April Playlist: Spring into Fitness!

Happy April, everyone!  And happy SPRING!

Everything is in bloom where I am, so I'm trying to get outside as much as possible.  It's so beautiful!
My challenge for you is to exercise outside, wherever you are, whenever you get the chance.  If you live in a place where working out outside isn't feasible, try incorporating this season into your workouts by wearing spring-colored workout clothes!  Old Navy has some great, bright options.

So SPRING into FITNESS and start this warm-weather season off right.  Tis the season for leg-bearing shorts and dresses and tops that show off your shoulders and arms.  So don't just enjoy the benefits of exercise...enjoy them outside with this happy music!

1. Beat It - Michael Jackson
2. Good Girl - Carrie Underwood
3. Fat Bottom Girls - Queen
4. Brokenhearted - Karmin
5.  SuperGirl - Saving Jane
6. You Can't Start the Beat - Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, John Travolta, Elijah Kelley, Queen Latifah & Amanda Bynes (from Hairspray)
7. What Makes You Beautiful - One Direction
8. Mo Money Mo Problems - The Notorious B.I.G.

California Vacation

Last Friday I flew to LA to visit my older brother in Hollywood.  He’s a songwriter and a composer for a music production company.  My parents flew in for part of the week as well and it was so great to see all of them!!  My boyfriend came along as well and my brother’s girlfriend is a California native so we all got to be together.  We did pretty much everything there was to do in Southern California (that I know of so far):  We celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday in Malibu, went to Santa Monica, Simi Valley, Hollywood, and Hermosa Beach.  While in Hollywood we did a tour of the Warner Bros. Studio, Universal City Walk, and saw the movies “1000 words” and “21 Jump Street” (HILARIOUS, by the way). We also went to Beverly Hills and window shopped on Rodeo Drive and went to The Grove one day where I ended up on Extra TV on NBC with Mario Lopez! 

That was so fun! I wound up winning a big basket of Don Francisco’s coffee and mugs. 

 There was no way that could fit in my suitcase---so I gave it to my sweet brother for giving us a place to stay and showing us around LA!  I had never been to LA except for when I had a 10-hour layover at LAX when I was twelve.  Needless to say, this was a better LA visit.

While at The Grove, we bought some skin products that I'll have to review in a video or blog post.  One was a salt scrub and one was a facial serum that is essentially a chemical peel but you don't feel anything.  Both are from the Dead Sea and I have to say---they both exceeded my expectations beyond belief.  The products were from a line called "Seacret."  I'll have to tell you more about it because it really was incredible.

It was so fun and exciting to see all these street signs that I had only seen in movies and heard about in songs like Ventura, Sunset, etc.  Since it was sort of chilly while we were there, we tried to stay as active as possible in spite of the weather which usually meant a lot of walking and doing abs and pushups at my brother's.  We also saw/went in Tracy Anderson's studio and I hope someday I can take a class there with her!

One of the highlights of the vacation was hiking about 6.5 miles to go see the Hollywood sign!  Now, you can't get up close to the sign.  You can get behind it and that's about it.  But it was a great hike that was so beautiful.  You could see all of LA (on both sides of the hills) and I hear that on a clear day, you can see all the way to the ocean!

 We also saw the REAL Bat Cave from the Batman show in the 1960s.  Very cool!

I have to thank Jacey, my Twitter friend who does Tone It Up, for tweeting back and forth with me about where to go there!  She led our confused, tourist butts to great places in Malibu!  One of her suggetions was Huckleberry Cafe, where I treated myself to a soy latte (I drink coffee black) and my oh my it was delicious!  Thanks again, Jacey!

Lastly, we went to Hermosa Beach and played around there for a little bit before hitting up Veggie Grill and Varga.  I had never been to a Veggie Grill and was so excited to finally try it.  I had the "All Hail Kale" salad and my boyfriend had a cheese-free mac n cheese.  

Varga is the cutest store I've been to in my life.  I'll have to do another blog post about their clothes because I just love them.  I think they have the most flattering jeans in the land and a large assortment of beauuutiful shirts and dresses.  I love flowy, "California" tops and got some along with long skirts (a trend I've been afraid of trying).

That's it for now!  

Feel free to comment below or email me at FitStyle09@gmail.com and 

check out/subscribe to my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/FitStyle09.  

Keep your eye out for new videos and blog posts coming soon!

Wellness Week

Hey everyone!  It’s Wellness Week!  You know I love sharing heath and wellness with you…I love all things happy and healthy.  And all those mushy, maybe even cheesy or cliché, inspirational quotes?  I’m right there with you.  I love them all.

