Making the Gym Bareable

Some people are gifted with enjoying the gym. Others, like me, hate it. I only tolerate it because I know I want to make a change and in the end it will be worth it but I really do sometimes struggle to pull myself out of bed to go and when I get there there's a bigger struggle to stay!

So I have been trying different things to make the gym bearable, Fun even!

• Take a friend. This one isn't exactly some sort of new discovery but it true and easy. I go to the gym with my mum, it gives us time to see each other and bond since I moved out and it also makes the both of us competitive. We like to try and out do each other and push each other for better at the same time!
• Find a gym that You actually like. When I was in school I used to go to the gym that was closest and cheapest. For about a week this worked. I felt uncomfortable and out of my depth so I just stopped going, now I go to a different gym that I feel welcome at and like nobody is judging me. Slightly weird, I am aware but it really does make a difference!
• Music. Another obvious one but recently I have discovered the wonder's of audio books! they are awesome at the gym because you can still be completely aware of your surroundings whilst getting lost in the book and it distracts you from the time because you done have the preset, 4 minutes that a music track is. I've actually found myself doing longer at the gym because I have lost track of time completely!
• Cover up the time. This is another trick I have learned at the gym, I find it boring to sit on a machine for 15 minutes and do the same thing over and over and over whilst being taunted by the little red flashing numbers reminding you that you still have ten minutes of this left! So I have taken to covering the display with my towel and just get lost in what i'm doing. You don't concentrate on the time and this way you go for as long as your body want's to go for!
• Switch it up! Doing the same old things, in the same old order every time you go to the gym can get really boring, really fast so switch it up. Don't be afraid to ask to be shown new things it can really benefit your mind set at the gym but also your body. It's healthy to switch your exercises now and then so your muscles and body don't get to used to what your doing.
• Set Targets. Try and aim to do longer or more or a higher intensity every time you go. Do this in little steps but it really does motivate you, you feel better at the end of the week when you've managed to run for an extra ten minutes or lift more weights than you started of doing!

I hope these tips helped you, feel free to leave your own comments on what you do to make the gym fun!

k.

New and Used.

New and Used.

I am always one for getting a good bargain and I don't think there is anything wrong with buying second hand. It can be hours of fun rummaging through a good car boot sale or charity shop and you don't know what you will find. You really can leave with some amazing gems! Which is why it's good to go with an open mind, you'll be impressed at what you can pick up and how cheap it can be.

Which is exactly why I fell in love with this little shop. For a little while now there has been a shop in the small town I live in that has gone under my radar but recently it moved premise and let me tell you it's making a splash now! Located right in the middle of Cullompton this shop, aptly named 'New and Used' has a plethora of ever changing goods. An Aladdin's cave of sorts.

In my opinion the town needed something like this just to attract people to the shops. I wish this place has existed when I first moved out purely because of the amount of things you can buy for your home at such good prices and I will definitely be pushing other's I know to pop into the shop. Talking to the owner's of the shop I learnt that not only do they run the shop but they run a removals business to and will come help you clear out any space you need and buy items of you.

Vintage suit cases.

You can literally spend a hours in here searching through everything or you can go straight to who ever is in there and they can point you in the right direction, even if it is something they don't have in the shop at the time, they might be able to get it in for you. The service and hospitality in the shop is what makes it. You can easily have a conversation, be well informed, leave with a perfect find and at great prices and that is on of the things I like most.

I love the fact that this small Cullompton born business is doing so well, as you may know from previous articles I am a firm believer in helping out local business's and giving everybody a fair chance in life so if you haven't done so already and have the chance, pop in, say hello and see what gem's you can uncover.

k.

Aladdin's Cave.

Ombre Nails!

There are whisperings in the fashion world that Ombre is out, yet increasingly it's been boldly making it's way back into our lives and what I'm loving at the moment is Ombre nails! They are super stylish, incredibly easy to do and actually don't take a lot of time! Perfect for a quick fix!

