Five for Friday: What's tickling my fancy

1. I recently discovered the holiday line of Coffee-mate liquid creamer and the Warm Cinammon Sugar Cookie Creamer is what would happen if creamer and a cookie had a baby.

If Snickerdoodle flavored coffee is wrong, I don't want to be right.

No, I'm not painting my nails at work.  

2. December is customer appreciation month at Subway, which means they are offering two choices of six inch sandwiches for just 2 bones: the Meatball Marinara and the Cold Cut Combo sub.  The Meatball sang sicks me out (don't get me started on Subway's creepy chicken patty situation), but I heart me some cold cut trio.  I may or may not have gone to subway for lunch every day last week.  
While we are on the topic of Subway, I have a confession: I have to fold my subway wrapper the same exact way every time or I can't eat my sandwich. 


3. Elf on the shelf. I love, love, love me some elf on the shelf. I think it is the most precious invention ever and my nephew makes my heart melt every morning when he sees what his elf, Kat, has been up to.  Yesterday Kat left him a note, which he made me read to him over and over:

Ever wonder what those elf's are up to after hours?  Well, last night I was upstairs in bed and my brother text me evidence of Kat's late night shenans.  

I guess before flying back to the North Pole, Kat broke into the wine supply then needed a late night snack.  He is an elf after my own heart.


4. I can't wait for 5 p.m. to get here because guess what tonight is?  Me and my college girlfriend's 8th annual PANTY PARTY!  We started this tradition our sophomore year in college and haven't missed a year yet. A few pics from years past:

You're probably wondering what the hell a panty party is and when we post about it on Facebook all the creeper guys are like "ooohh yah, I wanna come."  Um, no.  We don't run around in panties. What we actually do is a Secret Santa, but instead of "normal" gifts we all exchange Victoria's Secret thongs.  I mean, what girl doesn't love VS panties?    I'll be posting a recap of this year's party next week. The night normally ends in debauchery.


5. And last but not least, I had to also share the video my dear pal Raven posted yesterday because it brought me to tears.  I think everyone should watch this. It is such an amazing message and a great way to start your weekend off right.



p.s. I can't properly switch to weekend mode with out thanking each and every one of you who have voted for me for the Dallas A-List; I seriously appreciate it so much.  Y'all are the best readers and go above and beyond to support me! XOXO


p.p.s. And last but not least, a very important reminder: THIS COMING MONDAY (December 12) is when we are posting and linking up for the "HOW THE GLITZ STOLE CHRISTMAS SWAP"!!!!  If you have any questions about this, please e-mail Raven or I ASAP!  We are super excited!

Fitness Friday: Week 5


Hey my ladies!  Welcome to week 5 of "Fitness Friday". 

This week I decided to change things up and invite you to link up and share how you are working on your fitness.  Tell us what you are doing (or plan on doing) in order to get in fabulous shape for that swimsuit and sundress weather that is quickly approaching us.  Honestly, if I put a swim suit on right now, I'd scare small children.  Can we say winter weight?  Barf.  I'm still waiting for that skinny pill to be invented.  I'll be first in line. 

I've never done a "link-up" before so hopefully you will help a sista out and participate.   Just grab the button below and share with us your infinite fitness knowledge.  Happy Friday!

Right click the image to save and upload for use on your post. 

Fitness Fail Friday: Week 4

How dreadful.  Last week I bragged about how great my FF posts have been in terms of holding me accountable on the fitness front.  I distinctly recall the statement, "How pathetic would I look if I went to blog a FF post and had only watched TV and drank wine?"  Welp, guilty as charged.  The neph's face says it all.  "Who me?"

Really I just wanted to show off this picture of him.  His dimples are to die!

I only worked out on Monday.  Major fitness fail.  Granted, I did a solid session of weights at the gym and then met my girlfriend Courtney for our "boot camp" at the park. It was strenuous, but still. There was no reason for me to slack on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.  I am down to less than 8 weeks until my friend Christina's wedding in Scottsdale, and I refuse to look like a big blob in my bridesmaid dress.  The resort she's getting married at looks so gorgeous and I want to be able to enjoy myself.  Just look at pictures of this place:

 

The ceremony site.  Gorge, right!?

Anyway, so this week was just a little bump in the road, I'm getting back on track next week.  I didn't completely blow it because I have still been keeping my calories to around 1200 a day and the scale is down a pound from last week.  I guess it could be worse, but I need to step my game up.  Next week there are no excuses.  I must get the body of my doppelgänger, Miss Lauren Conrad ( I wish). 

She's my thinspiration.

Fitness Friday: Week 3

Welcome to week 3 of Fitness Friday! I’ve got to tell you, this FF post has been a great way to hold myself accountable. If I did what I really wanted to do every night after work, I’d sit on my couch and watch my favorite TV shows while sipping on some of the sweet nectar.

How pathetic would I look if I went to write a FF post and had done nothing but guzzle wine and watch trash TV? Every time I try to convince myself to skip the gym or indulge in unhealthy food, I remember 1) my ultimate goal to get fit and fab and 2) that I have to report my progress on my blog.

