New Year’s Resolutions- Summer Update

Since places started opening up and life got busy again this summer, I’ve fallen behind with some blog posts including my resolutions one; but fear not, I’ve still tried my best to keep to them. So here’s how I got on in July, August and September.

1-Eat Healthily & Exercise

Achieved and achieved! As I was off work (it was the school holidays), I worked out around three times a day and absolutely loved it! Now I’m back to work I exercise twice a day during the week and once a day weekends.

In regards to food, I had a very healthy summer. I had a few naughty days in Devon that involved lots of pastys and chips, but I’ve maintained a good diet.

2-Read More

In July I somehow read no books! I started working more shortly before the schools shut for the summer holidays and I started to go for more days out, so I guess that’s why.

In August I read:

-The Heatwave by Katerina Diamond

This book was a birthday present from my partner and I really enjoyed it. The story flips back and forth from 16 years ago to the present day and whilst you know there’s deaths and some parts are obvious, I didn’t expect the ending. Like most psychological thrillers it does become a bit far fetched at the end, but it was an enjoyable read.

Would I recommend? Yes.

In September I read:

-The Other Wife by Claire McGowan

After enjoying The Heatwave, I went straight on to reading another psychological thriller. The Other Wife tells the story through three different characters all of which are linked. Whilst some parts become obvious early on, the story keeps building and creating tension so you’re left wondering what the outcome will be.

Would I recommend? Yes.

3-Do 2 New Things Per Month

Over the summer we had lots of lovely days out, breaks away and plenty of new experiences, so here’s just a few of them.

-Visiting Hever Castle and Gardens

-Sunbathing on a black volcanic beach in Greece

-Exploring new areas of Devon

And going to the True Crime Museum in Hastings.

4-Cook One New Thing Per Month

-In July I made:

Sticky toffee pudding

Lemon and lime cupcakes.

Victoria sponge cupcakes.

-In August I made:

A Greek feast, where I made my own tomatokeftedes.

-And in September I made:

A lemon cheesecake.

5-Buy Less/As Ethically as Possible

Whilst I’ve bought ethically and made a conscious effort to support independent businesses and cruelty free products, I have definitely bought a lot!

During lockdown my passion for makeup and beauty was reignited and I’ve barely gone a week without buying. In October I plan to only buy essentials such as autumn/winter clothing or products I’ve used up rather than anything new.

6-Travel/Backpacking/Days Out

With much of the world still on lockdown a lot of our summer plans changed and of course it was harder to travel.

That said we had lots of wonderful days out to places such as Hever Castle, Hampton Court and Camber Sands. We also went on breaks to Brighton, Devon and Greece, all of which I’m super thankful for.

7-Use My Phone Less

When I was off I was using my phone far too much! Since I’ve started back to work this month, I can say I’ve spent a lot less time on my phone as I’ve been too busy. I find this a positive as I still check social media, blog etc but I’m not mindlessly scrolling through and wasting time.

So that’s my resolutions update. Let me know how you’ve been getting on with your resolutions during lockdown.