Super easy healthy eating

As January begins we are all slapped in the face with ‘new start, new you’ diets promising us perfect bodies and glowing skin. Unless you have a serious amount of time and money to invest in this I would say that for the most part, starting every morning with a fresh pineapple and kale smoothie is slightly unrealistic and who can afford a whole food lunch every day? I don’t dispute that eating like this would be fantastic – I would if I could but it’s normally a cup of tea in my travel mug and some form of sarnie for lunch. For me healthy eating comes in waves, sometimes I enjoy it and sometimes I just want a big cake either way I know that what I put into my body will affect how I feel – when I eat junk I feel slobbish and when I start the day with a fruit smoothie I am more energized. I’ve been putting some thought into easy ways to inject some healthy eating into your routine which wont break the bank and will fit into an existing routine.

Super food drinks

All above drinks available from Holland and Barrett
(From left: together multi vit and detox, The berry company pomegranate and blueberry juice boxed, vita coco coconut water, alo alovera and honey drink)

It’s not difficult to add a healthy drink into your daily routine, especially if like the ones above they will easily fit into your bag. At the moment I’m trying a variety to see which ones I like. I’m already a big fan of the Together drinks (far left) which taste fresh and nourishing and are a feel-good boost on a long day. They’re not super cheap ranging from, £1.39 – £2.45 but if you eliminate a coffee from the day it works out at about the same. Also if you drink a lot of water they add a flavoursome addition to the day. Another idea is substituting dairy milk for some more nutritious alternatives like coconut or almond. Now, I’m a blue top dairy drinker – full fat and I don’t think I want to change this but what I like to do is have a separate red top (1%) 1 pint cows milk that I use in tea (because I’m British I drink a lot of it!).

When I can I like to start the day with a smoothie, here’s a delicious looking one I will try this week from a fantastic food blogger bakedbree (she owns this image – click on the smoothie below to be taken to the original source on her website).

Prior preparation….

Having spent most of the day in my pyjamas whilst desperately holding onto the final weekend before the return to reality, I have been considering my wardrobe for the weeks ahead and for my upcoming internship at Zoe Jordan in the Spring. In an ideal world I would roll out of bed at 8.00 jump into the shower for a 5 minute blast then dry my hair, shimmy into a fabulous outfit and slap on some make up ready for the day. In reality this is far from what happens. My alarm goes off at 7.00 and i crawl from the bed to the shower at about 7.30. When I emerge I give an envious glare to my sleeping husband who is oblivious to the world and continues to sleep through the sound of my hair dryer and the light being turned on. Then comes my morning battle with the wardrobe and after strewing half of it around the room, I settle on something simple and normally with minimal make up. So why does this take so long? And how can I ensure that I am happy with what I wear every day?
My thinking revolves around a philosophy my ex-army husband used to stick to “Prior preparation prevents piss poor performance!”. As an organisational control freak and avid reader of Martha Stewart living, this mantra is spreading to my wardrobe and I hope, will help me decide what to wear and claw back some precious time in the mornings. I am going to spend today (Saturday) putting together a selection of outfits for the next 7 days.

My rules for dressing are as follows:
1. Comfort is key
Theres no point looking fantastic but only being able to stand still all day – think about the activities you have to perform. I can be sewing, researching, going for coffee, in lectures and in the studio. My days will always include a lot of walking so heels have to be chunky or small.

2. Less is more
Keep it simple – what is more classic than a white tee and some well-fitting jeans with black pumps and a great jacket? I like to keep my clothes simple and accessorize with some neon earrings of a statement necklace, or a simple ensemble with a flash of sparkle either through embellishment or with the shoes.

3. Balance your outfit
I always think it is best to not over wear your clothes.If you have a great top then don’t accessorize with a necklace, choose smaller earrings in a similar or contrast tone to accentuate it, and put with flattering trousers or a simple skirt. If you’re chosing a more flamboyant outfit then tone down the hair and make up.

4. Know your body
We’ve all seen it, women squeezing themselves into too tight clothes – if you’re curvy embrace it. We’re all unique – if we all looked the same it would be very boring. On this note women who wear shorts that show your bum cheeks hanging out of the bottom – this is NOT a good look….ever.

5. Have fun with it – it’s only fashion.
I love walking down the street and seeing outfits everyone has put together. What’s important is that you dress for yourself, to make you happy. Fashion is an expression of individuality and in the words of Donatella Versace “It’s fun, it’s important, but it’s not medicine.”

I think it’s important to invest in the basics, so here are some great J brand jeans with some budget H&M ‘how to wear me’ ideas.

J Brand Jeans £103.50 The Outnet
H&M tee £3.99
H&M necklace £7.99
H&M shoe boots £29.99
H&M Raspberry jacket £29.99
H&M earrings £6.99
H&M jumper £34.99
H&M white bag £29.99