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7 tips for making the most perfect croissants – learned in Paris!

Posted: September 4, 2020
New normal, new blog

Posted: May 20, 2020
10 must-have items when starting your fitness journey

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robynurbrainz

Water, but make it fancy: spa water ✨️💁🏽

Water, but make it fancy: spa water ✨️💁🏽‍♀️

This is your sign to take a sippy sip or my case, a chuggy chug.

2023, I've got a good feeling about you. ✨️ .

2023, I've got a good feeling about you. ✨️

...now that I am back in London, semi back in routine, and 99% recovered from the nasty flu that's been going around, that is.

Yes, I'm operating on that Chinese New Year's schedule. So if you haven't gotten started yet, New Year tingz starts today, the 23rd of Jan. Who's with me? 🤪

#happynewyear #movingandgrooving #betterlatethannever #onourowntime #gaialondon #canarywharf #londonlife #steppysteps #wedehyah

Over indulged this weekend? Me too, bro. Was it g

Over indulged this weekend? Me too, bro.

Was it glorious or did you get the instant oh-shit-balls-shouldn't-have-done-that feeling?

It's Monday and if you find yourself beating yourself up after overindulging, don't! Here's 5 things you KNEAD to know ;)

❌ You don't need to punish yourself with endless hours of cardio to "make up for it"
❌ You don’t need to fast for a day or starve yourself to "make up for it"
❌ You don’t need to decrease your calories the next week to "make up for it"
❌ You don't need to allow yourself to feel like a failure. You are not.

I don't care if you ate pizza until you had to unbutton your pants, downed a whole tub of ice cream while watching sappy romcoms, or had a few too many cocktails with the girls. 🍕🍔🍟🥂

Or in my case, an espresso martini with fish & chips for brunch with @shannonmchin. The weather wasnt great for her visit but kinda magical as the Christmas lights were surprisingly on.

LIFE happens. It's not going to make or break your progress. Slow it down, absolutely but not make or break.

Here are some reminders that helped me shift my mindset when the Monday guilt kicked in:

✅ Don't let this one weekend, turn into a bad week or month
✅ It's never too late to get back on track
✅ You are literally one good meal away from being back on track
✅ One salad isn't going to get you shredded 6-pack abs, just like one "bad" meal isn't going to make you fat.
✅ When you do indulge: enjoy it. accept it. move on.

The level of cheese in the above list is outrageous, I know. Point is, the key is to get back on track (have I said this enough) with your normal routine and you will continue making progress.

P.S. the lucky charms latte is both genius and efficient: breakfast + coffee at the same time. 👌

P.P.S. espresso martini also falls into this category: alcohol + coffee = max efficiency.

P.P.P.S. so basically, I like mixing things with coffee.

Returning to the gym: A Guide. If you've fallen

Returning to the gym: A Guide.

If you've fallen off the wagon and are struggling to show up right now, you're not alone.

I struggled massively last week when I got back in the gym after what felt like an eternity.

Wanna know how to get the ball rolling?
🔑 Start with the mindset of doing less.

It might seem counterintuitive buuuut:

Allow yourself to do less.
Allow your body to adjust.
Allow yourself to find the time again.

The idea is to build momentum gradually, not overwhelm yourself so much that you overthink yourself back into the couch of despair.

👉🏼 Have less training days per week.
You don't need to train 7days a week or go balls to the wall marathon running. Chiiiiilll money grip, start with 1-2 days this week and go from there.

👉🏼 Do less sets. *fewer for my grammar geeks*
3-4 sets of everything make you flashback to the "ain't nobody got time for that meme"? Then do 1-2 sets or give yourself a 20 minute max time limit to start.

👉🏼 Lift less weight.
Expect to have lost *some* strength but remember that a lot of that may be due to a loss of neural adaptations. You might have even lost some *skill* temporarily but with practice you should see strength coming back to baseline over time. This is where ego lifting - or using the same volume of weight as before is likely not the answer. Drop the weight and focus on technique instead. 😎

Build the momentum by making it so ridic easy it would be impossible to not take the first step.

Need more help here? Slide into my DMs and let's come up with a game plan for you. ✨️

If you've taken any length of time off from the gy

If you've taken any length of time off from the gym, then you how difficult it can be to start again.

You also know that the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to break free of your oh-so-comfy couch. Ugh.

So why do we insist on making excuses?

