Weekend Roundup

Yeah yeah yeah…it’s not technically the weekend anymore.  But when your family is in town, you’ve got shows and brunches and movies to watch, and you just want to kick back for a minute…you forget to write your weekend blog.

So here’s my “make-up” links for the weekend past:

These “entertaining essentials” go far beyond your typical wine and cheese recos – and I love them all!

Sometimes you want to go shopping, but you really can’t afford to spend money.  These perfect spring items under $50 can scratch that itch.

The number one excuse I get for people not exercising is, “I don’t have time.”  Now you do.

Celebrities know about K-Mart?  There are still K-Marts in the world??!? Both of these facts absolutely shock me.

I will never forget the epic comedy stylings of fellow Chicagoan Chris Farley (RIP), and obviously neither will David Spade.

My friend’s mom’s blog doesn’t update very often.  But when it does, it’s profound.

Her style is hit or miss for me, but this fluttery romper is a huge giant hit.  I need it IN MY CLOSET!

Relatively healthy gluten-free double chocolate cookies for relatively lazy gluten-free (or nut-free, or dairy-free) people.

Nothing I love more than desert weddings, and this one is total desert-hipster bliss.

And finally – don’t forget to check out the March Monthly Link Up post from our SoCal Blogger Society.  This month’s focus is on street style – so fun!

What are you guys looking into in and around the web this week?  Check in!

SoCal Blogger Society: March Link-Up

So I really want to be a good member of the SoCal Blogger Society, and part of that is participating in the monthly link-ups they sponsor each month – each with a different focus, theme, and set of questions to answer.

This month’s head blogger is Chelsea from Strand Style Fashion, an awesome street style blog with a beachy vibe that focuses on classic style with a laid-back, California twist.

This month’s topic – Street Style – intrigued me because when I started ThisFitBlonde, the idea was to make this a lifestyle portal focused on fitness, food, and fashion – and so far, I’ve really gone heavy on the former and almost negated the latter (except for my red carpet critiques, of course).

Truth is, I really do fancy myself a stylish person – I have a distinct point of view on fashion and trends and strong opinions about what I wear.  The problem with my life is that I am most often found in some variation of spandex pants and neon tops, and in some state of general disarray (it’s hard to look “street stylish” when you woke up at 5am, got ready in the dark, and taught Spin class for an hour).

Despite all this, I wanted to answer at least some of the questions about my own personal style – and hopefully hear from you readers about your opinions on fashion, too!

What style trends are you loving this season?  I am so obsessed with my Christian Siriano bucket bag it’s not even funny – I feel like it brings class and freshness to everything I wear.  I am also nuts about culottes; I just bought a black culottes jumpsuit and I am dying to put it on.  And if those partial-sheer skirts are still a thing, I’m totally still on that.

What trends do you think you’ll pass on for 2015?  I cannot stand flatforms, pastels, or gingham.

Who is your style icon?  My mom!  She showed up to my house this past weekend wearing a shirt I had just bought – and she’s 30 years older than me!  I definitely look to her for ideas on how to make trends by “shopping” my own closet, and how to stay fashionable and relevant no matter your age or budget.

What are your favorite trends in “fitness” fashion?  Believe it or not, there is good style to be had within the confines of the gym walls – and I absolutely hate seeing women come in with baggy T-shirts and old sweats.  Up your game, fit people!  Even if you’re addicted to wearing black in the gym, you can change it up with cool cutouts, backless or mesh styles, or really crazy-printed pants.  And the gym is the one place it is still acceptable – and in fact, really cute – to play matchy-matchy.

What are your favorite places to shop?  Those of you who know me know that I can’t pass up a good bargain – and I love to make inexpensive pieces look sharp and on-trend.  Besides the outlet malls (at which I love J. Crew, Adidas, Kate Spade, BCBG, and Neiman Marcus Last Call), I love shopping at Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, Old Navy, Forever 21, Zara, and even Burlington Coat Factory – don’t knock ’em till you’ve shopped ’em!

