ideas

What is fast fashion, & what you can do about it

beauTEE, beauty, lifestyle

Going into 2020 I really thought long & hard about my intentions and what I wanted to achieve in the next 12 months and how that contributed to getting me closer to the person I want to be. I wanted to make commitments that were realistic for me, SMART goals (if you don’t know about SMART goals check out my fitness goals for 2020 where I really break this down).

A massive area for me is consumerism, and using my money to vote. I probably don’t know as much about politics as I should but I do know & love the fashion industry.

Here’s what I love about fashion, it’s a freedom to express yourself, experiment, mix match, diverse into other cultures and you can’t get it wrong. There is no wrong way to do fashion, you’ll never have everyone love your outfit but as long as you do who cares. There’s a endorphin hit the moment you put something on and it just works. The colour compliments your skin tone, the shape flows with your body and all of a sudden you’re bursting with happiness & joy.

Even when you look back at the loudest & craziest choices later in life you’ll always laugh & smile. This was one of my outfit highlights of 2019;

Ootd

Things I hate about fashion;

FAST FASHION!

Hands up I’ll admit I’m guilty as charged, I’ve ordered just because, I’ve ordered clothes & not sent them back, I’ve ordered clothes because they looked great on a 5ft Asian woman with dark hair on Instagram < I’m 5’7 pale skinned with blonde hair, we’re chalk & cheese, what works for others doesn’t always work for you!

My point is fast fashion is such a society norm and a way of life it’s like the matrix, we don’t know any better until we start to look.

So with the intention to take my blog down a more sustainable & ethical road this year (I make no promises to be perfect I’m just a girl, living in a city trying to do her bit for humanity)

What is fast fashion;

You may or may not have heard the term fast fashion although it’s coming up more & more in the news which is great to shine a light on it.

Fast fashion is ‘fast’ in every part of the lifecycle: production is fast; customer’s decision to purchase is fast; delivery is fast (we’ve all ordered at 10:59pm for next day delivery); and the products live fast and die hard, and that’s if you’ve worn it more than once. It is a model that is entirely unsustainable.

True cost of fast fashion

Clothes don’t disappear once you put the in the bin & they don’t belong in the bin.

The reality is fast fashion companies use a mixture of cheap man made materials — that’s why the clothes are so cheap! £2 tees and BOGO sales: Great for the wallet, yes, but the problem with these man made materials is there’s no way for them to break down once in landfill, so they just sit there for centuries. This is the negative impact fast fashion is having on the environment.

FACT: clothing waste that cannot break down accounts for 20% of our water pollution.

How to spot a fast fashion brand:

Fast fashion brands typically always have some sort of sale on, offer a variety of styles- something for everyone. Usually so on trend & fresh in your mind you don’t think twice about how you’re wearing a slogan tee 48 hours after the slogan was said live on TV. Materials used are generally made of cheap, low-quality materials with a poor finish; & you’re probably getting emails and texts daily about their latest stock or new line that’s just been released.

We used to look forward to the new fashion releases twice a year at fashion weeks, now these companies bring out something new weekly.

Use your money to vote

We all take elections very seriously but we are voting every time we spend money. We are telling large companies what we want and how quickly we want it.

There are a few fun alternatives to mix up your wardrobe if you absolutely need to buy something.

First a personal favourite of mine, Depop. The beauty of Depop is you can earn cash for anything you may have lying around not being used to it’s potential. On Depop you can buy & sell your pre loved clothes & accessories. So your current wardrobe could pay for a new one.

Depop purchase

Another option is inspired by the fabulous Marie Kondo: Vow to buy less. I’m not telling you to go full-blown minimalistic, if you want to give it a go that’s amazing, however we’re human. What does happen when you buy less is it brings out your creative side, you get creative funding different ways to wear, style & accessories with what you’ve already got! (Oh and you’ll reduce your carbon footprint, win-win). The below skirt I had as a gift back in 2016, it’s still in great condition works with everything & is a must have on holiday.

