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5 Things That Helped Me Get Fit & Healthy | Wellness

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health, wellness, lose weight, women's health, wellness, Catherine Balavage, fit, fruit, strawberries, blueberries, spinach, tomatoes, When someone decides to go on a health kick there is usually a reason why. A health scare, a baby on the way, or maybe seeing a picture of themselves and thinking they need to lose a few pounds. My first health kick started when I was trying to get pregnant with my firstborn four years ago. A back injury had left me overweight and I had irregular periods. I was about to get married. In total I lose twenty-two pounds. Everybody thought I did it for the wedding pictures but, no, I did it for the blue-eyed boy I have now.

I got pregnant almost immediately. My second health kick happened when, you guessed it!, I started trying for baby number two. I lost less weight this time because I switched up my training, but I become the healthiest I have ever been and my body looked amazing. She took her time but nine months later I was pregnant again. Becoming a parent has made me health conscious. I want to be around to see my children grow up and take care of them. While consistency is still something I am working on, here are five things that helped me lose weight and get super fit.

1: I tracked what I ate.

I recommend everyone tracks what they eat. Even if it is just for a few weeks. The results will be shocking. We all underestimate how many calories we take in. You will also probably be horrified about how much sugar you consume. Healthy eating is hard. I was horrified that I was doing the classic mummy thing of allowing myself chocolate because I deserved it after a hard day. What I really deserved was to respect my body and not to load it up with sugar everyday. One day I had consumed over 100 grams of sugar. The recommended daily allowance is 30 grams!  MyFitnessPal or Lose It! are great apps for your phone to make tracking easy. You can also find out if you are having enough protein, fibre and carbs.

2: I exercised.

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who exercise and those who lie and say they have no time. Don’t be the latter. I love Fitness Blender and PopSugar. Both are on YouTube. Saying you hate exercise is like saying you hate food. You just have to find the kind that you like. The amazing Joe Wicks does Fit in 15. Excellent fifteen minute cardio workouts. You can forty-five minutes a week. Everybody can.

3: I made little lifestyle changes.

I gave up having sugar in my tea. Yes, I hated it at first but my taste buds changed and now I hate the taste of sugar in tea. I also made sure I upped my veg and fruit intake. Five-a-day is a minimum.

4: I stayed active.

The school run helps me to stay active. That and running around after my toddler. Walk more, do more housework or even just dance in the kitchen. Sitting down a lot leads to an early death.

5: I educated`myself.

There is a wealth or resources to help you stay healthy and fit. The NHS.co.uk has a huge amount of information about losing weight and getting fit. YouTube.co.uk has every kind of exercise video you can think of, plus talks on health. I love Women’s Health magazine and I also listen to podcasts. Channel 4 also have a great series called How To Lose Weight Well. It is important to keep looking for inspiration and new things. Losing weight and getting fit is only the beginning. Staying fit and heathy is just as hard.

I will share more things that inspire me and help me on my way to wellness. Good luck and please feel free to get in touch. I am on Twitter @Balavage or @Frostmag

Please note I am not a doctor or a medical professional. This article is about my experience.

ShopStyle Christmas Giveaway

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Image from Shopstyle

Image from Shopstyle

With party season officially here, ShopStyle is on the hunt for someone who can create sparkle and shine with the ultimate festive party outfit.

Enter the ShopStyle Christmas Giveaway and you’ll be in with a chance of winning £1,000 worth of retail vouchers of your choice. The winner will also be invited to make an exclusive Editor’s Pick collection on ShopStyle based on your party style!

All you need to do is browse ShopStyle in order to produce a visual representation of your best Christmas party outfit, using products from the site. Whether you go for prim and proper or fun and flirty, we’re looking for a show stopper of an outfit. Your visual representation must be published within a blog post on your own blog. All of the outfits entered will be judged by POPSUGAR’s Fashion Editor, Gemma Cartwright, and the winner will be announced on the StyleNotes blog.

To enter simply email shopstyle@shopstyle.com with your name, email address, full postal address, phone number and a link back to your entry blog post. Entries must be received by midnight on 16th December 2013. Read further information about the competition here.

Don’t forget to share your Christmas party outfit on Twitter and ShopStyle’s Pinterest Board with the hashtag #ShopStyleParty.

In Pursuit of the Perfect Winter Coat

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coat, shopping, winter coat. Finding the perfect winter coat is a time consuming and stressful business. So Frost has gotten ShopStyle to unearth the definitive trends for you, revealing the must-have items for the month

Each month ShopStyle, the web’s premier fashion search engine, will reveal a trend that has featured high up, or has made a surprise jump on the search term list. Gemma Cartwright POPSUGAR Fashion and Beauty Editor, will also offer a lesson in fashion terminology with a glossary of monthly ‘it’ words to help you hone in on that trend.

It may come as no surprise that the 90’s inspired parka, fur collar pea coat or pink wool coat fall in the top search terms this month. Whether it’s magenta mohair or pastel winter wool, the pink coat is the most coveted item for autumn/winter 2013.

Gemma says “When hunting online for your pink coat try not to see everything through rose-tinted glasses and ensure you consider the style, fabric and hue to ensure you don’t end up looking like a giant marshmallow. With so much variety on the market there is something to suit everyone, so if you’re not a girly girl, try a masculine tailored silhouette in a blush pink shade.”

In order to track down the right pink coat for you, Gemma Cartwright has developed a list of terms that will make your fashion shopping experience a whole lot simpler.

“Fashion vernacular is something of a minefield for most of us. Unless your name is Anna Wintour how can you be expected to know what an ‘ovoid mohair boyfriend coat’ is supposed to look like? When we analyse search terms we can see that entering a variety of terms can give fashion hunters the best results. Here are some words that will help you think pink and hone in on the trend of the month.”

Boyfriend coats have an androgynous fit that will glide over your waist and hips, and can be designed in any length. This classic style will take you from one season to next, and can look great with both work wear and skinny jeans and a blouse for a more casual feel.

Oversized styles are fairly obvious, enlarged and masculine; an ideal style to wear over chunky knitwear and extra layers. Try adding a belt for a waist-cinching effect.

Maxi coats are longer length, gender neutral and scantly fitted usually.


Wrap coats are universally flattering on all body types and sizes – think Diane von Furstenburg’s iconic wrap dress. They are unlikely to have buttons, just a wrap around with a belt perhaps.

Cocoon is a style ‘it word’ that’s been thrown around frequently of late, but the cocoon shape coat does exactly that; it envelops you in a cosy, comfortable clinch.

Ovoid meaning egg-shaped, is a new term to the fashion industry this year. Essentially ovoid encompasses all of the above, so if your search isn’t locating exactly what you want, try ovoid.

Coatigan is equally on-trend in fashion slang this season; part wrap, part boyfriend and part oversized. Give this a go and hopefully you’ll find ‘the one’.

Are you inspired? What do you think you will buy?