Thursday 28 May 2015

20 Reasons Why At 20 I'm Still Not A Grown Up

1. I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life


2. When cooking dinner, a pre dinner must be consumed because
ain't nobody got time to wait around whilst your main meal cooks


3. Joining a motorway when driving still scares the shit out of me


4. You have to pay bills for sewage? Wtf?


5. Making doctors/dentist appointments are still panic inducing;
when am I free for an appointment????


6. The daily scare of of questioning whether you left the house with the
straighteners still on- surely an adult should be worrying about things like
cookers and gas being on, not hair appliances


7. I would still much rather have a pet than a baby. Less puke and poop
is good for me thanks.


8. I'm not out of touch with social media/slang yet- hold on what's
a thot??


9. It is still socially acceptable to not like wine, adults don't order vodka
lemonades at resturaunts.... do they?


10. I've still got long summer/easter/christmas breaks (thanks uni)


11. But obviously I won't do any work during them because


12. And of course I can quote all of Friends. Wait can adults do that too??
How old is Friends again??!


13. Justifiying ice cream for breakfast is still fine


14. Or basically anything for breakfast


15.Netflix is considered a significant other


16. Although I do enjoy watching Netflix with a cup of tea and malted milk
biscuits which makes me about 105


17. I do not have anything suitable for business wear. A real adult can
swiftly pull a selction of of outfits for said business occaisons


18. And the thought of eventually not being able to wear what I want everyday
makes for a very sad situation


19. But at least I can have a comforting McDonalds at any time of day with no judgement


20. And I still have no idea what I'm doing with my life

Tuesday 26 May 2015

MYPROTEIN Pancake and Shake Review

Finally I've taken the next step in my fitness journey and have dabbled in the world of protein with the Myprotein chocolate caramel shake and golden syrup protein pancakes. When I started looking at protein products Myprotein stood out with the massive range of products they sell and at pretty reasonable prices I gave these two products a go.


The Myprotein protein pancake mix was something I've never heard of before; I've seen plenty of recipes including protein powder but nothing as simple as the protein powder itself and milk. 1 scoop of the mix and around 80-100ml of milk, a quick whisk and you're good to go! And the flavour of these are incredible, really sweet and full of flavour so there is no temptation to add any extras like sugar or syrup! I've been cooking these in the evening when I have early lectures so that I can quickly warm them through in the microwave, add some fruit and Fage 0% yoghurt and I'm good to go.

The Myprotein shake tastes so good you won't even know that its not a normal drink, and the protein mixes really quickly and easily so no lumps to deal with. Personally I have mine with milk to get a bit of added calcium but it tastes just as nice with water, a nice amount of chocolate and the caramel isn't overwhelming at all; you get it more as an after taste which is really tasty.


These two have made a massive improvement to my gains, I don't have a shake after every workout, probably just 1-2 times a week after I've had a serious lifting session. With a whopping 34g of protein per serving of pancake, and 20g per shake, hopefully I'll be making some more serious ab gains soon!

Let me know what your fave protein products are below!

Xx


Sunday 24 May 2015

Summer Loving

My printed trouser obsession has officially started with these H&M beauties! I love just tucking in a slouchy t shirt or a jumper in the day, and pairing them with a crop top and heels for a night out.

I wore them the other day paired with these River Island ankle boots, Zara coat and Topshop cami, and of course I couldn't resist wearing my Ray Bans aswell!

Xx

Thursday 21 May 2015

How To Keep Burning Calories AFTER You've Finished Working Out

Recently more and more girls have been showing impressive bodies from weight training. Not only does performing compound movements like weighted squats use pretty much every muscle, but weight training in general can help build you curves and sculpt your body. Still not convinced? If you're more concerned with 'fat loss' you may still be thinking that cardio is the way forward. However, whilst it can be really beneficial depending on your fitness goals, there is one benefit of strength training that outweighs cardio: you burn calories at a heightened rate for several hours after you have finsihed working out.

