My first time flying and going to Hong Kong

Your first flight probably would have been a few hours and you might have been very young. But nope mine wasn't! Mine was a 12 hour straight flight to Hong Kong and I experienced this in December last year. I know right crazy!! Was the best thing I did though and I'm glad I did it. It may not be big to you, but it is to me. Such a big thing to do and now I've done it. Yep you bet I have the travel bug now and I want to visit many more places, whoop!


Who doesn't want to see the rest of the world?

I'm not a big fan of heights but I chose to sit next to the window and looked out at the beautiful view. I loved it! Flying through the pretty clouds, seeing China from above was amazing!!


Flying with Virgin was a good experience although I can’t say loads about different flights, as this was my first ever fight, but it was a good airline to fly with! Geez...my heart was racing so fast before take off! I didn’t know what to expect on such a long haul flight. As soon as I was in the air I was just fine and my heart did not race again, not even on the way back. My ears didn’t pop or hurt which was good, as some people said they can hurt but mine were good! The air hostesses were lovely and the food was alright, just something to keep you going! It’s only plane food what do you expect?  Next time I fly I’ll bring plenty more snacks, as I love eating and can’t stand being hungry! I was so excited and didn’t sleep much the way there! But on the way back I slept so much better. There was plenty of movies to watch and decent music to listen too. It was such a great experience and I still can't believe I was on a 12 hour flight there and back and went to Hong Kong.

 I had a blast! 

Spending Christmas and New Year in a different country was amazing, and I feel so lucky to have had that opportunity to go during that special time of the year. I also spent it with amazing people and my amazing boyfriend. It’s something amazing I’ll always treasure. I took so many lovely pictures during my stay there, although they don’t do it justice! I also packed the right amount of clothes and took everything that was needed. Well I must say, not too bad for first time packing to go abroad!  All the places to visit there are so fun and I’ll share the places in another blog post! eeek exciting!! 

 If you haven't been to Hong Kong, you should! I'm looking forward to many more flights I'll experience in the future and the places I'll visit.

Don’t quit what you started

There will have been times where you have started something and then quit, as soon as something goes wrong. You may have quit as it felt so tough, like you weren’t getting where you wanted to be. Maybe what you were doing felt like it was not progressing at all. 

Let me tell you, you won’t get anywhere without hard work, dedication and motivation. But along the way it will be tough and challenging as you know. You have to keep at what you are doing; maybe you are not working as hard or focusing as much. That's why you need to keep going. You might need to change the way you do it or maybe you need some help. Never be afraid to ask for help no matter how old you are. You never know someone may be able to help keep you motivated, to finish what you started. At the end of the day you are the one who has to keep going, nobody will do it for you. If you want to succeed you need to keep putting the work in. 

When you start something and things get tough, you just don’t give up! You keep trying and trying until you get there it may take a long time, but in the end you’ll get there. Trust me I know what it feels like to want to quit and walk away. But you’re not a quitter you’re a fighter, you can do this! I believe you can! 

You know I didn’t pass my driving test until the second time, but I had many lessons before I passed. I wanted to give up lessons as I went through things I struggled on again and again, until I got them right! Yep parallel parking is a difficult manoeuvre! Don’t worry if you don’t get somewhere at the same time as everyone else, life is not a race. Your time will come and when it does come, you’ll be over the moon, I promise! 

Just please don’t give up or lose hope as soon as it goes pear-shaped. Just try again until you’ve tried many ways, keep going until you get there. Remember you are the fighter and fighters don’t quit they win! 

Remember why you started! 

There's more to fitness than just your appearance

There is so much more to fitness than a 'perfect' body. Actually 'perfect' bodies do not exist. You might be thinking but what about that fitness model I saw on Instagram? look at her body it's perfect!

First of all, social media is only a small part of someones life, you will see just an image. An image that was taken a few days ago, a few minutes ago or maybe from months ago. An image that can sometimes hide someones struggles, insecurities and emotions. They'll properly have a food baby, like me after eating all their meals and that's ok.  They'll have days where they're not feeling amazing, but they may not show it. To you the images they share may seem like they have a 'perfect' life. Yes maybe they do have a great life, but it may not be 'perfect'. They may chose not to share the downs in their life and you know what? that's fair enough! Sometimes some people prefer their social media to be positive and only share the ups in their life. Remember they're only human beings just like you they'll have their ups and downs.

