6 Tips to have a relaxing morning

Its dark, its cold and it generally feels like we have less time in the winter and most of it is me in my Christmas pyjamas with the heating on full blast (I will deal with the bill in January!). To put a more positive spin on these winter days I have compiled 6 tips to make your mornings easier to bare. 

1.    #PrepLikeABoss

The only way you are going to be stress free in the morning and have a bit of free time is if you prepare the night before. Get your clothes, handbag and even shower the night before so you are prepped like a boss.

2. Breakfast to go
It’s the most important meal of the day but not everyone has time to create a fancy fruit bowl drenched in Chia seeds!?! But you do have time for a herbal tea and a Belvita breakfast biscuit! These are perfect to throw into your handbag to eat on the go or have a quiet bite with your tea. My favourites are the Honey & Nut!

Let's get down to the nitty gritty details of these little breakfast boos. First of all the are made with 5 wholegrains but still super tasty - I am not one for healthy food as it tastes so bland...BOO. Belvita are also the only breakfast biscuit to slowly release carbohydrates over 4 hours to keep me going when I am running around, I usually take a pack which has three biscuits but you do not just need to have them as biscuits try sprinkling them over your cereals for a fibre boost. They are also packed full of vitamins and folic acid because you cant get enough of those bad boys.

3.    Wake up to birds not beeping

Why not download a new ringtone. Think the relaxing parts of Planet Earth 2 (if there are any?! That snake scene nearly killed me) crashing waves or birds chattering away that must be better than BEEP BEEP BEEP.

4.  Relax

This could be via a hot shower or some breathing exercises. Simple stretches can do wonders as you get out of bed, check out my article on the Hayo’u Method which you can do from home. 

5. Heating
This is a must. Your heating needs to come on around 15-20 minutes before you wake up so you are nice and toasty when you do. Having the heating on will also help you wake up slowly instead of the shock of your alarm and icy coldness on your face.

6.    A priority list

I find it useful and motivating to write my top priorities for the day, best to keep it to a maximum of 5 though or you will just become stressed all over again.

Let me know how you keep relaxed in the morning below. 

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MAXimise your morning routine

MAXimise your morning with Shreddies! I could always do with extra time in the morning…there is always a million different things to do; especially with my recent house move (I have NO furniture!). So I have taken inspiration from the Shreddies MAXimise challenge to get up that little bit earlier and do something you would not normally get to do fueled by Nestlé’s new cereal Shreddies MAX granola!

Finding time to even have breakfast is a struggle. I am guilty of replacing it with a Red Bull or Lucozade, which is the worst thing ever, I hate myself a little every time I buy one before 9am!

So what did I do this week when I set my alarm half an hour earlier and dragged my butt out of bed:

Monday: I hit the snooze button and got some more sleep – my challenge is going well!

Tuesday: I made myself breakfast in my new home with Shreddies MAX, Greek yogurt and fruit! YUM

Wednesday: I read the latest House Beautiful magazine to get some furniture inspiration.

Thursday: I spent more time getting ready so I didn’t need to do my makeup on the train or tie my hair up to hide it.

Friday: It's the day before the weekend so I just lay in bed and chatted to Adam and our cat Dylan!

This week has inspired me to start utilising that extra half an hour and ensure I keep eating breakfast. The new Shreddies MAX is delicious it’s a new granola with Shreddies pieces and crunchy oats providing lots of protein goodness - great post-workout treat as well! You can get Oat Granola and Cranberry & Oat Granola not only a good source of protein it is also made with whole grain, so high fibre, low in saturated fats and made with no artificial colours or flavours

If you want something a bit more funkier than milk go for my favourite:

Natural Greek yogurt
Blueberries
Raspberries
Chia Seeds
Shreddies MAX Protein

   

This post in in collaboration with Nestle but my thoughts and need for more hours in the day is a real struggle and all me! 

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Sleep Tight

2016 has not been a great year for sleep it takes me a while and once I am asleep I wake up and various points worrying about work, Dylan (my cat) and most recently my impending house move....

I was delighted when Holland & Barrett started recommending products to aid sleep and challenging you to to see if they improve your sleeping habits within just 7 days. You first need to delve a bit deeper into your sleep habits to work out the best products for you. Holland & Barrett have a fun little sleep quiz on there website to work out which type of sleeper you are looking at what is usually on your bedside table.

After taking the quiz I am definitely 'The Caffeinator' not that I am drinking Coffee but Lucozade and Red Bull has become a little bit of a habit I need to kick when I am feeling sleepy or a bit grumpy.

