Monday, February 25, 2019

10 Easy Ways To Be Healthier In Your Everyday Life



Everyone probably wants to be healthier. You want to be that super healthy person who goes to the gym every day and and just eats green juice and smoothie bowls. But well. You're not that person. And it's not like you can just become that person overnight. That's totally cool. In this post I'm just going to be showing you 10 ways you can be healthier in your everyday life. They're not hard but will make a difference in the long run. Let's get started!!

*This post is sponsored by Sixspokes but all opinions are of course my own :)


1. Healthy Snacks 

Instead of reaching for those hot chips or fritos maybe reach for a just as tasty, but healthier, alternative. The key is finding something that you like and always having it on hand. For me I usually either eat frozen grapes, veggie chips, or nuts. 


2. Use A Water Bottle

Awesome for the environment and youuu. I've noticed when I'm using a water bottle I literally drink more. Maybe this is because It's easier to carry around or because it just carries more water. Either way it works. And there are so so many benefits of drinking more water. 


3. No Bun Or Just One

The next time you're eating a burger or literally anything with a bun/bread, think about it. Does it reallllllly add that much? Lately I've been only using one bun or just none and most of the time the bread to stuff ratio is too much anyway.

4. Make Breakfast 

Don't just eat cereal. That is of course ok. But on those days when you have more time, take advantage of it. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Make a smoothie or make yourself some scrambled eggs. Both super easy, not time consuming, will make you happy, and is so much healthier than cereal. If you're feeling more like pancakes or french toast than fruit!!You can always add fruit. It's tasty, easy, and of course healthyyyyy. 


5. Bike Places

I mean like how cool do I look in that photo? I want to bike more just to look that cool. Once again shoutout to Six Spokes for sponsoring this post! They sent me the jacket and the colorful socks which I both love soooo much. 


Ok so back to the actual health benefits haha. If you're going somewhere pretty close but that is maybe too long of a distance to walk or you just want to get there fast, think about biking instead of using the car. Soooo much better for both you and the environment. Plus biking can be super relaxing. It's a nice way to escape from the world for even just a couple of minutes.

6. Set Alarms To Wake Up + Go To Bed

It has been proven that if you wake up and go to bed at the same time every day than you will be happier and more rested and healthier. Plus when you go to bed earlier and wake up earlier you have so much more time to be productive and get things done.

7. Hang Out With People Who Make You Happy 

You might be confused, or if you're of an introvert, rolling your eyes, but you're mental health seriously affects your physical health. Just surround yourself with other humans who relate and understand you. Also tryyyy. These amazing humans will probs not come to you. Making friends and keeping those friendships take work. 


8. Go Outside 

If you're doing something that could be done outside, then go outside! Maybe you're reading a book or working on your computer or doing homework. It's always good to get more vitamin D and this will boost your energy. If you happen to have a patio with a cover and a fan that is pretty much the ideal haha. If not though umbrellas!! And hand held fans!! And water! Great items. 

9. Wash Your Hands And Carry Around Hand Sanitizer 

Just about everyone seems to be sick right now (currently flu season) and one way to make sure you don't get sick is to wash your hands as much as you can!! I'm sure you've forgotten to wash your hand before meals a couple times. Just try not to. There are some places where you can't really wash your hands, say school, but you can use hand sanitizer!! 


10. Don't Get On Your Phone In The Morning 

Whenever I get on my phone directly in the morning it basically delays my day. I just want to stay in bed and scroll through insta instead of getting up. A good rule and one that I use is that I have to get ready for the day (clothes and brush teeth and all that) before I get on my phone. A nice little time of just peace. 



I really hope you guys enjoyed that and that it helped you. I would lovvvve to do a part two so if you want one, make sure to share this post with all of your friends and comment down below your tips for being healthier. Once again thank you to Six Spokes for sponsoring this post and for sending me the super cute jacket and socks. :) 


Monday, February 18, 2019

The Blood Prince Blog Tour | Interview With Josie Jaffery AKA GETTING TO INTERVIEW ONE OF MY FAVE AUTHORS + Giveaways


I have a superrrrrr exciting interview planned for today! If you follow me on Instagram you have probably heard me talk about how much I lovvvvve The Sovereign Trilogy especially the first two books. It has literally become one of my favorite series on earth. I love the writing and the format and the storyline and the characters and the relationship between the characters and just ahhhhhhhh. YOU SHOULD READ THEM. Today I'm celebrating the release of the 3rd book, The Blood Prince. Josie Jaffrey has kindly let me interview her!! If you want to read some awesome answers (and questions if I do say so myself) about lots of things (but especially writing and of course her new book!!) then read on. :)
When did you start writing and why?
I’ve always written stories, but my first foray into novel-writing was back when I was in
University. I wrote about a tenth of a novel, then gave up and started another, then gave
up and started drawing a graphic novel instead, and so it continued until I started writing
A Bargain in Silver in 2014. Then, for the first time, I felt like I had a story with enough
momentum to get me to the end of a whole book. I’ve been writing novels ever since.

