BLACK FRIDAY SALES!!!

Happy BLACK FRIDAY everyone!!! I don't know about you but I love a good excuse to go shopping! :P

Some great deals in my business for TODAY only.

You can contact me at ellie.cooper@flp.com
or visit my business page:

Health, Beauty & Lifestyle- Ellie Cooper

Have a great day!!! And it's Friday! :)

x

Link me in!

Hello! So I'm working on my networking, new business and all, and I've just joined Linked In.

I'd appreciate any adds on there from yourself if you're apart of it, or alternatively why not check it out?!

Cheers me dears! :)

x

My new business venture!

Hi everyone! So I've not mentioned anything about my new business venture until now. I figured I'd see how it goes for a bit before I announce it! However I'm really passionate about it and my products, and it's going well so I thought now was the time to tell you all! :)

So what is it? ...It's called Forever Living (you may have heard of it?) and it's in the health and nutrition sector, although it can wear many hats as the products also involve beauty, cosmetics, animal care and more!

Why do it? There's so many reasons people opt to join the business and I won't go into them all but for me I'm doing it primarily for a second income. Having now used the products, I've also fallen in love with the business and I'm my own best customer as it were! 

Like I say, there are tons of products and I'm yet to meet a person who doesn't want to try at least one of them. There really is something to appeal to everyone.

You can check out my online store here if you'd like to have a browse and can buy directly from there too. However I will quickly show you my top 5 products I've been enjoying recently. 

1. The Clean9 cleanse pack. You may have seen my recent posts about this detox and it's all thanks to this pack- vanilla or chocolate. If you'd like to hear what the plan entails then please read my posts (found under the #clean9 header or watch my youtube video for a day-to-day account). I cannot tell you how worthwhile I found doing this was. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

2. The Heat Lotion. I'd never used a product like this before but for those of you that are familiar with deep heat then it's used for a similar purpose but does a much better job! This is great for relaxing those tensions. Particularly effective after a stressful day at work. I like to apply some onto my shoulders and I feel the stress melt away! Also HEADACHE RELIEF! It's amazing at getting rid of tension headaches. I apply a tiny bit to my temples and TA DAH! It's like magic! Cannot live without it now.

3. The Forever Lite Ultra (Vanilla) (Chocolate available). Think of this as a milkshake. I began drinking this whilst on the Clean9 Detox and I enjoyed it that much that I've continued having it! I use this as a meal replacement. 300ml of soya milk and a scoop of this and I have breakfast on the go! I'm not a fan of lots of food in the morning and often run out of time so this is perfect for me and it's really filling! It's also great to take before or after workouts!

4. The Aloe Drinking Gels. The first one (yellow) is the Aloe Vera Gel. This is basically full of goodness and helps promote a healthy immune system and give your body the nutrients it craves. I shot 45ml of this every morning. It's not known for its pleasant taste though so I find holding the nose works a treat! It also features heavily in the Clean9 Detox...you get used to it though!

The second drinking gel is the Aloe Berry Nectar. This works similarly to the Aloe Vera Gel but has a blend of apple and cranberry making it sweeter and generally a bit nicer tasting! It is also recommended for people who suffer with urinary tract infections. Again I've been 'shotting' about 45ml in the morning. 

5. It was really hard to stop at just 5 products as there's so many more I love...but this one most definitely had to feature! It's the Aloe Deodorant Stick. Up until recently I used the typical spray deodrants: Dove, Sure etc and whilst I thought they were doing a good job I would still get BO when sweating, especially after heavy workouts. But not anymore! I've been using this for a good few weeks now and I no longer get BO. Full stop. Yes I still sweat, but there's no smelly odor attached. This deodorant allows your pores to breathe without clogging them, hence goodbye nasty smells. Honestly, if nothing else I'd say give this a try!

PLEASE NOTE: All of the Forever products come with a 60-day-money-back-guarantee! So, if you aren't impressed you can get a refund within 60 days of your purchase!

I'm really excited about my business! Wish me luck ;) && please visit my business page https://www.facebook.com/elliesforever

Thanks!

x

Day two #Clean9detox

Day two and alive and well! :)

*Please note that the plan for Day Two is the same as Day One's so if I speak about breakfast, lunch and dinner and you're interested in what this entails then please read Day One. 

