For the past few weeks now , my inner self has been telling me things that are now getting to me. I do not usually care for what I look like but I have now come to the point where I look in the mirror and hate that I am showing lumps and bumps in all the wrong places. I think it comes more each summer especially as I pull out the clothes from my wardrobe and find that I have put on yet again a good few pounds and nothing fits me . My arms look saggy, my legs look lumpy and my stomach, well thats my biggest hate. I know I should be happy with who I am and I am to an extent, but I honestly feel like my body is starting to get a little larger than I like. My husband always comforts me , he tells me I am beautiful and he loves those curves and bumps , my body made his children and he says that shows a true woman . I know I should appreciate that , but I know myself deep down that I am not happy myself and that is what matters most. I do not want to be stick thin, I do not want to be noticed or payed attention to, I simply want to feel more comfortable in myself and have my confidence back. I honestly agree with the saying ''Once you get married you pile on the weight''. I totally agree with that, and it comes with being content in my marriage and confidence being naked in front of my husband . I just wonder myself though if he is saying it to make me feel better , I know it isn't nice to look at a flabby belly , for gods sake I look 8 months pregnant some days it is ridiculous. I had a funeral last week to go to and my husband treat me to a lovely new suit. I asked him to buy me a size 12 so it would be comfortable to walk and sit in all day and when it came to putting it on I just felt so fat and frumpy. The trousers were a massive squeeze around my tummy area and the blazer was ridiculously squashing my boobs. My husband keeps complimenting me on how much my boobs keep growing, he loves boobs like most men do and he always gets the reply ''It is because I am getting fatter'' Matter of the fact was that the suit was small and a tight squeeze. I never thought I would hear myself saying that. As size 12 and it was too small. You know when you try to make yourself feel better by making the excuse up that different shops have different fittings , so it must have been the brands fault lol. I know I should not put myself down but I just feel a little saddened by it lately and if I could get some of this weight shifted in a short time I would do it. I would never have surgery , I am to much a wimp when it comes to hospitals and needles and knives, I also do not think it is how it should be done . I lack no determination at all when it comes to fitness and diets. I love my food and in no way feel confident enough to even walk into a gym nor could I even afford to , have you seen the prices of those things?. My struggle is the fact I feel a little depressed lately. A lot of things have been happening this past year and I feel low more than up ,not with my husband , I love him dearly but having an extra couple of children to look after who seem to be testing me to the limits lately and being stuck in a tiny village with nothing at all to do here nor have money or transport to go anywhere . I think I am turning to food to make up for my boredom and lack of social interaction. I love food. I feel grateful for all I have but sometimes I feel it is just too much for me to handle. We moved out of our town where all our friends and family were around 4 years ago and back then I was a lovely size 8 and always doing something. Since we have come to this village, I am alone, lost all touch with friends and I have no one to chat with over a cuppa, go shopping with or even just have any interaction with unless its over the phone or computer, to the extent I can not actually remember the last time I went out for an event that wasn't a funeral, in fact I think our wedding was the last time we had any proper time for us and that was 2 years ago. We do not have a swimming baths anywhere near, I used to love going to the baths with the kids but because we have so many little ones now it can be pricey and because there are 7 all aged 4yrs to 12yrs we can not take them on our own , there's no one else to go with us. We love the summer and find ourselves driving for a family outing somewhere like the beach or a nature reserve , it does not cost a fortune and the children have all the space they need to run around and enjoy the outdoors ,but most times it is hard to even get out with balancing my husband working all the time and the children's routines. Maybe I am just making excuses, my husband tells me nothing is stopping me from getting on a bus and going into town to have a walk around while kids are in school or going for a walk around the village. Ludworth is a pit village in County Durham, England situated between Durham and Peterlee. It consists of just over 350 houses in three main housing estates (Barnard Avenue, Moor Crescent and Springfield Meadows) and a few smaller streets. Ludworth has one post office, a school, a community centre and a printers. The village used to have two churches and a fish shop, most of which were destroyed in a fire. The public house of Ludworth has been closed for some years. There is a small park and I for one can not see myself sitting on the swings these days and having a game of basketball in front of all the young ones who play there. Me and Kaiden did go for a very long walk through the woods last week in the pouring down rain but even then it only took us 20 minutes to walk around the whole village at max. The transport to our local town centre is the bus route that takes us to Durham City Centre and by the time I get on one then get there, it would be time for me to jump back on and come back in time for little man to be picked up from nursery. Until he starts full time school , I can not get on a bus to go anywhere and so as the husband is working all day , most days, It is rare I get out the house . I did enjoy a full weekend out last weekend though. The in-laws had a barbecue at their home and we all went to play in the garden and enjoy the sunshine. I am hoping the summer has more of that sunshine as it was lovely. We are looking at moving and have been trying to for some time now, but with needing a bigger home it looks like we may be waiting some time . I need somewhere near family or even a local strip of shops to walk to. Being stuck in this little village with no one and nothing to keep me busy is taking its toll on my weight. I just seem to be eating so much. I never eat breakfast, I will have a meal with my son at dinnertime but always make a big meal for tea for the whole family. I then find myself drinking fizzy pop and