I know, 'lifestyle maintenance' sounds a little boring and you might be sat there thinking 'what the heck is that' but let me explain.

Until you take a step back and take inventory of your health, you might not realise that it's determined by a combination of really important factors that keep us ticking over and functioning as we should be. You are most likely more aware of lifestyle illnesses and diseases such as diabetes (type 2), obesity and heart diseases and I truly believe that as important as it is to look into the cure, care and medicine behind these illnesses it's also incredibly important to look at how we can prevent them.

One way we can begin to prevent lifestyle diseases is by looking after ourselves a little better and that's where 'lifestyle maintenance' comes into it. If our houses get messy, we tidy and clean them. If our car breaks down, we get it serviced and fixed. Why don't we treat our bodies and minds with the same respect?

There are many factors that contribute to our overall health but I thought I'd share with you over the course of four different posts, the factors that I think are crucial in maintaining our health - this is based on knowledge I've gained through my studies into health & nutrition and also gathered from a wide range of experts who have looked closely into what helps us live our lives to the fullest.

Today's post focuses on sleep.

Sleep

It's strange how maybe 3 or 4 years ago I wouldn't have even considered sleep to be crucial in my day-to-day health and simply functioning as a human being but it doesn't take much investigating to realise it's actually probably one of the most important things we can do for our mental and physical well-being.

So how much sleep do we need? 

It's advised that adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night in order to function well during the day. It's a bit of a myth that as we age we need less sleep as even adults 65 years old or older need 7 as a minimum. Children need a little more, sometimes 10-11 hours a night.

What type of 'sleep' is there?

This might seem like an odd question to answer but there are actually four stages of sleep we go through during our visit to the land of nod;

Non Rapid Eye Movement- or NREM - sleep is divided into three parts; 1, 2 and 3 with each part becoming gradually 'deeper' into sleep. Parts 1 and 2 are the stages where we're most easily woken (unless you're my boyfriend who could most likely sleep through World War III if it came about).
Part 3 of NREM is the deeper stage of sleep which we're more difficult to rouse from and if we are awoken from this stage of sleep we might feel quite dazed and disorientated.

Why is NREM sleep important?

We need to go through each stage of NREM sleep to wake up feeling well rested the next morning & each stage usually lasts for around an hour/hour and a half. If you wake up one morning feeling tired and not with it then it's most likely because on of your NREm

The final stage of sleep is Rapid Eye Movement - or REM- sleep. This is the closest stage to being awake and it's called 'Rapid Eye Movement' sleep because your eyes do literally that, they move rapidly under your eyelids, darting from side to side. During this stage of sleep is also when you have dreams as your pulse quickens and your brain activity increases.

Why is REM sleep important?

REM sleep is the stage of sleep where our brains are most stimulated especially in areas of the brain that work on making and retaining memories and learning new things.

How can I sleep better?

You might assume that it's what you do right before bed that means you have a well-rested night's sleep but actually there's lots you can do even from the moment you wake up that can lead to a better night's sleep.

Morning: 
Keep a regular schedule - Keep the peace with your body and try to stick to regular hours of sleeping/waking. It might seem a bit like you've reverted back to childhood by setting a 'bedtime' but going to sleep and waking up at the same time most days will really help.

Get some natural light - Getting some daylight as soon as possible in the morning can really help reset our internal body clocks (or circadian rhythm as it's sometimes called)

Daytime:
Quit The Caffeine:  The Sleep Council advises that you should try to avoid caffeine 8 hours before bed but personally I try to not have any caffeine (so that's a matcha latte for me) before 2pm. If it's gone 2pm then no matcha for me!

Get Moving: Try to indulge in some gentle exercise during the day, exercise promotes the quality and quantity of your sleep and even if it's just walking around your office block or taking the dog for a walk it can help us sleep better.

Evening:
Put down the phone: Evidence has shown that using our phones and other electronic devices before bedtime can keep us awake due to the blue light they emit. They also stimulate our brains a little too much during the time when we should be trying to wind them down before we sleep so have a break from your phone an hour or two before bed. Have a bath, read a book, stay away from Instagram!

Avoid the temptation of a night cap: If we can't sleep there are times we might turn to a cheeky alcoholic beverage to send us off to sleep but despite being a sedative this can do us more bad than good. It might get us off to sleep okay but our sleep will be disrupted and we can end up feeling unrefreshed in the morning.

Night:
Give your bedroom a calm-makeover: Basically, ensure the room you sleep is set to a cool temperature, make sure it's dark and keep it a quiet space. If you don't have them then try to invest is some blackout blinds to help keep the light out, these are especially handy in the summer months when it can come flooding through curtains uninvited!

Get rid of rude alarm clocks: I searched high and low through the alarm clock settings on my iPhone before resorting to downloading a new tune from the iTunes store for my alarm and now I don't dread the noise so much in the morning. Keep phone and alarm clock lights off and turn off the television before you sleep. Before we moved in together, my boyfriend would fall asleep to the television and I have no idea how he did it!

Top Tip: Something that has changed my attitude to sleep is keeping the bedroom peaceful and calm. When I worked from home I'd be tempted to have breakfast in bed and log onto my laptop, have conference calls etc but keeping the room strictly for relaxing and sleeping has really helped me to associate the bedroom with unwinding and calm. 

Credits: The Sleep Council

My Morning Routine: Work Edition 2020

If you read my 2020 Goals & Habits post then you would know that setting myself some new routines was something I wanted to achieve this year. This week I started back at work properly after the Christmas break and I just *knew* it was going to be hard to tear myself out of bed each morning about 3 hours earlier than I was used to so I used the few days between New Year and starting back at work this week to establish a new morning routine.

