january run+workout.

happy new year, everyone! I know that 2016 was the worst, unimaginable, horrific not the best, here's to hoping 2017 is better!

and because the #1 New Year's Resolution for most people is health/fitness based, that thought it was apropos to have 2017's first blog post be the january run+workout playlist!

as always, there's a little bit of everything. Here's the Spotify link.  

january run+workout:

enjoy! 

love, 
adrienne. 

let's be realistic: 7th and 8th week of change.

hi, long time no talk! I know it has been a minute since my last post, but it's been crazy busy around these parts!

to be honest, i didn't want to write over the last two weeks. I had been in such a negative, dark place that I was worried it wasn't ever going to brighten up. Negativity can be incredibly insidious; it spreads like an infection, and can be chronic like a disease.

and that's not something I wanted to share.

luckily, i'm on a come up. I got to take some time off, go on a vacation, and hang out with my absolute best friend in the entire world. Before jetting off, everyone kept telling me how much I 'need this'. I didn't realize it at the time, but everyone was right. 100%. Without doubt or question. I needed it.

i wanted to keep this post short and sweet. Because of the funk I was in, I needed not to focus on my physical gains but more on my mental ones. You have to want and strive to be not even good, but okay. Being okay is manageable. Being okay is doable. Being okay is, bare minimum, what we need. And sometimes, that's the hardest thing you'll do.

so instead of discussing what I ate, how far I ran, or what muscles/weight I've gained/lost... I'll just leave you with some pictures.

enjoy!

xo,

adrienne.

let's be realistic: 3rd & 4th week of change.

it's been a week (or two) of setbacks. I'm currently writing here, stuck in bed, and recovering from one of the nastiest bouts of the stomach flu I've ever had. It started this past Tuesday; I woke up early to go for a run, powered through about 5 miles, and got my day started. But I was exhausted by the time 9:30pm came around. I went to bed, slept solidly through the night (which never happens), and woke up at 5:45am on Wednesday in a fog. I wasn't hungry (which NEVER happens for this foodie). Before 10am even hit, I was in desperate need for a nap.

the 6:30am hint of a beautiful sunrise.

obligatory post-run pano of my deserted town.

i napped for about an hour, and got back to work. I thought it was probably my allergies kicking my derrière, which is typical this time of year. But by 2pm, a full on full-head headache kicked in. And so did a sore throat. It was horrible, but I have been in worse pain, so I kept on keeping on. I decided to go to Pobbleton Park and play some catch, and hope a little bit of fresh diamond air would make me feel better.

hahaha, the level of wrong I was about that is incalculable. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.

as soon as we had walked over there and tossed the ball about, eh, 4 times, I started to see the twinkling spots that come right before I pass out. So I sat down, took some deep breaths, and then tossed up everything from that day. Needless to say, I've never felt as sexy as I did in that moment **rolls eyes to the other side of the room**.

hammock + tea + netflix is the best way to mend on sunny day. 

and that's how I've been for the last few days. I'm on the mend, but I feel so weak. It's going to take a while to get back to where I was, physically. Which sucks.

yogi tea = the best tea for any/all occasions.

on the bright side, though, my body has kind of reset itself. I don't know about you, but after I've been really sick, my body only craves good things. It must be an evolution thing, but I crave things with high nutrients that (probably) heal my body from the inside out. Is anyone else like this?

drought raw apple + thieves juice. Picked this up at VegFest, and it definitely made me feel better!

with this re-set, i feel better than I have in that last month. I'm definitely feeling the need to get back in the kitchen and whip up some delicious nutritious goodies. Perks of being sick and unable to get out of bed: endless recipe pinning and blog stalking. Can't wait to share what I've found!

anyway, here are the last two weeks in review:

left: end of week 2; center, top right, bottom right: end of week 4. Pardon the awesome Michigan socks. 

weight: down 3lbs, but it's just from being sick

food: mostly gatorade, tea, and saltines. Bleh.

phsyical activity: pre-sick, I killed in running and getting some gym workouts. post-sick, can barely move.

i'm definitely starting to get stir-crazy, so I can't wait to get back out and get back at it!

also, don't forget to wash your hands. It's still cold & flu season, people!

xo,

adrienne.

april run+workout playlist.

when it comes to running/working out, music can make or break you. At it's very least, a good playlist can make that last half mile tolerable; at it's very most, it will inspire you to crank out another 2 miles, easy peezy.

i try to change up my music every month. I get bored way too easily, and if I don't then I'm faaaaaar less likely to get up and get a workout in. My taste is pretty eclectic when it comes to music (my first concert was Bob Dylan, and my last one was the Griz). Luckily, that varied taste makes for a varied playlist which makes for a better run. 

there's a little bit of everything in this playlist, which makes for a bit of something for everyone. Enjoy!