So I want to start this post with one of those quotes right now.  The point of this is, you can do anything if you believe in yourself J  (I’m telling you, cliché is not that bad!)

“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi

That’s the first thing I want to tell you for Wellness Week because your wellness is in your hands.  For example, nobody makes you eat what you eat or stands in the doorway when you try to leave and workout.  We have a lot of choice in what we do even despite responsibilities like work, school, children, or whatever yours might be.  Of course we all are busy and nobody is perfect – that’s reality!  But if you take that quote above to heart, you can improve areas of your life.  This doesn’t even need to be a dietary change or a change in exercise.  Improvements could come in the form of diet, exercise, de-cluttering your home, spending more time with friends and family, or just having alone time.

Whatever areas you feel could use improvements to become “well”, then think that they can!  Look at it this way:  if you don’t think you can do something, you can’t.  Right?  That’s what the quote is saying!  Before every choice we make and action we take, we decide to do it (which involves thinking) and we envision ourselves doing it (…which involves more thinking)!  If you think negatively and think (aka “choose”) you can’t do something, then that’s it.  You can’t.  Why would you want that?  I certainly don’t want that for you.

 I hope that all of you take this week to focus on the positive “I can” attitude.  With it, all other areas of your life will fall into that “wellness” category.  

If you have any questions about how to maintain wellness, nutrition, fitness, or style with a busy lifestyle, feel free to comment below, email me at FitStyle09@gmail.com, check out old posts on this blog or on my YouTube channel, and stay tuned for upcoming posts!

Happy Wellness Week!

Celebration Ideas:

-Spring Cleaning

-Making a favorite meal

-Taking a walk

-Getting some GOOD sleep

-Completing a hard workout you might not have thought you could originally!

-Sitting alone in silence! (Meditation, anyone?)

-Finally doing something you’ve been meaning to do, or were afraid to do

-Laughing!  What could be more “well” than that?  It's the best medicine!

Interval Playlists: February!

I apologize that February is almost over.  What a crazy, short month!  But you get an extra day of February this month, so why don't we combine some of this month's playlist with March's?  Sound good?


Great :)

The theme of this playlist is STRONG.  You'll notice three of the song titles are "Stronger" and that's because I have been pushing myself more than usual in interval training and cross training this February.  I've been spinning, doing lots of HIIT (high intensity interval training), and much more strength training than I have been doing in the recent past and have liked hearing the word "stronger" as I workout. 

 So with that being said, enjoy February's playlist!

1. Turn Me On (Feat. Nicki Minaj) - David Guetta - Nicki Minaj
2. Domino - Jessie J
3. Young, Wild & Free (Feat. Bruno Mars) - Snoop Dogg & WizKhalifa
4. Stronger - Kanye West
5. International Love - Pitbull Featuring Chris Brown
6. Stronger - Britney Spears
7. Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson


Y'all know that usually I just keep my playlist on shuffle. While the order is ultimately up to you, here are a few suggestions I have for when to listen to the songs:

• I think that "Young, Wild & Free" should be either a warm up or cool down song - or definitely when you are on the slower side of your interval training. 
• "Turn Me On" and "Domino" are faster songs and better for a faster pace.
• "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" is a great song for the end of your workout because I think the message works well when you're trying to push through and stay strong as you finish your run.

Have a happy and fun workout!

Interval Playlists: January

Welcome to 2012, everybody!

I hope your new year is excellent and that it'll be your best year yet.  Mine is great!  It's January 26th so far and I've been feeling extra inspired as far as working out/health and hope to inspire you to be the healthiest and happiest you can be!  It really is a pleasure to motivate you all and I thank you for the positive feedback!  It means a lot :)

Part of that motivation, of course, involves MUSIC!  Here is my most recent playlist.  Most of this month I used my December Playlist that I love, but I find this month's list to be a lot more versatile for strength training, cardio, and conditioning whereas my other playlists were more for cardio.

