TomTom Spark Cardio + Music Watch **REVIEW**

You may have noticed I have been posting about trying to lose weight recently and become over all more healthy, so when the lovely people over at TomTom offered me one of their TomTom Spark fitness watches I was so excited to give it a try. 

I have seen a few of these fitness watches in the market and had been thinking of giving one a try in a hope it would help me keep motivated and that is exactly what the TomTom Spark Cardio + Music does! I have been using the watch for a few weeks now both on the school run and during exercise sessions and even swimming with my little girl. It has been great to be able to physically see how many steps I have been doing and even checking on my heart rate during exercise taking all the guess work out of exercise, enabling me to keep track of exactly how I am doing rather than just the weight on the scales! 

The TomTom Spark Cardio + Music watch is a GPS fitness watch that not only enables you to track all your exercise but listen to music wirelessly whilst you do so!  The watch features a unique combination of an integrated music player, built in heart rate monitor, 24/7 activity tracker, multi sports mode including walking, running and swimming and the GPS in the TomTom Spark makes it easier than ever to track progress and improve overall fitness levels.

I was a little worried about how the watch would fit as I have quite small wrists and struggle to find a normal watch that fits comfortably, however the TomTom Spark watch strap is made from rubber which enables it to fit comfortably around your wrist, offering flexibility and making it comfortable to wear day to day. The new and improved sleeker, slimmer design also means it isn't too bulky and easy to wear for long periods of time without being in the way. 

The TomTom spark comes pre-loaded with some fantastic running tracks from The Ministry of Sound however with 3GB (around 500 songs) of music storage available there is plenty of room for you to add your own music. I found the whole process of doing so really quick and easy. The in depth instruction booklet you get with the watch explains how to do this.

The display on the TomTom spark is a large LCD display which is controlled by a large 4 way button beneath, If you are anything like me you will try and use it as a touch screen at least once since we are all so used to everything being touch screen now. I actually like the button over a touch screen as it means you don't accidentally "touch" the screen and change something. The directional 4 way button makes navigating the watch easy and once you have scrolled through a few times you get used to wear all the functions and the layout of the watch. When you are not actively using the watch it displays a large clear 24 hour clock making it a functional watch day to day when you are not using it in the gym etc whilst it still records steps etc.

Another great feature on the TomTom Spark is the built in heart monitor meaning their is no need for extra bulky or fiddly heart rate monitoring equipment as it can all be done via your watch, although this feature does not work when using the watch for swimming. The watch can however be used up to a depth of 40m in water!

The App used with the TomTom spark watch is the TomTom MySports app which can be found in the app store. It clearly displays all of your data making it easy to read and see how you have done. The app stores your data too so you can go back and check previous days when needed. The app does seem to update quite often which isn't an issue but make sure you do these updates to keep up to date with the latest updates for your watch and info.

The current price of the TomTom Spark Cardio + Music is £189.99 and if you order before the 19/08/2016 you can claim your free TomTom Bluetooth headphones when you purchase a TomTom Spark or TomTom Runner 2 music edition. The headphones are usually priced at £49.99 so this is a fab saving if you are thinking of purchasing one!

You can check out the watch in more detail or view more from the TomTom range via their website which can be found here - www.tomtom.com/en_gb.

xXx

** I was provided these items free of charge, I then produced this review. All photos, words and opinions are my own. **

My Weight loss Journey - The Beginning!

Weight is something most of us have worried about in the past, whether its loosing weight, gaining weight, toning up or getting fitter we never seem to be 100% happy with our weight.

For me my weight is something I have struggled with for quite some time, probably since I first met my now husband almost 10 years ago! I was at college and grabbing food on the go and when I fell pregnant I used to snack rather than eating proper meals whilst at work, then eat rubbish when I got home because I felt to tired to cook. This continued and has done since then and the weight has crept on. Fizzy drinks, sweet treats and larger portions of rubbish food are all part of the problem and all this has to change.

