My Travel Philosophy - Five Things To Take With You

After doing quite a bit of travelling recently, I wanted to share some of my thoughts with you about being a fat travelling girl. 

So here’s the thing, I truly believe that everyone should be able to do what they like with their life regardless of their size – it is not up to someone else and their insecurities to stop you from accomplishing a goal or realizing a dream. I say this because I see posts on social media everyday where fat people express their major anxieties and down right refusals to travel (among other things) because of their fear of what others will say, do, how they will react etc.

I completely understand this and those worries – I have been there and can sympathize, but I’m happy to report that I am also at a place where it is a lot less of a concern. Since January, I have visited six new countries and flown countless times, and have had no comments or mention about my weight in a negative way. I’ve been grateful to have pool side conversations with other women about embracing your size, body and everything in between and to bring up just how few people genuinely are looking at you or care about your size or insecurities.

On my holiday last month to Turkey, I had a good ponder and decided that I would share my thoughts on how to stay positive while travelling fat.

1.     Embrace your size – you will be the size that you are regardless or whether you shrug, sulk and cower within yourself so you might as well stand tall and take charge. If you do get a comment or a remark, acknowledge it, let them know it’s unnecessary and rude and move on. Negative energy and attitude belongs to those that dish it out and you do not have to accept it.

2.     Wear clothing that makes you feel good – There is nothing brave about wearing a bikini on a beach or by the pool, just as it’s not shameful to choose a one piece, we all have different comfort levels and we should, while remembering to push the right boundaries, remain comfortable. If going to the beach or pool for a swim is already a massive step on your road to confidence, then wear something that makes you feel good, not what you think is brave. Bravery is not the objective but the act of swimming itself is.

3.     Accept challenges and live your life outside the box – I see so many people saying they can’t or won’t travel because of low self-esteem or even due to not having someone to travel with. Imagine what you could accomplish on your own, the places you could see, and better yet the people you could meet. The very trip you are frightened of taking could sort out so many of life’s woes, simply by going solo.

4.     Travel somewhere that you truly want to go. Every trip should have a purpose, even if that purpose is simply to relax. Plan a trip to Italy if you want history and food, a trip to a warm beach spot for relaxation (if that’s your thing) or head to a local spa for the weekend and simply treat yourself.  If you are afraid to travel, try building up to it – start small and work up to something special. Putting a focus on where you want to go and planning will help you realize it. If you are somewhere that fascinates and excites you, you will be so busy thinking about what you are seeing that those body negative demons won’t have time to creep in like they sometimes do at home.

5.     Smile, and laugh whenever possible – confidence comes from within and even if you aren't feeling it everyday, making an effort to look happy will attract happy, and therefor will come back to make you feel the same. If you travel, smile everywhere you go, it’s infectious, people will see and feel this beam of good and it will open you up to positive interactions.

The point I am trying to make is that I wish everyone to find ways to feel as liberated as I do when I travel. Don't ever let the opinions of other people or your own negative thoughts stop you from going somewhere!

My Top 5 London Eats

Hello lovelies!
So today I am breaking out of the usual fashion posts to start a new series for my blog. I love lists and  sharing, so I thought I would marry the two and create a top five feature, to share some of my favourite bits and bobs. This week, it's all about my favourite places to eat in London! This list is a mix of great spots all the city but also great if you are visiting and want to have excellent food all the time!

1. The Mall Tavern
The Basics: West London - Notting Hill Gate Tube - Gastro Pub
This pub is worth travelling for, so all you East Londoners get on the central line and come up West for a night. Be sure to book if you are having food, as they are busy. The menu is seasonal so changes with what is good throughout the year but it is always sensational. Must have staples on the menu are the soda bread, chicken pate (according to my non veggie fiancé) and the homemade Rolos for dessert. The drinks are delicious and they have a great selection of beers and cocktails. If you are looking for something special to do, book the Kitchen Table where you get to spend an amazing evening meal at a beautiful private table in the kitchen, and sample the entire menu!

2. Cinnamon Brick Lane
The Basics: East London - Liverpool Street Tube - Indian Curry House
I always get asked by friends when they visit London where they should have the best curry and of course the answer is always: Brick Lane. However, when you get to Brick Lane the choice is endless and the people calling you out on the street makes it hard to really decide. Having tried many spots, I always return to one - Cinnamon. It looks very much the same to the rest of the curry restaurants on the street but the food is delicious and very well priced and the staff are lovely. I recommend the Paneer Masala(veggie friendly) and coconut rice! Be cheeky and ask for a free drink as it's often the custom on Brick Lane.  No need to book, just show up and enjoy!

3. Dumplings' Legend 
The Basics: Central London (China Town) - Leceister Square Tube - Chinese Dumpling/ Dim Sum
There are so many Chinese restaurants in China Town as one would expect,  but knowing where to go for food can be tough with so many offers in the windows. Dumpling's Legend has a great menu with loads of variety and it's all very tasty and reasonably priced. The service was good and very fast and it's also a great spot for big groups as they have large tables. This is a menu you have to test out yourself so I won't recommend anything in particular but everything we had was so yummy and was eaten up quick! You can book but if you are a smaller group you can just show up and eat!

