My health & fitness journey…the story so far!

September 10, 2015May 10, 2017 | blueskygirlie

I’m just back from a 5k run and its time for a bit on my health and fitness progress I think… My change started about 4 years ago – going from a size 20/22 to UK 12. Now, I am by no means a preacher for how you should live your life but for me being fat was like being imprisoned in my own body. I hated myself, felt terrible, was a slave to panic attacks and suffered various aches and pains. I had a family history of heart attacks and looking back I was a ticking time bomb. You would never of know this though as I was always perfectly presented, with the nicest clothes, make-up etc and seemed bubbly and confident.

The history: my weight has always been an issue. I remember being on my first diet at about 11 years old and my issues with food carried on from there. My 16 I was about 11st ish and at a super bitchy girls school where I developed Bulima and via that, crash dieting and an old exercise bike got down to 9st 12lb by the time I returned to 6th Form that September. Of course I couldnt maintain that weight and I quickly put weight back on. During the early 90s working at Harrods, partying hard and enjoying the rave scene (plus a summer working in Greece) I slowly lost some weight and was around 12st 7lb on my return to the UK – ironically this weight became my dream weight throughout my 30s that I desperately wanted to get to. I was 13st 11lb on my wedding day – I felt great but in reality I was still a size 16/18 – my wedding dress was a size 20. I told myself it was ‘couture bridal sizes’ but the fact was I was still fat. Diets came and went, losing and putting on the same 3 stone. After the birth of my son I was at my heaviest – 16st 13lb and in desperation went liquid only for 100 days on the LighterLife plan. I lost 50lb but also felt terrible, my hair fell out and my blood pressure got so low even my doctor looked worried…and the minute I went back to normal eating my weight started going up again. I stayed big for a few years totally in denial telling myself I was big boned with a poor metalobism and that people should just accept me for who I was. I did no exercise, binge ate, had no portion control and suffered terrible anxiety.

In 2010 my best friend announced she was getting married and I decided to try and lose weight again as she had asked me to be a witness. This time something felt different, I felt different – I was in my late 30s and so tired of being fat, feeling old and ill, being scared for my health (my father died aged just 52 of a heart attack). I joined WeightWatchers and over a year or so slowly lost weight, started walking as much as I could and going to the gym doing Vibroplate to tone up. This coincided with some big life changes and I stopped attending group and just kept up the dieting at home using the MyFitnessPal app to track my food and find support. By 2012 I was 11st 11lb and well below my ‘dream weight’ from that summer in Greece, a comfortable size 12/14 and for a while that seemed perfect.

But something niggled me…I knew I could do better. In 2013 I decided I would try one last push to see if I could lose another stone and started running using the C25k app. I was petrified of high impact exercise – it took me a year or so to run 5k without stopping but I run 3 times a week every week running on holidays and even on Boxing Day!
Its been hard. Very hard. And I haven’t got to that illusive goal weight. Who knows, but for now the pain required outweighs the benefits…the body I have at 42 is not going to be the one I had at 16! I’m still technically very slightly overweight but I’m ok with that – I am so proud of the body (and new person) I have created. The saddest part as I write this is I remember every weight, at every point in my life. That’s how I judge myself. Thats how I remember things. I realise now I am more than a weight, that I have beaten my demons and found a way to change my lifestyle forever. Its not easy but its so worth it.

And most importantly I run whether its hot…

…or cold….with no excuses. And I watch what I eat. Simple really.

The here and now: So where am I currently? Ah the joy of weight maintenance and regular exercise with no excuses! I run 3 times a week without fail, my speeds are ok but I’m trying to get faster. I’ve been working on fat burning around my torso area to make it more defined especially my rib area (see pic below). The hardest part of all this is keeping the same weight while living a ‘normal’ life…holidays, parties, nights out and generally enjoying eating all are a part of life and not something that should be given up. After a bit of overindulgence on holiday I’m currently back dieting to lose a few pounds again. But thats the difference now – my weight will go up and down, the trick is only have to lose 1/2 stone not 3,4,5,6 stone…! Losing weight is relatively easy, but keeping it off? Now thats hard – for me its been like rebuilding myself from the inside out and a challenge I face every single day…

My current maintenance routine:

Restricted calories 5-6 days a week (1750kcals) but any exercise undertaken tops this up
All food tracked every day but treat day
3 x 5k runs a week
Minimum 1 hour of walking a week
Low salt, low fat, teetotal

