Spring Into Bikini Season

Good morning and Happy Earth Day! Are any of you doing anything to celebrate?

Even though I have been very busy with exams and haven't made it to the gym much, I am still finding time to exercise every day, which I believe is key to keeping you focussed and energized. I rely on YouTube so much for great workout ideas when I can't go to actual classes, and I wanted to share with you some great videos I have been using.

Karena and Katrina of Tone It Up are fantastic. They have put together this eight week long "Spring Into Bikini Season" workout series that focusses on many different areas of the body. Even if you aren't planning on being in a bikini much this summer, these workouts are easy and fun and usually only require your body weight, so everyone should give these a try. They also have printable versions of the workout if you prefer that instead.

Let me know what you think. I did the love handles and the butt one yesterday and I feel it for sure!

LOVE HANDLES / LOWER STOMACH

BUTT

BIKINI STRAP AREA

FULL BODY WORKOUT

Visit Tone It Up's YouTube channel and website for more exercises, ideas, and information!

Pretty Spring/Summer Dresses

Good morning! It has been well over a month since I have posted anything on here, which is very unfortunate, but it's because things have been pretty crazy with school and I didn't have the time to put anything worth blogging about together.

However, last night I had some down time and wanted to share some gorgeous dresses with you that are amazing for spring and summer 2011! They are adorable, and I tried to keep them within the range of $50 to $150.

My favourite would have to be the gorgeous Petites Peach Ruffle Dress in the neutral section. Which one is your favourite? Which do you hate?

Enjoy!

NUDES/NEUTRALS

1. Cream Lace Shift Dress - Dorothy Perkins ($46.00)

2. Petites Peach Ruffle Dress - Miss Selfridge ($50.00)

3. Conscious Collection Dress - H&M ($59.95)

4. Fine Stripe Dress - Topshop ($64.00)

5. Grecian Knot Dress - Warehouse ($72.00)

6. Dress - H&M ($14.95)

FLORALS

1. Dress - H&M ($24.95)

2. Dress - H&M ($19.95)
3. Floral Dress - Topshop ($64.00)
4. Floral Crochet Waist Dress - Topshop ($56.00)
5. 3 Button Dress - Topshop ($64.00)
6. Dress Floral - We Like Fashion ($97.00)

SOLIDS

1. Ruched Dress - Burberry ($435.00)

2. Lyre Lyre Washed-Silk Dress - Zimmermann ($295.00)

3. Tangerine Sleeveless Tuck Detail Dress - Topshop ($72.00)

4. Tamara Dress - Coast ($180.00)

5. Tiered Dress - Dynamite ($29.90)

6. Dress - H&M ($29.95)

Working out at Home: An Interview with Cassey Ho

Cassey instructing her "New Body Makeover" video.

Last week I had a chance to chat with Blogilates creator Cassey Ho, my favourite pilates instructor on YouTube, about the benefits of working out at home vs. working out at the gym. I posted a few of her incredible workout videos in my posts "Workout Goal" and "Quick Workout" that you should definitely check out. Read on to find out her personal opinion on working out at home vs. working out at the gym.

In your YouTube videos, we usually see you working out at the gym although your videos are meant for people who want to workout at home. Where do you personally prefer to workout?

Because I teach classes, luckily I have access to the gym, so I do my workouts there. I like being around people and I like playing with all of the "fitness toys" lying around. But back when I first started getting into Pilates (high school), I used those Winsor Pilates videos every night! Working out at home is a fun, cheap, and effective way to get in shape if you don't have a gym pass. The only problem is motivating yourself to do it!

A lot of men and women tend to prefer working out at home because it can be a more comfortable setting. What are some other benefits to working out at home compared to the gym?

You can workout at any time of the day and you can "leave the class" or the video instructor if you don't like it. There are plenty of REAL workout gurus on YouTube giving free advice. Take advantage of their expertise and find the workout that suits your needs best. Also, if you're just starting out, exercising at home is a great way to familiarize yourself with your body and what it can do so what if/when you head to the gym, you're less self-conscious. 

Can people achieve the body they want through only working out at home? Do we need to be using all those machines to complete a solid workout?

Of course you can achieve the body you want without a gym pass! The playground is a great place to get toned. The sidewalk is your track! Pilates exercises can be done anywhere as long as you have a mat (or carpeted floor).