Good quality red skirt

Spend your money on items based on longevity. Generally the items you’re buying from fast fashion companies don’t last, they’re not designed to. They want you to go back next week and buy more or they’re so now that they’ll be out fashion anyway. If you buy stylish pieces made from good quality materials you’re investing in your wardrobe & yourself. I think we could all do more of that! There are lots of materials out there it can be scary, so if you’re not sure what to look for, here’s a few pointers: linen, silk, hemp, and wool are considered low-impact textiles. Also, you may have seen vegan leather alternatives taking over the scene more & more. Thanks Dr Matens!

Vegan leather Chelsea boots

My bonus tip is sharing is caring, & by that I mean borrow lend & swop clothes. Over &over again, we all love a #whoworeitbetter my cousin once brought a stunning dress for NYEs in NY which has done the rounds, it looks great on everyone!

#whoworeitbetter

#whoworeitbetter

Are you a die hard trendy fashionista or do you love a pre loved?

Let me know

-Tee xx

3 fitness goals for 2020

fitness, lifestyle

January is in full swing, gym memberships are on offer everywhere you look & everyone is on a new diet. And as with every year it will be a few short weeks until the dark cold nights win & cooked hot food wins over the salad every time. (Side note before I get into this post if you’re on a new year diet in the UK right now and it involves eating salad in January walk away and find a diet that is far more suitable and sustainable because salads are not plus warm cooked meals can be just as healthy) another side note the previous sentence does not apply if you’re on a raw diet in that case I take my hat off to you because that is hard work! No one sets out with the intention of being that person that makes a solid week’s appearance at the gym followed by a few good sessions followed by one class per week followed by cancelling your direct debt.

There is a cheat that will help you stay dedicated and on track. Set SMART goals!!! Yes smart goals… if you don’t know what SMART stands for it’s;

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time limit

You’re goals should tick each one of these! I want you to think hard about what your fitness goals are and why!!!

Don’t just say I want to be toned or I want to lose a stone… how do YOU want to look and feel?

A phone background of some woman’s abs who happens to be a PT and in the gym 5 days a week 2 hours at a time isn’t realistic if you’re a mom with a full time job.

If it’s not realistic then you’re going to lose momentum quickly when you haven’t seen any results by the end of January.

New Years 2020

Every year, I set a few fitness goals that I want to achieve back in 2018 I killed it and I was so happy with my body, in 2019 I wasn’t as dedicated to the cause & I wasn’t as realistic with my time.

So this year I have written down my 3 fitness goals for 2020 and I’m sharing them with you to help me stay accountable! (I swear by accountability & you can read about it here)

DO A PULL-UP

Okay this is actually on my list of 30 things to do before I’m 30 so I actually have until August to achieve this one. For someone who’s legs are relatively strong & has one of the strongest cores of everyone I know the lack of functional strength in my upper body is actually laughable

So this year, I’m pushing myself (pun intended) to cross-train a lot more & get on the rowers. That means more sculpt classes, weight training at the gym, and also incorporating various exercises that help prepare for pull-ups <fortunately I have a good plan that I started working on previously when I was training with Deon! (Check him out on Instagram)

Pull ups

FINALLY BE ABLE TO RUN 10k  (WITHOUT STOPPING)

I’m all for small wins to help keep me motivated and get the momentum going to help keep me on track. That’s why having a plan especially when it comes to something like running distance is super important.

Again I’m going for accountability, I’m taking my gym bag to the office I’ll be telling everyone I sit by that I’m going for a run at lunch even if they don’t want to hear it because that’s what will hold me accountable.

I’m also all about the recovery with this one, & recovery is right on trend in 2020. My aim is to run 10k without stopping so rest is important for my body to heal, there’s no point getting to 9k then being told not to run for a month because of shin splints just to start all over again. Shin splints are the real deal & I’ve suffered through them before but I don’t recommend anyone does this.

