The Everyday Girl's Guide To Getting Fit

Carry a water bottle everywhere
I found that when I carried a water bottle with me to class, studying, and had it with me in my room, I hydrated so much more. Make it apart of your mental checklist to grab your water bottle before heading out for the day.
Here are some of my favorite water bottles:
Swell bottle
Camelbak Eddy Insulated bottle
Glass bottle 
Kor One
Nalgene Everyday Wide Mouth
Lifefactory glass bottle 

Morning stretches  
Getting a 15 minute stretch session in right as you wake up, is a great way to start your day. This workout below will definitely wake you up!

Take a gym class
Not only will it be a lot more fun than the boring old tread-mill, but most colleges give credit for taking a class or being on a team. This will definitely give you the needed motivation because you will be working for an attendance grade. It will be a love-hate relationship. I took a ZUMBA class my first semester and it was so much fun! Since it was a class I had to be there so I knew three days a week I would be getting a workout in. Definitely check out what's available at your school!
Incorporate exercise into your daily life

Find a motivating location 
Utilize whatever you have around you whether that's a fancy studio or the great outdoors. 

• Dorm room - Sometimes you just don't feel like working out in public or you are on a tight schedule so you don't have time to walk to the gym and exercise and walk back. Just search on Pinterest for cardio or ab workouts that you can do on a mat or even with weights.  YouTube is also an awesome option if you don't have a ton of room. Here are my three favorite workouts by Blogilates for body, arms, & legs.

• Campus gym - Most colleges offer free membership to students to use the gym and other exercise facilities. Often college gyms are the best place to find your go-to workout or favorite exercise class. Since they're free take advantage of it and try everything out! 

Dress to impress. 
I can't be the only one that feels a lot better about myself and a lot more motivated when I'm wearing a cute workout look. There are SOO many adorable looks out there, I would totally be up for a workout clothes shopping spree. :) Old Navy has some adorable active wear tops & bottoms. 

Find a workout you love.
Working out doesn't have to be a chore. There are some really fun exercises besides running and lifting weights, such as Zumba/dance, cycling, hiking, swimming, & Pilates.

Treat yourself  to a smoothie or acai bowl afterwards 
Reward yourself with a refreshing treat that won't ruin all the work you just did. This looks so good!


Follow some fitness accounts for inspiration
Sometimes you just need that extra motivation and inspiration from people that have seen results, so check out these fitness Instagrammers, Lorna Jane, Tone It Up, Tanya Poppett

Bring a friend
Having that motivator by your side makes it a lot more fun as well as keep you accountable to give it all you got. Make it a friendly competition to challenge each other to do more squats or finish the run strong.

Create an upbeat playlist
Music is a game-changer when it comes to working out. I love running to some upbeat songs that keep me wanting to go the extra mile.  Here's my power hour playlist and the Nike women on the go

What are you going to loose by just starting?
Once you make the choice to just take one day at a time it will get easier because it becomes a habit. Just go for it because the only result will lead to a healthier life, more fit body and overall more self-confidence. Those reasons alone sound pretty great to me.

I'd love to hear what your favorite workout is! Do you have some go-to workout tunes? 

Blogger Guide To: Twitter Chats

A Twitter chat is a live conversation where a host who creates a series of questions or a theme for the chat, and of course a coordinating hashtag. The hashtag serves ad a way for Twitter users to keep track of the chat and stay connected. Twitter is the most conversation friendly social media outlet, and so it is a great way to connect with, bloggers, brands, and companies.
Twitter chats have numerous benefits to them, such as increasing traffic to your blog, as well as provide a great networking opportunity with other bloggers and professionals in your field. Building relationships with other bloggers is so beneficial and can lead to future collaborations, and just some great friendships with people that get the whole blogging thing. Like anything worth doing in life, sometimes it can be challenging and sometimes hard to get encouragement, so having some blogger friends is seriously the best thing you can do for you, your blog, and your brands future.  

A lot of Twitter chats have a casual tone to them and are a lot of fun, but keep in mind that you should still act semi-professional. Twitter chats are a great way to get your brand, blog or business out there, but it don't spam the other tweeters. Let the conversations & questions about your brand happen organically. You'll get the opportunity to talk about yourself at the beginning of the chat when introductions typically take place. The rest of the Twitter chat is meant for learning about particular topics, and gaining insight from fellow bloggers.
When the moderators ask questions (Q1, Q2, ect) you typically reply with your response in the same format (A1, A2, ect, so others can easily follow along) It's also a good idea to retweet or quote the tweet you're answering so your followers know what's going on too.

