Moving to Stellenbosch has definitely had its trials and tribulations. I’ve made incredible friends and missed home A LOT but I think one of the biggest things I have struggled with is getting my routine back with gym, especially in the first semester!

I had to change gyms which I was excited for in the beginning until I got overwhelmed and always found an excuse as to why I shouldn’t go to gym rather then why I should.

I ended up changing gyms twice before I found one that I thought “okay, I can do this” and eventually I started getting excited to go to gym. So if you’ve been struggling in this department, don’t worry. I feel you!

Find a gym you are comfortable in. I don’t care what anyone says, I could never go to a gym that I wasn’t happy in and then still expect to see results. You work best in environments that are comforting and exciting rather than daunting and unmotivating.

I’ve said this before and i’ll say it again, find an accountability partner and start gyming with them. The easiest way to get comfortable around a gym and get used to the way it works is if you’re getting used to it with someone else. Bonus if they were gyming there before you because they can show you the ins and outs!

If you don’t have a friend that you can go to gym with, take your earphones with. I struggle to go to gym by myself if I don’t have earphones with me, it allows you to focus a lot more on what other people are doing rather than what you are supposed to be doing. Listening to music thats your own vibe will help you focus more on what you’re doing rather than worrying about what other people are doing.

Another thing that I find helps me a lot at the moment is deciding what to do in the gym, before getting to gym. I often just write down a workout in notes on my phone. I’ve found that if i go to gym without a set plan I feel a bit out of place and I become uncomfortable. I’m more preoccupied with figuring out what exercise im going to do next and seeing what machines are open then with the actual workout.

If you struggle with moving around the gym or going to the weight section, make sure you can do your workout in one spot, whether it be a full body workout without any weights or a dumbbell only workout – doing it in one area that you feel comfortable in is another way to help fight feeling anxious in the gym!

We all have times where we feel like the odd one out in a gym but just remember that everyone is there to work on themselves, they aren’t worried about what everyone else is doing. The more often you go, the more comfortable you’ll become and the more motivated you’ll get!

If you have any tips on how you fight anxiety or being uncomfortable at the gym, leave them in the comment below!

“In any given moment we have two options: To step forward into growth or to step back into safety”

Hello September, thank you for joining us.

Just over a month and a half ago I was lucky enough to be treated to go and experience swimming with the ocean exhibit as a birthday gift from my brother. It was such an incredible thing experiencing life from the perspective of a sea animal. Sounds so cool, right? Well, it was!

Before our morning had even begun I was lucky enough to be greeted by a pod of common dolphins in the marina, next to the aquarium. Of course, the dolphins shouldn’t have been there as it’s not entirely safe for them but authorities were alerted early and the dolphins made it out safely! It was still a beautiful sight to see.

Two Oceans aquarium offer an ocean experience for their visitors where they take you through the ins and outs of the aquarium, they show you where the food is prepped for all the kinds of sea life and so much more! Did you know that the aquarium cultures their own jellyfish? ME NEITHER! My mind too, was blown. The lovely lady, Thalita who took my brother and I on this excursion was telling us how jellyfish have very set stages of their life just like a butterfly, it’s quite incredible actually.

Moments before we got into our wetsuits to go swimming in the ocean exhibit we were taken to the turtle rehab and quarantine where they have baby turtles that were saved off the coast not so long ago – it was a very precious sight. Upon entrance we had to sanitize our hands so we didn’t bring all the germs we had on us with us, protocol. Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to touch the turtles that were in quarantine because they were still too young and susceptible to diseases but we still admired them from afar! What I found really cool was the rooftop garden that the aquarium has to feed their turtles, they had lettuce and spinach, leafy greens – all the good stuff!

One of the great things about the two oceans aquarium is that they don’t force the animals to come to you through bribing them with food or anything like that, they say that if the animals want to come to you, they will and when they’ve had enough they’ll mosey on out. One of my many favourite parts of the day was engaging with the sea turtles and getting to experience the sea life from in the water. II didn’t realise nor did i think turtles were so loving. Sandy and Bob, the turtles in the exhibit absolutely loved being cuddled and getting scratches on their bellies and back. I very quickly got attached to these creatures so I can just imagine how the in-house experts and workers feel about them!

Then after a little bit of play time with the turtles we got the privilege to put on our snorkel and mask and look at the other sea life in the exhibit. I’m not going to lie, I was a bit petrified of the short-tailed stingrays because they appear out of nowhere but I quickly overcame that fear when I realised that they aren’t harmful and really are beautiful creatures! There are over 200 different types of fish swimming around the ocean exhibit, it was honestly such a spectacle.

