10 Healthy Habits to Live By

Oh how I love that health has become cool. It wasn't long ago that choosing a salad over a burger had to be justified to people with a 'I ate not that long ago' or 'I'm on a diet', even if it wasn't true and you just fancied being healthy. Now it's the opposite, if on the rare occasion I go for the less healthy option I'll say 'I'll treat myself today' or 'Just once, don't worry I'm still me'. I don't know if this is down to getting older or Instagram's hold on the world with it's fitness hype. Either way, I love it. I finally don't feel weird for treating my body well and there are so many amazing & healthy places to eat now!

I don't believe in diets, they don't work, they are short term and make you feel awful if you don't quite stick to it. I do believe in a healthy lifestyle and having healthy habits. Like a puppy, being healthy should be for life, not for Christmas...or the week after Christmas in the case of a diet. So here are a few things I try to live by.

1. Set yourself steady, realistic goals Don't aim to lose weight or gain weight, because that can easily be reversed and is one goal that has a finishing line, aim to be fit and healthy. If you aim to lose weight,  you will cut your food intake, maybe eat less than you should or exercise more than you should. When you get to your desired weight, you will have no follow up goal, so it's likely you will drop out of the healthy ways you have temporarily adopted and gain/lose those pounds again. If your goal is to be fit & healthy, gaining or losing weight  will naturally come into it if you are over/under weight and it has no end goal! You will just love the feeling of being healthy and you can keep setting yourself mini goals to be that bit fitter or healthier, without weighing, focus on muscle/stamina or just how you feel within yourself.

2. Eat to Nourish This one is so important and one that so many people get wrong. Food is NOT the enemy. Your body needs a healthy balance of all food groups to have the energy to workout, carry out daily activities and generally survive without getting major 'hangry' issues. These two statements are key: If you are trying to lose weight, cutting major calories will make it less sustainable and your metabolism is going to be super slow. This means, when you start eating normally to maintain, your body will actually hold on to the food as it expects to not be fed properly for a while, causing you to gain some of the fat back. 

Secondly, if you are working out a lot, cardio or strength training...EAT ENOUGH PROTEIN.

On this topic, eating healthily or 'clean' doesn't mean just eating chicken and broccoli. You'd be surprised what every day foods are actually healthy (I sense an idea for a new blog post...)

3. Sleep I need not say more. This isn't just a nice thing, it's a needed thing. When you sleep your body heals itself, hence why if you don't sleep properly for a while you get ill. Sleep is nice, why deprive yourself?!

4. Work out in a way you enjoy Running for an hour every morning isn't for everyone, some people love it, some people (including me) hate it. 

I have just started training with a new Personal Trainer, I've only had two sessions so far (I just returned from one actually!), but I have never felt better! She has motivated me and reminded me how much I love the feeling of a killer workout. I really love strength training, the feeling of your muscles getting stronger. I also go horse riding when I go back to my parents house and attend gym classes a few times a week. Switch it up, keep it fresh and exciting! Find what works for you.

5. Recovery is just as important as the workout When you start to get really into the rhythm of working out most days, it can be hard to make yourself stay at home and give your body a rest. If you over do it, it is possible to do more harm than good. Take it slow at first, don't throw yourself in at the deep end, give your muscles time to adjust to the new found healthy you!

6. Prep & Plan Everyone bangs on about this. There is a reason... planning is key. I'm not a big 'meal prep' kinda gal, to be honest that's just tedious and I trust myself to roll with it a bit more nowadays and I have the time. I only do it if I know I'm going to be working a lot and not have a lot of time to cook. But I ALWAYS plan (I am an organisation freak), I get so panicky and my anxiety kicks in if I haven't planned. But I can't stress enough, that is NOT a good thing, I just use it for good in prepping my work outs, to do lists, meal planning etc. I use it to stay productive now, so turn your weaknesses into strengths, that IS a good thing!

7. WATER Drink lots of it...and then drink more. Not only does this keep your body functioning the way it should, it also keeps your skin lovely and glowy... which you all want. Hydration hydration hydration! You'll feel alive, fresh and beautiful

8. Balance is key Lets be honest, being good all the time is boring and not healthy for your soul. If you fancy that chocolate, have a little square, if you want a night out, go out with your friends and enjoy it, then work out with the same friends the next day. Just have a healthy balance of good and naughty. It is just as important to have a healthy mind, as well as a healthy body. What is the point in having a killer body if you're absolutely miserable? The way I see it, you won't get to having a killer body if you're miserable because you won't want to keep going or you'll end up leaning toward unhealthy mental habits... which leads onto my next point...