I think its great when influencers are down to earth about their downs in life, as it really shows how they get back up again and continue to stay positive. 

Here are the four things that are more than just appearance in fitness:

That feel good feeling

You know that happy feeling you get when somethings gone great or when you've enjoyed yourself? Well that's the feeling you should have after a great workout. I can tell you that it's an amazing feeling! You feel super happy and it makes you smile lots and lots! Hello endorphins! Doing exercise should make you feel happy not leave you feeling rubbish about yourself, as you don't have that 'perfect' body yet. It's more important to have enjoyed exercising, than to be putting yourself down because your body has not changed or you have not toned up yet.

Improving your body takes time and for some a few years or months. Seeing results will also take a lot of patience and hard work. You've just got to think, that you're working towards a healthier body one step at a time.

Self-love 

Accepting your body for what it is for now. Taking care of yourself and well-being. Being happy for who you are and where you are right now. Exercise will help to make you feel more confident and happy with yourself and that's so important. Look after yourself.

Having a healthy mind 

Fitness is a great way to keep your mind healthy. It allows you to focus on improving your confidence, well-being and health. As well as being stronger physically, you'll feel stronger mentally too. You'll also be achieving something positive. You'll be proud that you're working towards your goals. Looking after your mind is so important.

Feeling less stressed 

Everyone gets stressed from time to time. There are ways to help you feel less stressed and one of them is exercise. Another way to help control the stress, is when you make improvements to your diet too. If you're feeling stressed exercise will help you get away from the stress and help you too feel much better. So if you're feeling a bit stressed out, take some time to do a bit of exercise even if it's for ten minutes. You could also go for a walk or do a bit of stretching. It doesn't matter if you don't do a full hour of exercise, it matters that you start moving and you take control of that stress.

My fitness journey so far

Before I go on I'm just going to say that at the moment I am not a qualified PT (personal trainer) yet, but I have passed a Nutrition & Health course and I'm working towards the rest. 

Ever since I was fourteen (a very long time ago now) I have loved keeping fit and healthy. It took one day to make me realize that I actually had a passion for working out. I followed others on Instagram who influenced me to workout then and I'm glad there are such inspiring people like that out there. When I was younger I did't have as much confidence and I wanted to do something that made me feel confident and fitness has done that. I'm not going to lie I never fully enjoyed some PE lessons at school (yep you're probably thinking well why is fitness your passion now then?!). To tell you the truth when I started working out I had control of the workouts I loved that and still do. I didn't have that control when I did PE lessons and I disliked running laps around the field, it felt more like a punishment than a PE lesson.  

Now I work on building muscle and I still do cardio in workouts which is much better. I love how strong working out makes you feel I don't just mean physically! I'm talking about how strong it can make you mentally. You can feel more confident as a person and that's just so wonderful. 

I'm not one of those people who works out just for a bikini body, I mean its up to you if you want to do that but it's not for me. I'm interested in fitness all year round. I love to workout every time of the year to keep myself feeling good. Now I usually workout four times a week I'll do a 30 minutes workout or a 1 hour workout, depending on how busy I am or how I'm feeling that day. I enjoy doing more challenging and intense workouts these days. I definitely feel amazing after them! I do have rest days as it's so important to let your body recover if you workout. I also type up and plan my workouts before I do them so I know what day I'm working on abs etc. I find it's great to change workouts each week as it helps to keep me more motivated. 

Now fitness is so important to me and over the years I have learnt so much about it. There's so much more to fitness than gaining a nice toned body its about happiness, feeling good about yourself, that after workout feeling where you feel so much happy energy after and the progress you get is so rewarding. I enjoy working out and I would enjoy motivating others, helping them feel great too. 

I can definitely say that I've enjoyed my fitness journey so far and will continue to look forward to it. 

Eating healthy on a budget

Since inflation, the food prices have been pretty expensive. Like is that food really worth that price? You'll know what I mean if you buy your own food. The prices soon add up. Eating healthy is not always expensive, most things can be expensive but you've got to be smart about it. 