I woke up a little hungry this morning at around 8:45am. I proceeded with breakfast and this helped to relieve the hunger, however I did have a ever so slight headache at this point. Nothing to warrant pills or anything but there was definitely a niggle there. 

I snacked on the Foever Bee Pollen tablets (x2) around 10:30am, at which point the headache seemed to go away. At 12:15pm I felt quite hungry but just drank water for a little while before helping myself to lunch. However rather than the skimmed milk I opted for unsweetened soya milk in my vanilla shake today. I really enjoyed this and liked it more than the skimmed milk as it was less sweet and not sickly at all (which I know some people complain about). 

I then went for a steady 1.5 hour walk with a friend. I felt good and it took my mind off of food. However around 4:30pm I got really hungry and had to try really hard to fight the urge to eat something. I just drank some more water and tried to distract myself. 

At about 6:30pm I had my dinner/tea and surprisingly felt quite full after having this. A few hours later I took my final dose of the Aloe Gel along with more water. 

Now at 11:20pm I feel quite good. I'm quite tired but I'm glad I didn't feel the need to nap today. Maybe if I'd have been at home then I might have had a little sleep but because I stayed busy it wasn't a problem. 

I would guess at this point that Day Two is quite possibly the hardest of all the nine days because on

Day One you had eaten real food the day before and it's new and exciting and in Day Three you get to eat a 600cal meal of real food again. So Day Two is hard because you're hungry from Day One and you're missing the concept of eating food, chewing and tasting etc. 

Bring on Day Three! :D

X

Day one #Clean9detox

Hello. So I've made it through day one and it hasn't been too bad! :)

I woke up feeling really positive about the detox but a little scared I'd be too hungry and have to give in and eat something. BUT I managed to follow the plan to a tea today so if you're interested in what Day One looks like then keep reading!

For breakfast (8:45am) I had 2 of the Forever Garcinia Plus capsules. It recommends you take these 20 minutes before the next step, so I got myself ready for the day before taking 120ml of the Aloe Vera Gel + 240ml of water. (Let me tell you, the gel isn't very pleasant tasting at all so I held my nose and drank it fast which seemed to work pretty well!) 

It then says to incorporate 20 minutes of exercise. As I went to show rehearsals (I'm in a musical) I counted that as my exercise. 

Around 11am I went ahead and had my allowed snack of 2x Forever Bee Pollen tablets + 240ml of water- the water is a minimum recommendation btw, so I've been drinking 250ml bottles each time. 

At about 12 noon I started to feel a bit peckish. This slight hunger continued until 1pm when I went for lunch/dinner, whatever you call it! For this I had 2x Forever Garcinia Plus capsules 20 mins prior to another helping of 120ml of the Aloe Vera Gel + 240ml of water. I was then very pleased to have a vanilla shake (you get a choice of chocolate or vanilla when you order the plan). The shake was made up of one scoop of powder and 300ml of skimmed milk. This was like heaven. It tasted so nice after not having had any food and only drinking water and was the closest thing to a meal I guess. I then took 2x Forever Bee Pollen tablets. 

After lunch I felt a lot more revived and not hungry at all. I then set off for a dentist appointment and after leaving the practice at around 2:30pm I did start to feel a bit tired. The long drive home didn't help and I felt really sleepy by the time I got in. Often I'll have a power nap if I have chance, so taking a nap wasn't something I did specially because of the plan. However I did sleep for around 2 hours- a little longer than I would usually!

For dinner/tea (6:30ish) I took 2x Forever Garcinia Plus capsules 20 mins prior to another helping of 120ml of the Aloe Vera Gel + 240ml of water. Then I had 2 more Forever Bee Pollen tablets, before leaving for a pamper party. 

Whilst at the party I had a really good time trying beauty products etc and didn't even think about food. I just drank water which wasn't a issue because I was driving anyway. 

I arrived home at around 10:30pm and had my final dose of 120ml of the Aloe Vera Gel + 240ml of water. 

Now it's 11:15pm and I'm feeling fine. Perhaps a little bit peckish but I'll be off to bed shortly so tomorrow is a new day! My friends who have done the Clean9 plan said the first two days were the hardest but by day three you can have real food again! Looking forward to Day three haha :)

Wish me luck! 