I can totally relate to starting a writing project but just never finishing haha. Can
you remember the first story you ever wrote? What was it?
The first story I remember writing was in primary school. I must have been about six,
and I wrote a story about a dinosaur, illustrated by a picture of a T-Rex. A lot of my
stories were about dinosaurs! Then I moved on to ghosts and vampires, and I’ve never
looked back. I love paranormal stories, and I’m a sucker for mythology too.



Nice! I love everything paranormal and mythology to! What are your biggest tips
for others who want to get into writing?
Write! It’s easy to spend months and months ‘planning’ a book, but honestly I find it
difficult to work out the smaller plot details of any novel upfront. I start with a clear arc
for each of the characters and the novel as a whole, then just wing it from there. A lot of
the intricacies of the story turn up while I’m writing. I think a lot of writers are
perfectionists, but you have to accept that you likely won’t have your book perfectly
plotted before you start writing it. Things will change as you go along, and your first
draft will never be your last one.
My other piece of advice is to read. Read widely and constantly, because there’s no
better way to learn how to write well than to analyse the way that other people craft
stories.

It's crazy how much things can change after you actually start. What are your
biggest tips for others looking into publishing?
If you would like to get a book published, then there are basically two routes: you can
self-publish, or you can submit to agents and try to get published by a traditional
publisher. It’s important to understand the benefits of each approach, and decide which
is for you before you start. I’ve recorded some YouTube videos in which I discuss this
further, and you can find those here:


What's your favorite character that you've written? If there one that largely
reminds you of you?
In the Solis Invicti series, my favourite was Sol. I love his rational detachment. There’s
something slightly psychopathic about it that I find really engaging. In the Sovereign
series, my favourite is definitely Cam. He’s just the best friend anyone could ever wish
for.
A part of you always ends up in your characters, because the way we write stories
reflects the way we think about the world, but honestly there isn’t any one of my
characters that entirely reminds me of myself. There’s a little of me in each of them, but
I try to impose some distance.



Ahhhh I love Cam too haha. And yeah totally that makes sense! Who are your
biggest role models and inspirations?
Although my writing is very different from his, I always found Terry Pratchett very
inspiring. I love his novels, particularly the Discworld, and I aspire to write people as
sympathetically as he did.

Cool! Where did you get the inspiration for this series?
The Sovereign series really suggested itself. The Solis Invicti series ends with a zombie
apocalypse having been contained, but with millions dead. I found myself wondering
how society was going to put itself back together, and what the world would look like
hundreds of years later. Predictably, I imagined a world a little darker and more broken
than I first expected it to be. I had a huge amount of fun creating that world.

When you're not writing what are some of the most likely things we would find you
doing?
I spend most of my free time reading. I run The Gin Book Club, posting written and video book reviews (www.theginbookclub.com), and I generally read a couple of books a week. I also love rowing (I live in Oxford, where rowing is a fairly popular sport), and am just about to start getting back into it.

Yesss reading is the best! And rowing sounds so fun! Good luck with getting back into it and everything. :)

Yay wasn't that super cool?! Now that you are obsessed with Josie and everything that she is as I am?? I'm going to tell you a bit more about the book and how to buy itttt.

About The Blood Prince:

The price of freedom is always paid in blood.

The sovereigns of the Silver have awakened, but the Queen is a fractured shell of
the woman Cam remembers. He hopes to put her back together by finding her son,
the missing prince. At least, that’s what he tells his friends when he leaves for the
Red.

Back in the Blue, Julia’s old tormentor Rufus is hounding her at every turn. She’s
sick of feeling powerless, but she has a plan that will bring the Nobles to their knees.

All she needs is blood.

The Blood Prince is the final book in Josie Jaffrey’s Sovereign trilogy, set in a
dystopian Europe where vampiric Nobles control the last remnants of the human
race.



Check out the other stops on the tour!



Links:

*If you buy through my link I will gain a small commission at no extra cost to you

Some Giveaways

1. Living Underground, a very short standalone vampire romance, is currently FREE to download (until 17th Feb). Download here.
2. The Gilded King, the first book in the Sovereign series, is FREE to download. Links here.
3. Join Josie's Readers' Club and get a FREE short story (a prequel to the Solis Invicti series). Join here.
4. Enter Josie's giveaway for a chance to win a signed paperback copy of one of her books (winner's choice). Enter here. 


Comment down below if you've read any of her books or if you want to! Also, I alwayssss love reading recommendations and I would love to know your fave book. :) 

Monday, February 11, 2019

Creator Spotlight | Malia From Simply Maliak


I haven't done a creator spotlight in what feels like forever but I want to do more of them! If you're new or have just never read one of these posts before, this is a little series where I feature some of my favorite online creators and ask them questions. I think it's a great way to learn more about people, find new people to follow, and just generally spread love all around. Today I'm featuring the awesome Malia from Simply Maliak! She is so cute and her blog is all about inspiring other girls which of course I love! Also, her blog layout is the most adorable thing????? Like??? Why isn't my blog that cute?? Malia?? Teach me your ways?? Ok let's get started!
What is your name and what does it mean? If you're named after someone who is it
and what does that person mean to you?
My name is Malia, and it originates in Hawaii. My parents named my older sister with a
name that started with an M, and all of my little brothers start with the letter C. I named
my blog “SimplyMaliaK” for many reasons. One of them is that I dedicate my blogging
to inspiring girls of all ages to live simply, laugh often and love deeply. I end all of my
blog posts that way because I believe that they are important things to live by.


