Tuesday 28 April 2015

The Right decisions?

There will always be options open to you, no matter when you want to take them.
Many people think at the age of 16 they have to know what it is they want to do then and there, because I mean that's when you pick your options at school for A level, which apprenticeship to take, or which line of work to get into, which NVQ etc. I'm telling you now, as a 22 year old who made the wrong career choice and is finally starting on the path I always wanted to go down, trust me when I say there is options.
Do not feel pressured that you're going to have to make a life plan now because it's full of unexpected events that you have no control over.
I know a few people, who have been teaching for a good 23+ years and now, they have decided to pursue a career in social work or psychology, some new area or career path.
There is no such thing, as too late. So do what makes you happy now, learn all the lessons and gain every qualification under the sun, if that is what you want to do, I believe in you. :)

Friday 24 April 2015

Motivate the body-loving time: Exercise.

We know it is good for us, we know of most of the benefits of doing it and we know what can happen if we don't do any of it at all, but for many of us exercise is still a love-hate relationship. I mean if we're perfectly honest, given the choice between a Domino's pizza or 30 sit ups followed by 30 squats-Pizza wins, hands down, every time, or "you can do both right? The exercise totally counteracts the pizza, right? I decided that's right, so I feel better!" Yes ladies, we have all said that famous sentence at some point, it's OK we're all friends here!
However for some of us, such as myself, when we get started with exercise, I personally find it very easy to carry on and very hard to stop. I used to do 140 squats, 70 sit ups, 40 push ups, 30 minutes-1 hour of Yoga an evening, plus swimming for an hour 3 times a week, OR the other extreme of zero exercise at all; neither are beneficial for your health and well being (I know, I was disappointed with this realisation too!)
So how much exercise should we be doing? What should be motivating us to doing this amount of exercise? What are the long term effects of a good exercise routine? How do you balance exercise and your time, when you also juggle a busy lifestyle, whether with children, at university, full time or part time work, eating, sleeping etc.?
Well, let's start small first with 5 motivational facts as to why we should exercise.
  1. You can do it for however long you want...
    According to the NHS in order to maintain a healthy well being and lifestyle, it is advised to do 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of aerobic exercise a week and muscle strengthening exercises on one or more, areas of the body. So lets do some maths, if we need to do that much exercise a week, say we take two days rest, so 5 days of exercise:

    150 / 5= 30 minutes aerobic exercise, and some muscle strengthening exercise.So, we should be taking out approximately 30 minutes+ a day, 5 days a week.
    Reality is, we don't all have Bernard's watch and even if we did, we would have no idea when 30 minutes was up cause everything was frozen.
    Life does not always allow you 30+ minutes per day of free time, sometimes even when we have the time to do it exhaustion is a problem. So here is some honesty home truths, yes exercise is good for you, yes I am advising you do it for many motivators and yes I am aware, that maybe annoying, but I would like to remind you of something important and something I do not want you to forget:
    it's your exercise regime and so it's your plan to do as much as you like, maybe just two days of aerobic and two days of muscle strengthening, maybe just a hour over 3 days.
    People forget sometimes and feel the pressure of doing whatever is recommended, the truth is, not every person is the same and so really, what should be advised is do as much body-loving exercise as your body needs. Your bodies needs may grow over time, you may feel physically able to do more, but do it. It is not impossible because, it's based around you, for you and in the long term, you will thank yourself.
  2. ...Whenever you want!

    You do not have to go to the gym or join any clubs to do exercise, quick pace walking, walking, running, jogging it all counts as exercise and you can do it on your way to and from places. There is no right or wrong place or time to do your body-loving routine. Freedom to decide is a beautiful part apart it, it's all in your hands that isn't a reason to not do any, you will not reek the rewards by sitting around, at the same time you will gain a broken back if you do too much; Don't let pressure push down on you.
    It's your time, your well being, you do what you feel is right for you.
  3. Exercise is the Natural Mood Booster. 



