Fashion vs minimalism?

My love for clothing and love for minimalism have always seemed like two colliding forces - a bit of an unstoppable force meets immovable object scenario. When I first discovered minimalism, I had multiple wardrobes overflowing with clothing. My shopping habit was so extreme that I once had to send a box full of clothes home from an overseas holiday so that I could fit everything else I had in my luggage (even then, my suitcase still exceeded the weight limit on my flight home...). Moving out of home changed all of that for me. I hadn't realise how much stuff I had accumulated over the years and during the moving process I had the sudden urge to purge.

I read minimalist blogs, books and magazines and suddenly I was so immersed in minimalism that I found myself moving with only one suitcase full of clothing and my love of fashion had taken a backseat to my new clean and simple life. 

Clearing my physical space certainly cleared my mental space. It was easier to keep track of everything I owned and my minimalist surroundings left more room for more important things in my life. I never lost my love of a beautiful piece of clothing however, and I sometimes felt torn between buying that new top and keeping my set 33 items of clothing. It didn't always feel this way but sometimes I felt perhaps I was depriving myself of something I really wanted. 

I soon learned this was not the case at all; in fact, I have recently realised that by maintaining a minimalist wardrobe, I have become more aware and in love with my style than ever. Since purging my wardrobe of the clothing that I barely wore and cutting back to what I considered my favourite and most essential clothing items, I no longer have the "nothing to wear" syndrome. You know what I mean: a wardrobe full of clothing yet you can't fathom and outfit you'd like to wear. All of that clothing and most of it isn't being worn - either by a regrettable purchase, a 'I'll start wearing it when I'm skinnier' piece, or something you own but don't have anything else to wear with it, so it stays in your wardrobe; unloved and stale from the cold dark space it's been left to rot in.

I can picture every item of clothing in my wardrobe, create more than one outfit with that clothing item, and I feel comfortable and happy in everything I own. I no longer let the clothing in my wardrobe go unworn, and if I find I haven't worn something in over a month, that's when I know it's time to donate it.

Before purchasing a new piece I now think more carefully about it, I ask myself: 'what can I wear this with?', 'do I feel comfortable in this?', 'is this really my style - does it suit me?' and 'do I just like this item because it looked nice on the rack or am I in love with it?'. I don't think I've ever thought twice about a piece of clothing I decided not to buy.

Minimalist doesn't have to get in the way of fashion - in fact, it should compliment it. I've avoided many fashion mistakes and regrettable purchases by being more careful about what goes into my wardrobe (I've also save a lot of money!).

Though I now own more than 33 items of clothing, I still maintain a minimalist wardrobe. Recently I was able to spontaneously pack almost my entire wardrobe into one suitcase in under five minutes to travel home and surprise my family with a visit. That is definitely more reward than owning a large wardrobe: being able to pack just about everything I own and knowing that I'll be able to wear any of it and feel comfortable and fashionable at the same time.

If you're interested in minimalism I recommended checking out these great blogs and look up 'Project 333' for a minimalist wardrobe:

• Minimal Student
• Miss Minimalist 
• Be More With Less 

I have never paid my therapist

When I first started running I had two things on my mind:

• I want to lose weight
• I am definitely not going to enjoy this

I was miserable all the time and for some reason I thought that losing weight was the answer to all of my problems, and that once I was super skinny all them would just magically go away... I wasn't completely wrong.

Losing weight definitely didn't make any of my problems go away, and it didn't make me and less stressed; in fact, when I first started losing weight I only felt more pressure to keep losing it and to be better. But running - the part I thought I wasn't going to enjoy - played a huge role in my happiness and mental health. 

When I first started running, I could barely make it to the end of the street after stepping out of the front door. I'd run to the nearest park and do a couple of laps before heading home. The entire time I was out there running I was in agony; my feet were blistered, my lungs would burn, and I'd get a stitch in my side so painful I was convinced I had actually been shot and I just hadn't heard the gun go off over the music I had blasting in my ears. But as soon as I stopped running, I had a rush of euphoria. I felt accomplished, my mind was clear, I was determined to make good choices for the rest of the day and become a better person - and I did. 

