LIFE CHANGES| The pain of moving far away from your family and friends

To all my family members and best friends…

I knew I would have moved out to a different country to study ever since I was 8 years old. Still, no one including myself believed it would actually come to real life and I would have made my childhood dream come true. And here I am, now 20 years old working two jobs, studying polish girl living in the UK. I was 19 when I moved out, but 17 when I first moved to Germany to work for about two months. During that time I learned what real pain of missing family and friends was, how it felt like being broke or how to cook for myself and spend time lonely.

My uncle who plays a father like role for me now that I’m in the UK almost completely alone, lives over an hour from here but still I only end up seeing him maybe once a month, not to mention how rarely do I see my family – once in three or four months maybe ?

Honestly, trying not to take money from your parents and be independent requires quite a good mental strength. And that’s not the only thing I’ve mentally had to deal with ever since coming here. Changing jobs and therefore environments 3 times now, dealing with my previous landlords who are trying to play me for money… completely myself because why would I worry anyone else and… how are you supposed to take real life lessons if you can’t handle adult life ?

Now that all of my uni friends who have not found jobs moved back to Poland for those few months summer break in between year 1 and 2 of uni, I wake up being kinda lonely, with Netflix of course. But that’s life. I aim to save money, be able to pay for my parents’ holidays, save for my own holidays and smaller trips. Everything in life comes for a reason. Having those mental ups and downs I bought a book – 12 rules for life. Please everybody, read it. It’s a true antidote and kick ass literature that will make you feel better about yourself especially when trying to do something good but having to cope with shit loads of obstacles.

Do I regret any of my decisions ?

I regret being very impolite to my parents when on the phone. Sometimes when I feel a lot of pressure I think I end up putting my anger on them. But no.. I do not regret moving out, deciding to study here. I have the awesome opportunity to learn how to live and what live gifts is with at a very young age. Having chosen a university in Poland I probably would have stayed at my parents. I wouldn’t have to learn how to be independent and cope with problems. I’m grateful for whatever happened so far. Moreover, seeing my family or going back home now shows me how grateful I should be for having them and how much I used to take it for granted, now I fully appreciate every moment spent with them.

Would I recommend similar decisions to you ?

Yes, please get out of your comfort zone, explore the world, cry and be happy, overcome your insecurities, overcome problems, cope with them, appreciate the good and the bad.

NEVER GIVE UP

To my family and friends… I love you

Liv x

Legal cannabis? – CBD oil

Recently, my head has been all over herbal, natural medicine and fatigue remedies due to constant changes and issues in my personal life I’ve been experiencing. I have always been perceived as a highly optimistic, happy person who will always find the “bright side” to everything. But with the recent pace of my life I haven’t been able to sit down and think or relax fo a moment what has caused me a lot of fatigue, stress and I even found myself having anxiety moments which is very unlike me. I have tried many mental health aiding “diets”, teas, herbal infusions, incense sticks etc… But just like any “fad” weight loss diet, many of those solutions work only in theory and not practice.

Photo by Laryssa Suaid on Pexels.com

Photo by Laryssa Suaid on Pexels.com

When I went home last week, my mom introduced me to the CBD oil. I have never heard of this before and got very intrigued, so naturally I went into some deeper research.

Cannabidiol, known as CBD has been gaining a lot of traction in the wellness community. The oil has previously been used only as cure for the seriously ill, but with the benefits it comes with and how rapidly we experience them, CBD has caught a lot of interest.

CBD = cannabis?

Cannabidiol is one of the chemical compounds found in cannabis, however to create the oil it is combined with a carrier oil and it is not psychoactive.

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Is it legal ?

With the popularity of cannabis especially among younger generations and its psychoactivity, there has been a lot of confusion surrounding Cannabidiol. It has been proved that the oil has very little or no THC, which is the psychoactive chemical compound, therefore also due to CBD’s health benefits it is legal among most EU countries and sold for medical purposes.

How to take it ?

The amount of which one should or should not be taking is personal. You will usually apply a few drops under your tongue or you can add it to your smoothie etc. Many people start by taking 3 drops a day: one in the morning, one in the afternoon and final one in the evening. Then it is advised to observe changes and if you feel like you are not experiencing the benefits – you can add more drops.

