Fitness Friday 3: Motivation

Hello lovelies! It is once again Fitness Friday. Wahooo! I wanted to make a little motivational video chat but no one seems to be watching the videos so I will be taking a break from filming them. If you want more videos please please let me know. Today instead I want to share what helps me stay motivated in keeping my body healthy. In no way am I promoting weight loss. I am promoting a HEALTHY LIFESTYLE and a step to that is taking care of your body. Yes, I do want to lose weight and yes, part of that is so I am less self-conscious. But everyone is beautiful as they are and I am in no way promoting weight loss as a way to become a prettier person. The reason I am on this fitness journey is because my doctor told me that for my own safety and health that I need to loose a little weight. This is for my health.

I feel like a lot of people wonder how I have such a strong self-confidence and am barely ever self-conscious but that comes from something I started years ago. Seven years ago a guest speaker or someone on TV saidd something that stuck with me. At that time I was very self-conscious and was at the age where I was discovering my body image. The advice I heard was to get up every morning and look in the mirror and tell yourself how beautiful you were. You didn't have to believe it at first but soon you would start to see all the beauty in yourself if you did do this every morning and night. And so I did and ever since I have barely had any body image issues. I honestly believe it is as easy as that to treat your body image right.

This past week has been the most difficult of my healthy habit change so far. I have slacked off in eating healthy food and haven't exercised nearly as much as I should be. Now, a cheat day isn't such a bad thing but I am getting in the habit and making it more a cheat week and that is a bad thing. So I've been really trying to find a way to re-motivate myself. I feel like I can just quit now because I have lost some weight and am seeing a difference. But it is the exact opposite; I should be pushing harder now because I am all the more closer to a healthy body. I pinned (fitness board) and printed a list of 50 reasons to exercise and hung it next to my bed so when i cuddle up for a nap after school it is there to remind me to exercise first then I can have my nap. Also, it is good to keep in mind that walking one mile burns is just as helpful as running one.

Looking at old pictures of me also keeps me motivated. And when I say old pictures I don't mean pictures from 4 years ago when I was 12 because that would be unreasonable. Our bodies change and grow so I like to look at pictures from when my body finished for the most part growing and I know I was merely taking better care of myself. The picture above is from December 2011. I was a 4 season multi-sport each season athlete at the time although I didn't care to watch what I ate. The only thing about my body that has changed since this picture was taken is fat has built up in my stomach area. I know that this is a reasonable picture to help me stay motivated because it isn't unreasonable. 

Music is another key to motivation. I find Beyonce to motivate me the best. I have a playlist on my phone and I just start playing it and put on my workout clothes and that puts me in the mood to work-out. Also, check out last weeks post to see my ab work-out that I do to Beyonce. Find music that makes you want to go out and do and put that on a half hour before you want/need to work-out.

Another thing that helps me is to think of something I want to look good for and be confident partcipating in and use that as a goal date. Like with this journey to fitness it has been so when I go to France I don't look back at the pictures and say "wow, I wish I wouldn't have been so lazy and just taken care of my body." Let's be honest, no one likes to go through a thousand pictures and hand pick the ones that are taken from the best angle so they way I see it do what you can about it. Once again, the main reason for this weight loss journey is to get my body in better health not to become skinnier. 

Finally, wake up every morning believing in yourself. As cheesy as it sounds believing in yourself is the most important step to staying motivated. Look in the mirror and congratulate yourself on your progress and your strength to keep going. In the end all the hard work pays off.

Thanks for reading, lovelies. XOXO

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March Favorites

Hello Lovelies! I've decided that I am going to share my March favorites. A firend requested I do another video so it is in video form. One thing I did want to include in the written part is my appreciation for everyone reading my blog so far. It is my number one, biggest favorite of March. So thank you all, lovelies! Enjoy the video!

Tumblr Page- Sorry I haven't posted much on here yet but I will be updating it for sure on Mondays and Fridays just like my blog on here.
Pinterest Page- Feel free to check out any of my other boards too ;)
Twitter- I live tweet shows sometimes F.Y.I.

Fitness Friday 2: Abs, Selfie Edition

Hello Lovelies and Happy Fitness Friday! After a long run or walk or maybe even 20 minutes of Zumba do you ever feel like you haven't had enough of a workout? That last bit of belly fat isn't quite being burnt off from that? Do you ever just want a quick ab circuit to do to top off your workout? Well, I always did and never had a solution. I would do lacksidaisical crunches or planks but never felt as though I was getting a workout. Why? Because I went through them taking long breaks in between exercises, never really pushing myself. Recently, I decided I knew enough ab workouts that I would just make a circuit of my favorite ab exercises and some that I struggle to complete. Here is the sequence I came up with and selfies to go with them. F.Y.I. it is harder than first thought to take selfies and try to show some of an exercise.

