Learning to Love Running

I dislike running with a passion!

seriously the whole time I am running I am trying to convince my brain to keep my feet moving, I hate the way it makes my nose run, and my lungs hurt. I hate that my boobs are practically hitting me in the face every other step.

With that being said, it would be safe for you to assume that I wouldn't have any desire to run, but you would be wrong. I long to love it, to be one of the many many Norwegians out at all hours of the day pounding the pavement. I want to be one of those annoying people who says "running is so relaxing" "running makes me feel free".

 So I decided the best way to force myself to become a runner would be to enter myself into a race!

I have entered myself into the iFormLøp 2013 in Bergen. and I am excited as well as scared.

It is 2 weekends away eek!

I started off thinking I could train on the treadmill and that would be enough, I completed my first test 5k in 44.58 minutes and was pretty pleased.

But then I started to get a niggling worry at the back of my head, Would I really be able to do this outside? 

Then I got a lucky break and Norway decided, enough with this winter sh*t! and skipped right over spring into glorious summer weather!

I took full advantage and yesterday got myself all ready for a jog around the lake near my apartment. I was going pretty well... until half way round the lake I suddenly felt like I was either going to throw up, pass out, or even worse BOTH!

The run ended there and I spent the rest of the time resting by the water and trying to find the strength to walk home!

Now, In the past that would have been that! okay I failed, end of that experiment. But this morning as the sun shone through the curtains, I was determined to try again. 

Success!!!

 I finally did it! I still don't enjoy running yet but at least at this pace I think I will be able to manage the 5k!!

no snazzy nike+ flag for my fastest 5k because the annoying gps crapped out and didn't log my run properly! thank God for Endemondo.

The 5K I am doing is still open for entrants, so if any of you Bergensers want to come join me please do!!!

enter here

Still truckin'

Despite a strong start at the beginning of the year, my weightloss came to a bit of a stall in April and I found myself losing and gaining the damn 5lbs over and over again.

 It was hard and my motivation has not been forthcoming but i have finally pushed through and seem to be back on track.

January (200lbs) to May (173.6lbs)

 I posted this progress picture on my facebook the other day and I can't believe how much my body has changed in a matter of months.

May in Norway is a crazy time with public holidays left, right and centre which is great as it means lots of breaks from working and lots of time to chill out but it also means lots of sitting inside watching TV (seeing as its still raining rivers in Bergen) or lots of drinking/party time.

so my main goal for this month is to enjoy the parties and celebrations on the long weekend, which includes the Norwegian national day, my dear friend Katharines birthday, my 25th birthday, and then the party for my birthday. and then get back down to business seeing as my holiday is now only 38 days away!!!!

Summer Wishlist

So the big trip to the US is fast approaching and in a mere 39 days me, my boyfriend and my sister Alice will be hanging out in America!!

I am planning on doing a TON of shopping while I am there, and can't wait to buy some summery things, although I must remember that Bergen's summer tends to last only a day or two so I can't buy too many summer dresses ;)

That doesn't stop me thinking up loose flowing summer outfits for hanging out on the beaches of Southern California, like the one below!

summer hols by selina-boullin featuring flat shoes

Oversized top

$17 - nelly.com

TOMS flat shoes

$70 - blueberries-online.com

Michael michael kor

zappos.com

Mint Bliss Striped Maxi Skirt | Modern Vintage Bottoms

shopruche.com

Mossimo Women's Mix and Match Cirque Collection

target.com

I am completely obsessed with that skirt <3 p="">

Eating Clean - Homemade Vanilla Almond Milk

I have seen so many different posts floating around Tumblr and Pinterest on how to make your own almond milk, but honestly I have never been a big milk drinker so I always just scrolled past and didn't pay a great deal of attention

But then this weekend I was suddenly hit with the desire to try almond milk and seeing as I had a bunch of almonds in my cupboard  thought why not.

I didn't use a specific recipe to do this I just went with what I remembered from the posts I'd seen, so here's how I made it.

I soaked about a cup of raw almonds in a cup and a half of water overnight in the fridge.

note, in most of the recipes it says to use filtered water, but the water in Norway is pretty clean so I just used tap water.

The next morning I threw the nuts and the water into the blender.

