August 30, 2019

Three Easy Ways to Maintain Your Motivation For a Healthy Lifestyle

August 30, 2019/ Caroline J Rogers

It’s no big secret that maintaining a healthy lifestyle at times can be fairly difficult. It’s hard to stay motivated and it can be hard to resist the temptation to slip into a bad routine. It can be far too easy to slip into a cycle of bad eating and no exercise which isn't good for your bodies. It’s really important that we try our hardest to stay motivated. You shouldn’t start beating yourself up though if you do this is a sure-fire way to end up falling completely off the wagon.

Have a look below at some of the ways you can help to keep you motivated with your healthy lifestyle:

Pay Attention To Your Routine

It can often be the case that mixing up your routine can be the answer to maintaining your focus and keeping you on track with your healthy lifestyle. Regularly changing or swapping around your routine is almost as important as making sure you have one set in place. Once you've been set in a routine for a while it can be really easy to fall out of it and that’s because we get bored. Having a routine doesn't necessarily mean that you should be following the same one every day it can mean that you are keeping on top your health care. Making sure you have all your important medical info on you, knowing important phone numbers and knowing where the nearest urgent care and hospital is just as important to include in your routine.

Make It Interesting

You know that exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, but at times it can be boring. Nobody wants to feel bored so it's not surprising that many people lose their motivation for a healthy lifestyle purely for the fact that their exercise routine is boring and mundane. You should be trying to do exercises that you find motivational and fun at the same time. So if going for a morning swim isn't for you, find something that you do enjoy. Try a few new things until you find something that you know you can really sink your teeth into. Some examples could include yoga, dancing or even kickboxing.

Include Your Friends And Family

A brilliant way to help with your motivation is to not be doing it on your own. Turning your healthy lifestyle into a group activity that you and your friends or family can do together will be sure to keep you on the right track. You’re able to share different ideas, give each the push that you might need and encourage each other to try something new. Whether it's trying new foods or a new exercise class, there is something more motivational about doing it together than alone that is powerful. If you have children it’s not only a good idea to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage exercise for them it will also help with your willpower, and keeping healthy will mean you are able to more exciting activities too.

Do you have any other ways to keep up your motivation when it comes to a healthy lifestyle?

Please share them in the comments section below!

Nobody is Perfect and That’s Okay

August 29, 2019/ Caroline J Rogers

Any little girl who grew up reading fairy tales is already forced into a world where perfection appears effortlessly achievable. Snow White, for instance, is so beautiful that her step-mother, the Queen, can’t stand her comparison. The very reason why Snow White’s life is threatened is that she, ultimately, is too perfect. However, as a young girl reading through the book or watching your favorite Disney’s rendition, your first reaction is to be scared on behalf of Snow White and to want her to win in the end. As an adult, however, you might find growing in yourself a sense of understanding for the Evil Queen who cannot, despite her best efforts and all her magical skills, achieve perfection. Perfection is, as far as we know, not of this world. However, we still crave for it, unable to accept and cherish our imperfection. It’s time to silence the Evil Queen in each of us.

Stop worrying about what others think of you

The very first thing you need to do to fight off your Evil Queen is to focus on yourself without stopping to consider what others think or do. Indeed, the source of pain for the Evil Queen is to compare herself against others, as she asks her magical mirror who is the most beautiful women in the kingdom. Don’t follow her footsteps. Comparing yourself to others is no real measurement of your uniqueness and worth. We are naturally biased to find the grass greener on the other side, but it’s not always an accurate feeling. Following your path creates a unique route that is beyond comparison. It’s all about you, and if you wish to compare, you should compare to your past self.

What if this is causing internal turmoil?

Unfortunately, in your quest to perfection, pain can come from a variety of places. For the Evil Queen, ignoring comparison wouldn’t have been sufficient to maintain her happiness. Indeed, the Queen is all of us when she actively seeks reassurance from her mirror. Am I truly the most beautiful beyond comparison? It’s the question she would ask today. Bluesky Psychology experts fear that the Queen’s excessive need for comparison reveals a tragic lack of self-worth. Indeed, if you have no sense of how well you’re doing until you can compare yourself to others, working with a therapist could help you to break free and work with you if you are dealing with these types of things.

Therapy does not work for everyone so if you are dealing with lack of self worth or more such as anxiety, depression or something else of the sort please seek out medical help you are not alone.

Understanding the difference between not good enough and self-improvement

Wanting to get better is healthier than attempting to eliminate all competition like the Evil Queen does. However, while the path to self-improvement is about acquiring new skills with the help of a mentor or a partner who makes you accountable, it’s also a path to achieve a goal. Whether you want to fit in your bridal gown or become a better manager, defining success begins with your objective. Self-improvement is not a path toward self-acceptance. If you don’t love yourself at the beginning of the journey, you’re likely to find flaws at the end.

The Evil Queen lives in each of us. She compares herself constantly to others. She is obsessed about it and finds no way out but destruction to achieve her goals. While nobody goes to such extents, there’s no denying that the quest for perfection leaves us just as damaged and vulnerable. It’s time to make peace with our imperfect self. The Queen can finally relax in the knowledge that Snow White is too perfect to be real.

And we all are imperfect happily after.

Love who you are and water your own grass!

5 Trends In The Fashion Industry You Need To Know About

May 29, 2019/ Caroline J Rogers

Trends, by their very nature, will tend to come and go. However, hopefully these particular trends will be here to stay. We're not talking macrame or crazy couture today, my friends, so listen up – we're going to get real. Check out the following five trends in the fashion industry that you need to know about.

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Trend 1: Reducing Our Carbon Footprint

It's fantastic that we're all getting more environmentally aware these days, but I'll be the first to admit it can be a minefield. I do my very best to decline all plastic bags, I recycle as much as I can and straws, well, you won't see them touch my lips these days! We've all been making an extra effort it seems – since 2012, we've reduced our carbon footprint by more than 12% in the UK.

Trend 2: Choosing Ethical Clothing

We all do our bit as best we can, but how many of us actually consider where our clothes come from and how they are made? I know a lot of people probably think they can't afford ethical clothing (so did I), but read on for a hot tip on how to afford ethical clothing on a budget.

It's pretty important for modern fashion brands to be aware of how their clothes are made and how their fashion impacts the environment. Now more than ever, we have to pull together and make a proper effort for the planet. As more and more major online retailers offer eco-friendly lines, it's becoming easier for us to make the choice to buy ethical clothing.

Trend 3: Ditching Disposables

It's not just straws that we've kicked to the curb – disposable cups are SO last season and not set to make a comeback anytime, ever. We're rocking Keepcups pretty hard ourselves. They're such good quality and there's no risk of spilling tea on your box-fresh top, as they are so well-made and tightly sealed.

Trend 4: The High Waist

Making a very welcome comeback is the high waist. We've seen it in 'Mom' jeans, now check it out on bikinis, trousers, skirts, and shorts – basically any kind of garment you wear on your bottom half. It’s especially flattering if you like creating that nipped-in silhouette.

Trend 5: Affordable Eco-friendly Clothing

Here's a hot tip – eco-clothing can be more affordable than you think. Gone are the days of premium prices for eco brands. Mainstream online retailers now offer eco-clothing lines - ASOS now source 34% of fibers for their own-brand range from sustainable sources and if you look out for offers you can do really well.

So let's do it together! Check how your clothes are made and where they come from. If your fave retailer doesn't make it clear then ask them! If enough of us keep asking the question then they will have to do something. And for the time being, let's shop where we know ethical choices get made. It's good for your pocket and the planet!

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