Saturday is my cheat day and I enjoy it, lets just leave it there 😆

What I’ve learned –

Change is a very frightening thing for me.
The pain of exercise & not eating what I want is tough but the rewards are better.
Its hard to not obsess over every lb but weight is not the perfect measure of success.
Free apps and having the right kit can really help a fitness/weight loss journey – and they dont need a lot of money spent on them.
Mental heath and physical fitness are irretrievably linked. Wellness is everything.
Not giving into my food addictions is a non stop battle on par with alcoholism or drug addiction.
Find an eating plan that works for you. If you want fatty processed food once in a while (oh hello, Dominoes) then have it, enjoy it, but remember you’ll have to work harder the next day to balance it out. I eat a small chocolate bar most days but I make sure I keep my other portions small and within my calorie allowance. I realised early on that if I tried to live off of lettuce and juices I was just going to get depressed.
Vanity often drives weightloss (it did mine) but feeling healthy, strong and powerful is the best feeling in the world.
I’m realistic that having to stick to this for the rest of my life will be tough but I could never bear to go back to the old version of me.

…but I’m winning my own personal battle. I’m not totally happy with myself (who is?) but I’m very proud of the changes I’ve made – not bad for a 5’2″ 42 year old mum who used to be a size 20/22! No-one can or should tell you how to be or look, but for me being ‘normal weight’ has improved my life no end as my addictions had made me ill both mentally and physically.

Good health is everything and I aim to hang on to mine as long as I can.

All photos via my Instagram

Find the c25k app here

Find the MyFitnessPal community here

Find your nearest weightwatchers group here

InstaNatural Organic Beauty Range

September 8, 2015September 27, 2015 | blueskygirlie

I was recently asked by American organic skincare company InstaNatural if I wanted to become one of their beauty reviewers, championing organic and ethical beauty to look and feel great. At 42 I have become more focused on keeping my face and body from aging any faster than they needed to so I jumped at the chance to try out their products! InstaNatural say their products are great if you have sensitive skin as the entire product line is made without alcohols, parabens and sulfates that can be irritating to the skin and none of the products are tested on animals. So, what did I think?

Facial skincare –

Eye serum £15.97/30ml: This product smelt lovely (the grapefruit notes come through perfectly) and felt very fresh and invigorating to put on. It claims to reduce eye bags, crow’s feet, fine lines, sagging skin and puffiness. So, does this work? Over about 10 days use I definitely felt the puffiness underneath my eyes had reduced and will definitely be continuing to use it. My fine lines appear less too as does the darkness under my eyes. Its bright orange but don’t be put off be put off as this disappears immediately on patting it into your skin and a little goes a VERY long way. I found if I used too much a residue was left so quickly reduced the amount I put underneath my eyes (using the rather nifty glass pipette) and a nice product to use day and night. Find my original review with before and after photos here.

Facial toner £17.95/120ml: The toner is really refreshing and has a lovely fresh smell thanks to grapefruit, geranium, lavender and lemon oils. It has a high content of Aloe Vera too so it’s also very hydrating to help replace lost moisture and perk up a tired complexion. So, does this work? I use a lot of beauty products but every so often one comes along I absolutely love and this is one of them! On the one hand it is a toning product that kept my skin feeling clean and clear – my pores have never looked better and my skin is glowing and feels great. But I also loved it as a general skin refresher/cooler and it works brilliantly stored in the fridge on hot days and I think would be great as a holiday product for poolside use. It feels so refreshing to use and the zesty smell awakens you in the morning. But the thing I liked most about it was the spray bottle as I’d never come across a toner dispensed like this before but its so simple and so good it amazes me that all toners aren’t like this! I just love it!

Night cream £17.95: Firstly you get a lot of face cream for your money – 100mls worth which is brilliant and much bigger than most pots of face cream. Its supposed to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, hyper pigmentation & uneven skin tone – all guaranteed! So, does this work? After using it my skin the next day felt nicely moisturised, refreshed and looked brighter. The product smelt lovely – the smell is quite calming and it was easy to use in a pump format with very little mess or wastage. Although it can be used day and night I only used it at night as it is quite a rich cream – again the rose like smell was a nice scent to go to sleep smelling! This cream definitely helped the general reddening which I experience on my face fade which was great and my pores seemed better too.