Now I am overweight and feeling very self conscious and its no way to live at all. I hate swimming, going to the beach and even cover up so my husband can't see me. I worry about what impact my lack of body confidence and poor relationship with food is having on my children too and its time I did something about it!

For me this journey is not just about weight loss its about becoming fitter, happier and more confident. Its about being able to run around with my kids without being out of breath. Its about being able to go swimming or go clothes shopping without feeling self conscious about my size. Its about jumping on rides at the funfair without worrying I won't fit. Mostly its about being happy and not letting my weight dictate my lifestyle.

I ummed and ahhed about posting this picture, for me this represents everything I have tried to hide, everything I hate but I know that to start my journey I must first be honest to myself about where I started so here it is, me right now unedited, raw and at the beginning of my journey.

Each week I will be posting a weight loss diary sharing my week, how it went and my progress. I will also be sharing what I did that week food wise, exercise wise and if I have tried out any new products I will be sharing those with you too! I am also hoping to include some reviews on the blog of products I have found particularly useful so keep an eye out for those!

I would love it if you would join me in sharing your weighloss stories, results and tips each week on my posts!

Good Luck for all those of you on your own journey too, we can do this.

xXx

Exante Diet, Shakes **REVIEW**

Before having kids my weight wasn't something that really bothered me, ok so I was curvy but I was happy with my weight. However since having James and Evelyn I have put on some weight and its something I am definitely not happy with.

I have tried a few "healthy eating" type at home plans but I am so weak when it comes to temptation, I felt like I needed a bit of a kick start to my diet to see some results a little quicker to give me that boost and kick up the bum to stick with a diet.

So when the lovely people at Exante offered me some of their shakes to try I thought this could be the kickstart I needed and I excitedly awaited my delivery.

Exante is the UK's number 1 online meal replacement diet and is cost effective too, with meals starting at just 63p each it really can be accessible to everyone! Exante also has the biggest online range of products including lots of vegetarian options and with FREE next day delivery there really is no reason not to give it a go if you are thinking of losing weight!

I received a fantastic selection of shakes which included the flavours -

- Chocolate Mint
- Vanilla
- Orange and Pineapple
- Chocolate 
- Lemon and Raspberry
- strawberry
- cherries and berries
- Banana
- Creamy Coconut 
- Blueberry
- tropical

But if none of the flavours above take your fancy there are even more flavours available on the Exante website!

I was a bit apprehensive about using the shakes at first and wasn't holding out much hope for the flavour/texture as lets face it these are a powder mixed with water, however I was pleasantly surprised! One thing I will say is you really need a blender of some sort to make these shakes as without they are a little lumpy and don't seem to mix together properly. Made with the whisk the shakes thicken up quite a bit and have a real hit of flavour.

My favourite shakes have to be the chocolate (of course what girl doesn't love a chocolate shake on a diet!?) and the Lemon and Raspberry. I know this sounds obvious but the chocolate shake really tastes like chocolate which really surprised me for a diet shake. The Lemon and Raspberry is a must try as it has the punch of lemon and the sweetness of the raspberry which made for a delicious shake especially if you have a sweet tooth!

Exante don't just do shakes they also sell diet meals, diet soups and diet bars all to help in your weight loss journey. You can also buy Diet Packs which contain everything you need to follow the Exante diet for a set period of time which is a fantastic no fuss option. Exante even give you the option of a "pick your own" diet pack so you can choose what is included meaning you can make sure that it only contains things you like or like the sound of!

Over all I am giving the Exante shakes a thumbs up. It was tough the first few days as I used these for breakfast and lunch and it was hard not having any actual food to eat but my body soon got used to it and I enjoyed picking out my flavours for the following day.

I didn't follow the whole Exante plan as I only had the shakes to try but I would definitely consider trying more of the products in the future and following the diet plan more strictly as I think this could be the real boost and kick start I need to get my weight loss journey going.

So if you are looking to loose weight what are you waiting for? Check out the Exante website here - www.exantediet.com.

xXx


**I was not paid for this post, I was sent this item in return for an honest review. 
All thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and written by me. **