Challenge Yourself

Am I the only one who's terrified and extremely intimidated by the thought of going to the gym to work out? I have no idea how to use the equipment they have! Can't I just stay home and workout in private where I can't be made fun of by avid gym goers who think (and are right) that I have no idea what I'm doing?

Okay, that's not the point of this post. Yes, I am terrified of the gym, but I will face that fear when I get off the road in July to go to college. Meanwhile, I promised a new fitness challenge, so here goes.

I surfed Pinterest for some workout plans and then YouTubed  researched some of the exercises that I didn't recognize for proper form. 

I am doing an "at home" workout that requires no equipment or optional weights/something heavy for the russian twists and squats. I'll be doing these workouts every day around 4pm to create consistency, taking pictures of my progress every Thursday. At the end of a month I'll post the side by side pictures to see the improvement, and then switch up the exercises and add more in to challenge myself and continue making progress. Baby steps, right?

Here are the two workouts I plan on alternating throughout the week. The "Extreme Body Weight" workout almost killed me, can't believe I've gotten so out of shape! Of course, it's not a workout I am used to, so maybe after a couple more times I'll be able to do every rep (I had to take some stuff down a bit). The early morning workout is meant to be a sort of rest day without resting, it's easier but not slacking. You feel me?

Yoga anybody? People say yoga improves your strength, mental health, agility, flexibility, over all well being, endurance, focus, etc. Seems like something I should look into, right? I found a simple yoga sequence I felt would help with my hamstring flexibility and hopefully reap some other benefits, and will do it every other day. I'm no expert when it comes to yoga, any tips would be greatly appreciated! Maybe we can entreat a post from Aurora about it?

This challenge is about getting in shape and challenging myself.

Wish me luck!


***Important Update***
Due to a knee injury resurfacing, I had to stop seriously exercising, but I will be starting up again and posting my progress soon!

~La vie est belle, Bri~

Fitness Update

Hey all!

It’s time for some real commitment fitness posting. We all posted our goals awhile back, and for the most part I did a lot of “working out” in the form of several different dance classes that incorporated various forms of exercise. Here’s a rundown of what I would do in a week:

Monday
Intermediate/Advanced ballet for an hour and a half. 

This class works as an all-over body workout focused mainly on core, butt, and legs, but also works your back, shoulders, and arms in a less extreme way. The class included a combination of cardio and strength exercises in the form of barre and center work.
Barre consisted of plies, tendues/degages, ronde jambs, fondu/developes, frappe, and turns designed to warm up, strengthen, and stretch calf, thigh, ankle, feet and core muscles. Center work is comprised of petit and grand allegro made up of turns, leaps, jumps, tendue, and adagio.

Tuesday
Intermediate ballet/pointe for an hour and a half

This class is the same as Monday’s class excepting less strenuous forms of barre and center work. It also included pointe work in the last ten minutes of class where we did small variations of the barre and center work en pointe, adding extra stress to ankle, legs, and core.

Modern for an hour 

Modern begins with an exercise to warm up the feet; a combination of popping your heel, plies, tendues/degages, and small developes and envelopes (de-vell-up-ays and en-vell-up-ays) facing forward, feet in parallel and then turned out. After that we move to a series of plies in first-fifth ballet positions, facing a different direction with every new position. Following these exercises we’ll do a variation of turns, rolls, and other modern movements and then learn our dance.

Wednesday
 Rest day 

Thursday
Jazz for an hour 

Warming up we would jog, skip, or chasse for a minute, high knees for thirty seconds, kick butts for thirty seconds, and jumping jacks for thirty seconds and repeat it three times. Then we would move into a series of stretches, followed by a differing arm or leg work out that we would change every couple of weeks and often a series of squats. Sometimes we would finish this off with butt/hip isolations and a coordination exercise.
After the workout we did complicated combinations of turns, leaps, kicks, and whatever else she decided to throw at us that day, and then our dance.

Lyrical for an hour 
Intense cardio, arm, and leg work out that we started with various forms of crunches, pull backs, and “c-tuck” hovers. We would go on to do kicks, plies, and stretches, and finished with inner thigh leg press exercises, lying toe touches, butt exercise, plank into push-ups, and lower back strengthening/stretching. After the initial work out we would do combinations of turns and leaps and then our dance.

 Friday
Ballroom for two or three hours, depending on the week. 

This depended entirely on the willingness of the participants to focus that day on whether or not we accomplished much dancing. I’d usually end up doing several intense swing dances and waltzing before I left though.

