2014 has been a tough one, but at the same one of the most rewarding years of my life so far. I feel very grateful for even the moments where I felt like I wanted to give up, as it gave me something invaluable in return. New wonderful friendships made, a complete change in career and while for most of the year my mind has been elsewhere than my fitness & weight loss goals, I am happy. I feel like I've fought my way through all the bad things and come out of it all a winner. Thank you to everyone who's made it possible - you know who you are. <3

To highlight some of the awesome things that happened this year, I browsed through my Instagram account and grabbed some random shots here and there. Enjoy! :)

Moving house in February.

Celebrating my weight loss journey so far.

Download Festival with my brother in June. Powerman 5000 on stage.

Lots of Noom related stuff all year long!

A brilliant t-shirt found at EGX London, an absolute nerd heaven. ;)

I had the chance to go home to Finland in November.

Absolutely loving the new job, working most of Christmas didn't bother me at all!

.. and after eight years I finally managed to get myself new glasses! They make me feel so smart. ;)

So do I have any set plans for 2015? Well, I don't really believe in resolutions, I mainly plan and set targets for myself. I want to keep going on the same path I have been for the past month or so - I've simply felt happy and very calm since removing myself from a lot of restrain and stress. I can finally express exactly who I am, pretty much all that pressure has been taken off me and I can just go back to enjoying my life.

Weight loss wise I'm absolutely dying to get back into a good routine with both diet and exercise. I'm going to wait out the Jan/Feb gym rush and focus on working out at home, but eventually I really really want to start doing the 5x5 Stronglifts. I mentioned it a while ago but I just never got around to it - mainly because of work. Now, I know it sounds like the worst excuse in the world to slip to bad habits, and my solution was to find work that wouldn't take up 10-12 hours of my day and drain me completely. While I won't have the same time to dedicate to weight loss as I did when I was recovering from my back injury, I will definitely have bundles of time compared to earlier this year!

2015, I can't wait for you.

Our till system rotates funny, thoughtful and sarcastic quotes. I rarely pay attention to them, but then I happened to look down and this amazing quote popped up.


I see this in two different ways really. The first one is quite obvious - why would you jump straight into the water without actually knowing how deep it is and what exactly is below the surface? The chances are that you will drown or get seriously hurt. Or maybe something offers you a drink you've never heard of? You wouldn't just drink the whole glass in one go, would you?

The second one can be a negative one. It can come down to confidence and how brave you are to try new things and something you might be hesitant about. It can also reflect on people you meet along the way. It is never a good idea to rush into trusting someone you've only just met, as people tend to reveal their "true selves" after they get comfortable with you. Unfortunately this has been something I've had to learn the hard way, but in some cases these friendships have gone on for quite a while and I've stepped over that magical trust barrier, because I've felt like "OK, I've tested the waters long enough.". It's never easy to feel like you have been betrayed after you've let yourself become so vulnerable to another human being.

But it can always be a good thing! Protecting your precious soul can make you more independent, as all of a sudden you're not relying on everyone else when you're feeling down or struggling with something on an emotional level. I'm obviously not saying that you should bottle everything up, but certain mental "toughness" can completely change you as a person. It will make you a stronger person, it'll make you appreciate yourself more and you will end up taking a lot less bullshit from people.

I've NEVER been a Christmas person. It hasn't been a holiday worth celebrating and enjoying, but for the past few years I've allowed myself to get into it a little bit. I don't know if it was just determination to hate the entire holidays (well, I still believe it has lost all its value as an opportunity to spend time with your family) but being surrounded by people who actually enjoy it and get all excited when they get to decorate their houses and get a tree must've rubbed off on me a little.


And the fact that my other half is quite into it has definitely affected it all. Now that we have our own flat, he's really been looking forward to having our very own tree and decorations. We actually went to B&Q a few weeks ago just to get decorations and lights ready, even though we only got the tree a few nights ago.



I must admit, it gives the flat a special atmosphere. I think I will miss it when it's gone! Our Christmas plans are quite open still, I'm working over the holidays apart from Christmas day so I believe we will just get together with the family and relax.

