Fitness Challenge Day 1

It's finally here!  Today is Day 1 of the 7 Minute Workout Fitness Challenge!  I did my workout this morning at 8:00am.  I used my interval timer app that I had already set up, turned on the tunes, and pressed "start"!  I recorded how many of each exercises I could do within the 30 seconds and wrote it down during my 10 second rests.  I plan to record this again on Day 15 and again on Day 30 to see my improvements.  Today I only did one set as it's Day 1... I'm going to pace myself and see if I feel any soreness.

One set actually felt great!  In just over 7 minutes I was winded!  I pushed myself pretty hard though.  I've never done a workout that took this little time before, so I'm excited to see the results it gives.  I had some protein and almond milk about 10 minutes after... pulled off my "Day 1 Post-It"... then went about my day!  I had a lot of energy as the day went on and felt like I accomplished something already!

As I was exercising... I thought about all of you out there who are starting this with me!  Looking forward to tomorrow, my walk/hike day...!!  :)  See you tomorrow!

How to stay motivated during the Fitness Challenge!

This motivation tool will work with anything... any 30 Day Discipline you choose... but today I'm talking about the "7 Minute Workout" Fitness Challenge because it starts TOMORROW!!

This might be the very first 30 Day Discipline you've ever done!  That's exciting... but I also know you might be thinking, "How do I stay motivated and stay excited so I finish as strong as I started?  Well, I am here to share with you what I plan to do!  I'm going to try the Post-It countdown!!

I have taken the "strip" Post-It's...the one's for bookmarking and put 30 of them in a line on the edge of my bookshelf.  You could also do this anywhere you will see it often, like on your bathroom mirror!  If you have regular Post It's, you could just cut them into strips.  Write numbers 1-30 on them.  You could have fun with this and write down a fun, motivating note to yourself....like I wrote "half way" on my 15th strip!  Next to the strips, put a picture or a short statement that reminds you every dayWHY you started this.  To get healthier... to look better... to get stronger... for your self esteem... if you write down "your why", it will motivate you to continue!!

Each day you do what you have committed to do during this 30 day fitness challenge, TEAR IT OFF and you'll visually see that your are that much closer to your goal!!

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I am SO excited to exercise and get healthier with all of you!!  Remember, you can EAT your way through any workout, so remember to do the right thing and try to eat healthier during these 30 days.  You'll feel better and recover from the workouts better too.  If you have any tips and tricks you use to stay motivated, I'd love to hear from you so I can share it!  After all, we are in this together!!

I was contacted yesterday by someone who said that she really would love to join in on the Fitness Challenge, but she can't do any exercises that involve her arms right now because of a procedure she recently had done... I let her know that that's okay!!  That's the beauty of this... you make it work for YOU.  I sent her this modified workout that she can do.  I just changed any exercises that involved arms and added more legs and abs.  It's not about perfection, it's about doing YOUR best.  So if anyone else has a similar situation, feel free to contact me.  This is what I sent her... sorry it's all wrinkled up, but I was carrying it around with me!  LOL!  The point being, you can modify this to fit YOUR commitment!

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Again, I'll be posting daily during this 30 days...my experience, what I'm doing, and to keep you all involved!!  Remember to write down what your commitment is during these 30 days.  Mine is:  To do at least one set of the" 7 Minute Workout" every other day, to walk at least 30 minutes on the days in between, and to continue to eat Paleo/clean.  IF YOU DON'T WRITE IT DOWN, IT'S NOT A GOAL...IT'S A WISH!!  Most important....HAVE FUN.

In case you've missed it, learn more about the Fitness Challenge here:  "7 Minute Workout #1",  "What to eat before and after a workout", "Gain confidence in just 30 days"

"Frenchie Friday" - What does YOUR dog resemble?

It's "Frenchie Friday"!  I woke up to "Stella's" face staring at me...almost like she KNEW it was her day today!!  Usually she will sleep as long as anyone else is sleeping, it's like she knows she gets to be "Stella the Star" on Friday's.  ;) Pets bring so much love, joy and entertainment to our daily lives.  "Stella" makes us happy every day.  I thought it'd be fun to think about what YOUR pet resembles!  When I worked at a vet for 17 years of my life.... I saw some GREAT examples of dogs that had a "likeness" to certain objects that would make us laugh!!  Not that we were laughing at them... they were just so cute!!  For instance... the freshly groomed Bichon Frise... makes you think of one thing... right!?  This one's easy...

So, have some fun with this and make yourself one of these pics of your pet with the fun app "Pic Stitch"!  Use your imagination!  I've always had a love for the Porsche "Speedster" since I was a little girl... recently I said to my husband..."OMG, "Stella" the "Speedster"!!  Frenchie's totally have that sloped shape... bubble in the front, sloped in the rear!  :)  Here you go... have a good laugh...

