how to be a good blogger

August 31, 2015

For today's post I thought I'd share some tips on being a good blogger. I know I am not near a great blogger; I'm an okay blogger. Despite not being top draw material I have been a blogger for over a year, so I do know what I believe would be key to making your blog a success. 


1. Interaction - This is possibly the most important tip. If you want people to start visiting your blog, you have to take the time to comment on their blog, tweet them or just join in with blogger chats. This is definitely an area in which I can improve on.

 2. Plan - I have struggled with writing out and following a blog post plan, but recently I've come up with a great method. I find it's so annoying when you have planned to write a post about a product, but really can't be bothered with that post and have no other ideas. I've started to come up with 30 post ideas for each month and aim to write a post on 10 - 15 of them - it really helps with writers block too.

 3. Writing - My favourite blogs show real personality in their posts and I think this is so important. If you want to be a good blogger, you can't try to be someone else or copy someone else; you should aim to show your own skills and character. 

 4. Writing space - I find I enjoy blogging more if I'm writing in the right location. Since investing in a laptop I'm able to take it anywhere with me. My favourite places to write posts are in my bedroom (on the bed), in the garden or while watching Friends on TV. 

 5. Enjoyment - There was a time where I completely went off blogging because I had no idea what to write about. I now completely love it because I just write about whatever I feel I enjoy etc. Writing posts you like makes your blog more enjoyable to read, as readers can see you've put the passion and effort into it.

 6. Schedule - I like to buy myself an agenda to note when I'll be writing posts, taking photos and posting the posts. This keeps me motivated and on schedule.

 7. Layout - The truth is your blog needs to look good. When I think about making a blog look good I think about having dish out a tonne of money, but it's a lot easier than that. There are a lot of blog designers out there for reasonable prices; some even less than £20! Personally, I haven't spent a penny on my blog layout - I've just done it all myself by doing  lot of research. 
P.S - remember good photos also make your blog aesthetically pleasing!
I hope you enjoyed reading my simple tips!

Thanks for visiting!
Love,
       
xoxo

keep up to date with me - follow me here:

bloglovin | twitter | instagram

F4F#50 - ZUMBA®

August 28, 2015

I need to sit back for a minute and come to terms with the fact that I am writing the 50th edition of Fit 4 Friday! How the heck have I kept it going for so long!? I quite simply adore writing this series and I do hope that you readers like it too (remember there is now a F4F page with every F4F in order) 

 Today I wanted to do a special post to me. I can't believe I haven't already done one on this before - maybe I was saving it to the special 50th? Today's post is about Zumba®.

 Zumba is extremely important to me. Since beginning Zumba (January 2014), I have changed and grown so much. Zumba has given me that feeling of place and has helped me to gain lots of confidence. The happiness Zumba has given me is something I cannot quite describe. I now have a licence to teach Zumba. It is something I wanted to do for a very long time and am so happy that I can finally say that I've managed to do it. It excites me that I will be able to share my Zumba love with others. Seeing people smiling and letting go of their worries. 
During a Zumba class you can be anyone; I like to imagine myself being Shakira (haha). I have spoken to so many people who have not only lost weight through doing Zumba, but who have also been able to meet new people through attending the class. This is definitely true for me, I have met so many fabulous people because of beautiful, wonderful Zumba. Yes, Zumba is a workout, but it's exercise in disguise. 

Copyright © 2014 Zumba Fitness, LLC | Zumba® and the Zumba logos are trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC. 
If ever you are in need of a bit of exercise or just want a little giggle: find your nearest Zumba® class or instructor by searching on Zumba.com : click here

 Zumba is something that I look forward to so much and being able to call myself a Zumba instructor is an absolute honour. LET IT MOVE YOU™
Thanks for reading!
Have a fabulous weekend.