X

I love this drink: Vita Coco

Hello just a quick post about a drink I am seriously enjoying at the minute! It's the Vita Coco coconut water. 

I've always been a massive fan of the milk you get out of a fresh coconut and stumbled across this drink at the NEC Clothes Show Live a few years ago. I tried and buyed as it were and enjoyed my purchase. But then I never saw the drink again to buy and forgot about it. 

When I saw this in my local Morrisons recently I had to retry it. I bought a 330ml size for £1.79. And yes I guess whilst that is pretty pricey I'd say the taste more than makes up for it. It's hard to describe but not only is it very much like fresh coconut milk it has a hydrating quality that I haven't experienced before. It's more refreshing than water. 

As you can see, nutritionally it isn't too bad. And based on the price (I think 1litre is currently on offer at Morrisons for £3) it's not a drink that you would consume masses off. 

I particularly like this drink as a nice refreshing treat or after a good workout to help put back in some energy without lots of sugar. 

Anyway if you happen to try this let me know what you think :) 

Morning LBT in Nike Shorts

Good morning! Nothing better than to start off the week with a good workout! :)

So having just devoured my post-workout breakfast after a good LBT (legs, bums and tums) class, I thought I'd share with you my current favourite gym shorts. 

They're Nike branded and my particular ones are black with a stamp of bright coral. The colours are actually the first thing that stood out to me. Another cool feature is the Lycra material built into the shorts, so essentially shorts within shorts.

The Lycra means that putting the shorts on is uber soft, comfortable and they fit tight like a glove. I'm guessing this feature is designed to help with sweat control and chaffing, and I have to say I've never had any aggravation whilst wearing them. 

I also like the writing on the waistband that says 'just do it' ...I do like my fitness motos :)

I've worn them many a time now to different classes. I even wear them to boot camp which often involves a fair amount of running and they've still remained comfortable.

I have a feeling I paid a little more than £20 but you can get them here for that price. So, if you're looking into getting some new gym shorts, or thinking of being brave and actually buying your first pair of shorts to workout in, I'd recommend these with their great support system and comfort. 

I'm back!...Update!

Hi guys! Wow it's been ages since I've blogged! I do apologize.

Life has been pretty manic for me over the last month or so but in a good way! I've been having possibly the best time of my life and among all of this I actually graduated!

Yep there I am in my grad gear :P

It's funny because I actually wasn't at all fussed about the whole graduation thing, but when it came down to it I felt quite emotional. I had a whole range of emotions, happy/relieved/proud/sad and definitely nervous when it came to walking across the stage!

There I am, receiving my important handshake!

It wasn't until a day or so later that it suddenly hit me that I wouldn't be returning to university and I felt sad to not be seeing my friends in a student situation again!

Friends :)

It also hit me that September is fast approaching and I'm actually going to be a real-life primary teacher! Little bit scary!! Exciting though.

So...with a proper job looming I've been fully making the most of being a lady of leisure for one last summer!

Of course there has been a little bit of shopping...although not really any make-up purchases!!...More fitness stuff like gym clothes and protein shakes! Wild.

Great nights out and crazy nights in have been taking place pretty much every weekend...

There have been beach-less beach parties...hula hula! And 70's/80's Discos...

Sunbathing has been a heavy feature in my hard life haha!... 

And, lots of yummy food and alcoholic beverages including a Frankie & Benny's fry-up to start off a relaxing day at a local Bannatyne Spa. 

The spa day was absolutely fab. It was my friend Emily's birthday this past weekend so as a present I booked us into the Spa and we enjoyed an amazing 30 minutes Lava Shells shoulder back and neck massage. And we got to keep the slippers hehe!

Of course along with all this relaxation and partying and what not, I've also been running a tight ship when it comes to my fitness regime. Occasionally I'll be really wild and given myself Friday, Saturday and Sunday off (lol)...but generally I just have the one day off. It's how I like it!

This past weekend I took part in a spin class for charity, helping raise money for people with disabilities who perhaps aren't able to take part in such activities. It made me think how lucky I am that I do have my health and can be as active as I am!

