Links To Feed Your Soul

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Happy Thursday! I am working on a fabulous round up of healthy Thanksgiving meals for you to drool over tomorrow. In the mean time, here is a list of links to feed your soul. Have a wonderful day :)

Sometimes The Little Things Last The Longest (Video)
Ugh this made me tear up. I love my dad, and there are some silly little things he did with me, but this is also a great reminded to use the little things in life to make someone's day.


The Real Truth About Boring Men And The Women Who Love Them: Redefining Boring
This is a great article that is a great reminder to stop glorifying viral videos and dramatic loves, and to desire a quiet, deep, real love. Enter the "boring" men. :)

Stress Reduction For The Holidays
Feeling a little holiday stress? Try these 5 tools to cool down!

How The Hidden Dangers of Comparison Are Killing Us
Do you see the world as sticks or bushes? Measuring sticks of your worthiness, or a burning busy of God's glory? Another article from A Holy Experience, this is an explanation of the dangers of comparison and a reminder to reel it in.

Ubuntu - The Meaning and Power of Groups
A very quick read on how powerful groups can be in our ability to enjoy life and to heal.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• Did any of these reverberate with you?
• Any links feeding your soul today? SHARE below!

You Know Roy? Color Coded Bookshelves

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Roy G. Biv. Gotta love him, right? Such an inspirational man. So many great deeds done in his life. So many people helped.

Eer. Wait. What's that you say? He wasn't a real man? He's just a fictitious acronym my teachers invented to teach me the colors of the rainbow? BLASPHEMY! 

When we moved in, we decided to not only color block our bookshelves (which we did in the last apartment, too), but also put everything in rainbow order. Enter Roy G. Biv.

You see, we started out with this...

I know. They look sad. And color-less. Not to mention the random grocery and laundry basket next to it with odd computer cords hanging out...

Finally, we decided to give it some life. Before putting anything on those beautiful shelves, we laid it all out on the floor. I started by loosely color coding in an arc around the spot where I sat... (Kind of looked like me in college, studying for a test)

I based the color coding not on the front of the book, but instead on its spine. Why? Because it's what you see when the book is on a bookshelf, silly!

Each time I withdrew a book from the seemingly endless boxes, I placed as close to its family as I could. Granted, as I mentioned before, this color coding on the floor was fairly loose. I just wanted them near their basic color block.

Finally, I had something that looked like this (though there were many more books).

When I was finally ready to start shelving things, I played around a bit. At first, I planned to start with black on top and end with purples/browns at the end, moving/slinking horizontally throughout the rows of shelves as I added books in between. Here's an idea of how that strategy started:

It looked pretty...

But I ended up opting to do it a bit more sneakily. Because for some reason I enjoy making it a little more secretive. Like, how cool will it be when some random friend comes over and says, "Oh yeah, I forgot you Roy G. Biv'ed your bookshelves!" You know what that tells me? That awesome badass chick reads my blog. Boom. Double best friends.

So, for the good old before-and-after phenomenon (one of these days, I WILL try phenomenon right on my first try! And omg there it was. So... second try), here is the naked bookshelf:

And here's the beautiful, Roy G. Biv'd bookshelf (Yes, Roy G Biv'd is a verb - wait, crap, maybe not. Move on).

Yay! Looking for more posts about my obsession with my apartment? Tutorials and images and house things, oh my? Check out my house&home page, where there's now an interactive map you can use to navigate rooms! It's like Harry Potter magic!

Tea and Poetry

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My dearest blog reading friends,

Today is a day of inspiration. Nope, no recipes here. No DIYs. No fitness advice. Just food for your soul. So, feast up!

Be happy. Drink tea. Read poetry. Praise God! And be cheerful. It's good for you!

Currently loving: "Clipper" Organic Peppermint Tea from none other than T.J. Maxx. 

Currently listening to: Possibility by Lykke Li and Higher by Gungor

Following is a poem by Derek Walcott. It will make you smile.

The time will come 
when, with elation 
you will greet yourself arriving 
at your own door, in your own mirror 
and each will smile at the other's welcome, 

and say, sit here. Eat. 
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart 
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you 

all your life, whom you ignored 
for another, who knows you by heart. 
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, 

the photographs, the desperate notes, 
peel your own image from the mirror. 
Sit. Feast on your life. 

