100 Happy Days Update

I just thought I would throw together a fun little post for you. I mentioned previously that I had taken up the 100 Happy Days challenge. Well today I have put together a little update with a few of my favourite pictures so far. I’m currently up to day 54 and I have to admit I am having to think a little harder to a) remember to take a photo and b) think of something that made me happy that day (that isn’t something that I have already used on a previous day). I see both of these challenges as a good thing because it means that I am forced to purposely do something or find something to be happy about. It also means I am learning to appreciate the little things that I am so lucky to have.

1. Day 2 I took the time to paint my nails nicely and I was happy with the result for once.

2. Day 8 I was puppy sitting for my sister’s little dog. He is the cutest (and cheekiest) pup around.

3. Day 9 Spending time with my Handsome boyfriend who makes me feel like the happiest and the luckiest girl.

4. Day 13 I’m a list person and organisation makes me happy. I am much calmer when I have everything written down.

5. Day 26 this was a bonus picture (I had already posted that day but it was too pretty not to share). Ryne and I drove to the top of a hill just for the view.

6. Day 29 I baked this delicious slice to serve at afternoon tea with a few friends.

7. Day 40 This is one of the places I run regularly. I’m so lucky to live in such a beautiful city.

8. Day 46 Spending a sunny afternoon with some friends at the driving range. Just to be clear I have no golfing skills whatsoever.

9. Day 53 This was the cute little beach Ryne and I found to have a quick dip before heading home from the coast.

The pictures aren’t the best quality because they are from my phone. I post a photo on Instagram every day. If you are interested in checking out the rest of my 100 Happy Days Challenge find me on Instagram @BridgetSpokes.

I hope you enjoyed my 100 happy days progress report,

Bridget xo

How To Make Yourself Want To Exercise

I promise there is a point to this blog post but I wanted to tell a story first. From the age of 8 till the age of 22 I danced and that was my exercise. I didn’t have to think about when I would fit it in or what I was going to do. I knew that I would have classes this many times a week and I would have to do my own practice on these days and there was no option not to do it. When I finished dancing it made me realise that it wasn’t so easy to exercise regularly when I didn’t have this structure. In the last year I wouldn’t say that I have been inactive I just haven’t exercised as much as I would like to. I have been going on runs and I joined a gym but nothing was consistent. I would be feeling enthusiastic for a week and then do nothing the next week.

In the last few weeks of being in the US my boyfriend organised a membership at the gym he was working for and he wrote up a program for me. Even with all of this it took an immense effort for him to actually get me into the gym. I would make excuses not to go, be sluggish and hard to get out of bed, convince him that it was too cold for us to go (granted it was -20°C outside) and just be a general pain in the butt. I think it was because I had in my mind that I didn’t like exercising in the gym. Them main reason for that I realise now is because I had no idea what to do with the majority of the machines and weights. Well when I was shown how to use the gym equipment and started working out I enjoyed it. It felt good to be doing something.

A similar thing happened when we got back to Australia. I resisted getting started back in the gym for the first week but since I have been back into routine exercise I feel happy with myself and I’m loving exercising again. I am excited to be getting stronger and fitter.

After that long winded story it brings me to why I wanted to write this post. I want to share what I have learnt about exercise over the last few months.

-The hardest part is getting there. Who hasn’t heard this? But it is so true. Once I was actually at the gym I was excited about exercising. A quote I have seen pop up on Pinterest sums this up.

- Exercising with a friend or having a trainer helps to keep you accountable and motivated. I didn’t realise how much I missed exercising with people around like friends or my dance teachers. They were the people who made me turn up to dance class.

-Have a goal. It doesn’t matter what it is but if you have a purpose to exercise for it gives you a reason to schedule it into your life.

-Work out a structure that works to you and stick to it. Try planning out what exercise you want to do a week ahead and write it down so you are expecting it.

-Remember that exercise doesn’t have to be in a gym. It could be walking, running, yoga, dance class, boxing, rowing. There are so many options I don’t think anyone can say they don’t like to exercise because exercise is such a broad category. One of my sayings is that it is better to do something than it is to do nothing. So if all the exercise you can fit in that particular day is a brisk 20 minute walk then that is better than sitting in front of the television for 20 minutes.

-Buy yourself some new exercise clothes something that you feel comfortable in and that makes you feel good. If you have exercise clothes that you love to wear maybe it will mean you put them on more often (I was lucky to get some new exercise clothes for Christmas).

I hope that I have actually given some valid points that aren’t just the same old things you hear every day. These are the things that have worked for me over the past few months so hopefully they can work for you too.

Bridge xo

Mental Tricks To Help With Healthy Eating

As I'm getting a few nutrition resources organised for myself to use I thought I would do a short (hopefully helpful) blog post with a few mental tricks that can be useful when being conscious of healthy eating. These are just a few suggestions that work for me so hopefully they work for you too.