So...I think maybe this about concludes my update. I have been away for a while so I cannot possibly put in everything I've been doing but I think you get the picture! I'm hoping to become a regular blogger again...so keep an eye out for my next post! 

How are you all? Been up to much?!

Collective Haul: Topshop, Boohoo...

Hello! I've been doing a fair bit of shopping lately so I thought I'd show you what I picked up :)

First up, clothing...

I'm absolutely loving the cartoon inspired look that's everywhere at the moment! Topshop's  'Kaboom' crop top for £14 really caught my eye! I decided to complete the outfit by pairing it with some pale blue skinny high-waisted jeans, perfect for crop tops! Typical for Topshop jeans they were £36 but imo the price is very worth it because their jeans tend to be super soft and comfortable! Love love love!

Next up, Boohoo...my favourite online shop!...

I love the vibrant colour of this dress and the cut out design around the chest area. It's just about as body-con as you can get but I think this is an ideal 'clubbing' dress and I may well be hitting the town in this on Saturday :)

As I say I'm all about the cartoon at the minute, so when I saw this dress it went straight into my basket! I adore the colour scheme of the dress...so very seasonal! And the cute collar design along with one sleeve really appeals to me. Again it's body-con but this doesn't give the uber-tight effect. I adore how unique this dress is so you are very unlikely to meet someone out wearing the same....Bring on bank holiday weekend woop woop!

Fancy dress...

My friend is having a hippie-themed birthday night out in June so I nipped into Luvyababes fancy dress shop yesterday. At £14.99 the costume was pretty inexpensive and, although you can't see from the picture, I like how it has a flower cut-out bit around the stomach! I also bought some 60's style earrings to complete the look...although they are clip-ons so my ears are probably going to hurt like hell by the end of the night haha! Nevermind!

Make-up...

Surprisingly I haven't bought a great deal of the cosmetic types of late. However, whilst in Topshop the nail polish 'hidden treasure' really appealed to me. It reminds me of Chanel's Peridot varnish (I have been lusting over that from afar for ages) and with a £6 price tag I decided it might help to keep my Chanel cravings at bay for a bit!

I also found myself in Boots looking at the new Maybelline mascara. I'm a massive fan of their 'falsies' mascara so I have high hopes for this Mega Plush one. There is also a offer on atm with it reduced from £7.99 to £5.99, so it was a no-brainer really :P

And last but not least, all in the name of fitness...

I popped into Holland and Barrett's to get my protein fix! I may do a separate post about protein shakes and what not because it's a new thing for me...but yeah, got me some powder and bars! Hehe <3

So there we go...

I have also recently bought a beautiful dress, some heels, a clutch bag and some nail polish in aid of my teacher's ball tomorrow! But I will be doing some sort of post in relation to that after the event! So keep an eye out!

My running shoe journey

Hello!

So, I've never really classed myself as a 'runner' until recently. If you saw my gym challenge post you'll know that I've been trying to rack up the miles over the month of April in order to complete a marathon as it were (just bit by bit).

Taken from www.twenga.co.uk

Since starting my fitness journey in June 2012, I've come on leaps and bounds. I look back at what I was like in the beginning and I literally would be struggling for breath after about 2 minutes on the treadmill!

When I ramped up my exercise regime to near on everyday, after a month into starting out, I realised I would need some proper footwear to help avoid problems such as shin splints, knee pain etc...which can come from wearing the wrong shoes when working out.

Way back in July I did a post about upgrading my trainers...I can't believe I actually worked out in these...

They're pretty much as flat as you can get! No support whatsoever!

I headed over to my local sports store and got tested on the treadmill to see how my feet land etc whilst running. I would really advise having this done because it means you know what training shoe is the best for you in terms of support.

My result was a fairly neutral left foot, with a over-pronating right foot. This basically means my ankle rolls inwards slightly when it lands. Consequently I left the shop with...

A pair of Adidas running shoes. Unbelievably in a size 7...when I usually take a 5 in shoes!
The colour wasn't to my liking but...if they did the job then hey ho! And then a pair of insoles to help with my over-pronation! However, wrongly, I was advised to only wear the insole in my right foot...So for a little while I wasn't wearing them correctly.

