Personal Training Diary, Day 1.

I have to be honest with you, I’m a little scared about what I’ve gotten myself into. See, despite running a website dedicated to health & beauty and being a keen yoga goer, my cardio and strength generally resemble that of a sea cucumber.

I found Sarah Devlin on a random trawl through Gumtree, I think I was looking for a cute vintage bike. I clicked through to her website and was greeted by an ultra lovely looking page stating the following:

♥ I want to create long, lean muscles for you, boost your energy levels and make you look and feel fantastic.

♥ I am friendly, personable and motivating and I don’t think a personal trainer has to be shouty or intimidating.

♥ I want you to have fun and be comfortable with me while you are working as hard as you possibly can.

I was won over, so we teed up a time to have my first-ever personal training sesh (eek!).

My strength & cardio capacity resemble that of my good friend here.

We met up at a local lake / park / generally beautiful area, which I surmised would make the pain a little more bearable. There were swans and lots of puppy dogs, so I ended up focusing on them to help get me through!

Sarah listened to my concerns about a high cardio workout, so we mainly worked on strength, with heaps of exercise variations (but still working each area of the body to its limit). I didn’t escape cardio altogether though, damn, but I’m told it’s for the best!

She has a very encouraging training style and is very much focused on making sure you have correct posture / alignment, which is great for a complete novice like me who has little idea of how to hold my body correctly in the exercises.

Another thing I love is the mix of pilates and dance moves in the session, I really feel like Sarah understands women’s bodies and knows how to bring out the best in me, even if I feel like complaining.

Hello new found body part!

Post first workout I make an interesting discovery – I have triceps???! Yes, they’re calling my name for the first time I can probably ever remember and they’re not pleased with me after happily lying dormant for all these years!

The next day I felt surprisingly good, however as the day wore on my muscles grew increasingly weary and the day after that they were rebelling to the point that it was a big effort to move myself around!

No pain no gain right?

Stay tuned for Part Two of my adventures in Perth Personal Training next week! x

Web: Sarah Devlin
E-mail: sarah@sarahdevlin.com
Phone: 0431 365 342

Prices start from $70, depending on session frequency and distance to travel, contact Sarah for more info

Have any questions? If you’re currently seeing or thinking about seeing a Personal Trainer I’d love to hear from you!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Just a quick one! I’ve just discovered a great new smoothie and wanted to share it with you.

Blueberry, Banana & Cashew Butter Smoothie.

♥ 2 x small-medium ripe bananas
♥ 2 large cups of cold filtered water
♥ 1 x cup (or more!) frozen blueberries
♥ 1 x heaped teaspoon of Organic Cashew Butter (yum yum yum)

Mix this all up in your blender for a minute, it’ll make 2 large glasses full. I love the extra bit of creaminess that the cashew butter gives it and it’s a great way to add some extra protein.

I think I’ll be rockin’ this smoothie before and after workouts as I felt pretty good after drinking this pretty purple drink.

If you try it out let me know what you think!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

We wish you a Well Christmas!

With less than one month to go, I thought it was high time to spread the word about what I’d like to be receiving under my little faux-pine tree come December 25th… feel free to steal any of these ideas to show your loved ones!

1 ♥ The health, wellness & happiness of all of those who are dear to me. This goes without saying, but is nice to remember and put at the top of my list 🙂

2. ♥ Spa Pedicure at Bodhi J Day Spa ($75) ! This place is fast becoming a favourite of mine, 100% natural and organic prods are used, and the staff are lovely. I’ve never had a spa pedi before and my feet are feeling a little sad, so receiving this would make them grin (if they had mouths…)!

3. ♥ Full Body Massage at either Cove Spa, South Perth ($105) or Nourishe, Claremont ($50). I LOVE MASSAGES! Love love love. There, I said it. If you’ve yet to experience one, I can recommend either of these two places to send you to relaxation heaven.

RRP $49.

4. ♥ Philosophy Under the Mistletoe Holiday Gift Set – four mega-tasty sounding Christmas themed glosses in peppermint bark, candy cane, pink frosted cookie & cherry christmas. Lips will be sorted for the next 6 months!

RRP $58

5. ♥ Philosophy Ice Cream, You Scream Gift Set – Okay, this one is almost impossible to say no to. Vanilla icecream paired with butterscotch drizzle and caramel drizzle and these guys can be used as a body wash, bubble bath OR shampoo. What?! Limited Edition makes this as good as under the tree already, if I don’t receive it then it will be my gift to myself! 🙂 YUM!

RRP $ 45

6. ♥ Philosophy Have a Cherry Christmas – What can I say? I’m addicted to the Philosophy range, how can you blame me when their gifts are so flippin cute?!

Cherry scent has always been a favourite of mine and Cherry Christmas satisfies both the lips and the body with its ultra red lip gloss and sweet n tangy body wash / bubble bath / shampoo. Delish! x

7. ♥ Health and Beauty Magazine Subscriptions – Specifically Good Health and Wellbeing Magazine, my two favourites!

