Throwback Tunic Top

It's important to not neglect your clothes from the past because - let's face it, if we did... we'd all be broke! For this simple casual Friday look I dug back in the archives and pulled out a T-bags Tunic Top to wear with simple light colored jeggings and flat Dolce Vita Sandals. T-bags was a go-to brand for me in college and I got a lot of comments on this retro-bright print when I wore it. I carried a LV Speedy Cruise Collection Print Bag from several years ago. This bag has been a summer staple for me for years but it is beginning to wilt a little hah. For my jewelry I wore my BCBGeneration FREE lime green Affirmation Bracelet, an MCM Pink Wrap Bracelet, and Badgley Mishka oversized ring. The MCM Pink Wrap Bracelet was actually from my desk fairy. I have this amazing designer/friend at work who happens to occasionally leave trinkets at my desk from events or designer shopping field trips and it always makes my day. Happy Friday Yall!

Meriah & Steph Collaboration Post: Deadlift Continuation

Meriah is in NYC for two weeks from Denmark so we met up this week to train together :) Last week when I posted about the 2 most elementary Deadlifts, she messaged me right away saying we should take this a step further and do a collaboration post with other deadlifts, because deadlifts are number one in her book! So we did just that :)

Like I mentioned in my first post, you can use a variation of weights to do your deadlifts, but the best in my opinion for the most basic deadlifts would be to use a barbell. In this case, we were working out at the gym in my building so we used a regular bar to demo.

To review the Romanian deadlift, slightly bend your knees and sit your hips back- keeping your back flat. Keep your hands positioned on the bar in alignment with your legs, shoulder width apart and go down to your shins and repeat.

  

The next that Meriah is doing is the Wide Grip Deadlift. This is an easy modification and pretty self explanatory. Grip the bar as wide as you can and do the same Romanian Deadlift motion as the first exercise. This grip is for your upper back and it allows you to go deeper into the dead lift.

 

The third deadlift we featured is the Sumo Deadlift with High Pull. For this exercise Meriah used the kettlebell. Stand in a wide stance with your feet turned out at an angle. Have a close together grip with your arms inside of your knees. Pull the weight up so that your arms form a V underneath your chin and your elbows are pointed in the air.

 

The last exercise is the Single Leg Deadlift. This exercise is done with dumbbells. Start standing with the weights by your side. Lean forward, holding the weights in front of you and simultaneously lifting 1 leg backwards in the air. Start by doing 10 on the first leg and then switch to the other & do the same.

 

Let us know if you guys have any follow up questions! :) - Steph and Meriah

Post MDW Whites

It's no secret that this Memorial Day Weekend's Weather was a huge let down :( personally the rain and cold climate totally killed my jammed packed beach party plans. I previously posted that I don't follow the "white pants rule" but obviously after this weekend you'll be seeing them a lot more for those that have been following the rule. Here's a post MDW outfit

 

This amazing trench with studded shoulders is actually a fit sample that I got from two adorably cute gift fairies in the industry :) I've gotten a lot of use out of it in the last month with the unpredictable weather

I got this top at Lulu's but since it's no longer available, here is another pastel option that will look great with white pants from Tobi

 

The shoes are Jeffrey Campbell and were a birthday gift to myself from myself :) I got them downtown at the Piperlime store. If you live in NYC and have never been to the store, you should definitely stop by. I love that it's set up like the website and they have a "Girl On A Budget" Section

 

 

I cuffed my pants to highlight the shoes because they have an ankle strap but these pants from Lulu's would be the perfect cut without having to be cuffed

 

The finishing touch to this outfit is my necklace which is Juicy Couture and I got it from Lord & Taylor on sale. I love shopping there because it seems like every time I walk in there they seem to be running some type of sale. 

Top 10 Healthy Cooking & Eating Tips

Here are my Top 10 Foods and/or Tips that you should add to your diet to help promote weight loss. These are the easiest and most basic things you can consume that will make a world of difference:

1) Coconut oil - is free of cholesterol and trans fats. Beyond the kitchen, coconut oil has countless uses and benefits and can be used in your hair, for your skin, canker sore remedy and even shoe polish

2) Protein powder in omega 3 eggs) - omega 3 eggs are nutritionally boosted version of regular eggs and it has to do with the types of feed that they give to the chickens so that the eggs contain a lot of omega-3 fats which are the good types of fat :) I add flavorless protein powder when I make my eggs since it doesn't change the flavor or consistency and only adds to the nutritional value

3) Chia seeds - I posted about these before. They are from Chia pets hah- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds serves as a five grams of fiber and they also help to improve your blood sugar. Chia seeds aid in reducing food cravings and they also serve as a vegetarian source of protein. I add them now to almost anything I make because they a flavorless and just add a crunch - similar to poppy seeds

4) Braggs - amazing salt substitute seasoning

5) Hot water with lemon in the AM - this aids in weight loss by improving your digestion and increasing your vitamin C intake

6) Protein Powder Recipes - whenever you're craving carbs, there are a lot of substitutes that will fulfill your craving- like the zucchini crust pizza recipe I posted, or protein brownies, cookies, or pancakes

7) Salmon - an amazing omega 3 source and great for your heart health

8) Raspberries and blueberries - I grouped these together because they are both berries but they have different benefits. Raspberries are one of the foods containing the greatest amount of antioxidants and they are also really high in fiber. Blueberries is one of the number one killer's of high blood pressure.

