Happy 1st May lovelies! The beginning of this month marks something new for my blog: the long-awaited health and fitness series! For those of you who aren't following my Twitter (hint hint, sidebar on the right), I've been meaning to do this mini-series since the beginning of March and end of February- but never got around to it, until now... that is! So, to kick this season off, I wanted to share some lifestyle changes I've recently made that have had a huge impact. Whether you give these a go or not is down to you, but I hope to inspire some of you reading this to make some positive changes too- all the more to make you and your body happy!
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W A V E G O O D B Y E T O S O C I A L M E D I A
(S O R T O F...)
While it isn't clear to see, kudos to my attempt at posting daily on Instagram, I'm aiming to cut Social Media out as much as I can and have made some progress! Like many of us, I was spending far too long on social media (I'm talking about hours on end)- so I made it my mission to cut down. Recently, I've found I only reach for Instagram once or twice a day, Facebook about once in two weeks (as I deleted the app from my phone)- but let's not talk about Twitter or Snapchat for the moment... that's next on the list!
"So, what effect did this have?" you may ask. Well... as long as I don't use social media before I sleep, I find it far, far easier to fall asleep. To add to this, I'd say my level of focus and motivation has been at an all time high, which... I won't lie, has helped immensely through periods of heavy (and boring, to say the least) revision!
"So, what effect did this have?" you may ask. Well... as long as I don't use social media before I sleep, I find it far, far easier to fall asleep. To add to this, I'd say my level of focus and motivation has been at an all time high, which... I won't lie, has helped immensely through periods of heavy (and boring, to say the least) revision!
A I M T O D O Y O G A E V E R Y D A Y
Again... the key word here is aim because let's be frank, there's no way I could stick to this one fully- just yet, anyway! It was only a few months ago that I got properly stuck into yoga; it wasn't something that phased me beforehand. However, in the space of a few months, I think I've found a new love of mine! Doing half an hour or so's yoga has had, possibly, the largest effect from any other lifestyle changes listed- and I'm not exaggerating!
So, what are these massive effects? First and foremost, the quality of my sleep has improved drastically; I'm not overindulging on sleep but am not fatigued either, and I sleep like a baby- to say the least! Secondly, I've found myself to be far less stressed and, as a result, my mental health improving majorly. Finally, for all my fellow females out there, yoga seems to be surprisingly good for those horrendous period cramps- but I don't know if that's TMI!
So, what are these massive effects? First and foremost, the quality of my sleep has improved drastically; I'm not overindulging on sleep but am not fatigued either, and I sleep like a baby- to say the least! Secondly, I've found myself to be far less stressed and, as a result, my mental health improving majorly. Finally, for all my fellow females out there, yoga seems to be surprisingly good for those horrendous period cramps- but I don't know if that's TMI!
E A T H E A L T H I E R
For a few months now, I have been persevering and trying my best to eat as healthily as possible- no crash or fad diets around here, just feeding my body with good food! There's not much rambling to do for this one, as I have a related post coming further into the series, so I'll just get straight into the aftermath...
• Happiness, and a lot of it! I used to struggle massively with my body image; there were times when I gorged on junk food and felt like absolute shit after: bloated, guilty, and then trying to recklessly make up for it. Eating healthily, however, has meant that not only has the bloat disappeared...but my mental health and body image has been at an all time high!
• Combined with my gym sessions, it's also meant that I'm toning up at a faster rate- what's not to love about that?!
• Happiness, and a lot of it! I used to struggle massively with my body image; there were times when I gorged on junk food and felt like absolute shit after: bloated, guilty, and then trying to recklessly make up for it. Eating healthily, however, has meant that not only has the bloat disappeared...but my mental health and body image has been at an all time high!
• Combined with my gym sessions, it's also meant that I'm toning up at a faster rate- what's not to love about that?!
B E K I N D E R T O M Y S E L F
I'm a self-professed and confessed workaholic, it's fact for anybody close to me! However, this has led me to put excessive amounts of pressure on myself to not only get tasks done, but to also be perfect in what I do- which, let's face it, is simply unrealistic and was meant my mental health rapidly declined. So, in recent months, I have tried to be kinder to myself, which includes:
• Better planning of my day, I now split tasks into two categories: things I have to do, and things I want to do. This has meant that I aim to do everything in my 'have' section, but won't allow myself to become stressed if I don't do everything in the 'want' section.
• More time out for me, whether this be socialising more or truly indulging in self-care and pamper evenings- we all need to take time out to de-stress, after all!
• Stopping to put myself down, don't get me wrong, my body confidence levels are fairly good at the moment... but my sense of humour basically consists of self-depricating jokes, which I'm trying to decrease because, positivity- am I right?
Has this had a significant impact? Not yet, but even a small impact on my mental health and happiness is good enough for me- and after all, I started this all not long ago!
• Better planning of my day, I now split tasks into two categories: things I have to do, and things I want to do. This has meant that I aim to do everything in my 'have' section, but won't allow myself to become stressed if I don't do everything in the 'want' section.
• More time out for me, whether this be socialising more or truly indulging in self-care and pamper evenings- we all need to take time out to de-stress, after all!
• Stopping to put myself down, don't get me wrong, my body confidence levels are fairly good at the moment... but my sense of humour basically consists of self-depricating jokes, which I'm trying to decrease because, positivity- am I right?
Has this had a significant impact? Not yet, but even a small impact on my mental health and happiness is good enough for me- and after all, I started this all not long ago!
D R I N K A T L E A S T T W O L I T R E S O F W A T E R A D A Y
As self-explanatory as this one may seem, many of us don't actually do it! To the naked eye, two litres a day seems like a hefty amount- but once you make a habit of it, it's actually fairly easy! Before I get into the effects, I thought I should just let you in on a top tip for consuming enough water: always having a bottle out in front of you. Personally, I find that if I fill up my bottle before school and get it out in every lesson... I'm a lot more tempted to drink water than if I don't bother- and the same applies for being at home, those of you at work etc...
What has it done? A bloody lot, can I just say! Drinking at least two litres a day has meant that most of the spots and acne on my back have cleared up, and that's probably the best perk for somebody who felt very self-concious about it! To add, I can concentrate a lot better and I don't feel light-headed and faint like I used to before. Oh, and my skin is glowing- literally!
What has it done? A bloody lot, can I just say! Drinking at least two litres a day has meant that most of the spots and acne on my back have cleared up, and that's probably the best perk for somebody who felt very self-concious about it! To add, I can concentrate a lot better and I don't feel light-headed and faint like I used to before. Oh, and my skin is glowing- literally!
