Before I start, let's be crystal clear. This post is not about:
It took A LOT of convincing from my friends and inquiring of them if this is something I should actually do. This is obviously a personal topic for me. Also the reason why I will only be discussing one of the two conditions I have. Even the thought of writing this and sharing with people I know and those I don't... it's scary. However, I believe that transparent can help at least one person out. When I told my friends at first, it was hard for a couple of them to show empathy cause they have a clean bill of health. BUT, a couple of my friends were like 'GIRL, I KNOW YOUR STRUGGLE. THIS IS WHAT I GOT.' Having people who understand what you are going through is so crucial especially when you need to make lifestyle changes. Polycystic ovarian syndrome - aka pcossI'll try and explain this the best I can so that everyone can understand the pathophysiology of what this syndrome is: Normal: As we know, every month a woman has a menstrual cycle which entails multiple follicles being released. The brain looks at all the follicles and says 'ahh yes. That one right there is the best one. That's the one follicle I will develop this month.' The brain then releases hormones that allow for that one follicle to be developed, then ovulated, while the others are reabsorbed into the body. Then the woman menstruates. Repeat every 28-35 days. PCOS (Abnormal): Each month, the body still releases multiple follicles. However, the brain HAS NO idea which is the best one to develop. The brain begins to panic. 'I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHICH ONE IS THE BEST ONE!!!!!!! I MIGHT AS WELL JUST DEVELOP EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM AND HOPE FOR THE BEST.' Or sometimes, the brain won't develop any and just reabsorb every single follicle. The problem is when all of the follicles are developed - they stick together and form cysts on the ovaries. So for me personally, I have a lot of cysts that are completely engulfing both of my ovaries. okay.. but what does that mean for my daily life.Well let me give you a list of just SOME of the symptoms of PCOS (the ones I experience - some of these are very personal but I am trying to be transparent):
Lifestyle changes to help with symptomsThe main 2 lifestyle factors are diet and exercising. I won't bore you anymore than I have already with the chemistry behind why these things are important and how they affect the hormones and such which ultimately decrease symptoms. But I will say that I do have to follow a 'low-carb' and 'dairy-free' diet and that has NOT been easy at all. I love dairy products so dearly. Note: I solely drink Almond milk or other substitutes since January 2019. But when I went to visit my parents for Easter, I drank regular milk... worst decision of my life. When treating PCOS, its all about a holistic approach. If you made it to the end, I am quite impressed. Now you know a little bit about my daily struggles and I hope it will help you in understanding that anyone you encounter could be secretly struggling with something.
Thanks for reading! Rachel xx.
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It's 2019. Everyone wants to travel and see the world or another part of the country you live in. The main thing that stops everyone from traveling are finances. Hopefully after reading this blog, you will be able to save some money and travel more! NOTE: This post is not directed for resort/all-inclusive traveling. The 6 factors of traveling
TimeThere are 2 components for the topic of time:
FlightsI already touched a bit regarding flights in the time section. But let's expand a little more! When looking for flights, you want to look for off-peak times as we previously discussed. It is also super important to use a site that compares different airlines. This not only expands the selection of times you can leave, but it gives you multiple price points for varying flights. My go-to site for this is Kayak.com . Kayak also tells you the trends for flight prices - if it will likely increase or decrease over the next 7 days. ALSO, if you want to get even BETTER deals for flights, you need to know the 'special's the airlines have. Example, AirCanada has cheaper flights when you leave/depart on Wednesdays. Note: Typically the cheapest flights will be the ones with layovers. I did this while traveling with a group so it wasn't awful but I wouldn't recommend that everyone does it. Give yourself a lot of time to book in advance so you can get direct flights, or flights with a short layover for the best price! Road Trips If you are traveling somewhere that does not require a flight, look at the best modes of transportation to get to your destination. It can sometimes be cheaper to take a train and use public transit once you're there. If you are taking a car, map your route and estimate how much gas you will need - use the app GasBuddy to understand the average gas prices along the route you will be taking. AccommodationsWe all want the picture-perfect place to stay so we can feel like we are royalty. The thing is... it is actually feasible! I am the biggest supporter of Airbnb. If you are on a budget, hotels or other commercial accommodations can be pricy. Mind you, if you want something extravagant you could spend a lot of money when searching via Airbnb PLUS. The trick of Airbnb is you HAVE to book in advance to get the best place for a low price. If you try to book even a month before you leave, it will be a lot harder to find a place that is close to where you want to stay and meets your specific needs. How to choose Airbnbs:
FoodFood is one of my absolute favourite things about traveling. I LOVE LOVE LOVE trying the culture's delicacy or what they are known for. So making sure I stay on budget for food is a very crucial thing for me. If I don't do my research in advance, this is where I would be overspending the most. So let's make sure YOU don't overspend as well. First, if you're a foodie, learn what the culture eats. That is really going to decide how much you can budget for food - or maybe it will turn out it's super expensive and you need to wait on traveling to that location till you have more funds. For example, when I traveled to Portugal, one of their main trades is fishing. Therefore, their staple food is fish. This made any fish dishes to be on the cheaper side. But, when you wanted steak or other meat, you were paying a premium price. A really good way to save on food is to buy food from the market. If you don't want to cook a lot, at least buy your breakfast foods and snacks ahead of time. This way you can take your time in the mornings AND it is so much cheaper than eating out for every meal. There are SO many great websites that give you the average of how much everything will cost per day. Example: I use this site for all my trips - http://www.budgetyourtrip.com/greece . My favourite part about using this site is you can adjust your 'travel style' and you can change the currency so you know how much it will cost you and allows you to plan ahead when exchanging your money. TransportationThis section is not very long but it is sometimes time consuming to find the right sites and do the math to see what is the most cost effective mode of transportation during your trip. Definitely check out their local transportation websites. It will be so much cheaper than taking taxis/ubers/lyfts everywhere - cause lets be real, you can't always walk everywhere! ExtrasBesides food, this is the best part of traveling! Extras includes tours, admission fees, special events, ect. To make sure you don't overspend and go too crazy, set a pre-determined budget. Then make a list of all the attractions you want to see and search their fees. You may not be able to do all of them cause it adds up SO you'll need to prioritize. Sometimes you can buy passes that grants you access to multiple attractions. Up front, it can look pricy but when you add up all the fees individually it can be either the same or cheaper. Yet again.. DO RESEARCH! You will get the most out of your travels when you are more familiar with the culture, history, and sites! I hope this post helped you guys out!
