Wanna guess what my weakness is? Cute workout clothes. They’re totally my kryptonite. Buuuuuuut I’m also a college student and have to be smart about how I spend my money. That’s why I decided to put together a quick post on cute and affordable workout gear that will help you feel on fire at the gym without breaking the bank! Here are a few of my latest finds: 

1. Medium Support Sports Bra in Purple Melange– $19.95

I love this color combo and the cute straps! 

2. Striped Yoga Top– $24.95

Super flattering and made of fast-drying material. I don’t do too much yoga, but can definitely see myself wearing this when Kyle and I go on active dates like walking on the beach or hiking when it gets a little chillier!

3. Heathered Studio Leggings– $12.80

I love the subtle design on this and the price can’t be beat! The reviews are good for it as well and describe them as thick (no underwear flashing here!), comfy, and non-slip when you workout. 

4. Double Strap Tank– $19.99

Fun and flirty! These type of tops are my favorite to wear when I go to the gym since their flattering, yet still comfy and breathable! 

5. Fleece Jacket in Coral– $29.95

I like to pretend that it gets cold enough in Southern California for me to wear this more than a couple times a year, but this coral color is my jam and anything made of fleece —> comfort at its max. 

6. Black Bandeau Bra Top– $18.99

Because wearing tight black workout clothes always makes me feel like a certified badass at the gym. 

7. Hooded Workout Coverup– $14.99

Currently on clearance and I want it RIGHTNOW . Perfect for when you’ve finished your workout and are about to head back home or run some errands! 

8. Open-Back Workout Tank– $8.80

Gotta love the price tag on this one! Breezy and fun! 

9. Contrast Panel Performance Leggings– $21.80

10. Knotted Workout Tank– $8.80

Very breathable and cute with a fun-colored sports bra underneath!

So there you have it! A quick and dirty roundup of some inexpensive workout gear that I now want to go and spend ALL my money on 😯 .

Question of the Day: What stores do you shop at to find cheap athletic-wear? 

Disclosure: While I was provided a FlipBelt review, all opinions are completely my own.

Hi, friends!

I just wanted to pop in to share an awesome, new-to-me product that I absolutely LOVE- The FlipBelt!

When I workout, I don’t like to have much hanging off of me. Unfortunately, I’m one of those people who honestly can’t do cardio for an extended period of time (unless it’s a sport, of course) without having some music to pump me up and help keep me going. That’s where the FlipBelt comes in! The FlipBelt is a workout/life waistband that brings the fanny pack to a whole new level of cool. It’s made of moisture-wicking material that fits on your hips like a second skin and does not bounce or ride up on you when you’re working out- a godsend for me!

After a few minutes of excited squealing after tearing open my package, I took my neon pink Flipbelt out for a run and instantly fell in love. I was able to tuck in my keys, Visa card, and phone into it and, once I got started jogging, didn’t even notice I had it on me. While armbands that hold your phone are an okay substitute, I would HIGHLY reccomend the Flipbelt instead since it doesnt constrict your arms and makes it a million times easier to access your phone if you want to change your song or adjust the volume. A few days later, I wore my Flipbelt to the gym and was ecstatic that it allowed me to lift weights without having to deal with tucking my iPhone into my pants (yes, I did that) so I could listen to my music. It even stayed put through jump lunges and box jumps. If that’s not a success, I don’t know what is!

Currently, the kind people over at Flipbelt are offering 10% off your total purchase there when you use the code sweat33 !

Click-to-Tweet! 
Hope you guys love FlipBelts as much as I do!

 

Hello from the skies! I’m currently flying over the ocean and taking a small break from typing up my lab report, which I procrastinated doing my entire trip. I arrive at 9 tonight and am going to sleep at my parent’s house before driving up to Santa Barbara in the morning and heading straight to my lab. How’s that for a rude vacation awakening?

It’s been a great trip, though I must admit I’m not ready to go back yet. I mean, is anyone really ever ready to come back from vacation? Since I had to plan my stay in Hawaii with my labs, I only had four full days here. Cue sad violins. Oh well, I’m a lucky girl in that I got to go at all!

Enough of me acting like a spoiled baby at my own pity-party. Wah wah wah. Let’s get to the recap of my last few days! If you missed my first one, you can read it here.

On Friday we went on an excursion that’s probably my favorite thing to do when I visit the Big Island: zodiac riding!