The BENEFITS

Mental health

There is a great number of benefits CBD comes with. Like I said, I discovered the cure when looking for something to help my mental health. Cannabidiol is known for reducing signs of anxiety and depression.

As explained by Dr Brewer, ‘Cannabidiol interacts with the body’s own endocannabinoid system, enhancing the effects of other brain chemicals to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety, stress, restlessness and fatigue,’ 

Moreover, Back in 2011, a study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology found that when people with generalised social anxiety disorder (SAD) were given 600mg of CBD oil prior to a public speaking test, as opposed to a placebo, they experienced significantly less anxiety, difficulty and discomfort during their speech. It has additionally been shown to improve symptoms of post-traumatic disorder in children.

Acne

Due to the effects of CBD oil on the immune system and its ability to help reduce inflammation, it may offer relief from acne.

‘Both CBD and THC have been shown in multiple in vitro studies to have anti-acne and topical anti-inflammatory properties,’ reveals Dr Gordon.

Epilepsy

Some clinical trials have found that CBD can be helpful in some types of epilepsy, however that requires further study.

Pain alleviation

‘CBD has been described as a multi-target molecule,’ expands Dr Brewer. ‘It is highly antioxidant, so has anti-inflammatory effects on joints, to improve pain and stiffness. CBD also has an analgesic effect, to reduce pain perception in the brain.’

Besides being proved to deliver pain relief, it has also been tested and proved to offer benefits to those receiving treatment for cancer and also promote apoptosis of some bad cells.

‘High CBD-content medicinal cannabis products can help reduce nausea, poor appetite, pain and sleep disturbance in cancer patients, as shown in multiple studies,’ says Dr Dani Gordon.

My experience

I know some can say it’s placebo effect, but I do have to say I feel much better and calmer ever since I started taking CBD regularly. I take 3-4 drops a day and am definitely less fatigued or stressed and try to look at the positives at all times rather than focusing on the negatives. It has only been a little over a week for me so I guess I will be able to tell more after a month. The topic is to be continued !

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What do you think ? Have you come across the CBD oil before ? Or maybe you have already experienced it benefits ? If you answered yes, which benefit were you most focused on ?

x

Additional exercises for dancers

Being a dancer is no easy. It requires passion and commitment, many of us basically lead life adjusted to dancing. We spend many hours in the studio working on exercises or choreography. But is that enough ?

Back to the time I was a full time dancer I would think “This is enough exercises for a week, I don’t need anything else”. And I was very wrong, as some time later I had to quit do to my injuries… Dancing offers a type of fitness regime but you definitely need performance aiding exercises as well as those that will help prevent any injuries.

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Cardio

Most dance types offer some cardiovascular endurance training, but if you are lacking in those areas in any way, you might find yourself struggling when performing longer choreographies. Doing extra 30-45 minutes of low impact cardio up to 3 times a week will greatly improve your performance and health. However, I would avoid running on hard surfaces, so as to avoid taxing on the joints. Instead, go for a swimming or walk that extra few miles a day !

Core workout

Whether you are a ballet dancer, contemporary or hip hop dancer – all types require strong core strength. Otherwise you might get a bad posture and lower back vulnerabilities. I would recommend different types of body weight exercises and definitely plank on a daily basis. You might also wanna try group core workouts at the gym, personal trainer’s help will be even better for a specific case being a dancer is 😉

Arms !

A lot of dancers, from what I have noticed and what I remember focus on strengthening their legs and forget about the upper body. You don’t wanna add to much bulky muscles in that area but strengthen them to be able to perform a variety of movements when dancing. Again, body weight or light gym equipment should be enough 🙂 A good exercise will definitely be push ups.

ALSO, I HOPE YOU ARE NEVER TOO LAZY TO STRETCH, ARE YOU ? 😛

XX

 

What about supplements ?

Embedding various supplements in our diet has become trendy from what I have seen lately. The are available for everyone without prescription and we take them to ensure or aid health. However not everyone needs the same supplements and before you take your hands on any of them you should ask yourself “Do I need it or not?” “What is my diet lacking?”.

