Juice Cleanse| Fruveju

I've always been intrigued in cleanses. Whether they're worth the hype (what with them being super expensive) or whether its just worth trying to do it from home. I know I've tried to do it a few times on my own at home, but I've either got side tracked or didn't really know what ingredients to use.

So bit the bullet and am sharing my experience with you to maybe help you in your decision of whether to cleanse or not to cleanse.

I went on to the internet on Sunday evening and found this cleanse. I chose it as it was a more well know brand that wasn't too steep in pricing- I paid £52.50 with free shipping, it was meant to be £70 but I managed to find a discount code on the home page (perhaps for new cleansers?).

Monday I had an email asking me when I would like to start my cleanse- first day available was Thursday. This worked out well for me so I agreed and they confirmed it would arrive between 8.30am and 10.30am- it arrived Thursday morning at 09.50am.

I had to finish doing some errands so I didn't manage to have the first juice until 11am. This green juice did taste quite earthy and I was surprised as to how liquidy the drinks were. I thought there may be a bit of thickness to them like a tomato juice but no. Still though, as I have frequently drunk juices before, this was fine to drink.
As I was late and still feeling a little peckish I continued with the next juice and decided to have the shot to go with it. I'm not one to be afraid of how these juices taste, I'm quite easy when it comes to drinking juices, however the shot was absolutely foul! Honestly, I had to quickly drink the juice down afterwards because I was struggling to keep it down!
Once I had gotten over the shot, the juice itself was actually quite nice. Very easy drinking and pleasant- I could taste the orange which was comforting after a very strong taste of ginger from the shot.

I popped out to the shops and arrived back hungry- juice number three. Another green one. This one tasted a bit more refreshing than the first and was again easy to drink. This was about 14.00pm.

I had noticed that by obviously drinking more during the day I was making more frequent trips to the loo but I guess this help flush out toxins too!

I was looking forward to this one- 'Spicy Lemonade' sounds enticing to me. I really enjoyed this, this reminded me of a lemonade I had before- so easy to drink and honestly I could easily have this on a daily basis.  I would say that this could have been more spicy as I didn't really notice it at all, however I do tolerate spice very well. I had this one at about 15.50pm.

I had this drink just before going to my Crossfit session at around 18.00pm. This was yummy, tasted mostly of the pineapple with hints of the carrot and beets. I was feeling actually quite fresh at this point, not really hungry just, sort of satisfied.

The Cashew milk I had straight after Crossfit when I got home, around 20.30pm. I did really like this one, it was slightly thicker, and sweeter in taste. I did notice it was a little bitty (as you may see from the side of the bottle) but overall enjoyable.

At the end of the day I was feeling quite refreshed and energised, which is great seeing as I'm normally very into my food and I did do a workout as well. I knew I hadn't eaten but I wasn't having hunger pangs or feeling like I'd particularly missed out.

I would recommend doing this on a day where you won't be tempted by food- i.e going out with friends for food etc. I personally wouldn't do this for more than one day as I felt that one day was enough and would suggest that if you haven't done a cleanse before try one day first.
Overall I would do this again, however not on a regular basis- only when I feel I need a deep cleanse after not eating well (christmas/ birthdays/ holidays etc). I do think that just generally eating healthy and well will help wellbeing anyway, which is what I mostly do.

What are your thoughts on cleanses and will you be doing one?

Love C. xx

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Summer Ice Lolly| Healthy way to keep cool

Hello!

I've been really enjoying the weather we've been having in the UK recently, it's been absolutely gorgeous with longer, sunnier days. However when you're at home and trying to keep cool the thing that I know I'm always craving is an ice lolly! Now, personally I try to be healthy most of the time and will try and take the healthier option over the unhealthy option. To be honest though when I'm at home I rarely have shop bought ice cream or ice lollies. That's when I crave them!

So a month or so ago I was strolling through TK Maxx and saw a ice lolly mould, picked it up and thought I could make a variety of different lollies and potentially even make a cheeky alcoholic one for cheat days or for when I have friends over. So.. This this is an idea that I thought would be great to share with you guys and I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

Ice Lolly Moulds

200g Melon and Grapes (more or less if you like)

200mls Coconut Water

2 Table Spoons Honey (for a sweeter taste)

(Blender)

I found that I had a small amount left over so if you have more moulds you can probably fill another one more, butI ended up drinking mine! Whoops!

So once you have weighed and measured out what you need, pop them in a blender all together and blend. Check the consistency and taste if you want to to add more fruit/coconut water/honey otherwise pour them into the moulds and place them in the freezer. To add a bit of fun to the lollies I added a couple grapes into the moulds, which turned out the be a great idea, I love frozen grapes!

