Monday, 28 April 2014

Exam Time

During the revision period it is very hard to fall into unhealthy bad habits.

I for example

  • Eat way too much junk food. It is way simpler to just nip into greggs and get a steak bake or to subway for a foot long, when you're putting in long hours at the library.
  • The same goes for when you do finally go home having hibernated within the confines of the library all day. You're too tired to cook anything properly so in goes a frozen pizza or ready meal.
  • But probably worse is the constant snacking of sweets and crisps at your desk while you study. You don't even realise you have eaten an entire chocolate bar until all you feel is the wrapper. It is a devastating feeling.
  • Potentially the worse in terms of health is the smoking. I admit I smoke on occasion. Especially when I am stressed.


However these unhealthy and bad habits are not only bad for your overall health but also for you bank balance and as a struggling student with two jobs,money is almost constantly tight.


  • Making your meals in the morning or night before a library session will save you so much money. Yes you might be craving that wrap in the deli but it does cost £4 and your sandwich costs 80p to make. They both fill you up at the end of the day. Treat yourself after exams.
  • Buying frozen chicken and vegetables are an alternative to the fresh stuff. Not as goodbut miles better than a ready meal, especially if you buy the plain breasts of chicken and grill them.
  • Healthy snacks such as celery,cucumber and carrots with dips like homous or sweet chilli hit all the same cravings and fill you up better. For those who crave sugar, have a bowl of fruit. Careful not too much or the sugar will get your teeth.
  • And finally running. Go for a run instead of stress smoking. All the same feelings but without feeling like a chimney and smelling like Dot Branning.


These are my changes that I will be applying to my diet and regime over the examination diet. Good luck.

Monday, 21 April 2014

Old habits die hard

Reunited with school friends at the weekend, always ends in two ways.

You either show everyone you shared embarrassing sexual education classes with, that you are now a mature  adult.

Or you do what I did and ruin any semblance of a  thought that you had grown up whilst away at university.

At the weekend I returned for a 21st and quickly flushed away any of the good I had done for my body in recent days.The bottle of wine ruined all those squats and the cigarettes, butchered my mile time. The various pints and shots did not help matters.

But that is the thing with old habits, for every eighteenth I attended in my final year of school, I would end up smoking outside, because it was something different as all the 18ths started to blend together.  At least outside you could have a decent conversation.
Alas a horrible habit of 'social smoking' began.
I am not a smoker and I identify with a large population of people who have a cigarette on occasion.

I do it purely for enjoyment,I am well aware of the horrible side effects, but then again it is onlynow and then.

Everything in moderation is fine, but I am making a stance that they will make a firm departure from my life,especially with my three peaks challenge coming up and my signing up to the London marathon tomorrow morning...

Watch this space.

Friday, 18 April 2014

Festival Madness

Oh what a great day to restart blogging! Found an AMAZING competition from BANK to go to European festivals with your best friend.
http://www.bankfashion.co.uk/home

I love travelling and festivals so this is a must for me!

Not much else excites me more every summer than the lure of the annual music festival; me and my best friends have been attending religiously for five years. Every year it is the same, ‘This is our last year!’ as we make our pilgrimage to the festival site. Aboard the bus of revellers, cans of cider and beer are cracked open, impromptu songs are started and the festival atmosphere begins.

Quickly the concrete landscape disappears as we venture further and further into the beautiful countryside. As the houses become fewer, the feelings build, until they come to a climax as the familiar sight of the Ferris wheel comes into view. A cheer usually rings out throughout the bus as we get ever closer to the craziest, funniest, and ridiculous weekend we have come to adore.


Disembarking the bus is always a challenge, bags, tents, chair are thrown into a heap for the festival fanatics to dig through. But it is the first chance to guess what there is to expect from the weekend.  This festival attracts all kind of music fans with its diverse line up. The differing personalities, fashion and music taste all add to the experience, camaraderie exists and immediate friendships are made between people of all different walks of life.


