Body positivity

Body positivity is a huge topic within the media today, and something that has been of great significance to me growing up. I've never been someone who has had much self confidence when it comes to my figure, which I guess many people are the same. It's such a sensitive topic. 

However, I think it's important to talk about these issues, which many are created by society and social media. 

As a teenage girl I think these issues are especially poignant. The constant pressure from sites such as Instagram and Tumblr can have such huge effects on someone confidence. Constantly comparing yourself to these model like figures, which are often hugely distorted by societies opinion of perfection. Who wouldn't love to have perfect abs, and toned legs, but lets be honest, unless your a major gym goer or fitness fanatic many of these figures are not obtainable. Of course it is so important to strive to be happy and healthy, and I salute anyone who had the motivation and determination to get these attributes but this doesn't mean they are any more acceptable or beautiful than every other body type. 

This issue came to my attention recently while I was browsing some of my favourite shopping sites online. It shocked me to see that the models these sites were using and advertising as 'Plus Size' were no where near plus size, but were merely curvy. Placing this label on people who have a different body shape could have some detrimental effects upon someones view of their body. Suggesting that curvy means larger, which is in no way accurate. 

I guess my point here is that I, like many women struggle understand why we are constantly advertised certain aspects as beautiful, rather than individuality, or the promotion of happiness. After all every one is different. I hope in the future advertising on social media will adapt with the times and place a more positive outlook towards body positivity, but for now I guess it's your attitude towards this and yourself should be the main driver. 

Food for thought....

From a very young age food has been a huge interest of mine in which when given the chance to study Food Technology I was extremely excited. 

It is this passion for food that has driven me to now study a degree in the subject. However, down a slightly different path than I first thought. When searching for food degrees just over two years ago I was instantly drawn to Food Science and Nutrition or Food Technology degrees. 

Never did I think that two years later I would be studying a more business related food degree. But this is a step I am so glad I took. Learning about a different side of the industry I love so much has not only been academically challenging but also extremely interesting. I even found I quite enjoy learning about the agriculture side of the industry which I never thought I would considering how much of a city girl I am.

However, the aim of this post wasn't to talk about this passion of mine even though I could go on and on and on about it! 

Learning about food and nutrition has been a huge health driver in my life, allowing me to fully understand the properties of the food I'm consuming. This is knowledge that I hugely value. 

As a child my love for food (maybe a bit too much...) lead me to be fairly overweight for my age, which I look back on now and cringe slightly. I really did not understand anything about nutrition. Looking back on this I've realised how lucky I was to have the opportunity to study nutrition because this encouraged me to make a change in my lifestyle
. From the start of my foodie adventure in 2009, when I was in year eight, I changed my diet for the better.

 Now I didn't make any huge change but being more aware of what I was eating, and how much, made a great deal of difference to my weight and health. 

Although, I am not the slimmest of people I'm now of a healthy weight for my age and height which was always a huge driver for my younger self. I also quite enjoy working out and seeing results from this, which I never used to have the motivation for. 
 Of course like any human being I don't follow a strict diet because of this knowledge but try and maintain a balanced diet based upon these foundations. And after all we need a treat once in a while. 

 My huge passion for baking also leads me to creating some of the most unhealthy foods out there, but my joy in this comes from seeing other people enjoy my creations and not myself....which I suppose is a bit cheeky really!

It is for those reasons that I believe it is so important for all young people to have the opportunity to learn about nutrition in school. I've learnt that is is a subject that is hugely undervalued within academia. Throughout school I was (unintentionally) put down about studying Food Technology due to the outdated views of the subject as 'just' cooking. 

This caused a lot of irritation to not only me but all my fellow foodie students, my parents and my food tech teacher.
 For starters cooking is a key skill that you need in life so its just as important to learn as anything else, which when starting university I found quite a few people did not have this skill. But also to be able to be good at cooking, at A-Level standard, you have to know a fair bit about the interaction of foods and the science behind the nutrients within food. This is what many did not understand. 