Over time as my fitness grew, I would run for longer and my mind would start to wander during runs. I had time to think about any issues in my life, set goals and plan my life (but mostly, I just pretended I was in a post apocalyptic wasteland running from the infected in a hardcore movie-like moment only I could survive due to my fitness and worldly knowledge). 

As my positive mindset - brought on by running - led to more positive attitudes and changes to my life, my mindset began to shift from wanting to lose weight to wanting to become a better runner. Rather than starving myself of food in order to lose weight I began to research what kind of food I should be eating to perform better, I started eating more, running further, and feeling happier - on top of that, weight loss started to happen naturally and I was feeling more alive than I ever had. 

Not only did running help me to accomplish my weight loss goals, but I had discovered something much better along the way: happiness. I'm now more focused during the day, allowing me to think more clearly and perform better at university, I'm more determined and goal oriented, helping me to achieve more in other aspects of my life, and overall I am a healthier and happier person. I've even started to look at other ways to exert positive energy and get fitter and have started personal training, incorporating weight training into my regime - which has not only helped me run faster and further, but has made me even happier than before!

I have even decided to sign up for the local running events, so in the upcoming months I will be participating in:

• The Colour-Run
• The City-to-Bay run &
• The Adelaide (half) Marathon!

I never knew what a positive influence running would have on my life but it is the best therapy I could ask for - and it's free (aside from the expensive running shoes... which I buy far too often)!

note: running will not always solve your problems, it can cause health and happiness but if you think that you need real help then seek it out - don't literally try and out run mental health issues.

A day at the markets

Last Sunday I went to my first ever market. The Gilles Street Markets are usually held once a month in Adelaide and I'd never heard of them before now. Surprising, considering they are right up my alley - vintage clothes, vegan food, music - ah, heaven!

So first impressions: incredible! Seriously, there are some stunning clothes for sale at the markets. I immediately shoved handfuls of money at the nearest vendors, completely sucked in to the allure of a unique piece and a great bargain.

I ended up buying way more than I had planned, but the great thing about it was everything was super cheap so if I didn't like something I had bought when I got it home I wouldn't feel guilty about donating it.

The atmosphere was super relaxing. It wasn't your usual crowded, anxiety inducing shopping experience. It felt more like a folk festival. People were stopping to chat and sitting down to eat (the food was delicious, I had a raw peanut butter fudge protein ball - yum!) while a DJ played some cool tunes in the background. I could have stayed for hours... well, I did.

It had me really inspired to actually participate in the event myself. There were so many different things for sale, I think putting together a stall would be relatively easy. I could offhand old clothes, sell some art, meet some cool people and take home some cash. Perfect.

Basically, the Gilles Street Markets (any market, I assume, I'm definitely going to seek them out from now on) are perfect for a relaxing little Sunday treat. I think this is going to be my go-to for any future shopping expeditions, the clothes are beautiful and it's a great way to save some money.

P.S. Getting fashion tips and inspiration from other market goers is also a great idea. May have snuck a snap of the girl on the right who has inspired a new hair cut!

How to be a more mindful eater

Since becoming vegan and taking up running I have become very aware of what I am putting in my body. I'm fascinated by nutrition and it's benefits, but as hard as I try, I often slip up just when I think I'm doing well, taking me back a step on my road to a healthier lifestyle.

Improving your lifestyle isn't something that happens overnight - something I'm constantly having to remind myself. One step back isn't going to hinder your progress overall, as long as your persistent you will always improve over time.

Something that has been integral to my progress is the practice of mindful eating. Admittedly, I have been known to turn into a mindless eating machine at times, but I always endeavour to be more aware of what I am eating, why I am eating it, and how it will nourish my body.