Okay, so since going back and looking at some of the recipes I did notice that it says to replace the water with new water, which I didn't do but mine turned out fine so I figure it's not biggie, and when I do my next batch I will use clean water to see if it really does make a difference.

Then you blend it all up on a high speed.

I blended it until I couldn't really see many brown flecks from the skins.

Then I used some clean thin cotton material  to squeeze out the almond milk into a Kilner jar

Most recipes recommend using muslin or a nut bag (hehe)

Be prepared this can be a messy job, I probably should have put down a tea towel first because I had almond milk everywhere!!

Once that Is done you are left with a jar full of yummy, creamy almond milk and a cloth full of almond mush, which can be used if you want, but I just binned mine seeing as all of the nutrients are in the milk anyways.

To make mine vanilla flavoured, I used half a vanilla pod, and scraped out the seeds into the milk, before letting the pod steep in the milk, to give it an extra luscious vanillery flavour.

There are so many yummy thing you could  flavour the milk with, I want to try cardamomme, cinnamon, dates, agave and honey.

YUM!!

Almond milk has a TON of health benefits and it's so easy to make. 

if you want to read more about the amazingness of almond milk you could have a look at some of these great websites.

 6 Health Benefits of Almond Milk

Almond Milk Life

NSV - Non Scale Victories

Now let me start off by saying

 I LOVE MY SCALE

  even when it shows me a number I don't like

for me stepping on the scale in the morning is the best way to get myself ready for the day. If it shows me a loss I feel fantastic, if it shows a gain, it reminds me to stay focused and to work my ass off!

However sometimes it can be incredibly gratifying to find some NSV's or non scale victories.

Like this comparison picture

When I was originally putting together this picture I did not realise just how different I looked, and while the weights aren't hugely far apart it really shows me how much my body has changed!!

another NSV has been fitting into all three pairs of jeans that my mum bought me for Christmas,

When I got them and tried them on I was gutted to realise that not one pair of them fit well, and I almost send them back but a mere two months later and they all fit perfectly!! (now they are even getting a little loose after being worn all day!)

I recently bought this dress online

In a size a lot smaller than I am today and I am hoping that this will be one of my future NSV's!!!

hopefully in time for my 25th Birthday!!

What are your latest NSV's???

Eating Clean - Banana Muffins

I have a really sweet tooth and I often find myself giving in to sugar cravings. Which always results in me feeling terrible.

So I have been on the lookout for a good muffin recipe for a while, one which will fit into my diet plan of clean eating. Then in our farm box last week, we received around 20 small bananas which had started to go bad, because who can really eat that many bananas in a week!?

Then it came to me! The internet!! The internet must have a clean eating recipe for banana muffins, and as usual it didn't disappoint. 

This recipe is based on one I found at The Gracious Pantry but I ended up changing it quite a bit to fit to my needs.

To make these all natural, no sugar, banana breakfast muffins you will need:

1 cup wholemeal flour

1 cup rye flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder (this is only because I didn't have enough baking soda for 2 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 eggwhites

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil (although i used Vita which is a blend)

1/4 cup milk (i used lett melk, but the recipe says you can use any kind)

1/4 applesauce (I used unsweetened apple and strawberry puree and probably added a little more than 1/4)

4 ripe small bananas (the original recipe calls for 2, but mine are so small that i doubled it)

for the topping i added a seed mix called Omega Mix which is a blend of pumpkin seeds, linseed, golden linseed, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. ( i also added a little sprinkle into the mix)

To Make

 preheat the oven to 190C

mash the bananas and mix in all of the other wet ingredients

the honey, milk, applesauce, eggwhites, oil

 Then in a separate bowl sift all of the dry ingredients together.

Next add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together thoroughly.

Spoon into muffin cases (about half way full) and then sprinkle with Omega Mix (or some yummy nuts of your choice)

Pop them into the oven for 20 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean

take them out and cool!

Enjoy them for breakfast, a snack or a perfect little sweet treat with a cup of herbal tea!  

Fitbook Review

I came across the Fitbook on Amazon a while back while looking for a food journal of some sort, and was instantly attracted to it, especially because it functions as both an exercise and food journal. oh and it comes with a super cute little pen!

