My 20th Birthday!

Hellooooo

It was my birthday on the 7th of February, as I mentioned in my previous post. Just thought I would update any reader's on what I got up to. 

I was supposed to go out on Friday the 6th for a night having drinks in bars as a pre birthday celebration with my friends, but the plans ended up not happening unfortunately.. But it's okay, I had a huge headache due to spending the whole day moving out of my house so me and Curtis just ordered a Dominos feast, had a lovely chilled out evening!

[Birthday Card from Curtis]

So for my actual birthday, me and Curt got up nice and early, got ready, then went to Toby Carvery for an all you can eat breakfast (soooo yummy). We drove separately as he said he needed to 'get something' after breakfast. I got back to his and waited for him. The sweetie only went and came back with a giant Millie's Cookie for me!! (Photos are below) .. YES it does taste as amazing as it looks!

[Sparkler candle!!!]

[Giant cookie]

That wasn't all he'd gotten me, he also got me a watch I've wanted since before Christmas. A Lilac Fossil Georgia Watch! I've fallen inlove with it, I haven't stopped looking at it since. It came with two little bracelets to match. I'm not usually one for gifts, if someone asks what I'd like there's a 99% chance they won't get an answer from me unless the gift is £10 or less. I suppose I just feel guilty when I have presents bought for me. Of course that makes me a lot more appreciative of the gifts i do get! Suppose you could say I'm doing the typical "lucky girl" post... 

Photo below of my favourite new accessory ever!!

[Fossil Lilac Georgia Watch]

I also had some workout leggings, they're plain black with WORK OUT written on the side in white. We then went out to Bath for the day for a spot of shopping, I didn't buy anything, just window shopped. I wore a H&M dress that Curt also picked out and bought for me a week or so before my birthday. 

[Birthday outfit. Dress - H&M. Shoes - Matalan]

After Bath we came home and I ended up lying on the bed for a few hours as I wasn't feeling well. Once I felt a little better we got ready to go out for my birthday meal with my Parents. We went to San Carlos in Bristol. Very very posh place, I felt a little out of place if I'm honest as I'm not what I'd call 'posh'. It was sooo delicious though. I'll be doing a post about the meal tomorrow.

[Me & Curtis at San Carlos]

[Me, Curtis & My Parents]

So I guess you could say this Birthday I was completely spoilt. I feel bad for having these gifts bought for me, but I'll just need to make sure I spoil back with gifts on upcoming Birthdays!

Thankyou to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Especially a big thankyou to my amazing boyfriend for going that extra mile to make my birthday special. And to my parent's for one of the best meals I've ever had!

Hope I haven't came across as bragging, I'm not, just simply writing a post about my birthday.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me on blog lovin' here :-)

Nicole.

xoxoxox

Things People With Anxiety Want Others To Know

So i've had anxiety since age 12/13. Age 12-15 was probably my worst time for anxiety. I've managed to overcome the worst by myself. 

But i don't think you can ever make an anxiety disorder just magically go away, i still have it. It's just no where near as bad now, i still get anxious in certain situations and i still stress too much about all the tiny things in life.

People with anxiety find life frustrating, especially when no one understands why you're acting so odd and making things awkward. It ends up making whoever you're around most of the time feeling frustrated too. 

So here are a list of things people with anxiety want others to know:

--We're sorry for saying sorry all the time, and we're sorry for saying sorry that we're sorry.. 

--We don't mean to make excuses for having to leave situations, but from experience we know saying 'i'm having anxiety being here' isn't always understood.

--It isn't just a mental state, bad anxiety days can be exhausting. From headaches, racing heart, hot flushes/rashes, shaking, nausea, dizziness, panic attacks (and more).. all that can be very very tiring and a big inconvenience.

--The most normal, smallest and silly things can seem like the end of the world to us. (Example: forgetting to take something that's not a necessity on holiday with you/Not doing something you feel you need to do to feel less anxious)

--No, we aren't crazy. Having anxiety is actually a normal part of everyones life, we just unfortunately get it too often.

--Sometimes all we need from you is understanding, nothing more. We aren't always asking for advice, help or sympathy. 

--If we push you away its not because we don't like you or love you, it's because we aren't feeling up to socialising lately.

--We somehow feel the need to control and organise everything! I'm guessing it's something to do with not being able to control the anxiety, so we want to control other things.

--So things being out of our control is also very stressful for us.

--A bad day is a bad day.. not much can make it better. So don't feel too bad that all your efforts to cheer us up hasn't worked.

--Being alone is either luxury for us, or a nightmare.

