Take a break - Rest Days

Hi guys!
August is here - I read somewhere that August is like the summer's Sunday and it is true! Slowly we start adjusting to everyday life again, school, work etc. I'm a lucky one, I'll be leaving for Greece next week to celebrate the last working year for me is official over! I'll be starting university this September. Freaked out much?

Well, this post is not about important things like Greece, but it is about something important though! I guess the headline sais it all? Yep, we're talking rest days! I chose this subject because it is very relevant for myself these days. The active girls I'm following on Tumblr keep mentioning this and I know if you just started working out or haven't started yet a rest day sounds like the best thing in the entire world! But I am this far in my addiction to exercising that I have a really hard time going just one day without it. Especially now when I'm leaving for Greece in a week, things need to speed up and I don't feel like I can miss one day's workout. This is bulls***! Pardon my French. Rest days are so important and I need you all to remember this! Because many people forget this when they start feeling the addiction of exercising!

Some days you need this more than the gym - and it's okay!

So do something else on your rest days - make them fun! Go to the beach, go shopping, see some of those friends you haven't seen in a while because you had to work out! Go go go have a life! Or you could, like me, watch all the tv you normally can't!

"Well, why are rest days so darn important then", you might ask. There are a million good reasons and I'll give them right now:

TISSUE REPAIR:
The first reason to stay home from the gym! Like it or not, when you are lifting weights your body is actually making damage to the muscle tissue and this is not a bad thing because that's what makes them grow - but after damage follows repairing and you need to respect your body for that. You'll be feeling those sore muscles for days if you've been doing it correct and hard enough.

REPLENISHES ENERGY STORES:
What the hell does replenish means, right? Don't worry, I had to google it too. It basically means rebuilding something - in this case energy stores. This makes perfect sense to all I hope! If you take a rest day your body will be even more ready to a H.I.T class, crossfit, weight lifting etc. the day after tomorrow.

KEEPS THE MOTIVATION:
Yep, you might end up hating exercising if you keep pushing yourself every single day! Don't get me wrong, people do that for a living - but for us just doing it as a hobby you need to take a break or else you'll have a bad time. I myself are definitely not there yet, but I think you really need to be careful. Make your workouts a reward, not a punishment and these rest days will also come more easily.

DECREASES RISK OF INJURY:
Also pretty simple. Don't push your legs/arms/stomach to maximum every single day, your body don't like that! You can push yourself, I love people who push themself, but keep it realistic. People who run 10 km a day, every day - it's a fact that their knees are ruined as they hit 40. Not cool! Respect your body!

So yeah, I think those were some pretty awesome reasons to keep it down - how many restdays you need I actually can't tell. It depends on your workouts and how long you're at it. But just always use your brain. If you feel your knee is stupid or your body is impossible to work with take a break that day.
Go easy on yourself!

I'm Puzzled - The Power Of Protein

Hi there beauties!

Are you out sweating in the sun? Whether it's sweat from lying on the beach with nothing but a bikini on or it's from running, swimming or riding your bike - I approve! 

I am on my computer writing this post (obviously), but I get my workouts done too! I was thinking about what to make this post about. Like, if I just started training, what would I like to know? I remember being confused and uninformed about protein powder. So many of the bloggers I was following were bying that stuff by the bucketful! I knew it would do something for your muscles, but what exactly that was I couldn't tell? My cousin then asked if we should buy some and share it just to see if it works. I've been searching the net to find stuff about it, but there's so many people saying different things, I don't know what to believe! 

I read that the "natural" amount of protein in your body are used for various things besides growing muscles - like growing your hair and nails too. Therefore it needs to divide the protein around for all the tasks and when you increase your protein intake the body has more stuff to work with on those muscles. Does this make any sense? No? Yes?

If you are an athlete or something fairly similiar it should do great for your body. Everybody agrees that your workouts are nothing without protein. But then the question is, how much protein? If you, like me, train 5-7 times a week an hour each day, you shouldn't be needing protein shakes according to experts. You should be able to absorb protein through your meals. A healthy breakfast with eggs or high protein yoghurt/skyr, lunch with little bread and a lot of fish maybe and dinner with low fat meat like chicken or turkey and salats with lots of beans, broccoli and sprouts. You can search for other foods with protein, but these are the ones with most in it. 

