The Fitness Diaries: WEEK 12

This week's theme: Gym Classes!
Ok, so you know the saying: It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a change, 8 weeks for you friends and family to notice and 12 weeks for the rest of the world. Well, by my calculations, everyone should have noticed a change in my body by now, but I personally don't see it all that much. Not through lack of trying either! I am noticing I'm starting to slim down in places, and I am SO much more capable than I've ever been, I just want to see more results, you know?
So, as always, switching up my routine. I swapped 2 out of 3 workouts this week for classes (yay!) The first was a cycle class and the second was legs, bums and tums. If you've been to either of these classes before, you'll know the score, if you haven't, you're in for a treat.
So I have love/hate relationship with cycle classes, like I do with most exercise, however this one I feel just takes the cake. It's so good, it's the first time that I've ever physically felt and seen the sweat dripping from my face and body (sorry - tmi), and it just overall feels amazing. Doing speed intervals and climbing intervals and even though it's killing you, being able to keep up just feels so satisfying. However, if you're considering taking part in a cycle class, clear your schedule for a few day after that because there is NO WAY you'll be able to move like a normal human being, and that's not just from aching muscles. Not sure if this is the same for both men and women, but I'm just warning you, you might bruise.
Legs, bums and tums however, was amazing. It's so good to mix up your routine and do it with other people! It motivates you so much more. This was great a we had intervals for legs, glutes and abs. There was still some cardio involved, but not all that much. The one thing I CANNOT do though, is burpees. I just can't cope, it's so difficult. And this class usually contains a lot of burpees and jumping around in general, I managed it, not without some difficulty.
Fitness classes benefit you so much in the sense that it gives you motivation when you're lacking some. You don't have to tell yourself what to do, somebody else is doing tat for you. Al you have to worry about is actually doing it. I feel like I burn way more calories and work a lot harder when I'm following a video and especially when I'm in a class with other people, you don't want to be the first one to give u after all.
As of this week as well, I'm going to start weighing myself and actually keeping track of my progress, which of course, I will keep  you updated with for any pounds lost/gained. It's been way over a year since I last weighted myself and I'm actually terrified of the outcome.
Favourite at-home workout of the week comes from X hit Daily, I love this workout because even though it's called legs, bums and tums, it's really an all body workout and really helps back strength too!

 



I hope you enjoyed this week's instalment! I'm really trying to fit some exercise in anywhere I can at the moment in between revision sessions! And I definitely want to start toning up for summer, only 7 weeks until my holiday now! Try to do the above workout 2 times and you will really feel it! Don't forget to stretch!
CJ x

If you've missed previous weeks find them here:

Week 11

Week 10

How to Book a Group Holiday

Hello everybody,
Today I'm going to talk about booking group holidays. As you may know from my previous travel diaries, I have a case of the travel bug. I love to experience new places and I mainly go with just Ben. Now, it's not hard to organise two people and since my boyfriend rarely has any input (probably for his own good anyway), I find it really easy to plan a trip with him. However, this year I decided to go on a group holiday to Berlin and it is the most difficult thing to try and organise! Here are my dos and don'ts of group holiday bookings:

• Do have an idea of where you want to go
• Don't ask everybody for their personal ideal destination (they will have conflicting ideas)
• Do be open to people's opinions/experiences of cities
• Don't disregard what others think
• Do be open to more people coming
• Don't make it an open invite (I know this is a contradiction of the last point, but when I say be open to others coming, I mean girlfriends, other close friends etc., but an open invite would mean practically anyone could come but this is a disaster for organisation)
• Do book it all together, but with separate names on the bookings (book in twos or threes)
• Don't leave it up to everyone when they book it. They might not be able to get the same flights/hotel etc.
• Do keep in mind everyone's budget
• Don't amend the holiday for one person/couple.
• Do - all pay the same amount.
• Don't split payment up in order of bookings etc. We have a person in a single room and why would it be fair if they paid £310 when everyone else was paying £220?
• Do - if everyone's booking on one person's card - make sure you transfer the money FIRST
• Don't agree to pay for someone as a loan. This seems mean, but if they can't afford it now, they will be unlikely to afford it in the near future and also unlikely to want to pay for attractions while there.
• Do take into account everybody's interests. If somebody really hates museums, don't have a whole day dedicated to them - just do one or two
• Don't plan it hour by hour. Having an idea of what you want to do is good, but there is no way you'll be able to stick to an hourly schedule if there's more than 4 of you.
• Do keep all boarding passes together and well organised.
• Don't leave everyone with their own - one person is bound to lose theirs.
• Do be laid back and enjoy your holiday!