I can remember not only my family, but many of my friends being blown away by the amount of work involved in the subject, as well as the amount of time I would spend completing this work during my breaks and after school. 

This is still an ongoing battle within the education system with Food Technology being dropped as an A-Level subject, which hugely upset me to find out. Students like me will no longer get an opportunity to learn about this amazing subject at a higher level, which I think is a great shame. Of course some nutrition is taught within the Biology syllabus however, this is not from a hugely foodie direction. An issue also arises from this as students similar to me who are not as tuned into science subjects may struggle to be able to study it at all, which could cause issues when applying for food related degrees. Of course one person like me cannot change societies views on this subject but I hope to raise some awareness to those I can about how important this subject is to our daily lives. 

The food industry is one of the fastest growing industries throughout the world, contributing hugely not only to the economy but a huge percentage of our global workforce. There will always be jobs in the food industry, and an ever growing need for graduates within this field to fuel innovation and development, which I hope to contribute to in the future. 

For now all I can do is carry on my passion and hope that others will come to realise what a hugely important subject it is, and follow the footsteps of individuals such as Jamie Oliver who are trying raise awareness for this. 

With an ever growing obesity crisis throughout the world, and two billion people suffering from micro nutrient deficiencies it is evident that change needs to be made. Making consumers more aware of their food choices, as well as how to maintain a healthy lifestyle on a budget is of great importance, which could be aided through proper education. 

I hope I've maybe got you thinking about your lifestyle and the little changes that could be made to start becoming healthier. After all a healthy diet doesn't have to be a boring one! 

http://www.fao.org/3/a-c0064e.pdf

An open letter.....

As September is quickly approaching I thought I'd take the opportunity to look back at all that I've learnt this past year and write an open letter of advice to past me or any new freshers who are just about to start university. 

Many of you may be nervously awaiting results day, as was I this time last year and as I look back to that time not so long ago I can breathe a breath of fresh air knowing that all was ok. Everything will be OK! 

I was ecstatic to find out that I'd gotten into my first choice university, with grades which were more than I ever expected....even though I did have a full day of work to follow. 

But of course some of my friends maybe weren't so happy with their results, but a year on I can honestly say they are all doing so well whether they got into a university through clearing, found a job or apprenticeship or are taking a year to decide what step they want to take next. All options are great, and don't let anyone tell you which way is better to go because it totally depends on the person. There are so many options out there to discover all with their own pros and cons.

However, for me I'm glad I took the route to University. 

Although the wait to start is extremely nerve wracking it is comforting to remember that every student just starting out are feeling EXACTLY the same way...even if they don't show it. For many this is the first time they will be spending an extended period away from home and from their family, which can be quite distressing for some. However, its good to view this change of scene as a new opportunity to develop. Develop your knowledge, social skills, friendship group, patience, and even your dance skills on nights out (haha only joking). 

But in all seriousness this, right now is an amazing opportunity that not all get to experience so my first word of advice would be to take it all in, take a minute within all the craziness and soak it all in. It won't last forever!

There is no time like freshers week, or even the next three or four years to make as many new friends as possible, push yourself outside your comfort zone and just put yourself out there. This could be sitting next to someone you don't know and sparking up conversation in a lecture/tutorial, or joining as many societies as possible. These are all great ways to broaden your friendship group and learn about all these cool, new people who may have an extremely different lifestyle to you. Just be prepared to tell people where you're from, your name and what course you do about a million times in this period! 

Much of your first year experience (if your living in halls) is defiantly based on the random selection of people you are placed with in halls. Now I've seen it go both ways however, I was extremely lucky to be placed with a group that got on so well...we even cooked and shopped as an eight! However, this doesn't have to be the be all and end all if you don't end up getting on with this bunch of people. 

One thing that needs to be remembered is to respect other people and be aware of their way of living as well as your own. This includes not leaving your old washing up all over the kitchen, stealing peoples milk (this causes so much debate!) or making too much noise in the early hours of the morning. It just makes life so much easier if you can just have a joke and a laugh with your flatmates instead of annoying the hell out of each other. 