looking for nibbles . I do not eat sweet foods, I am more of a savoury indulger to the point I am happy to sit and eat cheese on crackers or salted peanuts. Yes that is right I am not going to lie to you, I do not exercise or eat well at all, but I do want to do something about it . I have seen a challenge going around the social media lately and I think it is something that looks doable even by me, in my own home , no gym or membership fees or obligations . I think the best thing about the challenges is that you can choose different challenges for each month working on a different area at your own speed . The 30 day fitness challenges give you a 30 day (obviously) timetable for exercises and healthy recipes . You can choose to work from doing easy to hard exercises and it will help you feel motivated that little more knowing that each day you are doing something motivating to help improve your body in only 30 days. I have decided , now is the time to start and I am going to make sure that I stick to it , and if I don't my husband has permission to not buy me those treats like MAC and new clothes. 30 days, 1 challenge, heaps of benefits! My most needed challenge for me is the Core challenge. I feel that my tummy is the first place I need to work on , this is the area that I feel makes me concious and upset the most about as I used to have such a lovely flat tummy till having my son 4 years ago. 
30 Day AB and squat Challenge from 30 Day Fitness Challenges The 20 day fitness challenge quotes- Take up this 30 day abs and squat challenge this month and tone up and boost your core, leg and butt muscles and body strength to the max. This is one of our most popular challenges to date and gives off the best results – if you stick to it and complete all 30 days ! The challenge has 3 different exercises which you have to do each day, and the time spent doing the exercise slowly increases day by day to help you build up your core body muscle strength gradually, ensuring you are able to complete the final day of the challenge easily. You only have to do the amount of time shown on the challenge chart once per day, however if you are feeling brave then you can repeat each days challenge as many times as you like – however remember by day 30 it will be very hard to do multiple times. So here goes a little bit of bravery in showing you my tummy now.......... 
I would love for you to join in and help support me. Encouragement and motivation is all I need please.
Will you be joining in on the #30dayfitness challenge?
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These days, people find beauty and looking younger top priority. You only have to turn on the television or open a magazine to see or hear someone getting some sort of plastic surgery. Does plastic surgery make them feel better or even look younger? There can be many people who turn to surgery and live happily with their choices but for others it can go drastically wrong and in my own opinion make things worse and do more harm than good. The realisation is that you do not need to go through such drastic actions to look younger and healthier. You can help to slow down the process naturally. You just need to be ready and motivated to do so. Being happy and secure in yourself is most important. Ageing eventually catches up with us all but you can grow old gracefully so embrace the natural process of life. There are a few signs of early ageing. Early ageing is unlike natural ageing and sometimes can be something to be concerned about . It is not just looking older but it is feeling older. A few signs to look for are :-
So what can you do about it ?
Here are my suggestions and tips to help. 1. Stop Stressing Stress can effect you not just mentally but physically too. I you feel stressed you are more than likely looking it too. Stress can make anxiety levels peak and those anxiety levels can harm your immune system. When the immune system slows down, the ageing process speeds up. This is what causes problems like depression, high blood pressure, obesity and frequent illnesses. Stress can also be a cause to start bad habits which are a bad way of dealing with anxiety such as smoking, large alcohol consumption and comfort eating. Try not to stress out . Figure out what the cause of the stress is and how to deal with your feelings when it arises more calmly. So next time the children spill paint on your cream carpet or the dog chews your favourite pair of shoes , just say to yourself '' Things are not as bad as they may seem , I can deal with this calmly'' Try using these methods to de-stress:-
2.You are consuming too many toxins. Beauty products , food, drink and house hold cleaning products all carry toxins and some of them can be extremely harmful such as
These are just a few that have been found to cause health problems such as Cancer, birth defects , chromic illnesses and others. I can see you now, running around the house checking all the ingredients on the labels on your bottles and tubs but do not worry , it is easy to change and make things better for your health for your products to become toxic free . Start with cleaning products , throw away those nasty chemicals that are in your family home and look for alternatives such as natural or organic. If you are feeling extra organic then you could use some of these organic and natural products for cleaning the home and probably save some pennies in doing so:-
There are a lot more and even tomato ketchup and bread has its use for house hold cleaning. There are a lot of brands out there that are organic, natural and green and the same goes for beauty products. Try buying organic , you will feel the difference and even see a significant improvement in your health and complexion with that one simple step. 3. Your wardrobe. People say what you wear reflects your age. It can tell people a lot about you by the way your dress. Dressing your age has to be my most appropriate tip. Wearing your nan's hand me down vintage floral dress may look good on some but mostly terrible on most people , the same goes for the 50 year old mum who shops in the teenagers section in New Look for those ripped skinny jeans.It does not make you look younger but in fact enhace the fact you are trying to look younger. Buying clothes that are a perfect fit for your shape and personality is a must , just wear what is appropriate. 4.Stop the poor diet and eat well. Filling your diet with junk food and artificial foods can make you look older before your time and that is because every part of your body is effected by what you eat. Food can improve or decrease the appearance of your imune system, your skin and of course your weight. Don't go mad and start dieting , just follow some simple rules.
