Wanderlust Book for Yogis

 

Welcome back! Today I wanted to share with you a book that I am loving at the moment.

 

I haven't yet shared on here I don't think but I am currently on my way to becoming a certified yoga teacher! I began my training in November last year and am aiming to be finished and teaching by the end of this year #goals.

This book was one I picked up prior to confirming that I wanted to embark on Yoga Teacher Training and it is a great insight into a lot more things Yoga related which is why I wanted to share it with you in case maybe your considering it or you just want to deepen your practise. 



Wanderlust: A Modern Yogi's Guide To Discovering Your Best Self is all about Yoga on and off the mat and a guide on living an authentic life. 

It has beautiful imagery, words, mottos, guides and more. There is information on the 8 limbs of Yoga and what that means, places to write in ideas and thoughts and dreams, music playlists, recipes, yoga flow guides and stories from Yogis.  

It's a great book to pick up and open at any page to get a nugget of information or to sit down and read chapter by chapter. 

The authors of this book are the founders of the Wanderlust Festivals that happen all over the world. Look HERE to see if there is one near you, I hope I get to go to one soon! 

If your keen on yoga and want to know more about what yoga means off the mat or thinking about starting a Yoga Teacher Training course I would highly recommend checking out this book.

I also have actually started a new website relating to all things Yoga! It's partly for my teacher training as a place to put all my assignments and also to type through my experiences so I don't forget the journey. You can check that out HERE if your interested! It's www.sarahandyoga.com

xoxo

 

Aussie Summer Lifesaver

Ahhhh Summer in Australia. I don't really think there is anything better. The days get longer, swimming in the ocean, tropical fruit, swimming in the pool, lying on a beach towel, reading a good book. There is just something about being by the seaside that is so relaxing.

One thing I love more than anything is that feeling you get when your lying in the sun where you can actually feel your bones warm up!

However on occasions I can get a little too carried away and manage to get myself more on the red side of a lobster. All Aussies know what I'm on about - that burn you get that stings to sit on, that keeps you awake at night because you feel like you on fire! 

This product however is by far my favourite for after being in the sun, sunburn or not. I've tried so many different aftersuns and I swear by this one. It cools my skin down and makes my burns turn brown which is just amazing to me. If anything I would go so far to say that it actually helps me to turn some redness into a tan, and I never peel if I use this.

Ambre Solaire After Sun. It smells incredible, I sometimes sniff it in winter to just get that flood of summer memories rushing in!

It has cactus extract which I think is the kicker for why its so good. 

The funniest thing about this product is that you cant actually purchase it in Australia anymore!!!

I don't know why but Garnier get your act together and bring it back!!!

I bulk buy mine (yes) on eBay and get it shipped form the UK of all places (do they even see the sun?!)

Here is a LINK to one - try it and let me know if you love it!

xoxo 

Healthy Sweet Snack!

Welcome back! Today is a quick one - I wanted to share with you one of my newest sweet healthy snacks that I discovered in Woolworths. 

It is by the brand Golden Days, it is their Nude Food heavenly balls in the flavour of: Hazelnut, orange and cacao. 

These taste amazing, they remind me of those orange chocolate sticks (anyone remember them?) They are really small bite size but i find that about 5 or 6 is actually enough to feel satisfied. 

The thing that makes these stand out for me is that they don't have any added sugar like most healthy snack options, but they also don't have any added syrups - which i've found that a lot of these 'healthy sweet snacks' actually are full of added syrup which whilst being natural is a good thing, having it be the first ingredient on the list isn't so healthy!

The ingredients list in these is just:

Dates

Sunflower oil

Hazelnuts 

Almonds

Cacao 

Chia Seeds

Puffed Rice

Coconut 

Natural Orange Oil

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They taste like a chocolate treat and a handful is perfect with a cup of tea at night to stop me from eating out the fridge! 

They also come in a coconut, almond cacao and a mint, almond, cacao variety!

