100 Happy Days...Day 65

Day 65 - Dance studios

This is probably going to sound really cheesy but, there's something magical about a dance studio. Once your in the room of mirrors and the door is shut, anything that mattered on the outside world is forgotten. It's such a nice place to be with nothing but your balance, technique and positioning to worry about.

The studio was such a nice escape tonight. I left work in not the best of moods, getting more and more annoyed as I drove to class, but when I left I felt so calm and relaxed it was unreal.

If I won the lottery I'd definitely build myself a dance studio in my house.

100 Happy Days...Day 64

Day 64 - Chinese Food

I have a big love for Chinese food, I very rarely turn down a weekend takeaway. However, I always find I eat too much, feel very bloated and don't enjoy it after it's been eaten as much as I did when I was eating. After tonight's dinner though I think I've found a way to stop this.

Eat with chop sticks.

The CFO at my company took our department out for a Chinese meal tonight to celebrate the end of a good first quarter financially. We went to a vey nice restaurant in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, called The Landmark, and I really recommend you give it a go if you're in the area.

Between the group of us we shared a few different appetisers and mains, all of those I tried were amazing. The shredded beef in chilli sauce was my favourite, and probably one of the nicest Chinese dishes I've ever had.

By eating with chop sticks I found I took my time with my meal and didn't wolf down my food like I normally would. I was eating smaller bite sizes and could feel myself getting full as I went. I managed to notice I was satisfied and that any more food would spoil what I'd eaten so stopped. I'm now comfortably fi and thinking about how nice the food was.

Maybe I should start eating everything with chopsticks from now on.

Weigh in - 28th April

I am very pleased to announce, another 1.2 lbs loss this week. I'm now pretty much back where I started at the beginning of the month, but I'm not going to complain because that extra weight I ate from feeling sorry for myself is now gone and I'm looking to the future and not backwards.

I was back at dancing last week, training hard for our performance. It's amazing how much progress the ab challenge has helped me make at class. Our core ab exercises are a lot easier now than they were in January and it's definitely helping with my technique. I've still got a long way to go though, but thankfully I'm feeling quite motivated.

After coming up with 101 reasons why not to go to the gym on Thursday, I talked myself into going and managed a 20 min cardio workout and some leg presses. My head wasn't in it so I didn't fully achieve what I should have done but an 8 min run non-stop was good. I'm getting closer to that 10 min run, it's just taking longer than I'd hoped for. (I'm still not falling in love with running).

I'm now in the 4 week lead up to my exam which means there's going to be less working out for the next few weeks and more studying. I'm still going to aim to dance once a week, and one gym session but work has to take priority for a while. My weakness is going to be snacking. I like to eat whilst I study and I normally just grab chocolate/biscuits/cakes etc, but I'm going to keep my goal in my mind throughout and opt for the fruit option as best I can. I'm determined this study session wont put weight on my, if I have to I'll maintain but I'm still going for a loss.

I now have only 2 more days to go on my 30 day challenges. I'll take the last progress pictures on Thursday morning and when I do my monthly round up we'll all be able to judge if there's a difference in the photographs.

Happy Monday everyone!

100 Happy Days...Day 63

Having a lightbulb moment. In preparation for my exam I've been studying today and finally had that 'ding' moment when calculating NPVs on projects, including tax & interest rates. The concept behind it is all finally making sense, and I'm actually kind of excited to do some more. Yes I know it's not the most exciting topic but as an accountant, I'm allowed to get excited over such things.

100 Happy Days...Day 62

Day 62 - Pictures that you can relate too

This cartoon popped up on my Facebook earlier and it made me smile. I can totally relate to that mentality. I think now I'm starting to over come it but I've definitely still got my sweet tooth I need to tame.

100 Happy Days...Day 61

Day 61 - lovely evening with friends

To celebrate the birthdays of two of my lovely neighbours, it was dinner party at my house tonight. The food was amazing; home made beef casserole and chicken & chorizo bake, served with salad, new potatos and veg. All very tasty and relatively healthy.

Apart from one small glass of champagne, I resisted the alcohol all night and was drinking milk ready for bed by 10. Unfortunately my motivation didn't quite stretch to resisting the cheesecake. I did turn down a second piece and went for fruit instead.

Happy birthday C and T!

