Morning Workout Routines

Morning Routines and Neural Wake-Up Calls are key to seeing results in your body and your day. Studies have shown that exuding energy first thing in the morning will cause increased productivity, overall body relaxation and amplified endorphin production.

The Rules:

1.        Must be done immediately after you wake up.

I know mornings are rough but it totally gets your day off to a good start. A good morning= a good day. Be consistent and get in the habit, the pay off is worth it.

2.        Include a Blood-Pumping Exercise

Examples are Jump Squats, Lunges, Explosive Pushups. Including at least one of explosive movements will increase your blood flow, boost your metabolism for the day and stimulate muscle building.

3.        Include a Static Stretch (movements that stretch the muscles while the body is at rest or cooling down)

Examples are Bulgarian Split Squats, Spiderman Lunges, Hindu Pushups. This will make your body feel great the remainder of the day improving mobility and range of movement.

4.        Keep it Short and Simple

Don’t overdo it, you want to look forward to your morning routine or you won’t do it! Under 15 minutes and change things up from time to time.

5.        Choose exercises that match your body goals

Men – if you’re objective s are abs and shoulders, focus your routine around those areas.

Girlies – if you’re aiming for a killer butt, get at those squats and lunges!

Example of a Men’s Morning Routine - Run through it once on workout days and twice on non-workout days.

Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, OR Single-Leg Squats – 3 second hold 10-15 Reps Per Leg

Plank, RKC Plank, V-sit, OR Ab Raises – Hold for 15-30 seconds

Incline Push-Ups, Hand Walkouts, ORDecline Push-Ups – 10-15 Reps

Side Planks, OR Push-Up Position Planks – 15-30 Second Hold

Russian Twists, Pike-Ups, Leg raises, OR Bicycle Crunches – 15-30 Reps

Jump Squats, Jump Lunges, Frog Leaps, OR Tornado Jumping Jacks – 10-15 Reps

Example of Women’s Morning Routine – Run through it once on workout days and twice on non-workout days.

Squats – 3-second hold – 10-15 Reps

Single Leg Deadlifts – 20-30 Reps

Push-Ups, Bench Dips – 10-15 Reps

Planks, V-sit, Ab Raises – 15-30 Second Hold

Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, Single Leg Squats – 10-12 Reps Per Leg

Jump Squats, Jump Lunges, Tornado Jumping Jacks – 10-15 Reps

Osis+ DUST IT Product Review

Transform your flat dull hair with this pliable texturizing powder! 

Voluptuous, full hair is in but very few people have naturally fluffy and full locks. My hairstylist, Erin recommended this texturing powder when I was recently complaining about how tired I was of teasing my hair. I was really skeptical because I haven’t found a product other than hairspray to make my hair as big and fluffy as I like. Anyways – the powder is a million times faster than going through the tedious process of blow drying, teasing, hairspray and blow dry. You lift up pieces of your hair and tap a little bit of powder on the roots and use your fingers to rub it in and fluff.

The only downside I see in this product is that I have to fluff my hair at the roots throughout the day instead of doing my usual tease, spray and blow dry where I don’t have to touch it and it stays big all day. Could have something to do with my hair type, I’ve got thick heavy hair that weighs itself down. I’d assume that if you have finer hair it would work wonders for every occasion. But I definitely love this product for when I’m on the go and don’t have time to run through the whole process.

My bottle was $14 and it will definitely last for a longgg time, it doesn’t take much to get the right look.

What are your favorite styling products for volume and texture?

The Love Dare - 40 Day Challenge

A few years ago the Love Dare by Stephen Kendrick and Alex Kendrick was a huge fad and a friend of mine gave me the book when I was struggling through a divorce. Unfortunately I never made it completely through the book and honestly I don’t remember many details of the book but I’ve recently decided to pick it back up and give it another shot. Our church did a big series on this and asked that we take the 40-day challenge. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the outcome of this challenge, even for couples who aren’t struggling. This program stresses kindness, attentiveness and rediscovery.

I decided to take on the Love Dare for a couple of reasons, the first one to redirect our relationship towards God and not the daily routine of life which can be so distracting. It’s so easy to stray away from the important things, as little as they may be. Second is the importance to strengthen my relationship with Troy. I admit that I can be a selfish person and a lot of times in relationships it’s easy to think about what you want out of the relationship instead of thinking about what makes the other person happy and fulfilled. Lastly, I’m a control freak and these pregnancy hormones have made me a complete mad woman, poor Troy doesn’t know how to handle me sometimes.  So I’ve decided to take control of myself and my actions with these little daily reminders to keep my head on straight.

