100 Days Refined Sugar Free

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

I am sat writing this post on day 100 of no refined sugar. 100 whole days of no cake, no chocolate, no biscuits, no sweets, no ice cream, no jam, no cereal bars. This is the third time since February 2015 that I have cut refined sugar from my diet (the other two attempts averaging about 75 days sugar free each time), and although each attempt has left me feeling exponentially healthier and better about myself, this attempt has really influenced my whole approach to my diet, so much so that I now have absolutely no desire or cravings to eat any of the above foods. 

Let's start with a bit of background information: I used to be a fully fledged sugar addict. I didn't just eat sugar because I liked the taste or needed the energy (although both these were components), I ate sugar because I felt like my body and mind needed it. There was a time when I stopped eating meals all together, I would roll out of bed with a migraine which refused to subside until I had eaten my 'breakfast' of chocolate. Sugar became my coping mechanism. When life got too much, when work got too stressful and when I was feeling down sugar was the only thing that got me through. It was a reward and a punishment, it made me feel instantly better but ultimately ten times worse and the only thing that could get me back out of that hole was... you guessed it: sugar. I was stuck in a viscous cycle which I was too scared to break. I was in denial of how much I depended on sugar and convinced myself that my anxiety would spiral back out of control without my sugar-fix self prescribed medication. Sugar was ruining my life. My progress in the gym had stifled because of sugar, my insomnia was getting worse because of sugar and no doubt my insides were absolutely crying out for nourishment all because of sugar.

Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting every one goes as extreme as me and completely cuts sugar out their diets. Despite the plethora of really quite scary information out there about the dangers of sugar, unless your consumption is incredibly high and you are eating foods full of refined sugar every day, then cutting down is more than enough to help lessen the detrimental side effects.

If you're used to eating refined sugar every day, then I would be lying if I said cutting it out was going to be easy, and if it is something you are seriously considering doing then you need to be prepared for the horrible few days that follow. The first time I ever eliminated sugar it was a hell worse that I imagined- I suffered from shakes, I had a constant migraine, I had horrendous stomach cramps and I really struggled with sleep. But soon after this my mood was lifted, I no longer had spikes in my energy levels and felt so much more awake. My concentration has improved and I am managing to get more sleep than I have done in years. Giving sugar up for the second and third times was even easier, with this attempt making me feel instantly healthier, more awake and drastically improved my performance in the gym. 

If someone had told me at the start of last year, that with my three no-sugar periods combined I would have managed around 250 days sugar free I would never have believe them, and my effort is something I am incredibly proud of. I now eat healthy home cooked meals every single day, and I actually feel like a happy, fully functioning, healthy human being.

My advice? Try it, you never know it might just make you feel better too.

(A Very Belated) June Healthy Body Kit (Plus 10% off!)*

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

If you read my post on last month's kit, you will know that the Health body Kit is a new monthly subscription box service aiming to "help women like ourselves become a little bit healthier - inside and out". Think birchbox-meets-Graze - a monthly supply of fitness supplements, organic skincare, health supplements and clean eats- and I LOVE it!

HOW IT WORKS

You can subscribe to receive your own monthly Healthy Body Kit HERE and each month a box of products will arrive at your house, giving you the opportunity to try some great new healthy and natural products. On top of this, you will also receive online access to 'A Healthier You', offering fitness tips and discount codes for a number of different brands each month. Even better still? Use exclusive code 'amyelizabeth' for 10% off your order!

THIS MONTH'S KIT

The theme of this month's kit is all about getting bikini body fit - providing you with a box full to the brim of products designed for helping you get the most out of your workouts and fueling your body to keep going!

001. Lonsdale Skipping Rope - Skipping is my favourite form of HIIT training (check back on my blog soon for a post where I will give you some of my favourite skipping workouts to try!). It's such an ideal form of cardio, allowing you to work up a massive sweat whilst only requiring 15-20 minutes of your time! This speed skipping rope is super lightweight, meaning it can be shoved in your handbag for a quick workout where ever you are!

002. Buff Bake Peanut Butter - I am a self confessed peanut butter addict, so you can only imagine my excitement when I was greeted to two AMAZING flavours of peanut butter in this month's kit! I got to sample the 'Snickerdoodle' protein almond butter and the white chocolate peanut butter flavours (and yes, they taste just as good as they sound!). These butters are also fortified with whey protein, providing a whopping 11g per serving. And the best part? They contain absolutely no added sugar! You would literally be mad not to try these!