9. Stop beating yourself up Life is there to be lived, it doesn't revolve around being healthy 100% of the time, that isn't always the most important thing. There is no such thing as slipping up, there is only making the choices you want to make at the time for what will make you happiest in the long run. If you do something that you regret, don't dwell on it, it made you happy at the time and sometimes, that is fine. As I said before, you have to have a happy soul as well as a happy body.

Whatever your goal or end game, beating yourself up mentally will only set you back, positivity is the most important and biggest change that needs to happen if you want to become a healthier & happier version of you. Only do what you enjoy, nothing more and nothing less.

10. Think Positive ALWAYS. There is an upside to everything in life, even if you can't see it right now. Something good is just around the corner, I promise. If you're anything like me, most things seem like the end of the world at the time, are forgotten about the next day. So take a deep breath, shut your eyes and think rationally... There is ALWAYS something good to take from every situation.

And there you have it. I want to hear any other healthy habits you guys have, or anything you disagree with. Let me know!

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

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How to know which path to choose

The question everyone, ever wants to know the answer to.

And here it is...

You don't.

Yup, there you go, there's my gem of advice. It sounds like a pretty crappy one right? But honestly, when I embraced that, things changed. 
I am a perfectionist, and I give it a whole new meaning, I am brutal to myself if I don't meet my own standards and always doing the best thing, choosing the perfect words to say at the exact right time, singing every note perfectly with no pitchyness, never making a silly mistake in a relationship. Wouldn't we all love it if things just fell into place like that?
Well they don't and you can't mould and shape everything around you, and that's what makes it so fun to be human.

Four years ago, I would have laughed at you if you told me I was going to be in an incredible relationship that, 3 and a half years in was as strong as Jay-Z and Beyonce. I would have laughed even harder if you'd told me he would be away for 6 months at a time playing drums in random countries whilst I stayed in the UK. Yet here I am, sat in Bahrain, taking 10 days out of my crazy (Boss Bitch) work life back in London, to see my amazing drummer boy 3 months into his 6 month stint.
Yeah, I've made some bad choices, some very very bad choices, that landed me in hospital for long periods of time (A story I may or may never tell on here, we'll see) but no matter how bad things get, there is always a path to take to rectify it. I also believe that any bad path can be turned into a good one. You learn from everything.
Somethings may seem like the worst at the time, yeah maybe you did something really bad or someone did something really bad to you, but thats the beauty. Great things can come from tiny screw ups, there is always a next day and there is always a chance for something awesome to happen.

I feel like this is turning into a full on hippy, peace and love post, so I'm going to shut up now. The point, however, still stands.
Sometimes just shut your eyes and walk down a path. Who knows what will happen, who knows who you might meet...you just need to put yourself out there for these things to happen...

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

Ever wondered how to live without wifi?

No, you probably haven't. Let's be honest...

You wouldn't put yourself through that torture unless you absolutely had to. No, torture isn't too strong of a word, it is like weaning yourself off a drug or cigarettes, you go through phases of withdrawal. But do you come out stronger?

We moved into our new flat 2 months ago now, and we got wifi 2 days ago. TWO WHOLE MONTHS. NO INTERNET. NO CONNECTION TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Stage one.

'What do I do? Seriously, there is nothing to do other than stare at a wall. Activities? What are they?'
This is the weird one, you feel disconnected and it's funny how you GENUINELY have no idea what to do or how to communicate with people on a face to face level without getting awkward and running out of things to do. I kept finding myself getting so bored and sitting there just doing nothing... If you're wondering, going through photos on your phone and deleting them, because you only know how to be on your phone, is still nothing.

Stage two.