As I mentioned in week 2, today I’m sharing my favorite easy and healthy snacks. According to a self.com article, 64 percent of snacks aren’t planned. Unplanned snaking could easily lead to bad choices like processed, high-calorie food from your office vending machine. Instead, stock your desk drawers or office fridge with some of these healthy options that are easy to grab when you hit that mid-day lull.

Simple Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad:  Mix a cup of sliced, peeled cucumber with about 10 cherry tomatoes and a tablespoon of lite vinaigrette dressing (my fave is the Ken's Steak House).  I like to season mine with some fresh ground pepper.  Very refreshing and low in cals.  I'll make it the night before and bring some to work for an afternoon snack at my desk.

cucumber / tomatoes / vinaigrette / salad

Low Cal Cheese & Crackers: Cheese scares a lot of people who are watching their calorie intake.  However, there are so many reduced fat options now that cheese is no longer the enemy.  My favorite cracker for this snack is a water cracker.  I love the crunch, but more importantly, they have little flavor, which makes it a great neutral foundation so you can savor the cheese. 

crackers / colby-jack / laughing cow / cheese & crackers

Peanut Butter and Caramel Mini Rice Cakes: I like to dip mini caramel rice cakes into about a tablespoon of Jif Natural PB.  Some natural peanut butter's annoy me because you have to mix them and keep them refrigerated.  This Jif version does not have to be stirred or refrigerated, so I keep it in my desk drawer with a bag of rice cakes for the ultimate convenience snack.  I'm not a fan of caramel, but for some reason this flavor goes along great with PB. 

rice cakes / PB / Rice Cake + PB

Hopefully one of those 3 options sounds enticing to you.  Now on to the "fun" stuff.  Below is what I did this week at the gym:

Saturday: Went to a yoga class and then took my nephew to the park.  He thinks its fun to run from me so I spent the entire time chasing him and almost having a heart attack every time he made a beeline for the nearby street.  I would tell him, "Reese, this is not funny!" to which he would giggle, run and say, "Hahaha, yes it is Aunt Lindsey." Boys will be boys. 

Don't you love his cute little outfit?  Aunt Lindsey got him that shirt and those shorts at Old Navy for $11. 

Sunday:  12 mile mountain bike ride - NEVER AGAIN.  So my friend Kathryn and I went to brunch Sunday and while we were finishing up, she asked me if I wanted to go bike riding around a local lake since it was so nice outside.  "Sure," I said thinking back to my middle school days when I loved riding my bike around the neighborhood.  Reality check: Biking 12 miles up and down hills fighting the wind on a mountain bike is nothing like riding bikes back in the day.  I've decided I'm not cut-out for bike riding.  The seat really hurt and my booty felt bruised for the next 2 days and trust me, I've got plenty of padding back there. 

Monday: Valentine's Day.  After work I met up with my friend Courtney for Happy Hour.  We we're supposed to run hills and conduct a little "boot camp" at a nearby park, but for some reason wine sounded better to us.  Do you blame us?

Tuesday:  Bicep/Triceps + 30 minutes interval cardio + 10 min suana

Wednesday: Hamstrings/Quads/Calves + 30 minutes interval cardio + 20 min sauna

Thursday: Rested, legs we're sore.

Friday: After work I'm doing chest/shoulders/back and cardio.

Saturday:   I plan on going to yoga again and it's supposed to nice so I'm sure I'll be chasing my nephew again at the park.

Sunday: NOT going on a 12 mile bike ride.

Fitness Friday: Week 2

It’s a Christmas miracle! Not really. I shouldn’t be excited about this, but what I call my “fat work pants” fit comfortably again. Yes, sadly there was a time there when they didn’t. I slip up on my fitness for a few weeks … Oh, did I say weeks? I meant months … and before I know it, I’m laying on the ground praying to the skinny gods that my pants zip up. We've all been here:

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Cue: “Fitness Fridays”, and here is what I did this week:

Nutrition:
I’m trying to stick to around 1200 calories a day. To help achieve my 1200 calorie goal, I’m making a concerted effort to not waste unnecessary calories on things like coffee creamer, boredom snacking and booze (although I really wanted that glass of wine during The Bachelor this week).

Also, I have a diet and fitness journal I bought on Amazon that I use to track calories, but I certainly don’t use it religiously. That’s no way to live. I’m just making sure I’m aware of the calorie decisions I’m making and holding myself accountable. The journal's description claims those who keep a diary and record their progress lose twice as much weight as those who don't.  We'll see about that.

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Fitness:
Typically I’m at the gym for an hour to an hour and a half. I start out by stretching then 30 to 45 minutes of weight training followed up with 30 minutes of interval cardio. Interval cardio gives you the most bang for your calorie-burning buck.

To set up your own calorie-burning interval workout, simply increase your intensity to a hard pace for 1 minute followed by 2 minutes at an easy pace; repeat for up to 30 minutes. If you don’t want to take my word for it: read this article about the benefits of interval cardio. 

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My routine this week:
Monday: Biceps/triceps then 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals (20 mins elliptical & 10 mins treadmill because I get bored if I stay on just one machine.)

Tuesday: Quads/ hamstrings/calves + 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals + 20 minutes in sauna (Ladies … if you are looking for some eye candy, come hang with me in the sauna. Oh my!)