If you drink or take protein supplements, they say you should do it 3 times a day. One when you wake up in the morning, fresh out of protein in your body after many hours sleep, one after your workout where the muscles are still working and one right before bed, so your muscles have something to work with during the night. Days when you do not work out you should still drink a shake or similiar right during the day - they say you shouldn't forget that because your muscles are recovering and need the protein even more! So remember that! No workout doesn't mean no shake!

Well, according to studies I should be getting my daily protein, but I still agreed to share that protein powder with my cousin because I'm too curious! And because I wanna help you guys!

 I got the protein powder the week I left for my vacation, so I haven't truely gotten around to try it for real, I just gave it a go after a workout or two. 

We bought the 100 % WHEY Gold Standard in the Chocolate version. And I know this sounds absolutely delicious, but I will never get use to the taste of that much protein! Therefore I have worked my way in the kitchen, making a recipe for you guys for the best protein smoothie ever! I eat it for breakfast after my workout! Yummy! I'll show you guys down at the end!

So yeah. There's not much conclusion to as what protein does and if you should drink more of it - if you're overweight you can't use it to lose weight, it actually works the other way around. You should eat healthy meals with lots and protein so you get the right energies and not just air and protein. But I still think I will test it. And if nothing else, I have some delicious powder to various cake recipes and a GREAT smoothie!

The amazing protein smoothie ala Nanna:

 - About 30 gram of 100 % WHEY Gold Standard Chocholate mixed with fat free milk 

- 5-6 frozen strawberrys 

- 1 banana

Mix your protein powder and the milk to a shake in a shaker - then pour the shake in a blender with the berrys and the banana and BAM! Best smoothie ever!

Delicious Summer Yummys

Hello there!
The summer can be a hard time eating healthy and staying fit when one's routine is out of balance and all you really want is unhealthy stuff. Fear not my friends!
I've been searching my Tumblr for some healthy recipes to try out here in the summer heat and I must say they look SO good! I found my top 3 and I hope it's of any use to some of you!

#1 - Avocado Chocolate Pudding - Recipe video here

#2 - Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt - Recipe link here

#3 - Creamy Vegan Garlic Pasta - Recipe link here

Help I'm Going On Vacation!

Happy holiday my beautiful friends!
I hope you're having a smashing summer and the weather is with you wherever you are in the world! I myself just got home from a three weeks stay in Italy so I'm all rested and tanned.
What I wanna talk about today is very relevant for my three weeks vacation and I know that many of you have the exact same problem when you're on your holiday. How to squeeze that workout in now and then and keeping the clean path in eating healhty - because it can be so hard! Especially if your family is keeping up the holiday spirit with sugary drinks and wonderfull (not so healthy) food all day long. Luckily my parents are as healthy as me so the food they're making are not as damaging for the diet. But this is not the case for everyone and I know, BOY do I know how hard it is keeping away from tempting food when it's right in front of you!
I'll try to write down some simple steps you can try to follow both with eating healhty and exercising.

So this post is for the people feeling panicked about going away on holiday and staying fit and healthy at the same time!

Mental preparation:
My vacations doesn't start the day we leave - it starts weeks before! Not only with my intensive workouts but also mentally. If you, like me, are going away camping or staying at a hotel or something else like that where a lot of tempting food and candy-licious treats are standard, you should start preparing. Start telling your brain you're not gonna eat ice cream everyday and it will be just a little easier saying no when finally there. Find some good tactics that works for you. Basically just think about it and you're already one step closer because you've acknowledged the fact that it's there, but not necessarily something you should eat everyday just because it is.

Cutting:
This step is kinda under the previous step, since it begins before the vacation begins. Four or three weeks before start cutting sugar from your diet. I do this on a regular basis, not eating sugar or high fat snacks like chips from Monday to Friday - do this a couple of weeks before, maybe even do it all week if possible. Your body will get use to it and after some weeks I promise you that you will crave sugar less and less. If you're able to do this, it will be a lot easier saying no when the vacation starts!

Alternatives:
Find alternatives for sugar to eat. I love watermelon and apples, well basically any fruits! Yogurt with fruit makes a great dessert.