003. Max's Protein Bars - These gluten free white chocolate and raspberry protein bars are like an absolute godsend! Made using coconut oil and containing 17g protein per bar, these are the perfect snack for on the go pre or post workout. The amazing taste makes you feel like you're getting a sweet treat but the natural ingredients ensure that you're still nourishing your body and will keep you going for longer.

004. The Organic Protein Company - YAYYYYYYYYY! We all know how very excited I get when I actually find a high protein product which fits my many dietary requirements! Although gluten free protein is far more readily available nowadays, so many varieties are stacked full of artificial sweeteners to give them flavour... unfortunately for me, I am severely allergic to them. So I was literally over the moon to try this organic protein powder, containing absolutely nothing artificial, nothing that I'm allergic too and produces a really yummy shake or smoothie!

005. Cellublue - Cellulite: the root of every woman's bikini season stress, (I will be writing a completely seperate post on why cellulite really isn't all that bad, so keep your eyes peeled for that one!), step forward: cellublue. A suction cup proven to help massage muscles post exercise, reduce DOMS (delayed onset of muscle soreness) and help reduce the appearance of cellulite in the process... win win? I think so.

006. SEMTEX and a £5 Voucher - The final product in this month's kit is semtex, a formula designed to increase your workout performance. Containing green tea extract and caffeine, this supplement will give you energy whilst being suitable for vegans and coeliacs. `

Remember: get your subscription 10% off now with code 'amyelizabeth'

Five Things: Sunday Thoughts

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

I literally can't believe I am sat writing this half way through 2016. The first six months of this year have absolutely flown by, but it's safe to say this year is shaping up to be one of the best years of my life. I have never really been a big believer of the whole "new year, new me" mantra, but bizarrely that is exactly how I would describe the transformation that my mind has undergone over the past six months. The beginning of 2015 was what really sparked a change in me, and I barely recognise the girl I was 18 months ago, but despite the numerous changes I made last year, 2016 has already surpassed my incredible 2015 transformation. The path my outlook has journeyed on, the increase in my strength, how at peace I finally feel with myself and food is greater than I ever imagined...

When I started on this crazy journey I never believed I would be where I am today. I never thought fitness would become such a large part of my life, that I would love how empowering it feels to lift a bar and be able to hold it above your head, to be able to squat far more than my body weight, deadlift 100kg, swim for longer, complete WODs faster, jump higher, and most surprisingly of all: love every minute of it. I hope my strength, athleticism and positivity only continues to improve with time. For the first time EVER in my recovery, I can finally say that I really do feel at peace with the demons I have battled for so long. Don't get me wrong, I know this isn't the end. I know there will be ups and downs ahead of me and the journey so far definitely hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows. There were numerous periods of time where I slipped back into the dangerous cycle that I fought very hard to stay away from, but the important thing to take from this is every time this happened, I got myself back out.

A quotation that has always been my favourite:

"I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say; because of you, I didn't give up"

I didn't start my blog to be that person, I started my blog because so many other people had been that person for me. Sometimes things happen in life that are beyond our control and it is at these times that it can be harder than ever to carry on fighting. But whatever it is, it is a fight you can win, and that is something I have proven to myself time and time again.

In light of the battles I have fought, the changes I have made and the positivity that I currently feel, (that and the fact that today I'm feeling a bit under the weather and am currently tucked up in bed in my dressing gown so could do with a few motivational thoughts myself), I've decided to write a little list of 5 more of my favourite quotes or mantras that have helped me to remain positive even when things don't feel so great:

001. 'You could be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world and there's still going to be someone who doesn't like peaches'

002. 'Just because you don't look like somebody who you think is attractive doesn't mean you aren't. Flowers are pretty, but so are Christmas lights and they look nothing alike'

003. My mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I wen got school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life' 

004. 'If today were the last day of your life, would you do what you are about to do today?'

005. 'A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust lies not in the strength in the branch, but in the strength of her own wings'

Happy Sunday lovelies,

My Response to The Daily Mail's Shameless Body Shaming

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

Dear Hannah Betts,

I do not know you. I have never met you. In fact the only contact I have ever had with you is when I read your delightful article on the Daily Mail this morning, entitled "Death of the waist: Once hourglass figures were coveted. Today's obsession with fitness is leaving stars like Davina McCall and Gwyneth Paltrow with androgynous physiques".

