The other day I found this cute top from Nicole Richie’s brand, House of Harlow. My first thought was hot damn if Nicole Richie will wear this so will I. I mean the woman is hilarious, no?! Not to mention she is such a fashion icon in a very Olsen twins-esque kind of way if you know what I mean. Okay well maybe she’s not an “icon” per-say, but she knows how to put herself together. And she seems chill. Anddddd that’s enough random rambling from me for the day.

Anyways I am getting way too excited for summer over here. One of my staples for summer is definitely ripped boyfriend jeans. They are the perfect thing to wear on those warm summer nights :). I picked up this pair the other day at Levis! I don’t normally wear Levis but go crazy right? (So wild.)

Have a great day everyone!

x,

Hey guyssss. So I had to share these photos with you, I thought they were so much fun! I took these last weekend at my birthday on an old school disposable camera. Truth be told, I really wanted to bring out my new Nikon that night but my elderly wisdom made me know better than to bring a brand new camera out to a party haha. Yes, my elderly wisdom. 😉 Anyways so I went to Urban Outfitters and got this super fun disposable camera that has shapes/words watermarked over each photo! So much fun I think :).

Anyways, tomorrow is Friday!! What are your Friday night plans?? I think I will go out for dinner with some friends.

Talk soon. <3

x,

Today is my birthday!! Here are some raw photos of me, and how I look at home. AKA sweatpants all the time. Wearing sweats and flip-flops when I am relaxing at home is literally my favourite thing haha. Now you know. 😛 I wanted to take a picture of myself this morning, to remember this day.

Different events, milestones, and special days in life are quite meaningful to me. If you havent already, check out my thoughts on Valentines Day. I think these special days, like birthdays, are such an amazing opportunity to reflect on all the great things that we have in our life. Not to mention, big days are often the times that I take a more in depth look at my goals, what I want in life, and make sure I am still taking the steps necessary to achieve my goals. That being said, goals for me are not something that just happen at New Years or birthdays. I just happen to find these dates to be a great time to reflect and make sure I am still on track. I am a continuous goal setter, so it is nice to take a step back and make sure my short term goals are still driving me towards my long term goals. Anyways… that’s enough about that for now!

Now on to the important stuff… PRESENTS!!! 😀 The beautiful camera I am holding in the photo above was my birthday present. It is now my child. I will nurture it, care for it, and give it everything it wants and more. (Until it stops taking good photos then I am totally ditching it for a better model 😛 ) Haha! But you get the point. I am super duper happy about this purchase, because it has been something I have wanted for a long time. Wasn’t quite ready to upgrade to a full frame camera (for my fellow camera nerds out there 🙂 ) but the Nikon D7100 seemed like the perfect upgrade for me right now.

Anyways, hope you are all having a great day! I really love you guys, and appreciate you hanging out with me here. It makes me so happy to be able to have this awesome community with you. <3

x,

So I really struggled with how/when/if I should write this one. Emotional eating is such a bad habit that so many people close to me have, and I have definitely had it worse than many. Through my many years modeling, I have learned how harmful emotional eating is for both your mind and body. Today I want to give you my honest perspective about my struggles with emotional eating, how I learned to stop, and explain further why it is a bad habit. This post is written in the spirit of encouraging you to be as happy and healthy as possible, and to maintain balance in your life. 🙂

This is about to get real… brace yourselves!! 😉

Emotional eating is what happens when you use food as a way to deal with your emotions. Typically, emotional eating happens when you are feeling stressed, sad, depressed, worried, angry, lonely or bored. Basically any strong emotion. And when you feel this emotion, your first response is to open the fridge and grab whatever is closest. This is never an apple. (Ever.) Usually it is crackers, chips, ice cream, pizza, candy, or pretty much any bad food you can think of. Essentially emotional eating is the act of using food to make yourself feel better. 

Emotional eating is the devil. It is actually the worst thing you can do for both your mind and body. Emotional eating totally makes you lose control. Which sucks, because I am a bittt of a control freak (that surprised a grand total of ZERO people lol.) 

