health tips

Hi, welcome or welcome back to my blog- today I wanted to talk about a problem we all face, which is bloating. Now slight bloating throughout the day is normal, but if you’re getting cramps, severe bloating and other problems your bloating could be caused by something other than a normal day of eating.

You could be intolerant to something- I had a gluten test recently, because I’ve been having odd digestion problems- I’ll update you when I find out, but if you think your bloating isn’t caused by any of the other causes I mention you may need to cut out gluten.

I also cut out dairy as much as possible just because it doesn’t really agree with my hormonal acne, but I also noticed my bloating significantly reduced when I stopped having so much dairy.

Refined sugars. Unfortunately, if you are consuming a lot of these then it is likely to be causing you bloating problems. Sometimes things that are labelled as healthy are packed full of sugar or even artificial sweeteners which can cause bloating.

Eating too quickly I realised was an issue, so try to eat slower and you will also not overeat by accident, which can cause bloating.

Overeating is obviously a potential problem, but just follow your hunger cues and by eating slower you also can reduce this problem.

Not drinking enough water causes your body to hold water, so you may suffer from water retention or bloating- lots of sodium can cause this issue too. If you ever wonder why you wake up feeling puffy, it could potentially be the issue of having a high salt takeaway the night before. Drinking lots of water the next day and exercising really helps to sweat out any toxins in your body.

Undereating can also be an issue of bloating, so make sure you are giving your body all the right nutrients!

Not eating for a long period of time, then eating lots in one go, as this causes you to over consume from starvation etc.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post- I hope it was helpful and if you have any suggestions or ideas for my blog I would really appreciate it if you left a comment in the comment section below. It would also mean the world to me if you liked or shared my post!

Hey welcome, or welcome back to my blog! Today I’m coming at you with a slightly chatty health post to hopefully motivate and inspire you guys to continue your fitness lifestyle and join me on my journey. A lot of stuff changed in my life this week and it sort of forced me to start challenging myself with new projects, but I think I’ll write another chatty post all about this next week. This week I wanted to talk you through my week of workouts, my current fitness goals and my general digestion- as you guys know I have been trying gluten free and dairy free to deal with bloating.

This week I have really started focusing on HIIT workouts, whilst integrating cardio into days where I also use weights for resistance etc. By doing this I can start my workout with some interval running or a HIIT workout on youtube to burn fat and get my heart rate up immediately, then I can try and sustain this for the entirety of my less fast pace workout to maximise fat loss and muscle building. I’m trying to lean down and lose cellulite on my legs to appear more toned and honestly feel more strong- I’m not trying to lose weight, because I’m a very healthy weight- I’m simply changing my body composition. I’m pretty happy with my physique, the only place I am not happy with is my thighs as they do store a bit of cellulite. I have been focusing on eating whole foods and minimally snacking, but if I do it will be fruit, nuts or a healthy raw protein bar. I don’t track calories or macros, because I used to do this and I felt like I was restricting calories too much and taking the enjoyment out of eating, because I would be too focused on how many calories something contained. I simply intuitively eat- I know there is a lot of stigma around this word, but I have got to a point where I can just listen to my hunger queues and only eat at these times, rather than bored eating- but I’ve never really been a bored eater. Wow, this is so rambly. If you want me to talk about any of these topics in more detail, please comment down below- it would be so appreciated.

So my week of workouts- this is just the exercise I have been loving recently, I honestly switch it up all the time and I’m lucky, because my family are very active, so we have a treadmill, rowing machine and dumbbells available, and a bench press, but I haven’t quite worked up the confidence to use it yet!

Monday- leg/glutes day (15 minutes HIIT cardio, 15 minutes weighted glute workout, 10 minutes bodyweight)

Tuesday- HIIT day (45 minutes of YouTube HIIT workouts)

Wednesday- cardio day (2 miles of interval training on treadmill, 2km rowing machine, 20 minutes abs- but I mix this up I don’t do each section all in one go or I get bored

Thursday- leg/glutes day (same as before)

Friday- upper body day (25 min HIIT workout, 10 min weighted arm workout, 10 min weighted ab workout)

Saturday- rest day

Sunday- cardio day (same as before)

And I just wanted to end with saying since eating more whole foods, no gluten and less dairy I have noticed a considerable decrease in my bloating!