19 songs; 1 hour, 7 minutes

april run+workout playlist.

• Hey Mama, David Guetta
• Shotgun, Yellow Claw
• Where Are Ü Now, Skrillex  & Diplo
• Trap Queen, Fetty Wap
• Bailando, Enrique Iglesias
• Truffle Butter, Nicki Minaj
• Break Free, Ariana Grande
• Jealous (feat. Tinashé), Nick Jonas
• Style, Taylor Swift
• Shut Up and Dance, WALK THE MOON
• Alone Together, Fall Out Boy
• Somebody to You, The Vamps
• Best Song Ever, One Direction
• I Bet My Life, Imagine Dragons
• Favorite Record, Fall Out Boy
• Don't It, Billy Currington
• Bartender, Lady Antebellum
• Looks Like Sex, Mike Posner
• The Man, Aloe Blacc

if you don't feel like downloading, here's a link to the playlist on my 8tracks account: april run. 

race on, bunnies.

xo,

adrienne. 

let's be realistic: one week of change.

wanna lose 10 pounds in 1 week? Um, duh. Want to shed 20+ inches in 7 days? Without a doubt! Want to become a top model, coveted by top magazines, designers, and photogs? SIGN. ME. UP. Just let me do all that riding my unicorn, with $1billion in my pocket, dating Oscar winning Leonardo DiCaprio.

let's be realistic people. 

if you're like me and are a normal job juggling, tax paying, pleasure succumbing person, non of the above is realistic. In my last post, I declared that I am 'losing the wait.' I'm giving up the negative self-doubting and self-questioning, and picking up positive, balanced thinking, and healthy habits.

and realistically speaking, I wanted to share (amongst many, many other things) my health-centric journey with you. This isn't about losing weight (I'm well within my BMI), but it's about getting healthy, physically and mentally. It's about being the very best version of myself: healthy, honest, and strong, without denying myself the wonderful pleasures of this world (I'm looking at you, Pinot Noir).

so here is my journey of change, week one. I made sure to only change one thing in my routine: physical activity. Having coming out of the down season, and taking 3 weeks off from running due to injury (right foot, left knee, hips), I wasn't quite in my best running shape. But I laced up, stretched out, and pounded that frosted Michigan pavement.

i didn't change anything I ate. Don't get me wrong: there was salmon, smoothies, and salads. But there was also McDonalds, bagels/schmear, and a trip to Dunkin Donuts. What? I'm being honest, here!

it's been one week since I started my journey, so here's my week in review:

left: monday 23rd march 2015, right: monday 30th march 2015

physical activity: 

• ran 7.23 miles, over 2 days
• completed 1 fifteen-minute Nike Training ab workout

food:

• not my best. Can I just live?!

weight:

• starting weight: hahahahahahaha... nice try.
• current weight: down 5lbs. mostly water/margarita weight.

left: monday 23rd march 2015, with the newspaper to prove it. center: monday 30th march 2015. top: first week. bottom: newspaper of first week. 

i'm not going to lie: i actually feel a little better. Maybe it's physiological, but it's probably just psychological. Sharing this with everyone, and just having a plan has given me that nudge to get it right and get it tight.

live on, everyone!

xo,

adrienne. 

beauty in review: Dove Dry Spray Deodorant

hi all! I feel obliged to let you in on a little beauty obsession of mine: I love, adore aerosol deodorants. I don't know what it is about them, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart (and pits) for them.

more honesty: I've used the same spray for the last 8 years. It's always worked so well, I couldn't give it up. What can I say? I'm definitely a creature of habit. I usually stick to the same products, but luckily I'm also not afraid to try anything once. 

which brings us to a new favorite product of mine: Dove's Dry Spray Deodorant.

Here are the specs:

-it's a spray. Press down the top button, 6 inches(ish) from your pits and mist away.

-but it's a dry spray. Most spray deodorants go on wet, and then you're awkwardly waiting in your room naked, with arms above your head for the 30 seconds it takes for your underarms to dry. Supposedly, you don't have to do it with Dove's spray. I've never heard of such a thing. Hey, I don't know how they do it (gypsy magic, probably) but I'm down to give it a try. 