People are actually interesting, it starts getting easier to live without the constant pinging of some kind of computer. 
I personally realised in this stage, I had finished university a month ago at this point, my boyfriend had moved to a land far, far away and I was living with my two best friends. So umm.... do something? And I did... I got a place on an internship, like an actual career boosting internship, not just walking around selling clothes. (I'm aware that is a career, and not an easy one at that, it's just not my choice) 
I started DOING things with my friends, going out, getting to REALLY know them, spending quality time with them and making memories. Also started really thinking about what I want to do with my future, networking, making valuable connections with people. 
I have always been healthy and cared about fitness, but I have started to be much more in tune with my body and actually dedicated to being the best version of myself, physically and mentally. Fitness is actually an incredible feeling!

Stage three.

Frustration. Yeah, stage two seemed all too good to be true? That's because it was... All of the above is 100% true and I still swear by it all...BUT...
You realise in this world, you now NEED internet to actually do all the things you need to do in these cool jobs you now have, to contact the people you have now met and to save the photos of the memories you have now created. Saying that, I do believe you can do it without internet, but you have to have some seriously strong moral thoughts on this and powerful commitment to the belief. I don't, sorry. The Electronic Music, and just music scene in general, really doesn't allow for that.

Stage four.

A whole lot of switching between stages two and three. 
The arguments, the annoyance of losing money and time thanks to jobs you can't do/take longer. Being forced into actually SEEING people, resulting in having way more fun. Not being able to talk to your boyfriend properly other than in Pret (Pret, I love you forever). Thinking you've got it, then realising Talk Talk have screwed it up again, and again, and again. Paying £90 a month on phone bills because you've had to pay for more data, and then ran out again and realised - IPHONES DON'T WORK WITHOUT DATA... like... AT ALL.

Stage five.

The day you finally get internet again! Yeah, so, what does it do again?

Over doing it and spending far too much online shopping. Writing blog posts. Taking the opportunity to work from home, in your PJs all day, finally.
Basically, I am currently binging or you could call it a relapse...

BUT. Lesson?

I genuinely prefer human contact. 
I have learnt so much about myself on this little internet cleanse. Yes, I had limited access to internet whilst in the office or for those few days a month I actually had data on my phone, (Snapchat and Instagram apparently RINSE all data) but that's the definition of weaning right?
I have over come so many of my weird hang ups, just as a result of going out and putting myself in scary/beneficial situations. 
I have done SO much for myself, partially because Will (boyfriend) hasn't been here as well (sorry to admit that one Willy...what can I say, you're needy ;).)

Proof that I have actually stepped outside my house and not hid under a rock? Okay, here you go:

1|| Your Mum's House, The Nest with Casey
2|| Walk to work over Tower Bridge
3|| New Job includes being in studios. Yeah. Awesome, I know
4|| My little Chia Seed
5|| All Saints Squad. Ollie, Emma & Alex. Babes.
6|| SW4 Festival with the Chia Seed
7|| So this happened at work. A dog. In a bag.
8|| This also happened at work... Clearly there were mixed feelings.

So, I recommend it, put yourself into internet rehab/cleanse/whatever you wanna call it. It might actually shock you how much fun you have and how much there is to learn about the people you already know, they aren't actually that lame.

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

Sunday Summary 15/02

I have decided I am going to start doing weekly summaries (most weeks, some weeks they might just be too boring for your eyes), this way I can keep you updated in a more structured way, and those of you who know me know that I love a bit of structure in my life. Control freak, yes.

So this week has been a bit of a crazy one for me! If you spied my previous blog post, you will see that I rebranded EVERYTHING to run along side my career as a music artist. You will no longer find anything under my previous name of Little Hufff, but now under Chloë Rona, sorry if this confused anyone! Good news though, this means I will be so much more active on here and providing you with lots of my chitter chatter, videos, music and probably general nonsense that was fun at the time. So keep an eye, I really hope you all like where this exciting stuff will be going!!

I know it was just my first baby step, but this week has really shown me how much people step up when you need them to, and how much they really do care! Put your faith in people sometimes, it may not just be a front, they may actually be nice people!
I am terrible for that, I am far to cynical, I always think people are pretending to care and as soon as you're gone, they will forget, but the amount of support I have received this week from so many different people, people I haven't spoken to in years and people I don't even know, has just left me completely speechless.
So, if you are reading this, then you are one of those amazing people! You babe, you ;)

1, 2 3 & 4 || An incredible vegetarian/healthy restaurant just off Oxford Street, Ethos. Highly recomend!
5 || Lovely calm before the storm, full of goodness green smoothie bowl before my performance exam (hence the lyrics). With Organic Burst Maca & Wheatgrass. Honestly, I can't live without this company. So much love!
6 || Launch of all my online artist pages! Links at the side.
7 || New Uniform from the best company to work for! All Saints. Top || Nicole Piuma Top Jeans || Mast/Slashed Black Shoes || Aiden Jules Boots
8 || The building I live in somehow caught fire
9 || I managed to slam my finger in a fire door running out. Classic Chloë, make a bad situation even worse!
10 || Another cheeky photo from my Shoot ;)

Things I have learnt this week?
Easy.