Who's feasting on life today? :)

15 Min Dessert Recipe & Puppies Who Workout

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Number one, animals and fitness.

Don't they say dogs are a man's best friend? Well, I took puppy # 2 on a run last night. As soon as I got home from work, I had a short amount of time to blow before heading up to the burbs to do some Yoga with the Bonner (Mom) and bf. So, what did I do? Put on my runnin' shoes and took this girl on a quick 20 minute run. And you know what? She is #goddamncute. And my run was #freakingawesomesauce.

Look at that face! So full of love! Makes me smile :) You know what else is making me smile this morning? Animated gifs of dogs working out... (Gifs found here)

Number two, birthdays and last minute pudding pies

My little sister leaves for Boston today (she lives there for school, bleh), and it's also her BIRTHDAY! Last night, when I was up in the burbs, I actually decided to skip the aforementioned Yoga session in favor of throwing up some streamers and getting a birthday dinner together. I know, I'm the cutest sister ever. Don't tell me, tell her!

Anyway, turns out salad and chicken aren't appropriate for a birthday dinner if you don't have some kind of dessert to accompany the meal. So, I scoured my mother's pantry, but only had <30 minutes to get the darn thing made and clean it up and finish making a big salad. That meant cakes, cupcakes, and cookies were all out. I had to get a little fancy. 

I didn't have my camera, so these iPhone pics look a little like hamburger helper. Trust me, it was delish. I used the recipe for Skinnified Chunky Monkey (uses pudding instead of ice cream), and just put it all in a pre-made crust. So we'll call it Chunky Monkey Pie. You'd eat it, wouldn't you!? Here's the recipe, for then you're in a pinch.

15 Minute Chunky Monkey Pie Recipe

Ingredients: 1 package Jello Brand Banana Pudding, 3 cups Skim Milk, 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips, 1/3 cup broken Walnuts, 1 sliced up Banana, 1 pre-made crust

Directions: Mix pudding package and skim milk together with a whisk and let set in the fridge for 10 minutes. Stir in chocolate, nuts, and banana slices. Pour into crust and serve.

Number Three, Let's Get Efficient...

I had a hard time getting work done on Monday, so when I stumbled upon this Pomodoro timer, it was amazing. Basically, you work tirelessly for 25 minutes. Just 25. Since the end is near, it's not as hard to keep yourself going, and you find yourself trying to fit as much work as you can into your 25 minute block. Then, when the timer is up on 25 minutes, you get 5 minutes of break time. Get up, do a dance, go bother the hell out of your coworkers, do lunges, read a book, listen to music, whatever. Then, repeat. I got more work done in one hour (two cycles) of this timer than I sometimes do in an entire day. Boom!

Workout Logs, Workout Links, and Inspiration

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It happens every week, folks. Time for you to congratulate yourself on a week of workouts well done (or find some inspiration for next week!).

Two helpful links for this week:

It's still Olympic Season (hello, Lochte!). Next time you watch, hop off the couch and try this Olympic Challenge. Sort of like a drinking game -- but, instead of drinking when specific events occur, you've got an assigned workout! I promise it's fun, and even more fun if you get your friends in on it! Email/Tweet/Facebook/Send me a picture of you and your friends doing the Olympic Challenge and I'll share it!

Got questions? Check out this Workout FAQ for some of the most common questions I've received via email, facebook, and blog comments about fitness. Find out the answers to... How many calories do I need to burn with exercise? Do I need to workout every day? How much exercise should I do? What kinds? What is strength training? How often should I strength train? How much cardio should I do? How can I get cardio? Do I need to do Cardio on the days I strength train? What is HIIT? What are Tabatas? What are some fun ways to get cardio workouts? How often do I need to stretch? What music do you listen to?

My Week In Workouts (Since the last update)
*Check out last week's log here*
Monday: 20 Minute Intervals on Stationary Bike (Revised Megan Fox's Butt Workout)
Tuesday: 1 hour Bootcamp Class with Weights (Lunges GALORE, try this shorter version)
Wednesday: 30 Minute Stationary Bike
Thursday: 1 hour Bootcamp Class with Weights
Friday:  Rest
Saturday: Ab Set with 8lb Medicine Ball, 30min Dance Cardio
Sunday: Body By Science, 15 Minute Bike Intervals, Olympic Challenge
Monday: 30min Abs Class, 20 Minute Interval Run

Fitness Ideas?
If you're looking for workout ideas, check out my fitness page, buy some new workout videos, or try one of the following FREE workouts...