When working out at home, people may get lazy with what they are wearing or the accessories they are using or not using. Is it important to dress the part at home as well?
Personally, I like to dress the part to play the part. get out of your sleep clothes and wear something that will wick sweat and move with your body. It also doesn't hurt if it's cute. you'll be way more motivated to workout.

A huge part of keeping exercise fun and exciting is variety. Do you think people can get this variety they need at home?
Yes, there are so many fitness videos out there. You can constantly change up your workouts as fitness gurus come up with new routines.

A misconception with working out is you have to spend a lot of money on gym memberships, equipment, or workout videos. Your videos on YouTube show us this is not the case! What is your advice to people who think it will cost too much money to get exercising?
Ask yourself if you'd rather buy that Starbucks latte every morning or if you'd rather buy yourself a healthier, fitter you. You can afford to get fit, because it is your life and your body. I get a lot of questions from people saying that they don't have "time" to workout so they just don't. Well, if you really want something, you'll do anything to make it happen - like get to sleep earlier so you can wake up earlier to squeeze in even a ten minute Pop Pilates video before you go to work or school.

So for those afraid to spend money on fitness, go on YouTube and pick the workouts that don't require any equipment. Some of the best exercises require nothing at all but you! Pushups, planks, lunges... the options are endless and THEY WORK!

Any final tips for people who are going to start working out at home?
Start favouriting YouTube workouts that you're interested in, the roll through it and just get on the floor and do it! Have fun!

Make sure to visit Cassey at Blogilates.com or on YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook!

Yummy Fruity Protein Shakes!

I have been trying to post this for the last three days, but Blogger has been giving me difficulty with the photos! Please keep that in mind if this post is sloppy looking.

I want to share with you this protein shake I make every single day. It takes me about 5 minutes or less, has about 350 calories, and is a fantastic source of protein, calcium, and vitamin B12 (especially for those vegetarians/vegans out there who need more of this)!

Here's what you will need:

- A blender
- A measuring cup
- A tall glass
- A small/medium portion of fresh or frozen fruit
- 3/4 cup vanilla flavoured soy milk
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 scoop ground flax seed (optional)

Step 1:

This is the fun part... decide what type of fruit shake you want to make! Here I have chosen strawberries and pineapples, but you can use anything you'd like! Banana is my favourite, but peach is great as well. Don't be afraid to mix things up either -- if you like bananas and blueberries, use those. Use a small to medium portion of fruit (like pictured above, or a whole banana broken up).

Step 2:

If the fruit you are using is frozen, thaw it for 45 seconds to a minute. You want the fruit thawed, not warm!

Step 3:

Measure 3/4 cup vanilla soy milk. 1 cup of the vanilla soy milk I use has 120 calories, 6g protein, 50% vitamin B12 (percent daily value), and 30% calcium (percent daily value)... It is great stuff!

Step 4:

Scoop one scoop of protein powder! 1 scoop of the vanilla Whey Protein powder I use had 120 calories, 25g protein, and 200 mg calcium or 20% (percent daily value)

Step 5 (Optional):

Add a spoonful of flax seed. You definitely don't have to add this to your shake, and note that it will add a different texture to it. It took me a while to get used to! But if you don't use it on cereal or spaghetti already, do it. It is basically tasteless and the health benefits of it are endless. (More information here)

Step 6:

Add all of your ingredients to the blender! I put the soy milk in first so the protein powder doesn't clunk (for lack of a better word haha) up at the bottom.

Step 7:

Once you've added all of the ingredients, BLEND! You want to blend it until it is all mixed together, but not too thin (it is a shake, remember)!

Step 8:

It should look a little something like this when it is all blended and ready to pour.

Step 9:

Pour it into your glass, and enjoy! I think you guys will be surprised at how filling it really is... I can replace my breakfast with it and be fine until lunch time. Enjoy, and let me know what you think :)

Things to note:
- Don't be afraid to mix this recipe up a little. This is how I personally make them, but making small adjustments to the recipe to fit what you like is okay!
- Fresh fruit is not better for you than frozen fruit -- let's make sure this is clear. Frozen fruits are processed at their peak in terms of freshness and nutrition, meaning they are preserved at that peak point and will not go bad in a week or so like most fresh fruits. I keep a bag of mixed frozen fruits in my freezer all the time for smoothies or just snacking on!
- If you are using flax seed, I recommend washing the cup you used right away because the ground seeds stick on glass like you wouldn't believe!