1 || People will AMAZE you when given the chance
2 || When you believe in yourself, others believe in you as well
3 || Exams can be super fun! Especially when it is the 'Rock & Metal' term.
4 || I don't give my Parents enough credit at how amazing they are
5 || FIRE DOORS ARE HEAVY. DO NOT SHUT YOUR FINGER IN THEM.

Here is my cover of 'Blind Heart' by Cazzette again for you!

Much Love,

Chloë Rona

XO

The Predictable Christmas Post

First things first, I hope you all had a MAGICAL Christmas!
I certainly did, I really thought this year was going to be the first year I was't going to see my family, due to many life obstacles, but we made it work. Which made it even better!

Christmas has a different meaning to everyone, throughout your life that meaning sometimes changes as your priorities change and you, in some cases, grow up. Christmas for me has always been about spending quality time with my family, the one day a year that nothing matters other than the people you are with and enjoying yourself on that day.
Every family has their own routine on Christmas day, how well that is kept to is hit and miss, but this year ours was slightly different to usual, we have never spent Christmas day at a friends house until this year, but it was one of the best Christmases yet!

My magical day in photos:

Wrapping Presents with 'A Christmas Carol' on TV. Of course.

My Mum always decorated my room for when I come home. Cutie.

The Before...

...And the after! Santa Stockings for 3, Bright and early Christmas Morning!

No Christmas is complete without this image <3

Parent selfie!

My one and only

Much Love,

Chloë XO

Your mind set is more powerful than you know!

I don't even know where to start with this week...

Firstly, I have had such a good week, it has been quite eye opening. 
I am going to start by letting you into my little personal world a bit, by telling you what my best friend said to me a couple of weeks ago. With completely good intentions she said 'I love you, but you have so much bad energy around you recently, it's just not good for you or anyone else around you.' At first, as you can imagine, my reaction was something a long the lines of 'I am going to listen and pretend I care, then in five minutes I am going to not talk to you for a week because that was mean.' In all honesty, I am a horrible person, because that is exactly what I did, at first. 
It took about a week before what she had said to me resurfaced in my mind again, when I was sat in bed on my own. She was right. I was letting everything get on top of me and weigh me down, sap the life out of me, I kept relying on excuses to not do things. I was not happy.
I am a singer, as fun as that sounds (and it is), it is also a labour of love, you have to push so hard with networking, songwriting, vocal techniques, into such a teeny tiny space of about a 2% chance of success. Cat, my best friend, is a singer as well, so she understands the commitment you have to put into it, which I hadn't been for such a long time. I had just been dampened by the fear of putting in my all and getting nothing back, which in itself was scaring me because it was even less likely I'd get anywhere. Approaching my last year at uni, that is not good.

What Cat said to me really made me think, yes it sounds very 'hippy', but surrounding yourself with good energy is so important.
Just that one committed moment, that I decided to change my mind set, changed everything in just one week. I prepared for my exams in a much more productive and involved way (anyone who has tried to sing jazz harmonies will feel my pain), I got half of my Christmas shopping done, I completed my to-do list that had things lingering on it for a while and I spent a day in the studio recording my first cover, which will hopefully be up soon. Above everything, I have been so happy this week, my relationships with Parents, friends and my boyfriend have all picked up and for the first time in a very long time, everything has felt promising and bright.

So what I am trying to say is, listen to and trust your close friends (if they are worthy of it!), and always try and take some 'you-time', your mind is an incredibly strong thing, you need to own it. So, get a cup of camomile tea and some candles, to think about where you are at the present moment and finely tweak the energy surrounding you. You will be surprised what a difference it makes.

I am now going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes to have a little think about, by the one and only Dr. Seuss:

Much Love,

Chloë

XO