To give some context, I work from 8:30am to 5pm and my journey to work is around 35/40 minutes drive on a good day, before Christmas I found myself getting out of bed later which meant I hit the heavy traffic on my way into work and I was around 15/20 minutes late every day. Luckily my company is super flexible but I really didn't like how rushed and stressed I felt each morning, so I decided to impose this new morning routine to get me up & out of the house on time (or even early) with zero stress in the mornings!

23:00 the night before - Bedtime
t might surprise you but my morning routine actually begins the night before and ultimately with a somewhat good night's sleep! I've started using the IOS Bedtime feature to set my 'bedtime' as 11pm and my alarm at 6:30am. I have a bath usually around 10pm and read for a bit after that but I try to put my phone down for at least 30 minutes before I go to sleep.

06:30 - Wake Up & Get Up
I've switched the snooze feature off on my alarm so there's no alternative but to get my butt up and out of bed, usually by now though Nellie has been shouting the house down so that enough motivation to get up and feed her!

06:30 - 06:45 - Get My Shiz Together
If I don't have leftovers for lunch then I like to prepare my lunch & snacks for the day during this first 15 mins of the day. I'll head downstairs, feed Nellie & then organise my lunch bag. I'll grab my matcha tea, keep-cup, water bottle, a couple of snacks (usually one for mid-morning and one for mid-afternoon) plus my breakfast & lunch and get it all bagged up and ready to go before I leave. I'll also use this time to put my multivitamins into their little sandwich bags to take later on in the morning.

06:45 - 07:00 - Skincare Routine!
One of my other habits to set this year was to stick rigidly to a skincare routine, I was particularly bad at it in the mornings last year (and by particularly bad I mean, I didn't do ANYTHING to my skin in the morning except splash it with cold water...). Now I use this time to cleanse, tone and moisturise before I apply my make-up.

07:00 - 07:20 - Make-Up, Hair & Get Dressed
We're lucky to have two spare bedrooms at home and each of us have claimed one as our own, I've turned mine into a dressing room essentially with another huge wardrobe, loads of storage and my desk for doing my hair & make-up. I don't wear a huge deal of make-up to work (or anytime to be honest) so it doesn't take too long to whack some CC cream on, brush my hair & choose an outfit for the day.

07:20 - 07:30 - Get Out The Door!
Once I'm somewhat presentable I'll say bye to Rob who is usually still getting ready when I leave & I'll also give Nellie her medication. Then I grab my bags & head out the door, usually I'll stick a podcast on in my car - currently loving Deliciously Ella's - and aim to be at work by 8:10/8:15!

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into my mornings, I find that I really enjoy writing posts like this and it helps keep me motivated to stick my new goals and habits for the year ahead! 

My 2020 Goals & Habits

Firstly, HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's 2020, what the heck? When did that happen?! I hope you all had a lovely festive period and spent a lot of time with your loved ones. I find the time between Christmas and New Year is very good fore some self reflection.

I've always loved a New Year Resolution although maybe I see them slightly differently the older I'm getting; they always used to be 'LOSE WEIGHT' or 'GET FIT' or 'EAT LESS CHOCOLATE' etc and although none of those resolutions are bad if that's what you want to do, I always found them far too vague which in turn made me see them as intimidating and unattainable.

This year I've decided to set some more realistic and achievable goals and also define some new habits I'd like to start this year and I thought in case anyone needed any inspiration I'd share them with you today.

• Eat clean more often - It's slowly dawning on me that I need to be kinder to my body. That means less processed food that contains, well, who knows what in it?! Don't get me wrong, I can't eat clean all day everyday as I love the odd treat now and then but I'm definitely going to make better choices when I can which

• Attend 5 gym classes a week - I'm currently a member of a fantastic fitness club in my local area which is run by one lady - Jo - who holds 9 classes a week including Zumba, Full Body Workout, Barre, AbsTastic and Clubbercise at our local gym. I joined last Jan and I still try to make a few classes a week now but my 2020 goal is to attend 5 each week.

• Take multivitamins DAILY - I've already failed at this one so far but that's only because I can't actually find the multivitamins I pruchased a month or so ago *eye roll* so I need to get to Holland and Barratt and treat myself to some new ones before I can get going. This one's pretty important for me though as I don't really eat any fresh fruit so am missing out on some vital vits! 

• Keep up my daily skincare routine - Since Christmas I've treated myself to some new beauty products and tools to really up my game in 2020 (it's not difficult seeing as my 2019 game was a make-up wipe...) I've bought a jade and rose quartz roller/gua-sha set and am loving using these day and night along with my new Homedics Facial Cleanser. I want to make sure that I keep this up as i'm a week or so in and already seeing a difference in my skin!

• Have more structure/routine - When I told my boyfriend about this goal he panicked but that's coming from him, someone who had practically ZERO routine before we got together. I reassured him though that it was my goal and he didn't have to join in. However, I want to ensure I'm getting 8 hours of sleep each night, making more time in the mornings so I'm not rushing or late for work, keeping the house tidy (putting something away after using it). Basically just having my shit together a little more. 

• Say yes less - By this I mean, stop doing so much stuff that I don't want to do or being worried to say 'nah, I'm good thanks'. Even something as little as staying up late when really I want to just go to bed at 10pm and get a good night's sleep before work or turning down an invite to a party when I'd rather have some time to myself to relax and unwind. The only pressure that's on me to please everyone else is the pressure I put on myself!

