Weight Loss Wednesday

This past week has possibly been the best so far; filled with motivation and healthier living! Yipee!

This week I've managed to loose half a pound, which isn't quite my 1 pound a week goal but I'm still pretty impressed! Me and my mum have purchased a nutri-bullet blender type thing so have been perfecting all sorts of smoothies and juices in it this week. I'm loving having a fruit smoothie instead of my usual two slices of toast in a morning. Cutting down on carbohydrates(although I may have increased my sugar intake, through fruit sugars, you can't win them all!) and eating more fruit and vegetables has given me so much energy and motivation to start working out and doing more!

I have also purchased Jillian Michaels 30 day shred exercise DVD, which I'm quite looking forward to starting; bit of cardio and muscle work should be quite fun. Especially considering I'm pretty motivated! 

My advice for getting motivated is finding something that you enjoy and finding something that works for you...yeah okay it might take slightly longer to reach your goals but at least you'll be reaching them in a way you feel motivated to carry on doing and feel happy doing! That way they'll be so much easier to reach as well, enjoyment makes everything that more bearable!

I hope everyone else is having a good and motivated Weight Loss Wednesday!

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou

P.S. I'm going to post some other things on my blog again soon, I've just been super super busy :-)! 

Weight Loss Wednesday

Another week done. Where on earth does time go? But that's a whole other topic eh?

So after an awful first week this week has been SO much better! I've managed to eat healthy all week, do some walking(not quite as much as I'd have liked but I'm still ill so I'm letting myself off...) and I've managed to get my mum motivated too!

I've found in the past that having someone to exercise with or eat healthily with is great motivation, but my mum is currently on a meal replacement diet, which involves no food and 3 milkshake type things a day. As much as the results are both amazing and motivating I don't really fancy not eating at all. But she's also started exercising which means I've got a little partner, woo! We've started this week by doing about half an hour on the Wii fit twice in the past week, which is fun as well as (hopefully) beneficial. 

One of my close friends asked for a running partner the other day and I said yes so hopefully I should be going out running a couple of nights a week too soon!

Next week I'm looking forward to my nutri-bullet arriving which my mum ordered as a surprise for me so I can start juicing and making smoothies! yum yum yum(I'll post some recipes or ideas when I perfect a good mix for anyone else who juices!)

So all in all I'm feeling positive this week! I'm going to think of something else to post next week instead of just a huge bulk of text about how the weeks gone. 

I hope everyone's had a good week and has a brilliantly motivated week! 

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou

Weight Loss Wednesdays

Weight Loss Wednesday number 2.

First week done. And lets just say its been a pretty crappy week.

The week started well(...2 days), however I went out for a friends birthday celebrations and got a little too drunk, so obvious calorie, sugar etc etc overload which is ridiculously unhealthy! I then spent the next day eating slightly unhealthy... When Saturday came around I was feeling good and I ate healthy all day, even did some exercise and then BOOM I went to another friends 18th and yet again consumed too much alcohol. This week shows a bad week for alcohol for me, usually I go for weeks even months on end without touching any! I know I can go to these places and not drink, but sometimes I feel that its what I need after a stressful week at college or with things going on at home. I really must find a different outlet for stress though(any tips would be highly appreciated!), especially a more healthy one!

Then my week just got even worse! I got home after work on Sunday to find my Grandad had made a Pie for us....and cakes. I was starting to feel crappy so ate with my family. I didn't go overboard but it wasn't exactly the healthiest of nights. 

When I woke up Monday for college I felt awful. Aching from head to toe with a banging headache and a somersaulting stomach, so I decided to stay at home. Safe to say the last few days in bed have done me wonders but what little food I have eaten has been unhealthy. 

So this week I feel like I've really cheated and not taken anything seriously. I've tried but it seems the illness gods have been against me! So for this next week I'm going to get back on track and not give up just because of a crappy first week, I'd never get anything done if I gave up every time I got ill; plus being healthier should help my immune system and stop be being ill all the time. 

But on the plus side, I have drank a huge amount of water this week which is one of my goals, so I'm quite pleased with that!

So here's to another week!

I hope everyone else had a better week than myself and I hope everyone's hitting their goals!

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou

Weight Loss Wednesdays

Today is the start of Weight Loss Wednesday! What are you talking about Hannah? Well the lovely Jennifer of  barelytherebeauty has created this weight loss group (if you will) to help motivate and support others in the blogging world. So basically this means that once a week, on a Wednesday, hence the Weight Loss Wednesday name, I'll be(along with a lot of other bloggers, who can be found on the page linked below) posting help/inspiration/tips/motivation/progress etc etc about weight loss and living healthier. Don't get me wrong though I'm no expert at these types of things but as someone who wants to feel and look better I thought it'd be a fab idea to join in and share my experiences and minimal knowledge with others. 