Although, you may end up with a pushover like me who ends up washing other peoples stuff up and cleaning the kitchen because they don't want to bother anyone....don't be that person, it gets tiring after a while (haha). It's made me realise what a mothering person I am considering the amount of cooking, cleaning and washing I did this past year, which I never thought I was!

As someone who was very shy and didn't really enjoy the clubbing scene (wow that's changed!) there are so many other ways to meet people and have fun. With the huge array of sport societies and other clubs you are sure to find something that sparks an interest, or even getting a job on campus may open up a great new friendship group, the possibilities are endless. Just remember to keep in touch with your friends at home, because after all university doesn't last forever, and it would be a shame to cut ties with the group you've been friends with for years. I even found that I was able to have more fun with my friends at home after being at university for just one term!

I suppose the main message I'm trying to get across is to take chances. That could be taking a module you know nothing about, or joining a sports club you've never done, just small steps could help so much with confidence. 

As I eagerly await summer to end so I can get back to the uni way of life I look back on my first year with so so many amazing memories that I will never forget, wishing I could do it all over again. However, the next chapter of my uni story is calling, and I cannot wait to get back to all my friends and make even more memories this coming year. 

One of our many silly squad photos :D So much love for this bunch!

A year on....

I may be writing this blog post as a form of revision procrastination, and as a chance to escape the four walls of my uni room that are currently driving me insane. However, as I near the end of my first year at University I thought what better time to talk about my experience.

This time last year I was stressing over the pressure of A2 level exams, having at least one 'mental  breakdown' a week from the immense pressure I was putting on myself to get into university. This stress now seems very insignificant a year later as I am sitting my first university exams, wishing I had told my year thirteen self not to stress so much. Don't get me wrong A-Levels are extremely challenging and I would in no way want to do them again however, this past year I have learnt that as long as you try your best they are definitely not worth all the stress. 

Throughout my teenage years I was very reserved, maybe a little too reserved. Never speaking up for myself, always keeping quiet and going along with the crowd, which virtually meant that my social life was basically non-existent. Of course I spent time with my friends but whenever I was invited to parties or to sleep over friends house's I would decline due to this nagging anxiety and fear, which I have no idea where it came from. In addition, to this when everyone started turning eighteen and wanting to go out clubbing every weekend I shyed away from every opportunity, too scared to go out and let loose a bit, which now looking back I seriously regret. Which evidently left me isolated, spending every weekend at home, alone, either revising or spending my time on social media. Which at times is great but this seriously affected my moods and confidence. 

After receiving the a-level grades that I always wanted I was determined to make a change.  I was determined to get rid of this fear, and put myself out there a bit more and my god I have sure done that. I look back at those times I spent feeling so alone and isolated and wonder why I didn't just live a little. 

Now a year on I barely recognise the person I was a year ago and I am so so proud of myself for taking those scary steps. However, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do that without coming to university. This year has been one of the best experiences ever, and I would 100% recommend going to university to anyone. Not only because you get to study a subject you're interested in but also because of the social side. In my case throwing myself in the deep end and having to live with people I didn't know was the best thing for me to come out of my shell a bit. My past self would never believe me if I told them that at 19 I would be a major party animal (lol) and enjoying just going out and meeting tonnes of new people. One thing you learn is that (virtually) all uni students end up being major alcoholics during their time at uni, enjoying a wild night out as their break from the stress of uni work and exams, enjoy it while you can! (haha)

As summer approaches I wish I could relive this year all over again, and I am definitely going to be very jealous of all the new freshers as they arrive at university in September, with no idea of what a great time they're going to have. However, I am excited to start second year and everything that the next step will bring with it. I am again determined to meet as many new people as possible and push myself even further to become more confident. Although, I love being at home I have seriously learnt that independence is what I live for hence why I have made as many plans as possible during the four  month break, visiting all the new great people that I've met. No way I could spend four months at home again! 

