Pinkpop & Amsterdam

Last weekend I continued my travels and went to a festival in the  Netherland! It was a fab few days away and confirmed that I definitely want to interrail at some point with a couple of mates.

We began by flying to Cologne, to catch a train to Aachen in Germany. Trying to arrange travel for this trip was extremely difficult because the festival was so close to the border & the nearest airport was Cologne we were switching between Dutch and German constantly but, we made it! Although Aachen probably was slightly too far from the festival (despite being only 10 miles, transport as you can imagine was limited at midnight!), I am glad we went because it was incredibly beautiful and I definitely want to go back and see more of Germany.

We could only get tickets for Pinkpop on the Friday as weekend tickets had sold out, but it meant we could go to Amsterdam as well. Headlining the Friday was the ‘Red Hot Chilli Pepper’ and they were fantastic live – we also saw: James Bay; Years and Years; Major Lazer and Lukas Graham. The festival was definitely different to any in England.. there was no mud, the sun shone and they only sold half pints! It was just a refreshing vibe, very very minimal drug and not one fight – although I love a UK festival, there are things we could learn from the Dutch as there was no drama at all.

Following the festival, we then headed up to Amsterdam for a couple of days and it was packed! Due to it being so busy, we didn’t get to do much in terms of museums or the touristy stuff but we did take a walking tour of the city and learnt some incredible facts about Amsterdam itself, walked through Vondel Park which was beautiful, visited the ‘Red Light District’ and the 9 Streets. I definitely want to go back to see the museums but will hopefully go in the winter one year to see it in another season.

Thinest house in Amsterdam!

 

After my weekend away, I have decided that I would love to learn another language properly so I can continue my travels!

E x

Leanin15

I am a sucker for all the diet books going and trying every fitness programme, but I am also very impatient. My most recent purchase was Leanin15 and at first glance, I thought it was amazing – such simple recipes! However, I have already given up.

I stuck at Leanin15 for about 6 weeks and I was really committed – I have never meal prepped so much in my life but I think that is what put me off. I began to not want what I had cooked that day or my plans changed so I couldn’t eat that meal, it just wasn’t flexible with my lifestyle. I don’t necessarily want to be lean to justify that sort of diet.

 

Recipes from #Leanin15

As a result of this, I have decided that if I want to be slightly smaller, I am only going to make slight changes to my lifestyle – cut back on alcohol, eat less chocolate, bread and dairy and more fruit & veg! We have also juts got a spiralizer which is the best piece of equipment ever.  I have also increased my cardio in the gym: two spin sessions a week and three 1/2 hour runs in the gym, plus HIIT.

The left was me after a couple of month back at the gym (during leanin15) and the right was me travelling.

I would recommend the Leanin15 book to anyone as some of the recipes are delicious!

 

E x

 

The Hardest Part of Travelling that No One Talks About

I haven’t had much to blog about recently but then I read this article and thought I had to share!

Source: The Hardest Part of Travelling that No One Talks About

Sometimes it is hard to explain what you’re feeling especially if you’re the only one who has experienced it. I don’t know anyone that has travelled alone so nobody can relate to me. When I first arrived how, it was amazing – I loved seeing everyone (and I’m not a huge people person). But, of course, that didn’t continue. Issues came back into my life, people fell out and there was drama – now, I wasn’t expecting it to never come back but what I struggled with was peoples perception of how I’d deal with things. In myself, I know I have changed since going & coming back from travelling but people haven’t realised this and so before allowing me to act or react they expect and that is tough.

I can’t say I got the ‘travel bug’ because I do love my home comforts but I would be lying if I said that the idea of another escape from ‘normality’ hadn’t crossed my mind. The only trouble with that is it’s a vicious circle: when you’re away, you idealise life at home, imagine it in a slightly different way and when you come back to the realisation it isn’t, you want to go away. As they say, the grass is always greener on the other side…

E x

Three Peaks Challenge!

This weekend, I agreed to complete the three peaks challenge this time next year. The challenge includes climbing Snowdon, Ben Nevis and Scafell Pike within 24 hours! We will all be doing it to raise money for our own individual charities – I am yet to decide who to climb for but it will probably be Cancer Research or BEAT.

I am extremely excited about this challenge & am going to blog my training once it begins… I may even give vlogging a go!

E x

The dating game

The best friends that hook up story can either go one of two way: you either become Monica & Chandler or, you don’t. Unfortunately the latter applies to me. I’m not going to say, never do this because hey, you may end up like M&C but just be careful before you do!