Body skincare –

Scar gel £21.95/30ml: I used this on a newish scar on my arm which was bothering me. The scar being new (well 6 months ish old) was red and slightly raised. The bottle says it helps to diminish and erase scars over time by making them less visible in appearance and can be used for surgical scars, acne scars, burns or other dark spots. So, does this work? It can be a little sticky if you use too much but I’m definitely going to continue to use this and try it on some old stretch marks too. The product is easy to use in a small pump action container and a little goes a long way. Since using the product the redness of my scar has disappeared and it has took on more a look of pigmentation in my skin. It also has gone a lot flatter. I’m using twice a day so definitely think continued use will make the scar look even less obvious.

Stretch mark cream £21.95/100ml: This is a fresh smelling cream in a large pot, with a lovely fresh smell. It smells so nice – ingredients include aloe vera, rosehip, mango and grape. You can use it anywhere you have stretch marks and I mainly used it on my tummy, thighs and hips where I have marks from having my son and growth/weight gain/loss. It feel very nice to put on and I used it regularly. So, does this work? It does! My skin is definitely feels firmer and I can see the few red marks going ‘clear’ already! I was very surprised. Its very nourishing too which I think helps…I am raving about this one! I found that my skin looked in much better condition and it felt like it was tighter. Obviously you cant remove existing stretch marks but this has helped significantly and definitely fades them. A little goes a long way too so although its not cheap (but hey what decent beauty product is!) I would say its worth it.

Cellulite cream £21.95/100ml: This is a thick cream, with a very light flowery smell. I don’t have a lot of cellulite but definitely would like to improve the texture of the skin on my thighs/bottom. The main ingredients are caffeine, retinol and vitamin C and the cream is definitely highly moisturising and hydrating. A little goes a long way and it spread easily on to my skin from the pot and you can use it anywhere you have skin that needs firming. So, does this work? Well my skin is definitely feels more hydrated and the areas I wanted to treat feel less dimpled. My skin feels supple, smoother and pampered when I use it and I hope it will reduce the appearance of my dimples even more, although personally I think you’d need to add massage of some kind and exercise too.

Look out for further reviews as I discover more of the range. The range is sold exclusively in the UK via Amazon.co.uk – find the full range here. All prices correct on Amazon at time of posting.

All products – InstaNatural via Amazon*

Chasing Waterfalls

August 28, 2015September 4, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Black and white – simple, flattering and VERY easy to wear.
Waterfall jackets – simple, flattering and VERY easy to wear.
Hmmm, hang on, I’m starting to see a pattern here.

I’d been looking for a lightweight duster coat/longline jacket for a while and after a bit of shopping around I went for this great waterfall jacket from M&Co. Its a fantastic piece, well made, stylish and do easy to wear. Best of all its in the summer sale!

For sizing I am wearing a size 10 but it is available in sizes 8-20. With no fastenings its a free fit but is structured on the shoulders so go for your usual size. It flows beautifully and has sleeves you can roll up to 3/4 length and large patch pockets.
For a simple, chic look I’ve styled it today with a striped breton tee, wet look leggings and black wedge sandals. Its super flattering and looks as good with jeans or a dress…I really love it.

Oh and I accessorised with a cute vintage necklace…

Currently in the sale for £24 reduced from £35, find it instore now and grab yourself a bargain! Its a piece you’ll wear again and again and always feel great in! I’m loving wearing mine and it will be great transitional piece too as we go into Autumn.

Waterfall jackets are the perfect shape for all body types. My advice is get one in your wardrobe ASAP.

Jacket – M&Co
Necklace – vintage
T-shirt – Papaya at Matalan
Leggings – eBay
Sandals – New Look

Shoe shopping

August 12, 2015 | blueskygirlie

So, I’ve been doing a bit of shoe shopping…in fact I’ve bough six pairs this month! However being the bargain hunter I am they’ve all been in the summer sales in total I’ve only spent about £50. Cost per wear thats a bargain!!!

Want to know what I’ve bought and where?

Primark sandals – pink/navy £3 (was £6), aqua £3 (was £8), white platforms £5 (was £10). All instore at Primark. You can never have too many sandals and I love them to match my outfits.

F&F girls patent t-bar shoes (available in sizes 1-6) £5.50 (from £15). Available instore at Tescos or online here. Super cute and will be great for Autumn too to wear with opaque tights and dresses.

