Work out Wednesday

I've seen lots of people do different types of themes for different days of the week on their blogs.

Wordless Wednesday..Thankful Thursday...Follow Friday..

Well, I decided I wanted to jump on the bandwagon. Therefore, welcome to Work Out Wednesday! Each Wednesday, I'll focus on different aspects of working out. Group exercise class reviews, types of weight training/cardio, eating right etc.

**NOTE: By no means am I am expert on this subject. I've been doing weight training and cardio for the past 7 years and I've learned a lot from the personal trainers I've had-just want to share some of my knowledge with all of you.

To start out, I wanted to share with you a few tips this week.

• The best way to lose weight or maintain your current weight is not only with a healthy diet but exercise also. I've been taught to eat 6 meals a day with a protein, carb and fruit/veggie with it. Gotta keep that metabolism up all day!
• The best thing for your body after a work out, besides stretching of course, is proper nutrition also. The ideal snack is to be eaten within 30-45 minutes post workout and should be a protein and carb.
• I'm not a huge fan of weighing myself. I'm hard on myself like most people and my weight always fluctuates. Instead, I go off of how I feel. If I feel energetic and my clothes fit nicely, then I'm doing a good job. If I start to feel lousy and my pants are getting tight, then I know I need to lay off the cupcakes and work out a bit more.

And last, I wanted to leave you with the type of work out I do. Everyday my cardio changes from elliptical to running; it always depends on how my body feels. ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! If you're sore or sick, take it a little bit easier, or better yet, give your body a day off! Your body needs days off because that's when the muscles start to repair themselves=aka building muscle!

Sunday: yoga, legs/shoulders/biceps, cardio 30-45 mins

Monday: off

Tuesday: arms,  cardio 30-45 mins

Wednesday: legs/shoulders/biceps,  cardio 30-45 mins

Thursday: arms,  cardio 30-45 mins

Friday: off

Saturday: cardio only: sometimes weights depending on if I missed a day

Next week, I'll post a sample of some of the leg and arm workouts that I do. 

Gimme head with hair long beautiful hair..

I have hair envy.

I wish that I could blow dry my hair and be done with it each day. But I can't. Doing my hair is an hour long process.

This is pretty much what my natural hair looks like. My dad has very thick straight hair and my mom has curly hair. I got the combination of the two...and I'm not a fan of it. I know almost every woman hates their hair for some reason or another. I do like that I have very thick hair that I can do a lot with, however I think of how much time I spend on doing my hair everyday and I've probably lost days of my life while dealing with this mane of hair. (P.S. I also envy girls who can go for a few days without washing their hair. Since I work out almost everyday and sweat like a 15 year old boy, there's no getting around not washing my hair.)

I don't leave my hair curly too often. The only time I will is if it's supposed to rain or be humid, aka summer in Nebraska. Most days, I straighten it and am done with it.

I've heard about this phenomenon called a "Dry bar." They've popped up in larger cities around the US over the past few months. They don't do cuts or colors there, just hair blowouts. I've tried for years to master this blow out technique and can't do it. I can't twist my arms to work well with both a brush and blowdryer.

The other day I found out that there's a Dry Bar across the street from the hotel I'm staying at in Scottsdale this summer. I'll be there for our Arizona NAM pageant in July (Yes, it's the hottest month of the year and is also monsoon season there-doesn't get any better than that). A few days after Arizona, we have our next pageant in Utah, so the bf and I are staying in Arizona a few extra days rather than driving back home and immediately leaving again.

I decided I'm going to try out this Dry Bar since it's right by our hotel. Paying someone $35 to wash and dry my hair in a half hour is totally worth it. I've already made my appointment and am so looking forward to it. Their goal is to one day have a Dry Bar in every city..when it comes here, I will definitely be in investing in a monthly membership to it! Below is their menu..what blowout should I get?

Organization...

I'm the queen of notepads, pens and anything office-y related. Don't ask me why, but there's something so cute about an adorable pad of paper and a fun hot pink pen!

When I graduated from college, one of the presents I got was a fabulous Kate Spade organizer. In the world of electronic calendars, I'm still a pad and pen kind of girl.

A couple of weeks ago, I won a giveaway from Running in High Heels blog. I won a MyAgenda! First off, I never win anything so I was so excited to finally win something! Thanks Brittney :) Anywhos, I got my Myagenda in the mail a few days ago and am in love with it! It has everything I need in one place-there's even a spot for planning my weekly dinner menu, and workouts as well as my vacation planning and address book in the back.

Yes, now I have TWO organizers for the remainder of 2011. I feel that at the end of the year I'll have to pick just one to get for the next year and I know it'll be hard :( I feel like I'm pushing kate aside! 

The future mom who shops the best...

If there were ever an award for worst chocolate chip cookies ever, I'd most likely win it. 

These are from my latest baking adventure. When I was growing up, my grandma watched my sister and I everyday. We would go to her house after school and  every weekday in the summer; she would watch us while mom and dad were at work. It's no wonder my sister and I both love to bake; we'd watch grandma bake goodies everyday for my grandpa.

I am a pretty good cook but I am horrible in the baking department. Recently I made cake pops that turned out pretty good; but as far as brownies and cookies from the box or bag, I need serious help. They always end up burned or flat or not done enough.

I follow directions and make sure I never miss a step. I ensure that every ingredient is always measured out perfectly. I've tried putting them on different baking racks, using different baking pans..you name it I've tried it. I'm come to accept it- when I have kids I will never be that mom that bakes the world's best chocolate chip cookies... instead I'm sure I'll be the mom who takes her kids and their friends on the world's best shopping trips for shoes.

Can anyone give me a little help here or some other recipes to try? I've tried a variety of recipes from the back of the chocolate chip bags to Nestle Toll House to the famous Neiman Marcus recipe. My cookies always turn out flat, burned around the edges and the bottom. And within about an hour, they're hard as a rock.

I love my cookies to be crisp around the edges and soft and gooey in the middle-kind of like Mrs. Field's cookies. The bf likes hard cookies and with white chocolate chips. Any recipes or help for either would be great..

Summer in the City...

The next installment of the Carrie Diaries comes out on Tuesday April 26! I'm so excited to get this new book entitled, Summer in the City. It comes out about a week before the beau and I head off to Mexico for vacation-this will definitely be my beach read!