W hotel

The W hotel is quickly becoming my favourite place to hang out. London Village Kids have started up a sort of model-hang out there, (so if you are modeling in London definitely sign up. straight away.) - they also do really great nights out in London for everyone so definitely worth checking them out, some really cool people. Back to the W. It is such a beautiful hotel and located bang in the middle of Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus. 

Hiding behind M&M's world - a gigantic W

Their theme seems to be... disco balls. But instead of one looming conspicuously over a big room, they sort of exploded them into every conceivable place, which looks awesome.  

We are lucky enough to use the gym, and I went to check it out the other day - amazing. Super high tec machines and relatively empty in comparison to my sweaty university gym! 

I don't think I have ever seen such a beautiful gym - running on a treadmill that overlooks London is a nice change to running on a treadmill that overlooks.. a wall. 

The best part, is obviously the sauna/steam room. 

The lounge in W is also amazing, a really chilled out and relaxed place to grab a drink or two and study/use their free wifi.

 

Their food is amazing, and they have two very cool sections which remind me of seasons - one 'wintery' section with blazing, swanky fires 

and one section with beautiful floor to ceiling windows, meaning it is a beautifully light place to go and sit. I watched enviously a couple of people having an afternoon tea in there, and it looked incredible! Definitely planning to go and elegantly devour some mini-cakes with Dima soon! 

They also have a club (whatttt!) and I've heard that on the weekends it gets pretty busy there, which must mean it is good! As well as a cinema - they should definitely install these in every hotel! If you are looking to stay in London it is literally perfect and very different from all the other hotels I've been to! Definitely worth checking out, even for a cheeky lunch :) (they have mini burgers - enough said.) 

xxx 

healthy treats!

Incase you hadn't noticed, I am sort of on a major health kick. After three weeks of this 'healthiness' and pretending to enjoy salads and running daily, salads are beginning to wear thin. I truly believe that I have used eggs to their most extreme limits, and desperately need to eat something else! Easter around the corner means that there is chocolate everywhere I look and this makes me very very sad that I can't eat my favourite treats :( 

So the result is searching instagram and food blogs for a very long time to find healthy 'desserts!'  

'Protein' Balls 

The word protein is still quite scary to me, I am still equating it in my mind with butch muscles and lifting 100kg. Probably from cheerleading, where big tubs of protein powder was present at every session. So these are basically just really delicious balls which taste like cookie dough (disclaimer: a little imagination needed). 

Ingredients 

Basically, you can use whatever you find in your kitchen, mash it all up (preferably in a food processor) and add dark chocolate chips to it. (aka a great recipe if you are really not a recipe-sort of follower, and prefer to make it up as you go along... guilty!) 

However, what I used on this particular day was the following:

•  Pinhead porridge oats - I did NOT know these were a thing, but apparently they are. Tiny balls of porridge oats instead of the usual flakes (my boyfriend has an extremely random collection of food in his cupboards!) He claims they are healthier and keep you fuller for longer, any thoughts? Just toss an amount in depending on how oaty you would prefer your balls 8) 
• Organic Peanut butter - I used a tablespoon, but probably the most you use = the more delicious your balls will be because peanut butter = happiness 
• Dessicated Coconut - DELICIOUS. on everything. use LOADS if you are obsessed with coconut like me. 
• Chopped Dates and Walnuts  - most recipes use dates as a good replacement for something sugary and delicious. Basically use any tasty fruit (banana I'm looking at you) and some chopped nuts.
• Sesame Seeds - another thing just lying about, but actually turned out to be a very good addition. 
• Coconut Milk - this is probably also not a requirement, and only use a bit if you are going to add milk, but I found this 'Koko' milk in Tesco's and got wildly excited (and erm.. drank the entire thing in one day)
• Vanilla Essence - note: do not overuse the vanilla essence, tempting as it smells. it will make your balls taste like alcohol. 
• Dark chocolate chips - these are the most important ingredient. Basically just because they are chocolate, and I miss chocolate dearly so will take whatever I can get. Dark chocolate apparently has antioxidants blablabla but they taste FAB <3

As you can see, my ingredients were largely based on what was in Dima's cupboards at the time. Basically you need some form of oats, nut butter, fruit (dates or bananas), nuts and chocolate chips. 

- 

Now for the process.... BLITZ everything except the chocolate chips together! If you don't have a processor just mix by hand! 

