How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

You may think that eating healthy is expensive and will run you dry, but this belief is far from the truth. While eating healthy can be costly, it can also be cost-effective if you apply a few of the tips down below. I think this discussion couldn’t come at a better time, especially in the current state of the world, so today we’re going to be going over a few tips to help you eat healthy on a budget.

Tip #1. Buy Frozen Veggies & Fruit

Fruits and veggies can sometimes be pricey, for example; blueberries are one of the most expensive berries. Which is why the best option is to buy them frozen; as they are just as healthy and they are prepped when they are in their prime stage. Moreover, you can use these in smoothies, your oats or stir fries.

A few good options are:

spinach
broccoli
kale
berries
mango chunks
veggie mixes

Tip #2. Choose Whole foods Over ‘Fake Foods’

By fake foods I mean, if you have to choose between your $100 Protein powder and actual fresh protein, choose the whole food. Making the right choices and prioritising is essential in eating healthy with minimum cost. Instead of buying 20 protein bars, buy filling whole foods that are less processed, because you may think that one ‘processed’ food item is cost effective but when you add up the amount you may be buying in a month, that adds up. So remember to look at the big picture and that inexpensive isn’t always the best option.

Meal Prep and How to eat Healthy Eating on a budget

Tip #3. Meal Prep at Home

Eating out is usually more expensive than eating at home and you can be even cost effective by planning your meals or meal prepping for the week. This will help you plan you monthly food budget and avoid any food waste.

Tip #4. Make a Grocery List & Stick to it

Often we find that we go to the supermarket with a budget in mind, but end up exceeding that by an unreasonable amount and that’s because we all get distracted by and tempted by things we don’t need. This is why planning ahead can be beneficial, if you know which meal you have planned for the week, it’s easy to make a list and buy only what you need.

Tip #5. Don’t Buy in Bulk

Avoid buying fresh vegetables and fruit in bulk, if it’s possible try buying them weekly or once every two weeks. This is to avoid any wastage as most of the time, buying veggies in bulk means some goes bad before you get a chance to use it.

However, buying other ingredients such as grains; oats and quinoa, in bulk is a good idea.

Granola Recipe and cheap ways to eat healthy

Tip #6. Make Your Own Recipe

Sometimes making a product at home is much more cost-effective than buying at the store. For example you can make your own gluten free granola or protein bars at home rather than buying the overpriced product at the store. Moreover, these products often contain unnecessary sugar and preservatives, which you can avoid by making your own.

Check out my easy and quick Gluten Free Granola Recipe.

Tip #7. Support Local Markets

Local produce is often less expensive and a great way to support the community. Try finding your produce at a local farmer’s market, you’ll often find that it’s more cost-effective than buying at a supermarket. In addition, this means you’ll avoid unnecessary packaging/plastic used in stores, making your shopping and lifestyle more environmentally friendly.

Tip #8. Baby steps

When starting a healthy lifestyle, it’s not practical to jump into the gluten free, sugar free or vegan world, because you’ll feel lost and you’ll find the cost overwhelming. Instead you should approach it steadily, for example, buying 10 different brands of almond milk is not the way to go. What you should do is start by making some healthy food swaps, you can check out a list of my grocery staples right here.

Tip #9. One Pan Meals

One pot or one pan meals are quick, inexpensive and everyone loves them, besides it doesn’t get any easier than throwing some protein and veggies in a pan and calling it a day. Stir-fries are also a great options for this and the best part is you can cook in bulk and save for meal preps.

Tip #10. Try Grocery Delivery

I’ve seen two types of grocery delivery services; one where you select a few meals and you’re set the ingredients for those recipes and second, where you put together a grocery basket and have it delivered. Either way, these are a great way to eat healthy on a budget and brands such as; Thrive Market and Hello Fresh claim to save you a considerable amount of money through their services so it’s definitely worth trying out.

Final Thoughts

To summarise, it’s definitely possible to eat healthy on a budget and you should never feel pressure to completely jump to the other side. Balance is key so take it step by step and you’ll find what best suits your lifestyle. The important thing is not to let your eating habits or food itself rule you, you control your habits. I hope you enjoyed this post, please like and leave a comment if you did and feel free to follow for more posts like this one. Thank you for reading, xoxo.

