Tag: motivation

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Finding Motivation for the Last Mile…

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It’s true that the last mile is always the hardest. Hands down this past two weeks of uni have been very difficult for me in terms of my motivation. I am a very motivated person, but something is happening in these last couple of weeks – and I know for a fact by the memes people are sharing on social media that I’m not the only one! :’)

I’m hoping this post will also be relevant to those of you who are close to completing something that you’ve been working hard on, or that you’re looking forward to finishing. Below are a few of the things that I think about when my motivation is running at an all time low!

  1. Don’t let your effort be for nothing.

You’ve worked so hard for this, so don’t even think about taking your foot off the gas pedal because of the way you’re feeling currently. I’m a big believer in living life with no regrets – so don’t regret your lack of hard work in the lead up to something great. You may feel tired, you may feel drained, but these are all temporary feelings which will soon be over. Don’t wish that you had of worked harder.

2) It will all be over soon.

Within no time this will all be completed, you would have achieved something great, and how you feel now will be a distant memory. Bare this in mind, you’re so close to completing something great, its a matter of short-term pain for long-term gain. I find it also helps to think about how you will feel once it is all over, use this feeling to get you to the finish line!

3) Keep sight of where you want to be.

On a beach living the free life, please 😉 The only thing that is going to get you there is your present self. Work hard now, and your future-self will thank you later. Nothing worth having comes easy, so put in the effort now. Remember why you started in the first place – you’re closer than you’ve ever been to achieving this.

Keep pushing, because now is not the time to stop…

Jazzy B ❤

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Self-image – From a psychology students perspective.

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If you’re frequent user of social media you’ll be no stranger to the negative comments and feelings of inadequacy that can come about through using it. A few people I follow have used the platform to expose some of the comments they receive on a daily basis, and the harmful effect it has had on their confidence and self-esteem. This made me think about self-image and just how fragile it really is.

According to Self-perception theory, as proposed by Bem (1972), self-image operates on both an intrinsic and extrinsic level. We learn about our own attitudes, beliefs and emotions through observing our own behaviour and thoughts (intrinsic). These beliefs are then reinforced or challenged by the feedback that we gain from others (extrinsic) – it’s here that the vulnerability arises. Depending upon certain factors such as resilience, confidence and self-esteem will determine the extent to which we allow the feedback of another to challenge the view we have of ourselves.

Self-perception is more like a process as opposed to a fixed state, and so naturally we will encounter individuals throughout our lives who can be detrimental or beneficial to our self-image. The view of ones self is particularly fragile amongst adolescents, as this age group is more vulnerable to the effect of poor self-image and regulating irrational thoughts (O’Keefe & Clark-Pearson, 2011). There is also research to highlight the negative effects of self-image, and they’re pretty serious! For example, a frequent negative self-image amongst adolescents has been linked to symptoms of depression, social anxiety and even suicidal behaviour (Savilahiti et al, 2018; Schreiber , F., & Steil, R. 2013; Sitnik-Warchulska 2016).

Furthermore, there is research that directly links social media to contributing to a negative self-image (Mclean et al., 2015). Social media provides the perfect environment for challenging a persons self-perception. You chose to put yourself out there and so you will inevitably be judged (or even scrutinised) by others, potentially challenging the current view of yourself, leading to mental discrepancy.

It’s obvious from the research that a negative self-image can have detrimental effect on mental health, so whats the solution? To me, I feel it comes down to resilience. It is easier let the views of another tamper with something as fragile as our self image, but first we should consider a few things. Start by questioning the intentions of the person who is giving you their opinion of you. How much do you value their opinion? Nine times out of 10, you won’t know the person nor their intentions, and so in this case ignore their viewpoint. Why should we even consider letting someones view on ourselves be tampered with when we don’t know why they have said this comment in the first place? I’m not saying to disregard everyone’s opinion and views on yourself, but instead give yourself the power to be selective about who’s opinion you let influence your self-image.

Be resilient, believe in yourself and If all else fails…there is no better feeling than cutting out the haters from your life :’)

I could write so much on this, but I wont give you an essay to read this time 😉 If you’d like me to write more posts in this style just let me know! Thank you for reading,

Jazzy B ❤

References:

Bem, Daryl J. “Self-Perception Theory.” In Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. Vol. 6, edited by Leonard Berkowitz. New York: Academic, 1972. Print.

