exercise....it sucks...i hate it!

for a month now, i've been trying to exercise regularly.  i've always done some type of exercise, but mostly walking and never on a regular basis.  well...it's beginning to show now, so i had to step up my game.

i bought the power 90:  tony horton's total body transformation workout dvds.  can i just say, i actually don't mind doing it.  i love tony horton!  his voice is calming, reassuring, and i just like him.  and because i'm still on phase 1/2, it's only about 30 min of exercise.  i can do that!!

i went on a couple of short getaways, so i'm a little behind with my progress and i plan to go to phase 3/4 later this week!  school has started so i'm hoping to get back on track and see how my body 'transforms.'   i did take a before photo like they say to do.  i was so disgusted.  it's a pretty good motivator to look at those 'before' photos!

http://www.amazon.com/Beachbody-Power-90-Powerful-Workouts/

now, i also bought the vanilla shakeology.  i did my research prior to ordering and i ordered it via a beachbody consultant.  i love the vanilla flavor!

my favorite shakeology drink is:  1 cup of rice milk, 1/2 frozen banana, 2 or 3 frozen strawberries and 1 tbsp. of natural peanut butter.  so, stinkin' good!

when you order a 30 day supply you get a handy recipe calendar so you can make a different shakeology each day.  i haven't tried many of these recipes because once i tried my favorite, it's hard to go to another.
this stuff is pricey...so i don't know if i'm going to order another 30 day supply.

today, i also started the squat circuit challenge.  4 weeks to 200 squats.  holy moly!  i love seeing these challenges on pinterest.  i finally decided to join in.  i think i was supposed to start on august 1st, but oh well. 

i want to look like this woman.  today was 6 reps of 5 different squats.  

if you are interested, here is the challenge.

http://www.fitsugar.com/30-Day-Squat-Challenge-30806625

that is my fresh look of the day!  -Michelle

blueberry mojitos

my fresh look today is about mojitos~yesterday was national rum day!  what is one to do on national rum day?  well, i think one should drink rum!

my friend came over and we have never made mojitos before so...i googled some recipes.  i came across "the novice chef blog" and she had a pretty simple recipe so i decided hers would be the one that we try.

we did make a couple of changes to her recipe, but mostly ours was the same. one change that we made was the rum that we used, we used bacardi wolfberry blueberry rum.  and also, we used 1/2 cup of blueberries instead of one cup.  the rum has such a nice blueberry smell to it. we loved it!  obviously, i'm not sponsored by bacardi rum, but i'm just letting you know which rum i used.

here is my instagram photo of our drinks, i should have taken more photos...oops!

Yield: 2 drinks
1/2 cup fresh blueberries, extra for garnish if you wish
4 oz bacardi wolfberry blueberry rum or your favorite clear rum
10 fresh mint leaves
2 tsp of sugar
juice of 2 limes - this was about 2 oz of juice for our drinks
6 oz (or more) of club soda  -my friend added extra club soda to her drink, but i preferred the 3 oz in mine
ice

**while the novice chef calls for pureeing the blueberries for the recipe, we did not.  we muddled and we thought the recipe still came out great.
add the blueberries, mint leaves and sugar to a cocktail shaker.  use a muddler (or the end of a wooden spoon, like i did) to muddle the ingredients together.  add the lime juice & rum, shake vigorously.

pour ice and club soda into two glasses and then pour in the rum mixture.  gently stir and add extra blueberries or mint (or both) for garnish.  drink!  and enjoy!

here is the original recipe:
http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/05/blueberry-mojito/
here is the rum that we used:
http://www.bacardi.com/us/products/bacardi-wolf-berry

my "first" fresh look

i am a 'googler' - i google everything!  when i travel, try a new restaurant or a new beauty product or a food/drink, well you get the point...i like to do my research.

so i'm here to give a fresh look on what i try.  all of the 'fresh looks' here on this site are my own opinion.  i don't get paid or anything, i just want to write about what i use/try or where i travel to.

i received a TEAVANA gift card when i was in the audience at the CBS show The Talk.  i had never heard of TEAVANA or of course, had never tried it.

so, when i got home, i googled it. i also started following them on instagram and twitter, i tend to do that.  i like to see what other people have to say and i like to see what the company is talking about.

now, mind you, i'm not a big tea drinker.  i do like tea, but i would rather have flavored water or a diet coke. since the nearest location is about 25 miles from where i live, i decided to shop online.  i had $100 to spend (awesome).  when i shopped on their site, they offered free shipping for orders over $50, i received a free sample of youthberry wild orange tea for ordering over $50 and i had a promo code, so i got a further discount.  it felt like christmas to me.

i thought the items were fairly priced and i loved the website.  i went to the 'most popular' tab and started shopping.  i knew i wanted to try different teas, but i also wanted a tea maker or teapot.  i decided on the "perfect tea maker" for $19.95.   i also ordered rock sugar in a 1 lb bag for $8.50, three different flavored teas ($6.80 each for 2 oz),  an iced tea bottle set (sale price of $18.87 for 2 bottles), a white canister ($14.95) (i just like canisters), perfect tea spoon for $3.95 and paper cup filters that were about $5.

everything was package nicely and it arrived in about 8 days.  connecticut to california.

all in all, i have enjoyed the tea and products that i picked out.  the 16 oz perfect tea maker works like a charm.  i've only used it a few times so far though.  i love how the patented drain mechanism allows the tea to drain directly into your cup/mug. i do wish there were lines on the pot to measure the water.  i noticed there were complaints on the website about cleaning it, but i just get a bowl of warm, soapy water and soak the maker in it.  

i would definitely shop at TEAVANA again.