HEALTH AND FITNESS

I mentioned briefly in my wedding planning post that I had started to make little lifestyle changes to be healthier after the indulgent winter months. I've also got into a little exercise routine that I'm really happy with and that has helped to make me feel so much healthier. Here are five small steps that I've been taking for a healthier lifestyle:

1. Drinking more water: I love water and try to drink at least 2 litres of filtered water a day. Drinking herbal tea is also a good way of getting water, Teapigs and Pukka make an amazing peppermint and licorice tea that really helps to satisfy sweet cravings.

2. Having an exercise routine: I get easily bored with exercise and so often switch between cardio, yoga or pilates and doing exercise videos on youtube. I've started a little routine recently that I'm really enjoying and it's something that I look forward to completing every day. It's fairly easy to do at home and not too monotonous, this is what I've been trying to do daily:

AM: 30 day squat challenge.

PM: 1. Cardio and targeted area: I like to do two Blogilates videos, one cardio and one other,
            normally targeting arms or thighs. I absolutely love Cassey's workouts, she really motivates
            you to push harder and the workouts always make me sore the next day so I know they're
            working!

        2. Later in the evening I do Amberfillerup's ab exercises, there are so many great ones to do that
            it keeps me interested and I can increase my reps as I get better.

3. Yoga: I try and do yoga a few times a week, not only does it increase my strength and help tone, it really helps to relax my mind and lets me take around 20 minutes out to de-stress. I love Yoga with Adriene videos, Adriene is so inspiring, motivating and it feels like you're working out with a friend!

4. Snacks: I've made sure that the only snacks I have laying around are healthy and good for my body as I find it too tempting to snack on junk food when it's easily available. I love snacking on nuts, fruit, popcorn and vegetable sticks with houmous. My current favourite snacks are roasted Almonds, freshly picked blackberries and apple slices sprinkled with a dusting of cinnamon.

5. Meals: I'm becoming increasingly aware of what I put into my body and so I try to fuel my body with healthy and unprocessed foods. I initially found it quite difficult to change my diet, but it's becoming second nature to me now. I eat wholewheat pasta, brown rice and quinoa and I love using herbs and spices to jazz up vegetables. I use pink Himalayan salt (which is full of minerals) and I love using coconut oil (which is antibacterial, anti fungal and contains essential fatty acids) to cook with.

For a quick breakfast or lunch, I love to make a smoothie in my NutriBullet, it blends nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruit so well and lets me make the most delicious smoothies!

I still like to indulge in a few treats, I just try to make sure that they're quite healthy and good for me. Some of my favourite treats include Almond milk hot chocolates using Alpro almond milk and Green & Blacks Cocoa Powder, Booja Booja chocolate ice cream (the most dreamy, dairy free ice cream made with creamy blended cashews), Gemma's healthy salted caramel sauce and squares of Lindt dark chocolate.

A book that I love reading to learn about great foods and the benefits of eating well is Eat Pretty by Jolene Hart. I've also flicked through Deliciously Ella, it contains some great recipes and will definitely be my next cookbook purchase.