Baby pink Vans – £36 (from £60) these were from Littlewoods Direct and are now very low on stock but can be found at many Vans stockists. These are my first ever pair of Vans! Very comfortable and they are definitely drawing me away from my huge collection of Converse!

Peacocks red flats – £4 (from £10). I’ve been looking for some red shoes for a while and these cuties will look great with denim and for £4? I couldn’t say no!

Do you love a bit of shoe shopping too? Its even better if they are a bargain! Happy shopping in the summer sales!

Head in the clouds…

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

It all started with some tea towels…

I picked out a set of Cath Kidston ‘clouds’ print tea towels for mothers day this year. I adore a blue sky/white cloud motif in general and I just loved them. My business is Blue Sky Visual, my blog is called Always a blue sky girl, my Instagram/Twitter/ Pinterest name is BlueSkyGirlie. Why? Because ‘blue sky thinking’ people always strive for the most creative and ambitious solution and see everything from a highly creative perspective and I would like to think thats the kind of creative person I am! And if not, thats what I aspire to be.

Then I saw the trainers…

A collaboration between Gola and Cath Kidston that were just my style. I bought them with my birthday money and have worn them so much. Just looking down at your feet makes you feel happy and I blogged about them here.

I loved wearing them to Copenhagen on our last trip…seemed something so right about cloud prints and being up in the sky in a plane…and by then I’d bought a zip up purse too.

I decided with the Cath Kidson summer sale on another item had to be mine. I wanted a bag – nothing too formal or big, just something that would be great for shopping and wearing with jeans etc.

I went for something a bit different and tweaked it to what I needed…maybe I used some of that blue sky thinking!?! This is officially a craft bag (I guess for knitting/ sewing stuff etc) and was reduced from £35 to just £15. Its a soft fabric bag with large pockets on both sides and a tie to the top. To make it a bit more robust and tote-like I carefully opened up the small part of the inside lining and cut a hard base out of cardboad, inserted it in and re-sewed the lining. I’m thrilled with the outcome!

And here it is with its new friends! I do like a bit of co-ordination…

Find the bag online here or check out your nearest Cath Kidston store. Do you love the range as much as I do? Don’t tell my boyfriend, but I’m debating getting the lamp next…

Getting Engaged

July 31, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

So…I’m engaged now. At 42, divorced with a child, getting married again doesnt seem like something you need to shout about…except you kinda do! It is definitely a lovely feeling that makes you feel safe, very happy and most importantly very very loved.

Its fair to say Russ and I are a sickly sweet loved up couple already and making our love ‘official’ was always on the cards. We own a house together and parent four (yes four!) boys between us so we are already totally committed to each other. Plus we both have been wearing a ring on our wedding ring finger since we got serious…a committment ring of sorts.

After getting together after both leaving long term dead and pointless relationships, we promised each other we would really start living our lives. Properly living them, seizing each moment and as part of that each year would travel to a new and exciting foreign place. This year we decided to discover Copenhagen in Denmark which I blogged about here. Long story short – we absolutely loved the place!

So back to the event itself – after taking (and leaving) a love lock as a surprise for Russ on a our trip to Barcelona last year, I’d read that there was a pedestrian bridge on the edge of the city where Danish couples came to express their love in the same way.

For those not in the know, love locks have become a global phenomenon. They are messages of love, written by lovers and locked onto bridges, fences and gates in prominent and iconic spots and the keys then thrown away leaving the message (and the couples declaration of love) locked there forever…

This time I said beforehand that I wanted to do it, and in a lovely touch Russ hand engraved our padlock himself.

The Bryggebroen bridge is tucked behind a large shopping centre, on a street called Havneholmen, and spans the distance between the Danish areas of Kalvebod Brygge and Islands Brygge. No cars can cross it, so its quiet, clean and elegant.

We went to find it hoping it would be just as good as the other love lock spots we’d seen online. Walking over the bridge, gazing along the Sydhavnen (South Harbour) the modern architecture almost blends into the colour of the water and placed every so often along the railings are small groups of padlocks, a stark contrast with their mix of colour strewn across the bridge. Towards the centre of the bridge the numbers grew and the bridge became full of declarations of love.

Smiling, kissing and laughing (as ever) we placed our lock, declared our love and threw the keys in the river.