Obviously, leading a healthy lifestyle and diet should provide all the nutrients you need, but sometimes, due to a variety of reasons, such as exercise, genetics, health issues one may need more or less of a certain product than the other.

But I am not writing here to tell you what should or should you not supplement, as this is for you and your dietician or doctor to judge.

Today, I wanted to talk about my diet and show how to minimise the need for any supplements.

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#1 Incorporate superfoods

In order to get those omega 3s, vitamins and other vital nutrients on point I make sure to incorporate as many superfoods in my main meals as possible.

 

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

 

For example, I always add flax seeds, turmeric, barley grass and nuts to my morning porridge. That way you provide your body with healthy fats, amino acids and other nutrients that aid digestion, brain and overall performance.

#2 Protein ?

I, myself do supplement protein but only on the days I work out. I do not eat meat or any diary products, hence why it’s just more difficult for me to reach my protein goals. But I do advice everyone to try reaching them only by eating real foods and not powdered protein if you can. The one I am using is Pulsin Soy Protein.

 

#3Limit coffee intake

Many of us end up supplementing magnesium on a daily, and then drinking 3 cups of coffee.. Funny huh ?

Try drinking decaf coffee or at least limit your caffeine intake and you will see amazing results !

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I am a coffee fan myself, cannot help it, so I make sure I have decaf coffee in my kitchen and to get myself going I just drink green tea.

Moreover – do not fear dark chocolate !! Real dark chocolate is a great and natural source of magnesium, keep that in mind !

#4Diet

Certainly – being vegan or basically cutting any nutrients from your diet will most likely contribute to you having to take supplements.

If you do not have any allergies, health issues etc, I strongly advice you to eat everything in moderation and with your system functioning correctly – you won’t need anything extra !

For me, because I had to cut diary from my diet, I do supplement vitamins B12 and D, like every vegan should !!!

 

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

WHAT I EAT| Fitness instructor edition

Hello every1 !

Today I am coming at you with another food dairy and meal ideas. As a fitness instructor I have days when I am very active, for example giving a spin class and working out later in the day, so I need lots of energy to get going. I consume anywhere between 2000-2500 kcals a day, but when I feel like eating more it is a sign for me that my body has been even more active so I provide it with what it needs. On this particular day you are about to see I had around 2.3k calories with 107g of protein, 76g of fat and 250g of carbs. I tend to focus more on protein and fat as I found that is how my body feels best, I dont get bloated and I recover more quickly especially for the amount of exercise I am doing.

BREAKKIE #1

Lately I have been doing a little bit of an intermittent fasting just because I feel much better and lighter on my stomach. I definitely do now wanna loose any weight. I had a small protein shake right after my morning workout which was around 11:30 am

BREAKKIE #2

Onto the real breakfast. That morning I made possibly the best porridge ever, possibly gonna give you chills. Never used creamed coconut for my oats before, but the creaminess it gave them OMG. So I cooked my porridge with some of that and some white chocolate flavour drops. Then I topped it with some vanilla protein, blueberries, peanut butter and hemp seeds. I swear I’ve never tasted anything like this. YOU NEED TO TRY

macros: 30P/27F/52C

LUNCH

I really had a good cooking day that day and came out with an amazing tuna salad. I am not going into detail with those meals today as I am planning on doing a small e book yayyy.

macros: 38P/18F/49C

DINNER

You will soon know I was snacking a lot that day so for dinner I was craving something smaller. I was craving breakfast for dinner I guess, as I made a bagel sandwich. Not any sandwich, THE ULTIMATE ONE. It had houmous, sun dried tomatoes, spices, mustard, spinach and some onion. So simple yet so delishhh

macros: 15P/17F/43C

SNACKS

For snacks, I was craving fruit like crazy – had an entire watermelon and then also 3x Nairn gluten free chunky biscuit

macros: 8P/13F/98C

 

PHOTOSHOOT| Wet look

Welcome !