•  Cardio - Intervals/Tabata/HIIT
• 25 Minute Whole Body Workout 
• 10 Min Tabata Full Body Workout
• 4 Min Tabata Heartrate Amp Up
• 4 Min Tabata Butt & Thighs (Lunges)
• 4 Min Tabata Butt & Thighs (Squats)
• 4 Min Tabata Arms w Light Weights
• 4 Min Tabata Abs (Planks)
• 4 Min Tabata Abs (Crunches)
• Cardio - Basic
• 26 Min Stairmaster Sprint (Fat Burning Low Impact Workout)
• 15-30 Min Cardio Boxing Workout
• Cardio Boxing Working Free Printable
• 30 or 60 Min Cardio Circuit Workout for TV Shows (Workout while watching TV)
• 40 Min to Megan Fox's Butt - Bike Workout
• 40 Min to Megan Fox's Butt - Elliptical Workout
• 40 Min to Megan Fox's Butt - Treadmill/Running Workout
• Other Workouts
• 6 Workout Ideas For You Today
• Pick Your Workout Based On How Much Time You Have
• The Olympic Challenge

And finally, here's a bit of workout inspiration. What's your inspiration? Let me know!

(Source)

Don't forget to leave a comment! Tell us what YOU did this week, or what your workout INSPIRATION is!

Pre-Summer Workout Playlist (Free)

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I always have my best workouts when I'm either wearing new workout clothes or working out with new music. Here's an upbeat, high-tempo, high-energy pre-summer workout jam! This will work on your computer, ipod, ipad, or smartphone. Just bookmark the link and pull it up on your phone when you're ready!

Songs: 9
Minutes: 40
Workouts: Boxing - Megan Fox Butt - Tabatas -  Misc

Included: 1. Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen, Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) by Kelly Clarkson, 3. Glad You Came by The Wanted, 4. Where Have You Been by Rihanna, 5. Payphone by Maroon 5, 6. Brokenhearted by Karmin, 7. DVNO by Justice, 8. Stress by Justice, 9. Promises by Nero

6 Workouts You Could Do Today: Fitness Inspiration

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Have you been perusing Pinterest all week for some fitness motivation... but are still finding your butt sitting on the couch? Quit it with the excuses, already! Here are 6 workouts you should do today...

P.S. Don't have much time? Pick your workouts based on how much time you have, here!

Go On A Run

"That's not sweat. It's your fat cells crying!" 

The trail by my parents' house really does have a sign that says that. I'm pretty sure it's an old one from some high school cross country meet... but it's a darn good sign to see mid-run! 

To make things more fun, try making your run into a game using intervals. Either download or stream these workout playlists, which will time out Tabata-style intervals for you (sprint for 20 seconds, walk or stand for 10) or use the scenery to make it happen. The above picture is taken on a trail that has both shady and sunny spots - I make it a point to always sprint through any parts of the trail that are shaded. You can also incorporate high knees and butt kicks, using the same methods!

Get Insane With Insanity

Did I mention I'm an Insanity fan? Shaun T of Beachbody's Insanity series is a goofy, hilarious guy who somehow gets away with bossing me around for an hour at a time!

Check out the Insanity Series for more information.

Not ready to shell out the dough for Insanity? Try this HIIT workout, which works off of a very similar method.

Watch TV... On The Elliptical

Yes, that is Courtney from The Bachelor. After all, what's better to get you fired up than a crazy bimbo who's trying to steal Ben's sanity? Whether you're a Courtney fan or not, scheduling an entire hour (or more!) on the elliptical will help you get the cardio you need!
Try out Megan Fox's interval workout, amended for the elliptical, here!

Hang Out With Jillian

I have periodic dates with Jillian Michaels. See the candles glowing in the above picture? Yeah, that happens. I set up some candles, place a fan to blow perfectly in my face, lay out a mat and do her workout. It's like a date with fitness. What could be better?