All of these dos and don'ts are mainly for group holiday city breaks as opposed to a beach holiday to Zante. Some of them cross over, the booking side for example, but it's not as important that people have the same interests on a beach holiday as a city. You don't have to walk around in a big group all the time, if one half wants to see a cathedral and the other half want to go shopping, agree on a meeting time and place and split up for a while.
Fortunately, my holiday booking all seems to be going well and everyone appears to be really excited for everything we're going to do.
Hopefully this helped you on booking your group holidays - I'll be sharing more tips closer to the time! And I'm super excited to explore this place!

 

CJ x

The Fitness Diaries: WEEK 11

Hola,
How did we get to week 11 already?! Like, seriously, how.
This week's theme issssss: How to Eat Clean
So, as you may know I'm trying so hard to get myself in gear and I'm finally starting to see results! I can run faster for longer and I can push myself harder than I've ever been able to before. It's really amazing how far so little time can take you. I've even started to incorporate more strength training into my routine (I'm really wanting to work on my back and arms lately). But I don't think that's the reason I'm seeing my physical results.
The reason I think I'm seeing results on the outside, is the work I'm putting in on the inside. In other words, my nutrition. I'm so proud of the way I'm eating lately, and yes, some things may come easier to me because not only to I tend to avoid bad foods, but I don't particularly like them either. Chocolate, coke, cheese and salt are just a few examples. One thing I found that benefitted me soooo much was giving up caffeine. I would always walk around feeling bloated and sluggish during the day and once I cut the coffee, it was gone. So, this week is a little different. Here are my top tips for clean eating!

1. Cut the caffeine. Although most diets don't really comment much on caffeine, apart from saying one cup a day won't do you any harm, I wouldn't recommend it. Some sources actually say it helps you metabolism, which it does to an extent. But too much caffeine can actually cause stress and anxiety levels to rise faster than you have time to work them off. My tip? Stick to one cup a day AT MOST, or simply switch to decaf.

2. Decline the drinking. (Do you like my alliteration? I do). Similar to tip numero uno is that you really need to think about the fact boozing WILL make you bloated, it'll also make you dehydrated and has TONNES of calories in it. When you really feel like a drink, go for it. But if it isn't that necessary, maybe keep the nights out to a minimum.

3. Don't drink your calories! Even more similarly, you really need to consider where your calorie and sugar intake is coming from, and it's most likely going to be that 4th glass of Dr Pepper I'm (I mean you're) drinking. Do you know how much hidden sugar is in a 500ml bottle of fizzy drink? Like more than half your daily intake. I'm basically telling you not to drink anything but water.

4. Chug some water. Wait a sec, didn't I say this blog was about clean eating? Regardless, drinking water can really aid weightloss and health. It's so pure and natural and as long as it's clean will never do you any harm. Drinking at least 2 litres of water is so beneficial it helps metabolism, energy, obviously hydration, your skin feels better, you brain works harder. Just maybe impose a tactic like use a 1 litre bottle to help motivate you to drink it.

5. Stop with processed foods. I know it's hard, McDonald's, pizza, even frozen ready meals are so hard to cut back on! But I realised since my shopping contained NO processed foods, my body has greatly improved. When I say no processed foods this is nothing but pure ingredients, vegetables, meat, carbs, that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

6. Whole grain. EVERYTHING. I never understood people who don't like wholegrain foods, they're so much better for you. My recommendations would be to switch bread, pasta, rice, even sugar from white to brown. Whole grain helps aid healthy digestion while fighting the bloat.

7. Learn to live without sugar. I'm not saying you all have to go out and buy the 'I quit sugar for life' book. But if you're anything like me, you'll have a serious sweet tooth and nothing tastes good unless it's sweet. We just have to learn to use natural sweeteners like fruit and honey instead. I know, it's so hard!

8. Skip the added salt. This is a MUST. But also something I've never done. Salt is so bad for you, and once you cut back on processed, packaged foods, you'll really start to notice the difference in your daily salt intake. Yes, it is there to add flavour, but there are so many substitutes for that and adding salt is just unnecessary.

9. 5 a day. This  really should have been point 5. But I can't express how important it is to have fresh produce in your diet. It doesn't even need to be straight of the shelves. If you're worried about having so much fresh food in the house it might go off, freeze some. I keep frozen raspberries and mango, as well as mushrooms and peppers just for when the mood strikes. Starting off you day with some fruit will have you in such a good mood too!