"research shows that people who write down their goals are 75% more likely to achieve them. true - living a healthy, fit lifestyle takes discipline and hard work, but setting up yourself for success starts with jotting down your goals and making a realistic plan for achieving them.

introducing fitbook™ - the personalized, flexible and functional line of fitness + nutrition journals that offer a unique 12-week system to plan for success, track your progress, and reach your goals."  - visit the fitbook website

I have been using my fitbook for 6 weeks now and during that time I have lost over 10lbs, so I really wanted to share what it is like.

At the beginning of the book it gives you some sample pages to give you an idea of how to fill it in,

borrowed from amazon

Then it is time to get started yourself.

First up is setting yourself a 12 week plan, there are spaces for you to enter your current stats and your goals, and on the other side a 12 week exercise planner so you can figure out when you are going to get your workouts in.

as you can see I have not entirely filled in my plan yet as I always think of extra things as I go along.

And then you can really get going 

Each week starts off the same way with a weekly exercise and food planner on one page and a place to write down goals, rewards and notes on the next page.

I really like this feature as I am a natural born planner with lists coming out of my ears, so sitting down on Sunday evening and planning the week ahead is very satisfying.

Next you have your daily pages

an exercise log on one page

I really like that it has separate spaces for strength training and cardio and also has a little section so you can jot down anything noteworthy from the day.

and a food diary on the opposite

Probably one of my favourite features of the whole book is the nutrient tracker and recommended servings next to it. It certainly helps me keep in mind what i SHOULD be eating during the day.

At the end of the week it has a lovely little wrap up section where you can write down how well you followed your plan, you also get spaces to note down the good points from the week and the not so good, as well as a space to journal your thoughts and feelings from the week.

I especially enjoy the inspiration section on this page which helps me remember why I am working my ass off each week!

Then when you finally reach the end of your 12 weeks (mine finishes on my 25th Birthday!)

you will find this page

which lets you see how you have done compared to the goals you set yourself!

I cannot wait to reach the end of my book and I hope I will have achieved some of my Goals, I know for sure that I will 110% be purchasing another Fitbook, maybe in white this time!
and so should you!! go grab one! they are a fantastic way to reach your goals!

this review was done entirely off my own back. I am recieving no compensation from FITBOOK

Hello April

I have a feeling you are going to be a fantastic month, and I have a lot of goals to achieve while you are here, But first a look back on my March goals

they were,

 1. Work towards completing 5 cardio sessions a week and try and add in a small weights session

I still haven't managed to get 5 in a week but i am still working hard on it!

 2. Lose another 10lbs

Proudly completed

I am not 20lbs down in my Weightloss and still trucking on.

 3. Carry on with the 30 Day Shred

This I didn't do, the weather has been too nice for staying inside and working out, instead I have been hiking

 4. Make time to Read more (not fitness related but very important for keeping my stress down) 

I have been working hard on this one and while I haven't read as much as I would have liked I did start the fouth book in the Of Ice and Fire series and started a new Gillian Flynn book.

5. Keep a written food and exercise diary. I do currently use MFP but i really prefer pen and paper for keeping me accountable.

Yes! I have been using my new FITBOOK

Review coming soon.

 6. Try a new meal every week! (and blog about it!)

Yeah I had high hopes for this but honestly once I get home from work all I want to do is just throw something quick in the oven, no time for experimenting or photographing.

Now for my April Goals

1. Lose another 10lbs! 

Summer is creeping ever closer and those bikinis are calling my name

2. Change up my Cardio routines to reflect the weather

Hiking, Running outside (fear zone) Swimming along with the usual Spinning and Treadmill

3. Get back on the Yoga train

Now that I am losing weight at a fairly rapid pace, I think I need some Yoga to help avoid too much saggy skin!

4. Beat my PB on the Treadmill

Currently I am able to run for about 15 straight minutes on the Treadmill, I want to get to 20

5. Keep logging food in my FitBook and eating healthily.

Self explanatory.

I promise I am going to try super hard to not make my next post a recap of my April goals and instead attempt to actually publish a variety of posts this month!

in the meantime let me know what YOUR goals for April are?? 

