Shopping for Fitness

I don't know if any of you are like me, but having new clothes for an occasion makes me way more excited. Yes, typical girl thing to say. But in this case it's a good thing - I got new Nike's to keep me staying motivated to be active. Best part is, there is a Nike factory store 15 minutes away from my place. Hello half price everything!

My boyfriend also got new Nike's at the factory store - not even realizing he picked the same ones! Great minds think alike :)

I also went to TJ Maxx for some new workout pants and lighter dumbbells than my usual 8 pounders. They have great prices and decent selection on fitness items. On this same shopping for fitness kick I found a bunch of different fitness DVD's for really cheap at Safeway. They had one DVD that I already own and really like, which is surprisingly enough one of the Kim Kardashian "Fit in Your Jeans by Friday" DVD's. I know I know, sounds ridiculous, but the trainer featured in the video is really great. There are 3 DVD's in the series, I have 2 of them. Trust me, you will be very sore the next day after doing one! These tapes are why I need lighter dumbbells, each routine focuses on one body area so after a 25 minute workout, your arms will be sore even with only 3 pound weights! You can find the DVD's on Amazon, and apparently at Safeway! (and I'm sure some other stores as well). 

Moral of the story is - if you're feeling unmotivated, try something new! Whether that be a new type of activity, a new setting or a new outfit! Sometimes rewarding yourself and wearing something that makes you feel good will inspire you to work a little harder.  :)

Grilled Chicken Salad

I thought I'd post the recipe for one of the best salads I've ever made! I used leftover grilled apricot glazed chicken from the previous night's dinner to make this quick salad to bring to work for lunch.

(this picture doesn't do it justice)

-Apricot glaze from Fresh and Easy
-Skinless boneless chicken breast
-Spring mix
-Shredded carrots
-Persian cucumber
-Cherry tomatoes
-Almond accents in tomato basil flavor
-Lighthouse light poppyseed dressing

All of these ingredients came together so well and the best part is, it was a very low calorie lunch because the dressing is only 60 calories for 2 tablespoons! Dressings and salad toppings are often times so high in calories and fat that salad can end up being just as bad as eating a burger! I'm very picky when it comes to low fat foods, most of the time I'd rather just cut the item out of my diet all together (i.e. mayo vs. miracle whip - gross). This dressing is very tasty, even my super picky boyfriend likes it, and he usually will only eat thousand island!

Get Fit!

Now that the weather has warmed up, I have been excitedly digging out my summer clothes. That is until I tried on a pair of shorts to find them a bit too tight to wear in public. Needless to say I was NOT happy. I will admit I've been having a little too much fun lately and not enough conscious eating and exercise. I'm sure most of you have the same problem as me, I have good intensions to workout in the evening, but after a long day at work, I'm too tired (or wine is too tempting!). Lunch hour walks have become pretty common to ensure I get some sort of movement since I sit at a desk most of the day. I've come to realize I will forever be on what some people (and occasionally myself) refer to as a "diet" because of the combination of a sedentary job and slower metabolism. I was not blessed with skinny genes but I have come to accept it. Honestly, I really like my figure when I'm in shape; curvy and toned. My goal is to do at least 3 strength training and cardio workouts a week with some lunch time and weekend walks as well. It's only been a few days of my re-dedication to health and fitness and I feel better already! I'm sleeping better and I have more energy. I even went for a random late gym sesh tonight. Go me! :)

DIY: Painted Bottles

Hi Everyone, I'm finally back with a new post! Things have been very busy around here, but finally starting to settle down a bit (I think!). Anyway, this project has been one of my favorites so far, I just LOVE how these bottles turned out! They were originally Belgian beer bottles that a family friend had brought over for dinner one night. My mom thought they were very cool and decided not to throw them away, thinking maybe we could do a project with them someday.