10. Control your serving size. And by this I don't just mean cut back as a whole, but watch how much of each food group you're eating. For dinner, for example, half of your meal should be veggies, one quarter should be protein and one quarter should be carbohydrates. Most women tend to put carbs first, protein second and veggies last and most men put protein first, carbs second and veggies last. Oh no. Not how we play it, the more colourful your plate, the better too!


So there are my favourite clean eating tips! I full understand that I'm not a nutritionist and everybody's bodies work differently BUT these tips have definitely worked for me. You don't even have to do all of them, but if you're someone who drinks coffee and coke and lives off white bread, carbs and ready meals, then definitely try to incorporate some of these tips into your life! Hope you found this useful!
Until next week,
CJ x

The Paris Diaries: 5 Best and Worst Things!

Hello everybody!
And welcome to my final instalment of the Paris Diaries! (*cry*) Today I'm going to talk about my five favourite and most disliked experiences of my trip. This varies a lot from food to attractions to general experiences. I hope you like it and let me know what you're most liked and disliked parts of Paris are.

Worst

5. The amount of armed police EVERYWHERE. To some people, this may not be a bad thing and I'm sure a few did feel more secure in the presence of these police especially since the Charlie Hebdo attack. However, for me, I have never seen this kind of thing. It's not like I'm not use to cities, yes I've seen guards outside Buckingham Palace etc. But this felt a lot worse. The first armed guard we saw was just walking through a car park next to our hotel. They were in groups of 3 outside the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, everywhere. And I for one actually felt less at ease because it was if there was a threat to be protected from. Not what you expect in Paris

4. The randomness of shop opening hours. Once again, this wasn't a massive disappointment but it was just strange. We didn't make it to Galleries Lafeyette because we just never knew when it was open! Some shopping districts were open till midnight, some were closed on Sundays, some were closed in the middle of the day. It was just very unpredictable

3. The price of beer. Now I'm getting more into the things that really angered me. Yes, I do understand that Paris is a city and it is expected for it to be more expensive than anything that I'm used to (bearing in mind that I come from the North of England where I'm not used to paying more than £4 for a beer - and that's in a city). HOWEVER, there was absolutely no need for the cheapest place we found to have a drink to be Hard Rock Café. No. Previously, that was the most expensive place to drink but we were so relieved to see that Belgian Beer was only 7 euros. I'm about to make you all faint right now but Ben actually paid 20 euros for a beer in Le Crazy Horse, not even a pint, 20 euros. No.

2. The queues. Sometimes unavoidable, but some of them were just unnecessary. I'm British. I am used to queuing. Queuing for the Eiffel Tower, yes I don't mind it is the most visited attraction in Paris. Queue jumpers? Oh no. You know why? There is absolutely nowhere for you to go once you get past the person you're jumping, you just have to stand there. But people really didn't care. The queue for Versailles was absolutely insane! It zigzagged all around the courtyard and it just seemed like everybody in Paris was there. Argh. It just bugged me.

1. The scammers. Absolute hands down WORST thing about Paris. And I could sit here and tell you that once you know about the scams, you can avoid them, but you can't. We knew there were ladies with petitions asking for donations, we knew about the gold ring scam (didn't get that fortunately), we even knew about the bracelets that people would try to put on you. But there was no way of knowing that if you refused one of these bracelets, that 3 men would grab your arms and drag you away from the security of the crowds to call you disrespectful and racist Seriously, for not wanting a bracelet. My advice to you - pretend you don't even understand them.


Best
5. The gardens. Yes, yes. 'Why Paris? There are gardens everywhere in the world!' And I do agree, but there's something about Paris in the Spring. On a good sunny day, everything's in bloom and everyone's out. Just strolling around the gardens is like being in a postcard. Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin du Tuilleries, the gardens at Versailles and next to the Eiffel Tower. Every day we sat in a different one. You can just act like a Parisian. Sit and eat your croissant, read your book and take in the scenery.

4. The public transport system. Once again, this is a love/hate for some people. If you can work it out and at least act like you're confident with it, it's amazing. Ben and I just took the plunge. As soon as we touched down at Charles de Gualle, we headed downstairs to it's train station and just did it. We pretty much got the metro or walked everywhere. The only time we got a taxi was after we saw a mugging so nobody can blame us! The metro is so efficient, always on time, easy to work out and just great.

