Summer Workout Playlist

So I like to go on runs to the lake. Okay, that’s a lie. I do go on runs to the lake, it’s just not an experience that I necessarily like all the time. I’m assuming that I’m not the only one that groans at physical activity. I’m also assuming that I’m not the only one that thinks listening to a great playlist helps ease the pain of working out. Here are some of my favorite workout songs (as of now) to get me excited about maybe looking good this summer.

1.       The New Workout Plan by Kanye West

2. Work Out by J. Cole

3.       Fancy by Iggy Azalea

4.       Wiggle by Jason Derulo feat. Snoop Dogg

5.       Take a Walk by Passion Pit

6.       Settle Down (EMBRZ Remix) by The 1975

7.       I Wanna Get Better by Bleachers

8.       Hands Are Clever by Alex Clare

9.       Come A Little Closer by Cage the Elephant

10.   Hold My Liquor by Kanye West feat. Chief Keef

11.   Sing by Ed Sheeran

12.   Head.Cars.Bending by The 1975

13.   Paris by Magic Man

14.   No Lie by 2 Chainz feat. Drake

15.   Bonfire by Childish Gambino

16.   Miss Teen Massachusetts by SKATERS

17.   Dolce and Gabbana by Riff Raff

18.   Fake You Out by Twenty One Pilots

19.   It’s About Time by Young the Giant

20.   Who Gon Stop Me by Kanye West and Jay Z

21.   Fall In Love by Phantogram

22.   R U Mine? By Arctic Monkeys

23.   Waiting All Night by Rudimental feat. Ella Eyre

24. Drunk In Love (Diplo Remix) by Beyonce

25. Giants by Bear Hands

- Leah

Get Addicted to Yoga!

We have been hearing that yoga is great for your body and mind. Personal trainers say it, celebrities say it, and even random girls that have taken a yoga class before say it. But why is this activity such a thing? Yoga is so popular because it is the perfect example of the Latin quotation, “mens sana in corpore sank," which means that a healthy mind is in a healthy body. In fact, it is proven that it doesn’t only help us being in shape, but it also improves our mental health and well-being.

Physical Benefits

Yoga is a great workout that involves the whole entire body. It stretches your muscles and joints, which will become longer and leaner, and it helps you improving your core strength. It also radically improves your flexibility and makes you sweat A LOT, helping you getting rid of toxins and burning more calories.

Yoga also teaches you how to breathe: it may sound stupid, but although breathing is an involuntary action of our body, it doesn’t mean that we are doing it correctly. Yoga helps you taking slow and deeper breaths, and this breathing technique goes along with relaxation.

Its' active poses are the key for athleticism and wellness. They stimulate muscles and circulation, as well as calmness and concentration. We can see a few of them here, performed by my personal favorite yogi master, Laura Kasperzak (@laurasykora on Instagram).

Mental Benefits

As yoga relaxes your body, sleeping will be easier for you. Insomniacs that have tried yoga before can confirm it. Having less sleepless nights will help you having a better attitude during the day.

While it calms your mind and anxieties, yoga also genuinely makes you happy, boosting your amount of serotonin, a brain chemical that improves your mood and fights depression.

Friendships are built in yoga studios, too: once you will start attending public yoga classes, you will get to know lots of people with your same passion, who could impact your life a lot. People from the “yoga community” love each other! So, as we have seen so far, yoga reduces anxiety, depression, and it helps getting rid of insomnia. Therefore, if you are trying to change your lifestyle and going for healthier option, I certainly recommend you to give yoga a try.

Fashion Spotlight: Yoga Pants

Let’s be honest: who doesn’t love yoga pants? They are comfy, they give our legs a better shape, and they put us in an athletic mood. Here are some of my favorites from Lululemon.

Whether you are feeling stressed, want to work out, or you just want to start something new, yoga is the activity for you!

- Caterina

Start Taking Care of Your Skin

How often do you really take care of your face? Our daily usage of foundation, powder, and other sort of make-up effect skin negatively causing it to look dry, gloomy. Our skin needs vitamins and caring as much as the rest of our body. 

