How Do I Get the Most Out of My Workout?

Pre and Post-Workout

Want to hear something pretty cool? This past week, I had a fitness brand out of North Caroline hit me up to write a post about what I do before and after my workout to get the most out of it. As this was something I wanted to cover anyway, I was like, "well, why the hell not?" 

Disclaimer: If you know nothing about me, let's get acquainted. I am not a fitness expert. I am just a girl with anxiety that does a bit of research and really doesn't want to have to resort to medications. Nice to meet you. (:

Let's get back to the topic at hand. The brand? ETB Fit. As I said, they're based out of North Carolina, where they have a store full of high-quality fitness goodies. I've done a bit of perusing on the site, and, from what I'm seeing, they are all about not adding random things to your supplements. They state that all of their ingredients are listed on the packaging. No additives, no fillers, no junk. 

What you eat is important.

I have a very sedentary job, and all I hear all day is crunching. Chips, crackers, candy, etc. It's scary, guys, and it's a huge motivator. I don't want that. In fact, I hate sitting all day. So, to keep from munching all day, I have my meals and snacks on a schedule. Same time every day.

Now, keep in mind I get up at 4:30am throughout the week. Almost every morning for breakfast, I have a whole wheat tortilla with a small amount of cheese and an egg. It's my simple, go-to breakfast.  Breakfast is around 5:20-30am. I'll also either make an iced coffee or pick one up at Starbucks on my way to work. Sue me, it's the only not clean thing I can't give up. Around 8:30-9am, I'm getting hungry. So, I'll either have a banana or I pack a greek yogurt cup or some veggies and hummus; just something light. 10:30 is my lunch time. 

Now, I typically go to the gym straight from work. By 3pm, I'm changed and on my way to an elliptical. The problem is, I can't workout if I've just eaten, and I can't workout if I'm starving. I'm typically too preoccupied by my full/hungry belly. So, around 1-1:30, I'll have a protein bar. I've been in love with the Promax protein bars lately. No joke, check out my drawer:

They're soooo good. Clearly, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough is my favorite. 7g fat, 37g carbs, and 20g protein. I could probably pick out a better one, but it's so good, ok?

You'll only get out of your workout what you put in.

If you're dreading your workout, chances are, it's not going to be a great workout. Same goes for if you're just tired. Which is where I am on a normal day by 2:30pm. I'm ready to lay in bed. Some days, I'll get lucky, and I'll be really motivated to get to the gym. Those are good days. On not so good days, I help myself out with some pre workout. Now, I'm currently using a "generic" (I guess) brand, because I was worried about how the pre workout would interact with my anxiety. Of course, the first time I used it, I was so worried about my heart rate getting too high that I triggered my own anxiety. However, with a few more uses, I realized I was fine. And it helps so much. Now that I know I won't stroke out after using it, I'm definitely into trying some new kinds. EBT's Uncaged 2.5 might be that next one, because it's fruit punch flavored. Yum. And again, no fillers, artificial colors, or dyes.

It's also a good idea to have some music going that keeps you motivated throughout your workout. I personally prefer hardcore music. Favorites? August Burns Red, blessthefall, We Came as Romans, Underoath. Anything with a pretty fast drum and some cymbal-crashes. It seriously helps when I'm running, and I think I might die. Or fall.
If that's not your jam, load your phone with your favorite dance, hip hop, pop, whatever music. Anything that keeps you going!

Change up that routine.

Basically, your body is going to get used to doing the same routines week after week, and you'll stop seeing results. My week typically goes: arm day, leg day, arm day, leg day. I have different workouts for each of those days to work on different muscle groups. After about a month of doing those routines, it starts to feel easier. That's when I know it's time to change it up.

Look around the gym. Join a group fitness class. Find a new machine you've never tried. Or, for me, one I've been wishing my gym had. If I had taken the time to glance around, I'd have known they did. Now, I can't wait for leg day so I can use it! Either way, changing up your routine keeps you from getting bored in your workouts. 

Set small goals during your workout. I have a polar watch that tracks my calories I'm burning. Every workout is a competition with the last. I want to either do better or get pretty close to that last number.

If all other forms of motivation fail, make an inspiration board. Cut out photos that inspire you, whether it's quotes, pictures, or your ideal body.

How do you guys stay motivated?