Thank you so much for reading this very rambly blog post- I hope you enjoyed it and it was somewhat helpful. I would really appreciate any comments you have and it would mean a lot to me if you liked or shared my post.

Hi, welcome or welcome back to my blog- today I wanted to share my favourite breakfast recipe! Protein porridge. This is honestly my go to breakfast, because it’s quick, delicious, full of fibre and low GMI, so you will feel full for a long time. It is a great pre or post workout breakfast. I hope you enjoy. Obviously you can alter this to taste.

Ingredients:

Seed mix- containing linseeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries etc- I find seed mixes are much cheaper and quicker than buying them all individually, which is also less accessible. These sort of seed mixes tend to be located in the baking or gluten free aisle- even if you aren’t gluten free there are some really nice, organic, whole foods in these sections of the supermarket.

Gluten free rolled oats

A drizzle of honey

Frozen berries- yet again this is much cheaper and lasts longer than fresh berries

Chia seeds- I know I mentioned the seed mix before, but chia seeds aren’t included in the one I use so I sprinkle some chia seeds on top

Cacao nibs- these aren’t always accessible, but I found some the other day and tried them with my porridge and LOVED THEM- they add a really nice crunch, but they really aren’t that crucial

Almond milk or water- depending on the type of consistency you want for your porridge

Method:

I never used to use water, but recently I love just mixing my oats with water instead of milk- the amount you use is really up to you- if you like it more liquidy add more liquid is my only advice- I fill up the bowl of oats with water, just so that the water covers the oats, but I like mine quite thick! You can put it in a pan and cook it, but personally I like to pop mine in the microwave on full power for 2 minutes, and I find that is perfect for me.

Then I mix through the honey and frozen berries, so they are mixed throughout the porridge. Finally I top my porridge with all the other ingredients!

Thank you so much for reading this blog post- I hope it inspired you to try some healthy porridge. I would really appreciate it if you share any suggestions or ideas for me in the comment section and it would mean the world to me if you liked or shared my post. Thanks again!

Hi welcome or welcome back to my blog- this time I’m talking about how to meditate, because for me there are so many benefits to meditating, which people don’t always talk about! My previous post was all about why meditating is beneficial, so if you haven’t checked it out I highly recommend you do to ensure you understand the incentive towards meditating.

When I started meditating I found it quite difficult to let go of my thoughts and initially this does still happen during the first minute of meditation, but once you overcome this it is really effective. As I didn’t know much about meditation I just started with 5 minute meditations that I found on YouTube- I always liked doing one after a workout or before I started the day. Spotify also has some great meditations and as you progress there are longer meditations to follow. Simply search meditation on Spotify or YouTube and lots of things come up- it is so accessible!

Once you know the basics to meditation, such as breathing techniques, focusing on your body, centering yourself etc you can start to meditate without videos or podcasts to aid you. I still set a timer to ensure I don’t keep checking the time, as this brings you out of the present moment. Everytime I try to meditate for a bit longer to test myself and increase the benefits of meditation even more.

A typical meditation for me would begin with normal breathing (I don’t alter my regular breathing pattern at all) in an initial attempt to centre myself- I just do this for as long as I feel necessary. As cringey as this sounds it is all about going with the flow and listening to your body.

Next I properly focus on my breathing, so I breathe in for a count of 4, hold my breath for a count of 4 and breathe out for a count of 4. This is really good at stopping your mind from wondering. If your mind still wonders imagine the positive energy you are breathing in and the negative energy you are breathing out.

After this I bring my awareness to my body by starting with my feet, as I find this really soothing and it makes me realise the areas of tension. I breathe into each body part until I end with my head and mind. Once you have done this really focus on the tension areas and breathe extra into these, whilst imagining the air cleansing these areas.

Once I’ve done this I breathe in and out slowly whilst repeating words such as ‘strength, positivity and confidence’ as I breathe in and words like ‘stress, worry and doubt’ as I breathe out. This usually takes me a while as I really like to focus on different words each time.

