Links You’ll Love
Fashion:
If you follow me on Twitter you’ve probably picked up on my serious girl crush on The Man Repeller - Her site is clever, witty, and she’s just as fashion obsessed as I am. Maybe even more so. And today’s she’s here with a phenomenal Do It Yourself project for all you fashion lovers out there – DIY: Fancy Footwear.
Don’t you want bows?
Refinery 29 doesn’t want us to forget about all the stylish mom’s out there, check out their post on stylish moms in NYC – 8 Ultra Cool Moms Show Off Their Killer Style.
If your city is starting to heat up you’re probably in the mood for some tips on warm weather dressing. The Little White Dress is always a great option and here are some oh-so-tempting versions to try out: 14 Little White Dresses You’ll Live In All Summer.
Calling all bun heads! If you’re looking for some new hairstyles to keep your Summer looks interesting check out Refinery 29′s Give Tired Bunds A Twist With These 4 Fresh Styles.
If Coachella just whet your apetitite and you’re going to get geared up for more concerts and music festivals as the weather warms up, you’ve got to check out The Festival Tracker – The Ultimate Guide to Music Festival Fashion and Style. Bonnaroo anyone?
Health/Fitness:
Were you brave enough to sign up for a race this year? Do you have some 2012 New Years Resolutions that you still haven’t reached? Check out The Blog of Impossible Things’ The Women’s Guide To A Triathlon or watch David Kirsch and Heidi Klum’s video How To Train On A Treadmill for some needed motivation and inspiration!
Searching for healthy snack ideas or a great energy boost for before your daily workout? Look no further! 100-calorie snack: Dairy-free chocolate almond butter chews ready in five minutes.
Concerns surrounding the physical and mental consequences of chronic stress have increased over the last few years – weight gain, diabetes, depression. Are you taking it seriously? Read Chris Kresser’s Are You In Stress Denial?
Interested in the new CrossFit trend but hesitant to head to a gym for an introductory class? Take a look at FitSugar’s Three CrossFit Workouts Anyone Can Do to get you started!’
Are you fan of spices? Check out the Whole 9 Life’s Spice Hound 100 Spices Whole 30 Approved. There are some GREAT ideas here.
Barefoot running was all the rage during 2011, due in part to the success of Christopher McDougall’s Born To Run, but what about barefoot walking? Take a look at FitSugar’s Three Ways Walkers Can Benefit From Barefoot Walking and learn more on the subject.
Speaking of Born To Run, if you read it you probably got as interested in chia seeds as I did. Here are a few articles on these phenomenal little seeds
- One Green Planet – Chia Seeds: Health Benefits, Tips and Recipes
- The No Meat Athlete – Tarahumara Pinole and Chia
Links You’ll Love
Happy Earth Day!
I had a long, relaxing, amazing weekend away from the hustle and bustle of the city and I hope that you all enjoyed your weekends just as much.
Health/Fitness:
Trying to clean up your act this Spring? Check out FitSugar’s Easy Ways to Green Your Fitness and Daily Routineand Fit Bottomed Girls’ Behold the Power of Bamboo: 3 Eco-Friendly Fitness Goodies.
If you’re aiming for a healthier diet this Spring, it’s all about fresh fruits and vegetables! One Green Planet has you covered with one of the healthiest greens out there – Kale: Health Benefits, Tips and Recipes. They’ve got all the goods, from the rockstar health benefits to awesome recipes like Lentil-Kale Risotto and Roasted Sweet Potatoes w/ Shallots & Kale Ribbons. Or you can check out Holly Would If She Could’s No Fail Kale: 25 Delicious Recipes To Make Your Friends Green With Envy.
If you have a lemon tree in your yard this is the article for you – Glowing Lemon Hand Scrub & 11 Other Ways To Use Lemons from OhSheGlows.
I don’t know about you, but as soon as the weather warms up its all I can do to stay inside. That’s the only reason I ever took up running, to get out of the gym and enjoy my favorite city bathed in sunshine. Hiking, running, long walks – Any excuse to suck up some Vitamin D. Fit Bottomed Girls & FitSugar both agree – Getting Out in Nature Makes Me a Better Person & Outdoor Cardio Workout.
Try a new type of cookie next time you’re baking – one make with almond meal. Pure 2 Raw has a great gluten-free recipe for Almond Meal Chip Cookies that’s quick and easy – only 5 minutes of prep time! Or you can even try FitSugar’s surprisingly healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Raisin (and Bean!) Cookies.
