Jog It Out—Jot It Down! Your 2015 Workout Calendar

When I first set out on my fitness journey I taped my number one inspiration on the back of my bedroom door—Britney Spears and those fab abs. That picture was the last thing I saw before walking out to face the day ahead—a day full of choices: healthy or unhealthy, active or lazy. That image on the back of my door got me through many a 'doughnut vs. celery' and 'stairs vs. escalator' decisions. Mind you, this was, oh, I don't know - 11 years ago? But have we SEEN the new Women's Health cover? Girlfriend's still got it!

Two years ago I stumbled across (or, likely, Instagram-ed across) someone's post of a workout calendar—genius! Five minutes later I was on Snapfish creating my first custom workout-inspo calendar. How could I not have thought of this before?! I hung it right in front of my treadmill, so I could stare the inspiration right in the face. There's something about staring at, "PR - Two little letters that make every runner smile," that makes you sprint that extra 30 seconds just to get the chance to jot down "PR!!!" in that day's square. There's also something so rewarding about looking back over a month's work that pushes you to conquer the next month with even more determination. 

As one of the best health moves I ever made, I now pass on my 2015 workout-inspo calendar to you! May it encourage you to sprint a little farther, throw that kettlebell with a little more oomph, and stick that crow for your own personal 'PR' moment!

{Major Snapfish calendar deal until January 13, 2015!! 60% off all photo calendars using code: 60BKCAL.}

1.) Sweat More, Bitch Less. {or, do like me - Sweat More, Brag More ;-)}

2.) Sore. The Most Satisfying Pain. {LOVE to hate it}

3.) Run With Your Heart - Not With Your Legs <3 {Heart gets you farther—trust me}

4.) The difference between your body this week & next week is what you do for the next seven days to achieve your goals... {Repeat, repeat, repeat}

5.) Workout because you love your body, not because you hate it. {Working out is NOT a punishment—it's your body's reward}

6.) 4 Simple Rules: Never miss a Monday; Never go 3 days without exercise; Workout at least 3 days a week; Never give up {Mantra status}

7.) Losing Weight is Hard. Being Fat is Hard. Pick Your Hard. {I've done both—I can tell you which one is harder. What do you think?}

8.) I will beat her. I will train harder. I will eat cleaner. I know her weaknesses. I know her strengths. I've lost to her before. But not this time. She is going down. I have the advantage because I know her well. She is the Old Me. {This is my absolute FAV this year—it hits me right in the heart which then trickles right on down to my running legs and makes me FLY. I purposely put it in August to help me push through that downward Summer lull and kick-off Fall, aka, running season, on a high!}

9.)  PR. Two little letters that make every runner smile. {My FAVORITE thing to get to write on my calendar}

10.) Sometimes I feel like giving up. Then I remember I have a lot of motherf$&%'ers to prove wrong. {One of which is myself—I can be a hell of a mother F'er}

11.) Crawling is acceptable. Falling is acceptable. Puking is acceptable. Crying is acceptable. Blood is acceptable. Pain is acceptable. Quitting is NOT. {Kapeesh?}

12.) No one ever drowned in sweat. {This is comforting to me, because I glisten like a hog}

You can get the exact calendar I created on Snapfish here!

Happy 2015 - Happy Health - Happy Jogging - Happy Jotting!

XO,

Nikki

Tuesday 'Tease' Tutorial: 6 Steps to the Khloe Kardashian S-curl

You know that, "I woke up like 'dis", curl? Well, that coveted undone curl is referred to as the "S-curl." Why? Because it makes a perfect 'S' {duh}. It has been, in my opinion, most precisely & perfectly rocked by none other than Khloe Kardashian. I can't tell you the hours I've spent studying this sassy curl. {Head cocked, full-squint on, lips pursed to the side} "I don't get it—is it a curl come undone? Is it a flat ironing gone crinkle in the night? Is it a magical set of rollers? How, Khloe, HOW!?"

 
Maybe the 'S' stands for sexy, but for many of us it stands for, 'Seriously, HOW do I get those curls?!' Trust me, I know the feeling. You, the curling iron, a few burnt finger tips & a plethora of cuss words spent the better half of Friday evening in the bathroom attempting to come out all Kardashian-like. Instead, you succumb to your failure {mostly because the hubs is standing in the bathroom doorway tapping his foot & pointing at his invisible watch}, go for the usual mess of curls, & then wake-up the next morning all, "Oh hell no! We're going to brunch—this curl deserves a public showing."

