Invaluable Lessons I've Learnt Running

Invaluable Lessons I Learnt Running

As I narrowly avoided face-planting concrete the other morning on my run, a great lesson I wished someone had taught me, was not to attempt running and talking. But perhaps that was just pure clumsiness. 

Here's a few invaluable lessons I have learnt from running: 

• Just because it’s not easy, doesn’t mean you can’t do it. Getting to the end of your run can often feel like an impossible quest. But I suppose like childbirth, when push comes to shove, that baby’s got to come out of there somehow, and you’re only way home is getting up and over that hill. Running is almost never easy. It’s hard. It always will be. The only difference is that each time you set out, you realise that although it’s hard, you’re strong and more than capable.

• Fast runners, slow runners, there’s little difference. We’re all made of the same grit and determination that will get us through our runs, regardless of our times and distances.

• You can’t compare your mile to anyone else’s. We all thrive in different aspects of our lives. When my Brother began running again, I was really disheartened to see he could do what I found incredibly difficult, so easily. This type of discouragement is natural and we can all feel as though we aren’t good enough within certain aspects of our lives. You can use these feelings as a positive driving force to improve your own performance, but focus on doing your best not anyone else's. And at the end of the day, sure he can thrash me on a 5K run, but I’ll always make a better bowl of porridge than him.

• The climb is steep, but boy, the view is great. All your efforts are being noted. All the long runs, the hot runs, the hard runs, the fast runs and one day, you’re going to see the fruit of all your labour. 

• It’s easy to get caught up with the PBs. A lot of runners get really concerned with always going out there and running their fastest, which sometimes can take all the fun out of running. Don’t forget to sometimes go out running for the pure enjoyment of the sport - forget about PBs, just run. On Christmas morning, my Dad and I always open a pair of new running shoes and it’s become a sort of tradition that we break them in with a cheeky run before the festivities of the day begins. We don’t worry about how far we run, or how fast we run, we just have a great time. 

And possibly the most important lesson I've learnt running: the Rocky theme tune gets you up hills quicker. Fact.

K

Salt & Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas & Other Healthy Travel Snack Ideas

The last time I got on a plane empty-handed, I went a little crazy on those tiny tubes of Pringles from the refreshment trolley. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination, but it’s safe to say I always like to keep some nutritious supplies on my persons. Here’s my picks for some sweet and savoury healthy travel snacks:

Powerful Antioxidant Blueberry & Dark Chocolate Snack Pot. 

Houmous Snack Pot & Veggie Sticks. 

The Perfect Crisp Alternatives: Kallo Sundried Tomato & Herbs Mini Corn & Rice Cakes and EatReal Chilli & Lemon Lentil Chips.

Nakd Banana Crunch Bar.

Munchy Seeds Choccy Ginger.

Salt & Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

If you’re a sucker for the salted peanuts with your G&T when the trolley comes round, lose the overly processed nuts (not the drink) and try this recipe for these crunchy Salt & Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas.

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6/200 Degrees Celsius and line a baking tray.

Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas onto a clean tea towel (or kitchen paper) and pat dry. Transfer the chickpeas onto the baking tray and drizzle with your extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.

Roast the chickpeas for about 15 minutes, then toss chickpeas with a wooden spoon and continue to roast for another 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Drizzle the chickpeas with your balsamic vinegar and toss. Allow to cool before eating.

Store in an airtight container for 1 - 2 days. 

Remember that a balanced diet is something that needs to be sustainable for yourself. It is about creating healthy habits and not placing restrictions on ourselves - sometimes choosing to eat vegetable sticks over crisps, but still allowing ourselves treats when we really want them. So these are just some of my favourite healthy choices for snacks when travelling, but at the end of the day, I'm going on holiday so I probably still will treat myself to a few Pringles (perhaps I may just not go quite so crazy) alongside my blueberries. 