What are your goals and resolutions for 2020, I'd love to know! Comment below or find me on social media over on Instagram @laurenefell

When Life Interupts...

It's been a crazy few weeks. If you checked my planner you'd see all the blog posts & content I had planned for the last couple of weeks and unfortunately I've not been able to get one post written or uploaded, why? Well, life happened!

I love my blog and I love creating content but it is a very nice distraction from the trials and tribulations that life can throw at you and unfortunately I just wasn't able to distract myself this time, I was needed at home and I was more than happy to let a few blog posts slip by in order to be supportive when I needed to be.

A week-long trip to Center Parcs with Rob and my family was meant to inspire a lot of content for the blog but in reality I very much needed it as a break from my phone and I just needed to spend time with my loved ones, to recharge and rejuvenate a little.

I'm hoping I will get the chance to visit Center Parcs again soon in order to create the content and share with you what an amazing place it was, we got up to so much including archery and falconry.

I'm already back on it though and I'm looking to create some great content over the next couple of weeks including a brand post with Big Potato Games (because if Autumn/Winter aren't board game seasons then WHAT ARE?!).

Apologies for going quiet over the last couple of weeks but I'm sure all of you can understand - thanks for sticking with me and keep an eye out for some awesome content coming your way!

xo Lauren

Hello Fresh: The Pros & Cons

Years after the rest of the world have tried it, we finally decided to give Hello Fresh a go, hurrah! Or maybe not so hurrah? I have majorly mixed feelings about Hello Fresh after giving our first recipe a go earlier this week and thought I'd share my thoughts with you all and basically just weigh up the pros and cons of Hello Fresh.

So for those who don't know, Hello Fresh is a recipe subscription box which sends you 5 pre-packaged fresh meals in all the right measurements and amounts for you to cook yourself by following their simple instruction card.

We definitely had a mixed experience with our first Hello Fresh box and I wanted to share my thoughts on the Pro's and Cons of ordering from Hello Fresh.

CON: It's quite pricey for what it is

Not to start off on a negative note but this is one of the main reasons why we decided to try Hello Fresh, to save money on our weekly shop. The good news (which, sorry, doesn't warrant its' own PRO bullet point) is that you can get lots of discount codes online for your first box but after that it comes in at around £41.99 for five meals, so that's not including weekends for us. When we thought about what we'd need to add onto our 5 meals (things like treats, snacks, lunches etc) it didn't make our weekly spend any less overall.

PRO: The recipe cards are simple to follow so everyone can have a go

We take it in turns cooking in our house but it does mean that there are certain meals that we've nailed individually and have become our signature dishes so we don't share the recipes for these and as I'm out quite a few nights a week I have to plan meals for our weekly shop that Rob is confident at cooking whilst I'm out. With Hello Fresh anyone can grab the ingredients and pick up the easy-to-follow card so no worries about having to leave instructions or being restricted on what you can plan for meals.

CON: If there are ingredients missing you could be stuffed

We tried the loaded beef mexican wedges recipe last night and it turned out delicious - thankfully that's because I had a carton of passata and some garlic granules in the cupboard because the package was missing the passata and a garlic clove. If i'd not had any passata in then we'd not have been able to make that recipe at all so that's slightly frustrating. As someone who likes to plan and prep I find it a little tricky to put my food shop/plan in someone else's hands!

PRO: There are lot of different boxes to choose from 

Whether you're vegetarian, trying to stick to a high-protein diet, cooking for 4 or cooking for children Hello Fresh offer a wide selection of boxes and they even offer a quick-cook box with recipes that take 20 minutes or less to prep and cook which can be great if you're in a a hurry each evening!

CONS: The recipes aren't low-fat enough for us 

This will of course differ from person to person but recently we've been loving Slimming World recipes and although soured cream and full fat cheddar tastes real good I know in the long run it's not going to be much good for my waistline!

Personally, I don't think that we'll stick to Hello Fresh going forward, it's been great to give it a go and experience it and the meals have been delicious but I think for us planning our meals and doing a weekly shop each week is just easier for us and cheaper in the long run!

If you're thinking of giving Hello Fresh a go then have a google for some discount codes, some are offering 50% off so this is the perfect opportunity to trial it out!

Saving For A House: Our Plan

It's quite a daunting thought to commit to saving for a house, initially we were both a little overwhelmed by the prospect of maybe not having holidays or being able to splash out over the next few years but as we continue to fork out thousands each month for rent and utilities it was a no-brainer, we desperately want a place to call our own!

We're in the very early stages of saving but I did a lot of research on the best ways for us to save and looked into all the options available to us so I thought I'd share some of my thoughts and findings you with incase you're in a similar position or hope to be in the future.

How I Stay Positive

Staying positive is hard, really hard, especially when it feels like life is throwing the worst kinds of curveballs at you and it takes everything you have to keep calm and carry on. One of my goals for 2019 though was to think positively and for the most-part I have been doing okay at it! 

I try not to compare myself to others

I say try because it's something I actually find really difficult sometimes. Having anxiety makes me doubt things - a lot - and one of those things is usually myself, that means if I have a bad day when I think I'm not good enough I look around me and go 'oh, well she's good enough, she's got her shit together' etc. What I have to constantly remind myself is that I don't know that person's story either, they might look like they have it together on the outside (cos I know that's how I look the majority of the time, even when I don't) but they're most likely struggling with things too. I just tell myself to keep doing me because that's all I'm in control of. 

