Four Fitness Bloggers to follow this January...

With today being "Blue Monday" I thought it would be the perfect time to share this post for a bit of extra motivation during the January blues. I know one of my main goals this year is definitely to improve my health and fitness and I find I have been turning to a certain few bloggers recently for motivation, inspiration and general tips and advice on living a healthier lifestyle. I definitely recommend following these 4 (if you don't already) if, like me, you are looking for some advice, information and general motivation for getting fit and healthy in 2016.

1. Rosanna Davison
Website: http://www.rosannadavisonnutrition.com//
Instagram: Rosanna_Davison (104k followers)
Snapchat: Rosiedavison5

I am sure most of you (especially if you are Irish) know who Rosanna Davison is. The Beauty Queen, who won Miss World in 2003 has recently become an author with a book based around healthy, natural living. Rosanna is a qualified nutritional therapist and if her book is anything to go by, she really knows her stuff. Last year I made the decision to start following a vegetarian lifestyle and I am really loving all of the nutritional information and recipes based around a vegetarian and Vegan lifestyle that Rosanna shares in her book. If you are interested in a plant based diet then definitely follow Rosanna Davison for amazing recipes, nutritional advice and of course serious body envy!

(Images source: Instagram @Rosanna_Davison)

2. The Food Medic
Website: http://hazelwallace.co.uk/about/
Instagram: thefoodmedic (59.9k followers)
Snapchat: thefoodmedic

If abs are what you're after then you need to follow Hazel Wallace. Hazel shares healthy recipes, and healthy lifestyle advice on her blog 'the food medic'. Not only does Hazel blog consistently, she has a first class degree in medical science and just signed up to get a qualification in personal training. The Food Medic is the perfect blog to follow for inspiration if you lead as busy lifestyle, as Hazel states on her website that she set up the food medic blog "in the hopes of using it as a platform to show people that eating healthy, or eating ‘clean’, can be enjoyable, uncomplicated and easy to incorporate into busy lifestyle – like that of a medical student!"

(Images source: Instagram @thefoodmedic)

3. Lydia Elise Millen
Website: http://lydiaelisemillen.com/
Instagram: LydiaEmillen (277k followers)
Snapchat: lydiaemillen

Lydia's blog is a go to site for fashion, beauty, health & fitness and everything in between. Lydia's blog is must read not only for the articles on physical health but also for her focus on how to improve your mental health, with some of her recent blog posts covering 'Learning how to breath after anxiety', and 'How to de-stress after a busy week'. With her enviable style, healthy, positive attitude and a career we could only dream of, Lydia is definitely one to follow for some New Year motivation.

Images source: Instagram @lydiaemillen

4. Heidi Somers
Website: http://www.buffbunny.com/bio/
Instagram: BuffBunny (866k followers)
Snapchat: Buffbunny

Heidi Somers is an American 'Vlogger' and fitness guru from Alaska. Heidi (also known as BuffBunny) has competed in bikini contests, represents some huge fitness companies in the US, creates youtube videos with her diet and workout tips and is a general funny and quirky person to follow on social media. If you like weight lifting and a bit of humor then BuffBunny is the perfect person to follow.

(Images Source: Instagram @Buffbunny)

My Fitness Journey...Week 2

Hi Everyone, 

I have just finished week 2 of my new Healthy lifestyle and I am feeling great already :) I have lost 3 pound this week and I am delighted! I know it's not a huge amount but slow progress is better than no progress, right? :) I have also been told that losing up to 2lb a week is the average healthy pace for long term weight loss and prevents muscle loss!

Aside from actually losing weight I have noticed my moods improve and my energy levels have improved a serious amount! I have been waking up earlier and I have been getting straight up and making my breakfast and then preparing my lunch for work. 

So, what have I been doing this week? Well, a friend of my Sister's who has lost 5 stone in less than a year e-mailed me some of her tips on both diet and exercise and I found this really motivating as she has really worked so hard to see results, so the next day I went grocery shopping and picked up some of the things she recommended to start incorporating them into my diet. Some of these included, Flaxseed, Natural/Greek Yoghurt, Coconut Oil and berries. Most mornings this week for breakfast I have had strawberries and grapes mixed with Greek Yogurt and sprinkled on top with Flaxseed, it is so yummy and is so refreshing first thing in the morning. Flaxseed is great to add as it contains Omega 3, Protein, Iron and Magnesium among many other things that are health beneficial. 

