Summer Bucket List Part 1

Something that I've been thinking about recently is what makes me happy and fulfilled. And I found out a big part of that is goals and doing things I've always wanted to try - not that they have to be really big things (like skydiving...still yet to be done!) but either way, that is what makes me happy and content with my life.

Tone It Up came out with the idea of a #createyoursummer bucket list. So I got to it. I put it on Instagram, but could only fit like 5 or 6 things in the picture.

Side Note: a fun fact about me is that I love lists! I love putting all my ideas down and being able to organize and check them off....at least ideally - I won't talk about how little much actually gets done off them usually. But anyway! Naturally a summer bucket list is the best idea. It's the ultimate Try-It-Tuesday! ;)

So here it is in (almost) all it's glory. My 51 item summer bucket list [I left 2 out ;)] :

1. Road Trip
                             

2. Skinny Dipping
                  

3. Campfire and S'mores
    

4. Outdoor Amusement Park (which makes me wish I lived in Utah by Lagoon - seriously so fun!)
                                               

5. Camping
                                                  

6. Sparklers on Canada Day
                             

7. Beach Day - Sandcastle making is a must.
                   

8. Concert
                 

Backstreet Boys: Check

9. Half Marathon - *SeaWheeze*
      

10. Boating on the lake....anyone have a boat?? I'll make you cookies!
       

Plus I've always wanted to learn to wakeboard! So seriously...someone let me know if you have a boat!

11. Pool Party
                             

How sweet would it be to put glowsticks in the bottom of a pool!?

12. Hike
                                             

13. Make fresh Lemonade
   
                                                                   Recipe here.

14. Buy fresh flowers - I'm sure you know how much I love flowers as seen here, here, and here.

15. Buy flowers for someone else
                                       

16. Drive-In-Theatre

   
         Does anyone know of one? I pretty sure there isn't one in the city, but I'm willing to travel ;)

17. Shakespeare in the Park
   

18. Tie-Dye

19. Movies on the Square
                                

20. Stargaze
                                                   

21. BBQ
              

22. Bowling (preferably glow-in-the-dark)
                    

23. Volunteer (Mustard Seed anyone??)
            

24. Read "Classic Love Stories"

25. Beach Volleyball
                                            

Sorry to leave you hanging, but PART 2 will come out very soon! Keep your eyes peeled! ;)

HAPPY SUMMER!!!

xoxo,

Lo

Favourite Five!!

Happy Wednesday!

This week I've been thinking mostly about working out, my sister's wedding, Easter, and finals. Most of the initial ones are because I've been trying to avoid thinking about finals. Finals really just suck. But hey, that's not what we're here to talk about! Instead, let's talk about happy things, shall we?!?!

On to my favourite five of the week,

Favourite Treat:

Gluten Free Banana Bread Oatmeal Bars. Although I'm not eating "dessert" right now, I still like to look at dessert on Pinterest. Although, I'm not 100% sure if these would count as dessert? Thoughts?? I feel like when I say I'm not eating dessert, it means not any refined sugar or chemicals, or generally things made with mostly white flour. Let me know your thoughts! Because I'd really like to give these puppies a taste-test! Find the recipe here. She also says in the above that she made it with a mixture of white and whole wheat flour and it turned out good top, so you might want to try that! You could probably just do oat flour entirely too. So many options, I love it!!

Favourite Quote:

I've actually been thinking about this recently. I wish it was normal for people to be entirely honest about how the feel.

Favourite Pretty:

Gah! This outfit is so classy! I love the nude pumps, trench coat, fresh cut tulips, and striped dress. Makes me think of spring! Although...a much warmer one than we're having currently.

Favourite Wedding Tip:

I've loved this blog for about 2 years now. This girl does the most beautiful makeup I have legit ever seen. I'm hoping that when I get married I can afford to fly her to me! ;) A girl can dream! Anyway, since my sister is getting married in a little under 2 weeks, we've been constantly thinking about wedding things. This post give AMAZING wedding tips, plus a tutorial! Score!