I firmly believe that women are strong and intelligent and deserve to be treated equally and fairly not only by the opposite sex but by each other. Therefore, I would like to ask you a question that has been in the forefront of my mind since reading your article: what happened to this notion of women sticking up for women? What happened to supporting one another, being kind to one another, respecting one another? Women get a LOT of stick in the media, girls struggle with self confidence, we are constantly bombarded with heavily photoshopped images of perfection (I'm sure as a woman working in media yourself, you are all too aware of the editing that goes on behind the scenes). You'd have thought after years of this treatment, maybe this would inspire us to band together and stand up for ourselves. But upon finding your article this morning, I quickly learnt that unfortunately this is still not the case. Forgive me, but at first glance I (wrongly) assumed the article must have been written by a man. Surely a woman could not openly degrade other women so publicly and unashamedly? How can one of the largest online platforms in the UK even for a moment think it is acceptable to publish an article which is such a blatant a body shaming attack on women? ESPECIALLY an article written by another woman. 

Let's break it down for a minute: if you're overweight, you're called fat. So you lose weight, but maybe a bit too much weight for the media's liking, so now you're called anorexic, skinny, bony. So you work hard in the gym, change your diet, eat healthily... and yet this is still not enough as you are now branded 'obsessed with fitness', but what's even worse than this, is that you think it's ok to write sentences such as: "...Thus the hourglass shape that has dominated cultural imaginations since the prehistoric age is being traded in for a lean, fatless, linear look, leaving its owners resembling, in many cases, slender, pert-bottomed little boys". (I'd just like to take this moment to point out that this body of a "little boy" that Davina McCall is apparently sporting is the same body which had the strength and athleticism to complete a 500 mile run, swim and cycle from Edinburgh to London in aid of Sport Relief.... but of course this incredible strength and determination means nothing if she doesn't have an hour glass figure to show for it).

You can't win. If you are seen eating someone is judging your choice of food, if you're not seen eating it is assumed you must be skipping meals. If you go to the gym you're obsessed with your looks and if you don't you're lazy and unhealthy. I appreciate that we all have different opinions of what is attractive, but please, if mine or anyone else's natural body shape is not one that appeals to you, don't go out of your way to ruin our day by telling us that. Furthermore, why are we still so concerned with the way people's bodies LOOK. The main point that your article has missed is that HEALTH is far more important that BODY SHAPE. Even in 2016 people are struggling to understand that health can manifest itself in many different shapes and sizes, you can have a healthy BMI but be on the brink of diabetes, you can be classed as overweight for your height but actually be incredibly healthy! I get it: muscles on women aren't everyones cup of tea. But who am I or you or anybody else to judge that? My own body composition contains far more muscle than it did this time last year, and I love those strong, solid parts of my body regardless of whether someone else may think they make me look like a boy (FYI: muscles have actually created MORE curves on my body...), but regardless of how mine, or Davina's or Gwyneth's bodies look, whats most important in all of this is that we have found a way to love our bodies in a world that constantly tells us not to. What's important is that we are healthy; what's important is that we have balance; what's important is that we are happy in our own skin so to be honest, your conceited opinions don't really matter one bit. 

But incase you're still struggling to see my point, I'll break it down a bit more for you:

1. Muscle does not diminish or increase your ability to be classed as an hour glass. Your body shape is determined by genetics and bone structure, and no matter how many of us may LOVE to change this, unfortunately it will never be possible. The reality is, even before these stars became so called 'obsessed' with fitness, they were never classed as 'hourglasses'. So strike one against the Daily Mail for making the sweeping statement that all women can and should be curvy. Here's the reality of my situation: I am 5 foot 4. I have had periods in my life where I did absolutely no exercise, and periods (like currently), where I train incredibly intensely in the gym. I lift heavy weights on an almost daily basis, but guess what Daily Mail!?! Throughout my whole adult life I have ALWAYS maintained a 24 inch waist! What is this trickery you cry? Funnily enough, it's called my body shape. And although lifting weights can tone and shape your body to some degree, it will never alter your bone structure, genetic body shape, or WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE A "PERFECT" HOURGLASS FIGURE.

