2018 has come and it has gone. I can’t say that i’m sad to say goodbye to the year but I am thankful for everything it taught me!

First of all, I want to say hello and welcome to my blog – whether you are new here or have come to visit my site before, I hope 2019 brings all the success and luck you deserve! I quickly want to say a personal thank you to my readers, those people that like, share, comment & read my blogs. I’m forever grateful for all the support you guys have shown me over the last year – I absolutely love writing these posts and seeing any kind of response from you guys just makes it all the more enjoyable! So thank YOU!

With starting university in 2018, I didn’t write as many posts as id have liked but when I got a chance – I loved it. Let’s have a look at some of my favourite posts from 2018!

Swimming my way through the ocean exhibit | Two Oceans Aquarium

This day has definitely got to be one of my favourites of the year, swimming with turtles & snorkeling around the edge of the ocean exhibit was the ultimate highlight for me!

Towards the end of the year I started getting a feel for what I wanted my blog to be about & how I wanted to present it to you guys – I think most of my favourite posts from 2018 definitely come from December.

5 Ways to an Environmentally Friendly Christmas | Gift Wrapping Ideas

This post has got to be my most loved of the year – It made me so happy to see people interested in wanting to find ways to be more eco friendly for our environment!

Lessons I’ve Learned in 12 Months | 2018 in Review

I’ve always enjoyed reflecting on the things i’ve gone through and learned at the end of the year. I felt that, although personal this post was one of the most insightful one’s I had written!

I really hope to only grow my blog this year and continue to inspire you all. I’m so excited to see where we can go from here!

For some reason, I have this habit of writing out my New Year resolutions. Whether it be in a journal or a blog post so this year, I thought a blog post was fitting. I find that if I’ve written it down somewhere, I can go back to it and I keep myself accountable for the things I want to achieve throughout the year but also in the hopes to spark some inspiration for those reading this.

Usually at the start if every year I have my plans and goals set out but this year is different, it just feels different. I have this new fire in my belly, this excitement and curiosity for what 2019 has in store for myself. I havent gone into the year putting the pressure on myself to achieve certain fitness goals and to eat clean for a certain amount of days and to be honest, I think that’s why I feel so good about this year.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely have resolutions and goals to achieve but I feel comfortable with them. I don’t feel the pressures coming from different directions, it’s just me and my goals in my own time. I’ve been thinking about what I want my resolutions to be, for a few days now and I had the same thing pop into my head repeatedly – I want to improve who I was in 2018.

2018 was a huge learning curve for me, I grew a lot and I want to grow on that. I want to do better and be better, I want to be kinder to myself for myself. I know we can all get a little lost trying to see the bigger picture, including myself – I want to allow myself to enjoy the little things without worrying about the big things.

I like to think I am a pretty organised person and i’m sure a few family and friends would vouch for that, however sometimes my organisation gets lost amidst the chaos of university. I want to practice keeping things and areas clutter free to avoid a cluttered mind!

Health and fitness is and always will be a goal of mine, but it’s a consistent goal that i’m constantly working on – one I don’t think will ever be fully complete because there is always room for improvement. That’s why this year, although focusing on those aspects, there are other parts of my life that I was to focus more on. Self-care is a high priority for this year, we can all get carried away by life doing it’s thing, I know I do. Many times last year did it lead me to exhaustion and being burned out, getting i’ll a lot quicker then usual and having no energy for anything but to sleep. We all work best when we are feeling our best so here’s where I am at with this. I had this bad habit of studying for something ridiculous like 8 hours a time and if I wrote an exam every second or third day I would go into complete hibernation and not leave my apartment (how am I not a crazy lady yet? I’m not sure) so I’ve realised that this year I need to practice taking some more time off as well as some me time.

I have many goals for my blog, I want to post more often and inspire those during the most difficult times. Uni is my number one priority however, my blog literally keeps me sane so I want to work on balancing those two things without the added pressure of deadlines.

As selfish as you may think this sounds, 2019 is all about me and contentment, with that said I think it’s the year to make it all about you, too. Without shame, without guilt but with pure love and kindness for yourself. You deserve it just as much as I know I do.

So what about you? What are you doing in your life to make 2019 your best year yet? I’m looking forward to being one step closer to being fully content and if you’re there already, kudos to you, you’re an inspiration to us all!

Hey guys, It’s been a hot minute since i’ve last done a post.

My parents and I have been moving house for the past three weeks so things have been a bit chaotic leading up to the move and thereafter. I lived in the house we just moved out of for just over 19 years so needless to say packing up almost 20 years of memories and belongings takes up one’s time.