Bloggers (and yes – readers!) – it’s your turn – leave your answers to these questions in the comments, or reblog them and link back to me so I can read your style insights!  Happy shopping!

TFB Liebster Award Nominations

Yes, technically it’s still Tuesday – which means today should feature a Would Amanda Eat It? post.  But let’s be real:

My husband is leaving for Singapore on Monday and I won’t see him for two months, so we had a nice “cheat” meal of burgers and beer tonight.  I feel conflicted about giving health advice on a night when I’ve had such a superbly unhealthy indulgence, so I figured I’d go another direction with today’s post.

A lovely blogger and friend over at Eat Run Snooze Repeat nominated me for a Liebster Award, which is an award given to bloggers by bloggers to honor new(ish) contributors.  There are some rules:

1. Link the person who nominated you to your blog post. Thank them and let them know you answered their questions.

2. Answer the 7 questions given to you by the nominator.

3. Nominate 5-11 other bloggers, including at least one with less than 500 followers.

4. Create 7 questions for your nominees to answer.

5. Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

6. Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.

Now that we’ve got the rules down, I have to abide #4 and answer my 7 questions!

1. What is your best tip for getting motivated?  I grew up Catholic, so to be honest, the best way to get myself motivated is to think about the crushing guilt I feel when I don’t work out.  A guilty conscience is worth running away from (literally!).

2. What is the one thing you could not live without?  My phone.  Holy crap.

3. If you could live any place in the world, where would it be?  Um…SINGAPORE!  And aren’t I just the luckiest that I’m actually going there? 😉

4. How did you begin your fitness journey?  I began as a gymnast, got injured and tried diving, then got older and tried running.  I always have to be in motion!

5. What is your biggest dream?  I dream of having a family, a successful fitness publishing career, and the ability to travel multiple times per year.

6. What is your daily go-to outfit?  Fitness wear, guys – capris and a tank.  Hair in bun.

7. Do you have a secret (maybe embarrassing) passion? If so, what is it?!  Not embarrassing, but lots of people who don’t know me in person don’t know how much I love craft beer – it is truly a hobby, passion, and indulgence all packed into one for me!

Here are my questions for my nominees (and hey, readers – feel free to play along and answer in the comments!):

1.  What are you afraid of?

2.  Who was your childhood hero, and why?

3.  Where in the world would you like to visit next?

4.  What’s your drink of choice (alcohol or non)?

5.  If you were writing your memoirs, what would be the working title?

6.  Describe a day from your past you would go back and relive if you could.

7.  What do you think happens after we die?

And finally – my award nominees!  I am relatively new to this world so I am still developing my own feed, but I want to shout out some of the folks I read regularly:

The Keen Peach

Some Day Sunny

No Rules, Just Run

Tiffaspilla

Sundaylovexo

Ok folks, that’s it for now – go check out some of these amazing (growing!) blogs and leave your comments here, too. 🙂

Would Amanda Eat It?

With the LA Marathon coming up this Sunday (!), I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to fuel for the race.  Granted, I’ve run four marathons before (Surf City, NIKE Women’s SF, Rock N’ Roll Las Vegas, and Boston, for those who care to know), but I’ve run all of those – meaning, trained, practiced, and spent the entirety of the marathon in a full-on run.

This time around, I’m not trained, I haven’t practiced, and I don’t plan to run the full 26.2 miles without stopping.  I tried a 3/1 (run/walk) interval on Sunday for a quick 12 miles and it worked wonderfully – I was able to complete the distance in less than 10-minute miles but without soreness or fatigue, and felt like I could definitely keep going if I had to.

All of this aside, the main point of this post is fuel – what would Amanda eat on the race course?  In the past I’ve stuck to water and GU, but what’s really in that GU stuff?