9) Spinach - I'm not one for veggies, which is bad but I have incorporated spinach in all of my lunches for work because it contains 18 different vitamins and minerals. I also recommend cooking this in an iron pan because then you can get added iron content in your spinach

10) Apples - serve as an amazing source of dietary fiber

Birthday Brunching

If you follow me on Instagram or twitter (@stepheintz for both) you've probably begun to realize that my friends love to celebrate birthdays in a big way. It seems even when we try to be "low key" it seems to take a sharp left turn and never fails to be story worthy. For my friend Monica's bday, we decided to just do brunch at il Bastardo in Chelsea. Sounds innocent enough right? well it's actually the furthest thing from that ha. Il Bastardo has become known to be one of the city's most hyped bottomless brunch hotspots. Absolutely no one goes there for the food (I've never really loved anything I've ordered there food-wise) but your glass is guaranteed to never be less than halfway full which can get deadly. House music is blaring so you can barely hear one another and in the back rooms there are even strobe lights. My friends and I started at il Bastardo and didn't make it far afterwards, at which point we ended up with sparklers and bottles at Bounce Downtown by the sharp hour of 3pm. This is not normal nor is it typical protocol. However, it made for an early night and way more sleep than I typically get :)  Here's the outfit that I wore for the occasion:

I've always put "Boyfriend" jeans on my bucket list for something I would eventually buy but I'm a skinny jegging fan and wasn't sure what I was willing to spend on a trend that is supposed to make me look like a boy and not necessarily so flattering. I found these boyfriend jeans for only $59 from Zara and they are great to wear when you want to highlight a killer pair of heels - one way to offset the Boyfriend-ness of the jeans ha.

These Lamb heels were ones I got off of Shopbop and were on my wishlist for what seemed like eternity before I finally took the plunge. Of course they are now on sale.

 

  I also got this amazing army green jacket from Zara at the same time I found the jeans. I'm obsessed with the cut and love that the hardware is gold

For my accessories - my sunglasses are Tory Burch from a few seasons ago. Here is a similar pair with orange T logo sides on sale from CUSP 

My clutch is also Tory Burch. I got this during her infamous Xmas sale a couple years ago and I love the shape so much that I wish I got more! Here it is in black at CUSP

  Lastly, my embroidered tank is also from Zara. Here is another embroidered option here. My necklace is from Forever21 from years ago.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend :)

All Photos were taken by Searching4Orchids

Deadlifts

The 30 day squat challenge that I posted is everywhere and social media has really taken off with showing the amazing results. An update/next step to that would be a dead lift challenge. There is a debate as to whether squats or dead lifts are better but honestly they both make for amazing results and I think they should be done in tandem. There is no way I would know what a dead lift was if it wasn't for having a trainer. Deadlifts are most known for targeting and lifting your glutes/butt/ass/cheeks but this exercise actually strengthens 6 other areas: hamstrings, upper back, lower back, shoulders, quads, and abs. There are two major types of dead lifts that I do- regular Deadlifts and Romanian Deadlifts. If you don't already do these you should try to incorporate them in every workout you do.

For Regular dead lifts or "stiff leg deadlifts" you can use a dumbbell or separate hand weights. When women are doing high reps with weights, they're limited with how much they can increase the weight but deadlifts are definitely an exercise where you can challenge yourself and really increase the weight. In these pictures I only used 20 lb weights for higher reps but when I use a dumbbell I lift a lot more.

 

Staring in a standing position hold the weights, lean forward and have the weights follow your legs down to your shins while keeping your legs as straight as possible. Then lift back up, squeezing your glutes and repeat for the appropriate amount of reps to the weight you are lifting

Looking at this picture, my knees should honestly be less bent but my legs were so tight when I did this and I should have stretched out more before working out 

For Romanian Deadlifts, start in the same starting position but as you start to bring the weight down to your shins, bend your knees. For this type of deadlift, you should be going closer to the floor and stick your butt out more. Once again continue this for as many reps relative to the weight you are lifting

 

Both exercises are really simple but the results are unreal. For me, having bad knees - deadlifts are less painful than squats but like I said before you should really be doing both instead of one over the other

Maxi Slits with a Bun on Top

As I mentioned in my last outfit post, high-low skirts were really big for Spring/Summer 2012 but I feel like that has evolved to the maxi skirt. I got this amazing shocking pink Jennifer Hope maxi skirt 60% off at BigDrop. Beyond the amazing color, I was drawn to this because of the slit on one side. There is a shorter skirt layer underneath to avoid any potential wardrobe malfunctions so that's a plus haha! The skirt is sold out now but here are some options from ASOS that I love: option1 option2 option3

 

I know the sockbun thing has been huge for a while now- but believe it or not I am terrible at hair styling so this is totally out of the box for me but I used an insert from Urban Outfitters- it's like the modern day bump-it!

