running watch review

Today I thought I would share with you my thoughts on my running watch. As you may know from my fitness update, that I am trying to get into running a little bit more, and actually I have plans to do a whole seperate post on getting into running, so definitely stay tuned for that. For now, I want to share with you why I decided to get a running watch and what I think about it. My boyfriend bought me this Garmin Forerunner 10 watch, it's one of the more simple watches for running, which is all I really wanted. I want to be able to use GPS to track my running and how far (or little) I can run, my speed and also calories.

I love how lightweight it is, and it really isn't one of those bulky watches, especially as I have fairly small wrists I didn't want something that felt huge on my wrist. It comes in a few colours, and I originally was going to go for black but last minute decided to go for green, I tend to prefer brighter colours for my clothes and accessories when running or going to the gym, although I really can't tell you why that is. The numbers are all a nice size to read, so when you are running and need to quickly glance down you can already see how far you have gone, and how long it has taken you, plus in darker light you can press the left hand top button and it has a built in light to the watch too.

I was surprised by the efficiency of the GPS tracker, it is a lot more precise than I was expecting it to be, however, on occasions I do have to stand still for about 5 minutes whilst it is searching for my location prior to starting my run. But honestly, that is the only downside, and heck I can be doing by stretches in that time, so it really doesn't bother me that I sometimes have to wait a little longer for it to find the location. After your run is over, you can come back home and connect your run online, so you can see the route in a map form which for someone who likes to look at things, I think that is pretty cool. The watch comes with a charger, and the battery life lasts for ages, but then again I'm not running every day, oops! Garmin does say that if you are continuously using the watch with GPS then the battery should last for around 5 hours.

I honestly find it so much nicer having a running watch when I do go out for runs because I know exactly how far I have gone and how long it has taken me, so for someone like me who is trying to progress it is really useful to have as a general guide to increase my pace and distance.
I don't think you 100% need a running watch if running is something you are just getting into, but I do find it really useful and because I'm not running daily or anything the Garmin forerunner 10 is simple and easy to use, I really didn't need anything more advanced.

I hope you find this post useful if this is something you are considering getting, or you were curious about whether you needed a running watch!

fitness update #1

Well hello there,

Today I am talking all things fitness, and giving you all an update into my own fitness routine (or lack of routine). I've always been somewhat 'fit', I participated in school sports groups and then I began going to the gym once I started at university, however, I've never stuck at it, one thing or another would always get in the way and then I would stop going and ultimately start feeling sorry for myself. I know, oh woe me!

The beginning of this year I was actually doing pretty well, I was eating healthy and going to the gym on a regular basis and guess what, it felt good. So why then Jess, did you stop??

Well I went on holiday and when I returned to the UK it all went a little bit downhill from there. I had just started a new job alongside completing a post grad at university and I was / am always SHATTERED! So I literally stopped exercising for a good 3 months, and then me and Ben began 'Treating ourselves' most nights for being healthy during the day. I know that sounds ridiculous and it was a bit of a running joke at first (no fitness pun intended there). However, it became habit and I began feeling more tired and sluggish, it doesn't help that my job is pretty much sat down in a chair all day. 

So I am entering into a new fitness journey, one which I want to share with you guys along the way. 

I've started a week now, and I still have a very long way to go, especially in terms of my eating habits and continuing to motivate myself, because I cannot rely on someone else to continuously do that for me, right!?

My aim is to go to the gym 3 times a week, and I am looking to do a lot of high intensity workouts, so I won't be spending hours slaving away at the gym, its 35-40 minutes max. Along with this I am getting into running. Currently I've only managed to run for about 10ish minutes without feeling as though I am going to die, because I cannot breathe. 

Ben told me "your mind gives up before your body" and it is so true, I'm currently trying to learn some techniques to slow my breathing down in order to push my body further. I tell you one thing, once my run is complete I feel on top of the world, I just have to put my trainers on and get out of the door first and trust me that really is the hardest part. 

This is my first update, and I am excited to share with you some more updates and some workouts I have been completing in the next couple of months, and hopefully I may inspire someone else along the way.

I hope you enjoyed this little post, and stay tuned for lots more fitness fun. 

My New Years Resolutions

Hey guys, 

Welcome back to my blog, as you can see I have left it far too long.. AGAIN! I'm making it my mission not to do it again, I am so excited to focus on my blog and my youtube channel again because it's a fun creative release away from work and University.

I thought I would start of the first post of 2016 with my new years resolutions.

1. Travel more

Last year I visited Iceland and Portugal and it was so much fun, after having not left England for over 8 years it felt amazing to be able to get on a plane and see some beautiful places (even if I was terrified to get on the plane). So after falling in love with the idea of travelling I am hoping to visit many more places in 2016, once I have finished University in May.

2. Get fit

If anyone knows me well, they will know that I love exercise and eating healthy, but over the past few months I have really lost track of what I was doing and I must admit I absolutely hate it. So I have decided to really focus on my fitness and the things I like to eat and hopefully I can share some of these ideas with you in order to motivate and inspire others on my fitness journey.


3. Explore London more

This one sounds a little silly, but I live in London and have done over the past 3 years, and when I sit down and think about it I think actually I have barely seen any cool places in London. So I want to be able to get off the tube at a stop I perhaps haven't even heard of and just wander to see what I find. Hopefully I can get some nice pictures for my blog and share the places I go with you.


4. Attend all of my lectures

I am notoriously bad for just reading all of my lectures online, but I have made a pact to myself and promised my boyfriend that I will attend them all. I've just completed my first week and it was so great, I feel as though I have learnt so much more and I know it is really going to benefit me when writing my essays.


5. Socialise with friends more 

Whilst I definitely socialise day to day and I am a very chatty person,  I sometimes forget to take time out of my schedule and say yes to that meal, and yes to those drinks with my closest friends. I think it is so important to spend quality time with the closest people around you, despite how busy you are, so I am making it my mission to take time out with my nearest and dearest.

I hope you like some of the new years resolutions I have, I have also made a youtube video talking about them all.

Let me know if you have made any resolutions, I would love to hear them.

Love Jess 

The Green Smoothie

Hey Guys,

Welcome to the Green Smoothie. If someone had asked me to drink this a few months ago, I would have taken one look at the colour and probably laughed in their face. However I have been getting really into my health and fitness and I have found that in actual fact just because it is green does not mean the taste is utterly vile. I've made this smoothie sweet, so you wouldn't have an issue drinking it. 

You will need:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 scoop of impact whey protein, mine is vanilla cookie flavour. (you don't have to put this in if you don't want to)
• 2 handfuls of spinach 
• 1 handful of kale
• Strawberries I put around 6 in, it doesn't matter how many
• I put 300ml of water in, it depends how thick you like it, so you can experiment with adding more or less liquid. 

I'm so obsessed with making smoothies now, I have the Active Blend which makes it so quick and easy, and for such a great price too. 

Let me know if you decide to try this smoothie, or share any other recipes you love.

Jess x