Here are my five tips to help you eat healthy on a budget: 

Shop smart

Sometimes you'll find that some shops and supermarkets can be better at certain times than others. Maybe your local shop is lacking fresh produce or frozen fruit and veg, maybe the shop is too pricey, why not try another place? Looking around other shops or supermarkets can give you more of a wider choice, sometimes you may find another shop that sells food at more reasonable prices. Don't always go for the first price you see compare the prices first. 

Although not everyone will have the time to do this, but it can really help to know the differences of  prices on food and the amount you'll save. If you are budgeting working out how much you'll save will help you feel less stressed about money, plus you'll save money for things you want to do! maybe a holiday or a day out etc. Also, if you have a local market, there may be a fresh fruit and veg stall. These stalls will sell the fruit and veg usually at kind prices, I mean three large lemons for a pound! bargain! They are so much better than small supermarket ones. Not only are the prices generous but the fruit and veg tastes delicious! oh the people who own the stall, they are such lovely, honest and funny kind of people. Oh yeah they let me try some fruit for free too!

Buying frozen veg and fruit 

Sometimes I find that fresh vegetables don't last very long and you end up throwing some away. Plus sometimes you'll find that organic veg and fruit is more expensive in certain supermarkets. You'll have then wasted money on unused veg, which can be pretty annoying. Although you can get cheaper organic fruit and veg, you just have to look at different supermarkets in your area and compare prices. You can get a range of frozen fruit and veg and it's also still healthy!

Saving leftovers 

There will be times where you'll cook way too much food (just like when I cook way too much pasta). Instead of throwing the food away save it for the next day or week. However, do not put the food in the fridge straight away if it is boiling hot or warm. You must let the food cool down first, as if you place it directly in a fridge it can cause condensation that may contaminate other foods. So if this happens other food must not be consumed. Saving your leftovers will help you save money and time as you won't have to buy another meal.

Prepping meals for work

Not only will you save money on buying your lunch, but you can also eat better by preparing your work meals the night before. Yes fast food can be tempting but if you want to save money and eat better, you better start prepping those meals. I mean we all love a cheat day but during the week you could aim to stay healthy. 

Writing a food list 

Writing a food list will help you know what you're looking for, stop you overspending and also help you not forget something you needed. We've all done that at some point, forgot something that was needed from the supermarket and coming home with something we didn't need. Yep I can totally relate! Anyway sticking to a food list will help stop you spending your money on unnecessary and expensive food. I mean your on a budget, you need to stick to it. Yes it can be so easy to get sidetracked in a supermarket, I can't blame you to be honest! surrounded by donuts and cookies sounds good. But you must ignore those temptations, because you won't have that spare money to eat them nice ice creams or any other treats on holiday. I'm just being honest!

Hoped this has helped!

With lots of love,

Brontë
x

Believe in yourself, Believe in your dreams

Its been a while since I've last typed up a blog post. So lets have a little catch up!

I'm not going to lie these past weeks have been a tad tough. I had exams to revise for so I decided to take a break form blogging for a while until I'd finished all my exams. But sadly the day after my last exam my dog I'd had from a puppy throughout my teenage life just passed away suddenly. As this had just recently happened, I was not feeling in the best state of mind to blog and to be honest I've not wanted to blog since!  

Anyway on a positive note I'm back blogging again! Yay!! 

What I've learnt form life is that you should always believe in yourself and it doesn't matter if others believe in you or not, you have to believe in yourself first. If you go about life with a negative outlook you'll struggle to get far. You need to replace that negative outlook with a positive one instead of "its too hard I can't do it" say to yourself "yes I can do this, I've got this." I mean what is the point in starting something if you don't believe in yourself? If you start something and it gets tough just keep going a saying I love is "Life is tough my darling, but so are you." because you are tough and can do it. Life is hard, you'll have your highs and lows.Yes I understand that its not always going to be easy or simple but when you believe in yourself you can get through anything.

We all aspire to do something even if you don't think you do at this current moment, you will! when you do it'll be one of the greatest feelings you have! Dreams are amazing they can be as big as you want them to be. Let me tell you its so beautiful to dream about what you aspire to do in the future.

