The Darling Physique: Fitness Goals for 2018

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>   Bonjour!   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To kick off the start of my new wellness plan for the year, I composed my first fitness flatlay of 2018. Why am I focusing on exercise and healthy workout habits when I barely tip the scales over 100 lbs? Let me tell you a little story about my previous brushes with *shudder* athleticism. 

First of all, I was often one of those pick-for-last type of players at recess/PE. Why? Because my sport skills stink and my ability to show myself in excellent shape is about as likely as a squirrel who has been hit by a car or two and left along the side of the road. Sound depressing? Wait until my later years. 

In college I decided to ride my bike 3-5 miles into town on my way to participate in a research study. This decision was made hastily after a night of potato-couching and a lifetime of MUCH smaller bike expeditions. Also, I hadn't even eaten breakfast before I left. Yet here I was, pedaling my little legs to death trying to make it across a city previously never traversed by myself and my bike. I got as far as the downtown police station before I had to stop and vomit on the sidewalk; fortunately, there were no officers dutifully patrolling the grounds at that moment. UNfortunately, a lady happened past in her motorized wheelchair, saw me clinging to whatever was left of my couch-potatoed life, and asked concernedly if I was alright. Because I was afraid this would happen, I had pulled out my cellphone (which at that time was neither connected to Internet nor had any potential of increasing my dignity as a young adult) before she rolled up and I began feigning distraction to cover up that I was not, in fact, okay. I glanced up from the screen to see embarrassment cross her face as she fell for my ploy, thinking that she had merely imagined the pale green color of my face. She quickly recovered herself and moved along. I, on the other hand, drooped back into the bench like a green bean left out in the sun to wilt away, realizing I would have to cancel my plans for the day and call for a shame-filled ride back home.

Thus, we come to the purpose of this year's fitness goals. I am not in it to lose weight, as the majority of Americans are planning hoping to do, and I am not trying to jump on the Better Body Now! bandwagon. Rather, my resolution is to get in shape so that I can be more active in my adventures and less fearful of my body's very limiting limitations. To do this, I hope to challenge my core, tone my arm and leg muscles, and prepare my body for a more pleasurable and longer-lasting lifestyle.

Workout Tech:

• Smartwatch to monitor water intake, track steps/activity, keep time
• Pandora-playing device for upbeat workout playlist

 Workout Snacks:

• Granola for upping energy levels and maintaining organ health (along with a multitude of other benefits)
• Water and fiber powder mix for attaining and maintaining healthy weight, along with promoting positive digestive health (as well as other benefits)

 If I have time in the morning, I like to do a 30-45 minute workout using 15 minutes for cardio (Zumba-style with videos found on YouTube), 15-20 minutes using my Fit Girl's Diary: Diamond Abs Workout, and wrapped up with a round of arm-targeted weightlifts, pushups, and squats. Once I have sweated enough for a day's worth of labor, I pamper myself with a nice long shower followed by a peppy breakfast of oats and granola and my fiber drink.

As I just started this workout routine with the Fit Girl's Diary abs challenge, I am still on the first training and practically dying after 3 rounds of straight leg raises, but I am relishing the pain as a sign of progress. After all, if you aren't feeling the burn, you aren't trying to earn.

What are your fitness goals for 2018?

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Hello Goodbye Panda: Ross  | Smart Watch: Jane  | Diamond Abs Workout: Fit Girl's Diary

xoxo,

Sara

She's Going to France

Bonjour!

I've been SO elated all break trying to hold myself together. Researching, studying, preparing- all of it only causes me to break out in little episodes of hysteria. I'm not talking about the stressing/crying/hair-pulling hysteria that comes with college studying, either. This is all self-inflicted education.

Why am I putting myself through such seemingly horrible torture, you ask?

It's because I'm going to France.

There. I said it without an exclamation point.

I'M GOING TO FRANCE, PEOPLE!!! And I can't say it without having a shipload of glitter and unicorns popping out either. Maybe I better tell you how this all got started.

You see, for years I've been fascinated by the architecture of the Eiffel Tower. It's just like one day I woke up and thought to myself, "You know, I kinda like that weird tower in France. I think I'll start collecting it." And then I started becoming enraptured by the French language, the little patisseries and cafés, and just about everything else involved in the French way of life.
I became a Parisian wannabe.
Several years and a roomful of Paris-themed decor later, my love for France continued to flourish. A little too much, one might think. Some of you may recall reading the post in which I discovered a macaron shoppe in Florida and was almost in a stupor when I realized the employee was French. (Um, yeah. That was a little awkward.) 
In fact, this whole stinking blog is riddled with little tributes to France! (i.e. the opening of every post, the blog logo to the left of the blog name in the browser tab, etc. etc.) So it would come as no surprise that I have ALWAYS wanted to go to France. 

