Category: healthy

Go-to YouTube channels for Fitness

Hey everyone!

Do you guys sometimes feel like you want to exercise and start being more healthy and achieve that beach ready body, but you just don’t know where to start or what to do. I find myself in that position quite often, too often actually. I love working out and healthy stuff, but a lot of times I find myself being too lazy to follow a proper exercise schedule or program (even though I have made hundreds of them for myself) and I know it’s actually really important, especially if you have specific goals you want to achieve.

So on these lazy days I tend to reach for my computer and go on YouTube and search for a workout I feel like doing and that is within my fitness level (which is not very advanced at the moment haha) and that would meet my personal goals. Let me just give some clarification; it is not always about the laziness, but it is just much easier to do your workouts off of YouTube videos cause it’s quicker, you don’t have to wonder about what workout to do today and you’re getting a workout from someone who actually knows what they’re doing.

I have a few fitness YouTube channels that I usually go to and I thought I’d share them with you guys:

POPSUGAR Fitness

This comes as no surprise cause I’m pretty sure a lot of people love them some POPSUGAR Fitness videos. They have so many different workouts to choose from and what I love about their workouts is that they are so simple and the instructors get right to the point, they don’t ramble about things you don’t really listen to anyway before getting on to the actual workout. They are really professional but yet fun and quirky!

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Rebecca-Louise

You guys might recognize this name from XHIT Daily. Rebecca-Louise has her own YouTube channel where she uploads a new workout video every Sunday. On her channel you will find a huge variety of workouts to do. I really like the way she presents her workouts – with a lot of upliftment and motivation!

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Boho Beautiful

My all time favourite channel to go to for amazing yoga sequences! Juliana has such a beautiful humble soul and she really knows how to make everyone want to participate in this mindful exercise. She also gives pilates classes as well as some other fitness workouts.

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Blogilates

Everyone knows the famous fitness girl Casey Ho and for good reason! She provides her fellow fitness lovers with videos filled with excitement and of course some great moves to get those beach ready bodies! From pilates to HIIT workouts – she’s got them all!

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Yoga With Adriene

When I first started doing yoga I would go to Adriene’s channel for some guidance, cause I had zero knowledge of what to do and she really guides you through each sequence with ease. And with her gentle soothing voice you’ll feel super relaxed after doing one of her yoga workouts. What I really like about her content is that not only does she focus on the yoga part, but she also makes a lot videos where it’s a yoga sequence specifically for back pain or to help with headaches, so it’s like a 2-in-1.

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Tone It Up

Ahhh the girls that I have followed since day one (kinda). I love their workouts so much, especially their ones from a few years back. They’re so fun and quirky and that shows in their workouts. Karena and Katrina offers a wide range of workouts including yoga, HIIT, toning moves and so much more. So, you really do not have an excuse for not getting a few workouts in.

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All of these channels have their own websites as well where you can find more info regarding workouts, meal plans, tips & tricks and a whole lot more fun goodies!

There are many other great fitness girls out there like Kayla Itsines BBG program, but unfortunately you have to pay a monthly subscription to have access to most of their workouts and meal plans and there are people who can’t do it and why pay a monthly subscription if you can just go to one of these YouTube channels and have access to TONS of workouts!

Hope you guys check them out!

Till next time 🙂

– Blissful Boho

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(Images used are from Google)

 

 

by Categories: body, Fit, fun, Girl Talk, Happy, healthy, Χωρίς κατηγορία, Life, workoutTags: , , , , , , , , , 33 Comments

Top 5 DIY beauty remedies

Hellooo everyone!

Happy Monday! I hope you all have a fantastic week 🙂

So today I’m sharing with you guys my top 5 favourite beauty remedies you can do at home and they are perfect for those days you feel like pampering yourself and just feeling like giving your body some TLC! These are all recipes that are easy to make and most of the ingredients are organic and can easily be found in your kitchen or wherever in your home.

I love to do all 5 of these remedies on one day, usually Sundays, because it’s one of those routines to make you more relaxed and to ensure your body that you haven’t forgotten to take some extra care of it! And what better way to end your week, right?

P.S. I wrote a post a while ago also on My Life Book by Naya that’s called “Sundays: relaxation & preparation” and it’s all about how you can prepare yourself for the upcoming week and I think this post fits in perfectly with the “Sundays: relaxation & preparation” post – so go have a look! 🙂 https://mylifebookbynaya.wordpress.com/sundays-relaxation-preparation/

 Honey Cinnamon Nutmeg Face Mask

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This is my all time favourite DIY face mask! I am sure you’ve probably seen a few recipes of this miracle worker across Pinterest. I have mentioned this mask before in my current skincare routine post. The honey acts as a natural moisturizer and it’s also antibacterial which helps in the treatment and prevention of acne. The cinnamon is antiseptic and in combination with the nutmeg, it reduces the bacteria on the surface of your skin and dries existing pimples out, exfoliates, reduces redness and inflammation and revitalizes your skin which gives it a healthy, radiant glow!

