CHIA SEEDS

After a while of searching, I have finally found a place to buy Chia seeds on the high street in a shop I didn't even think to look in - I stumbled across them by accident. I've tried looking in Tesco and Asda amongst other shops but I finally found a supplement section in Boots which sells Chia seeds. Woo!

HOW TO AVOID THE TAKEAWAY TRAP

Takeaways are the devil. So yummy and so satisfying, yet so greasy and so unhealthy. Dominos is 100% my greatness weakness. I literally crave it most if not every night, no word of a lie. The ease of ordering a takeaway whether that be over the phone, online or through an app, is health destroying. As a student, I am stereotyped in being someone who lives off takeaways however that it is not the case. I am relatively healthy, eating home-cooked meals most nights with the exception of a takeaway once a week which in my opinion is still bad. I think takeaways should be a rare treat, perhaps a once-a-month thing and no matter how much I believe this, I can't seem to ease myself from a once-a-week treat. 

Whether it's because of your mood, your job, stress levels, lack of time, ease or just cravings, takeaways are hard to keep off. If you struggle to keep off the takeaways like me, read below to see if a few of my ideas will work for you.

BUSY SUMMER

Hello blogging world! I haven't written a post in over a month and a half as I have been super super busy lately. What started off for me as a very chilled and laid-back summer soon become a hectic one but I love being busy so I'm not complaining. Now things have calmed down for me for a few weeks, I can't wait to get back into blogging again. 

SOMETHING FISHY

Most, if not all of us, will have heard how we are recommended to eat fish because of the nutrients and health benefits it contains however, what exactly are the benefits to eating fish and what happens if you are a hater of fish like me?

WHY I'M ATTEMPTING A DAIRY-FREE DIET

Dairy-free diets have become a huge talking point in the world lately, whether it be to do with dairy-based disorders, skin, overall health or weight loss. I have decided to try out a dairy-free diet to see if cutting out dairy does have an overall effect on my health in a good way. I am not lactose, dairy or gluten intolerant (that I know of) but I am trying to lose a few kilograms, sort out bloating issues and try and improve my skin. Going dairy-free is going to be hard as I love all things dairy but of course with it being the 21st century, there are plenty of dairy-free alternatives which I have yet to try.*

JOB SEARCHING

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted a part time job to do alongside my studies yet it hasn't happened yet. For at least the last few years I've wanted a job but haven't been able to get one and I have no idea why. It's starting to get frustrating but I'm determined to not give up. 

PROTECTING YOURSELF IN THE SUN

The UK is currently forecast to bask in glorious sunshine for the next few days in the form of a heatwave, mainly affecting the south east. Of course most people will want to make the most of the sunshine by going out and sunbathing or even just going for a walk. This is all good but the Sun can be dangerous if precautions aren't taken which I'm sure many of you will know about (or you should do anyway!)

#LOVEWINS

Yesterday in the US, which I'm sure many of you are aware of, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage will be legalised across all states in the US. Prior to this, 14 states, including Georgia, Ohio and Texas, didn't allow the marriage between two people of the same gender however, the recent ruling means that people of the same gender can now marry in any state across the US. 

MY WEEK

Overall I've had an amazing, yet expensive, week. I've had something to do almost everyday which I love as I hate being stuck in the house feeling lazy, particularly in summer when the weather is good (if the British weather is being nice to us that is). This week was my boyfriend's birthday and he was turning the grand old age of 22 on Friday. He of course took full advantage of the fact that it was his birthday using the excuse of 'birthday week' to get away with anything he could. 

LOSING WEIGHT OPTIONS: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

One thing I have never understood is people who want to lose weight but by taking the easier, and not so beneficial option. As soon as someone mentions losing weight, exercise and a healthy but balanced diet comes into mind however, over the last few years, many people (mainly girls) are using other options to lose weight such as teatoxes, supplements, aids and all juice diets along with many more that are thought to help with losing weight but they aren't necessarily healthy. 