Enter in a VIP member of the Education program at my U. This was how I first stumbled on the idea of study abroad-ing, though the notion was brought up in an art history class 2 years previously (an offer for Intro to Museology in- where else- Paris, France. At the Louvre. *insert ugly sobbing*). She brought in a flier for a study abroad to Argentina and I started thinking "Hm. This is my last year in college. My last chance for a structured/guided/non-touristy visit to another country. My last chance to visit another country with a generous discount via kind scholarships and student financial aid." My sister had just finished up a study abroad to Italy during the summer, so the opportunity was practically screaming at me. I started doing a little research on the Study Abroad website for my school, and that's when it happened.

Between Ecuador and Hong Kong sat the love of my life.

 France! It was there, waiting for me, calling my name, singing my song. I knew it must be a sign.

I signed my little behind right up for that trip and waited for an answer. Before long, I received the glorious news that 

 Could it be so? Do dreams REALLY come true???
I started going through the paperwork and necessary registrations. France, it seemed would become my reality during the spring of 2016. Everything was falling into place.

On November 13,  I was just about to check my email when I my eye caught one of AOL's trending headlines. Paris was under attack. In a panic I began reading as many updates and articles as I could find before catching onto a live newsfeed from Canada. I watched in devastation as the events unfolded before me and the death toll rose higher and higher, the city of my dreams coming under the siege of heartless terrorism. I was eventually pulled away from my post at my computer to take my sister to her birthday present, a concert on campus. Even there, thoughts of France raced through my mind, molding themselves to the music and creating meaning out of the emotion underlying each melody; before performing the next song, the conductor came off his pedestal to offer a moment of silence for the victims and their families in Paris, and the audience respectfully obliged. Even in America, we became united for the people of France. 

 Throughout this painful period, I felt sadness for the innocent people who were killed that night. On the backburner of my mind, consequently, sat the question: Would I still be going to France? My family were understandably not favorable to the idea. They saw France, particularly Paris, as a place no longer safe for their daughter to travel, and the idea of studying abroad was never a comfortable one. Weeks after tributes were being made and funerals were being held, I knew.

I still wanted to go to France. Maybe even more after seeing the bonds being formed by nations across the world for the hundreds killed and wounded in this peaceful country. The murderers had managed to tear a hole in the fabric of the country, but the world came together to help it mend and offer support. We were united. 

Today, I continue preparations to visit my beloved country. It will be my first time out of America without family (and with complete strangers). It will also be the first country I visit where the primary language is not English. Sometimes the enormity of the language barrier and differences in customs tries to overwhelm me, but I could not be more excited for this new adventure. It's a piece of my life that will change me forever for the better. Most of all, I can't wait to share this part of my life with my fantastique readers. Listen people, don't be afraid to dream a little bigger! Life is only so long, you know? 

You can follow my adventure here or on Insta as I make a dream a reality. <3

 C'est la vie. Make it fabulous.

 xoxo, Sara

(PARIS top: Rue 21) 

january mornings.

 Bonjour!

And the snow finally fell. Not in time for Christmas, of course, but just in time for the heavy traveling that comes with the looming of a new semester. To be quite honest, I love snow. It's beautiful, it makes un-raked yards look cleaner, and it's sparkly. It also matches well with practically any outfit. But it also gets into shoes, boots, whatever, makes the weather colder by reverse causation, and commonly travels with its unpleasant friend, Mr. Ice. And Mr. Ice does everything in his power to make your winter a very unpleasant one.

That being said, I feel winter has finally come to January. Just in time for college to start back up. This morning as I was awakened by the sounds of a cat engaging in regurgitative behaviors, I was suddenly smacked with the realization that class starts next week at 8:00 AM bright and early. And not only does class start next week at 8:00 AM bright and early, but at the time which I will have to get up (ahem, 6:00) it is not even bright insomuch as it is early. In fact, when I finished hauling the afore-mentioned puking cat to her litterbox to dispel of unwanted inner ick, and looked out the window, I found to my gaping astonishment that the moon WAS STILL HAPPILY SITTING IN AN OVERHEAD POSITION IN THE SKY. At 6 in the morning. The sun was nowhere in sight.

I could have cried right then and there. I felt a heavy feeling of foreboding settle over my soul like a blanket of snow on the frozen ground. Or maybe it was my body's way of punishing me for having to leap out of bed so early in the morning on break. Regardless, I knew from that point forward that, for two days a week, I would be getting up in practically nighttime settings, leaving the house at the crack of dawn (if I'm lucky), and arriving at class with the sun on its way to a higher point in the morning sky. I cringe just thinking about it.

Then, another thought struck me. I have to leave at 7 in the morning only two days a week, which is three days less than normal public-school kids. I live in the same city as the university, so I have an even lesser distance to travel than some college students. Furthermore, most people who aren't even going to college have to leave the house just as early or earlier to get to work every morning. And I realized: I am a huge debbie-downer. I am having a pity party over LIFE. So now I am thinking, You know what? I hate getting up early and I hate being out early. But life happens. Some people have it better, but most have it worse. So you just have to make the morning love you, rather than the other way around. It may take a while, but carpe diem! Until then, I am going to make the most out of break and relax as much as possible.