They come in all flavors, but my personal favorite (and the one I rely on) is Peanut Butter.  The nutrition facts are simple – 100 calories, no fat, 50mg sodium, 5g sugar.  The ingredients, however, are not so much…which brings me to my (brief) assessment:

The good:

• a straight shot of glucose and fructose means you are getting instant, easily-processed energy that goes straight to the bloodstream
• fat-free
• relatively low sodium compared to other “sports nutrition” products

The bad:

• guys, it’s sugar syrup in a packet.
• more than that, it’s processed sugar syrup, which means loads of preservatives and “blends” (fancy names for more chemicals that purport other health benefits)
• 25g carbs including all that straight sugar

The verdict:

• would I eat it?  Yes, and I have – in every single marathon I’ve ever done.  But is it the best form of race day nutrition?  Well…

The alternative:

• Because GU is just convenient, portable, shelf-stable sugar, it’s popular.  But eating straight candy is almost the same thing, if you don’t mind chewing – and low-fiber, high-glucose snacks like, say, a Pop Tart (yes, I’ve actually used these as fuel during long bike rides) are sometimes more appetizing than a packet of gel
• If you’re going clean(ish), sweet potatoes, yogurt-covered almonds, or raisins can give you the same boost of carbohydrate power without the laundry list of chemicals that even the “cleanest” processed product is destined to have

What do you use to fuel long runs?  Are you a GU fan – or do you eschew the GU?

Weekly Roundup

Whew – it’s only 12:41pm and already it’s been a whirlwind Sunday.  Alarm off at 6:30; client at 7:30; run club, 90-minute yoga sesh, and now a quick lull until a dear friend’s baby baptism this afternoon.

Hey, at least it’s keeping my mind off the wedding! (SIX DAYS OMG)

For now, let’s check in on what other people are doing with their time online:

Like making (and eating) these amazing 100-calorie chocolate desserts.

If they look that good nude, their tips must work for someone who stays mostly clothed – right?

WTF should you do with your life?  Find the answer ASAP, with just one click.

Don’t even ACT like you’re not intrigued by the possibility of making (and eating) your own Velveeta cheese.

Zero to hero in five minutes – at least makeup-wise.  The rest, I can’t help you.

Did you guys know I was a Comm major?  Well, now you do.  So STOP saying these things.

I’ve been eating super clean for the wedding.  After the honeymoon?  Might roll down on THIS.

COLORS!  PRINTS!  OMG I love Lilly Pulitzer’s new line of exercise clothes so much.

Even more good news?  Starbucks is finally catching up with, oh, 2009 and offering a non-dairy alternative to soy milk – coconut milk!

I’ll be coming back tomorrow with a Grammy red carpet fashion update – so for now, leave me a tip about your favorite link, video, or tweet from this week!

Weekend Roundup

Ah, what a week.  My wedding is two weeks from today.  As in, TWO WEEKS.  So please cut me some slack on the frequency of posts – believe me, I’m trying.

What’s happening this week around the web?  Let’s check it:

I cannot tell you how many of my clients request workouts to pop dat booty.  So here’s a month of ’em.

I wish L.A. still looked like this.  In my mind it does.

A “V-steam” is exactly what you think it might be.  And it sounds painful to me.

Almost as annoying as having to be “skinny yet muscular” is the plus-size ideal of having to be “slim yet curvy.”  How is anyone IRL supposed to figure it out?

Apparently you can run on a treadmill without dying of boredom.  I mean, I won’t ever try it, but hey, go for it, readers.

Looking at NFL players’ weddings is somehow calming for me this week.

Awesome, simple tips from a celeb stylist that you can actually apply to your real life.

And finally, the definitive list of leggings brands that don’t let your butt crack see the (stretched-out) light of day.

What are you guys reading and talking about?  As always, I love a good link share!

Weekend Roundup

So I’ve just had to reason with myself about the amount of finite time there is in a day – and sometimes, I just need sleep in that last half hour of the day (sorry, loyal readers).

That said, I want to make sure I’m staying current with what’s going on around the internet world, too, so I put together this quickie little roundup to holler at the awesome and useful things you guys might want to read until I’m back up and running at full capacity.

