FITNESS FRIDAY: Reasons to Get Fit

Happy Friday, my friends. 

In case all this holiday humbug has gotten you into a fitness slump, I thought I'd offer you a few WONDERFUL reasons to keep your health on track, even during the season of Christmas cookies. 

And my personal favorite.

90's Nostalgia

I found this earlier and just couldn't keep it to myself. For all of us who are fortunate enough to be children of the '90s, I invite you to take a trip with me down nostalgia lane. 

 YOU MIGHT BE A 90'S KID IF...

You remember watching:
-Kenan and Kel
-Doug
-Pinky and the Brain
-AAAAAAAH Real Monsters!
-Rocko's Modern Life
-Animaniacs
-Courage the Cowardly Dog
-Hey Arnold
-Clarissa Explains it All
-The Simpsons
-The Fresh Prince of Bel air
-Nickelodeon Slime Time
-Family Feud

You've ever ended a sentence with the word PSYCHE!

You just cant resist finishing this: "In west Philadelphia born and raised..."

You remember:
-Step by Step
-Family Matters
-Dinosaurs
-Boy Meets World

You remember when it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.

You remember when kickball was something you did everyday! And you played on the monkey bars and knew at least one kid who broke their arm falling off of it.

You ate Warheads.

You remember when Super Nintendo became popular.

You remember watching:
-The Magic School Bus
-Wishbone
-Reading Rainbow
-Ghostwriter on PBS

You remember when Yo-Yos were cool.

And you played with Gak, Silly Putty and Sticky Tack that you stole from the teachers walls.

You remember watching:
-The 1st Batman
-Aladdin
-Ninja Turtles
-Ghost Busters
-X-Men

You watched the original cartoons of
-Rugrats
-Wild Thornberrys
-Power Rangers (with the Green ranger)
-Rocket Power
-Transformers

 

 

 

If you collected:
-Beanie Babies
-Pokemon cards (the oringinal 150)
-Coins with the states on them
-Carebears
-Silver dollars, which were cool to have.

You remember Ring Pops.

You had at least one Tamagotchi, GigaPet, or Nano and brought it everywhere you went.

 

All your school supplies were Lisa Frank or Five Star brand.

You even know what an original Walkman is.

You know the Macarena by heart.

Before the MySpace/Facebook/Twitter frenzy.

Before the Internet & text messaging.

Before Sidekicks & iPods .

Before PlayStation3 or X-BOX 360.

Before Spongebob.

When light up sneakers were cool and you had spiral spring shoelaces.

When you rented VHS tapes, not DVDs.

When gas was $1.50.

When we recorded stuff on VCR (usually illegally).

You had slap bracelets.

And of course, you actually played outside until it was dark.

...Way, way back-before we realized all this would eventually disappear or be recreated into something not half as authentic and wonderful as its original.

FITNESS FRIDAY: Let me Learn You Something

I have a word of advice. 

Yes, I'm only 22 years old. Yes, I've been a wife for less than 2 years. Yes, I'm still in graduate school. Yes, I've been a personal trainer for only 16 months. No, I haven't seen it all, heard it all, or done at all.

Neverthless, in the world of fitness, health, and weight loss, I have a few things working for me. I hold a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science. I spent 200 hours during the summer of 2010 in a clinical internship in cardiac rehabilitation. Three years ago, I lost 23 pounds in 14 months and have kept it off ever since. Since August of 2010, I have worked for a one-on-one private training corporation, serving over 50 clients at our location in Cary, North Carolina. To date, I have completed over 1700 one-on-one personal training sessions. Oh, and I've read a lot of books.

As a general rule, one must complete 10,000 hours of practice, study, observation, or experience to be legitimately qualified as an expert.  In anything. In the words of Corey Smith, I've still got a long, long way to go.

And yet, here I am, audaciously proclaiming that I have a piece of knowledge that is genuinely necessary, completely accurate, and profitable for your understanding of health and fitness.

Yep. And if God wasn't grieved by gambling, I'd bet my life on it. So here it is.

