Gym Dos & Don'ts

Now the #1 excuse I hear people use for not wanting to go to the gym, especially women, is 'embarrassment'.

Whether that be with appearance, not knowing what your doing or fear of being judged by the 'regular' gym bunnies; then hopefully this post will help some of you forget those worries & lose those excuses!

Here are a few helpful Dos & Don'ts for the gym!

• Do make a rough plan before you go in. Even if it's just a very rough list of what equipment you're wanting to use so you know where to head & look for first when you walk in. So if you know you're wanting to use the treadmill for a quick warm up first then keep that in mind when you go in. This stops you standing there like a lost puppy & then starting to panic. Having a rough list gives you something to follow until you feel more at ease & comfortable with the equipment & layout of the gym.
• Maybe the most obvious Do is wear the right clothes! They don't have to be expensive at all, just things that you can easily move around in & feel comfortable wearing. Shorts/leggings/tracksuit bottoms/baggy tops etc. Just any old clothes you have that you are able to workout in, the gym isn't a catwalk remember! Don't walk in wearing skin tight lycra, hot pants & crop tops if you don't feel comfortable wearing them. If you feel self conscious & can't properly do an exercise for fear of a cheeky bum flash then you shouldn't be wearing it! You'll just look silly & stand out like a sore thumb; which you don't want!
• Do ask for help if you need it!! I can not stress this enough! So many people avoid the gym saying it's because they don't know what they're doing. How will you learn if you don't go in or ask? Don't be embarrassed, the gym instructors are there to help. It's their job to explain the equipment to you & give you any help you need. You should get an induction when you first start anyway so take full advantage of this to ask as many questions, tips & demonstrations as you want. Make sure you fully understand all the equipment in your gym so when you start you know exactly what you're doing. You'll look more silly trying to use a piece of equipment wrong & be more likely to get injured than if you simply just ask for some help! Don't be afraid :)
• Don't start going to the gym & expect results straight away. This just means you'll get disheartened & lose motivation so you give up when you don't see them. Before you start sit & write down what you want to see & achieve from going to the gym. Whether it be tone certain areas, lose weight or train in specific areas like for a marathon/sport. Write it down & give yourself a realistic time scale for it. A rough, healthy aim for weight loss is 1lbs a week, so if you want to lose 10 lbs then set yourself a 10 week time scale. If you do it sooner then great! If you maybe take a week longer then who cares, keep going & you'll eventually meet your goal! Winners don't give up!
• If you feel you need someone there to help push & motivate you then Do get a gym buddy! You'll have a friend there to give you a kick to keep going & it also means you're not the only 'new person.' Remember at school when you first started a class & you were automatically known as the 'new one' & you walked in feeling a bit lost for a while, not knowing what to do or have any friends yet? But it was all okay if there was another new person as well, so you both instantly bonded over being new & had someone to sit next to? Same applies here, having a gym buddy means you're not walking in on your own & you can both help each other out. However if this means you spend the time in the gym as a social gathering, don't actually workout & sit around on the equipment gossipping then DON'T. There is nothing more annoying than wanting to use a piece of equipment & having someone sat on it doing nothing. If you're not using it then move, go to a cafe or something if you just want a gossip & catch up with your friend. The gym is for working out. If your buddy isn't motivating, pushing & distracting you then ditch them or find someone else. You won't get your results otherwise! Sorry, mini rant there!
• Lastly, Do clean up after yourself. Simply wipe down the equipment after you've used it, not only is it hygienic but it's polite to for the next person using it after you. They wont appreciate it if you leave it covered in sweat! You wouldn't like it either so keep that in mind. However don't then leave the used paper towels lying around, put them in the bin! Also make sure to return any equipment back to where/how you found it. Leaving used weights lying around is not only dangerous, but looks messy & is very annoying for other gym users.

