2012

Happy New Year SLaMmers!!!

A Sparkling Almond

Almond Creek Sparkling Wine

My choice for a bow basher come midnight New Year's Eve is Almond Creek Sparkling Wine from Trader Joe's. It's definitely no Cristal, Dom Pérignon or even a Veuve Clicquot but at $5.99 a bottle it doesn't have to be.

If you primarily use bubbly to boost your reputation, save a bottle for the next time your accountant stops by; he'll think you're a rockstar.

Advanced Swim Workout

WARM-UP

• 400 swim

• 300 kick

• 200 pull

• 100 i.m.

WORKOUT

• 6x150 (50 scull/50 drill/50swim) 2:30

• 6x100 kick fast 1:35

• 6x50 kick fast :50

• 400 pull

• 4x75 fly descend 1-4 1:15

• 4x75 back descend 1-4 1:10

• 4x75 breast descend 1-4 1:15

• 4x75 free descend 1-4 1:05

• 400 pull

• 4x50 fly descend 1-4 :50

• 4x50 back descend 1-4 :45

• 4x50 breast descend 1-4 :50

• 4x50 free descend 1-4 :40

WARM-DOWN

• 400 easy

TOTAL: 6,000 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Fashion-Five Countdown

From sites with great deals on the latest fashion items to blogs where I find inspiration, here's a list of where I love to spend my free time on the internet:

5 - www.cupcakesandcashmere.com            

This is a very popular blog that might already be familiar to you. It’s written by “Emily” who’s a fashionista at heart but blogs about everything from her favorite recipes (there is an amazing one for cake pops right now!) to ways to re-vamp a home office or living room with cheap and easy improvements. She posts regularly about her outfits and how she pairs certain accessories with different clothing options.

4 - www.shopstyle.com

This is one of my FAVORITE shopping websites and I sometimes wonder if it’s because the site is so organized and easy to shop on (which is very important to the web customer) or if it’s the great deals; regardless, perhaps the best feature of SHOPSTYLE is that it allows you to shop in outfits so you can find deals on everything in your outfit. I think it is safe to say I have spent many, MANY hours clicking through the pages of evening and cocktail red-carpet gowns … hey, a girl can dream! 

3 - www.honestlywtf.com

Taking a different approach than the previous two, this blog has an entire section for DIY arts and crafts for different kinds of fashion pieces. Recently my friend who lives in Nashville and I simultaneously made chevron friendship bracelets from the instructions on Honestly WTF and sent them to each other. You might be thinking it seems childish but it’s the little things like getting a hand made gift from someone close to you that that can make your entire day. (YES, I am 25 and still LOVE my little girl hobby!)

2 - www.self.com

I LOVE this site! If you have ever read the magazine "Self", then you should definitely get your hands on this web-version of the popular women's health, beauty, and fitness go-to monthly read. My favorite part about this website is that it radiates positivity. I love that I can read up on every worry that a woman has about her body or lifestyle and more importantly the solutions to those worries. You can even pick up a few dry-land exercises for those rainy day indoor workouts.

1 - www.wwd.com

When I was studying at FIDM, they introduced us to the Women’s Wear Daily website and we were fortunate to have full access to it to on a regular basis for free. Normally you have to sign up and pay a small monthly fee to get access to all parts of the website. Without a membership, you can still see all the latest fashion news from all over the globe, trends for next year, recent runway shows from Paris, even careers in the fashion world but I highly recommend paying for full access. It’s such an unbelievably powerful website; one I would be absolutely lost without!

-By guest blogger Caroline Stilwell Burckle

Zona Snow

Snow WomanLens Bound SnowballThe fam and I jumped in our truck and made the short drive up Mt. Lemmon  several days ago to play in the snow and to be quite honest I'm not sure who had the most fun; unsurprisingly, Blaise thoroughly enjoyed the snowball fights.

The trip isn't a tradition for us yet but I have a feeling it's going to be. 

Radiohead In My Ears

A few of my favorite songs from one of the best bands ever…

There, There - Hail to Thief

I Am a Wicked Child - Com Lag: 2+2=5

Codex - The King of Limbs

15 Step - In Rainbows

Everything In Its Right Place - Kid A

Punchdrunk Lovesick Singalong - My Iron Lung

Climbing Up the Walls (Zero 7 Mix) - Karma Police (CD 2) - EP

Staircase - The Daily Mail / Staircase - Single

Fog - Knives Out (CD 1) - EP

Meeting In the Aisle - Airbag / How Am I Driving? - EP

Intermediate Workout

WARM-UP

300 swim

300 kick

300 pull

WORKOUT

200 kick 4:00

4x100 pull 1:30

200 kick 4:00

3x100 pull 1:30

200 kick 4:00

2x100 pull 1:30

200 kick 4:00

1x100 pull 1:30

8x25 (1fly/1no breath) :50

WARM-DOWN

200 easy

TOTAL: 3,100 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Advanced Workout

WARM-UP

400 swim

400 kick

400 pull

400 swim

WORKOUT

5x100 1:15 free - interval dictates speed

5x100 1:10 free - interval dictates speed

5x100 1:05 free - interval dictates speed

100 easy

16x75 1:10 - 4 of each stroke

100 easy

20x25 :40 - no breath every other lap

WARM-DOWN

400 easy

Total: 5,400 yd.

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Novice Workout

WARM-UP

• 200 swim

• 100 kick

• 100 pull

WORKOUT

• 200 i.m.

• 100 i.m.

• 4x25 fly :45

• 4x25 back :40

• 4x25 breast :45

• 4x25 free :40

• 2x100 kick 2:00

• 2x100 pull 1:45

• 2x25 no breath/no interval

WARM-DOWN

• 200 easy

TOTAL: 1,750

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Dry Workout

BEFORE JUMPING IN THE POOL:

1x:

• 50 crunches

• 25 right side crunches

• 25 left side crunches

4x:

• 10 lunges

• 10 squats

• 5 push-ups

3x:

• 10 burpees

• 20 sit-ups

• 30 sec. elbow (prone) bridge

4x:

10 v sit-ups

4 pull-ups

1x:

50 choice sit-ups

If you have any questions please ask in the comment section below and remember THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE! If you attempt to follow it you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK! When making any changes to your fitness routine ALWAYS take your personal limits into serious consideration and ABSOLUTELY MAKE SURE you obtain prior approval from a licensed and board certified physician!

Christmas Pageant

Shepherds & Sheep

Holiday Beauty

Ladies, for an adorable holiday nail idea from a great blog check out the beauty department. Men, pass this on to your ladies for some brownie points.