It is a vicious cycle because you start eating a bunch of random foods in order to make yourself feel better. Then when the feeding frenzy is over, and you feel even worse than you did before. Because you stuffed yourself full of calories that you didn’t need, and there is a 99.99% chance that whatever you ate had no nutritional value whatsoever. Thus, emotional eating is a total downward spiral.

Okay I will stop pretending to be Dr. Phil now, and tell you how I stopped emotional eating. This habit for me, was bad. Like really bad. I rarely appreciated the food I hate, always ate things that were unhealthy, and hated the way I felt after eating because of my emotions. Food is amazing, and it should be appreciated like you would a first-born child. (Haha! You think I am kidding…) Anyways, my point is is that you should love and cherish the amazing things that you get it eat! Not just inhale it when you get stressed. 

Once I had decided that the habit needed to stop, I came up with a list of things to do when I was feeling stressed and wanted to eat a cake. (Anyone else ever feel like this??? Haha) Here was my “go-to” list of things to do when that emotional eating craving came on: 

1) Allow myself to have unlimited amounts of frozen fruit! Why? It is a sweet “treat” that tastes delicious and is healthy. Also, the fact that the fruit was frozen kind of forced me to take my time eating it and think about what was going on. And it tasted good. So yay. Also knowing that I could have that whenever I wanted was super comforting.

2) Get out and do something with friends. Friends are the best, I love my friends so so much. When you need an excuse to celebrate, cry, or anything really, they are the ones you should call! They always seem to know best anyways 🙂

3) Okay and maybe don’t listen to this one (probably a bad habit to form lol) but I started shopping more. I treat myself to nice clothing instead of crappy food. (Again I am admitting this isn’t the best tip for your wallet, but I like to shop and it worked for me so whatever.)

4) Take a bath! This is super comforting and relaxing to me, and helps me clear my mind. Baths are a great way to let yourself think through whatever is bothering you.

5) Do something you like to do! For me, this might be watching an episode of my favourite show, working out, going skiing, getting my nails done, or exploring the outdoors. Make yourself feel like the queen that you are. <3

If you feel physical hunger, it is so important to eat and nourish your body. That is your body’s way of telling you it needs nourishment! Physical hunger comes on gradually, whereas emotional hunger hits you suddenly. You will also crave better foods when you are physically hungry, instead of the instant gratification that junk food gives you.

I am by no means a doctor, and just wanted to share with you what works for me. This post came about because I have lots of friends who struggle with emotional eating, and I wanted to share what had helped me make sure I am making healthy choices. Please do your own research, and find out what works best for you. 

And remember, we only get one body… so treat it well! <3

x,

This morning I was looking back at some old photos and stumbled across these, which were taken in Kelowna last summer. My blog is seeming so wintery lately, so I wanted to bring a little more “warmth” back into it with these throwback pics. 🙂

If I could turn back the clock right now and have this beautiful sun again, I would be the happiest girl on earth. Or just hop on a plane to Mexico, that would also help. Actually who am I kidding, beaches and beer are basically the cure for everything. 😉 hehe. Mexico trip anyone?!

I knowwww I just posted about how much I love skiing, and it is honestly my favourite sport! But today for whatever reason I am really craving shorts and a t-shirt, and some nice warm weather.

Considering I am a ginger and all (I am finally able to admit that I MIGHT not be blonde…. but don’t push it. I have hair-identity issues 😉 ) I have a serious love affair going on with the sun. It makes me feel good, it looks pretty, and it doesn’t say much. What else does a girl need?! Kiddingggggg……. 

Just wanted to say a quick hello for today! Hope you guys are having a good week. Love ya <3

x,

Valentines Day!!! One of my favourite holidays. 🙂 I can literally hear you rolling your eyes as I am typing this. (Literally.) Let me finish, would you! Today I wanted to share with you my thoughts on Valentines Day, and why I love it. Lots of people find this holiday stressful, sad, or depressing. My perspective? It is a day where you can do something out of the ordinary, something special, to show how much you care. Now this doesn’t even necessarily have to be for a significant other! It can be for yourself, your bestie, your mom, your dad, your dog, your family, or the Pope. Well, probably not the Pope but you get what I am trying to say.

