Happy Fitness Friday! :)

Not only is it Friday, it's also the start of a long weekend *YAY!*

A few weeks back I challenged everyone to join in on Lauren Conrad's 30 Day Ab Challenge!

If you don't recall you can read the post HERE!

Basically, each day you were challenged to up your game a bit.

Doing it a little each day made the transition seem like absolutely nothing.

To top it off, knowing that other people are out there doing the same thing that you are is great motivation to keep up with it!

Along with other exercises (Sworkit, Running etc.), I have been making it a point to eat as healthily and clean as possible!

Ever since my Whole30 Experience (Post can be found HERE) I have been determined to keep that way of life as prominent as I can, while also cooking for a husband and two small children.

Basically, I do my best to cut out any and all bad carbs/added sugars etc. for breakfast and lunch. For dinner I usually do my best to keep carbs/added sugars etc. as low as possible, but again, cooking for a husband and two little boys, it can get a little tricky at times.

Of course when we go out I don't really pay too much attention to what everything has in it and maybe I should try harder in that, however we don't go out that often so I don't feel too guilty.

Honestly, I can tell a HUGE difference just in the eating department!

I can totally see why people say, "It's more important to worry about your diet then worry about the gym and working out later."

Food is the key my friends!

Anyway, back to the Ab Challenge.

I really enjoyed it!

It wasn't too intense or ridiculous and it was very easy to keep up with every day!

I was able to get in the quick workout here and there even with the little ones running & crawling around, again another reason I was able to complete this challenge quite easily!

Here is my Before (taken June 1st) & After (taken June 30th)

I can honestly say that I do believe having this challenge encouraged my to get my butt in gear in the working out department, however like I said before what I have been eating has had the largest impact on my overall health, wellness and weightloss!

How did you do with the challenge?! I'd love to hear all about it and even see some of your Before/Afters!! Leave a link in the comments or shoot me an email and we can chat!!

Happy Holiday Weekend, Everyone!!

Every now and then I come across a brand that I just know that I want to work with.

Arch Apparel located in St. Louis was absolutely one of them.

I can't tell you enough just how much I love everything that this company has to offer.

Seriously, this tee shirt has easily become one of my absolute favorites to wear all the time, it's just so comfortable and soft, I have to make myself take it off!

Being a Mom of two little boys, tee shirts and jean shorts are pretty much my uniform every single day. So it makes it so easy to just grab for my STL tee!

Shirt : Arch Apparel (c/o) || Shorts : Old, Similar Here || Sunglasses || Shoes : Old, Similar Here

I can't wait to add to my closet with more clothing from Arch Apparel!

Here are just a few of my favorites...

1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 

I hope you enjoy and check out their website, jump on the STL bandwagon (even if you don't live here, it's cool!)

Be sure to check them out on all their other social media as well for outfit inspiration and new products!

Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || Website

Cheers!

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Happy Monday, all!!!

In case you weren't aware, today is NATIONAL SUNGLASSES DAY.

To honor this day our Summer Workout Series is all about Sweating in the Sun!

Cheers!

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**This is not a sponsored post at all... I bought this watch because I saw tons of great reviews on Amazon and wanted a tracking watch**

Okay, with that said here are my thoughts on the Polar FT60 Heart Rate Monitor

First off I have to say I researched a lot of different calorie trackers and my first choice was the FitBit. I had heard things here and there about the FitBit but upon further reading it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I didn't want it to just track my steps, however I wanted something that would be able to track other activities outside of running or biking such as strength training.

The FitBit is awesome for what it is and I have friends who absolutely love theirs, and I'm sure I would have loved it too had I gone that route.

So onto my Polar watch. Man do I love this thing. Seriously, no matter what workout activity I am doing I put this baby on and get a much more accurate idea of the amount of calories I burned during said workout.

**View from my morning runs!**

I was nervous at first since it comes with a chest strap that you have to put on before starting to workout. This tracks your heart rate thus giving you a more accurate reading of your calories. I thought it would annoy me and feel uncomfortable. However once it's on I forget that it's there. I come home from running or any other activity and I keep it on because I forget that it's there. So as far as that aspect of the Polar watches, it's really a non-issue and if that's what's holding you back, don't let it, I promise it's not bad at all!

**I never run without it**

Also the style of this series of Polar was one of my favorites. I was looking for a sleek design and wasn't too worried about size, since it is rather large. I was looking for white and clean looking which this watch completely captures the exact look I was going for. I also wear this watch throughout my everyday life as well, without the chest strap of course, when running errands or out with the boys. It's large display makes it easy to glance quickly and see the time rather than rummaging through my bags for my phone! I sort of feel naked without it now!

There are plenty of other generations of the Polar watches and the newer ones look absolutely awesome as well and one day I may trade up but for now, I couldn't have made a better decision on going with this watch and would highly suggest it to anyone looking for a sports tracking watch!

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR OWN POLAR FT60 WATCH TODAY!

I hope this helps anyone who is looking to buy an activity tracking watch! Please let me know in the comments what your favorite watches are or if you have tried one of these Polar watches yourself! I'd love to hear any and all feedback!

Cheers!

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So if you're anything like me you have a ton of old wine corks stuffed away in a drawer somewhere just collecting dust.

I had been collecting for a few years now and have never really had anything to do with them, however I refused to throw them away.

I finally decided to drag them out and actually do something with them.

I had seen these letters that were made using wine corks all over Pinterest and beyond. I had never really paid much attention to how they were made, but it couldn't be too hard, right?!

Right!

I grabbed my glue gun, my wine corks and a small "L" I had leftover from another project that just didn't pan out.

Now I am going to share it with you in hopes of inspiring you to make one of these yourself or for someone you know!

What You'll Need:

1. Wine corks, quite a few!!

2. Letter of choice. I had an "L" I had purchased from Michaels for a couple of bucks.

3. Hot glue gun.

What You'll Do:

Step 1: Gather supplies.

Step 2: Put the hot glue on the back of your wine corks and start placing them on the letter.

Step 3: Show off and display!

And voila!!

Seriously, this is SUCH a simple and fast craft. I couldn't be happier with the results and it fits the aesthetics of our kitchen just perfectly!

What are your go-to crafts or things to do with your left over wine corks?!

If you give this a try please let me know, tag me on any social media or shoot me an email with your final project! I'd love to see them all!

Cheers!

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