K

What's In My Holiday Skincare Bag

I dread checking-in my suitcase at the airport. I fear that my case will send those scales flying way over and I'll have to pay for the extra kg allowance, and trust me, I've already got greater plans to spend that money in duty-free. Now seeing as half my suitcase is compromised between important skincare, make-up and snacks, I know that it'll be my underwear thats first to go...But hey, if in the name of good skin I'll have to spend the holiday in my birthday suit, I'm prepared to make that sacrifice.

Here's the products I'm taking - in order of application:

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Thirst-Quenching Serum

Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

Nivea Rich Moisturising Day Cream (for dry/sensitive skin) with SPF 15

La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid SPF 50+

Cloud 9 Clarity Clearing Spot Gel

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

LUSH Oatifix Face Mask

Caudalie Overnight Detox Oil 

There's nothing worse than sacrificing your underwear for a whole load of products you're not actually going to use, so I only fill my skincare bag with things that I use on a day-to-day basis. 

Being red-headed and pale with freckles, I'm very wary about my exposure to the sun. I  always apply an SPF 50 like the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Ultra Light Fluid SPF 50+ all over my face and neck, come rain or shine, and you'll find me on the sun lounger with a large floppy hat and sunglasses (chic). Between the drying air-conditioning on the flights and the long days in the sun, I find that my skin gets very dehydrated and looses it's glow. I make sure to drink plenty of water and use a moisturising face mask like the LUSH Oatifix every other day to keep it in good condition. And I can always guarantee I'll be blessed with a big break-out just as I'm to spend a week almost make-up free, so I'm taking the Cloud 9 Clarity Clearing Spot Gel to use on spots for it's fast and effective relief (it also dries super quick and clear leaving me feeling more confident).

What would you sacrifice your underwear for when you go on holiday?

K

Weekly Dinner Plan #4

I’m a nosy person by nature, and a lover of all things food, so it’s no surprise I’m always intrigued to know what other people eat. For anyone who eagerly questions colleagues every morning “so what did you have for dinner last night?” like it’s some hot gossip, this ones for you. Here’s what this weeks Dinner plan looks like:

Monday Smoked tofu and peanut stir-fry.

Tuesday Salmon parcels with spring vegetables.

Wednesday Prawn and cashew nut salad.

Thursday Almond lemon cod.

Friday Sweet potato wedges with garlic beans and spinach.

Saturday Ten-minute tomato sauce served with brown rice pasta.

Sunday Mushroom & cauliflower vegan shepherds pie.

• The first few meals this week are recipes I’ve been eager to try out from ‘The Louise Parker Method Lean For Life’. I like that Parker’s idea emphasises eating a diet rich in whole foods, and creating a sustainable lifestyle incorporating achievable exercise to get you looking lean, rather than the diet you ditch 4 weeks in. 
• Half Marathon training has officially started, which means between 3 - 4 runs per week, including a long distance run every Sunday morning. It’s important to incorporate plenty of carbs for energy and protein to aid in recovery to my diet. Saturday night is the ten-minute tomato sauce with black beans served with brown rice pasta to fuel me through Sunday morning. 
• Sunday is always a comfort meal type of night. I don’t actually eat meat, so I plan on making a vegan shepherds pie with mushrooms and a cauliflower mash topping instead of the traditional way. 

What does your weekly dinner plan look like?

K

Comforting Cinnamon Butter Bean Stew

Painting my nails and re-watching old episodes of 90210 are extremely tedious jobs that aren’t going to just do it themselves, you know. Some times, I just don’t have the time to slave away making a big fancy dinner when there are far more important things to do. 

This cinnamon butter bean stew is a perfect, comforting, throw-it-all-together mid-week meal that gives you more time to do all those things you keep putting off - a Jo Malone candlelit bubble bath, oh the horror, don’t make me do it.  

Make a big batch to freeze for even quicker, healthy mid-week meals! 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Cups Vegetable Stock

400g Courgettes (Chopped)

2 Red Onions (Chopped)

400g Broccoli & Cauliflower Florets

2 Cans Butter Beans

4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

200g Brown Basmati Rice

Place all ingredients into a saucepan, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer whilst you steam the rice.

Serve and enjoy!

