Fitness Haul - Gymshark & Adidas

Hi everyone - I hope you've had a good week! Here is a little haul video of some fitness items I've bought recently - next week's video will be a fashion haul and I have some outfit posts already scheduled for this week with some new things I've bought! x

March Pay-Day Wishlist

A little pay-day wishlist post of some things I'm currently wanting. It's all gym/casual wear stuff but everything is linked below! x 

Reebok gold trainers 

Adidas stan smith  & Adidas superstar    (I can't decide which I like more!) 

Topshop stripe top 

Gymshark hoodie 

Gymshark zip up

Gymshark leggings 

Gymshark top 

Gymshark sports bra 

New Year, New You with Boohoo!

January is the time when most of us go on some sort of health kick, whether that be a diet, exercise routine, eating better, or a combination of both. Boohoo have just launched their new FIT range which is an amazing collection of fun, affordable and stylish workout wear to make that health kick a little bit easier!  Today I'm sharing my health & fitness tips, and also showing you how to style the Victoria marble print asymmetric top* from the Boohoo plus FIT range (that's right, they've made items in all sizes from 4-24!)

I absolutely love this top - the colour is right up my street, and I love that the sleeves cover my upper arms as that's the part of my body that I absolutely hate! The asymmetric design makes it more interesting than a basic t-shirt, and also means you can wear it to work out or to go out, as I've shown by styling it in two ways. I'm wearing a size 16 and would say it fits true to size. 

Worn throughout - Boohoo top*, Miss Selfridge Leggings 

Outfit 1 - Vans slip on trainers, weights (from Argos) 

Outfit 2 - All Saints gilet, Miss Selfridge boots 

Outfit 1 is a sportswear outfit. I wouldn't wear these trousers/leggings to actually work out in - but this is more of a sporty outfit than workout wear (as I also wouldn't wear any makeup or my hair down!) and I like to keep my blog looking more polished! I've added my gold Vans (which were a TK Maxx bargain) to add a pop of shine, but for actual working out, I'd wear something like these leggings and these trainers (both from the new Boohoo fit range). It's important to work out in specifically designed clothes as they are more stretchy and won't be restricting. 

Outfit 2 is a more everyday fashion look, and is something I'd wear day to day (currently I'd need to add a jumper/coat/scarf!). I love that because the top is fashionable, it's easy to style it as a regular top and you'd never know it was fitness wear!  It also means that if you're going somewhere before or after the gym, it's easy to quickly take your outfit from gym wear to stylish. 

My health & fitness tips 

A few years ago, I was a miserable size 24 and was very ill. My weight was part of an unknown illness, and it's taken me a while to feel happy with the way I look. I'm still on my journey but here's how I went from a size 24 to a 14/16 and lost over 6 stone: 

1. I count every calorie, and aim to eat between 1500-1800 per day, with occasional treat days where I eat what I like. 

2. I aim to eat 70% healthy foods and 30% junk/treats/more unhealthy items. I'm vegetarian, so I'm a big fan of Deliciously Ella's recipes, and Millie Mackintosh's book has some recipes that are veggie (and also some meat ones if you're not!)

3. I exercise regularly. I hated PE at school, and it really made me hate exercise due to self confidence  issues. I also have learning difficulties which means I could never catch a ball and was always useless at sports. I've found the best way to exercise is at home as I can fit it in to my busy lifestyle as and when. I like to do a combination of yoga, pilates and weights for my arms, and usually use Youtube workout videos. At times I do it everyday (usually when I'm on holiday from work) but some weeks I only manage to do it twice or 3 times. I like going to the gym, and want to go back soon, but I struggle fitting it in as I'm so busy. My main tip for exercise is to find something you like that works for you, and to not beat yourself up if you struggle to fit it in, just do as much as you can, when you can. 

4. Exercise works best if you eat healthy. That means eating protein (something I personally struggle with), fruits & vegetables, good fats (like avocado) and less of the unhealthy and junk foods. 

5. Don't make life difficult for yourself. I always tell people I eat what I want, which is true. I know the consequences if I eat pizza for example, but restricting everything all of the time would just make me miserable. I've been loosing weight for around 3 years, and this is what works for me. I know that if I loose weight slowly it will stay off, and I can still enjoy treats. 

6. Keep going. It's hard to stay motivated when you don't see instant results, but over time you can really tell. I remember the days when all I could wear was an oversized t-shirt and leggings and wider fitting shoes. I don't miss it, now I'm a fashion blogger who has a much bigger choice of what to wear, more confidence and feels a lot better. And I now wear that oversized t-shirt as a nighty! 

I hope that you liked the outfits, and that this post has given you some ideas/inspiration/tips. It's been a difficult one for me to write, so I hope that some of you have found it helpful! 

Good luck with whatever health kick your embarking on (if you are)! 

Check out the full Boohoo fit range here

*Not a sponsored post. Boohoo sent the top for me to feature in this post for free. 

Yoga

Some of you might already know I'm on a bit of a health kick at the moment. I don't really know why I decided to do it, just on a random Wednesday night a few weeks ago I decided it was time to up the healthy eating and try yoga. So I found a Yoga with Adriene beginners video, and haven't stopped since. 

I'm currently doing Adriene's 30 days of yoga (currently on day 20), which I am enjoying (shock horror - fitness that I enjoy). I've never been sporty, I do like the gym but I find it so hard to fit into my life and also expensive. I've been doing yoga in the evenings before I start getting ready for bed as I find its a good time to stop working, and start relaxing. It's also half an hour a day where I don't do any work. 

I didn't think it would have much effect, but I'm feeling loads better for doing it, and have noticed that things are starting to get a little more toned. I've been losing weight now for about 3 years, and have come a long way since I started, and I feel like this is the next chapter for me. 

So, I'm keeping up with yoga, and am actually enjoying eating healthily - something that's really surprised me! I don't know how long it will last - but I'm hoping I can keep going and will hopefully feel better and better. 

If you're wondering where my yoga clothes and mat are from, then make sure to watch next Sunday's video which is going to be a haul! 

Have you tried any yoga? 

January Birchbox

As January is the month of new year's resolutions, with the majority of them being health and fitness relate, Birchbox this month have teamed up with Women's health magazine, and this month's box is all health themes!

Of course, if you've been here for a while, you'll already know I love Birchbox. But if you're new (hey! so pleased to have you!) you might not already know this. This month has a great selection of products, including a Stila lip glaze, which is a product I already love, but thankfully didn't already have this particular shade! It also contains a Heal Gel, which is a fantastic little healing balm. I had a really sore abscess on my face over the weekend (tmi I know), but this gel really helped to soothe and heal it, so I'm already really impressed with that. It also contains Caudalie Vinoperfect serum, which I've tried before and really liked, Philip Kingsley Body building conditioner, which I'm excited to try, Activbod cooling finish body lotion, which I think I'll be using in summer, when hopefully I'll have time to get back to the gym, and a sample of matcha powder, which I've always wanted to try. I really want to get into eating a bit healthier, so am going to look for some smoothie recipes or something to use this in.

The box also came with a pilates band, which is useful for at home workouts, which I will probably test out when I'm not either working, blogging or exhausted!

Overall, I'm really impressed with this month's box, and it's a great theme for January, so well done Birchbox, another great month.

You can get the products here, or click the banner below.

In other good news, my wifi is back, which means that my blogging schedule is unaffected! yayy! :) x  

*This post is not sponsored but may contain Affiliate links.