First off, make sure you have all of your tools, you don't want to be getting up half way through and having to rummage for the rest of your tools! you might ruin your nails!
You will need:

• The nail polishes in the colours you want to use. You can almost literally use any colours, it's a great chance to experiment and have fun!
• A good top coat! This will smooth out the nails and make sure it lasts longer and stays perfect!
• Toothpicks. Great little mixers.
• Something plastic. preferably a plastic sleeve of some sorts that won't make the polish dry out and won't absorb it.

Step 1: Choose your lightest colour and paint all of your nails as normal. wait for this to dry as much as possible for a good base coat.

Step 2: Using the plastic, paint the polish straight onto the plastic so the colours touch, make sure you use plenty so there is no gap.

Step 3: Take a tooth pick and mix the colours together in the middle (use a swirling motion so there isn't just one straight line, it gives it more of a gradient look).

Step 4: Using a sponge (I use a makeup sponge but you can use an ordinary sponge to) dab it in the polish and start pressing it onto the nail. You can do this as many times as you like to create layers but make sure it's dry in between applications!

Step 4: Once you're happy and everything is dry, add a top coat or two for protection, clean up the edges and you're ready to go!

Hopefully this will help you! The pictures aren't great because I did it late at night with a friend and this was my first ever attempt but i'm really pleased with the outcome and I will definitely be doing this again! Perfect for a night out!

The picture is a bit blurry and I haven't cleaned up the edges but here's some experimentation I did with colours! Very easy and very fun!

k.

Thighs the Limit.

The new dark obsession clouding over women of all ages. The thigh gap. We've all seen it and we all have an opinion on it, but who is right? If you type in 'leg gap' on Google you will see how this issue has us all divided, half the sites will be pro gap, encouraging you to work on your own gap and how to achieve it and half will be telling you the real problems and effects of having 'the gap'. (For those of you who have read this far and are confused, a thigh gap is a cavity that appears at the top of your thighs when your feet and knees are placed together.) The general consensus at the moment seem to be that if you want to be pretty, attractive or have the perfect body then your thighs must not be able to touch! It's not physically natural or normal for us to have a gap in our thighs, without being underweight or not yet a fully grown adult, although I want to make it clear i'm not trying to attack anyone and some people do actually have thigh gaps naturally but it's natural to them not something they have had to possibly harm their bodies to achieve.
Yes we all want lovely toned and slim thighs but there really is a limit. Your body needs that bit there and it needs body fat to provide you with a bit of padding so you don't damage your bones and organs. Also it produces oestrogen and other hormones which is something all of us need, it's not really optional, so pushing your body to achieve this highly unattainable fad is damaging your body in more ways than you can count!
People are pushing their bodies to extremes to try and achieve that gap, there are numerous tumblr accounts encouraging you to do severe things such as only eat one small slice of apple every two hours! or grab that fat   to get the gap? Another way people are getting the gap is through Lipoglaze (cosmetic surgery). Lipoglaze is basically where they freeze your inner thigh fat to get rid of it! The Harley street clinic in London has reported a 240% increase in this procedure in the last year!
I thought that society was starting to understand being healthy is key, and was encouraging curves and all healthy body shapes among women but now this! It's like we are taking a step backwards again and it's quickly spreading to the younger generations. Again we are telling them that eating disorders are OK and they should have them to look good. Just like the models. That's where this has all trickled down from but people seem to forget those women really do push their bodies, it's part of the job and hard work, it's not as glamorous as everyone thinks.
I know some women have this gap naturally no matter how hard they try, they will always have it, and that's how you are, its healthy and obtainable for them, they're not purposely doing it to themselves but I would really encourage women who don't have this naturally not to conform to the fad! Your lovely as you are, Touchy things and all, you should just aim to be healthy and happy not worry about this issue. It's just another obsession that we don't need.

