Nope. I'm not moving house guys. I've actually purchased my own web page so I'm in the process of moving everything over onto it! I can't wait for you guys to see it! I hope you're as excited as I am!
Head on over to www.stephtalksaboutlife.com and tell me what you think!
Wednesday, 28 September 2016
Monday, 19 September 2016
FABULOUS BBG SCOTLAND MEET-UP
Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on the happiness planner review! It got over 300 views! That may not sound like much to some of you but that is my most popular post thanks to the happiness planner retweeting on twitter for me.
This weekend, I went on a little adventure. Ok it's not that much of an adventure but when you are a social introvert like myself, its quite a big thing!
I went to Edinburgh for a BBG meet-up!
If you're not familiar with BBG then it's the bikini body guide by Kayla Itsines.
The BBG community is absolutely incredible. We all support one another and once in a while someone schedules a meet-up and we all work out together then have a super healthy lunch! This was my first meet-up and I had so much fun! It was great meeting loads of like-minded people and it has done wonders for my motivation. Seeing these beautiful ladies working out with each other was the best thing ever.
I've now restarted BBG week 1 because I wasn't doing very well with my first attempt and stopped at week 6. My friend Laura is going to be my motivation and workout buddy!
Have you been to any meet-ups that really make you feel proud to be part of a certain community? Let me know in the comments below!
This weekend, I went on a little adventure. Ok it's not that much of an adventure but when you are a social introvert like myself, its quite a big thing!
I went to Edinburgh for a BBG meet-up!
If you're not familiar with BBG then it's the bikini body guide by Kayla Itsines.
The BBG community is absolutely incredible. We all support one another and once in a while someone schedules a meet-up and we all work out together then have a super healthy lunch! This was my first meet-up and I had so much fun! It was great meeting loads of like-minded people and it has done wonders for my motivation. Seeing these beautiful ladies working out with each other was the best thing ever.
I've now restarted BBG week 1 because I wasn't doing very well with my first attempt and stopped at week 6. My friend Laura is going to be my motivation and workout buddy!
How amazing do these mini cheesecakes look?! They were clean too! So no need to feel guilty when munching on them! From Grams in Edinburgh
Here's a few different goodies we got from Top Herd! They are protein packed and taste devine!
Group photo of all the ladies after our workout! Super sweaty!
We got little goodie bags too! The chocolate is soooo good! Mine tasted exactly like a terrys chocolate orange but with a hell of a lot more protein!
Have you been to any meet-ups that really make you feel proud to be part of a certain community? Let me know in the comments below!
Wednesday, 14 September 2016
HAPPINESS PLANNER : REVIEW
My name is Steph, and I'm a planner-aholic.
I LOVE pretty planners that I can use every day. The ones that have sections for you to write about your day so you don't really need to do much thinking about what content you want to put in it. One of those is The Happiness Planner.
I am obsessed with the beautiful designs these planners come in. Their newest design is a pastel leather binder that is to die for! Their main focus is for you to work on your happiness (duh) through reflection. So you look at your day and write down what you done and how you felt about certain things you accomplished or maybe didn't. This helps you to strive towards being able to, perhaps, improve how you did it or think of a new strategy to help you actually get it done.
You get daily planners, weekly planners and 100 day planners.
I have the 52 week planner. So instead of filling it out daily, I do it every Sunday/Monday and reflect on the last week and plan the week ahead. It has one page for 'Happy things I will do', 'Personal Goals', 'Work Goals' and 'Things I'm looking forward to'. For my personal goals, I jot down things like eat breakfast (I have a bad habit of not eating breakfast), getting all my workouts done and spending some quality time with David. For work goals, since I'm still on maternity leave, it consists of things like doing the shopping or cleaning the bathroom. I know those are things I would be doing anyway but I like to work from a list. It makes me feel more productive.
In terms of making me feel happier, I have definitely noticed a difference over the last 13 weeks I've been using it. It is helping me keep my depression at bay because it's something I love doing. I really think about the things I do now and think of how it will help me in the long run.
