Black Friday Sales: Keep Calm & Shop Online

It's the day where people go wild and crazy over great sales. Black Friday is fun for me, but I definitely keep it more low key and do most of my holiday shopping online. I know what the great deals are, and I wanted to share with you all these coupon codes. You can save hundreds just by entering these simple codes. Now time for you to shop and get styling! 

Rachel Comey: 25% off everything with code LONGWEEKEND (my favorite item from Rachel Comey is her Mars bootie)

Shopbop: Spend $250 or more and save 15%, spend $500 or more and save 20%, spend $1,000 or more and save 25% with code BIGEVENT13.

Piperlime: 25% off sitewide & 40% off final sale with code GIFT

ASOS: 20% off everything with code GIMMIE20

Parker NY: Spend $200 or more and save 20%, spend $300 or more and save 30%, spend $400 or more save 40% with code BLACK13 (Parker has some amazing dresses and blouses)

West Elm: Spend $250 or more and save 15%, spend $500 or more and save 20%, spend $1,000 or more and save 25% with code STOCKUP. (West Elm has the best bedding and rugs)

NM last call: 40% off everything online. No code required. 

J.Crew: 30% off everything with code HOLIDAY.

Rag & Bone: 30% off winter clothing & accessories with code WINTER13 (Rag and Bone has some great jeans and jackets on sale)

Club Monaco: 30% off already reduced merchandise with code THANKS30.

Anthropologie: 20% off everything. No code required. 

East Dane: Spend $250 or more and save 15%, spend $500 or more and save 20%, spend $1,000 or more and save 25% with code BIGEVENT13.

Ellie: 25% off everything. No code required. (Fitness junkie? Time to stock up on fitness apparel)

Madewell: 25% off everything with code FEAST25. (Madewell has the best basics)

Bloomingdales: Take 25% off every $200 you spend. No code required.

Other notable sales:

Vince, Theory, Saks.

How To Avoid Thanksgiving Week Weight Gain

1. Workout Early In The Day: Things come up left and right. Parties, dinners, work functions, etc. Make sure you go out and burn your calories before you consume them!

2. Plan Ahead: If you are in for a weekend of boozing and eating, try to be good during the week! Eat tons of fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and healthy fats. It's always nice to know you have eaten great, so you have a little wiggle room for a bigger meal or two.

3. Make Your Workouts Social: A lot of people lose motivation before the holidays. It's always nice to suggest a workout, a walk/hike, or a fitness class with your friends. Grab a coffee and go for a walk instead of sitting in a wine bar.

4. Cook. Since it's colder out, we tend to want warm/hearty (higher calorie) foods. If you cook at home, you can cut the calories by not adding high calorie ingredients:
Salads: Less dressing or low-cal dressing, no cheese, no candied nuts, no chips or crutons
Soups: No cream, not a lot of oil, low sodium
Meals: High protein, lots of veggies, no cream, no butter, no cheese
TRY MY: BAKED ACORN SQUASH

5. Plan For Parties: Bring your own healthy snacks! Don't go buy a pie, make one from scratch LIKE MY RAW PUMPKIN PIE.

6. Thanksgiving Day Tips: Check out my blog post on what to do Thanksgiving Day HERE!

7. Do A Lot of Great Total Body WORKOUTS: You burn more calories when you move your whole body, at a fast pace. Time to start, here's a great Thanksgiving workout!

Giving Thanks

Man oh man. I am one lucky girl. As Thanksgiving approaches here are some things I am thankful for...

Supportive friends and family

The ability I have to live a healthy active life

The means to travel 

My career and how spoiled I am to have this job 

My apartment and its amazing location 

My clients and the joy they bring in to my life 

My coworkers positive energy

The abundance of great local organic food 

Coffee.

The power to express myself through beauty and fashion 

Having a voice that can be heard and blogged.

I could create an endless list. I am so thankful for so many things, and realized today how important it is to look at the bright side. 

What are you thankful for this holiday? 

