A three months into 2020 and this year is not what I had imagined it to be. AT ALL and I am sure some of you reading this are already nodding along with me. I love the beginning of new things, I love Mondays and I love new years – it is an opportunity to start fresh, a second chance of doing things differently, I guess you could call it a do-over. Opportunities to do new things, old things differently, form healthier habits and finally do things you have wanted to do for years now.

But here’s the thing, nobody talks about the pressure that comes with this “motivation” for a new opportunity to create healthier habits, or how to self develop and work on the parts of you that need to grow. The assumption that because we have been given this opportunity to spend quality time with ourselves and our family, it is almost mandatory to get on this health train both mentally and physically. I am here to tell you that if you feel no different to what you did before this outbreak occurred, if you still have no energy to wake up early or still struggle to drink water and get 8 hours of sleep – that is okay. It is okay and don’t allow society to make you believe differently.

You don’t have to be or feel ready nor do you have to pretend you are doing these things to make a big change. If you are struggling to find motivation to live up to society’s norm of a new and improved version of you, then that’s okay. You just have to keep going, it will come and when it does, it will feel great. In the meantime, just be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to feel these things and make small changes each day that you know will make you feel better. Even if it is just making your bed or doing that face mask you’ve been meaning to do for the past four weeks. You don’t need to worry about anyone else.

I created this post with the purpose of helping lift some of the weight off your shoulders that you have been carrying around so heavily since the beginning of this pandemic. I want you to know that your self-isolation routine does not have to match your favourite influencers or that you don’t have to always do jump squats in order to keep fit. There are many other ways to be productive, find what works for YOU. Things will soon fall into place, just remember you aren’t alone. We are all in this together, quite literally. Lets lean on one another during these difficult times and encourage improvement from all sides of the spectrums.

Here are 4 small steps on how to get out of a self-quarantine slump;

1.Read a book

There are a lot of negative things in the media at the moment and I want to try and encourage you to not get sucked into the worm-hole of politics, conspiracy theories and COVID-19 updates – yes its real, yes it is important to know what is going on but don’t let it consume you. Reading is one of the most therapeutic ways to switch off from the world a little. Whether it be self-help, self-development, fiction, non-fiction or an autobiography, anything that helps you escape from the realities and go into your own world of creation – read that. 

I recently read “The girl on the Cliff” by Lucinda Riley and it was amazing, it took me a week to finish and now I am reading David Attenborough’s “Adventures of a young naturalist” and I am loving it. It is so cute and witty! If you are looking for a bomb self-development book, I recently purchased Jen Sincero’s book, “You are a badass” and I bloody love it! 10/10 recommend and I haven’t even finished it yet! 

2. Find a hobby

I read something the other day that mentioned how this generation doesn’t know how to have hobbies anymore and I couldn’t agree more. Everything is done so that some sort of benefit can come from it, rather than just doing it for the pure enjoyment of the activity. I deeply encourage you to find something you enjoy doing and try and do it at least once a week. It could be journaling, going for walks in the forest or along the beach or taking up rock climbing.

A good opportunity that has come from self-isolation is that we have been given a lot of time to figure out what we like and what we don’t like, in our OWN time at our own pace. So hopefully by the end of this period you would have found a new love for something!

There is no right or wrong, these points are all about giving you ideas in order to help make you feel happier both mentally and physically during this difficult time. 

3. Eat whole foods

This one may seem a bit strange but feeding yourself artificial sugars, preservatives and constantly having take out will in no way make you feel better. Maybe in the moment it’ll taste good but afterwards you won’t feel nearly as good as what it tasted and chances are you’ll make yourself feel guilty for eating badly again and the whole cycle will repeat itself. 

I am a true believer in prevention is better than cure, so instead of trying to talk yourself out of feeling guilty for having take out the third day in a row, rather be proactive and prepare your meals on a Sunday. That way they are ready for you when you are starving (and once you have prepared your meals, it is easier to get than ordering fast food) and plus, it is also cheaper and healthier which both sound like a win to me! It is also one of the more natural ways of ensuring you are getting all the necessary nutrients and vitamins your body needs to help yourself and your immune system healthy!

4. Make self-attainable goals with no expiry date

Firstly, you don’t have to create goals if you feel like you don’t want to. But, if it is something you do want to pursue during this very confusing and strange time then make sure they are for the right reasons. Set yourself goals that are easily attainable for you and your lifestyle, not anyone else’s. It is also important to remember that you don’t have to share your resolutions with strangers on the internet if you don’t want to. This time round, do things for you. 

