I’m a total sap for a good quote, and aside from Pinterest and those sweet little boutiques that sell bacon gum and hilarious greeting cards, Instagram is the best place to spot the really good ones. Here are 17 of my favorites from the past few months. Pin ’em, make them your wallpaper, or just take a moment to consider them.
I’ve openly embraced my blog addiction (that’s the first step to recovery, right?), and now it’s time to discuss the perks of my Pinterest one as well. I have thousands of recipes – paleo, Whole30, greasy, sweet, primal – you name it, but my pride and joy is the Work out, already board.
There’s some great stuff on there. And when I can’t make a class, and it’s not a run day and I’m not feeling a yoga flow, it’s fun to dip into my pins for a fresh option.
A quick synopsis of my faves you need to follow:
1.
I am somewhat obsessed with Pumps & Iron. The workouts are easy to understand, pretty and pinnable, and juuuuust tough enough. I did this one last night and I gotta be honest, when it was over I felt like a big guy at a Vegas buffet; 100 percent satisfied. I might be so bold as to declare her my reigning fitness Pinterest princess.
Hollie and I have history. Our husbands were fraternity brothers, we’ve bonded over beers in smalltown bars and I’m truly proud of what she’s putting out there. Her Cardio Sculpt circuits are great for the days you don’t have a lot of time and you want to feel beautifully badass.
3.
The thing that makes Karena and Katrina so attractive – aside from their obvious asssssssets – is their quirky, endearing banter. It truly feels like you’re getting your ass handed to you by a couple of girlfriends. And you can buy into their whole beachy keen lifestyle. The handsome fiances, muscle tightening as the tide rolls in, hard-earned cocktails in their freshly manicured grasps. They have their Instagram, blog, email and Pinterest game on point, and I so love swinging through this Kettleball video.
4.
I’m going to tell you flat out that POPSUGAR has perfected the art of the attention-grabbing blog title. Lose your love handles … beat bra bulge … drop weight without even trying … it’s a master class is hooking the reader. All that and the videos are dang good. I have a million on my board, of all different lengths and styles. It’s a mixed bag of brutal options, and for that reason, I’m super sweet on POPSUGAR.
UPDATE: Tune in today to see if she can … run a half marathon.
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Basically, to bring you up to speed, I have none. (See what I did there?) But there have been a few exciting developments in regard to my running game.
No. 1, I found my stride soulmate. Much like you, I had my doubts. The crop of athletes out there who choose to bounce up and down rather than out and forward is slim, but somehow I unearthed a gal who treads as turtle-ish as I do. She sweats like a long-lost sister and does the dance between self-deprecating pessimism and desperate optimism with the mastery of Misty Copeland. When the piggies meet the pavement, we are a match made in heaven. Not to mention, she’s just a pretty stellar individual and fascinating creature. (She only eats smooth peanut butter on hamburger or hotdog buns, Kraft macaroni and cheese, plantain chips, and romaine lettuce with cheddar cheese and French dressing. That’s her diet. Always. Every day. She carries French dressing in her purse, you guys. I can’t make this stuff up.)
No. 2, I have confirmed the universal hypothesis that the farther you go, the harder it is. Let me repeat: It is very true that running far is brutal, self-inflicted punishment for a false sense of confidence that you embraced somewhere in your past. Sure, the goal seemed super sexy when it was you, a bunch of quotes on Pinterest and a pair of tight trousers. But now, 2 1/2 weeks in, it feels more like the definition of insanity. You keep lacing up and checking off the boxes of your training plan, because Hal said so, only to feel like you got jumped in a back alley by a bunch of no-good goons with billy clubs. And then you go back to the friggin alley three times a week! What kind of person does that? An insane one. And the whole “runner’s high” phenomenon … I can only assume I’m still stuck in the “jogger’s low” but the good stuff is coming.
No. 3, Running is a serious mind f*@k. (Excuse my language, but the symbols softened the blow, Mom.) Yesterday, I ran 5 miles. Seems like nothing when I think of the folks out there logging 100-mile mudders threw jungles and mountain tops, but still, it was the farthest I have ever run. I had my afternoon snacks all planned out, then meetings ran over. I had my clothes situated, but I lost my lightweight sunglasses. And then, the worst thing happened. Technology failed me. [gasp!] My Runkeeper app announced we were at 4.56 miles just 14 minutes into the run. Either our asses were on fire, or the tool was jacked up. The realization that we wouldn’t be getting those mile-by-mile updates from our prerecorded female companion was a devastating blow to morale. By mile 3 (we guessed), the sun was relentless and urging us to lay down on someone’s lawn for a nice long vomit and snotty sob. I had to walk for a minute. Even though it was just 12 minutes more, just 3.4 more songs from the playlist, just 1 extra loop, it was enough to psych me out. There’s no arguing with the physical demands of running, but it’s the mental part that just absolutely levels me. The popsicles after are great though.
Until next time …
Since officially releasing my blog baby into the world, it’s been brought to my attention that most [normal] people don’t know how to follow such a thing. Now, of course you can add me to your Bookmarks or subscribe to the RSS feed, but if you want a system … if you want to truly let yourself fall down the blogosphere rabbit hole (trust me, you do), then I’m going to let you in on my secret.
Every morning, around 7:05, I settle in for a little personal F.P.P.: Feedly, Pocket, Pinterest. Three apps, more than 100 blogs, and just a mild addiction.
First things first, you need to treat yo self to a trip to the app store. Get Feedly, Pocket and the Pocket bookmarklet, and Pinterest and the Pinterest bookmarklet. (God bless the bookmarklet, man.) Once all the players are at the table, you can really play the game.
Go crazy. Start adding any and all of the crazy-awesome blogs out there to your Feedly roll. Suggestions? Oh, I have a few:
Yes and Yes – Great tips on bringing it as a human.
Dishing Up Dirt – My couple crush. Follow their adventures on Tumbleweed Farms.
Ivanka Trump – As far as brands go, this one has a creative dream team.
Enjoying the Small Things – Family stories that will rip your heart out. (In a good way.)
Blog Society – My jam for writing and creative inspiration.
Free People – When I want to tap into my inner hippie.
REI – They truly bridge the gap between selling product and selling an aspirational lifestyle. I’m buying everything they’re selling. Except, really not because I don’t have the money.
Basically, if you have an interest, someone has the blog. Mommy blogs, stay-at-home-mommy blogs, fitness blogs, blogs for lazy people, clean eating, natural eating, farm-to-table eating, fast food eating, crafting, knitting, scrapbooking, stationery collecting, dating, designing, meditating, running, running a scrapbooking store where people date … it’s out there. Just waiting to fill your Feedly. So fill ‘er up!
As I scroll through my Feedly, I give myself three options, none of which require a lot of thought. I either pass by, put it in my Pocket (to read later) or Pin it (to reference later). That’s it! I go on instinct, and I move fast. My Pocket is full of great articles for those rare occasions when I find 20 minutes to read. And my Pinterest boards are full of a trillion recipes, gardening tips and hair tutorials. It’s all there; roads and rives on my Superwoman road map.
I know I went through that pretty quickly, so I created this handy graph, using my pathetic Photoshop skills, for reference:
Do yourself a favor. Get a system and get down with F.P.P. There are a billion bloggers out there just waiting to blow your mind. But start with mine, of course (winky face).