Also I would like to add the argument from the other side. Its wrong to attack slimmer women for being skinny if thats how they are and it's healthy for them!
A friend of mine has been picked on, on tumblr, because she has a thigh gap but she is tall and slim and thats how her body is no matter what she tries!
I know some people have said how its a way of making curvy girls feel better about themselves, having the whole 'curvy girls are beautiful, skinny girls aren't' and 'real women have curves'  in the same way skinny people feel the need to say 'curves are ugly and skinny is better'. Neither is better, as long as everyone's healthy and this really is the point i'm trying to make! :)


k.


(P.s I'm honestly not trying to offend anyone, just trying to raise awareness of this issue and voice my opinion. I'm sharing this in hopes that people will gain a bit more of an understanding on the issue, the last thing I want in the world is for anyone to feel bad, harm their bodies or themselves, just trying to promote a happy, healthy world!)

Phill Jupitus at TCAT

Who: Phill Jupitus
When: Monday 6th May
Where: TCAT Tiverton

You're Probably Wondering Why I've Asked You Here...

Phil Jupitus is well known for his appearances on television shows such as QI and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, so it really was to my surprise that he was playing his very own shown in Tiverton!
I honestly didn't know what to expect attending this event. I have been to my fair share of gigs but never for a stand up comedian.
Taking our seats  the audience was greeted by a solitary artist's easel supporting a card simply stating, 'welcome' next to a microphone stand. Simple and Intriguing.

After a short wait his first 'character' graced the stage, rather stiffly and slowly, plodding up to the mike.
The late Vernon Herschel Harley (played rather convincingly by Jupitus) is or should I say was, an acting legend who died at the age of 113 through a family feud. This was really clever, basically Vernon is a dead guy who was brought to us so we can ask him questions about his life and acting (having worked with all the greats!).
Jupitus kept the accent and the character perfectly throughout this segment of the show. He constantly asked the audience to provide questions for him to answer and every time he seamlessly answered with witty comebacks, even amusing himself sometimes!

After a short intermission we were introduced to the late Kurt Schiffer, a captain of a U42B that was part of the German Navy's wolfpacks. He unfortunately died in 1944 after choking on an olive. He strolled onto the stage, ignoring the audience trying to light a cigarette  where he was promptly shouted at by a mysterious voice in the wings, to put it out. With some reluctance he did stating 'I was under the impression, you guys won the was? Glad to see your enjoying all that freedom!'
The tale of 'Schiffer' is particularly hilarious with him explaining all about his marriage and experiences through the war. Again we learnt of him through the audiences questions with Schiffer (Jupitus) making up his answers on the spot. His accent did slip in and out abit during this segment, especially when he was amused or angry but still he played the role superbly and was very quick on his feet with answers and reactions to the crowd. Of course with his working background and death dates, the audience questions quickly veered towards that war and Hitler but Schiffer was quick to declare that he thought Hitler was a 'dick' after meeting him at a car boot sale and buying all his thimbles. It was a rather elaborate tale but utterly hilarious.

After the second and last interval the stage was graced finally by Phill Jupitus as 'himself'. Kind off. It was the late great Phil Jupitus who died on June 24th 2052 on the eve of his 90th birthday. He immediately explains that he is being illegally broadcast and beamed onto the stage by a nerd in Bethnal Green, and that he may suddenly disappear because it is completely banned to do this and the government constantly scan everyones computer in the future playing the songs of 'Alanis morissette' which immediately stops the broadcast.
After this explanation he encourages the audience to ask him questions about himself from this point until his death and what happens in the future.
With no Accents or persona's to keep up, this segment was seamless and incredibly witty, and by now the whole audience had come out of the shock of being asked to do some of the work and were throwing questions at him from all directions! A little audience mocking did go on but thats the fun of it really!
The whole show is very clever in itself and it really takes talent to not have any specific jokes rehearsed and just fuel the show purley of the audience.

I won't spoil the whole show for you but I would 100% recommend seeing this man live. It was superb, hilarious and a whole lot of fun!

Bucket Lists.