Book Review 1 - The Night Circus

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus is a 2011 book written by Erin Morgenstern, and tells the story of two young magicians forced into a competition by their mentors to settle a long outstanding disagreement. The playing board for the challenge is the Le Cirque des Rêves and it's black-and white striped canvas tents, filled with unique and amazing experiences. But as the two magicians fall in love, there are tragic consequences and an ending neither mentor would have wished for.

I'd heard a lot of good reviews about this book before I bought it, and I was told in good faith by my best friend that I would fall in love with it. When I first started reading, I didn't believe him. The book was very slow to start and I couldn't quite figure out how everything fit together. There's a lot of jumping around to different times and different people's view points which took some getting used to, but when the challenge finally got going, it didn't disappoint.

I loved the feeling of being transported to this completely different world of the circus, where every time you visited something different happened. The idea that a place so magical could exist in such a normal world was incredible and had me hooked. The description of some of the tents really made it feel like you were experiencing the circus first hand.

The range of different personalities and relationships between the characters in the books, made the experience ever so more realistic. You felt very involved in everything that was going on, felt the pain, the love and the laughter when each of the characters did. There's a wide range of people to connect to, and a group called the Rêveurs which every lover of this book would class themselves as part of.

In my opinion, the book ended with the best ending it could. I don't want to spoil it, but if the ending had been different I'm not sure I'd be as in love with the book as I am.

After a quick google, I've read that the rights to the film have been bought and the script being written. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the magic will be kept throughout the film, as it's a great book that I don't want to get ruined.

If you like magic, and fantasy this book shouldn't disappoint. It does completely transport you somewhere else, just give it time to get to the good bit.

Rating: 9/10. Slow to start but had me falling in love with it towards the end.

100 Happy Days...Day 60

Day 60 - Days Out

Today was a non-work day to let me have another nice day out with my parents. Out trip today took us to my two favourite places, Keswick and Bowness on Windermere. I've been visiting the Lake District since I was a baby and always enjoy returning back.

We spent our morning walking through Keswick town, visiting the range of little independent shops the high street has to offer, and Keswick's amazing chocolate shop, before heading down to the Lakeside. I must have spent months of my life sat at that lakeside watching the boats go past. It never seems to get boring.

After enjoying a lovely lunch at Hope Cafe, we headed back to the car and drove down to Bowness. After another wonder round the shops we walked down to the lake, only to get rained upon by a very sudden shower. We still managed to enjoy our ritual ice cream down by the lake side, eaten from under the cover of the bus shelter before heading home.

A lovely day out, just a shame the weather decided to rain.

100 Happy Days...Day 59

Day 59 - Fighting the excuses

I'd planned on going to the gym after work tonight, but as the day went on I came up with 101 different reasons as to why I shouldn't go. Stupid things like I was hungry, I had hiccoughs, I only had 1 bobble to tie my hair up with etc. I even walked out of the office arguing with myself as to whether I should go to the gym or not. But amazingly I talked sense into myself and to the gym I want.

I may not have been as motivated as I could have been when I got there, but a quick 30 min session of cardio and legs is better than nothing. Proud of myself for fighting the excuses and not giving in.

100 Happy Days...Day 58

Day 58 - Seeing progress

So today I was back at dance after a few weeks off and I'm very pleased to say that my 30 day challenge has majorly helped me at class today. We do lots of core exercises and normally I struggle through them, but today I managed to complete the exercises with only a little bit of wobbling throughout. So pleased with how much progress I've made with this challenge so far. 1 more week to go!

100 Happy Days...Day 57

Day 57 - Sanctuary Body Butter

After cleaning out my bathroom cupboard the other week I stumbled across an unused tub off Sanctuary body butter, and I've been giving it a go for the last few days.

I've used body butters in the past and always thought they were ok, but after trying Sanctuary's product I'm in love with it and would definitely but it again. The butter is very soft to touch and doesn't feel thick when you put it on. It soaks so easily into the skin, putting the moisture back instantly. Great for after showers or shaving.

I used the butter on my legs yesterday morning and before I showered this morning, my legs were still really soft. It's also been great for my feet, especially when combined with moisture socks. The feeling of the cream soaking in as I walked across the kitchen floor was heavenly. Combine this with the gorgeous smell I could never get enough of, this product has definitely become one of my must have items.

