THE ONLY GYM CLOTHING YOU'LL EVER NEED

Somebody reassure me and let me know that I'm not the only person with a whole drawer of gym clothes. But just in case you need some more.. Keep reading.

I've got some pieces that have been around since day one, those trusty sports bras, specific trainers for deadlifts and some of the warmest hoodies for training in winter. Something that always seems to come in waves however is my leggings collection. I find a brand I really like, get my hands on a few pairs and a year later I'm finding that they just don't fit the same as the used to.

I came across Gluteywear a few months ago after seeing all my fave UK based fitness girls on Instagram talking about how soft they were and that the quality was unbeatable so I obviously had to get myself a pair.

So it all started off with the Charcoal Grey leggings from the older collection and was so impressed when I put them on. They didn't fall down, they made the booty look unreal and they arrived in a matter of days with great communication from Carly, the owner of Gluteywear.

It only took me a couple of weeks to end up back on the website looking for my next purchase, and I had been told that the new material of leggings was something else.. I bagged myself these blue leggings and they are honestly the softest thing I've ever worn to the gym with the perfect amount of bum scrunch detail. The only way I can explain the material is like when you've just shaved and moisturised your legs and you get into bed with clean bedding on. They are like silk!

Putting them to the test on a big leg day and cardio afterwards I was honestly so impressed that they didn't show any sweat. So what happened next? I picked up the rose pink pair..
 

 

The admirable thing about Gluteywear is that they are constantly open to feedback, they're always working to improve their products and they really care about their consumers.

After realising that I had found my dream brand for gym clothing, I can happily announce that I'm now doing some work with them and I've got a 10% off code for you all to use! Just enter "CharlotteR" at checkout to save yourself some pennies!

Be sure to give me a follow on Instagram to stay up to date with all the newest releases and my other content!

Charlotte. X

GUEST BEDROOM DECOR INSPO

Some of you might know I'm currently in the process of buying my first home, a three bedroom semi detached house just on the outskirts of Leeds.

Although it hasn't been the smoothest of processes one thing I can find comfort in, is planning the decor of each room exactly to myself and Dan's taste. I've got Pinterest mood boards coming out of my ears, but there's never any harm in sharing some ideas on a good old blog post. I give to you, my mood board for our guest bedroom.

First up, we will be taking with us our Ikea Malm double bed that we bought around 2 years ago when we moved into our current flat together. We don't really see much point in replacing it, if it's only been used a handful of times. However to go at the end of the bed, I'd love to feature something like these dusky pink ottomans from Made.com. They're great for storage, and add a great pop of colour to the room. The Bouji Ottoman is a more traditional feel rather than the modern style of Asare Ottomon in the below photo. I think they'd both work really well with the feel of the room but time will tell!



Now if anyone else is like me, they're a creature of cluttering up the bedside table so my solution is to keep them small and avoid drawers that can be filled with junk. I'm obsessed with the Alana bedside tables also from Made.com to sit next to each side of the bed in our guest room, to be complimented with a simple table lamp and some decorative items.

No guest bedroom is complete without a candle (or three) like these from H&M, and some of that I'm-in-no-rush-to-get-out-of-bed type bedding. I've had my eye on a pom-pom style bedding set for a while in white now, but I could only find the link to a light blue one from Debenhams which is equally as lovely! 

They're the only snippets you're getting for now and who knows I may even change my mind when we eventually get moved in. If you have any homeware recommendations, please leave a comment or drop me a message on Instagram. There's nothing I love more than spending my weekend afternoons getting inspiration and saving items to my wishlist. 

Charlotte. X

A TASTE OF MY LIFE

It's no secret that everyone loves a cocktail now and then (if you don't, who even are you?), and something I've not previously discussed is my career and all the fun stuff I get to do on the side! Besides my full time job, I help out with my brother's mobile cocktail bar - Piano Bar Events. I run the social media pages, support at events and help out with drinks development.

We recently had some professional photos taken for our upcoming Spring Cocktail Soiree, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to tell you a little bit about what we do and where we came from. 

Piano Bar Events started up with an old piano, an idea and a whole lot of family contribution. We set up our Piano Bar at a whole range of events, create and serve classic cocktails, some of our own creations and also design cocktails specific for a guests event. I love the flexibility of helping out and having our own goals for the year, yet still being able to have a lovely impact during people's celebrations. 

I've popped in some photos above of a couple of my favourite drinks from our recent shoot, the "Italian Blush" and "Cured in New York". Head over to the Instagram page for more details on how we make our drinks, and follow our journey! We've got some super exciting public events coming up, and we'd love to have you attend if you're in the area. 

If you like this kind of snippet into my non-work, non-house-moving, non-fitness life then let me know in the comments and I'll keep the content coming! 

Charlotte. X

THE THINGS NO ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME

The initial excitement of leaving home or rented accommodation, is something that brings so much happiness you could never imagine. Being able to put your stamp on a house and turn it into a home, and being being an actual adult is a bloody great feeling. But once all that is over, and the real hunt begins, let me tell you - that shit is hard.

Myself and my partner, Dan have been viewing houses to buy for around 8 months now and we still haven't found "The One". No one ever prepares you for the amount of time you'll have to invest into viewing properties, arranging viewings, turning up to a viewing and realising its in the dodgiest area possible.