Love,
       
xoxo

keep up to date with me - follow me here:

bloglovin | twitter | instagram

Zumba® and the Zumba logos are trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC. 

thanks a million

August 27, 2015

I just want to write a quick, quick, quick post thanking you all for the continuous support on my blog. It means a heck of a lot! I am feeling very grateful today to have such a fabulous little online community, so thought it might be a nice thing to post about.

credit : source
I appreciate every single view, comment, share etc I get, so THANK YOU. It all means a crazy amount to me and gives me so many happy feels. 
I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful day. Thanks for visiting...
Love,

       

youtube faves - august '15

August 26, 2015

Hello everyone, 

As the weather has been getting more and more rainy, there has been a lot more stay in and binge watch youtube days. I love discovering new channels to watch, so thought it would be nice to share some of my recent favourites for you all to discover and enjoy too. 

credit - source
1. i covet thee - I seriously adore Alix's videos. She has an absolutely lovely, friendly personality. Her videos are top quality and really enjoyable to watch. 

 My favourite video from her this month : Q&A! LIFE, UNIVERSITY & YOUTUBE #AskAlix | I Covet Thee

2. HelloOctoberxo - Suzie is one of Alix's friends and that is how I was introduced to her videos and like with Alix, I love Suzie's personality. Her friendly personality make her amazing videos even more wonderful.

 My favourite video from her this month : Vlog: Five Days In California! | Hello October

3. Eve Bennett - I may be a little bias about this one because of her name (haha), but I do really love her videos. She is close in age to me (about a year younger than me) making her very relatable. I really respect her in making her videos at this age and think it's fantastic how her channel has grown recently.

 My favourite video from her this month : HUGE BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES HAUL AND GIVEAWAY! | Eve

4. Lucy & Lydia - I love these two twins. They are so bubbly and fun. It is a pleasure to watch their videos and to see them gaining lots of success in the online world.

 My favourite video from them this month : VLOG: New Hair, PLL Cupcakes & Summer In The City | LucyAndLydia

5. TrueBeutie - Gemma is fantastic. I've been subscribed to her for a while, but it's only now I'm really getting into her videos. Gemma is the same age as me, so watching her achieve so much is very inspiring.

My favourite video from her this month : Boho / Festival Inspired Hairstyles

Thanks for reading!

Love ,

       
xoxo

keep up to date with me - follow me here:


@haiaeve on #instagram : top 6 of august

August 25, 2015

Today I am going to be sharing my top 6 favourite posts from my instagram account : follow here for the month of August.


 Top left - right: 
1. Delicious chocolate cake with a lovely cup of tea. 2. My newly organised desk area. 3. My outfit for Zumba class. 
Bottom left - right: 
4. View over Cardiff bay. 5. My Life With a Sprinkle of Glitter book. 6. My Zumba Street Glam shoes. 

 Stay up to date with my Instagram posts by following me. @haiaeve 

 Thanks for reading!
Love, Eve
xx

 BLOGLOVIN | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

just give it a go.

August 23, 2015

Hello,

 Welcome back to my blog - very sorry that it has been so long since my last post (almost a week). 
Today I wanted to do an inspiring post because recently I have been feeling very inspired and hopeful about the future and the possibilities the future brings. I have always been brought up with the 'you can do it if you try' attitude, I learnt that from loved ones from a very young age. It's an important attitude to have. What's the worst that can happen if you give it a go? Someone who very much inspires this philosophy in people, me included, is Helen Skelton.

 When I think about Helen I really think about the positive impact she had on me during my transition from child to teenage years. I was full of admiration while watching her completing her own challenges.

 Helen presented Blue Peter for over 5 brilliant years (2008-13) and during those years I learnt a lot. That's what is fantastic about Blue Peter is that you can learn so much during a space of one episode; whether it be about yourself, the world, science, history etc. I really value the influence Blue Peter had on my life. Helen was 'my' presenter (every BP viewer has 'their' presenter). 
The main lesson I learnt from Helen is that anything is possible. She took on massive personal challenges and conquered them. 
Some of those massive challenges included running in the Namibia ultra marathon, kayaking the Amazon and walking on a tight rope between the chimneys of Battersea Power Station.

