8 Fitness Tips To Stay Healthy All Year

The year is already flying by, and before we know it, summer will be here. For many of us, that means swimsuit weather! To get beach-body ready, we may start crash diets and push our bodies to the limit with hardcore workout routines. However, these methods are not only ineffective, but they’re also dangerous.

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Here are eight fitness tips to help you stay healthy all year:

1. Find an activity you enjoy and stick with it

The most important part of staying fit is finding an activity that you enjoy and then sticking with it. If you hate running, don’t force yourself to do it just because someone told you it’s good for you.

There are so many different exercises out there that there’s bound to be one that you like. If you’re not sure where to start, try a few different things until you find something that feels good, such as exercise resistance bands set for workout, a popular option for beginners, mainly due to their easily manipulated strength level and variety. Learn about good options here.

2. Set realistic goals

When it comes to fitness, setting realistic goals is key. If your goal is too lofty, you’re likely to get discouraged and give up.

Instead of saying you want to lose 5 kilogram in two months, try setting a smaller goal like losing 2 kilogram in one month. Once you reach that goal, you can set another one.

3. Don’t diet; eat healthily

crash diets may help you lose weight in the short term, but they’re not sustainable, and they’re not healthy. Instead of going on a diet, focus on eating healthy.

This means consuming plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. And don’t forget to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water!

4. Incorporate strength training into your routine

When most people think of working out, they think of cardio. However, it’s important to incorporate strength training into your routine as well.

Strength training helps build muscle and can help you burn more calories even when you’re at rest.

5. Get enough sleep

In addition to exercise and to eat healthy, getting enough sleep is crucial for staying fit. Most adults need around 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body won’t have the energy it needs to get through the day. This can make it harder to stick to your workout routine and eat healthily.

6. Avoid injury by stretching

Stretching before and after your workout can help avoid injury. When you stretch, you’re essentially warming up your muscles and preparing them for exercise.

This can help prevent pulled muscles or other injuries that could sideline you from working out.

7. Take rest days

Rest days are important! When you work out, you’re putting stress on your body, and your muscles need time to recover.

If you don’t give your body adequate time to rest, you could end up getting injured or becoming too fatigued to stick to your routine.

8. Have fun!

Finally, don’t forget to have fun! Exercise should be something that you enjoy, not something that feels like a chore. If you’re not having fun, you’re probably not going to stick with it.

In Closing

So find an activity that you enjoy and focus on making it a part of your life, rather than just something you do to lose weight. You’ll be more likely to stick with it, and you’ll actually reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Lush Co-Mingle Body Scrub

In need of a new body scrub, it was Lush to the rescue with their recently launched product Co-Mingle. Described as being a 3-in-1 Lavender Dream, it’s an absolute delight to use.

With Spring and Summer on their way, my legs have been suitably hidden underneath leggings or cozily wrapped in chunky knit tights, away from the cold and blistering wind, much like the rest of me! As the sun (finally) looks like she is to stay for a few weeks, it is time to remove the scales and the lizard skin and try my best to look presentable! Starting with a body scrub.

Packaged inside the tell-tale black pot, Co-Mingle is a cute pastel pink shade, reminiscent of Strawberry Angel Delight in colour and in many respects texture too. Lightweight and an almost whip-like mousse feeling as it touches the skin, but there is a light scrubbiness, not too harsh or overly abrasive.

Like all Lush products, Co-Mingle is packed full of amazing ingredients, in this case it starts with ground tagua nut and bamboo combo which give it that ability to exfoliate those dead and dry skin cells without being too rough and without scratching the skin. Added to that we also have the inclusion of 

• Glycerine which helps lock in moisture and effective ingredients, such as essential oils, into the skin.
• Cypress Leaf Infusion which helps stimulate blood circulation and reduce congestion
• Almond Oil - which is soothing, moisturising and packed with vitamin E
• Organic Brazil Nut Oil - which moisturises, protects and gives a gorgeous glow
• Vanilla Pod Infusion - which has soothing and antimicrobial properties as well as a sweet scent 
• Fair Trade Shea Butter - is an emollient which moisturisers and softens the skin 
• Argan Oil - knows for its ability to soothe, condition and moisturise the skin 
• Cupuaçu Butter - often used as a vegan alternative to lanolin, it moisturises and protects the skin 
• Lavender Oil - Cleanses, balances and soothes the skin as well as being relaxing and calming
• Goji Berry Juice - antioxidant rich, it has cleansing and toning abilities for the skin
• Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter - Moisturising and soothing for the skin 
• Carrageenan extract - helps to enhance hydration and soothing of the skin.

Those are just some of the ingredients within this scrub and anyone who shops regularly with Lush knows that each ingredient has its purpose.

On the skin, this scrub is designed to be used when wet. You need just the smallest, walnut sized amount, mix it in the palm of your hands and then apply to your skin, ideally in circular motions to your legs, arms, body and if you have time, paying attention to those areas which are drier than others - knees, elbows, shins and I’ve used it on my feet too! 

Priced at £18 for a 225g tub, if used once a week, it is going to last quite a good amount of time, slightly on the expensive side, but an absolute treat and better still when combined with the Sleepy collection!

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Aldi Fragrances - dupes?

