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My Goals For August

We’ve made it to the end of July, and I’m looking into August. It’s going to be a month full of action, studying and hopefully lots of fun. So, I thought I’d share with you my goals for August – what I hope to achieve, the habits I hope to build, and why.

Sharing goals with you helps hold me accountable; so, I hope you enjoy this little post.

My August Goals

Create & stick to a study routine

The uni semester started on Monday. It’s time to get back into the habit of sitting down and studying – time to make myself feel productive. While I understand procrastination can have some small benefits, I’d much rather get everything done earlier so I can improve on assignments if I want to. This will also give me more time to work and do all the other important things in life (hike).

Get back into the habit of training

A huge long term goal of mine is to become athletic. I want to be strong, feel powerful and move with agility and speed. And I wouldn’t say I’m near that now. Before South Aus went into our lockdown I had managed to make it to the gym and complete the workouts I had set myself.

Running is also part of this goal. But the weather is making it incredibly difficult to even consider walking outside. So, while I’m talking about running. I hope to run at least three-four times a week throughout August.

Read three books

I mean, it’s simple enough, right? I have plenty to read; so, I better get reading.

Get back into yoga

I guess this follows suit with my training goal. Completing a month of yoga was incredible, but I haven’t gotten on the mat since (a major oops). So, a goal of mine is to spend around 10 minutes each day flowing on the mat. I’ll probably alternate between this playlist and this one by Yoga With Kassandra. I’ve followed her sessions in the past and have thoroughly enjoyed them.

Learn Shorthand

I’m studying to be a journalist, and I want to learn shorthand. So, I’m going to.

Publish at least one blog post per week

This has always been one of my goals, but I never seem to be able to follow it through (as I’m lazy). But I’m going to change that. It’s time to get writing and get creating.

Publish at least two YouTube videos

I’m aiming to create a routine where I publish videos fortnightly. Although, I’m incredibly cautious of talking to the camera when the family I’m renting from is home. We’ll see how this one goes. I already have a few ideas. It’s just executing them.

Drink more water

Lastly, I want to drink more water. I don’t drink enough.

And there you have it, my goals for August. Some will be easier to achieve than others, but I hope that by sharing them with you I can stick to them.

Do you set monthly goals? If so, what are your goals for August?

my running journey: Restarting it & Where to next?

I’d love to be able to run – like fast and for long periods of time. Running an ultra marathon is one of my biggest dreams at the moment. So, that’s why we’re here. I want to share my running journey plans with you.

Let’s discuss my journey so far

I run, sometimes. I’m yet to form a habit of consistently running, which is what I want to do. I’ve gone through phases of being consistent for a few weeks, but nothing longer than a month.

I’ll start to notice results and then stop running, so I go back to the beginning.

Recently, I ran my first half marathon with a time of 3:12:03. So, averaging 9:03/km. I hadn’t run for ages and was coming off an injury. All I wanted to do was complete it in under 3:30:00; so, I’m happy with my result, but I would love to be able to cut that in half.

Where to next?

My current aim is to run 3-4 times a week now. I’ve set up a 10km plan on my Garmin Connect to run one in under one hour. So, I’m hoping to stick to that – although, I decided to start it as South Australia’s lockdown began. I’ll more than likely end up running as I please, while trying to build up speed and stamina to go further and fast.

It’s a journey I’m determined to take and share with you. And I’ll do so through my Instagram and Strava.

So, time to put on the running shoes and get moving.

I’ve never been more ready for my next chapter. There’s something about being called a runner that appeals to me (an asthmatic). Let’s see how this goes.

Do any of you run? Or do you have Strava?

I did yoga for 30 days: here’s what happened

Never in my life, did I think I would be writing this; to say that I did yoga every day for 30 days… Okay, let me explain a little more. I suck at completing challenges, like a lot. Normally I get about five days in, and that’s it, that’s the challenge done. But obviously, this time was different.

So, what happened, and what did I do?