Getting Back on Track After the Holidays

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Entering into 2020, we all are pumped to achieve our resolutions and strengthen our fitness goals, however 2019 did end with the holidays, which means that we all fell a bit off track in some way or the other. Most likely, we ate a little too much or partied a little too late, but that doesn’t mean we let go and say “Oh well, 2021 is gonna be my year!” NO! This means we brush it off and pick our hangover, sugar-coma selves back up, so here’s how you can do it.

Step 1: Get Rid Of The Guilt

One thing to understand is that it’s normal to want to enjoy the holidays and indulge once in a while, but it’s also normal to feel guilty. However, feeling guilty for eating something considered “bad” is toxic for your mind and journey, so stop searching for “how to get rid of a cheat meal?” Instead ask yourself “Does feeling guilty reverse what happened?” No it does not. So allow yourself to enjoy what you ate and the festive season, knowing that fitness is a lifestyle and it isn’t going anywhere.

Step 2: Be Active

It’s important to stay active even during the holidays, but if you didn’t, that’s alright, the time is now. However, jumping straight back into the gym might not come naturally so start small such as going for a morning walk/jog and doing some at home workouts. You’ll find that engaging your body will trigger the desire to get back to your full out workouts, because motivation is temporary and unrealistic but habits are not.

Step 3 : Clean Eating

The family Christmas dinners are over, now concentrate on eating at home instead of outside. It’s not necessary to weigh everything you eat but tracking may prove useful, try it for one or two weeks until you can eat intuitively, because that is the ultimate goal. Remember that food is meant to fuel your body so implement whole foods and take a break from the processed stuff.

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Step 4 : Set A specific Goal

It’s a new year, so don’t be vague about what you want. “Get fit” or “Lose some weight” are not definitive goals, they’re shallow, meaningless thoughts. What you should do is decide on a number such as “I will lose 5% of my body fat in 4 months” or a particular skill such as being able to do pull ups and set the deadline. If we don’t visualise the end of the finish line, we’ll never reach it. It’s good to keep a fitness journal, a physical or a digital one; there is something striking about the feel of an actual tracking journal, but digital ones also have benefits such as reminders. Alternatively, you can get an accountability partner, be it family/friends or someone in the same fitness group, for example on social media.

I hope this blog post helps you to get back on track of your fitness goals, these are the steps I am currently taking to do so. Thank you for reading and please leave a comment and follow for more xoxo.

The Stages Of Weight Loss

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There are many stages and approaches when it comes to losing weight and getting fit, some of us are stuck in one stage and give up, but what we must realise is that sometimes the only way out is through. You must have heard this at least once, there are no shortcuts, there are no quick fixes, however there are scams, plateaus and burnout, along with results and the incredible high of progress. So let’s dive in to the stages I have personally noticed in others and gone through myself.

Stage 1 : The Diet Obsession

Let’s admit it, we’ve all been there. You just decided to lose weight and you go online determinedly searching for the best 2 week diet plan… well here’s the punchline – IT DOES NOT WORK – it only gives temporary results and long term stress. Many of us have an on and off relationship with this stage, but we should all just break up and move on.

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Stage 2: Cardio Junkie

Better but not by much. At this stage, we’re still pretty knew to the whole concept of weight loss but this is where we lose a ton of it. Why? Because we pack on the cardio and monitor our food. I started with the treadmill and bicycle, boring, I know, although it did help shed the weight cause I was spending more than I usually did. I also ate super clean, but only in my opinion at the time since I hadn’t figured out what eating clean really was. I thought I was eating clean but I was still having processed foods that didn’t fuel me.

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Stage 3: Losing the Gym V-card

Hello strength training and extreme food monitoring. This is where I tried out the Keto diet (not for me) and calorie tracking. Here is where the stigma around working out is broken and stress about food is built. I realised cardio was not enough and weights were my friend, soon to be bestfriend, so I started strength training but I still wasn’t sure what I was doing. Also tracking and weighing my food led to food being reduced to numbers and it was highly stressful, I was unhappy all the time. I became obsessed and felt guilty if I didn’t track or exceeded my calories. I had lost all the weight I needed to at this point but I now wanted to lose body fat.