The whole experience was about an hour and a half long, being in the exhibit for roughly around 30 minutes, although it really was too short definitely worth it! The in-house-experts really have all the information they need to answer any questions you have and they also enlighten you about the threats that some of these animals face, including their turtle rehabilitation and release-work that they do constantly.

It was an honor having experienced something so incredible as that. I think back to it now and am still in awe of how lovely the staff were, how loving the turtles were and the feeling I got experiencing all those animals up close and personal.

I 100% recommend you to put this on your list of to-do’s in Cape Town! It was honestly one of the best days of my year so far! If you’d like to check it out you can go onto the Two Oceans Aquarium link here and it’ll give you all the information you need regarding bookings and what to bring etc.

I hope this has made you want to go and experience the ocean exhibit for yourself, it definitely has me wanting to go again! If you enjoy more lifestyle type blog posts, comment below or send me a dm on my instagram telling me what sort of lifestyle posts you’d like to see in the future!

It is no secret to those who know even just a little bit about me that one of the things that help keep me sane is exercise or more specifically, HIIT workouts. One of my best ways to blow off some steam is to smash out a High Intensity Interval Training Workout! So you can understand my excitement when HIIT Fit Stellies contacted me and very generously offered me a month free of charge to try out their classes.

I started going to their HIIT classes 4 weeks ago, I didn’t think I was that unfit until I was pretty much heaving at the end of the first workout (bearing in mind I have been recovering from a chest infection, but I think i’m just saying this to make myself feel better). It was honestly nothing like I had ever done before – I like to think i’m pretty good at creating killer hiit workouts but there was just something about doing a hiit workout with other people and having the coaches constantly motivating you to push harder that made it 100 times more difficult, in the best type of difficult there is.

Before the class begun, I got chatting to one of the members of HIIT fit, she was telling me how she started seeing a difference in her fitness levels and in her body after going to the classes just 3 times in one week! What’s nice about this is that the coaches were not inexperienced, they were extremely friendly and knew exactly what they were saying. One of the greater things I noticed is that they often corrected your form if you were doing it incorrectly and they also give alternative options to an exercise if you’re feeling a little too fatigued or if you have an injury of some sort.

During my first workout, I felt pretty good and fresh in the beginning but as the workout progressed, I became very tired and my body hurt, A LOT! Because this was the first HIIT workout I had done in over a month, I was exhausted when it came to the end. I definitely felt like it was a good kick in the butt and a good wake up call to get my behind back into gear this semester! One thing I really did appreciate was how the coaches explained why we need to do certain exercises in a specific way instead of them just showing us and getting on with it.

Waking up the next day was, let’s just say an easy challenge. When i’m sussing out whether a workout worked for me or didn’t i don’t only go by how sore my body is, i also go by how i feel mentally. Yes, I was stiff from my feet to my shoulders (which is always a good sign of a good workout) I woke up and got up without hesitation, which is a rare for me – usually takes me a few minutes to get up and at it. I’ve always found that a good workout the day before sets me up for a good day the next day!

As the weeks progressed I found that I was starting to get a lot fitter doing these workouts, I noticed I was doing more reps and had more endurance for those last few seconds of the exercise – don’t get me wrong, I was definitely still struggling but I could see results even after two weeks which is almost always the aim, to progress!

HIIT Fit is an amazing way to do a good workout in a short amount of time, their memberships are crazy good so if you are in stellenbosch and are wanting to try it out – all of the information is on their instagram or you can just dm them, @hiitfit.stellies

Some things to take note when you do try it out; I made the mistake of not taking a towel to my first class so when we did exercises on the floor my little knees got a bit sore and I ended up using my jersey. So make a mental reminder that water and a sweat towel are essential and some of the floors are wooden and get polished so make sure you wear shoes that have grips or else you’ll find your lower back will start to pain because it’s slippery! Lastly, push yourself. If it burns, it means it’s working!

The HIIT Fit workouts didn’t only push me mentally but also physically. I learned some pretty cool new exercises, realised I embarrassingly have no coordination whatsoever and that you can get a sufficient amount of exercise in 30-35 minutes! I’ve absolutely loved every minute with the HIIT Fit fam and I know you will too! 

I just want to say a little thank you to HIIT Fit Stellies for allowing me to come into their space and experience the magic they project and offer the beautiful women in and around Stellenbosch! 

Disclaimer: HIIT FIT Stellies did offer me a month free trial with them and asked me to write about my experience. I want to make it clear that I would not promote or encourage something I do not believe in but with my love for health and fitness, I felt right at home with the HIIT FIT fam and believe you will too! 

