Hello everyone!

Today I'm going to be answering the questions set by Katherine (click here to visit her fab blog!) and the Lunas (click here for their brilliant blog!) as part of the "Liebster Award". I was very excited to be tagged for this (thank you Katherine and the Lunas for tagging me!) as I think it's an absolutely brilliant way to give new and less well-known blogs the recognition they deserve!

During the Liebster Award a blogger (with under 200 followers) is tagged to answer 11 questions and then tags other bloggers (less than 200 followers) to have a go answering the questions that they've set.

1. 'Girlz Only' dry shampoo - I only recently discovered this product after my batiste dry shampoo ran out and I, being the lazy queen who relies on this stuff to look some what decent was in desperate need of a new one. 
I was just about to pick up another batiste branded one when I noticed that the girlz only one was reasonably cheaper, I was also drawn to the fact that you could get it in different colours (batiste also offer this option) to suit your hair colour (mine is dark & deep brown). I didn't think I'd enjoy this product as much as I do! It does what it says on the tin and is in my opinion, of the same standard as batiste. 

2. 'Phytorelax' olio di argan nourishing mask & shampoo - This fabulous duo was gifted to me as I was desperate for a boost in life in my hair, when I received it my eyes immediately popped with excitement at the site of 'argan' for the reason I've heard so many people rave about how great argan oil is for your hair- they weren't lying! Immediately after first use I noticed just how soft and full of life my hair appeared. 
I have been using these for a few months now and really adore the condition they leave my hair in. Sadly my shampoo has come to it's end, so I'm definitely considering re-purchasing! I LOVE these products and would highly recommend them!

3. 'VO5 give me texture' tousled style spray - I absolutely love this product as it really does what it says on the tin- enhances your waves! 
I had been searching for a long while for a product that would do this without it having to be a salt spray type product and finally, I found one! VO5 have some amazing products (which smell pretty fabulous btw!) and this is no exception, a great product when you want to enhance your natural waves without having to fuss about and put too much effort into it! 

WHERE TO BUY THE MENTIONED PRODUCTS??

1 TESCO
2 AMAZON US & AMAZON US
3 SUPERDRUG

HEY!
How are we on this glorious sunday? Well, I hope!

Today I thought I'd do a "being YOU" post, as I really believe it's extremely important to be ourselves and make the best of all we have.
 I'm not sure if this will be a once in a while series, we'll just have to wait and see!

Todays topic is goals and ambitions. 

I thought first of all that these two things meant exactly the same thing, but that isn't the case.

A goal= Something that you hope to achieve
An ambition= Something you strongly desire to achieve

Goals are normally associated as a more short term thing, e.g my goal is to pass my most recent piece of coursework.
Ambitions are a more long term desire, e.g my ambition is to become an instructor.

Why are having these two things important to you as a person? 

Because my lovely reader, having a goal gives you something to strive for, it gives you some short term motivation and determination, and if you reach the goal set it gives you a sense of achievement. 
The same goes for having ambitions, having a strong ambition ensures that you're always working towards achieving it and if you get there, you'll feel brilliant. 
Having goals and ambitions can define you as a person, someone who has goals and ambitions appears to be a more determined person and it also shows people that you have something you want to do with your life. If you achieve your goals/ambitions you will feel good as a person too for being successful!

 You may be reading this and be thinking, how exactly do I make and stick to my goals and ambitions? Well as I am very helpful (hehe!) I've listed my three top tips to help you out...

1. Make sure you actually want it. Don't make a goal or ambition to suit others, it has to be something you're passionate about and something you want to reach!
2. Be realistic. Although I think aiming high can be great on many occasions, you have to realistic about what you can and can't achieve. Being realistic can mean you're not too disappointed and you could end up getting further than you hoped. Consider the time you've got, what resources you've got, your skills etc and then set your goal/ambition
3. My final tip is don't put pressure on yourself. Like I spoke of in my previous tip, you have to be realistic. If you don't get there the first time, give it another go! Don't put too much pressure on yourself, because sometimes things don't go quite your way, so don't put yourself down about there, there is always another chance (most of the time anyway!) 




 Good Luck if you're working towards achieving something, you can do it, keep going!

Today, I thought I'd personally answer some of the questions I see frequently popping up regarding health & fitness. 

source: google images

1. How often should you rest from your fitness routine?

This all depends on your routine. Some people only train once a week, whereas some devote a few hours a week to training. Personally, I think you should allow yourself 1-3 days rest (at least 1) if you tend to visit the gym frequently.

2. Is missing meals a good idea?

NO! When you skip meals your body is tricked into thinking your starving, and creates more fat. You should always aim to eat your guided daily amount, I wouldn't recommend skipping meals at all! It's a very unhealthy habit, there are so many side effects that far outweigh the potential benefit. 

3. What's the best exercise for a runner?

I am no expert at all, any core and leg strengthening exercises, going for a jog outside (gym users- treadmill.) 

4. How easy is it to keep fit?

It's very easy once you've got into the routine. Get up off that sofa and go for a jog! It took me a while to stick to a routine of doing it frequently, but once you've got the swing of it, it becomes part of your weekly routine! 

5. Do you need to be a member of a gym to keep fit?

No! There are so many ways to keep fit! I've done a few posts showing exercises you can do in the home:

F4F 3
F4F 5
F4F 8
F4F 11

There are so many exercises you can do in your garden or even in your room! Use a bit of creativity!

6. Do you have to cut chocolate out of your diet to stay healthy?

No! Just eat it in moderation! Instead of eating a whole bar at once, ration it out throughout your day! In order to be healthy you don't have to cut all the little pleasures out of your life, just keep a balance and eat in moderation!

