How to Stay Motivated to Workout

I have to admit, I have been putting off this post for the very reason that these past two weeks I have felt less than motivated to workout. Ironic, isn’t it? I wanted to share what helped me stay going even when I felt like staying in bed, watching Netflix in my pajamas, and eating food rather than getting my booty to the gym. Seriously, though. These have been tested when I wasn’t just riding the struggle bus to get active. No, I was driving the struggle bus, I can tell you that for sure.

Workout Buddy

One of my best friends from home has been my faithful gym buddy. Whether we are going at 5am or 9pm, she has been by my side. Find someone that is pretty even fitness level as you and wants to get fit too. Her and I have talked about that if we went to the gym with someone who was already fit, we probably would have quit because we would have felt like our progress was small compared to theirs, or some other related reason. Once you have someone, schedule when you can go to the gym each week and help each other stick to it. I know for certain that I would not have left my comfy, warm bed at 4:45am to get to the gym by 5am a lot of mornings if it weren’t for the fact that I would have felt so bad ditching my friend at the gym.

Even if you can’t get someone to go with you, get someone who will text you to make sure you go workout when you say you will. I know all too well how easy it is to just watch that next episode of Netflix instead of going for a jog. 

Gym Bag Essentials

Continuing with my fitness series, I thought I’d share my essentials for the gym. All of these items have been helpful no matter what time I go to the gym—whether at 5am or late at night. I keep all of these items in my gym bag and have kicked myself at one time or another if I forgot them.

Makeup Wipes.

My best friend and I love makeup wipes. I use makeup wipes if I come to the gym with makeup on. I hate working out with makeup on because when I get sweaty, my pores open up, letting in the makeup, which makes me more prone to breakouts. We both use them right after a workout on our faces and shoulders to get any sweat or dirt off of those areas until we go home and shower. I love the Yes to Blueberries ones. I have extremely sensitive skin, and these don’t irritate my skin or make it turn red.

Eye Makeup Wipes.

I also picked up some eye makeup wipes, which are awesome for taking off your eye makeup before a workout. I tried using face makeup wipes on my eye makeup once, and it made my eyes burn. I got the Yes to Cucumbers eye makeup wipes, and they work wonderfully.

My Workout Routine

As I talked about in my last blog post, I started working out regularly this summer with my best friend. We have tried out different routines, and we have finally found something that works best for us. Her and I have two days each of cardio, abs & arms, and butt & legs, with one rest day. I thought I would share what we do each of those days to give you guys maybe some ideas for your own workout routines. Keep in mind that I am not a professional, and this is just what my friend and I do. 

DIY Workout Calendar

This summer I decided to get serious about working out. I worked out twice a week while at college, but this summer I had all of this extra time when I wasn’t working, so I figured what is a better thing to fill it with than working out?

In order to keep track of my progress, get motivation, and stay organized of when my best friend and I were meeting to workout, I created this workout calendar. It has worked so perfectly, and I will definitely be bringing it to college. This has helped me not only stay on track, but get inspired when I felt anything but motivated.

Campus VoxBox

Hey, lovelies! Long time since I’ve posted. I am so sorry for that. Finals and a couple life changes kept me really busy. But, now I am back! This next couple weeks will be a little slow with posts while I plan out and brainstorm ideas. I can’t wait to get going with the blog again, especially since I have time to really get going with it this summer.

On to the VoxBox, I love trying out new products. So, when I had the chance to try out some through Influenster’s VoxBox, I was excited. These products were focused for college students, and I really enjoyed every product they sent me. Without further ado, here is what I thought.

1. Jergens Natural Glow Instant Sun Tanning Mousse

I personally have never used fake tan, so I was a little nervous using it. My roommate, who is redheaded and extremely pale, offered to try it out because we were heading to the beach in a couple days, and she didn’t want to look blindingly white. I was worried that since the color was “Deep Bronze” that the color would be super dark, but it wasn’t. It was so easy to apply, and looked so natural with no streaking. I was impressed. My roommate looked naturally a little tan. I will be using this for myself this summer. If you want a darker tan with this product, I would suggest using it a couple days in a row until you get the color you want.