Mine took more than a couple of hours to freeze so I ended up having them the next day- I would recommend doing this especially if you are putting a bit of alcohol in!

Hope this inspires you a bit this summer, this is so easy to mix up with different fruits so you can have endless fun making different flavours. :)

These were so refreshing and really tasty!

Love C. xx

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A little close for comfort in this pic but hey! haha

Easy Drinking Green Smoothie| Melon, Apple and Lemon

Melon Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 Apple

2 wedges Lemon (squeezed)

300g Melon chunks

1 Banana

4-5 cups/ handful Spinach (depends how green you'd like it)

I personally use a Nutri bullet as it is so easy to use and easy to clean. 

Place all the ingredients into the Nutri bullet and blend.

Top up with coconut water or just water to the consistency you like your smoothies to be.

This is very easy drinking and not too earthy in taste.

Hope you enjoy making this!

Love C. xx

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Rule your mind or it will rule you| Anxiety Chats

'Rule your mind or it will rule you'

This is a personal post for me, it isn't something I would normally want to share or even put up on the internet, to be honest I'm not sure if I'll actually post this but if I have and you're reading this, know this was a bit of a leap of faith for me. I feel uncomfortable right now...ok. Here we go.

From my experience this quote above is very true. The past few years have been very difficult and challenging for me. I know Anxiety and Depression has been somewhat highlighted in social media and especially on Youtube, with a lot of people coming forward with their experiences of it. I'm not personally sure if I will ever be able to share my full story with everyone, there are still things that I'm getting my head around and I am currently trying to get on top of them. However, I do think that anxiety leaves a 'dent' (if you will) that no matter how many times you try to tap it out, buff it out or ignore it; it is always going to be there.. niggling in the back of your mind, ready to pop back out and surprise you. You have to be strong to not let it get back on top of you.

I'm not saying that my experience is worse than anyone else's, as I know that anxiety can be a daily occurrence for some and luckily enough for me, this isn't the case anymore.. I still get anxious but I don't have panic attacks as often now. I've managed to gain some sort of 'rule' over my mind when it comes to going out in public and being in social situations. Again, there are things I need to work on to feel more confident in speaking to new people for example (I never know what to say, this just makes me feel awkward and then the situation turns awkward because of my behaviour- not actually because it was awkward.. you feel me??).. anyway.. When I first really started noticing my anxiety, I had already isolated and distanced myself away from my friends, from my family and my boyfriend. By the time I was actually kind of ready to maybe discuss things a little bit, my relationships had already melted away or weren't as good as they once were- meaning I felt very awkward talking to them about anything, let alone my issues. I felt so alone. Even though in reality my friends actually wanted to help, I just wouldn't let them.

I had never really seen this coming. Now I know what it feels like and how I react I know I've actually been dealing with anxiety for many many years. Its just at the time I was handling it.. sort of.. and to be honest was making the situation a lot worse, building this feeling up inside of me that was eventually going to explode as a MASSIVE panic attack that lasted months. This was so full on I felt like I couldn't live where I was living, I felt like I couldn't go to university or even go outside. My boyfriend by this point was ridiculously supportive and let me move in with him for a bit, supported me going to university (luckily we were in the same class for a little while so he helped me make sure I passed my exam). I am so glad I let him in, because I don't know where I would be right now or how I would be if he wasn't there.

What I'm trying to say is that if you feel like you are drowning and a cannot swim, it is always the best to share the problem to help keep you afloat. Even if you feel like the person won't understand (I'm pretty sure my boyfriend didn't understand but was very supportive non-the-less) it is worth sharing, getting support and advice. You never know if someone else is having the same issue.

I know this blogpost isn't really much of anything, but I feel good about getting a little bit off my chest. I guess I've never really addressed this properly to myself. Baby steps people, baby steps.

Love C. xx

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Counting Macros| My Fitness pal

Sooo, on the subject of healthy living; I have been really trying to keep on track with what is actually going into my body. Not so much that everything needs to be healthy, more just of being aware of how much I am eating and what exactly is in each food I eat.

I have been really loving an app call 'My Fitness Pal'. You may have heard about this app before, I have previously used this app before a few years ago, but have recently rediscovered it. Although I previously used it for counting calories (which I still do), I also use it for counting 'macros'.

'What are you talking about Claudia'?.. 'What are these macros you speak of?'

These were honestly questions I was asking myself nearly two weeks ago. I had never heard of this and was slightly confused on the idea.