1. Bananza (Belly Dancer) - Akon
2. Gold Digger - Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
3. Drop it Low - Ester Dean and Chris Brown
4. Crazy in Love - Beyonce feat. Jay-Z (of course, because we all know I love Beyonce)
5. Stronger - Britney Spears
6. Le Freak - Chic
7. Love Will Find a Way - Christina Aguilera
8. Dirrty - Christina Aguilera
9. Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
10. Unbelievable - EMF
11. Who's That Chick - Heartclub
12. Whine Up (feat. Elephant Man) - Kat DeLuna
13. Saleswoman of the Month - Richard Flemming (my big brother's old band!! Click here & press "see all songs")
14. 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake) - Madonna
15. Like a Prayer - Madonna
16. Material Girl - Madonna
17. Music - Madonna
18. Don't Tell Me - Madonna
19. Country Grammar - Nelly
20. Break it Off - Rihanna & Sean Paul

So yes, it's a long playlist.  But I typically keep my music on shuffle so I don't get 5 Madonna songs in a row (though that's fine if it turns out that way).  Mixing up your music/workout/running route keeps things fun.  Keep up your hard work and enjoy the music!


Need New Year Advice for Motivation & Tips? Click here for New Year Cheer

Pure Barre

It's 5:35pm on January 3rd and twenty-five minutes ago I finished my first Pure Barre class!

What a sweet addiction this is about to become.  

 This workout is a perfect example of a fun, effective, and difficult workout but not difficult in the sense that you dread doing it.  In fact, it's quite the contrary.

My videos mentioning Pure Barre: click here and also here :)

Pure Barre basically is a mixture of ballet and Pilates that exhausts your muscles and then stretches them out, creating long and lean muscles.  It's toning without the bulk.  The music was upbeat and fun and the classes are small so you don't feel the anonymity of being in a gym.  Now, even though this was my first class, I was SO surprised at how hard it was for me.  When I first walked in, my instructor told me to use 2 lb dumbbell weights.  I politely said I would, but inside I was thinking "oh I'm much stronger than that.  I'll go with 5 lbs."  I'm so glad I didn't.   Lighter was better, but in a week or so, I may attempt the 3 lbs ;).  Also, my legs were shaking during this workout and not even towards the end of the class!  They started shaking maybe 10 minutes into the workout.  It's MUCH more difficult than I had imagined but I haven't exercised to fatigue like that with my own workouts in a long time so it was GREAT to push myself.

Check here to find a Pure Barre near you.  I promise you won't regret it!  I'm going again tomorrow.  And the next day ... :)

Interval Playlists: December

It's December 5th and that means we have a new playlist out for this month!

1. Upgrade U - Beyonce
2. Countdown - Beyonce
3. Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix) - Beyonce
4. Flat on the Floor - Carrie Underwood
5. The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
6. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj
7. Waiting on a Saint - Hank Whitaker ( Click HERE for Hank's Music! )
8. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles
9. Can't Hold Us Down (feat. Lil' Kim) - Christina Aguilera
10. Dirrty - Christina Aguilera
11. Fighter - Christina Aguilera

I couldn't let Beyonce's songs out of circulation in this month's mix, so "Countdown" and "Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix)" are still here, but I've added Beyonce's "Upgrade U."  I'm not sure if they'll stay until January because I want to ensure I don't get tired of these songs!

Lupe Fiasco's "The Show Goes On" was love at first listen with me.  I actually first heard Lupe on The Colbert Report when he was the musical guest star and I was impressed.  I didn't expect to like his music but I think it's a perfect accompaniment to any running playlist.  Especially this song that is all about pushing through hard times.  That is why it is strategically placed in the middle of my playlist because the middle of my run is the hardest time to keep going!  There's waaay more motivation towards the beginning and the end!

The other songs in the middle of the playlist are just happy songs to me.  Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" always puts me in a good mood, and Hank Whitaker's "Waiting on a Saint"is fabulous.  Hank is a songwriter in Hollywood and writes these songs for other people, not to perform them himself, but used to perform with his other bands.  His music is really catchy and will put a smile on your face. Plus, did I mention he's my big brother?? (A link to his music is up in the list of songs).


Lastly, Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor" is a song that has been with me through many a workout since it came out in 2007.  It's just one of those powerful kick-butt songs, which may be a trend when you see that there are three similarly-messaged songs by Christina Aguilera.  Oh, so I guess the secret is out:  I really like diva voices.  They are strong and when I'm working out, strong is what I want to hear!  That's why I picked these three songs by Christina.  You can't sit still during something like "Can't Hold Us Down"!



Happy running!  For those of you starting exams, stay strong and get some workouts in during the chaos of finals!

Love,
Sarah

Interval Playlists: November!

I'm starting a new series in this blog about workout playlists.  This is the first installment.  When I listen to music as I workout, it's usually when I run or dance because I don't seem to need musical motivation while strength training.  However, music is always welcome for sit-ups, pushups, squats, or what have you :).