Then spoon it into a bowl and add chocolate chips.

 With your hands, shape the amazingly-delicious mixture into balls and place on a plate. When finished, put the plate in the fridge and leave it for however long you can wait, then proceed to eat....

Top tip: DO NOT EAT ALL OF THE BALLS IN ONE GO. Depending on how much ingredients you use, they can probably be quite calorific (probs around 100 calories per ball) and one at a time is the perfect bite size amount of tasty heaven to give you a mid-morning/afternoon energy boost! 

Of course, I made a batch and proceeded to eat all five straight away. Then I decided to make some more to last me for the week... they lasted me until the evening :'( So a disclaimer, these are seriously moreish - but seriously amazing whilst being healthy! 

Chia Seed Pudding 

Chia seeds are AMAZING. I was extremely shocked to find them being sold in Tesco (for about £5 average - not the cheapest superfood but good quality!) and proceeded to force my boyfriend to buy me loads! They have properties in them which absorb liquid, making the teensy seeds expand to double their size and make you feel super full up, so a great snack! 

Another one of my make-it-up-as-you-go-along recipes, this is easy. You will need:

- chia seeds

- milk (preferably almond/coconut) 

- vanilla essence/chocolate chips/cocoa powder/banana

To make, all you do is mix the ingredients in a bowl (around 1/3 seeds, 2/3 milk) and pop it in the fridge for an hour or two! You then take it out and eat to your heart's content! 

If you add cocoa powder, it comes out fabulously chocolate-y as my friend Katherine achieved, however I am trying to wean myself off chocolate again after this weekend's relapse so stuck to dark chocolate chips. Also, if you add chopped banana it makes it extra-thick and filling :) 

Perfect to add to porridge - especially porridge that has been slow-cooked for twelve hours! 

Enjoy! Any more healthy dessert ideas, I would LOVE to hear them! <3

xxx

happiness

Over the past couple of weeks something miraculous has happened. I have stuck to my fitness plan (below) and feel really, really great as a result. Even though my final exams ever are hurtling towards me at a terrifying speed, and I have no real plan of what to do when they are over except hope that my life stays fun and carefree, I wake up everyday feeling happy and grateful to have another day where those are my biggest concerns.



Here are a few things I have managed to do, most of which I never thought I would be able to!

1. Run everyday for 20 minutes. I asked my boyfriend who can exercise all day (even though he doesn't!) for tips on running, because it is something I have always hated/been really bad at and he said there isn't any. You just have to force yourself to do it. So that is what I have done everyday, just literally forced myself to make time, go to the gym and run.
When you fully commit to doing something you don't like, even though you know it will be beneficial for you in the long run (hehehe see what I did there) it becomes more of an achievement than a challenge. By forcing myself to do it everyday I manage to focus better on my work and plan out my day - I'm already out of bed!



2. Eaten Healthily 
I have had a major addiction to chocolate. I ate it at least once a day and found it literally impossible to give up, being able to eat whatever I liked when I was younger with a great metabolism set really bad habits in me  which I really doubted I would ever be able to get rid of. Being given motivation though, as in an actual goal to get into shape for somehow has made me give up the thing I loved so much and realise that I don't actually need it. I haven't eaten chocolate for two weeks and I can honestly say that (most days) I don't miss it.

Instead I have spent a looong time thinking of healthy replacements, and found some really great recipes in the process. Here are a few:

Two Ingredient Pancakes
Mix two eggs and a banana together; fry (preferably with coconut/low fat oil!). This is the easiest and healthiest recipe I have found so far and it has resulted in me and my best friend tweaking it until we found a truly amazing concoction today of adding cinammon, raspberries, coconut and maple syrup. Tastes like normal pancakes but leaves you way more energised.

Eggs
I have literally been living off eggs for two weeks. Boiled, scrambled, poached - they are literally so good for you and at 74 calories each, so easy to incorporate into each meal. Also a really good source of protein for poor students who can't afford(be bothered) to buy/cook meat every night. (Also I just really hate touching dead animals!)

