result after 7 days. Of course my diet will continue after 7 days, but let's just see where I can get to in just 7 days, following these steps:

Goals:

• Eat a light, healthy breakfast
• Cut out carbs completely (ha let's see how that goes!)
• Drink mostly water
• Exercise most days
• I read somewhere that drinking a cup of coffee an hour before a workout, results in more energy and burns more calories, so let's see if that works shall we?
• Smaller portions- don't over eat
• Only eat healthy snacks
• Get a good night's sleep and wake up at reasonable times
• No alcohol

Okay, so they are my goals for this week. I want to find out if this is a good way of dieting whilst still being healthy, and if it works whether I feel happier and healthier with my lifestyle.

Follow me this week as I report back to you what I've been eating and what exercise I've been doing and the struggles/benefits I encounter. I start tomorrow!

Hello my lovelies

So I recently decided that I eventually want to run the London marathon. It's been a dream of mine since I was a little girl as I always wanted to be a runner. So I thought I'd start getting back into my fitness and start training. I hope to do it in the next couple of years, but it of course requires a lot of training. SO here goes, I thought I'd tell you what I've been doing in order to train and share some tips!

Morning Jogs - Find a nice route, somewhere that is visually pleasing as this helps motivate you. Also try and make the most of sunny days, as soon as you see the sun is out, go for a walk or jog. I did this over Easter break and did about 15 morning jogs over the period of 3 weeks. I also use my phone to listen to music - having my phone on me is not only good in case of an emergency, but also it means I can take some nice photos as I go of beautiful things!


Hire a bike - Plenty of places do this. I went to Pitsford reservoir and hired a bike two times, and cycled 14 miles each time, so that's 28 miles of cycling goodness! It's great for your leg muscles which will of course help for running. It was also a lovely thing to do and I got to enjoy the views!

Home workout - Download a fun fitness app or use YouTube to discover fitness tips and workouts that can be done from the comfort of your own home.

Walk the dog - My dog is so full of life and is a large Golden Retriever, so he is always after a walk or run. If you have a dog, use this as not only a great chance to walk your lovely doggy, but see it as an opportunity to get fit! He/She will love you for it too!

Gym classes - Classes are a great way to get in shape because they are fun and can be done with friends!

Gym workout - If you have a gym membership then make the most of it, don't waste the money that you've spent, get yourself down to the gym, put in your headphones and workout!

So that's what I've been doing to stay fit!

Speak soon

So I promised you all I would write lots of blog posts over Easter break and have I done that? Have I ever... I'm so sorry, this has possibly been the busiest holiday I have ever had, and all for good reasons.

Let me update you.

I've been super motivated to get fit over the past couple of weeks and, I know, how many times do I say that, right? But this time feels more serious, I've gone jogging every morning giving myself the odd rest day where I don't run but I still walk Marvel at least twice a day, so not completely a rest day. I've also been on two bike rides of 14 miles each. I'm actually considering getting a bike as it is a fantastic way to stay healthy and enjoy the beautiful earth whilst doing so. These times I cycled around Pitsford Reservoir. In terms of jogging I usually stay local. I have also enjoyed a beautiful walk around Bradgate Park, the views were fantastic and they have gorgeous deer there.

I've been out and abouts with friends a lot too these hols, including a pizza, beer and movie night and a Mexican themed Come Dine With Me evening. It's honestly been so lovely and almost overwhelming to have so many nice things to do. I've also, of course, had lots of lovely family time, including a couple of Chinese takeaways (our favourite), a trip to Bella Italia and a lovely afternoon and lunch with my mum and Auntie to Heart Of The Shires - a lovely shopping village.

Whilst doing all of that stuff, I've been working hard on my dissertation, which if you recall, was the reason behind my lack of blogging recently.

*Stops for breath...*

Today, I am making some cute Easter cakes (yes, I know, too late.) and yes these will be the classic chocolate crispy cakes, but you can't go wrong with a bit of chocolate and cornflakes!

I am eager to hear what all of you have been getting up to recently, I've missed you all and I will be publishing a few posts this week to make up for everything!

Stay funky

Hey guys,

Today I'm back with a little lifestyle and food post. I was fortunate in that I gave myself a day off (although I feel I do that too much ;) ) and myself and friend Sydney decided it'd be a really cute trip/adventure if we went out for lunch somewhere new.

If you have read previous blog posts of mine, then you may have read a post where I told you all that I was having to go Gluten free. If you want to read that post, click here.

So of course this meant finding somewhere that did Gluten free food. We did a bit of research before hand and came across this little cafe - Southsea Coffee. I didn't end up taking any photos of the outside because it was a bit gloomy and we just wanted to get inside to be honest.

It was very busy when we entered and very hot due to how many people were in there. There were a lot of students on laptop and writers doing work, which actually gave the place character.

We sat down at a little stool area by the front window and perused the menu for a few minutes. We both ordered 'The Plate' which came with Cheddar Cheese, Brie, Chutney, Ham, Rocket, Pickle and bread (I ordered gluten free bread). We also got milkshakes- I got a strawberry and Sydney got a peanut butter one I think.

The service was great and very friendly, and our milkshakes came very soon after ordering. They were delicious and possibly the best milkshakes I've tasted. They tasted fresh and made from real ingredients. I could really taste the strawberry!