3. The food - crepes, macaroons, croissants- need I say more? Like oh my god. I know you can get this stuff In England but it's nothing like the food in Paris. I had my first taste of Macaroons from Laduree, which were INCREDIBLE. The crepes under the Eiffel Tower are amazing. And pastries are just mouth watering, everything's so good. Aaaaah. One thing I will say is, it might have been my choice of restaurant but the mussels came in second best to the ones in Brussels, just saying.

2. The architecture. I'm serious when I say this is breath taking. But then pretty much every European city has stunning architecture. There's just a surprise around every corner and I don't know but Paris just feels so Parisian! I can't describe it, it was everything I was expecting and more. There were monuments hiding in the most unpredictable places and beauty hidden extraordinarily well.

1. The Eiffel Tower SPARKLES. Yep, it actually sparkles. Now I hear you saying 'Why is this your number one?!' 'I was slightly underwhelmed by the Eiffel Tower.' But for me, this was everything I was waiting for. I was pretty used to seeing the Tower by day 3 as you could see it as soon as we walked out of the hotel, but on the final day I decided to time it to catch the twinkle lights. Every hour after sunset, on the hour, the twinkle lights come on for about 3 minutes I think. When I saw them I actually cried, it was so amazing and definitely worth timing your outings around!

OK, so there's my top 5 best and worst things about Paris! It was an incredible experience and I would love to return regardless of some of the bad points. I hope you enjoyed this and if you have any good or bad points that I've missed, let me know!
CJ x

The Fitness Diaries - WEEK 10

Hi guys!
This week I'm a woman on a mission! I have 10 weeks until I hit up the beautiful Adriatic country of Croatia on my summer holiday! Say whaaaat? When did summer come around?! So I am squeezing workouts in everywhere I can.
This week's theme: No regrets
So as I said, I'm squeezing workouts in EVERYWHERE. I only have a few days until my end of year exams start, I am in uni 4 days a week, work 3 days a week etc. So whenever I get a spare minute, I'm usually found reading or making notes getting ready for my exams (property law is a killer). But this blog isn't about revision ... it's about fitness. And I would be lying if I sat here and told you that I'm managing to go to the gym 3 times a week for an hour and a half each session. No. That is not happening. I might make it to the gym once, maybe twice. But I can say that I feel like I'm getting my movements in.
As usual, I am using these quick 5 minute video workouts thanks to Blogilates - I seriously love her. But I'm also managing to squeeze in a few of my own. I love doing 100-200 jumping jacks first thing in the morning. I squat while I'm brushing my teeth. If I have a spare few minutes, I run up and down the stairs a few times. Of course, this means I don't know exactly how many calories I'm burning, but I do feel the burn! Especially when it comes to burpees. Omg actually attempt doing around 20 burpees a day. I think I'm dead.
I also attempted Cassey's I really like you Squat Challenge and oh my this hurt. I for sure felt the pain the next day but it was oh so worth it. I'm so sick of being unhappy with my body and my level of fitness that I am making a change, no matter how small. And that's why I write these blogposts, so I can keep you all up to date with my progress, motivate you, motivate myself, and so on.
I am also debating running a 10k in Manchester soon, or maybe trying the tough mudder challenge. I feel like doing one of these races will really give me the push I need to take running seriously.
As I'm not consistently gymming it, I have to make sure I'm eating healthy. My current breakfast consists of porridge with a side of fruit. Mid morning snack is usually fruit or carrot sticks. Lunch will normally be a salad, soup or sandwich. And my dinner may be a bit more unpredictable (I'm working on it!) The main point I have to reiterate though is that you absolutely have to watch what you're snacking on when you're revising or working. As tempting as it may be to get the crisps or chocolate or fatty foods, you need to stick to fruit, veg and nuts both for your brain and body.
This week I did attempt a really tough fat-blasting treadmill workout courtesy of PopSugar Fitness. As I've mentioned before, I am NOT a consistent runner. My friends can get on a treadmill and run at like 5/5.5mph for half an hour. No. Not me. I can run at 5.5mph for 5 minutes and then I seriously need to catch my breath. What I am better with, is intervals. I can run at 10mph for a minute and then walk at 4mph for a minute and that's how I like to run best (I am working on it though). So I thought, interval run - perfect for me! I can handle this. Oh my gosh I was wrong. There were some parts of this I couldn't even do. I'll link it below for you all to try too!
Let me know how you're fitness is going through the dreaded exam period!
Hopefully we'll all be back on track in no time!
CJ x

Check out my favourite workouts of the week:

Check out my previous fitness blogs here:

Week 9

Week 8

How to Revise for Exams!