Fruit
Fruit has also become a super massive part of my day, replacing the sugar highs that chocolate once gave me. Lemon water is a really great appetite suppressant, strawberries have become my new addiction, apple and cinnamon (baked, microwaved, raw), an orange on the way to uni, and obviously bananas (for my new 'pancake' addiction) have basically become my staple. I know some diets say you should avoid fruit because of their fructose - but this is good sugar. It isn't going to hurt you, its a natural alternative to processed 
3. Being kind
I thoughtlessly left my Michael Kors watch (21st birthday present) on a treadmill the other day and was absolutely convinced it had gone forever. By some act of pure kindness, someone handed it in the next day. This has made me really believe in the good of general people - Londoners get a bad reputation for scowling and rushing to work, but if you ever actually need something there will be someone there to help you. Every time I'm lost in the middle of nowhere looking for a casting, someone always helps me. Every time I drop something in the street - oyster card, sunglasses, ID - it comes back to me in one form or another.

Maybe I am just really lucky, but the great majority of what I have seen in London is kindness and it is really nice to give it back. Just complimenting strangers, telling them you like something they are wearing, because you actually do can make their whole day and makes you feel good. If I want to compliment a random person or help someone out, I just make myself do it before thinking about their reaction or how weird they will think I am, because 99% of the time they are really happy and grateful too. Make the world a nicer place!



I also really love reading the daily 'good deed feed' in the Metro! :)

4. Seeing/talking to people I love 
This is the most important. I have spent time with most of my best friends this week, and am seeing the rest later on in the week. I was moaning about people not contacting me, when my friend asked 'have you contacted them?' - she's right. Spending time with my boyfriend and seeing my cousin audition for a massive drama school (and getting through to the finals!), seeing my family and going for lunch with my dad all make a massive difference to my general mood. I am really lucky to have some truly amazing people in my life, you probably are too!


 Coming up is massive change in mine and pretty much everyone I know's life - I'm not too worried because I know it will all work out just fine :)



what has made you happy lately?


- all corny pictures shameslessly lifted from pinterest, the internet's prettiest, most entertaining form of procrastination - 

Brighton

Last weekend, Dima and I decided to leave the dusty, grey streets of London for a day at the seaside! I can't believe I have lived in London for three years now and never been down to Brighton, it is only an hours train ride away and we paid £10 for return tickets. It also basically exudes happiness, although that might have been the sunshine!



The pier was a short walk down from the station, and we spent a long time searching for shells and tasting the local delights 




I was SO happy to be back by the ocean, with people smiling at you and saying good morning unlike in London where you get shoved as people rush past you with stressed faces. Growing up in Cyprus I lived five minutes from the beach and it was amazing.

everyone in brighton seems to have a dog. that is probably why they are all so happy and smiley - this dog played football! 

We eventually found ourselves at the world famous pier, and we were not disappointed :)




another thing about Brighton is that everything is ridiculously cheap compared to London, even the rides (above) were half the price of fairs I have been to before. We ended up spending most of our money in the arcade..... like quite a lot...

we may have over-exerted ourselves and needed a lie down - conveniently the pier had laid out deckchairs for people needing a snooze in the midday sun!

For lunch we found a restaurant hidden deep in the streets- one thing I found so cute was that basically all of the roads in Brighton share their names with London ones - which served amazing fresh fish and mussels. We spent the rest of our time wandering around the tiny streets filled to the brim with vintage shops, eloquent bakeries and countless coffee shops.

We had such an amazing time in Brighton, it is definitely worth a trip down there, especially if you live in London which can get quite dreary after a while!
xxx

Sleep, Eat, Work, Work out, Repeat

As a model, you have to be in shape. As a stressed final-year law student, you have to have energy to do the millions of pages of reading each week and essays that come hurling at you, and your only solace is chocolate. I have to get into shape very quicky for a very important and exciting job that I really, really want so I have finally got the motivation I need to eliminate junk food and work out - hard. Also exams are coming up which means I have got to stay on top of all my uni work!

The first way of doing this is go to the gym. Obviously most people don't need to lose weight quickly, but if you want it to stay off you need to do regular exercise and eat healthily (guilty). I have been doing cheerleading which is amazing for strength building (I can now beat my friends in arm wrestling competitions) but not great for actually losing weight as there is not that much cardio in it. So I have begrudingly started running for twenty minutes a day which I really hate.



The second method is to do exercise at home - over the holidays our cheerleading posted a daily conditioning challenge which takes only ten minutes and is very effective, combining 30 seconds exercise. Here it is..

Each exercise must last a minimum of 30 seconds.

All exercise sections must be performed continuously with no breaks until all exercises for that section are complete.