The 30 days of yoga challenge

Let’s start with the challenge. What did I do? Well, initially, I wanted to do a change solely focusing on flexibility… We’ll get to that eventually. But then as it was coming up to June, I knew Adriene from Yoga with Adriene would be releasing her June challenge, and I thought why not? So, that’s the challenge I did! It’s called Expand and if you’re interested in completing it yourself here’s the playlist link.

I wasn’t sure what to expect. The main thing I wanted to do was get through the full 30 days. I was hoping for more flexibility and peace of mind. If you’re interested in finding out if I got those, keep on reading.

Day one: Yoga For Risk Takers

Beginning the challenge was exciting. I was eager to get on the mat, and it felt good to take some time out of my day to flow. I was slightly concerned over the fact that I had a knee injury.

Day two: Yoga For Creating Space

The fact that my knee was stopping me from running really allowed me to slow down and take the time to move differently and I was thankful for that.

Day three: Pranayama Potion

I wasn’t expecting this session to be what it was. It was a little harder to get through because I like moving and being still is challenging. Although, it felt good to be on the mat. I felt calmer.

Day four: Yoga For Connection

From what I can remember, I enjoyed this flow. My knee wasn’t hurting like I thought it would. All I knew is that I wanted to commit fully to this challenge.

Day five: Third Chakra Yoga

I’m not one for longer sessions unless they’re in a studio setting. So, I struggled a bit to get through this one. I felt challenged due to my tight muscles and because of the length.

Day six: Awaken The Artist Within

Another longer session. I had my darling cat John sit with me and make himself known. He doesn’t like voices from my phone and enjoys trying to distract me.

Day seven: Yoga For Flexible Mind and Body

I was excited to do this one. Not only was it new to Adriene’s channel, but it was also shorter. I also noticed how much easier downward dog has become (my shoulders are opening up more).

Day eight: Crow Practice

Let’s just say I would love to be able to do crow easily. Adriene makes it look so smooth. The session itself felt good.

Day nine: Yoga For The Spine

Oh my goodness, my back did feel good after this one. The number of crunches I felt while flowing – my back is always incredibly tight and often enough painful. Although, I did struggle with the length of the session.

Day 10: Yoga For Gut Health

A slower session, but it felt nice. It was shorter and wasn’t strenuous. Nice and easy. Coming to the mat is easier now, which makes me excited to keep going.

Day 11: Yoga Stretch

My mind wandered a little bit. I wasn’t fully into the practice, and I think I just wasn’t able to connect with myself.

Day 12: Yoga For Self Discipline

This one was tough, I wasn’t feeling it and the fact that it was the longest out of all the sessions made it harder.

Day 13: Yoga To Gain Perspective

I’d completed this session before, so, I roughly knew what to expect. I felt strong and grounded – which was such a nice feeling to end the day on.

Day 14: Sunrise Yoga

I honestly cannot believe I made it this far. Yoga single day. Coming to the mat for myself. It felt nice having a shorter session. My plank feels stronger and I’m feeling better about myself again.

Day 15: Yoga For Upper Back Pain

Something nice and easy.

Day 16: Core Strength Ritual

This session had my abs sore for days, which surprised me (in all honesty).

Day 17: Head & Heart Reset

I don’t think I was feeling this session. If I can remember correctly. I felt tight and unable to loosen up.

Day 18: Freedom Flow

I didn’t really enjoy the style of this flow. So, thankfully it was a shorter session.

Day 19: Head Stand Yoga Pose

I was hesitant about this one. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning the foundations of headstands.

Day 20: Yoga Morning Fresh

I held off for most of the day, so it was evening fresh rather than morning. My own fault for putting it off.

Day 21: Up Your Connect

I went on holiday, but still managed to stick to it, without a mat.

Day 22: Fundamentals of Ease

I enjoyed this session. I did it while also watching SBS Food in the background and it was a nice way to end the day.