Macros are basically carbohydrates, protein and fats.

I honestly am throughly enjoying counting my macros and seeing how much fat, carbs and protein is actually in my diet and what I need to improve on. I found lots of information on 'if it fits your macros' about what it can do for me and what the whole idea of macros is.

I found out what my macros were by typing in my details to the If it fits your macros (IIFYM) website on the calculator and it tells you what you should aim for, for healthy weight loss/muscle growth (depending on what your aim is).

Honestly I have noticed differences already, although I will be honest I have been slacking with exercise recently! So especially when I increase my workouts, the results will be even better! (I will actually be joining cross fit soon- I did a free trial and loved it! Although I was in a lot of muscle pain for about four days as I hadn't used certain muscles before it was a great experience!).

If you feel like you are coming to a bit of a brick wall with your diet, maybe this is something for you to try?! I would definitely give it a go!

Find out more information on the linked website above as I did and see if it interest you!

Happy Sunday!!


Love C. xx

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Stress!| Simple ways to chill out

Ok. Stress. We all have it. Some in different ways than others. We are all individual people who find different ways to soothe the anxieties than come with stress.

I have a few tips and tricks for soothing both the mind and body when it comes to stress, I feel, at the moment for me this is quite important to take the time to do this because lets face it- we all need a bit of time to ourselves or even time to just at least be distracted.

1. Have a bath- if you don't like baths...(*shocked faced*) have a shower. Put some soft or easy to listen to music on, whether you like spa music, yoga music or even a bit of Ben Howard. Let the water wash your cares away for however long you'd like to be in there for and for me- closing my eyes is a major help for relaxing. They get dry and tired after a long day and so its quite nice to have them just closed, not asleep.. just closed.

2. Go for a walk- or exercise. This can either be for distraction or just time to think about things, not to panic and stress over them- but to think theoretically about things and see if you can put a plan in place to help you feel less stressed.

3. Watching movies or videos or even reading a book. Again this is distracting, you can easily loose yourself in a film or enticing book and even start to enjoy yourself a little bit at a time where you're feeling overwhelmed with stress. My preference is comedy films or I do love to watch a bit of Disney. When it comes to Disney films, I'm a little bit like Peter Pan and won't grow up!

4. Yoga or meditation. I've done Yoga before, again this is exercise but it is more stretching and releasing the build up of toxins in the mind and body. Meditation is amazing, if you really get into it and put your all into focussing the mind you feel so refreshed. I use an app on my phone and headphones to help block out any noise or distractions.

5. Going out with friends. Thats if they aren't the ones who are stressing you out of course! Having your friends around you to support and help you through these stressful times is sometimes just as good or better than your family.

6. Obviously healthy eating is something I try to do, however there comes a time when chocolate or just general naughty food needs to be had. Not loads! But enough to just satisfy the edge of the craving or whatever. Food that tastes good releases endorphins which is the happy hormone. One bar of chocolate won't hurt!

Hope you're feeling less stressed out and know you are not alone!

Love C. xx

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Makeup, Food and Drinks| My Kind of Night

Makeup done- CHECK! Outfit chosen- CHECK!

Let date night commence... 

Beautiful weather...For ducks

Drinks...

Food and a natter.. I love this combination of food. Olives are yum and so are rolls with oil and balsamic! If your not an olive person, they say to keep trying to eat them until you like them. It is true! Although I don't like the really salty ones- but these were so good!

Outfit of the night was kept casual, although its Spring here in the UK it is cold and wet right now. This was warm enough but didn't shout 'its still winter!' haha.

Afterwards we popped over to 'Maitai', a classy yet lively bar and had some drinks. I decided to have the Elderflower cosmo (Mmm so good) and Ash had the 'James Bond' drink- it was very strong! Not one for me to be honest. But was a lovely night non-the-less.

Hows your weekend been? 

Love C. xx

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Banana Pancakes| Healthy way to start the day- QUICKLY!

Banana Pancakes!

Firstly these are pancakes! Sooooo yummy.
Secondly they have 2 ingredients! Sooooo easy.

These are so quick to make and are a super healthy alternative to normal pancakes and taste totally delicious!

I got this recipe from Blogilates but I honestly thought these were so good that I couldn't not share this with you guys!

All you need is:

2x eggs
1x banana

Blend these together..

In a pan on a medium heat pop in a dash of oil and pour the mixture in (either mini pancakes as above or slightly bigger).

Turn them over when golden brown and once cooked, stack with berries/banana/ honey/ syrup or whatever you'd like!

So easy, quick and yummy. Again this isn't my recipe but I think it is such an awesome dish!