This face mask also fades away any acne scarring and dark spots. Ladies, (and gents) please be very careful with the lemon juice, especially when you have very sensitive skin! Just use a few drops rather, or you can leave it out entirely (the mask will still do wonders without it). It will make your skin feel a bit tingly, but it’s nothing to stress about. Unless your face starts to feel like it has caught on fire, I recommend washing it off IMMEDIATELY! (but it really won’t happen if you know your skin).

Mix 1 tsp of grounded organic cinnamon, 1 tsp of grounded organic nutmeg, 1 tbsp of pure organic honey and 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice (or just a few drops) in a bowl together. Apply it to your entire face (and neck if you want to), avoiding the eye and lip area. Keep it on for about 20-30 minutes and then rinse it off with lukewarm water. You can use this mask twice a week if you want quicker results, but I usually use it only once a week. 

Egg & Coconut Oil Hair Mask

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 If you want beautiful silky smooth and shiny luscious locks, then you gotta have a go at this hair mask! And best part is, it’s only two ingredients. Mix together 2 tbsp of coconut oil (in its liquid form) and 1 whole egg. Evenly apply the mixture to all your hair, taking extra care of your roots. Wrap your hair up in a loose bun or clip it with a hair clipper and tie a plastic grocery bag over your hair (weird, I know but it’s to keep in heat for optimal benefits) Leave it on like this for at least 3-4 hours and then remove the plastic bag and wash hair as normal (you might have to shampoo twice). Make sure all of the mixture is out of your hair before applying conditioner. You can use this hair mask twice a month or once a week – it really depends on your personal preferences and goals. 

Your hair will be sooo soft and shiny and yes, I know that applying raw egg to your hair is gross and can be a little messy, but you’ll thank yourself after a few uses of this mask. It leaves your hair insanely nourished, which means less hair loss and more hair growth! Whoop whoop! 

Coffee & Sugar Body Scrub

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 Ladies, it’s not just our faces that need exfoliation, our bodies needs to be treated too! I have found that this body scrub works amazingly for dry and dull skin. AND because it contains coffee, it helps a ton for getting rid of, wait for it… cellulite! Get rid of all those creams and lotions you’ve purchased ’cause let’s face it, most of them don’t do the job that well anyway. This scrub will fulfill all your “cellulite free” dreams! ‘Cause not only does it truly help for cellulite, it gets rid of dead and dry skin cells while moisturizing, which makes it perfect to use before and after you shave!

Mix together 1 cup of grounded coffee (like from coffee beans, not powder coffee), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp pure organic honey and 1/2 cup organic olive oil in a bottle or whatever container you like and shake it well so all the ingredients combine nicely. Apply the scrub to your whole body (do not use on face) and rub it gently and really focus on those spots where you have some cellulite. It’s really no need to rub vigorously, because the sugar and coffee is very rough already, otherwise you’ll just damage your skin. I’d recommend applying it before your normal body wash, ’cause otherwise you’ll smell like a coffee shop (unless you don’t mind it then it’s totally fine). You can use this yummy body scrub up to two times a week!

Coconut Honey Hand Scrub

hand scrub

This is another miracle worker! I used to have this one hard, dry patch on my one hand (I don’t know what it’s from) and I would try so many different things to get rid of it until I just one day accepted that it won’t go away. And then one day I made this hand scrub to make my hands softer and to make it appear younger (for the long run) and after a couple of uses I realized that the dry patch has reduced a lot and it’s less prominent. So I love this hand scrub! The honey and coconut oil are both excellent natural moisturizers and the brown sugar helps for the exfoliation – use this scrub once a week for baby soft hands! 

Combine together 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp pure organic honey and 1 tbsp brown sugar. Use all of the mixture on both hands and move your hands around like you would when you apply hand lotion, just adding a little bit more pressure. After 2 minutes or so you can rinse it off with lukewarm water. Quick and easy! (P.S. you can use it as a lip scrub as well!) 

Apple Cider Vinegar Foot Soak

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Putting on a face mask and soaking your feet in some warm water concoction, hmmm…. so relaxing. This apple cider vinegar foot soak really helps to fight of dry feet and promotes happy, healthy feet!