Beyonce songs to go with workout is optional.
"XO" and "End of Time" are the songs used for this workout.

1. Pull "XO" Beyonce up but don't start song.

2.  Lay on stomach with music device in front of you so you can see time on the song. Press play as you rise into plank. Hold plank until 1:30.

3. At 1:30 turn onto back and at 1:40 begin crunches with small weight held behind kneck. Do NOT put pressure on your kneck! It can cause severe injury to spinal chord if you put the pressure of the weight on your kneck.

4. At 2:30 straighten your legs on the floor and hands to your sides and do leg lifts until the end of the song.

5. "End of Time" should play next. Turn to lay on one side of your body. Kick your top leg out and leave the bottom leg bent at the knee on the ground if necessary. Bottom arm should be bent at elbow supporting you and upper arm bent on hip. Raise off the ground and pulse your hip striaght up towards the ceiling for 45 seconds. Turn to other side and repeat.

7. Lay on back and raise upper body about 45 degrees off the floor. Hold weight in both hand in front of chest and twist to either side until 1:10 is left on song.

6. At 1:10 lay back on stomach and power out a plank until the end of the song.

Good luck ladies! Power out this workout in time to get in shape for summer and spring break. I did not steal this circuit from a magazine or any workout websites. Thanks for reading and enjoy your fitness Friday!

Ahhh girl look at that body...my heathly lifestyle is paying off. Love you lovelies!

Last Day of March Reflection

Hello Lovelies! Today is the last day of March already. I can't believe it. It seems like this month has flown by, sucessfully on my side at that. Today I wanted to leave you with a reflective poem. The prompt for the poem was not merely a reflective piece but I was to use a line from a famous author's poem and use that as my first line. I chose a line from Robert Browing's "Meeting at Night". Enjoy and happy April!

And the yellow half-moon large and low;

Floods the atmosphere and ground below.

Crystal white engulfs the tall trees, rainforest, redwood, pine, bamboo.

Shadows of sleeping animals fill the sheltered floor at dusk.

Tonight is like a lamp with its shade rather than missing it,

These nights are darker than a full moon night.

Half-full but still bright, the moon illuminates the deserts.

The mounds of sand are engulfed by light but the valleys remain untouched.

Dark four legged, humped, long necked shadows of the day no longer scatter on the sandy terrain.

The southwest American deserts come alive at night.

Coyotes dominate the high peaks of rock.

They sit, their snouts pointed high toward the moon above.

The breath of their howl forming a foggy cloud that catches in the lunar reflection.

The curls of the waves glimmer and sparkle in the light at their apex,

Like a rhythmic dancer’s elaborate attire in the spotlight, center stage.

New born sea turtles swim from the shore to find their family

Yet, calm and still are the other fish below the restless surface,

The surface that is rising and crashing and curling over in different patterns of light.

The lights from Paris to Rome to New York, New York

Flash through the city streets far below and illuminate the ant like figures.

Lovers with hands intertwined, old friends hugging goodbye, the shake of new acquaintances

All lit up by the overpowering glow coming from the windows and lights strung high above

The dazzling crescent pales in no comparison to the new illuminations

The moon blankets the earth each night.

Some see the worst things under the protection of the night,

But many of the most innocent and greatest wonders,

Shine brightly in the pale glow surrounding the world

as we close our eyes, our souls are opened,

the moon glows in and fills the void corners.

 Don't forget to check out my YouTube channel. Thanks for reading!!!!

Fitness Friday Pasta

Hello lovelies and welcome to the first official and second ever FITNESS FRIDAY! I've decided to dedicate a post each Friady to fitness and healthy eating. I'm doing recipe videos, like today's, reflections on my week, and some workouts I swear by. These posts are going to be shorter posts, not the longer ones like my usual Monday updates. I hope that you can be inspired to take care of your body by reading this. It is helping me to stay on track with my goals. So, without furter adieu, here is the first Fitness Friday!

I am home alone a lot for dinner and often need something to make that isn't too difficult but tasty and healthy. Well, over this past Christmas break I went on a cruise and my favorite part of the cafeteria was the pasta bar. You picked your type of noodles, then any vegtable from a huge selection. They put the noodles, which were already partially cooked, and the vegtables in a frying pan and heated everything up. Once that was finished they poured the sauce over it. So why am I sharing this with you? Because the pasta dish I tried was delicious and I decided I would try making it at home. My dish was noodles with green, yellow, and red bell peppers sauteed with parmesian cheese on the top. So, the first time I tried to make it at home I was all gung-ho and was boiling my noodles while trying to sautee the peppers and it ended in a mess. It was good but it was a mess so I simplified my recipe and process and itsead of parmesian on top I now make a cheese sauce. It takes about 20-30 minutes to make.

