Hello, my name is Steph and I love myself. 

It seems almost weird to type that out, only because it's not a phrase you come across often. 

And I don't like that. Let's agree to say it more.

Learning to love yourself takes time, life-experience, and a lot of bravery. But as someone who has made it through to the other side of self-discovery, I can tell you that it is the best thing you will every learn to do. You'll approach everything in life differently and those doubts you used to have don't spoil your fun. You find a lot of peace and your relationships become so much more natural. Self-love is worth the fight through bad days, and I can't explain how great it feels.

When I came across this tag on foodandotherloves blog, I knew I had to answer the questions immediately. I love doing these tags!

1. What is something that is getting you down at the moment?
I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone and do more "adult things" and sometimes I lose a little confidence about whether I can handle it. Of course I know I'll be fine, but it's still scary sometimes.


2. What is something that makes you happy?
Usually I would say dogs or food, but I'm gonna go out of the box here and say looking forward to something. Lately it's been our holiday in Hawaii and then moving into a flat with the BF later in the year. I love having exciting plans for the future, it always makes me work harder and not ever get complacent.


3. Name 3 guilty pleasures.
Spending hours on Pinterest pinning and planning future events definitely comes to mind. It's like making a beautiful mood board for my favorite things and it's oddly satisfying to pin pictures. Kinder chocolate is on the list too. It was a treasured childhood favorite that has never gone away! I still buy Kinder Surprise Eggs when I fill up my car at the petrol station sometimes. My new guilty pleasure has been putting whipped cream on top of an Oreo before I eat it. So good!


4. What is something about yourself that you would like to improve on? 
I think I would like to understand myself better. Sometimes I get emotional over something and I have no idea why. My brain is a funny thing sometimes, so I need to get better at reading it and having more control. It'll help people around me too!


5. When was the last time you belly laughed?
It was definitely a few weeks back when I was hanging out with Steve. I think one of us (probably me) did something embarrassing, but instead of it getting weird we just crack up laughing at each other. I love that I can do that with him, it's the best kind of relationship.


6. What is your biggest insecurity and fear?
Failure 100%. I don't want to look back on my life knowing I disappointed people or never did anything worthwhile. I'm really hard on myself when I make mistakes, whether it's at work or CrossFit. I don't like thinking I can't do something or remain unsuccessful. It definitely drives me to be better and learn from when I do fail.


7. Name a song that always cheers you up when you're down.
Love Myself by Hailee Steinfeld never fails me. It's really fun and upbeat, I've blasted it in the car more times than I can remember.


8. Name 3 things you like about yourself.
1) I'm a pretty good cook. I like food a lot, so it's a good skill to have.
2) My creativity. Writing, photography, drawing, painting, I love my imagination.
3) When I turn into a badass at CrossFit. I like who I am when I'm pushing myself through hard work.


9. What is an achievement that has made you proud of yourself this year?
Coming third at our in-house CrossFit competition was an amazing moment. I felt confident that day, and with all of my progress leading up to it. Getting on that podium was a big deal for me and it made all of that hard work I'd been putting in worth it. I'm far from where I want to be, but I was so damn proud of how I performed that day.


10. Tell us your happiest memory.

There's not any one single moment that comes to mind really, more like a dozen of the happiest times. Like camping with my family and having a bonfire on the beach with marshmallows. Graduating university and seeing my parents proud of me. Running around Hogsmeade Village at Universal Studios and letting my inner ten-year old live her dream. And being in my favorite restaurant with Steve when he said the L word for the first time <3

I hope you enjoyed this tag! Feel free to copy and paste the questions to try it yourself.

Let me know if you do, because I would love to read your answers!

Steph x. 

Wonder Woman Doesn't Worry About Body Perfection, So Why Should I?

Flashback to a few weeks ago:

I was have a great morning listening to new Little Mix songs, reading inspiring blog posts from my long-distance gym buddy Lucy, and generally feeling the self-love. These mornings are bliss. 

I took a brave risk and decided to wear my Nike Pro shorts to the gym, despite feeling insecure about my chubby thighs. A few bicep curls later and I was back to feeling awesome. 

I had a thought come to me when I was about to hop in the shower after I'd finished working out and it was along the lines of: 

"I don't need my body to be perfect. I'm so proud of what it can do and how strong it is. That's all I need to focus on, the rest will come later."  

And it's true! I've been working hard at the gym for over a year now and even though I'm still a fair distance away from my dream bod, how my body's abilities have changed, still amazes me. It's so easy to get caught up in our flaws that we don't stop to appreciate how kick-ass our bodies are. No, I don't have a flat stomach or perfectly toned arms. But can I do a few pull-ups and lift insane weights with just my hips and legs? Hell yeah I can! And it feels amazing. 

Does Wonder Woman punish herself for not having skinny legs? Not at all, she needs them to be strong so she can kick some butt and save the world. If that's good enough for her, that's good enough for me too.





A few weeks have passed since I began this new way of thinking and it's made me a lot happier. Sometimes we rob ourselves of the chance to be proud of ourselves because of the perfect image in our heads. I've found that the best way to be, is to love ourselves they way be are right now. We should be enjoying every step of the journey to a fitter, healthier version of ourselves. My chubby thighs have carried me through miles and miles of running these past few years, and they make squatting heavier weights a lot easier. They make me feel strong, so how could I possibly hate them?

From now on, I will look at my training as a way of making my body stronger, faster, and my mind along with it. If I treat my body right, it will reward me in time. I will get that killer booty and biceps to intimidate boys, but only through years of hard work. And I know it will be worth the wait.

Putting unrealistic pressure on ourselves to be perfect in a short few months won't work. I don't want my training to be about body image any more, that never brought me any joy. Now I'll train for those moments I can lift heavier, go for longer, and keep up with the best. That's my favorite reward for being persistent and never giving up.

Focus on loving your body for it's strength, it's endurance, and it's ability to improve in ways that make you feel unstoppable. Loving your body doesn't just have to be about it's appearance in the mirror. Love it for what it can do and the rest will come. I may only be in my third year of my fitness journey, but so far I've ran two half-marathons, actually managed to do pull-ups, and with my boxing I could produce a knock-out in the ring. And this is just the beginning. Hardly relevant, but you never know when the Avengers need a new member on the team (call me, Cap!) 

I would love to know your thoughts on body perfection and what it means to your fitness. I'd also love to know what exercises make you feel your strongest (for me, it's dead lifts all the way!)

Steph x.


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