Brace Yourself; Winter is Coming & The Best Magazines for Women.

The best feeling ever: hitting the sack on Friday night, knowing full well that it’s Saturday morning the next day, and you can sleep in as much as you bloody well please.

Well, unless you’re me, and you have work at 11am.. which really isn’t that early, but after my intense (or “in tents, like camping!” as Tom would say in dad-joke-like fashion) exhausting day yesterday, I woke up at 9.20am, feeling like I’d been hit by a bus- a heavy one- and then kept setting the alarm at 15 minute increments until I absolutely had to drag my butt out of bed.I needed that sleep-in more than anything, and it was glorious!

Can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow morning So hey there weekend, you sneaky bugger, we’ve been looking for you since Monday! Or Sunday night, if you’re me…  (source for both)I’m going to go all out and admit right now that I actually don’t have any plans this weekend.. I worked today and tomorrow, I’ve got another sleep-in on the agenda, and definitely get to the pool/gym for a good workout, but not before stopping bye The Running Shop - my fave outlet for all kinds of fitness gear. since I didn’t get one today or Friday (busy busy!), I’m craving a good session!

Hit me with the endorphins I just realised that I really do have many a grandma tendencies… in bed by 10.30pm most nights, don’t always have my weekends booked up with hardcore parties/booze sesh’s, my profound love for onesies (what, who said that?!)

But I’m more than happy to take a relaxing weekend, because hey, we need them every now and again just to recharge and re-energize, ready for the week ahead.

Now, I want to address a very serious addiction I have…magazines.I can never be unhappy with a good mag in hand, maybe a hot, steamy coffee on the side… in my eyes, there’s absolutely no better remedy for the following: heartbreak, stress, sickness, exhaustion, sadness… anytime you’re feeling just generally crappy, it’s nothing a good magazine can’t fix!So figure out what’s stressing you out, or upsetting you lately, and use this as a (very legitimate, mind you) excuse to hit up your local newsagent, and buy a minimum of 5 magazines- promise you or your wallet won’t regret it, even if you end up spending all your money and reading said magazines on the side of the road as you couldn’t pay rent.

It’s okay, as long as you’ve got the latest Cleo, life’s good. I wanted to let you guys in on my little (ha, wrong choice of words?!) magazine collection, and the ones I either have a subscription to, or buy every month without fail!Women’s Health:(source)This is definitely, easily, one of my favourites. I’ve got a monthly subscription to this beauty, and you should see how much my eyes light up when I open my mailbox, only to find a shiny, new Women’s Health waiting to be read from cover to cover!This mag is a must-have for women who exercise regularly, love cooking and are interested in nutrition, and are generally passionate about healthy living!It provides fantastic workouts and recipes, as well as the latest in health, exercise and nutrition science.So I like to think this keeps me up to date on the current affairs, and it makes me a fabulous journalist Everything is specific for females, so you know it’s the good stuff, and is a little bedside buddy that will help you be the best, healthiest version of you!

Cleo:I love Cleo, as I feel it’s probably the most genuine and relatable magazine; it doesn’t try to be showy or over-the-top, and caters perfectly for it’s audience of real young women. It covers a crazy range of topic areas; offering great tips on things like fashion, beauty, the male species (because we all know just how confusing they can be!), and always has a focus lady-celeb. What I love about the celebrities they choose, is that they’re all really down to earth, genuine, positive women, that are strong and successful, that haven’t let fame go straight to their perfectly-groomed head. That’s what we all like to see, it’s so refreshing!Cleo is where I love to find lots of ah-mazing fashion buys, tips on the upcoming trends; and the hair and beauty tips are so good.Definitely recommend this one!Women’s Fitness:(source)Women’s Fitness is the new kid on the block in the Aussie magazine scene, but let me tell you, it’s definitely made a splash!So far, there’s only been about 5 or so issues, but I’ve fallen madly in love with this baby.

The unique thing about Women’s Fitness, is that unlike other fitness magazines, it doesn’t assume we’re all prepping to compete in a bodybuilding competition (and hence throws all these crazy protein powder concoctions in our faces), it doesn’t assume we all have a spare 3 hours a day to pump it up in the gym, and that we aren’t all spitting images of Miranda Kerr or Jennifer Hawkins.It recognises that we’re all regular (read: not fitness or fashion models with the money to hire a bajillion personal trainers!) women who have busy lives balancing work, family, friends… but also love to hit the gym when we can, and stay as healthy as possible.On one of its Summer editions, there was a motto reading, “beach trips, not guilty trips!”, meaning fun, fulfilling days are much more important in life than stressing about what we eat or how much we exercise, or our bodies- it’s so much more essential to be happy, healthy and content!

This magazines preaches this.It’s full of realistic workout and cooking ideas, as well as fun articles about what’s current right now, and interviews with (like Cleo) really genuine, down-to-earth girls, like surfers, actresses, etc.Frankie:(source)Frankie is completely different to all my other fave magazines, and has nothing to do with fitness or healthy living; and everything to do with quirky, cool, fun little things in life.Frankie is a bit alternative, and dare I say it- a tad hipster, but it’s just so unique and quirky, I love it.It always has fun little articles and stories from famous comedians or writers, as well as really random, but awesome stuff, like a story about a lady who collects moustache themed things, or another lady who’s knitted her way across the world.Just things like that, that make you think, “what the heck just happened? …But, I kinda wanna read more.”Another thing is, I also buy Frankie for the gorgeous photography and images throughout, even the ads are amazing!In every issue, there’s a little directory at the front that reveals a whole heap of cute little boutique stores and cafes around Australia, two of my favourite things, possibly ever.

Definitely get yourself a Frankie mag for something a bit different and eclectic!So there ya go, this is where half my pay goes every month.Disclaimer: I don’t intend to promote blowing all your cash on magazines, but if this happens to occur for you, I cannot be held responsible.