I feel like i’m forever doing life updates for you guys because life gets ahead of me and by the time I have a moment to write and post, 7 months have gone by!

First of all, Hi. How are you? How’s life been? Also, how is it already August!? The fact that there are only 4 months left of this year petrifies me. These past few months have been some of the best and craziest times of my life and I have uni to thank for that. It honestly feels like I should already be in my third year, thats how long these past 6 or 7 months have been (I mean that in the least negative way possible)

Moving to Stellenbosch, starting university, going through and trying to survive exams and all the stuff in-between is the main reason my blog has taken a bit of a back seat. At the moment, uni is my number one priority and everything else comes second, unfortunately that means my blog too! One of the perks, is that I was on holiday for 7 weeks which meant I had plenty time to work on some content, which means theres content for during uni! I am definitely still trying to get the hang of how to handle both simultaneously, but i’m getting there – slowly but surely!

I am in my first year of studying sports science and so far so good. It’s definitely been difficult at times but i’ve met incredible people, made the best memories and worked my butt off so what’s to complain about really? At the beginning of the year, before uni begun and before I knew how much time and effort it would take, I had planned out blog posts for the whole year. That’s right – the whole year, without taking into consideration what might happen in between that time and where i’d be or what would be going on. Rookie error, let me tell you.

It left me with high expectations of where my blog would be at the end of the year and I made myself feel super guilty for not posting but life happens and I had to teach myself that not everything can go as planned, adaptation is key!

I AM SO HAPPY TO BE BACK (let’s hope for a lot longer now)

Blogging isn’t the only place i’ve been slacking, gym too. My goals for second semester are to get back on track with gym, eat healthy and just focus on balancing everything a bit more, work, gym and social life. I’m now going into my fourth week of second semester and so far so good, balance has been key and i’m actually enjoying this term a lot more than the past two. I definitely want to be a bit more adventurous this semester, I tend to get stuck in my own little comfy bubble and don’t do much being the home body that I am but I want to explore the town some more and do things i’ve never done whilst focussing on work and tests. I definitely feel like I have a tighter grip on this semester, I’m ahead in all my work and have been consistent with gym as well as making sure I save time for friends and some me time. Lets just hope it stays smooth sailing!

Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see content based on health, fitness and beauty! I can’t wait to share more content with you guys, if there is anything you’d like me to write on, leave a comment below or send me a dm on instagram. Suggestions are always welcome and are always appreciated!

I’ll be uploading posts every Sunday  so you can sit back, relax with a cuppa and wind down for the week ahead.

Please like, share and comment on my posts – every single one makes a difference! 

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR and hello to a fresh new beginning!!

If you are anything like me you will highly appreciate the fact that the first of Jan fell on a Monday, that pretty much means that there’s no room for error. Everything has to go smoothly and there is absolutely no chance that you can’t fall off the resolutions bandwagon, or so i thought… A few days into the new year and there I was struggling to stick to my list (that’s probably as long as 2017 was, but you know – one at a time) I just felt like, and hopefully I am not the only one that’s has been feeling like this but I have been feeling very uninspired and unmotivated. My brain is so excited to get going and reach my targets/goals but my body seems to be one step behind and struggling to catch up!

So what better time to write up some solutions on how to stick to your new year’s resolutions, right? Now, before we get into it – you must know that I am one of those people that has to practice what they preach and let me tell you, the more and more I practice these little things – I’m starting to feel the flames ignite again!

No.1. Don’t be so hard on yourself, take it at your own pace. 

You’re going to figure things out & everything will fall into place, it doesn’t all have to be done in one day. Now I’m not saying don’t push yourself but also remember we have been given the opportunity to have another 365 days to reach our goals and get to where we want to be, you don’t need to burn yourself out in the first week of Jan. You should be in no competition to rush. Take it as the pace that your body allows you to whether it be physically related or mentally. If you believe that you will make it there, you will. I have no doubt.

No.2. Find an activity you love outside those grey walls. 

This may sound a bit “ugh”but inspiration can often be lost between the concrete walls of your room or office space. Being inside 24/7 whether it be behind a desk or in the gym can begin to get boring and you may begin to feel constricted as to what you can and can’t do. More often than not finding something new you love to do can be a refreshing and new place to find inspiration from.

No.3. Read. Read books, personal development books – books that can inspire you.