--We are always thinking of the worst outcome in a situation, almost like our 'instincts' to know when something is just not right, is way too sensitive. (For example: for an anxious flyer the sound of the landing gear coming down, actually sounds like the plane engines are breaking down. Or.. A family member isn't answering their phones, something bad HAS to have happened.)

 Our minds go in to overdrive and it's not something we usually can control.

--We probably will shout at you and get stressed/angry for no reason on a highly anxious day. But you should know.. we don't mean to. Promise.

--A bit of comfort food will always be a little help, so if you know we are having a hard time. Send the fave foods our way please!!

--Don't tell us to get over it! Don't tell us we are over reacting! Don't tell us that its easy to control!

--Do be patient, do be kind, do understand, and please do still love us just the way we are ♥

Living with anxiety, is a nightmare if i'm completely honest. But there are ways to improve your life with anxiety, it probably never will go away, as small amounts of anxiety is normal. Although with the right help and mindset you can start to feel happier, calmer and free from most of your constant worries.

More of a deeper, less up lifting post from me here. But anxiety is something that affects many people, so i thought i'd share my thoughts on something i knew a few people could hopefully relate too. ♥♥

If you enjoyed this post and want to keep up to date, follow me on blog lovin' here :-)

I've been posting pretty frequently on here lately. But it's because i'm excited that i have a new little hobby. It's my birthday tomorrow so i'll most likely write a little post about that at the end of the weekend. Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Reasons Why Pugs Are Strange Creatures

I have a little pug of my own, her name is Peanut, she's the cutest. But pug's aren't all cuteness, they're pretty strange dogs.. if you'd call them that.

Reasons Why Pugs Are Strange Creatures

-They practically think they're human..

[Peanut 'driving' a car & stealing money!]

-I like to say they're basically part pug, part cat, part pig, part monkey, part gremlin...

-The noises they make are insane, my pug sounds like an Extra Terrestrial when she cries (or squeals).

-They're a mix between couch potatoes and crazy things that dart around the room for hours on end.

-Their googly eyes give them the ability to watch not just you, but also the food you're holding in your hand at the same time.

[Googly eyes]

-They fart, a lot. Constantly doing little raspberries, they're practically your own little bag pipe, you pick them up for a little cuddle/squeeze and then all you hear is pop pop pop (gross)...



-Attitude problems, i'd honestly be surprised if you have a pug that doesn't try and rule the house.

[Pug life]

-They seem to be able to make facial expressions..

[Grumpy/sad Peanut]

-Their snoring is SO loud it sounds like thunder.


-Most enjoy wearing clothes, super sassy!

-They try to eat hair, everytime i cuddle my dog she licks and tries to eat my hair.. very odd.



-Always seem to kick up a fuss and will destroy anything that gets in the way of their paddy.

[Tore up my clothes from Ebay!]

-They'll jump in any empty dishwasher.

-You may as well call them micro pigs, they snort all the same.



-They disappear, to then find them in the most random of places.

[Peekaboo]

-They enjoy chilling in their own special way..

Pugs aren't normal dogs, they do some very strange things, which they have became even more famous for on the internet. But if you own a pug thats just as strange as mine, it definitely makes you love them even more. Also cause they are majorly snuggly and cute.. not to forget super cool aswell!
They may be the strangest dogs, but they're also the best!

Not to mention they're great selfie companions..

Share this post if you love pugs ♥ & Follow me on blog lovin' here.

xoxoxox

10 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Workout More!

One 'hobby' i particularly enjoy is keeping fit/regularly exercising. People have asked me before how i stay motivated and make myself go to the gym. I am one of those people that refuse to sit around, i cannot stand feeling lazy and bored (..plus i eat when i'm bored).

So here i thought i'd give you my '10 Ways To Motivate Yourself To Workout More'!

1. Buy New Workout Clothes!

I feel so much more motivated to go to the gym after i've bought work out clothes. Most of my workout clothes are Nike and i think i may own their sports bra in every colour... slight obsession. The workout clothes don't even have to be expensive to motivate you if you're on a budget. I bought most of my workout clothes off of Sports Direct, so it wasn't too pricey. To me theres no better motivator than new workout clothes, i think going to the gym when you feel fab about yourself, will encourage you to try twice as hard to feel even better!

2. Start A Pay Monthly Gym Membership.

By starting a pay monthly gym membership the money will be taken out of your bank account each month,whether you decide to go to the gym or not. This will make you want to go as much as you possibly can to make the most of the membership you're paying for. If you don't think you can afford the gym each month, maybe take a look at what food you're buying. For example, if your ordering pizza x3 a month, that would probably add up to around £40. Quit the pizza and use the money to start the gym!! 