Quick to follow came my blister complaint post. As I got fitter I naturally started to 'up' my treadmill usage and when I became able to run comfortably for 5-10 minutes straight I got really excited and quite proud! :)

However with this increased run time came the sheer burning pain on the inner arches of my feet, although the right foot was always severely worse. Convinced the insole was adding to the issue I removed it but found the blisters still reared regardless.

Having paid somewhere in the region of £60 for the trainers and insoles I headed back to the store unhappy and in exchange left with a new £70 pair of Asics.

The Asics brand are designed to help with over-pronation and generally support most runners' feet so I was confident they would resolve my issues.

Sadly, they didn't and although they were much better than the Adidas ones, they were still causing me painful inner arch blisters right up until this Saturday!

Now at the peak of my fitness, I am able to run for much longer periods of time (30+ mins) but this  is always cut short by the sheer pain of the blistering...usually occurring at around 15-20mins into a run.

Nearing the end of my marathon gym challenge, I was getting fed up of my skin being ripped apart quite franky and getting frustrated because my heart wanted to continue running but my feet wouldn't let me!

Sunday I returned to the store and possibly spent over an hour trying on different brands of footwear and running on the treadmill to test them out! This time both my feet were slightly over-pronating but again my right foot was definitely the biggest culprit.

This time I left the store with a pair of Saucony's! Apparently these are very highly regarded in the running world, featured in the running mags and what not.

Amazingly I also found myself a right bargain, with these beauties reduced from £90 to a mere £30! Result!

And the verdict?!

Well...I don't want to jinx myself but having tried them out last night...so far, so good AMAZING! I managed to complete a 3 mile run in 26 minutes (which isn't a brill time but for me it's improving) and I wasn't in agony at any point! I could have ran for longer to be honest but I had to stop for my Core Blimey ab class.

So, yes, I'm pretty happy at the minute knowing I can run without pain :D !!! As for the marathon challenge I only have 1.2 miles to complete so I will do that and more on Wednesday. (Tonight I have spinning and zumba so I can't fit a run in! hehe)

Hopefully I've solved my issues!!! Wish me luck :)

Battling the junk food

Hello :)

What I don't understand is why on earth it is so hard to be healthy whilst in student digs?! I go from being the most motivated fit person at home to a health disaster at my uni house.

A typical example was half term last week... I went home, temporarily signed up to my local gym and got back into loosely following the Weight Watchers plan. Piece of cake! Or shall I say no cake!

I felt motivated, in good shape, healthy and I still was able to enjoy a big meal out at the end of the week. In fact I ended up losing a lb or 2, just from cleaning myself back up.

 

I head back to uni, determined to carry on a good regime and what not, and even bring back a new exercise mat that I bought whilst home. I get back on the Saturday and do pretty well. Sunday I didn't make the gym but I do some floor workouts so all is well. Monday I'm doing really well and attend a Zumba class plus a short gym sess...

And then it takes a downhill path!

After a large meal on Tuesday, I decide to head down to my local Tesco's and buy a large tub of cookie dough ice cream. And if that wasn't enough, I then grab a bar of galaxy chocolate for good measure!

Funny thing is, I don't reckon to have a massive sweet tooth but obviously I did on this night. I eat a quarter of the tub, feel like that is enough but then piece by piece devour the galaxy bar and then return to the freezer for another quarter helping of ice cream. Then of course I feel sick and think why did I do that?! Was there any need?

The next day my stomach feels gross, it isn't used to such crap I guess, and I tell my housemate she can eat the remainder of my cookie dough ice cream...I did not what that screaming at me to finish it!

At this point I'm annoyed at myself because I've woke up feeling guilty and yucky on a day that is supposed to be a treat.

It was my friend's birthday and we were heading to Nando's for tea, watching Dirty Dancing the musical and then grabbing drinks at a local Wetherspoons. Thankfully I felt OK by the time she arrived and I was relieved that I was actually hungry for chicken, rice and creamy mash (my standard there), instead of feeling sick!

But I have to think to myself...why did I still binge on junk knowing full well I would be eating something yummy the following day? Failed on self control for sure!

I guess there's still that little part of me that has the junk food addiction! Sure, I've come a long way from being known as the 'Takeaway Queen' in second and third years of uni, but I still have many moments of weakness.