CREDIT - BBC© HERE
I always described Helen as being my heroine (female hero, not the drug), I even wrote a speech about her for my thanksgiving service in primary school as she was one of my first real, strong female role models.
In May of this year a big dream of mine came true; I got to meet her at the Hay Festival. Her talk was full of inspiring stories and really made me reflect on my goals. Meeting Helen was a real honour for me, getting to speak to her and give her a card thanking her for all she's given me was something I'd always hoped to do. 
Since meeting her I decided to be different and to give things a go. I took the plunge and signed up for a Zumba and fitness instructor course and it payed off. I have so many hopes and aspirations for the future and I feel like I owe Helen Skelton for really giving me belief that things are possible through all that she has achieved. 

 Thank you Helen (if you happen to be reading this) and congratulations on motherhood.
The final words for this post are: Just give it a go.

Love, Eve
xx

Dinner in Zizzi

August 18, 2015

Hello everyone. I do very much hope you're all well. 

 Today's post is another post from Cardiff...sorry. I have been spending a bit of time in Cardiff recently due to my level 2 gym instructor course, so have taken the opportunity to take lots of snaps to share with you all. Please enjoy these photos I've taken (on my iPhone) on Sunday when we went to Zizzi (the restaurant) 


I am sure a lot of you have heard of the chain Zizzi (I can't really say I had up until recently). It's a well known Italian chain restaurant. 
I went for the first time this last weekend to the Cardiff Bay on the Mermaid Quay Zizzi. A brilliant locations due to the views overlooking the bay - especially if you sit outside like we did.


The menu didn't disappoint - I had to really think hard about what I wanted as there was so much that sounded amazing.

Some snaps of the view from our table...

 I had a diet coke for a drink - a real treat as I've limited the amount of carbonated drinks I have these days, so it was a nice change (that's coming from someone who used to drink it weekly!)

 I went for the  RAVIOLI DI CAPRA. It was between this dish or a pizza (they had an amazing pizza oven), but this really caught my eye (I love goat's cheese at the moment and it has spinach which I love) 

 I thought this dish was absolutely delicious. Very yummy! I had no regrets over going for this (even if the pizzas looked amazing).
mini review:

Location: 5/5
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4.5/5

All in all I thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant, here is the website - www.zizzi.co.uk (I haven't been sponsored by the way - haha!)

To end the post here are just some photos of Cardiff Bay...

Thanks for reading today's post. Hope you liked it.

Have a fabulous week.
Love, Eve
xx

F4F#49 - Let's Squat.

August 14, 2015

Hey everyone!

 Today's Fit4Friday is all about squats. Who loves squats? Your bum certainly thanks you for it (if you do it correctly). In today's post I wanted to put together some key teaching points for a good squat as it's so easy to squat incorrectly. If you follow these teaching points your glutes (bum muscles), hamstrings and quadriceps will really thank me later. 


source

How to rock your squat [Teaching Points]:
- Start position : Stand with your feet at shoulder width apart and make sure that your toes are pointing forward.
- Brace the abdominal and back muscles.
- To start the squat: flex from knees and hip. Keep the back straight as you initiate this movement.
- REMEMBER TO ENGAGE YOUR BUTTOCKS! 
- Push the ground away from the bottom position and make sure that you keep your chest lifted (maintain a neutral spine).
- When doing squat MAKE SURE: Your knees don't move in front of your toes.
- As you develop your squats you can go into a deeper range of movement.
- Keep your heels down throughout the exercise!
- REMEMBER : Breathe in and out to aid the transport of oxygen.

Too easy? Use a barbell - Research 'back squat' for key teaching points. 

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy the weekend!
Love, Eve
xx

You can follow me on the following:

PLL - It's Time To Be #fAcetoface

August 11, 2015

Hi guys!

