Spring Favorites!

Spring Favorites by elbonner featuring plus size tops

Every beauty-related YouTube phenomenon has made some sort of monthly favorites video. I usually don't go for that sort of thing because I feel as though it promotes irresponsible spending and rampant materialism, but then I remind myself, I HAVE A BLOG THAT IS ALMOST ENTIRELY ABOUT THE ACT OF WANTING AND/OR HAVING STUFF. I can go ahead see myself out of the self-righteous, a-hole door and do my own monthly favorites post featuring a wide breadth of things I have encountered and liked in the month of March. 

Chobani Greek Yogurt: I love Greek yogurt, I eat it almost every morning for breakfast and since my neighborhood grocery store had fruit-flavored Chobanis on sale for 5-for-$5, you bet your ass I got like 10 of them. My only beef is that all the fruit is on the bottom, and I can't understand why they can't just mix it in. It pains me to have to do it myself, how much can a yogurt/fruit mixer cost Chobani?! Why must you make me work to enjoy you?! My favorite flavors: passion fruit, blood orange, banana, and good ol' strawberry! At 140 calories per container they make a great add-on when your Lean Cuisine just ain't cuttin' it!

Kate Somerville"ExfoliKate":I have said this before; this stuff literally eats your face. Not the way a ravenous zombie on AMC does, but the enzymes, along with scrubbies, get off all the dead skin and make you feel like you took the skin off of someones face that you thought was better than yours and replaced it with theirs. Wow, lots of cannibalistic zombie references in that one, must mean it's good stuff!

Target Stuff: Target can do almost no wrong this season. I have bought so much crap from them I'm almost embarrassed to walk in the store because I'm just plastered in their stuff. It's like wearing the t-shirt of a band you're going to see to their concert. My mom (a school teacher) recently alerted me that the cool kids all wear miss-matched socks and of course Target, being its awesome self, is selling packs of even numbered, obnoxiously colored socks. Just how I like them! Now I have an excuse to look like I dressed in the dark, because I actually do! PS- I'm wearing that ombre sweatshirt RIGHT NOW! #ballerstatus

Tone It Up "Beach Babe Workout": Guess who's feeling fat (points to self whilst crying). Instead of actually crying into a bowl of chocolate chips covered in Cool Whip Frosting, I've been working on my fitness with this great little video. I can mix things up since this video has 7 different mini workouts to choose from. They can be done individually if you really don't want to work out but are forcing yourself, or they have longer ones when you are actually motivated. Plus, it's set on a Hawaiian beach and the instructors hair is the stuff of legends.

H&M Conscious Collection: H&M has done something that every store I like should do: give me coupons for bringing them my old crap. H&M is taking your old clothes(2 shopping bags-worth per day) and giving you a 15% off coupon (good for one item) per bag of clothes! Your old clothes go in a box at the registers and are donated or recycled for use in other industries. The Conscious Collection is this seasons featured collection and it focuses on sustainable fashion. H&M was just named the biggest user of organic cotton simultaneously making their client happy and their competitors feel like panda-murderers. 

Lush "Uluru" Bath Bomb: This bath bomb transformed what could have been the most boring bath of all time, complete with amplified farts and ashamed at the cleanliness of my tub, into a sunset-hued, citrus dream-scape. I love fun bath things and this bath bomb is like about as much fun as an adult can have in the bathtub without Clueless playing on the iPad and a pint of Half-Baked.

Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco: Did you know you could get these inside of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch?! If you get them on their own, and skip lunch, you can technically justify eating 4 of these babiesand not feel like you're chair is about to give way. I say, forget the cheesy nacho Dorito taco, Cool Ranch is the only one worth getting. If you disagree, we can't be friends. 

I know, I know. It's not a typical monthly favorites where I swatch the 50 lipsticks, eye shadows, and blushes I put a second mortgage on my house to pay for, but this is what brought me joy in the month of March!  If this wasn't the most pointless thing you've ever read I can do this more often, but who knows, it could spiral down into dish soap and drain cleaner, not that there's anything wrong with that! Happy April Dudes!

