A 5 foot and a fart welsh girl's first month in a pretty friendly city....

I feel like I haven't blogged in a while, and I got reflecting on my time in Cardiff up until today (because I am a deep thinker, which is both a curse and a blessing). This blog is going to be more of a general/everyday life kind of blog, I will be recording a video (which will be uploaded onto my fb page https://www.facebook.com/MezzsWay/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel ) later on today with some concepts, tips and techniques that have transformed my workouts. This will be the last video that I will be uploading with FREE advice and guidance, future videos will be sent directly to individuals email-address's. If you'd like to get one step ahead and a part of this limited group then SIMPLY send me your EMAIL-ADDRESS, LIKE & SHARE my fb page, you will then be informed when I have a new blog post aswell as exclusive workout and nutrition based videos.

So back to it, it's been 1 month and 6 days since I moved, and I am still loving it and truly living the city life. I have noticed that social drinking isn't just something that happens on the weekend here, it's more of a "anytime, anyplace" kind of thing. As many of my friends will know I am not much of a drinker anymore, due to the reason's I've suggested in a previous blog. Although, I must admit I've started enjoying the occasional drink while socialising with new friends, I do limit it to 1 or 2 and it seems to be working for me now.

Cardiff is a very relaxed, social and friendly city that is more like a big village, I can see now why so many people relocate here. There is ALWAYS something going on and there's ALWAYS someone up for doing something, it's pretty difficult to get lonely (which has always been something I've suffered with).

I am a serial coffee lover, that knows all the tricks to saving money when visiting Starbucks (because I may aswell own a chair there I visit so often). If I find that I've got a few spare hours and fancy a chat (because I'm a serial talker too) then I will walk into the centre and straight to my regular Starbucks. I like visiting the same Starbucks because you get to know the staff and they get to know you and it becomes more of a social thing, that is where I often write my blogs (and today is no exception). Money saving tips for Starbucks:

1. Download their app and for a limited time you get 13 free stars (you only need 15 to be entitled to a free drink of your choice), and for every drink you buy using the app you get a star.

2. Take a re-usable cup each time and save 25p on your drink (except for filter coffee).

3. They do a FREE small refill on filter coffee's (I always make the most of this).

4. Sometimes they will ask when ordering a large green tea if you'd like 2 tea bags, if so, say yes and ask for a top up of hot water after you've drunk half of it (making the drink last longer and making the most out of the tea bags).

5. The app will sometimes have offers on there, so keep your eyes peeled.

No need to thank me dudes and dolls.

I have developed a bit of a routine on a Sunday morning, I TRY and have a bit of a lay in (I'm usually an early riser), make brekkie then wander to the riverside by the principality stadium to visit the farmer's market. I look forward to it and love just looking at the fresh and unique products that they sell, I swear I spend 90% of my time food shopping, forget clothes it's all about the FOOD PEOPLE!!!! Holland and Barrett's at the moment have some good offers on in store, so I've been regularly visiting there, I also discovered a shop here called BeanFreaks, which is similar to H&B.

The past couple of weeks I've been training a fabulous lady called Sadie who is competing in a Beauty Pageant very soon, so I've been trying to really push her. The first session was a leg session, finishing off with a Tabata session, the second was a shoulders, back and a bit of abs session, again finishing off with a Tabata session. This week we did another leg session, where we focused on going heavy, keeping within the 8-10 rep and 3 set ranges, while adopting the super-set technique to ensure muscle overload. We then finished the session with the toughest Tabata session yet. Let's just say, Sadie definitely pushed herself and the words "my legs are like jelly, my bum has got pins and needles" were mentioned, but she's still requested her next session to be a leg session. Sessions like that leave me super pumped and excited for the next one. When you meet someone that does so much to help other people like Sadie does, and you are able to do something to help them, it gives your sessions a different, more personal meaning.

If you are a regular visitor of my fb page, then you would have seen that my mother is currently being coached by myself purely through online coaching and has lost a whopping 23 pounds in 5 weeks!!! Go mammy!!! I couldn't be prouder of her, and seeing her much happier in her own skin is amazingly empowering. She has gone from hating the gym and avoiding going to smashing 4 sessions a week, 3 of them being weight training sessions and 1 cardio based, saying "the sweat is pouring off me". Not only has she transformed her attitude to exercise, but her attitude towards food has completely transformed too. She has gone from being a serial chocoholic and cappuccino addict to a flexible dieter that incorporates the occasional chocolate and cappuccino splurge. In all of my nutrition plans I provide "food swaps", which works well because it allows flexibility and prevents client's from eating the same foods day in and day out because they have the option to swap certain foods. Every week I check in with my mammy to see what has worked well that week and what she would like to change for the week coming, it's important to me that the client's likes, dislikes and concerns are listened to and incorporated into the plans.

I am planning a weekend back home visiting my parents this weekend, which I will spend pampering myself, eating them out of food, catching up with friends and getting in some training sessions in my old gym. I will blog about my weekend once I am back on Cardiff soil. Keep your eyes peeled for my workout video later on this evening. Hola