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Stage 4: Prime Time

This is where I fell I am at right now and it is bliss, but I have to say that I didn’t reach here alone, I had help and great advice. This is the most mentally healthy stage, food is now your fuel, no more tracking or weighing food. I eat when I’m hungry and I eat clean, and there are times that indulge, but the most important thing is I am fully aware of it. Working out has never felt better, in other words, I push hard but I don’t beat up myself about how many calories I’ve lost or about taking rest days, I just embrace every workout as a chance to exert my all into it. This is where progress is slow but significant and long term.

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Stage 5 : Finish Line

Funny thing is… we never reach this one, because it moves along with us. This is your goal, the perfect, ultimate result of your fitness journey, but this is the point that you realise there is no finish line, because this is your lifestyle now. The more you go along the more your goals change and you will keep having new ones even as you accomplish them. There is no perfect, you will always find more to want, even when you think you’ll be happy once you reach this weight or that body fat percentage, you will be but it will not stop there. This is the forever stage.

These stages took me 3 years… it was not easy. However, not everyone goes through these exact stages, some people have gone straight to strength training or other forms of fitness, but this pattern is highly common in people trying to lose weight. I hope this post was helpful in giving you clarity on your fitness journey or in any way possible, thank you for reading.

7 Skincare Mistakes

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Skipping SPF – sunscreen is necessary to protect against the sun’s UV rays which can cause premature ageing of your skin with fine lines, dark spots and in the long term can even lead to skin cancer. It’s a common mistake to believe that darker skin types don’t need sunscreen but we’re all at risk, so wear SPF even inside as UV rays can pass through glass.

Not cleaning your face tools – this includes your makeup brushes and even tools such as jade rollers and gua sha, although the latter is much easier to clean. Makeup brushes should be cleaned once every two weeks at the least, as bacteria builds up on them and we use it on our face and in our makeup which may often lead to breakouts.

Using masks after your skincare – I’ve seen a lot of influencers apply all their serums and essences and then apply a mask after, washing it off. That does not leave enough time for the serums to sink into the skin and essentially all of it is washed down the drain. So apply your masks before your skincare.

Oil before serums– the order of your skincare regimen is highly significant, oils can penetrate any barrier, that is serums and moisturisers, but none of your skincare products can penetrate oil. Face oil should be the last step in your routine, so that your other products are effective and if face oils break you out, this may be the reason as your other products just lay on top of your skin instead of being absorbed.

Over-exfoliation– this depends on your skin type, some people cannot exfoliate more than once a week while some can go up to three times a week. Over exfoliation can irritate your skin and strip it of its natural barrier, we exfoliate to remove the layer of dead skin cells on our skin and twice a week should suffice. It’s also important to avoid exfoliation when you are breaking out as it can irritate it and cause it to spread.

Drying blemishes – a common solution when we notice a blemish is to dry it out, but this depends on what kind of blemish it is. For example papules which are deep pimples can lead to scarring if dried out before they turn into pustules. It’s best to study the problem and use the appropriate solution; such as a warm compress for papules.

Too much cleansing – twice a day is usually enough, over cleansing strips the skin of its natural oils and this is common with foaming cleansers, if your skin feels tight then it’s possible you may be using a harsh cleanser or overusing it. This is a common mistake which can irritate and dry out your skin.

I hope you found something helpful here, if you have any skincare mistakes you’d like to share, comment them down below. Please like and follow for more skincare tips xoxo.

10-Step Nighttime Skincare Routine

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Everyone’s skin is different and it takes time to learn the best routing for your skin. Some people can maintain their skin with only 3 products and then there are the skincare junkies, that love all the layers of serums and moisturisers.

I am definitely the latter, after having issues with acne as a teenager, I’ve learnt a thing or two about skincare. However, two of the most crucial yet overlooked factors are diet and hormonal imbalances. After cutting dairy completely from my diet, my skin rapidly improved and I also noticed that acne on the chin area was often triggered by hormones. Sometimes it’s hard to find the cause of your skincare issues, for example; biotin supplements which are great for strengthening your hair and nails, often gave me acne. This may not be the case for you, but whatever your skin condition is, it is important to ensure that your diet is helping your skin, not compromising it.

The following routine is my current nighttime skincare routine, this is a guideline if you’re not sure how to go about a skincare routine. Keep in mind that everyone’s skin is different, I have combination skin and my it isn’t as sensitive as yours may be. So here are the steps and the products I use.