    Exercise has been scientifically proven to boost your mood. It helps the brain release those "happy hormones" in the mind, all around the body helping people who suffer from mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, stress etc. Your body has built it's own natural happy pill, how brilliant is that right? Now, you might be asking-how does that even happen?
    When you begin to exercise, your heart rate increases and your body prepares for fight-or-flight instinct, your body releases many chemicals but the main chemical for mood enhancement, which is released is endorphines.
    Endorphines are released from the brain, spine and many other areas of the body, reacting with the brains receptors to reduce our perception of pain and released in response to brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters. It's like the bodies very own bottle of morphine [similar], as it gives off a very euphoric feeling, which is often described as "runners high" however, unlike morphine, the is no risk of addiction or dependency.
    In addition, exercise has proven to reek many other rewards to those who regularly exercise such as high self-esteem and confidence, reduction of stress, ward of feelings of anxiety and depression, improved sleep, reduces body fat, strengthens the muscles in the body including our hearts, lowers blood pressure and many other rewards.
  4. The Bodies very own skin care product! [Yep, that's right!] 

    That's right and I was surprised to hear, I knew it was good for the insides, but I didn't realise it was good for my skin too.
    You may need to take extra care if you suffer from acne or other skin conditions, but do not let that prevent you from being active.
     So how does exercise help my skin? Well, as we all know exercise helps raise the circulation in all areas of our body. By increasing this circulation and blood flow, to working cells in the body, we are giving all areas including the skin vital nutrients and oxygen that it needs to stay vitalised, refreshed and to assist with healing. Furthermore, it assists in carrying away waste products from working cells; it flushes cellular debris out of the system! Now, it is important to take precautions, especially during the summer and I know exercise outside in glorious sunshine, getting the vitamin D is also very important to boost happy hormones. However, if you are going to do exercise outside, be sure to apply some sunscreen please and make sure, it's a PH-balanced sunscreen, sweat and sunscreen in the eyes sounds painful. Another risk from exercising outside, can be a cause of "chafing" and so my advice, is to shower after your exercise and apply a moisturiser once dry, to prevent skin irritation and always be sure to clean your skin, before you work out, to prevent clogged pores which cause acne. BUT do not let these tiny factors stop you from exercising, swimming, running, walking or perhaps even a home work out! There are more benefits in comparison to negatives.
  5. You'll learn to love and know your body! 

    All of the little beauty spots, where your body curves are, why your partner likes that bootylicious booty of yours or why your pet always curls up in a certain place. You will learn to love your body, every inch of it and every part of it. The more exercise and time you spend putting into it, the more your body will give you back! You are a beautiful, flawless person inside and out, it's time you gave yourself the body-loving treatment that you really deserve, trust me; Your body is ready.



Thursday 16 April 2015

Welcome! :)

Hello Everyone and welcome to my I-have-actually-lost-count-how-many-times-I-have-tried-to-start-a-blog blog! I suffered from a severe case of writers block for the past for years, that happens right?
My name is Natalie, I am a 22 year old lady from a small town called Paignton in the South West of England, who has a joy.
(QUE PRESIDENT SPEECH!) My joy isn't something which you fix with a needle and some cotton, it doesn't involve a musical instrument, the art of dance, a lens or any at home chemistry set. My joy involves your smile, the roar that leaves your throat after you hear me saying something completely nonsensical and yet somehow, you understood it-even if you didn't, you still can't help but let this intoxicating giggle leave your body; My joy and the reason why I am blogging is to make some of you laugh.

Now first thing is first, that does not mean my sense of humour or personality is to every ones liking, I understand that. Some of you may find me slightly funny, others may find my hysterical and some may not find me funny at all. Any way it goes, it's OK, I do not come with a laughter guarantee, but I hope that for some of you I can at least make you smile, even if just for a second.

So lets expand, what am I going to be talking about?
Well, in order to have a desire to write, many people discuss their interests or business, right?
I enjoy many things and I suppose half the stuff I enjoy, my dog also enjoys too. I mean, who doesn't love eating, sleeping, walks on the beach, rescuing pebbles from the sea by sticking your head in the water and chasing cats off your lawn before they can take a poop? Exactly, Everyone loves that stuff, but that isn't what I'm going to talk about (well, my dogs will probably be a prime subject).

I will be giving reviews on books and skin care products, I will be talking about my day-to-day activities, my YouTube videos or YouTube ideas and the rest well, I'll be honest-it will be probably be just a pile of drivel.