8. ♥ The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner (RRP $ 24.95) – A book I found out about from The Happiness Cocktail, basically the author travels the world to discover what countries are happiest, which ones aren’t and possible links between the two. Fascinating stuff.

9. ♥ 10 Class Pass for Yoga Moves – This yoga studio is currently topping my list of favourite places to do yoga in Perth. The quality of instructors is extremely high and it’s a really zen little environment just across from a lake. The 10 class pass would make sure I get down there more often!

Carrot, Zucchini & Parsnip Frittata Fingers… yes please.

10. ♥ A Personal Vegetarian Chef – To the best of my knowledge this doesn’t exist in Perth, but please feel free to prove me wrong. PLEASE!!! ; )

I could go on all day but better wrap it up at 10!

Tell me, whats on your Christmas Wishlist?

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

♥

The scents we surround ourselves with have a huge impact on how we feel, the other day I came across (for the first time in a looooong time) the earthy, metallic smell of sprinklers on a hot day and was immediately taken back to age 7, running around the backyard through sprinklers with a friend.

I’m sure you can think of some too! The smell of Mum’s moisturiser, freshly baked biscuits, the perfume of an old lover… scents are powerful little molecules!

It’s with this in mind that I propose we all need to have the most fantastic soap / body wash possible, one that makes you want to run to the shower and never leave, filling you with feelings of hope, pleasure and wellbeing.

So! I’d like to invite you into my shower to have a mosey around and check out some of the beautiful body washes that are currently rockin’ my world…

Philosophy Melon Daiquiri Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Shower Gel!

Starting out with one of my absolute faves! Melon Daiquiri means I’ve been smelling like tangy melon for months now and absolutely love it. My mouth is actually watering writing about it!

Cinnamon Buns Shampoo, Bubble Bath & Shower Gel!

My 2nd Philosophy go-to makes my morning shower smell like a warm bakery (and also makes it incredibly difficult to leave!), this one is currently not available through Australian online stores, but you can find it at Sephora if you love the sound of it.

If you’re not aware of the Philosophy range of products you MUST do yourself a favour and check them out!

Coming in an amazing range of true-scents, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without smelling like your favourite fruit or dessert, I’ve previously had the Raspberry Sorbet & Strawberry Milkshake flavours and can highly reccomend them too 🙂

This Works! In the Zone.

Blending Frankincense & Eucalyptus scents, In the Zone by This Works is like a pep-talk for when you’re feeling exhausted or run down. The newest addition to my crowded shower, ITZ has carved a place among my top used products because it’s perfect for all your pre and post busy day issues.

♥ Don’t want to be awake? It helps invigorate and get your morning off to a fab start.

♥ Rough day at the office? In the Zone is there massaging your shoulders and telling you you’re a trooper.

♥ Feeling run down or just exercised your butt off? The little white bottle is smiling at you knowingly.

I adore it and I think you will too.

While these body washes may be a little more pricey than your $5 number from Woolies, (Philosophy – RRP $38 & This Works RRP $48) I believe it’s worth the price to have an amazing smell and experience that will last you long past the time you’ve hung up your towel (or in my case, left it on the floor in a heap) and I haven’t personally found a cheapie that gets me going quite like these guys!

Philosophy & This Works products available from Mecca Cosmetica, online and in store.

How about you…

What’s your favourite shower gel / body wash?
Do you like to spend up or be thrifty when it comes to cleaning yourself?

Would love to hear!

Be well,

Annette

xoxo

Milky Foot

After a long winter of hibernating beneath boots and tights, my feet were looking a little rough and neglected. Not being the kind of girl to shell out $80 on a pedicure, I was eager to try ‘Milky Foot’. This product claims to create milky smooth feet without any scrubbing or exfoliating, with just one application. It sounded too good to be true!

After washing my feet I cut open the two packages and slipped my feet into the gel-filled plastic pouches, putting socks on over the top. There was quite a strong chemical smell to the gel, similar to hair bleach, which made me worry a little as to whether this would burn. However after my 60-90 minutes of foot-soaking I was relieved to see I still had all ten toes. I took off the plastic pouches, rinsed my feet and hands and commenced the waiting game.

‘Milky Foot’ claims to begin working in about 5-10 days, and after 5 days I noticed skin beginning to peel from the areas of hard skin. It was pretty unpleasant to look at, and I endured around 5 more days of skin slipping from the soles of my feet. After the peeling subsided I was left with the results promised, and now have heels as soft as a baby’s behind.

Applying ‘Milky Foot’ was very easy, and I liked the fact that there was no hard work involved. If you can live with peeling feet for around a week, I would recommend ‘Milky Foot’ as an effortless alternative to home or salon pedicures.

It retails in selected pharmacies for $29.95 (small) or $34.95 (large).

Or can be purchased online here: Buy Milky Foot!

Review by Katy Lock

Be well,

xoxo