Fab before we’re fifty

11/11/2022

11/11/2022

Good morning everyone, after a productive declutter day yesterday I’m up and ready to do it all again today. It really is addictive to let go of stuff you no longer need! I’ve been on abit of a declutter journey on and off for a few years but as everyone knows unless it’s done regularly there’s always more to get rid of, especially when you have three kids constantly bringing things into the home. So I thought I’d share some of my tips ive learnt along the way!

Tip 1 if your excuse is always I don’t have time, take one drawer at a time. And spend just five minutes removing what is no longer needed. Small steps will eventually make a big difference

Tip 2 Don’t clean and declutter as you go, treat decluttering as a completely different task otherwise you become distracted and lose momentum.

Tip 3 Declutter one area at a time, don’t try to take on the whole house all that will happen is you will be overwhelmed by the mess you’ll never want to do it again!

Tip 4 Take a bin bag and don’t stop until it’s full. You have a goal to work to and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you fill it!

Tip 5 take before and after pictures it inspires you when you visually see the results.

Tip 6 Get other members of the house on board. Ask you kids for just two items a week from their room to donate recycle or bin!

10/11/2022

With Christmas fast approaching I have decided to take part in the 30 day challenge to remove one bin bag of clutter a day everyday for a month out of the home! A chance to clear and clean before putting up the decorations 🙂 As much as I love it I find Christmas can sometimes be a stressful time with so much coming into the home and finding new places for everything so a house reset sounds like a great idea! Hopefully off to Bowness today walking if the weather settles, wishing you all a happy and productive day! Xx

12/09/2022

Well yesterday was absolutely rubbish! I didn’t hit anywhere near my steps, didn’t reach my water intake, need to go shopping so healthy eating went to pot and felt sorry for myself all day! I have been doing so well but yesterday just felt like I’d no motivation at all! Thankfully woke up in a much brighter headspace today and determined to get my steps in, despite it pouring with rain, I donned my mac and wellies and set off! Surprisingly it turned into a really lovely walk there was no wind and it was still fairly mild and now I feel proud of myself for not allowing something like bad weather be the reason to not do it! Sometimes we feel like we take a step back but instead of focusing on the fail we should applaud ourselves for getting back up and giving it another try! Give that habit time to develop just remember your “why” love L xx

02/09/2022

Someone has messaged me and asked if I ever have a lie in and I said I’d answer on here!
For the last couple of years I have suffered with insomnia which has left me feeling totally drained some days.
The reason for me getting up earlier is so I have more time to get things done without impacting family life as much so I get the vast majority of jobs like cleaning out of the way by 10am but by having a set bedtime and morning routine Im hoping I can regulate my internal body clock so when I am asleep I get quality sleep. I’d much rather have 7 good hours of sleep then a lie in. I personally feel going to bed and getting up at different times causes my insomnia to dominate my life more.
Hope this answers your question! Love L xx

01/09/2022

If anyone would like to be part of the FBF walking buddies can you let me know before Monday so I can add you to the list please.
This isn’t about who can be the best it’s about being OUR personal best.
Let’s motivate each other to get fit, make new friends and feel good about ourselves!
This is open to absolutely anyone.
Each week log in with your steps and watch how with abit of encouragement we can progress. Every week I’ll do a table of results so you can keep track of how your doing and remember we all have very different fitness levels and health problems. This is a personal journey! I’m going to start on Monday but would love to have a FBF buddy ❤️
Sometimes being part of something bigger helps us keep going. FBF xx

31/08/2022

Getting up at 6.30 has been going really well in fact I’ve actually started to wake up before my alarm goes off! I think having a set bedtime helps a lot though as your body becomes conditioned to an internal body clock and adapts to the new routine easier then you’d think. The hardest part is not to snooze the alarm and on a cold morning that can be very tempting.
Another new healthy habit id like to introduce is some sort of exercise, nothing extreme just something to get me moving. I’d like to become more toned and lose my mum tum! My inspiration and ‘WHY’ is a gorgeous LBD I’ve seen which would look amazing on Christmas Day if I reach my goal of losing 1/2 stone by Christmas! Now I hate the gym and not a sporty person at all unfortunately, I just have zero coordination ahaha. I’m considering starting by increasing my steps everyday to 10k steps. I’ve tried this before then it’ll start raining or I’ll convince myself I dont have time and I’ll do it tomorrow and I’ll start waning with it and eventually it goes by the way side.
Im hoping that by keeping myself in check and reporting on my progress I’ll manage to stay motivated this time. If anyone would like to join me starting from next Monday maybe we can be each other’s motivation. Much love L xx ps go and make that bed ;)

30/08/2022

Have you ever experienced a negative reaction when you talk to people about self improvement? These comments use to get me down, little slights like what you doing that for, oh I couldn’t be bothered with all that, here have a biscuit! All I was hearing was well you’re not going to stick with it so why bother. But you know what these comments no longer get to me, in fact they motivate me to not let myself down anymore!
What I love most about earlier mornings is right from the off you’ve achieved a goal for the day, make your bed too and your in a much healthier mindset. Even if all you do for the first hour is sit quietly with a coffee and collect your thoughts for the day! A positive mindset is everything so next time someone tells you how they plan to self improve don’t scoff it may be small to you but could be a pretty significant change to their lives, simple reply good for you and watch them smile. Hope someone makes you smile today xx

29/08/2022

Another day of getting up for 6.30, perhaps not as motivated this morning it’s cold and wet outside, it’s so much harder when you haven’t got the lovely sunshine to wake up too. Tempted to roll over and go back to sleep but knew I’d be so disappointed in myself later in the day so I didn’t! Off out with the extended family today on a little boat trip and lunch which I’m really looking forward too! How’s your morning going did you get up early and seize the day? Love Louise xx

28/08/2022

Well the alarm went off at 6.30 and I was up and at em by 6.34 already had breakfast put on the washing machine and cleaned the bathroom! I’m actually feeling more motivated then ever and realise the only person I’m accountable to is myself! Sometimes we need to invest in ourselves so we can be a better parent for our children.
Someone told me recently to remember our ‘why’ and I needed them to explain. When we are less then motivated and ready to give up we need to remember WHY we are doing it in the first place and it’s really changed my way of thinking. Be it losing weight, getting fit or simply making more time for self care. Hope everyone has a lovely day x

27/08/2022

27/08/2022

What would you like to improve on to be the best version of yourself? I mainly want to make more time for self care, healthy habits and waking up earlier to give me more time in the day. I would love to start my day without rushing out the door to get family to work and school. From tomorrow I’m hopefully going to set an alarm to get up at 6.30am every weekday morning, I’ll update my story to show my progress!

27/08/2022

Ive been thinking a lot about how hard it is to form new habits recently. I tend to be an all or nothing type of person and find when I start failing I tend to give up quite quickly on everything. Wanting to change your whole life doesn’t happen in instant and takes time. Why are we so hard on ourselves when we take on too much then fail to keep it up. I’ve decided to take on a new approach, rather then try to fix everything all at once I’m going to try and create new habits one at a time. If anyone would like to join in with me and share your journey I would love to hear from you xx

25/08/2022

Welcome everyone to my very first post. A little bit about myself, I’m 47 I have three children and have been married for 20 years! Lately like a lot of people I’m sure, I’ve lost abit of direction in life, I feel unfit and tired and have forgotten how to make my own needs a priority!
I lack motivation and feel too old to change, however I have decided that approaching fifty it’s about time I became the main character in my own life and to become the best version of myself. I plan to improve my health by creating healthy habits and making time for more self care! Please join me on my journey or come along for the ride yourselves!