3. Ask A Friend To Workout With You.

Working out with a friend is usually more fun and tends to make the workout go by faster. Ask a friend to start working out with you a few times a week, you'll have a new workout buddy and someone to help motivate you to get out of bed early morning for a run.. just make sure you workout more than you chat!

4. Think Of Being Able To Eat More.

No, i'm not saying to not eat much if you don't workout, i'm saying you can eat extra on top of what you usually eat?! Sounds great? Well it is :-) This doesn't really matter if you're not exercising with the intent to lose weight or need to track how you eat in any way. More if you are trying to maintain your current weight or lose weight. When you exercise and burn calories, you get to eat some/all of those calories back, depending on your goal! This is my favourite part of exercising as i love to eat but i gain weight easily, so exercise means i have a little more freedom to have larger portions.

5. Do It For The Endorphins.

When you workout your body releases endorphins, this is what gives you that amazing feel good, happy feeling after a workout. The more you workout and the harder you workout the better you will feel after each gym session, so if you workout frequently you'll feel happy all the time! You'll feel good after a workout, but you'll feel even more amazing once you see the results it's given you.

6. Finding A Workout YOU Find Fun!

It's okay if you hate running (i hate running), if you find bike riding boring or you cant stand looking at the same equipment in the gym. Not everyone finds the same workout's fun, but what you need to do is find a workout you find fun, you're more likely to then want to do it again. For example i love indoor rock climbing, walking and dancing. Some people love Zumba, spin classes or swimming. Just keep trying out different kinds of workouts until you find one or two that you love. 

7. Make A Blog.

I first started getting in to shape by making a Tumblr, i'd follow healthy, motivating blogs. Post about my eating and exercise habit's that day and read about other peoples experiences. Because it's all so 'public' it motivates you to want to do better and document your journey to your weight loss and fitness goals. It was a seriously big help when it came to motivating me to change my habits, i went from a dedicated couch potato to working out 5 days a week for 60 mins each time.

8.  Use Working Out As A Stress Reliever. 

People get stressed a lot, if you begin to use working out to get your endorphins especially at stressful times. You'll begin to crave the gym after a long stressful day at work/college/university. Craving the gym after a stressful day is much better than craving pizza!

9.  Magazines.

I don't know about everyone else, but looking at glamorous photos of girls with my dream body definitely motivates me to work out! (even if some may be photoshopped). Read magazines you find motivate you, i prefer to read fitness related magazines as they have exercise tips in, workout clothes and healthy meal ideas. But everyone is different, so different magazines may motivate you more. So treat yourself to one every now and then!

10. TAKE BEFORE PHOTOS.

I wrote this in capitals as this is important in my eyes. If you're aiming to lose weight and/or get fit, the scales aren't always able to tell you if you've made progress. Someone may lose fat but gain muscle so the scales don't change what so ever. But if they have taken a before photo, they could take another quick snap of themselves and be amazed with the results. So take 'before' photos, it will motivate you to want to work out to get your dream 'after' photo!!!

[Left - My before photo. Right - My after photo]

I hope this helps you all to work out more!! Please be aware, this is only advice based on my own personal experience, i am not a personal trainer or anything along those lines. 

Now get up and go get yourself some endorphins!! xo

Follow me on blog lovin' here !

First blog post!

Well hello there world,

My names Nicole!

I’ve been wanting to make a blog for a while now, although i kept putting it off. Out of fear that i wouldn’t know what to write or that people wouldn’t read my blog! But i’ve decided to go ahead and start now, told myself “who cares if no one reads it!” it’s still a new little hobby i can get stuck in to.

First things first, i really do not understand how this website works. So anyone who is planning on reading will have to bare with me on the way it looks for now. Warning you now as well, it’s probably going to be FULL of typo’s.

My interests are health, fitness & cake making/decorating. So my blog will probably contain health and fitness advice/tips. Most likely some healthy meal ideas/recipes. Photos, tips, and possibly tutorials for cakes i make. Also, I don’t know if you can be a ‘fan’ of food, but if thats a thing, i am most definitely a big food fan. I like to visit different food places and i eat a lot of food, always on the eye out for recommended restaurants/pubs that supposedly do amazing food with decent sized portions, so if theres any places i visit that i particularly enjoy i shall give them a mention to tell you all how great it was!

Other than that i may post general things to do with my life that i feel like writing about, i usually have a lot to say so it shouldn’t be too hard to update this blog regularly.

Hopefully some of you keep up with my posts and enjoy reading! xo