Be kind to myself

Before I began attending counselling for my anxiety I used to 'manage' it myself, a lot of the time that was me putting myself down for feeling and acting the way I did. I'd tell myself I was being 'stupid' and I'd be really overly apologetic for the way I was feeling. Luckily, counselling really helped me to be kinder to myself. I now tell myself that I'm doing my best and that I am making effort and trying and I don't let anyone tell me any differently. 

Better myself physically, mentally and spiritually
Since beginning to attend fitness classes in January I've really noticed the positive effect this has had on my mental health as well as the effect it has physically. The old 'exercise = endorphins' is true and it really works. I feel great after a workout like I've accomplished something and noticing the physical effects on my body helps massively with my self-esteem and confidence. Practising mindfulness and incorporating meditation and yoga into my routine when possible has also helped to get a hold of my thoughts and feel more in control.

Taking care of myself before others
My friends, family and boyfriend are by far the most important people in my life and nine times out of ten I will always put theirs needs before mine, there is that one occasion though when I'm unable to do that and that's because in the long run it would be detrimental to my own health. Don't get me wrong, these occasions are few and far between but I find that being honest is the best way to handle these situations. If my boyfriend wants to go somewhere or do something and I'm not feeling it I've learnt to just be honest and say I'd rather chill out by myself and have some me-time instead of just saying yes to please him.

I'm learning to let go of things I can't control 
If you have generalised anxiety then you'll know that not being in control is scary, something that's contributed to keeping a positive attitude is to really try to understand and accept that I can't control everyone or everything. There is so much I can't control but those are always the things I worry about the most, what I'm trying to do is to accept that i can only control one person: myself. I can't control other people's actions but I can control how I handle them.

How are you living a more positive life? I'd love to know your tips and tricks to keep positive, share them below in the comments :)

How To Start A Healthy Routine

It didn't really dawn on me that my routine was out of whack until I'd lived with my boyfriend for around six months. Before then, I'd always lived with my parents (with the exception of an 8-month stint in a 1 bedroom flat a few years ago when I thought I could afford to live alone - spoiler, I couldn't.)

Before we moved in together my boyfriend lived just over an hour from me so the location we moved to was half-way between us and a completely new town to both of us. I'd visited once before we moved here and it definitely took a while for me to realise that I wasn't adjusting as easily as I'd hoped and that's not because I don't love living where we do or that I don't enjoy living with my boyfriend because I really do, I think it was just because it turned my life upside down.

Routine helps with feeling settled when you might otherwise feel a little out of your comfort zone and it can really be a great tool for managing your mental health. I want to share what I've done to carve out a new routine for myself and also what I'd like to do over the coming months myself - hopefully some of this helps.

5. HEALTHY EATING & DRINKING
It's a bit of a no-brainer that to start a new healthy routine you'd need to eat healthier and cut down on alcohol which is proven to have a very negative effect on mental health. Now, I am not a fruit or veg girl, it's terrible I know but I struggle to get my 5-a-day in (heck, I struggle with 5-a-week) but that doesn't mean you can't still eat well. I've cut out junk food and most processed foods and I stick very loosely to a Slimming World plan to give my diet some structure; in all honesty we love so many SW recipes and snacks so it's not difficult. Following a healthy living plan will become part of your daily routine and you'll start to form new eating habits in no time.

4. WORKOUT REGULARLY
Making exercise a part of your routine will take feeling good about yourself to a new level. As I was completely new to the area we moved to I was keen to join a new gym so that I'd be able to get into a new fitness routine...the only problem is I hate the gym and really didn't enjoy it. I stopped going and got into a bit of a rut about working out, I was in desperate need of finding some form of exercise that I enjoyed. Luckily I stumbled across an amazing fitness instructor who runs 8 different classes a week in a school hall only 5 minutes from our house - it couldn't have worked out better.

I now do Barre, Pound, Fight, Zumba, Clubbercise and a Full Body Workout class each and every week. It's probably my favourite part of my new routine as through these classes I've met some wonderful women and it's really made our new area start to feel like home. It also makes me appreciate the 3x days I get off from classes each week!

3. START A NEW HABIT
One way to make your routine interesting it to start doing something completely new and different. When your surroundings and circumstances change it can feel like the easiest thing to do is to revert back to your old routine to make everything feel somewhat normal again but it's probably the best opportunity to take up a new hobby. I started practicing yoga and blogging again and have tried to make both of these activities part of my routine. Why not start reading more or incorporating a daily walk into your routine?

2. TRY AND STICK TO A BEDTIME
I know bedtime sounds like it's for 5-year-old's but I think it's a really important part of a daily routine and definitely one that I've not nailed myself yet and still struggle with. Sleep is crazy important for mental health, it's the one time a day we can give our brains and bodies a rest and ensuring we get enough sleep is really important. I always try and turn off the telly each evening at 10pm, my boyfriend will usually watch something on his iPad for a further 20-25 minutes whilst I get ready for bed and then I'm in bed by 10:30pm at the latest. The problem is we then sit in bed and watch silly YouTube videos for a while or we'll play with the cat or end up chatting about something or other. It can be 11:30pm or even midnight before we go to sleep and then we're both up again at 6:30/7am for work. I'm slowly starting to realise I'm just not getting enough hours.

To correct this, I'm going to start switching off from 10pm onwards so that means limiting the time on my phone and not putting the television on in the bedroom before we go to sleep. I also want to start reading more and winding down before bed. One of our worst habits is my boyfriend going on Reddit or me going on social media then going to bed and going 'oh my god did you hear this story about that guy that did this? Look at this video! Look at this gif!' etc.

