How to Get a Toned Tummy

With all this talk about swimsuits, you may be thinking more about the tummy you gained over the winter and wanting to look good in your new favorite swimsuit. Many of us seem to get even busier in the summer, filling our days with summer jobs and other commitments, since schoolwork is no longer an obstacle. So how to you fit exercising into your busy schedule?

I’m about to show you some really quick workouts that will fit into any schedule. You can easily do them at night while watching the latest episode of your favorite show, or do them in your room before you go to bed or after you wake up. First are the effective core exercises:

The plank.
This one starts lying on your stomach. Lay your palms flat on the ground and use your elbows to prop you up and just hold position, like the lady in this picture:

The bridge.
Lay on your back with your arms straight beside you, then plant your feet so only your head is on the ground and your knees are sticking up in the air and hold position, like the lady in the picture:

You can also do this extending one leg at a time. This makes it harder and you’ll get quicker results.


Body curls.
Lift your legs and bend your knees, locking your fingers behind your head and use your stomach muscles, not your arms/hands, to pull yourself off the ground and touch your elbows to your knees, sort of like this lady:

(except make sure you lock your fingers behind your head so you don't hurt your neck)


Legs and Arms

Want to tone your thighs and hips and loose that flabby stuff on your arms? Here are some excises that will help you with that:


Side Leg Lifts

Lay on your side with your head rested on your outstretched arm and the other arm in front of your stomach with your palm planted on the ground. Lift the leg on top then slowly lift the other leg to meet it, like in this picture:

Switch sides and repeat, then move position into your next workout:


One Arm Pushups

While not moving the arm in front of your stomach with your palm planted on the ground, move the arm from under your head down to wrap around your shoulder. Now push up with your arm that you didn’t move from the last work out, and lift yourself from waist up off the ground, like in the picture below:

Switch sides and repeat with other arm.


*Free tips!*

• Don’t forget to stretch anytime before you exercise.

• Break up your workout into multiple two-minute rep sessions between the different exercises to get the most benefit. After two minutes of reps on the same exercise, you'll burn out your muscles and cause more harm than good. You can go back after you’ve worked out a different muscle for two minutes.

• Remember, exercise is most affective if combined with healthy eating habits.


Looking for a summer job that will help pay for college and help you stay healthy at the same time?

Ask people you know if you can clean their house for money. Most people will be glad to have someone cleaning their house, and you can earn cash and burn calories. You may be wondering how. Vacuuming for half an hour = 100 calories burned while toning your tummy, dusting for half an hour = 87 calories burned while toning your arms. Sound like a good deal?

Want a swimsuit tan to go with your swimsuit bod?

Mow the lawn for your grandparents or elderly neighbor. Wear your swimsuit with shorts or with your swim-shorts and get the job done for someone else while getting a tan for yourself! Not only are you multi-tasking, but the sun’s UV rays can also help your body make vitamin D. But don’t forget the sunscreen, unless you want a nasty burn!

Summer and Swimwear!

Hello Ladies!

I must say, I have had SUCH a good time looking for these swimsuits. I was absolutely happy to see that my two favorite stores of all time had modest swimwear. Yes, Target and Kohls are where I found all of these lovely swimsuits. And here's the best part: they are all $20 or under! I hope that these past few blog posts have helped you ladies find that perfect swimsuit.

Heart Swim Separates! I love this swimsuit! It covers you well and it has a beautiful design. 

Kohls for $14.99

I'm Seeing Spots! A darling tankini that is bright, bubbly, and fun! The bows on the side add a touch of elegance.

Kohls for $14.99

Slick and Sheek: I love that design! It's so pretty and girly! The top is long and you wouldn't have to worry about it riding up. I'd be a bit careful with the string though. Just be sure to tie it nice and tight. It works for me!

Target for $18.99

Liberty of London: Target's new brand 'Liberty of London' is so amazing! This swimsuit is elegant, bright, and adorable! I just love it! 
Target for $19.99

My Favorite: Another 'Liberty of London' design. I love the colors of the floral and the halter top. I'm headed to Target soon to buy it! It's my favorite!