Day 23: Feel Good Flow

If I can remember correctly, I enjoyed this one.

Day 24: Yoga For Cyclists

After sitting in a car for most of the day, it felt good to stretch.

Day 25: Foundations of Shoulder Stand

Time got away from me, and I missed my first session of the month.

Day 26: Yoga For Relaxation

Relaxation is the word. It felt nice. I felt good on the mat.

Day 27: Yoga To Shift Perspective

I don’t think I wanted to be on the mat. It was harder to get. I was happy for the session to be over.

Day 28: Yoga For Gardeners

I didn’t end up doing this session as time got away from me.

Day 29: Street Yoga

Not what I expected, but thankful it was short as I had to go to work.

Day 30: Yoga Party

I was excited to finish the challenge. This session felt easier complete.

Wow, there you have it. The last 30 days summarised in a few sentences. Now, to go a little more in-depth as to what happened:

In terms of flexibility, I tried to take a before and after, but my after was influenced by some incredibly tight and sore legs after getting back into the gym. So, while I noticed an improvement in my flexibility and movement, I also noticed a huge mental shift.

I feel so much better. While not every day was easy to get on the mat, and I didn’t enjoy every session. But I always seemed to feel a certain calm on the mat. I feel stronger mentally and physically.

I also had hoped to film a YouTube video to go along with this challenge, but it wasn’t up to what I was hoping for so into the trash it goes.

Okay wow, what a long post, but that’s my yoga journey so far. It’s been a very on and off journey over the years, and I’m really hoping to stick to it and keep on practising. While I missed two days of this challenge, I’m incredibly proud of myself for sticking with it. I’m ready to take on anything now.

And if you’re interested in any of the benefits from practising, I have a blog post on this which you can read here.

Do you do practice and/or would you like to?

Marion Bay Photo diaries: my first solo holiday

Last week I spent a few days away, by myself, at Marion Bay. If you follow me on Instagram, I’m sure you would have already seen a few photos. I’ve been cautious sharing them, considering I was away by myself.

But now that I’m back home, let’s jump straight into it, shall we?

Marion Bay

21 June 2021, Monday

The drive there. That’s the easiest way to describe Monday. I left home around 8:50 AM and headed to Gawler, and I picked up some groceries I had ordered through Woolworths direct to boot (they accept PayPal, and I had a balance I needed using). Then I headed up towards Balaklava. Mum and dad both suggested that route rather than Dublin to avoid the Princes Highway. I stopped at Port Wakefield for some food before stopping again at Clinton and again at Ardrossan. At Ardrossan, I went for a walk along the jetty to stretch my legs. Then I decided I wanted to head to Edithburgh and filled up petrol there before finally making my way to Marion Bay. After settling in, I went for a short walk along the beach to end my day of driving.

22 June 2021, Tuesday

Probably my biggest day out of all of them – especially in terms of movement and adventuring. With the threat of rain coming in the early afternoon, I rolled out of bed and made my way into Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park. I had already planned what I wanted to do. I drove to the other side to start with the Browns Beach to Gym Beach Hike, where it started raining when I was about 2km out from finishing. So, then I plodded back along the road, stopping at all the beaches to have a look.

The rain had settled by the time I reached the Royston Head Hike. So, I launched into it, knowing more was to come – and it did, cold, hard and fast back to my car (it stopped after five minutes of me sitting in my car). I continued to stop at all the beaches and made my way to West Cape, where I did the very quick and windy West Cape Headland Hike, with the sun shining. Oh, and I was walking through a blister from my first hike. I stopped to look at the Ethel Wreck and then at the Cape Spencer Lighthouse before deciding enough was enough and that everything else could wait until Wednesday.

