Making Time for Me with AO.com

At the start of the year I promised myself that in 2018, I would make more time for me. Despite having the best intentions, life in our house is often on the hectic side, and with two children, a blog and a day job, when it comes to prioritisation, self care usually comes pretty down the list! I’m not going to lie, at times, particularly towards the end of last year, this really started to take it’s toll. I felt tired, drained, sluggish and unhealthy, and it really showed in my appearance and my mood.

Self care doesn’t have to be a huge chore – in fact, it is often the smaller more simple steps that can have a massive impact on both your physical and mental wellbeing. In January I started Couch to 5k, making small steps towards achieving a fitness goal, and whilst I have had the odd set back in my physical running abilities, I am hoping to restart my running goals as the cooler weather returns. Whilst I started the year well, taking time to introduce the little things that make me happy (whether it be painting my nails, reading a book, going for a stroll or sitting in the garden as the sun goes down) I have been slacking a little as of late, and things had been starting to get on top of me.

When AO.com got in touch to help support my ‘Me Time’ mission, I couldn’t have been more grateful. A little push of encouragement was just what I needed, and a reminder that every so often, its perfectly ok to put yourself first.

AO.com sent me a pair of their Plantronics Black Beat On-Ear Sports headphones – perfectly suited for both fitness and relaxation and asked me to take some time to look after myself, take a moment, and bring back some much needed me time. 

The Plantronics Black Beat On-Ear Sports Headphones are ideal for whatever form my me time wants to take, whether it be on the move, or moving as little as possible. Being wireless, I don’t have to worry about being tethered or restricted, as the lack of wire gives me the freedom to move around as I wish. Using a Bluetooth connection, I was able to sync the headphones to my device of choice (in this case my iPhone) without requiring a physical connection, meaning I could pop my phone away in a pocket or bag, and still guarantee excellent sound quality whilst blocking out the hustle and bustle of rest of the world.

Over the past few weeks I have been taking some time out at the end of every day to sit, alone, without the clamber of tiny feet or exclamations of Mummy, to have a moment to myself – to sit and listen to sounds of the moment, whether that me a TED talk, an eclectic mix of music on shuffle, or my daily calm meditation. Just 10 minutes of undisturbed time, with the added benefit of a bit of vitamin D, has made a massive difference to my mood.

When the cooler temperatures arise, the Plantronics Black Beat On-Ear Sports Headphones will also be perfect for those winter evening runs. With an adjustable headset and padded ear cups for comfort, the headphones will stay securely in place, without restrictive wires, no matter how much I push myself to secure a new PB. With an 18 hour battery life, I can be confident that the tunes wont stop at the point my energy starts to wane, and with the ear cup controls, I can quickly change tracks at the touch of a button without needing to access my phone. Ideal if I finally concede that the Venga Boys aren’t cool anymore and that I should probably update my playlist.

Whilst this little bit of me time has been great, I do however have to inevitably accept that whatever is cool for Mummy, is also incredibly attractive to the little ones too. With its adjustable head set which can be altered to fit even the smallest of heads, it didn’t take long for Erin to want to share. That said – if it means that she can dance along to Daddy Shark without me having it stuck in my head for the rest of the day, I will take that any day!!

You can learn more about the Plantronics Black Beat On-Ear Sports Headphones on the Ao.com website here.

*Disclosure – We were sent the Plantronics Black Beat On-Ear Sports Headphones free of charge for the purpose of this review however all thoughts and opinions are my own*