Because it's freaking easier 🙄

And as humans, we are always looking for the easy way out.

But here's the tea: there's a time for grace and there's a time for some tough love; where we take a deeeep breath, pull up our big girl panties and accept that TODAY is the day.

Isn't it time to put your (future) self first and get whatever it is you want.

Want a flat tummy?
Want to build a butt shelf?
Want to improve your mental health?
Want to fix your digestion so youre not bloated with pain after ever meal?

Then lock in and start. Not tomorrow, next week or next month. TODAY.

Need help? I got you. Stay tuned for part 2 where I'll drop some pointers on how to *actually* start. 😉

It's finally feeling like fall here! 🍁 Yes. I

It's finally feeling like fall here! 🍁

Yes. I am saying that surprised.

For two reasons:

1. I am finally able to step outside the flat. Let's just say I definitely milked all the extra recovery time. Heheh

2. I don't know about you but in my brain, if it's not summer, it must be winter. So imagine my surprise when I could feel my face let alone sunshine on it. 🙄

Now for two reasons I'm grateful:

1. The extra recovery time has caused me to slooooow down and in doing so, got some sun and enjoy the fresh, crisp air while sipping my morning coffee.

2. I got dressed. In a real fall fit (thats what the kids call 'outfit' these days, right?!). Proper jeans, boots and even a bloody coat. Coming from someone who wears gym clothes all day, every day. I'm quite chuffed with myself for looking all fall & shit.

This is your gentle reminder to take a moment to celebrate the small wins & be grateful for the tiniest of things. ✨️

Mood AF. The eggies are currently sitting in a f

Mood AF.

The eggies are currently sitting in a freezer somewhere in london (location unknown so you creepos dont try to run away with my eggies), chillin' until I need them.

As for me, I'd be lying if I said recovery has been a breeze but it hasn't been. I even had a near meltdown and called both my brothers separately, in tears. #holyhormonesbatman

But aside from that (😅) I've just taken it one day at a time, with minimal movements, a whole lotta learning, reading and tv watching.

Thank f*ck I can finally say that I'm recovering and healing well. Not that I wasn't before buuut just hard to tell when it feels like you've eaten a family of four, ya know?

So yes, this chapter is closed and I am 100% celebrating with a @juicipattiesja that I had tucked away in the bottom of my freezer for a very special day.

If you need me, I'll be the one with orange flaky crumbs all over her face, inhaling through her mouth from impatience and a burnt tongue to boot. I make no apologies. 😋

#projecticeicebaby #eggiesonice #eggfreezingjourney #eggfreezinglondon #eggfreezingcycle

Update: still vibin' & thrivin' ✨️ Just had m

Update: still vibin' & thrivin' ✨️

Just had my very last 2 shots and now we wait for the eggies to get collected.

Cant wait to start paying rent for these little fuckers. Hehe

Until then I'll be channeling all my free time into resting & staying cozy af.

By the way, if I haven't already said it...I really appreciate all the kind words and sweet, thoughtful messages you've sent my way. The support & the positive vibes have made all the difference. Thank you. 🙏🏾🥺

#notmeinmyfeels #wearealmostthere #backtoregularcontentsoon #projecticeicebaby #womensfertility
#eggfreezinglondon

I can’t believe it’s already been a week! Tim

I can’t believe it’s already been a week!

Time has been flying since we got the green light. So far,

👉🏼 We’ve adapted to a new evening routine that involved daily injections of mixed medications.
👉🏼 Then we introduced a new 6am morning routine to administer the injection of Cetrotide.
👉🏼 Had a second baseline ultrasound scan to monitor thangs. Ovaries are growing nicely, they said. 🙏🏾

@dem_pt, my Ice Ice Bae Bae 😜, has been an absolute star. He’s been doing all of the injections and I’m so grateful cause the thought of having to poke myself would be the equivalent of Bambi trying to run a marathon on ice aka NOT COOL.

While he preps, anxiety starts to kick in.

At first it was because of nerves and now it’s moreso because things are getting real sensitive in my tummy area.