Valentines Day is such a perfect opportunity to appreciate all the amazing people we have in our lives, by doing something special for one another. For example, two of my friends have this ADORABLE tradition, where every Valentines Day they go together and buy discount chocolate together. Then they eat their treats together, and just hang out. This seems so silly, but I seriously think its the cutest thing ever. They take the time out of a day (when they otherwise wouldn’t have,) to spend time together and do something silly and special.

For me, I just want to make that special person feel extra loved on Valentines Day and show them how much I appreciate them. So whether you are spending Valentines Day with your family, friends, girlfriends, dog, significant other, or the Pope, make sure you do something special for them. After all, it will make them feel great, and you will feel even better. 🙂

x,

Sick days the worst days. Seriously. I hate being sick! Why is it a thing that has to happen? It could just not happen and everyone would be happier. But alas, here we are. You woke up. You feel gross. You are sick. 🙁

Getting a cold happens to the best of us, but there are ways that you can decrease the duration of your sickness and nurse yourself back to health quickly. What is my favourite trick? A special hot tea made of lemon, ginger, and manuka honey. I love this magic little drink, but the majority of people who I have made this for have hated it. (All weirdos, clearly.) Sometimes you need to do things you don’t necessarily loveeee, in order to get the result that you want! My special tea –> quicker cold recovery time. Science.

Here’s the skinny on how to make my sick day tea:

• Hot water
• About 2” chunk of ginger (the more the better)
• 1/2 a lemon squeezed into water
• 1 tsp manuka/regular honey (this is optional, but good to add if you really aren’t feeling well)

Okay so why should you drink this magical drink?

1) Hydration! Lemon and water provide your body with the electrolytes needed to hydrate your body. (Winning.)

2) Cleansing! Water, lemon, and ginger will stimulate your liver to release it’s toxins.

3) Fight that sickness! Water, lemons, and ginger help fight infections. Lemon has tons of anti-inflammatory properties and helps cure sore throats and other cold/flu symptoms.

4) Water and lemon help aid weight loss! People who have more alkaline diets, have shown to lose weight faster. (This is a bit of a side note, but a happy benefit! Haha)

5) Ginger helps with all sorts of stomach problems. If you have any stomachaches or pains… reach for ginger it is amazing.

6) Honey has natural antibacterial properties. Honey stimulates the production of cells that can repair damage from infection. Hydrogen peroxide is a component of honey, and that is what gives it its antibiotic quality!

So if you are feeling under the weather today (like me) give this tea a try. It is such a comfort to me on days that I’m sick, and it feels good to know I am actively doing something to improve my health even though I am just laying in bed. I always feel better when I am working towards something instead of passively waiting for it to happen haha… Hence I will be downing this tea allll day long.

Hope you guys like this health-boosting trick! Lots of love <3

x

Happy New Years everyone! It is officially 2015, how crazy is that?! Just wanted to say a quick hello, and share these pics we snapped last night before we went out. I am so beyond stoked for 2015, and am confident that it will be even better than 2014! In the words of Walt Disney, “if you can dream it, you can do it.”

Hope you all have a great first day of 2015! Lots of love 🙂

x,

As promised, this post is going to get real. Ohhhh so real. 😛 But actually, I am totally guilty of never looking back and refleting on all the great things that have happened. I have a slighttt tendency (slight might be a bit of an understatement lol) to always be moving forwards without ever taking the time to reflect on the past.

Today, being that New Years Eve is tomorrow and all, I want to take a moment to think about what a great year it has been. 2014 has truly been amazing, and there have been so many significant moments that I never stopped to appreciate. There are lots of great things that have happened this year, but I will keep this short and sweet. 😉

GRAD!! 
To be honest, I wasn’t really that excited about graduation when it first happened. Probably because I actually graduated while I was on exchange and then had a delayed grad ceremony. Either way, thinking about it now, it seems pretty damn cool if you ask me. I now have a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Definitely will be doing another degree at some point! MBA perhaps?! 