Make It Monday: Dinner Edition

Basil Lemon Butter Cheese Ravioli

Sometimes, you need a delicious, not-at-all-clean dinner.

Seriously. Sometimes, you just need comfort... and food. In the form of pasta. Everyone loves pasta. The boyfriend especially. The kid could live on cheese ravioli and not gain a pound. It's really annoying. This is by far his favorite meal. Since I found this recipe, he's requested it several times. I can't blame him, though. I always feel like it's really fancy when I make it! Except, it's really not. It's cheap, easy, and quick. Perfect for a Sunday night dinner!

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli

1/2 c. butter (I use Land o' Lakes w/ olive oil)

1 shallot, minced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil

Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Extra basil, for garnish, optional

How To:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli until done, approximately 7 minutes. The ravioli will float when done. Toss those in a colander. To keep this a one-pot meal, using the same pot, melt the butter. Sauté the shallot and garlic until tender. Mix in the lemon juice, zest, and basil. Let that simmer for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to let the flavors combine. Return the ravioli to the pot, and toss to combine the ingredients.

Serve it up hot with Parmesan and a little extra basil!

That's it. See how simple that is? And don't you feel fancy?

Enjoy!

Tarte Energy Noir Palette

True Life: I'm Obsessed with Fall Makeup

Seriously, though, I'm obsessed with fall everything. 

Oxblood, flannels, vampy lips, vampy eyes, porcelain skin, combat boots, black skinny jeans, crunchy leaves, cool breeze... Need I continue? Have I gotten it across that I live for fall?

Tarte's new fall palette is this gorgeous Energy Noir clay palette. Take a deep breath, because I'm about to gush about how perfect it is. Preface: I love Tarte.

Let's get some swatches in here.

Look. At. Those. They're so pretty. Look how well that highlighter goes with the blush! *sigh*

Ok, so let's break this palette down. The top left six shades are all eye shadows. 4 matte shades and 2 shimmer shades. The bottom 2 left rectangles are shadow liners. Obviously, the large one is the blush, and the rectangle under that is the highlight.

Shadows

The shadows are really pretty. In the matte shades, there's a white, a nice grayish shade, a deep brown, and a lilac mauve. All these shades are highly pigmented and really true to color. I think I've used 3 of these shadows in a look already, and they are so easy to blend. If you've used the Tartelette matte palette, these mattes are to par with those. They're wonderful.

The two shimmers are in the center, and I'm in love with them. Charged Up has different hints when you're in different lighting. It looks like a nice gray shimmer, but in the swatch it almost looks like a taupe-y nude. Up to Slate does the same thing. It's a silvery purple shimmer. Both of these are so creamy and so easy to blend into the mattes.

I personally don't feel like they have any more fall out than other shadows.  They just go so well together, and I can't handle it.

Liners

These are also matte, clearly. I actually haven't used them as liners. I've blended that Power Plum into my outer corner, though, and it's wonderful. They do feel a little drier than the shadows, so I think if you wet an angled brush, they'd make a perfect subtle or deeper liner. Definitely something you could build on. 

Blush

This blush is gorgeous. Gorgeous. It's so, so highly pigmented. You only need a tiny bit to get it done. I feel like it has a hint of mauve in it, which is perfect for fall.

Highlighter

I've only recently become a highlighter fan. Like, really recent. Maybe 2 months ago. This one is more on the champagne side, and it just compliments the blush perfectly. I currently have a tan (ugh!), but once I get back to my lighter tone, I think it'll look perfect. As I'm just starting to like highlighting my face, I'm not on board with "strobing." BUT I bet this shade would be great for it this summer, because it's really pigmented, creamy, and just really bright when applied.

Unfiltered photos of me using the palette.

All over the lid and up to the brow bone: Stone Unturned

Transition shade: Misty Mauve

Inner and outer corner: Dark Drive & Power Plum

Center of the lid: Charged Up

Blush on the cheeks.

The palette is currently for sale online, at Ulta, Sephora, and Tarte (obviously). It's supposed to be hitting shelves on the 23rd, this Thursday.

What are you ladies thinking? Anyone going to pick it up?!