Our food came shortly afterwards, and for £7.50 I was impressed by our meals. It was the perfect size for a lunch and it looked so cute on it's wooden block and was presented so carefully. It was lovely to treat myself to good food for once rather than food that is likely to clog my arteries! (haha!). I'd also never had Brie before and I loved it!



It was a really lovely aternoon and it was great to catch up and chat about our TV shows and our lives. I was thrilled with the gluten free bread as it tasted so much nicer than other gluten free breads I've tried. I will write another post about this at a later date, but I have to say that it was nice to find somewhere that was reasonably priced and where the gluten free options were available at the same prices.

I will definitely be going back to Southsea Coffee, whether it be for lunch, or just one of their yummy milkshakes!

Speak soon

Diet. This is a word many people fear, some people loath and others, well others just don't use it. But 'diet' doesn't have to mean 'not eating' or 'losing weight'. Eating the way we do now is called a 'diet' but yet we tend to only associate it with losing weight.

Since being at University for two years now it occurred to me that I don't eat as well as I should. And don't get me wrong I'm not the unhealthiest person in the world, but I still would like to eat better. In first year I remember making salads a lot, but this year not so much. I think because this last year has been far more stressful, all I've wanted to do after six hours of hard studying is put a movie on and order a Domino's.

Changing one's diet is a very hard thing to do. Making drastic changes is ridiculous and you're more likely to give it up. However making small and simple changes are a good way to start. A couple of years ago I lost a lot of weight (well a lot to me) and although I looked good, I didn't feel good because dieting can also make you feel bad about yourself if you get too obsessed with it, it's how eating disorders can start. And so luckily when I started uni I forgot about the obsessions of dieting and just had a balanced diet and enjoyed life which worked much better for me. Nevertheless, I'm back here talking to you all today, so obviously I'm about to ramble on some more about dieting.
I weigh the most I've ever weighed at the moment. Which is weird for me to say. If you know me you might think 'Why is she dieting?'. And I know what you mean, but I'm not dieting so much to lose weight but to become a healthier version of myself. I found a really nice quote yesterday and it was-

The only person you should try to be better than, is the person you were yesterday.

And that stands true for me. I like my body and have nothing to worry about weight wise, I am a healthy weight however I really want to be able to improve myself, my fitness, my nutrition. And so here we are. Like I say, making big changes is very hard, and now on day 5 of my diet I am still struggling to even achieve my little goals. But here they are, my simple start up diet goals.

1.) Drink 8 glasses of water a day. - I don't drink enough and I know sometimes we mistake hunger for thirst (can you believe it!) and so by drinking more I can improve several aspects of my diet.

2.) Do two lots of 20 sit ups (40 in total) - I'm trying to do 20 in the morning and then 20 at night. This will improve my strength and work on my core.

3.) Do two lots of 20 push ups (40 in total) - The same as the sit ups. This will improve my strength and core also.

4.) Eat at least 1 portion of vegetables/ salads a day! - I love vegetables and so I really have no excuses.

5.) Eat at least 2 portions of fruit a day. - This can be easy. I have fruit involved in my breakfast and then have fruit for my afternoon snack! Simples!

There you have it. That doesn't seem too hard does it? Of course I will be walking my dog lots over summer and will gradually add in more and more challenges but to start with I want to be able to easily achieve all these little goals.


The app I'm using to help with this is My Diet Coach - check it out!

If you're like me, then you'll probably go on another one of your 'get fit/healthy' obsessions again this summer- it happens every summer! To be fair to us, summer is the best time to get fit for obvious reasons. However getting fit and healthy can be hard especially as we enjoy indulging on meals out and sweets and what not to treat ourselves for the hard work we've done. So I've only gone and come up with 5 easy ways to get healthy whilst enjoying the summer haven't I? Here we go:


1.) Forget the gym. Go on walks and jogs. It's an obvious one I know but summer is the perfect opportunity to go for walks. They can be short walks, long walks, slow walks, whatever takes your fancy. And if you have a dog, why not take them out for a nice walk- they will thank you for that! Or perhaps you like reading in the garden? Instead why not walk to your local park and read there, then walk back. Putting in extra exercise where you can can really make the difference.

2.) Going on a shopping spree or an afternoon out in town? It's easy to fall into the trap of buying junk food to feed your perishing hunger. But, if your town has a market, why not buy some fresh strawberries instead. They aren't too expensive and you get a lot for your money- better than at a supermarket. Strawberries are lush, like healthy sweets. So grab a punnet of them (or whatever fruit you like) and snack on them throughout your trip. You'll feel fresher and healthier and proud for avoiding the junk food.


3.) Swap your breakfast around. Instead of having stodgy toast or fried breakfasts, try having fruit, or yogurt. It may seem boring but if you're really determined to be healthier then it'll make a difference and will make your morning feel fresher. Plus it doesn't have to be boring, be creative!

4.) Take a look at a usual days' food for you. Take one sugary/unhealthy item, just one, and swap it for something healthy. You'll be surprised at how swapping one item can make a difference.

5.) Drink! Another obvious one I know, but sometimes we mistake our hunger for thirst would you believe. So carry a bottle of water around with you. Also water is great for the skin and on a hot day will be your saviour. If you find water boring then have tea or squash. However water does the same as other drinks in that it rids you of your thirst yet water has no calories, so instead of putting unnecessary calories inside yourself, just drink plain and simple water!


I hope my little tips have been somewhat helpful. How about you get in contact or start and conversation about what you all do to stay fit and healthy?

Speak soon