1. HAVE A MORNING ROUTINE MAPPED OUT
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous tip and because I haven't got the night routine figured out I haven't really got my morning one sorted yet but that doesn't mean I don't have good intentions set out.

If you've had a good night's sleep it's very likely that getting up earlier will be easier, that's just science (maybe?). I was actually doing really well in the new year and I'd get up half an hour earlier,  do ten minutes of yoga whilst the cat ate her breakfast, then I'd sort my breakfast, lunch and snacks out for work before getting ready. This meant I wasn't rushing round the house like a mad woman, I'd had a morning stretch and I was never late for work and that's all down to getting up just half an hour earlier.

If you suss out your evening/night routine and get enough sleep, setting your alarm for half an hour earlier the next day will only have a positive affect on your day and that's what I'm intending to try out this week!

24 HOURS IN PARIS

If you were reading my blog just over a year ago you'd remember that I travelled to Paris with my best friend for a girly weekend away in the city. I also mentioned in my post that unfortunately we happened to be in the centre of Paris on the night of the awful terror attacks on the Bataclan theatre, the Stade de France and nearby cafe's and restaurants.

Despite it being a rather tense, worrying day/night holed up in our hotel room watching everything unfold on the telly and then having to leave first thing the next day, Paris was one of the most beautiful places I'd visited and still remains top of my list of cities to visit (again) and I wanted to share with you the things I would love to see and do this time round if I was given just 24 hours in the city of luurrve,

NOTRE DAME

This was top of my list of things to see when in Paris, even above the good old Eiffel Tower and the main reason I want to visit is yep, you guessed it, the Disney movie. We crossed a bridge on our first day in the city last year  - the old padlock bridge to be precise - when we were just exploring, making a list of things to do during the weekend and I saw Notre Dame towering over the Paris skyline and just felt so excited and giddy. I'm all about that gothic architecture and seeing the Gargoyles in real life is definitely on my bucket list, even if they don't sing or dance much to my disappointment.

THE CATACOMBS

I'm a sucker when it comes to all thing eerie and creepy and I don't think it can get much creepier than ancient tunnels which run underneath the streets of Paris and holds the remains of more than six million people, can it? The endless rumours of weird goings on and ghostly sightings down in the tunnels makes it one of the most interesting and fascinating locations on my Paris to-do list.

THE LOUVRE

This was another spot that we wandered along to and mentally added it to our sightseeing list in Paris. I've never been a massive art gallery fan despite having a love for all things design, weird I know, but the Louvre is just a must-see mainly due to a few of these classics: Mona Lisa, Liberty Leading the People and Nymph and Satyr just to name a few. I also don't know if you've seen Passport to Paris with Mary-Kate and Ashley but that's also another reason for wanting to see a gallery.

FOOD

Of course, there's only 24 hours in the day and along with wanting to see classics such as the Eiffel Tower and my faves above there's only one other thing to do on a city break and that is to eat and drink until you can't eat or drink any more. One of my favourite things about the city was the amount of quiet, narrow alleyways which contained some of the cutest looking cafe's and restaurants. I'd make it my mission next time round to stop at multiple for a different course, finishing up with a Nutella crepe of course because I am one classy mademoiselle. 

Which city would you love to visit if you had only 24 hours?!

HOW TO GET BACK ON THE WORKOUT WAGON

Now this is a story all about how...I fell off the wagon and stopped eating healthy or going to the gym. You know that classic tale? Well it happened, the last few months were stressful as heck, I went to America and ate my body-weight in mac and cheese for fourteen days straight (no regrets though my friends, no regrets) and now it is nearly December and I am not yet ready to let myself go entirely for the festive season.

It's time to get back on the wagon and get my arse into gear (and a size or two smaller hopefully) and there are a few ways I've discovered - because yes I've fallen off the wagon before, it happens because life gets in the way ands ometimes when you're not feeling too good dragging yourself to the gym or slicing up an avocado does not appeal and the thought alone drives you into the arms of a bargain bucket .Speaking from experience here.

MAKE YOUR WORKOUTS/GYM TIME ENJOYABLE

So recently I moved out of home, into my own flat in a nearby town and had to quit the gym I loved (yes I just put gym and love in the same sentence, i know, who am i) and join a gym down the road from my new flat. Now the gym I joined was tiny, there were hardly any staff around and to put it plainly, I despised it so obviously ultimately I stopped going. Now I am moving back home (because rent sucks, rent sucks oh and rent sucks) and I am rejoining my fave gym again. 

Long story short, you won't work out if you don't enjoy the space you're working out in or the workouts you're doing. I am obsessed right now with the instagram account for the New York gym DOGPOUND - it's where Taylor Swift and the Victoria Secret girls work out and it's full of inspiration as far as workouts are concerned. I've made a note of them all and I'll be adding them into my workout routine for sure. 

INSPIRE YOURSELF WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD

I have Pinterested (hello Oxford Dictionary, please make that a verb) the crappola out of recipes and meal ideas lately, it's been the holy grail for making me excited to eat better. After pinning a thousand and one recipes to my board I'll make a shopping list & meal plan for a week with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack ideas. I did even not realise until I looked into it how many exciting things could be done with a sweet potato and of course it instantly dispelled the myth about eating healthy meaning all you could do was knaw on salads day in day out. 

