Friday Faves: Beach Ready Edition {{6.12.15}}

I know, I know nobody gives a shit that I am going to Cancun next week. But, you know what? I care, so there it is (yeah, I'm giving you all the stank eye). I care because I haven't been on a vacation in 2 years and this is going to be mine and G's honeymoon trip we never had. And by that I mean we are going to do all the stuff we planned to do, but his family will be there and so will 50 of his sisters closest friends. So, in continuing the theme, here are my beach ready Friday Favorites.

Fave Online Workouts: I know that I go back to these a lot, but you guys Cassey Ho at Blogilates does some of the best workouts videos I have seen AND THEY ARE FREE! They are easy to follow, she cues well, and her voice isn't (too) annoying. These below are my favorite on days where I don't have a class at the community center and I do them then ride my elliptical while watching Scandal or Law & Order SVU on Netflix.

Fave Beauty Product: I'm going with self tanner on this one. Self tanner for the win! My personal favorite self-tanning lotion is Banana Boat Endless Summer. It goes on easily, doesn't streak, doesn't smell too horrible, and has no glitter. The color shows up within three hours of application. My other, more expensive, favorite is Versa Spa 360 Spray. Versa Spa is the brand of spray tanning booth that they use at all my local tanning salons. I figured rather than paying out the ass for a single spray tan, why not let G spray me and get 3 sprays out of it?  

Fave Recipe: If you are looking for a healthy, cool, refreshing summer recipe this is it! The Grilled Chicken Tzatziki Salad from I Heart Nap Time is a recipe I used to keep my calories in check to be bikini ready. I used kalamata olives from our gourmet olive bar at the bougey grocery store, but other than that didn't change a thing. In the future, I will add fresh dill for a bolder flavor in the tzatziki, but it was definitely better than sore bought. Again, SUPER EASY! 

Fave Clothing: Ya'll know I had to buy stuff for this vacation, so I had to make it worth it. I tried to buy items that were beach perfect, but also reusable for for the rest of summer. 

Pineapple Tank from Kohl's

Cognac Wedge Sandals from Kohl's

If you've got big tata's these two swim tops are for you! The one in black in white is super supportive and has lots of support. I plan to use it to snorkel with killer whales. I also plan to buy more of this bralette style. The halter below is super, duper flattering as well! It comes in cup sizes, has full support and makes the girls look amaze. So much so, I now own that top in 2 colors. Bonus- almost everything is on super sale right now at Victoria's Secret! 

              Getaway Halter from VS                                          Beach Sexy Bralette from VS

                                 

What are some of your Beach Ready Faves?

Track the Tank

Follow a tank tops journey as it travels all over the U.S. and into the hands of 25 bloggers! 

It's kind of like the Sisterhood of the traveling pants only much more awesome!

Here, we share our fitness journey, motivational tips and tricks, and what keeps us lookin' fine!

And what's in it for you? When the journey is over...YOU get a chance to win it!

I got the Sisterhood of the Traveling Tank in the mail on Saturday from Darci and will be sending it out to Erin. If you haven't checked out all the amazing places that this tank has been, head over to Tia's and take a look a the #TracktheTank page. 

I took the tank on an amazing walk around the lake that is behind our house. This is the place where I like to walk/run and just have some quiet time. On to the big question-- what motivates me? What I just said is exactly it, I like to have the me time. I like the peace and quiet of being with my thoughts. I like that I am taking time for me. Don't get me wrong, the outcome doesn't hurt. I like to feel good and like me when I look in the mirror. I think that the time to reflect is so important to the way I feel about myself and life, which is what I get when I take the time for me. Do I lose focus sometimes? Yes. Do I feel like crap about it? No. I realize that sometimes I prioritize things that I shouldn't or let others influence how I am acting and go back and change that shit. 

For me, that is the biggest part. Making sure that what I am doing is for me. Is it a bonus that Gabriel has been going on walks with me? Yes. I love that we spend the time together and it is totally no pressure, we can walk silent or talk about our days.  He is super, duper into health and fitness and works out ALL THE TIME. Am I doing this for him? Nope. He just happened to come into my life at the same time that I realized I had to change parts of my life. I couldn't eat like shit everyday, drink a pitcher of beer and sit on the couch. I needed to do more than that. So, I bought an elliptical and plopped that sucker in my living room. That's how I started. It went with me from my apartment, to our rental house, to our right now forever home. Right now,  do I use it frequently? Nope. I like to walk outside when it's nice out instead. I still prefer to do workout DVDs in my living room than go to the community center when I am by myself. That's just me. I am ok with that. I don't feel bad about it. I like trying new online videos and laughing at myself when I try new things. 

