My Full Upper Body Workout

Hey Gang! I know some girls hesitate to do an upper body workout because they feel they will "look like man". Unless you are lifting a crazy amount of weight (I'm talking like SUPER heavy) and you are eating a crazy amount of calories, or you're on steroids, then this will NOT happen! I will use myself for example; I have the type of body that builds muscle pretty easy but I still do upper body workouts. What I like to do is a full upper body workout, where some like to split it up by doing multiple upper body workouts a week focusing on one or two muscles.

Here is one of my full upper body workouts

I always like to start with a warm up. Usually I will do 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, but you can use any type of cardio machine. Also I try not to rest too long between each set (1 minute max)

Shop This look

SHOES, PALMIER SWEATER, LEATHER LEGGINGS, TEAR DROP NECKLACE, SILVER RHINESTONE WATCH

Good morning lovelies and happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend; it was definitely a HOT one! Not that I'm complaining at all. Zara's was having a HUGE sale this weekend (You would know if you are on their mailing list...Get on that if you aren't!) As soon as I saw these black, grey, snake print shoes I fell in-love! Then when I looked at the price and saw they were ONLY $20 I fell even more in-love. To brag about these shoes even more, they are SUPER comfortable, it honestly doesn't even feel like I’m wearing heels. Seriously how can you go wrong! I paired it with leather leggings, a Corvid color tank sweater, a tear drop necklace (which I'm absolutely in love with!) and some cute accessories. I have put the links above, under the picture. 

Happy shopping!

Stephanie xo 

What to do with ripe banana's

I never go a day without eating at least half a banana. I am seriously addicted! I love adding them to smoothies, oatmeal or having it with peanut butter; but what do you do with banana's that are just too ripe to eat? Well throwing them out would be a waste, so here are some recipes that you can make with your ripe banana's :)

Healthy Banana Bread 

Ingredients: 

2 medium-sized ripe bananas

1/2 cup rolled oats

3 whole eggs plus 2 egg whites

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp baking powder

2 scoops of vanilla protein powder

Nuts of your choice (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. Mash the bananas up really well, and whisk in the eggs and milk. 

3. Blend the rest of the dry ingredients into the mix until it takes on a batter-like consistency.

4. Spray a loaf pan and pour in the batter.

5. Bake the banana bread for about 35-40 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean when you stab it. One loaf makes about nine 1/4-inch slices.

Pancakes

Ingredients :

1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites 

1 small ripe banana

1. Mash the banana and crack the eggs in it, stirring until the mixture becomes somewhat homogenized.

2. Heat a greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat and pour about a 2.5-inch wide puddle of batter. 

3. Delicately flip the pancake after about 25 seconds or when it browns. The recipe makes 3-4 small pancakes.

FREEZE THEM AND USE THEM IN A SMOOTHIE!

Easy Shortcuts To Looking Stylish

Being stylish doesn't come natural to everyone so I wanted to share some of my easy tips to looking stylish :) 

1. Go for classic basics: What I've learned is to invest more in classic and basic items that are always in style. I wrote a post specifically on a capsule wardrobe (click HERE). This type of wardrobe is stylish and great because you can mix and match all your classic items and never go wrong.  

2. Find style inspiration. Hello Pinterest!! I find Pinterest is a great place for people to go and look for some style inspiration. Whether it is a celebrity or a fashion blogger, find someone that has the same style sense as you and shop the look. 

3. Use accessories. This is probably my go to when I have no idea what to wear or if I just can’t seem to channel my inner fashionista (yes I have those days). I keep my top and bottom simple and basic and I spice it up with a pop of color or print, with my shoes, a bag and jewelry.

4. Be Confident In Your Choice of Clothing. There is nothing more stylish (in my opinion) than being confident in what you are wearing. It's all about posture and poise. Make sure to hold your head high and walk like you feel confident! 

Have a wonderful weekend lovelies! 

Stephanie xo

My Top 3 Health Tips

I got asked the other day in the gym if I could give my top 3 health tips what would it be? There are soooo many tips that I could give but if I had to pick just 3 that I swear by, it would be these:

 

1. Drink lots of water: I drink at least 2L of water a day, sometimes up to 4L! It is so important to stay hydrated and to drink lots of water, water helps keeps thing regular especially when talking about your digestive system.

 

2. Get your sleep! I don't know about you but I need my beauty sleep. If I don't get at least 7 hours I'm a complete disaster the next day. Sometimes if I don't get those 7 hours I will take a power nap at some point through out the day, whether it's on my lunch or after work before the gym. Sleep is so vital for your health!

 

3. Listen to your body. I just started doing this about a year ago. I use to be one of those people that follows a certain plan. Eating every 3 hours even if I wasn't hungry, going to the gym and following a very strict workout routine even on days when I was super sore or sick. I found once I started listening to my body that's when I started to notice a big difference. Not necessarily the way I looked but the way I felt! Your body is amazing and it has its way of speaking to you. Now when I'm hungry I eat, if I am sick or sore ill rest. Listen to what your body is telling you and do what works fore you.