If you're in the same boat, try to control what you can in these instances of stress. For me, thats:

🫁 My breath - slow, deep breaths. Inhaling for 6 seconds; exhaling for even longer. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

🧠 My mind - variations of the following mantras: it’s not that bad, it's just one likkle mosquito bite & "this too shall pass". 😂

👀 My vision - looking away leads to anticipation and for me that’s usually worse than the thing itself so I prefer to direct my vision on the injection site. Then I watch as the medicine flows through my pinched pudge like butter on a warm slice of toast. 💉

All things considered, I’m feeling very fortunate as I haven’t had any major symptoms or adverse reactions from the medication (other than bloating and some general uncomfortableness) but I also don’t like to talk too soon so we’ll see.

P.S. Swipe to see our very first injection where @dem_pt realised he pulled the needle out too quickly (was supposed to leave it in for 10 seconds) and immediately put his finger over the hole as if to stop the medicine from flowing back out. I died laughing. 😂😂

#projecticeicebaby #womensfertility #eggfreezing #eggfreezinglondon #hertility #stressmanagementtips

Project Ice Ice, Baby is officially a GO! 🎉 Th

Project Ice Ice, Baby is officially a GO! 🎉

That’s what I’ve affectionately named this egg-freezing chapter of my life. 🥚 🧊

After what feels like a year of preparation and false starts, I finally walked out of the doctor's office with the green light and began injections on Tuesday! Eek!

Ya’ll know I usually have a habit of being an isolated one woman lone wolf and tend to go through things in silence and alone (something I'm working on) but one thing I've realised is that there’s still a social stigma around egg freezing and women’s fertility.

It simply isn’t talked about enough.

And I get it. It’s an extremely private and vulnerable thing but it’s for that very reason that I’ve decided to share my journey and personal experience with you all (the ups, downs and all the feels) - now that we're in the thick of it!

If I am able to normalise discussions around egg freezing, help to educate, or have at least one other woman feel less alone during the process, it'll be worth it.

I know it helped comfort me when I had someone I could talk to about it. Someone who has been through it all and gets the gravity of the decision, the effects of the medication, the hormonal shifts etc.

So strap in, updates to follow.

I'd love to hear from those of you who have gone through this journey and those who are thinking about it. I’m here for you, and know that you have a friend in this and are more than welcome to DM me. ✨️

#projecticeicebaby #eggfreezing #eggfreezingjourney #fertilityjourney #womensfertility #babiesonice

For most of us, strength training isn't even on ou

For most of us, strength training isn't even on our radar.

I mean, that sounds like it's for people who are super serious about the gym, right?
Who cares about how much weight one can squat or bench press, right?
That's just for muscle head dudes, wanting to have bigger biceps than their heads, right?

Well, not exactly.

Instead maybe all you care about is:
✨️ being able to fit in your jeans and not have to jump, wiggle, roll, and suck it in every time you have to get ready
✨️ having the confidence to wear a tank top without worrying about the arm flab or the backfat spillage
✨️ looking "toned" and feel sexy in a bikini instead of a beached 🐳

I get it. I've been there.

Strength training can help with the above (and with benefits far beyond physical appearance). I know because when I changed my mentality and focused my efforts on strength training, particularly on lifting HEAVY, that's when the results followed.

As women, we fear lifting heavy and are taught that it will lead to a bulky frame… and I get it, I used to think that too. I lifted baby weights for ages because I wanted to 'tone' up, not become she-woman. But guess what? I never saw results.

But look at my baby delts now. 💪🏽 It actually looks like a train hard. 😂

#putintheworkifyouwantdifferentresults #strengthtraining #womenwholift #thankyoucablestack #growszn

We owe it to ourselves to detach when we feel like

We owe it to ourselves to detach when we feel like we need it.

Keyword: FEEL.

It helps to check in with yourself to try and understand the cause of why we might need to detach.

Then give yourself GRACE. Whatever the cause.

To step out of your bubble for a quick breather so that we can come back fully recharged and in control.

To pause the audio book, podcast, YouTube learning and jam out to music again.

To put our phones face down while we watch TV with our loved ones (or as we binge watch Chicago Fire, don't judge me).

To give our bodies and our minds the rest it deserves before it crashes on us entirely.

This is your permission to do whateverthef*ck you need today. 🙏🏾

For me, it's powering down the laptop and brain and turning on some muuuusiccc.

Drop your fave song or artist below 👇🏼
Ya girl needs some inspo! ✨️

Ketchup is a great thing to make when you’re hun

Ketchup is a great thing to make when you’re hungry and have nothing to eat it with 🤦🏽‍♀️

Why would I do this to myself?