Check out Jillian's videos:
No More Trouble Zones (pictured above), which incorporates light weights and tones and lifts what most people consider their "trouble zones," like triceps, inner and outer thighs, glutes, and abs.
Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, which incorporates cardio exercises to ramp up your heart rate, burn fat, and speed up your metabolism.
Don't Want to Wait For Jillian to Come in the Mail?
Try this workout while you're watching TV! Set yourself up the same way... candles, fans, luxury... and your very favorite TV show!

Rip Your Abs

Whether you're using a video like P90X's Ab Ripper X or a good old self-guided ab workout, you really can't go wrong when you get some good ab ripping in. No, I don't mean ripping your muscles--- I mean getting ripped. Don't have a video? Perform sets five and six of this workout for 10 minutes of ab insanity! 

Go On a Bike Ride

If you've got a bike, head out on an adventure. You can bike to work, bike to a friend's house, bike to the beach, bike through the woods... You can head toward a destination or simply ride in a loop, taking in the scenery as you go. Either way, if you can make it about 2 hours, you've burned between 500 and 1,000 calories! Consider downloading an interval app or downloading this music to force yourself to alternate between hard-as-you-can pedaling and coasting! :)

P.S. Don't have much time? Pick your workouts based on how much time you have, here!

Ashley Judd and Aging Gracefully

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 "It affects each and every one of us, in multiple and nefarious ways: our self-image, how we show up in our relationships and at work, our sense of our worth, value, and potential as human beings. Join in—and help change—the Conversation." -Ashley Judd

I stumbled upon an article this morning. Ashley Judd has been criticized lately for having a "Puffy face" (I feel like I could write an entire blog post about the fact that the media spends countless hours and money to make illegitimate allegations... all because one celebrity's face looks slightly puffy). So-called "legitimate" news sources are going out of their way to "explain" her puffy face (Don't believe me? Check out this article by U.S. Magazine). The societal discourse about something so simple (she had been sick for a month and on steroids) became "pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic."

Ashley's article (read it here) is a well written and pretty searing response to the media attention that was given to the 43-year-old's puffy face. She alleges that society no longer allows us to age gracefully... instead, no matter how we age, we are criticized. If we are natural and our age begins to show, we are criticized for looking haggard or fat. If we are natural and our age does not begin to show, society spreads lies and assumes we've had work done. Ultimately, she says, women just can't win.

The way our society judged Ashley "embodies what all girls and women in our culture, to a greater or lesser degree, endure every day, in ways both outrageous and subtle."

This isn't just a problem derived from the male perspective, though. Women are perpetuating it, too. And it's to our own detriment, isn't it? We judge each other, perhaps to make our own insecurities feel less blatant. We allow (and even assist) men to objectify body parts and we encourage the valuation of our worth based on our physical appearance (while also complaining that this is the case - what gives?!).

I was particularly disturbed by the discussion that occured when Judd allegedly gained a few pounds... she was called a “cow” and a “pig” and the media told her she “better watch out” because her husband would be "looking for his second wife.” Really? Do you see how that alleges, first of all, that someone as thin as a celebrity can be a cow or a pig? What is the rest of America meant to feel like, then!? Second, do you see how that alleges that her husband only values her because of her physical appearance? What does that teach the rest of us about the sanctity and value and purpose of marriage? Third, it is begging us to compete with each other... begging us to believe that we should fight against EACH OTHER for the honor of being objectified by a man.

Does this make your eyes roll as much as mine? What do you think? 

Free Workout Music Timed for Intervals and Tabatas

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Monday's Tabata post (Full Body Workout in 25 Minutes) inspired a few hours of music editing on my part (with the help of a certain someone who has much more musical expertise than myself... cough cough... Justin). I realized that, first of all, many of you don't have interval or tabata timers. Sure, you can download HIIT or Interval timer apps on your iPhone or Android device... but then you're stuck watching the timer or using your phone that you normally use for music as a timer. Tisk tisk. That will not do.

So here's my solution. Each of these songs are perfectly timed for Tabatas and interval workouts (Looking for Tabata workouts? Find workouts for your arms, legs, butt, and abs here, or full body workouts here and here!).