Mindful eating isn't something that happens over night - you can't just wake up on day one and fit perfectly into a mindful eating habit. Unless you have excellent self-control - in which case, good for you! I try and practice at least one of these mindful eating technique a day, and I hope eventually I will always eat mindfully.

Avoid Distractions

In todays world, this is a hard task! It's difficult to sit down at the table for breakfast without the television on, or your phone beside you so that you can check Facebook. But trust me, put your phone away and turn of the TV, sit down with your food and absorb the experience. Use this time to think about what you are putting in your mouth, enjoy the taste and think about what good it is doing for your body. I find this technique to be really meditative too! And you don't even have to do it with food. For example: I got home from the gym this morning, had a shower and got ready for uni, but I made sure to leave enough time to sit down with a cup of coffee. I didn't use my phone and I didn't turn the TV on. I made my cup of coffee and sat on the sofa, drinking it slowly and enjoying a quiet moment to myself. I enjoyed the hot liquid pouring down my throat and afterwards I was completely relaxed, clear minded and ready for the rest of the day.

Be grateful 

Since completing the Live Below the Line Challenge, this aspect of mindful eating has become a greater part of my routine. Take the time to be grateful for the food you have on your plate, and appreciate it for what it will do for your body.

Eat slowly and breathe

Enjoy your food! If you put it all in your gob at once and swallow before you taste it, you're not going to enjoy the meal or appreciate it. Chew slowly (this is also good for digestion), think about the taste. Take a few deep breaths in between bites. This gives you time to think about my next technique.

Don't stuff yourself!

Eating slowly gives you the time to consider your level of fullness. When was the last time you stuffed yourself full of food and felt fantastic and energised afterwards? Think about how full you are feeling, and how full you will be after the next bite. Consider that you will feel more full once the food gets to your stomach, this won't happen immediately, so try to eat until you are about 80% full, this way you will feel satisfied but not stuffed or bloated. This way you will enjoy your food more and have more energy to do something with your day rather than slipping into a food-coma.

Pay attention

Whilst you are eating, consider how the food is making you feel. Are you enjoying it? What is it doing for your mood and energy levels. If you are eating with others, pay attention to what they are saying, enjoy your meals with others and use the time to really listen to them. If you are eating alone, use the time to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings and sort through them.

There are plenty more ways to be a mindful eater but these are the techniques I have found to be most helpful and enjoyable. Like I said, I don't always follow my own rules but every time I do I consider it an accomplishment. The more mindfully I eat, the better I feel, and I must always remind myself of this.

Try to eat mindfully during one meal this week and let me know how it made you feel!

Live Below the Line: Day 1

And so it has finally begun! I have just completed my first day living below the line and I can already tell this is going to be a difficult and enlightening experience. 

Yesterday afternoon I made my way to the shop with a $10 note and a vague idea of what I was going to buy with it: rice, oats, and bananas. Honestly, I didn't even know if I would have enough for that so I had decided what I was willing to sacrifice and what I would most need to survive the week.

I left the shop with fuller hands than I expected. Here's what I got:

• Quick oats - $1.43
• Jasmine rice - $2.49
• 5 pack of Mi Goreng - on sale for $2
• Sultanas - $1.43
• Bananas $0.98

Total = $9.35

I was surprised and happy with how much I walked away with, though it still doesn't look like much it was more than I had planned for. In the spirit of the challenge though I'd like to note that I was lucky to get these items for such a small price and not everyone is so fortunate. I'd also like to not speak too soon - I might be surprised at how quickly I run out of food.

I have to stay my first day started horribly. I only had about 3 hours sleep the night before and so I woke up I was exhausted, hungry and grumpy! However, I persevered and started my day with a bowl of oats topped with a handful of sultanas, which was actually really yummy. 

After that I was at university 'til about 3 in the afternoon and didn't expect to be held up and so I didn't bring anything to eat with me. By the time I got home I was pretty hungry so I ate one of my bananas while I prepared another (big!) bowl of oats. 

