May 2015

I'm going to start this post in typical 'end of the month post' style and say HOW is it already June and in true British fashion, WHY is the weather still awful. It's the 1st of June, it's 9 degrees and the heating is on, it's raining and it's windy. Like most, May has consisted of assignment deadlines and endless days of revision and exams, I spent most of that time listening to Disney playlists on Spotify and making mental lists of all of the fun activities I could do after exams. If your exams are still on going then good luck! However, my second year at uni is now over and I have that great sense of freedom that I was counting down the days for. Saying that, I did agree to work for the majority of the time between the end of my exams and the end of May but June will be the month for my summer plans to start.

Something pretty exciting did happen in May which I have kind of held back as it hasn't happened in the conventional way, me and Lee are moving out! It's something we have spoken about for a while now, after being together over four years, and after having a look around we bounced back and forward between the decision to go for it by renting and the decision to hold off and save for a little longer for a mortgage. The decision was made to wait another year or two but we have been incredibly lucky as Lee's dad and his partner decided to help us out. They had planned on buying a second home, so that's what they did, and we're going to rent from them for a great price. Even better, it's a renovation project so we get to get in on the action and work together to plan our own home. It really does seem like a dream and many hours have been spent browsing for home ware inspiration, all we need now is the keys!

The photo above was taken on a day out to Kielder, a super pretty water and forest park. We decided to challenge ourselves and hire bikes for a 6 mile bike ride through the forests, I can confirm that this was the first good amount of exercise I had done in a while and some of those hills burned my legs like crazy. However, at the same time, it was so relaxing to be out in the fresh air with nobody else around. Also in May; I had my first Ikea experience, we ate too many pizzas and too much Ben and Jerry's, we watched a lot of Pretty Little Liars, my grandma came round for Sunday dinner as I had a rare Sunday off work for revision purposes, I joined some work friends for a catch up at the pub, we discovered a lovely Indian buffet restaurant on Newcastle's Quayside for a friends birthday which was followed by a few of us heading into town for the night and Lee treat me to food at our local country pub/restaurant, returning home to ice cream and Lee Evans on Netflix. To celebrate the end of exams, me and my mam had an afternoon of shopping, ending with food and cocktails at Las Iguanas and later on, more food was consumed at the pub, catching up with one of my besties. Bring on June, hopefully with some nicer weather, I hope you had a good month of May.

Rachael x

5 Easy Tips For A Healthier Lifestyle

1. Start slow
I think the biggest mistake that's made is the sudden 'I'm going to cut out this huge list of foods starting from tomorrow and exercise every day'. Rushing into doing everything in one go will often end in you feeling like you're totally hating on the change, if you're not feeling happy whilst doing it you're going to be way less motivated and are quickly going to go back to your old ways. This is why it's also important to not completely deny yourself of treats, never allowing yourself things you enjoy isn't going to go down well. I've found it much easier to change a few small things at a time, my lifestyle isn't super healthy but I do believe that those small changes can still make a difference to your health.

2. Water
I know we hear this SO many times but water really does have it's benefits and is so much better than other sugar filled drinks. I used to completely refuse to drink water, even when I was suffering sun stroke in Florida one time! However, I now pretty much only drink water on a daily basis and rarely drink fizzy drinks (I don't even crave them), I found water was one of those things that was easy to 'train' my body to like, probably due to the pretty neutral taste and non offensive texture or smell. Hot lemon water is really good too and has tons of benefits so I make sure to have a mug of this each morning. It's a good idea to always keep a bottle of water on you as a reminder to stay hydrated.

3. Switch it up
A simple way to get some more goodness in your life is to switch from white (refined) carbs to brown (complex) carbs, this goes for bread (we eat wholemeal seeded bread for extra goodness), pasta, rice and even switching to wholegrain cereal can benefit you. Personally, I think brown carbs are tastier, it's worth a try.

4. Breakfast
I've never been someone who doesn't eat breakfast, I can't function properly without it! I found ditching sugary, chocolate based cereals easier than I imagined as I found a new love for porridge. Since that day I've had porridge pretty much every morning, I seem to be able to eat the same breakfast for as long as I want without getting sick of it. I opt for plain porridge to cut down on sugar and add one whole sliced banana and a dollop of peanut butter. I team this with a mug of hot lemon water and my multivitamin (another new addition to my routine) each morning and it makes for a pretty enjoyable breakfast, allowing me to get some fruit in there as I really don't like eating fruit by itself. If you prefer variety try changing up your toppings or trying more savoury options such as a poached eggs and avocado combination.

5. Snacking
Don't get me wrong, I still crave all things chocolate and if I really want it I will have it as I don't believe in completely denying yourself of the foods you enjoy. However, I have found a few things that I would recommend to make healthier snacking that little bit easier. Graze boxes: I've been signed up to these boxes for quite a while and have a post on them here if you'd like a little more info, they're great for healthier snacks, especially when you want something to throw in your bag, their flapjacks are the best! Nakd bars: I first tried a Nakd bar after hearing so much about them and opting for a healthier lunch choice at uni; a Boots meal deal consisting of a wrap from their Shapers range, a bottle of water and a cocoa delight Nakd bar. I really didn't think I would like them to be honest as the main ingredient is dates and I have a thing with textures, dates definitely aren't my favourite in terms of that. However, I was so surprised at how nice they are! The Boots in town only stocks the cocoa delight one which I love and a berry one which never took my fancy but I was desperate to try some other flavors as I know there's a huge range so I was thrilled when Natural Balance Foods contacted me and asked if I'd like to try a mixed case of 18 Nakd bars. They have a huge range of benefits such as being dairy, wheat and gluten free and I love how they have minimal ingredients, many contributing to one of your 5 a day. They're similar to cereal bars in a way but are definitely way more satisfying, I feel as though they fill me up pretty well. I wasn't sure if I'd like the range I received as the majority were fruit based but once again I was pleasantly surprised at how much I do like them! I just wish Nakd bars were more widely available in supermarkets.

Rachael x