O’Keeffe, G.S., & Clarke-Pearson, K. (2011). Clinical report: The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), 800-804. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-0054

Savilahti, E.M., Haravuori, H., Rytila-Manninen, M., Lindberg, N., Kettunen, K., & Marttunen, M. (2018). High beck depression inventory 21 scores in adolescents without depression are associated with negative self-image and immature defense style. Psychiatry research, 263, 61-68. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.02.040Get rights and content

Schreiber, F., Steil, R. (2013). Haunting self-images? The role of negative self-images in adolescnet social anxiety disorder. Journal of Behaviour Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry. 44(2), 158-164. Doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2012.10.003

Sitnik-Warchulska, K. (2016). Self-image and suicidal and violent behaviours of adolescent girls. Healthy Psychology Report, 4(4), 303-314. Doi:
https://doaj.org/article/367ae2de3ede4f55a0ad21a7e36c84e8

McLean, S.A., Paxton, S.J., Wertheim, E.H. & Masters, J. (2015). Photoshopping the selfie: self photo editing and photo investment are associated with body dissatisfaction in adolescent girls. The International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48(8), 1132–1140. Doi: 10.1002/eat.22449 h

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Are We Wrongly Recognising?

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First of all, a big sorry for the lack of posts on here! I think the festive period and the start of my dissertation got the better of me, but I’ve managed to organise my time…and now I’m back 😉

I was thinking about recognition and what gets others recognised, and it occurred to me that recognition tends to favour the elite. You only have to scroll through Instagram, flick through a magazine or turn on the TV to see those who are the best in their niche, getting recognised – and rightly so. They have worked hard and no doubt have sacrificed a lot to be where they are today. This is why I love the iceberg metaphor of success; it reminds us not just to focus on the current success of a person, but to admire the consistent hard work that got them to where they are today.

However, what I do find strange is that as a society we appear to mostly recognise those who are the best in their game. This isn’t just on social media, I’ve noticed it throughout uni and school too, with only those scoring the highest on an assignment or those who do the most volunteering for the uni, getting recognised. This baffles me as to how we fail to recognise those who work hard day in day out. It’s almost as if we value the outcome of hard work more than the process that got us there.

Recognition to me means praising the hard work and good intentions of those of all abilities and skills, not just the crème de la crème. We should be praising dedication and hard work irrelevant of the outcome. We are not just a product of our success!

So this post is dedicated to those of you who work long hours, yet still make time to go to the gym, and smash your fitness and personal goals. It’s for the grafters who work hard with no complaints – you’re doing great ❤

Jazzy B xx

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Foodie Finds – March 2018

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Here are my foodie finds for the month of March. For me, March signifies the start of spring and better weather (not to mention the chocci easter eggs which I hope you’re all enjoying this weekend).

1) White chocolate whey ballsFullSizeRender

These are from Bulkpowders and are amazing! The best way to describe them would be like Maltesers, but with more crunch. I love how versatile they are, and they make the perfect sweet treat and taste great when added to porridge. They cost £10.99, but you do get 500g for this price, and they are so worth it!

download2) Fellow Sugar-free cola bottles

I always see these sweets flying around Instagram, and had to give them a try. Considering they are sugar-free, gelatine free, and gluten free they taste pretty good! The only difference I found is that they were chewier than standard cola bottles, which is good considering they are free-from just about everything! You can pick them up from Sainsbury’s and Holland & Barrett.

3) Belvita Soft BakesIMG_1914

Although definitely not the healthiest thing, I have always wanted to try these and I can’t deny that they taste amazing! It’s like a cross between a flapjack and a cake with a chocolate filling, and you certainly can’t go wrong with that.

 

IMG_3370[1]4) LoveCorn BBQ roasted corn

I picked this pack up from Sainsbury’s and was pleasantly surprised. The texture was a lot crunchier than what I thought it would be, and the BBQ flavour was so intense. Also, the company uses all-natural ingredients and the flavour comes from the spices that they use, so worth a try.

