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HO HO HELLO....

College term is finished and that means christmas is well and truly on its way.

Currently, I have done no prep for the beautiful day but when its comes to christmas I go all out so if you're in the same boat as me and want some cheap, easy, quick last minute christmas inspiration i'm the gal for you!

I've been watching some youtube guru's "vlogmass" and really wanted to join in but due to time limitation and study commitments i've come up with my own idea. So we all know the "12 days of christmas" song well i'm going to do my very own 12 days of christmas on my blog but starting on wednesday...

Yes i've missed a few days but I will upload 3 blogs to make up for it. 

This may be christmas rambles but there will be tutorials, christmas hauls, activities whatever i'm doing to get into the chrimbo mood.

Ahhh kirstie Allsop would be so proud.

SO NAHT COOL.

Hello people that I love, 

I've brought ma' main cat to come and help me say sorry! I have been a little bit caught up in things and not been posting as regularly as I should have and when you promise fitness and diet principles every week that is just "SO NAHT COOL"

But yes, I am hopefully back on track! I've done a little blogpost marathon to catch up tonight and thank you to the strike tomorrow I have enough time to make my   christmas honey cake I promised weeks ago and really want to start posting really regular beauty and christmas and diet and fashion posts for you all. 

Check my post below its a little intro to another regular post i'm going to try and do.

Sort of an agony aunt style. So i'll need to guys to email or comment with the topics you would like be to give my advice and research on and then if any other bloggers have advice they can comment on the post for all people to see and if anyone contacts me it will be completely anonymously posted of course. And if noone really emails me I'll just do random topics that flow in and out of my head but please, please contact and comment if you have something to say because a lot of the time it will be something that I need your advice for too!

But I love christmas and it is definitely the time to be celebrating the time of year and so I figured my blog is pretty much going to be taken over by christmas over Decemeber!!

So expect to see:

Decoration tutorials, gift guides, christmas on a budget, de-stressing advice, beauty tutorials for christmas parties and NYE, how to host a dinner party, cooking tutorials, home made gifts, christmas hair and nail tutorials the lot! 

Basically any tutorial with a little christmas frosting...

I love you all

Peace and Love 

xO

All I want For Christmas Is You....

What springs to your mind when you think about christmas.

For me its:

Lights, trees, gifts, snow, the fire, nice food, mulled wine, christmas songs, decorations, happiness, cosiness, reds, golds, candles, family, friends and romance.

And that's what I wanted to talk about because really christmas is quite a romantic time

To be honest when it's actually christmas I don't think i'll be too bothered. It's such a happy day with all your family you're not going to pay much attention to whether you've got a bf or not, i'm just concerned when the next scheduled feeding time is!?

But there is just something about christmas, it's just so pretty and magical and romantic I feel like I should have a boyfriend. I see all the couples in town on the weekend and my friends who have guys it just makes me feel really quite lonely sometimes, like "why don't I have that?"

But at the end of the day I do quite academic subjects as college: Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Geography. And don't get me wrong the people I have met in my classes are all lovely but mostly girls and the guys in there, there may be a chemistry text book between us but that's as far as it goes...

And I don't really get out enough to meet new guys so I'm a bit hard on myself because what do I expect. But i've been single for a year, the ex is in a fully fledged relationship (which never helps)

 and I do really, really like someone at the moment but, it's just not happening.

So I guess with everything being so wintery and beautiful i'm feeling the loneliness a little bit more than usual. And I am one of those girls that is better off, not necessarily in a relationship but seeing or dating someone rather than just the single life.

But when getting upset with our relationship status I think we definitely need to assess our situations carefully. For example I beat myself up about being single in a year but how much effort have I actually made to meet new guys in the last year? Very little. And also, I think we get too hung up on what guys want and then suddenly think we're too ugly, too fat, bad fashion sense etc. When really I swear all guys really have is a sixth sense for confidence.

We can't change ourselves to be what guys want  because just like differences in you and your best friends "type" all men will be looking for slightly different things. And there will be guys looking for the shy, quite gals the only problem is its most likely to be the shy, quite boys who are less likely to approach you. 