DITCH THE 'DIET'

I used to be a sucker for this one, even recently I tried out Slimming World which did help me lose some weight but after I fell off the wagon and was ready to hop back on I decided that SW wasn't the path I was going to take. I understand how it works for a lot of people but personally for me it was limiting in the sense that it stopped me from having food that I knew wasn't bad for me like avocado (sorry, this post is not sponsored by the great gods of avocado it's just cropped up a lot) and I didn't want to feel like I couldn't eat something, I never want to feel like that. 

Diets like Slimming World do provide you with tools and keys to help when it comes to ditching their plan and going it on your own though which I will give them full credit for. However, diets that include cutting our carbs and such are just not great in the long-term, you need to think of the way you eat as a lifestyle choice and not a diet. 

Getting back on the wagon can be hard, especially if you've been off a while but there's never a bad time to get back on. What are your tips for getting back on track after a break?

4 THRILLERS ON MY READING LIST THIS WINTER

When it's freezing and dark outside, all I want to do is make myself a cup of tea and curl up on the sofa with a good book (yes I am intact an 80-year-old woman). Of course, me being me it has to be a thriller, something grizzly, creepy and exciting is a must cos you know, six years of watching The Walking Dead has really upped my standards when it comes to gore and horror so it takes a lot to creep me out.

Luckily, this perfect little foursome of novels fits the bill. My weird, worryingly morbid bill. Over the next week or so I'm going to be working my way through these beauties and of course sharing my thoughts with you about each one individually. I've just finished The Widow in a 24-hour sesh as it was SO good I couldn't put it down, literally, I was stirring pasta sauce over the hob with one hand and had the book in the other! 

Here's a little blurb about each one to get you interested and stay tuned for more on these as I work my way through them!

WHAT WORKING FOR A MAGAZINE IS REALLY LIKE

I don't want to mislead you lovely folk so I should probably start this post by saying no, sadly I did not work for Vogue or Cosmopolitan so if you're looking for some Devil Wears Prada goss then you won't find it here. However, I did work for a UK gossip/entertainment/beauty/fashion magazine, you know the kind that usually featured a TOWIE celeb or Kimmy K on the cover.

I worked at this magazine for a year as a junior designer and was taken on before that as an Art Intern for approx 6 months and it was such a crazy experience. I've always wanted to work for a magazine ever since I fell in love with Lauren Conrad and Whitney Port from The Hills. Get me a cute headband, sit me in front of an iMac and I am all yours! Of course now my life is super different and I wouldn't change that for anything but let me share with you just what working in publishing was like...

A LESSON IN SELF-LOVE

I'm my own worst enemy 99.9% of the time, if not 100% of the time. I think I've learnt more about myself and changed in more ways during the course of 2016 than I have any other year.

Now let me stop being so vague and mysterious, what I'm talking about is learning to love yourself. We all want to stop judging ourselves when we look in the mirror and to not care about things we can't change but hello, those things make us the perfectly deranged, crazy, wonderful people that we are and it's not about eradicating those qualities but about learning to have full control over them.

THE PERFECT WINTER WALK: KEW GARDENS

It may sound as though I'm 25 going on 85 but I am a sucker for a Sunday morning stroll. I'm lucky enough to live close to some incredible lakes, gardens and country houses and when I woke up this morning to blue-skies and sunshine it was a majority decision in our household to bundle up and head out for a nice winter walk.

We opted for Kew Gardens which is home to Royal Botanic Gardens (a fancy word for lots of gorgeous trees, plants and greenhouses) just outside of London. During the winter which is classed as Nov 1st onwards entry is £10 including a donation to Gift Aid and you definitely get fantastic value for money here, it makes such a great day out.

There's plenty to do here (as well as of course just wandering aimlessly around and just taking in the gorgeous scenery) including a Treetop Walkway which gives an awesome birds-eye-view of the park a giant badger sett and amazing indoor greenhouses and buildings to explore.

It was the perfect opportunity to take some photos and if you live nearby then I would 100% recommend taking a trip here as it makes for a perfect backdrop for blog photos.

WHY I STOPPED BLOGGING AND WHY I'M STARTING AGAIN

Well hi blog. It's been almost a year and it's easy to figure that out because the last post I wrote was my 2015 highlights, oops!

2016 has been a bit of a bugger if I'm honest, I haven't really liked it one bit and I'll be rather glad to see the back of it in a couple of month's time that's for sure! I know often these posts can be apologetic but this one isn't. Life has simply got in the way and to say that I put this blog on the back burner is an understatement, it wasn't on the burner at all, heck it wasn't even in the kitchen.

Whenever life has settled down a little I thought about coming back to post and then I was always hit with a realisation that there wasn't much I wanted to blog about. I felt as though my content wasn't 'me' enough and that I'd rather not post at all than post a half-arsed beauty product review that I didn't really care about one bit.

I want to write about things that I love, like my obsession for The Walking Dead, my passion for books and reading, city breaks and days out. Of course I still love clothes and I still love beauty products and make-up and all of that malarky and when I find something I genuinely love then I will feature it but I don't want those things to be the sole focus of my ramblings anymore as that's just not who I am.

So this is my comeback to my blog and I hope you all can forgive me for the amount I'm going to talk about zombies.

2015 : MY BEST BITS (WITH A TWIST)

Well, I'm going to get all cliche up in here but blimey this year has gone quick hasn't it?! All in all 2015 has been a really good year for me; I've been to some awesome places, seen some incredible things and most importantly...been hooked on some bloody great tv shows. No, seriously, 2015 has been the year of the boxset binge for me!