You can now shop Spring 2015 trends according to your astrological sign (spoiler: mine’s a jumpsuit, and I love it!).

I go through about a jar of (natural unsalted) peanut butter per week.  I think I’m going to need to up that to two jars.

Do you exercise on an empty stomach?  If your diet is, shall we say, inconsistent, it may be the way to go.

Running and walking at night can be terrifying, but for some of us, it’s a must-do.  This stuff can help you stay safer as you run into the wild dark beyond.

If you don’t love Victoria Beckham, then I can’t love you.  It’s pretty straightforward.

I’m not gonna lie and say I take a cold shower, but I WILL tell you that my hair is about 80% shinier when I cold-rinse it at the end of said shower.  So that’s something.

These now-ancient celebrity MySpace pages are AWESOME in their horror.  So bad.

My “lady” issues could fill a short textbook, but for now, know that I am very interested in FAM and how to track the natural cycles of the female body – and would love to know if any of you readers out there are doing the same!

What’s on your mind this week?  What are you watching/reading/laughing at online?

Sisterhood of the World Blogger Award

My girl The Keen Peach nominated me for this fun award and I am honored – this is the first blogger-type award I’ve received and it’ll be fun to pass on the accolades.

Part of the nomination is to fill out this supershort and fun questionnaire, so here you guys go – a bit more fun about ThisFitBlonde!

In one word, how would you like your readers to describe your blog?

Must-read (hey, a hyphenated word is still a word).

Which is your most favorite among your blog posts and why?

A lot of my posts are fun, fab, and fitness-oriented in vibe, which is exactly what I want from this blog (and for you, my readers!).  But I wrote a piece back in August 2014 about body image and what it feels like to work in an industry focused so much on bodies, weight, and perfection – and I still think it has a lot of value.

What inspires most of your blog posts?

My own professional life as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor is the best motivating force for me to keep writing, but I am also inspired by current events (hello, red carpet posts!) and other bloggers (my Weekend Roundup entries).

What do you aspire to accomplish this year?

This is going to be a big year for me – I’m getting married, considering a big move, and working on building ThisFitBlonde into a more comprehensive brand.

What do you aspire to learn this year?

I need to learn more about blogging as a profession and industry rather than just a hobby, and I am taking an advanced prenatal fitness certification course to deepen my knowledge of working with pregnant women in a gym setting.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Even though I think she’s a crazy person in real life, Kristin Armstrong’s Mile Markers is a powerful, motivating reminder of why it is important for us women to keep running – no matter what life brings.

What is the most courageous thing you have ever done?

Move from Chicago to L.A. at age 16 to start college early.  Oh, and I jumped out of a plane once.

If you could be a superhero, what would be your super power?

To be able to fly, because then I could travel anywhere I wanted for free.

Who is your female role model?

I have lots – my mom, Hillary Clinton, Jamie Eason, Jillian Michaels.

And that’s it from me!  Now comes the time to nominate other bloggers.  For those of you reading on from other blogs, here’s how you “pay it forward” with the sisterhood:

• thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site
• put the award logo on your blog
• answer the ten questions sent to you (the same questions above)
• nominate seven blogs

So come and git it, somedaysunny, The L.A. Good Wife, O at the Edges, We killed the American dream, Blonde Ponytail, Maria Mind Body Health, and This Is Why You’re Single.  You’re nominated!

Welcome to Team SunRype!

Hey y’all – did I mention that I get corporate sponsors from time to time?  #humblebrag I know, but for real, it’s a sweet deal – you agree to be sponsored by a given company, and in return they give you swag, product, and the occasional free race entry (though this “perk” is becoming more and more rare).

I’ve been through the sponsorship track many a time, starting with Aquaphor in 2006, Toyota Hybrid Vehicles in 2007, Goody Hair Products in 2008, Bear Naked Granola in 2009, Snickers MARATHON Bars in 2010-11, a brief hiatus in 2012, Wheaties in 2013-14, and now: Team SunRype USA 2015!