To whichever of my lovely family members bought me this present, thank you so much. I'm in love.

100 Happy Days...Day 56

Day 56 - Frozen

Because I love it so much, today's happy day deserved a post on it's own rather than being combined with my Weigh In posting.

I'm a bit behind the rest of the world, but today I finally got to watch frozen. and I LOVE IT.

What an amazing film. A great story, some great truths throughout, and amazing songs.

I'll admit, prior to watching it I thought everyone was being a bit over the top about the whole thing, but I'm in total agreement with everyone. An amazing film. Possibly the best Disney princess film for a while now.

Now...time to go sing 'Let it Go' over and over again.

Weigh In - 21st April

I'm always very surprised to see the scales drop, especially after a few very bad days. I dropped another 0.5lb which I'm really chuffed with after my bottle of wine, cakes and chocolate I've enjoyed these last few days.

My plan to cut back on the amount of diet coke I was drinking didn't go too good. I managed until Wednesday as work didn't have any diet coke for me to buy, and then I gave in when it came back in stock and started drinking again....I blame this new system testing, it's pushing me over the edge. Tomorrow is a new work week though so I shall give it a go and see how I get on.

I missed dancing a lot last week, I only managed 2 workouts and the second wasn't as good as it should have been. I really do think dancing is what keeps me going, I might look into options for taking a second class...force me to do that extra hour. Maybe after my exam.

Being off work today has meant that my Monday night gym session hasn't happened, the major downside to where I live, it's so far away from everything I do. Not long now until I'll be able to go whenever I want. I'm actually quite excited at the thought of being able to go on weekends, late at night, or before work on a morning. I just hope this enthusiasm carries on and I'll actually put a bit more effort in over the summer.

Today is day 21 of my 30 day challenges. I'm loving the abs one, it's such hard work but I can definitely see it paying off. I'm struggling a lot with the Plank challenge though, for some reason my ability to hold a plank for more than 90 seconds has gone and I cannot keep up with the timings I'm supposed to do now. I'm going to keep trying but I may restart the plank one properly next month and concentrate on getting my form right in the mean time. I'm not enjoying the squat challenge as much as the abs, largely because I really don't like squats. I'm persevering though.

I've taken some photos to show my progress through the challenge, once it's completed I'll post them all and we can see if there's a difference. I do think there is but maybe I'm just being optimistic.

Happy Easter Monday everyone! Hope you've all enjoyed your chocolate.

100 Happy Days...Day 55

Day 55 - Baking

Happy Easter Sunday everybody! Hope you've been treated to an Easter egg or two, just remember to enjoy in moderation.

Today I've spent a fun morning with my Mum baking. I bought a HummingBird Bakery cookbook the other week and I've been dying to try some of their cupcake recipes. We bought the ingredients yesterday and gave their Chocolate and Coconut Cupcake recipe a-go, and were very pleased with our success.

The cupcakes are very rich, but very tasty. The sponge was very light, and the frosting very creamy. We're not expert cake decorators so ours don't like as gorgeous as those in the book but they do look very nice. I got a few requests from my aunties/cousin for some after they saw the ones I'd baked for my Gran and Grandad as Easter presents.

The only downside to these cakes...they're 384 calories each. I'm not the type of person who believes you should cut out all cakes, chocolates etc just because you're trying to be healthy or loose some weight, but I will say these should definitely not be a regular snack, but there's no harm in enjoying them every now and again.

Now, as I have some coconut milk left over, I'm off to go and see what healthy meal choices I could make with that.

100 Happy Days...Day 54

Day 54 - Farm Shop Visits

The best thing about living in the country side is the availability of freshly produced meat and veg. I'm lucky to have a farm shop, supplied by a local farm, only a 5 minute drive from my house. The place has a huge selection of meats to buy, some just as your basic cuts (steaks, chops, chicken breasts etc) but they also go that little bit further and make spicy meatballs for you to buy, stir-frys, lasagnes, chicken paprikas, all sorts. I love going just to find something new to bring home and try. It's going to be one of the things I really miss when I move to my flat as it's not going to be somewhere I can pop to on my way home....I suppose it just means I have to come visit my parents a bit more often and get stock up on meat on the way. Today's purchase consisted of some hot and spicy chicken kebabs, ideal for barbecues, but we'll be cooking on the grill tomorrow night. Can't wait to give them a go.