For my lunch I have stuck with my marinated chicken fillet and salad, I have been cooking the chicken in coconut oil this week. I

also want to start using coconut oil on my skin and hair so I will do a separate post on that :) 

I was really craving chocolate this week so on Sunday I had a lil cheat and had a bowl of Cocopops with low fat milk and a low fat hot chocolate. I know cereal isn't great and is full of sugar but you have to allow yourself a lil treat sometimes so as not to deprive yourself and end up binging! (Excuses, excuses!) Haha! 

I worked out 4 times this week and I tried yoga with a friend. It was fun and relaxing and I had sore muscles in my stomach and arms the next morning so it must have done something right! And another day I went on an hour long cycle in the park to mix things up a bit! For the week ahead I plan on sticking to the same eating plan as last week and just increasing my weight training in the gym as I have still been doing mostly cardio this week with just a few weights mixed in at the end. However I know that the more muscle you build, the more fat you burn as well as shaping your body and toning up so I am defo going to take that on board this week in my workouts! 
I think that's everything for this week :) and remember if you have any questions or any advice you'd like to share with me then you can e-mail me at sassiedoll@outlook.com or Private message me on facebook HERE

Thanks for reading, I'll be back next week with another Fitness update... 

Lots of Love, 
SassieDoll xXxXx

A bit of celebrity Body Inspo for this week...

My Fitness Journey: Week 1

As a teenager I was always very slim and never really had to worry about weight until I reached my twenties. I used to fluctuate between a size 8 to 10 until I reached about age 22/23. Over the past couple of years I have gained quite a bit of weight and have noticed my confidence slip a lot. My dream is to eventually start doing some 'What i wore' posts and personal style features on the blog. Since my background and passion are in fashion design, styling and buying it seems strange that I don't really feature my own style on SassieDoll. however this has been a bit of an issue for me since I gained weight over the last 2 years. I recently found out I have an under active thyroid and this causes weight gain and tiredness which as a young woman in your 20's these are two things that nobody wants that can really affect you. I used to love working out as well and now I had only been to the gym for a couple of months throughout the past year which I suppose some of this can also be put down to the lack of energy I've had. I can't blame it all on my thyroid either though as I am a complete Chocolate addict :P So I just thought it was about time I shared this with you all...

Anyway, you may have noticed the fact that I don't do any personal style posts and this is because I have lost a lot of my confidence and I keep saying 'When I lose weight I will start posting more pics of myself and my style for my followers' but 10 months later I have decided why keep waiting...instead I am going to start sharing my weight loss journey with you all and hopefully this will keep me motivated to keep going not only for myself but for whoever wants to follow my journey too. I am now on medication to regulate my Thyroid, however the doctor said I will still lose weight at a slower pace than an average person so I guess I am just gonna have to work super hard!!!

Above: Me as a slimmer teenager (about 16 )

Just over a week ago I was in Kilkenny with my boyfriend, the hotel we were staying in had a lovely big gym and pool area so my boyfriend convinced me to hit the gym with him. I actually had anxiety about going because I hadn't worked out in so long. But this was the first time after months of saying 'I'll start on Monday' and never really committing, that something just clicked, I felt so good after the workout and enjoyed every minute and my mind frame finally began to change. So the day after we got home, I rang my gym to see how long I had left on my membership (they said 3 months) so I made the decision to start back straight away.