 If I could give one piece of advice it would be to take chances while you have them, because you never know when you're going to get a chance like that again. 

"you have one life to love what you do"

Here's to new beginnings and self belief!

Thanks for reading :)

Confidence

Confidence is always something that I have particularly struggled with, whether it was in my abilities or just generally within myself. Of course everyone has moments where they may not feel that confident about something however, I feel as if I have let this hold me back quite a lot in my teenage years. Since coming to university in September my confidence has grown tremendously which is partly due to me having to rely on myself much more and finding out I can in fact do things on my own. However, it is also due to the people I've surrounded myself with, the new lifestyle that I have adopted and new attitudes that I've tried to develop. 

During my time at school I was never very confident with my achievements, always doubting myself and my capabilities, only to realise quite a lot of the time that I actually could do more than I thought I could. A huge factor in helping to build my confidence was the people that I had around me, especially one of my teachers that I think got a bit frustrated with my lack of self belief in the last year of school. Having someone that believed in me even when I didn't and predicting me grades that I thought would never be possible was in fact a huge driver for me and a great achievement when I actually did manage to get these grades. 

I've always been very self concious of my image and looks, which is probably very irrational because everyone is different, but sometimes you just cant help comparing yourself to others. Recently, I have come to learn that you're only as confident as you let yourself be, "you are confined only by the walls that you build yourself". One tip that I would give is to embrace your differences, try out new things and never, ever compare yourself to others. Even if its just buying a piece of clothing that you thought you couldn't pull off or a new shade of lipstick, you'll never know until you try it!

From all these experiences I've come to realise that having goals and ambitions are a huge help in building your confidence and self belief, even if they are difficult at times. The feeling that you get when you reach these is definitely worth it, and of course you may not always fully reach your potential but these experiences are ones that push you even more to get where you want to be in life. 

I am still desperately trying to improve my confidence because at times I still have those moments where I feel down about things, such as maybe not doing as well on a test as I could have, or not pushing myself to step outside of my comfort zone. However, I think it is always important to remember that no one is perfect and you need to take a moment to actually reflect and look back at how far you've come and how much you have achieved. I've come to realise that in fact having some time to yourself is a good thing, because overworking yourself and trying to do something every minute of every day may not actually be the best idea in the long run. The first step in self growth is to truly value and take care of yourself. 

Thank you for reading! I hope this gives you some 'food for thought' in trying to become more confident, or even just making sure you take time to think and relax. 

A reflection...

Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful, fun filled Christmas and New Year, and are raring to go for the year ahead. 

I thought I'd take the opportunity to reflect upon the last year, as 2015 was truly an unforgettable one for sure. I started off 2015 a bit sceptical as the past three years hadn't been the greatest after suffering a few losses. However, I bounced back and made some amazing memories, and lived life to the fullest really. 

2015 was the year that I'd finish school and although I was sad to leave my little bubble of friends in my home town I couldn't wait for the next steps in my life to begin, and in my mums words "University has been the making of me". Which I suppose is quite true, I've learnt how to relax more and not get so agitated at the little things and just enjoy going out and having fun with my friends, instead of staying at home and getting stressed over the workload. Don't get me wrong, I always loved school and although, I found the last year very stressful I couldn't have wished for a better fourteen years where I met some amazing people who I will be friends with for the rest of my life, for sure. 

However, after living my life a bit more in the past three months I've come back home to my friends being able to enjoy it a bit more with them too, instead of being the 'old' uptight me who virtually rejected anything fun because I was too anxious. Despite this, the hard work that I put into my studies in the last four years of my time at school really did pay off and I managed to get the grades not only that I had dreamed of, but also the grades that I needed to get into Uni. However. I think you do always need to keep in mind that academic success isn't the key to every door in life, and there are many many other pathways that you can take, that sometimes schools forget to show you. 