100 Happy Days...Day 53

Day 53 - Day Trips Out

We normally have a rule that on bank holidays its better to stay in the house, or relatively local, rather than trying to battle with the traffic to get places. Today we decided to break that rule and go to Whitby for the day....seems like everyone else in the North also had that plan.

We didn't actually make it to Whitby, instead ending up at a little village called Ruswarp and spent the afternoon on the river rowing and enjoying a lovely panini in the riverside cafe. A beautiful little place to spend the afternoon and a much more relaxing way to spend a Good Friday afternoon. Today was the first time I've been to the village (other than when I was about 3 years old) and it's definitely somewhere I'd recommend you go if you just want to get away from the hustle and bustle of Whitby.

I'm useless and forgot to take a picture whilst I was there so credit for the above one goes to Ruswarp Pleasure Boats, the place we borrowed a boat from.

Liebster Award

Thank you to Ellie at I'mjustagirl17 for her nomination for this award. Until I received one, I had no knowledge that this existed but it's a great opportunity and I'm glad to be able to take part.

For anyone like me who didn't know what it was, and to save you Googling the answer, the Leibster Award is given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. The term is German ad means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

The rules are pretty simple:

• Thank and link the person who nominated you
• Answer the 11 questions they gave you
• Nominate 11 bloggers with under 200 followers (no tag backs)
• Set them 11 questions to answer
• Let the nominees know.

So thanks again to Ellie for my nomination, here are my answers to the questions you gave me.

1. What is the most rewarding thing about blogging your opinion?

I think just having somewhere to put down my views/opinions/thoughts and have the opportunity to interact with similar people, helps others, make a difference etc.

2. Where will you be in 10 years time?

I'm very much a home bird so I doubt I'll be living anywhere other than the area I'm in now. I should be fully qualified by then and hopefully will be working in a senior-accounting role for a company, enjoying my life with my friends and family, and hopefully still blogging!

3. Who is the most inspirational person in your life?

Hmm...tough question. I have a lot of people I think are inspirational for a variety of different reasons. I'm going to say my cousin because she inspired me to get to where I am now. She was the first in my family to go to university, learn to drive, graduate, buy a house etc and I wanted to do all that too. There were points when I nearly dropped out of uni, or considered not going at all in the first place, but she inspired me to persevere and give it a chance, and well...here I am. Now, I'm looking forward our lives have taken different paths so it's probably more my friends/work colleagues who are inspiring me but I definitely wouldn't be here without her.

4. What is your favourite piece of technology?

Tough choice between my phone and my laptop. I'm going to have to say my iPhone. I love being able to do everything in one place; text, go on the internet, blog, email, facebook, play games etc. It's very rare I'm ever far away from it. My laptop is a close second though...

5. What direction do you want your blog to take?

I want to hopefully make something that will help others to do things with their own lives. When I get my own place I'm planning on trying and testing new home workouts/recipes that people can try if they want to loose some weight or stay healthy. I'd also like to do some fashion/makeup/life posts which people can relate to.

Really it's just going to be a place for me to just talk about whatever is going on in my life at that moment.

6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Like I said before I'm very much a home bird so I'm not sure I'd ever go elsewhere to live, but if I could go anywhere in the world it'd probably be....Australia. Although I really don't like spiders I'd love to live on the beach in Australia, be able to walk right from my house to the sea and sit outside enjoying the sunshine. Plus I'd love to learn to surf one day, and Australia seems like a great place to do that!

7. Name a song that you think sums you up as a person?

I've had to think really hard about this one. All my favourite songs are very meaningful but don't really sum me up...but I'm going to go with 'True Love' by Pink.

8. Would you ever consider making videos on Youtube?

I find it much easier to write what I want to say, rather than to speak it out loud. For that reason, no I probably wouldn't consider making Youtube videos. Maybe of some dance choreography or things like that but probably not to do what my blog does.

9. If you could do anything you wanted right now what would it be?

If I could, I'd by lying by a pool of a nice villa somewhere hot right now. Spending some relaxing time with my boyfriend, friends and family away from the familiarities of home to complete take a break from everything.

10. Are you a dog or a cat person?

A dog person.