Any awesome yet quick breakfast recipe's to share? Leave them down below, I'd love to try them!

Until next time my beauts!

Love C. xx

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xx

Motivation Sunday| For the week ahead

Just a little blogpost for this evening.

One to help you keep positive for the week that lies ahead.

I think it is really important to remind yourself how strong the human mind and body is. The body will do what the mind tells it, you just have to believe how strong the mind is to help you get your goals.
Whether it is to improve your goals in exercise, or if you have an interview you're nervous about.. whatever it is, you, as a human being, as the person you are is more than able to get those goals. Sometimes it may take longer than you'd hope but never give up- those who persist will get their goals.

Quote for the week ahead:

The mind is everything. What you think, you become

Hope you have a beautiful week.

Love C. xx

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A Good Way to spend a Date| A Day out...

At times, as a couple who work full time, it can be stressful to try and organise a date night or day doing something together. But- when you do get the time, sometimes you can't think of what to do which is different to just going out for a meal, or perhaps want to do something else with your time together.

If you're anything like me, you love going out to eat and you also like to exercise when you can. Recently Ash and I had the same day off work (Yay!) and so wanted to do something together. Something that I've always wanted to get (but never got round to getting one, mainly because shoes or clothing items got in the way of buying one!) was to get a bicycle. Okay, not hugely exciting, but Ash had one for a while and we had both wanted to go cycling somewhere.. so it was time to look for a bike!

I managed to find a fairly cheap one, which was flat-packed so Ash had to put it together. Thank goodness he's good with bikes because in all honesty I wouldn't have a clue! Haha.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day so we cycled all the way to Sandbanks which is the longest I've ever cycled (about 2 hours there and back). For me, that was pretty far to go so I was proud of myself. We stopped off at a lovely Thai restaurant called 'Koh Noi' which does amazing tapas. It was so good! I would really recommend it!

So after a lovely meal, we had the issue of cycling home on a full stomach. I was really struggling, with the hills and the amount of food in my tummy. Ash was up ahead, loving life, wondering (probably) why I was so slow. To be honest I was wondering this too because I work out more than him and I'm not normally worn out so easy- so Ash asked if we wanted to swap bikes, to see if it made a difference..

The tables had turned, I was flying on ahead, Ash was struggling behind. As the gentleman he is he carried on cycling my bike till we got home. Turned out he had actually tightened my brakes too much so I was peddling against the brake all the way there and half way back! No wonder I was tired! haha!

So for the next time we do it, my journey will be a bit easier to say the least!
Apart from that incident, it was such a good day out and I really enjoyed spending time with Ash doing these things. I think if you are struggling for ideas, a bike ride is a good way to spend time together, especially if you like food and exercise!

What do you like to do for date night/day?

Love C. xx

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Happy Easter| Mmm Chocolate!

I love Chocolate. I don't often have it, but Easter is a great excuse! Whether you were at church today or just lounging around I'm sure plenty of you have enjoyed at least a teeny bit of chocolate.

I just want to use this blog post as a little reminder, for those of you who may be trying to eat healthier or are on a diet, I think its safe to say- one day won't hurt!

However, it's about motivating yourself to get back on the horse, treat it as a reward and not take it for granted. I know it's hard but I always try and remind myself 'summer bodies are made in the winter'. They don't happen overnight (unfortunately), but you do have to live your life to the fullest because life is short! So if you want to enjoy a creme egg- go for it!

I hope you all had a wonderful day today, doing whatever you were doing!

P.s These aren't all mine! hehe

Love C. xx

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Compliments| Why it is important to accept them

Compliments are gifts.

When someone gives you a really nice gift that you're not sure about, you accept it and say 'thank you' because that's what we've been told to do and what is acceptable, that is polite. You wouldn't say 'I'm sorry can you take this back because I don't like it'. Well, I mean some people would, but I think that the social norm is to accept the gift and be grateful- it's the thought that counts right?!

People refuse compliments like an unwanted gift.
They ignore, dismiss, argue, rebound it, question and devalue themselves.

Why is it so bad to accept a compliment?
I know I'm the same- I struggle to take a compliment.
But why?

Fear of being smug or feeling like you owe them, (like if someone buys you a gift and you feel like you have to buy them one back). Perhaps its low self esteem or false modesty. Or again is is a social norm to not accept compliments? Is it just women, because I would beg to differ?

My guess is that more than half of us do it. But by doing this we make the person giving us the compliment feel awkward and may not want to compliment you again. You make yourself feel rubbish because you can't accept that someone else see's differently to what you see.
So, in all honesty you're not doing anyone any favours. Not your friend/ partner/ mother, whoever and certainly not yourself.