I must admit, it’s been a difficult time for me. That house has been home for all my life, every single birthday, occasion and christmas was in that home. It was a very special place for me and I think I will take a piece of that home with me wherever I go in life.

I knew I had to trust the magic in new beginnings and with that said I absolutely adore my new home – surrounded by parks and greenery, it has such a good vibe in it. I can’t wait to create new memories with old friends in this one! I mean, the day I walked into this house it felt like home so I haven’t had any issue settling in and trying to make it feel right because it already felt right! Onto better things they say!

Happiness doesn’t just have one address.

Not sure if it has been the weather, the moon or if I have just been overly dramatic but I’ve been having a difficult time within myself lately. Each day I take the time to reflect and assess myself, my surroundings, what i’m doing for me and what i’m doing for others and I struggled to find fault (I know, doesn’t make sense??) until I realised that I constantly compared my life to those I know and those I follow on social media and I immediately knew I had to change my way of viewing myself and how I think so last week, around Tuesday I was in such a rut with myself, mentally and physically I thought no, I need change and splurged on this incredible 8 week fitness program AND I HAVE NOT BEEN THIS MOTIVATED AND EXCITED TO TRAIN AND GET BACK ON TRACK IN SUCH A LONG TIME and I want you to join me!

Now this isn’t something that needs to be in the eye of the public unless you want it to be, it can be a personal challenge for yourself but I thought I should come here and tell you that if you are looking for a sign, this is it!

If I can motivate and inspire just one of you to join this 8 week journey to a better you than my job here is done!

So let’s get to the basics:

Aim: The aim of this, for me personally is to get motivated and stay motivated. By the end of these 8 weeks not only do I want to be more confident in myself, I want to feel refreshed and on track again. These 8 weeks are about getting fit, staying fit and being healthy. Doing things that you love and that make you feel good whether that be going for a walk on the beach or going to your local cafe every morning and having a mocha.

The best part about this is that there are no rules, you make them to suit you!

P.s My timing is so good that 8 weeks from now winter should supposedly be over and our summer bodies will be ripe and ready for those beaches. YEY!

Goals: I’ve come to realise that I often make unrealistic goals for myself thinking they’re realistic and then falling off the wagon because they weren’t realistic. I have always said create measurable goals for yourself, goals that work for YOU!

Cutting out chocolate from my diet permanently for 8 weeks isn’t realistic for me so on weekends I might have some, I will have less than usual but that works for me.

I do want to be happy with what I see in the mirror every time I walk past it and to be comfortable going to the beach so my goals for the next few weeks is to just be happy with me and get results while doing so!

Some extra advice: The most difficult thing in almost anything in life is starting but it is important to remember that once you start, you will love it so much that you won’t stop. Eating better and living a healthier lifestyle does become a lot easier when it is practised often. On Sundays I make sure I have all the healthy foods in my fridge and pantry that I need for the week ahead so I know I am sorted for meals and smoothies and don’t end up binge eating all the ginger biscuits that are left over because i’m too lazy to drive to the shops and get what I need (I’m way too guilty for this, tbh)

Planning is key; I am not the sort of person who can get up, go to gym and make a workout up on the spot so I enjoy typing my workouts into my notepad beforehand so I don’t get cold feet at the gym and end up having half a workout.

Don’t obsess over the numbers on the scale; I know it’s difficult and I understand that it’s always tempting to see if you’ve lost weight but the thing is, you can’t always believe what’s on the scale. When someone starts exercising more and eating better they will lose weight but gain muscle mass and what some people don’t understand is that, you can’t see the breakdown of your weight on the scale unless you have a scale that does that for you so it might discourage you instead of motivate you. What I would suggest is taking before and after pictures, one tomorrow, one four weeks from now and one eight weeks from now and let your clothes help you determine whether you’ve lost weight or not.

Always remember that slow progress is better than no progress! YOU GOT THIS!

Photography / Ashley Tapsell

So, in conclusion I am starting an eight week journey to a better me and I want you to join me!

It’s not about beating yourself up if you have a not-so-great meal or skip a workout, it’s about creating a better understanding of a healthy active lifestyle and I would love to help you achieve that.

In two weeks, you’ll feel it. In four weeks, you’ll see it. In eight weeks, you’ll hear it.

If you do decide to join me on this journey, please do comment below or dm me on Instagram, I would love to hear your goals and plan for the next few weeks!

Lots of love, Jeanna x