I keep my iTunes on shuffle on my computer.  This way I get to hear all of my music because I tend to forget I have some songs until they pop up randomly.  I think it's important to vary the music you exercise to, or you could quickly become bored with it.  Sometimes I like a song so much that I'll listen to it 2-3 times in a run, but I know better.  I'll get bored.  The next time I run and hear that song again, I'll probably slow down.  Seriously!  This happens!  If I really like a song, I'll run fast.  If I don't, I'll run slower...maybe even want to walk.  Long distance running is as much mental as it is physical, so you want music you're into so you keep going!!

This is why I'm creating this blog series:  Interval playlists.  They may be monthly or maybe even weekly depending on the music, but I want to share the music that gets me so amped during a run with you!  SO, here is my playlist for November!

Long story short:  Beyonce.  OMG.  I feel like I don't even have to say anything more.  Just close this page, go download all her music, and run out your front door.  She's so cool and aside from me wanting to be close friends with her, her music just makes me want to move.  Mostly it makes me want to dance, but I find that it's really odd to break out in dance in public, so I opt to run instead.  I keep the playlist on shuffle, too, as to eliminate any premature boredom with the playlist.  So the Beyonce songs make me feel empowered, as if I'm her or something, and make me want to run forever.  When I feel like stopping is usually when "Run The World (Girls)" sneaks on, telling me it'd be lame if I walked during that song, so I keep running.  The FOOTLOOSE songs make me want to dance too so it keeps you moving.  "Fake ID" reminds me of the new Footloose movie in the Honky Tonk where they do the dance that I so desperately want to learn (watching that scene is like, "I have red cowboy boots...I was born for this! LET ME DANCE").  Plus, that kind of music just makes me happy because of my Appalachian heritage ;).  You can't help but smile when you hear "Footloose" and "Let's Hear It For The Boy",  and J-Kwon's "Tipsy" is a throwback to like, 2004, which was a great year, so as far as I can see it, good year =  good memories = happiness = run faster.

1. Fake ID (Feat. Gretchen Wilson) - Big & Rich
2. Footloose - Kenny Loggins
3. Get Me Bodied - Beyonce
4. Check On It - Beyonce
5. Party  - Beyonce
6. Love On Top - Beyonce
7. Countdown - Beyonce
8. Run The World (Girls) - Beyonce
9. Tipsy (Radio Mix) - J-Kwon
10. Let's Hear It For The Boy - Deniece Williams

Add a few of these songs to your playlist and have a blast running to them!  Comment below and tell me what music you have on your playlists right now.

Surf Craze!!

For those of you have never been, surfing is amazing.  For those of you who have, then you know what I'm talking about.  I think it is by far the coolest and most exciting thing I've ever done.  Now, I've always been beach-obsessed, so I've always known I wanted to go surfing.  However, with the exception of trying once at the age of 10 with my surfer cousins in Florida ---on a day with no waves---my surfing experience was, well,...nonexistent.    That said, I was BEYOND excited to go surfing one morning in Hawaii over Spring Break!

I was so excited to actually be doing what I had tried to vicariously feel while watching movies like Blue Crush or watching surfers like Kelly Slater, Bethany Hamilton, or even my cousin Josh.  I had also seen pictures of my boyfriend surfing and while I had stood on his board when it was sitting on carpet, standing on a board while on a WAVE was incredible.

Doesn't really count, I know...

It's pointless to tell you surfing is a good workout, but MAN.  First you have to paddle out into the water, then once you see a good wave coming, you have to paddle really hard in order to catch it.  That was my problem.  I've got the balance part of surfing down!  Maybe a minor issue there is that I'm goofy foot (meaning I put my right foot forward on the board instead of my left), but standing on the board isn't my problem; paddling is.  I had tried "training" for this day by doing a bunch of pushups and arm exercises regularly before we left for Hawaii, but I was SO sore!  At one point, I rode a wave in and it took me about 20 minutes just to get back to my family in the water...mostly because my thought process went as follows: "OH! Well here comes a wave, I'll just try to get this one *start paddling...miss wave...try to get back to family...see another wave...try to catch that one, too...miss it...*.  Repeat this process a few more times, and that is how I spent a good 30 minutes.

If you look at any surfer though, you'll see that they really need to train for this sport.  It requires a lot of upper body strength, but that's definitely not all.  You need a strong core and strong everything to get up there and do it well!  In fact, here's a link to lots of benefits of surfing...including lots of information about the type of nutrition and cross training surfers eat and do!

And here is a glimpse of one of the best days I have had yet! :D  Go surfing!