73. Lifestyle // 21 before 21 Update #3

It's now only 40 days until I turn 21, and two months since I began my 21 before 21 list. The last month has been a busy one, and you can see from my August Round up post here, but I still managed to tick off, or make progress on, a few items on the list - any items which have been completed have been striked-through and any that have changed/had progress made, are in bold - any that I have totally and utterly failed at are in red!

So, let's see how I got on...

Health & Beauty

Lose another 20lbs (or reach a weight at which I'm genuinely happy) - I got started on the Get Fit in 12 Weeks challenge; so far I've only lost 1lb but, hey, slow progress is good progress right...? Right?!

Stop biting my nails 

Give up smoking

Get my hair in good condition

Blogging

Reach 50 followers on Bloglovin & 10,000 page views 

Attend a Bloggers meet-up or event - ticket booked for #MinkMeetUp

Get a proper blog layout

Friends & Family

Arrange my 21st birthday celebrations with friends

Have an amazing time in Amsterdam with S (everything is booked & paid for, roll on October 12th!)

Have enough money saved for a deposit 

 Hobbies

Read and review one new book each week (5/19)

The Boy in The River (9/10), Songs of the Humpback Whale (6/10), Oh Dear Silvia (7/10), The Pianist (8/10), Backstory (8/10)

Watch and review one new film each week (12/19)

Blood Diamond (6/10), Wreck it Ralph (8/10), World War Z (7/10), This is 40 (7/10), Snatch (9/10), Angel's Share (8/10), Attack of the Block (6/10), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (8/10), Cloud Atlas (5/10), Olympus has Fallen (6/10), Bernie (7/10), Oblivion (6/10)

Cook or bake something new each week (6/19)

Chai & Banana Cake, Oreo Cheesecake, Homemade Nachos, Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies, Cranberry Flapjack, Lemon & Blueberry Cake

Financial

Save £600 towards Amsterdam & flat deposit ~ halfway there!

Do not go overdrawn or miss any card payments or bills~ went overdrawn and missed a payment :'(

Material Matters

Buy a good camera

Treat myself to a Kindle Fire HD

Buy or create one item each week for our new home (9/19) - I'll be doing a little post on this soon :)

The Boring Stuff

Pass theory and practical driving test ~ theory test booked!

Find a job that meets my needs, e.g. hours, income, challenging - YES! FINALLY!

Pass first module (The Arts: Past and Present) with a minimum overall score of 70% (currently on 75%, boom!)

What have you achieved recently?
Do you like to set yourself goals?

Lots of Love,
Becci xo

72. Lifestyle // August Round-Up

Summer is over and autumn has arrived.

August has zoomed by so quickly that I've actually had to look back through my diary, Facebook and Twitter to remind myself of what the month consisted of and it turns out it was a pretty good month!

August marked my 2nd month in my new job (can I still call it my 'new job' or is it just my job now?!) which has been incredible so far. I honestly have loved every minute of it and I'm already dreading having to leave when this maternity cover is over. I've had lots of new features to work on and I'm really coming into my own; developing relationships with clients, making my mark and achieving my targets. I feel like I've settled in and I had a lovely night out with everybody towards the end of the month which consisted of Italian food, wine and fun.

August also saw Shane and I book our flights to Amsterdam, finishing saving up our spending money and I finally got round to renewing my passport which means we're all set for our long weekend in Holland now.

I also started a Spending Ban, which you can see the posts about here and here, which lasted a  grand total of 20 days before I caved and bought a sculpting palette and a vest - oops! At least I've spent a lot less than money on clothes and make-up than usual, so I'm pretty proud.

I had a chance to catch up with on of my oldest childhood friends before she jetted off to New York for a year of studying abroad this month. We had the loveliest time; filling each other in on everything and anything before an very-nearly-teary farewell. I'm in the process (and by 'in the process' I mean 'I'm going to at some point...') of setting up Skype so we can keep in touch. 

Shane and I had a great night celebrating my best-friend's 20th birthday in the middle of August too, with a big barbecue followed by a trip to the pub and lots of local bands (and ciders) in the sunshine. It was fab.

The next day I headed down to Leeds to celebrate my cousins wedding. It was an incredible day and very emotional as she's had such a hard time in recent years, it was lovely to see her so happy and it was great to catch up with my family.

