My week through a lens 2...

Top Row - Stranger in the sky, Work night out, Heart in my drink

Middle Row - Steak dinner, Apple Munchies, deer in my garden

Bottom Row, Ready to go out, Meal at Jamie Olivers Restaurant, After my Half Marathon

Walking on sunshine...

I am extremely extremely pleased to say i completed my first half marathon in 1 hr 50mins. Not bad when my target was 2hrs 10mins. I found it extremely tough as it was boiling hot with very little wind and for the last 6.5miles it was a gradual up hill climb. I timed my run on Nike+ but it says I ran slightly less than 13miles even though the course was accurately measured at 13.08miles.

 I felt really strong for the first 6miles as it was more of a sheltered trail run, it was actually a pleasure to run. But past the half way point i really struggled and had to really pull it together to keep going. But overall I am thrilled and just wonder how well I would have done in kinder conditions.

For anyone scared to take part in a more competitive run, I found it really helped push me harder when running with other athletes and also keeping pace with them throughout. Also everyone was so nice and I continually heard words of encouragement from other runners and tried my best to offer words in exchange.

Now on to the next challenge, after putting my feet up and enjoying this sunshine.

If you were thinking about entering a race... don't think... just do it!!

xx

Sunshine salad...

I am a huge fan of salads. Many people find them boring or not filling enough but think the complete opposite. Yes, if you are just going to have some leaves, a tomato and a cucumber on your crazy quest to be a stick, then you will find your blood sugars crashing and find yourself starving within half an hour. I on the other hand cram my salads full of yummy goodies so that each mouthful is nutritious and enjoyable. 

This was a post workout salad I ate today for lunch. Some people think I am strange because I put fruit with various different ingredients, i have a huge sweet tooth and I find that blueberries on a salad really make it more enjoyable and break up the taste a bit. They are also full of antioxidants and are brilliant for your hair and skin. I don't believe in depriving your body of anything, so diets lacking in fruit are a big no no for me. They may have sugar in them, but it is naturally occurring and in moderation, they help to indulge your sweet tooth and provide a varied diet.

Salad ingredients:

-spinach

-cucumber

-tomatoes

-avocado

-chicken

-cottage cheese

-blueberries

-seed and nut mix

-homemade lemon and rosemary olive oil

What ingredients make your perfect salad? Don't forget to follow my blog and I would love to hear from you guys reading :)

xx

Benefit 'They're Real' mascara review...

I recently bought Elle magazine and the freebie this month was a sample of the new Benefit mascara, 'they're real!' I am a self confessed make up snob and would rather save up and buy myself the product I feel really works than buy several products that are often cheaper and less effective. My current favourite mascaras are Diorshow Black out £23 by Dior and surprisingly Extreme volume mascara £2 by MUA at Superdrug. I tend to use the MUA as my everyday mascara and the Dior if I am going out or dressing up slightly more. 

I always think i look a bit albino without mascara as my eyelashes are so pale and my eyes end up fading in to my face. So i pretty much will always wear mascara even to the gym. For this reason it is important for mascara to be waterproof, long lasting and have strong colour... a tough challenge for the Benefit newbie.

However, I can say I am very very impressed. Even though just a tester, the packaging is luxurious and sturdy, a treat to open. The little tube encloses the brush which is an artistic masterpiece. There are hundreds of long and short bristles meaning that even the shortest of lashes get a good coating of mascara. My favourite feature of the brush is the slightly rounder tip, which enables easy application to lower lashes, something I always struggle to do without a serious touch up job afterwards.

So anyway here are the before and after pics, please excuse my eyebrows, I took these literally on my way out of the door to get them sorted.

Before

After

Even though it is slightly pricey at £19.50, I am definitely going to buy myself the full sized mascara after the tester runs out as it is the perfect mascara to wear even whilst working out. You can buy it at all Benefit counters and online on the Benefit Website

Don't forget to follow if you like my blog :)

xx

to be inspired...

http://pinterest.com/zolakt/fitness/

I think its important to remember that just because you want to look a certain way, you need to look at the progress you have made so far. Make each achievement a big deal. It will give you the inspiration to keep going.

So get up and do something active... you will feel so good afterwards.

xx

Last run before the race

So I completed my last long run before the half marathon on Sunday. To be honest to start with I felt pretty terrible, heavy legs and very lethargic. But after a few hill sprints I came in to my stride and really enjoyed the run. I managed just under 10miles running at a 9min mile. So pretty chuffed. 

Post run still smiling!

I have started using the Nike+ running app and so far absolutely love it, I may do a review after a few more uses. However today when changing my music I managed to pause my run so It says I have done a mile less than I did but oh well.