Above: My Boyfriend bought me these new runners to get me started :)

Over the past week I went to the gym 4 days. I did mostly cardio and then at home have done some arm weights and squats but I will build up my weight training over the next few weeks. I also started bringing my lunch to work, I made salad at home and mixed it with pine nuts and a chicken breast marinated in lemon and herbs. And dinner has mostly been chicken with veg or brown rice. Each week from now on I will do an updated health post to share my progress, success and struggles with you all. And as I get into a routine that is working for me I will share more detailed work outs and diet plans :)

Above: Some of my lunches in work this week

I can't wait to start seeing some results over the next few months. I would love to hear any of your weight loss tips, goals or success stories, or if like me, you suffer from an under active thyroid then get in touch and share your journey with me because I find following other peoples journeys on instagram and other blogs super motivating :)
Contact me: sassiedoll@outlook.com

I find this pic of Vicky from Geordie Shore Super Motivating :)

Lots of Love,
SassieDoll
xXxXx

Above: Me getting ready for my first day back at the gym :/

#100DaysOfHappiness

Hi All,

This post is a little bit different than what I usually write about (i.e fashion/beauty trends and products) but I think it is a really good idea and wanted to share it.
I first heard about it when I saw Irish model Pippa O'Conor Ormond post a picture on instagram with the hashtag #100DaysOfHappiness and saying she was "starting today".
I got curious so I began googling the term to see what it was all about. I think it is such a cute and positive idea.
 Basically, everyday for 100 days, you take a picture of one thing (Anything at all...big or small) throughout your day that made you smile or made you feel happy.
There is a website (100happydays.com) where you can register your details and you upload your pics every day but I think I will just do it myself. Each day you just post your one picture on instagram/facebook/twitter with the hashtag #100daysofhappiness and that's all there is to it!

There is no specific reason or outcome at the end of the 100 days, it is just a personal challenge to help you find and appreciate the smaller things in life that make you happy each day! :)

There may be things on certain days that you didn't get a chance to photograph so I thought it would be a nice idea to keep a little diary where I will write the thing that made me happy each day (and if I do manage to get a pic I will stick it into the diary too) so you will always have it to look back on as well.

This might not be some people's cup of tea, but I think anything big or small that can bring you a smile and a bit of positivity to each day is worth giving a go :)

Let me know if you've decided to do it and share your happy pics with me on Instagram by using the hashtag #sassiedoll100 as well as #100daysofhappiness.

You can also contact me at: sarah@sassiedoll.com

Lots of Love SassieDoll xXx

Just Do it!!! :)

Hi Dolls :)
So here it is...my brand new, very own website...
I was a bit nervous about creating this at first and I put a huge amount of time and effort into the whole process so I really hope you all like it :)
Although I am not a shy person and I am chatty and love meeting new people, anyone who knows me well will tell you I lack in confidence and self esteem (you may have noticed I haven't done very many posts about myself or featured many pictures of myself until recently). I used to put off creating my own blog at first (even though I new it would be something I would love doing) with the fear of it not being 'good enough' or not being viewed at all. The same with my designs, I LOVE designing, I could research, sketch and make things all day but they always seem to end up sitting there in my bedroom never to be seen because I never take it that next step further.
 I have always talked about some day having my own website where I can write blog posts and feature my work but I wasn't putting those words into action.
However 3 months ago I decided to put my fear and low self esteem aside and just go for it. So I set up SassieDoll. To my surprise, the facebook page grew to over 1,000 likes in the first 2 weeks and now 3 months on it has over 6,000 likes and all of my friends have been really encouraging and supportive. Three months is a very short space of time and I still have a long way to go... I definitely didn't think I would be setting up my own website 3 months later but my goal for the blog was always to share fashion related news, trends, advice, to hear others tips and shared passions and eventually...to share my own designs. So that's where the website began to develop. Although I am starting very small with a mini collection of accessories, I am excited that it's a start :) So you can now 'SHOP' on my new website for your very own 'SassieDoll' bracelets and hopefully much more in the near future.
SassieDoll is still only small and developing but at this moment in time it is something I am most passionate about and enjoy doing so much. So far, luckily, I have have great support and positive feedback, I think it's more the fear of negativity that holds you back. So I guess the moto of this rant it just to believe in yourself and do the thing that makes you most happy regardless of what that may be and what you fear other people may think. Because like I said, although 3 months is a short space of time and the following is still somewhat small, I am so happy I finally went for it and created SassieDoll because I now LOVE doing it and hope I will be able to continue doing it for the foreseeable future  :)

Gosh, that got a bit deep...so anyway, to lighten things up, take a browse through the new website where you can access my blog, gallery, contact info and the SassieDoll shop HERE!!!

Enjoy,

Love SassieDoll xXx