All you have to do is mix 1/2 – 1 cup of apple cider vinegar – using the unfiltered one is the best option – 1/2 cup of Listerine mouthwash (you can use any kind I guess) and 2 cups of warm water. The water shouldn’t be boiling hot, but it should be warm enough for you to handle ’cause it is what’s gonna soften your feet so the vinegar and Listerine can get working. Also, always make sure the ratio of your water is more than the vinegar and Listerine. Pour this mixture into a bowl or container that’s big enough for both your feet to fit in, but not too big that the liquid mixture is too shallow.

Let your feet soak for about 10-15 minutes and then scrub your feet with a natural volcanic rock foot stone to really get rid of dry skin and even calluses. Rinse off the excess with lukewarm water and pat feet dry. Apply a foot moisturizer of some sort and put on some socks. Sleep on it and your feet will be super soft the next morning! Use this foot soak twice a month.

♥ ♥ ♥

There you have it! My top 5 favourite DIY beauty remedies. They are all so easy to make and really affordable! Usually I just eye ball the amounts of the ingredients, but for the sake of this post and for you guys, I did go and find the correct measurements and amounts for each recipe. Hope you guys like it and give some of them a try 🙂

Tell me in the comments below if you have tried any of these remedies before!

– Blissful Boho

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(all of the photographs used are my own)

by Categories: beauty, body, easy, essentials, favorites, fun, Girl Talk, hair, Happy, healthy, Χωρίς κατηγορία, pamper, Skin CareTags: , , , , 61 Comments

September: Suicide Prevention Month

Hello everyone!

On the 10th of September was the World Suicide Prevention Day (and it’s currently National Suicide Prevention week) and as we all know the entire month of September is dedicated to those who are struggling and of course to raise awareness on this very important cause. I know this can be a very touchy subject to talk about, especially for those who have actually gone through it and survived it. I just felt that this is something I need to write about, because it lies close to my heart and I want others to be aware of the importance of preventing suicide.

Talking about suicide has always been one of those things that nobody wants to talk about, because they would rather just throw some shade onto it. But why? Is it because you feel ashamed that someone close to you has tried to end his/her life, because you see it as a cowardly action? As Judy Collins said: ”I think suicide is sort of like cancer was 50 years ago. People don’t want to talk about it, they don’t want to know about it. People are frightened of it, and they don’t understand, when actually these issues are treatable.” 

I can genuinely talk about this matter from my heart, because I myself have also almost lost a family member that is so close to me and who I love dearly. Countless times I have heard of people whom I’m friends with or just know really well who has also tried to end their life or who actually did… And yes, let me tell you, it is an awful and heartbreaking feeling when someone looks you in the eyes with tears and says, “I don’t want to live anymore.”

There is sooooo many of us that has gone through this, whether it is someone close to you or it is you, we need to start being more aware of this matter. Suicide is everywhere and sometimes you have no clue when a stranger sitting next to you or a dear friend of yours starts to have suicidal thoughts. And the sad thing is, it just gets worse by the day.

I feel that September shouldn’t be the only time we raise awareness and put our attention on it. We should be paying attention to this every single day, just like October being the month for Breast Cancer Awareness, we should be raising awareness every day.

I understand that it is easier said than done, but like Judy said, it is treatable. Do you know where you can start first with helping to treat this matter?

You. You can start by improving yourself first.

Be humble and kind to others. Ask people how are they doing, show interest in them. Show them that you care and that they are not alone in this world. Be affectionate towards your loved ones and tell them how much you love them and why they are so amazing! Be supportive of your friends and make sure they know you are there for them. Smile at a stranger or just simply ask them how are they or even give them a compliment.

You have no clue what’s going on in someone’s head and heart, but a simple word or action of love and kindness could save someone’s life. If all of us just start spreading more love and support, we can prevent this.

I know that there are many, many different reasons why people want to commit suicide. Reasons like alcohol and drug abuse, losing a loved one, financial problems, or just feeling like your a failure. Like I mentioned before, talking about and dealing with suicide is difficult, especially for the person actually going through it, but it shouldn’t be difficult for them to ask for help. But, unfortunately some link commiting suicide with being a coward and a disgrace. And this breaks my heart, because I believe that’s one of the top reasons why people don’t talk about suicide.

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So there are many ways everyone of us can help with the prevention of suicide, but I truly believe the first step to prevention is starting with yourself. Be a kinder and humble person, help one another and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be supportive, because at the end of the day we are all going through tough times and we really only have each other. By doing this there will already be a huge, HUGE difference.