The price. Not so happy. If you're someone who really will use it religiously, then on you go and purchase it, you won't regret it. There's no point in spending £30+ on something you're going to barely look at.
The design is amazing. Very modern and it certainly puts me in a good mood. I have the heart eye emoji face every time I go to use it and although it is only a weekly one, I do still use it every day so I take it around with me everywhere I go. I'm always getting compliments on it. Everyone loves it! The gold accents are lovely and it's a very girly and chic kind of look.
All in all, it's something I would splurge on again. Or maybe ask someone for it for my Christmas. Then I'll have it for the new year and may even get the daily planner to try that one out!
I'm sure I wont be disappointed!
KEEP SMILING!
I LOVE pretty planners that I can use every day. The ones that have sections for you to write about your day so you don't really need to do much thinking about what content you want to put in it. One of those is The Happiness Planner.
I am obsessed with the beautiful designs these planners come in. Their newest design is a pastel leather binder that is to die for! Their main focus is for you to work on your happiness (duh) through reflection. So you look at your day and write down what you done and how you felt about certain things you accomplished or maybe didn't. This helps you to strive towards being able to, perhaps, improve how you did it or think of a new strategy to help you actually get it done.
You get daily planners, weekly planners and 100 day planners.
I have the 52 week planner. So instead of filling it out daily, I do it every Sunday/Monday and reflect on the last week and plan the week ahead. It has one page for 'Happy things I will do', 'Personal Goals', 'Work Goals' and 'Things I'm looking forward to'. For my personal goals, I jot down things like eat breakfast (I have a bad habit of not eating breakfast), getting all my workouts done and spending some quality time with David. For work goals, since I'm still on maternity leave, it consists of things like doing the shopping or cleaning the bathroom. I know those are things I would be doing anyway but I like to work from a list. It makes me feel more productive.
In terms of making me feel happier, I have definitely noticed a difference over the last 13 weeks I've been using it. It is helping me keep my depression at bay because it's something I love doing. I really think about the things I do now and think of how it will help me in the long run.
The price. Not so happy. If you're someone who really will use it religiously, then on you go and purchase it, you won't regret it. There's no point in spending £30+ on something you're going to barely look at.
The design is amazing. Very modern and it certainly puts me in a good mood. I have the heart eye emoji face every time I go to use it and although it is only a weekly one, I do still use it every day so I take it around with me everywhere I go. I'm always getting compliments on it. Everyone loves it! The gold accents are lovely and it's a very girly and chic kind of look.
All in all, it's something I would splurge on again. Or maybe ask someone for it for my Christmas. Then I'll have it for the new year and may even get the daily planner to try that one out!
I'm sure I wont be disappointed!
KEEP SMILING!
Sunday, 4 September 2016
APOLOGIES AND SFN EXPO
Hey lovelies! I am so so sorry I haven't been able to post in a little while. I've been super ill and haven't been doing much apart from sleeping and feeling sorry for myself! I'm so bad when I'm ill I can't do anything for myself and it's like the world is ending hahaha! But I'm on the mend and now it's just about trying to get my strength back and not feel like I'm going to pass out every two seconds!
Last Sunday (Aug 28th), David and I went to the SFN expo at the SECC arena in Glasgow. I heard about it from a BBG group I'm in on Facebook (amazing support group) and I hadn't heard of it before. Me being me, I used my best friend, Google, to help me get more information on what it was. It's a huge sport, fitness and nutrition expedition which holds loads of competitions, seminars and fitness classes all in one weekend. They have lots of stalls where you can buy some great supplements and healthy foods.
Since we're both really into fitness we just HAD to go! As the days crept up we were super excited! But then the day came and David woke up with the Irish flu (Hangover hahaha) and we had a bodybalance class to do at 10.30am. We managed to get there in time and the class was amazing! Who knew yoga and Pilates would get you so sweaty! Big thanks to Bram and Tori for taking the class and making sure us beginners had a great time!