Favourite Fitness Post:

I was talking to my soon-to-be brother in law last night about how I get frustrated when people eat whatever they want and still manage to get ripped or toned. I love dessert and yet I feel like when I eat it, it automatically turns to fat in my body, whereas it barely affects other people (slight exaggeration). But he reminded me that a big part of it has to do with metabolism. And what's a great way to increase it (other than drinking water!)? Never underestimate the power of lifting weights! This post explains it perfectly!

Have a great day all you lovely people!!

Love,

Lo

Stocking Stuffers for the Traveler

Since, Christmas is fast approaching, I thought I'd give you some ideas so that when you leave shopping till the last minute take your time shopping, you can have some ideas for stocking stuffers!

I honestly think one of my favourite parts about Christmas is the stockings. I remember countless years of waking up too early (for some reason I can never sleep too late on Christmas morning!) and slipping downstairs to the fireplace and opening that bundle of trinkets, sweets, and the classic orange at the bottom (I used to almost always put it back - sorry Mom! I love them now!)

There's also something about being the only one awake in the morning, in the quiet, being surrounded by all the lights, nativities, and decorations that makes me feel really grateful. My Mom always puts a ton of effort into our gifts, and I think our stockings are always a way of her showing how well she knows us. Stockings are the best because it's like pre-Christmas. You get to open it up without having to wait for anyone and you get a million little gifts to play with.

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Anyway, I really like stockings. I also really like traveling. Put two and two together, and here's your ultimate list of stocking stuffers for the traveler in your life! :)

1. A Buff - Universally helpful. Can be used as a headband, neck warmer, or to protect you from the sun. Personally I like this one from REI. So many patterns and colours!

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2. Roll-up Water Bottle - I love these! They're perfect, because you can take them through security at the airport and then fill them up once you get past. Plus, if you ask the flight attendants to fill it up on the flight, they probably will. Then you'll be less likely to suffer from dehydration up in that plane - which is the worst! Vapur in particular has a lot of options in size, design, and use.

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3. Eye Mask, Ear Plugs, Self-Inflatable Pillow, etc - Even a pashmina scarf - good for a blanket. Your giftee will be grateful if they plan to sleep on the plane. Something like this is perfect!

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4. Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Daypack - How genius is this?! How many times have you had to pack an extra bag for hiking or to use during the day. This is tiny and folds up, so it takes almost no space in your bag!

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5. Universal Travel Adaptor - Ridiculously useful. Nuff said.

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6. Cool Luggage Tags - Preferably something colourful, so the luggage is more noticeable coming out of the conveyer belt. There's nothing worse than having 12 large black bags come out, and thinking each one is yours.

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7. An SD Card - It may not look all that pretty, but having more memory to take photos = more memories.

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8. Portable I-phone Charger - I first saw these when I worked at JCrew. Seriously the best idea! So, still rooting for them, here's some super cute ones they have. Just so you know, they have ones for men and women. Here and here. P.S. The Factory store is cheaper, for pretty much the same thing.

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9. Money Belt - Since we're getting all fancy over here with SD cards, I figure we should throw in one of these babies. Do you want to go to Europe? GET A MONEY BELT! One of the safest ways to keep your money.

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10.  Almost anything from The TinBox - This place has knick-knacks like you wouldn't believe! I saw a super cute travel "first aid kit" there one time. It had ear plugs, lip balm, and a bunch of other little things. It was perfect, but I couldn't find a link. They also have things like this though!

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11. Hand Sanitizer - Bath and Body Works is my favourite! They have the tastiest smelling ones on this planet, I tell you! They had a Vanilla Cupcake one a while ago. I loved it so much....and then spilled it all over my carpet two days later. Thumbs down.

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12. Journal and pen - One of the things I regret most about traveling is not writing it down enough. If you go-go-go all day, it's hard enough to remember to wash your face, let alone remember all the events of the day! But if you have a journal, it's easier to make time for it!

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This one's from the UK, but I'm sure you can find different ones anywhere else!

