86,400 Seconds In a Day - The Plank Challenge

After realizing just how many seconds are in a day, I have no excuse whatsoever not to do this challenge.

86,400 seconds is a lot of time.

I can seriously squeeze in a few seconds a day to work my core.

 

I saw this challenge on Laura's Blog, Live.Run.Sparkle today and had to share.
She originally found it on her friend's blog,  Be Silly Be Strong.
Yay for blogger friends :)

I'll update you occasionally on how I'm doing.

 I know this will really help me with posture, pole, and just about everything else.

DO IT WITH US!
You have no excuse; we all have 86,400 seconds in a day!
XO Lauren

I Cut My Hair and Saving Time and Money

So last night I got really fed up with how dry, and basically dead the ends of my hair were.
I ended up cutting off like three inches, maybe four.  I was too afraid to measure.

I don't know if you noticed, but I'm going blonde.

It is killing my hair.

I'm dealing with it.

 

Sassy duck face

 

So I haven't decided yet, but I really feel like I could save a lot of money by getting rid of my gym membership.

I pay $40 a month ($480 a year!) to go lift weights when I could buy a set for a fraction.  Like this cute set on amazon for only $26:

 

Super cute colors

 

 

I waste gas to get there.

Sometimes I don't even go.

To me it just seems like it is a waste of time and money.

 

I have been attempting to work out at home, focusing more on body weight since I don't have weights to play around with yet.

Do you think I will lose all motivation to work out if I don't have to go somewhere to do it?

Will I even pick up the weights if I have them at home?

Maybe I will leave them in front of the TV.

Maybe boyfriend will come up with a way to rig them to the TV so it will only turn on when I use them :p

XO Lauren

 

 

One Year, Muffin Fail, and Twelve Minutes to Work Out

My weekend was really great.  Boyfriend came home from a two week long work trip to Canada.

He brought me out to celebrate one year since we met at the same restaurant where we met.

Super cute.

 

1 year since we met.
September 2013

 

Sunday was time to get things done.

I did like five loads of laundry, attempted to work out, made muffins twice, and did all my dishes!

My first attempt at making muffins was a huge fail.

I forgot the flour :(.

 

So embarrassed.

 

My workout:

Each exercise for 25 seconds, 5 second rests in between.

Mountain climbers (abs)

Toe touches (abs)

Kickbacks (abs, booty)

Burpees (entire body)

Repeat 6 times

 

 

I was really sad that I couldn't finish this 12 minute workout.  My knee started hurting from the mountain climbers and burpees.

This is a super intense workout even though it's only 12 min.

Try it; I dare you!

Ohh I almost forgot...

We also put a shelf up in the bathroom. 

I am so happy boyfriend is handy.

I obviously need to put a picture in the frame
and find a better place for my makeup
than a plastic bag. :p

 

Happy Monday!
XOXO Lauren

Do Something About It

I have been so down on myself in the past about NEEDING to work out and eat right to the point where I got so sad about it and depressed that I couldn't do anything.  I would only crave bad foods, give in, and then hate myself for it.  I would get all excited about working out and then remember my knee hurts or that I'm going to get sweaty and I already showered.

 

I kept making excuses.

 

STOP MAKING EXCUSES.

 

 

 

I have realized that I am the one in control.  It has nothing to do with cravings and I can tell them to shut the EFF up.

 

I am in control of the hours I have in my day.  

 

Tell your excuses to get out of your head.  You can do it!

 

I LOVE the feeling I get from working out.  I LOVE the confidence I get from working out.  I LOVE my body for letting me work out. 

 

Why do I make excuses not to?  Who knows, women can be crazy...

 

Grab your yoga mats, weights, cute booty shorts, and stop watches.  Let's work out.

 

Thank you for listening to me motivate myself! You are the best.

 

XO Lauren

 

How do you motivate yourself?

Pick Yourself Back Up

Hi everyone,

 

I have been super busy and debating what I should write for like a few days now.

I debated posting a workout, a recipe, continuing to update you on my boring life....

