Setting unrealistic fitness goals is what I do best (am I the only one?!) I have come to the realization that setting a goal of working out 5-7 days a week every single week for the rest of the year is unreasonable. At least, for me it is.
Work, volunteering, blogging, side gigging, working out, singing + all while maintaining a social life is quite the plate full. #millennialproblems
However…what wecan do is challenge ourselves for a (shorter) amount of time to help jump-start our year with healthier habits!
Starting this Sunday, I’m asking ALL girl bosses who are excited about the new year and who want to give their body a good kick in the rear to join me in The Candid Millennial 10 Day Challenge!
There’s nothing better than getting brand new makeup as a gift! It’s such a fun surprise, from the packaging, to the beautiful design of the product, to applying it and seeing what it looks like when you put it on your skin!
Whether you’re looking for something for your best friend, sister, mom or aunt, adding one or two of your favorite makeup items or brands to your gift is simply thoughtful and fun.
I’ve rounded up a few of my must-have beauty items that I use every single day to help get you started on the best gifts for your babes!
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced being in “the real world” is how to deal with things that happen that are a) unexpected and b) totally out of my control.
Learning how not the freak the heck out in these moments is one that takes time, experience and self-awareness.
I think it’s safe to say that fall is my absolute FAVORITE time of year to shop for clothes. There’s something about booties, skinny jeans, and sweaters that make life seem so good and well put together.
Not to mention, on colder nights you can find me wrapped up in a blanket, catching up on Real Housewives and scrolling through Instagram looking for inspiration and connecting with others for hours. Please tell me I’m not alone in this…
Happy Labor Day my loves! Sorry I’ve been MIA since June. I started a new job and 100% of my focus has shifted to learning how to succeed in sales. More to come later this year! After the devastation from Hurricane Harvey was revealed, I felt it was my duty as a blogger to get a message out about how people in Dallas can help.
Our hearts sank last week whenever category 4 hurricane Harvey hit our beloved Houston. Images and videos of the devastation continue to pour in as our state has come together to pick up the pieces. While a natural disaster is never easy, members of communities all around didn’t hesitate in helping each other out. During a time of scary and sometimes violent disagreements, radical racism and political madness, it seems most people were able to put their opinions aside as we were forced to come together and get through this as One.
We have just begun our recovery efforts, and we have a long ways to go. If you haven’t found the right avenue to volunteer with or donate to, I hope to provide several options to suit any of your philanthropic desires. Houston needs us for months to come. I decided to donate money because right now I have barely enough time to wash my hair, so I simply encourage ya’ll to just do what you can.
Not into people? Help the dogs! Not into giving away money? Volunteer! Wish you had a full understanding of where your donation was going? Give supplies instead of money. Honestly, there’s something for everyone and it’s important that in times of need, we ALL step up to the plate and contribute. Every effort counts.
*Spread the news about how to give back by hashtagging all social media posts: #TexasStrong #TexansHelpingTexans #HoustonStrong #HarveyRelief
Yesterday I found the perfect message painted on the wall of one of our local favorites. Te quiero mucho! I love you! Body love, self love, and love for others is what makes this world go round 🙂
Candid Moment: Final Thoughts On The 24 Day Challenge
First, I just wanted to say I’m sorry it’s taken a few weeks to write this final post! I’ve been trying to gather my thoughts so that I could write a post that meaningfully explains my experience during those short 24 days in April.
When I start to think about how I feel now that the challenge is over, one word comes to mind. And that word is peace.
I lost a ton of weight. This weight is not the kind of weight that I carry in my hips or thighs. I carried an excess of weight in my head: negative thoughts, doubts, fears and insecurities.
Now that this challenge is over, I am finally at peace with my body for the first time. I am at peace with the fact that I have a perfectly unperfect body. And that is just okay with me.
In all reality, I did lose five physical pounds on this challenge. But after it was over, I was thankful for my body and what it is capable of.
Before diving in too deep, I wanted to share a few lessons I learned and am still learning after this challenge.
Holy moly… I can’t believe it’s already been 24 days since I started this challenge!! Time seriously flies the older you get. I have so many good things to discuss that came from this challenge. But first, I wanted to share with you an example of the workouts I followed during the past 24 days.
I did a mixture of group classes at Lifetime Fitness, at home workouts with Tone It Up & Nike App, and running at White Rock Lake & Katy Trail. My goal was to work out at least 5 days a week, and I accomplished this goal. I prefer working out in the mornings because by the end of the day I’m exhausted. So it just works. Plus, my day starts on such a positive note whenever I do get my workout in first thing!