For those of you who are thinking, “I know the name SunRype, but what exactly do they sell?” here’s your answer: fruit snacks, fruit juices, and fruit & grain bars.  Our sponsorship focuses on using the SunRype Fruit Strips (only 50 calories and all fruit sugar – a great alternative to the chemicals in GU or gel packets!) during runs and endurance events.

If you are lucky enough to know me in real life (suckers), get ready to be bombarded with free fruit – I am going big on promoting these tasty, natural products and I want to share the wealth!  I also need to put some races on the calendar to make sure I’m wearing out my SunRype kit in style – so, any suggestions?

Local SoCal athletes – what are you racing this year?  What are your favorite races?

50 Things About ThisFitBlonde

I want to welcome all my new readers and followers by doing one of those catch-all “about me” posts – because hey, if you’ve never met me, this might be new info for you!

And to those loyal readers who do know me in person, well – here’s a chance to dig a little bit deeper into my psyche (don’t say I didn’t warn you) and find out what’s rumbling around this skull of mine in 2015.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:00am, because Mondays are my “late” days.

2. How do you like your steak? Medium rare these days.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Just saw Wild last night.

4. What is your favorite TV show? Right now, Orphan Black, but in life, The Simpsons.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Tie: Singapore and L.A.

6. What did you have for breakfast? Banana and peanut butter on Ezekiel bread.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Indian by a landslide.

8. What foods do you dislike? Not too much anymore – not a huge fan of lemongrass.

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Is my own kitchen overselling it?

10. Favorite dressing? Ranch for life.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Hyundai Veloster and it’s ballin’.

12. What are your favorite clothes? Gym clothes, since that’s all I wear anyway.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Dying to go to Thailand, South Africa, and Greece.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Always half full – I’m the eternal optimist!

15. Where would you want to retire? Too far away for me to think about realistically.

16. Favorite time of day? Sunrise, because everything is still possible.

17. Where were you born? Woodstock, IL.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?  Football, because ‘Murica.

19. How many siblings? 1 big brother!

20.Favoritepastime/hobby: Working out/running, duh.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? It’s not an email chain, so who cares?

22. Bird watcher? Nope.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? 100% morning.  I sleep at night.

24. Do you have any pets? Sigh.  Not right now. 😦

25. Any new and exciting news you’d like to share? Oh hi, I’m getting MARRIED in 6 weeks.

26. What did you want to be when you were little? An Olympic gymnast.

27. What is your best childhood memory? Every holiday and every vacation.

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog of course!  Woof!

29. Are you married? See #25

30. Always wear your seat belt? Yes, I don’t have a death wish.

31. Been in a car accident? Yeah, the one that was my fault that totaled my first car.

32. Any pet peeves? Indecisiveness, laziness, and poor grammar.

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? Pepperoni FTW, mushrooms if the group will abide.

34. Favorite Flower? Not a big flower person – er – roses?  Eh.

35. Favorite ice cream? All the ones with tons of junk in them – like super-chocolate-cookie dough-caramel-chip-explosion.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? In N Out, with Carl’s/J-Box in a tie for second.

37. How many times did you fail your driver’s test? None, by grace.

38. From whom did you get your last email? A woman for whom I am doing a contracting job.  Scintillating.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Urban Home.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? This question reminds me how dull I’ve been lately.  Thanks.

41. Like your job? LOVE my job.

42. Broccoli? Not a real question.  But I do like it.

43. What was your favorite vacation? The first Singapore trip in 2007, where everything was amazing and new.

44. Last person you went out to dinner with: obviously Nick.

45. What are you listening to right now? Nothing, I like silence around the house.

46. What is your favorite color? Yellow/orange/pink/warm & bright colors of all kinds.

47. How many tattoos do you have? Five.  More in the future I hope!

48. How many people will fill this out? Again, not an email chain.  Lame.

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8:53am, seven minutes ahead of deadline for this entry.

50. Coffee Drinker? Big time.

I’d love to know more about YOU – fill this out and link back to me so I can get to know you better!