Step 1: Oil cleansing – this basically melts off all of your makeup in a very gentle way. You can either use a balm or an oil cleanser, massage it into the skin and wash off. I recommend the Clinique Take the Day off Balm or L’occitane’s cleansing oil.

Step 2: Cleanser – now time for your daily water-based cleanser, it is essential to find one which does not harm your skin’s protective barrier. If your skin feels tight after use, then it is probably too harsh. I am currently using Dr Barabara Sturm’s Foaming Cleanser . Another option for oily skin is Clarins.

Step 3: Exfoliate – I do this 2 – 3 times per week. There are two types of exfoliants- chemical and physical. I use a chemical exfoliant only once a week, usually in the form of AHA or BHA acid and I use a scrub twice a week. I am currently using Tarte’s Knockout treatment and the Dermalogica Microfoliant. Regular exfoliation suits my skin as it isn’t overly sensitive but make sure no to overdo it.

Step 4: Face Mask – I use face masks about 3 – 4 times per week, depending on what my skin needs, I may use a clay mask or a hydrating mask. My current favourites are Dior’s Jelly mask , The Face Shop Mud mask , L’oreal’s Red Clay Mask and L’occitane’s Purifying mask.

Step 5: Toner – this is to hydrate, balance your skin’s pH levels and to minimise the appearance of pores. I would recommend L’occitane’s Essential Water or Tata Harper’s Floral Mist.

Step 6: Essence – this is lighter than a serum but has similar effects and is optional. If you like to be extra with your routine then you should try out Laneige’s Waterbank Essence.

Step 7: Serum – definitely a must in your routine, depending on your needs you can go for a brightening serum or a rejuvenating one. Make sure to pat your serum into the skin, don’t let it just sit on top.

Optional: Face Massage – I love using a jade roller for this, but you can use other tools such as a gua sha or just use your hands! This is great for improving circulation, lymphatic drainage, plumping up the skin and if committed to, will help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Step 8: Eye Cream – you need an eye cream even at a young age, because the skin around our eyes is extremely thin and sensitive and it needs attention. I use an eye cream for hydration and dark circles as anti-ageing isn’t my primary concern right now, but I’d suggest Clarins or Shiseido.

Step 9: Moisturiser – even with oily skin, moisturiser is necessary. I currently use a lightweight one. Any moisturiser should work as long as it has clean ingredients that suit your skin.

Step 10: Face oil – now I often see people apply face oil before their moisturiser, however face oil can penetrate any cream of serum but creams cannot penetrate oil. This is why it should be the last step of your skincare routine. One face oil I’m really enjoying is Tata Harper’s Retinoic Nutrient oil but with any retinol product you use, it is important to note that it makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight, so make sure you’re always wearing sunscreen. There are a number of oils you can use such as maracuja oil, sweet almond oil or jojoba oil, depending on your skin type.

Bonus Step: Lip balm!! Never forget to hydrate your lips. Any balm is great, but if you want a specific, one I love the Laneige Berry Lip Mask.

This pretty much sums up my whole routine, it’s taken me a while to adopt it so if you’re still a newbie, I’d suggest starting with a simple cleanser, eye cream and moisturiser. I hope you enjoyed this read and that you found something helpful here. Please like and follow for more skincare tips xoxo.

Golden Milk Latte Recipe

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This amazing recipe is a nutrient dense, caffeine free and totally delicious drink to curb those coffee cravings and boost your gut health. This latte contains turmeric, which has anti-inflammatory properties, improving digestion and skin health. It also contains cinnamon which lowers blood sugar levels and has antimicrobial effects, as well as cardamom which is great for the liver and is packed with antioxidants. In other words, this is one powerful latte! So here’s how you can make it.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 – 1 cup almond milk (or any milk)
1/2 tsp organic turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom or 5 pods
2/4 tsp vanilla (optional)
1/2 tsp erythritol/stevia blend (or any sweetener of choice)

STEPS:

Combine 1/2 a cup of milk to 1/2 a cup of water or use 1 full cup of milk.
Whisk in the spices and sugar while on medium heat.
Bring to a simmer. Strain the milk into a mug to remove any undissolved spices.

Other Optional Ingredients:

Ginger
Lemon zest
Ground Black pepper

Let me know down in the comments if you do try out this recipe. Thank you for reading and please like and follow for more recipes like this one, xoxo.

