The Lazy Girl Guide to: Staying trim without trying

Hey Girlies!

Today I'm going to start a new bloggy feature as I don't want to bore you with the same things all the time now do I! It's going to be called The Lazy Girl Guide and will basically consist of easy tips you can fit into a busy lifestyle to help with all things beauty, fashion and lifestyle related. The first one's going to be my top five tips you can use to help you stay trim without trying. I'm not saying that I'm perfectly trim or that I know loads about healthy living, but I do take a big interest in it and most of the time manage to stay in a shape I'm happy with whilst still eating too much chocolate, drinking too much wine and making up too many excuses not to work out. I also think it's so much easier and better for you to make little changes that you can stick to over a long period time rather than huge changes you can't keep up because, well, no one wants to be a diet bore! But anyway now onto my simple tips...

1. Make apples and water handbag essentials- My friend Laura once said to me that 'You can't go wrong with an apple in your bag' and I think she was so right because it means you've always got something sweet, but healthy nearby when mid-morning munchies strike (or indeed any type of munchies) so you can keep away from the vending machine and get one of your five a day at the same time. Carrying a bottle of water is even more important as we need eight glasses a day and also often mistake thirst pangs for hunger ones, so as well as saving you money on buying drinks it will also keep your skin clearer, body detoxed and middle smaller. Win win.

2. Put fruit and veg with everything- A great way to get your five a day and eat less rubbish is to put fruit or veg with everything. So if you're having pasta, have salad mixed with it and if you're having pancakes, top them with fruit. Not only does this mean you'll be getting more vitamins and general goodness, but you'll also eat less fat and carb because you'll be filling up on the colourful stuff.

3. Ditch the wheels for killer heels- The only exercise tip I'm putting in this little guide is to ditch cars and buses whenever you can and walk instead as it's so surprising how much of a workout I can get just from walking up and down Sheffield's hills all day. And if you want to tone your legs a little bit more then put those killer heels on when you're doing boring household chores like hoovering, not only will it give you good practise at balancing for when you try to gangnam style in them at the weekend, but it will also tone your thighs without a single squat in sight.

4. Switch it up to low fat and brown carb- Probably one of the easiest things you can do is switch to low fat alternatives of your favourite foods so you don't cut anything out of your diet but still cut your fat intake, for example I always try to have low fat cheese, skimmed milk and fat free yoghurt and it's also good to go for veggie mince and sausages. Swapping white carbs for brown is another great easy change to make because brown carbs are less refined and keep you fuller for longer.

5. Buy more make up. And clothes and shoes and handbags... Okay so this might not be a great help to your bank balance, but I'll be doing money saving tips another week! But anyway instead of spending out on lots of expensive takeaways and processed snacks you don't really need, think about the pretty things you could buy with that money instead that would bring you happiness for a lot longer than a kebab. I personally would rather have a blusher than a burger any day!

So I hope you've enjoyed this new Lazy Girl Guide feature and reading about healthy living for a change, please do let me know any tips you have, topics that you'd like some tips on or if you want any more healthy lifestyle posts...I've had a very lazy girl day so far although to be fair I have had a rather busy week at uni, but anyway in other more exciting news me and my house mates got tickets to see the Girls Aloud Greatest Hits Tour this morning, I'm so obsessed with them at the moment because I'm currently addicted to Cheryl Cole's autobiography so I'm soooo excited!

I hope you've all had a great week,

Love Meg
x