Without taking myself too seriously and getting too sentimental I thought I'd share my best bits with you but the only difference is, well, this is me we're talking about so they're not your standard reminiscent anecdotes, nope, they're a bit strange - like me!

In 2015...I Fell Back In Love With Daniel Radcliffe
Cue Take That and Lulu because the fire is well and truly re-lit, my friends. I've always been a huge DanRad fan and anyone who knew me when i was fourteen can vouch for this. There's always been a place in my heart for DR and this year, with the release of The Gamechangers (I mean, my FAVE actor in a movie about my FAVE video game, I could've exploded), What If and Victor Frankenstein, I could just feel the feels coming back!

The great news is that in 2016 Daniel is starring in Now You See Me 2 which is the sequel to one of my all-time favourites movies so the chances of me copying and pasting this paragraph into next year's best bits are extremely likely...

In 2015...I Somehow Got Lucky And Attended Two Movie Premieres
One of my favourite things about 2015 has to be attending the London premieres of the two movies that completely made my year and despite the movies being bloody amazing the best thing was being able to take one of my best friends to each screening. I was lucky enough to get invited to the premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingly Part II and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials (I do love a sequel, me) and I couldn't be more grateful that I had the chance to attend.

In 2015...I Explored The Big Apple & The City Of Lights For The First Time
I'm a girl of habit so for me, spending a lot of money on trips to new places always makes me think twice because what if i get there and I don't like it?! Luckily, this year I said 'screw it' and jetted off to New York City in January and then Paris in November and you know what, I'm so glad I did. Despite getting caught in the historic snow storm in NYC and then being in Paris for the terrible terror attacks I still fell head over heels in love with each city and can't wait to return to both to wander the streets and explore some more.

In 2015...I Finally Understood The Victoria Secret Hype
I love pizza and pizza loves me. That's why I'll never look like a VS model and also why in the past I've grumbled at the thought of watching stunningly beautiful women strut their stuff down a catwalk in underwear sets that cost more than i'll earn in a lifetime. BUT NOT THIS YEAR. This year, I finally got it. I sat down (after eating a burger and fries cos you know, I gotta do me still) and watched the VS Fashion Show in awe and even gained a big old girl crush on Gigi Hadid. I also feel hugely inspired in the new year to kick my butt into gear and start eating right and working out more so only good things came of my VS Fashion Show experience so that'll teach me won't it?

In 2015...I Turned Into An Old Lady
This year I've truly felt like I'm 24 going on 74 because I've hibernated 90% of the time and have absolutely no regrets at all. My favourite evenings are the ones spent in comfortable clothes with minimal makeup on and the company of my friends and family. Today for example, the last Saturday before Christmas I happily spent with my best friend in London watching Thomas Brodie-Sangster in a play before heading home, putting my new PJs on and curling up on the sofa beside the Christmas tree watching the Strictly final. PURE BLISS.

In 2015...My Blog Began
It feels like I've been posting here for much longer but I only started this blog earlier this year in April. I'm so, so glad I did because this blog gives me so much enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy reading and visiting just as much.

I hope your 2015 has been amazing and incredible and i want to hear all about the awesome things that you've been up to so leave me a comment below and let me know what your favourite thing about the last year has been for you!

10 REASONS WHY CHRISTMAS AS KIDS WAS SO GREAT

As soon as the decorations go up in this house I always get hit with a wave of nostalgia and *feels* because I'm still spending Christmas in my childhood home so there are familiar decorations and traditions all over the place. It also gets me thinking about all the reasons why Christmas was so incredibly awesome when you're a child and still believe in Father Christmas so I thought I'd share my favourites with you!

• You didn't have to contribute to putting any of the decorations up, the tree just suddenly appeared and the stockings were hanging over the fireplace and it was all so magical. Well, until you go to touch a bauble and your mum's spider sense tingles from another room and she tells you that you move or touch anything on the tree at your own peril. 

• It was so exciting to get the Argos catalogue out so you could narrow down your list to Santa but apparently November 1st was too soon to sit on the sofa folding down pages and circling toys that you wanted...


• Picking a multipack of Christmas cards for your entire class at school then making the really difficult decision of which card design to give to which person and finally posting them in the little red post-box left in reception area just in time for handing-out day.


• You were never picked as Mary in the Nativity play but it was okay because a) you made the best Angel Gabriel anyone's ever seen and b) the chosen Mary kept messing up her lines and crying into the cardboard manger.


• Nothing felt as good as waking up in the night for the 2453rd time to see it was finally 4:30am which meant in half an hour it was going to be reasonably acceptable to wake up your siblings and run into your parents bedroom for the stocking-opening ceremony.


• Receiving a 'Bang On The Door' set of smellies from a girl in your class that you'd spoken to once throughout the year and pretending you'd left theirs at home before your mum rushes out last minute to One Stop to get them a box of celebrations.


• The magic of coming downstairs in the morning to see Rudolph had taken a bite of the carrot and the brandy and mince pie had vanished and a note from Father Christmas thanking you, yes, you personally, for the treats.


• Being completely and utterly amazed by that one fish cracker present. You know the one, the little flimsy paper fish that can sum up your whole personality and entire life achievements depending on the way it curls in the palm of your hand. 'The tails curled up. I'm jealous? Do it again on the other hand.'


• When your parents did that thing where they pretend like you haven't got much or Father Christmas forgot to bring you the one thing you really wanted and then Nan and Grandad come round and bam there's the Cabbage Patch Kid doll that you circled in marker pen thirty times in the Argos catalogue.


