Friday Favourites

This week I've been trying to cut back on sugar. I don't drink alcohol nor coffee, and I have take-aways about 4 or 5 times a year. Sugar is my only vice, and even then I gave up pure sweets over a year ago because they're mostly just sugar. Marshmallows are the only exception, and I eat them very rarely, too. We'll overlook last year's marshmallow advent calendar. It's just sugar in the form of cookies and chocolate, really, and while it's true that I prefer brands like Green & Black's, with unrefined cane sugar, and Hotel Chocolat, who use little sugar and huge amounts of cocoa (even their white chocolate is 40%), it's still an area for improvement. Though that's not to say I'm cutting it out, but to have gone four days without touching refined sugar at all is a victory for me. The trick is to have healthy snacks on hand, and I have an abundance of Graze, Bounce and Pulsin on hand, as well as lots of Propercorn popcorn to make it easier.

So, naturally, I'm crushing on healthy foods right now, and Propercorn's peanut butter and almond has been my favourite for a long while.

I also found a wonderful and sustainable UK clothing brand called Descended From Odin, and their Training for Ragnorok cropped gym tee is something I'm aspiring towards being brave enough to wear. I might have to limit it to high-waisted leggings, but I'm working on my confidence.

I've also been fighting to use heavier weights in my workouts, because I realised that, while I'm choosing the right workouts to build strength, lean muscle and lose weight, I haven't been pushing myself. I've set up camp in my comfort zone and been too afraid to opt for heavier weights in case I can't complete the set. Wrong. So I've change my outlook and decided that 2/3 of a set with heavy weights and dropping down if I need to for the rest is totally fine - and it turns out, I've not needed to drop down. I've increased the weight on nearly everything. Goes to show how 'safe' I was playing it.

If you don't challenge yourself, you get nowhere.

Also, Assassin's Creed's new DLC came out recently, moving on to 4 years after the events of Origins and Caesar's murder into the time when the Romans begin invading in earnest to try to topple Cleopatra and Marc Anthony's rule. Origins was easily mu favourite AC game, so I'm so excited to be going back into the world again!

Also also, adorable mugs.

Propercorn Peanut Butter & Almond popcorn   ♥   Training For Ragnorok gym top

Emoji mug, spoon & lid   ♥   Assassin's Creed The Hidden Ones DLC