DIY Framed Letter

With the arrival of baby Logan quickly approaching (17 weeks left!), I'm frantically trying to get her room perfectly decorated and organized. I think this DIY Framed Letter will be a great little accent. 

These wood frames are at Michaels for $7 right now and there are a couple other designs and sizes as well. Hobby Lobby might carry something similar. I think I might end up “roughing” mine up a little bit for a more rustic/weathered look. I’ll post pictures of it hanging in the baby room as soon as I get it up!

Organic Anti-Wrinkle Mask

Bananas contain several vitamins that rejuvenate the skin and prevent future wrinkles from developing. Apply this organic mask 1-3 times per week.

½ of a ripe banana

½ cup of natural yogurt

1 tbs of natural honey

1 tsp of coffee grounds

Mash the banana until smooth, stir in yougurt, honey and coffee grounds. Apply the mask evenly to your face and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

*Mask will save in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

Bikini Butt Workout

I wanted to share 3 plateau shattering exercises along with a couple important things to remember when building a firm booty.

1.       Do a full squat – How low can you go? The lower you squat, the more range of muscles you’ll work resulting in a bigger, rounder, firmer rear.

2.       Split Squats – Another awesome exercise to shape and firm your booty. Split squats will also target your abs and hamstrings. Remember to go as low as possible in the downward position, also lengthening the step you take will put an added emphasis on your hamstrings for optimal results.

3.       Step Ups – Targeting your entire lower body and it will absolutely kill those calories. The higher the step you take, the more thorough your exercise and the more you’ll be working those gluites.

These aren’t necessarily exercises to do every single workout, just every once in a while to help you get through a plateau.

*Keep in mind that running isn’t the number 1 cardio choice when you’re end goal is a round firm butt. Running will actually flatten out your body. I would suggest incline walking or stair stepping as an alternative.

Another thing to consider is your calorie intake, if you don’t have much shape to your butt to begin with, a couple extra hundred extra calories added to your diet each day will aid in building more muscle mass; if you’re burning more calories than you intake, you can’t build muscle. If you’re more concerned with toning your butt, consider cutting back on some calories or being more selective about the type of calories you’re in-taking. 

3 Simple Exercises for Lower Back Dimples

There are lots of opinions on whether or not lower back dimples (Venus Dimples) are just genetics or if you’re able to develop them through exercise and strength training. I strongly believe that dimples can be developed, take a look at celebrity athletes, the majority of them have lower back dimples.

So how can lower back dimples be developed? Simple back strengthening exercises, a proper diet, and lower body fat percentage, (a healthy body fat percentage for women is 14% - 20% and for men 6% - 13%). I’ve compiled the following 3 exercises to target those sexy lower back dimples.

1.       Superman – lay face down on the floor; raise your arms and legs to the sky with your feet together. Your tummy should be the only part of your body touching the ground. Hold this for 30 seconds, 3x.

2.       Dead Lifts – With feet flat beneath bar, squat down and grasp bar shoulder width apart. Lift bar by extending hips and knees to full extension. (This exercise will also target your quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes!) Do 3 sets of 12.

3.       Bulgarian Split Squat - Extend leg back and place the top of your foot on a char or bench. Squat down flexing your knee and hip of front leg until knee of back leg almost touches the floor. Return to original standing position. Do 3 sets of 12 on each leg

These are great exercises to get those dimples to show – you’ll also experience improved back strength for better posture and core strength. Incorporate these into your routine 1-2 times per week. I recommend starting with little to no weight for your first week or so to master the movement and avoid straining your back.

Fruit Pizza Recipe

In honor of Memorial Day we're having a company BBQ at work! So I decided to make a Fruit Pizza, not only is it so fun to make, it also feeds A TON!

1 pkg sugar cookie dough

1 pkg of cream cheese

¾ cup of powdered sugar

½ cup of white sugar

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1tbs of cornstarch

1 cup of orange juice

2 tbs of lemon juice

assorted fruit

1.       Spread cookie dough out onto a pizza pan. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes and then set aside to cool.

2.       Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth. Spread evenly over the cookie dough.

3.       Chop your fruit and lay it on top of your pizza in the pattern you like! I used strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, raspberries and mandarin oranges.

4.       In a small sauce pan combine white sugar, orange juice, lemon juice and cornstarch and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Let it cool and spoon it over your entire pizza. Chill in the fridge until serving. 

Ultimate Fat Burning Cardio

Cardio is necessary to lose fat all over your body but Interval Training is the ultimate fat burner and pertinent to giving your body that boost it needs to lose those stubborn extra pounds. Pushing yourself for the short bursts and then slowing down just enough to recover so you can push yourself again.

Top benefits to interval training:

1.       Increase your overall speed

2.       Increase your stamina

3.       Increase your afterburn. What does that mean? Afterburn is the period of time in which your body continues to burn calories post workout. Did I mention that interval training targets your waistline! =O

So you’re saying I can burn more overall calories in a shorter amount of time? Yes!

Here’s the latest interval workout I’ve been working on:

-3 Minutes on the Treadmill - your speed will vary depending on your height, but you should be running at a quick pace

-3 Minutes on the Stair Stepper – this is your recovery time

Interval training works for all types of cardio, so if you prefer the elliptical and the rowing machine, pair them for 25-45 minutes. The key is to push yourself on those short bursts, it’s only for 3 minutes, YOU CAN DO IT! 

How To Get An Inner Thigh Gap

I’ve recently learned about “the inner thigh gap”…. Aside from the booty, the inner thigh gap is the most talked about part of a woman’s body – according to Troy. =] Especially in the summer time. SO, if you aren’t naturally blessed with this “inner thigh gap”, get busy on these exercises!

Inner Thigh Pulse – Lay on your side grabbing your ankle on your upper leg. With the lower leg, flex your foot with your heels up and your toes down. Pulse your lower leg up and down – do this 20x each side

Single Leg Lifts – Lay on your side with your toes pointed, raise and lower your upper leg – do this 20x each side.

Froggers – Lay on your back with your feet off the floor, knees to your chest and arms and hands off the ground by your side. Bring your heels together in a “V” shape. Extend and flex your legs making sure to keep the “V” shape in your heels – do this 20x.

Scissors – Lay flat on your back, point your toes with your legs straight in the air. Spread them apart and then cross them back in the center keeping your toes pointed – do this 20x.

Do this 4x all the way through, combined with some light cardio while maintaining healthy eating habits and you’ll be well on your way to a perfectly diamond shaped inner thigh gap!

What’s the first thing you notice on a man’s body?