What motivates you? 

Walk-N-Roll to Cure SMA

So, I  wondered whether to post this or not, but I figured it was worth a shot. I signed up for the second year to participate in the the local Walk-N-Roll to Cure SMA 5k. Last year, I walked with a few friends. This year, my goal is to jog/run it with a friend and raise money for our team.

Some questions you might have....

What is SMA? SMA stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. It robs people of physical strength by affecting the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord, taking away their ability to walk, eat, or breath. It is the NUMBER ONE cause of genetic death for infants. You guys, this is scary shit.

What is Walk-N-Roll? The Walk-N-Roll is one of many events across the country that provide funding for critical research and important family support services such as sending care packages to newly diagnosed SMA families.

Why this 5k for me? Because I know someone that has been personally affected by it.  I am doing this with a person I consider to be a brave, inspiring individual that I admire greatly. I don't want to share too much of her personal info, but she has lived through SMA and I want to support her in any way that I can and this is one easy way to show my support.

Why I wondered whether to post this? Because I am asking people I know to donate to Cure SMA and my team and didn't want to seem like I was a mooch. Then, I realized even if people thought that, to was worth it to raise awareness (and potentially cash money!) So, to donate visit my donation site. I would love it and be incredibly proud and touched.

All information provided above about SMA and Walk-N-Roll was taken from Cure SMA.

Do you guys have any tips on fundraising? Have you done something like this before?

Fleurty and Fit End of Summer Challenge

So, in an effort to give myself a swift kick in the ass, when Jasmine  said that she was going to be hosting an end of summer challenge, I thought to myself why not? Well, why not indeed. We each needed to set 5 goals for ourself and try to do our best. Did I do the best? Nope, but I am ok with that and I'll share why below. 

Goals:

-Drink only 1 weekend night (I love my glass of wine with dinner): I did well with this, but was not 100%. Instead of saying no at events like tailgating, weddings, bachelorette parties, etc. I just tried to be more conscious and aware of the liquid calories I was consuming.

-Eat breakfast everyday: 100% done. This was a struggle for me, but not a huge one. Breakfast is usually the first thing to get cut from my morning to do list when I am running late. Then I am hangry at 10am. So, I stocked up on meal bars, yogurts, and pre-cut  apple slices so that I could throw them into my purse and run out the door. I also had no shame in eating at "unofficial" meetings.

-Run 3 days/week, workout 5 total:  I averaged 2 workouts per week, which for me is womp, womp since I knew this was my biggest struggle. I taught a night class for 4/5 weeks, which I didn't plan around and I should have and was sick for a week with a nasty sinus/chest congestion. The part I am most excited about is that I signed up for a 5k with 2 of my best work friends and this year I am going to run it with them, versus last year when I walked. I also am running with one of them 1/week, which is a big one for me, since she runs ALL THE TIME and the thought was intimidating.

-Bring lunch to work everyday: Done. Did it. Big struggle. I hate eating left overs, thing from boxes and icky tupper ware... I did this 100% and hated every. single. second.

-Incorporate new veggies into my diet/meals Incorporate new food/recipes into my meals:  I had to re-work this goal, as I didn't take into account my food allergies. I am allergic to a shit ton of things in life, food items being A LOT of them.  I made my own spice rubs, tried BONE IN chicken (!!), roasted said bone in chicken in the crock pot, tried an over night fresh peach crockpot cobbler (skinnified), made my own marinade, cooked pork chops for the first time... the list is endless! This was my favorite goal, honestly.

I have to admit, for me the this challenge was really hard. I didn't realize how much of a "loner" I am when it comes to my fitness/food. Which is so weird, because I blog and am super social in real life. It was a struggle for me to answer emails and texts, not because I am not interested, because I am, but just because. I can't even say why, truthfully. It was just harder than I thought it would be to share my struggles with others and ask for things in return. It was also more comfortable for me to email/text people individually rather than a mass text. It helped me to start a really stressful school year feeling like I have control and making me more aware of what my daily habits are.

