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January 23, 2013

Work It Wednesday: 5 Lessons that Aren’t Just for the Gym

I published this in 2011 and thought it still had enough merit to share again, especially since it’s the time of year when it’s getting harder to find reasons to keep your resolutions. Stay strong and know that your fitness goals aren’t just leading you to a better body but to a better life!

One thing I’ve always loved about yoga, particularly when I’m going through a tough time, is that I can see parallels between my practice and the things I’m feeling in real life.

But if you think yoga’s too touchy-feely-stretchy-girly-tight-clothes-y for you, get excited because if you take a second to look past the sweat and achy muscles, great life lessons and parallels abound in whatever fitness activity you choose to participate in.

Whether you’re running, lifting, squatting, yoga-ing, swimming, or taking a kick-ass class, your body will inevitably run into many of the same obstacles that your brain will as you go through life. The big question, though, is whether or not you can take these bumps in stride and treat them as learning experiences, or if you let them trip you up and keep you down. For some of the lessons I’ve learned, read on after the jump — and definitely share your own experiences in the comments section! Are there any lessons YOU’VE learned from your fitness routine?

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Want to get ’20s fab without flapper kitsch? Here’s how to mimic Art Deco style

This past weekend, I accompanied a group of friends to the Art Deco Society of Virginia’s first Jazz Age Preservation Ball, a benefit to raise funds for one of the oldest theaters in the city, erected in – you guessed it – classic Art Deco style.

The ball was incredible – everyone decked head to toe in their best vintage finds, doing the Charleston and Lindy Hop, and taking advantage of a beautiful old house kept in tip-top period shape by the Women’s League of Richmond. There were professional dancers doing exhibitions, a delightful jazz orchestra, and a duo of burlesque performers. It reminded me very vividly just what it is about Art Deco that’s so inspiring and lovely.

When we talk about the Art Deco movement, often the first (and only) thing people think it pertains to is architecture. While Art Deco buildings and homes are certainly distinctive, in my opinion, Art Deco is one of the most fascinating cultural movements in our recent history – music, architecture, clothing, literature, and all.

Unfortunately, when the early 20^th century is mentioned, the beauty and elegance of Art Deco often gets overshadowed by the glitz, gangsters, and (lack of) gin that came with the (in)famous Roaring Twenties.

So if you’re looking for Art Deco glam without flapper kitsch, give this guide a quick spin for some nifty ideas.

January 22, 2013

So excited about my new fireplace decor!

When it came time to take down my lovely Christmas fireplace decorations (three shadowboxes full of ornaments), I realized how empty the space was going to look and how tired I was of my old art. Sooooo…

I got super crafty a week or so ago and thanks to Pinterest and a little imaginative thinking of my own (and my friend Jen’s impeccable taste in flowers), I managed to fill the space with an array of things that make me smile every time I look at them.

How-to’s coming soon!

Gotten crafty lately? Share down below!

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January 17, 2013

Kinda foodie, kinda fitness… New favorite snack!

Last night in the store, I was strolling along, minding my own business when a 2/$5 sign caught my eye. Above it, I saw this delightful orange and gold box — Fiber Plus now makes protein bars! With 170 calories, 10g of protein, and 7g of fiber, and the fact that it’s the closest thing to a protein Butterfinger I think I’ll ever get, I’m officially hooked.

Just had to share with all my foodie, fitnessy folks — it’s always awesome to find new, tasty, easy ways to get the protein and fiber we need to make our bodies perform at their best!

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January 16, 2013

Munchie Monday: Foodie Challenge #52

Note: This officially makes 1 year worth of recipes that I’ve made! Cannot even believe it :)

Got a craving for something hearty, tangy, and so good and convenient and comfort foodie it’ll make you grin like a kid?

Try making Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue. Seriously.

I made this the first time a few months ago, and was so impressed I couldn’t wait to make it again… and again… and again.

The other night, figuring my date and I would both be famished after a few hours scaling the walls at a nearby indoor climbing gym, I popped this recipe in the Crockpot on high and let it go. When we got back to my place, the whole apartment smelled heavenly and we only had to wait for the fries to cook before we both dove into some big, thick, shredded chicken BBQ sandwiches.