After the class we went and done a bit of exploring of the hall where everything was set out. They had crossfit competitions on and most people were in teams of two completing a set number of reps on each exercise the fastest. It was truly phenomenal watching all of these incredible crossfitters competing against each other and they all done such an amazing job! The time and effort they put into their training was definitely shown. We walked around all of the different stalls and tried all the free samples! Who doesn't love a good freebie! We listened in to a few seminars and ate a very lovely meal from prep fitness kitchen who were there, although I wasn't too impressed by the fact we had to wait 30 minutes for it to be heated in a microwave. We ended up leaving early because we were so exhausted from walking around all day. David came away with a batman T shirt, I got a lorna Jane fitness planner and we both got a slamball. We spent way too much money but it was totally worth it. We had an amazing time!
Were you at the expo? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!
KEEP SMILING!
Last Sunday (Aug 28th), David and I went to the SFN expo at the SECC arena in Glasgow. I heard about it from a BBG group I'm in on Facebook (amazing support group) and I hadn't heard of it before. Me being me, I used my best friend, Google, to help me get more information on what it was. It's a huge sport, fitness and nutrition expedition which holds loads of competitions, seminars and fitness classes all in one weekend. They have lots of stalls where you can buy some great supplements and healthy foods.
Since we're both really into fitness we just HAD to go! As the days crept up we were super excited! But then the day came and David woke up with the Irish flu (Hangover hahaha) and we had a bodybalance class to do at 10.30am. We managed to get there in time and the class was amazing! Who knew yoga and Pilates would get you so sweaty! Big thanks to Bram and Tori for taking the class and making sure us beginners had a great time!
After the class we went and done a bit of exploring of the hall where everything was set out. They had crossfit competitions on and most people were in teams of two completing a set number of reps on each exercise the fastest. It was truly phenomenal watching all of these incredible crossfitters competing against each other and they all done such an amazing job! The time and effort they put into their training was definitely shown. We walked around all of the different stalls and tried all the free samples! Who doesn't love a good freebie! We listened in to a few seminars and ate a very lovely meal from prep fitness kitchen who were there, although I wasn't too impressed by the fact we had to wait 30 minutes for it to be heated in a microwave. We ended up leaving early because we were so exhausted from walking around all day. David came away with a batman T shirt, I got a lorna Jane fitness planner and we both got a slamball. We spent way too much money but it was totally worth it. We had an amazing time!
Were you at the expo? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments below!
KEEP SMILING!
Thursday, 25 August 2016
LETS TALK ABOUT MISCARRIAGES
Many people in the world have gone through the devastation of losing a baby. If you've had one loss or 10, it doesn't get any easier. Around 25% of confirmed pregnancies end in miscarriages. That's 1 in 4 people. So why is it such a taboo subject?
I understand that a lot of people don't want to talk about it with others. And that's fair enough. But there's way too many people who want to speak about it and can't because of what other people might think. The truth is, more than likely the person you want to speak to about it has been in the same situation. They may even feel the same way!
Coping with a miscarriage is hard and draining, no matter when it happens. I had a chemical pregnancy (a positive test before period but then my period came) and an early miscarriage (loss before 12 weeks). Both were very hard times for me. The cp was hard for me to speak about. I didn't want to upset people by talking about it or for them to think I was crying 'wolf' and wasn't actually ever pregnant. It's sad that I had to think like that. Like I was alone. I couldn't even speak to my partner at the time (now ex) in fear he thought I was lying. I made a point when I had my early miscarriage that I wouldn't keep it inside of me. I felt better by letting people know about it. I had a great deal of support there but I also felt like everyone just reminded me of it with their sorry faces whenever I walked by. But I guess it was better than them saying "cheer up" or "jeez why are you so grumpy nowadays?"
I got a lot of "It wasn't meant to be" and "It was probably for the best" comments. FYI DO NOT SAY THIS TO SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST HAD A LOSS! It doesn't make us feel better. We loved the little beans more than anything and we hadn't even met them.