4. Lisa's Kitchen and Bar
The Basics: West London - Ladbroke Grove Tube (Portobello Road Market) - Swedish Food
This new Swedish kitchen and bar is a gorgeous little place tucked away in Portobello Road market. It's white walls and clean design give it a very authentic Swedish feel, and the food is everything you would want and expect. I highly recommend the Swedish breakfast which has delicious avocado  and cheese topped crisp bread, bernaise sauce and much more. The coffee is great and the staff are delightful! If you fancy dessert have a waffle - they really hit the spot! I can't wait to test the bar out and have more of the delicious menu!

5. Borough Market
The Basics: South London - London Bridge Tube - Epic Foodie Market
Borough Market is foodie heaven - anything your heart desires is probably waiting for you at a stand in this market. Nestled below the train arches of London Bridge the market has an indoor and outdoor section with everything from fresh veg, cupboard necessities to beer infused cheeses and fancy hot fresh prepared food! It's hard to recommend only a couple of things here as the smells will pull you in, but be sure to check out the Turkish deli for the almond or orange filled olives, also the Bread Ahead bakery does delicious varieties of bread and cakes too! Plan to spend at least half a day wandering and sampling - you will not be disappointed!

So there you have it! My top 5 eats in London! Have you tried any of these hot spots? Let me know if you have or if you be sure to comment and tell me about your experience!

The List Narrows and The Schedule Widens

Hello,

Ok so the previous post was merely a summary of my basic life plan, and now I'm beginning to sound like an ultra-dork, but I promise you it will get better from here on in. So the beginning of September came and went and I found an apartment in the South end of the city with my friend Caitlin. We moved in on the first, and I was also fortunate enough to acquire a somewhat serious job at a delightful little candy store downtown, called Sweet Jane's. I had always had secret or maybe not so secret dreams about working there when I was a student, so now I am living out those dreams.

With that taken care of, I could move on to my city exploration task. I think I should tell you all that I am not exceptionally great at many things, so am often finding that I need to learn and practice even the simplest things over and over. For example, I still have no clue how people do their shoe laces up with the one loop method, I only understand bunny ears.

While we traveled in Asia, I found myself in many clubs and bars and experiencing the nightlife. I realized very quickly that I have no idea how to dance, or at least don't feel comfortable with myself dancing for fear or being ridiculed by those better than me. Solution? Learn to dance. 

Number one on my list became to search out dance classes in Halifax. I figured that it would be unfair to only take one, as there are so many different kinds of dance. So I chose two. For the last two weeks I have been attending a Latin dance class at Shake It Dance Studio on Cornwallis Street, up in the North End, which runs for ten weeks in total.  And this coming week, I begin eight weeks of Uganda dance at the Maritimes African Dance Centre.

Now that I have covered the dance portion of my life, I thought to myself, "I'm going to need more cardio physical activity!" so I followed that search up with a kijiji search for classes. I have found that Kijiji can be real inspiration to anyone who is bored and looking for something to do. Not only did I learn about a lot of fun stuff to do in the city, but I also learned that I could purchase a male llama for $1000 and get a free female one! (Too bad I don't have a backyard, or $1000)

On Kijiji, I was once again provided with a brand new set of ideas. Boot camps. Now I am not one for discipline, but I can tell you this, I hate going to the gym, so I would much rather have someone boss me around for an hour while I exercise. In the Halifax area, there are several women's workout boot camps that I could attend, but I have chosen to take the Core Essentials boot camp on Saturday mornings for first timers. Some of you may be wondering why I chose this one, and to be honest it was a combination of the time and the cost. The other boot camps require you to bring supplies like weights and yoga mats, which are things that I don't have and they also give you a bunch of "free stuff," like shirts and books and recipe calenders. I say "free" in quotes because the cost of these boot camps are almost $60 more than the Core Essentials, which is as I understand the same kind of workout. I am there for the workout, not the fluffy stuff.

Boot camp doesn't start until next Saturday, October 2nd, and I am pretty excited

Just when you thought I had a full schedule, I signed up for more classes. Tomorrow, Sunday, September 27th, I start a Hula Hoop class at In Essence studio on Barrington Street. It is apparently one of the best workouts you can do for yourself, and also sounds like a blast. I'll let you know how I do, because as of this moment, I can't keep a hula hoop going for longer than 6.3 seconds.

I promise you that this is the last addition to my after work life for the next couple of weeks, but I was also fortunate enough to discover and get accepted into a DJ program with Reachability. I started the class last week and I will make a separate post to let you all know how it went, otherwise this is just going to get crazy! 

 

So there you have it, a mass overview of the fun things to do in Halifax. These are all activities that I know little or nothing at all about and am going to fill you in on all the details. 

Check back soon for updates on all the fun stuff I'm doing. Don't worry I'll be sure to include all the other fun stuff I do, like nights on the town, and random trips and of course bad photos of funny things.

Spec