What you'll need:
Whole Wheat Noodles, as much as you want. I put about 3 cups in mine so I can have leftovers
2 Cups of Milk
A lot of cheese: Mild Cheddar with some Parmesian is the best
1 tbs butter
1 Bell Pepper (maybe more depending on if you want more than one type in your pasta)

Directions: Bring water to a boil. Once boiling add 3 cups whole wheat noodles and turn the heat down to medium-low. While noodles boil, cut the peppers into square pieces and leave to the side. The peppers will be added later. Once noodles are cooked all the way through strain them. Move pot off the hot burner and turn the burner off. Get the milk, cheese and butter out. Once noodles are completely strained (takes about 3-5 minutes) I usually shake them so that process doesn't take as long. Add noodles back into pot on stove, not on a hot burner. Add 1tbs butter, 2 cups milk, and some cheese, not much at first. Mix that and add more cheese as you go. It won't mix into the noodles right away. Let sit for 2-3 minutes without mixing it then add the peppers and mix until you find your food to look cheesy delicious.

Thanks for reading the first ever official Fitness Friday post and for watching my video!

First Weekend of Spring Haul

Hello ladies. Spring is finally in the air and I couldn't be more excited! Spring is one of my favorite seasons so I get excited easily about it finally coming and blowing winter out of season. This weekend I did some shopping because the weather was gorgeous and my family and I couldn’t resist the pull to get out of the house . So this will be my First Weekend of Spring Haul (is “haul” what Americans call it?) because I will surely be doing much more shopping as I get closer to my trip to France and of course I will be doing a France haul once I get back in town from that trip. Hooray!

Also, there is a video counter part to this blog post so head on over to my channel by clicking this phrase to check it out! It is my first video EVER so be kind if you chose to comment. (:

We all know that rain comes with Spring and rainy days mean lazy days! Rainy lazy days are perfect for a pamper/spa day with a great movie. I went in search of new movies to get for those kind of days so I don’t have to just chose from the ones I have on my shelf now. I came home with 3 movies.

1. Of course "Frozen"  was my first but because who hasn't fallen in love with that movie?! I mean, I should really just “Let It Go” but “for the first time in forever” Disney has a really classic film with an amazing soundtrack and a magical plot that had my jaw on the floor and my eyes wet with tears.

2. The next movie I bought is one I was introduced to through Walt Disney World. A few years back, more like 6 years back, I was obsessed with the idea of watching every movie in "The Great Movie Ride" which is what lead me to "Casablanca" a classic example of a film noir love story. I was young when I first saw the movie but immediately adored it. So finally I found it at Target for $10 and couldn't resist not having it at my disposal. It's a film everyone should see at least once in their lifetime so go check it out. I don't think it's on Netflix but just Google it and I'm sure there's somewhere that has it.

3. And the third and last movie for now is "The King's Speech" which was a film my grandparents had bought and while I was with them one night they decided they would watch it. So being a good grandchild I begrudgingly sat down with them and watched the film. And by the time the film ended I was so enraptured by it. I wanted to stay up and watch it again. It doesn't hurt that Colin Firth is in it because let's be honest who didn't just love him after Mamma Mia? I know I did. It also has two other actors who I adore: Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush. Both I previously just saw as bad guys due to their roles in "Harry Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" but after this film I just adore them all around.

Springtime also means SPRING CLEANING YAY...or not. To ring in the first week of Spring I cleaned my room. I know you are jealous. I then came across a situation of a pile of scarves with no proper home. But,yesterday while out meandering around T.J. Maxx I saw a day saver, a hanger with 5 loops for my scarves for $4. Of course I bought it and now my scarves are all nicely hung in my closet!

Does the end of March mean Christmas is over? I think so...which means my evergreen and white winter candles are done for the year and I need some floral, beachy scents. I found an amazing candle, so amazing I had it lit all night after I brought it home. It's also from Target. It's a bella by illume candle in Sweet Sangria 10.2 oz. It smells like a pool day all in one candle; it's fruity, smells like sunscreen, and a little bit of just your general pool smell. I adore it.

To kind of add onto my recent post about beauty favorites I bought two new products today. Both of these products I used tonight and I love them!The brush is super soft and puts powder on evenly. The concealer I was worried about when I put it on because it was much darker than my skin tone but it ended up blending perfectly.

