fitness friday: hydration and water are key.

picture courtesy of weheartit

"Drink eight glasses of water a day" is a saying that we are all knowable of, but are there any benefits regarding weight loss and fitness. Water hydrates the body and helps it work more efficiently showcasing how it is an essential drink in every day life. Not only this but it also boosts the bodies metabolic rate, which gives us energy and helps to burn calories, highlighting how it is also a great tool for those who are 'dieting'.

There are numerous benefits of water, a well-hydrated body helps muscles and organs work quickly and efficiently. When the body is working well, it's metabolic rate will raise and give your more of an energetic feel whilst raising the metabolism and in turn burning calories up to 3% faster. This is key to losing weight - in order to get your body to work the way you want, it is important to give your body what it needs.

Whilst many say they detest water and it's taste (or lack of), there are food products that contain the substance too. Therefore if you want to incorporate more water in your diet it is essential to scour through the products that contain high amounts of added sugar and fats, and incorporate high water content foods (fruits and vegetables) into your daily diet to feel the benefit too. Melons, cucumber and tomatoes are good examples of this. Whilst these do not replace the benefits of drinking water directly they help provide hydration along with other vitamins and minerals needed for the body.

Since feeling thirsty and hungry often go hand-in-hand, if you are feeling thirsty you might accidentally mistake this for "hunger pains" and start searching for the nibbles rather than diving for a glass of water. It is important to listen to your body and what it needs. By keeping a glass of water close at hand you are less likely to gain those extra pounds. Also by drinking water you can begin to  recognise the difference between the two grumbling pains and possibly help eradicate gaining unnecessary pounds when you aren't hungry.

Regarding dieting it is more important to drink a lot of water throughout the day whilst starting a healthy eating kick. No only will it energise your body for exercise, it will kick start your metabolism and keep it going throughout the day - burning those calories, curbing those "hunger pains" and helping muscles recover after exercising and training has taken place.

It is safe to say that water is awesome! The benefits go from the very vain led making the skin better and reducing the look of cellulite, to the very health conscious boosting of energy levels and increasing your metabolism. It is one of those vital substances our body needs. It is a great dietary tool and one that can easily be incorporated into our every day life - and for free! What more could you ask for?!

Tips for those who think drinking water is unthinkable:
- Incorporate water into your diet through fruits and vegetables.
- Add a dash of sugar free squash to give taste.

nothing at all.

hoodie: topshop

jeans: dorothy perkins

Recently I've been going through the motions and wondering what I want out of life. Woah, hold the phone, deep way to start an outfit post right? Yeah, sorry about that. Then again I guess it's better to be open than put a smile on everything. Anyway, it will make sense as we get further into the post....

What I'm trying to say is that I feel like my "going through the motions" is weaving it's way into everything. My sporadic posting, my lack of motivation (either trying to get experience, permanant job etc...) and fashion. I'm stuck in a rut of jeans, t-shirts, hoodies. A lot of it has to do with my fitness kick, my lack of wanting to do my hair or makeup because first thing in the morning I'm throwing on trainers and going for a 30 minute run. Plus, I don't really have anything to get "dressed up" for. Call me lazy, call me whatever, but it's the truth. I'm sure a lot of you reading this post can relate to me too (hopefully anyway, otherwise I look like an idiot!).

Hopefully this post gives me the kick up the backside that I need in turning my blog back into what I started it out as. A fashion journal of some sort, where I can reflect on my clothes etc... Time will tell, I guess.

Scandalous Shampoo and Conditioner Review.

This range is something I had been meaning to try for a while but never got round to it. However when this caught my eye in my local Superdrug I just knew that I should grab it whilst I thought about it and add my views on the product to the no doubt abundance of opinions already out there in the beauty blogasphere.

Firstly I reached for the Insatiable Shine shampoo - no particular reason other than this was the only one that I could find at the time. I wouldn't say that my hair lacks shine. I like to say I pride myself on a considerably healthy lifestyle/diet and try to get as much nutrients into my system as I can to allow "attributes" (if you so will) to shine naturally. However upon this product I have to say that I have noticed a little bit of difference to the way my hair looks - nothing major, but then again I wasn't expecting a miracle either! The texture of the product like most shampoos is considerably runny. One thing that defintely draws me to this product is the scent. It's light, fresh and reminds me of a natural, garden smell - therefore appealling for summer. (Not that we have one at the moment in England! I suppose this product could help you dream though!)

Secondly I am going to talk about the conditioner which is part of the 'Big and Beautiful' range. What this range aims to do is exactly what it days; easy root uplift and bigger hair, and I have whilst my hair isn't the thinnest there has definitely been a difference in the volume created to my hair from the use of this product. Although upon dispense the conditioner is thick and creamy when applied to the hair its smoothing ability through the locks isn't the best. However, the end results achieved with this product (like I said) allow this small negative to slide. My roots are uplifted and there is nice bounce to my hair.

Overall I would definitely recommend both these products, whilst they aren't groundbreaking they achieve what they claim relatively well (and lets be honest products don't always achieve what we think they will in our heads... It's just never the same is it?!) and that's good enough for me!

All products retail at £3.49 in Superdrug at the time of this review.