If you do start get early signs of shin splints ice rest and stretches are your best friend!

LEARN TO SNOWBOARD

So this goal started off as learn to ski, because well I can’t! I never went on ski trips at school because they were far too expensive & I HATE the cold even more so now I suffer with raynauds. A few months back now I was invited on a ski holiday however after saying yes but disclosing I can’t & have never been skiing it was suggest I shouldn’t go due to the high coast of equipment, lessons & clothing, also apparently it’s not fun if you’re on a baby slope & everyone else is on the big one. So I made a vow that this would never happen again & I looked into lessons. However…. way back when I had a PS1 I was obsessed with a snowboarding game & after some consideration decided I just feel like snowboarding is cooler so I booked the lesson & headed over to Sweaty Betty’s sale to get some stylishly warm clothing!!!

Sweaty Betty Ski

Sweaty Betty

& of course I’m always up for a day of new activities that help you stay fit & active. See fun & fitness it’s all about balance!

So there you have it, it’s out in the world now & before I head off to the gym  I want to address some of the cock blockers to achieving fitness goals;

  1. I don’t actually believe that I will do it – this is me and the pull up! When I was little I would try and do the monkey swings and NEVER could. My dad in all he’s kindness just said it’s okay they’re really hard. Now I know monkey swings aren’t pull ups but it’s all holding your own body weight ….
  2. I don’t envision myself accomplishing the goal – 10k!!!! Do I know I can survive 10k yes I do, but to do it without stopping…serious mind block! I don’t envision myself running none stop, when I picture myself running I envision headphones, sweat, stitch & getting out of breath. Maybe because my very first attempt to get fit was a 5 minute run that left me seeing spots feeling sick and due to no sports bra left a friction burn in my cleavage, but hey that was 5 years ago things change and I have a amazing bra that looks after the girls!!
  3. I don’t write out an action plan or make a plan if any kind- well guess what booking & paying for lessons or PTs or anything like that is sure as hell going to keep you accountable!!

Well of COURSE I can’t seem to reach my aspiring fitness goals with this kind of mindset!

The mind plays such a important part when it comes to fitness, there is a great deal of mind over matter!

What are your fitness goals for 2020? I’d love to know what you’re working towards!

-Tee x

2020 trend predictions

lifestyle

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2020 is finally here & as I like to be on the pulse when it comes to trends I wanted to put together a few of the trend predictions that should be on your radar in 2020.

Most of the trends have popped up in 2019 already but are really about to have their moment.

I’ve broken these down into different sections to make this easier for you to read, read all of them or just ones that are relevant to you. Take what you want & leave what you don’t but have some fun trying something new in 2020.

I’ve kept it simple with my favourite 3!

Fitness trends;

Important of rest; yes 2020 is the year of low impact and recovery training. 2019 saw PTs telling us that we need to rest at least twice a week. To help us get on board Accessories like compression boots are trending, and even recovery-focused studios and services like flotation therapy (there’s a great little floating spa in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham). Cryotherapy is up next also known as cold therapy. I’ve not actually tried this however while at Hoar Cross Hall recently I spent some time in a salt room followed by a ice cold shower with ice. I’m not going to lie I totally loved this, I mean not at the time but when I came out I felt so fresh! It was amazing! I’ve also taken to blasting the shower cold before I get out in a morning.

SURFING; although I’ve never actually been surfing I’m all for any activity that gets me into the water. There are going to be more surfing competitions, clubs not to mention it’s recently become a recognised Olympic sport! Don’t fancy getting in the open water? Or wanting to try it out without relying on the famous British summer you can also get check out new man made surf spots like The Wave in Bristol. If you’re hitting the water why not try a sustainable swimsuit made from ocean waste and reused yarn. Im in love with this one.