I'd LOVE to see some of your pics of YOUR pets... please share!!  Have fun today, don't forget to laugh...HAPPY FRIDAY!!

Maya Angelou will be missed...

I just want to take a moment to remember this incredible woman, Maya Angelou.  Well said...it brings a tear to my eye to read this quote because it expresses so perfectly the reason I wanted to start this website....it's so simple:

...but sometimes it's so simple that we forget...remember to pay it forward.

Customize your Nike's!

My family has a little tradition that we started a couple of years ago where we go together to get NEW TENNIS SHOES!  It's funny, because my husband started this one day.... he just said, "Let's all go get new tennis shoes!"  So now, every so often, maybe a couple times a year, he'll surprise us with "New Tennis Shoe Day"!  The thing is... it's not planned (because my husband is not a shopper), so it's a "now or never" moment.  It lasts for the day though... so if we can't find any we like where we go, we can look elsewhere...or online.  Our oldest son usually is the one to do this because he's more into the "skate" shoes rather than tennis shoe/running shoe types....and we don't ALL usually end up finding something we want, but it's the fun of it!  Well, yesterday was the day!!

Our oldest son missed out this time because he's in Europe, so sad... LOL!  But our younger son is home from college for the summer so he got to go this time!  We usually hit "Sports Authority", but now we have a "Dick's" sporting goods in our town so that was the place yesterday!  I'm a huge fan of Nike Free Run's, they are the most comfortable shoes I've found and I've gotten some form of them the last three "Tennis Shoe Day's".   They are always making new kinds, so off I went hoping... "Can you please have some normal colors?!"  Well, I got my answer....NO!  They are all so bright and neon and in my opinion... ugly!  I did see some I liked that were the Nike FlyKnit 4.0's that were black with a white "swoosh".  But they didn't have my size.  I tried some on in a bright blue that were just a half size too big and aside from the size being slightly off.... they were SOOOOOO comfortable.  I had my husband try on the same shoe in a men's to show him how comfortable they were.  He agreed.... he didn't get them though because what I've noticed is that he doesn't actually want new shoes, he wants to go look at the camouflage clothing section...LOL.  Our son didn't find any since he's not running cross country anymore.... so he wanted to head over to the outlets to find some Adidas instead.  So we all left "Dick's" empty handed....well, except for a camo shirt;)

When I got home I got online because I actually do need some new workout shoes and wanted the Nike FlyKnits now that I felt HOW comfy they are!!  AND I'm not one to pass up a new pair of shoes when offered!  I looked at the actual Nike website to see if they had any colors I could tolerate.  They did have the black and they had a pair that were mostly white with some gray... then I saw the ones I wanted!  They were gray!  But when I looked closer, they were the "custom" ID Nike's.  They were $40 more money....but you can make them any color you want!!!  This is well worth it to me... once I calculate the "cost per wear"!   You can click through and "design" your own shoes... the shoe, the soles, the laces, the logo, the "swoosh"!!... any color combos you choose.  And you can see it as you design it!  I was in heaven because like I said, I usually just pick the "least ugly" one's that aren't too bright... but never have "loved them".

So, that's it!  I ordered them and am SO excited!  I can't wait to get my one of a kind NIKE's!  I even customized the tongue ID... instead of saying "NIKE", it has a little piece of "me".  That way, every time I'm exercising with all of you....I can be a little more motivated because it'll make me think of you guys!!  Here's my final design.... :)  NOW I'm even more excited for the "Fitness Challenge"!!

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Update:  I GOT THEM!!  LOVE THEM!!

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My "Top 10" Favorite Shopping Apps...

Ok ladies, it's time to talk SHOPPING!!  Recently I was with some of my best girlfriends and of course the conversation eventually landed on shopping.  I started talking about some of my favorite apps that I use to get great deals and they hadn't heard of them!!  They said I was holding out on them!  I just assumed that everyone knew about this!  When I heard how excited they were to hear about them, I thought I'd better share this info with all of you...pronto!!

Some of these you've probably heard of, but some might be new to you!  Even though it's really fun to go to a cute boutique, it's not all that fun to pay full price... I'll do that once in a while on my "girl trips" to NYC, but these days you don't have to with all the great online shopping and these great apps to help you!!  Here are my top 10 favorite shopping apps...