I also know that weight loss and body image is a sensitive topic for many, but this isn't meant to offend or make anyone feel pressured, and isn't meant to induce poor weight loss techniques but to encourage healthier living and maybe loose a few pounds on the way!

Each Thursday at 8pm GMT there will also be a #bloggersWLW chat on twitter to give everyone involved that added bit of support from the community! 

So from today there will be a post every Wednesday about my journey to help and inspire(I hope) others and of course to document how I'm trying to help myself to change my unhealthy ways, and shed a few pounds along the way if I can. 

If you fancy getting involved with this then check out the original post with all the information about joining on here; http://www.barelytherebeauty.com/p/bloggerswlw.html

So I suppose I best set some goals;

• I want to loose around 1 lb a week, I know its not always easy to do this so its just a bit of a suggestion, I'd be happy if I lost anything at all!
• I also want to do at least 1 hour of walking 3 times a week, whether this be when out in the day, at work or taking an evening stroll.
• I'm also very weak(in strength terms) and lack definition, so another one of my goals is to gain some strength and tone up my stomach and arms with some exercises and strength training, including weights, zumba and resistance training.
• All in all though my main goal is to be able to feel happier and healthier in my self because at the minute I feel ridiculously unfit, hopefully through eating healthier, drinking more water and being more active!

As a bit of inspiration (some for myself, tehe) I've added some 'motivational pictures' to the post.

       

I hate a lot of the 'ideal body' photos and the idealistic thoughts on body image; skinny skinny girls. However this one(the first picture) I found on Tumblr speaks volumes to me; its what I would love to achieve as it still looks to be a healthy size, however I know that I won't be able to...however its still a little bit of inspiration for me to stick to this and get healthier!  (Source; found on tumblr, original source; c0ldweather)

The second is my prom picture from 2 years ago(how time flies!) and at the time I was a size 8/10 and I'd love to be back at that size, just so I can feel better in myself because I remember at the time I was very happy with my body but after prom I just got lazy...oops.

The third is also a picture of Torre de la Horadada where I'm hopefully jetting off to in June this year! It's such a lovely place and although I'll be with family and family friends I'd love to feel confident enough to wear a bikini on the beach! For me feeling confident in a bikini isn't being skinny with bones sticking out at every angle, but feeling like I can actually wear a bikini without feeling that people are staring and judging. So that's something to look forward to and work towards aswell! (Source, found on google)

     Finally, I found this quote on google and I thought it was the post motivational thing I've read in a long time and thought it would probably apply to some people, because I'm sure it's not just me who's been putting getting healthier off!

Source, found on google

For a very long time I have been wishing that I felt healthier and felt happier in myself, as I'm sure others have to, but now's the time I need to stop doing that and make it a reality! So whatever it is you may want to achieve you just have to stop wishing it would happen and do it, because it won't happen by itself!

So there it is, my first Weight Loss Wednesday post! I hope some of you get involved; don't forget to check out the original post; http://www.barelytherebeauty.com/p/bloggerswlw.html on how to join the community! And again I know this can be a sensitive topic for many but I hope this hasn't offended anyone or made anyone feel uncomfortable because that is the last thing I want to do!

Happy getting healthier:-)

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou

London haul

I hope the new year is treating everyone well, I know we're only a few days in but its still good to be treated well from the get go of the year! If any of you read my last post which consisted of about 100 pictures which I took you'll know I took a little weekend break to London with my Mum just after Christmas. I did a lot of shopping and wanted to share the goodies which I purchased! I've never done a haul post before so I thought, why not start new things with it being the new year and all?!

I'm pretty excited about all of my purchases! But most of all this beautiful bag from Accessorise, which I've wanted for ages but never had chance to get! Its sort of a satchel I suppose which has an across the body and over the shoulder type straps. Its got handy pockets inside as well, plus having £10 off the price was also a winning feature for me! It cost me £27 in the sale and I am very very happy with it. No doubt I'll be writing some more about this bag in the future, and maybe even a little 'whats in my bag' post, I mean if a girls got a nice bag she has to blog about it right?! I do however feel  that the picture doesn't do it much justice...sorry!

I am also extremely happy with my new purse. My cousin got the same one as a Christmas present and I instantly fell in love with it when I saw it; Okay I suppose I was mildly jealous as well. When I went into River Island on Oxford street and saw it was in the sale, I HAD to buy it. I was buying it however much it was, so finding it was only £10 I was incredibly happy! I love it and there's something incredibly exciting about getting a new purse. This is the detailing on the purse; so sparkly and pretty!

Whilst in River Island I also picked up this very pretty snood. Its got a lovely pinkish colour and design which is pretty versatile. It was only £5 and I thought, I'm sure I'll be able to wear it during the winter and through into spring as its not too heavy or smothering, obviously the two main things you don't want a scarf to be, no? So again, a very good purchase I think. 