How to get more out of your workouts...

invest in a heart rate monitor!

seriously this thing has completely changed the way i work out!

you  may have noticed if you follow my instagram that i have been posting a lot of pictures of my polar ft4 watch.

I purchased it at the beginning of February and instantly loved that it could show me not only my heart rate but  also calories burned while working out! 

It was perfect for spinning because it has helped me see how effective my workouts are.

I also just recently realised that it kept track of all of my workout data so i am able to see how many hours i have worked out and calories i have burned since getting it!

I am super proud of how hard I have worked so far! and I am hoping to have at least doubled the amount of sessions by the end of April!

and I am completely in LOVE with my polar watch! 

If you are thinking of getting one and you are not sure you really want to commit to buying a top of the line expensive one then this is definitely for you as it only cost me £52 which is pretty cheap compared to some of the others!

Do any of you use a heart rate monitor to improve your workouts?

God Påske

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful Easter Sunday with family and friends!

I have spent the day so far lounging on the couch watching hele norge baker and eating chocolate nom nom!

later i shall be getting my gladrags on to go out, eat Indian food and watch

Which i am very much looking forward to!

What are your plans for the rest of the day?

Oh how Pinteresting...Vacation Edition

I am super excited to be travelling to the states this summer and have been looking at a ton of pictures on pinterest so i thought i would share them with you!

This is a link up to Michelle from The Vintage Apple

we are starting off in

Source: awelltraveledwoman.tumblr.com via Jason on Pinterest

Source: 500px.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Carrie on Pinterest

with a quick visit to...

Source: cupcakesandcashmere.com via Sarah on Pinterest

and 

Hope, Canada (something to do with Rambo?)

Source: firstbloodfilminglocations.com via Roger on Pinterest

before flying down to..

Source: thingssheloves.tumblr.com via Noel on Pinterest

for the weekend

Source: sayukioceanunique.tumblr.com via Sarita on Pinterest

Then a dive down the PCH

Source: vintagecottagecamper.blogspot.com via Lori on Pinterest

and then two weeks in Orange County and LA

Source: mobile.wallpapersget.com via VIPsAccess on Pinterest

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Selina on Pinterest

yep that one is me!! (in 2009)

Source: pinterest-daily.com via Daniel -N- Michelle on Pinterest

I am sooo freaking excited!!!

Have you guys ever been to any of these places? do you have any good tips on things to do and see?

Fitness Goals

In January i made myself some goals, not all of them were fitness related but most, so i wanted to address them and add a few more :)

My goals were..

1. cut out junk food and anything that is overly processed

I did pretty good on this one, i certainly cut waay down on the junk food and my general diet now consists of healthy proteins and vegetables so a definite tick for that!

2. home cook as many meals as possible and try and blog new recipes

This i did really well! i think in the past two months i have home cooked around 90% of my meals, its not always easy and i do find myself eating a lot of the same meals again and again, so i think i need to get on pinterest and find some new healthy meals to try.

3. CARDIO 5 times a week in some form or another

This goal was really hard and if i am honest with myself i don't think i managed it once in the past two months, however i am now spinning between two to four times a week and i am trying to fit in some 30 Day shred as well so i am almost there for this goal.

4. my weightloss goal from now untill my 2 year anniversary with my lovely boyfriend on Feb 12th is to lose 10lbs

I DID IT!!!!!

i managed to get that magic number 1 day before my anniversary and it made me feel amazing!

5. be consistent with my skincare routine seeing as my mum bought me a lovely clinque kit for christmas.

and last but not least

I definitely failed at this one :( I really did not get along with the clinique kit at all, so i switched it out for a Mary Kay one which i am LOVING but i'm not great at using daily :/

6. complete the 30 day shred eek!

Pfft! I haven't even made it past workout 1 yet, but i am still going with it. I am using it as a supplement to my spinning so only doing it once a week at the moment.

and now for my March Goals.. 

 1. Work towards completing 5 cardio sessions a week and try and add in a small weights session

 2. Lose another 10lbs

 3. Carry on with the 30 Day Shred

 4. Make time to Read more (not fitness related but very important for keeping my stress down) 

5. Keep a written food and exercise diary. I do currently use MFP but i really prefer pen and paper for keeping me accountable.

 6. Try a new meal every week! (and blog about it!)