The basics:

• Each song is 4 minutes long (except for the last song, which is 25 minutes long and includes 6 different tabata setsm each of which are 4 minutes).
• Each song includes 8 sets of 20 second exercise segments interspersed with 10 second rests.
• Static starts out each song.
• "3...2...1... BEEP!" counts down to each 20-second exercise segment. Once you hear the beep, start working as hard and fast as you can!
• "RRRRINGGG!" a school-bell alerts you that your 20-second exercise segment has ended and you now have 10 seconds to rest.
• Static plays during the 10 second rest segments, just in case your brain restarts and you can't remember what you're supposed to be doing.
• Fog Horns that last about 3 long seconds alert you that the 4 minute Tabata set has finished. This might become your favorite sound in the world...

Download For Free by clicking "Download" 
(On the top-right of the boxes containing each song, next to "Like" and right above "Share").



Four Minute Tabata Tracks:











25 Minute 6 Set Tabata Track:

Faithful

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Wow. God knows us so well and knows what we want and need. I got an email from my Girlfriends in God newsletter on Friday... I had rushed all morning, lost my keys, frantically searched for them, sped to the train station, and sprinted from my car to the platform. During my first two minutes on the train, I was greeted with one of my favorite lines from scripture:

Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today ... the LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:13-14, NIV).

The email went on to tell a story of one woman's road through hardship... And one line in particular struck me. She wrote, "Scripture assures us that even when we are faithless, God remains faithful."

This is something of which I find myself in frequent need of reminding; that, in my darkest days, when I am least faithful to God, HE is ALWAYS faithful. I am a victim of guilt and battle it daily, hourly, and by the minute. I often fear the consequences of my actions when I fail to follow God (Did I make the right decision? Am I being selfish?). My fear is not like a child fearing a tough spanking, but a child fearing that her father will be disappointed and ignore her. I become overwhelmed by wondering 'Does God hear me?' or 'Does He even want to help me now?'

But He does hear me. And not only does He want to help, He is faithful. He will not ignore us or leave us to fend for ourselves. He will come through for us, even when we are not 'coming through' for Him! Like a lover who selflessly lavishes another, with no hesitation in response to rejection. If we saw this from a man or woman, one might quickly comment on the level of desperation or stamp on the labels "foolish," "pathetic," "sad." But not with God. When God remains faithful in the face of our selfishness, faithlessness, and rejection, He is giving. Loving. Faithful. Merciful. Benevolent. And most of all, He is THERE. Whether we are walking the path right by Christ's side or have impulsively left the path to pick flowers, whether we are fighting or standing still, He is there. And He fights for us.

Say Something Nice

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They did...

I simply remember my favorite things

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My friend Thomas's Sissy (Hi Sissy!)  has my new favorite description for this blog: "It's a mixture of sisterhood of the traveling pants and sock monkeys."  
How perfect.  I suppose this post might be considered more of a sock monkey than a traveling pants post (if in doubt, please see item number 3 below)...
I like that, too.

These are a few of my (other) favorite things from the past week...

(1) My dear friend Maggie on the Memphis news for her inspirational take on the twist her life took after being diagnosed with Cancer.  Seriously, this is one of the most positive women I have ever met. So uplifting and powerful. Unreal.  Read here if you're interested.

(2) Free compliments!  Get-cher-free compliments!  This is now hanging in the kitchen hallway at my house. I'm dying to print out a stack of them and hang them randomly in public places.  Maybe that's tomorrow's mission?

Want a closer look?  

I knew you did!  

What's that, you say?

You want to print it out and share the love?

Okay, but just because you're special to me...

(From Pinterest via Kind Over Matter)

**Download Printable Here**

(3) Doing a Jillian Michaels workout in my living room while finally catching up on the episode of the Bachelorette I missed?  Check.  Talk about double fisting.  

(4) Power outages are a huge bummer... but having candlelit creep-fests and quoting Lord of the Rings with your little brother?  That shiz stuff is priceless.  (Note: We were powerless for 15 hours.  FIFTEEN!)

(5) Getting ready for Kara & Jerry's wedding reception this weekend!  Chris and I are singing, stay tuned for a video (unless we epic fail, in which case please pretend you never knew it was a plan, k thanks).

(6) And last but certainly not least, the infamous: Cool Whip.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Stay classy, San Diego!