Wearable tech; between wearable tech and new apps there’s nothing you can’t track; sleep, heart beat, downloadable running maps etc. Information is power & according to some research having the information on our phones updating daily is keeping us motivated & on track. However be careful here & don’t get too reliant on these, they can be addictive.

Beauty & Wellness trends;

Aluminium free deodorant and I am so excited about this because I have spent the last 12 months trying to find a good aluminium free deodorant. So far I really rate the soft and gentle.

Redefining self care self care is obviously here to stay! But instead of the goal being to schedule it in I think the power of self care lies more with freeing up time & removing unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Food trends;

Plant based is here to stay! PB has grown massively in 2019 but it’s about to get bigger. Expect to see more plant based options, meat alternatives & green filled options in stores & restaurants. HOWEVER I stand by my number one rule here, you do you! Listen to your body, you don’t need to suffer for a diet trend.

Kombucha I’ve already wrote about how much I love kombucha here

Brussel sprouts yes that’s right I said SPROUTS! I’m not here this at all but the health benefits are undeniable & people are getting creative with cooking them.

So there you have it my 2020 trends, what are your predictions I’d love to hear….

Love

-Tee x

How to embrace ME time

essential, glow up, Health, lifestyle, mental health, running, self care, serenitee, tips

Hey hey hey!

Sooo…. Now that I’ve moved in with my boyfriend and live a short distance from my office I’ve found myself with a lot more alone time. My boyfriend leaves before me each morning and arrives home about 2 hours after I do each evening.

This is a total 180 compared to living with my father who was always home.

At first it was kind of weird but I couldn’t actually remember the last time I had had time by self.

Alone time

So I decided to embrace this me time and make a list of ways I like to spend time alone (I love a list, really helps me organise my thoughts… I can’t be the only one doing this surely 🤷🏼‍♀️)

6 things to do alone:

1.) Go outside: this includes taking a walk/ run and using that time to listen to a podcast. There are so many little side streets and areas of Birmingham that not even I’ve explored, my favourite route is via the canal. I just find water so relaxing.

Birmingham library

2.) Cooking: Okay this I do and time so dinner is ready for when my boyfriend walks in, sounds soppy I know but honestly I don’t like to eat late! I find cooking so relaxing, again I may have a podcast on or a Netflix documentary playing on the iPad or just music while I dance around.

Homemade meals

3.) Light a candle: add a cheeky dessert maybe a bit of music playing & just chill. I’ve seriously been craving cinnamon buns lately & after I found this recipe for vegan options I just had to make them. Honestly sitting down to enjoy this in peace & quite easy pure joy & satisfaction! Most of the time sitting down and lighting a candle goes hand in hand with reading a book. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, I honestly believe it makes me a more rounded person and I love the fact you can never run out of things to read. Sitting down with a cup of tea, a good book & a candle is one of my ideas of HEAVEN.

Candlelit dessert

4.) Go to a restaurant: ALONE! Okay I’ll admit I had never actually done this until recently when I found myself waiting 3 hours for breakdown to come out and fix my car. But OMG it was life changing! Now I love it I get to go a try places that I don’t normally go to with other people and just enjoy a meal maybe a cheeky cocktail and just people watch! Also there’s no one there to pull a face at my kale salad followed by a little cheesecake! Nothing like eating alone at a restaurant : ). It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite things ever.

Eating solo

5.) Drink a cup of coffee & CHILLLLL: I loveeeee enjoying a cup of coffee l. I really savour it! & as much as I enjoy going home to meet my dad in our favourite place I do enjoy a nice stroll to a local independent by myself and doing a bit of reading. Right now I’m feeling so festive and having a moment with coconut milk, sometimes I’ll have it as a mocha and other times a dirty chia latte but ALWAYS with cinnamon. I fully zone out in a morning while enjoying my coffee, honestly the barista asked me a question the other day and actually made me jump!

Perfect coffee morning

How do you like to spend time alone?

