Happy30: Day 3

It's Thursday!!!  Almost the end of the work week and I am excited.  Sometimes you just have those weeks where you're ready for the weekend break.  Maybe that's every week for some people.  Haha.  Anyway, today's happy dose came in the form of retail therapy and ice cream.  I went shopping and it was awesome.  I'm not a marathon shopper like I used to be, no I pace myself to about 1-2 stores per shopping trip.  I mainly got summer dresses (j'adore dresses!), some cute spring tops, and lovely accessories.  I still want to get a few more items/looks to rock this season but this was a good start.  This trip was successful and happiness-inducing for the following:

1. I'm down a couple sizes, indicating that work does pay off (at least at this particular department store, lol)
2. It was not crowded
3. They were playing awesome pop tunes (Rihanna- Pon de Replay and the like)
4. They were playing the most beautiful and romantic ballad of 2013/2014 and other customers were singing.  I love when  people get lost in the moment and sing!  Which song?  Of course, "All of Me" by John Legend!  That song is so beautiful.  How wonderful to be in love like that!  It's going to be the date/wedding song of 2014. 

 

"All of Me" by John Legend

love, love, LOVE this song :-)

To end the afternoon, I treated myself to ice cream!  Fitness wise, that's absolutely not a part of my nutrition plan but you've gotta treat yourself sometimes!  The All Lovin' No Oven signature creation at Coldstone Creamery is on point and this staff is always so friendly and high energy.  Plus it was a fundraiser day, so a good treat and a good deed!

Today was a good day :-)  Can't wait to rock the new looks!

Men are catching up to us, ladies!

For the things men have an advantage on—workplace pay being the biggest—we women have always had one thing in our arsenal. The power to be fabulous at a moment’s notice. Now it is true that this fabulousity comes with the downsides of cute stilettos that slowly murder your feet, the pressure to look sleek and trim but nonetheless it’s a power all our own!

Or is it? So we’ve all heard about the phenomenon of “metrosexuality” but even the most masculine of men is starting to get it. Grooming is unisex! Then came “manscaping”, the process of manicures, waxes (facial and otherwise), and even dabbles with makeup (guyliner anyone?)—basically what we females have been doing since forever. The fashion-senses have also been awakened and more and more guys aren’t just grabbing any old t-shirt, they’re heading to department stores, Express Men (love their men’s collection), other specialty stores, and getting things tailored to achieve a more fashionable version of their look.

However, I just read in The Washington Post something that made my mind spin. MAN SPANX. Spanx for MEN. Huh? Did a double-take but then I realized it makes complete sense. We all know how much attention (grr) is paid to women’s bodies and the all-too familiar comparison to some body part of a Hollywood starlet. Isn’t it time for some sweet revenge? If we have to tuck things in and look slim, so should you (looking at you fellas). A potbelly is only cool if you’re talking about the sandwich shop and moobs (more commonly referred to as man-boobs) are never hot! Repeat: THEY ARE NEVER GOING TO BE IN. Unless you have a condition, in that case, we don’t discriminate.

Spanx for men are basically designed to do what they do for women. Tuck and hide. For me, Spanx definitely can refine a look and give that extra little boost of confidence. We all know the popularity for women but it’s refreshing to see that guys are flocking to stores (think Neiman-Marcus, though it will only be a matter of time before they’re everywhere) taking that step to tuck and hide versus the all too common “let it go” look. The Spanx are called Compression T-Shirts and they remind me of Under Armour except it’s not gym activewear. Oh and in case you thought it was only for guys with guts—nope it’s for you muscular guys who need to fit into trendy suits. Guys, we (or at least I) will love you for taking that step. It shows you care just as much as I do about personal appearance. No shame, boys, no shame!

Real men wear pink (and other pastel tones)? Sure. Real men wear Spanx? Absolutely!

The Washington Post article (The writer breaks down this phenomenon and includes a slideshow): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/18/AR2010081804365.html?hpid=moreheadlines

Man Spanx website: http://www.spanx.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=3955558

Cheers to size...HEALTHY!