Thank you guys for taking some time to read this —

And for all of you who have wanted to leave this world, but decided to stay, be proud of yourself, because I am proud of you. You are a survivor. You are awesome. You are amazing. YOU ARE A WARRIOR. ♥

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Here are links to a few awesome organizations that will help you out: ♥

 

– Blissful Boho

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(pictures are from Google Images)

by Categories: healthy, Χωρίς κατηγορία, LifeTags: , , , , , , , 8 Comments

Sundays: relaxation & preparation

Ahhh Sundays. A day where you can either be lazy and happy or a day where you feel stressed, because the weekend’s almost over… The last few weeks I have actually grown fond of Sundays, because I have decided to change things up a little bit. There is really no need to have these mixed feelings about this last day of the week. Sundays should be seen as a day where you can relax and get prepared for the new week to come.

Everyone has different plans on this day, some of us prefer to stay at home and spend the rest of the day being couch potatoes and others like to go on little outings and adventures. Sundays also makes for a great time to prepare yourself for the week to come and by prepare I mean like organizing, writing your week’s schedule and even pampering yourself counts as preparing!

My Sundays differ from time to time, but I always make sure to see it as an opportunity to prepare. You don’t have to spend hours and hours planning and organizing, I mean who wants to do that on a Sunday? You only have to put at least one hour aside to just go sit down and write in your planner or diary about important things you have to be aware of or complete for the following week.

 

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Making sure of any appointments you might have, events you have to go to, someone’s birthday, places you have to be, tasks or assignments that are due, checking emails… Having an overview of your week will ensure that you are prepared for the week and will prevent you from having a week full of mishaps or unexpected situations. It’s probably best to do this in the morning, because then it’s done and dusted and out of the way and you can enjoy the rest of your Sunday without stressing too much (hopefully).

Now for the next preparation and this does not require any planners and concentration. Sundays are a golden opportunity to pamper yourself from head to toe. I have created a list for myself which I named “Pamper me Sundays” and I have written down different treatments and pampering stuff that I like to do like putting on a nourishing face mask, doing a foot soak and giving extra care to my feet, a yummy hair mask, a nice full body scrub or whatever I feel like pampering myself with.

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You can enjoy a nice hot bath with a bath bomb or some bubbles (even the alcoholic one too haha). You can even go book yourself in at the spa, whatever you fancy. The point is, Sundays should be the day where you take extra care of yourself. Giving extra TLC to your body or just even your mind and soul! Plus, it’s a great way to finish off your week, especially if it was a rough one. If you don’t take at least one day and put it aside for just taking care of yourself, you might get a little cray-cray.

Pampering yourself on this day will make you feel confident which in return will make you feel prepared for the new week AND it’s relaxing! It’s a win-win!

Try to make it a weekly goal for yourself or a small tradition to prepare yourself for the week and yes I know, we all get lazy sometimes, but just do it and get it out of the way. Trust me, you will feel so much better and you’ll feel like you can take the week by storm!

Till next time guys! 🙂

How do you like to pamper yourself? Tell me in the comments!

– Blissful Boho

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(images are gotten off of Pinterest, as usual)

by Categories: beauty, body, Fit, fun, Girl Talk, Happy, healthy, Χωρίς κατηγορία, Life, pamper, schoolTags: , , , , , , , , 16 Comments

Midweek Motivation

Hey everyone! ♥

I hope you guys have a great week so far. Today is Wednesday (for most of us) and it is the middle of the week, the weekend still seems so far away and you might be feeling like this week just won’t come to an end and it may be causing you to lose your motivation. There are many different factors that could be causing the fire burning inside of you to slowly fade away.

Whether work, school or college is taking its toll on you or you struggle to keep up with your workout routine and healthy habits or you just have zero motivation left for ANYTHING. So, I thought choosing a few motivational and inspirational quotes and words to share with you guys in the middle of the week, because this is the time most of us starts to get unmotivated, would be a good idea and will hopefully get you guys back on track and full of fire again!