Source: Pinterest
After a heavy bought of strength training, you continue to consume additional oxygen in the hours and even days that follow. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC.

When your body uses more oxygen, it requires more caloric expenditure and an increased metabolic rate.

Your body doesn't just stop once you've finished working out, you consume additional oxygen in the hours that follow (the excess post exercise oxygen consumption). This means that when your body is using more oxygen, it requires your caloric expenditure to be be greater and your metabolic rate increases. Which in simple terms means that your body continues to burn calories at a hightened rate even after you've finished working out, which isn't the same for cardio.

Source: Pinterest
And as your lean muscle progresses and grows, your body is able to use calories more efficiently. Pretty cool. So the more frequent and consistent stength training you do the, the more EPOC your body will do, and as your lean muscle grows from the training, it will cause a more effeicient calorie use across the rest of the day.

And to top it all off, this is just ONE of the benefits of stregnth training and lifting weights!

Will you be adding weights to your training?

Xx

Monday 18 May 2015

May Primark Picks







No shopping trip is complete without a little wander in Primark which inevitably always turns into a purchase. This month I've been loving their shorts, such as this pineapple printed pair and this aztec printed pair with bright orange detailing, which each come it at £4 and £6. They're both a flattering high waisted style and cover your bum nicely which is becoming something of a rarity in the shops at the moment!

I also picked up this travel mug for £1, its super lightweight, comes with the rubber gripping to stop you burning your hands and has a clip top to stop any leaks from the last few drips into your bag. Pretty much ideal for my drink when I commute into London soon!

Lastly I got this bikini top as I hate having bikinis that are all the same shape because I end up with major tan lines! They have so many styles in as usual and you can get a set for under £10 so its nice and easy to stock up for your holidays.

Have you found any Primark gems recently?

Xx

Friday 15 May 2015

Sports Ball

Every year, all the varsity teams at Bournemouth Uni get together for an event at the O2 Academy nearby. The dress code is black tie, which makes a change from the usual fancy dress outfits everyone wears on Wednesday nights after matches! After a lot of searching, I finally settled on this Boohoo dress for the grand sum of £20, which comes in a few other colours (it's folded in half the picture).







First of all I ordered my regular size (8) but genuinely could not get in over my arms, I have never been so squished in my life. So after becoming trapped in the dress and being forcibly removed from it by the mother, I settled on ordering the next size up which thankfully I managed to get into this time without crushing any vital organs.

However once on it is the most flattering fit and length, and gives you some serious cleavage even if you're not too gifted in that department! I paired it with these Newlook shoes which were actually fairly easy to walk in and comfortable. Finally the clutch was borrowed off of my housemate and is from River Island.

It's so nice to have a night to be able to dress up with all the team, its the perfect end to the season!

Xx

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Cambridge Satchel Backpack






I was lucky enough to receive this beauty, the satchel backpack, from my boyfriend for Christmas from The Cambridge Satchel Company, and I've worn it non stop since.  We went to Covent Garden to the store itself and got my initials engraved on the bag which was a really nice experience. The bag is quite little (18cm x 27)cm) but it makes it the perfect size for the essentials you need in the summer without being weighed down by a massive bag, and you've still got your hands free to eat ice creams. The buckles on the bag also make it nice and secure as you do have to fully unbuckle both sides to get into the bag so no easy zips or poppers for anyone to use to get into the bag whilst its on your back unaware.

The satchel backpack come in loads of colours and come in a dust bag which is a really nice touch. It's the perfect summer bag for your purse, keys and phone whilst you go out and enjoy the sunshine.

Will you be getting a backpack/ batchel for Summer?

Xx

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Spending Bans

I'm lucky enough to be pretty good at saving since I started working at Topshop when I was 15 and have dealt with my own money from then on. However, there's always times where what I convince myself is an occaisonal treat is actually something I either don't need to buy or something that I buy too much of already! Having four Starbucks on campus at Uni can be fab, especially in the Winter when I crawl in for 9am lectures, but just recently I've realised I've been rather spendy on my coffee fix.