SKINNY BELLE!!! 
Thissss is by far my favourite thing that has happened this year. Seriously, I cannot even tell you guys how much I love this place. It is such a fun and positive environment, and nothing makes me happier than reading your comments and getting to know you better. So thank you, for allowing me to do this!! I have so much awesome stuff planned for 2015 and I can hardly wait to share. 🙂

STUDY ABROAD!! 
This was also unreal. I am SO happy I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity. The first 4 months of 2014 were spent in Prague, Czech Republic. Here I studied and completed my Bachelor degree. “Studied” is a loose term… 😉 We saw many beautiful places, and met such great people from so many different countries. I was able to extend my trip by spending my summer modelling in Milan, Italy. This was also a highly rewarding experience, and I finally got to see my homeland! (I am actually an Italian citizen, believe it or not!)

Taking this time to reflect on 2014 has showed me how much great fortune I have had this past year. My experiences have been unparalleled, and I have learned so much. I truly believe that you never stop learning, and am looking forward to the things I will experience and learn in this coming year.

I encourage you to take the time and think about your 2014, and all the great experiences you had. Damn it!! I promised myself I wouldn’t get all emotional… but here I am all emotional n’ stuff. Anyways, that’s enough realness for one day haha. 

Let me know in the comments what your favourite memory of 2014 is! I would absolutely love to hear about it. 🙂

x,

Today I wanted to share my favourite tips on how to not overindulge at holiday dinner parties. The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year, because it provides us with the opportunity to spend lots of time with family and friends. I love it! Usually this quality time spent together is based around food — GOOD food. Because, tis’ the season! Every year even the healthiest of people completely abandon their regular healthy-eating routine and end up spending extra hours in the gym in January to make up for the excessive overindulgence. I don’t want you to have to do that! So, everyone, let’s remember the world balance this holiday season and keep ourselves in check… CHECK YO SELF! (Had to, sorry lol)

Appies will be the death of you during this holiday season. (<— seemed like an appropriate opening sentence.) Seriously they will! Think about it. At holiday parties, there are appies GALORE. You are so excited that all your favourite foods are in mini bite size form (because duh, everything is cuter when it is mini…) They look so innocent, cute and little. So you will casually have one bite, another, another, another, and ANOTHER. Because these seemingly innocent small bites are so delicious.

Nowww comes dinner. This is the moment when you usually realize how obscenely full you are. And it never makes any sense because everything you ate was so small! But, it adds ups my friends. Seriously. The applies will kill you. Having tons of mindless little snacks before a meal is totally unnecessary and will stop you from enjoying the best part of a dinner… the actual meal!

Here’s my philosophy. Skip the appies, and eat the damn cake. YES! Eat dessert! Having one reasonably portioned piece of dessert will be way less detrimental than an uninhibited amount of appetizers before dinner.

A few more tips on how to not completely lose it at a holiday dinner:

• Don’t go to the event starving! Have a healthy snack right before you go to dinner. Like this Peanut Butter Apple snack.
• Keep a glass of wine in your hand all night! That’s right everyone, wine in your hand, ALL. NIGHT. LONG. (lol) It will keep your hands busy and stop you from reaching for those tempting appies.
• Treat yourself, but only to your most favourite things. There is no point having a dessert if you don’t even like it. Don’t eat something just because it is there; eat it because you genuinely love it!
• If an event is “appies only” (no dinner portion,) same goes as above! Pick your absolute FAVE appies, and just eat those. Don’t try one of everything, because chances are you don’t even like half the food anyways haha. 
• Focus on your friends and family! After all that is why you are there. Make sure you are paying more attention to your conversations than your food. 

Keeping yourself Skinny Belle during the holiday season will allow you feel great while still enjoying all the best things about the holidays. The above tips are just my favourite ways to make sure I can enjoy all my favourite treats, without overindulging. After all, everything in moderation! You should be enjoying the holidays and all the fab things that come along with them, but not at the expense of your health. 

x,