the life project week 5: a little bit of excitement goes a long way...

A lot of exciting things have happened this summer, and now September is here, it would be easy to quickly become nostalgic about the longer nights, the extra glasses of cider and the tan lines (sun burn marks) but really it's just the beginning...

hello september...

Yesterday I turned 23.

Which means just one thing... I have 12 months left to become a real person...

the life project week 4: learning to dance in wellies...

If there was ever any question about whether or not I am rock and roll, well here is the answer...

the life project week 3: not the foodie blog...

Gluten Free White Chocolate and Coconut Macaroon
from The Black Medicine Cafe in Edinburgh.

Last week I promised you all a foodie blog as an update on how I'm getting on with the gluten free challenge and The Life Project...

This is not that blog, for 1 very good reason...

the lucky ones...

When I was about 19, my mum told me that I had always been lucky.

At the time I was a little offended but I knew where she was coming from.

Running Away Can be Good for the Soul...

Running away can be good for the soul...

The Life Project: Week 2

I did it.

I sent off the article submission.

I did it all of half an hour ago.

The Life Project: Week 1

Fact: Chameleons (probably) don't like gluten free brownies...

When I was 8 I completed a class project about chameleons. I'm not sure why I chose chameleons but I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that I had a magazine with an impressive picture of a chameleon on the front and a handy article listing some interesting things about chameleons in.

The Life Project...

I know. I'm very confused. Nearly every other blog post references the fact that I am confused. And that I am in my twenties. And that maybe because I am in my twenties it is ok to be confused.

But evidently, I'm not really ok.

Well not with being confused anyway. And as good as it is for blog post material it is beginning to get in the way of life, even if it does provide me with endless excuses for another glass of wine, I think even my most wise and wonderful of friends might be ready for me to change the record.

So I have decided to do something about it, and make my life a project. 

Over the next three months I am going to complete tasks, challenges and lifestyle programmes in the hope that they will improve my well being.

Well being  being defined as a positive change in my out look, health or life in general.

The rules to this are fairly fluid, the main thing is to take back control of something, and I don't want to set myself up to fail by outlining impossible guidelines.

Ok, drum roll please.... The first big challenge in The Lifestyle Project is...

30 Days Gluten Free!

I like a good dietary challenge, it's all about will power isn't it? Once, can you believe it, I actually gave up tea!

So I a completing this challenge with my lovely healthy food guru friend Hannah (yup, oopsimavegan.com) and here is the outline:

Hannah and Stephie's Gluten Free Challenge

• One Month of Gluten-free eating. The key to success being there are NO OTHER dietry obligation. One clean focus - no gluten.
• Any slip-ups or mistakes or even intentional "cheats" - must be confessed. Punishment or jokes, if decided necessary, may be decided upon by the other party.
• At the end of the month there will be a celebration dinner involving BREAD and PASTA.
• Food diaries are optional, but perhaps a fun idea! Also to keep track of how our bodies feel - do we feel less bloated? More energy?
• Key foods to avoid: bread, pasta, cakes, pastries, beer.

So I shall update the life project every Thursday, I will also be undertaking smaller exercises, like submitting article pitches to magazines and what have you, all so that hopefully being pro-active will make me feel more ok. Or at least more ok about not always being Ok! And I am also trying to rope other frieds in to their own Life Project so hopefully I can report back on them too! x