-Have a big glass of water and wait 10 minutes before snacking. Your stomach can sometimes confuse thirst for hunger.

-Think before you eat. Are you actually hungry or are you bored, sad, angry etc.

-Don't eat in front of the television or computer screen. You aren't concentrating on how much you are eating or if you are feeling full.

-Take time to enjoy what you are eating.

-Before having a second helping wait 20 minutes and have a drink of water. Your brain needs time to register if you are actually still hungry.

- Have your fridge and cupboards stocked with healthy foods and make sure that they are the first thing you see when you open the door.

-Use a small plate because visually it looks like you are eating a lot more than you actually are. This can make you feel full sooner.

Let me know how you go with these tips.

Did they work for you?

Bridget xo

2014 Already | Big Things Update

It has been almost 2 months since I have written anything for my blog and what a lot has happened in the last 2 months! Let me give you a quick update.

The biggest change is probably that I am no longer in America. Ryne and I made the big trip back to Australia and arrived home on Christmas day. We are home earlier than expected. This is good in some ways and not so great in other ways. Sometimes things don’t turn out the way you thought they would and you are forced to make big decisions that were never in the plan. But I believe that everything happens for a reason! While I was in the US I made so many lovely friends who I wouldn’t have otherwise met. I also got to experience living out of home being a big girl looking after myself. I ventured out and saw some of Minneapolis (click here for the blog post I wrote on my adventures) and I got to experience snow and lots of it!! Coming home to Australia we have friends and family around. I have the security of going back to my old job and saving some money again. We were lucky enough to leave right before the horribly cold weather that restricted movement around Minnesota and caused the cancellation of many flights. We enjoyed an extremely hot Australian Christmas and new year with lots of friends and family around.

Now that I am back in Australia and the new year has begun I am excited to embrace whatever comes my way. It might be in the form of a new job or work experience or it could be planning a new trip. I am excited to get stuck into my blog and hopefully write some posts that you will find interesting. In the end of the day writing my blog makes me happy. It is my space on the Internet and it forces me to keep my nutrition knowledge up to date.

To begin 2014 with a happy perspective I have taken up the 100 Happy Days challenge. It involves taking 1 picture every day for 100 days of something that makes you happy and using the hash tag #100happydays. I am 5 days into the challenge so if you want to keep an eye on how I go follow me on Instagram. By doing this challenge it will help me to realise all the things that make me happy day to day. It you would like to register for the challenge check out the link here.

I hope you continue to enjoy reading these posts through 2014. I would love to know if any of you take up the 100 Happy Days Challenge. What makes you happy?

Happy New Year,

Bridget xo

Minneapolis Adventures | Big Things

Hello All,

Another update filled with American adventures for you. 

Where to begin?

Since my last check-in I have been exploring Minneapolis. 

My first adventure was to Minnihaha falls. It is a nature park with a beautiful waterfall. We jumped the 'closed' sign to get a better look (no one seemed to be paying any attention to the sign). After appreciating the waterfall and wishing we had brought a picnic lunch with us we went for a nice walk along the river. 

The next weekend we spent Sunday at the Mall of America. In total we were there for 8 hours of shopping fun. It is hard to describe exactly how big the mall actually is but to give you a few examples there is an indoor theme park and it took us 4 hours of shopping just to cover the first level (there are 3 levels in total). To begin our adventure we tackled the theme park. After a ride on the roller coaster and the log ride we were ready to shop. Without getting into detail I spent a lot of money for one day but it was a fun day. 

                                                                                  Mall of America theme park

                                                                                     Mall of America at night

                                                                                    Pretty Christmas tree

The week that just went we had a few little events. On Thursday we went to a charity bingo night raising money for junior rugby in Minneapolis. It was a lot of fun and the first time I had ever played bingo. Sadly we didn't win any money but a lot was raised for the kids. Friday night we went on the Movember bus. Movember is a campaign to raise money and awareness for mens' health. This event was organised by the Rugby clubs in Minneapolis. Fun was had by all. 

On Saturday Ryne and I went to the sculpture garden at the Walker Art Centre. It was freezing cold!! We took in the sights very quickly and got back in to car to warm up. We did manage to take some pictures though!

                                                            Spoonbridge and Cherry- Minneapolis sculpture garden

                                                                                             Minnesota wildlife 

                                                                                                     Snow!!

This final picture is the beautiful Minneapolis Skyline. It is prettier at night but all those photos have been rubbish because I took them while we were driving. 