The one thing that always gives me a bit of stress is the whole deal with presents. I'm really not a present person (I always tell people not to get me anything, but they never listen!) so I rarely buy presents for anyone unless I actually see something that feels like the perfect thing to give. I don't want to buy stuff just for the sake of it, it completely goes against my values. 



I'm actually really pleased with the lights I got for the windows. They look good enough to keep on the wall all year round really, they're not exactly screaming "Christmas" all over the place. :)

Now that I'm back to being a redhead, I've done so much research about how to keep my colour last. The few boxes of Garnier Olia I bought washed straight off, so I had to result to buying "specialist" hair colour from Special Effects. It was a very messy process and the colour has stained my finger nails, arms and neck, but oh my the end result is stunning! It's just the perfect mixture of pink and red, couldn't get such a pretty result with high street colours! And the one bottle I got will last me for ages, I only used about a 1/4 of it this time (mixed into some conditioner). Special Effects is a vegetarian colour brand, they use no peroxide or other nasty chemicals so it's perfectly fine to leave the colour in for several hours. Some people have said that they actually wrap it all up in cling film and a towel and have it in their hair overnight! My hair feels really healthy despite the colour being very harsh, couldn't get the same feeling with normal hair colours.

I think I've found the colour I've been searching for all these years! ♥

I don't even know how to begin! It's been a really crazy few months, and to put it bluntly it really hasn't been easy.

Without going into too much detail, I've been under quite some pressure and stress. That coupled up with my back issues firing up recently, it was really clear to me that I really need a big change in my life or my health will go down rapidly - both mentally and physically.

A few of my friends kept asking me why I haven't written anything for such a long time. Well the answer has been way too simply - I haven't had the time or energy for it. Getting home around eight in the evening after a long day at work, cooking dinner and getting ready for bed has pretty much been my life for a very long time. And you know what, we all have that certain point where we can't take it anymore. I had very little energy left for the things that kept me happy; exercise, going out, gaming.. Even sleep was something I struggled with, and had to result to getting some sleeping pills to get any kind of sleep.

But you know what guys? Something that stressful isn't worth it. I don't live just to feel like I have no personal life left at the end of the day. I want to feel like 'me' again. And that is exactly why I needed to make this big change. For the past week I've felt like a completely different person, I've had the chance to express who I am, not bound to a certain mould anymore.

And what better way to symbolise such a big change than to colour my hair red again? I felt like a little child at Christmas when I went to Boots on Sunday, it was genuinely the most excited I've been about something so meaningless for quite a while. I've always thought that red was my colour (despite being so awkward to keep nice..), and honestly right now I couldn't be happier.

I found this on a blog and it made me smile. These are instructions for people based on how dogs live their daily lives. Enjoy!

1. When your loved one comes home, greet them with a smile on your face
2. Never say no to a fun ride
3. The feeling of fresh air and wind hitting your face is sheer bliss
4. Take a nap or two
5. Stretch before getting out of bed
6. Run, mess around and play every day
7. Seek for attention and let other people touch you
8. Avoid biting when just a growl is enough
9. On a warm day stop and lie down on the grass
10. On a hot day remember to drink plenty of water and rest in the shade
11. When you're happy, dance around and wiggle your entire body
12. Enjoy the euphoria you get from a long walk
13. Be loyal
14. Never pretend to be something you're not
15. If something you need is buried deep, keep digging until you reach it
16. If someone is having a bad day, stay near in silence and give them a gentle nudge
17. Enjoy every moment of every single day

I've seen so many guides for this shirt lately and I've been dying to make one of my own! I've just been waiting for the perfect shirt to come along and I finally found it - my brand new Noom shirt! Absolutely no excuse to skip gym now! ;)


This shirt really doesn't need to look perfect, and isn't that kinda what DIY is all about? All you need for this is a T-shirt of your choosing (maybe less wrinkled than mine, don't ask haha!) and a pair of scissors. No needles, thread or a sewing machine needed. :)


You start off by cutting off the sleeves, bottom of the shirt and the collar if desired. I actually left it intact to begin with as the neckline was quite deep already, but I did get rid of it in the end as the strap kinda pulls it in a little bit. Turn the shirt around and cut a V shaped piece out from the back of the shirt. Don't worry if it doesn't look smooth or even, as the strap will cover it anyways.



