Life

Hello!

Today's post is a mismatch of photos I've taken over the last few weeks of places I've been and things I've eaten. I've got a lot better at not taking pictures of everything I eat when out but sometimes, it's just got to be done!

First up I'd like to congratulate myself and announce that I have finally paid off all of my debts. This includes my credit card (ENDLESS!) and also the money I borrowed from my parents to pay for my car and then all of the subsequent things that went wrong with it plus the insurance and tax that I couldn't afford from having still not paid the original money back - phew.

This means I can finally get on with my life and start savings for real! This is exciting and I can't wait to have some savings to fall back on in future and save for things like holidays and moving out.

I cannot wait to move out but I'm not going now until I've got enough to buy my own place - no point wasting money renting for a few months. I love going to vintage fairs now and my mum mentioned Cardiff Indoor Flea Market so we HAD to go and check it out. It's basically in a warehouse but it's a permanent fixture and they had loads of pretty much everything!

I loved that even though it was full of so much stuff they still had some coloured flags and bicycles hanging from the ceiling! It's a very cold place as it's not insulated at all but it's quite happy and busy too.

The furniture in there was amazing, so many old wooden pieces that I would love to get and do up myself. I know where I'll be going when I get my own place!

At home I've had to do some DIY - the inside of my fixed wardrobes were pretty much outside wall and have been letting in damp. They've been there for 33 years and we've lived in this house for 16 but of course my dad decided it had to be done NOW.

It took FOREVER to empty out the clothes and make up residing inside but if I'm honest, the real issue was the books. I'm such a hoarder of books that its a bit ridiculous but the number one thing I want in my house is a bookshelf so I'm saving them up! Here's the disaster I came home to one day after work....

What a nightmare! After a few days it was dry and I had to move everything back again, decorating is hard work but you don't even get to see this work which is even more annoying....

I've been trying to start reading again. I failed miserably with my plan to read more last year so this year I've set myself the target of reading a book per month - this way its doable and I can hopefully make a dent in some of the books I have.

This was a murder mystery that my neighbour leant me and my mum and one Friday things had been so exhausting throughout the week that I sat there with my tub of Nutella (with my name on obviously) and proceeded to eat 1/4 of the jar....whoops!

Normally a spoon of it does the trick for me and it curbs my cravings any further but that week was particularly draining and I went a bit crazy! Made me feel so much better though so I'm convinced it's what the doctor would have ordered....

Another change I've made in my room is finally getting a picture up. I've wanted a globe of the world for absolutely ages but can never seem to find one in sepia tones that I can afford....I found this print and frame in ikea for less than £20 and I knew I just had to get it. It's a map from 1881 so it's not correct at all but that's what I love about it even more. I stare at it all the time now, making a mental wishlist of where I'm going to go :)

I've finally signed up for Women's Health again after my subscription ran out mid year. I managed to get a good new year deal so was really pleased, I'd fully recommend it for anyone who's the slightest bit into health. It's got lots of fitness in it but also beauty, clothing and interviews with people like Britney, and who doesn't want a flat stomach like hers??

I recently realised that my hair has grown loads - look at the length on this! My hairdresser dyed it at Christmas for me but didn't have time to cut it so I drove to her house after work, she put the dye on and I drove home and washed it off myself half hour later! I looked a right mess in the car haha.

By the time I got it cut this time I really felt like the ends were a bit heavy so I also had a few layers put in so that it's not all one big block of hair - even straightened it looks a bit straggly which isn't a good look!

Lastly I've been looking into creating my own palette like the one above. I have a few of those colours but if you have any suggestions for me then please send them my way.
I've recently bought Brule and liked it but it wasn't the white highlighter I was looking for, the more I look into the colours the more I find I need!

You can never have too many nude coloured eye shadows can you??

What have you been eating and drinking this month? Did you manage to make it through Dry January without a drink or complete a month of a clean eating diet?

I think aside from my slip up with Nutella I've not done too badly....

L xxx

25 Pills You Should Run a Mile from

Hello there!

It's that time of year when we all hear about another round of the flu stalking the office or the school or your family or friends have all got it. My first reaction is to avoid them like the plague and run to the local shop and pick up some Beroccas. nothing helps me like they do, even if it's all psychological and a boost can't do any harm, though i do only use them for when I'm feeling run down.

However I read an article the other day in Women's Health about the pills you should and shouldn't be swallowing and I found it really interesting. So interesting in fact that I've decided to pretty much copy it straight into a blog post for you to read and see which pills you really shouldn't waste your money on.

We've all been there in a store reading how the latest vitamin can help shift those last few pounds, how something can rev up your metabolism and draw out toxins and they can be very appealing. But after reading this list i was surprised that most are completely pointless and can do more harm than good.