OK people, it's that time of year again ... Exam season. Everyone I know from people in their final year in their degree (5th years for medics/law students) right down to my year 6-ers at work taking their SATs is stressed out. But we need to chill, and take some advice from someone who may or may not have revised for their GCSEs and A-Levels (not). However, this someone has friends and co-workers and teachers and everyone in between that CAN revise, and may I say, are pretty darn good at it. So I've taken an interest, mainly for you lovely people, and devised some of my favourite revision coping mechanisms.

1. Start Early. This may be coming a tad late for some of you, but it's never too early to start revising. Even just a little bit. Just to get yourself used to it and come on, we all know it's better than leaving it till the final 24 hours and then trying to cram it all in at once

2. Preparation is key. This comes from something I've learnt while at university. Revision is SO much easier if you attend all the lectures, do all of the seminar prep and the required reading. This is something that I have failed miserably at. I am currently up to my January reading for Contract Law. And I have to say, revising the topics that I did do the reading for is way easier. Same goes for seminars, this is especially with my Property module. It kind of comes back to you if you've done it before. So, take note for next year (sorry).

3. Make revision timetables and checklists. Splitting your modules up topic by topic into a list that you can tick off when you've done makes it so much more satisfying. This way you can see how far you've come, and how much you have left. Timetables are also a good idea for those A-level students out there. Make sure you don't revise one topic all at once though ... which leads me on to my next point.

4. Delegate your revision. Do not, I repeat do NOT revise one topic per day. This won't work. Even worse is those who try to revise all of their maths course, then their English, then their Spanish, just no. It's been scientifically proven that after 20-30 minutes of the same content, the brain retains less info. So it's such a good idea to set your timer. Spread out your revision into your separate categories. And do short, 15 minute bouts of revision. This has been so good for me.

5. Colour code. I know, I know. It's my favourite thing to tell people. But if everything has a different colour, then it's easier to pick up where you left off in each topic, and nothing gets too mixed up.

6. Find a quiet space. (Preferably not your bed - why are naps SO much more appealing when revising?!) This is key. This can be anywhere. The library, your desk at home, your garden as it's getting nicer outside, even your grandparent's house. My music teacher is kind enough to let me go there to revise sometimes if there's too many people at home.

7. Do not waste your day. Get up and get to it! Waking up early and having a good breakfast, even going for a jog, will free your mind and make you more inclined to retain information when studying. As the evening gets closer, there are more distractions around, people are coming back from work, the pub is more inviting and Game of Thrones is way more appealing than Jeremy Kyle.

8. Condense your notes - then condense some more. This is something that I feel really works for debates or aural exams. If you have pages and pages of notes from lectures, seminars, workshops, readings, you're just not going to learn them all. But if you have say, less than 1 or 2 pages per topic or only flash cards for debates, it's going to be worthwhile.

9. Record your notes. This is AMAZING. Future lawyers and medics (or anyone really) take note. Recording your notes onto your iPhone for example is such an efficient way of revising if your life is insanely busy. Take me for example, I am a law student who has a 45 minute drive to and from uni. I work part time 20 minutes away from where I live and I also like to go to the gym 3+ times a week. Recording my notes means that I can listen to them when I'm driving, when I'm doing my make up and even when I'm on the treadmill. Erm HELLO shortcut!

10. Reward yourself. This may come as a shock to some of you (not). But I find the best way to motivate myself is to reward myself with ... wait for it ... SHOES of course. I have in mind the pair of shoes I want, and I'm not allowed to buy them unless I feel confident in one of my modules. The more I revise, the more confident I'll be and the more likely I'll be able to get the shoes. If you have a sweet tooth a great way to get your required reading done is to strategically place sweets in your book too.

11. Flash cards. This is a bonus tip for you all. Up until this very point of me writing this blogpost, I always copied out chapter summaries to revise. But today, (Yes TODAY - Tuesday 12th May) I discovered the power of the flash cards. I have a multiple choice exam on Thursday and I can't tell you how much these flash cards are helping me out. There like a gift from the gods, (more like a gift from my little Italian beauty of a friend at uni). But honestly, I have never learnt so much in a single night. I can't believe I've got up until this point without using them. They may not be for everybody, but there's no harm in trying!

There you have it! My favourite tips on how to be a revision master! There are other tips out there like placing post-it notes around the house, and using friends and family members to test your skills. However, I find these tips are the most unique and I guess that it depends on what kind of learner you are to know if they're the most successful. But I for one will be using these strategies for my upcoming exams and I hope they do you some good too! If you have any more tips, please leave them in the comments below. I'll talk to you next time and good luck!
CJ x

PARIS Travel Diary - Day Three

Bonjour!