10 Common Weight Loss Mistakes

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1. Cheating calories – this is something I found myself doing unconsciously and when I took notice, I realised I was eating 300-400 more calories than I thought I was and this is important if you’re trying to lose weight.

You sometimes feel that if you don’t track something you eat then the calories don’t count or you may alter how much you eat on your tracker, only to see a number you prefer. If you do these things while tracking, you shouldn’t feel ashamed because I’ve done them too, but in the end we’re only cheating ourselves.

However, you shouldn’t grow obsessive and track everything to the last gram, you should only be more conscious of how many calories you’re taking in if you do want to lose weight.

2. More exercise means more food – this is a sensitive topic, what I mean by this is, if you want to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit; you can exercise more and eat the same amount of calories, but if you eat more then it won’t make much of a difference.

Remember to always consume the healthy amount of calories for your body, this is influenced by sex, age and activity. For example; I eat about 1200-1300 calories when I am trying to lose weight, but you may need more than I do. Keep in mind that the minimum amount of calorie intake for a woman is 1200 calories, you can find out how many calories you need to lose weight on any online calorie calculator, but always consult your doctor before taking any drastic measures towards your exercise or eating. Everyone’s body is different so take into account any conditions you may have.

3. Eating the wrong portions – portion control is something I’ve had ups and downs with, at one point my portion control was really strict but then I found myself going overboard, but lately I feel like I have a good grasp of it.

An easy way to measure is using your hands, the size of your palm for protein, a fist for veggies, a cupped handful for carbs and a your thumb for fats. These are doubled for men.

Another method is to use a slightly smaller plate, fill half of your plate with veggies/salad and fill a quarter with carbs and another quarter with protein.

4. Starving yourself – this is obvious but still worth mentioning, do not believe that if you skip a meal or feel hunger pangs that you are losing weight. What you are truly doing is sending your body into starvation mode, which means next time you eat, your body will store it as fat – it’s a survival mode.

Therefore, distinguish when you are feeling hungry from when you are thirsty or bored and eat if you are hungry so that you are not depriving yourself.

5. Ignoring Macros – calories aren’t the only important factor, macros – proteins, fats and carbs- are significant to your body type. Some of us work better on a high fat meal plan, while others are on high protein or high carb. This again depends on your body type and physical goals.

When losing weight it’s probably best to figure out which macros work best for you, I have some high carb days and some high protein days and my macronutrient ratio is usually 40-50% carbs, 30-40% protein and 10-30% fats. This works for me, I do not obsess over tracking macros, but if you feel like you are stuck in your weight loss journey, then it may be worth taking a look at.

6. Doing only Cardio – many of us fear that strength- training will bulk us up and we just stick to cardio, but that is far from the truth. Strength-training will tone and define your muscles and it is essential for fat loss. To grow bulky like men and some women, you would need a crazy amount of gym time and an intake of various supplements. So don’t shy away from the weights, mix your cardio with some strength-training and you will definitely see a difference.

7. Pre-Workout and Post-workout – with the media posting the routines of fitness experts and athletes, many of us feel that we need to have pre-workout and post-workout meals to efficiently burn fat or lose weight, but that’s not always the case. Many of us prefer a fasted workout in the morning, while some of us feel more energetic after a snack. Don’t feel obliged to have a pre or post-workout if your body doesn’t need it. Remember to be mindful of how your body feels.

8. Binging on healthy foods – the irony of weight loss, most of us now realise that bingeing on unhealthy food isn’t going to help us, so we throw away all the junk food and have a healthy grocery haul. However, even though pop chips are better than fried chips and vegan, sugar free chocolate is better than normal chocolate, if you’re sitting on the couch binge eating them, you’re still not going to lose weight.

Now, I’m not saying don’t switch out your junk food, all I’m saying is that moderation is everything. One small bag of pop chips or one square of healthy chocolate isn’t going to hurt you, but know that binging healthy food is harmful as well.

9. Skipping Rest Days – rest days are important because your body needs to heal and your muscles need time to regenerate. On rest days, you can include stretching or a walk to have some movement but take that day off. Plus knowing you have a rest day coming up also helps you remain strong throughout the week. Just remember not to have your rest day on the same day as your cheat day.