Take the piece you cut off from the bottom of the shirt and turn it into a single piece of fabric. Then loop it through the straps at the top, tie a knot and start wrapping one end of the strip around the back piece of your shirt. Leave roughly an inch of fabric loose at the bottom and repeat the same process with the other end. Then all you need to do is tie another knot and your shirt is done!





The shirt was actually just slightly too big for me before all this, but now that I've pulled it in a little bit with this trick it fits perfectly. :)

So today was really exciting for me. I'm still kinda trying to assemble my thoughts about everything, but hopefully it'll all start flowing in my head as I write this!

My day started as early as 5am today. The event was scheduled to start at 8.30, so I needed to be ready and out of the flat by 5.45. I must admit, I feel sorry for the people who do this five times a week. I don't think I could do this kind of commuting for longer periods of time, it must be so draining to sit on the train for three hours a day on top of working full days!

Saying that, an odd day like this was quite refreshing in a way. It was quiet, the sun hadn't come up yet, the air was really fresh and it was just slightly foggy. One day I will get up that early on my day off and go for a walk with my camera! The train route passes lots of pastures full of cows and horses, and the fog just made the entire scenery so beautiful. That is definitely something worth taking pictures of.



As I knew that the event would have a breakfast buffet, I didn't actually eat anything at home. I really wish I had taken something with me, though. I was absolutely starving by the time I got to Oxford Street haha! The event was held in the Debenhams Bistro, such a pretty little venue. It was really cozy and welcoming, it really made me feel like I was just going to go meet up with a bunch of friends.

I'm quite a typical introvert, so this event did honestly frighten me a little bit. I'm not a conversation starter and being surrounded by people I don't know is always quite a big thing for me, but my wonderful Noomily (Noom family ;)) was so welcoming and made me feel so relaxed right from the beginning. It was also so great to actually meet people in person I have been emailing for quite some time, nice to actually place a face on the name!

Now, I'm not allowed to talk about the main bit of the event yet, but I'll make sure you guys get informed about it when it's time! ;)



I also got the pleasure of meeting TheModelFoodie author Bailee today (check out her blog, it's amazing for dinner ideas!). Her contribution to our wonderful breakfast were goji berry breakfast bars, and oh my goodness they were the best thing ever! I will post the recipe soon, once I've had the chance to make a batch myself! :) All natural ingredients, very tasty and most of all - good for you. Goji berries are packed with all the good nutrients your body needs, and Bailee also added some extra protein powder in there to really bump up the nutritional values.

Some of you might get all suspicious of these beauties, but trust me, they taste like carrot cake! So if you're into that kinda thing, you will love these babies even more. Maybe I could fool some of my friends by turning these bars into a cake and just tell them that it's carrot.. Hah.



And just because being spoilt with good food wasn't enough, we also had the very lovely Jenni Falconer present to talk about the new A&W XPG fitness wear collection. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to chat to her personally (too many interesting people to talk to!!), but I managed to get a really good look at the new collection. It's all really affordable prices, cute details and fantastic fabric. I also really like the overall colour scheme, might have to do a bit of online shopping soon.. ;)


I was going to wait until I got home to start rummaging through my bag, but I just couldn't resist the temptation and the goji berry bar didn't even make it out of London! Seriously, these things are addictive.

The full contents of the bag: goji berry breakfast bar, a shirt from the XPG collection, a Noom shirt, a fantastic phone holder for exercise (this was such a great surprise, I've had one before that was too tight for me so stopped using it) and a face mask by Sanctuary Spa. I shall let the pictures do all the talking. :)

 







I'm really looking forward to being able to spill the beans about all this new stuff coming up! Sit tight!