Current Routine

Health / Fitness

Health

So, you guys know I've been a vegetarian for like, 4-5 years now. I do my best to stick to that, there are times when I have my moments, and honestly, if I lived near the ocean, I'd probably be a pescatarian. Don't prosecute me! I much prefer the vegetarian life over meat. It just a generally lighter feeling. I don't feel over stuffed or gross after I eat. Recently, I've been doing clean-eating (or ya know, mostly). 

If you don't know what clean eating is, it's simply eating non-processed foods. My grocery cart is typically at least 50% fresh fruits and vegetables. No white bread or white rice. Typically, if you don't know what the ingredients in something are, it's not clean. It's really not that hard. But I love my sweets, let's be honest. So, through the week, I eat as clean as possible, and on the weekends, I'll allow small treats here and there. Not too bad. But let's be real here. I'm not giving up my morning grande caramel soy iced coffee. Nope, I can't do it. 

If you're interested in getting started in clean eating, check out Fit Girl's Guide. I found them while perusing through fitness things on Instagram, and guys. There is no body shaming in this community. Every single person in that community is just ridiculously motivating and positive. It's really great. (:

Fitness

In the last three to four weeks, I've changed up my workout routine. I was following a 12-week guide from Fit Affinity, and while I really liked all the weight-lifting, I wanted to start seeing slimming results faster. I'm impatient, ok? So, now, I've been doing 30 minutes of cardio 4 days a week, as well as 45-ish minutes of abs and arms/legs. This has been really working for me. Within these 3 weeks, I've already noticed my work pants fitting more loosely, which is just so motivating. So, I'm going to keep that motivation and momentum up. Keep in mind that everyone's body is different and finding what works for you is what's important.

Here's a sample of my typical leg day:

• Cardio. I  typically do 30 minutes on the elliptical with the setting on interval hill. During the lower resistance time, I keep my speed around 6-7mph. During the higher resistance time, I speed up to stay in the 10-11mph range. Seriously gets your heart rate up, and the intervals kick up the amount of calories you're burning.
• Stretch. I do a few minutes of stretching my legs and arms out after cardio.
• Abs. I alternate daily between abs and obliques (sides). On the days when I do abs, I'll typically do weighted sit ups (with a 10 lb. plate), leg lifts, and reverse crunches.
• Legs. If you guys don't know, I love leg day. It's just my favorite thing to work on. Lately, I've been doing pyramid reps of squats. So, 10 times at one weight, add some weight and do 8, add more and do 6, add more and do 4, then back to 6, 8, and 10.  I'll also do hip abductors/adductors, and weighted lunges.

Typically, my workouts last 1-1.25 hours, and I don't find this to be unreasonable.  Each week, I'll typically workout Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, 2 days of arms and 2 days of legs. Abs and cardio happen on every day. Which, can I just say, I loathe abs. I don't even want them, but I do want a smaller waist, so...

I'm surely not claiming to be a health expert (I'm definitely not). These are just the things that seem to be working for me lately!

DIY Marble Coasters

Fact: I have to start my day with coffee. Otherwise, I nod off at my desk.

Hello, my name is Tori, and I'm addicted to coffee. Iced coffee. It's a very rare occasion that I actually drink hot coffee. Like, it has to be the middle of winter in Ohio, and a cup of Cafe Verona. 

My cubicle has these cute little water rings all over my desk from my iced drinks. So, I thought it was about time I found some coasters for my cube. But not just any coasters, of course. They have to be cute and colorful, and preferably shiny. I've got this current obsession with gold leafing and just whatever you can find me that is shiny and gold.

Enter DIY.

What you need:

Sculpey clay of various colors

Exacto knife

Large jar (or something with a large circle opening)

Baking sheet

Oven (;
Liquid gold leafing
Paint brush
Clear coat of enamel or clear spray paint (optional)

How to:

Break off a few nice chunks of colors that you like. The already rolled one is the scraps of a previously made coaster.

Roll all pieces out.

Wrap the colors together.

Roll the wrapped up colors until it's a smooth cylinder.

Put the ends together, and twist them together again.

Roll that out until smooth again.

Form into a ball.

Roll that thang out, and look at your pretty colors! Decide what side you like better, and place your large circular object in that spot. Now, take your exacto knife, and cut around the edges. I saved the scraps, and rolled them into their own cylinder to use in my next coaster!

Pop your pretty creations into the oven at 275 for about 30 minutes. Once they're completely cooled off, paint the edges of the coasters as you like. I'm personally not a fan of perfection, so the gold is in various thicknesses around the coaster.