Now I like to say positive affirmations, for example ‘I am beautiful’, because even if you don’t believe this over time you will, and you can learn to love and appreciate yourself, which will make you more positive overall.

Finally, if my timer hasn’t gone off and I still have time I finish with positive visualisation, where I imagine myself achieving my goals and living the exact life I want to live. I personally feel as though this really motivates me. You can also live ‘as if’ so imagine you have already got everything you are currently desiring and this will help you to accomplish your goals.

Thank you so much for reading my blog post- I really hope this was helpful and gave you some new meditating techniques to try- they may not work for you, but these are some of my faves. If you have any suggestions or thoughts I would really appreciate it if you comment them in the section below. If you like or share my post that would mean the world to me!

Hi, welcome or welcome back to my blog. Today I wanted to talk about meditating, because I have been doing it for a few months now (I have been trying to do it properly for longer, but quarantine sort of forced me to do it everyday) and I love it and the way it makes me feel! I thought I would do two separate posts on meditation- one about why I meditate and one about how to start meditating. This post is the why, so please stay tuned for the how- I promise it will be worth the read.

One reason I started meditating is because I have always been quite busy, which means it is easy to become distracted and preoccupied all the time, which means we can lose touch with the present moment. Meditation really helps to bring yourself back into the moment when life is so hectic, meaning you are more centered and have a habit to go to if life doesn’t quite go to plan.

Another reason is that you can become in tune with your body by listening to it and spending time focusing on the little details of how your mind and body is feeling.

In addition, I have really found it helps to raise awareness, in turn bringing more concentration to everyday life, so you are able to be as productive as possible without wasting time. This means you still have time for balance in life as you can achieve tasks to a high standard in less time- so you are more efficient!

It’s really important that we all take time to check in with ourselves to ensure we don’t become overworked or too stressed, as this will only lead to feeling burnt out and you will be more likely to give up. Meditation is a great stress reliever I have found.

Finally, I think sometimes we just need time to feel calm- it’s a great way of winding down before bed or bringing positivity into your life at the beginning of the day. Even though watching TV can be relaxing you aren’t letting your mind just stop and focus on you, so meditation just for even 5 minutes a day is really important for calming oneself.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post, I really hope it inspires you to take up meditation, because the benefits are honestly endless- these are just some of the reasons I like to meditate! I would really appreciate any suggestions or thoughts you have in the comment section below, and if you like my post or share it, it would mean the world to me!

This is a meal I have really been enjoying recently, and all the ingredients are accessible and healthy- so you won’t even need to hop out to the shops to get ingredients! Sorry for the quality of the photo- as I progress my blog I really want to also progress my photography to make it more appealing.

Ingredients:

1 handful of cubed, roasted white flesh sweet potato (simply cube the sweet potato 1cmx1cm, then massage some olive oil into them and season with pepper- I normally put them into the oven for 25 minutes at 220C- I normally meal prep a few sweet potatoes each week.)

1/2 tin of tuna

a desert spoon of sweetcorn

a bowl of salad leaves

a handful of chopped cucumber

1 boiled egg (I love mine slightly runny, so I boil them for 6 minutes, but I set the timer as soon as I cover them in boiling water- so I don’t necessarily wait for the water to be even hotter on the cooker first)

1 baby avocado cubed

a desert spoon of lemon juice

some pepper for seasoning

Method:

I basically just mix all the salad leaves, cucumber, avocado, sweetcorn and tuna together with some lemon juice. Then I half and add the boiled egg and sweet potato. Finally season to taste! You don’t have to follow the measurements, just go with whatever you are desiring.

Thank you so much for reading this blog post- I really hope it has inspired you to recreate this healthy salad or even create your own! Please comment below if you try it, or have any suggestions or ideas for future posts. I really appreciate your feedback and a like would mean a lot to me!

Hi welcome or welcome back to my fitness journey. Today I wanted to write about all the methods I am using and have used, which have dramatically reduced my hormonal acne! This has always been one of my biggest insecurities and I’m sure lots of other people feel the same way as me, so if you’re looking at ways to heal it- I hope this helps!

