Thursday 6 November 2014

My tips to a healthy lifestyle

Hello, 
In the recent day there is such an 'uproar' about maintaining a healthy diet and keeping fit that I thought I would share my ideas about staying healthy and some tips on your diet. 

Firstly, I think one of the biggest problems is people completely cutting out foods and massively reducing you intake of some food types as it will most probably leave you feeling tired and drained which isn't going to help you on your mission to get fit. 

You need to begin by cutting out all the unnecessary 'bad snacks' you have each day by either completely cutting them out or replacing them with something healthier (apple sprinkled with cinnamon is yummy and healthy) as this is most peoples biggest problem. 

Next you should cut down your portion size while still making sure you have enough to fit the physical requirements of your day. Making sure to have lots of fruit and vegetables throughout your day is always a good idea as they are packed with essential vitamins and will help to keep your energy levels up.

Exercise wise, I would say aim to do something a little bit extra each day, for example this could be walking somewhere that you would normally drive or saying yes to going to that fitness class with your uber-fit friend. Just making these small changes can have a huge impact on the way you look and feel. 

If you plan to go a bit more out there you could schedule in specific gym times or times where you will go for a run, do an ab workout or work a different body part. Having a schedule means you have more of a target to reach which makes it a lot easier to get motivated. 

I hope you enjoyed this post. I am not some crazy fit person so this is probably not suitable for somebody who's going full out with their lifestyle change. 

Thanks for reading
Sophie xxx

Saturday 18 October 2014

10 things to make you happier

Happiness is key in life so take a look at these 10 things I believe will make you a happier person. 

  1. Make a plan for you weekend- We get way to focused on work or school throughout the week that having a boring weekend planned doesn't recuperate or refresh you. Plan a trip to the beach or organize to go for a coffee with a friend because although you want some time to relax, it's important to give yourself something to look forward to.
  2. Eat something really 'naughty'- When you're feeling a little down the perfect way to boost your mood is to eat something knowing that your really shouldn't. 
  3. Choose your friends wisely- Take yourself away from those who suck your positivity away and hang around with those who bring out the best in you.
  4. Laugh- Laughing not only makes you feel so much better (scientifically it releases a 'feel good' hormone called serotonin) but if you're lucky it might give you an ab workout. 
  5. Allow yourself to love- let yourself love people, just don't allow yourself to rely on them for happiness.
  6. Work out- In whatever way you like, it releases endorphin's which make you feel great. Exercise will also improve you mental attitude to everyday life, it's an accomplishment.  
  7. Don't give up- If you've already come so far then giving up can't be an option. Everything happens for a reason and nothing should ever stir your mind away from the reason you haven't given up yet (wow, deep).
  8. Do something for somebody else- This can include the smallest of kind gestures, for example giving your friend a card to make them feel better, positivity and happiness are contagious.
  9. Tidy that draw or room you've been meaning to tidy for ages- Doing something as simple as tidying can really put yourself into a sense of accomplishment which leads to feeling happy with yourself. 
  10. Believe in yourself- Allow yourself to have the wildest dreams because you're the only one who can make them happen. My challenge to you; right now go and do something that is going to take you one step closer to your dream, however small that thing is. 

Hope this post brightens up your day or week if you are feeling sad and remember there is always a reason to be happy.

Sophie xox

Wednesday 3 September 2014

Cirque Du Soleil

Back in June, around my Birthday my boyfriend, Luke surprised me and took me to see Cirque du Soleil- Dralion at the O2 in London. I had mentioned for ages that I wanted to go and see it, so it was the best surprise when I found out that that's where he was taking me. 

I wasn't 100% sure what to expect but it was honestly one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. It was funny, captivating and the artists were all amazing at what they were doing. 
Cirque Du Soleil is something I would completely recommend going to see and I would love to see it again with a different show!

(Photography was forbidden so here are some photos taken from the official sites)




Monday 7 July 2014

Abdominal and Oblique work out

Hi,
Recently I've been trying really hard to keep up with physical activity and go to the gym, one of the main things I enjoy doing is ab work outs. 
I find doing ab work outs very satisfying and it gives me so much more confidence knowing that I do actually have a little bit of muscle around my abdominal area.

This ab work out takes around 10 minutes and can be done at home or in a gym.

1) Flutter kicks for 1 minute 

2) Reaching oblique crunches for 1 minute

3) Pilates side hip raises for 45 seconds each side

4) Russian twists for 1 minute (doesn't need to be with weights)

5) Toe touch crunches for 45 seconds (I find these the most challenging)

6) Pilates leg pulls for 2 minutes, 1 minute each way

7) Toe taps for 1 minute 

8) Knee tuck crunches for 45 seconds

This ab work out is really great if are limited on time or just want a daily ab work out. You can adapt the times I've put depending on your fitness, age, strength etc.