Here is a list of every single workout I completed (the numbers correspond with the day of the month):
I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks and three days since I started this special 24-day challenge! Time sure does fly, even when you’re sober(ish)!
During week two, I stuck to my meal plan most days and worked out a total of 5 out of 7 days. While I haven’t seen a major loss in pounds (maybe 3-4), my clothes are a little less snug and I feel stronger overall.
For this weeks post, I wanted to share the meal plan (one-week sample below) that I follow PLUS give a couple of tips on ways to stay full/ not hungry during this challenge.
Week 1 is officially under my belt…&& it’s not as bad as you’d think, ya’ll!
In case you missed it, I started a 24 day challenge with a group of girls on April 1! After sticking with it for the past week or so, I can already feel a difference. My body has gotten stronger, I can run longer and my energy lasts until the evening. Working out first thing in the morning has been such a great way to start my day!
Before getting to work, I know that I have done something positive for myself and can focus on everyone else for the remainder of the day. It also helps set the tone for my eating habits. Why waste a hard workout by eating something unhealthy for my body?
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I recently started a 24-day challenge*. I am SO excited to share this journey and can’t wait to show you the final results!
To kick off this amazing program, I thought I’d answer some questions about the program. (more…)
This year I turned the big 2-5. I am officially a quarter of a century old – and I must say, it is a pretty sweet place to be! I love feeling not too young but not too old. I honestly wish I could stay at this age forever!
Before I blink and turn 26, I wanted to reflect on some of the best and worst experiences I have gone through so far. There’s seriously SO much that I want to share. Between lessons learned, trial and error, wins, losses…still MANY lessons remain.
But what is life without a little reflection along the way?! So here is my list of the 25 things I’m happy I experienced in the 25 years of my existence. Enjoy!
Today is the first day of SPRING (my favorite season!) Last weekend we set the clocks forward one hour, so it’s officially time to spring forward and embrace a new season! Or as they say…Out with the old, in with the new!
We just got home from a wonderfully relaxing trip from Mexico. As I began unpacking and started putting clothes away, I noticed all of my sweaters, scarves and long sleeve tops at the forefront of my closet.
That’s when it hit me – it’s time to go get rid of any clothes I haven’t worn in a year or more! This hasn’t always been an easy task. But as I’ve started to do this habitually for the past year or so, it definitely has gotten easier.
Okay ya’ll – I have a confession. Clearly, you can see I caved and decided to try out not one, but TWO of Kylie Jenner’s lip colors: Koko K & Kristen. After trying both colors last night for the very first time, I have to admit that I am in LOVE with this product.
The tricky part about being a millennial is constantly being exposed to people’s lavish lifestyles via their instagram feeds and feeling some sort of FOMO around “why can’t I have that” or “why can’t I look like that” or “what’s his secret?”… I say NO more. Here are some ideas on how to rock fall fashion this year on a millennial budget!
Nothing gets me more excited than finding cute clothes that don’t equal a weeks or months worth of salary. Well, let me take that back. Yes! I like finding good deals and sharing them with everyone I can think of. But I get even MORE excited whenever I meet super cool motivated millennials who take their dreams and make them a reality. This fall fashion focused post was created in collaboration with a dear friend slash phenomenal photographer – Gernelle Nelson. Here’s a quick story about our collaboration:
It was a Sunday afternoon whenever I met Gernelle at her photography studio for the first time in downtown Plano. I brought about a dozen pieces of clothing with no clue which items I wanted to wear. Gernelle helped me pick the top 3 outfit choices and we went to work! She helped me feel at ease and did a really great job at getting me in the perfect poses. We took shots both inside her studio and outside on the historic streets of downtown Plano. I don’t think I’m a natural at getting my photos taken, but she is the first photographer that has truly made me feel like she could take my photos to the next level. The proof is below! (more…)
Last week I completed the process of getting prepless porcelain veneers on my front four teeth. I am actually pretty excited to share my porcelain veneer journey, although some people might think “oh my gosh why is she telling the world she had work done?!!?!” but in all honesty, I’ve been an open book about many things and I don’t plan on closing the book anytime soon. I did a TON of research before moving forward with the procedure, and thanks to many of my fellow YouTubers, I felt much more prepared and confident in moving forward. If I can help just one person make a more educated decision, I have accomplished what I came here to do. Please keep negative comments to yourself and let me know if you have any questions about the process! I’m happy to help! (more…)