The first thing I decided to do a few months ago was cut out dairy. However, I understand this can be difficult when eating out or eating at a friend’s house, so I want to reiterate that you don’t have to be super strict about this. Perhaps trial a week or two of dairy free and if you notice improvements keep it up, but if there are occasions when you simply can’t avoid it- that’s fine, its very unlikely your skin will break out!

Next in terms of eating I reduced my consumption of sugary and processed foods- now I eat mainly whole foods, but if you are worried about restricting your sweet tooth there are honestly so many sweet, healthy recipes you can make, or if you look for some healthy cereal bars (many of them claim to be healthy, but they can be packed with sugar, so be careful to check). There are plenty of healthier sugar alternatives as well, such as honey, which don’t spike your blood sugar as much, so you can still satisfy your sweet tooth in moderation. Besides the same goes for this, if you really want something processed or sugary don’t deprive yourself, because this could lead to binging, so your skin will break out more. Whereas, if you have the odd treat your skin won’t break out and you won’t feel restricted!

Similarly, I recommend eating low GMI foods- these are the kind of foods that don’t spike your blood sugar and they also fill you up for longer, so you feel satisfied. If your blood sugar isn’t spiked you are less likely to have a hormonal break out.

I know sometimes you can feel yourself being sucked into restricting calories etc, but please don’t do this as you will be less likely to get the nutrients you need to obtain healthy skin. Trust me I know this is easier said than done, but if you want to heal your hormones and skin make sure you are getting all the right nutrients!

Eat super foods, such as greens, seeds, berries and nuts. These are really great for balancing hormones as they are a good source of protein, good carbs and healthy fats! I’ll do a whole post on the best super foods if you would be interested!

Make sure you have regular meals and you listen to your body when it is hungry, because if you have lots of food in one go rather than spreading it out through the day you will feel bloated, but also really hungry, so you will be more likely to crave unhealthy foods, which will cause your skin to break out.

Something random that I have noticed is really useful is cod liver oil tablets, because yes they are designed for joints, but they contain collagen which is so good for your skin as well as your bones, so you may find this really useful for clearing up your acne.

Ok another point that is easier said than done, is to reduce stress as higher cortisol levels can throw your hormones out of whack and cause your skin to break out. I have certainly noticed my skin is more prone to breaking out when I have high stress levels.

This may not work for you, but just find a face wash that complements your skin type. I personally find just the simple face wash works a charm for me. I don’t have a lengthy skin care routine, because personally for me- my skin is sensitive so just more likely to break out if I use too many products.

Exercise! By exercising you balance your hormones and sweat out toxins in your body, so this will really help to clear up your acne and prevent further breakouts.

Make sure to wash your face after exercising, as sweat can be really bad for your skin, as it clogs up your pores, so yep that’s right- your skin will be more likely to break out.

Ok a quick cliché one we all know- drink lots of water, but I wanted to mention it, because I have always drunk lots of water, but when I started drinking a gallon of water everyday, now that is when I noticed improvements.

Finally, a super random one- change your bed sheets, pillow sheets and towels regularly as these can hold a lot of bacteria, which you are probably getting all over your face if you don’t wash them regularly (every 2 weeks for bed sheets at least).

Thank you so much for reading this blog post- if you have any ideas, questions or suggestions for my blog- please comment below, as I would really appreciate it! If you enjoyed reading it- a like would mean a lot to me.

Hey, welcome or welcome back to my blog! Today as it is my first proper post on my new blog, I thought I would write about my own fitness and health struggles, as it means you will know what I had to overcome to find balance. So the future posts will be all about how I overcame struggles and how I am overcoming current struggles. I really hope you relate to some of these, so you don’t feel as alone in the current situation. Some of these difficulties are still going on, so more chatty update posts will mean I can update you on how I am dealing with them.

The first struggle I wanted to discuss was my hormonal acne. Unfortunately, this is something I’m still working on, but recently I have significantly reduced it. I have tried many things and I have always had a pretty good diet (even healthier now) but I still noticed my skin was getting worse, so I started trying more natural methods to balance my hormones, so I am going to write dedicated posts on how I started my acne healing journey. However, this was one of my first hormonal, health struggles that I faced, but a few months ago, before I wanted to make it better, it was the worst it had ever been. I know this is a very common health struggle and it can be disheartening when you exercise, eat well, drink water and still don’t see results, so I really want to focus on what foods you should reduce your consumption of etc.