 

So there you have it! What are your top 3 health tips?! I would love to hear them :)

 

Stephanie xo

FOOD DIARY

Hey! I wanted to share with you gals (and guys) a food diary of what I ate today. I get asked so often what I eat in a day and I feel a lot of people like to see this to use as a guideline. I use to be the type of person to plan my meals out every 3-4 hours but to be honest with you I've changed that. I have been intuitively eating for a while now. basically what that means is I eat when I'm hungry and i don't if I'm not. I like to listen to my body.

Breakfast: Proats (protein powder & Oats) with berries, chia seeds and chopped walnuts

Snack: Protein shake ( I like having a shake that has added greens for the extra nutrients)

Lunch: Salad with raw veggies and grilled chicken

Snack: Apple with almonds

Dinner: 2 small extra lean turkey sausages with veggies and baked potatoes

I hate going to bed hungry so if I am I will include a third snack which is usually a rice cake with a tbsp. of peanut butter. Something not shown in this picture becasue I didnt have it at the time is dark chocolate!!Pretty much everyday I have a piece of dark chocolate to satisfy my chocolate craving. I also include at least 2L of water a day, plus 2-3 cups of coffee made with almond milk and stevia. This is just an example of what I ate, I don't eat the same thing everyday and it ins't always healthy. I like to have balance :)

 

Stephanie xo

CURVY HIPS AND RED LIPS

Good morning Gang!! I haven't done a 'shop this look' in a while so I thought I would share one of my favorites so far this week! As I mentioned before in other posts, every women should own a little black dress. It is so versatile and can be worn with pretty much anything! I paired it with a cute red heels, cause I mean what girl doesn't like black and red?! You could also pair it with leopard print flats or even a cute pair of sandals. To shop this outfit click the links below :)

DRESS, SHOES, SUNGLASSES, WATCH, BRACELET

Stephanie xo

Confession of a Workaholic suffering with anxiety

 I think many of us feel the pressure on our 25th birthday...or at least I did...that day changed EVERYTHING! I remember when I was little I always thought by 25 I’d have it all…My dream job, a house, a family, the whole shebang BUT that’s not the case at all! The first thing that popped in my head when I woke up on my 25th birthday is ‘Oh crap, I’m getting old.’ As many of you know I’m a pretty ambitious person and I strive for perfection (yeah I’m a perfectionist) which can sometimes lead to being a workaholic. I work full time and then I have my foundation and blog that I do on the side. Don't get me wrong I LOVE doing it all but it can sometimes get crazy! After realizing that I am 25 and not where I thought I would be at 25, I started working even more, every free moment I had I would be working. At the beginning I thought to myself “I can work this much no problem!”…Well so I thought until things got a little out of hand. I started getting anxiety attacks every evening and during the day I wasn’t able to work properly because I was so burnt out; I think I was actually losing my mind! I kept wondering what was happening with my body? Being a workaholic was happening! I had to accept the fact I was overworking myself and because of this I was dealing with anxiety. With that being said there were 2 two things I could do, take medication for the anxiety or change my lifestyle.

Here are the steps I’ve taken to deal with my anxiety:

I STOP WORKING AT 5 P.M.

Some may say that this is a lack of ambition when you don’t work 10-16 hour days. But In my opinion, it isn’t. Knowing that I have from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. to plan my work for the entire day makes me more productive. At 5 p.m. I shut down my computer and I am not allowed to do any more work, I like to call this ‘me time’ things can wait until the next day. I take the evening to do what I want; spend time with family, meet up with a friend for coffee, hit the gym or binge watch one of my favorite shows (currently loving Suits!)

I GO TO BED NO LATER THAN 10 P.M.

Yes, I have a bedtime! I like structure for myself because it helps me stay on track and is extremely important. I go to bed at 10 p.m and wake up at 6 a.m. I could get up at 6:30 but I like to take 30 minutes in the morning to watch the news, eat breakfast and drink my coffee. It’s my morning ritual.

I EAT BREAKFAST

I am so much more productive when I take the time to prepare myself a proper breakfast. I can focus better and I have more energy. I love to have a ‘Proat’s’ (oatmeal with protein powder, some fruit and nuts).

STOP WORRYING WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE THINKS

Stop caring too much about what other people think, just enjoy your life and do what you love. Also stop trying to make everyone else happy; I am super guilty of this. Remember you can’t please everyone!

Stephanie xo

coconut water? Yes Please!

I have recently been addicted to coconut water, especially because it's getting hotter outside! It's just so darn refreshing, it has easily digested carbohydrates and contains I high amount of potassium (4 x more than a banana!! CRAZYNESS!) and it also has electrolytes. This makes a perfect post workout drink combined with protein, to help repair those hard working muscles and it tastes delicious! I have 250ml (1 cup) A day. You can drink it plain or add it to smoothies. When buying it just make sure the ingredients says '100% coconut water'. You can buy with or without the pulp, I prefer it with pulp but I know some don't like the texture. Check out the image below that lists a bunch of benefits from drinking coconut water!

Have a great weekend and stay hydrated!

Stephanie xo

NOT MY IMAGE