Tea Talk

I love tea, I mean I'm British and nothing if not a cliche. Aside from the classic English Breakfast tea, which is a staple addition throughout my day, every day, there are other teas that I reach to on occasion. Apart from the warming, comforting benefit of drinking tea, the ultimate and instant refresh you get from the first sip, there are teas out that with actual health benefits. I thought I'd tell you about a few of my faves, but first I'll tell you for herbal tea I always go Pukka. It's reasonably priced, all organic ingredients and there's heaps to choose from.

Peppermint Tea is a fairly recent discovery of mine but I love it. A cup of peppermint is normally my last cup of tea for the day. It's super relaxing and makes me feel calm and ready for bed. Added bonuses are that it's good for the immune system, aids digestion and can help with nausea. If you're feeling a bit crampy and bleugh in the stomach region, try a cup of peppermint tea, it will probably sort you out.

Echinacea tea if perfect for this time of year. Like peppermint tea, it boosts the immune system but can also relieve the symptoms of cold and flu. I really like the Pukka variety as it's flavoured with raspberry so it's lovely and fruity. And definite must have for your tea collection.

Lemon, Ginger & Manuka Honey is my favourite of the bunch and one I drink through the day. It tastes delicious and is the most comforting of the bunch, I think. Manuka honey is great for the immune system, warm lemon is a good antioxidant and ginger is good for relieving nausea. (Any pregnant ladies out there, apparently ginger tea is really good for morning sickness.) What I love most about it though is the spicy, sweet flavour which is really warming and relaxing.

The Detox and Night Time variety aren't ones I reach for very often but I do enjoy them every now and again. They're both a mixture of different herbs that are great for doing what they say on the tin basically. The detox tea is full of antioxidants that help you feel renewed and this is something I'd grab on a Sunday morning after one too many or really whenever I'm feeling a little groggy. The Night Time tea is perfect if, like me, you tend to get a little anxious. It's made up of different herbs that help to make you feel relaxed and calm which is great for just before you hit the hay, but also if your mind is working at a mile a minute and you're feeling a little stressed.

Drink more water!

Everyone knows that water is essential to your health. Water is needed to replace the fluids that your body loses through sweating, breathing and going to the toilet. So essentially water is an essential ingredient to prevent you from getting dehydrated which occurs when your putting out more water than your putting in. But apart from the obvious, don't get dehydrated, element of drinking water there are many other benefits that come from keeping your water intake up.

Feeling tired and low on energy? Drink water. When your muscles don't have enough liquid they don't work as well making performance worse and essentially you feel like slobbing on the sofa and doing absolutely bugger all. Drinking more water will help maintain the amount of fluid your muscles need to help you feel energised and ready to go.

Water can also help you focus better. Considering your brain is mainly made up of water drinking more of it will help you focus better and be more alert. Essentially water can help you stop you feeling tired, lethargic and like everything is such a massive effort. 

Not drinking enough water can result in feeling bloated. Your body retains more fluids as it is basically scared it's not going to get any more. While it might seem a bit backwards you can often cure water retention by drinking more fluids i.e. water. As you drink more water your body releases fluids leading to feeling less bloated. (N.B bloating isn't always caused by water retention and can be down to kidney problems so if it is a persistent problem you may need to see your GP). 

Drinking plenty of water can also keep your skin looking glowy and youthful, though don't expect it to erase wrinkles. Your skin contains heaps of water and acts as a barrier to stop you losing too much so keeping yourself hydrated keeps your skin hydrated and can help prevent break outs and slow your skin from ageing. 

And yes, not drinking enough water can lead to constipation. When your fluid intake isn't high enough your colon will draw water from your poop to make up for that which will lead to constipation. Drinking plenty of water keeps everything moving and makes everything feel a lot more comfortable. 

Not drinking enough also effects urine and your kidneys. When you're not drinking enough your pee will be dark, smelly and more concentrated. More water means urine flows freely, is light in colour and free of odour. If you are always not drinking enough you may be more likely to get kidney stones. 

And of course drinking more water can help with headaches. Again because such a large percentage of your brain is water when the brain hasn't got enough water (without grossing you out too much) it shrinks and pulls away from the skull causing the pain we know as headaches. Therefore drinking water can ease and prevent headaches. Although again, if you are constantly getting headaches and drinking plenty of water go to the doctors. 

So how much water should you be drinking? Well experts, of which I am not for the record, say about eight glasses a day is a good amount. I try to drink 3 litres a day as a standard especially whilst I'm in Aus as heat and high altitudes can cause dehydration to be more rapid. If you're exercising drink relatively regularly throughout (roughly every 10 or so minutes) but don't drink heaps during exercise as you may feel sick, drink little and regularly throughout exercise and continue to do so afterwards to ensure you replenish the fluid you loose in exercise. 

So, readers, I challenge you to try drinking roughly two litres a day for the next two weeks and see how you feel. Don't forget to let me know! 

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NO MORE EXCUSES

I used to hate any kind of fitness. Running made me feel sick at the simple thought of it, workouts made me want to laugh at myself, and yoga was for wierdo hippies. Then I grew up slapped myself in the face and told myself to stop making lame excuses.

Until recently the most exercise I got was running for a train but last year I made a damn promise to myself to get fit and keep fit and I think I've  kept it so far. The answer cutting out the excused. Trust me I used to make them all. I haven't got the money, I haven't got the equipment, I haven't got the time blah blah blah. The answer is you have you just don't want to have.