 

But I have decided that you need to know that my life isn't all eating healthy and working out.

 

I haven't worked out in about a month.  I am slightly terrified to speak those words, but I feel as though everyone goes through this.

 

After my birthday week of not working out, I completely fell off the bandwagon.  Then the boyfriend and I went on a roadtrip, and didn't have access to a gym, and now I am working on cleaning our house top to bottom so I can move my furniture, etc from my apartment in.

 

I don't really have time to even think, let alone workout.  I feel as thought that is a slight cop-out though.  I do have time....but that hour or two I have, I have been using to wind down and relax before bed.  I have learned to value sleep over everything.  Sleep, to me, is more important than working out...although, they are both at the top of my 'important things' list.

 

Instead of mentally bashing myself about not working out, I have tried to stay positive about other things that are going on. 

 

Examples:

Wow, my hair is getting long and looks super sexy.

I vacuumed every room AND did all of the dishes. Way to get shit done!

I have made a list of needs and wants in order to save money, and I'm doing GREAT.

I have also been very aware of the support my boyfriend needs starting his new job.

My boyfriend loves me for who I am.

I have a great job.

ETC

 

I also keep in mind that it is more important to love yourself in order for other people to love you.  The boyfriend encourages me to workout if I want, will understand if I don't, but cares enough about me to know when it has gone too far.  If I stop loving my body, it would get difficult for him as well.  It is a fact.

 

Without stressing myself out about it, I need to start pushing myself to go, continuing to be happy with myself, and ease myself into it...once again.

 

The hardest thing I am dealing with right now is that my meniscus is still torn in my knee and I cannot do cardio.

I was trying to work into a heavier cardio workout when I found this out, bummer. Seriously.

 

I hope you are all doing well. I could use some encouragement.

XO Lauren 

Back and Bi's

Hello lovers!

I hope you all had a great weekend!! I am in a super good mood because this work week is only two and a half days long! Yes!! I love holiday weekends.  Also because after next week I go on vacation with my amazing parents and the best sister in the entire world!  Can you tell I'm excited about life right now?!  Look at all these exclamation marks!

I surprisingly didn't take any pictures this weekend...I should have!  We went to the boyfriend's boss's house for his little boy's 6th birthday party!  I am so happy I missed the cake.  That would have been diet over, right there.  There were tons of cutie-patooties and sparklers and even fireworks.

My favorite part was when the boyfriend and I escaped to the swing set.  We couldn't stop giggling while swinging back and forth.  I felt so carefree.  No stress in the world...but now its back to work.  Boo :(  But this girl has to make a living somehow. :P

Yesterday the boyfriend and I walked to the gym to do back and bi's.  Here is the workout.  Please don't make fun of how weak I am.  I am progressing like crazy...and you'd be jealous of how rock hard my bicepts are.

 

Back and Bi's

 

Warm-up: Pull ups.

Assisted with 110 lbs. As many as you can.

Getting better, considering in April I needed 140 lbs of help [basically my whole body...lol].

 

Standing One-Arm Cable Curl:

3 sets of 10

20 lbs

 

Spider Curl [E-Z Bar Curl]:

3 sets of 8

10 lbs [5 lbs each side]

 

Bent Over Barbell Row:

3 sets of 8

10 lbs [5 lbs each side]

 

Cable Rear Delt Row:

3 sets of 10

40 lbs

 

One Arm Lat Pulldown:

3 sets of 10

20 lbs

 

Wide Grip Pulldown Behind the Neck:

3 sets of 10

60 lbs

[woah I used to only be able to do 40 a few weeks ago!!!]

 

 

So a few weeks ago, I tried to start running.  I haven't gotten far.  Maybe 0.3 miles before I have to stop because of my knee pain.  But seriously, it is really hard to do this on a treadmill watching TV when this commercial comes on:

 

Sorry for the terrible pic - as I was trying to run!

 

Uhhhh seriously?! Maybe TV on the treadmill is not a good idea.

 

xoxo Lauren