Welcome to my final day of my Paris Travel Diary, I actually left Paris on the fourth day in the afternoon, but there isn't all that much to tell apart from we had crepes for breakfast and sat beside the Eiffel Tower until about 1pm.

 

Day 3 however, was very interesting! This was a day full of churches and landmarks that we hadn't previously seen. It started out when we walked out of our hotel and took a picture of the original Statue of Liberty. She was right outside our hotel entrance and the sight became so familiar that we had to take a photo. We then went around the corner for breakfast in the shopping centre right behind our hotel (I really don't know what it's called I'm afraid but any Parisians out there might know - it's in the 15th arr. and has a very modern structure). After that, we walked down to the metro station and headed up to Montmartre.  

 

I absolutely loved the streets on Montmartre. They were so narrow and winding yet so welcoming. The main street from the metro station to the Sacre Coeur is filled with Souvenir shops but some of the backstreets have really cute cafes and definitely give you that Parisian feel. I loved being in the place that was once home to artists like Van Gogh. However, it is a completely different story once you get to the main hill and steps up to the church.

There are people trying to sell you bracelets, but they won't come up to you and ask if you want to buy one. They will literally grab your arm or hand and start braiding this bracelet onto you and then will not let go of you until you give them payment. Although we were aware of this scam, it didn't mean we were any more prepared for it. There were two or three men at a time and they didn't think twice about grabbing you and dragging you off to the side. If you politely say you don't want a bracelet, they tell you it's for the church, everybody has one and you have to have one too. If you then continue to tell them no, they will accuse you of being racist and disrespectful towards them. Now, this may not apply to all men selling bracelets outside the Sacre Coeur, but they did target a particular type of people - anybody who was English, or anybody who was white and blonde for that matter. It may not be all the time, but we felt that all other nationalities were being ignored and they would steer for us. It could be that we were young, blonde, English, small, whatever. But we were definitely being targeted. Watch out for this.

Putting those several incidents beside, once you reach the top of the hill and are staring up at the Sacre Coeur, it really is breathtaking. The church is gleaming white and the views from the hill looking over Paris are stunning. There are armed guards at the top, so the men I mentioned previously  were not around, but that doesn't mean that there weren't pickpockets. We didn't see anything happen but we definitely got some dodgy vibes from a few people.

After admiring the Sacre Coeur in the sunshine we headed on down to gaze upon Notre Dame. Another seriously beautiful landmark church that Paris has to offer. It's amazing that it took over 200 years to build Notre Dame and that it's around 700 years old now, but looking at the towering buttresses and gargoyles, you really appreciate how much work went into constructing it. It is a gothic architectural masterpiece.

We then walked over to Pont des Arts (otherwise known as Love Locks bridge) to see that it was all boarded up. This really hit home about how a trend can become so catchy and everyone has to do it to get that perfect instagram picture so that it ruins the idea entirely. The bits of the bridge that were exposed were so over-filled with locks upon locks that it was just sad to look at. Nevertheless, it did offer some of the best views of the city that we've seen.

We then walked down to the Jardin de Luxembourg, doing some shopping on Rue de Rennes on the way, to chill for a little bit before exploring the Latin Quarter. The gardens were extraordinary and it was so cool to see this city just rest for a little bit. Children were playing, there were people young and old just sitting on the grass reading books. It was great.

The Latin Quarter was pretty cool too. We definitely felt the vibe that it was the area for students and 20 somethings. We had some great pizza while we were people watching, then took a quick look at the Pantheon before heading back to the hotel for some rest! Phew!

Night time came around and we didn't go out until like 9/9:30 so we decided to hit up Hard Rock Café. Something we always have to do when we go to a new city. As we were nearing the entrance, we actually saw a guy get mugged! That was me deciding to get a taxi back tonight ... the wait was short and the beer was the cheapest we'd seen in Paris! We sat down and I usually order the local legendary burger but when I found out that Paris' specialty was mashed duck I decided against it.

The taxi ride back to the hotel was great and our driver even pointed out the Hotel des Invalides which we hadn't seen before! So that was a good way to top off our last day.

All in all, I absolutely loved Paris and there are only a few things that we didn't get to do - which I find amazing because we managed to cram so much in! There are obviously some down sides but it really is a beautiful city and I can't wait to return.
Au revoir,
CJ x

 

 

 

If you missed any of the other Paris blogs you can catch up here:
Day One

Day Two

You can also check out my other travel diaries from previous cities!

