Embracing Your Body

This video moved me when I came across it today. The way that us women often describe our bodies is heartbreaking. Eating right and exercising rank high on my priority list, oftentimes in the interest of health, but also too often in the interest of physical appearance.

Each of us has our own insecurities that influence this body shaming, but where did we learn the rules of how a body is supposed to look? We start off as babies with beautiful round tummies and rolls on our legs, and as we grow up, we are taught by our surroundings what a “perfect body” is. Our society, family, friends, and social media are some of the things that teach us how we’re supposed to look. I, for one, can’t remember many times in my life that society helped me feel BETTER about my physical appearance. Don’t get me wrong, I love my social media and don’t plan to give it up anytime soon, but it surely contributes to the perfection standards that exist all around us.

Each person’s body acceptance is a deeply personal process, but this video served as a good reminder for me to be less critical of myself and to focus on health and fitness as tools to refuel and refine this vessel that God has given me to carry me through this life.

I’m looking forward to what the Embrace Documentary will bring us in the future. Follow their progress here.

Higher Vibrations

The spiritual masters and yogis out there will probably know exactly what I’m talking about from the title. For other readers, this may seem like a fancy, hippie-ish way to classify a topic that each of us encounters in our daily lives. Now, I am a very logical, factual-thinking type of person, but this concept, that was recently introduced to me in a book, fully resonated with me. It’s not the Denver culture rubbing off on me, but living in a new city for the last six months has helped open my eyes to different ways of thinking and living. This concept may or may not work for you, but I found it as an interesting way to view a topic that can help you take control of your life.

First off is the understanding that the world is made up of energy, and all energy vibrates at a certain frequency. The concept of “thought vibration” is determining whether the way you think is empowering or disempowering. “Essentially, thoughts that vibrate at a higher level are likely to be strong, positive and healthy thoughts, whereas thoughts that vibrate at a low level are liable to be negative, harmful and disempowering.”

The law of attraction then comes into play, meaning “like attracts like,” and that focusing on positive or negative thoughts can bring about positive or negative results. The argument is that what you think about most is what you manifest in your life.

change your thoughts

I’ve had some unfortunate things happen in my life lately, especially over the past month. It’s been a great example of the saying “when it rains, it pours,” and I’ve found it difficult to stay positive or to see happiness in my surroundings. This method is about turning your mindset around and believing, even when things are at their crappiest, that there is a bright shiny flipside within your reach. But, belief must be coupled with action, and this concept would suggest that I have to raise my frequency to match the vibration of the one I want to tune into.

We’ve all been around people who we would describe as giving off “good vibrations” (cue Marky Mark), and feeling drawn to them. In turn, we’ve also experienced the people who “give off bad vibes.” So, this concept isn’t as far from our regular lives as it may initially sound.

Raising your thoughts to a higher level of frequency is not an overnight change. Gradual improvement will lead to the point where higher vibrations become your natural state. Some actions to achieve this include becoming conscious of your thoughts and only letting the positive ones affect you, acknowledging and dismissing the negative. Good energy can also come from hanging out with people who vibrate highly, practicing random acts of kindness (who doesn’t feel better after that?), and being grateful.

While this might already sound like how you try to live your life today, everyone falls off track and into low frequency thought patterns – depression, sadness, anger – at times. This is another example of how much power your mind has over your life, and how you can change it, and therefore, change the world around you.

vibrate higher

Info source

The Go-To Online Workout You Must Check Out

I’ve been on a bit of a personal hiatus lately, after the death of someone dear to me. I may address this subject later when the time seems right, but for now I’m trying to move back into normal life.

I was out of town for several days due to this situation, and missing my regular ass-kickings at the gym. Fitness is a very important part of my life, and I just about go crazy if I haven’t had a workout in a few days. I become convinced that I can feel the extra pounds around my waist and face, and miss the endorphin-inducing sweat that I’m used to.

When I’m on-the-go, I refer to my repertoire of online workouts to keep me moving. I am by no means a gym rat and need variety to keep me motivated, so my online exercise sources are a weekly complement to my classes at the gym. I want to share with you one of my favorite places to go to quickly pull up an exercise routine.

Tone It Up was created by two beautiful young women to inspire women everywhere to get moving and get results. Staring at their rockin’ bods during your workout video is motivation enough! On their website, they feature hundreds of before-and-after photos of amazing results from women using their workouts and healthy eating plans. Perhaps one of the transformations that caught my attention the most was of one of the creators herself. Here it is…and don’t attribute it to photoshop. You can witness her toned bod for yourself in her workout videos.

tone it up before after kat

I’ve tested out countless numbers of online workout videos in my years, and these girls nailed a few of the factors that make me come back for more.

  • Targeted workouts for specific parts of the body: the drop-down menu under “Fitness” allows you to choose from abs, arms, booty, legs, etc.
  • Light-hearted, fun workouts: these 2 ladies bring their cute personalities to the stage, making you want to be their best friend (who you secretly loathe for their body)
  • Recipe ideas
  • SHORT WORKOUTS: people, most of the workout videos are less than 15 minutes, but still get the work done! Combine a couple of videos to focus on different parts of your body, or do a short video in addition to a walk or run
  • Social media: their Instagram account is a fun mix of their daily lives and new, exciting exercise content on the site

Check them out at toneitup.com, and I guarantee you won’t regret it!

fitness

Use Statement Pieces to Add Style to Any Outfit

How many times have you stood in front of your closet, with a complete lack of enthusiasm, exhausted by the daunting thought of styling another outfit? I know I’ve been there plenty of times, groaning out loud “I have NO clothes,” with over 100 pieces staring back at me. Sometimes, all it takes is a little re-purposing and a few key pieces to add life back into your closet.

We’ve all seen a woman wearing simply jeans and a tee but managing to look impossibly chic. While fit is an important factor here, oftentimes, these ladies are using a statement piece to pull together their outfit. Statement pieces typically fall into the outerwear or accessory category and can range widely…a showy necklace, bright or patterned shoes, a luxe bag, a chic scarf, the list goes on.

The point is, that you can use one statement piece to pull together the most basic clothes into a stylish outfit. The statement piece is the cherry on top. Here are a few of my favorite examples.

THE STATEMENT NECKLACE

basics 3 basics 4

THE BLAZER

basics basics 5

THE STATEMENT SHOE

basics 2

basics 6

Notice how each of these outfits consists of basic pieces that every girl should have in her closet. Make sure you have a few expensive-looking statement pieces on hand, and next time you’re having a lazy day, try one of these quick combos, and you may just find a new avenue of opportunity in your wardrobe.