W O R K / S C H O O L / C O L L E G E

No matter if you’re in school, college or already have a job, it is always important to remember your career goals and dreams and how you’re gonna achieve them and having a few motivational words will remind you of them:

 

E X E R C I S E / H E A L T H Y  H A B I T S

You might have created a monthly workout routine and healthy habits program for yourself or you’re busy with a Kayla Itsines BBG program AND then all of a sudden you just lose your motivation to continue and you’re like, what the heck…? And that’s when you start making excuses like “I will just workout double tomorrow” or “one chocolate bar and Coca Cola won’t hurt”. Yeahh…unless you have very good self-control skills and you will actually stick to “just this one time” and continue with your healthy lifestyle the next day, then sure why not, but if you know that these excuses will continue on to the next day and the next and the next then STOP and read these words first to gain back your determination to get that summer bod or even better – a spring, summer, fall/autumn, winter bod:

 

 

W H E N   Y O U ‘ R E   F E E L I N G   A   B I T   D O W N

We all have our bad days and that’s totally okay, but make sure to pull yourself back up and show the world what you’re made of:

 

S O M E  M O R E  Q U O T E S

 

I really hope that these words of motivation and inspiration helps every one of you reading this. I got all of these pretty quote images from Pinterest. I have a board on there named “motivational quotes” if you are seeking some more word porn. (you can find the link to my Pinterest account on my blog page)

Remember peeps, for some a simple quote will be enough to get them started again, but some of us require a bit more motivation than just a quote. Go figure out what it is that is making you feel unmotivated and try to solve it – you got this!

Till next time 🙂

– Blissful Boho

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by Categories: essentials, healthy, Χωρίς κατηγορία, LifeTags: , , , , , , , , 98 Comments

Traveling & how it feeds the soul

Hey guys!

This is my favourite topic ever and I’m sure so many of you can agree. Traveling really is the best way to feed the soul. It makes you happy and calm in a way nothing else can. I love to travel, as you can probably tell, and me and my family used to travel a lot. We would travel and explore the different landscapes our beautiful country has to offer every August of every year. I love to go camping and I find it so relaxing for the soul. Just going on simple adventures makes me so happy. It is my ultimate dream to be able to travel the world one day.

I sometimes find it really difficult to understand why some people don’t love to travel so much, because I really only see all the benefits of traveling. I have made a list of the benefits of traveling for you guys and I hope it can convince someone to go explore more:

  • Improving your communication and social skills – especially in a country where your mother tongue isn’t spoken that much. This gives you the opportunity to communicate with the locals and learn more about them.
  • Learning to deal with the unexpected – we all know that not everything always goes to plan when traveling. Stressful situations can happen, but such uncertainties can help you to cope better with it and to work under pressure.
  • Stimulates creativity and ideas – whether you’re an artist, a photographer or a blogger, traveling to new places that are different from what you’re used to, can give you some really good inspo!
  • Improving your knowledge of cultures – every country has their own people with their own unique cultures. Getting to know these people and their way of doing things can really help you understand in what circumstances they live. Tip: whenever you plan a trip to a country you’ve never been to or have little knowledge of, it’s always a good idea to learn about their culture and etiquette beforehand.
  • Creates memories that will last a lifetime – always make sure to take some sort of camera with you to capture those candid moments or beautiful scenery! Having pictures will give you something to look back to whenever you want to relive those memories!
  • Improves your knowledge and confidence in general – you get to know the country, it’s people and cultures better and if you’re really into it, you just might learn a new language too!

These last 3 benefits are most definitely my favourite and the most important:

  • FUN, FUN, FUN! Traveling really just is so much fun, despite sometimes being in stressful situations, it makes you smile and happy for ages!
  • The best way to find yourself is with traveling and traveling solo makes it even better. Like I said, you will find yourself in stressful situations and the way you handle them will teach you about yourself. I don’t really know how to explain this one, but it just aids in helping to find yourself. I think if you just do it, you will know and understand how it helps.
  • The last, but definitely not the least. Calm. Content. Collected. Traveling feeds the soul. I personally think it is the best way to relieve yourself of any stress or any negativity that is going on in your life. Just traveling to a breathtakingly beautiful location or country where you can forget about all that drags you down and just stare into the horizon. Or have a book in the hand and a glass of wine in the other. No matter what way you relax, traveling to a different place that doesn’t remind you of work, school, negative people and situations, will ensure you a peaceful mind and soul. It’s about finding pure bliss in that very moment.

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Of course, traveling does have some cons, but I could literally only think of one and that is that traveling can be expensive. I, for one, would travel a lot more and definitely go overseas if I could afford it (but there are ways you can travel for less and save money – maybe I’ll write about it in a different post some time). That’s the thing for many of us who love to travel, we sometimes can’t afford it and the people who can afford it, doesn’t spend it on traveling. And if you ask me, traveling is a whole lot more worth than buying expensive clothes and shoes. It feeds the soul, the body and the mind. Traveling is not materialistic, it’s not something that can get old and dirty or be taken away from you.

♥♥♥

To travel is to live, so dream to travel.

Till next time! 🙂

– Blissful Boho 

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(all images are from Pinterest)

 

 

by Categories: fun, Happy, healthy, LifeTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 28 Comments