Tank (c/o) also love this, this, and this!
Good Morning Friends! 
So sorry for no beauty post Friday, but last week totally kicked my booty. 

Speaking of booty kicking…today’s post is all about my current workout routine. Some of you may know, and some may not, that I was a ballet dancer for years and years and years. After I stopped dancing my senior year of high school I struggled to find work outs I actually liked and actually felt were effective. I did the gym thing, but that never really made me happy. It wasn’t until my second year of graduate school that I found Pure Barre and fell head over heels in love (yes, in love). It’s unlike any other workout and I saw things lift and tighten like never before. It has some ballet and pilates components which I really like, and isn’t a cardio based workout so I’m not crazy sweaty when I leave. Plus you can look cute while you lift, tone and burn! 
This super cute “I Don’t Sweat, I Sparkle” tank is from one of my favorite online boutiques called She Is Boutique. And it’s an incredible $24! Great quality and a very soft material. I’m a true believer that if you feel like you look good, you’ll work out harder. And this top is just the ticket! 
Unfortunately, there isn’t a Pure Barre close to me now, but luckily one is opening next month (yayyy!). In the meantime I’ve joined a local gym and have been keeping my workouts pretty simple (I usually work out for an hour and a halfish):
  • Gentle Stretching // gotta prevent those injuries!
  • Ankle Rotations // to prevent shin splints while walking
  • Booty Blaster on bosu ball // similar to this (start video at 8:30)
  • Crunches using a small ball behind my lower back like this // one hundred w/ a break half way
  • Lower Body Crunches // 30 seconds with back, arms and head flat on mat, legs lifted to the ceiling, lifting lower body/booty off the floor using only my lower ab muscles 
  • Plank // 2-3 minutes (I have an obsession with planking and time myself on my iphone)
  • Arms // Right now I don’t really have a consistent arm workout. I like to use the 10 pound weights to do some arm curls and 5 pounds for over head press.
  • Treadmill // one hour of walking at a fairly quick pace
  • OR Elliptical // one hour switching up a forward and backward motion every 5 minutes
  • OR Treadmill // 30 minutes + Elliptical // 30 minutes
  • Final Stretch // a great way to wind down – and then I head to Jamba Juice!
Happy Monday and don’t forget to check out She Is Boutique!
XO Amanda