London Travel Diary

Prague Travel Diary

 

 

 

 

The Fitness Diaries - WEEK 9

This week's theme:Staying Motivated
We all know that motivation is really hard to come by, and the difficult truth behind that is - it comes from within.
There's only so many scrolls through instagram at the pretty girl with long hair and a nice bum lifting weights before it has no effect anymore. The same goes for guys - how many videos do you watch of hench men doing different varieties of pull ups before it comes more depressing than motivating?
Yep, I know you all feel me. And what I find the hardest is, even though you have to work hard to motivate yourself, you also have to do it for those around you. If we don't help lift each other up, then we're never going to get out of the rut that we've been stuck in for 20+ years.
My tip for you guys is, find a friend. They don't even have to work out with you all the time, but just find somebody to talk about fitness with. And it's so easy! Pretty much everybody is on this journey, so what's the point in all doing it alone? Rather than hating on the girl in the kettlebells class at the front who's doing really deep squats (and I do mean REALLY deep), convince yourself that you're going to be that girl next month.
Listen to a bit of Kanye on your ipod, turn it up. This is your moment. Increase the speed on your treadmill. Skip a step on the stairmaster. Cycle and extra mile. It doesn't matter, as long as you get out of your normal routine and challenge yourself, you will see and feel a difference.
Furthermore, motivating others will help motivate yourself. Why else do you think I write these Fitness Diaries blogs? The fact that I know there is so many of you out there reading them is a bonus. I would really love to think that I'm helping to motivate you in some sense.

Keep going
CJ x

Week 8

Week 7

PARIS Travl Diary - Day Two

Morning everybody!
Day two in Paris started off pretty early, it was a Sunday morning and I heard that next to nowhere was open before 12 on Sundays (if they were open at all). This is true for shops and some cafes and restaurants but if you're worried about where to get breakfast on a Sunday morning in Paris, don't. Almost every boulangerie is open on a Sunday morning and they are heaving with both locals and tourists grabbing a quick croissant before going about their Sunday.

Fortunately (or unfortunately - whichever way you want to look at it), the Sunday that we were there was also the day of the Paris marathon, so practically everyone was up.
So we got up on Sunday, grabbed croissants from a boulangerie around the corner and walked down to the Champs de Mars train station to get the RER C train to Versailles. I know I know, you think we're crazy for going to Versailles on a Sunday as it's the busiest day of the week to go, we had no other choice, it was closed on Monday and we were leaving on Tuesday. Versailles is so easy to get to from central Paris and I don't understand why people warned us that it was so far away. It took us less than 30 minutes to get there, easily. And it was on a DOUBLE DECKER TRAIN. As you can tell, I was amazed.

And everybody was right, the palace of Versailles was insanely beautiful, and insanely busy! The queue to go inside the palace zigzagged all around the courtyard at least 3 times. Fortunately for us, we weren't too bothered about going inside the magnificent chateau, so we didn't waste half a day queuing to get in. Instead, we walked through the pillars to the much more manageable line to walk around the gardens (it was actually 9 euros to do this even though most guidebooks say it's free?!)

This though, was absolutely worth it. I have never seen gardens this magnificent, there were loads of fountains and just too many acres to explore in one day. The best thing we did was have a little stroll and then sit beside the canal for lunch watching the swans, ducks and fish all swimming around. Along with people rowing boats along in the most idiotic ways.

After our lovely morning at Versailles we got the train back to our station and weren't really planning on doing too much until night time. However, our stop was connected to the Champs de Mars station (the Eiffel Tower station) and when we came up, we were stood at the feet of the Eiffel Tower and couldn't resist going up any more.

We made the pretty good decision of WALKING up - yes I did just say that. All 668 steps to the second floor and then the lift to the top. This was such an incredible experience - the queue is way shorter, it's cheaper, less crowded and you can really appreciate the beauty of Paris with every single step. Once we got to the first floor we had a mooch around, the Eiffel tower gift shop was too good looking to resist (although - I didn't buy anything - go me!), I do wish we at least had a cocktail at the bar or restaurant though. I absolutely loved walking on the glass floors, much to Ben's dismay who hates heights! I couldn't get him anywhere near the glass. After we reached the second floor and wandered around we waited about an hour/hour and a half to get a lift up to the top.