1) Legs
Squat jumps (must bend to 90 degrees with chest up and arms above head)
Switch lunges (lunges on alternating legs with jumps, arm above head at all times)
Rebound jumps (straight jumps with arms above your head, pushing only with your calves and keeping your legs completely straight with each rebound)
Rock backs and tuck jump (Rock backwards onto your back with your legs in the air and immediately rock forwards onto both feet, trying to stand up and once standing up tuck jump immediately)

2)Arms
Press ups (elbows next to body, chest/boobs to floor, squeeze you bum the whole time to prevent 'sagging' and push straight up. If not normal press ups then do press ups on your knees)
Press ups with wide arms (arms at 90 degrees to body, same as before)
Diamond press ups (make a diamond on the floor using your hands (index finger to index finger and thumb to thumb) and do press ups, aim to put your chest on your hands)
Dips (hands on edge of desk/chair with body facing away, start with straight arms and bend your arms until 90 degrees, repeat)

3)Abs
Dish hold (lie flat, raise shoulders and feet slightly off the floor, hold and squeeze you abs and bum)
Sit up with twists (sit up, elbow to contra-lateral knee and lie down, repeat)
Crunches
N sits (hold dish and then tuck your body, knees to chest and then go back to dish, repeat)
Scissors (lie in dish, raise and lower opposite legs)
Plank (hold this plank with your toes UNDER your feet (i.e. do not hold plank on your toes)

4)Cardio
Jogging with high knees (knees must rise above hip height otherwise it is futile)
Burpies (Hit press up position, pull legs to elbows and immediately kick back and stand up, then hit press up position etc)
Jogging with high knees again
Burpies but lie down (do not hit press up position but instead lie down and stand back up immediately, repeat)
Jogging with high knees
Tuck jumps (arms above head, chest up, jump and bring knees to chest, must do this with feet together)

This will take you approx 10mins. You can have a 30 second break in between - there is an app on iphones called 'SIT' which times thirty seconds continuously. 



The third method I am going to combine with the above two (for as long as I can manage!) is daily yoga. Lisa posted the link on her blog; Here is the challenge. Stretching is a major part of working out which is often neglected (definitely by me!)

Also I am going to attempt to drink as much water as I can, an obvious one. I wrote a healthy eating plan this morning listing my motivation, the foods that I can eat and a checklist to tick off daily (inspired by our fabulous cleaning chart which has generated world war 3 in our flat).

Hopefully by posting this I will get some further motivation/motivate others- I definitely need all the help I can get!

Cheerleading!

After two not very extra-curricular based university years, me and my best friend decided to join cheerleading this year! We thought it would be fairly easy and relaxed... no. We had to drag ourselves to practice every Friday evening and Sunday morning for weeks on end (with some extra training thrown in during the week), to do very INTENSE exercise -  throwing people up in the air, catching them/having them land on your face, learning to do backflips and frontflips (or in my case, handstands...) and the dreaded conditioning which is intense strength building exercise so that we are better equipped to do the above.

I am not a very sporty person. But our coach was so inspiring (and terrifying), and we weren't allowed to miss a single session so we fully committed and went every week and learnt to do some amazing things with some amazing people. Last weekend we had our very first competition, which was so much fun!

We had a practice run on Friday for our friends and family..

And then rested until Sunday, the real thing! We went up to Bath University which has the most amazing gym  ever, complete with olympic size swimming pool, running track, squash courts and so on! There were about 1,500 cheerleaders there which was quite surreal but nice as they were all running around excited and nervous (just like we were!). There were many divisions and our team was level two co-ed (boys and girls).

For some reason blogger won't let me upload our video, but above is our level 6 division who recently went to compete in Florida at the world championships, they are literally incredible and help us all out so much!  Here's the link to ours... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz6IcStfQFc&feature=youtu.be

Overall we were one point off first place, placing second which was absolutely amazing, after knowing how much hard work and effort we had all put into it! Our team was mostly made up of cheer-freshers so to come second out of 14 teams was amazing! It was so nice at the competition because every team got a trophy for competing, and watching the teams jump up with excitement and scream when they were called was really nice :)

Here are a few pics from the day..
 

my amazingly talented stunt group  :)

me and my best friend :) 

It was such an amazing day, I definitely recommend joining a society like cheerleading at uni because it is just basically a lot of fun with amazing people! (and also something different to put on your cv!) 

xxx