We piled into the car at 9 in the morning and drove for about 25 minutes before arriving at the docks where are zodiac boat was waiting for us. We went slowly out of the dock area and right when we got out, we were greeted by a pod of sleepy dolphins and pilot whales.

After hanging around them and learning more about their habits/size/etc, we sped off until our guides excitingly found a large floating log in the middle of the ocean. Apparently it’s pretty rare to find one in Hawaii, but they’re a treasure trove for fisherman since after a few days, they become a floating ecosystem that smaller fish and wildlife use for shelter. This attracts bigger predator fish and the guides told us that you can usually bet on being able to spear dinner in no time if you fish around it.

Buddha (I have no idea if this is his real name, but we just went with it), the assistant, told us that he’s actually been able to jump out of the boat and stab fish with his bare hands 😯 . I asked him what his success rate was like and he said it’s around 1/3 since the first fish is like, “What the hell man, are you trying to stab me to death?” (a pretty called-for reaction if you ask me), the second fish is doubly sketched out by the little tan asian man jumping at it and trying to shank it with a knife, and the third one is used to him and the splash he causes when he tumbles into the water. Me? I’m just impressed he was actually able to catch one that way at all!

If you’ve ever been zodiac riding before, you know that it’s fast, bumpy, and exhilarating! You feel like you’re on an oceanic roller coaster and are holding onto the side ropes on the edges of the boat for dear life. It’s awesome. In no time we came to the place where we had a break to snorkel and eat a lunch of fresh fruit, sandwiches, chips, and cookies, The area has a monument to Captain Cook, a circumnavigator who discovered the Hawaiian islands while looking for a Northwest Passage. He ended up landing at a spot that is riiggghhtttt on the reefs where we snorkeled and was hailed as a god by the local Hawaiians. Apparently since the Hawaiians had never seen metal before, the crew members were able to trade three nails for a…. errr….. stay at the local harlot’s house and in no time, Captain Cook discovered that his ship was falling apart at the seams. Captain Cook eventually died in a skirmish with the locals when he tried to take the king of Hawaii hostage on his ship. 

After snorkeling for an hour or so, we turned the zodiac around and headed to tour some of the lava tunnels. Some of them extend for miles, which I think is pretty crazy!

The rest of the day was spent with a nap, dinner, and relaxing. OH. And worrying about how freakishly tan my back had gotten from the day out on the ocean. I applied sunscreen religiously, but my skin tans ridiculously quickly and I felt like a crinkly brown paper bag even though I wasn’t burned at all. My back at the time was probably 6-7 shades darker than the rest of my body and, needless to say, Kyle has been helping load me up with layer after layer of aloe vera.

The next day we headed out around 9 to drive to a Farmer’s Market and explore. Kyle and I were starving by the time we got there and ended up eating a huge plate of pad thai, egg rolls, and a nutella and banana crepe- all before 10:30. Early lunches=food coma all day.

I think one of the main reasons Kyle and I get along so well is because we both like to eat so much. I swear, nothing makes us happier than good food and we always split dishes so we can taste twice as much food. It’s a goooooood system. 

After walking around for a while and browsing the various stands, we picked up some fudge and got an iced coffee before heading back to the house to rest up before embarking on a new-to-me-experience, swimming at night with 15 foot wide manta rays!

Andddd since this recap is on it’s way down to China, I’m going to save the manta ray-ing and other festivities for another post 😉 .

I hope your week is going swimmingly! 

 

Aloha!

{From my Instagram!}

I’m currently on the third full day of my vacation in Hawaii and am writing this post up in the wee hours of the morning since I’m definitely feeling the three hour jetlag. The weather here is wonderful and there is not a sign of a hurricane to be seen. Kyle and his family were here during the great hurricane of Iselle and experienced traumatic palm-tree swaying and a small drizzle. Terrifying 😯 .

Here’s what I’ve been up to the first two days!

I left my hometown for LAX around 6:30 in the morning and had a relatively easy flight over. Kyle was waiting for me at the gate (which is all of 20 meters from where the planes come in, the airport is so small!) and we drove about 20 minutes to the condo my parents own. The rest of the day was spent relaxing around the house and eating an appetizer-filled dinner at a restaurant called Lava Lava. The restaurant is perched right on the beach and we sat for about two hours enjoying each other’s company and passing around different small plates. My camera battery died early on, so I wasn’t able to snap too many food photos, but just believe me, everything was deeeeeeelicious! 