Helpful posts:

F4F 7 - staying motivated
F4F 13 - 4 tips to lead a healthier lifestyle

Blogging is a fantastic thing. 
You have the power to inspire others through your posts and show your personality. The other hugely important thing about blogging is that it's a community. 
I have decided to do a post once in a while where I share some of my current favourite bloggers in hope that you'll check out their blogs and enjoy them too! Here goes...

mascara-and-maltesers

I love Belle's blog. It's a very attractive looking blog! 
She's got some brilliant and flawless photography and her content is absolutely brilliant. 
Any beauty blogger lovers, give her a read!

allthingsbeautiful-x

Jess my fitness friend. I LOVE her blog! It's one of the very first blogs I got into, and I still love it to this day. Jessie is a fantastic writer and her photos and layout give the blog a brilliant look.

nimblenote

I really love the style of this blog, very creatively done. 
I can clearly tell that a lot of work goes into this blog and I really love that the blog has an array of different types of posts. 

carlyrowena

Last, but certainly not least is Carly! I stumbled across her youtube channel around a month or so back and instantly fell in love with her videos. It's only recently that I began to read her blog, and the content here is brilliant. If you need fitness motivation this blog is the place to go! 

There are a few little pieces that I've been eyeing recently & I just had to share them with you lot!

                         

HAAAAAPPPPPYYYYYY FFRRIIIIDDDDAAAAAYYYY!!!!

Today I thought it would be appropriate to share with you four small ways to make your life just a little more healthy, these are little tweaks you could make to your life that I think are very effective at changing the way you feel. Summer is coming and we all want to feel good! 

1. A little more exercise goes a long way....

Staying active can lead to a much healthier lifestyle. It is good for your inside and for your outside. 
There are a large array of exercises out there, I believe there's something out there for everyone to enjoy, whether it be walking the dog, going for a jog, circuits class, swimming, horse riding, dancing, going to the gym etc. 
People are often put off exercising by the thought of going to a gym and they don't consider the bigger picture:
The definition of exercise: activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness...
doesn't going for a walk cover that? Obviously you can do as much as you want, as long as you are keeping that body moving instead of sitting on the couch 24/7!

2. Balanced diet...

I HATE, HATE, HATE IT when people assume to lead a healthy life you're not allowed to eat chocolate cake... How miserable would life be without a piece of chocolate or a slice of cake now and again? (I know some people could live without it, I for one couldn't!)  The secret to living a healthy lifestyle is moderation and balancing the amount you eat. My advice would be that if you think you eat too much cake then cut down and substitute it for something with more nutritional value...you don't have to cut it out of your life all together, just try to decrease your intake. I would recommend decreasing it slowly, for example, if you eat 4 packets of crisps a day, cut it down to 3 and then 2 and then to 1. The truth is you can over eat on the healthy stuff so you have to remember to balance that out too!

3. WATER

This is advice I'm sure you've heard 100+ times, but it is very important.
Did you know hunger and thirst transmit the same message to your brain so often your tricked into thinking you're hungry when you're actually thirsty? 
I know lots of people hate the taste of water as it's a bit plain jane, I was on the same boat, but recently I've grown to love the stuff! It's very refreshing and makes me feel as if I'm putting something good in my body. 
Water has so many benefits to your cells, heart and to your skin. Keeping hydrated especially in the hot summer is very important.
Really hate the taste of water? add some lemon or lime? or maybe squash?

4. Sleeping

Getting a good nights sleep is very important to your health, it also puts you in a better mood and gives you more energy to take on the day.
By sleeping you're burning calories- brilliant!
Having a good sleep leads to you feeling re-booted, fresh and ready to take on your day!

Photo source: http://www.puremusclecoaches.nl (I don't own)

Today I wanted to do a slightly different post to my average, I thought I'd share with you some of my lazy night in essentials. 
I don't know about you lot, but I adore those lazy & cozy nights on the couch, snuggled up under my duvet.

Now I know it's summer time and it's lovely and light outside during the evenings, but sometimes (especially in UK/Wales) that isn't the case, sometimes there's call for a cozy night in on those rainy summer evenings.

My favourite things to do on these particular evenings are firstly to get into my comfy pyjamas...

I then like to locate my favourite guilty treat (recently, caffe latte ice cream from Tesco!!) YUM!!:)

An essential for me on these less warm evenings is hot chocolate. My absolute favourite hot chocolate is the options belgian chocolate one, which I make in my favourite mug!



Finally, I snuggle up on the sofa and watch a film or television programme (Catfish/Kardashians/Friends/Housewives/Neighbours/Vera/New Girl) -They are my current favourites! I usually spend the evening chilling there watching one (or all) of those programmes while tucking into my favourite treats! 

So there we go, there are some of my favourite things to do on a cozy evening in! 

Hello everyone!

I haven't blogged for a week! I do apologise that there was NO F4F yesterday, I was quite simply shattered! Sorry!

Just a quickie today as I experienced something VERY exciting last Saturday and I just had to do a quick post about it...

If you read my previous post about the importance of my culture, you may have noticed that I finished the post with my very own poem written in Welsh, this poem is very dear to me and I felt the need to share it.

I was very shocked to see a tweet to me with a link to a post that had featured MY poem and they told me that they really liked it, which of course made me VERY excited. (twitter followers should know how excited I was, sorry! ;) ) 
Anyway, I'd love to say a massive thank you for featuring my work in your post- Diolch yn fawr IAWN!

To see the post click here: ffrwti.com 

Today I thought that I'd do a different post to my average. It's a topic that I've desperately wanted to post about, but have been nervous of if it will be enjoyed by you lot. Doubts aside, this post is very important to me, very close to my heart, thus decided it would be an appropriate one to share.

You may or may not know that I come from South Wales...