So let's just be clear, I'm copying this from November's edition of Women's Health and it's not my own research or hard work really, aside from typing it up in my own words, but I thought it was worthy of knowing so you don't waste your money or do yourself some harm:

1) Raspberry Ketones - one I'm sure we've all heard of and al of the weightloss claims it has. Actually, there's no scientific evidence to confirm they promote weightloss in humans at all. Save your money!

2) Korean or Panax Ginseng - I've never heard of these and don't know what they claim to do but they do speed up your heart rate and affect your oestrogen levels....sounds terrifying. Save your health by avoiding this one.

3) Guarana - found in sports drinks and although it does give you energy, it's because it contains caffeine so you might as well save your money by sticking with something more natural and also guarana can leave you feeling jittery and nervous...save your sanity in this case!

4) Bio-identical Hormones - Again no idea what these are supposed to do for you or why you would voluntarily take them but they are prescription only and therefore should only be given to you by your doctor, scary stuff! 

5) Soy Isoflavones - Derives from a plant however they have a serious effect on your hormones that nobody has quite worked out how yet, that should be enough to scare you off too.

6) Chitosan - allegedly a fat binder though it drags all fats out and doesn't discriminate between the ones we need and the ones we don't. Save your health and your money.

7) High doses of Vitamin C - totally pointless and no evidence to show that anything over 1g is helpful at all. Save your cash as these can be quite expensive!

8) Bentonite Clay - another one to allegedly draw out toxins. Don't think there's any evidence to support these claims but regardless, it wouldn't draw out the toxins fast enough if you had a bad diet so it's no excuse. 

9) Acai - totally pointless unless in the original fruit form which you can't get as it would go off by the time it reached the UK....sigh

10) Senna - taking laxatives is never a good way to help you lose weight but even as a helping hand when things get sluggish it can make your own digestive system lazy. My family have always said that orange juice is a much better antidote which I've no idea if it's true but chia seeds most definitely work to get things going again.

11) DMAA - had to look this one up......essentially it has killed people who have taken it and can still be found in some online pills for fat burning. It's really not worth the risk!

12) Garcinia Cambogia - So many people talk about Garcinia  the internet, Facebook adverts are the worse for scams like these sending them to you for a few pounds but still no scientific evidence.

13) Evening Primrose - borage is the key ingredient in this and is found in much higher doses in Starflower Oil so skip buying this one.

14) Vitamin E - famed for helping with skincare issues it can actually give you thrombosis and blood clots when you take too much of it. Save yourself!

15) Vitamin A - if you've ever used My Fitness Pal to log your daily intake of food and checked out the vitamins section it's likely you will have exceeded in your does of Vitamin A as it is in so many fruits and vegetables. you certainly don't need to take extra when it's that easy to find and high levels with damage your liver - again, terrifying.

16) Thermogenic supplements - I've been caught by this one, was so excited to think that they would work whilst eating clean and working out as much as possible. Funnily enough, they never worked and there's no scientific evidence for them either. Waste of cash!

17) St John's Wort - claims the be a mood enhancer but can actually increase the metabolism of any prescribed drugs that you can take and therefore make them less effective which could be extremely dangerous. Get into the gym to get your endorphins going and enhance your mood the natural way!

18) Brindleberry - never heard of this one but the US claims its an appetite suppressant but when compared with a placebo there wasn't any change whatsoever.

19) Beta Carotene - claims to help against cancer, but actually has no effect in supplement form. Stick to eating the real deal from orange foods like carrots and pumpkins.

20) Calcium - it seems you just cannot beat having things in its natural form. Milk is fine, the supplements appear to increase risk of cardiovascular disease.

21) Glucosamine - can alleviate stiffness if you suffer from arthritis but is no help whatsoever in preventing you from getting it like previously thought.

22) Milk Thistle - doesn't help against binge drinking. I know many people who take this on nights out and have said it works for them but it is possible that maybe it's just because you drink water taking it? Either way, if it does help your hangover it definitely doesn't help your liver recover.

23) Chlorophyll - the chemical that makes plants green has been claimed to help with detoxification. There's no evidence to suggest this is correct so you might as well stick you drinking lots of free water instead, it's the best way to flush out anything from your system.

24) Fat Binders - another one I tried and had no results from. 'Obesity' found that over the course of a day only 10 calories were bound and removed, TEN! Might as well just skip on that extra biscuit or crisps and save yourself 200.

25) Capsaicin - The chemical in chillies that helps you burn fat. You might as well just eat the chilli's for exactly the same effect and probably a cheaper alternative too!

So there we have it, 25 pills you should run a mile from.

What do you think? Have you tried many of these? Were there any that surprised you?

It's scary to think you can buy so many of them on the internet even though they are prescription drugs and can be extremely harmful, some even causing death!

Let's just stick to the real things in life and get them from a healthy diet right??

L xxx