2. St. Ives Blemish Control Apricot Scrub

I have skin that breaks out easily, so I was a little scared to use this product. I tend to shy away from scrubs that are blemish control formulas because they tend to be very drying. This one wasn’t that bad (although I would use it every once in awhile just to be safe and not dry out my skin). I personally still prefer my Origins scrub for an every once in awhile exfoliator.

3. Sour Punch Rainbow Straws

I am not the biggest fan of sour stuff because I am very sensitive to sour and spicy things. These weren’t that bad, but they weren’t my favorite candy. They are mild in reference to other sour things, but I still don’t like sour things that much so they didn’t thrill me.

4. Sour Punch Punchies

I actually liked these a lot better than the straws. I liked these because I like hard candy with a soft inside. These weren’t too bad by sour standards either, so I enjoyed eating these. I might actually consider purchasing these for myself.

5. Soft Lips Cube

I hoard chapstick—its so bad. So, I was very pleased that they included a chapstick to try. This reminds me of EOS because of the large packaging. I really liked the formula of this. My lips felt moisturized for a good period of time, and it was a bit minty, making my lips tingle afterwards. I don’t know why, but I liked that haha. It left my lips with a nice healthy shimmer/shine as well, which I liked.

6. L’Oreal Paris Advanced Straight System

I have used a lot of their shampoos and conditioners, but I hadn’t tried this one. This did a bit to make my hair a little less wavy after using it. When I straightened my hair, I noticed a bit of a difference in it being easier. Overall, it wasn’t a miracle worker, but I noticed some difference that helped.

I hope these reviews were helpful for you, and maybe gave you some ideas of products to try out. Leave any questions you may have about Influenster or VoxBox in the comments and I will try to respond as soon as possible.

Thanks lovelies, Kirsten

(DISCLAIMER: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way by a third party.)

March Favorites

March has been a month of self-discovery, growth, and change for me. To reflect all of this change in my life, I gave the blog a facelift and am working to improve it more. I not only changed the blog, but my major. I am now a Web Development major with a minor in Graphic Design. I am so excited to see where this major takes me. And I also chopped my hair. I cut off about 5-6 inches.

This month I didn’t try a lot of product beauty wise. I did do some clothes shopping over spring break and found some pieces I really love. Here are some of the things I have been loving this past month.

BEAUTY

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (Vanilla): I LOVE this concealer. It is really expensive, but so worth it. I had one last year. I used it everyday and the tube lasted me 6 months or more. A little bit of this concealer goes a long way. I love how a little bit covers so well without it being super thick—and it doesn’t clog your pores either for that reason. It also is long lasting and blends beautifully without drying out your skin. 

How to Survive Rainy Days in College

I love rainy days when I don’t have to be anywhere. But in college, you are walking in the rain often, especially during the spring time. I hate getting wet, so I have found some methods that help me get through rainy days relatively dry, and hopefully they will help you too. :)

Be Prepared

I keep an umbrella in my book bag at all times just in case a lovely day turns into a downpour. You never know. As my mother says, “just in case.” I am the worst about losing my umbrellas, though. My family gave me two new umbrellas for Christmas, the second one being a backup because they knew I would lose at least one of them. (I did…) I have tried to make an effort to keep up with my umbrellas in that I don’t leave them on the floor where I can easily forget them. I will put it on the table next to me, or just put my umbrella in the pouch it came with and put it in my book bag. If you don’t have a pouch, use a cute small shopping bag. The last thing you want is for your books to get wet, too.

Also, check the weather. This sounds like the simplest advice ever, but I know it can be so easy to forget this step. I use the Yahoo Weather App because it is way more detailed than the weather app my iPhone came with. The app tells you hour-by-hour what it will look like, as well as chances of precipitation throughout the day, a weather map, and how windy it is. This app is very thorough and gives me all the information I could possibly need.