At this step, you can certainly add a clear coat of enamel or clear spray paint if you want them glossy. I'm going to do that, but it was torrential downpour on my way home from work, and I didn't feel like running out there. (;

So, here's the finished product! They look great, and I love them. They would make great gifts, too! Plus, if you have kids, kill two birds with one stone. This would be entertaining for them while they help make pretty things!
If you guys make these, I seriously want to see them! Leave pictures or just comment on how it went! (:

Makeup Haul

Ulta, Nordstrom Rack, and BirchBox

*Credit to the boyfriend for finding the perfect meme.

Ulta

Nyx Pristmatic Eye Shadow in Frostbite. This is my second of these shadows, and I just love it. It's this iridescent purple-y white. Ugh. The texture of this shadow is ridiculously silky. If you're ever perusing Ulta, touch them. They have crazy high pigment. I also have it in the shade Mermaid, but that has more of the shimmer/glitter texture. Not mad, because the color is gorgeous.

In the picture below, I have it on top of the next product.

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in Lavender and Rust. So, the lavender is just that. A super soft purple that I bought solely because it brought out the purple tones in the Frostbite shadow. I seriously love the two together! I also bought the rust to go under a shadow as well. I've been loving red shadows. Is it fall yet? The pencils blend out really nicely, and they come in so many shades. My only problem is sharpening them. I've watched the little hacks, but I've yet to successfully sharpen it.

Left to right swatches: Lavender jumbo pencil, Rust jumbo pencil, Frostbite shadow from above.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in Transylvania. I wish I could convey how much I love a dark lip.  Like, a dark lip in fall with porcelain skin is my perfect look. I now have two of these, because I thought I lost the original that I scoured the Earth for. Literally, it was sold out for months. I also can't tell you how much I love these matte lip creams. I'm not a fan of glossy lips, so these are perfect. They last a good amount of time, but they're also easy to tuck in your purse and touch up when you need to.  So, Transylvania is a deep red with some purple undertones. It's actual perfection.
Here it is in all of it's glory:

Nordstrom Rack

Stila Coming Clean Revitalizing Gel Cleanser. Anyone else think of Hilary Duff's "Coming Clean" song? No... just me? There was a time when I got the Stila Face the Day moisturizer, and I was in love with it. Really liked it. So when I was browsing the make up at Nordstrom Rack, I saw this and just grabbed it. Let me just say that since I've starting using this, Tea Tree Water and 9 to 5 from LUSH, my skin has actually been looking clearer. Way less breakouts, guys, and that's important!


Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Revolver. So, this one, I just took a gamble on. It's a gunmetal color, which I love. However, it does have a metallic finish. I'm so-so on that so far. I've only tried it on a darker shadow look (you'll see below), but I think it would look way better on a lighter look. It definitely doesn't budge, though!

BirchBox

Leaving the best for last, because I got so many great things. *insert heart eyeballs emoji here*

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit in Light to Medium. I've been itching to get a contour kit for quite some time now, and I'm so glad I held out for it. The colors blend nicely, and they aren't too, too orange for a pale girl. I come across that a lot, and no thanks to the orange skin! I'm just overall really happy that I can do a more natural contour or a more dramatic one depending on how I'm feeling.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe. Here's another product I just had to have. Basically everybody on YouTube uses this, and it always looks so flawless. Not only can you make your brows look really natural, but it also holds your them down and in place. I learned really quick that you only need the tiniest amount to get the whole brow done. It looked like a took a taupe sharpie to my face the first time. Not cute.

Coastal Scents Revealed 2 palette. This is the baby of the haul. I'm just so happy with it. Originally, I bought this for that deep red color in the bottom row. (4th in from the right) However, upon swatching, I'm literally in love with this palette. It's going to be a staple for fall, for sure. Tons of mauves, reds, browns, and golds. 

Here is that gorgeous red in action. Seriously, can you handle it? I can't. I've also got on the Urban Decay liner and contour palette, because it was all new, and I just had to play with it all!

What are some of your favorite recent purchases?!