– Tee, xx

How to start your day faster & still look good.

beauTEE, beauty, beauty inside out, essential, fitnessbeauty, glam up, glow up, gymskin, Health, intention, life hack, lifestyle, moisturiser, must do, skin, style, sun, sunless tan

Happy National Rosé Day. Surely this should be a bank holiday weekend right? We should be allowed an extra day off work to enjoy a nice chilled glass of rosé, although the British weather right now isn’t exactly screaming summer vibes. Okay I’m going off on a tangent here, lets circle back…

I don’t know about you but I am not one of those girls that can spend 3 hours + getting ready for a night out, if I’m going out I want to be out out! The whole, shower, wash my hair, blow dry, style, prime face etc etc just gets boring to me. I’m a one hour girl at most. I’d much rather be out drinking the rosé than reapplying my eyeliner for the 3rd time because the flick wasn’t right.

National rosé day

I’m an extrovert get me out of here…

My point is whether I’m going from the gym to the office, or from bed to the coffee shop or more importantly heading to a bar I want to be getting to where I need to be, not messing about with three different shades of blusher. But of course I ALWAYS have to look presentable, it’s just nice to take some pride in yourself right. So (no surprises here) but I have a routine, and I have this down to 45 minutes. It doesn’t matter if I’m getting ready at the gym or in my bedroom I know what products I need where they’ll be and I’m good to go.

Here are a 3 hacks I do to make sure my mornings start off right, if anything throws me off course too early it changes the whole tone of my day and I find that it will just throw me off, anyone else?

1) Sort it out the night before. Yes I’m hyper organised and if being a PA paid more I’d probably do that just for the enjoyment of organising peoples lives, but here’s what I do. I prep EVERYTHING the night before, & I mean EVERYTHING. Even the underwear I’m wearing. Because I think sleep is so important I like to get every last second I can in bed so all my meals will be prepped the night before, if I’m going to the gym my gym bag is packed all toiletries in the bag and gym clothes laid out on my chair so I can literally get out of bed, wash my face drink some water, brush my teeth get a peppermint tea to go and head straight out. This can result ion carrying about 10 different bags but it just makes life easier. I’ll also make an iced coffee the night before. I really try to limit how much money I spend on coffee a month and since I started getting coffee pods from Grind delivered (this is totally on point today as all their branding is pink, just like rosé) my home made coffees are just better. Sorry coffee shops but it’s true, I get the best London coffee straight out of my Birmingham home. Anyway, bags are packed food is ready and coffee is good to go. I’m out the door in 15 minutes.

Prepackaged your stuff the night before

2) Keep your stuff together. I feel like everyone is on the tidying hype lately with the likes of Mrs Hinch & Marie Kondo all over social media that organisation is in fashion. With fashion comes loads of cute boxes & storage options. I have two little boxes one for AM & one for PM (these are actually the boxes that my Grind orders arrived in, no plug I promise but they’re the perfect size, pink & really cute). As I’ve mentioned before I love to buy stuff in sample sizes because it’s just more gym bag friendly. This makes life so much easier when getting ready because I know exactly where my stuff is so I can just grab & go. Ironically there are three things I ALWAYS lose… headphones (I forget which pocket of which jeans/ coat/ bag I was wearing) glasses (which is annoying once I’ve taken my lenses out, now I need glasses to find my glasses) & keys…

The AM box

Keeping your stuff together

3) Keep the makeup looking simple. Call me a basic bitch but I’m not a fan of a heavy made up face. I like to look like me, and if it’s a day I plan to go running at lunch or to the gym after work I really don’t want to spend ages removing layers and layers of makeup. Honestly once the skin care is done, I can keep it as simple as 4 products. IT Cosmetics CC cream, clear brow gel to brush my brows into place, bit of mascara (honestly I can live without this some days especially if I’m wearing my glasses, big glasses are great to hide behind) & Lanolips 101 ointment, 100% natural multi-balm for your lips. I love this product so much. You only need a little but it really softens the lips smells great and leaves a classy shine.