Workouts:
This is also problem for some. How to workout if you're not in a hotel with a gym? There's so many things you can do to get active and it doesn't even have to be that creative.

Running
I'm a runner so of course I was up every morning going for a run in the mountains, but if you can't run due to injuries or other things that's of course out of the question.

Walking
Never underestimate the power of a good walk! Bring some good shoes (running shoes are great shoes for a good walk) and maybe even put on your workout clothes because you'll feel more comfortable sweating and therefore you might even walk faster. Plus get one of your family members or friends or boy/girlfriend to join you - it'll be much more fun and you'll probably chose a longer route.

Swimming
Most of the camping spots we've been to have had a pool. Maybe not a big one, but if you're lucky to have a big pool where you're staying then go for a swim! Swimming is so good for you, people wouldn't believe! It is the most healthy thing you can do for your body since there's almost no injuries to it. Do a crawl, a breaststroke whatever! It'll built muscles like you wouldn't believe!

If you have the chance to surf - do it! It is SO MUCH fun!

Cycling
Maybe this is a bit far out, but many people bring their own bikes on vacation. My parents ride racing bikes, but you can do mountain bikes too - even just ride any bike and it'll be great exercise for you! You can rent bikes so many places, search for them and see the landscape a whole new way!

Portable equipment
Bring some stuff to built or maintain muscle mass - I brought a big rubber band. You can find them in many sizes and they are great to do exercises with. Both for arms, legs and stomach. Of course weights and stuff like that are stupid to bring, but I used huge waterbottles for my stomach workouts for example.
But feel free to use benches, stairs, play grounds and other things to intensify your workout.

Guilt
Talking about all these things can be difficult. People are not the same and sometimes it can start arguments and maybe offend someone. Just because you decided to eat healthy does not mean you can go around and preach about how other people should eat on their vacation. Just be polite and respect other's opinions. But don't you EVER apologize for going running in the morning or going swimming or basically just being active on your holiday! Some people do not understand why it's needed to be this active and I don't want anyone feeling guilty about it. People can be mean whe they are jealous. It all goes both ways.
And don't ever be guilty for eating that chocolate ice cream anyways - it is vacation and you don't want to walk around sad, because you're gonna have a bad time then! I ate tons of stuff too you stuff have to think about it a little.

All these steps are built if you're going away from your usual everyday life like a vacation or visiting family in another city or whatever. But of course you can use them as guidelines for a holiday at home too if that is what you're doing. Just remember to use your brain a little and it can't go wrong!

How To Train Your Dragon 2

Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy.
I'm sorry this is so late, but first the premier screening I went to had a technical error and we only had sound but no picture. So the screening go cancelled after 45 minutes of them trying to get a picture, and I went home very upset. But later that day I found out that in the city 30 minutes away I could see it with original voices and without subtitles. Which for me is the dream. So two days later I finally sat down to watch How To Train Your Dragon 2. And goodness grief it was an heartbreaking journey.

The story of How To Train Your Dragon 2 about when Hiccup and Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider. The two friends suddenly find themselves at the centre of a battle to protect the peace.

Now, I the second reason I haven't gotten around to writing this post is that I am struggling to find the words to express how much I liked this movie and how it shattered my heart into a million pieces. Like, seriously, this movie should come with a dang warning. I had been so anxious about this movie because I've seen the reaction of some the people I follow on social media sites and it didn't seem to bode well for my emotional well being.
So I guess, sorry in advance if this is gonna be a short review.

First off I guess the positive and good points about this movie, because about the first hour or so was a parade of happy tears and laughter and I started to have hope about this not being so painful after all. Silly me.

