…because cutting away the dead or stagnant parts is essential for new, healthier growth.
Kinda metaphorical, no?
Now is the time to cut away the old stuff on winter & fall-blooming plants and bushes-like mums. Out on the west coast, folks aren’t as acquainted with mums as back east. I was hard pressed to find any employee at a local nursery who knew about ‘deadheading’ or mum care.
So, deadhead I say!
Snip away at the old blooms that have dried out.
and for my next trick, I’m going to tackle THIS:
…once the bees get off of it.
I’m thinking of making lavender-filled satchels since I already dried out stems from the last cutting, tied with burlap string, that serve as decorative pieces in the house.
Tags: fashion, garden, gardening, house, house tips, lavender, new house, yoga, yoga tips
I will be traveling off/on/off/on the next month so I hope to load up the next 2 ‘travel tuesdays’ to make up for possible lack.
(sources: jjb, bauer-griffin.com, justjared…)
Tags: airport clothes, airport fashion, airport outfits, airport pictures, airport style, celebrity fashion, celebrity outfits, celebrity travel, celebs at airport, travel clothes, travel style, travel trends
…I’m not kidding
THIS time, shopbop has outdone itself on its new sale.
I bought. and bought. and bought.
Ridiculously cheap.
See the link/box above and GO right to the sale
…yoga bag, that is!
I’m SO going to do this. DIY!!!
or buy one that someone else DIY’ed HERE
just as soon as I finish wrecking the one I have…
Tags: fit chick, fitness, women's fitness, yoga, yoga bag, yoga props
…with yourself! Do you ever do this:
Yesterday I was driving home from work and didn’t feel like going to stand in the usual cattle line 60+mins for spin class. Maybe a walk? Naaaw, too cold out. I knew I was going to get up early and go to mysore practice this a.m. so I thought about cutting myself some slack. Then I thought about my upcoming travel plans and thought that it’d be better to “bank” some workouts now…for later. So I made a deal: if the temperature drops below 58 (per the car’s dashboard) when I drive by my preferred (:safe) walking spot, I’ll keep driving.
It hovered at 58 for 10 mins until (NO JOKE) the turn off upon which time it jumped to 62 degrees.
Dammit
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We have a winner! This is the ONLY headband/hairband that I have used successfully in exercising without having it slip off and without causing headaches. It has an adjustable hook clasp too so as it stretches out during wear, you can tighten it.
Okay…smallest picture in the world but go check out Lululemon HERE and see it.
I have tried everything else…trust me.
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There goes Dr. Oz talking about how great asparagus is again. Apparently there is something in it that eases sad feelings…eat up, fit chicks!!!
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There is a lesson behind every disappointment and every failure. Find it.
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I finally “Fab’d or failed” Tuesday’s airport style pics. What the whut?! No Posh this week?!?!
Tags: exercise motivation, fit chick, fit chick fitness, fitness over 30, fitness over 40, forty and fab, lululemon, walking for fitness, womens exercise, yoga
she stays on shape when she’s on tour by simply the act of performing-which to me, could be classified as “interval training” and perhaps…”steady state cardio” to boot?
On tour, she is doing “silks” which is acrobatic exercising in which you are literally in the air suspended by these silky things -functioning as ropes.
But in general, Pink says she does an hour of yoga and an hour or “70 minutes” of running or cardio as her “program”.
She liked doing the P90X program (infomercial product) but that she has a tendency to ‘bulk up’ as a former gymnast along with the body (genetically) to go with it, so she didn’t continue on it long-term.
(source: Perezhilton.com, Oprah show, & …the other pic is tagged anyway…)
Tags: celebrity exercise, celebrity fitness, fit chick, fit chick fitness, fitness over 30, fitness over 40, interval exercises, women's fitness, womens exercise, yoga
FAB! Makes me wanna break out my wide legged or bootcut jeans…
FAB. Only bc I’m pretending that someone else, other than her, is wearing this for traveling.
FAB! But seriously, caged CL booties for the airport? (as I secretly covet the nude-colored ones...)
FAB. Looks just like lil’ sis but with flats.
FAB
Tags: aiport style, airport outfits, celebrity travel, celebs travel, fashion, fit chick, outfits, style, travel fashion, travel outfits, travel style, travel tuesday, trends
Last week I mentioned a great shopping experience through iHerb (fab fab fab) and mentioned that I had also had a bad experience that I thought you could learn from. It’s good to be positive first, right?
Us fit chicks can’t help but notice the proliferation of membership shopping sales sites. If you’re like me, you probably get emails from several.
How it works is: they email you, usually daily, with the list of the designers that they have been given certain items to sell for. Usually it’s a 24Hour long sale and you log in to see if there’s anything “good”.
The issue is that these sites are just the middlemen. Or the “brokers”. They have the software, the email lists and the contracts with the shipping company. They do not stock the actual items. Once you purchase something, it takes WEEKS to get to you. Even if you live in the same county. (Trust me)
If the deal is good enough, who cares, right?
Well, you’ll care if you ever have an issue with the item- say, perhaps the size is wrong or there is damage. Because after the, usually 24hr, announced sale you cannot go back and get more, or an additional size, or whatever, of the designer’s item. Or what if the shipping company loses your item?