And ultimately are you happy with yourself? Would you date you? If the answers no, (as it is with me) then that's a pretty good indication of where to start. Have you ever tried to find something in your room but, you're looking so hard you can't see it and find it in the most obvious place later when you're getting something else. Pretty sure finding a guy is the same. 

The minute we accept being single, and realise its just whats going on right now but we are loveable, and cute, and attractive in our own individual way (and of course other people will find us more attractive than we do, you'd be worried if it was the other way round!) then guys will view us as a relaxed single girl, who's available for dates if we're his type and for one guy eventually if he has the courage to ask us out, we will be.

Also, if you're like me and there is someone you like. Make it happen. We can sit here feeling sorry for our singleselves or, we can put ourselves out there, do a little bit of flirting with the guy show we're interested and see if he follows up. Fair enough might get rejected but then its short and sweet and we can move on instead of just sitting there wondering like a lost puppy,

And what's more ridiculous is I know this advice is true yet I fail to practice what I preach. I'm not comfortable with myself and would not date myself in a million years. I also feel if I am going to accept myself then some major changes need to be made first. Which is wrong! Accepting ourselves is hard and you don't need to love yourself to do so and you can still have parts of you which you wish were different but that is natural. Just be settled and true to who you are, start putting yourself in situations where you'll meet new people and if you like someone, show them you're interested (in a lady-like way of course!!) and see what happens.

Anyone have advice for me? Please comment

Don't know how much longer I can take being single!?

Love you all 

Peace and Love

xO

Did breaking dawn suck the life out of twilight?

Hey Guys,

Lets get something straight. 

I love twilight.

Maybe not "twihard" to the extent that i'm dying my hair black and converting my life to worship vampires, but i've read the books, watched the films and been hooked and in love ever since.

To be fair I think my obsession may be fuelled by my little bit massive obsession with robert pattinson but can I make clear that this will only help me to ignore bad parts of the film or book and encourage be to like it more.

But lets get to the point. On the 19th of November I went to see "Breaking Dawn" part 1. Yes, a day after the release date, let me remind you I am a big fan. And I was soo excited to see it but, after having seen it I was a little confused by how I felt. I love the whole series so much so I really really wanted to like it, but i'm just not too sure that I did.

I just felt that as it's obviously not a real film they need to make it as realistic as possible. But there were lots of visions and special effects and computerised bits that just sort of ruined the seriousness of the film.   It's usually pretty intense and i'm hanging of every word but this time they just took a lot of the tension and action and surprise out of it and spent a long time saying very little. 

And I don't want to sound harsh or disappoint anyone because i've heard lots of different things but the thing is i've read the book and loved it just as much as all of the others. Its just the film  that hasn't lived up to my expectations. To my understanding it's a different director and I feel he's taken it in different direction and despite my love of the saga, storyline and r.patz parts of the film we're just too different and not to my taste so they stick out more than the bits I enjoyed.

However,

I do feel I need to give it another chance and see it again, and despite my ramblings I will definitely be buying the DVD. But PLEASE guys let me know your thoughts. I desperately want to like it, so if anyone can remind me how good it was and change my mind I will love you forever!!

Peace and Love 

xO

Getting Fit.

I said I'd start blogging some fitness principles as exercise and fitness is a crucial component to true health! So here we go...

First fitness principle:

Introduce yourself into exercise through an activity you love

-this means no gym!!!

I'm assuming that if we're trying to get back into fitness our current level of fitness is low or at least lower than you want it. Obvious right? Well getting into the fitness regime we need to really tackle our problems which is tough and its the first hit into changing our lifestyle to include exercise and workouts that hits us the most and can quite frankly can put us off. 

For example;

I actually love running its one of my preferred sports but i'm not very consistent with my training and its one of those things where if you miss one week you take like 10 steps backwards. And despite how much I love it and without being big-headed there have been times when i've been pretty good at it but whenever I start up running after having a period of rest from training I get this horrendous cough and feel rough for the rest of the day and the day after. Yet after a week or so of continual training I don't ever cough again -well after running I mean. That is weird right? But yeah so it shows how like initially getting into fitness is hard and there are things that bombard you and really put you off which completely disappear if you persist and training becomes so much easier.