After work today, I had a bit of a sticky beak around at all the fabulous shops that I can’t afford anything at.I have no idea why I torture myself so, it’s a bit sadistic really…But I experienced an awesome sighting (god, I sound like a bird watcher or something, don’t mind me)…As we’re coming into Autumn here in Australia, all the stores are whipping out their best, drool-worthy items yet:Cosy, oversized, knitted jumpers.Everywhere.I was in heaven… which quickly dissolved into hell, as I discovered I had no money for said fabulous jumpers.I am such a sucker for them, honestly! And just quietly, it’s one of the main reasons I love winter…Well, that, and coffee and stormy movie days cuddled up, with someone I love preferably.

Bring on the chilly months, I say! So keen!What’s your favourite magazine, and why?What season do you love?What’s one item of clothing that just makes you weak at the knees, kinda like my oversized, knitted jumper situation?!Enjoy the rest of your weekend, lovelies!

Kloe x

Why Use Lightweight Running Shoes?

If you're a runner, you've probably experienced some kind of soreness, pain, or injury at some point. This is because your feet, heels, ankles, knees, calves, quads, and hamstrings are subjected to an incredible amount of pressure and strain when you run. For decades, so-called experts have told us that cushioned footwear is the best way to guard against such injuries. But now there is a decided movement towards "minimalist" or lightweight running shoes.

The merits of heavily cushioned versus lightweight running shoes is one of the biggest debates in the sport today. I personally believe that lightweight running shoes, ones that have almost a flat sole and mesh uppers with very little support throughout, are better for you than the models full of padding, gel, or "air". I am not basing this on any scientific research -- but that does exist if you want to check it out for yourself. Rather, my recommendation is based purely on personal experience.

I made the switch to lightweight running shoes after reading a book about how humans were basically meant to run barefoot. The argument the author made essentially went like this: when you run barefoot, you naturally land very lightly on the balls of your feet. This significantly reduces the impact on the lower part of your body. When you run in cushioned footwear, however, you're more likely to slap down with full force on every step. While a padded shoe can absorb some of the impact, there's still plenty of room for injury. Try it yourself and see how differently you move when barefoot.

Unfortunately, going barefoot isn't a viable option for those of us that live in urban areas full of cement sidewalks and asphalt streets. The next best thing, then, is lightweight running shoes that don't interfere with the natural movements of your foot. When you know that your shoe isn't providing all that cushioning under your heel, you'll adjust your stride so that you land at mid-foot or on the balls of your feet rather than flat-footed. The result is a less jarring impact with each step, which can reduce injuries.

While I am fully on board with lightweight running shoes of the minimalist variety, I can see why others are still more comfortable with the cushioned models. After all, lightweight running shoes go against almost everything we've been taught. Advertising execs have helped spread the belief that we need heavily padded footwear, so a lot of us just take that view for granted. But data shows that there has been no decrease in the number of injuries reported by runners in the past few decades, which is odd since all that high-tech footwear is supposed to be providing extra protection.


If you'd like to make the switch to lightweight running shoes, I suggest that you do so very slowly. It will take your body time to adjust, so if you try to rush things, the results might be disastrous. Give them a try and see how they feel!

For more information on this, we suggest that you take a look at www.therunningshop.uk.com

Running a Marathon - Learning to get There

To say that you are enthusiastic about running would be an understatement. You're one of those people who seem to really only come alive when they pound the pavement. As a true amateur runner, you can only consider yourself as having really matured in your sport when you can actually begin running a marathon. If you have that kind of motivation, how do you go from running no more than 3 miles or so a day to running a shade above 26 miles? As with everything else, the ability to do something comes to you when you learn the steps you need to take and when you take them.

Novice runners believe that they need to run a good distance nonstop every day to have their efforts be of any use at all to a marathon training goal. That's not really true. You could run as far as you are able - even if that isn't a lot longer than 10 minutes at a time - and then walk for a few minutes and then pick up where you left off. It absolutely will add up. It'll add up so well that before long, you'll be able to run longer distances nonstop.

Along with the running and walking combination training method, you can actually try another method - the interval training method - to take your training forward. What is the interval training method? It's where you allow yourself to catch your breath a little bit not by walking between two periods of running, but by running slowly. You run to get a rest from running. Does that even make any sense? It does, if you consider the fact that what you need to do is to run slower than you normally do. You could try it this way - you could run the distance between the first two lampposts on your route at your normal speed, and then slow down to a jog until the next lamppost shows up, and so on. They call this interval training, and it helps you maintain a degree of interest in the whole exercise. And if you want to discuss other ways to maintain your interest, consider charging up that iPod for new and different music each day. Of course, that could end up costing a whole lot more than you ever planned to spend on running a marathon.

It's just the way the human body is built. Whatever skills you are trying to acquire, on some days, you find that you just go great guns with no effort; on other days, it seems like you can't do anything right. Here you are training to be running a marathon, and even if you've been training for three months, your legs just don't seem light and strong as they should. Breathing hard makes your lungs feel awfully strained. What you do then is that you just slow it down until it feels easy again. You don't actually have to slow yourself down to a walk; all you need do is to run as slowly as possible - even down to a shuffle. If you keep it up long enough, you'll get your second wind.

A great way to motivate yourself would be to pack more gadgetry than James Bond. At the very least, you need to make sure that you at least have a GPS watch like the ones by Garmin. It can really help you stay motivated to see your running records show up on your watch. It'll show you how far you've run and how long you've taken to do it. About the best way you can motivate yourself to practice as hard as possible of course would be to actually to sign up for a race. It doesn't have to be a marathon at all. All it needs is to be a decently long race.