I completed Day 1 yesterday which was Patience and focusing on saying nothing negative. It was surprisingly easier than I expected. Usually after a long day at the office and a long drive home in the heat, I’m lacking in the patience department. I may have had a slight advantage with Troy completely consumed with studying while I was making dinner, however, we did spend the majority of the evening together and I must say I’m impressed with my conscious effort to say nothing negative and have patience. =] I was reminded to react to people and situations in a wise way instead of with frustration or anger and acknowledge that people are people and we all make mistakes. It’s such a breath of fresh air actually. I thought I would go through the day biting my lip in frustration but instead I took a deep breath and responded differently without impulse. 

On to Day 2 which is Kindness. In addition to not saying anything negative today, do one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness. I’m not sure what random act of kindness I will demonstrate today, but I’ll know when the opportunity arises! The book talks about patience to avoid a situation and kindness creates a blessing. One is preventative and the other is proactive. It sounds silly but I’m anxious to apply these little things to my life!

On a completely separate note, Presley (my giant Great Dane lovey dog) was SUCH a snuggler last night. She hates whenever I take her picture so I always have to be super sneaky. I managed to get this cute one of her awkwardly passed out on my lap. =]]]

 Have a great day!!! =]

Custom Hair Color - No Experience Required

This is brilliant! A new hair care company eSalon provides a personalized pigment hair color for home use. I know it sounds crazy (I've always been the balsy one to do my own hair and experiment at home) but trust me! They've already been mentioned in InStyle Magazine, Lucky Magazine and Good housekeeping.

They'll custom blend a color (based on a series of questions yoy answer about your hair) for you using salon-grade ingredients so your hair stays healthy and shiny and get you connected with a professional colorist for guidance. 

The custom kit includes your personalized color, professional coloring brush, gloves, stain guard, stain remover, shampoo and conditioner. New customers get your first custom color kit for half off at $9.95 (plus $4.95 s&h). 

www.eSalon.com

Muscle Building Breakfast

Muscle Building Breakfast

You'll Need:

2 Eggs

Bell Pepper

Plain Greek Yogurt

Blueberries and Strawberries

1. Wash and cut out top of bell pepper and slice 2 rings about a half inch tall.

2. Crack egg into center of the bell pepper ring, cook on low/medium heat for 12-15 or until egg is thoroughly cooked.

3. Top your side of yogurt with blueberries and diced strawberries.

Enjoy! =]

DIY Photo Canvas

Every time we have people over they're commenting on how cute my photo canvas' are and they cant believe it when I tell them I made them. These are honestly the easiest thing to make and it looks like I paid a lot of money to have them made. 

YOU'LL NEED:

Canvas (I purchased mine at Hobby Lobby)

A photo the same size of your canvas

Modge Podge (store bought or homemade)

Paint

Medium/Small size paint brush

I had 8x10 photos printed at Walgreens. I originally bought modge podge from Michaels in the paint section but its so expensive so when I ran out I decided to give the homemade modge podge recipe a try and I cannot tell the difference. 

What To Do:

Step 1: Using a medium size paint brush (I bought mine from Lowes, i got one with semi course bristles so the surface of my photo canvas would have texture) apply a layer of modge podge on the front side of the canvas, apply your photo face-up to the canvas. 

Step2: Apply a thin layer of modge podge on top of your photo, it will go on looking cloudy but not to worry, it will dry clear! 

Step 3: Let the modge podge dry for atleast 2-3 hours. I didn't have a small paint brush so I folded up a paper towel and dipped it in the matte black paint I had left over from painting my interior doors and wiped the paint on the sides of the canvas so that there was no white showing. 

Step 4: Let it dry and hang it up! 

Beat Cellulite - No Creams or Lotions Required

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you had an amazing week. I’ve been posting a lot about preparing for summer in my Fitness and Health Blog and then I realized… CELLULITE! It plagues even the youngest and skinniest of us. =[ Working out doesn’t eliminate cellulite, it can actually make it worse because when the muscle is developed it can squish the fat making it more visible! Pinterest is flooded with anti-cellulite cream this, DIY cellulite treatment that and the reviews don’t have raving fans. I’ve been reading a lot lately about the benefits of dry brushing and it’s the highest rated for cellulite reduction, toning and tightening of skin. Dry brushing isn’t just for the physical benefits either, it actually Increases circulation, cell renewal, digestion, kidney function and lymphatic drainage (draining of toxins)! So it’s healthy. I just got my dry brush so I’m going to start ASAP!

What kind of dry brush to get: I ordered this dry brush on amazon – it’s all natural and made with vegetable fiber bristles. You want something stiff but not too rough. The bristles should be natural not synthetic.

How often: It’s recommended to dry brush daily, up to 2x per day and not just your cellulite prone areas, your entire body! It’s called dry brushing for a reason, so do it in the am before your shower and at night before bed.

What direction: Always brush towards your heart in long sweeps, not back and forth. BE GENTLE! =D Start with your feet and legs.

I’ll keep you all posted on my results in a couple weeks. =]

Adios!