But the point i'm trying to make here is we do need to get hardcore but not yet. As our initial intro to becoming fit take up something you enjoy for what is, rather than what it is doing to your fitness. For me, I go ballet and horse riding. Which I just love, love, love! They are both such good ways to blow of some steam, socialise and just generally enjoy myself. Obviously despite what some noobies may say they are forms of exercise and do benefit my fitness but in my exercise plan I ignore this. I just see any benefit as a bonus, because i'm not doing them to get fit i'm doing them because I enjoy it. Some people actually say horse riding give you a "saddle bum" but I would never let that put me off. All i'll do is make sure I include some bum firming and plumping exercise when I come to plan my actual fitness regime to counter balance this.

So in your case. If you can find something you love and enjoy doing, you'll keep it up because you love it. Then unknowingly you'll build up some levels of fitness and change you're psychology to exercise slightly differently making the transition into more intense work outs easier. So maybe you could join your local team sports; football, netball, hockey, rugby. Take up lessons in golf, horse riding, dancing, tennis any sport which interests you from the perspective you want to learn it and take part in the sport.

Hope this makes sense..

Plus I love my hobbies and couldn't imagine life without them!

Sorry for the essay

Peace out 

Ox

exceeding the feed limit week 6

Right, so we've tackled hair

Onto the next part of our body

Our face..

Now there's quite a lot going on here so in this post we're just going to concentrate on the skin. Obviously, this can then be related to the rest of our bodies but the balance of our facial skin is slightly different so there will be some differences too!

Here are my 10 foods to look for, for skin the oozes natural beauty:

Tomatoes:

The humble tomato contains an essential nutrient for healthy skin called Lycopene. This is what makes tomatoes and other red/orange pigmented foods pigmented! Its essential to lowering activity of the acne causing hormone and preventing outbreaks. They're also good antioxidants which have tonnes of health benefits as well as protecting skin from UV damage a major contributor to skin ageing. Try to eat tomato based foods at least 5 times a week to see benefits in skin.

Berries:

Deeply coloured berries such as strawberries, blueberries and blackberries are all full of anti oxidants. Great for fighting cancers such as skin cancer. And also great for detoxing body giving your skin a more healthy and natural glow. Try to make one of your 5-7 portions of fruit and veg a day a portion of berries, whether its through a smoothie or bitty yoghurt or the actual berries themselves.

Green Tea:

Green Tea, is awesome for you're health! It also lowers activity of acne producing hormone called Dihydrotestosterone and antioxidants making skin appear younger and healthier - "that natural glow" I have read that to see the best results you should drink 3-5 cups a day which is a lot! especially if you don't like the stuff! But I recommend any amount you can stomach is better than nothing as it is really good stuff throughout you're body and personally, I quite like the taste!

Fatty Acids:

Fatty Acids can be found in salmon, walnuts, canola oil and flaxseed. Fatty Acids are used in our body to produce cell membranes. Cell membranes are made from fluid and increase your skins ability to hold moisture making skin appear plumper, younger and softer. Also help fight cardiovascular damage and disease which can have side effects for your skin.**

Brown Rice:

Yet another food you can't go wrong with it. Include it in your healthy diet and if you don't see improvements in your skin, it'll be doing something positive somewhere else I promise. Brown rice contains Ceramide which is present if you look on the ingredients on back of many skin products. It basically improves skins ability to hold moisture making it appear plumper and healthier.

Low Fat Dairy:

Unfortunately low fat dairy is going to crop up in lots of these "healthy diet posts". There is just no escaping from how good it is for you i'm afraid. Dairy contains vitamin A which is an essential vitamin for looking after you're skin and making it less susceptible to certain things such as UV damage and has even been show to reduce the long term consequences of skin damage after it has occurred. Also bacteria in low fat yoghurt promotes healthy digestion which has positive benefits on the skin**

Whole-Grain:

Love your white carbs? Swap it for the whole-grain version and you'll instantly be on a whole new road to health. Yes there is a slightly different texture and taste, but its not a bad one! Whole grain foods are actually good for you in balance and fill you up for longer. In terms of you're skin they contain a mineral called selenium. selenium encourages healthy skin cells which will have a greater chance of fighting skin damage such as sunburn and skin cancer.

