Archives for January 2016

So as I am preparing for my wedding, every time I check something off of the list, something else is added back on. I’m considering the lighting, the flowers, the colors and even what kind of chairs feel right. Chiavari? Or Banquet? I never seemed to care about chairs so much in my life. Needless to say, wedding planning can be time consuming and confusing. As me and my bestie Haley, blogger from Acres & Richmond were discussing this over lattes (duh!) we discussed the need to also look and feel fabulous on your wedding day. The conversation inspired me to create a workout for the less active bride-to-bes who want to look toned but don”t want to spend time lifting at the gym.

So I understand, sometimes during wedding planning, the last thing you want to do is workout, but you also want to look good in that dress. Don’t you? If you would simply commit 15 minutes, 3 times a week, you will see the difference and look great in that dress you have always dreamed of.

To me, the most important assets to have toned for your dress is your arms and a slender waist. However, it works best to tone your entire body to see the quickest results.

Here is a 15 minute workout that you can do without any weights or equipment. No excuses bride-to-be, look good for your honey!

Jumping Jacks -30 

(not pictured, you know how to do those!)

 Tricep Dips – 5

Make sure your elbows are tight against your body, keep your core in and your glutes down. You can do from your knees or your toes.

Push ups – 10 

Just your basic push up. Try to keep your body in one straight line with your abs in and glutes down.

Arm Circles – 30 each directions

These are surprisingly tiring and are a great way to create toned muscles without the weights. Just move your arms in circular motion 30 times forward, then 30 times backward.

Lunges – 15 each side

Lunge it out. 15 lunges on each side. Make sure you are going straight down and up, not forward and back. Keep those abs in and challenge that range. Can you get that knee close to the floor?

Squats – 25

You know the drill. Abs in, glutes back and down. Try to get a 90 degree bend and make sure those knees aren’t going over your toes.

Calf Raises – 30 

Use proper form, no cheating! Shoulders back, abs in. Lift up on your toes. Feel that nice calf cramp? Yeah you want that.

Burpees – 5

Burpees without the push ups. Head down, jump out, jump back in and jump up. Be as explosive as possible and really spike that heart rate for that good metabolic burn that will last for hours after the workout is complete.

Bridge Lifts – 30

Squeeze up through that tush and lower back down. Feel the work in your glutes and hamstrings.

Plank – :30

You can plank on your elbows or your hands. Keep that body straight and stiff as a board. Squeeze your tush.

Bridal Bootcamp for the Lazy Bride Workout

10 moves, 5 minutes each set. Go through each move as fast as you can, it will help to keep your heart rate up and those calories burning! BURN BABY BURN! And helps to keep the exercise short so you can get back to what matters most, like bridal magazines.

30 jumping jacks

5 tricep pushups

10 pushups

30 arm circles (forward and backward)

15 lunges (each side)

25 squats

30 calf raises 

5 burpees

30 bridge lifts

:30 plank

x2

Along with your fitness, it’s super important to eat right. Be sure and check back for a Bridal Bootcamp food guide.

How are you doing with your New Years Resolutions? I hope you are doing good and are perfectly sailing through the new year! However, if you are struggling a bit, don’t be too hard on yourself, because the thing is, you can start over EACH and EVERY day. When you beat yourself up over it, you end up making it worse, at least in my experience. Love yourself for your successes and failures and move forward.

Take a look at your resolutions. Were they all restrictive and rude? Why not ADD something rather then taking away? I have joined Evolution Fresh in their first ever National Green Juice Day January 26 to encourage you and show how you can easily #TurnItAround and get your health and wellness resolutions back on track!

Adding green juices to your diet is by no means hard, and is actually quite tasty! I love to enjoy green juices in the morning after a grueling workout. Or, in the day if I’m starting to crash or craving something sweet. I am careful to only have 1/2 of the bottle though because there is sugar in these juices! 1/2 does the trick and I look forward to the remaining 1/2 later.

Another thing that I like to add in to my health regimen is Texas Superfood vitamins. These are packed with goodness and an easy way to get more fruits and veggies into your day. Pop them in your mouth and call it good.

Also, per the usual, add some fitness into your day! It doesn’t have to be crazy, but is good to keep that body mobile and healthy. I finally got a resistance band to use and will be sharing some resistance band workouts with you in the near future. These bands are a great way to tone and strengthen without weights. Much easier to throw in a suitcase if you travel a lot too.

Get those triceps, biceps, glutes and core toning! And yes, I do occasionally workout in the hallway. #tinyapartmentprobs I do sometimes worry about my neighbors below me though. I hope I don’t serve as their unwanted morning alarm clock… Anyone else with me?

Do you want to participate in National Green Juice Day? Enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of Evolution Fresh Green Juice! And download a coupon for $1 off your next juice!

So instead of taking away, what will you add to your resolutions? Are you still going strong or need some motivation? I’ll come cheer you on!