Next time someone compliments you- just say 'Thank you' or 'That really means a lot'. Even if you don't particularly believe it, its still is heartwarming.

What are your thoughts on this topic? Can you take a compliment? Why/why not?


Until next time...

Love C. xx

P.s You have a beautiful smile, share it :)

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209 Seconds That Will Make You Question Your Entire Existance| Mind Blown

So Sunday's sometimes get me thinking, you know... when I'm sat in my PJ's with a cup of coffee and chocolate bar.. after watching Bambi (Sunday's are meant for Disney films!) naturally!

I was just scanning through Youtube, as you do, and stumbled on the channel 'BuzzFeedBlue'. I have seen this channel before, they show awesome videos on things that you possibly always questioned but never knew the answer, or just other cool experiments or tricks.

I want to share with you a video that has made me really think hard about.. well, my life.. human existance and just the universe in general.

If this is too much for a Sunday- I do apologise and pop back over here when you're feeling more in the mood and prepared for a video this intense!

Here's the video: Ready to blow your mind?

Let me know your thoughts on the matter?

Love C. xx

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Being a Big Kid| Why it is good to be childish sometimes

Sometimes I look back at the things I used to do as a kid and think 'oh my gosh, that would be so fun to be able to do still'. Obviously as we grow older, we have to grow up in our behaviour too, or so society thinks we should. At times life can get a bit stressful and we just want to take a step back from the moment and do things that make us, chill out, relax, or even be a bit silly. Obviously there is a time and a place for these sorts of things, of course you can't be at work and say 'hey guys, look at me!' and do a cartwheel down the hallway. Well.. you could if your job was a gymnast or something, but generally it's a no no!

Sometimes I think about how fun it would be to have an adult version of soft play. How cool would that be?! Please tell me I'm not the only one? I would definitely pay to be able to play on bouncy steps and run through some rolling pins, then crawl through a tunnel and slide down a massive slide that turns out that you come out of a snakes mouth! I'm sorry but that's just the way I feel. It's the big kid inside of me that makes me want to go and play on something like that.

Who else still goes on the swing when the park is empty? Sometimes I feel like I can't or shouldn't (obviously I don't go into the playground if theres a sign that says 'under 8 years only' or whatever) but sometimes when there is no one around, yes, I do just go in for a swing or to have a go on some apparatus- okay it's been a while but I think its good to do it sometimes. Again, when the timings right. You don't want to be hogging the swing with a 5 year old waiting in the wings behind you! Thats just mean.

Life can get stressful, jobs can get stressful, especially with certain jobs that are so serious all the time. It can become a bit of a burden. These childish things are a way of relaxing and feeling there is not a care in the world for a few minutes at least. Colouring in can be relaxing, Ash and I did this at Nandos a month or so ago. We found it so funny that we were doing it but it was really nice and fun. Another thing that I'm sure a lot of people do but sometimes won't admit, is dancing in your room on your own. The other day, I thought of a year a few years ago with great memories and times where I felt happy, with little care or just generally a time that was good for me. I went onto Spotify and typed in, for example '2008 hits' and clicked on the playlist option. The music reminded me of times where I felt free, a little silly and childish and also happy. I danced around the room for a good hour or so. It was so much fun and brightened my mood (also a great calorie burner!).

My point is, obviously chose your timing, but give in to your inner child and do things that make you happy, laugh and smile because life is too short to be an adult all the time!

Let me in on what you do to be a big kid!

Love C. xx

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Breakfast of the week| I can't get enough of..

Hello all!

I just wanted to let you know my favourite breakfast of the week that I'm absolutely in love with at the moment! 

I never used to like avocado, especially as a kid and would always refuse it. I just used to think it was slimy and bland and would always give it to my brother because he liked it. 

Now - I can't get enough! If I could, I'd probably have it with every meal. Avocado is actually a superfood that is a fruit! Yes, a fruit! It has so many health benefits such as having more potassium than a banana, high in good fat which is better for your heart than normal fats and is high in fibre and could help lower your cholesterol. There has been some research to support that avocados can help promote weight loss. 

In the mornings I've been loving a ripe avocado, mashed on top of toast with thinly sliced tomato and a pinch of salt. It is delicious! I would definitely recommend this as a breakfast idea, snack or even a lunch idea too!

 Perhaps if I find another meal amazing I can share some recipes or meal ideas with you!

Ps sorry about the poor quality photo!

Love C. Xx

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