7 Things People with an Iron Deficiency Want You to Know

Iron deficiencies, anaemia, low B12 levels...I get that it's a complicated world for those on the outside looking in. I also get that iron deficiencies are often labelled as a wishy-washy complaint, most notably used by 13 year olds to get out of P.E.

The truth is, for those of us with an iron deficiency, the symptoms are all too real and they can really mess with our day to day lives in a way that people who don't understand iron deficiencies are totally unaware of.

My Cheer Competition Check-List (Everything but the Kitchen Sink)

This weekend I'm going to my first ever cheer competition! I have a whole lot of feelings, but I'm not entirely sure which one I'm feeling most. Excited? Nervous? Achy from our last training session?

It's worth mentioning that Sunday's training session was our last chance to practise before the competition and we did more full-outs than I thought my body was physically capable of. (For those of you who aren't down with the lingo, a full-out is when you run through your routine, complete with every jump, every stunt and every tumble...full out.) It was like being hit in the face with a brick. 

My arms are still hurting and I have a foot-shaped bruise on my right boob.

As the weekend draws closer, I am being plagued by an array of anxieties. What if I forget the dance? What count does that clap happen on? What if I get so overwhelmed by the stress that when I step onto the mat I blank out and forget everything...not just the routine, but everything like who I am and where I live? What if I forget to pack my lipstick?!

To alleviate some of the stress I've drafted up a check-list. I've tried to think up every possible scenario to ensure I'm prepared for anything from migraines to smudged mascara and anything else you could think of, short of a tsunami. 

So I thought I'd share it with you guys in case any of you are going to your first competition too or in case you all just wanted to mock my obsessive compulsive need to pack everything.

Aimee's Cheer Checklist

Clothing:

Competition T-shirt (our uniforms aren't ready yet)

Nike pros

Trainers

Jogging bottoms

T-shirt to wear on the bus (in case of spillage)

Hoodie

Non-cheer shoes

Sports bra

White ankle socks

Spare sports bra

Spare white ankle socks

Spare pants (look, you never know)

Cosmetics:

• Hairspray
• Volumizing powder
• Hair gel (I don't even use gel, but seriously, you never know)
• Paddle brush
• Tangle Teezer 
• Comb
• Teasing comb
• Hair elastics
• Hair clips 
• Bobby pins (x 1million)
• Make-up (including brushes, eyelash glue, setting spray etc)
• Lip balm
• Make-up wipes
• Cotton buds
• Cotton balls
• Moisturiser 
• That grungy hair-band I use to hold back my hair while I put my make-up on 
• Deodorant

Miscellaneous Essentials:

• Money
• Camera
• Phone
• Chargers 
• Water
• Food
• Some form of sugary snack for a pre-competition boost
• Ipod
• Paper and pen (who knows what you might be inspired to write down?)
• Umbrella (I refuse to let the rain ruin my poof)

Emergency Items:

• Wrist/ ankle straps
• Plasters
• Beroca
• Deep Heat
• Sticky tape
• Scissors
• Tissues
• Painkillers 
• Prescription tablets 
• Spare contact lenses
• Glasses
• Tweezers
• Stain remover pen
• Emergency tampons (wouldn't that be the worst timing ever?)

I'm pretty sure that covers everything, but if anyone can think of anything I'm missing please let me know!

Now that I've got everything set out in writing, I feel a lot less stressed. At least I know the recurring nightmare about me having to perform in my pants because I've forgotten my shorts won't come true.

My next concern is working out how to get my hair into one of those cheer poofs.

 

It's going to take some practise...

How to Survive a Break-Up: Part 2

If you’ve read the first part of my Break-Up Survival Guide then you should, by now, be confident in your ability to navigate the initial horror of heartbreak with as little ice-cream consumption and drunk-dialling as possible. In that post I talked you through the initial stages of a break-up, from diving into an easy-to-construct pit of despair to finally accepting the fact that if they were really all that great they wouldn’t have been stupid enough to let you go in the first place.

This post is all about how to create a fabulous new single life for yourself, like a fashion-forward phoenix rising from the ashes.

How to Survive a Break-Up

Break-ups are never easy. Even truly dire relationships require time for mourning once they’re over. (Trust me, I’ve been there.) You’re entitled to feel as though the earth is crumbling around you when someone you care about suddenly stops being a part of your life. Tears must be shed, walls must be punched and, eventually, expensive clothing he had the audacity to leave at your house must be burned.