Travelling has taught me you don't need any flash equipment to do a workout. Filled litre bottles of water work great as weights, a chair can easily be made into a step and piece of old rope works great for skipping, how do you think they skipped in the olden times? But in all honesty you don't need to save three weeks wages for fitness equipment anymore. You can pick up relatively cheap fitness stuff all over the place now, shops like Argos, Tescos, Target are all likely to have what you're looking for at an affordable price. You don't need to go out buy every fitness item under the sun just those you know you'll need. I keep it simple with weights, rope and a step. 

Even fitness wear is cheap to come buy now. I picked up some fitness leggings and two sports bras for 30 AUD (about £17) the other day and you can do the same in the UK at places like Matalan and most supermarkets. Ok it won't have a Nike tick or the adidas logo but who cares it keeps you covered, absorbs the sweat and basically does the job you need for half the price.

But I can't afford a gym membership! I hear you cry. YOU DON'T NEED ONE. Gyms are an expensive waste of money, if you've garden, live near a park or have a relatively big room in your house say hello to your new free gym. Find some free workout guides online, check out youtube fitness gurus such as blogilates and you're well away. You can pay money for fitness guides and they'll work and they're good but you don't have to if you don't want to. There's also good old fashioned options like running, walking and cycling. I've told myself once I feel fit and active enough and really committed myself to keeping fit then I might consider joining a gym but I don't see the point if you're not really going to go for it and you won't know that until you try. 

In this ever busy world it can be hard to find a spare half an hour, yes that's all it takes a day to make a difference. But as we've discovered you don't even need to leave the house to workout it's made this predicament a little easier to solve. I find just getting up half an hour earlier makes it easier to squeeze that workout in. After a work out and a cool shower you're pumped for the day with a tonne more energy than normal and you won't spend the day thinking about when you're going to get it done and putting yourself off the idea. However, if you feel happier doing it in the morning and you're not the type of person who easily dissuades themselves from something that do it when you walk in the door in the evening. 

So hopefully that solves a few problems for anyone with all the same excuses I had. I'm no fitness guru I know that, but I'm getting fitter and these are all things I faced when I made my decision to get fit so just have a think about them.

One thing I would spend a few of your hard earned dollars on however, is a pair of decent running shoes. It's ridiculous how much proper running shoes, no flat soles, will make. Better posture, less next day pain and better generally for your body. I have a pair of New Balance's which I love and are super comfy but Asics are ones I would highly, highly, recommend.

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Post-Easter Crackdown | Thursday Talks

Despite all the sweet treats I've been showcasing on Instagram as of late, mainly because of Easter, I have still been trying to keep as healthy and fit as possible. My fridge and cupboards have been stripped back and the running shoes have been donned more often than normal to ensure I am as bikini ready as possible in three and a half weeks, because even though I tried to keep healthy over Easter I did eat my body weight in chocolate. I don't claim to be a health and fitness whizz kid, cause let's be honest my abs are still far from peeking out and I still struggle with the three mile run I sometimes manage, but I have picked up a few little tricks that make it all easier and so I thought I'd share with you. These are the things I'll be definitely sticking too over the next few weeks.

1) Don't buy naughty treats
When you're doing your food shop, don't be tempted to pick up the things you shouldn't. You don't need the multipack of crisps or the kitkats, even if they are on offer. Instead pick up some raspberries or some low fat crackers. Ryvita things or snack a jacks are a really good crisp alternative. Just as satisfying but without the naughty fats. Also, don't go to the supermarket when you're hungry. You'll be most tempted to by the naughty goodies then because they're quick to satisfy the hunger.

2) Don't cut out, cut down
It's ok to think that cutting out dairy or carbs or sugar will help you loose those extra pounds because it will, but it's not easily sustainable to it might not last. Instead of completely cutting out the things carbs, fat or sugar just cut down. Have things that aren't full of added sugar, and things that are low fat and low carbs. I try to have days where I don't eat dairy, or veggie days to help cut down the fattening stuff. This week I'm trying really hard to have no unnecessary carbs and no added sugar.

3) Find your exercise
Everyone finds different exercises easier. Some people can run for miles, some can cycle, some can do an hour of weights. Everyone's different. I try to change it up every week but workouts I can do in my own house are my favourite. I try to an hour a day and this week I'm going to be doing workouts in my bedroom as I'm revising for final exams as well so I'm staying in but next week I'm going to running and home workouts so I get enough cardio to melt that fat. Find what you enjoy and do it as much as you feel comfortable with.

4) Water and Green Tea
2 litres every day minimum. It stops you snacking, it keeps you hydrated, helps keep your skin clear and keeps your insides nice and clean too. I drink a glass with every meal and also carry a litre bottle with me which I feel up twice in the day which ensures I've drunk at least two litres. Over the next few weeks I'm also cutting out alcohol. I don't drink a lot anyway but alcohol can prevent fat burning so I don't want to be doing that. Also green tea is great to drink. It's full of goodness and is great for detoxing the body, a drop of lemon juice makes it super tasty. I have a mug in the evening before bed and it serves me well.

As well as alcohol, over the next three and half weeks I'm completely cutting out chocolate, crisps, bread and any unhealthy snacks. Fruit and veg all the way for me now.

So they're my top four tips: no naughty treats, cut down, enjoy exercising, and drink lots of water. Hope these help you.

N.B I'd like to point out I don't condone restrictive diets, I eat three healthy meals a day and snack on fruit and nuts if I get hungry in the day. DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF. It's not healthy.