1. Amazon:  Ok, you know about this one... but I had to list it first because I use it more than any other... and maybe there's still some of you out there that still think it's just for BOOKS!  Not anymore!!  You can get ANYTHING and EVERYTHING on Amazon.  The app is easy to use too... SO quick with "1-click shopping"!!  Almost dangerous it's so easy! ;)
2. Zappos:  This app is fantastic... and this site is not just for shoes anymore!  Great clothing on Zappos with great deals!  My favorite part is you get your items super fast and always FREE SHIPPING, FREE RETURNS!!
3. Gilt:  This app is one of my VERY favorites... it could potentially cause some "guilt" from overuse!!  This site has different sales that change on a daily basis.  They are categorized by designer or type of item, depending.  The site is very easy to navigate because it's so organized.  If you are in a shoe category for example... they list them by color too!  Very easy site to use and they have AMAZING sales on luxury designer items.  Not everything offers a return policy though, so keep an eye out for that.  They offer items for women, men, home and more.  Sales usually last for 4 days and new ones usually start at 6pm and at 9am daily.  It will list what's "coming" at the next start time too!  If there's something you like, jump on it because items sell out!
4. HauteLook:  This is a Nordstrom company that is very similar to Gilt.  GREAT deals that change on a daily basis.  Again, things sell fast so don't think too long about it if you love it!  This site has items for women, men, kids, home and beauty.  They offer free shipping on orders over $100 and easy returns to Nordstrom Rack, or by mail.  They list upcoming events like Gilt does.  They have a Nordstrom Rack button inside the app too.
5. Shopkick:  Walking into stores is also part of life for most of us, and Shopkick gets you rewards just for doing that. Whether you’ve heard of it or not, Shopkick has been hugely active. It’s the most used real-time shopping app and shoppers have earned $25 million and redeemed 7 million gift cards since its launch in 2010. Talk about generosity.  You choose which gift card you want to work toward... Target, Starbucks or Sephora...just to name a few, and you earn "kicks" or points just for walking into a store!  You can also scan certain items in that store (no purchase necessary) and earn more points!  You also get points for buying items.  I know it might sound a little confusing, but get the app and check it out.  I haven't had the app very long, I'm giving it a try though...Free gift cards!
6. Poshmark:  Ok, this site is super cool.  I just discovered it recently but can already tell this is a winner.  I used to sell a lot of my designer clothes I didn't wear anymore on eBay and this is like the "Instagram" of consignment!  You can buy and sell your clothes, new and used with just a few clicks and make some cash!  It's like shopping in a friends closet!!  When you sell an item, the shipping label is emailed to you... you slap it on and send it!  You can get all the details in the app under "Guide to Poshmark"...it tells you exactly how to use the site.  You can also partake in "Posh Parties".  For using the convenience of the app, you keep 80%, they keep 20% of the sale amount... that includes the shipping cost!
7. Rent The Runway:  Got invited to a Gala or black tie event and have nothing to wear?  How about a wedding?  Even a cocktail party or beach vacation?  This is an app you can use to RENT clothes, bags and jewelry for a fraction of the price of buying it!  It shows pictures of the item on actual people who have rented... reviews... and tells you exactly when to expect it to arrive.  They even offer to send a "2nd size" just in case at no charge!!  Here's how it works:  1)  Find it  2)  Book it/Reserve it for a 4 day or 8 day rental period  3)  Wear it.  It arrives by UPS by 8pm on the day they promise  4)  Return it in a pre-paid UPS envelope provided... and they dry clean it!!  Bam!  You can show up wearing that designer dress you never thought you could afford!  They offer a free 2nd size, stylist advice, and a "No Regrets" policy... if it doesn't fit or work, they'll make it right and will never leave you without something fabulous to wear!  I have not rented, but I would, I think it's a cool concept.
8. Lyst:  On this app, you can choose different designers you like and then items from those designers will show up in your search.  When you see an item you like, you click "Lyst It" and it is saved on your "Lyst".  it will then send you an alerts when any of those items go on sale somewhere!  They email you the instant it goes on sale in any store worldwide that will ship to you!  You'll be the first to know!  Or if you want it now...you can buy now too. ;)  Pretty cool.
9. Etsy:  This site has really unique items that you can buy... and sell.  You can search by people, items, shops... mostly really cool, unique handmade items.  This site is HUGELY popular and you can find some really beautiful things.
10. 6pm:  Ok, I apologize for #10, because it's not actually an "app"... yet!  But it's a GREAT site, 6pm.com, that is a Zappos "sale site" that offers KILLER deals!!  You can find amazingly cheap designer swimwear on here!!  It's so fantastic that I had to include it on my list.  I found an AWESOME pair of Frye Boots on this site for a fraction of the original price!  :)

Ok, that's my top-ten list!  There are many others that I'm not too familiar with yet, so I'd LOVE to hear from you if you have some favorites I don't know about!!  As always, happy shopping....just make sure it's in your BUDGET, so you can shop "guilt" free!!