• Finally, the best thing about being a kid at Christmas has to be that first peek around the living room door in the dark and seeing presents before practically screaming at your parents that 'HE'S BEEN! HE'S BEEN!!'

Can you relate to any of these? I would LOVE to hear your Christmas memories so feel free to share in the comments below and we can reminisce together.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE UNDER £15

It's that time of year once again. For me, it's the time of year when I vow to be more organised and plan my presents for friends and family and buy some of them at the end of November. Partly because I'm terrible at budgeting and partly because I despise leaving the house at the weekend in December because everywhere's so freaking busy. Cry face.

SO, in an attempt to be a better person this festive period I've put together loads of amazing gift ideas which are amazing not only because they're actually things people would want but also because they're all under £15!

New Look Pink Faux Fur iPad Mini Case, £12.99

New Look Detox Pamper Set, £6.99

New Look Magnetic Polaroid Frames, £5.99

Keep Calm and Colour On Colouring Book, £4.99

ASOS Christmas Star Hot Water Bottle and Cosy Socks Set, £12

Sass & Belle Copper Flower Jewellery Stand, £9.00

ASOS Cat Makeup Bag with Glitter Ears, £10.00

Marshmallow Toasting Kit, £14.75

'What Would Beyonce Do' Pencils, £5.00

Sass & Belle Retro Arrow Print Sign, £8.99

Ban.Do 'But First Coffee' Thermal Mug, £14.00

PARIS

Before I left for the City of Lights with my best friend on the 12th November I had a clear image in my mind of how this blog post was going to be; lots of photos including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Disneyland Paris with plenty of content proclaiming my love for the city of Paris.

Sadly, on Friday 13th November the city we were staying in fell victim to a vicious terror attack where over a hundred people lost their lives. Luckily, we'd spent the day at Disneyland Paris and as we left the park at around 8'o'clock we changed our minds about finding somewhere for dinner back in Paris and stayed in the park to eat instead. As soon as we were off the train and back in our hotel our phones went mad with text messages from friends and family back at home and at first we shrugged it off. We'd heard nothing and the trains were running as normal back from Disney. It wasn't until we were in our hotel room that we discovered the extent of what was happening, just ten minutes down the road from our little hotel.

In the run up to the tragic event that left us glued to the news in our hotel room for the rest of the night I'd fallen head over heels for a city I'd spent only 36 hours in and can't wait to return to as soon as possible. I documented our little explorations in a series of photos that I'd love to share with you all.

I hope you enjoyed these few snapshots of the city of Paris. My post about our day in Disneyland will be up soon! 

BOOKSHELF: THE CREEPIEST THRILLERS TO COSY UP WITH THIS WINTER

This time last time I would usually be curled up on the sofa or in bed reading a festive chick-lit novel and don't get me wrong, every now and again I do love a Christmas-themed read. However, for me, this year has been the year of the thriller novel and I've worked my way through some amazing, gripping stories throughout 2015, including You by Caroline Kepnes, The Never List by Koethi Zan and The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins.

So don your onesie or winter pjs, make a nice hot cup of tea and curl up on the sofa with one of these books that I guarantee you won't want to put down.

Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton *
What's the worst thing your best friend could do to you? Admittedly, it wasn't murder. A moment's carelessness, a tragic accident - and two children are dead. Yours. This is the first line of the blurb and I know, it sounds intense but bear with, bear with. This book wasn't exactly what I expected, of course there is murder and death involved but it's not all entirely as sinister and evil as it first seems which I rather quite liked as it's a little different to your standard murder mystery.

Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger
Sometimes your best friend can be your worst enemy. Ian and Priss have been friends since they were children playing in the woods outside their small town. But Ian knows there's a darkness to Priss. Bad stuff seems to occur when she's around. Fires start. People die. Still, Priss is his best friend, and best friends are forever.
This is a weird one. Like Little Black Lies, Crazy Love You isn't everything it seems and I similar to You by Caroline Kepnes, this book is written from a male point of view which can be refreshing to read every now and again. This is pretty much a creepy-ass story of a girl who can't let go of her male best-friend Ian and that can make things a little itty bit difficult when said male friend meets a girl who makes him want to change for the better. Unfortunately for Ian, Priss doesn't like change. At all...

The Lie by C.L. Taylor
Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She's happier than she's ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should've been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two women. 

This book is gripping from the get-go which is amazing because we all know how much it sucks to hear great things about a book from other people but not be able to get past the first chapter yourself. You're instantly thrown into the story when 'Jane' receives a letter at work from someone who knows her name isn't Jane and it's in fact Emma. There's so much going on in this novel that I can't elaborate on the blurb any more without giving SO much away.

The theme and nature of this story is something that genuinely creeps me out a little which made for such a good read!

Disclaimer by Renee Knight *
Imagine coming across yourself in a novel, a novel that exposes your darkest secret. A secret you thought nobody knew. When an intriguing novel appears on Catherine's bedside table she curls up and begins to read. But as she turns the pages she is sickened to realise the story will reveal her darkest secret.

I'm only half-way through this one at the moment but really wanted to include it in this post because so far I love it. It's a little bit slow-moving but the general premise of the novel interested me so much that I'm going to persist because now we're getting to the juicy stuff and slowly beginning to discover who wrote the book about Catherine although we haven't uncovered the details of the dark secret she is trying so hard to conceal.

What are you reading this winter? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me over at @laurenfell

*These books were gifted to me by Transworld Publications.