And here is our lock…❤️❤️❤️

And then the proposal! Suddenly looking very serious, Russ asked for my lovely emerald and diamond ring back, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! The feeling of joy was just overwhelming. As I got ready to answer a Danish jogger ran past smiling and shouted “say yes!” and we both burst out laughing. It was a perfect moment we’ll both never forget – and of course I said yes!!!

After quite a lot of kissing and cuddling, we then went out for a celebratory dinner, toasted our future, took a romantic walk back to the hotel and did a final bit of celebrating behind closed doors doing what we do best! The rest I’ll leave up to your imagination! 😉😍😉

I feel very lucky to have such love in my life and to have received such a wonderful proposal in such a romantic place and can’t wait to marry the man I love.

And now…wedding planning! I am a style blogger who is getting married!!! As you can imagine I want it to be fabulous, so watch this space…

Find my Pinterest wedding boards here here here and here for how its looking so far.

Featured Friday Bloggers: A Blue Sky Girlie

July 28, 2015July 28, 2015 | blueskygirlie

This week I am thrilled to be featured as M&Co.s blogger of the week. Find my interview with them here…

http://blog.mandco.com/2015/07/24/featured-friday-bloggers-a-blue-sky-girlie/

This week’s Featured Friday blogger is Sarah from Always a Blue Sky Girl. We’ve spotted Sarah styling some of our pieces fabulously on her social channels and though it was time to find out a bit more…

Introduce us to your blog Sarah…

Coachella Calling

July 24, 2015August 5, 2015 | blueskygirlie

Do you ever buy something, after you’ve fallen in love with it but not know exactly what how you’ll be wearing it? Well I fell in love with a H&M beach cover-up dress when I was in Copenhagen and just knew I had to have it. It was only £14.99 so not a huge investment and I figured I’d work out how to style it later.

Well, here we are a few months later and I haven’t worn it yet and its breaking my heart! I decided to come up with a plan asap and luckily it coincided with a spell of very warm weather (well for the UK anyway).

The main problem was it was totally see through. While doing my food shopping I noticed George at Asda were selling very basic jersey mini dresses for £3 – basically long vests. I grabbed a black one (in a size 12 so it wasnt skin tight) and made it into an underslip for the dress. Voila, my dress was now wearable away from the beach!

The dress itself is from the ‘H&M loves Coachella’ range. I am wearing a size small which would fit UK 10/12 but it is sized from size XS to XL so UK 6/8 – UK 16/18. It is absolutely lovely and the crochet is beautifully done. This is from a new capsule range bought out to coincide with the Coachella festival in California which H&M has sponsored for the last 6 years. It has a bohemian, laid back, festival vibe to it, perfect for summer.

Make-up was all about a bright coral red lip colour with low key eyes and my hair was just its natural wavy self – I’ve been a bit lazy with the straighteners lately as my hair has been so dry in the sunny weather.

On my feet, gladiator style sandals in the same bright colour plus red painted toenails.

And if bare legs are a bit too much (and lets be honest bare legs and mini dresses are only going to work on a very hot UK day) , just throw on a pair of leggings – here I’m wearing my cropped black ones from Matalan. All of a sudden a dress becones a tunic top.

Why save your beachwear for the beach? Mix it with your daywear and enjoy it wherever you are…!

Dress – H&M Loves Coachella @ H&M

Vest dress – George at Asda

Necklace – Forever21

Leggings – Matalan

Sandals – Evans

SkinnyDip London

July 21, 2015July 21, 2015 | blueskygirlie

So, who has seen this bag everywhere from the arms of fashion bloggers to the pages of glossy magazines? Its the fabulously named Unicorn Tears Cross Body Bag and at £28 it wont break the bank either!

Its by Skinnydip London – an accessories brand launched in 2011 which has managed to open more than 100 concessions in over 60 countries in the last few years, whilst getting on every fashionistas wish list.

And now the first Skinnydip flagship store has opened at 10 Foubert’s Place just off of Carnaby Street in London selling exclusive products as well as the regular range.

I had to check it out and it doesnt disappoint! The products are wonderful, well made and lovely quality plus there’s photo booth to jump in and record your visit.

Its range is so fun and innovative too. One of the best selling ranges are the customisable products where you can buy a purse, bag or phone case and then add ‘plushie’ stickers to them to make them look however you want. Stickers start at £4.00 and you can buy everything from letters to spell words to emojis, fruit and retro badges and symbols.As well as the fab new store the range is available as before via Topshop, Debenhams, River Island, Selfridges and ASOS.