What are your favorite hobbies? How would you describe yourself in 4 words? Just
tell us a bit about yourself.
I'll formally introduce myself. My name is Malia Katherine. I am dedicated to inspiring
girls of all ages to live simply, laugh often, and love deeply. As a small-town country
girl and live on a farm with seven chickens, a dog, and three cats, I love to chat about
lots of things. I love DIY projects, food, cross country, singing, talking about my faith
and reading. My blog shares my life and passions with the world. I also am very
involved in the STEM field. Since fifth grade I have been computer programming with
various languages and it is one of my favorite things to do. When I get older, I want to
become a web developer or computer programmer.


Why did you start blogging? Do you see yourself blogging in the future?
I started my blog in April of 2018 and it has been a whirlwind from there. I have learned
so much since then about blogging, my faith, friendships, and more. I definitely see
myself blogging in the future because it is a way to share my interests and inspire others.
How do you spend an average day?
My average day begins with me getting up early and doing my chores. At my house, we
have a strict rule that we have to get our work done and help out in the mornings. When
it’s not summer, I’m in class during the day. Once I get home, I make a snack because I
love to cook and get any homework I might have done. After that, it depends on how I’m
feeling. I’ll usually work on my blog, do some computer programming, hang out with
my family and friends, clean my room, or listen to a podcast while crocheting. A big
thing in my family is having dinner together, so we always work around practices and
events so we can sit down together. It may not be the most exciting day, but for me it’s
the little things that make me happy.

How do you come up with blog posts and how do you usually go about writing one?
A majority of my blog posts are related to my faith, Christianity, or cross country (my
favorite sport). Everyone goes through challenges in life, and we can either learn from
them or not. I choose to learn from mine and it helps me grow as a person. I share my
experiences through my blog posts and it helps me relate to others. The more I live, the
more experiences I have, so I’m never running low on blog post ideas. As for writing
one, I have a list on my phone that I keep track of all the different things I would like to
write about. Whenever I’m low on school work, I’ll pick one and write it in one sitting.
Then, I’ll proofread and edit my blog post before publishing. I put a lot of thought and
effort into writing them, so it means a lot when people read it.


What does your blog mean to you and why would you say you blog?
To me, my blog is a way I can share my faith around the world and spread positivity.
The world would be a different place if everyone acted more positive. I started my blog
to put my thoughts to words and it eventually evolved into a growing community of
girls supporting each other.

If you could collab with anyone dead/alive who would it be?
I LOVE Simply Southern shirts because of the bright colors and happy messages. I
would want to collab with them and be a representative for their brand. If we’re talking
people-wise, then definitely Jaclyn Brooke. She is such a positive person and girl very
strong in her faith. She is a big inspiration for me.

If you had to choose a career now what would it be?
Because of my passion for computer programming, I would want to be a web developer.
I have already coded one website, and I enjoyed creating my blog. It is a difficult field
but I believe that it would be a very fun job for me. I would also want to be a missionary
because I have a calling to help those less fortunate.


What do you see happening with your blog in the next year? What do you want to
happen?
I want to continue to write blog posts and get more viewers and blog members. Also, I
would like to collab more with other bloggers and companies that have the same values
as I do. One of my biggest goals of next year is to be featured in a magazine, so I’ll keep
everyone posted to see how that goes!

What are your tips for other people wanting to start a blog?
I would definitely encourage those who want to start a blog to do so! It is so much fun
and I have learned so much from it. Although blogging doesn’t seem like a lot of work
sometimes, it sure is! I cannot tell you how many hours I’ve spent researching blogging,
listening to podcasts, writing and planning blog posts, and working on my website. If
you want to get serious with blogging, I highly suggest that you make a blogging binder.
I have one that’s filled with all the information that I’ve learned and it’s a nice way to
keep it all organized.



What is your aesthetic?
I like pastel colors, so I use them for my blog and my instagram. I also want to develop
a community of girls and so I incorporate a lot of Christian values and principals in my
blog, captions, and pictures.

Are you an introvert or extrovert?
I would definitely say that I’m an extrovert! I love to talk to others, express my ideas,
and make new friends. I’m not very shy, and I love to get to know others. To me, giving
speeches or talking in class isn’t very scary, but I understand how it can be for others.


I absolutely loved doing that interview and I hoped you loved reading it! If you want to check Malia out at some other places feel free to at:


I would absolutely love to see your answers to the questions above! Maybe choose one or two and comment them down below. :) If you want to be interviewed for my blog or do any sort of collab feel free to email me at nabilaeve@gmail.com.

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