The worst part is that I don't even particularly enjoy the junk food. I mean sure it tastes nice at the time but often it upsets my stomach and I feel sick more times than not afterwards...either from eating too much or just from pure grease!

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully curb my junk food cravings, but I do take solace in the fact I associate home with being healthy.

I think the environment in which you're in makes a massive difference. At home, for example, most of my immediate family are pretty health conscious and this means the food shopping usually consists of fruit, veg and the likes. At uni, on the other hand, takeaways can be a regular occurrence... I mean at home I'd never dream of getting a menu out and ordering food randomly (for perhaps just me), but at uni it's a easy option...which is a dangerous thing!

Then there's the alcohol. At home I rarely touch a drop...To be honest I don't massively like the taste of it and drinking at home seems a bit odd to me if I'm not going out. There's also the issue of it bringing on insane hunger. Alcohol always equals food for me, no matter what.

Uni, of course, usually means big nights out at least every fortnight. I can never get drunk without following it with food...McDonalds, burgers, chips, pizza...standard. Unfortunately this usually carries on into the next day and a takeaway is my hangover cure.

At home I'm also quite lucky in that I seem to have inadvertently passed on the fitness bug to my  sister, who is now an avid gym go-er. This is good for me because it generates the motivation that I sometimes lack in actually getting up and going to workout.

Gym buddies are a good thing! But make sure it's someone you work well with...no point just going for a chat! At uni I have a few friends that occasionally go to the gym but it's not often enough to make an impact on my motivation :P

It's just hard to be healthy at uni...whereas at home, it's almost handed on a plate...a healthy one! Junk food is too easily obtained at uni...It's true what they say, if you remove all temptation then you won't be tempted.

I guess I'll just try my best for now and then go home in summer and live as I really want to live...healthily!

I reckon a takeaway is on the cards this evening...so I think a good gym session might be called for this afternoon...you know, in an attempt to limit the damage!

A chocolate alternative...

Hey again. Can't keep away of late can I! But I've stumbled across something that might be of interest to those of you with a bit of a sweet tooth.

Previous to doing Weight Watcher's, I wasn't someone who was overly mad on chocolate or the likes. I was more of a savory gal. However after enrolling on the plan I somehow started craving sugar, A LOT. I guess I wasn't getting my usual greasy fixes of chips and what not, so sugar became more of a priority?!

I perhaps still can't identify with the major chocoholics of this world, but I am partial to the odd bar or two :)

Weight Watcher's taught me to eat smaller meals but then to treat myself with low cal sweet snacks afterwards...like their mini chocolate cake bites! So, in turn I grew a bit of a sweet tooth and recently I've found it hard to resist buying a chocolate bar after my Uni lunch or snacking on sweet fixes! 

Anyway... the other night, after coming home for half-term, I got given one of these...

Introducing the Sharon fruit!

I don't know about you, but I've never heard of these before! My dad and sister are doing this thing at the moment where each week they are trying a new fruit/vegetable. A good idea actually. Healthy and exciting all in one :)

I've come to love fruit and veg...you can teach yourself, honest! So I was looking forward to giving this a try.

To be honest I wasn't all that sure what to expect. It kind of looks like a cross between a tomato and an orange, but it's skin has a fairly waxy feel about it. 

Following the instructions, you eat it like I would do a kiwi...slice the top off and use a spoon to scoop out the contents. Apparently my sister thought that you ate it like an apple so has been eating skin and all!...She's still here to tell the tale but I personally wouldn't eat the outer shell :P

It's a weird taste to describe but the thing that hit me first was how sweet it was! Literally sweeter than sugar if that is at all possible?! The insides were similar to that of a passion fruit minus the seeds and the texture reminded me of a plum.

Quite an odd but rather enjoyable experience all the same. 

The good thing about this fruit is that it's SO sweet that it literally takes away any chocolate/sweet cravings that you might have had before! Prior to eating this I was considering a bar of Cadbury's, but a couple of spoonfuls into the Sharon fruit and there was no way I wanted chocolate or any dessert whatsoever. You could have put my favourite sponge pudding and custard in front of me and I wouldn't have eaten it! Says a lot, trust me! 

So my advice...if you're struggling to keep your sweet tooth at bay, give a Sharon fruit a try!

Ellie x

Twitter: @ellie1989