2. Following the above, I could give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that your article was only trying to promote a different body ideal to the Size 0 prototype we so often see in magazines and runways, stating (albeit incredibly insensitively) that curvy women can be beautiful too and we should embrace different body types. But wait a minute.... surely this cannot be the case when simultaneously the same website responsible for publishing your article is always the first to post unflattering bikini shots of celerities and is never shy about remarking on their weight gain or cellulite. 

At the end of the day, the point I am trying to make is that I wish that we would all stop glorifying one particular body shape or size and in the process diminish someone else's self confidence. You have the right to feel happy and comfortable in your body no matter what shape or size it may manifest, and I truly hope that one day we will all learn to prioritise health and happiness above aesthetics. 

Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free Food Haul*

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

Recently, I have been an extremely lucky girl... inundated with new gluten free, refined sugar free treats to try! As many of you know, I often struggle to find nice snacks with my plethora of allergies... these, coupled with not eating refined sugar can make nice 'treats' very hard to come by... and let's be honest, we all need a treat every now and again for our own sanity. The brilliant thing about everything included in this blog post is that it is all free from gluten and refined sugar, and many of the products are high in protein too making them perfect post-gym snacks! 

001. Planet Organic - The lovely team from Planet Organic sent me a hamper full of guilt free goodies to try, including lemon macaroons (possibly the nicest gluten free 'cake-ice-treat' I've EVER had the pleasure of eating, granola, cocoa covered goji berries and coconut almond butter. Basically all my favourite snacks in one amazing hamper. Planet Organic run a large online site where you can purchase these products along with a large selection of natural health and beauty products. After trying these they definitely now hold a permanent place on my 'go to' post gym macro friendly snack list! For anyone who has a sweet tooth the raw chocolate goji berries are an absolute dream, I genuinely felt like I was eating a sugar filled treat so these are definitely one to try if you're trying to cut down on refined sugar but still want a sweet fix. Literally cannot recommend this company enough, amazing tasting products, filled with great superfood and organic ingredients (and let's also take a moment to appreciate the beautiful packaging too).

002. Halo Wholefoods - I first tried these little balls of bliss in last months Healthy Body Kit (read my and find out how you can get a 10% discount here). Halo Wholefoods offer a variety of food products which are all 100% vegan, refined sugar free, gluten free, lactose free, with no added flavours or preservatives. Think Nakd bar meets bounce ball. And trust me, when you mix those two together it creates magic... I could literally snack on these little balls all day long (but then they'd all be gone and I'd be sad so I'm trying to make them last). I was lucky enough to be sent 5 different products to try; the bliss balls in cacao orange, salted caramel, mint cacao chip and cacao bliss flavours and their raspberry and coconut superfood sprinkle. All flavours taste delicious, and are surprisingly filling making them a great little protein burst post workout! The cacao orange literally melts in your mouth it's hard to believe these balls are actually jam packed of nutrient dense whole foods such as chia seeds and goji berries! Again, I would highly recommend these for great healthy snacks on the go.

003. Nom - The third company that was kind enough to let me try some of their products this month was Nom, who sent me three different flavours of their popcorn to try. Being allergic to wheat and potato it becomes incredibly hard to find savoury snacks that don't contain my allergens, popcorn being one of the only exceptions. Therefore when I find great new flavours to make this otherwise boring snack option far more interesting I am delighted. Like the above, Nom's products are all certified organic and suitable for Vegan's. After trying all three flavours my favourite is a toss up between salted and salted maple, but all three are delicious on the go snacks! 

004. The Living Food Kitchen - Finally, I was absolutely over the moon when this massive hamper of treats arrived at my door from The Living Food Kitchen. It contained so many gluten free, refined sugar free goodies I don't even know where to begin! From a savoury selection of three different hummus's (beetroot hummus is a revelation), to GF, sugar free CHEESECAKE, BANOFFEE PIE AND CHOCOLATE MOOSE (like how is that even possible!?), to granola, to almond milkshakes, to the most incredible melt in the mouth flapjacks I've ever eaten. The products are super easy to order online and all arrive in a cool bag with ice packs to ensure freshness during transit. I loved every single product tried and can't wait to place an order with them myself!

Let me know in the comments below if you fancy trying any of these out :)

May Healthy Body Kit (Plus an Exclusive 10% Off!)*

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

If you read my post on last month's kit, you will know that the Health body Kit is a new monthly subscription box service aiming to "help women like ourselves become a little bit healthier - inside and out". Think birchbox-meets-Graze - a monthly supply of fitness supplements, organic skincare, health supplements and clean eats- and I LOVE it!