Not sure. Did it anyway.

Who thought this was a brill idea? Definitely not me.

Why wouldn’t I just buy ketchup, you ask?

Mostly, because I kept forgetting to add it to my grocery basket - but clearly not long enough to have the genius idea of making it myself because HEALTH.

Side note: Fairly certain it was because I was ordering groceries whilst hungry and looking up recipes to cook at the same time. Dangerous combo, do not recommend.

Except, by the time the groceries arrived, I forgot what I was meant to cook (please tell me I’m not alone in this).

I did however, remember ONE recipe: the ketchup, which was surely meant to be a side dish for something else.

So here we are - with a jar of organic, gut-friendly ketchup - free of added chemical flavourings, colouring, and processed sugars. Cool cool.

As it turns out, making your own homemade organic low fodmap paleo *insert healthy word here* ketchup doesn’t make you any less hungry.

It just makes you wish you had some French fries. A lot of them. 🤤

As for the taste, I’m low key afraid (I like the classic Heinz stuff, okay?!) so instead, will be patiently waiting for @dem_pt to get come so he can be the taste tester. Check our stories for the verdict.

Happy to share the recipe if anyone feels daring enough 😅

#homemadeketchup #lowfodmap #byebyefornowheinz #healthyfood

Would you like some 🍃 leaf soup and 🍚 rice

Would you like some 🍃 leaf soup and 🍚 rice salad?

Hell yeah, I would. I would buy anything these little girls would sell me.

Why? 1. Because I'm not an awful monster. And 2. Because look at my niece's face. Full of hope, happiness and pure joy.

I'm really missing her extra hard, if you couldn't tell.

In fact, I'm missing all my little cousins.

Watching them grow up through the phone/camera/internet can be hard AF at times but I'm still grateful for technology...

Anyway, officially counting down the days until I get to squish all their faces & smother them with kisses until they all bawl like little babies & run to their parents. 🙊

Meet my new phone wallpaper. Isn’t it lovely!

Meet my new phone wallpaper. Isn’t it lovely!

I created this for my lock screen as I've been feeling really out of it and 'meh' lately (I blame the shift in weather 😬).

So to help me snap out of the funk, I brainstormed and out came this beauty - that now serves as a constant reminder of the thing I’m trying to achieve, ‘Discipline’.

It also has my favourite little reminder to be 1% better along with the visualisation of:

"Failure is the frame, not the picture"

Alongside a list of *basic* daily things that I’ve stopped doing (or have never even done….skincare, I’m looking’ at you) that I think will move the needle in terms of making me *feel* like I’ve got my shit together.

A part of my brain hopes seeing it every day acts as a subliminal message (🤞🏼) whilst another part is pretty sure it’s just going to eventually turn into visual fatigue and fade into white noise (🤷🏽‍♀️) #science

Worth the shot, eh? If anyone wants it for their phone, drop me a message. :)

#wegotthis #timetoreboot #anyonecaughtthattypo #ffs

Newsflash: your words matter. Doesn't having a "

Newsflash: your words matter.

Doesn't having a "cheat meal" imply that you are doing something you're not supposed to? Something inherently bad?

Food is food. So what if you had an off-plan or untracked meal (those are better terms to use, btw)?

The way I see it, this kind of language around food perpetuates a false idea that there are "good" and "bad" foods, which can often times lead to guilt and whole lotta other issues.

Repeat after me:
▫️ There are NO good or bad foods.
▫️ There are more nutritious and less nutritious foods.
▫️ There are goal foods and soul foods.

The more nutritious, goal foods (🥦🍍🥑🍎) keep us on track with our health 80% of the time and the remaining 20% of the time is for less nutritious, soul foods (🍕🍔🍪🍻). You know, because they keep us from committing all kinds of murder and makes eatinv healthy way more sustainable. 😋

Either way, we need both and at the end of the day food is food. We shouldn't feel guilty about what we eat, nor label it as something negative.

So pay attention to the words you are using around food and let's agree to never use the word "cheat" before a meal...because shiet, we didn't do anything wrong. Deal?

Paris vacation bathroom vibes hit different. 🇫🇷

If you want to feel your healthiest, most confident and happiest while actually enjoying your hols this summer, my number one tip is to choose your mindset going in.