Drop a comment and tell me how you travel on a budget. Stay you. Stay beautiful. Rachel xx So I have been eyeing the online store 'Shein' for the past few months. I have been adding things to my wishlist in hopes one day I may be able to purchase them. The day came where they had FREE SHIPPING and 15% OFF all items (including sale!). I figured if I was ever going to order from them, today is my day! Originally, I wanted to purchase 1 skirt, 1 dress, and 1 shirt so I could see the overall fit and quality of each item. I really liked 2 skirts and wanted to keep my budget at $20. Therefore, I got 2 skirts and 1 shirt (bodysuit). My initial purchase experience was great! At first, I hit order accidentally because I did not have my credit card at ready... but that was no problem! You have 24hours to provide a payment - which means your items get held for 24hours and you can decide if you want to continue with the purchase or just cancel it. LOVE IT. What I purchased NOTE: I did not purchase the suede skirt (last picture) in the brown color, I purchased it in a dusty pink. They were sold out of the pink color and did not have a picture online anymore! The Fit Bodysuit The bodysuit is a lot thicker than I expected it to be. I personally like that as I can wear it on a colder day and still be pretty warm! You can probably notice the frills are not are large as what the stock picture indicates. So that was kind of annoying. I still think it's cute but it's clearly something different than I ordered. I got a size small and it fits me very well! However, the only con I will say is it only has minimal stretch to it so you have to know your size decently well or else you run the risk of it being a bit too tight. Overall, I am content with this purchase despite it being slightly different in person than the stock photo. Gray Grid Skirt Again, this skirt was a lot thicker in material than I expected. The quality of the material does not feel cheap and does not look cheap either. I got a size medium as I did not want it to be too tight on my rear. It is a little snug but not bodycon so I would give it a 'true to size' rating. If you wanted to size up to the large for even more extra room in the back, you would still be good for the waist as it is an elastic band. Note: I wore this skirt to an interview and was definitely feeling myself in it! Pink Suede Skirt Before we even start I want to say...THIS SKIRT IS SO SOFT. Legit the softest suede I have ever felt. Okay okay. The fit is a bit snug I won't lie. But I knew it was probably going to be on the tight side. I got a size medium and I definitely could've ordered the large with no problem. It also has an elastic waistband so its pretty comfortable. In addition, the length for me just hits below the knee. I can typically wear 'above the knee' skirts and still have them knee-length due to my short stature (I'm only 5ft tall!). So I would not recommend this skirt if you do not like snug-fitted skirts. However, I think it is a great piece for layering and did I mention how SOFT it is? Sorry for not having better quality pics! I planned to get nice ones on the weekend, however, some things unexpectedly came up.
NOTE ON SHIPPING: Shipping was standard and took just under 2 weeks to get to my door once I received the shipping notification. If you have ordered anything from SHEIN drop your pics in the comments! Stay you, stay beautiful Rachel xoxo This post is so you don't turn out to look like the picture above. I LOVE fall. I do not only say this because my birthday is in the fall, but I love fall fashion. Oh! I can't forget about Pumpkin Spice lattes (specifically from Starbucks) and all the other 'white girl' things associated with fall. Anyways, back to layering. Layering - one of my absolutely favourite things about fall. I love being able to take various items that I have and coordinate an outfit with them that leaves me feeling confident and warm for the lowering temperatures. Let's get started! Dresses and cardigans, oh my! Dresses from Gathered in Grace Dresses and cardigans are my favourite pairing for many reasons! However, some rules to follow when layering over dresses:
Skirts & Cardis First picture taken from Nikita M Instagram Cardigans and Stripped Skirt from Gathered in Grace Denim Skirt, Pink Cardigan, and Yellow Cotton Blazer from Forever21 Another cozy idea for fall - you want to either be more laid back or super chic with this pairing. Similar rules to pairing cardis with skirts as it does with dresses
With skirts, I personally suggest wearing them high-waisted:
Don't forget to play with patterns, textures, and details!
Scarf Central Pictures from various Pinterest boards A super quick note about scarves! When choosing either an infinity scarf or a classic scarf, it is important to:
Utility Jackets Available for purchase at Gathered in Grace Just throwing this in here cause I LOVE utility jackets and I wear mine all the time. You pair it the same way you would pair a cardigan - it just gives it a different look and vibe. I hope you enjoyed reading this post and it gave you some ideas for Fall.
I want to say thank you to Shannon from GiG and Nikita M for allowing me to use their pictures as visual aids for this post! In addition, photos were also used from Pinterest & Forever21 to help with this post. Please leave a comment and/or picture of how you rock fall fashion! Stay you, Stay Beautiful. Rachel xoxo |
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