You may be wondering how reading personal development books can inspire you enough to help you stick to your NY resolutions but if you find the right book, it will do more than just that! Yes, reading fictional books can often be more interesting and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, if you love reading those – keep reading them but add self development books to your pile. I promise you the best thing I ever did was pick up The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, it just changed my perspective on most things and made me want to work harder at the things I wanted to become better at. Sometimes it’s important to read something and understand it from someone else’s perspective.

No.4. Plan, plan plan.

When we have thoughts and ideas bouncing off our brain walls things may seem a bit overwhelming and foggy. You may struggle to find a place to start. What I have been doing (thoroughly if i might add) is planning. I’ve written all my ideas/goals/resolutions/future plans etc. onto pieces of paper and from there i’ve sorted them into their respective groups whether that be blog, uni or just life in general. If you plan things and put it in your diary there is more of a chance that it will get done and it won’t get lost in that busy brain.

No.5. Consistency.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, consistency is key! Let me put it like this, if you are making a fire & put a lot of logs on at once the fire will burn out quickly, but if you add the logs slowly and consistently throughout the night, your fire will burn for longer, it’s the same for us. Doing a little bit each day will get you further than big amounts every other day and it will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed.

I hope that these points have helped in one way or another and have helped put things into perspective. My main piece of advice would be to think about your goals and how much energy you truly want to put into them and go from there – you’re doing life for yourself, no one else. Make the most of it!

I have some great content coming this year, if you are keen to see what I have in store be sure to be following me on   >> Instagram << or like my >> Facebook page << I really hope to inspire and motivate you all.

May 2018 be YOUR year!

“You do not wake up and become the butterfly – growth is a process”

Lots of love, Jeanna x

Do you ever have those moments where you are in absolute awe of the life you are living? Where time has stopped and you realise that the world is so big and you are so small? Well, this was one of those moments.

Kaskazi Kayaks gave me one of those experiences I will never forget. Located right off three anchor bay, with the breathtaking view of the blue gem drops of the ocean and the tiny sandy shore.

Arriving there I had no idea what to expect, I went in with no preconceived idea of how it should be or what should happen. As soon as I walked in, I felt like I was at home. The guides that were taking a group of us out on the trip were full of life and laughter. The banter (if you will) was unreal, I spent most of the time giggling while bobbing around the ocean, taking in the City we live in and visiting the inhabitants of the Atlantic.

After our morning briefing from the lead guide, we set off to the bay, got our kayaks and began our journey. We paddled (with ease might I add) around the lighthouse point (Mouille Point) and into the bay in front of the Radisson Hotel (Granger Bay). It is one of the rare occasions where you get to see Devil’s peak, Table Mountain, Signal Hill AND Lion’s Head all in the same frame. It’s one of those sights you could never get tired of looking at, picturesque really.

Nevermind the fact that it was the first time I had ever been out at sea in a kayak, it was also my first time EVER seeing a pod of dolphins (I know right, been living in Cape Town my whole life and have never seen a pod of dolphins before!? Crazy) and honestly, what a first way to experience it. We were only a few metres away from these magnificent sea creatures. If you ask me, I would call it aqua paradise.

Unfortunately these mammals move so quickly, we weren’t able to capture the moment this time round but what we did manage to capture was the cutest little jelly fish and baby sunfish that we saw on our way back to the bay.

Some of the sea life we managed to capture.

What is so incredible about kayaking out at sea is not only do you get to see the views but you never know what animals you will come across. I was chatting to one of the guides and they were saying that there are whales in the bay between Noordhoek and Kommetjie and they could (hopefully) be passing through their bay any day now which is incredible, makes me want to go book more paddles just so I could have the chance of witnessing it!

Overall, the experience I endured was nothing like I have ever experienced before. It’s a great way to get outdoors and to see a different part of the city. It’s a good holiday activity for family, friends, tourists and sometimes they even have the shops doggies come along on paddles with you! I would recommend this to anyone. I would score it a strong 11/10!

To make bookings or if you have any questions, you can DM Kaskazi Kayaks on any one of their social platforms by clicking the links below:

Instagram: @kaskazikayaks

Twitter: @kaskazicapetown

Facebook page: @KaskaziKayakTrips / Kazkasi Kayaks & Adventures

Website: kayak.co.za

The guides I went with:

Grant & Oreo, best guys!

I hope you got excited to go for a paddle with them as I am to go for a second one! If you are interested in what else I get up to this holiday, follow me on Instagram @jeannakenchington or twitter @jakenchington.

Thank you for all your continued support and love, it means the world to me!

Chat to you soon,

Jeanna Xx

*Mini disclaimer: I have not been asked to make a blog post about Kaskazi Kayaks, I am just in love with the experience I had with them and wanted to share it with you!