Something I had not anticipated was the oats making me feel sick... I didn't feel too bad after breakfast but I found what I had for lunch to be far too much for my body and mild gluten intolerance to handle. I wouldn't usually eat oats but I was depending on them to keep me feeling full for the longest amount of time. I fear that I will have to depend more on the rice from now on and I'm hesitant to dig into the Mi Goreng after today's gluten-ey scare. 

I also struggled with the lack of tea! I usually drink about 10 cups of green tea a day, but today I could only find comfort in a mug of hot water. Something I often drink after dinner anyway, so I'm sure I'll get used to it as the week goes on.

I'm planning on having a bowl of rice for dinner but for now I'll sit here with my third cup of hot water for the day, planning my meals for tomorrow. 

I have had some interesting questions about the challenge so far. My room mate keeps asking me how far the rules go, "are you allowed to have chewing gum?", "what if I buy you the cup of tea?", "can you put cinnamon in that?", "what about salt and pepper?". I think answering questions like this are a big part of using the campaign to raise awareness, because even the smallest of comforts like a dash of cinnamon or a sprinkle of sugar are not available to those living in extreme poverty.

So I shall persevere the same way they do. So far - despite my previous complaints - the experience has not been too difficult, but I'm sure things will change as the week goes on. Stay tuned!

How being an early bird can benefit you!

To many people, waking up earlier than you "need" to can be a daunting task. The thought of dragging yourself out of bed in the wee hours, when everyone else is still asleep and the sun isn't quite on the horizon yet might appear to be an unnecessary and difficult experience. Maybe you've tried it before and you woke up bleary eyed an exhausted and went straight back to sleep. I get it!

Sleep it one of my favourite things in the world; it's really important to me and if anything gets in the way of me and my bed time I get super irritated and very, very grumpy. But I'm not suggesting anyone gets any less sleep, the opposite in fact. I am suggesting, however, that shifting your sleep pattern might benefit you immeasurably.

(click here to buy this mug on etsy!)

My sleeping pattern has changed a lot over the past couple of years. I've gone from working in a bar until 3am and sleeping in 'til the afternoon, to going to bed just a little after dinner, feeling pretty exhausted and waking up at 5:30am to bound off to the gym!

Now I always try and make sure I get a good 7-8 hours sleep, but waking up at 7:30am to get ready for uni and rush off to my first lecture always leaves me feeling lethargic and disconnected during a time when my mind should be most active.

This past week I have been getting up early to go to my first ever personal training sessions, which I insisted start at 6am so I would have the rest of my day free.

My first day was terrible. I have never been late for anything in my life and my internal body-clock always takes that into account. So I was awake at 5am, feeling as though I had not had a decent sleep at all. I rolled - literally rolled - out of my comfortable bed, put on my clothes and shoved half a banana in my mouth before heading out, figuring I could at least walk on the treadmill to wake myself up before personal training. It worked. My training session went really well, and when I got home at 7:30 I felt energetic and prepared for the rest of my day!

It was a busy day too. My parents had come to visit for the week and I spent the next couple of days running errands, shopping and catching up with family members (quite different to my usually relaxed, yet structured, daily routine).

But somehow, waking up that little bit earlier, and having time to myself in the gym in the morning, a long hot shower, and a fresh smoothie before anyone else was even awake prepared me for anything. I felt more awake more energetic and most importantly I felt really positive about what I was doing. I even had time to do myself up in the morning and dress in my finest clothes. Something that I admittedly had started to neglect since becoming serious about running.

I love fashion, but knowing that I was just going to dress in daggy gym clothes during the day to go for a run just made me less inclined to make an effort with my clothes, hair, or makeup beforehand. Getting that out of the way early made me really motivated to look my best the rest of the day. I even made the effort to go out for coffee in the city, something I would never usually treat myself to.