August also saw me start driving lessons again after an 8 month break! I also got round to booking my theory test and, as soon as that is passed, I'll be getting ready for my practical. Lessons are going well so far and I really can't wait for my next one! It's very liberating.

I set myself some blogging goals in August too, which you can see here, as my blog is quickly becoming a big part of my life and I'd love to see it grow. I'll be letting you all know how I've got on in a few months, so fingers crossed I can reach my targets.

The last weekend in August was probably the best (and not just because it was payday!) Shane and I went out for drinks on the Saturday and ended up at his grandparents old pub, playing bingo! It was very different from our usual nights out but it was honestly so much fun and who can complain when a pint is only £2.25? Sunday was spent sleeping, having a lovely long walk in the park, eating Sunday dinner and watching Dexter in bed.

All in all, August has been brilliant but I'm so glad it's September now. I'm looking forwards to getting wrapped up in a big coat, ankle boots and pretty scarves, spending more cosy nights in and the leaves beginning to change colour.

What was your favourite part of August?

Are you happy that summer is over, and autumn is upon us?

Lots of Love,

Becci

71. Lifestyle // Get Fit in 12 Weeks: Week Two

I - along with Kate at Ruby Duchess - am now officially one week into the Get Fit in 12 Weeks challenge and, to be honest, I think it's going to take me a lot longer than 12 weeks if the past 7 days are anything to go by...

Source

Now, that's not to say that I've been terrible: I haven't. I haven't binged, I haven't eaten loads of chocolate or devoured an entire takeaway in the space of ten minutes; no, I've been okay-ish. 
But okay-ish just isn't good enough.

Although I've done a lot more exercise than usual (despite hurting my ankle with my horrendous squat technique!) and eaten less than normal, I did have a few bad days. During the week I stuck to a pretty healthy diet; porridge or cereal for breakfast, a sandwich with plenty of salad, or pasta with veggies, for lunch but it was when I got home that I found it hard to resist temptation.

On Thursday night, I went out for food and drinks with work and seemed to completely forget that I was trying to eat healthily... 4 glasses of wine, bruschetta and a huge portion of lasagna later... I remembered.

The weekend was also pretty bad! On Saturday I went to Greggs (what was I thinking?!) and ate a ridiculous amount of food. We then went out for drinks in the evening and that ended with a pizza from a pretty dingy takeaway. On Sunday, we treated ourselves to a Sunday dinner, and I also had a little (well, A BIG) bit of chocolate. Oh, and some full fat coke. Oops!

I'm actually quite disappointed with my 'performance' last week, as I was so motivated but just lost track along the way. However, on wards and upwards, as they say! We're now into week two, and that means new challenges!

1. Workout Intensity: start to jog even if it's in intervals; aim to be active for at least 20 minutes, running as much as you can. Or, walk, run or sprint, up the stairs for 20 minutes (including resting). Or, do some sort of exercise or activity that you enjoy and that also burns calories, for 30 minutes! I am going to aim to do some 'intense' exercise for 100 minutes (altogether) this week. 

2. Tone it: the plan suggests press-ups and I've chosen the beginner version as I truly am a beginner when it comes to exercising! I'm aiming for 200 press-ups, in sets of 50 at a time, this week - holding each press-up for 20 seconds. 

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3. Cut Down on White Flour: the plan recommends that I cut down on white flour, especially refined varieties such as white bread, pasta, etc, and instead opt for wholemeal pittas, wholemeal pasta or bran-based cereals, as refined wheat turns to sugar really fast which can leave you feeling hungry and unsatisfied. White flour also makes me bloat, so giving it up will be a win/win situation really! 

4. Say No to Caffeine: it's suggested at this point in the challenge, that I limit myself to two caffeinated drinks a day. To be honest, I don't drink tea or coffee really so this shouldn't be too difficult. It'll be keeping away from coke (of the fizzy, liquid variety...) that'll be the challenge!

So far today I've done really well, despite going out for lunch with a friend, I've managed to eat quite healthily; having a wholemeal bagel for breakfast, a ham & mango wrap with salad for lunch, only one cup of tea, and sausages (I know that's not great but, hey! I'm allowed one treat a day, right?) with potatoes and vegetables, for dinner. I've also done a fair bit of walking around and I'm going to do my press-up's once I've finished blogging for the night!

I can't wait to do my next update a week today: fingers crossed it'll be more positive than this weeks update!

Lots of Love,
Becci xo