HOW IT WORKS

You can subscribe to receive your own monthly Healthy Body Kit HERE and each month a box of products will arrive at your house, giving you the opportunity to try some great new healthy and natural products. On top of this, you will also receive online access to 'A Healthier You', offering fitness tips and discount codes for a number of different brands each month. Even better still? Use exclusive code 'amyelizabeth' for 10% off your order!

THIS MONTH'S KIT

The theme of this month's kit is REJUVENATE - providing you with a box full to the brim of products designed for pure rejuvenation both inside and out.

001. Halo Wholefoods Cacoa Bliss Balls - As you all know by now, I love when I find a new raw/ gluten free/ refined sugar free snack to nibble on. I am a picker, and always have been. Therefore, I always like to make sure that the food I am picking at is good quality food that is still providing my body with nutrients and ingredients that are going to help it thrive! I had never tried these little balls of heaven before but I am absolutely SOLD (think Nakd bar meets bounce ball), and will actually be featuring these little beauties more prominently in an upcoming 'food haul' blog post so keep your eyes peeled!

002. Pukka - My favourite brand of tea, because a) the boxes their tea bags come in is just too. damn. cute. and b) their flavours are to die for (my favourites are their three ginger tea and their night time blend). So I was literally so excited to find a lovely selection of new flavours to try in this month's kit. Even more exciting? The kit contained two sachets of their powdered superfoods perfect for adding to smoothies or porridge!

003. Green frog Botanic Neroli & Lime Body Wash - I can be quite prone to sensitive skin and have to be careful which body washes and shower gels I use, as some of these have been known to bring out my eczema. However, one of the key ingredients in this body wash is Aloe Vera, known for it's soothing properties and therefore this body wash is perfect if you, like me, suffer from sensitive skin. 

004. Aduna Baobab - These super fruit powder sachets are 100% natural and nutrient dense, containing 4.5g of baobab per sachet. Baobab is a rich source of vitamin C, calcium and potassium and also helps you reach your recommended intake of fibre. This powered is great added to smoothies or sprinkled on to greek yoghurt!

005. Rejuvenation Water - This sweet tasting drink is made from water with added amino acids whilst containing no added refined sugar and 100% natural ingredients, meaning it's a fantastic alternative to sugar loaded fruit drinks such as Oasis or Gatorade. 

006. Evolve Hyaluronic Serum - This serum contains low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, which is proven to hydrate skin and plump out any wrinkles. Mixed with rose water to provide a lovely fresh and sweet smell, along with pomegranate extract, this product claims to strengthen cell membrane and leave skin incredibly hydrated! I will report back once I've tried it for myself!

Remember: get your subscription 10% off now with code 'amyelizabeth'

Get £4 off with Cheerz.com*

photo a9691e6a-8827-4473-a232-eaa2cdcc5235_zpswmeypj16.png

HEALTH. STRENGTH. POSITIVITY.

I absolutely love taking photos. I own nothing short of seven different cameras: lomography cameras, polaroids, underwater, SLR... you name it, I probably own it. But a large majority of the time I can also be found snapping photos on my iPhone (in fact I've only had my phone for 6 months and already have over 4.6k photos on it). Crazy I know. With my blog being such a large part of my life, the success of this goes hand in hand with maintaining a creative and aesthetically pleasing instagram account, something I pride myself on. Sometimes I feel like it seems a shame to put so much time and effort into my instagram snaps to simple upload them and have them get lost in the sea of other uploads, and this is where my love for photo printing company Cheerz comes in! A company that provide a super slick and easy to use photo printing service which is easily linked to Facebook and Instagram accounts for ease of use!

It seems a shame that in the digital age that we live in, we rarely see photographs outside of a screen, but I am someone who still loves to decorate my room with photographs as I think there is no better way to cherish a memory. 

The amazing team at Cheerz recently sent me a beautiful looking massive box filled with print outs of my instagram posts, a gorgeous keep sake filled with extremely high quality prints (having used a number of photo printing services before, namely Photobox and Polagram, I can honestly say I have never been more impressed with the quality than I was with my Cheerz products). Along with the box came the most gorgeous photobook, full of all my photographs from the UK Blog Awards, creating a keepsake to remind me of a wonderful night (read all about it HERE).

Offering a large range of products from books to posters to magnets to prints from as little as £6.50 for 20 prints there really is so much choice and the products are so beautiful I doubt I will ever go anywhere else for my photo printing again! 