5. Dem bones. Aches and pains are definately something we recognise with growing older.Looking after your joints and bones is important. My doctors prescribed me with high calcium milk and water because I had very low levels . My mum used to tell me to drink milk to make my bones stronger so I used to imagine myself waking and wobbling around like jelly if I had not had my shot of creamy goodness. Exercise is an obvious option to help strengthen them and of course maintains your weight to a healthy state. Theres nothing more enjoyable than a lovely steamy bath and followed by a massage to wind down and relax but also help your bones and joints. 6. Stop sitting around The dreaded word '' Exercise is something of a harsh word to some, me in particular but exercise plays a huge role in how well you age. Joint movement and muscle mass needs to be maintained through regular exercise. It will help you be more flexible and keep that dangerous belly fat from building up , saving you from that discomfort later on in life x We all know how exercise is good for you , so make sure you do it properly . Just keep these four things in mind
Having a variety of sports or fitness routines are the best way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Yoga, pilates and Thai chi are excellent for anti ageing and don't have to be in a gym , you can do these at home. You get soo many benefits :-
7. You're not sleeping This is something which I struggle to deal with , always have , for instance last night I was still running around at 1am doing the laundry and had to be up for 7am with the children for school. It is said that too much sleep or too little can be harmful and in fact you are meant to sleep for around 7-9 hours only each night. Sleeping more than 9 hours can have dyer consequences and has been proven to actually shorten your life span and energy levels . My bedtime is regular but my timing is terrible .
8.Face lifts do not make you look better. At some stage in our lives we will all have wrinkles, sagging jowls and that dreadful turkey neck. We see a lot of celebrities in particular turning to surgery to get that face lift when they become aware and self concious of wrinkles and dropping. I often think they make people look worse, you can tell by the unatural look of the tight skin and unatural stiffness but I think it makes them look worse. 9. Bad habits. We all know that smoking and drinking high percentages of alcohol is bad for you and it can carry so many complications and be dangerous to your health. Smoking to relieve stress will cause you more stress because the nicotine in your system is thriving for more of those nasty chemicals from the cigarette. If you don't get that nicotine your blood pressure will rise and then not only will you feel stressed but you will also look stressed. Alcohol in small doses is not so much a problem . It is binge drinking, drinking every day however that can have drastic consequences not only for your looks but for your health too. Alcohol depletes Vitamin A which is important for skin/cell regeneration. So if you are drinking a lot of alcohol then you will be losing your collagen which leads to wrinkles and dry skin. 10. Take care of your teeth. Our teeth are one of our main accessories. Everyone notices them when you talk and smile so taking care of them should be a priority. As we get older , our teeth and gums start to become weaker, stained and lose enamel . Chemicals and bacteria form up in the mouth which can cause gum disease, cavities and staining so you need to brush and floss regular to avoid this. Smoking and caffeine are well known for harming our teeth so cutting down or even better stopping is the best option. People say '' An apple a day, keeps the dentist at bay'' You should not over do it with acidic fruits like apples and oranges though as eating too much can do more harm than good and strip the enamel and rot your teeth. 11.Cellulite just wont leave me alone. Cellulite is very common especially around the belly and the top thigh area. It is not just larger people who are effected and at some point we will more than likely come across it . There are a lot of beauty products out there that claim to reduce or rid cellulite but infact very rarely work at all. Again diet and exercise helps the skins elasticity become more subtle . These are 3 home remedies you could try to help reduce cellulite:-
12.Listen to your body. The problem with todays society is that we spend too much time rushing around and helping others , sometimes forgetting to eat or sleep just to please others whether that is in work , friends or family or even neighbours. You need to remember to always make time for yourself and listen to your body giving you signals that you need something .