My Current Beauty Favorites

Batiste Dry Shampoo

Dry shampoo is a necessity for me, unless I feel like washing my hair every night. (Which I don't) Basically, my head is a grease pot on the 24-hour dot. It's real cute. I've tried quite a few dry shampoos and this is by far the best I've tried.  Currently, I have (L to R) Refresh, Original, and Wild. I usually have a bunch of the Wild scent, but they always seem to run low on that at Ulta, so I trapped the other 2. Totally in love with Refresh now.

LUSH 9 to 5 and Tea Tree Water 

I love tea tree oil. We've definitely discussed the benefits here.  My skin is mostly oily and has occasional breakouts, mostly when I'm stressing out. Typically, when I wake up in the morning, I've got a nice sheen of oil on my face. Since I've started spritzing with tea tree oil at night and moisturizing with 9 to 5, that's not the case. At night, after I shower and wash my face, I spritz my face with like, 3 to 4 pumps of the Tea Tree Water and massage it in with my hands. Then I rub in a small amount of the 9 to 5 moisturizer. Guys, a little goes a loooong way. It literally melts into your skin without leaving any residue. My skin is ridiculously soft afterwards. Another plus is that it isn't extremely fragrant.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation

I'd been wanting to try this foundation for quite some time when I bought it, and I'm happy to say, it doesn't disappoint. I'm currently using this in the shade Fair Sand. As would be expected from a clay foundation, it has a matte finish, and they have a pretty wide color selection, in my opinion. I typically wear this on the weekends, as like, my special foundation. Mostly due to the price. It stays really well throughout the day, and I typically only have to blot my face once. 

NYX Photo-Loving Primer

Anyone else have some blotchy, red skin, or just naturally rosy cheeks? If so, you need to try a green primer under your foundation. This stuff works wonders. I will say it's a little oily, so you need to make sure to shake it well before applying. But after applied, it doesn't make my skin any more oily than normal. And it helps give me that porcelain look I love. *insert sassy emoji here*

NYX Voluptuous Mascara

More life problems? I have hooded eye. If you're a hooded eye gal, you understand the struggles of opening your eyes after applying mascara or liquid liner. I actually love this NYX mascara so much that I have an extra in my drawer all the time. It has a drier formula, so I don't have to worry about it leaving cute little polka dots on my brow bone if I open my eyes. It also gives my lashes a ton of volume. I usually start with this, then do a second layer with a lengthening mascara. Seriously, I swear by this stuff. If you have any other drier formula mascara's, leave it in the comments! I'm always looking for new mascaras.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer and Cargo Water Resistant Blush

These are both products I discovered through my Birchbox subscription.  A few tries of each of them, and I was totally hooked. So, the Cargo blush is water proof. I can definitely attest to that, since I go straight from work to the gym, and my blush is still right where I put it. I'm using the color Bali. It's just this nice peachy-pink, and I adore it. The Hoola bronzer I use almost daily for my contour. Since I have pretty pale skin, I don't need a super deep bronzer or contour shade. This one is on the lighter end, although, it does have the bronzer quality of being slightly orange. But, it could definitely just look orange against my skin.

Lippies you'll find in my purse:

I have to make a confession. I'm addicted to lipstick. It's a real problem. Not for me, for my boyfriend. It takes me forever when I'm perusing Ulta for new stuff. I'm always drawn to lipsticks, but then I just stand there and stare at them because I can't remember what I have at home. So, these are the ones in my purse alone. I typically go with a more neutral shade during the week, because I'm at work, and it just seems weird to walk in with red lipstick on. To sit in a cubicle. So, let's do this thing from left to right.

Too Faced Melted in Fig. It's this awesome dusty rose color, and it's not too glossy.

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien. It's another rose pink color. I like wearing this under the two NYX lip creams coming up.

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Pretty Social. This one is a lighter, almost sheer, lavender pink. Again, I wear this under a matte cream.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London. This is a darker neutral color. I can basically lightly layer this over any color, and I just love the outcome. I'm not into glossy finishes, if you can't tell.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cairo. This one is a lighter, brighter, peachy neutral. I wear this a lot during the week over the NARS.

NYX High Voltage Lipstick in Flawless. Super pigmented neutral that kind of falls between the two matte creams in color. I wish this line was matte, because they are amazingly pigmented and have some great colors. Again, I just dab a matte cream over it, and I'm good to go.

If you have any favorites that you swear by,  please comment below. I'm so indecisive when I walk into Ulta or Sephora, so something to go off would be great! (;