Fast forward 2 months, and I'm at Target looking in the home decor section and find some painted bottles that I thought were very chic. There were 3 different sizes, meant to be a set. They were red, beige and grey, 2 colors per bottle. I was so tempted to buy them except they were $18-$25 each, (depending on the size) and those colors weren't exactly what I was looking for. I fought back the urge to impulse buy (which is typically so hard for me!). A few days later I'm visiting my Mom and see those beer bottles - bingo. DIY project! I still had leftover teal and beige paint from a previous DIY project (the teal end table) and my mom had some rust/red color paint. My original plan was to include all 3 colors in each bottle, in different orders and different sized sections. I first peeled the labels off the bottles and used painters tape to section out the bottles for each color.

After a few coats of these sections dried, I took the painters tape off and ran into a snag. Turns out, I should have purchased glass paint because the tape did not come off completely clean and the paint would easily scratch. It wasn't too bad, so I touched up the edges and decided to leave one section the natural brown color of the bottle. I ended up liking it better this way because the texture of the bottle showing added dimension.

I had purchased a can of Martha Stewart clear protectant spray that is good for glass to seal the paint and give it a little gloss. This spray is really great, it dries enough after 10 minutes to repeat coats, with full drying in about 6 hours. I did 3-4 coats on each bottle to make sure the paint would not get damaged. Not only does it protect the paint from chipping or scratching, it makes them look much more expensive and polished.

And here is where they live now, in my bay window! I am obsessed with my little kitchen nook. The vases on the left were done with the same paint and spray as the bottles. Most of the other items were purchased at Target and TJ Maxx.

Recap!

Hi Everyone,

I know I've been slacking on the posts lately, but I've had a lot going on! I made a lot of apartment changes and I started a new job! I never thought leaving a job where I was overall pretty comfortable but not very satisfied would be so tough! Although it was time for me to move on, I will miss so many of my coworkers. My new job is similar in title to my previous, but with a higher level of responisbility and more potential for future growth. It is largely a marketing position with some executive level administrative work. I still work in the same industry - architecture and engineering but this company is located in the East Bay, only 20 minutes away from my apartment (compared to my previous hour commute to San Francisco). I am very excited for what the future holds at this company and in other avenues of my life. I'll continue to fill you all in on the upcoming events and a new DIY project post this weekend!

Refinished Bar

Here is another DIY refinishing project. My mom and I found this old TV console/small buffet at a garage sale for $10. It was very 70's looking with the lattice screen in the doors and we really wanted to update the piece and give it a classier feel. The photo below is the before, after it was sanded and one screen removed.

The piece came with a cool marble insert on the top of it so we thought this would make a great bar. Covering it with a TV seemed silly, and it's not quite long enough to fit today's large flat screen TV's. My mom was looking to get rid of a large china cabinet and needed to move her china into a kitchen cabinet that was holding all the bar essentials. This piece was the perfect size to become the bar and fit all the bottles and some other accessories.

We stained the wood with a cherry stain, the same as the end table from a previous post. Polyurethane was applied after the stain dried to give it a nice sheen and protection. The screens were replaced with glass to showcase the items inside the bar. To give the piece and the items inside an extra pop, we painted the back red on the inside.

I LOVE how the bar turned out. I must admit, I'm a little jealous my mom gets to show it off in her house. I might just have to take it someday, or I guess start hitting the garage sales to redo my own!

Nerd Alert

I love office/school supplies. I get very excited about an awesome pen or colorful post its. Back to school supply shopping was always something I looked forward to, that excitement was pretty short lived though once I had homework and studying to do. Anyway, my coworker introduced me to these new erasable pens and I LOVE them. Pilot makes some of my favorite pens, they write beautifully, are easy to find in stores, are affordable and come in a variety of colors. Naturally, their new line of erasable pens, called FriXion, have the same great qualities. They have a few different color assortments, which can be purchased at Target, Walgreens, Amazon, and other stores that sell office supplies.

This pack has purple, pink and orange in it. The purple is my favorite because it's dark enough to easily read; the orange is the lightest. The first time I had gone to Target I could only find this color assortment, but I have since found a pack with black, blue and red. FriXion pens are different than other erasable pens, which tend to always have some ink remaining after you erase. I also saw they have a line of erasable highlighters! I'll have to try those next!