Friday Night Jewelry

Good evening, everyone! I hope you will all be too busy to read this because you are out doing exciting things with friends and stuff, but I thought I would share with you the jewelry I bought today :)

Like I mentioned in this post, I have wanted to buy some bangles for so long! I finally found some I loved at Aldo Accessories, as well as an adorable owl ring.

Isn't the ring cute? Would you wear a ring like this, or am I just always drawn to tacky jewelry haha?

Enjoy the rest of your evenings! Unfortunately I have to study for an exam coming up this weekend... Wish me luck!

What Do You Want To Do Before You Die?

Really think about it.

If you could only do ONE more thing before you died, what would it be?

I came across these images of a project Candy Ching created for the citizens of New Orleans. It is exactly what it looks like -- A giant chalkboard! People are welcomed to write one thing that they want to do before they die. It is like a massive bucket list. Check out the full sized images and more on Candy's website.

Also, if you have yet to see this short film by Ien Chi called "Tick Tock" asking us what we would do if we had five minutes to live. Go watch, and have an amazing night!

P.S. I know things have been slow, but more stuff is on the way soon :)

Book Carvings

Brian Dettmer, an artist living in Atlanta, GA, has a very unique talent. He turns books into very creative pieces of art by carving one page at a time.

I stumbled across this article from My Modern Met and I had to show you guys a few images of Dettmer's. They are absolutely incredible! My only concern is that the books are being stripped from their original purpose, but innovation is always fun to see.

All photos were found on Dettmer's website, where you can browse more of his work.

Raphael, 2008

Modern Painters, 2008

Integrated Electronics, 2008

Libraries of Health, 2008

On My Way!

Hello :) Aren't you all excited that it is Friday? What are you doing this weekend?

I have had a very uneventful "Reading Week" that has consisted most of appointments and sleeping. For those of you who are on your spring breaks now, what have you done? Traveled anywhere exciting?

Today I had a 40-minute phone appointment with my wonderful nutritionist Leanne (I saw her twice over a year ago, she is wonderful) to talk to her about switching to a vegan diet. My concerns were I would not have enough options and I would not be getting enough nutrients that I need, but we talked things through and she gave me the go ahead to try the lifestyle out.

I am currently taking a multi-vitamin, vitamin D and iron supplement daily, but she suggested that I start taking an Omega-3 supplement. Do any of you take those? Apparently fish are a very important source of Omega-3 that you cannot find in flax seed or anything else, which I did not know about!

I need to make sure, per day, I have 18mg iron, 60g protein, 60g fat, and 1000mg calcium. I love hearing numbers so I can make sure that I know I am getting enough, rather than just guessing. She also recommended the book Eat, Drink and Be Vegan by Dreena Burton for some excellent vegan recipes and food choices.


Are any of you on a vegan diet right now? I am sure going to miss the cheese (cheese is my favourite food) but this seems like the right choice for me :) I will keep you all posted throughout the transition! I have had a completely vegan day so far today.

Bangles

Day Colour Bangles

I have yet to buy myself a nice set of bangles. I think they are adorable and very simple, and can definitely complete an outfit.

I fell in love with this set as soon as I saw them (although they are approximately $120 CAD, and I could never afford them haha) and think the contrast between each bangle is perfect. They are so different from one another, but I don't think they would work individually at all.

Do you wear bangles? What kinds?

More bangles I would love to have:
- Claudia Bangles
- Annette Bangle Set
- Textured Tribal Bangle
- Enamel Bangle Set

The Hangover 2

Well, I wouldn't get your hopes up.

I understand this is only a "teaser" trailer, and I really shouldn't base the whole movie on what I have seen, but this looks really pathetic.

When a movie does as well as The Hangover, all they seem to think about is how much money they can make with a sequel, which ruins everything (most times). The Hangover 2 comes out on May 26th, but I doubt I will go to see it in theatres.

Who knows... maybe it will be really funny, and I will be really wrong? (I doubt it).

What do you think? Is this something you are looking forward to seeing in theatres, or will you wait until it is released on Netflix.. or in the $10 bin at Walmart..?

I'm a Mormon

This is obvious, but everything around us is becoming more modern by the minute.

I am one of the people who use YouTube every single day as a tool to keep up with news, find music, or simply have a few laughs. According to the YouTube Fact Sheet, "people are watching 2 billion videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube."

2 billion videos a day are being watched. 2 billion.

For the past little while, YouTube has been placing 30-second video advertisements prior to several videos as a way to make money. This means that there are probably over 1 billion advertisements watched a day (just a guess).