Anyway, after this whole situation, I decided that I would head back out into the dating world and I’m not sure I was ready. I’ve been single a while and I kinda like it, but thought I should give it a go.

Naturally, I downloaded tinder and started swiping! I’d love to have the balls to go up to the hot guy in the gym, but I don’t so I’ll just let that ship sail. I did however, meet a really nice guy but the date vibe, is not one I enjoy. It’s okay during, but the end is so awkward! Especially on a second or third date when you’ve decided actually, I don’t want to kiss you – you’ve got the awkward head swerve.. it’s terrible!

If anyone some suggestions to make this ending less awkward for me, I’d appreciate it!

E x

 

Week two back at the gym!

This week hasn’t been quite as good as the last for getting back into my spin routine! I usually work from home so have the flexibility of working around my exercising classes but I have still been 5 times including two spinning and a fitness pilates session.

I thought spin got easier after a few sessions, but I genuinely thought my legs were going to fall off this week during my class. I literally could not pedal. But, I still felt a lot better after spin – you feel like you’ve really worked out and I definitely could  not do that by myself in the gym!

I also went swimming for the first time in years and it’s a lot harder than I remember. I used to be a huge water baby but since I stopped doing it regularly, I haven’t been as good – I definitely felt like I’d done a lot of good cardio on Sunday! Plus, the steam room after was an added bonus!

E x

 

Smashbox Contour Pencils

Hello,

I hope you have all had a great week?

Recently, I was given the Smashbox contour pencils as a birthday present and at first, I was a bit skeptic that they wouldn’t be as good as some of the pallets.But, I have been pleasantly surprised!

 

They come as a set of three: highlight, bronze and contour, along with a step-by-step guide. My favourite thing about this is, the guide has different options dependant on your face shape so it makes the process super easy!

The only issue I had with these pencils was that the instructions said you could use it after foundation however I found that this made my face look patchy and dirty so I had to add foundations on top.

My before and after shot. 

Please let me know if you have any other good contouring kits!

E x

 

Why Spinning should be your best friend…

This week, I rejoined the gym and hit it hard! I completed three spin classes, a fitness pilates session and a gym session; I already feel so much better for it!

I am always really surprised that you don’t see many young people in spin – I absolutely love it and always notice a difference in my body after a few sessions. Yes, you do feel like you’re actually going to die in your first session but, I promise, it gets better by the third time. So anyone trying to tone up or lose weight, I strongly recommend it!

Fitness pilates also burns a lot more than you’d probably think but extremely relaxing at the same time. I’d received a very annoying message prior to my class but this really helped me relax and ignore the annoyance.

I have been struggling sleeping, relaxing and feeling lethargic but I do feel a lot better this week. I am still tired but I feel like I will really feel the benefits of exercise in a few weeks!

 

This is classic me but I always end up feeling guilty afterwards so I really need to stop and ensure I exercise instead.

As I am now back at the gym and a self-confessed shopaholic, I feel like it is only right to buy some new gym gear – if anyone has any suggestions, that’d be fabulous!

E x

Birthday OOTD

It’s a bit delayed as things went a bit crazy after my birthday! But, this is my BOOTD:

I loved my outfit, although the shoes did kill my feet – but, you have to suffer for fashion right? 😉

Skirt & Shoes: Missguided

Top: One Boutique 

Bralette: River Island 

E x

Time to get fit again!

I have been really ill since I returned from Oz – feeling extremely fatigued and a constant sore throat. Unfortunately and typically, the doctors are struggling to help me with the issue so I have decided to change my life style to try & help myself out.

Whilst trying to sort out my gym membership, I have just started ‘Ellefit – Get Bendy’. I have read in several places that yoga is a good way to boost energy levels and clear the mind so I thought I’d try it at home first. After completely this a couple of times, it is definitely good to relax but for a beginner, I could use a bit more explanation on the moves!

Once I re-join the gym, I am going to start up with spinning and fitness pilates – my two favourite fitness classes! Although, I am not looking forward to my first spin class that will probably send me into sweat over drive! If anyone has any good gym workout programmes that are good, please suggest. I am hoping for a toned but skinny look.. Aren’t we all?! 😉

I also need to sort my diet out, but like most, this is going to start Monday (what with is being my birthday week n’all). Again, if anyone has any suggestions that’d be great. I’m not going to be too strict because it’s just unrealistic! My main thing is to cut down on caffeine and snacks.

I’m hoping, if I keep a log on here, it will motivate me to stick to it again like I did before I went away!

E x