I find it a lot easier to stick to my goals when I have a friend who has similar one’s to me, we keep each other in check and accountable when it gets a bit difficult to always follow through. So if you don’t want to share your goals, find a friend you can trust and share it with them. Maybe they are wanting to achieve similar things to you.

Always remember that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone else but yourself. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself regarding the norms society has so quickly created and just go at your own pace. You’re doing a good job!

“Every day you re-invent yourself. You’re always in motion. But you decide every day: Forwards or backwards?”

I am both shocked and appalled by how quickly these last six months have gone! I feel as though January was just the other day and now I am writing my first blog post for December! Holiday Season is just about in full swing for almost everyone (and if it’s not for you, let’s pretend it is cause lets be real, you deserve the break too!) and what a better way to start it then by kicking it off with some healthy habits!? 

I’m a firm believer that you determine how your day is going to be from the minute you wake up, the thoughts in your mind and how you allow yourself to feel about the day ahead. Let’s be honest, we all know of someone that wakes up 10 minutes before they have to leave the house causing them to be rushed, late and a little damn frazzled – I wouldn’t say it’s the best way to start the day and sometimes we just need to be exposed to new ways on how to do something. Here are 3 things I do to start my day off;

Wake up early

Now, I know what you are thinking “I am on holiday, the last thing I feel like doing is waking up early” and thats completely fair. Allow yourself a week to recharge, sleep in, mosey around the house and do things that will give your body the break it deserves and when you feel it is right – you can implement this step into your routine. I have never been the type of person to wake up late, even if I tried! So if you are like me, this step may be a bit easier but if you love your sleep and you aren’t so much a morning person then inevitably it will be a little more difficult. However, once you get into the habit of it – it is a game changer! Waking up early allows you to have time to wake up, breathe and think about what you want to achieve for the day and the things you need to do – if you know that you often rush and don’t have time to have breakfast because you wake up late and just jump out of bed, chuck on some clothes so you can get to your next destination on time – maybe it’s time to re-evaluate and try something new! 

I always find that your morning determines how the rest of your day is going to be. I’ve gotten into the habit of waking up earlier then I need to and I find that it really helps set up a productive day for myself. We all love to sleep, but we also love not feeling rushed. Sometimes compromises have to be made, even if that means waking up 15 minutes earlier then what your alarm is set – it’ll make a world of difference. 

Drink warm lemon water

Whenever my body is feeling a bit run down and in need of a good boost, I often turn to warm lemon water. I usually make it 20 minutes before I eat which will help kick start your metabolism and digestive system. Lemon water also has so many other health benefits such as keeping your immune system strong, ridding the body of toxins and luckily for us, it doesn’t taste half bad either! 

Read and take time for yourself

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is get up, make myself some herbal tea and breakfast and sit down and read my book – I enjoy reading self development books, especially before the day has started. I find that it is a motivational and encouraging way to start the day. You don’t even have to read a book, I know many people don’t enjoy reading but luckily we live in an age where we can easily have access to audio books or even podcasts, you find what works for you and do that. Another thing is that you could go out onto the balcony or garden and have a cup of tea or coffee. Just something to give time to yourself, focus on you and be mindful of the present, away from your phone and chaos of the day ahead.

As you can see, it is the small changes in your routine that will make the biggest difference. Often people thing that you have to make the most drastic changed in order to be productive but in fact, it is quite the opposite actually. Do one small thing each day and it will lead to big results!

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!

Rolling over into the new year has got to be one of my favourite feelings. There is so much hope and opportunity for what’s to come, for what you can create. If things didn’t pan out the previous year, you get another chance to achieve whatever you want!

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely guilty for writing out a whole long list of New Year resolutions and not getting past the first one. When writing out a full list of goals and resolutions, it can seem quite daunting and overwhelming and could quite possibly be why most of them don’t see the light of day. That’s why I want to help you create measurable New Year Resolutions for yourself (and myself, let’s be real!) We all know the aim of these resolutions is to carry them out throughout the year and in turn, hopefully start a new healthier lifestyle for ourselves, here are four simple steps you can follow to guide you into the right path for the New Year!

It starts with you.

No goal will begin or end if you aren’t in it 110%. When creating your resolutions you have to be inspired about it, when you are motivated and excited to start doing something it’s going to be a lot easier to continue them instead of it feeling like a chore. You can take a goal that has been lingering at the back of your mind for months if not years and use that to your advantage – if it has been there and it’s something you still think about then it’s something you need to go and grab (sounds like something I say to myself when I see a cute bag at the shop) and use that motivation. It’ll manifest itself into greater things!

