LIFESTYLE | NEW YEARS RESOLUTION 2015

Before writing this post I had decided that I wasn't going to have any New Years Resolution as I always set myself up for failure. Instead I thought I would be more mindful of what I am doing.

As it was the end of the year, I thought I would reflect on last years resolution. Before I looked at them I thought I had dramatically failed all of them but, actually the outcome was a lot better than I thought. So lets review:

Socialise more 

I definitely did socialise more this year, accepting invitations I possibly wouldn't normally have had. The main improvement was spending more time with my family and even if I couldn't see them making sure I called them for a chat.

Save up to buy a house in 2015

Looking back this was the most unrealistic expectation I could have set myself. Saying that because of this resolution and being more financially savvy or mindful with my money, we are in a much better position than we were previously and could possibly be in the position to start seriously looking at the end of the year.

Take more pictures 

I have started taking more pictures, but then just deleting them, so I guess, the idea should be to post them somewhere so that I can look back at them. My Instagram has been a lot busier though!

Travel more

I was completely unrealistic with my travel goals especially as we were saving - I did manage to go on my usual holiday to Spain, as well as an amazing trip to Amsterdam, which is more than I usually would. I'd never been to Holland before so that was an great opportunity. We also had two stays in London, one for Notting Hill Carnival/ our first wedding anniversary and another for a family friends wedding. 

Cook more

While I didn't bake more (or at all really) I have been cooking more from scratch and have been more experimental with my cooking so I see this as a win! This can be attributed to my growing cookbook collection.

Create a healthier attitude towards food

This one was probably the biggest failure, in fact in the grand scheme of things I was worse than previous years! I vowed not to diet, which was broken in months and I ended up trying about 4 different diets - all with temporary success. However, year on year I weigh more or less the same, give or take a pound. But the biggest fail was being more active. I started off great, but then became seriously terrible at getting my bum of the sofa. This has already been addressed this year by shunning my train ticket to work and walking the journey instead.

So in 2015 what am I hoping for? This year I am keeping it simple...

Be more active
Continue to save money
Be Happy

How did you do with last year resolutions?

Like what you see? You can follow me here:

twitter // bloglovin // facebook

FOOD | nākd. raw food bars Review

selection of nākd bars c/o natural balance foods.

Part of my goals for 2014 is to be more healthy. Overall this is not a problem since I discovered the Hairy Dieters recipe books last year which helps me make healthy, lower calorie foods without feeling deprived.

I've also got back on the gym waggon with early morning work outs on the way back from dropping Hubs to work. This is followed by a protein shake to help my body recover from my workout and porridge to keep me full until lunch.

The problem comes mid afternoon at work when I all of a sudden decide I am starving, possibly to death, right in my office in the middle of Brighton - who ever said I was melodramatic? We have fruit in the office on Monday and Wednesday, while I do try to snack on these, they just never seem to fill the hole. This then leads me to gorge on really unhealthy things that can be found in any office, like biscuits, crisps, cakes - you get my gist.

I've tried cereal bars etc, but they aren't that tasty and don't fulfil my sugar needs despite their deceptively high sugar content! Then I found the perfect natural balance foods snacks - the nākd. raw food bar range.

The range is gluten, wheat and dairy free, so suitable for people with various dietary restrictions,they count as one of your five a day and are 100% natural.They are also raw - meaning the contents are not cooked, instead cold pressed.

The bars are mainly made from dates and a variety of nuts so are naturally sweet and have a lovely moist texture. They come in the following flavours:

• Rhubarb and custard
• Pecan Pie
• Caffe Mocha
• Berry Delight
• Cocoa Orange
• Cashew Cookie
• Cocoa Delight
• Cocoa Mint
• Ginger Bread

After trialing each flavour (poor me!) my favourite bars are Ginger Bread and Cocoa Orange, which taste like Terrys Chocolate Orange. The mint tastes like After Eights too!

What is your favorite snack?

Like what you see? You can follow me here:

twitter // bloglovin // facebook

LIFESTYLE | Apple iPhone 4 - Proporta Sports Armband Review

Apple iPhone 4 - Proporta Sports Armband *

 I jog or go to the gym regularly and like to listen to music when I workout to keep me motivated. The main two annoyances when I go for a run is where to put my keys and phone as I don't always have pockets in my workout clothes, and when they are getting a bit loose they can cause my trousers to feel like they are going to fall down!

Luckily Proporta sent me out this Apple iPhone 4 - Proporta Sports Armband*. I have to admit I am very happy with it. I liked that there is a key pocket on the back of the armband and although I was initially concerned that the keys were going to fall out because of the way the pocket faced they were fine there.

The case is made out of elasticated neoprene, which means it can be washed by hand and it is water, or more likely sweat resistant. This means not only does it protect your phone from bumps and scratches but also unexpected rain, or if you are an idiot like me, water you pour over your head to cool yourself down. The armband is adjustable so it'll keep up with my weight loss which I think is very important. 

You can also use the phone through the cover, which to be honest I was surprised at as the plastic is quite thick. Overall I think this case is a winner and will definitely be using it from now on! The good thing about Proporta products is that they have a Lifetime warranty so if it breaks or the elastic is faulty, you can just contact them and they will replace it.

                                                                     Love Lilla xx