11. What is the most thoughtful gift you have ever given anyone and why?

Wow, hard question. I'm going to say the random little notes I write to my boyfriend in his cards or put in with his presents. They're normally just short sentences/phrases that relate to us and our relationship. Silly stuff that means stuff to us only. They don't take a lot of time/effort to make but they do mean a lot to both us.

So there, I'm done. Time for my nominations:

Cagla of velvetwaterfalls
Vickie of ooopsievickie
Betsy of betsys4
June of junegirvin1
Kate from my-messy-journal
Amy of inthelavenderhazeblog
Amanda of xoamandamichelle
Georgina of bakeitblonde
Stacey of fixmeinfortyfivex
Hannah of the-beauty-drawer
Belle of lovebellex

And your questions are:

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?

2. What has made you happy today?

3. What's your favourite item of clothing?

4. If you could have dinner with any famous person (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

5. Where in the world would you like to travel to?

6. What's at the top of your bucket list?

7. What one item couldn't you leave the house without on a morning?

8. What's your favourite film?

9. What animal do you think is most like you, and why?

10. Who would play you in a movie of your life?

11.  What advice would you give to new bloggers?

Enjoy everyone! I look forward to reading your answers.

Sarah x

100 Happy Days...Day 52

Day 52 - Wine

Apart from when I was in my second year at Uni, i've never been one for going out all time and getting drunk. Now it's more likely that if I'm going to drink alcohol at all, it'll be a couple of glasses at the most, once a month on special ocassions.

Tonight was a special ocassion. My Dad left the job he's been at for a significant number of years, ready to start a new era at a new form. To celebrate my Mum and I took my Dad to pub in our village for some lovely food and some wine. All of which was lovely.

100 Happy Days...Day 51

Day 51 - Dance inspiration

As it's the Easter holidays there was no dancing tonight, so I'm getting my weekly dance fix through videos on Youtube. Stumbled across this video which has provided some inspiration for a routine of my own.

100 Happy Days...Day 50

Day 50 - pjs

After showering there's no nicer feeling than pulling a of pjs on a lazing around the house. If only it was acceptable to go to work in them.

Weigh in - 14th April

Unsurprisingly, the scales went up 1.4lbs this morning. To be honest, I'm surprised it wasn't more after my lack of cardio and over eating for the past two weeks. Anyway, today is the start of a new week, and back to being good.

I'm making the effort to cut back on the amount of diet coke I'm drinking, trying to stick to water instead to get my 8 glasses a day and if I feel the need to drink diet coke then it'll be only 1 can a day maximum. So far so good, I've managed 6 glasses today and no diet coke. My weakness will be when the weekend, but I'll worry about that when I get there.

Back to the gym tonight and I was pleased to see it was relatively quiet again. I got back into my little routine and did 10 mins on the bike, not as high resistance as I had been doing previously but a good steady pace, followed by 12 mins on the bike (8 of which I ran), and 10 minutes rowing. My pace was much quicker on the rowing today, I averaged 36 strokes per minute rather than 33.

I'm quite impressed I've managed to improve on my routine from the last time I was there. The week or so off has obviously done me good, and I'm assuming the 30 day challenges have helped me a bit.

Day 14 of the challenge got completed today. Cannot believe at the start of it I could barely manage 10 proper situps and I've just done 65. The challenge is proving to be difficult, I really do push myself through it all, but I just keep thinking it's going to be worth it at the end of day 30. Only 16 more days to go.

100 Happy Days - Day 49

Blue skies. Getting up to blue skies, going to work in blue skies, leaving work in blue skies and arriving home in blue skies definitely makes the day feel better. I'm a tad jealous that one of my friends is enjoying the blue skies of Marbella right now whilst I'm stuck in the UK working, but at least I have my own skies to cheer me up. Fingers crossed we keep this weather for the weekend.

100 Happy Days...Day 48

Day 48 - My new Jack Wills jeans

I love Jack Wills clothes, I have a large collection of items they sell. But my particular favourite is their jeans. Slightly pricey in some departments, their jeans are well worth the money. I've just collected my third pair of Fernham skinny jeans, in worn indigo, from the Durham Jack Wills store today and can't wait to wear them. The comfiest pair of jeans I've ever owned, stretchy, great quality and look good dressed up or dressed down too.