It depends what niche you're in and what sort of things you would like to learn about, but I have gathered some of my favorites below.

Monday

Who: @Calliegisler
What: #CreativeCoffeeHour discusses different social networking strategies.
When:  Every Monday from 6-7PM PST

Who: @TheYoungHopeful
What: #CollegeCoffeeHour gathers college bloggers to discuss relevant collegiate topics.
When: Every other Monday 6-7PM PST

Who: @Ambitionista
What: #Ambitionista is a chat for dream-chasing women who want to share ideas and networking opportunities.
When: Every other Monday 6-7PM PST

Tuesday

Who: @ChelseaKrost
What: #MillennialTalk is a weekly discussion of various millennial topics and concerns.
When: Every Tuesday 5-6PM PST

Who: @PRStudChat
What: #PRstudchat creates conversations between PR students, educators, and professionals.
When:  Every Tuesday 5:30-6:30 PM PST

Who: @PopCosmo
What: #ChicChat features weekly topics about blogging, social media, and networking.
When: Every Tuesday from 6-6:30 PM PST

Saturday

Who: @GalPalGirlGang
What: #Galpalchat is founded by three young bloggers in hopes to create a place were bloggers can connect and inspire.
When: Every Saturday from 8-9AM PST

1. Use Tweetdeck
Tweetdeck is a customizable dashboard that you can organize into columns. For Twitter chats, I set up my columns for the home stream, @ mentions (which filters all tweets that mentions your Twitter handle), notifications (to keep track on favorites and retweets), and one for the Twitter chat's hashtag (which filters the tweets that include the hashtag).

2. Nail your into 
It's just like your elevator pitch, except instead of fitting it into 30 seconds, you have to fit it into less than 140 characters, because of the hashtag.  It's definitely a challenge getting all you want to say in less than 140 characters, but when you do master it, copy and paste it into your computer for other Twitter chats.

3. Participate 
Make sure all your focus is on the Twitter chat, because they are fast-paced, worth it conversations. Don't worry about trying to take notes, just retweet or favorite key takeaways which will relieve a lot of stress on your part.

4. Don't Stress
Twitter chats can be overwhelming, especially if it's your first one. It moves so fast but they are so much fun. So don't stress, just have fun and meet other creatives like yourself, and always remember that you can try it again next week.

Have you participated in a chat before? What are your favorite ones? 

My Favorite 2k16 Fall Trends

peasant velvet blouse | striped tee | floral romper | bag | faux fur | choker 

| ring | boots | sweater | dress | scarf | sunglasses

I know it's not officially fall, but I'm sure I'm not the only one looking into the upcoming fall trends, and figuring out what items I would like to adopt into my closet. Being a major planner, I always appreciate getting ahead of things, especially when it comes to upcoming seasons and fashion styles.

Here are some of my favorite trends that you need to keep and eye out for: velvet, chunky boots, bell sleeves, florals, faux fur, off-the shoulder, unexpected combos, and choker necklaces. 

Also, look for neutrals, rust, dusty pinks, & olive. I'm seriously in love with this seasons picks!

They are some pretty fun items, but not really fit for fall, so it calls for some fashion creativity! Yayy! I love the idea to mix a bell sleeve floral dress with a faux fur vest and slouchy boots!! <3 

What are your thoughts on this seasons trends and hues? 

September Goals

via

  Goals...Why do I set them and why do I share them here?

1. Setting goals helps me stay focused and create a sense of urgency 

2. Sharing my goals helps hold me accountable 

3. I hope through me sharing my goals you will get inspired to figure out what you want in every month, and eventually what you want in life.

Blog

• Stick to editorial calendar 
• Hit 3,000 page-views
• Hit 80 followers on Bloglovin
• Hit 660 followers on Twitter 
• Hit 900 followers on Instagram  
• Comment on more blog posts 
• Research & compile holiday collab info
• Plan out a loose blogging/editorial calendar for October & November

Health 

• Bed by 11 p.m., wake up by 6:30 a.m.
• Implement these tips for a more productive morning 
• My goal is to go on a morning run MWF 
• Drink more water throughout the day
• End the day with a cup of tea or hot lemon water
• Eat salads for lunch 4x week 

Faith

• Implement a morning devotion time
• Pray over future women's small group

Books

• Read 2 books, one business related and one for fall fun. 

                -How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success
                -In a Dark, Dark Wood

What are your goals for September?