Fish:

It's back again... Yes, much to my disappointment there is no hiding from how good fish is for you either. A diet high in fish and seafood prevents the formation of wrinkles (start protecting your skin from wrinkles now and you'll thank yourself in 60 years time) and omega 3 helps prevent acne. To get best benefits each fish 3-5 times or a week.

Or for all you haters fish supplements  may be the way to go.

Extra virgin olive oil:

Oil is probably in our diet more than we think, or certainly more than we'd like to think however, I feel people automatically see it as a bad thing. Oil is a form of fat which of course is high in calories and therefore, should be consumed in balance however, some fats are good for you and are definitely needed for a healthy and balanced diet. That is why you should swap the oil you currently use for the healthy version extra virgin olive oil. Many oils are boiled to high temperatures in the production stages which changes the nature of the fat and many of the useful nutrients are lost where as, this oil is kept at low temps. and is actually good for you! But it is only good for you in the right proportions! Limit yourself to 2 tablespoons a day.

Water:

Last and by  no means least we have the very humble water. A ridiculous % of our body is made up of water and if we look at how much non-water parts of our body we can see that % must represent a whole lot of mass! There is no better way to hydrate your skin than by drinking water and once your skin is hydrated all the other benefits start to come through. There is no recommended amount of water as it varies person to person but if you're skin is very dry you need more than the average person as you're skin is already not getting all the hydration it needs.

So, yet another successful head-to-toe nutrition assessment. At the moment don't get to hung up on trying to change you're diet but maybe if you are reaching for a snack you can be a little bit more analytical about what you chose. Please remember this post are from my own knowledge and research I am no expert and you must take into account you're own dietary requirements when reading my rambles.

Just a little  note, the ** I used on some foods was because sometimes certain foods help other parts of the body which in turn help your skin. Some beauty therapists can break your skin down into sections called skin mapping and allocate one section of skin to a particular part of you're body. If you typically get blemishes or bad skin in a particular area it good link to mis treatment of a part of your body internally as the consequences of bad health internally can be excreted through your facial skin. So pay attention to the following posts and there may still be other nutrition advice which will have a knock on effect onto healthier skin!!? 

Happy dieting 

Peace and Love!

xO

Exceeding the feed limit week 5

Hello there!

So as well as continuing with the food side of the diet I now want to introduce the exercise part. 

in GCSE P.E we learnt

exercise is physically, socially and psychologically beneficial.

and if you've read my feed limit series you'll know that looks rather similar to the health definition, so clearly exercise can have a big impact on your health. 

One of the biggest killers in the UK is cardiovascular disease and cardiac training is one way to massively reduce your risk from this and a cardio work out is my favourite work out. 

It can be hell, but boy is the feeling after worth it!

However, i'm not as fit as I once was two years ago and my fitness is something i really want to get back however, getting your exercise regime right is just important as your diet. And i'll be going through how to design a PEP (personal exercise program) in my weekly diet posts as well as diet. 

(So every monday they'll be a diet and exercise post)

but today I just want you to get this principle into your head:

You're body is like an elastic band

You're body can cope with a lot just like an elastic band can be stretch to its extremes and then still when you let go it still functions and goes back to its original shape. over time a continual stretching of the band might mean it gets a little looser but still retains its shape and function. However, if you immediately stretch it too far it snaps. And the snapping is irreversible. It doesn't go back to its original shape and you can tie it to make it still functional but it never functions to the ability it once did.

Therefore, steady exercise is best. It may be slower and take longer to get results but if you stretch yourself too far because you think you can but you can't, it could be your joint, muscle, tendon snapping and once that goes it impacts your every day activities let alone your athletic ones. 

So be careful guys!! 

More detailed info on the workout and intensity you need next week

Love and Peace Wings ox