A good leather jacket has to be one of my favorite things to wear! They are the easiest clothing item to create many, many different looks that never get boring. Simply swap your accessories and jewelry and have a completely different vibe in seconds. Not to mention nice leather is actually really comfortable.

You could create these three looks with only one leather jacket,  but I couldn’t decide which to feature so I chose my favorite two! One is a cropped BCBG and the other one is just an oldie, but goodie. It went through all of college with me, and that’s saying a lot.

Let’s call this one my “so cool, super hipster” look. I don’t think you could ever describe me as hipster but sometimes I just want to be, you
know?

It’s not as good of leather as the cropped BCBG below but it gets the job done and is perfect to throw over your favorite casual tee and jeans.  It’s super versatile, meaning easy on you to throw it on over anything you want to wear that day! I’m also wearing my Giving Key necklace with the message “Let Go” engraved on it. Perfect for me and my worry, which I’m NOT supposed to be doing in 2016. I can’t say that I have completely kicked worry to the curb yet, but I’m working on it.

The below BCBG cropped leather jacket is perfect for an edgy, sassy look. I love to wear this one with either all black and a pop of color (as photographed.) Or with a short dress, leather jacket over it, and some sassy boots. That would be my night out look, don’t go flitting around in that look at 11 am on a Tuesday, no one is ready for that yet!

This look is definitely more me, I’d call it my girly carefree look. I love the pop of pink and the cropped leather jacket together. Recently, I have been really into the pony tail, maybe because my hair is finally starting to get long. Growing out your hair can be just the hugest pain! I’m trying to get some long, luscious hair going before my debut as bride.

(And check out Devon Tower behind me, I’m almost as tall!)

Which is your favorite look? How do you like to style your leather jacket?

After launching Les Mills Body Pump 96 this week my body definitely needed a break, sore is an understatement! Who does Body Pump? What did you think of these tracks? Triceps=killer. After the launch with new workout moves, and with a group of new workout goers with resolutions, I thought it was a good time to discuss the importance of doing moves with correct form.

Form is so important in your workouts and can make a huge difference in your results! As a group fitness instructor, I see many examples of good and bad form and always try to help each individual. However, if you aren’t one my class-goers, I thought I’d share the most common form mistakes for you to check.

And not to offend you, but you’re probably doing at least one move wrong. When I went through training to be an instructor I was shocked how many tiny tweaks were pointed out to me that I had been doing wrong… moves that I had been inaccurately doing for nearly 10 years! The small adjustments left me sore and feeling the work in all the right places. Be open to hearing what instructors, trainers or even workout buds tell you and you will feel the difference!

4 Common Form Workout Mistakes

Planks
The Bad: No booties in the air! No tummies sticking out!

The Good: Push back through those heels, squeeze those glutes. Body to be in a perfectly straight line. Wrists right under the shoulders. Abs in and neck aligned.

Lunges
The Bad: Knee pushing out over toe and not wide enough stance from foot to foot.

The Good: Have a wide enough stance so that you can press directly down and up. 90 degree bend in both legs. Abs in, shoulders back.

Upright Rows

The Bad: Lifting too high above chest.

The Good: For an upright row, people tend to break their wrists too much and lift too high. All you need to do is lift to the lower chest. Keep abs in and lead with your elbows.

Bicep curl

The Bad: The curl can be queen of bad form. It’s super tempting to recruit other muscles when the going gets tough!

The Good: Keep your elbows into your body and don’t let them release to the back. Abs in and shoulders back.

Hopefully those form mistakes aren’t you but might as well check it out in the mirror! Too often people assume they aren’t doing it wrong. Confirm you are doing these moves right in the comfort of your own home and you don’t have to tell anyone 😉

Happy exercising!

Before we know it, the weather will be warm again. Who’s excited, who’s not?

I’m getting the most out of the last colder months and will be wearing my fur pieces nonstop. Don’t mind me. I just absolutely love fur, it’s so cozy, warm and simply luxurious. One of these days I will be able to buy myself a full length fur coat that I can have for the rest of my life. GOALS.

Love this black faux fur vest from BCBG. I would go so far as to call this a staple for my winter wardrobe because it can be worn with nearly anything! It’s perfect to add over a simple tee to spice it up, or it’s super fun to throw over a crazy pattern.

I’m carrying one of my favorite purses that I have carried for about 6 months straight without switching, which is rare. It’s MZ Wallace and is super simple so that it looks good with almost everything, but it also has character so it’s not oober boring. The fringe and gold is the icing on the cake.

I’m wearing Agave Denims and just love these jeans. They fit perfectly and are super soft. I basically feel like they are leggings when I wear them. They are way too long on me but they are thin enough to roll up a couple times without it getting too bunchy looking. I’ve lately been crushing on the lighter denims and this is the perfect shade for my everyday jean.

Stay bundled! Before you know it, we will be back in those bikinis! Do you have any last minute “do while it’s still cold plans?” or are you charging forward planning your warmer adventures? Here’s a workout to help get you ready for bikini season! 😉

Half way through the week, let’s do this!