My favorite appetizer from the night included asian-style chicken wings that had a delicious sweet and salty glaze to them. Definitely something I want to try to recreate once I’m back at home! The next day I got up at around 5 in the morning, read some blogs, replied to some emails, and went on a 3 mile run. Lately, I’ve been trying to run more regularly since no other cardio exercise makes me feel so fantastic and I’m happy to report that it’s getting easier and more enjoyable. In my opinion, there’s no better way to explore a place than by running through it! Right when I was finishing, Kyle’s mom texted me asking if I was close to the Starbucks that’s across the street from the condo, and I headed over to get two lattes for her and Kyle as well as a variety of baked goods from the specialty grocery store. 

Breakfast after my run included scrambled eggs with onions and tomatoes, donut holes, toast with butter, bacon, and watermelon. Not a bad way to start the day! 

After eating, we all headed over to a HUGE hotel to swim in their pools for most of the day. I think the property is close to 50 acres big in its entirety and they actually have a mini train to take you around if you don’t feel like walking. We spent some time swimming around the pool and going down water slides before exploring the lagoon they have open. We ended up finding a few turtles and had two of them swim up right next to us! 

After being in the sun for a few hours, all of us were pretty exhausted and we headed back home to rest up for the rest of the day. We had a delicious dinner of asian/hawaiian-style salmon that Kyle made and I passed out pretty early after reading a little. 

Hope you guys are having a great week! I’m off to a Farmer’s Market in 30 minutes, so I’ve got to run and get ready .

 

Feeling meh about intros today, so let’s jump right to it!

Thanks, as always, to the lovely Amanda for hosting. You’re a gem!

1. I seriously can’t get over bagels and lox right now.

My mom and I have always loved the combination and about a year or so ago I introduced Kyle to their gloriousness. He’s been hooked ever since! We have a reeeaalllyyy good bagel place near my house in my hometown and their poppy seed bagels are to die for. Usually we just order plain bagels and pimp them out when we get to one of our houses, but today we tried one of their in-store bagels. It came with salmon, capers (not a fan), tomatoes, and cucumbers. While it was good, we decided that we much rather prefer the simpleness of lox and onions. One little trick we do is to soak the onions in a bowl of ice water to take away some of the acidity and leave the crisp, cold, and delicious. If you’ve never tried it before (I’m looking at you, Julia), it’s a total must!

2. So apparently there are two hurricanes en route for Hawaii within the next few days.

That’s right, not one, but TWO. The forecasters say they aren’t expecting too much trouble from Hurricane Iselle and Julio, but still. Also, have you ever thought of who actually gets to name hurricanes? Hm. I’m really liking Julio. It kind of just rolls off the tongue. JULIOOOOOO.
Kyle and his family had their flight canceled to the Big Island for tomorrow evening, but were able to get it rescheduled for early tomorrow morning instead. I’m flying up next Wednesday to meet up with them and will be staying five full days before I have to rush back to my chemistry lab. I honestly caaaan’ttt wait!

3. Pie. In my mouth. Right now. *passout*

4. Oh oh oh! My newest recipes for Savory Style are up right now!

I made the best Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Dream Bars and Sparkling Blueberry Mint Lemonade. That lemonade may just be my new favorite drink EVER. Honestly, it’s to die for! I’m also really happy with how the photos turned out :). The little paper straws and mason jar just kill me. So cute!

5. Last call for requests for things to touch on in my next income report! 

It takes me about a week after the month has ended to put them together since many ad networks don’t finalize earnings till then, and I’m hoping the stats will be updated by Friday. Let me know if you guys have any questions or concerns! Here are a few of the ideas I’m thinking about writing about along with the actual moolah report:

• Props and little photography tricks I use
• What backgrounds/boards I take my photos on 
• Intro to affiliate links

 So far, I’ve had a few requests to share more on different ad companies and when/how much traffic I had when I started using them. Let me know if any other topics spark your interest and I’ll share what I know!

Again, I’m not pretending to be some blogging superstar with these reports! I’m just hoping that other bloggers will be able to take some knowledge away from my trial and error. I’m learning as I go as well!

Anyways, that’s all for today! I hope everyone is having a great week!