Saturday and Sunday are designated rest days cuz I usually didn’t end up doing anything those days towards actual “working out”.

I feel like that took more effort mentally to write up than it did to actually do it. Anyway, I had pretty dang good abs, firm thighs, butt, and arms from doing those exercises consistently. Stay tuned for a post about my fitness challenge I've come up with that will list specific exercises with reps and everything listed!

~La vie est belle, Bri~

Beauty on the Go

Hey ya'll.

I'm in Texas right now, so that's a fitting greeting, right? Right. Basically, I'm traveling in a van towing a trailer across the United States for over six months. We hop from place to place every two weeks, often driving several hours a day a couple days a week to get to our next destination.

Up sides: I am traveling the U.S. and making new friends and seeing what there is to see.
Down sides: If I'm not careful I go around looking like a hobo.

With my short curly hair and pale as snow skin I've had crazy trouble looking presentable while on this trip. My hair seems prone to oiling up super fast no matter when I've washed it. It drives me nuts! As if that's not annoying enough, my skin does the same thing. It feels a little like they're conspiring against me.

So here's a couple tips for beauty on the go.

1) Invest in a spider clip, bobby pins, and simple beauty techniques
No matter long or short hair, bobby pins and a spider clip work wonders. Pull it up all messy like into the clip and pin down some fly aways and you've got yourself an instant classy laid back look. Learn some braiding and twisting techniques as well, it'll add dimension and intrigue to an otherwise drab look. If all else fails, slick it back into a tight ballerina bun or French twist. Chic and easy.

2) When you have the chance to shower, DO IT. 
Do not say no to a shower. When you have the chance, take it. 

3) Get some baby wipes
Use these to wash your face. Baby wipes are designed to be gentle on your skin, so these shouldn't make you break out and they'll help make it harder for dirt and oil to build up in your pores and create mass breakouts.

4) Take advantage of rest stops 
As unsavory as it sounds, go into that gas station bathroom and rinse your face with some real water. Make sure they have paper towels to dry your face off before you do otherwise that could end up really awkward. Also, bring a small bottle of mouth wash in with you. It'll make you feel so much better about the stinky snacks you're eating while on the road.

5) Wear comfy clothes on the drive. 
I have a pair of yoga sweats, leggings, and jeans that I love. You're going to be cramped in a small space for a large period of time, and you might be tired. You don't want tight material pinching your legs uncomfortably or bunching funny when you try to maneuver your way into a semi comfortable position to catch a nap. Wear a t-shirt you feel good in even after it's stretched a bit, and grab a jacket to throw on top or a scarf to make it an outfit when you stop to get out and stretch. Play around with what you have. Don't forget a pair of comfy shoes. I suggest a pair of easy slip on shoes. Seriously, take them off while in the car and then easily slip them right back on when you have to get out.

6) Get a good brand of dry shampoo that works for you. 
Dry shampoo absorbs oil and gives your roots a blast of volume. You can put it in the night before or let it sit in your hair for ten minutes the next morning, whatever works best for you.

7) Minimal make up 
I go without make up most traveling days. With how much I touch my face, or press my face against the window/pillow/seat, it rubs into my pores and causes nasty breakouts. If I want to look more than a ghost of myself I'll splash on some blush and a little brown eye shadow as eyeliner. Other than that, I go bare faced. If you're in a sunny area, spend some time tanning your face. It'll help bring out rosy tones in your skin and give you a more healthy glowing look.

8) Wash and moisturize your face 
Always wash your face at the end of the day. If you don't have running water, use a water bottle to wet a rag or something. GET IT DONE. You'll thank me later. Then, use a moisturizer of your choice.  Hydrate that skin.

9) Drink as much water as your bladder will allow 
Don't dehydrate yourself while you're on a road trip. It's worth the extra bathroom breaks to keep yourself hydrated. It's good for your skin, it's good for your body, and you'll feel good. Okay? Okay.

10) Exercise a little. 
Did you know exercise can actually help even out your skin tone? If that's not enough of an incentive, remember that sitting in the car all day hurts your back and can leave you feeling a little pudgy by the end of the trip. Avoid the worst of it! You might feel stupid, but when you're out of the car do some jumping jacks. Do some sit ups. Get out your wiggles. Stretch. Exercise!

11) Prepare to not care 
No matter what you do, you'll probably end up a little bedraggled. That's okay, own it! Look confident and nobody will question you (too much). Think of it this way: They're going about their average lives and you're on vacation. HA!

~La vie est belle, Bri~