What were your end of summer goals? Did you meet them?

My Fave At Home Workouts

 

I have to admit, working out is not something that comes naturally to me. I don't particularly enjoy it or find it pleasurable. Shocking, I know. Because of this, I try to make working out at home as painless as possible. I do own an elliptical and kettlebells, so I use those on the regular, but when I am not using them I love all of the workouts below!

Piloxing: I took this as a class for a few months and loved it! This DVD is the exact same as the class, except there is no bumping music. Oh, and there is a token chubby girl hidden in the back. 

Piloxing

 

 

Blogilates: This girl has some of the most fun workouts I've done. She constantly has challenges and calendars up on her site that can be difficult, but rewarding! I love that she integrates current pop music into her videos and explains/cues very well. At times, she can be a little too much, but overall amazing!

 

 

Pop Pilates by Cassey Ho

 

10 Minute Solutions DVDs: This may sound like a cop out, but I actually really like these DVDs. If you are in a hurry, you can choose to do one 10 minute segment if you've got more time you can create your own workout. I generally like to do a 30 mintue targeted workout if I have done something else. I just found a kettlebell one, but I haven't seen any reviews on it yet.

 





 10 Minute Solutions Quick Tummy Toners

10 Minute Solutions Knockout Body

10 Minute Solutions Slim and Sculpt Pilates

 

 

Kama Fitness: This is another website with TONS of workouts! I love that moves are explained well and the workouts are generally fast and quick. She also does a variety of workouts, so it is not one specific style (i.e. yoga). I linked below to one of her kettlebell workouts that I really enjoy. 

 

Kama Fitness

 

Tone it Up: I have to admit this was a pinterst find for me. I troll Pinterest like it's nobodies business and saw one of their workout calendars. These two women are fun, easy to follow, and come up with workout calendars that target specific things (i.e. Bikini Series). 



Tone it Up

 

 

What are your favorite at home workouts? Have you done any of these before?







Guilty Pleasure and Second Chances

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is tv. I unashamedly have cable, but I do not always let people know that my DVR is full of the entire Real Housewives series, Basketball Wives, and Abby Lee. That is saved for me time.

One of the shows that I also watch in the privacy of my dark living room is the Biggest Loser. Not because I think there is something shameful about the show, but because I can relate to the contestants and that somehow makes me feel awkward and embarrassed. Am I morbidly obese? No. Do I have a lot of horrible habits regarding? Yes. One of them is giving into my cravings and binge eating like a mother. I crave carbs, so what do I do? I go and buy to bags of chips at Quik Trip and eat them in the car---- if there is no trash evidence in my house then it doesn't count, right? In this way I relate to many of the contestants, as I know I shouldn't do this and it will ruin everything I've been working for. I mean I work out on the reg. I meal prep for lunch/dinner so I can eat semi-healthy and then I shame eat fast food and pure crap in the car. I know I am better than that. Yet I still do it.

The premier of season 15 of the Biggest Loser was last night, with this years theme being second chances. This resonated with me because I always feel like once I've fucked up or fallen on the wagon there is no going back. It's done, so I might as well have the beer with dinner or go to happy hour and eat the shitty food-- I mean I already stopped and ate the shitty for me fast food at lunch- so what does it matter?  Well, with the theme of second chances I have to remember that we all fuck up. Pull up your big girl panties and move on. Hopefully, that spicy chicken from Wendy's was worth it (I must admit it usually is, the beer not so much). On that note, I got up and worked out in the morning, rather than the evening before dinner. Lately, I haven't felt energy to work out, but having worked out in the morning, I was WAAAYYY more conscious of what I was putting in my pie hole.

Watching the Biggest Loser this weekend was also made meaningful because I had the opportunity to meet Dolvett, one of the trainers from the show. This past weekend, Jen's work hosted a block party and he attended, leading a workout in the middle of the street. He is so positive and motivating that you can see why he is so successful with the people on the Ranch. If only I could have him with me a few days a week!

Have you felt this way before? How do you treat yourself without going balls to the walls?