So, I encourage you - I urge you - even if it's just a half hour earlier, try to get up and go to bed a little earlier and do something you usually wouldn't have time for. It could be going for a brisk walk, run, or even just sitting quietly and taking more time to drink your morning tea or coffee. See what a difference it can make to your day!

To run or not to run: the half-marathon madness

Lately I've been battling internally whether I want to take that next step as a runner and take part in a half-marathon. I'm sure many passionate runners go through the same process of whether to take the next step and how to go about training for it. However, I am less concerned as to whether I'll be able to finish the marathon and more about whether I really want to take the plunge at all!

Running is something that I have only recently discovered and it's definitely my favourite past-time. I took it up and started running seriously just over a year ago now, and I haven't been able to stop since.

But running, to me, is so enjoyable because it is like no other "sport" I've ever experienced. I am so content to run because it's not about how fast I am going, or how well I can run, but rather the very in the moment experience of stepping out my front door and performing one of the most basic human movements. It is such a raw, free, and isolated experience that I find it hard to imagine doing it for any purpose other than to simply enjoy it.

I have only ever been involved in one running event: the City-to-Bay run in 2013, which was a 12km run. It was a great experience, and I will probably do it again one day, but there are certain things about it that I did not enjoy at all.

First of all, the realisation that there would be a set time and day to complete this run was a stress-inducing idea to me. I had a deadline, and I had to do it as far as I was concerned. There was no backing out and I needed to be both physically and mentally prepared to run in this instance.

I am also naturally competitive. I instinctually compare myself to others in all aspects of my life, and having had no real sporting ability in the past (my physical education teacher definitely saw no potential in me and I was too stubborn to try), comparing my physical ability to others is a daunting experience. It also takes away from the calm feeling I usually get from running. Whenever I visit my mum and run with her (although I still enjoy it), my mind jumps to thoughts about my running pace and pushing myself a little further than her. I'm constantly aware of my surroundings. But I don't want running to be competitive, I want it to meditative!

My real concern is that running in a formal setting such as a half-marathon will have me focusing on an event, rather than an experience; one that I usually have on my own without thousands of people running beside me.

However, despite my concerns, I think one day I will complete a half-marathon. Although I'm sure the experience will be different for me, and my head space will not be the same as when I usually run, it could still be a great experience. It's something that I'd like to prove to myself that I can do. Any opportunity to run, really!

Live Below the Line

I like to think of myself as the kind of person who will always endeavour to make as little negative impact as possible, and make positive changes wherever I can.

I'm vegan because I want to reduce harm to animals as well as environmental impact (not to mention the health benefits). I try and live a minimalist lifestyle because I want to simplify my life, consume less and have a smaller impact on the Earth.

I first heard about 'Live Below the Line' last year, during my first year of University when a student promoted the campaign for an assignment. I was fascinated by the concept, but by the time I had discovered it, it was already over. So this year I am participating and I'm really excited about what the experience will be like.

The idea of 'Live Below the Line' is to go for 5 days, living on no more than $2 a day, to spread awareness about extreme poverty (especially in overseas places like East Timor), and raise money to help those living in these circumstances. I highly recommend you watch this video or visit the website to learn more about the campaign. Also visit my page to donate or join me if you'd like!

I've been thinking a lot about what I am going to spend my $2 a day on. My plan is to spend the entire $10 in one go so that I know exactly what I have for the week. As a student I'm used to spending very little on food already but I'm really excited to see how I will cope on so little. As a minimalist I love spend less challenges.

So far my shopping list is going to look a little like this:

• Rice
• Bananas (breakfast and snacks if I have enough money - they are cheap at the moment)
• Vegetables (perhaps broccoli and something else small for variety, it's reasonably cheap and filling)
• Maybe some sort of seasoning or for the rice like salt or maybe strawberry conserve if I can afford it.

I'm going to keep my eye out for specials too, especially dated products. 

The only thing I think I'm really going to struggle with is the fact that I might not have enough energy to go running during the week. Wish me luck!