Whats your BRANDOM

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Pretty in Pastel

This post was inspired by the August edition of InStyle. I am loving this pastel pink with a hint of nude. This color is moving right along with us into Fall, thankfully! This two piece dress from Lulu's is perfect for an end of the season wedding outfit or a fun date night ensemble! I accessorized with my favorite rose gold jewels. I can't get enough of this ShinyMix "Swing Dance" necklace. It's so simple and chic. I accented the face of my MK watch with this adorable Kate Spade cross body. Color coordinating this outfit was too fun!

Have a fabulous day dolls!

xx,

Melody

Photos: Photos by Rachel

Thursday, August 20, 2015

City Sunshine

Sunnies: Rayban / Top: Target / Skinnies: Levi's / Shoes: H &M / Bag: Kate Spade / Jewels: Silpada

I adore this combo of black and navy. It's a combination completely out of my comfort zone, that I ended up loving. I ended up having a great lunch date with my girlfriend in the city too! Hope you are enjoying your day!

xx,

Melody

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Plyo Burn

First, run 1 mile at an easy pace to warm up.

Then, start your circuit training. Complete each exercise 10 times, then start from the top and complete each exercise 9 times...continue decreasing the reps till you get to 1. Once you hit 1, start from 1 and go back up till you do every exercise 10 times.

10 180- Jump Squats

5 Box Jump to Kettlebell High Pull

10 Lateral Bounds

5 Elbow-To- Knee Push- Ups

5 Side Hope to Burpee

30 Jump Ropes

Run 1 mile at an easy pace to cool down.

I was feeling inspired this morning and got up for a 5:00 a.m. work ut. So lucky you, I decided to share! haha Let me know if you have any questions on this workout.

Good luck beauties!

P.s. I am obsessed with Old Navy's workout gear. It's comfortable, and good quality. It's also perfect for running errands before or after the gym because they are so cute! You can find all sorts of colors and patterns. Oh and did I mention I got this gear on sale?? They are running a flash sale today on Tanks and Tees, too! Happy Shopping!

xx,

Melody

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

500 Calorie Burner

Quick Workout Of The Day...That Burns 500 Calories!

Jump Rope: 5 minutes

Jumping Jacks: 5 minutes

Burns 100 calories

30 Crunches

10 Push- Ups

40 Jumping Jacks

20 Squats

Burns 100 calories

Jump Rope: 5 minutes

Jumping Jacks: 5 minutes

Burns 100 calories

60 Crunches

20 Push- Ups

80 Jumping Jacks

40 Squats

Burns 200 calories

Jump Rope: 5 minutes

Jumping Jacks: 5 minutes

Burns 100 calories

30 Crunches

10 Push- Ups

40 Jumping Jacks

20 Squats

Burns 100 calories

This is just a little something I came up with- it gets your heart beating with some cardio, works some major muscle groups and it's simple and easy! This workout is what you make it. The harder you push yourself the harder it is and the more calories you will burn.

Highlighted in blue is the 500 calorie burning workout. This will only burn 500 calories if you are moving at a vigorous speed with jumping rope and jumping jacks. I added another round of the circuit, highlighted in yellow, if you are moving at a more moderate pace, to insure you are still burning those 500 calories.

Personally, I use the first 10 minutes of jumping rope and jumping jacks as a warm up and then increase my intensity with the other two sets of jumping rope and jumping jacks. Also, I will use a weight while doing the squats to increase the intensity. This workout is great because it's versatile in how you can rotate the sets and it is easy to keep track of the calories burned by the intervals.

I get a lot of my "out of the gym" workout inspiration from BARE STRENGTH! Check out their site, they have great information on fitness and nutrition!

Fun tip: Get some new workout gear!! Especially if you are in a rut! Feeling good in what you are wearing is sometimes the perfect little motivator that's needed to get out and start moving! Plus, it's fun and there are some great prints out right now for workout clothes. (Pictured is one of my more conservative pairings:) )

Well, I hope you enjoy and have fun kicking your own ~~ass~~ butt!

xx,

Melody

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Edit Your Wardrobe In 5 Simple Steps

What makes the cut?