23 June 2021, Wednesday

I woke up feeling sore and a little tighter than normal due to how much I had walked on Tuesday. But that wasn’t going to stop me. So, once again, I rolled out of bed to sunshine. Initially, the weather was meant to be worse than Tuesday – raining and windy – but the wind was yet to pick up, and the rain, well, who knows where that went. First up, I made my way to the Stenhouse Bay Jetty and realised I don’t really like walking on jetties by myself. Afterwards, I did the Stenhouse Bay Lookout Walk and went to all but one lookout. While I was there, I drove down to have a little look at Little Emu Beach before heading off to do the Thomson-Pfitzner Plaster Trail Hike.

I ended up going along the Spur track first, which gave me some concern because I wasn’t on the trail Avenza Maps was showing, but I ended up in the Inneston Historic Township as intended. I wandered along the Inneston Historic Walk before making my way back along the correct trail for the Thomson-Pfitzner hike. Then I decided enough was enough as I was sore and tired, time to head back to Marion Bay, but I wanted to stop in at the visitor centre first; however, that was closed due to a meeting. When exiting the car park, I noticed a sign to go to another beach, and that’s where I went, all the way out to Jollys Beach, before actually heading back to the place where I was staying. I took it easy the rest of the day, writing blog posts, editing photos and just spending time on hobbies.

24 June 2021, Thursday

And so, my holiday has come to an end. I cleaned the villa Wednesday night but woke early to ensure it was as clean as I arrived. Leaving, I was concerned about the drive home due to the windy weather but decided to take the long way home by heading to Wallaroo. I stopped at Minlaton for breakfast. I had a coffee and apple plum crumble at Ye Olde Cafe and it was delicious. Then I headed up to Wallaroo, stopping briefly to stretch my legs. My next brief stop was in Dublin, before making my way home. It was a pretty boring day, just driving home as I had to work.

I didn’t take any photos during my drive home. But I did make a YouTube video to share what I got up to – it’s not the best, but I’m trying to create more content over there.

And that is the end of my first solo holiday. These images are a collection taken on my camera, my phone, and a film camera.

If you enjoy this type of post, make sure to check out my travel category for more plus some other fun stuff.

Plastic Free July: take the challenge and reduce your plastic use

Plastic Free July is happening very soon, and it’s safe to say, I’m excited. I’ve been struggling with my plastic usage recently (it’s been slightly on the increase); so, this challenge has come at the perfect time.

So, what is Plastic Free July?

Plastic Free July Logo

Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities.

Plastic Free July

In 2011, Plastic Free July was started by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz (the Plastic Free Foundation) and a small team in local government in Western Australia.

How can you participate?

If you head over to their website and click ‘take the challenge’, you’ll be prompted to register. All you’ve got to do is fill out your name, email, address and tick a few boxes. It’s simple and easy to sign up. I’m about to sign up for this year myself. Their website is full of information, tips and tricks if you’re not sure where to start or want to further your low-waste/plastic-free journey.

You can also follow them on Instagram where they share even more inspiration.

Once you have signed, the next step is to figure out how you can best reduce your plastic. What swaps will be easier? What will take a little more time? This is really where their Instagram and website comes in handy, as well as plastic-free/zero-waste influencers and bloggers.

I also believe it’s important to understand why reducing our plastic intake is crucial to help our planet (and us). If you’re not sure where to get started, I’d highly recommend watching A Plastic Ocean or any other documentary highlighting the impacts of plastic pollution. Researching information about plastic pollution is a great way to help you understand why change needs to happen – and we can be that change.

I also have a blog post on 10 bathroom swaps we can make to have a more low-waste bathroom if you’re looking to make swaps there.

Plastic free swaps

I’m going to jump back to the Plastic Free July website here to share their Getting Started and Next Step resources in case you’re interested in making a particular swap.

There’s a lot of content to go through, as you can tell. This means there’s a lot of swaps we can make to help our planet.

So, why not give Plastic Free July a go this year? Like I’ve mentioned, it’s a great way to start and/or further your plastic-free journey with like-minded people. I’ll be doing it with you.

Let me know if you’re going to give Plastic Free July a go, we can work together!

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