Here are five ways to believe in yourself: 

Positive mindset 

Having a positive attitude towards things in life is the way forward. It always helps to look on the bright side of things even if they're negative, you can always find a positive out of them. You can overcome any obstacle that life throws at you. Tell yourself you can do it. Ignore others who say horrible things about you or try and stop you from bettering yourself.  Keep smiling, follow others who have a positive attitude towards things. Look after yourself, think positive, talk to yourself positively. Smile lots. 

 Do yourself a favor quit the negative self-talk, nobody's got time for that!

Trust yourself 

 Have a go at something or start something, have trust in yourself you can do it. Believe in yourself. Sometimes you just need to trust yourself to allow you to go far in life. I mean if you can't trust yourself, how will you trust others?

Yes things may go wrong, you make mistakes just like every other human being out there does from time to time. It's not as bad as you think but not trusting yourself will stop you from experiencing amazing things you may really love to do in life. You will hold yourself back. You don't want to do that now, do you?

Think about your past accomplishments 

Yeah there will be the highs and lows but you will have or had amazing highs in life. Think back what did you excel in? maybe an exam or job? etc. You did that and that's amazing so why stop believing in yourself now? you did it then, you can do it now.

A good way to help you remember your accomplishments in life is to note them down then you can see if you can use any of your skills for your future achievements. Think how did you keep going? did you set up breaks during revision to help you stay motivated with your revision? Did you do some extra research or a course for a job/career you succeeded in? doing these things can help you to believe you can do it. 

Never give up, keep going 

Do you ever feel like giving up? well please don't! Is what you're doing not going right at the moment? if so keep going, you maybe thinking why?, we have all failed at something in the past but that gives you more reason not to give up on what're doing. I mean a lot of people have failed, but did that stop them, no! why should you give up? It's only the beginning, it's never too late to start. Give it a go.

Yes you may fail many times but life is hard at times and it wouldn't be as challenging without failures. Failing at something doesn't make you a bad person or bad at what you love or what you want to do, it's just that you can look at things with a new perspective. Maybe you were doing something that doesn't work for you or maybe you just need to try with a different approach. So keep going, you'll never know how far you might go if you just give up now. 

Get out of your comfort zone 

Getting out of that comfort zone you have can really be amazing, trust me you'll be so proud of yourself later for doing something you may have been afraid to do before. We've all got or had comfort zones that could be at home, around a certain person or a certain place you're afraid to leave.

If you get any opportunity to do something or go somewhere why not? Sure you'll be out of your comfort zone but you'll experience outside that comfort zone at some point. That comfort zone may not be there forever so give it a go get out there. 

Keep dreaming big never stop, its only the beginning.

Always believe in yourself!

With lots of love

Brontë

x

Stop comparing yourself to others

Stop comparing yourself to others

...Admit it you have done this in the past or the present and yes we're all guilty of wanting something someone else has, wishing we had the 'perfect' life they have. We have all longed - for what someone else has had or got! Yes the jealousy may have kicked in! The comparing is like flicking through pages in a book, going back to the past chapter, thinking over & over again about what you've just read! I mean that's not a bad thing when reading a book but it seemed right at this current time! But you get the picture here! What I'm trying to say is we flick through our life & back to theirs & think over what it would be like living their life! It's what you want isn't it? To damage your time, hurt yourself over and over again as you don't have a 'perfect' life that this person seems to have. They have everything you seem to crave, yes crave as it's like a addiction you're so hooked to the idea of the 'perfect' life that someone else has. Question is are you living yourself? Are you fulfilling your dreams right now? Are you working to where you want to be? If you're examining how someone's living their life over & over again then answer is no right now!

Right so let's sort this mess out right now! Are you being serious why are you comparing your life to others, it's bloomin ridiculous! I'm being honest here! Why would you want to be someone else? Or have their life? You see what you see on Social media, a pretty picture, a happy smile, things they own, the 'perfect' relationship. Yes it's lovely and good for them, they're lucky to have what they have but you don't know what happens behind closed doors! They could be struggling just like you wishing/comparing their life to others! I know right this sounds absolutely atrocious right now. What?! They want to live another life with all those beautiful things they have. Why would they do that? You ask yourself, but really it's a reflection of yourself, remind you of who else this sounds like? Yeah you! See what I mean why would you spend your time wishing you had something else when you've got what you need right in front of you, may not seem like it but you do. You're the one who can make things better for yourself why not start, errr like now?! Yes it will take time and hard work but in the end the hard work will all pay off and you'll look back and think "wow I really did this, it feels amazing" wouldn't that be ace right? You'll feel so good about yourself. Woooop! 