I just read an article on Entertainment Weekly (my source for pop culture goodness) about a Tyra Banks apology regarding America's Next Top Model (ANTM), Cycle 15. My first thought was "This could be interesting. Is she apologizing for the fact that this show is still on?" I know that sounds mean but I honestly haven't enjoyed ANTM since Cycle 8 (Jaslene Gonzalez was the winner) with my favorite cycles being 2 (Mercedes rocked!), 3 (Eva the diva was fierce), and 6 (Sweet Danielle and hilarious Jade were great). I couldn't tell you anything about the last few seasons except that of the seasons I watched it has gotten progressively worse. But my disdain is another blog post.


Anyway, it turns out that a promo spot (commercial, if you will) was released showing Tyra Banks appearing to praise a model's very small waist. If you've ever seen the show or know anything about Tyra since her modeling days, than you know that she is all about curves, embracing your body, all the "beauty comes in all shapes and sizes" mantras you can think of. Now of course I agree with those ideas, just as beauty is not only found in one skin tone, hair color, or eye color, beauty is not only one body type.


What was interesting in the comments section was that a debate brewed between the reactions between very thin and overweight. There definitely is more of an overall campaign by the media to celebrate "regular-sized" and "full/plus-sized" women. I applaud the media for this since for so many decades, there was the "one size fits all" mentality that you needed to be the golden size 6 (or smaller) to wear the best fashions, be a model/actress, etc. Embrace your curves and even the extra pounds you have--a confident and positive self-image is what it's all about.


But while celebrating the larger than size 6 body, are we doing so at the cost of the naturally thin women? As sure as "fat" jokes are generally discouraged, how many times have we heard "she looks anorexic!" or "go eat something". Maybe these ladies are eating something and have a naturally fast metabolism or it's their genetic structure or they have a good balance of healthy eating and exercise. I believe we should celebrate ALL body types as long as they are healthy! High blood pressure, cholesterol, etc do not discriminate between a size 0 and a size 20. The key is healthy lifestyle! That will most certainly give way to a beautiful person, no matter what their size is.

Entertainment Weekly's article (and comments): http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/08/16/tyra-banks-top-model-apology/

High heels, high price

High heels are among us. They have long been the symbols of power, confidence, and fashion. You can not open a catalogue without seeing the cutest outfit paired with a high (uncomfortable looking) heel. However, for all of these fleeting things we are given, much is given up. That’s right ladies; high heels do a lot of things for us including damage the muscles in our legs.

Now first let me begin by saying that I am NOT against high heels. I simply like to mix my style up between flats and heels. I am kind of tall without heels so I am more of a cute flats/low heel girl. When I do incorporate high heels, it’s to 1) embrace my inner glamazon by going all out on my look or 2) to stand above the haters/detractors/everybody else. I won’t lie, it does feel good to tower sometimes—except when it’s with a guy that I’m interested in (though it kind of works when it’s a guy I’m not feeling as much). But I’ve digressed. The whole point is that the constant wearing of high heels really does lead to a wear and tear of the muscles. When I think about the reasons I don’t wear high heels, the answer always has to do with pain and/or discomfort.

Here are the facts:
Constant and prolonged wearing of high heels (looking at you diva fashionistas) weaken the calf muscles and alter the shape of the Achilles tendon. Have you ever heard of an athlete being sidelined because of an injury to their Achilles? It is a major injury and while wearing high heels may not debilitate you for months, it can lead to problems down the line. The changes in your legs affect the ankle's natural resting position. Additionally, ill-fitting shoes can also lead to foot conditions such as corns and bunions, which will make wearing ANY shoe uncomfortable.

So what does this mean? Nobody is saying that you can't ever wear high heels. As with everything in life, moderation is the key. Don’t walk up all those flights of stairs or across town in your heels, wear cute flats or sneakers. Don't wear those power heels every day, switch it up with flats, etc. Whatever you do, do NOT even think of exercising in heels (you just look ridiculous--yes even you Beyonce). Some of you may have visions of white sneakers and high-top socks but this is 2010. Shoe companies are with it and design really sporty (and foot-healthy) shoes. Check out footsmart.com or aerosoles.com to see what I’m talking about (as well as some *haute* flats).

The research is out there--be informed:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/07/19/2958019.htm?section=justin
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/15/heels.shrink.muscle/
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/19/she-stoops-to-conquer.html

Check out this hilarious (but true) song by Keri Hilson called "High Heels" set to a pretty cool SIMS video: