I've heard a lot about Tone It Up lately and decided that I finally was going to try it. I signed up last night for their newsletter and browsed their website. I found the November calendar and decided that I'd tackle it in the morning. 

The workout for today, Friday, is a 2 mile run. I wanted to go this morning but my husband is getting off early and said that he wanted to run with me so I decided to wait and do the workout for Thursday. 

The Thursday workout consists of three workout videos...Holiday Cocktail Dress Arm Routine, Sleek and Slender Abs and Sunkissed Abs. Since I am still going to do the 2 mile run (and probably more) tonight, I only did each video once. My arms were burning almost instantly in the arm video and my abs, oh wow, ON FIRE!

I have to admit, I loved it! I definitely think that I will be feeling it later. I looove that sore feeling after a great workout. 

Have you ever tried TIU videos? What do you think?

Ab Attack Workout

Ab workouts have always been my favorite. There's just something about that burning, sore feeling the next morning...or is that just me? Here is one of my favorite workouts. I love that it's something that I can do in my apartment without making my downstairs neighbors want to hurt me :)

As always, I am not a fitness professional. This is one of my own personal workouts that I do. Before you participate in any exercise, always consult with your doctor. 

What is your favorite way to work those abs?

Paint Color Overload

My husband and I recently just purchased our first house. Even from the beginning when we were just looking for houses, I was beyond excited about painting. We've lived in apartments for the past 4, almost 5, years while the military has sent us all over. Finally being able to make my house feel like a real home has been so exciting, and a bit overwhelming. 

I've spent way too much time perusing through Pinterest looking at paint colors and color schemes. We decided from the beginning that we were going to use Behr paint and that we wanted to use grays...slowly that turned into blues and grays but it's the perfect coastal theme. The hard part though...narrowing it down to the colors that we will actually use!

Finally, after months and months of looking, I think I have decided our color scheme. I won't even get into how difficult it was to find colors that would flow throughout the whole house. 

Here is what we have decided on...for now!

 

 

 

1. Anonymous 2. Light French Gray 3. Misty Morn 4. Prelude 5. Regatta Bay 6. Waterscape

Our master bedroom will be Anonymous and the master bath will be Waterscape. The babies room will be Regatta Bay. The guest room and and guest bathroom will be Light French Gray or Misty Morn (I still can't decide!). The office and downstairs bathroom will be Prelude. 

Our whole downstairs is an open floor plan with arched doorways (no molding about the doors since they're curved) so I have no idea how to separate the paint colors without making it look like a complete mess so I would like to do some accent walls in the living room and in the dining room with some of the paint colors that we'll already have.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the colors we've picked out and the accent wall choices! 

No-Bake Energy Balls

No-bake energy balls have always intrigued me so tonight I found a few recipes and adapted them to what I had on hand.

Here's what I came up with:

1 C old fashioned oats

1/2 C peanut butter

1/4 C honey

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp melted unrefined coconut oil 

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix up all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 30ish minutes to firm up. Roll the mixtures into small balls and place in an airtight container back in the refrigerator. They'll stay good for about a week.

I also think they would great if they were rolled in unsweetened coconut but I didn't have any at home and finding coconut that isn't sweetened is turning out to be harder than I thought. 

Once again, this is husband approved :)

Have you ever tried no-bake energy balls before? What's your favorite recipe?

Friday Five: Favorite Verses

"Jesus replied, "You don't understand what I'm doing now, but someday you will." - John 13:7

(How perfect is that one?)

"God is within her, she will not fail." - Psalm 46:5

"She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." - Proverbs 31:25

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - Romans 12:2

"Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind." - Psalm 26:2

What are some of your favorite verses?

Pumpkin Spice Latte: dairy free edition

I have been seeing pumpkin spice latte recipes all over the place but they either a. call for sugar, b. call for dairy, or c. need a fancy espresso machine so I decided to come up with my own. I wasn't sure about it at first but the more I drank it, the more I liked it. Plus, it's just another great way for those of us with food allergies to spice up our morning coffee!