Don't settle for the usual mess, get that sexy 'S'! ...the first time around. {Just call me Rhyme Master Nyx}

 
Step 1: One day I won't even have to explain this because it will be engrained in your brain {seriously, I'm on a roll!}. PREP FROM BIRTH. Say it with me now! {PREP. FROM. BIRTH.} Naturally flowing freshly washed hair may be pretty for you to run your fingers through—but that's about it. It won't hold, it won't style, & it will actually get greasier faster with no grit to soak it up. So, lather-up that puppy, lightly condition, rinse & then prep with some grit-inducing products {my favs are Kenra's root lifter & mousse}.

Step 2: I like to futz around while my hair airdries a bit—less heat damage, & really, when can you NOT find something to futz with? Then, fire up that blowdryer, toss your head over, & dry! No rhyme, no reason, no round brush. Just dry upside down. This will give you a good bit of volume to start with—in my case, aka, a big frazzled mess! Isn't is purdy!?

Step 3: Chi time! Or, for all of you non-Chi users {I assume such users exist?}, flat iron time! Pick your part & smooth those strands by taking LARGE sections and running them once or twice through the flat iron. We're not going for Cher-hair here, just a quick smoothing—you don't want to make it soooo flat that it won't then hold that 'S'!

Step 4: Using a 1 1/4 inch barrel iron, curl two-inch sections of your hair, keeping the iron vertical at all times! This may be a dance to accomplish, but you're getting ready for a night on the town, so a little warm-up dance won't hurt!

Step 5: I know, I know, you want to touch them. You want to touch them & tousle them & run your fingers through their bouncy goodness. Don't do ittt. Ah-ah, N O. Hands DOWN. Breathe, it's going to be okay. We are going to get through this. For now, they must rest. Rest and set. Go get your fab little outfit on, finish your make-up, & keep your dang hands out of your hair!

Step 6: N O W. Now you can touch them. Using a teensy weensy bit of serum {I like Paul Mitchell's Skinny Serum}, run your hands over large chunks of your curls so they meld together in one large 'S' pattern. Some may brush, some may run full fingers through—you know your hair and whether it will bounce back up or not, so ween in lightly & play with it, but don't play TOO hard. 

After your 'S' is perfectly coiffed, spritz with hairspray {Kenra Number 25, for me} & confidently bounce out of that bathroom like you are Kardashian Sister #6 {or, #7, if you count Kris}. 

You're S'welcome :-)

XO,

Nikki

New Year, New Hair—Wiping the Slate Clean in 2015!

It's been a long year of ombre, balayage, blondes, blondors & yes, BLEACH. In 2014 almost every brunette dipped a toe in the blonde pool, and the usual-blondies dove face-framers-first into the platinum end.

With the combo of the freezing Winter air here on the east coast, paired with the over-processed {or, more processed than usual} tresses of 2014, heads-of-hair up & down the coast are in dire need of a clean slate! Whether it be deepening the base & toning your balayage-lites to give a dimensional yet seamlessly natural highlight, or completely saturating your strands with a hi-gloss all-over stunner-color, my clients are giving their 2014 locks a 2015 refresh! Note: I am all in favor of a Winter blonde—but even bright blondes need a hi-gloss refresh every now & then. Even a clear gloss can rehydrate your hair follicles and help your blondie-blonde pop!

Here are a few of my F A V transitions so far:

{The epitome of rich chocolate tresses. That sheen!}

{Usual blondes need not to fret—deepening does not always mean DARK, it just means richer, saturated & refreshing. Taking it back to the roots! But keeping dimension, and yes, flecks of blonde.}

 

{Iced Brunette.}

 {Attention!: A clean slate doesn't always have to take it back to the roots. Since you're already pre-lightened from your 2014 locks, take the chance to take the plunge into a vibrant color that you've been lusting after on Pinterest. DO IT! It's just hair, afterall.}

 {Blonde goes bronde, with dimension.}

  {Fun fact: professional {keyword: professional} color actually saturates, hydrates & volumizes strands to give them more shine, silk & B O U N C E!}

 {Going from lighter-locks to a rich red makes your new color P O P!}

{Case in point. Again!}

New year, new hair. Let's do it! Who's with me!? 

XO,

Nikki