Earlier this year we found somewhere we were really keen on, and it turns out there were issues with the deeds in the garden.. Next. We then found a property that was a total renovation project but we were up for the challenge. Multiple offers put forward, and none of them accepted.. Now what?

Honestly I can't say I was prepared for the emotional toll of the process of buy a house. The constant disappointment of un-interested Estate Agents, the feeling of having an offer rejected time and time again, the fact that people don't want to sell their homes because of Brexit, and worrying that for whatever reason, your credit rating won't be good enough. Don't forget trying to fit in our full time jobs, and other life requirements!

There have been so many times when I've wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but I've always been a firm believer of "If something isn't meant to be, then thats ok." I know we will find somewhere eventually, it's just such a taxing process and part of me wishes we were taught more about this sort of thing when we were still in school.

What hurdles have you faced when buying a house?

Charlotte. X

COMPARING JOURNEYS

Would you expect to have the same experience climbing a mountain as a total beginner, versus the profession climber who has been climbing mountains their whole life? 

For me a goal of mine is fat loss and maintaining muscle, and had to focus a lot of my time into learning as much as I could about what it would take me to get to my goals. (Exercise execution, diet, strength training etc.) This time I invested into learning HOW to get to my goals set me back in my physical progression and I found myself looking at other people in the gym thinking "why aren't I as toned and strong as X person", "why can't I find anything that works for me" etc.  and I can't express how much it negatively impacted me. 

Regardless of what your goals are, it's important to recognise where YOU started, and what you have already achieved to get to where you are. Everyone starts working towards their goals at different times in their life and comparing yourself to other people can be the biggest hurdle to you seeing progression. 

Don't forget to stay positive, and whatever you're working towards will make you a better version of yourself. 

Charlotte xxx

CHARLOTTE VS OLD BLOG POSTS #1

Having spent some time looking back through old blog posts, I couldn't help but reflect on some of the content I published but also how my views and opinions have changed since then. I thought it would be a great idea to revisit some of these old posts and republish them with my updated views!

I thought I would start with a post titled "My Top 3 Activewear Brands" that I published back in 2016, so lets give it a go. (In no means am I slating the clothing items and brands that I used to love, but I thought it would be interesting to see how my taste has changed and the availability of brands that are around three years later.)

So here it goes, I give to you very much updated "Top 3 Activewear Brands".

1. Flexxfit

I came across the Flexxfit website in Summer 2018, and picked myself up a pair of leggings from a company I had never hear of or used before. Fast forwards to today and I now only wear Flexxfit leggings. They have the perfect amount of compression around the waist, but not so much that you can't breath or move. They're 110% squat proof, deadlift proof, creepy guy at the gym proof and have the most amazing buttery texture. I'm now the proud owner of 6 pairs of leggings and they come in a gorgeous range of colours! (My all time fave leggings if you can't tell. Please sponsor me.) 

2. Primark

Would you believe it? Trusty Primark are still up there in my top three activewear brands! They have a really good, yet affordable range of activewear. They're my go to for cheap sports bras, and they have a range of padded and unpadded which is amazing as I don't need much support. (Small boob gals where you at?) I believe their sports bras start around £3.50 which is unarguably a fantastic price and they do the job whilst still looking great.

3. Reform Apparel

It would be a sin to not mention Reform Apparel for the comfiest sports bras and caps that have ever graced this Earth. Their sports bras are the comfiest thing ever, and they also have faux suede caps available which are perfect for those "nobody talk to me" cardio days.

I'm totally a creature of habit when it comes to my activewear. I know what I like and what works for me, and I've really steered away from large dominating companies just for the sake of wearing branded gym clothes. I'd love to hear your fave pieces and brands in the comments!

Until next time, Charlotte.

BEING ACCOUNTABLE FOR YOU

One thing I've found since starting my fitness journey is that whenever I post fitness related content on Instagram I get bombarded with messages from people I know like "OMG you look amazing, tell me what to do." "How do you have the motivation?" "Help me." Well this is my advise.

I appreciate that for some people they may have never considered their health and fitness goals before and therefore their expectations may be inaccurate, however there are a huge amount of people who are naive as to how long the process of becoming a better you can take. These people are usually the ones who have tried and failed on numerous occasions with unsustainable diet fads and have started to lose hope. (Don't worry I feel you, I've been this person too.)

There have been days where I have sat and cried in front of the mirror at how much I hate what I see, I've wanted to avoid social situations because none of my clothes look right because I'm "so fat", but then I have to reflect and focus on the times when I wake up and I can't describe how happy I feel and how proud I am of how far I've come.  

My number one piece of advise for anyone starting out in their journey is BE ACCOUNTABLE. There's no point complaining you're not reaching your goals if you eat consistently through the week and binge on pizza and takeaway and nights out over the weekend. 

Accountability for me is like making myself a promise of where I want to be, and how I'm going to get there. Check in photos, scale weight, tracking my food and being positively critical. 

Remember that no-one can drive you to reach your goals, other than you. Start somewhere but realise that there is no quick fix and no one can keep you accountable better than yourself. 

Until next time, Charlotte. 

"The state of your life, is nothing more than a reflection of the state of your mind."