Travel: From Russia With Love

To set the mood for today's post, I made a latte in the tea cup I got in Russia. 

I've been fascinated with Russia ever since I learned about the Cold War. Have I romanticized it too much? Maybe....but it was no less exciting when I went!

I went on a Baltic Sea cruise in July of 2014, and one of the stops was St. Petersburg for two days. Honestly that was the whole reason I went on the cruise in the first place! If any of you are looking to go, hopefully you will find my experiences useful in your own travels. :)

Adventures in Pin-Up

Greetings Vixens and Beaus!

Since I said I'd write about things other than fitness, I decided to make this post about pin-up. I've always been captivated by the 1940s/50s pin-up art... especially the WWII nose art (originally used to identify friendly units.)

Memphis Belle and Sentimental Journey are probably my two favorites.

                    

That being said, I decided to enter a pin-up contest last summer after moving back to the States. How nerve-racking! I've never done anything like that before and really had no idea what to expect. I tried to do some research on what "competitors" have worn in other contests, how to walk, how to stand out, etc. Unfortunately I didn't find much helpful information. I had to wing it and hope it would work! If you're considering a contest, hopefully you find my experience useful. I'd love to hear your ideas as well!

The Art of Dressing

How I Stay in Shape by Marilyn Monroe

Hello my lovelies,

In an effort to combine my favorite era with one of my favorite activities...exercise... I think Marilyn Monroe's workout routine is the most fitting place to start! While I definitely agree with being active every day, I'm not so sure I'd follow her eating habits.

How I Stay in Shape

"FRANKLY, I've never considered my own figure so exceptional; until quite recently, I seldom gave it any thought at all. My biggest single concern used to be getting enough to eat. Now I have to worry about eating too much. I never used to bother with exercises. Now I spend at least 10 minutes each morning working out with small weights. I have evolved my own exercises, for the muscles I wish to keep firm, and I know they are right for me because I can feel them putting the proper muscles into play as I exercise.

Is Your Desk Job Killing You?

Hello my lovelies,

     If you're like me, you sit and stare at a computer screen all day...isn't it exhausting?? I've never been more aware of how much I sit until I moved to this office. Sure, I sat in all my other offices too, but it's really magnified this time. Why are we always in a rush to sit? We rush to the car to sit in traffic...we rush into work to sit at our desk...we rush back home to sit on the couch and watch tv... It feels good sometimes, but we're damaging our bodies far more than we thought!

     It wasn't until the past 2-3 years (when I started getting into working out) that I realized just how bad sitting for hours upon hours is for us. Like a lot of people, I thought my minimum 30 minutes of exercise was enough to make up for sitting all day. Turns out I was wrong! The pros recommend getting up EVERY HOUR and moving around for at least 10-15 minutes. That doesn’t mean you have to go jog around the building (though please do if you feel the urge!), but simply standing up at your desk and doing a few stretches will do the trick. BOTTOM LINE: KEEP MOVING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
 

     For those of you concerned about the impact a sedentary lifestyle has on you and for ways to combat this “disease”, please keep reading…I’ll try to make it as concise as possible!

What happens when I sit?

 

Immediately:

Yoga You, Yoga Me

     Well I suppose I can't use the excuse of "I'm in the middle of a move" anymore as to why I haven't been posting. To answer your question, no...I haven't been moving since February (my last post--about motivation of all things). And no, I still haven't settled yet either. Do you know how hard it is to write about [insert topic here] when you barely have time to think about it? My September resolution, since New Years is too far away, is to follow through with this! Why did I ever stop? 

     Anyway, here we are. I'm lounging with a glass of wine reading about harmful effects of certain everyday chemicals. If you've never done that before, I highly recommend it. That's slightly sarcastic but I'm also kind of serious. If it doesn't light a fire under you then I don't know what will! That's why I've thought up a new approach...fitness isn't just about the physical aspect. It needs to be holistic [I hate using that word]. Body, mind, spirit, ENVIRONMENT <-- thanks to my aforementioned chemical research.      

     I want to be honest with you right now. I started this particular post in July. JULY! But I never got around to finishing it. While it might not encompass all of the above Pillars of Fitness (I just came up with that and I'm not going to Google it to see if someone else thought of it first!), YOGA does focus on the body/mind/spirit aspects. So here we go...

     I always liked the idea of yoga without actually liking yoga. It seemed really great when wealthy, beautiful TV characters could while away a morning by going to the yoga studio followed by a mimosa-filled brunch. Well I decided I would make that my life! Minus the mimosas and brunch in the middle of the week unfortunately.

Unless it's a mimosa...