Recently I have been thinking more and more about the future, what I'm going to do, going to be, What will be when I die and one thing that rather scares me is not doing anything with my life. Not being able to say 'I've done this' or 'I am that'. Now I know for a fact that I am far from the only one that feels this, especially as you get older, which is where the lovely 'Bucket List' comes into it all.
A bucket list if you haven't guessed is a list of things you want to do and achieve before you die. The be all and end all of to do lists.

There is a bit of a debate about Bucket Lists and whether or not you should make one. The con's mainly are that you may not finish your list and feel awful about it when the time come and that's counter productive because you want to feel fulfilled and happy when you die. Also it can be a bit depressing thinking about dying and can put you off even thinking about these kind of things, but ask yourself
'Would I be happy dying today knowing what I have achieved and done in my lifetime?' I wouldn't and there are a million and one things I want to do before die.
Which leads us onto the 'pro' side of the list. I think a Bucket List will push you to do amazing things, live life to the full and really challenge yourself. You could learn a lot and leave this world happy and in the knowledge that you have done what you wanted or even left this world a slightly better place.

My advice would be, if you write a Bucket List you have some level of commitment, you have to really want to do what you write and push yourself to do them or else you will let yourself down.
Another piece of advice would be to tell friends and family, get them involved too if you wish. It might push you towards doing everything and leave you with amazingly happy memories of times with them.
So personally I think Bucket Lists are amazing and everyone should have some sort of a list. you can have anything at all on the list, anything you have ever thought would be cool or dreamed of doing.

Whilst researching Bucket Lists I came across another blog of an amazing 17 year old girl who unfortunately died of cancer. She had a bucket list and documented every memory on the blog, it truly is lovely and inspirational. Her sister and family now carry on the blog and the list, raising money for the charity 'Alice's Escapes' which allows terminally ill children to have amazing adventures and experiences.
Alice's Bucket List is really inspirational because it is helping others, she has made this earth a little better and made many other children and families happier.

So grab a pen and paper and start writing. Try not to regret anything you haven't done and strive for the next thing! Also try and add something to your list that would help someone else. Put a smile on their face.
Hopefully you will achieve some amazing fetes and embark on fantastic adventures, so when you finally come to actually kicking the metaphorical bucket, you're happy in the knowledge you had a brilliant life.

(feel free to tell me what's on your list!)

k.

For Inspiration...
Alices blog :http://alicepyne.blogspot.co.uk/
Millies fundraising page :https://www.justgiving.com/millypyne

Here's a little insight into my list...

• Swim with dolphins.
• Bungee Jump.
• Cuddle a REAL koala.
• Go on holiday (somewhere outside the uk).
• Go on a hot air balloon.
• Cook a roast dinner from scratch.

and many, many, MANY more! x

30 Days of Squatting? Challenge Accepted!

Recently I have been bored on my computer so I have inevitably fallen into the hype of looking at things such as 'lol cats' and funny pictures. Whilst amusing, this activity is also rather soul crushing but amidst my pointless searching I came across a picture entitled 'The 30 day squat challenge' I didn't think much of it at first and went on to look at funny pictures of pugs doing handstands but it kept cropping up again and again, so without any other choice(and because I was curious) I found myself clicking on the picture.
Basically you are challenged to do roughly a month of squats, starting at 50 and working your way up to 250 in one day!
Challenge Accepted!

Naively, I thought '250 would be easy' I am currently on my 5th day and already my legs are killing me! I have worked up to 70 squats a day and already the difference is amazing! But you really do need to persevere,  its very easy to give up in this challenge!
Online people are raving about this. The soreness will pass and at the end the results will be well worth it apparently!
 Me and my friend are doing the challenge but decided to take it up a level! As well as the squats, we plan to match the amount done daily with sit-ups/crunches and all in one go, where as some people I have seen are spreading it out throughout the day!
So I will keep doing this challenge and update on my day 30, if you are doing it yourself let me know how its going! And for everyone else, I challenge you to do this! You won't be able to walk properly to begin with but it really is an interesting challenge!

k.