Even better still?! I have teamed up with the fab team at Cheerz to offer you lovely readers £4 off your first order with discount code 'AMYLYF'!

Make Some 'Me Time' (feat. Son Brull Spa, Mallorca)

photo Screen Shot 2016-05-07 at 11.57.47_zpspfkbekkh.png

What is time really? For millions of years we existed in what was essentially a ‘timeless’ zone. Animals live their day to day lives not by clock watching and scheduling, but by their own timings. They eat when they're hungry, sleep when they're tired, hibernate when they’re cold. So why as humans have we resigned ourselves to such a restricting concept of time? Who decided that ‘work time’ should be 9-5, that ‘lunch time’ is at 12 o’clock, and that ‘tea time’ should be three hours before ‘bed time’ which incidentally must last eight hours before waking up for ‘breakfast time’. Our lives are on pre set 24 hour loops with no room for movement or adaptation. Where we used to measure time in long periods such as moon cycles, or by the height of the sun, nowadays we are so fast paced and stressed out that some of us plan each day out minute by minute. We are constantly in a rush, glued to screens, neglecting our wellbeing, running from one place to the next. And in all this pre-orchestrated chaos, when do we ever actually stop and schedule ‘me time’? 

What baffles me the most is we are constantly looking for ways to save time; we are a society obsessed with speed. We want fast fashion, fast food, fast internet connection... but really these 'fast' things aren't saving us any time, but just providing us with more things to cram into our already hectic lives.

The problem? Our bodies and minds are not coping with the lifestyle that we have created for ourselves. This progression from cave men to technology dependent millennials, despite being an amazing evolutionary path, is not without its flaws, as more people than ever before are having to take time out due to depression, anxiety, stress or feeling over worked. It's rare to actually meet someone nowadays who has never suffered with one of the above, and you can argue that the pace and nature of our lifestyles is not the cause of the rise in people seeking help for mental health, but you can't argue with the fact that taking some time out to enjoy life at a slower pace is certainly a beneficial way to improve mental wellbeing. And a few weeks ago I did just that. Me and my mum went on a girls trip to Mallorca, and during our trip, spent a day in pure relaxation at the Holistic Son Brull Hotel and Spa. Starting the day with a yoga and stretch class before enjoying a healthy gluten free salad for lunch and an afternoon of complete relaxation and full body massage.

Obviously, as gorgeous and relaxing as this break was (I HIGHLY recommend a visit if you're ever in Majorca), it's not always possible to just take time off work and get away. Therefore I have compiled a little list of more manageable ways to help slow down the pace of modern life...

001. Unplug - Coming from someone who is constantly glued to my phone this is probably the post hypocritical point that I'm going to make in this blog post. As a blogger I am constantly replying to emails, uploading to instagram, tweeting etc... however, I ALWAYS have time in my day when I put my phone down and allow myself to step back from technology. Usually in the form of a nightly relax in the bath, or a lovely long swim at the gym. We are all different, for you this might mean enjoying dinner with your partner with no phones allowed, it might be reading a book before bed, it might be going on a walk or listening to music. Find what it is that makes you relax away from a screen and dedicate some time to it every day. 

002. Remind yourself how to 'single task' - We are so used to juggling so many commitments that multitasking becomes somewhat second nature to us. Every now and again be aware of this and allow your mind to focus on one singular task. This could be something at work, it could be cooking dinner at night, what ever it may be allow your mind to remain clear of everything else on your to do list and dedicate that time solely to completing that one task to the best of your ability, instead of trying to tick off five things at once. Taking more time and consideration over these tasks will teach your mind to slow it's pace down, and surprisingly you may find that you actually become more efficient and avoid silly mistakes whilst doing so!

003. Learn to be in the moment - hand on heart how often are you actually fully present? If you're anything like me then your brain is constantly in overdrive, either thinking over past situations or worrying about future outcomes. Going over your to do list, trying to mentally tick off tasks in your head. It is extremely hard to focus on nothing but the moment you are currently in, and it takes a lot of skill and practice to master. With the help of iPhone app 'calm', meditation and mindfulness are two things I have been working on and for ten minutes or so every day* (*or the days when I actually remember), I try to think about nothing else but the present. It's definitely not a skill I'd pride myself on just yet, but hopefully with practice this  ability will become stronger.