10 motivating tips to get you ready to hit the gym

 

 

1. Never miss a Monday: If you can start the week off right- you will finish right. Schedule in your workouts on the calendar if you need to. Usually if I'm not in the mood, I'll tell myself I'll just go for ten minutes, than once I've started, I want to go longer.

2. Use motivating apps: Runtastic tracks and maps your workout, average speed, distance and calories burned. My Fitness Pal lets you record your progress.

3. Pinterest: Follow and make motivating fitness boards. Whether it's workouts, healthy recipes, quotes or inspiring photos, Pinterest can be a fun and useful source.

4. Fit it in: Try waking up 30 minutes earlier, to make time. Whenever I want to sleep in I try to remember my day will be so much better if I can squeeze in a quick cardio sesh early on. I usually try to get it done in the morning so I can't make up an excuse after work. If you prefer to go after work, pack a gym bag so you don't go home first, plop on the couch and decide to cancel.

5. Eat healthy and throughout the day: Fuel for fitness. If I don't eat something before working out, I end up starving after. I like to eat my favorite breakfast or a banana with peanut butter and cinnamon 30 minutes before a workout. More reasons it's important to eat my favorite meal of the day here. Snack on fruits, vegetables and nuts throughout the day to avoid gettiing hangry. (hungry + angry = hangry).

6. Pair up: Spring is the perfect time of year to get started. On a beautiful day when I'm just not feeling the gym, I call a friend or my sisters to go on a long walk on the trail or try a new workout class. It goes by so much faster and is the best way to catch up! Just 30 minutes benefits us in so many ways.

7. Put together a happy play list: Music is a workout game changer. Download an upbeat workout play list and only listen to it at the gym.

8. Be thankful: Try to think of working out as an opportunity to feel better not work. Don't do it to loose weight, do it to to be healthy.

9. Reward yourself: Instead of treating yourself with dessert, get a new pair of kicks... much more motivating!

10. Drink up: Hydration is so important. I have to have my morning coffee for an extra boost before working out so I also drink water right after I wake up. Reasons why it's beneficial here. If I'm craving soda or something flavored, I'll have an iced tea or a flavored sparkling water by La Croix.

Not feeling a pricey juice cleanse? Try a homemade one instead

 

 

By Natalie Dressed

LOGISTICS
Last week Seth and I decided to do a 3-day juice cleanse. The cleanse was Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and we I prepped by eating as raw as possible the 2-3 days before that. I didn't have the dedication to go completely raw, but I didn't notice any negative effects on the cleanse despite that. We used the recipes found here, which are based off the BluePrint Cleanse.

I went to the farmers market on Sunday to get the majority of the ingredients, which I highly recommend as you can get fresh, organic produce for really great prices (and you're supporting local farmers). I made sure we had enough to make all of Wednesday's juices on Tuesday night. On Wednesday evening, we had to run to the grocery store to grab more apples, beets, and lemons for the last two days. I didn't want to get all the ingredients at the same time because when there's two people doing it, it's a lot of stuff and our kitchen isn't that big. (For example, one person needs 15 apples for all 3 days. Since there were two of us, we decided not to buy 30 apples in one day, but instead split it up a bit so we didn't have to worry about storing 30 apples.)

I'm not sure exactly how much we spent because we bought some other things we needed and lots of fruit for the few days before the cleanse, but my guess is that we spent somewhere between $100-$150 for both of us for all 3 days (between the farmers market and grocery store), which is way cheaper than buying a cleanse. Also, I highly recommend buying a case of standard 16 oz water bottles. I bought a case of 24 for around $5 thinking we would just use the bottles for our juices, but you need filtered water for the cashew milk and spicy lemonade so we ended up using the water too. It worked out perfectly.

Making the juices at home was significantly cheaper, but it was also a lot of work. The first night I juiced everything by myself and it took about 2.5 hours total. Seth helped me the following two nights and since we had already done it once, we got the hang of it and cut the time down to about an hour. Not bad at all. I can see how buying a cleanse would be worth it in terms of convenience though. It's really just a matter of what you can afford and how much time you're willing to put into it.
  

 

 

The chart above shows the recipes in a more visually appealing way and varies just slightly from the original recipes based on what we did.

Please note: We doubled all of these recipes since there two of us. When we doubled the green juice recipe, it actually made 4 juices instead of 2. So if you're doing this solo, you probably only need to make 1 green juice and will get enough for 2. Of course this isn't a perfect science, but it's something to note.

We both liked all of the juices. The P.A.M. is nothing short of delicious and would make a really good cocktail. The spicy lemonade was tart for us, but it helped take our appetite away. The cashew milk is delish! It could totally be a milkshake substitute.

Here's a shopping list for you so you don't have to add everything up!

 

 

Eat pretty (and get farm fresh, gorgeous skin)

On your next trip to the farmer's market, load up on these beauty-boosting summer produce picks from beauty editor-turned-nutritionist Jolene Hart's new book Eat Pretty.