5) Halo Top Peanut Butter cup Ice creamIMG_3372[1]

SO worth the hype. I don’t know how they do it, but it tastes incredible! If you love your ice cream, I highly recommend this…plus at only 320 calories per tub, it’s guilt-free. I also saw they had other flavours like cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, and classic vanilla. You need to try this!

Thank you for reading and I hope you try some of these goodies,

Jazzy B ❤

 

 

 

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How to Stay Motivated

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I think we have all experienced a time where motivation levels reach an all-time low. A lack of motivation can make you feel so far from your goals, but this is most certainly not the case and a simple change in your outlook can help almost immediately. Hopefully,  this post will help you to get out of a motivation rut, and back to feeling unstoppable.

1) Acknowledgment

It is okay to feel unmotivated. I think when people feel unmotivated they fixate on this rather than the solution, or cause, but change how you choose to view your lack of motivation can easily overcome this feeling. Try and think if there is anything that might be directly affecting your level of motivation e.g, work stress, life changes, tiredness, no matter how big or small, any reason is valid. However, it may also be the case that you can’t think of anything that is negatively affecting your motivational drive, and again this is fine – motivation is not constant, and thank goodness not too, as we’d all be exhausted! It may be the last thing you want to do to try and rebuild your motivation, but to have a break from the gym, and thinking about fitness/goals can be the best thing. This time out will allow for you to feel refreshed, and ready to smash some fitness goals!

2) Change your workout routine 

Often, when we get settled into a fitness routine, it is very easy to become complacent. Ironically, comfort zones can be dangerous places! If you’re doing the same workouts day, in day out, it is inevitable that your motivation will decrease. Not only will this cause mental complacency, but your body will stop responding the way it used to, as it also becomes used to the same routine. You will notice the benefits of mixing up your workouts as the body responds best when it is challenged. There are so many ways to change the way you workout such as training with a friend, trying a new workout, even changing the time you normally train can make a difference.

3) Setting realistic goals

Having a goal to work towards increases my motivation so much! Make the goal specific to you, and really focus on achieving this. The goal can be anything from a new personal best, to simply going to the gym a certain amount of times in a week. It is also important that the goals you set are achievable whilst still have an element of challenge to them. Fitness journals are a great way to record your progress, goals, and achievements, as it can be so easy to forget how far we’ve come!

4) Reward yourself

Closely related to setting goals is rewarding yourself when you achieve them! All work and no play is most definitely not fun, so when you reach a goal, give yourself a reward. My reward always seems to be new gym leggings, you can never have enough :’)

4) Take it back to the beginning

What made you start your fitness journey? How motivated did you feel when you first started getting into fitness? It’s about rekindling that initial drive that got you started and reminding yourself exactly why you do what you do. For me, I always try and be the best version of myself that I can, when I workout it’s a celebration of what my body can do!

Thank you for reading, and I hope this post has helped you in some way,

Jazzy B ❤

 

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Cooking with Quorn

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If you couldn’t tell already from my Instagram page, I am OBSESSED with Quorn. I think they offer such as a large variety of meat-free substitutes, that it makes it so much easier to stop/reduce your meat consumption.Whenever I talk to people about cooking with Quorn, they’re always a bit skeptical. So this blog post is for those of you who are unsure as to how to incorporate this fabulous food into your diet.

There are so many advantages to cooking with Quorn, a few include:

  • Cheaper than meat
  • lower in saturated fat than meat
  • very versatile – can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner
  • high fibre content
  • guilt free

Cooking with Quorn is so simple. I love the innovations that the company is always coming out with, they now even do a whole vegan range. Also, they have bacon, chicken slices for sandwiches and snacks such as scotch eggs and cocktail sausages (which taste amazing!) It makes committing to these dietary choices so much easier, knowing that you can still have something that will provide you with protein, and far less saturated fat per serving.

Cooked BreakfastIMG_6755

Who doesn’t love a nice cooked brekkie?! For me, veggie sausages make a cooked breakfast SO much better, you also don’t feel bad for eating them as they a great in terms of macros. Plus, they make the best sausage sandwiches.