Total Body Burn

Here's a great workout to help get your whole body stronger, burn a ton of calories, and lean out.

This workout hits your upper body, lower body, and core. Try it out, and tell me how you feel!

Make sure to warm up 5-15 minutes before the workout. If you have extra energy after you can cool down 5-20 minutes! Enjoy!

- Complete exercise A directly followed by exercise B (this is called a superset). After you complete your first 3 rounds, you can move on to the next bundle of exercises.

Total Body burn

A) Lat pulldown 3 rounds x15 reps

 B) 20x Plank up-downs

A) Sumo Squats 3rounds x15 reps

B)  Leg press 3rounds x15 reps

 A) Walking Lunge 3rounds x40 lunges (20 each leg)

B) 3 rounds x20 box jumps 

 A) Sit-ups 3rounds x30 reps

 B) Mountain Climbers 3rounds x50 reps

Learn Something Everyday: Be Open Minded, & Make Changes

This past weekend and beginning of my week has been seriously eye opening. I have had a whole other level of awareness for how lucky I am. My friends and family seriously ROCK. I know some of the most kind, generous, uplifting, and smart women to call friends and family. I also have realized I can learn something from these amazing women EVERYDAY. Even if they are younger, work a different job, are much older, or aren't necessarily friends who have been in my life for very long. They are still important and if I stay open minded, they can help me make positive changes in my life.

When speaking to these women I have to realize. I don't know it all. I am not perfect, and it isn't always my way or the highway. We are all SO different. We come from different places, have had different relationships, and different experiences which mold us in to who we've become. This means we still much to learn about one another and in retrospect...ourselves.

I just wanted to write this quick post to let you know to always be open minded. Maybe you have some aspects in your life you struggle with that your friends can help you change. Sometimes working together, rather than you against the world will help you change or better yet help mold you in to the person you want to become.

Have the best Tuesday.

"Never allow yourself to be defined by someone else's opinion if you.."

When I read this quote today, I had to stop and think about it. It seems like a simple quote, right? In my opinion this is an extremely simple quote that is easier said than done. As I read it my eyes grew wide.

First and foremost what is an opinion?

Opinion:

a : a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter 

b :belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge 

c : a generally held view

Most people know me as opinionated. I am passionate, and form my view on things quite fast. This being said, since I am opinionated I often am cautious of others opinions of me. I have been cautious in the past to a fault. 

First off... why do I care? 

I spent a lot of time milling this question over. I went back and fourth finally convincing myself that, "I don't care". Then a little later I realized that statement was a huge fat lie, because I DO care. I care what people think of me. As should we all... a little bit.

What I've learned is simple. 

Take people's opinions of you, but do not let those opinions define you. Whether good or bad. If someone mentions you are beautiful/smart/sexy that doesn't mean you should define yourself by those statements, but rather acknowledge them and move on. Just like if someone says quite often that you are a "Debbie Downer"; don't let negative statements define you as you may begin to see yourself in that negative light.

How to form a good opinion of yourself:

It's taken me years to truly find my sense of self. It is ever-evolving, and even now I can't say I've 100% found my identity. My opinions change daily. My taste changes, style, mood, energy, and actions. We all change relatively frequently, so make sure you stay in tune with your mind and body. By doing so you can truly find your identity; all others opinions aside. Stay positive, and just keep striving to be the person you aspire be.

Chocolate Cinnamon Chia Shake

Ok, this hit the spot. Sometimes I want to jump through my computer and make people drink or eat my recipes when they are this good! This tastes better than a chokate shake from In-n-out to me! 

Ingredients:

1 scoop Life basics vegan protein(chocolate)

1 cup Calafia farms almond milk (unsweetened)

2 dates (pitted organic)

2 tbsp chia seeds (organic and raw)

Organic cinnamon & vanilla to taste

1 cup ice.

Throw everything in to a blender and enjoy!!

Fun fact: chia seeds have lots of fiber, omega fatty acids, calcium, antioxidants and even protein!