The latter happened recently to me at one particular ‘hot’ company. The shipping arrival date (2wks after the order was processed) came and went. Then I read on the tracking page that the shipping company U Possibly Select for other items, had “lost” the package and it would contact myself and the clothing membership site. After waiting another day to see if anything happened or it I’d be contacted (-nothing, and nope), I alerted the shopping outlet. So I did. Twice.
I learned the process then works like this: They try and investigate with the shipping company and the process takes about 10 business days (read: 2 MORE weeks). If the item is found, it’ll be shipped to you at a later date (over a month since you ordered it). If the item is not found, you will receive store credit.
See, the shopping company does not want to be out any money for this issue, or your return, because it has already collected its “fee” for your item. They do not have a warehouse with which to stock returns. Even though, THEY, not you, would be the ones to collect from the shipping company on the insurance for the item lost, what’s done is done (meaning- your payment). It makes things simpler all around (for them) to just issue a credit. It also means avoiding additional credit card fees.
As experienced shopper chicks, we know that a good sale is usually a “final sale”. We understand “store credit”. But what if you are not sure you’d ever shop at a particular store again AND it wasn’t your fault? And you already have store credit at different stores that you haven’t found anything to use ‘em on yet? If you paid for something that you never laid hands on, and then a month later were just given credit towards some future purchase this next year, would YOU expect a refund?
Buyer beware.
Tags: clothing outfits, clothing trends, fashion, fashion trends, online shopping, shoe trends, shopping, shopping membership, trends
Fit Chicks, how is 2010 going? How were your workouts this week? Your eating? Your lifestyle in general?
THIS is a link to Oprah.com’s websites for women’s health. Some of them might be too beginner for you, though.
Here’s a quote from there, “Health is the greatest posession,” Lao Tzu
HERE is another link from a different O newzine that I found particularly resonating.
CLICK HERE to read how NOT to let ignorance stop YOU
What’s the deal about adding parsley, celery, and even kale to your liquids and foods? Read HERE and also learn about the 6 other “A” foods to know especially if you are a coffee drinker. And stressed. (Raised hand. guilty.)
Do you know what a Burpee is? Do a search for this exercise on YouTube. Then do 10-20 of ‘em. Replace your treadmill warm up with sets of burpees or jumping rope. You’ll burn more calories. And have more fun 
And I’ve heard it from 2 reliable sources this week that fit chicks should be doing wide, deep squats to get at that booty. So other people will want to get at that booty, rather. I still do some narrow squats particularly when I do “wall sits”. How long can you sit against the wall with your thighs parallel to the floor (!), before it just BURNS?!!!!!!
Lastly, another Lao Tzu quote, “There are many paths to enlightenment. Choose the one…” (crap, I forgot) I think it’s: choose the one with a heart. In that there are MANY paths to get to the same goal. To get to the truth. The ultimate. Everybody’s path might be different.
Tags: enlightenment, exercises for women, fit chick, fitness, fitness over 30, fitness over 40, nutrition for women, women's health, yoga
yoga props, that is.
When I first started yoga, I thought it wasn’t cool to use props. Props were something that novices used because they couldn’t do the full poses. Sheesh!
Then when I started practicing seriously, I found that the stigma regarding props was carried on through students and teachers who thought that is was tantamount to ‘cheating’ and inauthentic.
But speaking practically (and with an injury phobia), props are great-given that you use props that are individualized to your areas of weakness. In other words, you might have a current injury or a genetic predisposition (or body quirk), and the props allow you to do the pose to their full expression. In my small practice “tribe”, there are a few people that can nail any pose involving inversions and backbends. I’m not in the that tribe. There’s a completely different group that is masterful in splits and putting their legs behind their heads. I’m in this group.
Therefore, props are perfectly justifiable when used as a temporary aide so that your muscles can practice a more correct version of the pose. And to allow your brain and neural pathways can get used to it. They’re not crutches!
I have a yoga strap that I use occasionally on one 2nd series Ashtanga pose. But I carry it with me because if I take a different class and we are doing, say, “dancer pose” (like the class I had on Monday) I can use my OWN strap. With my own lovely sweat.
This is the one that I have but many people have the double cinch strap (non plastic buckle) 
That’s the other thing, studios don’t wash their props, ppl!!
My feet sometimes slip even with my sticky mat. I use either a yoga towel 
this one ^ from Yogitoes is the brand that I use. Supposedly, there are ones that feel like microfiber (like a shammy WOW) and work better. Get a FULL size one. I do not like using rugs because you still slip on the rugs and I get rug burns when I do jump thru’s (=when you jump your legs all the way out in front of you after a vinyasa and down dog).
or yoga socks.
( Gaiam socks ) Supposedly, you can get these socks at Target or Amazon.com now 
If I’m doing a handstand or “flips” and I don’t want my hands to slip out (been there and unfortunately done that!), I can put 1/2 of the towel/mat down as well. In a pinch, I’ve used a beach towel.
I used blocks for awhile to hoist myself up during vinyasas so that I could learn to do a jump-thru!
Tags: ashtanga yoga, fit chick, fit chick fitness, yoga exercise, yoga fitness, yoga poses, yoga props, yoga tips