I hope you have enjoyed this little update. I am going to endeavour to bring my proper camera around with me more often to take better pictures and also to get Ryne and myself in the pictures occasionally as well (a bit of proof we actually did those things and that I didn't just use a Google images picture). This Thursday is Thanksgiving I am looking forward to learning about this holiday. From what I have heard there is a lot of food involved and the next day a lot of shopping. 

Bridget x

How to Shop Healthy and Cheaply | Bites

Since arriving in Minneapolis it has occurred me that I can’t rely on my parents to make me dinner and buy groceries (I knew it was going to happen obviously but I didn’t think of the logistics). So after an unorganised shopping trip where we managed to squish the loaf of bread, I have decided to set myself the challenge to 1. Becoming better at grocery shopping and 2. Making healthy meals without spending a fortune (leaving more money for exciting adventures). As a newbie to fending for myself I have done a bit of research and together with everything I have learn about nutrition come up with a few tips I am going to try and stick to.

1.   Buy whole unprocessed foods. Most of the time it is less expensive. For example it is cheaper to buy a bag of oats and jazz them up yourself (with fruit, nuts, or cinnamon) than it is to buy a flavoured sachet of oats.
2.   Buy frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables where possible. For obvious reasons these last longer meaning you can buy them in bulk without the worry of spoilage (providing you have room in the freezer). A common misconception with frozen fruit and veg is that they have less nutrients compared to their fresh counter parts. This is not true they can actually have more nutrients because they have been frozen close to harvesting and haven’t been sitting on a shelf where nutrients can seep out. When choosing tinned products make sure there is no added salt in the vegetables and that fruit is canned in natural fruit juice or water to avoid excess sugar.
3.   Buy generic brands. A lot of the time the food product is the same without a fancy label. This doesn’t mean you have to buy everything generic even just getting the basics like rice and flour from these brands can make a difference.
4.  Drink tap water rather than buying beverages (I'm pretty good at this already but it is still a good tip).
5. Buy vegetables in season. They are less expensive and a lot of the time better quality because they are fresher.
6.  Look to buy cheaper proteins (meats, eggs, legumes) and make them more exciting by adding flavours yourself. Less expensive meats such as beef mince or tinned tuna. You can make mince go further by adding lentils or beans to bulk it out a bit.
7.  Making a shopping list and sticking to it. It is easy to impulse buy when shopping (I have found it especially tempting shopping in the US because of all the different products. I want to try everything). By doing this the shopping trip will be quick and more focused.

Something else to consider for us is that it can be cheaper to eat at a restaurant than it is to buy food at the grocery store. The aim is to find a healthy balance in life and just enjoy meal times.

There you have it the 7 little things to try and stick by over the next few months. I might do another post in the future about how practical these tips were and anything else I have learnt.

Hopefully this post is helpful for anyone who has recently started doing their own grocery shopping.

Enjoy!

I’m in the USA | Big things update

Today I have a quick update on what has been going on over the last week.

I finished up with work and then following that I spent the next few days catching up with friends and packing my two huge suitcases (I could have probably filled 3 suitcases if I was allowed to).

Finally it came time to go to the airport. I arrived at Canberra airport to find my original flight had been cancelled and that I had been booked onto an earlier flight (thanks goes to mum who made sure we were at the airport early). I was a bit sad when it was time to board my flight and after a tearful goodbye I was off to Sydney.

I was lucky enough to have a pass for the Qantas club lounge so I had a nice relaxing wait and took advantage of the free food and beverages, However I didn’t manage to find where everyone was getting the ice cream from. I was desperately hoping for an upgrade on my flight (even though I knew it was never going to happen but hey, it never hurts to dream) I got the next best thing two seats to myself 4 rows back from the front of economy. The flight was pretty smooth occasionally a bit of turbulence just to keep it interesting. With the extra room I was able to lie down and sleep.

When I arrived in Dallas I had about an hour and 10 minutes to make it to my next flight (which was in another terminal). Luckily I had a smooth run through customs and immigration making it to my flight with 10 minutes to spare. The flight from Dallas to Minneapolis was picturesque. From the air I could see a distinct line where the snow started. There was also a beautiful pink/red sunset before landing. When I finally arrived in Minneapolis I was so so happy to see Ryne there waiting for me J.

That night we went to dinner at a place called Psycho Susies and then a quick drink at one of the local bars. The following day we went shopping for warm clothes (which are much needed) and that night we went to the team’s local bar where everyone was friends and welcoming.

So far the weather here is close to what winter is like in Canberra. It is supposed to be a top of -2°C and a low of -8°C on Monday so that will be an experience for sure. I think this cold is going to take some getting used to. A few quick things I have noticed here: there are squirrels roaming the streets and the snow is very pretty to look at and a bit of a novelty for the time being.

I am going to try and post regular big thing updates. I also hope to have a nutrition post out some time in the next week.

Bridget x