In amongst all this change one thing remained constant, and that was my love for music. Of course 2015 bought many more gigs and enabled me to see my favourite band twice, and even get into the second row at the O2 arena (after a good 10 hour, freezing wait). Now those experiences I will never forget, with the freedom you feel being fully immersed within a crowd of people who love the same thing as you. As well as this I was lucky enough to see Kodaline, Port Isla, Jessie J, The Coronas and Hudson Taylor live too, which were all amazing, and I cannot wait to see Kodaline again this year, along with seeing Hozier as well later this month. 

This past year also bought two amazing holidays. One with five of my close friends from school, in Crete, and the other in Ireland with my parents. Both of these holidays were truly amazing, and were great experiences....different experiences.....but both great! 

My holiday with my friends was an eye opener to the stress that planning a holiday can bring, and the problems you can face when you arrive but we made the most of it and had a blast. Although, at the time I wasn't a massive party animal venturing into the town of Malia on a couple of nights out was a funny and interesting experience that you should probably do at least once in your life, just for a laugh really! We had many relaxing days by the pool, adventures out in the local town with a few too many cocktails and waffles in our favourite bar 'Akti', as well as having the opportunity to visit the beautiful Chrissi Island. Sharing this experience with some of my friends really taught us a lot about each other and probably bought us much closer than we were if anything! One of my friends even mad  a mini Vlog of clips from the week, which is a lovely thing to have which I can look back at in the future and reminisce about the good times that we shared. My mum is also so obsessed with the video and demands that I show all my family members every time they come round, which is quite sweet and amusing. 

As well as this my parents and I visited Ireland, in which none of us had ever been before so we were excited to explore some new places that we'd hears so much about. I think this holiday was the best holiday I've ever been on, and that's quite something to say when I've had quite a few amazing holidays in Florida, Portugal, Majorca and Greece. Visiting the city of Belfast was such an eye opener and taught me so much about the history of Northern Ireland, that I didn't really know too much about. My dad and I were truly fascinated by the stories that were shared with us, which I feel probably is one of the main factors that made this holiday so important to me. After travelling up the Giant's causeway coastal road  and viewing so many beautiful landmarks we travelled down to Dublin on the train. From being in Temple Bar pub and a musician singing 'Galway Girl', which made me feel like I was In 'P.S. I Love You', to exploring the Guinness Storehouse and  wandering up Grafton Street, we loved our time In Dublin and I really hope that I can return soon. We definitely will be returning to Ireland to continue exploring its beauty, most likely the West Coast after hearing of some amazing landmarks that are a 'must see'. 

The summer of 2015 was the first time that I had a full time job, and in all fairness I worked my socks off all summer, sometimes working eight hours a day, seven days a week. Which may not seem that bad to some people but as someone who wasn't used to working on their feet all day, dealing with customers, and just generally having to be nice all day every day, I did find it quite challenging. However, I feel that this experience really helped my confidence, and most of all made me believe in myself a bit more. I can now truly sympathise with waitresses when they're having to deal with aggravated customers or just generally having a busy day, as I know how tiring and frustrating it can be working in food retail. Although, getting paid at the end of the week was always a great feeling, knowing that I'd worked very hard for my own money, which I think my parents were very pleased that I could finally stop being so dependent on them when I wanted to go out! 

September last year bought the biggest change when I moved in with seven strangers, to a whole new town an hour and a half away from all my family. I can honestly say that moving away from home was one of the most stressful experiences of my life however, the benefits that I have gained from it make that stress so worthwhile. As  well as this It has made me more appreciative of my time with family when I come home, although the  many questions from family as to whether I have a boyfriend yet do get a bit tiring! 

I've excited to see what 2016 has to offer, and am hopeful that it will be just as great as 2015 was. 

Sorry that this post turned into a bit of a ramble, but sometimes I think its important to reflect upon your experiences so you can truly see how far you have come, and appreciate how lucky you are. I hope you enjoy reading my little '2015 story', and I wish you all the best for the next year! 

Thank you for reading ;)  

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May 2015

June 2015

July 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015 

December 2015