Last week, Cody mentioned he saw an advertisement before a video about a man being a Mormon. I thought this was very odd and had yet to see it myself, but stumbled upon it earlier this week. Have you seen the ads?

Now, I want to make it clear that this blog post is not to judge or criticize another person's beliefs -- that would never be my intention. But in my personal opinion, what Mormon.org has done with advertising on YouTube is very tasteless.

The videos themselves are quite nice actually (watch them here), and represent several different people's lives. Up until the very end, you would never have any clue what the actors were going to say about themselves. The videos are not the thing that I find tasteless.

What is tasteless to me is how many people are being forced to watch a religious advertisement before they watch something on YouTube that may be completely unrelated. I went to find a Dallas Green video about 20 minutes ago and had to sit through this advertisement first. Is this right? Should I have to watch something about a specific religion that has nothing to do with me, or what I am going to be watching?

Let me put it this way -- what if the ads we had to watch were about Atheism? I feel as though there would be an uproar of complaints if people had to sit and listen to any other type of religion. Even if my personal beliefs were being advertised, I would still feel the same way because I do not think it is something that should be advertised.

I understand that Mormon.org is trying to avoid religion entirely to show people it is okay to believe in God, and they are your average every day people. That said, I'm pretty sure most people understand that.

My point is, I think that religion is very personal and it should not be something that is advertised. Being a Mormon may be an excellent choice for a variety of people, but it is not right for others, and we shouldn't be forced to sit through it before watching something completely unrelated. I think their approach is much more modern and is certainly raising some awareness and attention (they did their job?) but the approach will make some people very uncomfortable and I think the ads are unnecessary.

What do you think? Do you think the more modern approach is tasteless or tasteful? Do you feel that religion is something that should be advertised on YouTube, or should YouTube be relating their ads to the videos we are going to be watching? I'd love to hear your feedback!

Just An Update...

Hello :) I hope you are all having a wonderful day so far!

Things are going to be a lot slower on The Sweaty Hands in the next week or so because I have been doing a lot of research about what I can and cannot post, and I have been breaking a lot of rules (oops!) So in the future, you can expect a lot more original content from me, and not just interesting things I've found on the internet and want to share.

Thank you all for reading. The response to The Sweaty Hands in just 6 days has been incredible :)

Talk to you all soon!

P.S. If you want me to write about anything in particular, related to health, fashion, home decor, etc... Shoot me an Email or message on Twitter :)

Time Wasting Experiment

I stumbled across Alyson Provax on Etsy, where she has been tracking the time she wastes and turning into beautiful prints.

I don't know if any time is really wasted, but I definitely want some of these prints. They are beautiful!

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A Mix-Tape You Need To Download

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Seriously.

I downloaded this mix-tape this morning, and it has been on repeat since. Created by Miss Moss, this would have been very perfect for any kind of Valentine's Day.

It's called "There's Something About Us" and the title fits perfectly.

Download here.

Tracklist:
1. Yeasayer - I Remember
2. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
3. Alexander - Truth
4. The Middle East - Blood
5. Bloc Party - I Still Remember (Lull's Music Box & Tears Mix)
6. Arctic Monkeys - The Lovers (Acoustic)
7. Death Cab For Cutie - Love Song (The Cure)
8. Bon Iver - Skinny Love (Das Kapital Rerub)
9. Passion Pit - To Kingdom Come
10. RTP - All That's Left (Rac Mix)
11. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Is This Love?
12. Flight Of The Conchords - The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)
13. Radiohead - Thinking About You
14. Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Mix)
15. Daft Punk - Something About Us

P.S. I think number 13 is my favourite! What is yours?

5-Year Journal

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One of my favourite blogs, A CUP OF JO, has a guest blogger on this week, Miss Moss while Joanne is on vacation. I am really happy that this happened because Miss Moss blogged about this amazing journal/diary this morning that I am dying to have!

This journal asks you one question a day. Once the year is up, you start at the beginning and redo all the questions. There is enough space in the book for 5 years worth of answers, which I think would be incredible to look back on and read what you wrote the year before. It just shows you how much you can change in such a short period of time!

Do any of you write in a journal/diary? I used to quite a bit, and looking back on what I wrote always weirds me out!

Here are some more fun and creative journals I found at Urban Outfitters:

One Sketch A Day

My Life In Graphs

Wreck This Journal