Helping Others

I have been extremely blessed my entire life, although I have been through many personal struggles because of decisions I have made (mostly in high school and my first time in college).  But I have learned from those situations and grown from them and the lessons have made me into the person I am today.  And for that I am very thankful, because if one thing had been different, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.

Helping other people has been very much on my heart the past few months.  I have been looking for ways to help and minister to others that are going through similar situations that I went through.  I mentor high school girls-and they are such a blessing to me, and I hope they benefit from having me as a (younger) woman to talk to.

I want to get involved in a women's and children's shelter as well.  Everyone needs to be loved on shown they are loved and I want to be able to do that.  I know what it feels like to be going through a hard time, and it's nice to know that you can have someone that cares to talk to and listen.  I also plan on serving dinner at the homeless shelter once or twice a month as well.

Times are tough and people are seriously struggling.  I truly believe that every little bit helps and getting involved in any way possible and helping others can make such a big difference in the lives of others.  For me personally when I help others I end up being so blessed and touched myself.  I hope that I can touch the people I'm helping as much as they have touched me.


Happy Helping!

Stretching

Stretching is an important part of fitness and exercise.  It's good to stretch a little before and a lot after exercising.  If you stretch after exercising, it increases your flexibility and your range of motion.  

Be sure to stretch any particular muscle groups that were used during your exercise time.  It's very wise to make stretching a habit, along with your actual workouts.  

Don't bounce when you're stretching, this could lead to damaged, strained, or hurt muscles.

And always remember to breathe while stretching.  

If there is any pain when stretching don't continue the stretch.

Be sure to hold the stretch for 15 or 20 seconds to make sure the muscle is properly stretched.

Here is a good picture I found online of a some stretches I do on a daily basis after my workouts.

Happy Stretching!!

Spring Nails

I love everything about fashion.  Clothes, shoes, handbags, hats, jewelry, and nail polish-yes nail polish!  Fingernail and toenail polish are definitely important parts of fashion.  Every season new colors and trends come out and I'm super excited about some from this season!!

This is named correctly because people won't stop asking you about it.  It's such a lovely color and one of my favorites: 

Chanel-Distraction:

Here is another one that I really like.  Anything orange is in this year: 

Chanel-June:

Another trend I love is painting all my fingernails one color except my ring fingers.  Here is a great example:

Happy Painting!!

Hope

I have been thinking a lot about hope lately.  I feel like everyone should know that there is hope in life and there is something better in this life.

I am going to be helping less fortunate young women and their children soon and look forward to sharing my story with them, and speaking from experience-letting them know that their is hope and they don't have to stay in the bad places they are in.

Hope is something that everyone needs, and I believe anyone can find hope in Jesus.

This is a short and sweet post, but something that is extremely close to my heart.

Happy Days!

Shoes!!!

I am obsessed with shoes.  Like I have a real obsession.  I love shoes, platforms, pumps, wedges-anything heels I love!! I am always wanting more and I have way more than I know what to do with-but I love it!!!
Sorry about the tangent.  So, talking about shoes I am so excited about some new shoes this season.  Here are a few that I'm hoping to get for this spring and summer.

Strombeck-Platform Pump

Mellison-Wedge

Fusilier-Wedge

Solian-Platform

Here are a few of my favorite.  What are some of your favorite shoes this year?


Happy Heels!!

Power, Power, Power

Today I had my power class and core class at the gym.  I left feeling GREAT.  The power class goes for an hour without stopping, working every muscle group.

It started with a warm up using a bar with however much weight you prefer added.  We warmed up every muscle group, getting ready for the rest of the class.
The first song we alternated doing dead rows and dead lifts, then did squats, and repeated those each three times.  The next song we worked shoulders.  After that we worked out our back, by doing more dead lifts.  One song we did cling and presses.  Another song we worked out our triceps by using the bar, then we did triceps push ups (This one was really hard for me).  During the entire next song, we did biceps (This song seemed longer than all the others for some reason).  We did more squats and lunges next.  Finally the last song consisted of ab exercises only-my favorite!  I love the burning feeling after a great ab workout-it means I worked hard.

I'm sure I'm leaving out a few exercises, but I just wanted to list some of what I could remember.  If anyone is looking for a gym or wanting to join a gym-I would definitely recommend The Rush!  The fitness classes are such a great tool to use in getting fit.  The class I described is Rush Power.  Right after the Power class, I did Rush Core-which was focused on the core (My abs were on fire for a while after this class).

The Rush instructors do a great job on helping people feel comfortable in the classes.  They have every type of class you can think of:  Power, a step class, Zumba, Core, Spin, Yoga, kickboxing-the list goes on and on (those are just the specific classes that I take).

Taking a class is a good thing to do if you aren't exactly sure on what to do as far as exercises, because there are instructors that you follow and they encourage you throughout the entire class, and there are people of every skill level.  The classes go by fast, the songs and instructor keeps you motivated, and excited.

Happy Exercising!!

Color Blocking

Color blocking is such a great trend this season.  It's being able to put different colors together in one piece.
The more different the colors are, the better the outfit.  In color blocking, the colors are drastic and dramatic.  My favorite are blues and yellows.  I also like yellow and pink.
Here is a picture with a few examples:

This is something that is easy but fun to do.  Experiment with different colors.  Be bold and have fun this spring and summer!! 

Happy color blocking!

Going the Extra Mile

I've found that going the extra mile really pays off.  In church a few weeks ago, the pastor talked about stepping up and going the second mile.  The scripture he used was Matthew 5: 38-42.

Going the second mile is going farther than required.
Going the second mile is giving more than demanded-giving more of ourself and our stuff.
Those are two things I personally feel like I can always do more of.

He also said that when we give more than expected and go the extra mile; it builds character, opens doors for opportunity, and breaks down barriers.

When I give my time, finances, energy, etc I feel I am blessed more than those I am helping.

This was a simple message, but I took away so much from it.  It's always good to go that extra mile to help out others in need.

Happy helping and giving!

Fitness 101

Being fit doesn't always sound like an easy thing, but if you make time for what's important, you can accomplish a lot.  What you eat is a biggie.  I'm going to share a few tips that have helped me stay fit.

-Cutting calories-nothing drastic though-and allowing myself a day to eat what I want (within reason).
-Eating lean meat, vegetables, and fruit everyday.
-Keeping up with the calories I eat.  I use an app called Lose It! It has really helped me keep track of my calories and exercises.  I simply type in or scan in what I eat and how much I eat, and it keeps up with my calories for the day.
-Exercising.  This is a big one.  I use to hate working out, and now I don't feel right if I don't workout.

I take a one hour kickboxing class on Monday morning.  I also do about 30 minutes of ab exercises as well.
I do arms on Tuesdays.
I do cardio for an hour on Wednesdays.  I usually do the elliptical machine.  I also do 30 minutes of abs.
On Thursday I do light cardio.
Friday is my biggest day.  I have a power class that lasts an hour.  This works out almost every muscle group-it is intense, but so worth it!  Then right after that class, I have a core class that is 30 minutes long.
Sometimes I workout on Saturdays and I just do light cardio.
I always take Sunday as my day off from working out and my cheat day.  (I usually eat pizza or Mexican food after church)

I am usually in the gym about 2 or 2 1/2 hours a day.  Taking that time to exercise really helps me get my day going.  I have definitely seen improvements in my strength and my skill levels since I have started working out.

Eating right and exercising (even if you only have time to workout for a little bit every few days) can still make a big difference in your life.

Happy eating and exercising!