1. Elf Powder Brush: I didn't include brushes in my beauty post because I always buy the very cheap $1 brushes by Elf which just get the job done but I was sick of the brittle feeling of them so I upgraded to a super soft $3 Elf powder brush. I love it already!

2. Elf Concealer: This was merely a mistake purchase. I meant to buy my two in one highlight and concealer from Elf (see make-up favorites) but as the two are right next to each other I grabbed the wrong kind and didn't realize until I was making this post. It's not a liquid concealer; it's a stick kind (I don't know what they're actually called). So far so good!

The final items I am not going to include in this post just for the reason that they will be in an upcoming post. Although I did give a sneak peek in the video to these items so check out the video. They're for my upcoming trip to Paris. Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out the video counterpart to this post (: Have a lovely first full week of Spring, darlings!

Make-Up Essentials

Make-up is something we, as ladies have the privilege of wearing, or at least I see it that way. We have the choice to hide blemishes without it being taken as something socially not okay, in most cases. But, we also get to struggle to find the right make-up for our skin and face without spending a fortune on it. I for one know it has taken me years to get my look to where it is now. I’m comfortable with it on, which for me was the biggest struggle when I first was introduced to the idea of wearing make-up. I used to find lipstick and foundation so stinky I would gag. I thought people were always sending a disapproving glare my way when I put on the tiniest amount of eye liner. And not to mention how heavy my face felt with make-up on it. Was it really worth it?

Yes, the answer is yes all the way! I’ve become a make-up lover. It’s the easiest way to completely change my look. I can go from noncommittal day strolling through the park to a fierce lad just by changing the make-up on my face. It’s such a power we women hold.

This Spring I am going for a lighter everyday look though and here are some of my essentials. All of these items are a cheaper alternative to expensive brands.

1. First and most importantly is a foundation. I’ve always gone for liquid for the simple reason that it was what my mom used so I bought it too. Nuetrogena makes all my favorite skin care products and my foundation is no exception. This is found at most drug stores. I shop at Target so that’s where I got it.

$8-9 Neutrogena shine control foundation oil-free

20 Natural Ivory  

2. I am a fan of using bronzer as my powder, even in the winter. Of course, not nearly as much in the winter, just to add some color to my face. At the beginning of last summer I got a Victoria's Secret bronzer that I loved but it went by very fast. Now I have a Sephora bronzer, which is also much cheaper than the VS bronzer. Neither are cheap though because bronzer is one of the more expsenisive make-up products. 

$17 Sephora Collection Bronzer
5 Bora Bora

3. The eyes are the most influential part of a person's face and I love using make-up as a way to entice everyone that I come across in my day. I find that the most important part of eyes is eyeliner and finding the right one for you. I like pencils and have been using this pencil for about 3 years. I laugh whenever I view my purchase history on my Sephora card because it's almost all my eyeliner. I especially like this kind because it is easy to smudge but also easy to wipe up with my finger if I make a mistake with it. And they last pretty long.

$5 Sephora Collection Nano Eyeliner

 01 Midnight Black

4. Another helpful component of the eyes is using eyeshadow. I prefer using nuetral colors and a shimer to really accentuate the sparkle in my eyes. My favorite colors are a pearl white, gold, and a lighter brown. I first used the L'Oreal pots which are amazing and last longer but since I travel a lot those are a pain to carry around. Luckily, I came across an Elf pallet with the same colors. The quality is not as great as the L'Oreal eye shadows. Creasing shows if you don't use a primer and it doesn't last as long. I've had these for maybe 3 months and I'm already seeing the bottom of the pearl colored one. Overall though they are not a bad alternative especially since the L'Oreal cost more and are sold individualy. Elf products are carried at T.J. Maxx and Target.

$5 Elf Eye Pallet

6. A Pinterest trick I foudn to make eyes look bigger is putting a blue liner on your lower lash line. A lighter shade is best but I went for a more royal blue and I love the look it creates. Personally, I don't like to have a lot of vibrant colors on my eyes but this blue is so subtle that it creates a pop that sneaks up on whoever you encounter. I hadn't used a Covergirl eyeliner before this but I am loving this liner for a lower lash line product. It goes on easy and lasts an entire day, even though this is best as a night look.

$5-8 Covergirl Liquiline Blast

7.  And finally my personal favorite, mascara. This is the best finishing touch to any look and finding the perfect product is hard. Right now I am loving a sample I got from Sephora. It gives my lashes a full look that stays all day. Downside is that it is almost impossible to get off in the shower. I come out looking like a raccoon everytime since I don't remove my make-up before I get in the shower. But overall it's a great product. 

$10 benefit They're Real! 0.14 oz

These are some of my favorites, what are yours? Thanks for reading.