Hooked? Me, too. Read on for the recipe!

January 10, 2013

Thursday Roundup: Best of Pinterest

So glad this week is about to wrap up — as the first full one back from my holiday hiatus of fabulousness, it feels like the last several days have really been a few years. On the upside, though, I’ve always got Pinterest to keep me company, so here are a few of my pins du jour. (Click each photo to repin instantly!)

Enjoy!

Best funny:

I got nothin’ other than a laugh that has a cute little snort at the end for this. Also, this would be my cat.

January 9, 2013

Work It Wednesday: 2013 Fitness Goals and Action Plan

I feel like I’m always telling you guys how to get fit and what works for me. That’s great and fun – it’s always fun and enlightening to exchange ideas with new folks – but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own fitness goals and need someone to tell me how to get fit, too!

Below, find my running, training, and general health goals for 2013 – and feel free to weigh in in the comment section if you have any tips, tricks, or resolutions of your own!!

January 8, 2013

No Velcro Allowed! How to Share Your Life, Not Usurp Your Partner’s

I know there were a few times over the course of the last year or so that I mentioned “my boyfriend this…” or “my man that…” Well, what wasn’t mentioned was the sort of dysfunctional relationship I was trying to convince myself was completely okay. In the name of loving me, he routinely coaxed me to put my feelings, hobbies, and needs on the back burner in favor of the all-important RELATIONSHIP. And I let him persuade me. I gave in.

In reality, I should’ve gotten to stepping as soon as I realized what was going on, because after a few months, what my ex was doing wasn’t just sharing my life, which is what I feel like typically happens in a healthy relationship. No, instead, he was completely razing the life I’d spent two years building for myself and trying to rebuild it from the ground up as OUR life.

Though I didn’t see it so much at the time, in retrospect, he reminds one of Wedding Crashers’ stage 5 clingers. That is, he was a remora who latched on to my emotional turmoil and the passion and ambition I routinely put into my life and tried to dress it, mold it, and direct it in the way he thought most appropriate.

I’ve been thinking about how to write about this past year without sounding pitiful, bitter, like a victim or, inversely, like a man-hater. So, since a lot of his behaviors are ones I more typically see erupting out of my more dependent female friends, perhaps the best way I can help you guys learn from the experience that brought me to the brink of disaster is to tell you not just how to avoid certain traits in others, but how to never, ever become the person that makes your partner feel inadequate, alone, and completely unable to escape.

Foodie Traditions: Hosting a Girls’ Brunch

Happy New Year, RWDs!

The Foodie Challenges will get started again very soon… but til then, I’ve got another topic t cover.

I’ve talked at length before about starting “foodie traditions” and how much fun it can be to share good food with even better friends. Well, my girlfriends and I recently started what I hope will be a frequent tradition in my home: having a girls’ brunch in.

That’s right – two weekends before Christmas and there were no buffet-style lukewarm scrambles in sight. This was a home-cooked, piping hot, potluck-style smorgasbord of brunch nom-itude. We took crazy pictures, drank more mimosa punch than I think any of us would care to admit, tried some homemade eggnog, and sat around chatting for hours. Aside from family time, I can say without reservation that that Sunday afternoon was the highlight of my entire season.

Want to try something similar? Check out the details and some do’s and don’t’s after the jump!

December 24, 2012

A Very Crafty Christmas: The 12 Pins of Xmas

RWDs! HAPPY HANUKKAH! MERRY CHRISTMAS! It’s been so far too long since I’ve written anything that I have to apologize — stories and lessons learned to come, no worries :)

Until then, however, suffice it to say that I’ve gotten myself through one of the toughest times in my life by pursuing my other great love outside of writing: crafting. If you’re following any of my Pinterest boards, you’ll notice that I’ve been quite a devoted pinner the past few months and, happily, the product of all the pinning has been a wonderfully festive apartment and the best Christmas brunch I could imagine.

Check out the graphics below for my 12 Pins of Christmas. The originals are on the left, and my versions are on the right — links to each pin will follow after the jump!

Wanna see where they came from?