Today I want to write you an update on my life and recent happenings, and also update you with the newest photoshoot that I recently had. Ever since moving to the United Kingdom I have felt completely lost, I have been swinging between one extreme of crazy happiness to an extreme of a deep sadness and I no longer knew what my purpose in life was. Before, I had always considered myself a happy person and could never understand people saying they felt unhappy, had a bad relationship with food, did not want to go out or tal to anyone. For the first time in life I had lost motivation for exercise for a few months. I still kept on going to the gym and pursued with my certifications but I was questioning what was good for me. I unintentionally lost weight and happened to have crazy low body fat what messed with my mind greatly, therefore causing me a disordered eating mindset.

For a very long time I would lie to my family and friends that everything was alright… Like we all do during hard times right ? I could not sleep normally, eat normally, do my daily activities because whatever I did felt so pointless. I have no idea what caused me to be in such a bad stage in life, I think it must have been a mix of different issues and subconscious stress. But two months ago I made one of my biggest dreams come true. Never had I believed I would have reached this far by the age of 20. I became a personal trainer and gym instructor at one of the leisure centres in my town. I finally met people with similar interest to mine, health freaks like myself and everything went back to being normal. In fact… I am probably the happiest I have ever been, I do not worry about things that I cannot control, I just let life be. I also have more certifications to come in the future that I am looking forward to. Moreover, I have understood that all of us come through hard times in life and finally confessed to myself that maybe help was needed but I would not admit it

For all the young, teenage girls out there having bad body image, disordered eating habits, go and seek for help it is nothing to be ashamed of and I think all of us will go through a tough times when we need help and that is okay. As I am writing this today, I am bloated, tired and probably ate too much. But I am happy as I am, accept myself, seek the cause if I ever get any bad emotions, accept the feeling and just deal with it. I cannot wait for what the future holds, am proud of my past, all the ups and downs and even of what I went through because that gave me a much greater understanding of people’s behaviour and how our inside issues affect our doings.

Stay positive people and love yourself first !

ONLINE COACH|My journey and offer

Ola beautiful people !

This crazy day I am beyond happy to finally be able to tell you I am officially a personal trainer and vibe cycle instructor, WICKED ! Also, on my way to completing my circuits, bootcamp & advanced testing techniques courses.

My journey

Let me just say that I have dreamt about this moment ever since I first entered the gym floor. I was 15, lost former ballet dancer looking for an althernative to my life. At the beginning I was introduced to group exercise to music, TRX and others. I fell in love and wanted to work out ALWAYS and at this moment I had already known I would have become one of the instructors at some point in my life. Coming to the UK I almost came to terms with the fact that was no longer a case as the courses are expensive. Little did I know I could get them funded… So I did !

I signed with my lifetime platform and started my online learning as soon as I got access to it. They give you 12 months to complete the course, I did my theory in just two while still going to university and working part time. Don’t tell me you’re busy, you never are. It is just a matter of passion, organisation and confidence. Had my first practical – level 2 in April, then was time for Vibe Cycle (absolutely addicted) and then (yas finally) level 3 Personal Training. I had been involved in all of the above for over 4 years so that was only a matter of certification and gaining extra knowledge. I loved the courses tho ❤

Something for you !

So guys !! Here I come to offer you online coaching, nutrition and mental 😛 advice. I offer an absolute motivational kick and promise to shout if you ever get demotivated haha. I can promise good pricing as I know how expensive online coaching can get sometimes and my aim is to be able to make anyone happy about themselves inside and outside ❤

You know where to find me lovelies, my prices will be anything from £30-£50 per month with full support on a daily basis, we will be doing weekly checks and having chats about your feelings and progress.

MONDAY EATS| Chinese spiced tofu salad

Hellooo,

I woke up feeling extra energised today. Probably because my new job I just got 😛 as a fitness instructor tho ! Hence why I was feeling a little extra about my lunch today. I thought, hey I want that “fit girl eats” picture once I’ve finished preparing my lunch.

I don’t know about you, but asian related foods are my absolute favourites, I could do chinese, indian and thai anyday, anymeal. So today, I woke up, I marinated the tofu, went to get some more goods and ended up having a mouth watering lunch !