Let's talk now. Come on are you still seriously comparing yourself to others? You need to do you! Don't try and live another's life or waste time wishing you did. If you really want something, start working for it now. Do not I repeat, DO NOT COMPARE YOUR LIFE TO OTHERS!! Just no! Go chase your own dreams! Don't wait around, make yourself busy, get working hard. Do something that is for you.

I look at life like we're all a part of a book, we have our own chapters in life. Some will be amazing, others will be draining, heartbreaking making them challenging but you know what its your own chapters, your journey in life. Nobody else will live your life, or see things from your perspective. Don't you think its exciting having your own journey in life? Its unique, its your own story to share. Comparing your story to that other persons will destroy your own unique one. We don't want that to happen, do we now? Imagine having the same story as someone else its like the saying been there, done that, got the t-shirt, yep its nothing new. Would you honestly want that? exactly, change your own life you're in control. Make your life the very best, you only have this one. Make yourself proud. You'll be so happy when you do, trust me.

Be yourself and don't try to be someone else you're so unique and its so very lovely to see. 

With lots of love

Brontë

x

My top 10 tips on how you can stay motivated

Sometimes finding or feeling motivation feels impossible and really sucks (well at the time) but being motivated can make you feel absolutely amazing!

Here are my top 10 tips on how you can stay motivated: 

1.) Follow inspirational people 

You'll be on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter etc. You'll see someone who is successful, lots of followers and their inspirational posts. Keep following them you'll just feel more and more inspired by the motivation they share. One of my inspirations is a lovely women called Kayla a fitness role model who I've looked up to for years now and seen her and her success grow, its just truly beautiful to see that. I've actually recently purchased her book which I'm super excited to read and try out. Others who share their motivation are just amazing people they really do help you to keep going, as you all need that little extra motivation from somewhere now, don't you?

2.) Set goals/aspirations 

Grab a pen, some paper or type up these notes on your phone and list as many goals you want to achieve each month, day and year. Write as many as possible, then look at them. Ask yourself can you reach that goal? by now you should have said yes as you can do anything with the right mindset. Look back at those notes to remind yourself of why you need to stay motivated why you wrote those goals in the first place. If you're ever wanting to give up remind yourself of your purpose here. You didn't write or type those goals for nothing! 

3.) Start doing it, quit saying you're going to do it

You want to reach that goal, pass that test, get healthy but all you do is tell people. Why not show them? Start today! You're no closer to your dreams or aspirations if you don't make a start right now! Stop making excuses to why you can't do it when you can! Excuses just stop you from getting where you want. They're something you need to quit using and saying! If those people you find inspirational used excuses instead of working hard they wouldn't be who they're today. If you want to do something or be someone you have to start working hard and start now. 

4.) Talk, get to know & meet up with others who share the same or similar passions

Getting to know others with the same passion is amazing with all the support and relate-able stuff you can natter on about. I mean who doesn't love a good natter?! Meeting others with the same interests is just ace! I've met some wonderful bloggers who I'm looking forward to meeting up with many more times. If you are worried about what to say when sending them a message as you think they might not like you or won't be as nice don't worry. The worst they could do is ignore you and you'll find that some people are not as friendly as you thought but that's ok, as there are many more people out there who are just so lovely, you'll wonder why you never met them sooner. Surround yourself with the lovely people with the positivity, the right attitude and the right mindset. You'll soon see how amazing life can be with these people around you. So send that message to that person you have things in common with. Just do it! Plan places and times you can meet up, plan activities, get a large group together, get out that comfort zone you're stuck in. Ask questions, find out how they started or found their passion they share with you. Find out if there's a story behind their talents, did they get there from bad experiences or  difficult times and turned things around? ask ask ask! It'll help guide and motivate you trust me on this one. 

