Autumn days

It's begun. The cold, dark nights are officially upon us and the winter coats are coming back out! 

I know that the winter isn't for everyone and it never really appealed to me, the bitter-cold winds and having cold toes in bed is not particularly enticing to anyone, until I thought a little bit more about it.

The autumn is probably one of the best times of the year. However cold and dark it may be, it's cosy. Blankets out and fires lit, all wrapped up on a Sunday night, it really does make everything a lot better. 

It reminds us of our childhood. The assemblies, harvest festival and playing in the snow.

Not even to mention what autumn eventually brings. The laughter of Halloween, the awe of bonfire night and finally, Christmas. The best time of year.

All the events over the autumn and winter months makes it go so quickly, which I love.

I've not been up to much since my last post. Trying to find some decent running trainers is my main struggle at the moment - never mind the constant pile of uni work and finding some time to be remotely sociable, even for just a couple of hours.

Izzy came down from Manchester to see myself and Soph and we went out for the afternoon. It was lovely having a catch up and talking about everything that we've been up to and even better that we could all see each other before Christmas!

Exercise inspiration

At the moment, all I want to do is get up and start running. Go to the gym, cycle or swim but unfortunately, I've damaged my knee and can't.

While I'm resting and waiting for my knee to get better, I've had a little look at the latest sportswear that's available. There's nothing that will motivate you more to do exercise than lovely sportswear. For me, blacks and greys are the best option, minimalist effort but still looking great all year round.

There are so many options out there right now. From the original Nike, Adidas and Reebok brands to the new high street looks, with New Look, Boohoo and H&M bringing out sportswear lines, for a cut of the price.

My personal favourite will always be Nike. The patterns and quality will always be the best and you'll always look great, even after a 5 mile run!

Exercise inspiration for me comes from celebrities and celebrity personal trainers. There is nothing more encouraging than logging into Instagram or Twitter to see the likes of Millie Mackintosh, Ellie Goulding or Rosie Fortescue training or at the gym. Their exercise tips and videos are so driving, you can see that they put so much effort into doing it for themselves and creating a healthier lifestyle for the better.

I can't wait to get back up and exercising through the winter!

Trainers - Nike

Sports bra - Lulu Lemon

Sweater - Boohoo

Destination deliberation: My holiday list

With the best of the summer behind us and the dark nights looming, I can't help but think about holidays. What I would do to be back in the sunshine with a cool cocktail in my hand, taking in every moment of a new place.

I spent the other night researching into which places I would love to travel to. Not only typical beach holiday destinations, but places of interest and something's that are that little bit different.

It didn't take me long to come up with a well-constructed list of the destinations that would be a dream to visit; from the temples of Angkor Wat to the sand dunes of Dubai, every place would be a  completely different experience.

As much as I enjoy a two week beach break and looking around resorts, taking a trip to somewhere more cultural and becoming part of a country for a period of time is a lot more inspiring. 

Specific European cities that I have always wanted to go to hold a top spot on my list, the architecture and feel of a city is so different to anything else. 

Travelling further afield to Asia and Australia is something I have always dreamt of doing, spending time around different locations, throwing myself into every experience possible and being able to live every moment would be incredible.

America is a huge dream for me. In less than 11 weeks I will be taking my first trip there to see the sights of New York and I can't explain how excited I am. It will be the biggest holiday I have ever been on and one of the places I have always dreamt of visiting. There are a number of places in the USA that have made their way onto my list, all for different reasons, and I can't wait to cross my first one off!

Obviously my dream list doesn't come cheap, some of the holidays would cost thousands, but they're not places I would think about going twice to. Once in a lifetime opportunities that I know would take years of saving, but who wants to go through life not fulfilling their aspirations? I want to travel. As far as I can and experiencing as much as I can.