Kate Middleton's new diet revealed: Secret to her slim figure

 

Kate Middleton is known for her stunning style - and for her unbelievable figure! Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, has now turned to a new eating style to get gorgeous glowing skin, according to a new report.

Kate Middleton, 32, is truly one of the classiest and most stunning women of our time. Kate just gave birth to her first son, Prince George, on July 22 of last year, but her fit figure is already back! Prince William's wife is happy with her body, but wants to improve her skin tone - and so she's turning to the latest hot diet trend, which is the raw food diet!

Kate Middleton's New Diet: Raw Foods Only

Kate's gorgeous-skin diet consists of completely uncooked foods, according to Daily Mail. Kate is trying out the trendy eating pattern for two reasons! First, to keep her fit frame looking its best - she wants to maintain her athletic figure. Second, to get radiant and glowing skin! While we think Kate already looks absolutely gorgeous, we're all for her trying new eating patterns to see what makes her feel her best.

Kate already has a few favorites from the raw food diet. She's loving ceviche (raw fish served in a bed of juices and spices), gazpacho (a cold soup), watermelon salads and tabbouleh, according to Daily Mail. She's also drinking almond milk! Kate's plan is to stick to this raw-only regime for at least one day a week!

"Kate already has the perfect figure but her motivation is to achieve radiant skin," Daily Mail quotes a friend of Kate's explaining.

Fans of the raw food diet say it helps achieve fuller hair, more glowing skin and healthier nails. Believers of the raw food revolution say that by NOT cooking food, the vitamins and nutrients stay rich and dense, whereas the "good" parts of food can be zapped out while a dish is cooked. How interesting!

Kate Middleton's Silver Suit At The Queens 88th Birthday

Whatever Kate is doing, she looks spectacular. At Queen Elizabeth's 88th birthday celebration on June 14, Kate rocked a silver suit and an amazing matching hat. She stole the show - as usual! Just four days earlier, Kate was magnificent in an Alexander McQueen dress (that she'd worn before!) at The Duke of Edinburgh's 93th birthday on June 10.
 

What Designers Dressed the Most Celebs This Season?

 



With the Oscars behind us, we know award season is officially over. That means it's time to examine our red carpet score card. Which brands got the most looks?
Of course, let's not confuse plurality with winning (for lack of a better term). The way things end up on the red carpet has as much to do with politics as it does about what a star wants to wear, perhaps even more so. Not all designers approve of certain celebrities wearing their clothing. Involved are contracts (hello JLaw and Dior), and even permission to wear a brand. Deals are often struck between one brand and one starlet for one awards show. You may remember the recent Hayden Panettiere/Tom Ford drama when Panettiere wore a Ford gown that she wasn't lent, but purchased herself. In the insular world of fashion, this was considered a scandal.
Love it or leave it, what goes on the red carpet matters. This is why we love to track the biggest award shows for film and television -- Golden Globes, Screen Actor's Guild Awards and the Academy Awards -- and see which brands show up the most.
Note: Since stage and interview face time are most important, priority is given to actresses who are nominees, part of nominated films/television shows and presenters. (Our apologies to hosts and wives/partners.)
Click through to see, in no particular order, the top brands with this award season. And in the spirit of these awards shows, they're all winners. It's an honor to be nominated. And so on.


 


GUCCI Golden Globes: Margot Robbie, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis SAGs: Lupita Nyong'o Oscars: Amy Adams, Anne Hathaway
Reserved for Gucci was plenty of sparkle. Lupita Nyong'o made sure every eye was on her in turquoise at the SAGs, though Anne Hathaway gave her a run for her money in a black dress from Gucci's recent fall 2014 collection. Did you see the way it sparkled when she walked out to present? Unreal.

 


CHRISTIAN DIOR Golden Globes: Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson SAGs: Jennifer Lawrence, Carice Van Houten Oscars: Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron
At this point it feels like no award show would be complete without seeing Jennifer Lawrence (fall) in Christian Dior. Meanwhile, fellow Dior woman Charlize Theron (the face of fragrance J'adore Dior) and Emma Watson wore haute couture with aplomb.

 


LANVIN Golden Globes: Edie Falco, Emma Roberts, Emma Thompson SAGs: Edie Falco, Sandra Bullock Oscars: Meryl Streep
This marks the third year in a row that Meryl Streep has worn Lanvin to the Oscars. We kind of love the idea of Alber Elbaz and Meryl being buddies. Not to mention, Edie Falco did her SAG and Golden Globe red carpet walks in the brand. How's that for brand loyalty?

 


J. MENDEL Golden Globes: Elisabeth Moss, Kate Mara, Kyra Sedgwick SAGs: Gretchen Mol, Michelle Dockery Oscars: Anna Kendrick
Though not as big a player on the luxury scale as the previous brands, J. Mendel certainly has the market cornered on television actresses like Michelle Dockery, Elisabeth Moss, and Kate Mara.