Sophie 
XOX

Saturday 5 July 2014

Birthday Haul

Hello,
So Back in June, the 15th to be precise, it was my birthday and I was very spoilt by my parents, my boyfriend and my amazing friends. I thought I would share with you some of the great things I got. (I am in no way trying to show off, I am very grateful for everything I got).

From my Parents
First up, Probably my most favorite present was the Mini Instax Polaroid Camera!
I was so excited when I opened this because it's just great to capture one good photo from different days and adventures I go on and it's nice to have some hard copy photos which aren't hidden in a phone or computer photo gallery! The films for them are quite expensive though, for a packet of 10 I think it is about £15. **I apologize for the quality of images**
Here are some of the photos I've captured so far:





I got a lot of clothing for my birthday so first up of the clothing is the bright orange top I am wearing in the above picture, It's from Topshop, I love it!


Next I got a Shade London Jumper which is really cosy and will be good when winter comes back around!


Again, from Shade London I got a crop top, I originally wanted a Calvin Klein version of this but I could not find it anywhere :(


Next up I got a crop top from American Apparel which I have been wanting for ages and so I was very happy when I finally got it!!

A while back when I was shopping in London I tried to purchase a sheer Black, Oversized tee from Urban Outfitters but it seemed I had just spent too much that day, so my lovely family got it for me instead!:)



Next I got two lovely casual tops from an American shop called Brandy Melville. I am obsessed with the store and so was chuffed when I opened these gifts.

I got this next item a little bit before my Birthday but I thought i'd incorporate them anyway, these are white Joni jeans from Topshop.

Next we have another item which I really wanted and they are silk pajama bottoms from Victoria Secret, they are literally the softest things going, I love love love them!!


Finally from my Parents I got a lovely cropped shirt with an almost tropical pattern on it. This again is so soft and I love it.

I couldn't be more thankful to my Parents for all my lovely presents!

From my group of friends at college I got the most amazing pair or Jordans (trainers if you were unsure), they all got together to get me these as they're quite pricey and I absolutely love them!

A separate blog post on what my Boyfriend got me will follow! 
I hope you enjoyed looking through some of the stuff I got for my birthday and maybe it would have given some of you some inspirations on what you might want to buy! 

Sophie 
XOX

Thursday 3 July 2014

EOS lipbalm review

Hellooo!:)
Earlier this year I caught on to the American craze of EOS lip balms and decided to order one straight away. I ordered the Summer fruit one which is the pink one.

When my EOS one arrived I unscrewed it and the top fell straight off, I was very disappointed as they're quite pricey for a lip balm and when you're really excited to get something in the post it's very annoying when its faulty. I put this down to the fact it had to be shipped from America. (I managed to stick the top back on, I just have to be very gentle now).


The lip balm itself
The actual lip balm is very nice, it has a lovely scent to it and is very moisturizing, I normally have to reapply about 3-4 times a day depending on how dry my lips are. The balm is also great to put as a base layer for a lipstick, it helps to prevent your lipstick from flaking off (however, this can probably be done with most lip balms). The only real problem with the lipbalm is that after having used it during the day I tend to wake up with quite dry lips and so have to put it on straight away in the morning. The lip balm is also great in the sense that it uses all natural ingredients, some being organic and it doesn't contain petrolatum. It has vitamin E in it which is an antioxidant and it also contains Shea butter and jojoba.

The packaging of the lip balm is very pretty. As with a lot of things in America I would say the packaging is probably one of it's main selling points that provoked the interest.

Since having the summer fruit one I picked up another one, this time in Blueberry from selfridges in London (I was amazed when I saw it, because I didn't realize you could buy them in England).  And this time the top was still in tact, the balm itself is pretty much identical to the summer fruit one but I much prefer the smell of the blueberry!

If you have the chance to pick up an EOS lip balm I would definitely recommend it. They are quite pricey for a lip balm at about £5.00 but a one off buy can't hurt!




Sophie
XOX

Thursday 20 March 2014

Gossip Girl Obsession

Morning, Afternoon, Evening, wherever you are!!

So for the last few months I've been studying hard for my A level exams and enjoying lots of social meet ups and over Christmas I went to Australia, so I though it was about time I updated my little blog and told you about something worth hearing about ;)

So back in January I started Gossip Girl from Season 1, episode 1 and it is the most amazing program going, ever, I love it so damn much. Its so easy to relate to, especially for teenagers and the characters are very real.

I'm now up to season 3, episode 16 and I am still in love with it!! I definitely recommend you to watch it.


Sophie x