It's a few minutes past six in the morning. I'm full of coffee, sitting on a train to London Victoria and most of all, very excited! I'm taking part in Noom's launch party today and I'm looking forward to it so much!

I will write a post telling all about it tonight when I get home. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Just a quick post to inform everyone that I'm nearly done with the busiest time of the season at work, meaning that I will finally have more time for the blog again! Officially our peak time runs over the weekend, but there's a considerable drop in guests from Friday, so I can happily say that I survived it!

On top of that I've been invited to Noom's launch party next Thursday, can't wait to meet everyone and network! :)

And below a few pics from last Monday, when we had a team night at work. :)

I seem to go from one bad thing to another again. 1½ weeks ago I started feeling this sudden pain in my left ankle when I was walking home from work. I didn't really think much of it, I just figured that I stepped funny and pulled a muscle slightly. But of course it wasn't just a pulled muscle. When is it honestly that simple?

The pain didn't get any better, and with my job it just wasn't going to either. I stand up for 10-12 hours a day and I also walk tons, so all I can think of is that my ankles have just been irritated because of that. I went to my GP to get it checked out, but to my disappointment all the doctor did was slightly poke the sides of my foot and give me a week off work and prescribed some Naproxen.

Now, I've been on Naproxen before. I used to take it like sweets for my back roughly a year ago, and my body must've grown resistant to it. My ankles started feeling slightly better during the week I had off, as all I did was sit down and watch TV and do bits and pieces on the computer. But the second I went back to work the pain just came straight back again. I tried getting through the days with painkillers and lots of sitting down, but the Naproxen just didn't help at all. Instead of helping with the pain they just made me feel really drowsy and miserable, so I headed back to my GP yesterday.

It always feels so reassuring, when the doctor actually takes their time to have a look at your injury when you're in pain. He carefully examined my entire leg to find the cause for my pains, and diagnosed it as tendonitis. He said it could also be the entire muscle in my leg, and unless the pain goes away on its own he recommended some physio at the local musculoskeletar unit. I do really hope it doesn't actually get to that. I also mentioned that the painkillers didn't help at all so now I have a huge box of co-codamol (you know, codeine) sitting on the desk. Fingers crossed these babies work better.

So what have I actually been up to lately? Honestly not a lot. The week I had off I just watched loads of nutrition related documentaries (mind blown by the way, I'll write about all that later) and just tried not to go insane. I would've loved to go for a walk several times when I was off, but I knew it'd be incredibly stupid to do so. The weather has been incredible over here lately, so just being stuck indoors has been horrible.

Oh and I cut my hair. Exciting right? :D

Like I mentioned last week, I've chilled with my diet a little bit. I'm kinda regretting it right now as I feel like I can eat anything I want to (including some chocolate unfortunately)! I'm still slightly ill, nowhere near as bad as it was a week ago but I still get awful coughing and sneezing fits every now and then.

I haven't completely fallen off the wagon, though. I'm just such a foodie that I get quite creative with my dinners. :) I bought some puff pastry this week and turned it into salmon pockets tonight, they were absolutely amazing! I chopped a yellow pepper and red onion, fried the salmon and veg, added spices, a bit of sweet chilli sauce and a few tablespoons of creme fraiche and then divided the mix into four portions and loaded them on the pastry (+ 15 mins in the oven). All it needed with it was a fresh side salad.



I've also been thinking about my workouts a lot this week. With my work days being 10+ hours, I really don't find the energy for a workout in the evening when I get home. My only option to do any kinds of exercise is early morning before work - that'd mean getting up at seven at the latest so I can squeeze in 30-45 minutes of exercise before getting ready for work. I really don't like the idea of getting up so early but it's really the only way I could do it right now, so I suppose I just need to suck it up and actually start setting my alarm a lot earlier than I'm used to.

I mean I know I can lose the remaining weight just by eating right, but it won't give me the results I really want. To reach my ideal body I need the exercise to give me that shape I'm after. Jillian Michaels pretty much has my dream body, so that's what I'm aiming for.


So all I need now is to just get a grip and actually get up early in the mornings (and also fix our DVD player so I can do some workouts at home..).