Took a few progress shots today. I am really starting to notice real muscle definition in my stomach and its much flatter bellow my tummy button. It gets bigger during the day but definately less than it has previously since the Gluten Free era. I still want to work on my obliques the dreaded muffin top but that  whole band around my torso is a real problem area.

Please excuse the poor quality, I wanted to quickly take a picture before my run on my phone!

On another note, my beloved Asics are coming to the end of their life, I feel a lot more discomfort down the sides of my feet post run and pressure under the ball of my foot, a sure sign they need replacing. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am loving the look of new Nike Free 5.0 just because they look so funky, and my dad always says if you look and feel good, you will perform good! 

Anyway let me know, Iv also noticed I am getting lots of new visitors to my blog everyday so feel free to follow me or post any comments :)

xx

Twinings Peppermint tea review...

As you all know, I suffer from a gluten intolerance. Its not severe enough for me to check every single label however I stay clear of breads, pastries and wheat flour in general. If I do eat these foods, I end up feeling sick, lethargic and just rubbish in general. However my main reaction to gluten is severe bloating and stomach cramps, I can eat dinner and end up looking 8 months pregnant. Not only does it look awful, it is horribly painful and uncomfortable. I have a pretty sensitive stomach to food and tend to bloat after I eat in general, which really bugs me after all the hard work I put in to working out and eating clean. My quest is to find a solution, and if not a solution, just something that helps with this horrible bloating.

I have recently started taking Acidophillus tablets, which are filled with healthy bacterias for your tummy. You take them once or twice a day and it is supposed to build the good bacteria levels up in your tummy in a few weeks. I have been taking them for 3 weeks or so now and can't say I have really noticed a difference, but I will stick with it for a while longer. You can buy the tablets in lots of health stores but my favourite is Holland and Barrett as the staff are always really helpful and nice.

My next weapon in tackling the bloat is Peppermint tea. I have done quite a bit of research and it seems to come top on helping sufferers of IBS and other related digestion issues. I popped to Asda and bought both Twinings Peppermint tea bags and Twinings Digest tea bags.

Iv only tried the peppermint so far and am really impressed. They cost £1.29 for 20 bags and have no added nasties or unnecessaries, just pure peppermint leaves. I made it the same way I would green tea or black tea, by boiling the kettle and infusing the bag for a few minutes.

The taste is lovely, I was expecting it to be more 'mouthwashy' but it is really refreshing and calming. I have been drinking it after eating my dinner and sometimes lunch if I want my tummy to settle. Im actually very very impressed so far and will keep using this after meals. I will review the Digest bags after I have tested them too.

Does anyone else suffer with digestion issues and have solutions??

My week through a lens...

My first ever week in pictures post...

Top Row - Nutella popcorn, spicy chicken and squash curry, Lara and I all dolled up

Middle Row -  stroking the donkeys in the New Forest, New scarf, Avocado and bacon salad

Bottom Row - Aubergine Parmagiana, Ready to go get my dancing shoes on, homemade mini milk

Popcorn...

Sorry I have been absent for a week or so... had loads to do to finish uni etc etc. I have literally 5 minutes ago submitted my final piece of work for the year, scary stuff. 

So with this week being hectic, I have tried to remain on the gym train and keep my diet as healthy and regular as possible. But I find it hard at these times to not reach for the

chocolate. If i am craving something, I can't stop thinking about it until I have it so often I will try to skinnify the unhealthy cravings with slightly better versions. My latest obsession is popcorn. Its a brilliant healthy snack and really filling if you make your own.

I used to be a sucker for Butterkist or the Blockbuster Butter versions but scared myself with the content and the price. I bought my own little pack of popping corn and set about creating a yummy chocolate variety. I used a large pan and sprayed with olive oil and heated for around a minute. I then added the corn just covering the bottom of the pan and waited for it all to pop. Whilst it was popping i melted 1tbsp of Nutella in the microwave and used this as a chocolate drizzle over the popcorn. 

So although not super healthy, it is a much skinnier version if you need a cheat treat. They say that air popped popcorn has around 30calories per cup once popped. Obviously this will be slightly more with the fact i used olive oil but I only used the smallest amount of oil and shared the bowl with my boyfriend. 

Popcorn would be a perfect snack to take to the library in a little container or just to munch whilst at work when everyone is tucking into biccies with their tea! Im a serious convert... going to look for more recipe inspiration, maybe a salt and vinegar (my absolute favourite combo) style one instead of crisps. 

Mmmm got my thinking cap on now!!