I woke up this morning and saw a rainbow…of resistance bands! Got these for my birthday. Now sweatin’ like a mofo.
Here’s the workout I’m doing:
Feel that booty ? burn
Have you ever used resistance bands before? OH EM GEE. Dude, they don’t look like much, but they are no joke. They’re an ultra-portable, affordable way to up your workout game.
Think heavy-duty rubber bands. You wrap them around different parts of your body during specific exercises where your muscles work against the resistance of the bands, and the different colors and sizes of the bands correspond to different levels of tension. Some are equal to a 10-pound dumbbell; some are quite a bit more or less.
Slip one around your knees or ankles, and suddenly your squats and side lunges are next level. I’m talking serious burn ? (in a good way)! You can also use them for upper body (like for assisted pull-ups) and core work.
One can only endure so many burpees because they are truly the devil’s work, and when I want to exercise but can’t bear the thought of going to an HIIT class or struggling through a run, a resistance band workout is almost fun.
Or, at least, different. They’re an easy, low-impact way to mix things up.
Now, I’m gonna go jump in the shower and de-funk myself, although I don’t know why I bother, because it’s supposed to be 90-something today, so I’m just gonna end up all sweaty again anyway. While I embark upon said useless endeavor, here are some stories that caught my eye this week:
- If you’re a woman of color, here’s a guide to finding a nude lippie for darker skin tones.
- New brand to watch out for at Sephora: 7 Virtues. To support local residents and families in war-torn areas, the brand sources raw ingredients from places caught in conflict and actually overpays to help farmers provide more for their families.
- Soon, fans of “the ‘gram” will be able to watch hour-long videos through something called IGTV. Side note: would anyone be interested in watching me ramble for an hour on Instagram about cats? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.
- I’m a big fan of unisex scents (see: Clean Reserve Sel Santal), so I can’t wait to sniff these three new fragrances Chanel is launching for girls AND guys.
- What’s in a name? Former Allure Editor Linda Wells is launching a new makeup line called Flesh. Here she talks about the semi-scandalous name and their products (she was going for controversy). The article is also filled with fun facts (which you know I loooove), like how the Peach Crayola crayon color used to be called Flesh, but it was rebranded during the start of the civil rights movement.
Well, I just found what I’ve been missing all my life: CHOCOFLAN!!!
I definitely did not look like this when I danced to Push It at the eighth-grade dance…
Current summer soundtrack
What are you up to this weekend? Is it hella hot there too?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
100° today here in Dallas, TX. And the A/C in my car is busted and I have errands to run. I should get going but I have two toddlers and don’t like the idea of having to go out with them because of said heat. Uggghhh!
You didn’t know about chocoflan… do you know 3 leches cake and like coconut? If you do you can use coconut milk as one of the milks, it is like the best of both worlds ?. I stay at home, I will get resistance bands and try a workout otherwise I never will have time so thank a lot for that idea.
I was a child of the 90s and remember a flesh crayon and around ’93-’95 they also made flesh markers in various skin tones sold as a pack of eight. I remember wanting them because I was not peach and they had a shade closer to my color.
Linda Wells chose the name Flesh because sex sells, plain and simple. I’m not impressed. I am impressed, however, with that new 7 Virtues brand. I don’t see it on the website yet, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for it.
Did you see the Sephora Weekly Wow? The MUFE Aqua XL Eye Liners are Buy One Get One free. Full size.
Yes, it is crazy hot here and so humid. My two youngest are spending the day; we’re just hiding out in the house watching cartoons, because it’s too yucky outside to play.
Oh dearest one, it is 65 and breezy and overcast on the Maine coast today. We’ve had a pretty cool start to summer. I am sending you some of these cool breezes right meow. There, do you feel them?
I seem to think I had some fitness bands when I was heavy into P90, did you ever do that?
Also, I will buy whatever Linda Wells is selling. I don’t care what it’s called or what the product is. She has impeccable taste and Allure magazine has gone way down hill since she left.
I’ve wanted to write a letter to the editor about how disgusted I am with things but I don’t bother because I suspect they are trying to focus on an under-35 demographic now, which is a shame. There’s a lot of middle-aged women and older women buying cosmetics and skincare and haircare and implements.
OMG!!! Choco-flan. I need to eat the whole thing. 90 F down this way.
Connor Claire is just way too adorable. Her smiles made my day. And I need it cuz Lucy has laminitis and we sent Nora off to kitty heaven yesterday and I feel like someone put an axe through my heart.
Both of my trainers make me use the black resistance band to do side squats and side walks the length of the gym and back. I usually do three sets and by the third set I’m burning and my glutes feel like gelatin.
One of my kitties died this week. I am devastated. He and I were very close. I am very sorry for the loss of your Nora.
Jennifer I am so sorry for the loss of your kitty. I quite understand how you are feeling. It’s like I lost a part of myself. Hugs to you.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Tatiana.
It has been quite warm here in central Canada, one might say too warm… Ha ha
I am most intrigued by those new Chanel fragrances, can’t remember the name but one was described as a lighter vanilla, and vanilla is basically my jam. Must be the heat but I am NOT feelin’ my usual fragrances right now. Too much! I also saw 7 Virtues a long, long time ago and I’m glad they’re branching out to Sephora. I distinctly remember something about layering them because each one is like one aspect to a multi-parted traditional ‘fragrance’. If the orange blossom agrees with me I’ll probably get it since I’m a sucker for fragrance.