Must have’s on the go

There you have it, my 3 little hacks to getting out the house and ordering that rosé so much quicker.

As usual nothing mention in this posted was gifted or sponsored but things I love and the options are my own, but I want to know yours.

What do you do on the go? Any top secrets on how to look completely put together in under an hour?

I want to know…

Love,

Tee

Gym hair don’t care!

beauTEE, beauty, Don’t sweat it!, essential, fitness, glow up, intention, life hack, lifestyle, must do, skin, style

I’m so protective over my hair it’s unreal. I can be like nooo my hair! But with good reason, I damaged it so badly a few years back with no stop bleach and heat that it was actually frizzled at the front. The only solution was to cut my hair into a lob, not like this made much difference considering it kept splitting anyway. So now I do everything to keep it long and healthy to the point where I just don’t wash it. It’s effort and I don’t particularly enjoy it. If you’re a regular gym goer than you know the struggle is real, because you’re most likely going to work up a sweat tomorrow so what’s the point. Gym hair, don’t care! I’ve also learnt is not smart to train arms the day you wash your hair because holding the hairdryer for so long will come back to bite you! Anyway it’s so much more fun to style dirty hair. What can I say washing my hair is not for me. However if you do a LOT of cardio you probably need to wash your hair at least twice a week to help your scalp.

I’ve recently stretched my washes out to once a week, and quickly learnt the dirtier the better. Anyway who has the time to wash their hair everyday? I’ve got this down to swimming once a week and then washing my hair straight away.

Gym hair wash

Here’s why I don’t wash my hair;

1) I pay for my colour, why wash it straight out? It’s true blondes have more fun but the more you wash your hair the more you wash out the colour. I’ve never been able to keep ashy silver tones in my hair because it naturally has a red tint (thanks dad) but since I started to wash it weekly and switched to Charles Worthington toning shampoo the colour has never been better. Exactly what I wanted, and that’s still the case 8 weeks later. When I do wash my hair I always opt for sulphate free shampoo, this one is currently still my favourite. (Added bonus shampoo and conditioner lasts sooo much longer when you use it less often)

2) It strips out your natural oils, it’s the oils in your hair that make it look shiny and healthy. Isn’t that what everyone wants? So why strip them out, makes no sense to me. You can also end up causing your scalp to produce more oils to try and replace what you’ve washed out, leaving your hair more greasy and you end up in a vicious wash cycle.

3) It’s so much easier to style. Yep, probably helped by the amount of dry shampoo I use but my hair has so much more texture and thickness to it that when I style it it actually does what I wanted, most of the time.

Hair style curls

Here’s some tips for keeping it healthy;

1) The sleep bun, doesn’t need to be a bun but keep it up/ tied back. Buns are great and I use these great crocodile clips which don’t leave a mark in my hair but braids work just as well. I’ve honestly noticed a huge difference in my hair since sleeping with it up more, when I sleep with it down it’s noticeable greasy the day after. Last time I slept with it down my boyfriend rolled onto it in the night and I was trapped, lesson learnt.

Sleep bun

2) Hair mask, we all love a good hair mask but my hair is always so much nicer after a hair mask and gym session. Yes that’s right a hair mask and gym session, I heat from my workout helps the hair mask and it’s more efficient instead of sitting around waiting to wash it out. I will comb my favourite mask through my hair from root to ends and then tie it up, completely out of my face so no product touches my skin.

3) Grapefruit oil, I have a little spray bottle with a concoction of water and grapefruit oil. Post workout I spray a little water on my roots and blow dry them for thickness the spray a little grapefruit to make it smell nice. And I’m good to go.

Hair care

It’s so much fun to get creative with your hair when it’s dirt, here’s a few of my favourite styles;

Up down do

Double buns

Vintage wrap

When it comes to washing your hair I’m definitely a less is more girl.