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I love to fuel my body with nutrient dense foods and always make sure my meals are well balanced to keep me full, and also very tasty so I’m not craving any junk. This salad has it all ! Lots of greens for that health, nutritious kick to keep you glowing, olive oil for some healthy fats, tofu which will provide you good source of plant-based protein and calcium – just what your body will thank you for ! Also, note that when being on a plant-based diet you must ensure you consume enough of calcium and tofu will definitely help you with that 🙂

What do you need ?

For the base

I lied my bowl with crazy loads of greens – kale and spinach, added cucumber for some extra health and water.

The carbs

• 50g black rice
• fresh coriander
• ginger
• chopped garlic
• seeds*

First I cooked my rice and then I simply tossed that together in a pan on a low heat.

The king – tofu

• 200g tofu
• 1tsp Chinese five spice
• 1tsp agave syrup
• 1tsp soy sauce
• 1tsp olive oil

I marinated the tofu in everything above combined for around 3 hours (best overnight), then I set my oven to 200 degrees Celsius and baked my tofu for around 30 minutes/ until crispy.

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Now, I just put everything in one bowl, added lime on a side because I thing it compliments the whole dish perfectly and enjoyed myself to this amazing bowl of yumminess.

Macros

approx 497kcal/ serving

30.5g P

 

21.6g F

44g C

SUPERSETS|

Supersets have been around for ages and many people use this technique even without realising it. Using supersets comes with many many benefits, however they have to be used reasonably and efficiently and one needs to have at least brief understanding on how to use them to get the pros.

What is superset workout ?

A kid-like definition of a superset would be two exercises performed one after another without break in between or with minimal break just to transition. Creating a superset is a matter of preference and is left open to the person performing it. Things like rest time, which exercises to choose, to combine are up to you. Some forms of performing a superset root in PEP training, which in short is pairing heavy weight movements followed by low weight movement. I will get into the details of PEP in my next post.

Benefits ?

• Science has proved supersets to provide a higher metabolic rate by comparing 10 men’s energy expenditure when divided into two groups: one performed supersets and one did not. The results were higher total energy expenditure and higher post-exercise oxygen consumption and blood lactate levels meaning burning calories longer post-exercise in the first group.
• Studies have also found that supersetting may contribute to higher power output. They found that people who performed agonist-antagonist exercises one after another had a slight increase in power when compared to people performing traditional exercises with rest and hen moving onto the next exercise.
• Some say this method of training aids muscle gainsss and hypertrophy however this is lacking research and scientific proof.

How to programme supersets ?

Like I said before, creating a superset workout can be left open to an individual but there are a few things you might want to consider before doing so.

Determine a goal

Are you trying to safe time on your workout ? Gain muscle endurance or increase energy expenditure ?

Order

Remember that multi-joint movements, should come first otherwise you may get mentally or physically fatigued.

Intensity

Adjust this factor to your level of fitness. If you are unsure how much to lift, let the reps guide you to it. If you are constantly missing on the reps you set ourself to do – it’s time you dropped the weight a little.

How best to theme up your superset workout ?

Agonist – antagonist muscles

This way of performing supersets is probably the most common. It is about mixing up exercises targeting different muscle groups to avoid fatigue. As an example you would perform push + pull.

Agonist – antagonist style is great also for cutting down on the time on your workout while still doing a full and valuable session. It is also great for making sure you balance out your workouts in terms of developing muscles evenly.

Same or similar sets – complex workout

This one is a little more complicated and requires a little more understanding, can also be done as a complex or PAP training. Here you are performing exercises targeting similar muscle groups one after another, for instance bench press and tricep pushdown. For PAP you would for example squat with a barbell, then in the next set drop some weight and squat until exhaustion. Using that style will help improve your muscle endurance and aid hypertrophy.

Upper – Lower sets

Pairing upper and lower body movements. That style would be best when training full body or focusing on improving your overall fitness. It is also great for muscle endurance, sport specific training and additionally cuts down on your workout’s time.

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Hope I cleared up and gave you enough of reasons as to why perform supersets ! I’m not gonna lie it is probably my favourite type of workout always leaving me feeling literally exhausted but in that good way ! Do you perform supersets ?

x Liv

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