Hello 2016!

Hi Everyone,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

I know that I have been absent for a while and my posts are rather irregular- in all honesty I had just lost confidence in my abilities and the effects of stress/anxiety and time management got the better of me. However, I am now fully fuelled to post more regularly with varied content, I hope you enjoy!

You may have noticed that my blog looks rather different- one of the things I found demotivating was the appearance of my blog, I didn't feel as if it reflected my design interests anymore and found it frustrating to navigate. Therefore, I have updated the overall layout and look of my blog and made sure everything is easy to access. I am in the process of fully personalising it but this will be fine and dandy for now!

This is going to be a little reflection section (ooo it rhymes). 2015 has been one of the most challenging, life changing, negative yet very, very positive years of my life. I feel as if I have grown up a lot and been given more respect and love than I ever have before. 

This time last year I started my first full time job where I get to work with the most lovely, supportive and crazy team- some true and long term friends have been made for sure. 

I also made the decision to remove gluten and dairy from my diet (as much as possible) after reading 'Eat. Nourish. Glow' by Amelia Freer (I now have her new book 'Cook. Nourish. Glow.' too- I'm super excited). I have written about my reasons in a previous post which I will link below. I have continued this diet change and it has been very rewarding- not only have I lost weight, I just know my body is thanking me. I no longer feel sluggish, bloated and my stomach doesn't churn. 

This brings me very nicely to my next reflection- Herbalife. I am well and truly living the Herbalife life. It all began with a little Herbalife SKIN Results Kit from one my old school friend's Dad (a truly inspiring and lovely man). The SKIN range hadn't been out very long and as my friend knew I was interested in beauty and ultimately sorting out my skin. She then recommended I try the new products out- I have never looked back (I have an in-depth post on some of the SKIN range and my results). This set a spark off inside me to fully get my body and mind into a more positive state and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help and support from the Herbalife products (my collection keeps growing- from more skincare to gym attire, from shakes to herbal teas) and the overall community behind it- a large group of people, on a journey, striving to help everyone achieve their goals and lead a 'healthy, active lifestyle'. I'm so excited to see how much my body composition can change this year- I have lots planned to keep myself focused and motivated to be in the best shape possible and finally be happy with the way I look and feel. 

2015 was challenging in regards to relationships too- with my parents splitting up at the end of 2014, a relationship breakup in the Spring and family illness throughout the entire year. I must give myself some credit. I have kept increasingly positive and managed my anxiety a lot better than previous years. It has been tough but definitely good. Everything that has happened was for a good reason and I can see how much better off I am with some other these alterations and challenges. I am a lot more independent, I stand up for myself, I strive to be as good as I can be but also accept when I do feel crappy and need a break. I feel a sense of empowerment which I haven't had before. 

The latter part of the year was by far my favourite. Spending more time with family and friends (making new ones), being given more responsibility at work, lots of celebrations and a new relationship. I also had the privilege of being a runner at a 'Matt Hampson Foundation' charity event where I met some of the world's greatest rugby players, including Jonny Wilkinson, who were there to support and raise money for the Foundation. Soon after that I also took the plunge and got my first tattoo and will be getting some more next month! (There will be related posts to follow). 

I have lots of plans for this new year and I can't wait to action them. I am so so thankful to everybody that has supported me and encouraged my personal development. I'm super excited for what this year holds and I hope to bring positivity to those around me too!!

So, THANK YOU to my amazing friends, family and boyfriend for making me so very incredibly happy. I love you all to pieces!

With lots of love 

Isabel xx

Links to posts referred to: 

Skin Transformation: http://isabelsinsight95.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/my-skin-transformation-herbalife-skin.html

Lifestyle Decisions:

http://isabelsinsight95.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/an-insight-into-my-life-changing.html

Photos by Olly Ross:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orvideoproductions/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sOllyRoss

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sollyross/

"When are you next doing a blog post?" UPDATE

Hey everyone!