10. Thinking Food is the enemy – this is something I found myself slipping into. You shouldn’t feel guilty if you ate a few calories more or ate something considered unhealthy. Your mental relationship with food is just as important and if you have stumbled in your weight loss, then just take a moment and take back control.

Food is not the enemy, so don’t deprive yourself. Be proud that you are making an effort and if no one has ever said this to you before, well done for taking a step towards a healthier and happier you!

Thank you for reading this and I hope you can take something from this post to help you with your goals. Please like and follow for more posts like this one, xoxo.

5 Books You Should Read

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Reading is an essential part of my every day life and I find it hard to believe that at one point in time it wasn’t really my thing. I really became a book addict when I was around 15 years old and since then, I haven’t gone a day without reading a few chapters. Now I’m not asking you to read a book in a few days but a few pages a day is beneficial. Of course, I started with paranormal romance as my guilty pleasure (it may still be, don’t judge me) and then I delved into self-help books and psychology books. Status Update – I’m a self help junkie.

I believe reading can either be about losing yourself in another world and living thousands of different lives or it can be about growth and attaining knowledge. I find pleasure in learning and we learn every single day.

I have read all of the following books down below. They are self-help books that take different approaches towards personal development and I think that no matter where you are in life right now, you can find at least one which speaks to you.

1. The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey – definitely one of my favourites and one I keep going back to. This book has helped me understand my issue of procrastination and has taught me how to deal with it. Discover ways to improve your work ethic and surprising factors that actually harm your productivity. I’ve definitely seen an increase in my productivity after implementing the tactics in this book and it has helped me decrease the feeling of burnout.

2. Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey – if you find yourself easily distracted or unable to focus on one thing for a period of time, then this book is for you. Tap into your superhuman focus and learn to work smarter, not harder. (PS. I’m in hyperfocus mode right now)

3. The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma – this book was not what I expected, I’d advise you to be patient at first when starting the book. I was sceptical about it at first and thought I wouldn’t be able to finish even half of it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Despite the book’s steady pace, it’s an enlightening read, it touches on mindfulness, human psychology and ways we can create a brighter life. Definitley recommend this one if you’re feeling a little lost or out of balance in your life.

4. The Secret by Rhonda Byrnes – I simply enjoyed the way the author voiced her message in this book, she eases you into the practice of gratitude in all aspects of your life without thrusting you into the ‘Gratitude frenzy’ going on all around the media (you know, the gratitude morning routine). It focuses on all aspects such as; wealth, health, relationships and many more. Again, as one who is often sceptical, I thought the book was all about the law of attraction and although it seems that way, I found another aspect to it. Just by reading the book I started to notice the things around me, it developed an awareness in me that has remained even months after.

5. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson – this book spoke to the sceptic in me, in other words I now live by this book. This was said to be the self help book for people who hate self help and it is a pleasure to read it. Now is there swearing every 3 minutes? Yes. Does it make it even better to read? Hell yeah, it does.To be honest, I often hear people say that you always have to be happy and grateful, but I am not always those things and I know you aren’t either. Social Media and even self help influencers indirectly lead us to believe that it’s wrong to feel that way, but it’s not. It’s okay to not be okay and this book teaches you that.

Now before I go into a self love rant, let me leave it at that. As Always thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you found something useful here and I would like to remind you that it’s not just about reading the book, it’s about implementing the methods and advice in it. Unfortunately, we can’t just absorb a book’s powers, we have to put in the action.

Lots of love to all of my readers and please follow for more posts like this, xoxo.

6 Podcasts You Need To Listen To

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I believe that what you consume affects your mindset and therefore your life, but this doesn’t only mean your nutrition, it also means the content you feed your mind with. This is why continuous scrolling through instagram or facebook is discouraged, they give you a false, perfect outlook on life which doesn’t match your own life and this either motivates you in the short term or it bruises your self esteem and demotivates you. It’s usually the latter. So, filling your days with mindless or irrelevant content often does more damage than good, even if you get a small shot of satisfaction, that will pale in comparison to the feeling of gaining knowledge and a deeper insight.

These podcasts range from self help to fitness and motivation. They are great to listen to during a workout or when you’re performing mindless tasks. They are listed below in no particular order and I do urge you to give at least one of them a try because you’ll have the chance to connect with a wider community and possibly with yourself.