-it protects for 48 hours. It says it's supposed to keep you dry and smelling fresh for 48 hours. Which is a pretty long time, no?

-it comes in 6 different scents/formulas. What I love about Dove products is that they offer so many different scents, and types of deodorants based on your preferences and needs. 

ok, it sounds pretty solid, right? So how did it hold up?

-it's definitely a dry spray, but more of a pilly-dry. The spray goes on dry, that part is true. But it pills (like a lived-in sweater would) once you put your arms down. Maybe I was just putting on too much; but I feel like if I put on any less, it wouldn't be enough.

-it (might) protect for 48 hours. The deodorant held up really well throughout an entire work day, and a 4.5 mile run. It definitely doesn't keep you bone dry like a prescription-strength (duh) but I think it kept me dryer than any other Dove products. With the way I sweat, I don't think it would hold up for a full 48 hours... But then again, I probably wouldn't go more than 24 hours without reapplying. 

-it smells pretty damn good. I tried the "nourished beauty" and it smelled powdery fresh, but not like baby powder. Like how you'd expect a Swedish, blonde haired super model would smell like. So... really good.

-it left me fairly well moisturized. Most spray deodorants I've come across dry out my skin if I don't swap them out for a moisture bar every few days. I've been using this for 3 weeks, and I haven't had any dry/itchy skin since. 

overall, I'd definitely have to recommend Dove's Dry Spray Deodorant. It kept me dry, smelling great, and still well moisturized. I'd call that a win-win-win. So congrats Dove! You have a new convert.

has anyone else tried it? How'd it hold up for you?

stay dry and stay fresh, lovelies.

xo,

adrienne. 

surviving winter: beauty edition

living in Michigan has taught me a few things about having a solid beauty routine for the forever changing winter weather. Here in the Great Lakes State the weather can go from 55F and sunny, to 25F, snowing, with blustery winds overnight. Yes, it can be hard to keep up a beauty routine when you don't know what's going to come out of the sky next. But if you start with a solid beauty base, it isn't quite as bad.

1. it's all about the base (bout the base, no treble). Seriously, having
   
   well moisturized skin is the key to looking and feeling your best in the winter time. It can also be one of the hardest things to attain. The ultimate skin drencher is coconut oil. Yep, coconut oil. Pure and simple. It's hypoallergenic, absorbs fast, and is hella cheap. 
2. brighten it up. In the winter, even with well moisturized skin, everyone looks a little dull and washed out (that's what happens when you don't see the sun November-April). So, until we thaw out around mid-May, we have to fake it until we make it. The best way to achieve this is with a brightening/highlighting balm and a good blush. My favorite highlighter is Benefit Cosmetic's Watt's Up! cream-to-powder stick. I kid you not, it looks great on everyone. EVERYONE. As does Nars'
   
   Orgasm blush. It's not a flat matte color, but a peachy pink with the slightest shimmer. And it makes you look less sun-deprived, happiness-deprived, winter zombie, and more I-look-great-but-internally-I'm-screaming-from-the-sub-zero-temp. 
3. lay it on me thick. The only thing worse than scraping an inch of ice off of your car's windshield is having to do with with chapped lips. Sometimes in winter it feels like you spend 90% of the 8 hours of daylight applying and reapplying lip balm. Don't get me wrong, you'll still have to keep some Burt's Bee in every coat pocket. If you layer it underneath a thick, humectant and wax based lipgloss, though, you'll have to reapply less. The perk? You'll brighten up your face with a warm color, and keep your lips free from being chapped. 

here in the midwest, winter sucks regardless of where you lie within the Polar Vortex. At least though, you don't have to look like Mr. Winter sucked the life out of you with a few simple winter beauty survival tricks. 

stay warm out there my friends.

xoxo,

adrienne. 

hump day inspiration: Basic to Beautiful Bathing Suit

i know, i know. It's frigid, the snow is surprisingly starting to pile up, and we're already at the 'can't even' stage with winter (wtf November?). Sure, winter will end (in 6 months). And yeah, we'll go on a tropical, sunshine filled, cabana boy vacation in February (well, like 3% of us will). But until then, here's a little warm weather pick-me-up, sort of. Check out designer Adam Saaks' crazy brilliant skills with a basic bathing suit and a sharp pair of scissors. 

pretty impressive, no? Let's just hope Mr. Saak is free to work his magic again in May... you know... when we thaw out from the polar vortex... again. 

xoxo.

adrienne.