Weekend Fitness: Energy Boosters

This week has been deadly for my fitness routine. Add up seven 3-credit classes, piles of homework, a snow delay which the teachers did NOT see as an excuse, a huge library project, and multiply it by sleep deprivation to the fourth degree. The result = no energy!

I was quite proud of myself for working out three times this week, despite school insanity. P90X is my new favorite at-home regime. Those ab-ripper moves are not for the faint of heart.
I also managed to follow my tips from last weekend. Extra water-drinking tip: fill a water bottle the night before so you can toss it into your bag on the way out the door.

This week's tips:
1. Treat yourself to cute workout gear. Having something new, even if only a headband or socks, will motivate you to use it!

2. Follow a few healthy cooking blogs. Some of my favorites are here, here, and here. Beautiful photos and easy instructions can help you ignore the prepackaged junk food.

3. Reload your iPod every few weeks. Listening to the same playlist a hundred million times gets boring fast. Fresh, energetic songs will get your butt off the study lounge couch!

Have a rejuvenating weekend,
-B.

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In Now: Textiles by Rodarte

The Fashion program at my school includes several textile classes, so I geeked-out when I heard about Rodarte's collaboration with Knoll Luxe (thank you, Zoe Report)! The collection is intended for home projects, like cushions and drapes, but interior design fabric can be used to create AMAZING clothing designs as well.




I am itching to get my hands on a few yards to experiment with my DIY Rodarte fantasies!
-B.


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The Vanity

A big blogging trend is to make a little list of the items in your bag or wallet. For the next four months my bag(s) will be permanently occupied by textbooks, file folders, pens, and random scraps of grimey paper.
But I do have a pretty fabulous dresser. For your reading interest:

*Pink latch-closure box that used to hold a wrist watch with interchangeable bands. Perfect for earrings and pins.

*Kate Spade Twirl fragrance roller. My favorite 2010 Christmas gift!

*Vintage Chanel No. 5 perfume bottle. A lovely highschool graduation gift from my aunt.

*Piles of necklaces and bracelets that never find their way back to the jewelry box.

*Heirloom birthstone ruby ring. Early college graduation gift from my mom.

*Chanel No. 5 perfume. It's a bit musky for me, so I only use it on glamorous occasions.

*Antique piano music box. A very special 21st birthday gift from another aunt.

*Framed pictures of my best friends and family.

*Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and Emma.

Do something different,

-B.
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Coco Quoted

Coco Chanel had it all: fashion sense, beauty, brains, creativity, artistic ability, business savvy, and an extremely thought-provoking way with words.
A few of my favorites to top off this busy Tuesday:

"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening."

Off to study for my own brightly successful future with the help of green tea and oversized PJs.

Be inspired!

-B.
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Umbrellas and Buffers

Today was my last first-day-of-school, and the weather celebrated by being absolutely nasty. My feet were damp by the time I finally got home, despite tights and cozy boots.

This final semester is shaping up to be the meanest of them all, so you might notice my posts appearing late at night, at random afternoon hours, or slowing down a bit - I will try to prevent this, but please forgive if a day or two is missed.

Monday was not entirely horrible though (are you surprised?).
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and strange as it is, I am one of the few single girls in the world who does not hate this holiday.
In fact, I kind of like it. All the pink and red and hearts and flowers on display in every store gives me a happy feeling inside. It's pretty! And tons of chocolate goes on sale the day after, which is another reason to love.

Anyway, the reason I'm thinking VDay already is because one of my best friends, Kris, surprised me today with the news that she just started dating. Kris and I have been friends since sophomore year and both of us have been mostly single through college. The way she "broke the news" to me was so cute: as we left our first class this morning, a guy bumped into her in the hall. She greeted him, introduced us, and we kept walking. A few seconds later she said,
"You know that guy I bumped into?"
I was distracted by thoughts of my next class, so I said something uninteresting, like, "uhhuh".
"Um, well, we are kind of doing... relationship things".

How cute is that? "Relationship things". While I love her for being sensitive to my current state of singleness and not wanting to throw her dating status in my face, I was completely ecstatic for her. Her unique choice of words was a sweet attempt at a buffer, no matter how unnecessary.
Have you ever had a dating friend "buffer" her relationship status for you? What are your thoughts on Valentine's Day? My attitude is definitely in the minority among my single girl-friends, so I can sympathize if you have negative feelings.

Happy end-of-Monday,
-B.

PS: Romantic Crossword Cake, here. Impressive creativity.
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Weekend Fitness

Blogging about health and fitness on the weekend might seem like a strange idea for a college student. Everyone knows that university weekends mean parties, sugar-rich beverages, junk food, and extremely late nights (aka early mornings). I definitely enjoy the occasional wild weekend, but I am serious about my health and fitness at the same time.

Staying in-shape during the college years can be really hard. Especially if you are an over-achiever studying 18-20 credits per semester, taking on the role of Student Representative, sorority involvement, internships, and the list goes on.*

Being healthy is not impossible though, so I decided to start this little series as a way to keep myself on track and (hopefully) to encourage you to have a happy, healthy 2011. Every Friday or Saturday I will post 3 tips that helped me remember to be healthy that week.
Here are the first tips of the year:

1. Add running or jogging to your dayplanner. Write in huge letters so you can't miss it.
2. Stretch as soon as your feet hit the floor in the morning. Your shower will feel that much better.
3. Drink a glass of water with breakfast (you better not be skipping).

What makes you feel happy and healthy? I would love to hear your tips!
-B.
PS - Welcome to the new readers! Your comments are so encouraging.

*I may or may not be refering to myself... hehe
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E-mail Inspiration

Inspiration strikes me at the most random times. Maybe that's normal. Is randomness the nature of inspiration? You never know what will set it off - a magazine article, well-dressed Wal-mart shoppers, library books, cabin fever, advertising e-mails - nothing is too mundane. In fact, the every-day things are often the most inspiring.
For instance: my inbox is daily flooded with e-mails from websites (that I voluntarily signed up for, of course) that often contain exceptionally inspiring images.
This one from the always-adorable Kate Spade inspired this very post.

I am in love with the typewriter laptop case.
Anthropologie's e-mails are a goldmine of inspiration, too. I HAD to click on this one, which naturally led to my last post.
Is it silly to be inspired by e-mails? Does it matter where inspiration comes from?

I think it's ok to be inspired by mud puddles, as long as the end result is something beautiful.
Own up to your sources of inspiration, and if no one else reads this maybe I just needed confirmation for myself. And that's ok too.
-B.

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