Target for $19.99

I'd love to see your modest swimsuits! If you'd like to share them then please e-mail me!

Enjoy and have a happy summer!

Modest Swimwear

Hello Ladies! Can you say SUMMER!? I super excited that it's summer! I love the hot weather, the beach, and cute bathing suits! I found some that I thought were super adorable and modest for the beach, pool, or lake! I hope you enjoy some of the styles I found and will give you some ideas! Every bathing suit I found was off delias.com! (Note: not all of their bathing suits are modest so be careful)

Wild and Spunky! This suit is wild and cute. It's zebra print and high cut neck lets you show off your spunky attitude and sweet innocence. This bathing suit was my personal favorite! I love the wild print but also the cute bows!

Preppy! This polka-doted one piece is super cute with it's bowed top and tank straps!

Sporty and chic! This plaid design is fun and cute which is great for the summer sun! It gives great coverage and you won't have to worry about a top bunching up when you make your first dive into the cool water!

This black one piece is your vintage bathing suit must have! It's classy and gives good coverage around the legs with its shorts bottom!

Modest Swimwear Month

With the temperatures rising and humidity rampant, soon all you’ll want to do is soak in the pool. Summer has almost arrived, and the search for a modest swimsuit begins. Who else can only find bikinis when they go to the store? Swimsuits of integrity are getting harder and harder to find. I refuse to settle for a bikini. Anybody with me?

While I was looking around on the internet, I found out there really were others who cared about swimsuits that cover more. And what’s better, there are others who care about looking cute and not frumpy in the water during the summer’s heat. For the next few weeks of June, we’ll be showing you some of these swimsuits. To give you an idea right now of how you can be modest yet not look like you’re wearing your mother’s swimsuit, here’s a list of some of my favorites:

LimeRicki.com is an awesome site for modest, yet ADORABLE swimwear! Take a look at some of my favorites:

I’m kind of partial to the Sophia One-Piece, because this is the swimsuit I have, and I love it! It gives me the coverage I need, and it’s really cute.

    

Can you say stinkin’ adorable? If you think the front of the Gracie Tankini Top is cute, take a look at the back. The little bows are so darling.


If you’re looking for somewhere closer to home where you can try on the swimsuits instead of hoping you order the right size online, try Kohls. I was surprised when I found some fairly modest tankinis there.

With an extra long tankini top, SO® Floral Swim Separates provides extra coverage on the hips and you wont have to worry about your top coming up and showing your tummy like you do with a lot of tankinis.

I like how the Candie's® Buffalo Argyle Swim Separates has shorts with it for a bit more hip coverage. The tankini top is also longer, like the one above.


ModBeClothing.com has some really fashion forward modest swimsuits. My personal favorite was The Flounce in Pink Stripe.

    

Besides being totally adorable, the tankini top provides plenty of coverage. As you can see from the first picture, the top is long enough to completely cover your hips and the ruffles near the bottom are almost like a skirt. If you prefer more coverage than that, they sell a swim skirt in brown that would match well and is also a nice length. From the second picture above, you can see there is plenty of coverage in the cleavage area as well and it ties in the back, so it’s adjustable.


SwimwearPlace.com does not have only modest swimsuits, but they do carry some. They have a huge selection of swimsuits so I browsed the one-pieces and found some I thought were cute.

The Hollywood White One Piece Swimsuit is designed after classic glamorous swimsuits. The design is elegant and beautiful and the style provides coverage in all the right places, with a low cut leg and a high cut neck.

For the girl who wants to look totally cute, but have more coverage than the average one-piece, the Flirty Feathers Print One Piece Swimsuit is for you!

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If you decide to shop online, be careful! There’s this style of swimsuit called monokinis that became popular a couple of years ago and can be easily mistaken for a one-piece from the front. They are basically bikinis with a strip down the front so they can be classified as one-pieces. So watch out for those!

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