"Most of us are sucking back far more caffeine every day than we should be. You wouldn't think a cup of coffee, tea or that can of coke would be a problem, but they actually block the receptors that produce the feeling of tiredness."

Most of us are drinking far too much caffeine every day than we should be. Some may think this has little to no effect on their sleep, but caffeine actually hinders your body’s ability to tell you that you’re feeling tired and disrupts a peaceful nights sleep but it's hard to give up. Holland & Barrett sent me a sleep pack to get me back to having the best nights sleep I have had in a long time the pack came with decaf, a selection of herbal teas and remedies and a silk pillow which I have been after for a while, not only does it help give you a luxurious night sleep but helps your skin a hair!

Also most products are half price, H&B always have a good deal going on:

• Dr Organic Lavender Skin Lotion: After a relaxing shower moisturise up with this soothing lotion. Organic lavender oil has soothing, revitalising and restoring properties for a relaxing nights sleep whilst giving you silky smooth skin.
• Miaroma Relaxing Lavender Temple Balm: Place this on your temples, ear lobes, back of your neck and wrists and let the soothing blend of lavender, chamomile and patchouli relax the senses.
• Yogi Tea Bedtime Tea | Dr Stuarts Valerian Plus Tea | Health & Heather Organic Camomile Tea Bags: Chamomile or herbal tea are always going to soothe you to help you get a restful nights sleep and I do not drink them enough! My favourite out of the three is the Yogi Tea combining valerian, chamomile and passionflower.
• Holland & Barrett East Meets West Sleep Formula 60 capsules: I am not usually one who believes in herbal pills I always thought they they do not really work but I actually think these and the Lemon Balm Capsules are the ones sending me to sleep. These contain Shatavari which supports the normal onset of sleep.
• Holland & Barrett Lemon Balm Capsules: These capsules give you a temporary relief of the symptoms associated with mild anxiety which I do suffer from especially with the stress of moving house! 
• Miaroma Peppermint Pure Essential Oil: This is a replacement for caffeine the aroma is the perfect essential oil to keep you alert.

Hope this helps you in getting a good night sleep.

  

 This is a sponsored post but my love / need for sleep is real! 

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HAYO’U: Mind, Body & Soul

I know I seem calm, chilled, cool and oh so care free but wait for it….I am actually one big stress ball needing to be squeezed. I do suffer from a bit of anxiety and do have the odd meltdown for no apparent reason, where I lock myself away and have a good sob…not sure why, but sometimes I just do!  You know what? I’ve actually never dealt with these issues except for putting on a brave face and a smile. I rarely talk about it, I just put it in my pocket for another day but - trust me - this is not the way to go. Not only do my relationships suffer but so does my health, with bad skin, hair, weight gain and lack of concentration being a few of the unwelcome side effects. But I’ve discovered something that has helped me combat my stress levels without reaching for the wine (well not too much)…It’s called the HAYO’U method and its needs to be on your radar too.

“Rather than suppressing symptoms, Chinese medicine teaches you to read the subtle signals of your body, in order to safeguard your health”

WHAT IS THE HAYO’U METHOD?

HAYO'U? No it is not a cool new way to say “hello!” It’s a new stress-busting health and wellbeing programme inspired by Chinese medicine, created by the talented Chinese Physician Katie Brindle. ‘Hay’ means ‘health’ in Mandarin and whilst I have never tried Chinese medicine before, I’ve heard great things from friends about using this ancient health system to treat things like skin and scalp issues. Oh, and if the likes of  Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham are fans, why the hell have I not tried this treatment out?!

Katie was inspired to create the HAYO'U program after solving her own health problems with the help of Chinese medicine. She wanted to share the benefits of this health system (that’s been around for centuries FYI) to help us become better at managing our own health issues – with stress her number one Western ailment to tackle.  After chatting to Katie for about an hour, I was really interested to discover that the majority of modern day health issues have some link to stress. If you’ve ever suffered from poor sleep, bad skin, troublesome digestion or high anxiety levels (HELLO all the symptoms I mentioned at the start!) then the HAYO'U method can help. I’m not saying stop using traditional medicine (and Katie doesn’t advocate this either) but whilst you wait a MONTH for your next GP appointment, the HAYO'U method might just help you in the process.  Here’s how…

The One Minute Rituals

Yup, that is right one minute is all you need and this small step does really have a big impact on your overall health and wellbeing. I am living proof with better skin a more positive attitude on my health and feeling more energetic…no Red Bull for me, thank you very much!