WHAT SCHOOL DOESN'T TEACH YOU BUT IT SHOULD

Although I have almost completed my time in education, there are still many things about the world that I don't know but I need to know. There are a few fundamental things that you don't learn in school but you really should. It's a common thing found on social media for people not to value learning about algebra and trigonometry for example which I completely understand but if we didn't learn about this in school, we wouldn't have many mathematicians as how would people know what they would be interested in if they never actually knew what is was? As well as all the standard lessons, life lessons should also be given as part of the curriculum as this would be of value to everyone as everyone has to have a job (unless you're very lucky and are born into a wealthy family), everyone will have bills to pay and budgets to do but also things of importance about the government, the economy and general world issues.

SUMMER GOALS

Now that I've finished University for the summer and don't have an awful lot to do, I have created a set of goals that I am going to aim to achieve by the time I start University again in September. I've decided I want to stay in Newcastle rather than go home back to Sheffield for the summer just because my life is up here now, apart from my family that is. The goals I have set are actually realistic as when I have created goals in the past, most were the total opposite. 

JOINING THE GYM

The gym. A scary prospect for those of you who have never been to a gym I bet, that included me before I joined just over a week ago. I've been wanting to join the gym for a few years now but I never really had the motivation to go, mainly because I was scared of going as I haven't had many sporty friends who actively go to the gym on a regular basis or are even interested in sport full stop. I am interested in a few sports myself (watching, not so much participating unfortunately). I have enjoyed watching the tennis along with the Olympics and any athletics tournaments for as long as I can remember. At school, I was an active youngster, studying GCSE PE as well as participating in competitive swimming, cross country running, biking and walking with the family at weekends and long distance running in athletics. However, since starting my A Levels and moving to a different part of the country for University, I didn't really participate in any sort of exercise for around 4 years apart from the occasional jog on the treadmill if I was ever at home (which is a very rare occurrence).

FOOD PREP

With a very busy month coming up for me because of University, I needed a quick way to make my evening meal. I have recently noticed a lot of people, particularly on Instagram, doing food prep, or food preparation which I thought I would have a go at. Not only does it make meals in bulk saving you time, it means that it saves the hassle of having to wash up every night which I hate doing anyway.

EASTER TRAVELS

As a University student, I look forward to holidays so much. No more 9am starts for a few weeks means constant lie ins. However, I spent the first week of my Easter break being very proactive; I was up early almost every day. This was because me and my boyfriend spent the week visiting each other's family which was a pretty daunting experience on paper. Spending almost every minute of every day for a week with each other was a first for us but it turned out to be very successful, I enjoyed every minute. 

BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO

Batiste dry shampoo is literally a life saver in a can. Every girl every so often has the unexpected plan of going out without having the time to do the hassle of washing, drying and styling hair. Dry shampoo allows you to wash and style your hair in a fraction of the time. 

PINTEREST

If you don't have Pinterest then the question is, why not?! Pinterest is addictive, and not in a healthy way! I can literally spend hours browsing through pages and pages of makeup, architecture, travel and food (not good when I have coursework to be doing!) It is basically a huge range of photos that have tags along with them (like the hashtags you use on Instagram and Twitter but without the hashtag) so that they are easy to find, for example, type 'handmade card' into the search bar and lots of ideas of handmade cards for you to have a go at will be shown but also with the instructions! Literally anything you need can be found on Pinterest.

ZAPATISTA

Zapatista? You may be wondering what this is. I had never heard of it until I met my boyfriend who is literally OBSESSED. When he first mentioned the word to me I had no clue what he was talking about, even my coursemates didn't know what Zapatista was until I told them. So what is it?

SCENTED CANDLES

Most girls I know own at least one scented candle. Why? You may ask. Because not only do scented candles make your room smell amazing but they also look pretty too and can make your room look so girly (not that they are just for girls of course!) especially with the wide range of colours that are now available.

BALANCE IS KEY

Life is all about balance. Juggling University work, socialising with friends, seeing my boyfriend, speaking to family, cooking, cleaning, sleeping, blogging, searching for a job, independent time: the list is endless!

There simply isn't enough time in the day I don't think! It probably doesn't help that I am a huge procrastinator, it's about time my life got some focus. The first 2 weeks of the year saw me revising and stressing out over University exams which I don't think went too well but there's no need to dwell as I can't change it now! The last week and a half has been dominated by partying with my housemates and spending some much needed time with my boyfriend which has been fab! I think it's about time I got organised at time management more effectively now after my week and a half of fun.