My New Years Eve plans involved a fancy dress party at one of my closest friends house with all the girls! The fancy dress theme was countries, so we had to dress up as something from a country. I chose Greece and went for a Greek goddess costume(I'll post about it in a few days!) My costume involved a cream toga with golden accessories. I needed some gold shoes and when I saw these beauties I knew I had to have them! They were originally £32 but I managed to get them for £17 from Dorothy Perkins which I was(and still am) very happy about! 

'But that's an expensive pair of shoes for a fancy dress costume hannah', of course I will wear them with other things in the future that aren't my costume. They're a lovely gold sparkly colour so I am more than sure I will be able to match an outfit to them!

I am also hugely excited about my clothing purchases!

First of all I purchased this silk thin strapped vest top from Dorothy Perkins which I got for £8, bargainnn. I then purchased this black pencil skirt from Urban Outifitters for £15, which I then got student discount on as well; the only place I know of who does student discount on sale items, which meant I only payed £13.50, bargainnn number 2.  I am however unsure as to whether the zip is supposed to be at the front or back...any one know?

Forever 21 is one of those shops which I always forget about but always find something I love when I do remember it exists as a shop! I haven't shopped at forever 21 for ageeees so I was very excited to go in! I, of course, chose about 5 different dresses but none of them seemed to fit, and they didn't have the different sizes(booo, but YAY for online shopping), which is just my luck. None of them were in the sale either, which is just typical. But I fell in love with this flowery skater dress with 3/4 sleeves. It's so cute and I think will be wonderful during winter with woolly tights and brown boots and then with sandals in the summer! Its got a crochet type open back which is so cute and I just love it! I don't doubt I'll be blogging about this dress a bit more in the future, probably in an ootd or favourites post, wahoo. This little gem only cost me £12.75 or something as well, so I'm very very very pleased with this one!

One of my all time favourite shops is Lush. They also have my favourite ever smell, Snow Fairy. I picked up my favourite snow fairy bubble wand and the snow fairy sparkle massage bar, which apparently makes you sparkle(??) if you crush it and use it like soap...we'll see. It smells devine anyway so I'm not going to complain. 

Last but not least my two dvd purchases(you can't go shopping during the sales and not buy dvds right?). I picked up The moaning of life for £6.99 and am excited to sit and watch that; Carl Pilkington is one of the funniest people on TV. If any of you have read my blog before you'll known I'm a massive McFly fan, so of course I am the proud owner of their new live at the Royal Albert Hall dvd, which is extra special for me; as I was there, at the concert the night it was filmed! EEE, my inner fangirl is dying to watch it and sing along to every word(and with the live cds included I can even sing in the car, win win situation I think!)

So there you go! I feel my shopping in London was an absolute success and I'm very happy with all my purchases! Thanks for reading...if you did :-)

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou

Happy New Year to all

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome welcome 2014!

I hope everyone had a wonderfully wonderful Christmas and New Year, I hope everyone spent it with those who mean the most and ate lots of food and were merry for the whole entire festive period. 

2013 was a pretty good year for me with lots of good things happening, meeting lots of new people and making pretty big life decisions. It was the year I learnt to drive, passed my test and bought my very first car. It was the year I spent most of my time ill because of my ridiculously poor immune system. It was the year I travelled to Manchester and queued all day with my best friends to see my favourite band. Its also the year I made the trip to London with my closest friends to see McFly at the Royal Albert Hall for their 10th anniversary show. It's also the year I did a hell of a lot of travelling, in the UK. Its the year I applied for university, had interviews, got some rejections and started reconsidering life ambitions and goals. Its also the year I turned 18. The year I went to Paris. The year I started giving blood. The year I started this blog and the year I learnt that people aren't always what they seem.

This year has taught me a lot. A lot about myself, about coping, about the struggles of life and about how to stay strong when you don't really want to. It's also taught me a hell of a lot about people and how they aren't always what they seem to be and can mess you around at any point. So just remember that some people aren't always as nice as they seem, some are too nice and only want you for one thing and some are just complete idiots no matter what.

Overall though I'm incredibly happy with 2013 and I'm hoping for an incredible 2014; there's a lot to look forward to and a lot planned. 

I have a lot of ideas for my blog which I'm going to hopefully bring to life this year and use a lot more. But we'll see, I could just do 10 posts and then it'll be December again, so hey lets hope that I keep my blogging up and can actually do all the things I want to do with my blog. 

So here's to 2014 hopefully being everyones best year to date, to everyone getting what they want out of the year and enjoying every second it! Thank you for the support during 2013, even just reading my blog, and I hope this can continue in the new year! 

I'd love to hear some of your best moments of 2013 and some of your plans for 2014, so let me know(my twitters below, as is my tumblr and of course the comment section! I also love checking out new blogs so if you want to leave URL's etc etc I will be more than grateful!)

Happy new year to all :-)!

@HanMcFly

smilingwontkillyou