Most people say that the Eiffel Tower was a disappointing experience, I can understand this but I think it completely depends on the circumstances. It is breath-taking to look at all of Paris stretched out in front of you, but myself and Ben were so fortunate with our decisions. I've heard that the lifts sometimes break and one of the stairways has to be fixed so then everybody is crammed into one stairway. Or that one of the lifts to the top is broken so it takes twice as long to get there. We had perfect weather - a none crowded walk up and a reasonable wait to get to the top. I couldn't ask for anymore.

After our Eiffel Tower adventure we had some Nutella and Strawberry crepes - yes, it is true. The crepes under the Eiffel Tower are the best crepes. And I will save you some time, unlike me and so many others who've heard this and spent the best part of an hour wandering around the corners of the Eiffel tower looking for the place. The crepes are from a little stand next to the carousal on the trocedero side of the Eiffel tower. Just across the road from it.

That evening, we headed out to the burlesque show we had booked: Le Crazy Horse. I actually think this is the original one and there are some others around the world, there's definitely one in Vegas. Anyway, this was .... interesting. If you're wanting a proper cabaret show with comedy and can-can dancers, this is not it. This is definitely on the more adult side of entertainment (not too bad but getting there). It is probably one of the most famous burlesque shows in the world, and just looking at the wall of fame of it's visitors, you can tell. One warning though - do not go to this show expecting to drink because the prices are INSANE. It was 20 euros for a 330ml bottle of beer and 10 euros for a 250ml bottle of water?!

An unpleasant taxi ride later we were back at our hotel absolutely exhausted.
So that's day two for you! I hope you enjoyed it, it was probably the most eventful out of all of them. If you missed my first day of Paris you can read it here.
And you can also find links to my other travel diaries on the blog too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paris Day One

Prague Travel Diary

London Travel Diary

Keep a look our for day 3! Coming soon!
CJ x

PARIS Travel Diary - Day ONE

Day one started out EXTREMELY early in the morning with a 7am flight which meant I was up at ... wait for it ... 4:30 am (*cry*) but it meant I had landed by 9am which was so good. I found the flight so easy and quick, I read two chapters of my book and we were there. We also met a lovely woman on the plane whose husband was running in the Paris marathon!
Navigating our way through Charles de Gualle wasn't as bad as we thought, we managed to get down to the train station, hop on the RER B train and then even transfer onto the metro before arriving at our hotel to drop off the bags.

Once we had arrived, the first place we headed to was the Arc de Triomphe. Being the first Parisian landmark I had ever seen in real life, it took my breath away. The intricate design and details were just incredible and it was so cool to stand in the middle of the island seeing all of the avenues radiating outwards from it.

From there, we took to the Champs Elysee, (where else?!) Where my first stop was, of course, Laduree. Before this trip, I had never tasted macaroons being determined that my first ones would be from Laduree in Paris. I got vanilla, lemon, raspberry and chocolate and oh my god, they were amazing. We then walked past large high street shops like Zara, H &M, a 5 floor Jimmy Choo and even a Renault garage with a slide in it before heading for some Moules Frites. Obviously making a stop in Sephora along the way.

After this, we walked futher along the Champs Elysee to see it spread out into gardens a little more with some pretty magnificent buildings to look at along the way (I feel like they're palaces of some sort, and I also think fashion week is held in one of them but correct me if I'm wrong). Then we took to the Place de la Concorde to see Cleopatra's Needle before heading back to the hotel for a nap (Ben was tired). So we actually didn't complete my plan of walking along the Jardin de Tuilleries and seeing the Louvre in front of us. But to be fair it was a LONG way and we'd been up since 4am.

 At night time we had the idea to take the metro down to the Galleries Lafayette for a bit of last minute shopping but it was just closing as we got there so we didn't get a chance to go in argh! But we did see the beautiful opera house lit up at dusk, that was pretty amazing. And then we walked down to the Musee de Louvre to see that lit up at night too. In all honesty, if you don't have the intention to go inside the Louvre, I think the best time to see it is at night because it is stunning! And there are barely any people there so that's a bonus!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All in all, day one in Paris was pretty amazing. I love the view of the Eiffel Tower from outside our hotel - it was so comforting. I definitely got to experience the true Parisian culture I think (or at least the true tourist Parisian culture - haha) But it was really great, we just walked around and looked at everything mostly, Paris is one of those cities where no matter, how much time you spend there, you'll never be able to explore it all - and definitely not in 3 days!
See you in my next one!
CJ x


If you liked this travel diary, you should definitely check out my two previous trips that I've blogged!

London Travel Diary

Prague Travel Diary