And going to hope that the cat stops barfing while I am trying to sleep.

xoxo, Sara

Hair-Raising Halloween

Bonjour!!!! Today I am coming to you from the wonderful world of fast-pace science and academic excellence! (How I wish I could say that on a regular basis...) I was able to come up with the idea AND the outfit for this costume in about 10 minutes with a little help from Google images and pieces I already had in my closet. I used a tweed suit jacket, a white blouse, a bow tie from an old costume, and a white-paper-cutout mustache. The final touch? Tousled hair. Very, very tousled hair. Because Einstein was a genius but apparently did not own a comb. The funniest part of my costume was the fact that I really did not have to do a whole lot to my hair to make it look like that-- it's naturally/automatically genius-styled. :/


Now, you may be wondering why I would allow my hair to behave like a Lady Gaga run-in with 90 mph winds (while wearing a white paper mustache, you will remember) to an institution of higher learning at which I am attempting to earn certification for a respectable career. Rest assured, dear bloggers, the only audience this costume had was a class of 5th-7th graders. And the principal. But who's counting? Suffice it to say, if you go out of your way to look like a crazy bird who may require a one-of-a-kind buckling jacket, kids will appreciate it. So if you are one of those people who live to see the strange looks and head-whips, by all means this is the costume for you!

What are you celebrating Halloween as?

Tweed Suit Jacket: Thrifted | Blouse: Gifted | Bow-Tie: Old | Wig: Unfortunately, that is my real hair. Do send your regards.

xoxo, Sara

Straw Hat and Blue Surf

  Bonjour!!!!!

     I am back with a long (but exciting, gorgeous, and wet!) day at the beach. It was such a beautiful day to visit the Gulf of Mexico (I keep wanting to say "ocean", but it technically is the Gulf) and take part in sand building, exploring, and body surfing. Which turned out to be a very, very awkward activity to do.
     I was in the water, conquering the waves (in a fashion that only a petite woman of under 115 pounds can do), when I decided to ride out a particularly large wave. It was thrilling enough that, when I popped up for air and saw another biggie coming, I decided to ride again with a vengeance. And I dived into the wave, allowing it to propel me at a rather speedy speed, feeling like a liberated dolphin  when *SMACK*-- my liberation is cut short as I crash into a pair of legs innocently standing in the waist-deep water. And there I floundered, still being at the mercy of the water's force and pressed up against some strange lady's lower body. It was the. most. embarrassing. moment. I. have. ever. had. the. audacity. to. live. through. When I finally managed to push myself away, I had to shout "Sorrrryy!!!" as I was once again drafted into the watery service of the Gulf of Mexico. And I wanted to be washed away into a river that would connect with the Mississippi and carry me back up to Illinois where I would hopefully never have to face the woman whom I so rudely washed into. Sadly, I ended up spending the rest of the day on the same beach. I hoped that the water had been too blue for her to clearly see what I looked like.
     Apart from that mind-numbingly awkward incident, it was a great time. I got some great pictures AS WELL AS some video clips which I hope to share soon in a summarizing video, so stay tuned.

Hope you have had a great summer (or a more dignifying one, at least ;))!

Top/Skirt/Hat: Thrifted | Swimsuit/Flip-Flops: Walmart | Belt: Old

Until next time,
Sara

Winged and Classy

 

 Happy weekend! Here at the Ladyhood we do not support polka dots, as you may have noticed from all of the outfits without polka dots in them. I mean, really, who likes dots anyway?! Obviously not me. I definitely do NOT have an obsession with polka dots. (You believe me, right?)

Ok, so there's a bit of a story behind these pictures. First of all, we had to go to Macy's to find a suit for my business-studying sister for the career fair. Basically, my other sister Samantha and I got dragged along to "help". So we were looking around at all of these super-expensive suit jackets and skirts (Samantha and I laughing at Macy's version of "Clearance"), when finally Ms. Fancy-Schmancy Business Major finds a couple of pieces to try on. I followed her into the dressing room just to make sure that I didn't look like a frumpy-looks-like-a-possible-shoplifter type. While in there, I found a rather large dressing room for handicapped people. I think it was as big as Samantha's bedroom (why is there a dressing room this big?!). Anyway, I coaxed Samantha into coming to look at it, and that's when the improvised (and completely random) photo shoot occurred. Fortunately, the dressing rooms were completely isolated, so we were able to do it quick before anybody walked in on us. 

When we were finally done, we walked out to find that the rest of our party was gone. And not in sight at all. At closing time. In a huge department store. So we wandered around a little bit, not really panicking until we hear the "We are now closing. Please bring your purchases to the counter for check-out" announcement. Then the frantic, awkward half-running and half-walking commences, and we caught sight of them twice and lost them twice. Finally, we decided to just go outside and wait for them by the car. On the way out, we run into an old friend who apparently works there. It took about 10 minutes before they finally came out with Ms. Business's $100+ suit. All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not going into business school.

Top: Walmart, Skirt: Thrifted, Clip: Glitter

xoxo, Sara