 

IMG_7269

 

Roast Dinner

A nice Sunday roast with all the trimmings, please. Yep, still possible with Quorn. On my roast, I will have a Quorn chicken fillet with everything else that usually goes on a roast! Also, it makes cooking a roast far easier if you only have to put a Quorn chicken fillet in the oven.

Spaghetti Bolognese24321736_1727072897366962_2087718851_o

This is a classic midweek winner, that you don’t have to miss out on if you’re vegetarian.  According to the Quorn website, when this dish is made with Quorn mince, it contains 90% less saturated fat than regular mince! When I make this dish for friends or family…I always tell them it’s made with real mince,  and half the time they don’t even notice 😉

24818822_1730014770406108_37254609_oChicken Curry

Curry is another classic that I couldn’t live without.  Quorn chicken pieces are great in curries, and reduce the cooking time by a lot…a win-win ;). The recipe for this red lentil and chicken curry dish can be found here, I highly recommend this as a mid-week dish as it is so easy and cheap.

 

As you become used to cooking with Quorn, you’ll realise that the possibilities are endless, you don’t have to stick to vegetarian recipes either, as Quorn work perfectly when subbed into recipes that would normally contain meat. Thank you for reading, and I hope I’ve inspired you to give Quorn products a go, even if it is only for one meal per week,

Jazzy B ❤

 

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Foodie Finds – September 2017

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For me, September is all about new beggings. It’s the time when I welcome the new academic year along with all its challenges and successes, not to mention all the comforts that autumn has to offer. Normally I’m a summer person, but this year I’m going to make an effort to really enjoy autumn and all its beauty. But for now I’m clinging on to whatever may be left of summer, and sharing with you my summer foodie finds. I hope you enjoy.

1) Oomf Protein Porridge Pots

I added banana slices, almonds and dark chocolate.

I packed this in my suitcase whilst going abroad so I had something to have in the morning…as it was an awful flight time! Normally pots like this leave me feeling hungry about an hour after I’ve eaten them, but this one left me satisfied! The flavours are also great, I tried the golden syrup and cinnamon flavours which were both so tasty. I also love that they allow enough room for you to top them with whatever you like. With a whopping 22g of protein and only 10g of sugar, and no washing up 😉 you can’t go wrong! These little pots also feature in my latest blog post, How to Stay Healthy on Holiday.

2) Dr. Zaks Salted Caramel CookieIMG_7732

The thing I like most about this is that it’s like a cookie that you get from a bakery. Normally the texture of protein ‘cookies’ are like rock hard biscuits, which is so disappointing! For me the texture is spot on, it’s so gooey and just melts in the mouth, and the flavour is delicious. Of course, the macros are also excellent with 15g of protein and 2.4g of sugar. They also have a chocolate chip and triple chocolate…deffo on my list to try ;).

3) Pulsin and Beyond Raw Chocolate Chip Brownie

I’ve had a lot of ‘raw’ brownies, but nothing quite compares to this one! The taste is so rich and chocolatey making this treat so moreish. Also, it’s raw (which seems to be the craze at the minute) as it involves all natural ingredients, which haven’t been cooked, therefore helping to retain the nutritional benefits, plus it’s vegan too. If I ever want a natural alternative when I’m fancying something sweet, I shall definitely be returning to this. I had my brownie on top of some porridge oats, which worked a treat making this bar so versatile, but, you could also top your pancakes with it or have it as an evening sweet treat.

4) Grenade Banana Armour 

Grenade has done it again! There isn’t actually a single bar that I don’t love, they’re all so good and this one certainly was no exception. I’ve heard a lot of people on social recommending to heat the bar up in the microwave, and that’s just what I did. It went from an amazing protein bar to an even better protein dessert. It’s also limited edition so I’d go and grab one now!

IMG_76275) Sparkling Ice Water

This is one of those random drinks that I picked up at the airport, I fancied something fizzy, flavoured and kinda healthy and this is what I bought. It was strawberry and Kiwi flavour, and oh my gosh I loved it. Definitely one of those drinks that you can’t stop sipping on…it didn’t even make it on the plane, I’d drunk it that quickly. The whole bottle had only 12 calories, and if that doesn’t convince you enough…it’s green, so novel!

 

Well, that’s my September foodie roundup complete, stay tuned for what other groovy things I can find in October,

Jazzy B ❤