So yeah, the dragon races and Hiccup and Toothless flying high in the sky and mapping about the islands surrounding Berk was amazing and I could physically feel my heart grow. And my gosh, I didn't think Toothless could be any cuter but DEAR ME, when he discovered his back flaps (or whatever they are called) I nearly died. HE WAS SO HAPPY AND ODDLY PROUD OF HIMSELF. JUST LOOK AT HIS LIL' FACE ♥♥(ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧♥♥

But as we all know nothing good last forever. And here I'm afraid I need to get into some spoilers, so do no read on if you don't want to be spoiled. I'll give a lil' signal to mark I'm done with spoiling.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]

So yeah. The worst part of this movie came not long after my naïve thoughts about this not being a sad movie. When Toothless was being controlled by the Alpha, my heart was already breaking. Seeing Toothless attacking Hiccup? Worst thing in the world. Because you know that Toothless would never ever ever hurt Hiccup, even if his own life was on line. So seeing him getting closer to Hiccup, knowing that underneath the mind control Toothless knew what he was doing but could do nothing to stop it. The guilt he must be feeling. It was awful.
And then it got worse.
And I died of a broken heart, right there in my seat in the cinema.
Because you know what I loved about the first movie? Hiccup and Stoick's relationship. How they grew to accept each other for who they are. Accepting each others flaws and differences. Them getting closer as a family. So seeing Hiccup and Stoick reunited with Hiccup's mother, and them slowly learning to how to be a family again. And then for it all to be ripped away only hours later? Haha, no thanks. And for it to be Toothless who killed Stoick? Double no thanks, mate. Just... just that whole scene with Hiccup shouting at Toothless afterwards and Drago leaving with Toothless was just too much. Honestly feeling a bit chocked up just thinking about the scene. And gods, I cried so much and it was so awful. I legit felt like sliding down my seat, curl up on the floor and howl like a wounded animal. I just wanted to make it all stop and eject myself from the situation. I don't think I've experience that kind of pain since the end of Catching Fire.

[END OF SPOILERS]


All in all the movie was super great and didn't really disappoint me in any way. Although, the first movie is still my favourite, and it will always be my all time favourite.
So to sum up; 1 hour of fun, 20 minutes of pain and anguish and then about 20 minutes of numbness mixed with an odd kind of happiness. I'm gonna end this now with the closing monologue of Hiccup. It really sums up what's great about these movies and why they mean so much to me.

"This is Berk. A bit trampled, and busted, and covered in ice but it's home. It's our home. Those who attacked us, are relentless and crazy, but those who stopped them, oh, even more so! We may be small in numbers, but we stand for something bigger than anything the world can pin against us. We are the voice of peace, and bit by bit, we will change this world. You see, we have something they don't. Oh sure, they have armies, and they have armadas, but we, we have DRAGONS!"

Favourite Spencer Hastings Outifts

After looking through outfits for my last post about Pretty Little Liars fashion, I decided to make another one, this time featuring the preppy spectacular Spencer Hastings! Spencer is one of my favourite Liars, and I love the evolution of her fashion sense because it mirrors her character development wonderfully.

But onwards to the clothes!

Featured in season 1 episode 2; "The Jenna Thing"

This look just fits her character well, especially first season Spencer, because she was all business and all about being the best at everything. So a shirt and a blazer is very fitting. And I love the fold up jeans and shock less shoe look.









Featured in season 1 episode 3; "To Kill A Mocking Girl"

This look is super cute yet still very Spencer like. Because even at a party she looks preppy and ready to make a business deal. And that skirt is so cute and wonderful.











Featured in season 3 episode ; "It Happened That Night"

Looking less preppy and school girl like in season 3, which again fits with her character because as the series progresses Spencer has been forced to refocus her energy on other things (like A). She's still clever and brilliant, but is starting to understand that there's more to life than studying and winning. And this outfit is super adorable with the pale yellow and blue.

Tasha Twisted skirt by Guess

Featured in season 3 episode 14; "She's Better Now"

I'm sad I couldn't get a full body shot of this ensemble, because that skirt is really amazing. These pictures doesn't do it justice. In action it just looks so airy and flowy and soft. Like clouds.

Bag: Tonai tote by Aldo
Top: by Karina Grimaldi
Skirt: Mercedes Chiffon Pleated Skirt by W118 Walter Baker

Favorite Summer Swimsuits

Yesterday we posted my top picks from the various shops, when it came to bikinis, but I´m a swimsuit person myself, so know my personal top favorite swimsuits.

DESIGNER SWIMSUITS

Moschino

Double up on Ralph Lauren

Calvin Klein

Versace

Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs

HIGH STREET SWIMSUITS

Topshop

Missguided

Miss Selfridge

New Look

Boohoo