The fashion at festivals is unrivalled to anywhere else in the world. From Coachella to Glastonbury, celebrities have been showing us how to do hippy chic for years. Shorts, wellies, and a hat are essential to anyone wanting to attend a British festival especially, the rain loves to make an appearance but it still doesn’t stop fancy dress lovers like those who attend Bestival and Fridays at T in the Park.


Having a spot to camp is something we are incredibly fond of. We secured the best campsite in our first year and always make it a priority to return there every year. It is as far away from the festival horror stories you hear. I have yet to see anyone be tipped over in a portaloo, but I do have suspicions that it wasn’t just cider that soaked us three years back.



But that is to be expected in the crowd at any major festival. Being in the crowd, an experience you cannot possibly try and explain to anyone.  With the sun beating down on you, hundreds of bodies are squishing and gyrating against each other to music idols, all while controlling the need to visit one of said horror loos. But when it is your musical hero, crush, or even nuisance it does not matter. The pull and energy of the crowd pulls you into a euphoric feeling of being carefree and enjoying the moment.

Because before you even know it. No longer are you being woken by people having a beer at 7 or the sun blaring down on you. No more group trips to the portaloo where you effectively strip before stepping inside. No more attempting to ‘clean’ wellies to no avail. And no more stress free fun with your nearest and dearest. The festival ends but the memories stay. And we exclaim, ‘Ok next year is our last year!’


Tips I have learned from attending festivals for half a decade
1.       DO NOT WEAR A PLAYSUIT/ONESIE…yes they seem like easy, fashionable outfits and warm at night, but they are no good in an enclosed space
2.       DO make friends around you. They will look out for you and you them.
3.       DO NOT over pack booze. It is really heavy and at the end of the weekend it will break your heart throwing it away or wasting it
4.       DO take your tent home. Good for the environment and your wallet as you will definitely be back the next year
5.       DO take sunblock…it does get sunny sometimes in the UK
6.       DO take a hat, looks really cool and protects you
7.       Baby wipes and Bin bags suddenly have a thousand new uses, abuse them.


http://www.bankfashion.co.uk/home
#destinationunknown

This is the beginning.

Ex Gymnast, Ex Runner, Ex Swimmer and I have climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. All monikers I can claim and achievements I can list.
 I have been in 
peak physical fitness several times throughout my twenty one years on this planet. However in the closing stages of my third year at university, I find myself in possibly the worst physical fitness I have ever been. Gaining weight rapidly and finding myself more and more tired as the fat makes itself at home upon my body.

No I do not have a body dysmorphic disorder; I just want my body to be perfect. That last statement doesn't make sense or steer me away from having this condition. But its true I do try and strive for my body to be just so and when it is not, it leads me into these kind of moments.

The moments when I decide enough is enough. No more pizza, less booze, no cigarettes. No vices of any sort over exam period to get my body back to its former glory. My ass used to sit a lot higher than it does presently.

Magazines, celebrities and the Instagram famous make looking good seem easy, this will be a frank account of how one struggles to stay healthy during examinations, when all your body craves is caffeine, sugar, grease and wine to block it all out. Instead Green tea, yoga, vegetables and fruit will take precedence.

I would like to clarify, I am by no means fat. But I am harbouring a lot of fat which is just as bad if not worse than being overweight and for the majority of the population they have this problem too. You may not think that you're fat, and therefore feel you do not need to exercise but you're storing it and that is just as bad. Skinny minnies can have more fat than anyone.

Today marks day one of summer change and the beginning of this lifestyle blog. Eat Clean,Train Mean,Stay Lean. This is my new mantra in the build up to summer.  During said summer I will be indulging in pastas and beers across Europe and i would like to look damn good and more importantly feel amazing whilst doing so.

Green Tea consumption: 3 Cups
Yoga: None
Squats: 50
Water: 2 bottles


Not too bad a start. Yoga begins tomorrow. I will get you back ass if its the last thing I do.