I first of all want to apologise for my absence... once again. A lot has been going on (good and bad) so I've just been trying to adapt. I have had lots of time assess my life and what I want and not writing has really impacted me- it has made me realise how much I love it and how lost I feel without it. I've just felt like I'm not good enough and that there isn't any point in me writing anything just for the sake of it or to make other people happy. My blog is one of my creative outlets which I want to enjoy and be proud of but I just haven't been in the right mind set to succeed and put pressure on myself to write regularly. 

However, I am feeling a lot better now! (YAY!) As I have said in previous posts and at the beginning of this one- A lot has been happening in my life recently that I've found hard to handle and then when I finally started feeling better, something else happened to knock me again. I've most certainly grown up a lot and am quite proud of myself for how far I have come, and I know those around me would agree. I have had a complete lifestyle change (which I will get into in another post) and now I think it is time for me to face the world, in full force! 

So, to make it a lot easier to post more regularly I have got a new camera, the Canon Powershot G7 X to be precise! I was previously struggling taking pictures on my own as I was using my brother's digital SLR cameras with lights, reflectors etc but that just wasn't practical to carry around. I want to be able to take pictures wherever I am and of whatever I want, to a reasonably high quality and this new camera definitely allows me to do that. Despite having actually taken multiple pictures in July (I got the camera at the end on June)- I just haven't felt confident enough to write (for whatever reason). But those pictures aren't going to waste! I will be posting a few more things during the week... keep an eye out. 

Thank you for understanding, I really appreciate it. I also want to thank my friends, family and work colleagues for supporting me and making me laugh when I could have easily cried. You all mean so much to me and I hope I show that. 

If you are going through something crappy at the moment, you can get through it, you are stronger than you think you are. It can't rain forever...

Love 

Isabel x

A Quick Update!

Hi everyone, I hope you're all well! 

You have probably noticed that I haven't posted in a while. I had a touch of 'blogger's block' and this really discouraged me. A lot has happened and changed in my life this year- some amazing things and some quite upsetting but...I'M BACK! 

I'm feeling a lot more positive and confident within myself- but you will have to wait a little longer before I spill the beans! 

Although I have already embarked on the next stage in my life, I now feel ready to share and to hopefully help, encourage and support you and people you know in the same situation or who are interested in similar things.

You won't have to wait long for my next reveal... keep an eye out!

( I have also made an Instagram account in association with my blog- you will find the link on the top right hand side of this post :) )

Speak soon

Isabel x

DIY Weight Loss Drink!

If you've read my previous posts you will probably have gathered that I don't have much money to go splashing on any fancy miracle products, so once again, here is a cheap and cheerful drink to aid weight loss! I thought this was quite appropriate considering its getting closer to Christmas and the party season where the majority of us want to feel and look amazing. This is an easy way to get the ball rolling... I must warn you though... it is rather potent and of course it may not work with everyone, but it works for me so I thought I would share! 

Keep reading to see how I made it!

YOU WILL NEED

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp honey

1/2 lemon (juice)

100ml hot water

STEP ONE

I started with the dry ingredients (cinnamon and ginger) so if I mucked it up I could easily take it out of the mug... but it isn't difficult at all!

Add the cinnamon to the mug...

...then the ginger.

STEP TWO

Squeeze the lemon juice into the mug, making sure no seeds fly out!

STEP THREE

Warm the teaspoon and then scoop up the honey and add it to the mixture, the honey should slide right off!

STEP FOUR

Then pour the hot water into the mug, stir and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

FINISHED!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Drink this twice a day!

(Only drink this on an empty stomach, so in the morning before you have your breakfast and then a couple of hours before you go to bed.) 

You will probably feel quite hungry once you have drunk this in the evening, but don't eat anything...that won't make you lose weight, funnily enough! The reason for this is that it boosts your metabolism so your body can easily digest food and therefore flush your system through without holding as much 'bad stuff'. 

I hope this helps! If it does, I'm planning on doing some more weight loss posts, let me know if you would would be interested! 

Speak soon!

Isabel x