 Today I wanted to put together a quick post just before the BIG A REVEAL!! I am a huge PLL fanatic and like all fans have been trying to work out who A is since season 1. Can you believe the time has come? I certainly can't. I feel for you who have been watching for 6 years. I've been waiting for over a year and am seriously nervous, but of course EXCITED!

source
I have so many theories to who A could be...who do you think A is? 
source
I am super excited to finally get some answers. This will be the last post I'll write not knowing who A is. How weird is that? Or maybe you don't really care? Haha! 
Will you be watching the PLL finale?
It's time for us finally to be fAce to fAce with A.


Love, Eve 
xx

Ice Cream in Cardiff #weheartcardiff

August 10, 2015


Well hello there! How are you today?

I spent my weekend in Cardiff on my level 2 fitness course and had a fabulous time there, so thought I'd do a Cardiff appreciation post: #weheartcardiff <3. 

Cardiff is the capital of Wales (a country in the UK if you weren't aware) and it's a blinkin' lovely city (perhaps I'm a little bias as I'm a proud Welshy!)
There is so much to do, so much to see. If you watch Dr Who, you'll definitely recognise some of the sites and if you love to shop, there are plenty of shops here! 
My favourite places to be are either in the big shopping centre, in the Millennium Stadium or at Cardiff bay (what a lovely place Cardiff bay is!)...

I spent a lot of my weekend on the course, but when I had time off I enjoyed spending time in Cardiff bay. There is so much going on; including shows at the Millennium Centre, street performances, fair rides, the Doctor Who experience tour (see my review: here) and also plenty of places to eat looking out at the river; what more could you ask for?
Having had quite a bit of experience there (I've tried out a few places), the bay is a marvellous place to tuck into some grub. This weekend we enjoyed tucking into a burger at the Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) *mouth waters as I type*, Pizza Express and having an ice cream (pictured above) in some little cafe place (can't remember the name), which was yummy (I had mint chocolate chip...YUM YUM YUM!! The ice cream and view were totally instagram worthy : see my instagram here ). 

There is so much going for Cardiff - I love it (I think you may know this after reading this post, haha!) and I just thought it deserved to be said in a post. 


Sorry for such a random / unplanned post, but I hope you enjoyed!

Have a fab week!
Love, Eve
xx

BLOGLOVIN | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

F4F#48 - Workout Playlist

August 07, 2015

Hi everyone and a very happy Friday!

 Today's Fit4Friday is basically me sharing my current workout playlist! Music is a real essential for me as it keeps me motivated and keeps me working at a pace. Here are some of my favourite songs to exercise to at the moment...

1. Bang Bang - Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
2. Addicted to You - Shakira
3. California Gurls - Katy Perry ft. Snoop Dogg
4. Crazy Love - Mara ft. Beto Perez
5. Shake it Off - Taylor Swift
6. We Are One (Ole Ola) - Pitbull ft. Jennifer Lopez & Claudia Leitte
7. Popee - Francesca Maria ft. Beto Perez
8. Dale Dale - Francesca Maria 
9. Largadinho - Claudia Leitte
10. Bambalam - General Degree
11. Break Free - Ariana Grande
12. Let's Get Loud - Jennifer Lopez
13. O.P.A - Zumba® Fitness (Beto & Myrto)
14. Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars
15. Royals - Lorde

source

There we go! I am always changing my playlist so I'll be sure to update this in the future! Thanks so much for reading!
 Have a fabulous weekend - I have a busy one this weekend with two theory fitness exams on Sunday :/ ...wish me luck! haha

Speak soon!
Love, Eve
xx

A Lovely Weekend in Brighton

August 02, 2015

Mid July I visited Brighton for the first time in my life and had a fantastic time. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the lanes and walking across the pebble beach (and of course attending my Zumba® training - that was amazing!) I thought today I'd share with you some of the photos I took during my weekend in Brighton!



I absolutely love how beautiful Brighton is. The beach and the buildings were so beautiful and had lots of history.




I am so disappointed I didn't go on the famous Brighton Pier due to lack of time, but it looked amazing...especially at night (the photo below does it no justice!)


ZES Sandra and I after the Zumba® training :) 

I hope that you've enjoyed reading this post and looking through the photos!

Have a fabulous week!

Love, Eve
xx