Are you revamping your style, spring cleaning or in desperate need for space? Going through your wardrobe is not for the weak hearted. It can be overwhelming, so make sure you have wine to help focus on your end goal. I promise you can do this!

Let's start with some samples to have in your closet. You want to have at least one: Blazer, Blouse/Button Down, Dress, Pair of Jeans, Sweater, Printed Top, Skirt, and T-Shirt.

Step 1: Categorizing:

Sort your entire closet into 3 piles.

Keep, Maybe, Sell/Donate/Bin

Keep

They are are staying

Maybe

It's still a toss up whether this guy is staying or going

Sell/ Donate/ Bin

Sell/Donate- someone else will where it more or may need it
Bin- it's out of season and it needs to be stored

Step 2: Continue Categorizing:

The Keep's and the Maybe's: While keeping these categories separate, sort them by what they are.

Blazers
Blouses/Button Downs
Dresses
Jeans
Sweaters
Printed Tops
Skirts
T-Shirts
Trousers

Once your Maybe piles and your Keep piles are itemized, move to the 3rd step!

Step 3: Should I Stay or Should I Go? I would do this with the Maybe's then do this again with the Keep's.

Blazers

Stay: Best Blazer
Go: Tight or Faded/Worn

Blouses

Stay: Maintain a solid selection of office appropriate blouses
Go: Ill Fitting or Stained

Dresses

Go: You know what to say bye when...you have tried it on three times in the past year and still have not worn it! It's time to go!

Jeans

Try every pair on, make a piles of the different styles

Skinny
Boyfriend
Flare
Etc.

Stay: 1-3 pairs of each style
Exception to the rule: Keep more of the style that fits your bod the best!
Go: Everything else you don't wear, or "are going to wear one day" if you haven't worn it in the past year it's time to say bye!

Sweaters:

Stay: Only 3 of a similar style
Go: It Shrunk, the pilling is out of control, there are holes that are not worth fixing

Printed Tops:

Stay: Timeless Prints- Gingham, animal, stripes, & polka dots- favorites stay!
Go: Not worn in 6 months, or too trendy.

Skirts:

Can you think of 3 occasions or 3 ways to wear it?

If so, STAY!
If not, GO!

T-Shirts:

Stay: It still looks presentable and fits properly.
Go: Neck is stretched, stained, belonged to an ex, smells.

Trousers:

Stay: Tailored, still fits properly.
Go: Tattered, stained, no longer fits properly. (Hint: If tailored properly, no tattering on the ends will occur.)

Okay, so you've done it!!! You have filtered through all your Keep's and Maybe's.

Step 4: Go back to the Sell/Donate/Bin piles.

Sell what is still usable if you are not donating!

Save the money you made: for STAPLES that will unleash some interchangability in your fresh wardrobe. (Reminder: AVOID impulse buys or you will end up here again) or use that money to go celebrate, you just did some serious work and organization!

Bin: what is out of season

Money earned from selling, could also be used to purchase bins, storage bags, or shelving.
Spring and Summer stay together
Autumn and Winter stay together

Helpful tip: Label- so you know what is what and which is which.

Step 5: Organizing your Keep's!

Get creative:

Itemize your wardrobe by style, color, wearability, however you like.

What do you need to have your ideal closet:

Create a wish list: Things to think about...

Make purchases that you think about for at least two weeks-avoid impulse buys.
What staples do you still need or need more of?
What will add more interchangability in your wardrobe?

Buy what is on your list, online shopping helps keep you focused.
Quality over quantity

There you have it, you have completed a wardrobe edit! Feel free to use this process on accessories, shoes, and bags as well! Keep an eye out for my post in the near future that will focus on staples and pricing! Let me know if you have any questions or if there is something you want to know more about!

xx,

Melody