Number one solution is, of course, drinking plenty of water and washing your face every night removing the dirt that gathered throughout the day. Another solution is to use facial mask once a week to give that right nutrition and treatment to your skin. Using a facial mask every Sunday night has become my routine. It does not have to be on a Sunday night, of course. However, it’s easy because it is the end of the week and you want to start your new week with bright, healthier skin. My routine is take a shower, get everything for the next day, and put on my face mask. By using face mask once a week, your skin gets the essential vitamins and nutrition for the week. As a result, you have a glowing, healthy skin.

There are many types of facial masks. I’ve tried many facial masks and found that TonyMoly brand facial masks are so far the best masks I have tried. You also may try different brands to see which ones you like the best.Here is my favorite TonyMoly Pureness100 that has nine different ingredients:

Light blue (hydrating), snail (skin damage care), honey (skin soothing), purple (elasticity), caviar (nutrition), pearl (brightening), coconut (moisturizing), green (strengthening skin barrier).

- Misheel

Stress No More

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Sometimes life is just too much to handle, but life doesn’t stop for anyone, right?  Whether you’re in school, working, or just living life stress is inevitable. Stress can be a result of overworking yourself, having too many responsibilities, or a combination of both.  The best thing to do when you feel yourself stressing out is to avoid freaking out because you are so stressed. It will just make you more frustrated, exhausted, and will ultimately get you nowhere. Instead, when you feel life’s getting to be a bit too much, take a step back and find out what’s causing the stress. Then strive to rid your life of that stress-causing problem. Here are five helpful ways to combat stress so you don’t find yourself curled up on the floor crying.

1.     Create a relaxing playlist of soothing music that helps relieve your stress.  Dim the lights, burn a few candles or incense, and just listen to the music. 

2.     Take a bubble bath or an extra, long hot shower.  Use the extra time to pamper yourself with a body scrub, a face mask, or possibly just to read a nice book.

3.     Practice yoga, go on a long walk, or head to the gym. Working out actually increases the production of neurotransmitters known as endorphins, which will boost your mood and will overall make you feel better, inside and out.

4.     Cuddle up with a good book and a cup of hot tea. A book will help keep your mind off all the stress and tea is a nice way to detox your body.

5.     Pin up some inspiring quotes/sayings on your bulletin board or refrigerator. Even the simplest set of words can change your mindset.

- Gretchen

The Perfect Playlist

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Working out, it’s all about staying fit, strong, and healthy. Now I know sometimes it’s hard to get up off the couch, get changed, and head to the gym, but it must be done. There’s no excuse for laziness. It’s as simple as finding the right motivation, whether it be through fitness blogs, health magazines, or music. Personally, music is the determining factor in my workout. I’ve been on the prowl for upbeat, fun, and motivational songs to assemble into the perfect workout playlist.The right playlist will help me run for longer, lift heavier weights, and pass the time quicker. What could be better than that?! Here’s my compilation of songs to keep me motivated at the gym so I can finally get that model body. What songs would you put on your workout playlist?

- Gretchen

1. Talk Dirty - Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz

2. Swoon - Timeflies

3. Spectrum - Zedd, Matthew Koma

4. Dark Horse - Katy Perry, Juicy J

5. Applause – Lady Gaga

6 I Wish – Cher Lloyd, T.I.

7. Waiting All Night – Rudimental ft. Ella Eyre

8. Polish Girl – Neon Indian

9. This Head I Hold – Electric Guest

10. What About Us – The Saturdays

11. Candy – Robbie Williams

12. Intro – XX

13. Carry You – Union J

14. Diana – One Direction

15. Move – Little Mix

16. Figure 8 – Ellie Goulding

17. Leggo – B. Smyth ft. 2 Chainz

18. Bangarang – Skrillex ft. Sirah

19. Love Me Again – John Newman

20. When I Grow Up – The Pussycat Dolls

21. Calabria 2008 – Enur, Natasja

22. Blow (Cirkut Remix) – Ke$ha

23. Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) – Katy Perry ft. Missy Elliot

24. Touch the Sky – Kanye West

25. Birthday – Selena Gomez

26. Neon Lights – Demi Lovato

27. Not Your Boyfriend – 2AM Club

28. High School – Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne

29. Don’t Wanna Dance Alone – Fifth Harmony

30. Confident – Justin Bieber ft. Chance The Rapper

Tips to Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

We always tell ourselves that we’ll start working out and eating healthy after the holidays. It’s that time of year when We all begin to slip on our promises. Here are some tips to keep you on track for a healthy life.