If you ever read, hear, or see anything that advocates a method of successfully losing weight with the application of neither diet nor exercise, it is either not SAFE, not LEGAL, or not TRUE. 

 And just to clarify, before you roll your eyes and write me off... (1) By diet, I mean a healthy, lifelong lifestyle of eating, not a temporary, restrictive attempt to look great at your next high school reunion; and (2) By exercise, I mean a healthy, lifelong commitment to movement, activity, and cardiovascular fitness, not a temporary, stringent, blood-vessel bursting weight lifting session at the gym for 6 weeks.

So, there you have it. That's the most honest, confident proclamation I can make regarding my education and profession to date. And, as a final note, that's probably the closest I'll ever come to writing a book, because people who write too much tend to say too little.

Cheers.

WEDDING WONDERS: Burlap and Lace

One of my very favorite people, Sarah Mordica, is marrying her best friend in March. I am both blessed and honored to be a part of her wedding, and I am THRILLED about her decision to detail her wedding with BURLAP AND LACE. 

Burlap and lace.

It just sounds wonderful, right? That's because it is. Take a look at these beautiful little details from other burlap and lace weddings.

Table setting.

 Table setting. 

 Available on Etsy!

 Burlap runner and dollies. 

 Could also be done on a larger scale as a centerpiece. Mason jars, anyone?

  Bouquets.

 Color play with the programs. 

I'm in love with these ruffles...could be used throughout the wedding decor!

Happy Thursday, my friends.

Puppy Love

Trust me, your life cannot be complete until you see these precious pictures.

Last weekend, my friend, Sara, and I got together to make Christmas wreaths, and Sara happens to be the owner of London's very best friend, Khloe. While we crafted, London and Khloe had quite the play date, and I couldn't resist snapping a few photos after they finished chasing each other around the living room.

Too cool for school.

 Khloe was a bit unsure about the camera.

Besties.

Love this shot.

Khloe is quite photogenic!

See? I told you.

We're just playing, Mom!

A-DORABLE.

WEDDING WONDERS: Wonderful Ideas.

Let's talk about ideas. 

Great ideas. 

Great ideas for your wedding. 

If you're anything like me, you'll glance through these photos and say, "Geez, why didn't I ever think of that?"

Use a clear tent at the reception in lieu of a white one. 

If you send your wedding invitation to the White House, you'll receive a congratulatory letter from the President and the First Lady. 

 The bride's parents, the groom's parents, and the newlyweds.

A great shot for those Caribbean honeymoons. 

Fashion your Save the Dates as a mock-up Nicholas Sparks novel. Precious. 

If you're having a small wedding, arrange seating in the shape of a spiral. The seating arrangement creates the aisle, and no one has a bad seat!

Happy December, my friends.

Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, Fa La La La La, La La La La

Since Halloween, I've been repressing my Christmas spirit relentlessly...no Christmas shopping, no Christmas music, no Christmas decorating. It's been rough, I have to admit.

Nevertheless, Thanksgiving day (as much as I love it) has finally come and gone, and it's all Christmas from here on out. The tree is decorated, the wreath is on the door, and Black Friday has been conquered. Here are a few (okay, a lot) of shots of our Christmas spirit at 309 McDowell Drive. I hope you enjoy perusing them as much as I enjoyed taking them...with our new Canon EOS Rebel T3, might I add!

DIY tutorials coming soon!

Ornament from "The Christmas Shop" in Gatlinburg

Camera settings: ISO 6400, SS 1/32 (House lights off)

Ornament from Carolina Pottery

Squirrel ornament from Target

Dorothy's glass slipper ornament, from the Museum of American History (Washington, DC)

Ole Miss football player ornament, from Kyle's grandmother

A close-up of my ragamuffin linen garland (tutorial coming soon)

Owl ornament (set of 3) from Target

Bird ornament from Walmart (who knew?)

 Deer antler ornament from Walmart (Kyle's choice, of course)

 Poinsettias from Michael's

Ruffled Christmas tree skirt (tutorial coming soon)

My DIY winter wreath!

Coffee table (I'm loving burlap this season)

Merry Christmas!!