Study Tips

It’s that time of year again where a lot of people end up locked in a room, forcing themselves to study. I’m one of those people. But after being in this position for over 9 years now, I’ve learnt a few tips and want to help those out there who may be struggling.

Work out a timetable

If you know the dates of your exams use this as a starting point to work out how many days/weeks/months you’ve got to revise. Then budget this time out to cover all the topics in the exam. Try not to leave everything till the last minute, cram revision doesn’t suit everyone and may make you panic more than prepare you.

Just remember not to push yourself too hard and budget for breaks, exercise, making food, seeing friends etc. Yes you may have to cut back on fun time for a little while to make sure you pass, but don’t cut all the fun out of your diary. 

Find the right time/surroundings to revise

Some people revise better first thing in the morning, some last thing at night. Some prefer silence, whereas some people prefer some background noise. No two people are alike so find what suits you. If you’re uncomfortable or there are too many distractions you would work as hard as you may need to.

I can’t revise unless I’m fully awake, feel clean (I have to shower and wash my hair to be comfortable), have the TV/radio on in the background, and have put my phone on silent and removed it from the area I’m in. If I’m doing paper revision I remove my laptop too so I don’t get distracted. When I was at uni and was struggling to keep myself concentrated on my assignments I ended up blocking all non-educational sites from my website.

Make notes

Start by making notes of the key facts/points/formulas you need to remember. Spider diagrams are a great way to do this. Don’t worry if on your first attempt at looking at a topic you write down hundreds of key points. Writing things down is more likely to make things stick in your mind than just reading it. Over time test yourself to see how many of the key points you can remember, re-write the ones you can’t remember and repeat the process. They should all be memorable after a few attempts.

Highlighters are a great way of adding more depth to your notes, colour coding related points or topics and making extra important stuff easy to spot.

Practice with past papers

Many exam boards provide past papers and there answers for students to look out. If you can get access to some use these to familiarise yourself with how questions are written and what the exam answers are you’ll be more relaxed and confident on the day. You may even be lucky and find some of the exam questions you’ve practiced come up again.

I’ve found with some of my accountancy exams that the questions given to me in the college textbooks are completely different in the way they’re structured and what they ask for to what the exam board questions are. For one of my last exams I didn’t look at any past exams, only used college books and was panicking because I thought they were really hard and I was convinced I was going to fail. On the day, the exam questions were much more comfortable to work from and I ended up passing.

Food and drink 

Like anything, it’s important to keep your body energised and hydrated whilst you’re studying. Avoid eating a big meal and studying at the same time. Use your lunch/dinner times as a break time, but keep by you a bowl of fruit, or sweets that you can munch on as and when you feel the need. Make sure you remember to keep drinking water too. 

Ask for help

If you don’t understand something, don’t suffer in silence. Ask for help. It doesn’t have to be your teacher, ask your friends or family if they can help. Check out forums online to see if there’s anyone else having similar problems. If you’re really struggling see if you can find a personal tutor to explain things.

I’ve found that some of my accountancy exams didn’t make sense when I tried to work it out myself, or when my college teacher explained it. My boss sat me down one day and taught me the theory, applied it to something I was doing it in my job and all of a sudden I understood it completely. Sometimes a new voice telling you something is all you need. 

Relax

I must admit, I’m the worst person for doing this, but it’s important not to panic. The more you panic the more stressed you’ll become. Take a few deep breaths whenever you feel yourself getting worked up, walk away from what you’re doing if you have to, and just remember it’s pointless getting stressed.

From my experience, being stressed tends to make you less likely to remember things and preoccupies your mind in the exam making it harder to find the information you need. It can also lead to a very negative outlook before you’ve even sat the exam, which doesn’t help.

It can be hard to remain positive and relaxed if you’re a natural born worrier, like I am. But just remind yourself why you’re doing this and how good you’ll feel when it’s all over.

Good luck all, I hope it does well.

100 Happy Days..Day 47

Day 47 - Britain's Got Talent

Another TV show that keeps me entertained. I love the variety. I love the performances. I love the presenters. I love the fun. Great Saturday night TV.

100 Happy Days...Day 46

Day 46 - Lunch time trips

Although not great for my diet, lunch time trips out with the girls from work are a great way to have a little break from the office. Today we ventured to the cafe at the Marks & Spencer which has recently opened near our building. A nice chicken, mozzarella and pepper toastie, a drink and a nice chat to cheer us all up after a long week.