1. Find a workout you love. 

Running isn’t always for everyone so you should find something that you enjoy. Make sure that you mix cardio and strength training into all of your workouts. Check out your local gym to look for fitness classes such as Zumba which is always tons of fun! Youtube is also a great resource for workout videos. 

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2. Make a killer playlist. 

Working out without a distraction can be a drag so pump up the volume! Gather up a 45 minute playlist and keep your but moving the whole time. Keep it fast-paced and even throw in some guilty pleasures (Boy bands are a must).

3. Make a date with your workout. 

You’d never miss a date, class, or business meeting, right? Treat your workout as if you’re going to a date, class, or business meeting. Find a workout partner to help keep you accountable. 

4. Plan your meals. 

When you plan your meals, you are less likely to go for unhealthy options. Start fresh on Sundays and plan all your meals throughout the week. Stick to fresh greens, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and proteins. 

5. Always have a water bottle with you.  

Your body needs to keep hydrated! 8-10 cups of water will decrease bloating and increase your metabolism. 

6. Make realistic fitness goals. 

Make your goals about over-all health instead of losing weight. Focus on things that your body is accomplishing. Measure your flexibility, strength, running distance. Use anything but the scale. 

7. Keep snacks in your purse or backpack. 

Give yourself access to healthy foods because it will help you choose healthy options. Fruits, vegetables and hummus, air- popped popcorn, and unsalted nuts are always good options. 

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8. Keep a positive attitude. 

Remember that results don’t always come quick, but they will come if you keep moving forward with a positive attitude.

9. Make a motivation board. 

Print out pictures of things that will help keep you motivated. Tape them up on your wall so that you can see them everyday. A few ideas are: cute clothes, fitness goals, and inspirational quotes. 

10. Remind yourself of your beauty. 

You’re beautiful every step of your journey. Learn to love your body and how to be confident in it. High self-esteem doesn’t always come with your “goal body.”

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11. Reward yourself. 

Little rewards throughout your journey will always help keep you motivate. Manicure, a new item of clothing, a new cd, anything that you enjoy is a good pick! Remember not to reward yourself with food because it will only help get you off track. 

12. Remember the 80/20 rule. 

As long as you’re eating right and exercising MOST of the time, you will see the results you want. Don’t deny yourself something just because it is deemed “unhealthy.” Let yourself indulge every once in awhile!

- Morgan

Look Good, Feel Good

With the holidays, delicious food, and cold weather approaching, I'm finding it harder and harder to get to the gym (at the time I really need to). I personally love looking good when I work out and this does not in any way whatsoever entail done make-up and hair. It means a matching outfit and a good attitude. What better way to motivate yourself than cute and comfortable activewear?

I'm a huge fan of Lulu Lemon. They have these amazing boot cut yoga pants as well as crop ones. On my Christmas list is their Avenue pant, long tight yoga pants that have a pocket on the side for your phone when you're working out. But if you're looking to save, check out Gap Fit's gFast brushed leggings. They're so comfy!

As far as sports bras goes, save and don't splurge here. A sports bra is a sports bra. Go to Target.

I like wearing pullovers for in between my dorm and the gym. Target has cute ones like this one and this one. If you're looking for something warmer, invest in Lulu's Scuba hoodie. You can't go wrong with any of the 32 colors.

Check out my picks below!

- Meghan

C9 by Champion turtleneck top

target.com

Old navy activewear

oldnavy.gap.com

Nike sports bra

nike.com

NIKE athletic running shoes

keller-sports.com