With my holiday to Croatia coming up and the prospect of starting a full time job in PR in June which I'll need to get a work wardrobe together for, I really need to be saving my pennies! So for my final semster at Uni this year I'm going to attempt to not buy a single drink (sob sob) from Starbucks and see how much I can save!

What little treat would you cut down on to save a bit of money?

Xx

Sunday 10 May 2015

Macros: What Are they?

Aloha, if you're working towards your summer bod you'll probably be watching what you eat. You'll probably have heard the term 'macros' thrown about. But what do you actually need to look for? Fear not chums, hopefully I'll be able to explain this one and help you reach your ab goals.

Macros simply means macronutrients, which is the breakdown of the large food types you need in your diet. This mainly comprises of fat, protein and carbohydrates.
Remember that picture of the plate with food on from your childhood?

Whilst this isn't a perfect example, you get the general idea of what macros are now. So how do you track them and stick to your goals?

The main thing I'd reccomend is downloading the MyFitnessPal app (it's free), and just logging your meals, snacks, drink intake and exercise for a couple of days. There's a super handy part of the app which gives you a pie chart breakdown of how much protein, carbohydrates and fat you should be eating to reach your goals. You can break this down further to see which foods are helping you out reaching your targets and which aren't.



I've never had a problem with knowingly undereating but after a few days logging my intake, I realised that not only were my percentages of protein, carbs and fats all wrong, but I actually wasn't eating enough calories to reach my goal- which is to add some weight through building muscle.
Now that I've corrected this and eating my full recomended calorie intake each day, and in the right proportions, I honestly can't tell you enough how much it has improved my gains and general health! I feel so much more alert and full of energy and because I'm eating more good foods, I feel much fuller and no longer feel the need to snack on the not so good stuff!

What's your favourite fitness app for keeping you on track?

Xx

Friday 8 May 2015

Burger Shop Bournemouth




As summer finalllllly seems to be creeping towards us, I'm sure a lot of people will be thinking of heading off to the beach sometime soon- studying at Bournemouth Uni definitely has its perks! And so whilst I have the pleasure of checking out the local restaurants, I thought I'd save you the trouble of picking a good spot to eat and simply direct you straight to Burger Shop.




Tucked away about a 15 minute walk from the town center is quite possibly the home of the best burgers ever. Big claim, but Burger Shop always delivers- and quite literally delivers aswell to nearby areas so if you're staying in a hotel and don't fancy moving, you can still try it!

My favorite is the trusty House burger but with burgers and hot dogs to choose from you can't really go wrong. Not only are the burger amaaaazing and really filling, they are really reasonably priced for the top quality burger you get.

The place itself has a really laidback chilled vibe and there's usually some kind of offer running or limited edition burger available so you'll always be in for a good meal.

You can check out the menu for yourself and find more info at www.burgershop.co.uk

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Holiday Shoes Wishlist: Ipanema

Apparently it's nearly Summer, not that the British weather has accepted that at all! And so whilst I'm probably not going to be wearing summer shoes for a little while longer here, it's just over a month till I head off to Croatia for a week so I've been trying to get together some sandals and flip flops to wear over there. Ipanema flip flops are made in Brazil and 100% recyclable, and it's nice to see a company being ethically responsible.
The soles of all Ipanema's shoes have a really unique feature in that they are inspired by the pattern on the walkways by Ipanema beach in Rio de Janeiro which is a really lovely touch!

My absolute favourite has to be the Ipanema Festival sandal in this nude/gold colour. The feather like detail really does add that festival feel to them and they look like they'd be really comfy to walk in with the ankle strap support as well. I would wear these when we visit Venice for one of the days I'm on holiday as they would look great against a tan and with a floaty summer dress.


I also love the Ipanema Fit, which have an ombre design which makes it a bit different to what you normally see around in high street stores. The black and white pair would be lovely in the evenings as they would go with most outfits, whilst the pink and peach pair would make a great addition to your beach side wardrobe.

Let me know which are your favourites from the Ipanema website!

Xx