So there we go! As long as you remember to have a rough plan before you go, have a realistic time scale for your results, wear comfortable/appropriate clothes, ask for help, have a gym buddy if needed & clean up after yourself in the gym then you shouldn't be known as the dreaded:
'The Gym Weirdo'

 

Until next time

Love

 

DIY Natural Face Masks

 
First a little background;

Skin & hair care has always been a massive interest of mine for years. I could spend hours on end in Boots looking at the various washes, scrubs, treatments & masks. I'd come home with a different range of products to try on a weekly basis, how I found the money to fund this habit is beyond me!

When I was around 13 years old I developed some problematic skin. Nothing worse than your typical teenage skin with the standard spots & blackheads but when you're at that crucial age when you discover boys & want to look good then it's like your biggest nightmare. I remember crying over my spots & buying endless tubes of concealer to try & cover the offending pimples but to no such luck. So I went to the doctors to see if they could prescribe me anything. They gave me a tablet to take, but they also offered me a cream to put on any spots I noticed to stop them even developing. It was okay for a couple of uses, but then I remember waking up one morning looking like some sort of alien. My skin was so inflamed, bright red with a rough sore rash of bumps all over my face where I'd put the cream. It felt like my skin had been burnt & I couldn't move my face without the rash stinging like a *****

So from then on I stopped using all forms of chemicals on my face to help take the rash down. I only used water to wash my face in & the plain Vaseline Essential Moisturiser
Which helped take the soreness & tightness of the rash away almost immediately. I still swear by this moisturiser 100% & use it everyday.

This horrible event started my obsession with natural skin care. I researched a lot of home DIY recipes that I could easily make at home & didn't contain any chemicals that could harm my skin.

Over the years I have accumulated an endless knowledge of how different natural ingredients can benefit your skin & hair & a million different combinations/recipes to use them. My dad often walks in on me in the kitchen stirring something in a bowl & always asks me if I'm eating it or if it's going on my face/hair. Long time running joke...

Today I have 3 of my all time standard face masks that I always come back to time & time again.

A mask for Dry skin, Oily skin & a scrub. All the ingredients can easily be found in your kitchen,
And if not then they are cheap as chips to get from the supermarket.

All the masks can be kept in the fridge for a few days after if you have any left over.
They contain no chemicals so they won't irritate or damage your skin in any way,
Just natural, skin loving ingredients perfect for sensitive skin.

Dry Skin

1 egg yolk

1 tbs honey

1/2 cup of plain oats

1 tbs coconut/olive oil

1 tbs water (maybe more if the mixture is to dry)

1 tbs mashed avocado/banana (optional)

First mix all the wet ingredients (egg yolk, honey & oil) together, then carefully add the oats. Mix the ingredients thoroughly until the mixture looks like porridge.

Start with a clean, bare face & smooth the mask onto your skin.

Leave on for 10/15 minutes.

Then wet your face slightly & massage the mask into your skin like a face scrub for a few minutes.

Wash it all off & pat your face dry.

Follow with a good moisturiser.

Oily Skin

1 egg white

1 tbs honey

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp tea tree oil

1 tbs natural yogurt (unflavoured)

 Mix all the ingredients together until they look like a paste.

Apply to a clean, bare face.

Leave on for 10/15 minutes.

Then again wet your face slightly & massage the mask into your skin.

Wash off & pat skin dry.

This mask will make your skin feel tingly & maybe slightly tight in a squeaky clean way due to the tea tree so make sure to use a good moisturiser after.

Scrub

1/2 cup of sugar

2 tbs milk/natural yogurt (unflavoured)

1 tbs of plain oats

Mix the milk/natural yogurt with the oats until it forms a porridge like past.

Next slowly add the sugar but do not mix hard as you don't want the sugar to dissolve in the liquid & therefore loose the scrub like texture.

Next wet your face & begin to massage the scrub into your skin for a few minutes.

Wash off & pat skin dry.

This scrub not only leaves you with baby soft skin but also has the added bonus of tasting amazing if it happens to get in your mouth.

