This is still me ❤️

I always believed that I was the type of person, that if something wasn't going how I wanted it, I gave up. If the weight didn't come off after eating well for a few days, I would get bored, eat cake and say screw the diet. If I slept in when I was supposed to get up and exercise, I would decide to stay in bed and then barely move all day, thinking what is the point. Even sometimes in the past with writing, I would miss it for a day and then think "Oh I've blown it now" Whilst consistency is extremely important, it doesn't mean that we have to live our lives by ridiculously strict rules, in order to achieve our goals. For example, going back to dieting. If I put myself on a strict 1200-calorie-a-day diet for a month, I would lose weight, but I would be miserable and this is where I have gone wrong in the past. It's the same with exercising, I put myself under so much pressure with it, that any enjoyment I do get out of it is ruined because it is now

An extract from this week’s Substack newsletter I like to start each month by looking back on the previous month to see what went well and what didn't, how I can improve, what habits worked for me and any little ways I can make my life a bit easier for myself On the surface, June was a good month, but when I look a bit deeper, I can see that it wasn't without its challenges. I'll start with the challenges and where I can improve, that way we can finish on a positive note, rather than finish thinking how rubbish I have been! Emotional Hangovers Despite knowing I suffer from these, it still doesn't stop me. At the end of this week, I suffered terribly after drinking Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday this week. It's not a regular occurrence, but it is something I need to be more aware of and consciously make an effort to have more alcohol-free days. Not putting my screens away Guilty!! I managed to do this for a few days here and there, but I am still picking up

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This week, I want to focus on my physical health. I've been feeling sluggish and don't seem to have much energy lately. I'm going to try out some different exercises this week, I want to find something I enjoy, there must be something surely?! Drinking water is back on the list. Again! I've noticed my skin has been feeling a bit dry too so I need to try and get to grips with this water drinking malarkey if anyone has any tips on how to get more water on board, let me know. I also want to add more fruit and veg into my diet. My diet has improved, I've not been having many takeaways and have been cooking lots of healthy food, I just need to make sure that veg takes up a lot of my plate and maybe have some fruit for breakfast. What are your intentions for the coming week?

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The last few weeks have been really busy. I’ve had lunches, dinners and weekends away with friends so I’m really looking forward to having some time at home with the husband. Whilst he is working away in the day, I am going to get through my ever growing to do list, this includes finally writing and submitting my article for the medium publication. It’s been a couple of weeks since I got the invitation, but as it would be my first time submitting something, I don’t want to rush it. I have already decided on the content and I am quite looking forward to cracking on with it. I’m also planning on doing some cooking. I do really enjoy cooking, so now I have a bit more time, I would like to cook up some nice lunches and dinners, especially now I have the new Lucy Lord cookbook. What are your intentions for this week? ❤️

Elegance & tranquility I couldn't think of two better words to describe my weekend at Stapleford Park. My friend and I had originally booked a different hotel, but when we realised that they only had one restaurant and no bar, we decided to have a rethink. On our new search, we stumbled across this beautiful country estate near Melton Mowbray and quickly decided that this was the place for us. We booked ourselves in for the rejuvenating spa package. This included an overnight stay, dinner, breakfast, afternoon tea and a one hour spa treatment per person, all for £450 for 2 people, we wanted to go away for two nights, so we added another nights stay. The website, although it displays beautiful images of the hotel and grounds, could not possibly do it justice. We drove through the grand entrance and along a narrow drive lined on both sides with woodland, you then drive through an archway in the building and are led around an impeccably manicured lawn, to the magnificent m

Cards on the table. I set an intention at the beginning of the week to track my food and. I wish I hadn’t. It’s. So. Fucking. Boring. You know what happens when I track food? I eat more, because I am always thinking about food. I wanted to track my food to keep an eye on the nutrients I was getting, but as soon as I opened my fitness pal, it became a calorie counting exercise and I just cannot be arsed with that. I get too obsessed! I once looked up the calories for a lemsip! I was ill, but still didn’t want to go over my calorie threshold. It’s a miserable existence and I’m just not needing this in my life right now. Yes I could do with losing quite a few pounds, but it’s really not a priority for me right now. Life is too short, there are enough things to think about, to worry about and food isn’t going to be one of them. So I am happily erasing that one from the list this week. After I stopped obsessing over food, I started obsessing over my skin. I’m not sure if it’s my age,