Fashion:
Time to work some patterns into your wardrobe for Spring! Check out Beauty & the Budget’s Pattern of the Month, PLUS 6 Ways to Wear It.
There’s so much negativity in the world and it’s easy to slip into patterns of negativity and doubt. One of my major goals for 2012 is to really put an effort into Being Positive and approaching my life with joy and enthusiasm. Do you want to start your radical self-love journey? Gala Darling is here to help you get started on your journey to self-love. Not only does she have a Radical Self Love Bootcamp, she’s also helpfully provided us with a list of articles on the subject of self-love that you can read through on your own. Including 100 Ways You Can Start Loving Yourself Right Now, I Am Not Sorry, How To Be Confident, and How To Get Calm In A World Full Of Crazy!
Still wishing you were part of Coachella? Why not make yourself an Embellished Friendship Bracelet as a consolation prize? Trust me, they’re pretty perfect!
Need some inspiration for collecting and storing jewelry? Take a cue from Kayture‘s gorgeous collection! I love jewelry and I think it’s a vital part of any outfit that you’re putting together – I talked about some of the basics a girl should keep in her jewelry box in my Real Girls Need Real Closets & Real Girls Need Real Closets – Accessories Edition. I’ll also be doing an entire post dedicated to my collection soon, in the meantime the photo below is a sneak peek of what I have in store for you! 
Interested in rompers and jumpsuits but not sure if you can pull them off, or even – gasp – whether you should even try? Check out FabSugar’s Yes, You Can Pull Off Jumpsuits and Rompers — 15 Real-Life Street Snaps to Show You How. These shots of real girls on the streets looking fabulous will definitely get you in the mood.
Friday Links + Giveaway Fun
Before we get down to the Friday Links, I want to remind everyone to submit an entry for the Spring 2012 MCLV Giveaway! It’s easy to enter, just pick one of the four ways to enter listed in the Giveaway post, and you could win a $50 gift certificate to Bloomingdale’s. Just tell me what you’re looking forward to for Spring…
Good luck!
Health/Fitness:
Do you like to have a cup of coffee before your morning workout? Read Christopher Williams’s article on the Robb Wolf blog Caffeine & Performance about the relationship between physical performance and your daily caffeine consumption.
Need some new ideas for healthy breakfasts? OhSheGlows has the goods, from desserty goodness like Chocolate Cake Batter Overnight Oats (OH YUM) to fresh Spring produce filled Blueberry Vanilla Banana Soft Serve Overnight Oats.
Have you tried nutritional yeast yet? Personally I like to use it instead of cheese as a topping when I cook and love it in vegan cheese sauces, but it has even more uses. Interested in learning more? Check out One Green Planet’s Nutritional Yeast: Health Benefits, Tips & Recipes.
With the new Reebok backing, CrossFit is becoming even more mainstream. Are you interested in learning how CrossFit style workouts can potentially improve your health and tone your body? (You can even see my experiences here: Do you… CrossFit? My Personal CrossFit & How To Survive A CrossFit Meet)
- Carrots ‘n’ Cake – How 3 Months of CrossFit Changed My Body
- Holly Would If She Could – Discomfort & the Oboe Principle
- FitSugar’s Everything You Need To Know About CrossFit
Don’t have time for a full HIIT or Tabata cardio workout? Still hit the gym, jumping rope is a phenomenal workout and only takes minutes! Check out Jackie Warner’s 5 Favorite Jump Rope Moves from FitSugar.
Fashion:
Not sure what bag to invest in for Spring? FabSugar and Refinery 29 both have a gorgeous list of options for you – from Phillip Lim and Diane Von Furstenberg to Club Monaco and Zara.
Brave enough to try printed pants for Spring? Mama’s A Rolling Stone has done the leg work for you – Top Buys: Printed Jeans. Need some more convincing? See how Olivia Palermo and Jessica Alba make this trend work oh-so-well for them.
I found Refinery 29′s 29 of Fashion’s Biggest Mysteries, Solved! pretty interesting to read. From reality show myths debunked to background on prints, fashion insiders and brands.
In the mood for some more DIY? Check out this super easy & stylish decoupage tray from Refinery 29.
While I’ve never seen The Rachel Zoe Project, I do have to say that I love Rachel’s styling for clients as well as her personal style. Check out FabSugar’s segment: In Dress Distress? Rachel Zoe Answers Your Most Frequently Asked Styling Questions.