PS- Here's a bonus photo of me in crazy glasses!

 (Instagram: @elbonner86)

Get Off Your Ass: Almost Everyone's New Years Resolution

The number one thing people put at the top at their New Years resolution list (at least here in the states) is to lose weight and get healthier. You can't do that without eating less and moving more. About 4 years ago I lost 40 lbs. by doing just that and my "secret" was this: workout videos. Yeah, I did some running and I ate tuna fish, salad, and smoothies for six months, but working out in the comfort of my own home helped me out a lot. If you are overweight and embarrassed of going to the gym or working out outside, this is a great alternative. The best thing is that I got most of my workout DVDs used on amazon.com for something a third of the price of new ones. It allowed me to build up a collection of videos that helped me tone up and well as slim down and feel healthier. Here are a few of my favorites and why I like them:

1. The Biggest Loser Cardio Max

 

This video worked because nothing motivates you to do better than watching morbidly obese people doing better than you at jump lunges. This video allows you to pick sections so that your workout can be between 30 and 50 minutes. Great for beginners or just a quick workout.

2. Jillian Michael 30 Day Shred

Yeah, Jillian is riding the coattails of her BL fame, but this video is great in a pinch. It's 18-20 minutes or work with little to no rest so you are moving the whole time. You start off with level one then after you are decent enough you move on to level two and so forth. This was great after a long day at work and I didn't feel like doing an hour long video.

3. Brazil Butt Lift

Ok, this system has a corny name and Leodro is so fabulous and happy that you want to slap him for having fun doing walking lunges, but damn does this work your butt. I did not use this religiously as a part of the plan, I used it as a supplement to what I was already doing and if I wanted an extra butt workout. I'm really ADD when it comes to workout videos and get bored easily so switching things up keeps me interested in working out. Minimal equipment required and pretty fun to do.

5. Get Ripped! With Jari Love

If you can get past the eighties high-cut briefs on the cover as well as some seriously over processed blonde hair, Jari Love just wants to help you discover weights. Warning: her videos are long (60+ minutes), but great for a weekend or day-off workout that will burn some serious calories. I work my hear rate monitor for a few of her workouts and once burned 793 calories. That's nothing to make fun of and resistance training is what helps lean you out. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn throughout the day. DO WEIGHTS for the love of god!

6. Tone It Up Beach Babe Workout Series

Other than the fact that I want Karena and Katrina's lives, this two-disc workout series is great for little bursts of exercise during the day if you can't commit more than 30 minutes. They're on the beach (plus), in Hawai'i (bigger plus), they have awesome hair (super plus), and they do all of the exercises with you (they're not whimps mega-plus). Their whole Tone It Up nutrition plan and workout videos are so comprehensive and wonderful, they've really done a great job.

7. Yoga Journal Yoga for Strength and Toning

Yoga may not be the best fat busting workout, but you HAVE to stretch. I hurt myself a few weeks ago because I didn't stretch afterwards and messed up my neck. This video not only stretches things out, but it's a great strengthener. Look at it as killing two birds with one stone. It's 60 minutes of strengthening yoga with a bonus 30 minute ab practice that is KILLER. Put them together and you'll be sore in the morning. I used to do this in my sun room in the summer time so it would get nice and hot like a free hot yoga class. I sweated a lot. It totally worked.

8. Exhale: Core Fusion Body Sculpt

Holy Hell, who ever thought that teeny tiny movements could hurt so good? This video was a huge surprise and wake-up call for me. I thought I was pretty strong, but the barre-like moves in this 5 10-minute workouts had be shaking like crazy. There are no crazy moves, just tiny little movements repeated a lot to really work deep within your muscles. No weights, no equipment other than a chair or rolled-up towel. Try this, it will tighten and lift everything. Hardest ab workout I have EVER done.

I hope this list helps. I have a buttload more videos that I like to use, but these really stand out to me as the best of what I have. I also use MyFitnessPal on my iPhone to keep track of my calories which makes it so easy to keep yourself in check. Good luck everyone and get to stepping!