More time for all that “important” stuff… 

K

Weekly Dinner Plan #3

I’m a nosy person by nature, and a lover of all things food, so it’s no surprise I’m always intrigued to know what other people eat. For anyone who eagerly questions colleagues every morning “so what did you have for dinner last night?” like it’s some hot gossip, this ones for you. Here’s what this weeks Dinner plan looks like:

Monday Butter bean stew served with brown basmati rice.

Tuesday Steamed salmon fillet flaked over spinach salad with new potatoes.

Wednesday Lentil bolognese served with brown rice penne pasta and steamed broccoli florets.

Thursday Mackerel With Roasted Asparagus.

Friday Chickpea curry with brown basmati rice.

Saturday Away. 

Sunday Away.

• I freeze a lot of leftovers so I know I always have something quick and healthy to grab out of the freezer in a rush. Last week I made a lentil bolognese that I plan to reuse on Wednesday, and this week I’m making a butter bean stew to serve with brown basmati rice that should come in handy the following week.
• I spoke last week about how I’ve been trying to reincorporate more variety of foods back into my diet, and currently I’ve loved everything I’ve been trying. As a child I hated fish with a burning passion, and now they seem to be my favourite meals of the week. This week I’m going to be roasting a mackerel fillet to serve with roasted asparagus and whatever vegetables need using up in our fridge. When choosing fish, I opt to buying the slightly more expensive line-caught options to ensure the sustainability of the species and the nutrition content - M&S is usually my go to for salmon and cod. 
• Now it always seems that I’m never in for dinner on a Saturday and Sunday, so thats why I always try to be good during the week and enjoy eating out on the weekend. We’re actually going away for the weekend, so I planned to have a chickpea curry ready to take with me for Friday evening when we arrive - it’s a good ‘through everything you have in the cupboard together’ meal - but who knows what I’ll eat the other days. 

What does your weekly dinner plan look like?

K

June Favourites

Remember:

“Perfection is annihilation. It paralyses us from working from the heart. Humans by nature are not perfect and imperfections are what make the world beautiful.”

Some days you may feel exhausted, unmotivated and unhappy, and you might beat yourself up over that and punish yourself for not working harder. It’s incredibly easy to let that bad day affect you. I’ve had a fair few of them myself this month. But know that you are human, imperfect by nature. You’re allowed to feel lazy and unaccomplished. Please don’t be a fool who believes that these bad days are exclusive to you, but take comfort in the fact that everyone has them

We cannot be perfect 100% of the time. And no one expects us to be but ourselves.

Onto the favourites...

This month I finally took the plunge, and in a retail-therapy induced online shopping spree, I brought this pink Zara faux leather biker jacket. I kind of feel like Barbie when I wear it (and I totally love that).

Now I’m not one to usually get breakouts, but that means when I do, the whole world seems to be coming to an end. This Cloud 9 Skin Clarity Spot Gel has been an absolute lifesaver. I apply a thin layer to problematic areas morning and evening to help take the swelling of spots down and reduce visible redness. Plus, it sets like a dream so you can apply make-up over it - score! Another skincare favourite this month is the St Tropez In Shower Gradual Tan which is helping me build a healthy faux glow in time for my summer holidays. My last beauty favourite this month was the Real Techniques Brush Cleansing Palette which has made cleaning brushes (the bane of my life) quicker and more effective! 

Although it’s officially Summer in the UK, you wouldn’t know it. The shocking weather and thunderstorms has had me putting more miles in on the treadmill recently than on the pavement, so I’ve been using the Zombies, Run! app to keep sessions more interesting. And let me tell you, nothing gets you running faster than 100 imaginary zombies in your ear. Download free from the app store. 

Food favourites this month include: the limited edition Pip & Nut Maple Crunchy Peanut Butter (anyone else fancy starting a petition to Pip & Nut to continue this flavour indefinitely?); the Nakd Banana Crunch bars which are perfect as a little clean-eating dessert of an evening and these Garbanzo Dry Roasted Chickpeas that I have become obsessed with. 

What are your favourites this month?

K