One Minute Morning Ritual

Katie suggests the best time for the morning ritual is before you take a shower or bath as the water’s healing and rejuvenating qualities will enhance your relaxed state. Although the beauty of the rituals being just one minute means you can fit them into your daily lifestyle at any time. Why not try them whilst making a cup of coffee. 

Have a watch of the ritual below, it is a bit of a fun one with shaking, twisting and drumming to really get your body moving, relaxing and warming your entire body to shake away the stresses of the day.

 

One Minute Breathing Ritual

I have always known that breath is a stress buster, but do I take the time to do it, NO. After speaking to Katie more about this ritual it was interesting to hear that the diaphragm also holds onto emotional trauma.  This is why gentle exercise and breathing helps release this type of stress, whilst also alleviating lower back pain and helping build up your energy levels. So breathe it all away and rejuvenate into a calm and tranquil state.

Things I have learnt on the HAYO’U method:

1.    Speak about your health concerns: It was a huge weight off my mind to talk about my worries with Katie; I think that is part of the stress. After my Hayo’u Method consultation I felt much more open to my partner about the things that bother me and no doubt contribute to my stress levels, such my skin and weight. It’s been good to share the progress and improvements I’ve felt.

2.    1 minute is all you need: the rituals are actually amazing and I am excited to see myself improve even further.

3.    Be open to try new things.

4.    Western medicine does NOT hold all the answers.

Remember these videos are free; Katie wants the world to be reaping the benefits so make sure you do. I am now the master of being calm and tranquil and I am excited to hear what is next from the Hayo’u method.

This post is a collaboration but all opinions, my clear skin and calm state are all me.

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Saturday Favourites: 30th January

Ooops this is super late as it should of gone out yesterday for my Friday Favourites article but oh well...I was so lazy that my new diet went out the window and I not only ordered a pizza but garlic bread and chicken strips as well which equates to about 10000000 calories. 

Anyway this weeks favourites has ended up focusing around the things that keep me sane and chilled. I am quite an anxious person and this year it is one of my goals to really give myself some "me time". It is so easy to say but to actually dedicate time is really hard. The most depressing day of the year has been and gone but it's still dark and miserable outside with storms heading this way…the words stressed and depressed come to mind. So here are my favourite things for my 'me time'. Remember take each day as it comes and be happy.

I have really been trying to get back into the swing of things since Christmas but with my to do list like 5 pages long it has been making me feel anxious and a bit stressed. So this week I have been having nice warm baths with some trashy magazines, reality TV on or the monthly issue of the Waitrose magazine, thats right I LOVE it and no I have never actually made any of their recipes. Then slip into your pyjamas and the comfiest slippers you can find for me there really is only one winner and they are these UGG slippers from Cloggs. They are literally the first thing I put on in the morning...even thinking about them makes me relax.

I have been making sure that every day I dedicate at least 30 minutes to keeping my mind busy but not on work and the answer to this is to get an adult colouring book, I literally get lost in my book and they are great presents, my mum has finished one already!

Another outlet for keeping your mind busy but relaxed is to start looking into your next holiday. I am currently researching my trip to Iceland in March and it is making me so excited knowing I will be away from normal life soon and planning exciting things to do, although not sure you will get me diving in freezing cold water!

I have got into a ritual this week, when I get home I light up all the candles in my lounge like this one from AromaWorks, they are actually lit now. The aroma and mood lightening does wonders to my mental health and just makes the whole evening or day so much more relaxing.

Someone that I missed over Christmas and my recent press trips has been my little baby Dylan or Dill Pickle as he is commonly known as and doesn't he look so bloody handsome in this picture. My cat the model. Anyway animals definitely have calming qualities and Dylan always makes me happy even when I feel a bit down. Even if you can't get a large animal get a fish or something I promise it will have a calming effect.

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Feelin Cozy

It's been a busy few weeks with Time2Gossip and wedding season for me has officially begun! 

So on Sunday I had a lazy day, tried to catch up with some blogging, ate lots of food and spent a day at my house relaxing. After spending hours in heels over the past few weeks wearing a pair of socks is the best feeling in the world the ones in the picture above are from Glenmuir and they are oh so comfy. Another must for a relaxing day at home is a hot drink and although I am not a fan of  traditional tea this Mango & Bergamot Green Tea from Whittard was delicious.

What do you get up to when trying to relax? 

Socks: SockShop | Mug: Whittard | Bedding: Soak & Sleep 

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