I absolutely love my fragrances and when it comes to Aldi, they do have an entire fragrance catalogue, which you might or might not have come across.  I make no secret of my love for the Aldi Lacura range, if you have never tried it, there are some absolute delights to find, the latest being the Warming Eye Masks.  However, today I am sharing some of the latest fragrances to launch and they might just surprise you.

The latest two fragrances to launch within the Aldi range is Lacura Lady Pour Femme EDP and Lacura Atom EDPP both 100ml and both priced at just £5.99.  At this stage you might be wondering where Aldi got their inspiration from for these fragrances! Well keep on reading to find out!

Lacura Lady Pour Femme Eau de Parfum is described as being a sensual scent which boasts dark notes of sandalwood and tonka bean to compliment the notes of orange blossom and Bularian rose.  So have you guessed what it might be a dupe for? The answer is Carolina Herrera Good Girl.

So where do the similarities start and end?  For anyone who is a fan of Good Girl, of which I am as you can see here, the bottle is perhaps one of the most iconic of its kind. That stiletto heel is attention grabbing, it looks stunning and is like nothing else I have ever owned. Aldi have not copied that design, instead their bottle happens to be a deep blue with a gold lid, so you could say the colour design compliments the stiletto but that's all.  

When it comes to the fragrance, they are incredibly similar, from Caroline Herrera, you have a scent which is fresh, rich, it is bold and incredibly beautiful with the citrusy floral aroma and in contrast, you get pretty much that very same scent with Lady Pour Femme from Lacura, only the sillage isn't as good and the opening notes are not as fresh.  However, at £5.99 for 100ml versus £98 for 80ml, it is worth looking out for in store.

The second fragrance is Atom and it is described as being carefully formulated with Iso E Super to create a warm fragrance that is designed to adapt to each person who wears it. So have you guessed what it might be a dupe for? The answer is Escentric Molecules - Molecule 01, which happens to also be one of my all time favourite fragrances.

It isn't easy to describe Escentric Molecules 01 as a fragrance to anyone but it is best described as being a Woody Floral Musk fragrance for women and men. Created by the incredible Geza Schoen to take the fragrance industry and give it a shake to create something completely different. Molecules 01 is designed to blend with the wearer’s natural pheromones and create a scent which is unique to each person that applies it, so much so, you might not be able to smell it on yourself. Whenever I wear this fragrance, I am always asked multiple times what I am wearing, much more so than any other fragrance I own.

From Aldi with Atom, there are no similarities when it comes to the bottle design, firstly it is much more rounded whereas as Escentric Molecules is square and whilst both are 100ml, you pay £5.99 with Aldi and £72 with ES.  However, there is for me a difference in the fragrances, they are similar on the first spritz (I am using the example of spraying them on the hubby) but when drying down, Atom carried the woody amber scent much stronger and again the silage isn't as good.  However, if you have always wondered about Escentric Molecules 01 and wanted to know what all the fuss is about, Atom isn't one to turn your nose up at, but it definitely doesn't beat the original.

Both of these fragrances can be found within the Aldi Health and Beauty range and as with many Aldi Lacura products, they come in and out of stock all the time, so worth keeping an eye out for.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Cult Beauty - The Cult Conscious Edit

Cult Beauty is back with another beauty box, having not too long ago launched The Sunshine Edit, the Conscious Edit is described as being dedicated to unearthing the best that beauty has to offer and better still, it is priced at just £30.

The Cult Conscious Edit is said to be worth over £155/€185 but will be on sale for just £30/€34.50 and as is tradition with these boxes, Cult Beauty states that it is a saving of 80%. 

Dedicated to unearthing the BEST that the beauty world has to offer, we unite proven products from established brands and unsung and up-and-coming companies under one online ‘roof’. And because elevating your beauty ritual is our ultimate mission, we're always curating selections of beauty finds that are destined to delight and thrill. Next in line: The Cult Conscious Edit. Powered by Provenance (read: a software solution that uses blockchain technology to log impact claims), Cult Conscious rejects greenwashing by cutting through the industry 'noise' and equipping you with evidenced facts that matter. This carefully curated edit shines a spotlight on nine Cult Conscious heroes with Proof Points — from vegan to recyclable packaging — that make them all the more covetable...

Hand-picked by the expert Buying team at Cult Beauty, you will find an edit which features five full sizes, one deluxe and three travel-sized beauty finds.

Contents

• a travel-sized Coco & Eve Bali Buffing Sugar in ‘Lychee & Dragonfruit’ (60ml); 
• a full-sized Decree SOS Revitalising Mask (1 x sheet mask); 
• a deluxe Alpha-H Generation Glow Resurfacing Essence (30ml); 
• a full-sized Larry King Hair Care Good Life Shampoo Refill (180ml); 
• a full-sized La Bouche Rouge Mascara Le Serum Noir (6g); 
• a travel-sized Fable & Mane HoliRoots Pre-Wash Hair Oil (14ml); 
• a travel-sized Pai Skincare Rosehip Bioregenerate, Rosehip Seed and Fruit Universal Face Oil (10ml); 
• a full-sized Honest Beauty Gentle Gel Cleanser (150ml) 
• a full-sized Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% (30ml) from The Ordinary. 

Plus, added to this edit, you will also have a handy RecycleMe bag inside the box, so you can easily recycle your empties too!

The Cult Conscious Edit can be found right here and will be on sale soon.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.