As women, we should be supporting each other and speaking out about it. You never know, if you speak out about it, someone going through the same thing may need your shoulder to cry on.
Allow yourself and your family time to grieve and don't feel like you need to keep it a secret.
I mention my losses as much as I can (where appropriate) because they were a big part of my life even just for a short time.
I hope you can speak up about any loss you have had and remember you are not alone.
I understand that a lot of people don't want to talk about it with others. And that's fair enough. But there's way too many people who want to speak about it and can't because of what other people might think. The truth is, more than likely the person you want to speak to about it has been in the same situation. They may even feel the same way!
Coping with a miscarriage is hard and draining, no matter when it happens. I had a chemical pregnancy (a positive test before period but then my period came) and an early miscarriage (loss before 12 weeks). Both were very hard times for me. The cp was hard for me to speak about. I didn't want to upset people by talking about it or for them to think I was crying 'wolf' and wasn't actually ever pregnant. It's sad that I had to think like that. Like I was alone. I couldn't even speak to my partner at the time (now ex) in fear he thought I was lying. I made a point when I had my early miscarriage that I wouldn't keep it inside of me. I felt better by letting people know about it. I had a great deal of support there but I also felt like everyone just reminded me of it with their sorry faces whenever I walked by. But I guess it was better than them saying "cheer up" or "jeez why are you so grumpy nowadays?"
I got a lot of "It wasn't meant to be" and "It was probably for the best" comments. FYI DO NOT SAY THIS TO SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST HAD A LOSS! It doesn't make us feel better. We loved the little beans more than anything and we hadn't even met them.
As women, we should be supporting each other and speaking out about it. You never know, if you speak out about it, someone going through the same thing may need your shoulder to cry on.
Allow yourself and your family time to grieve and don't feel like you need to keep it a secret.
I mention my losses as much as I can (where appropriate) because they were a big part of my life even just for a short time.
I hope you can speak up about any loss you have had and remember you are not alone.
Monday, 22 August 2016
WE GOT A PUPPY!!
So following up from the last post, WE GOT A PUPPY!
David and I have wanted a puppy for a very long time but we couldn't have one in our old flat. But now we're allowed! Yay!
It took quite a long time for us to choose a breed that we both wanted and a bit of a compromise for David because he really wanted a big manly dog. He wouldn't settle for anything smaller than a Labrador retriever. Until we had a look at some beautiful little beagles and of course, I got my way.
The problem with big dogs is that I would need to walk it with a pram if David was at work and it just wouldn't be easy. I'd end up getting swept off my feet by a big German Shepherd and end up losing him somewhere.
After some research, we decided on a beagle. They are easily trained, very good with children and the right size for our family!
He is already settling in so well and we feel like he has been part of our family for ages!
Our puppy essentials were :
Have you got any other essentials for a puppy that I might have missed but really need? Let me know in the comments below and I'll try them out!
KEEP SMILING!
David and I have wanted a puppy for a very long time but we couldn't have one in our old flat. But now we're allowed! Yay!
It took quite a long time for us to choose a breed that we both wanted and a bit of a compromise for David because he really wanted a big manly dog. He wouldn't settle for anything smaller than a Labrador retriever. Until we had a look at some beautiful little beagles and of course, I got my way.
The problem with big dogs is that I would need to walk it with a pram if David was at work and it just wouldn't be easy. I'd end up getting swept off my feet by a big German Shepherd and end up losing him somewhere.
After some research, we decided on a beagle. They are easily trained, very good with children and the right size for our family!
INTRODUCING REX
He is already settling in so well and we feel like he has been part of our family for ages!
Our puppy essentials were :
- A crate. We didn't want him destroying our house while we were out or sleeping on our beds or the furniture so we are currently crate training him.
- Toys. Lots and lots of toys. Teething puppies will try to chew on everything so whenever we see him going for something he shouldn't be, we replace it with a toy and it seems to work!