If anyone liked this post & has any other DIY recipes they want me to do;

E.g. Face washes/scrubs/masks/toners, Hair masks/rinses, Body washes/scrubs, Spot treatments;

then please comment as I love thinking up recipes & these are my favourite types of posts to do!

Until next time

Love

 

Behind the blog

I thought I'd do a short post today, a 'Get to know me' one as I want my followers to feel they know me as more of a person than a blog on a computer screen! Plus these are one of my favourite types of posts to read, I'm nosey! I admit!

So here are 20 random facts about me!

1. I have hazel eyes that match my dads. My mum & sister both have blue. I also have the worst long distance eye sight, though I never wear my glasses unless I'm driving or forced!
2. I LOVE Disney! Especially 'The Little Mermaid' & 'Hercules' I can watch Disney all day.
3. I have a rather large obsession with flavoured tea & black coffee. It's all I drink other than water.
4. I may be 20 years old, but I still sleep with a toy dog called Spotty who I've had since I was a baby. I also have a million other cuddly toys & where ever I go I always seem to buy more.
5. Neon/bright/sparkles all instantly boost my mood. Just wearing my neon trainers or having sparkly nails makes me feel happy every time I see them. I'm easily pleased it seems.
6. Even though a lot of people hate overly strong, sickly sweet smells; they are my favourite. Strong, sweet, candy like smells that over power everything. Bubblegum especially! Mmmm.
7. I have a little red car called Percy. He is my baby! Both my parents first cars were red as well, plus my mums was even named Percy too. I think it must run in the family!
8. The beach is my #1 favourite place ever. I can sit & watch the sea all day, it just fascinates me. The smell of the beach is another one of my favourite smells as well. If I lived on the coast I would be a very happy bunny! However I dislike the sand getting everywhere!
9. I have the biggest obsession with Elvis Presley! I can't go on about him enough so I'll leave it there, other than he is the most perfect person to have ever, & ever will walk the earth.
10. I buy an unhealthy amount of cheap gossip magazines. It is becoming a problem but I can't help myself! The amount I have sat in the car is sickening!
11. I am a big fan of tattoos. I think all tattoos are amazing & love listening to the stories behind them. I don't care that they might look bad when I'm older or I might dislike them eventually, as long as I'm healthy & happy then that's all that matters. They're all stories I can tell when I'm older.
12. I have double jointed fingers. Me & my auntie are the only ones in our family who have them. I can bend just the top joint like a witch, makes everyone else cringe! Mwahaha
13. Ever since I can remember I have wanted a German Shepard puppy. I wanted to call it Rusty. One day I will have my own, watch this space!
14. My dad is in a rock band called 'Uncle Gilbert' & he plays the electric guitar. He taught himself from around 14 years old & he is amazing at it.
15. My parents have always had the nickname 'Noodles' for me. I still don't know why :/
16. When my sister was younger, she randomly started calling me 'Hanker' We have no idea why, but she refused to call me my name but instead called me Hanker for roughly a year. Then stopped. Weird.
17. I used to suck my thumb until I was roughly 12 years old. It was making my teeth grow outwards so I was forced to stop. We tried everything from plasters on my thumb, to horrible tasting nail varnish to stop me. Eventually I did stop & my teeth went back to normal! Thank god!
18. I am a vegetarian & have a raw food diet, & sometimes follow a vegan diet where I can.
19. I haven't cut my hair in well over 2 years. I want it to grow as long as possible!
20. I have the biggest phobia of spiders. They make me sick just thinking about them. I'm also scared of locking public toilets & lifts, but not as much as spiders. I will however refuse to use an aeroplane or train toilet no matter what. I'd rather wet myself.

I'd love it if some of you other bloggers did a random 20 facts as well, they're my favourite kind of posts to read as I'm so nosey & I love finding out more about the actual blogger!

Until next time

Love