Are you trying to stay exactly on track and make progress while on vacay?
Do you care about your goals but still want to enjoy extra drinks or snacks?
Are you okay with only maintaining progress?
Do you not give AF and want to be a sloth?

Each mindset will not only have a different approach to how you handle it but will also take loads of stress off of you as well.

Since this is likely our last opportunity to travel before the end of the year, it was a healthy blend of "life is for living so pass me the wine" and "I still care about my health...so only one wine". 😜

Whatever you choose, give yourself some grace and ENJOY your holiday. Make some new memories. You totes deserve it.

#summerholiday #isitholidayorvacation #travellife #parisfrance #readyformetopostfoodpics #healthytips #mindset #obligatoryselfie #bringbackigphotos

You said next month, last month. Stop putting yo

You said next month, last month.

Stop putting yourself on the back burner.

Next month, you'll be in the exact same position, unless you make a change.

That change starts right now. Today.

But first, it starts with giving a shit. Here's how:

🔑 Commit to something tiny and make it a non-negotiable.
Until you build up to a point where having a healthy routine becomes as automated as brushing your teeth, you'll need to make a conscious effort to prioritise an aspect of health. Start small and build on it over time. As Tony Robbins says, your energy flows where your attention goes.

🔑 Set the intention to put yourself first.
Life can get very demanding between work, kids (or friends) and other priorities (e.g. getting drunk in the pub). Figure out where you can make the time or sacrifice to put yourself first. It will be so worth it.

🔑 Have an achievable daily, weekly target that's tracked.
Data will be your guiding light and no, I'm not talking scale weight - thats ONE metric in the puzzle. I'm talking about using what you have to track your progress so that you know how you're working towards it.

🔑 Check in with yourself - or hire someone to check in on you.
This is where you sit back and reflect on how you did last week. Weekends included. Be as brutally honest with yourself. Could you have skipped snacking on the kids' nuggs? Maybe you added some veggies to dinner? Parked a bit further so you can geg extra steps?

🔑 Make it a game, make it fun, make it something you enjoy.
Find out what drives you. Are you a competitive? Then write down some results and try to beat yourself. Not competitive? Make it a game. I've started skating again because it's fun and I like challenging my adult nervous on these horribly uneven sidewalks. 🙃

🇯🇲 J A M A I C A 🇯🇲 Happy *60th* Inde

🇯🇲 J A M A I C A 🇯🇲

Happy *60th* Independence Day to fi me likkle country, my happy place, my OG home.

What I would give to be home with a coconut in my hand right now. OH LAWD. Bright side, at least it's finally warm and sunny inna farrin.

#proudjamaican #bornandraised #homesweethome #islandgyal #jamaicanindependence #jamaica60 #wangabelly #someonehandmeacoconut #onethaticannapinside

Cheeky little impromptu staycation this weekend 😜

@dem_pt booked us a much-needed last-minute hols in the heart of London (isn't he best?!). A time for us to close our laptops, relax and play tourist..in our own city.

It was everything we needed. 💁🏽‍♀️

🪄 A moment (or several) to breathe in..& out of the sauna
🪄 The feeling of waking up without an alarm clock & in a bed that you don’t *have* to make yourself
🪄 Being able to watch the sold-out Jerusalem show in theatre (only plays every 10 years!)
🪄 To lounge poolside in a bathrobe, whilst reading with no time limits
🪄 A quick prance around the city, without lugging around half our daily shit
🪄 An even quicker jaunt through the National Portrait Gallery
🪄 A stumble into a free random gin tasting
🪄 An abundance of delicious meals, brunch and dim sum included
🪄 Fireside chats and non-stop laughter with @dem_pt, in a bar instead of under it (for once)
🪄 Many STRONG lychee rose martinis (my new fave)

We even managed to sneak in a little cinema viewing (complete with recliner chairs), to watch Thor (get cheeky 😉).

The perfect weekend to make new memories and end the month.

It’s crazy what a little rest and relaxation outside of your usual routine can do. Life can be hectic and go go go but sometimes doing less and taking a break can make all the difference. #woosah

Now, I'm back and feeling recharged - even with some pretty big unknowns looming in the upcoming months.

For today, I’m just trying to acknowledge, celebrate and embrace this feeling because who knows what tomorrow will bring.

P.s. Sound on for the last one 😂😂😂

#staycation #alittlerestandrelaxation #stressmanagement #londonlife

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