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I found this in the health food isle in Woolworths, I couldnt find a website for them just this link on the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Website  

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Let me know if you try them and what you think! 

xoxo

Loreal Infallible 24hr Matt Foundation

Welcome back! Today I had to share with you my newest foundation obsession - the Loreal Infallible 24hr Matte. I had previously been using the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation which I also love, but was finding as it is getting hotter I am starting to look a lot more shiny throughout the day which isn't cool!



I use the Real Techniques foundation brush to apply this which makes it go on like a breeze. Super easy to blend and settles into the skin quickly. You can find that HERE!

One frustrating thing about drugstore foundations is the lack of testers / samples / make up assistant to give you the correct match. It becomes a guessing game! I went with a slightly lighter yellow undertone in 30 Honey and also a slightly darker red undertone in 24 Golden Beige.

At the moment I am mixing the both of them into my skin to create a perfect match but can see that the darker one will be perfect in the middle of summer and the lighter will be pretty perfect for winter. I am olive toned skin that can tan and am oily / combination. 

 

This is how it looks on the face after a few hours of wear - no shine! I am loving this for summer in Brisbane and have worn it on some really long work days and its held up so well. I'm talking applying it at 6.30am and not removing it until 11pm at night!

I had to share as cheaper foundations that do the job well are worth sharing! You can find the foundation HERE!

xoxo

 

 

 



Impress Juices

 

Welcome back!

Today I wanted to share with you one of my newest obsessions - Impressed Juices!

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I dunno about you but I am always on the look out for fresh, affordable juices that have no added muck to them. I am that person in the supermarket drinks aisle reading the back of every bottle yelling out to my fiancé (YES! More on that soon!) - "and this one isn't even real juice - its reconstructed!"

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I love drinking juice as a snack to throw in a bunch of nutrients from fruit and veggies all at once, I often buy really expensive juices because its hard to find cheaper one that have no additives.

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Enter Impressed Juices - these bad boys are sold in Woolworths across Australia, are cold pressed (YES), made with fresh produce, no additives and the fruit and veggies they use are all grown in Australia. I mean!!! Best part? They are $3.50 a bottle. AMAZING! 

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I am obsessed.

They currently have 4 different flavours, but on this day I could only get my hands on three of the four.

This one is the Berry Beats, the newest juice of theirs hitting stores across Australia as we speak. It has beetroot, cucumber, strawberry, blueberry, pear and carrot. It. Tastes. So. Good! This is the perfect juice to have if your not too keen on the super green stuff as it is mostly fruit and the beetroot actually gives it a really nice sweetness. 

This one is their Summer Greens with spinach, pineapple, kale, apple, cucumber and mint. It is so refreshing with that hint of mint in it, I love this one on super hot days.  

 

The Ginger Ninja! This one has carrot, apple, ginger and turmeric. This one is sweet but you can just tell its doing you good! I had so many of these when I was sick as its a perfect pick me up for your body when its run down.

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The other one that I didn't manage to grab on this day is another green juice they have called 'The Works'

It is probably the most hard-core one of the bunch having apple, cucumber, celery, fennel, kale, parsley and lemon. I love this one for a really good health kick (aka the day after I've indulged ha!).  



 Overall I am so impressed with these juices (see what I did there lol), they are fresh, natural, healthy, tasty, home grown and at a price point I am more than happy to pay. I cant wait for the rest of the food industry to catch onto making healthy wholesome food more accessible!

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Have you tried these? If you have what's your favourite one? I actually think mine is the Ginger Ninja!

You can check out all the nutritional facts etc over on their website HERE!

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Enjoy your day

xoxo   

 

 

 

Yoga Challenge

Hi everyone, welcome back.
So a few weeks ago I took part in a yoga challenge with +Ann Mazur (RunnersLoveYoga) on Instagram and I just wanted to share all the different poses and pictures with you.
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It was so much fun trying out a new pose each day and incorporating it into my yoga routine. I also actually found that this challenge gave me more confidence as I spent each day as I was out and about thinking about where would look good for the photo and whenever I found a spot I thought would work I would just stop / drop / and yoga! I really started to embrace that feeling of not caring whatsoever what anyone around me was thinking and just went for it, it is such an amazing feeling - try it this week at some point in one of your days - just do something because you want to and never mind who is around, if its a suitable situation or not. You'll feel alive and energetic and inspired to continue to live the life you want, because you want to! 