5.)  Rest, relax, take care of yourself & take breaks 

This is something that's so important to do especially if you're always busy or busy lifting others! Remember to take time and rest so you can stay as motivated as possible. Spend time with your family, go out with friends, have that little you time. Take time to work on yourself there's no rush in time things will be even better. Having these breaks can help you to keep going and feel great about yourself later. Its alright to not always be working hard every minute its good to relax and give your mind time to rest so you're prepared for being more motivated to do what're doing.

6.) Stay as positive as possible 

Its understandable that not everyone has a positive mindset or are not always positive but surrounding yourself with positive things and positive people can really help to keep you going. Don't stay around negative things or people if you don't like what they say or do that's negative take yourself away from it. You'll see how much better life is when you're sticking to your positivity you really will. Lets face it either way in negative or positive situation the outcome can always be positive. You learn lessons to help to guide you and for you to grow during the bad times or you find that you can add more positivity to your life through a positive experience. So you'll be ok either way. Positive mind, positive vibes all contribute to a happy and positive life which you can have and enjoy.

7.) Look up inspirational quotes 

You really can't go wrong with those inspirational quotes. They're totally easy to find too!! Personally I find that looking at quotes can help myself too on days where I just lack motivation. Yes I admit it I'm not always motivated everyday, I mean what do you expect I'm only human! Sometimes I need that tad motivation from someone or somewhere else and at times I'll use my own motivation. This is ok I'm not perfect (no such thing as perfect) nobody is perfect and its ok not to be. Reading those quotes really helps as you can think yes I can do this! And yes I believe you can so don't stop. 

8.) Don't let others dictate what you want to do & don't give up

Lets be honest here you wouldn't want anyone to dictate what you do otherwise you'll be and feel powerless which is no way to help you stay motivated at all. It's very easy for others to make you feel powerless but its much easier to choose not too listen to what they want you to do. There will always be some who want you to be who they want you to be whether that be family, friends or even strangers (I know right crazyy!) you'll be surprised, it happens a lot. You can't let anyone control you, its what you need to do for yourself. Don't let anyone dull who you really are. It's your life make it as best as possible. Just think how in the future you'll look back on the positive memories thinking "I did this all by myself, I did this for me, I didn't do this to prove anyone I could do it, I did this to prove myself I could so this". Imagine how super amazing you'll feel after you've achieved what you aspired to do in in the present just imagine. You can do this if you start by controlling what you do. Don't hold back your dreams or aspirations just to make others happy as you won't end up happy in the future stuck doing something you don't enjoy doing. Do this for yourself and only yourself. 

9.) Think about bettering yourself daily & dream, dream, dream!

Isn't it lovely to be in control of your own happiness and your own decisions? go work on that hobby, go get that job, go workout, go do well in your exams, go follow those dreams etc etc (you get the picture.)  Look after yourself, eat well, sleep well, look after your body most importantly do all this for yourself.  Don't look back look forward ( well look back on memories and things you can improve on) but keep looking forward. Don't let your bad experiences or your past take control of now, don't let them stop you achieving those big things you dream that is possible to make them become true. Just don't let it at all!  The past is the past it does not define you, it makes you the person you are right now. So stop beating yourself up, you have so much power to make yourself better and better and that's just simply amazing. Keep on dreaming, keep on working hard, keep on making those dreams your reality and let nothing stop you from being the best version of you. 

10.) Don't lose that lovely inner Sparkle 

You know that talent, them dreams, that personality, don't let them go! Sometimes you just want to give up nothing seems to be going well and motivation is a the low. This is the time when you need to bring that sparkle out even more. You may be thinking how can I possibly do that?! well why not start of by doing something you love, maybe go for a walk to think, watch that movie, write down your thoughts, have that you time to reflect. Some days that inner sparkle may not be as strong as other days and you know what? that's ok. You're not born to be perfect, in fact nobody is. It's ok to not always be ok. Then you know what you've just got to pick yourself up and let that inner sparkle shine even more. Even give yourself that little prep talk if that's what helps. Don't let go of something that's so amazing. You'll feel even better later if you carry on doing what're doing right now with that sparkle. 

Hope this has helped you or will help you in the future.


With lots of love

Brontë

x