Now for a more positive paragraph, because this is about a problem I overcame. Six months ago I found out I had anaemia, which is an iron deficiency. I had been vegetarian six months at this point (I’m not anymore) and I hadn’t really been eating enough, even though I was eating healthily, meaning I didn’t get enough of the right nutrients. Anaemia can cause chronic tiredness, bowel problems, hormonal fluctuations (you feel low and emotional a lot of the time and it also made my skin much worse) and paleness. There are other symptoms, but these were the main indicators for me. I had really fallen into being very restrictive and over exercising, but I was so preoccupied with school I hadn’t comprehended how strict I was being with myself. When I look back I was definitely the skinniest I had ever been, because it was probably also stunting my teen development and I just wasn’t eating enough for the amount I was exercising. I went vegetarian for ethical reasons, but at the back of my mind I knew it would make it easier to eat less calories, if I wasn’t eating large enough portion sizes. Anyway, long story short I started eating meat again, but this meant I then went from restricting myself loads and I had felt really low, so Christmas came and I really indulged and just didn’t think enough about my health. I’ve never been at an unhealthy weight- I just became more curvy between the end of December and February 2020, partly because I stopped running so much, because before I realised I had anaemia I had fainted on my treadmill, from not eating enough, so I thought it would be safer to give myself a bit of a break. So I just wasn’t focusing on my health so much between December and February, partly because I had lots going on at school and I was spending most of my time revising and doing extra curriculars. I wasn’t eating unhealthily, but also not eating as healthy as I normally did before. Basically, I shouldn’t have reduced my exercise so much either. By February I was stressed about exams and my skin was worsening from stress and too much of certain food groups, so in March when lockdown happened I had a reality check. I realised I needed to focus on my health again, because I had been too preoccupied with school, and now the expectation of taking my exams in May had been cancelled, so even though I still have school work, I will no longer be taking my exams. I started eating healthy again and my skin got better. I also starting exercising a lot more and feeling so energised all the time. Nevertheless, a few weeks ago I realised I was over exercising and being very strict about when and how long I work out for. So I stopped following a strict schedule and if I needed a break- I took a break, even though I always have a compulsory rest day, as your body needs to repair itself. I’ll write a whole post about over exercising in the future.

The final struggle I wanted to talk about is my bloating and cramping problems. I don’t want to get too tmi, considering this is my first post and I don’t want to scare anyone off, but basically the past few months I have been getting really bad cramps and bloating after certain meals, and lets just say my bowels have been messing with me. When I was at school it didn’t bother me much, because the main thing I felt people were looking at was my skin not my bloating, but as soon as quarantine started I realised how bloated I would be and you know other problems lol. I started eating slower to make sure that wasn’t what was making me bloat. I had pretty much cut out dairy for hormonal reasons, so I knew that wasn’t setting me off. I didn’t consume many processed foods so I knew it wasn’t that. So my last option was a gluten intolerance, and I can confirm I have been gluten free for a few weeks and I feel much better, even mentally. I have been feeling very low recently, I’m sure like a lot of you guys considering the circumstances, so the bloating was just worsening the problem. I am very much adjusting to a gluten free diet- at first I didn’t know what to have for breakfast, but there are plenty of gluten free alternatives (I’ll do a post on this!) so I hope I can do chatty posts on gluten intolerance.

Overall, I have probably been over obsessing with my health a bit, purely because there are few other personal problems to focus on, because of course there is a lot of really unfortunate things going on at the moment, and I wanted to draw my attention away from these things. However, now I have started this blog to stop myself from taking the fun out of my fitness journey. I hope this gave you a bit of background on my fitness struggles, so you now know what sort of tips and posts I could possibly be writing about. Remember you are not alone, there is always someone else who will be going through the same thing as you. I can’t wait to develop my positive mindset even more through building a little fitness community- thank you so much for reading, I would really appreciate any comments you have and I would love it if you liked my post- it supports my blog so much. (P.s sorry this was so rambly).