Day 1 # Utkatasana / chair pose

translates from Sanskrit = powerful pose. It looks like your just chilling in a chair when your actually engaging all the strength you can in your legs and ankles whilst tightening your pelvis and core, oh and that whole balancing thing is thrown in too!

Day 2 # Parivrrtaanjaneyasana / revolved lunge

Improves your digestion - who would have thought something seemingly so simple can impact on something like digestion so much! I did this one at GOMA - Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.

Day 3 # Utthitaparsvakonasana / extended side angle 

Utthita = extended

Parsva = side

kona = angle

This feels amazing for the side of your body and you really feel your quads working.

Day 4 # Variation of parivrrtaanjaneyasana / revolved lunge 

I did this pose all day long all over Noosa! I woke up the next day and wondered why I was sore! 

Day 5 # Anjaneyasana / low lunge

This pose if you can allow your body to sink into it really allows you to have this feeling of letting go, one of my favourites. 

Day 6 # Ardhahanumanasana / half split

Ooooo eeee this is a major hamstring stretch and golly gosh I have super tight hamstrings! I could only just touch my fingers to the ground but that's ok, I know this just means that this is a perfect pose to continue in.

Day 7 # Utthanpristhasana / lizard pose variation

This pose feels amazing for your hips, perfect hip opener and a pose I particularly love first thing in the morning to get my legs feeling looser and get rid of that stiff still asleep feeling. 

Day 8 # Utthanpristhasana / lizard pose with a bind

Perfect for your quads after a run! It feels really nice pushing that front leg out too, allows the hips to get involved.

Day 9 # Ekapadarajakapotasana / pigeon pose

Ahhh this has got to be one of my most favourite poses, it gives the most amazing stretch every time but also is a pose that release emotion for me, I think I store a lot of stress around my thighs and glutes.   

Day 10 # Camatkarasana / wild thing 

This feels a bit similar to extended side angle with the deep stretch in your side body but a bit more emphases on your straight leg to ground down.

 

Day 11 # Gomukhasana / cow face pose

Try this today! I was so surprised at how one side felt quite good and the other I could barely touch my hands together, really reiterates that you have two sides to your body and they don't always match up!

Day 12 # Bhujapidhasna / rock the baby

This is similar to Pigeon Pose and perfect if you don't want to put any weight on your leg whilst getting the same stretch, as you rock your leg back and forth you open up dem hips too!

Day 13 # Chatushpadasana / four footed pose

This was an interesting one for me, I couldn't get my hands to my feet, struggled to keep my feet straight and was so surprised when I saw the photo how low down I was. I see poses like this one a lot across social media and assume it to be easy - nope not for me! I kind of love that though, yoga is all about learning about yourself and what you can do, I now am working to open up my chest more to allow for this to feel more natural.

Day 14 # Baddhakonasana / bound angle pose 

The final day and funnily enough a pose that is probably almost my most favourite. I've been doing this one since I was tiny and have always felt so comfortable and safe in this pose, I go it almost daily whenever I find myself sitting on the floor. I watch TV in this pose and just listen to my breath in it. Try it, its amazing for your hips and if you can release and let go it feels wonderful.

 

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So there we have it, my first yoga challenge and 14 different yoga poses! I LOVED doing this, I think its going to be so fantastic to look back on these poses in a year and see how they compare.

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Do you love Yoga as much as me? Have you tried these poses?

xoxo

Namaste

Fabletics

Hello there, welcome back. Today I wanted to share with you my first Fabletics order!
Fabletics if you've not heard is Kate Hudson's athletic brand that now ships to Australia (yippee!).
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I had previously been sent two pairs of tights from her range by my lovely friend Hannah before it was available here and I fell in love, so when the offer came up in my email to score an entire outfit for $25 I was intrigued. 