1. Earn Your Happy – Lori Harder – listen to enlightening conversations on how to empower yourself, advice for entrepreneurs that can be applied to your everyday life. This podcast delves into psychology, the world of business and everything you want to know to unlock your true potential.

2. Kalyn’s Coffee Talk– I love listening to this podcast whenever I feel a little lost. It focuses on a healthy mindset and achieving a balanced lifestyle, as well as helping you face truths often buried deep in your mind. A fair warning, once you start an episode you’ll want to finish it in one go, so make sure you allocate the time for enjoying this one.

3. The Model Health Show – I’ve actually just started listening to Shawn Stevenson’s show and it’s already one of my favourites. You get to learn the truth about nutrition and the myths behind weight loss, as well as discover a balance between the two. Highly recommend.

4. The School Of Greatness – Lewis Howes – the name couldn’t be more appropriate. I find myself craving for the moments I get to listen to Lewis Howes’ s advice on pursuing a career, cultivating creativity and his riveting conversations with the most influential people. This is one you won’t want to miss.

5. The Lavendaire Lifestyle – Aileen Xu – this is for more for my de-stress and relaxing routines (you’ll understand when you hear her voice). The podcast explores the hardships of careers and goals, fuelling your passion and promoting self love.

6. The Health Code – funny, entertaining and informative. This podcast is the best combination of health advice mixed in with comedy. Learn about healthy hacks and balancing your career, fitness and relationships.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post, all of the podcasts mentioned above are my personal favourites. Let me know if you have any recommendations of your own, I’d love to give them a try. Have an amazing day, xoxo.

10 Tips to De-stress & Unwind

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Stretching – this not only relieves muscle tension but it also increases you awareness of your own body and physical state. It gives you a chance to slow down.

Listen to a Podcast – I love listening to self-help podcast episodes to help me gain clarity and relax. I listen to them while working out or when I’m doing mindless tasks. I have another post coming up about my favourite podcasts, so keep a lookout for that.

Put it on Paper – writing it out is the most obvious thing to do, I used to think it wasn’t helpful before, but now I reach for my journal whenever something is weighing me down. Don’t think about what you’re going to write (I’m not really into the whole writing a set number of things). Keep it natural and straight from mind to paper.

Escape for a day – now I don’t necessarily mean go on a trip to an exotic island or take the day off to hike in the woods, although that would be awesome. Escaping for a day could be anything from a road trip to just taking the day off for yourself. For example; I always have Saturdays off because of my religion, but today is Sunday and I decided that I just needed to take it for myself. I said no to going out because I needed to just slow down and be, which is something that’s key to de-stressing – learning to say no.

Coffee/ Tea Time – I’m writing this post right now in my pyjamas, with a cup of coffee and I feel at peace. I drink coffee more for the process than for the taste and no one can interrupt this sacred me time. Find joy in the little things.

Digital detox – definitely something I need more of. Take a day (or more if you’re feeling adventurous) to put the phone, iPad, tv, laptop and any other device away. Stay off of social media for that period and actually pay attention to what’s going on around you.

Do absolutely nothing – yes, that’s right. Sometimes you just need to do nothing. Don’t try so hard to relax that you end up stressing over relaxing. If you want to lie down and just stare at the ceiling for an hour, going through the things on your mind, go right ahead. Just don’t let that hour seep into a week.

Mindfulness exercise – now this can be concentrating on your breathing or doing a whole body scan type of exercise. It can also be listening to calming audios or stories. I’m not one for manifesting meditations, but you do you.

Self care routine – this is can be a pamper spa routine, reading a book or watching a movie, but developing whatever you do into a routine just helps reassure your mind that you have a system in place and it helps you believe in your process. Another good idea would be a self care kit, which I have coming up in another post.

Spend Time with a pet or an animal – animals help relieve our emotions and make us happy, that can be cuddling with your dog, riding a horse or staring at your goldfish. Trust me, it works.

Bonus Tip – don’t rely on potentially unhealthy factors. Besides the obvious harmful factors, even relying on food to help you with your emotions is a bad route because it will never be enough. At some point you will become intolerant to the happy hormones certain indulgences give you, so make sure you de-stress in a steady and healthy way.

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you enjoyed it and that it helped you in some way. Please follow for more posts like this, xoxo.

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