- Food and treats. Beagles are very food orientated when it comes to training them so we have a huge amount of them in his very own kitchen drawer! Spoilt puppy!
- Poo bags. Don't want a hefty fine when he is able to be walked.
- Puppy pads and newspaper. He has been really good with peeing on the paper and pads so far which has been a godsend!
- Bedding. Although he has his crate, we still wanted to treat him with a nice big comfy bed to sleep on if we're in the house so he doesn't have to go into his crate all the time.
- Collar and lead.
- Food and water bowls. He doesn't really use his own ones yet so he is eating and drinking out of plastic cereal bowls right now. I think the other metal ones are too big for him.
Have you got any other essentials for a puppy that I might have missed but really need? Let me know in the comments below and I'll try them out!
KEEP SMILING!
Friday, 19 August 2016
GETTING UP EARLY
Hey everyone!
Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on my last post! Loving all of the support!
So, anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person. Not even in the slightest. Anything before 10am is a no go. I've been pretty fortunate that Ruth sleeps until then or David gets up with her so I can sleep. I cannot function on anything less than about 12 hours.
But I'm going to try!!!
A couple of days ago, we got a puppy! (Separate post to come about that). He is part of my motivation to get up early. He got me up at 5.56am today! I was beginning to forget there was two 5 oclocks in a day to be honest. But then after he had a poop, a wee, and a drink, he went back to sleep. And so did I. Worst decision I could have made was going back to bed. He got back up at 8am and I felt a lot more tired at that time than I did the first time he woke up! Boo!
Below are some of the things I'm going to do in order to train myself to get up early - and stay up!
Thanks so much for all the positive feedback on my last post! Loving all of the support!
So, anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a morning person. Not even in the slightest. Anything before 10am is a no go. I've been pretty fortunate that Ruth sleeps until then or David gets up with her so I can sleep. I cannot function on anything less than about 12 hours.
But I'm going to try!!!
A couple of days ago, we got a puppy! (Separate post to come about that). He is part of my motivation to get up early. He got me up at 5.56am today! I was beginning to forget there was two 5 oclocks in a day to be honest. But then after he had a poop, a wee, and a drink, he went back to sleep. And so did I. Worst decision I could have made was going back to bed. He got back up at 8am and I felt a lot more tired at that time than I did the first time he woke up! Boo!
Below are some of the things I'm going to do in order to train myself to get up early - and stay up!
- Set a bedtime. I rarely go to bed at he same time every night. Some nights it could be at 9pm and others 2am.
- Start a bedtime routine. I'm hoping that if I start a routine and do it every night before I go to bed, my body will realise that it's time for bed when I'm finished and it will be a lot easier for me to go to sleep.
- Turn off electronics 1 hour before bed. Apparently the blue lights from electronics keeps you awake by mimicking the sun. That way our bodies don't produce the sleep hormone because it still thinks it's day time. I'm so bad for taking my phone into bed with me and browsing through all the social media apps I have for hours on end, then moan because I got a shitty sleep.
- Stay on my feet longer. Although I try to exercise every day, I'm not an active person when it comes to not exercising. I would sit down for 5 hours, only getting up to pee. Sometimes longer. Hopefully if I'm doing more throughout the day, I'll be more tired.
- No coffee or tea before 3pm. These are my weaknesses. Anything with caffeine actually. Especially at night time. Which obviously isn't doing me any favours at night time when I'm trying to wind down. I'm more like a bee. Buzzing.
- Read a book. This is something I've been doing more recently. But I need to get into the habit of doing it every night to help me relax.
I seriously hope I can stick to these and get up early! I'm hoping to wake at around 7am no matter what I'm doing during the day. I'll be super impressed if it works hahaha!
Do you have any particular routine or tip that really helps you to relax at night and get to sleep easily and wake up feeling refreshed rather than a zombie? Let me know in the comments below and I'll try them out for myself!
KEEP SMILING!
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