What about you? Hair secrets accepted below.

Love

Tee

x

Ps: nothing in this post was sponsored or gifted just products and things I’ve tried and liked.

Accountability & how to do it.

Don’t sweat it!, fitness, Health, intention, life hack, lifestyle, must do

I can’t be the only person that seems to be living life at 1000 WTF’s an hour right?

Honestly, life is a juggling act right now, please don’t think for one moment I’m complaining because I know I asked for this to come into my life and therefore I’ve fully accepted it. However it’s still a lot of plates to keep spinning all at once, and I know I’m not alone.

Work work work

You’ve seen the people posting gym pictures, flashing abs like ‘Hey look at me I just spent 1.5 hours in the gym and now I’m going to eat pizza!’ For those people that’s great and yes you deserve pizza but for the remainder of us, those with kids they have to pick up after being at work all day then entertain and clean up after, or if like me you work full time, study and write a blog or maybe you work two jobs (double hustle) maybe you commute across the country, or you’re just so slammed at work right now under staffed and passionate about what you do that you’re willing to work 50 hours + All of this while keeping on top of the everyday life expectancies of us all such as maintaining social lives, eating, and yes you know it… WORKING OUT.

It’s freaking hard work!!!

For all of us!

That’s why I wanted to talk about not only intention, but how I hold myself accountable. FOCUS GOES WHERE ENERGY FLOWS

Last year my job was not demanding at all, and I wasn’t studying. I had the luxury of going to bed at night sleeping for 8 hours feeling refreshed waking up going to the gym doing my 9-5 job heading home cleaning and food prepping. It was so easy it was boring, that said when I went on holiday last year, I honestly looked the best I’d ever looked.

Now my job is so much more demanding but engaging and fun, I’m studying a minimum of two hours a day, looking after a house hold and still trying to balance my meals and workouts, and honestly some times I just don’t want to go to the gym!

Now to give you an idea my weekly workouts include the below:

• 3/ 4 x weight training

• 3 x lunch time runs

• 2 x Pilates

• 1 x yoga

Exactly… no surprise it’s rare I actually successfully accomplish all of this a week, but that’s all changed!

Multiple workouts

Here are a few of my tips that have helped me stay accountable for my workouts:

1. Schedule it in! Yes that’s right I’ve started to schedule in my diary when I’m working out, not only that but I get specific, real specific. If I have to think about my workout and start to make decisions it’s easy to talk myself out of it. What do I want to train today? Well not really anything so I won’t bother. Where do I want to run to today? Maybe JQ, or Mailbox or JQ or Mailbox… Oh I don’t have time now I was too busy deciding…. Take the decision making out of the equation! My diary already has my workouts scheduled in and what I’m doing, where and when. Added bonus it means I can make sure I’ve got the right meals planned to help recovery. Run days I make sure I have plenty of carbs to come back to, whether it’s my favourite ‘sausage’ and pasta dish or my home made Vietnamese ‘chicken’ vegetables and rice.

Daily plan

2. Buddy up! 100% unless I genuinely feel awful I’m not going to let a friend down when it comes to a session. If you agree to train with a friend you’re holding each other accountable and helping one another. Don’t make some wishy washy plan, like ‘errm yea maybe. I’ll be there for like 7ish?’ NO! Set a time, agree a workout. Now somebody else has had to ensure they align their leg day with yours, it’s just rude to let them down now.

3. Tell the world! Okay you don’t have to announce it on social media, but if you can’t get a buddy for a day tell a friend what you’re doing and when. My cousin and I do this sometimes, I’ll message her and say ‘hey I’m training legs nice and early tomorrow!’ Every time she’ll text me around 8, ‘how was your leg session?’ Checking in with someone helps hold you accountable.

I hope you enjoyed these few tips, they’ve really helped me especially since hitting the books again. What do you do to ensure you stick to your workout? All motivation tips accepted here!

Comment below.

Love

Tee

x