Make sure your goals are realistic and measurable.

This is something I live by, whenever I create goals for myself throughout the year I try my utmost best to make sure they are realistically achievable within my specific timeframe. The goals you want to create can be as big or as small as you want them to be, just make sure that they aren’t so overwhelming that you don’t want to try at all! (I’ve been there all too many times). I like to create a main goal for myself and then break it up into smaller segments, I find this helps not only to make things seem less cluttered but also helps me stay accountable to my goals.

Find an accountability partner, whatever the goal.

There are going to be many moments throughout that you are going to feel uninspired and unmotivated, as though you’re getting nowhere so you may as well quit – don’t worry, that’s normal! That’s why on days where you’re finding it difficult to get yourself out of the house, knowing that someone on the other side is also counting on you to help achieve their goals makes it a lot easier! Plus; once you’re there you’ll be thanking yourself for it. With that said, it’s important to be kind to yourself and remember that slow progress is still progress. Although it sometimes seems easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, every small step counts towards your goals and still makes a difference. Keep going, you got this! You’re capable of great things, believe it.

Start small.

Success doesn’t happen overnight and neither does progress. It’s something you have to work on every day, little by little. Easing yourself into achieving your goals, doing one small change every day and practicing those changes will make the whole process a lot easier and a lot more maintainable for the rest of the year. Eventually it’ll become second nature, just persevere and have patience!

I know this isn’t me telling you exactly how to achieve your goals and make them realistic but if you take your inspirations, follow these steps and trust yourself – I promise you, you’ll reap the rewards you just need to be mindful and also remember that it is a lot easier to write 10 goals down on a piece of paper than go out and make them happen. You’re only human, don’t set yourself up with disappointment, it’s not fair on you!

With that said, I hope that you all have had a Merry Christmas and that you have the best start to the New Year!

The last month of the year is here! I don’t know about you but this year has felt like its been three years in one. Its had the most incredible and most difficult moments I have ever endured!

This post is hopefully to inspire those who are trying to make progress, become more fit and healthy whilst also having a good time during the holidays, like myself! I’ve recently been a little out of whack with my fitness regime because I have been busy writing exams. Exam time is a time where I don’t put pressure on myself to exercise daily or to be picky about my eating habits, I eat pasta if I feel like pasta and I workout when I can fit it into my studying schedule. So although I have been working out and eating well majority of the time, it’s time to get myself back into gear and time for a change!

Anyone that knows me knows that I take my health and fitness lifestyle seriously but not to the point where I allow it to dominate and control my life, that’s just not fun. December is a time for giving, indulging and spending time with family and friends.

My goals for the rest of the year are fairly simple; to enjoy myself whilst looking after myself.

I really want to get back into gym, 5 days a week 4 at least and to just be conscious about the food that I am putting in my body with that said, it’s December I don’t believe it’s necessary for you to be overly concerned with the amount of calories that are in certain meals or how long your workouts are. One unhealthy meal really isn’t going to set you down the wrong path, it’s important to enjoy your time with those whose company you enjoy without having to worry about the logistics of every meal or every activity. The new year is coming, it’s okay!

What I do believe isn’t the best idea if you are wanting to change your fitness and health lifestyle this holiday is don’t go overboard in one day. If you know you’re going to go out for dinner and have a good old pasta then try and eat well throughout the day, don’t have pizza for lunch as well. Enjoy everything in moderation, you’ll appreciate it more that way too!

Cape Town is a beautiful place and seeing as though i’m not going away these holidays, I definitely want to become a tourist in my own city. I can’t tell you how many times one of my friends from JHB or Durban tell me they went somewhere in Cape Town and i’m like “oh that sounds so cool, i’ve never been there” meanwhile they’ve been here 11 months and me 21 years, it’s sad really!

Being active is an important part of who I am and my lifestyle, when i’m stuck inside all day I go a little insane so if I don’t get to the gym one day, i’ll go for a walk on the beach or a hike up the mountain.

I feel like most of the posts or things I see on social media around this time puts a lot of pressure on people to live up to certain expectations and to live according to what they see on certain platforms but I want to tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that, you can enjoy yourself this season while making progress in your fitness and health journey just don’t allow yourself to have certain expectations or to make yourself feel bad when you don’t eat as well as you’d hoped one day. Always remember that the sun will rise and you can try again!

Recap of goals for December:

Enjoy yourself

Look after yourself

Eat well

Spend time with those who matter!

Be active

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!