100 Happy Days...Day 45

Day 45 - Achy Muscles

Although they hurt and make things a lot harder than they should be, my achy muscles do make me happy. A sign of a good workout and progress being made, what can be better?...I bet I'm not saying this in the morning as I crawl into the office in pain. 

100 Happy Days...Day 44

Day 44 - things that make you smile for no real reason

I've just stumbled across this picture on Instagram and for some reason it made me smile.

I'm not sure exactly why it made me smile, it could be the really cute dog, the fact it's taken in one of my favourite places, or that it made me say "I have that mini tower", or all these things put together. But whatever it is, it made me smile and made everything seem a little better.

I'd love to go back to Paris and see everything there is to see. I spent a day there when I was 15 but my list of things to see didn't shrink much. Maybe next year I'll get the chance.

100 Happy Days...Day 43

Day 43 - Coming home to new parcels

After finally admitting defeat that my illness wasn't getting better, I ventured to the doctors this morning only to be told I had all the symptoms of an infection but no visible signs. Great, so now I feel like a bit of a hypochondriac but I swear this pain is real!

Anyway, after my doctors trip and having to spend the rest of the day at work testing our fun new computer system, I came home to find a lovely large parcel awaiting me. Filled with another wonderful purchase for my new flat, my living room curtains. Another reminder that the end of this long tiring commute is nearing. Only 2 and a bit more months to go!

Weight In - 7th April

Unfortunately today was another maintain week. But I can't say I'm surprised. I've been ill since the middle of last week so I've not been very motivated to push myself. I've been completing my 30 day challenges and do think they are making a difference, my stomach seems to be getting a bit flatter but I'm not sure if that's genuine or my imagination. Other than that though my working out hasn't been very strenuous.

Thankfully I've managed to keep eating throughout this illness and all I've been craving has been healthy. I've eaten lots of fruit and good meals. I suppose this has definitely helped me with my maintaining this week.

I was hoping to be back at the gym tomorrow but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen now. I woke feeling good this morning but by the time I got to work I was in serious pain and ended up ringing for a doctors appointment. Off there tomorrow for a checkup. It's nothing serious, just an infection but hopefully the doctor will give me something to stop the pain.

Hopefully to make up for my lack of exercising, I'll be doing 2 hours of dance rehearsal on Wednesday night.

100 Happy Days - Day 42

Getting house decoration inspiration. My mum's House Beautiful magazine came and having a quick flick has given me a few more ideas to work with. June can't come quick enough.

100 Happy Days...Day 41

Day 41 - F1

F1 has been a part of family life ever since before I was born, I have pictures of me as a baby sitting on my Dad's knee watching a my first race. But I have to say, today's is probably one of the best races I've watched in a good long while. It was great to see team racing being allowed, the rivalry between racers and how good some of these new cars are. Here's hoping the rest of 2014 season continues to provide such good entertainment!

100 Happy Days...Day 40

Day 40 - Youtube videos of animals

Still recovering from my illness, so the simples little things are helping to make me feel better at the moment. I stumbled across this video on my Facebook timeline this morning and it made me smile. I love the look on the dogs' faces and their attempts at fitting into cat beds. So cute!

100 Happy Days...Day 39

Day 39 - My teddy bear

So I missed posting yesterday through not feeling very well. Seeing my teddy bear did stop me from feeling sorry for myself for some of the night.

100 Happy Days...Day 38

Day 38 - Skype chats with my boyfriend

Feeling very down and sorry for myself today, but a nice chat with my boyfriend over skype and attempting to sing some songs to him has cheered me up.

100 Happy Days...Day 37

Day 37 - My bed

This week feels like it's been going on forever. I'm so tired and it's only Wednesday. I can't wait to get back into my bed tonight and get nice and comfy. I've completed my day 2 challenges, done an hour dancing learning a new routine and been to work all day. It's been busy busy. The weekend and lie-ins can't come soon enough.

100 Happy Days...Day 36

Day 36 - Completing day one of my 30 day challenge

So yesterday I posted my challenges, today I started them. I split the exercises out so I did some this morning and some before bed. But they all got completed. Ready to start day 2.