13. Mini Toiletries - I'm a sucker for these! Whenever I go to a hotel, I end up taking those mini's home with me. I rationalize in my head that I will end up using that 5th shower cap, or mini lotion. But really do I need them?? No. But will I take them? Definitely. Who passes up on freebies? People who aren't smart, obviously!! Still, if I'm planning on traveling a little, having mini toiletries are a life saver!

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14. Crossword puzzles - On my way home from Florida this summer, I met a guy on the plane and he ended up giving me his big book of sudoku, crosswords and the like, for the rest of my flight home. It would've been great from the start though! I love playing these games. I like having a little challenge to keep my brain going. I always like to think that when I'm older, I'll be playing these games to keep me young! Like these precious ladies:

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I digress, here's the crosswords: (Personally I like this one)

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Also I just realized that there are about a billion different themed crossword puzzles from Bugs Bunny to Barbie to the Bible. Whatever floats your boat!

15.  Pocket Travel Guide - What better way to spark your excitement for travel, than seeing photos and reading about it?!

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Oh how I'd love to go to Phuket!

Anyways, I hope these ideas helped you!! Stay tuned for my Fitness Stocking Stuffer List!

xoxo,

Lo

Fit Friday! Drink Up!

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Drink Up! Water, that is. Water is ESSENTIAL to live a healthy life! I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times, but it's for good reason! I could go on for days about how great water is. But I personally don't find any type of advice as effective, if I don't know WHY it's important. It's just like when you're told to eat certain foods. Well why? You should be knowledgeable about what you're putting in to that beautiful body!

So why is water important you ask?

Many, many reasons. For starters, water boosts your metabolism! And who doesn't want that?? It keeps everything running smoothly in your body, and allows it to better function when you aren't dehydrated. After all, your body is made up almost entirely of water. Did you know that if you're chronically dehydrated, you can gain around 10 lbs in a year?! No thank you! When you're dehydrated, your body retains water, which means excess water weight. Your body feels deprived, so it stores it in your cells.

Are you tired? Grab some water!! Dehydration makes you tired because your body slows down, because it isn't hydrated enough. This is especially important when you're studying or reading I find. Are you reading the same paragraph 10 times in a row? We've all been there. Get up and get some water! It will help out immensely. Trust me. Along with studying, water helps with your alertness and your memory.

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It helps run your Immune System! Water helps keep out nasty germs from your body and protects your body from disease. According to TIU, White Blood Cells, which are the disease fighting ones, travel through your body in a substance made up mostly of water. And if you don't drink enough, your body, doesn't have as much of a chance at fighting anything off!

It gets rid of toxins from your body. What are toxins? Toxins are "a poisonous substance that is a specific product of the metabolic activities of a living organism and is usually very unstable, notably toxic when introduced into the tissues, and typically capable of inducing antibody formation." I know what you're thinking, "doesn't that sound like a bundle of fun?!" Jk. Not at all. Toxins are bad, and in order to get rid of them we need to sweat, and replenish our bodies with WATER! That goes to all of you who plan on drinking tonight - CHUG that water!

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So how much water should you be drinking? You should drink, at least, half your body weight in ounces. I've heard that so many times from Tone It Up, it's engrained in my head!

So here are some tips!

1. Drink water as soon as you wake up. A nice tall glass. Some people add lemon, because it boots your metabolism even more. Your body has been dehydrated for ~8 hours, so the sooner you drink after waking up, the sooner your metabolism starts away.

2. Make flavoured water. I love adding strawberries, lemon, lime, or oranges to mine. Makes it more interesting! I also really like coconut water. Zico is one of my fav's, especially the chocolate!

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3. Bring water bottles with you. I usually bring 2 with me to school if I'm there for 6 hours. If I workout, I fill one up one or two more times.

4. Drink before any meal. Or even when you feel hungry. Your body sometimes confuses hunger with thirst. Water helps you feel full, so I try to drink a glass before each meal, then I eat less! :)

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So drink up! And have a happy healthy weekend!

xoxo,

Lo

p.s. this may happen:

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You can't say I didn't warn you. But don't worry, you'll get over it. 

Also, I think this is a stellar idea!

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