As many of you know I don't go longer than 2 hours without listening to music. Because of my love for music I though I'd share with you guys a spotify playlist every two weeks of the music I've been listening to a lot at the moment. Mostly, each playlist it will have pretty much every song from each artists that way there's a broad selection from you too chose from. Sometimes though I might do specific playlists for certain events/moods etc.

Exams are coming up and lot's of revision and coursework is being completed at the moment, which means I need a playlist which I can have on repeat with lots of songs and that I will enjoy.

This weeks playlist is 24.7. It's what I listen to '24/7' when I'm revising. For some people they may not be able to revise to music like this so in the next four weeks I'm going to create another playlist with more chilled out songs. The 24/7 playlist includes: Neck Deep, State Champs, Bury Tomorrow, Enter Shikari, The Amity Affliction and Secrets.



Here is the link for the playlist on spotify:  https://open.spotify.com/user/emmatheunicorn/playlist/1I6HYXvDqbtGAkxtVtYJMP


If you have any ideas for more playlists you would like to see then comment below artists, song or theme suggestions and I will get on to making it!

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In today's world people look past what healthy truly is and judge others and themselves on what they see instead. People seem to neglect the idea that different body types and metabolisms exist and they feel free to fat shame or skinny shame anyone who they personally don't consider as healthy.

Rebecca Marie, a fabulous blogger, has started a body image tag to "shift the minds of campaigners who discriminate size whilst supporting another." (link here) I've been tagged to help promote this tag and the idea that body shaming should not exist and we shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable in our own healthy skin.

Questions (and my answers):

1. What does a positive body image mean to you? a positive body image to me means being comfortable in your own skin and not worrying what other people think because you look and feel amazing!

2.How do you look after your body? I eat a healthy diet (i'm vegan which is really helpful), I drink plenty of water and try and do regular exercise even if it's just a small workout.

3. What are the bare essentials that you need to feel happy and healthy in your body? I think the bare essentials are a positive but sensible mindset.

4. How do you celebrate your body? If you don't, how could you? Look in the mirror and point out everything good about yourself and eventually you'll start ignoring all the little flaws you point out about yourself daily and start to love your body.

5. What helps you feel comfortable in your own skin? Like everyone, trust me everyone, I don't always feel comfortable in my own skin but not comparing myself to anyone else is always a help. As long as you know you are maintaining a healthy body you should feel comfortable 100%.

6. Share a body image story or experience that is important to you. I have known many people over the years who have suffered from various cases of mental and eating disorders a lot of which have stemmed from negative body images. I have experienced people pushing themselves to the limit and in unhealthy ways to reach a goal or look that is not physically or mentally healthy for them. Witnessing this and knowing the effects has really made promoting a healthy body image important to me, to try and reduce the amount of cases we unfortunately see today.

7. Finally, share a picture of you looking happy and healthy!

I'm more confident than I have been before.

What you have to do is:

1. Tag 10 people and link them Rebecca's post and the questions
2. Answer the questions in a blog post and share!!!

Comment what you think about body image and answer some of the questions yourself!

I vary rarely go for such a staple look even though I love it. I usually head straight for my flannel and docs rather than a style like this but when I go shopping at Sheffield's Meadowhall I like to make the effort. Unfortunately it's not local to me and I rarely go but it's one of my favourites places to shop. All the stores are huge, there's a massive eating area and I manage to always find what I'm looking for or better.

This look carries four of my wardrobe staples; Topshop Moto Skinny jeans, platform boots, white shirts and leather jackets. Not only does it look great and effortless but it's ridiculous comfy and ideal for long days out shopping. Short pendant necklaces and a simple ring are enough to add a little bit extra to this look but not overpower it's simplicity.

Jeans - Topshop - here
Leather Jacket - H&M - similar here
Shirt - Primark - similar here
Boots - Topshop - similar here
Necklace - Damsel Jewellery - here
Ring - little shop called Very Bazaar in Leicester - similar here

The start of March has brought along the feeling of spring and the nearing closer summer months. As well as this if I had the burning urge for fitness. Something within me has been set off and I am DETERMINED that by this summer I will finally find that healthier, and happier me.

In my New Years Resolutions post I talked about becoming healthier and improving my fitness because that is something I have always struggled with. With this new found  motivation I am going to take it and run...literally. I thought I'd make a blog post on how I plan to improve myself with just three steps: Fitness, Healthy Diet and Motivation & Positive Thinking. And hey, if you like the sound of this it might work for you too, so feel free to join in on the way!

FITNESS:
This stage is a massive part for me, and three stages to go along with it; running, yoga and quick workouts. I have never been someone to be very sporty at school or clubs or keep a gym membership for longer than a month, so I needed to find new ways to keep myself on my feet and keep fit.

The first step is running. I have bad memories of running from being forced to run at school, but through my own choice, I don't exactly hate running. I plan to go at least twice on weekdays and once at the weekend, increasing my pace and distance as my endurance improves.

The second step is yoga. I never used to believe that it could improve your fitness but after much research I heard it's a great way to burn fat. Not only that, but yoga can be used to help you sleep and lower stress, two things I need to do. I downloaded the Daily Yoga app which has a great collection of yoga routines for Yoga Skills, Therapy and Weight Loss.

And finally mini workouts.  Quick workouts on the side of whatever you're doing can be a small boost of fitness to everyday life. I am a massive fan of Blogilates and not only does she has great and encouraging videos but every month she has a 30 Day Challenge for you to follow. This month, it's Thigh Slimming (praise the lord!!!). It's a quick and easy mini routine to follow everyday. Other mini workouts I'm doing are by using the 7 Minute Workout App.You can choose from a range of different all starting from 7 minutes. You can set yourself daily reminders to make sure you stay on top.

HEALTHY DIET:
As I'm vegan, eating healthily and cleanly is a massive thing for me and something I do on a daily basis. With plenty of fruits and vegetables in my diet and the cut out of meat, diary and animal products, I always feel a lot healthier. Even if being vegan doesn't sound ideal for you there are many alternative eating plans, and ideas as what is best for a healthy diet (many which cut out diary products and red meat anyway). In a future post I'm going to be posting my favourite vegan recipes and vegan staples for anyone interested. A healthy diet also comes with a good amount of water. Not only is it essential for keeping your body hydrated and awake but it works wonders on your skin.

Healthy Fridge (any meat or diary products are my brothers)

Healthy Breakfast Idea

I'm a huge fan of detox tea's and this month I'm trying the Slendertoxtea 14 Day Teatox. I started it on the 1st of March and I'm loving it. The taste is great, unlike some detox tea's so they are so easy to drink. (I'll also be posting my progress on here and on my instagram).



MOTIVATION & POSITIVE THINKING:
This is key and most people skip past this stage with their main focus being on exercise. Without a positive mindset or any motivations achieving your goals can be very trick and more taxing than needs be.

The first thing you need to do is remind yourself why you are doing this, but make sure the reason is for you and no-one else. Be motivated to make yourself feel better not for people to see you in a different way. If people can't accept you the way you are then they are worth fighting for.

Some say that you shouldn't do this but I find looking at pictures of figures you want to have are a great source of motivation. As long as they aren't unhealthy or unrealistic then why not?! If it strives you to achieve then it's something worth doing.

My main motivation at the moment is the occurrence of summer. With summer drawing nearer my aim for a better body and health for when I go on holiday and for festivals is a massive motivation. I want to be happy and confident when I go out and that is just a final step towards it.





So guys, I hope you enjoyed my new me fitness post. If you have any ideas or suggestions for any future post feel free to comment below. If any of you want to know anymore about being vegan or want any post about it drop them below as well.