Saturday 4 March 2023
10 TIPS ON HOW TO FEEL CONFIDENT IN THE GYM
Confidence issues in the gym is something that affects most people, especially beginners. Whether you're an experienced gym goer joining a new gym, or a beginner just venturing in to their fitness journey, here's my honest 10 tips on how to feel confident in the gym.
Wear a gym outfit that makes you feel confident AND comfortable
When it comes to picking an outfit for your first day in the gym, opt for something that you feel comfortable and fab in! There's nothing worse than feeling too comfortable that you feel a bit slobbish or equally choosing an outfit that looks amazing but digs into your skin or keeps falling down. When looking for gym outfits, I usually shop at Gymshark, Adanola, Women's Best or Lulu Lemon.
Have a plan and stick to it
It's always a good idea to go in with a plan of exercises that you'd like to do in your gym session. This will prevent you from wandering around feeling a bit lost as to what to do. If you're new to the gym and don't know what equipment they have or if you don't know any exercises, I'd recommend doing a bit of research prior to going so that you can have a few exercises in mind as options. You could try and remember 3-4 bodyweight exercises for the worst case scenario where you can't get on any equipment; a few basic equipment movements such as leg extensions or chest flies; and some compound exercises such as squats and deadlifts.
Watch tutorials and do your research
Don't forget to take your phone in with you, that way if you're not sure on what to do and there's no one to ask, you can quickly google or YouTube it for a tutorial. There's so much brilliant fitness content out there now. Alternatively, I'd always suggest speaking to the gym team for help, they're literally employed to help and support you on your journey to meet your fitness goals. They'll always be happy that you asked!
Don't worry about everyone else
When I first joined the gym, I remember thinking EVERYONE was looking at me but guess what? They weren't. They were too busy getting on with their own workouts to be staring at me the whole time. Remember this when you next go in!
If you do catch someone looking, take it as a compliment or remember that (if they're anything like me) they're probably zoned out in between sets thinking about what they're doing next.
Listen to music, always!
Comparison is the thief of joy
Avoid peak times if you can
Go with a friend
Never be too shy to ask for help
Invest in a personal trainer if you can
Thursday 5 May 2022
Staycation Outfits for a Luxury English Hotel Break
Friday 15 April 2022
Pastel Outfit Favourites for Spring 2022
Best of Blue
Pastel Perfection
Monday 18 October 2021
How to Create a Pumpkin Flower Arrangement for Halloween
If like me, you'd prefer to opt for a prettier take on pumpkins at Halloween rather than frightening ghosts and ghouls, you've come to the right place. In this post I'll guide you through how to create a pumpkin flower arrangement like the one I've made below.
What you'll need
- A large pumpkin
- A knife for carving
- A pencil
- A bowl
- Autumnal flowers
- Floristry scissors
- Floristry oasis
- First you'll need to prep your pumpkin. Ensure your flowers are kept in cool water while you're doing this so that they stay hydrated. You'll need to carve the top off of your pumpkin, you could choose to do this in a curved line or in a zig-zag fashion. I've chosen a curved line for this particular pumpkin. To get a precise line, turn a bowl upside down over the top end of your pumpkin, draw around the edge of the bowl with a pencil, then remove the bowl. Now you have a nice neat line to use as a guide. Stick your knife in and out of the pumpkin to make the first cut, and repeat this process until you've cut all the way around. You should now be able to pull the top off so it becomes the lid.
- Using your hands or a utensil, empty out the contents of the pumpkin as best you can. Put the seeds and flesh to one side in a bowl so that you can make the most out of them later in recipes. Meanwhile, measure out the size of your floristry oasis. This will be sitting inside your pumpkin, so it needs to be able to fit comfortably. Soak your floristry oasis in cool water in the sink so that it absorbs all the moisture.
- Once it's fully absorbed, put your oasis block into the inside of your pumpkin. This will be holding your flowers in place and providing them with the water they'll need to keep them looking good.
- Prepare your flowers by splitting them into types. For example, put all your red roses into one section, pink in another, and foliage in another. Strip off any leaves that will not be visible or will get in the way of your arrangement. I like to keep a few of the top leaves to bulk out the arrangement and keep it more natural but this is entirely up to you.
- Measure your first flower stem down to size by carefully snipping at the bottom of the stem a few cm at a time. Gently insert the stem into the oasis until it stands alone, is secure and sits at the desired height above your pumpkin.
- Build out your arrangement around the first stem by considering colours, textures and varying heights. You can also try inserting the stems at a diagonal angle so that some of the flowers elegantly hang over the edge of the pumpkin, disguising the raw edge from sight.
- Once you're happy with how it looks, pop it on display on your side table or even as a centre piece at the dinner table while you enjoy a comforting autumnal feast.