Basically it is a monthly subscription but for active clothing, where you commit to paying $50 a month and get to pick an outfit a month (this is in US dollars mind you, more on that in a bit). 
You can choose to skip a month if you like and not pay anything, or if you forget and 
don't pick out something they give you a credit to spend when you wish to.
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I like this idea mucho as I am often getting fitness gear as a motivator or reward for working out, I like that I can choose which months I want to pay for it too!
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So I ordered an entire outfit for $57 dollars, thats the three pieces your seeing in this post. If you want to see me showing them in a video click HERE!

Overall I am so happy with the items, the quality is there and there are so many options to pick from the website. 
I am in love with the berry tights, they are that beautiful thick fabric, almost a double layer which really holds everything in place and they don't budge! The top is a fun one, perfect for layering a bright sports bra under and the sports bra itself I love the higher neck and longer shape, something that I can see myself wearing on its own in summer out running in the heat. 
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Also good to note, I ordered this on the 6th of August and it arrived on the 14th! Amazingly fast shipping from the US!

Be aware of the prices would be my only caution to this brand, it is all displayed in US dollars even though your on the Aussie site for them. I didn't actually find out how much I paid until I checked my bank account because it never converts it anywhere on the site for you, not even during the payment. It told me I was paying $40 for everything including the shipping but it was actually $57 in the end. Still I am super happy with three fitness pieces at $19 each, but its something to be wary of - especially if you think your landing an amazing bargain and go crazy! (We've all been there).

As you can see the items worked a treat for me to play around in some yoga poses on the beach! I love being able to wear active wear that is fashionable and cute for just being out and about for the day, so I can stop drop and workout wherever pleases me hehe! 
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Have you ordered anything from Fabletics? If yes tell me what you got....I may have another order for next month to shop for!
xoxo

Click HERE if you want to check out the site and allow me to gain points if you go ahead and splurge! 

Noosa

Noosa is truly a beautiful spot in the world. 

Its located in Queensland Australia, just a 1.5hr drive from Brisbane.

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It is quite a unique place in so many ways. The vibe, the way the main street is laid out right behind the beach but with parkland surrounding it, the location of the beaches (some of the few that face north in Australia) and the overall feeling it gives you being amongst the National Park full of trees and greenery, the beaches full of surfers and sun goers and the hustle and bustle feel of the tourists on Hastings Street. It really has something for everyone and I was lucky enough to get to spend the past week there with my parents relaxing and enjoying time with them. 

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I am so grateful and lucky that I have parents who I LOVE spending time with, who are equal parts my parents who still give me priceless advice and care but are also my friends who I love to goof off with and hang out with. 

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During the week I got to go on a bunch of runs with my Dad who is a huge inspiration for me and my running, he is why I started running so to get to run with him through the rain forrest, up some crazy hills, along the coast line edge and even finish off one run by running into the ocean together is some memories that I am going to keep quite close to me in terms of them being truly special moments in my life. 

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I also got to do Yoga with my Mum, something that has brought us closer together due to our equal understanding in how it makes us feel. At the moment I am partaking in a Instagram Yoga Challenge (@runnersloveyoga) and my Mum is an incredible photographer so we had a blast all week picking out places for me to do the poses and I am so thankful how willing and helpful Mum is. 

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I was then lucky enough to have my Mr come up for the weekend and we are planning to go back down next weekend to celebrate my Dad's birthday! 

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I am just super thankful to have the people in my world that I do, when it comes down to it they are the ones that matter the most and when life gets fast-paced, hectic, full of competition at work or tough days its so nice to know that no matter what these are my people and nothing will change that.

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Ok rambling must now stop. I have a bunch of photos of mostly the ocean because it just feels like home to me so I am constantly in awe of it. 

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Enjoy!

xoxo