The key to feeling young is to take care of yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. You will feel better for it and if you feel better , you will look better. So there we have it , what mistakes are you making ? Start adjusting your lifestyle for the better of your health and appearance in a natural way. Stay young inside and out no matter the age . 
Today I have a lovely lady ask me to do a post about ''STAYING POSSITIVE''.
This lady has just turned 15 years old and is called Olivia from Olivia's Catastrophe so please go check her out . ''Happy Belated Birthday Olivia'' First of all we all know how quickly things can get ontop of us .
These are the ones we hear about most often when someone is feeling down and less possitive about things and when they feel down, you feel down so what can we do to help ? We tend to have bias opinions towards our failures and negativity and so our brains are more likely to store and seek out negative memories. Now there is no way you can wipe clean your memories but you can make the bad ones into good ones by thinking about them in a different way.For instance:- Losing a loved one:- Losing a loved one can be heartbreaking and over the years you may find yourself feeling down at the slightest thought of them. For me , It has to be the certain scent of a perume my mum used to wear. I suddenly feel down and depressed, I want to cry and be with her . Thing is there is always some other memory to replace that memory of losing my mum and the last itme I seen her in the hospital bed and they are always happier moments
It is very easy to sit and feel self pity, blame and anger but if you learn to appreciate the things you have like your friends, family and health and all the great fun memories, it can help you stay possitive. Things do get better. Your negative feelings wont last forever, forever is only as long as you let it be . Having low self esteme is also something I have struggled with these past years. It has increased my anxiety to the point where Ii no longer feel worth anything , no confidence , paranoid daily thinking the worst will happen just drained every piece of me and sucked the life from my soul. Blogging became a great help with starting the recovery for me. The doctors told me to write a journal of my everyday events and seek each days events for something that could be making me feel negative every day. This is why I started blogging, but instead of this I thought why should I write my personal day , instead seeing alot of others writing about possitive things throughout their day made me feel better . I have found this past year I have built up my confidence and my self esteem is slowely buiding to the point I almost feel proud at times, even more so when people love and comment on my blog posts saying they enjoyed reading and loved my post. The best thing is '' No Panick Attacks for a year''. My top 3 tips for staying possitive :-
So how do you cope, have you suffered from any of the above situations, how do you stay possitive? 
Melon manic!
We all know how good our fruits are for us. Filled with vitamins such as Vitamin A and Potassium as well as Vitamin C , the Cantelope melon is the perfect reason to enjoy some fruit. Swimtastic! So your friends are all blabbing on about working hard in the sweaty gym, but did you know that 30 minutes of swimming in the cool pool is as good as 40 minutes in the gym? So grab ya trunks and swimsuits and go have a splash. Sex is great for your imunity to fight colds this winter! Get in the mood by regularly slipping into some silky, sexy sleepwear instead. People who have sex once or twice a week have a 30 percent higher concentration of disease-fighting immunoglobin A in their bodies, so if you want to conbat the coughs and colds of the winter this year , you know what to do . 
PMS - Pre Menstrual Syndrome.
While most women of child-bearing age (up to 85%) report having experienced physical symptoms related to normal ovulatory function, such as bloating or breast tenderness, medical definitions of PMS are limited to a consistent pattern of emotional and physical symptoms occurring only during the luteal phase ( the latter phase of the menstrual cycle) of the menstrual cycle that are of "sufficient severity to interfere with some aspects of life" More than 200 different symptoms have been associated with PMS, but the three most prominent symptoms are irritability, tension, and dysphoria(unhappiness) and uncomfortable stomach cramps. Try buying Deep heat muscle soak Rescue bath soak £2.74 from Boots. The electrolyte minerals help prevent cramps or if you prefer there are herbal remedies such as Agnus castus Kira PMS Relief £9.90. A change of diet has also helped alot of woman with PMS. Cutting down their sugar and fat and eating more fish and more fresh fruit and veg with a little exercise has helped too. For mood swings tip! You can think yourself happy if you use possitive language (even if it does ean talking to yourself in the mirror or in your head. Negative thoughts lower your mood, so if you think possitive and say to yourself ''I am in such a good mood today'' and ''I can get through this'', it will help. So give it a go , what have you got to lose. |