Wednesday: Chest/Shoulders/Back + 30 minutes elliptical and treadmill intervals + 20 minutes sauna + Jackie Warner core video for abs via On Demand’s free Fitness TV (I just discovered Fitness TV. They have so many FREE work-out videos like Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred, Jackie Warner work-outs, Body by Bethenny yoga, etc. Check out your local listings to see if you get it in your area. It’s a great way to burn some cals from your living room.)

Thursday: REST DAY! I had a few errands to run after work and my brother and nephew decided my apartment doubled as a grocery store, so I had them over for dinner.

FRIDAY (Today, obvi): I have my brand new Texas Tech gym bag (arrived on my doorstep Tuesday & I love it!) packed and ready to go under my desk. I’m going to focus on abs/back and of course get in 30 mins of interval cardio.

WEEKEND: My goal is go to a yoga class and get at least one session of cardio in. I'll have to let you know how that turns out next Friday.

In next week’s FF, I’ll track my progress again and I’ll share some of my favorite easy on-the-go healthy snacks that are perfect if you have to snack at your desk like me. If you have any easy, healthy snacks you heart, leave them in the comments and I’ll feature them in next week’s FF!

Fitness (& freezing) Friday!

Oh, hello 6+ inches of snow.  This weather just keeps getting more insane in Texas! My office was open today, so I attempted to drive into work (about 15 miles away), but couldn't even get out of my apartment parking lot.  My tires just kept spinning and I was stuck.  To give you an idea of the snow here, here is my apartment pool this morning around 8 a.m.:

 

Even though it is a freezing Friday, this post is all about Fitness Friday, so I'll get to it: 

I started off this week by working out with a girlfriend at a nearby park.  We ran hills, did lunges up hill (omg), walked at least a mile and ran suicides across a football field (who did we think we were?).

Then the "Texas blizzard of 2011" hit us, so Tuesday I did nothing but stay indoors under warm blankets. Fail. Wednesday I bundled up and walked to my apartment gym and got a good session of cardio and weights in.  Last night I was going to do the same, but on my walk to pay my rent, I slipped and fell pretty bad on solid ice.  No gym after that, I was pouting and was sore from the fall.  Fail X 2.  This afternoon I'm going to my apartment gym to do cardio and weights again so that I will at least meet my goal of 3 days in one week.

As far as my diet goes I've done good this week watching calories.  I haven't been drinking as much water as I should or taking my multi-vitamin every day, but hey ... one step at a time.  The scale has dropped a few pounds so far, so something is working.

I've been using random travel carry-ons for my gym bag, but I decided if I'm going to get serious about getting fit, I need a serious gym bag that is both functional and somewhat stylish.

I started my gym bag research the old fashion way: by Googling "cheap gym bag for women", and one of the results was from Overstock.com.  I picked out a couple that I liked around a $30 price point, but eventually decided on one with my Alma mater's logo embroidered on it.  A few clicks later, my new gym bag was ordered.  Here is what it looks like (They have 25 schools to choose from all priced differently.  Click here to see if they have your school):


Texas Tech gym bag. Price: $31.99

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 Here are a few other bags that almost made the cut.  Which one is your favorite or none at all?


I liked this one for it's yoga or shoe holder on the side.  Price: $26.98  

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I thought this one might be too small, but I love the polka dots.  Price: $23.99

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Puma girl's duffel bag with adjustable strap. Price: $24.99

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Coming soon: Fitness Friday

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We finally made it to Friday, hallelujah.  I was searching for an image for this post when I stumbled across the perfect one above.  It was picture destiny.  At about 1 p.m. I had to throw my hair up in a messy bun just like this and I didn't care that I was at work because it's Friday and I do what I want.

And since it's Friday and "I do what I want", I've made my decision for my goal for the month of February: Fitness. 

As a part of My Happiness Project, each month during 2011, I'll be choosing a goal to focus on and document in order to hold myself accountable and track my progress.  I started a little late in January, but my goal was to organize my closet and Tupperware cabinet.   I promise I haven't forgotten about that goal, I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures of the finished masterpiece (it's not a masterpiece), but my closets and cabinet are much better than they were before and accomplishing this goal actually does, in fact, make me happier.   I promise I'll take and post the pictures before February 1.

Anyway, I know "fitness" is just a word, but what focusing on fitness will mean for me is working out at least 3 times a week and consciously making healthy food choices.   Along with this comes drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily and taking a daily multivitamin.  You see, my pants are busting at the seam don't fit, so it's time to do something about it because I'm not getting any skinnier sitting on my couch watching The Bachelor and drinking wine.  Easter weekend I am in my dear friend Christina's wedding in Scottsdale, AZ, so my goal is to feel fit and fabulous by then.  I've got a little less than 3 months and I think I can do it.

In my "Fitness Friday" post I will write about my progress toward weight loss and since this is a bargain blog, I'll also post about cheap and healthy food options, affordable work-out clothes, tips for exercising on a budget, etc. If you have any inspirational fitness tips, I'd love to hear them in the comment section.

Happy Friday and have a wonderful weekend!