Four ways to help you to wake up on time

Wednesday 18 January 2017




Setting my alarm at 6am was never going to busy, I was forever Googling how to wake up easily and actually feel awake. I feel I have mastered this and wanted to share my tips with you. I'm not saying these tips will work for everyone, but they have worked for me. I have never been a morning person and now I get up at 6am easily raring to go for my spin class!

1. Lumie Light
Now this is the best £50 I have ever spent. It is a light that gradually wakes you up with a sunrise, this is so important especially during the winter months where it is pitch black outside. I set my alarm for 6am so the sun gradually starts to rise from around 5:30am. I find I wake up 2/3 minutes before my alarm which is surprisingly a great feeling. I recently found out that if I turn your alarm on then turn the light up before you go to sleep the light gradually fades away, the sun sets, for you to fall asleep to. It is incredible what a difference a light would make to waking up.

2. Turn screens off and relax 30 mins before sleep and get an early night
I have set my bedtime for 10:30pm where I relax and listen to music, listen to the Headspace app or read my book. Then at 11pm everything is put away and I go to sleep. As I've spent time winding down I find I fall asleep much quicker and manage to get a solid 7 hours.

3. Change your alarm noise every two weeks 
I had the horrible iPhone alarm noise for two years, you know which one I mean? ERG ERG ERG ERG, the one that gives you a heart attack. Well I found I had become immune to the noise and it stopped waking me up. I discovered that if I changed the alarm noise every two weeks or so it kept me on my toes and woke me up.

4. Lay out EVERYTHING the night before
My alarm is only set at 6am for when I have the gym, I make sure I have prepared my breakfast and lunch the night before, packed my gym bag with everything I need and even laid out my clothes. This was I can roll out of bed, get changed brush my teeth and go. Maximising time spent in bed!

The worst part of waking up is always getting out of bed, the sooner you do it the better. I find if I snooze my alarm I end up feeling so much worse 10 minutes later.

What helps you get out of bed in the morning?

Five steps to have a healthy January

Wednesday 11 January 2017


1. Walk that one step further than you normally would, go one stop further, park further away..
My parents bought me a Fitbit for my birthday this year and it's honestly changed my mindset around London. I've found myself taking actually taking my lunch break at work and walking around Regent's Park. I started to realise how close tube stations are to each other, this has led to me walking one or two tube stops further than I normally would to get those steps in. I was invited to a Workweek Hustle, I found my competitive streak coming out and I was walking everywhere. Even using my lunch hour to walk through London to my meetings! I've found myself seeing so much of the city I live in that I miss when I'm underground. When I was walking to my meeting Google Maps took me right by the gates of Buckingham Palace, which I haven't been to since I moved her. Naturally I was a tourist and stopped for about 50 photos. I was determined to win this Workweek Hustle, spoiler I did, but this competition made me walk further than I ever would have walked! Team up with your friends, family, co-workers and see who can walk the furthest!

2. Setting yourself a tangible goal
I am guilty of setting myself goals that mean absolutely nothing and will have no tangible goal, so what was I working towards? Instead of a flimsy goal that doesn't mean a lot i.e. "be healthy", I set myself the following goals:
  • Three gym classes a week
  • Bring my breakfast and lunch in every work day
  • Walk at least 10,000 steps on weekdays
3. Not cutting out foods
 In my eyes being healthy isn't about eating kale 24/7, it's about having a balance in your life. If there is a birthday in the office allow yourself to have that piece of cake, just don't go wild and eat the whole thing. I find if I cut out foods I just crave them even more. However by not limiting myself I find I don't crave unhealthy foods, but don't worry I do have an emergency stash of maltesers.

4. Make getting snacks a challenge
Following the snack route, make sure you keep snacks in the house. I have a mixture of healthy and naughty snacks, I have put my maltesers in a box on the top shelf in my room, I have to climb on a table and then balance on a lower shelf in order to get them.. dedication to chocoalte! By doing this I am much more likely to go for some dark chocolate or a tsp of nut butter as I can get that easily. My healthy(ish) snack options are; popcorn (salted of course), rice cake with nut butter and a banana or dark chocolate (obsessed with Lindtt Mint Intense).

5. Surrounding yourself with people working towards similar goals. 
The majority of my house are on the January New Year health kick, when I walk in the house and see them all cooking it makes me want to cook something healthy but yummy too. Makes a change from seeing someone have a chinese and then all I want is a chinese. Instagram is also great for this, there is an incredible healthy community on there. Here are just a few people I find incredibly inspirational and often have drool worthy food:
  • Coralie at She Lifts The Fork https://www.instagram.com/shelifts.thefork/
  • Rachael at My Journey To Gold https://www.instagram.com/myjourneytogold/
  • Katy-Louise at Katy Lousie Fit https://www.instagram.com/katylouisefit/
  • Tara at Taras_Transformation https://www.instagram.com/taras_transformation/
  • Hannah Rose at Hannaheats https://www.instagram.com/_hannaheats/
  • Emily at What I Eat For Breakfast https://www.instagram.com/whatiateforbreakfast/
  • Arron at Crowther's Kitchen https://www.instagram.com/crowtherskitchen/
Don't try to do everything at once, ease yourself into it by making small changes in your day and you'll find it much easier.