Here is what you'll need:

1 cup of brewed hot coffee

1/2 c almond milk 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 tbsp pumpkin purée 

1/4 tsp pumpkin spice

Mix together everything but the brewed coffee in a small bowl and heat in the microwave until frothy (about 1:30-2 minutes). Pour this in with your cup of coffee and give it a quick stir. Enjoy!

*If you are not avoiding sugar, feel free to add in some sweetener of your choice. 

My newest obsession: lavender essential oil

Essential oils are something that have peaked my interest for awhile but I never knew where to begin. My Mom and sister were visiting about a month ago and we came across some while we were shopping so my mom and I each bought a bottle of lavender. I had read that there were a lot of uses for the oil and I was excited to get started. 

Uses for lavender oil:

• calming
• sleep aid
• bee sting/insect bite
• minor burn
• cuts
• eczema/dermatitis
• cramps
• nausea/motion sickness
• headache
• dry or chapped skin
• acne
• dandruff
• cold sores
• stress and anxiety

...and that's just a small list of what lavender can help with. I once read that if you're going to buy any essential oil, then lavender is the one that you have to have. 

The first night that I had lavender essential oil, I put a few drops in my hands and rubbed it on the bottom of my feet before bed in hopes of getting a better nights sleep. Sure enough, it worked. It worked so great for my mom that she now uses it nightly. 

I'm just now starting to dabble in other essential oils and I cannot wait to try more. I love learning about the amazing benefits that they can provide!

Have you tried essential oils before? What is your favorite?

Bye, bye sugar!

I heard about a sugar detox through Noreen over at Fitness by Faith, which, by the way, is becoming one of my favorite blogs! I am a total detox junkie and have had to hold off on any since I am nursing. When I saw the post about the sugar detox, I knew right away that I had to do it! I could feed my detox cravings and stay healthy without affecting my baby.

The detox started on October 13 and will end on October 29. I knew it would be difficult, but so far it's been doable. Tough, but doable. I never realized how much I ate sweets and processed sugar! Unintentionally, I have lost a few pounds in just the couple of days since the detox started...that just shows how much junk that I was eating. Almost all of my snacks were filled with sugar. I can't believe that it's taken this detox to show me that.

So far, my energy levels seem about the same but I am feeling good. I can't wait to see how much my energy levels and body change from now until the end of the detox.

Have you ever tried a sugar detox? Do you think that you would be able to give up sugar for 2+ weeks?

Game Day Buffalo Dip!

When I had my son, we quickly discovered his dairy intolerance. I had to change my diet immediately and to be honest, it's been a lot easier than I expected. Yes, no more wine and cheese nights but I'll live :)

I was venting to my sister one day in the beginning about how it was hard to even find snack foods. A few minutes later she sent me a link to The Dairy Free Omnivore. If you haven't checked out her blog, you should!

I looked at the recipe for her Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Dip and knew that I had to make it so off to Trader Joe's I went to get all of the ingredients. Let me just tell you how amazing this dip is! My husband now requests this for almost every FSU game...my extremely picky husband! If I hadn't told him that it was all dairy free, he would have never known.

Make sure to stop over to The Dairy Free Omnivore and check it out!

I'm back...again

I have gone back and forth more times than I can count with whether or not I should make a blog. In fact, many times I've created a blog just to abandon it a few days later. I never felt like I had enough to say or that anyone would really care what I have to say anyway. But you have to think...who really wants to hear about my day, my thoughts, my life? Plus, how intimidating is it when you're new to the blogging world and there are women (and men) out there with thousands of readers and I'm itching just to get one. Maybe I'm just being over critical with myself...I'm not that boring, I hope.

I had been toying with the idea for a while to finally make a blog and stick with it. Now that my son is three months old and things have calmed down (for the second, ha!) I feel like I can finally commit and stick with it, something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I also think it will be a great way to keep myself accountable and to give my self the kick in the butt that I need to get motivated and get back to my healthy, fit self pre-baby. 

Please feel free to share your advice, tips, whatever you've got!

Well, here goes nothing...enjoy!