 

I carried this adorable Rebecca Minkoff bright green crossbody bag with silver spike studs.

 

No big surprise here, I rocked my most recent Jen Hoodenpyle necklace purchase. I know, I'm an addict but I can't help myself. This one has amazing colors for Spring and Summer and the shape is so different from all the other ones I have!

 

 

Lastly I wore my Dolce Vita sandals. Every girl needs a pair- or three!

Egg & Tuna Patties

Here is a recipe that is quick, easy, and HEALTHY that I wanted to share with you guys. Here is what you need:

Kale
Balsamic Vinegar
1 can of Tuna
2 – Omega3 Eggs (I read on the Livestrong website that this was one of the Top 10 health foods that you should be eating)
½ a tomato
Italian Dash

First saute a handful of kale with balsamic vinegar on the stove.
Cut up half of a tomato into small pieces
Mix your veggies in a bowl and add the can of tuna and 2 Omega3 Eggs
Once you’ve mixed these up in the bowl, poor these into small patties in a pan and flip them a few times until you think they are fully cooked
As you are flipping add some Italian Dash for seasoning and flavor

 

 

Bon Appetite!

Spring High-Lows

So yesterday was absolutely gorgeous in the city and for the first time I think Spring might actually be here to stay (for 2 weeks until summer begins). I looked ahead at the forecast and decided that I was going to wear a very West Coast outfit that I had worn a couple of weeks ago while I was in LA. The reaction was hysterical. I decided to ignore the fact that New Yorkers are permanently in black and jump head first into splashed colors. I wore this tie dye high/low skirt that my sister picked out for me last year at South Moon Under. I was a little hesitant towards high-low last year because they were everywhereeee but this was my first and I love it! I looked even more ridiculous given the fact that there was a little wind so when I walked down the street I had this floating tail following behind me. Sometimes you just have to be able to giggle at yourself...

Here are some High-Low Skirt options from Lulus.com that I love: Print & Solid with Lace Panel

I wore one of my summer staples - my cropped jean vest from Zara with studded collar. Get ready to see this vest a lot because I'm obsessed with it and during the hot summer use it as a fall back to wear my "warm weather" clothes a little more work appropriate. Here is a great Denim Vest option from ShopAkira

  Since I wore a plain white sugar lips tank top underneath the vest, I decided to wear 2 of my newest necklaces layered together. The shorter necklace that says "DREAM" is a BCBGeneration affirmation necklace and the long necklace with heart and horn charm is Rebecca Minkoff. I bought the Dream necklace at Lord&Taylor but here is the bracelet version which is also adorable

As seen in other posts I also wore my Juicy white aviator sunnies and my staple summer wedges from Lulus.com

Tuxedo Pants and Citrus Pops

I've been eyeing tuxedo pants for a while now and I finally bagged these amazing black & white tuxedo pants from ShopAkira.com. They are currently sold out but here are two of their newer options: seamless two faced pant & peplum tuxedo. Although Black & White Monochromatic is a huge trend right now I really wanted to add some color and print to this outfit. Here's how I rounded out my work-wear

 

The print on my outfit came from my shoes. These Calvin Klein calf hair cut-out heels were purchased at Macy's. Here's a little shopping trick for people who live in New York, if you have an ID from a different state, you can go to Macy's Herald Square or Bloomingdale's 59th Street and get a 10% off card by showing your ID at guest services. When I had my VA license I used this trick all the time. Unfortunately I have a NY ID now :( Here is another version of the CK heels on sale on 6pm 

 

  The citrus pop - was this awesome Gilber Gilmore Neon Yellow Blazer that I got for 60% off from BigDropNYC. It's no longer available and the original ticket price was $279 but here is an amazing one from Target for only $29.99 (you're welcome)

  My main piece of jewelry for this outfit once again was a custom made Jennifer Hoodenpyle statement necklace. This was a great black with ombre gold necklace that Jen made for me and I thought that it offset the leopard shoes perfectly.

  Here's the complete look

MIA because I was in MIA

Hi everyone sorry I've been MIA- ironically enough it's been because I was in MIA-MI. I took Friday off of work for a long overdue girls weekend getaway. We stayed at the gorgeous FontaineBleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Like most people, we were going to Miami for the nightlife, the poolside tanning, and a change of scene. We took the 6am flight and landed early so that we could be poolside by 10:30 AM to achieve a solid base-coat tan by that night (priorities). The FontaineBleau is an amazing hotel but if you're looking for a quiet and low key vacation this is NOT the place for you. The pool is packed and music is blaring while beds surround the pool with bottle service. Even though it's predominantly a "party hotel"  it has three of Miami's best restaurants- Gotham Steak, Hakkasan, and Scarpetta. Saturday night we did dinner at Scarpetta and it was a great last meal there. Of course it wouldn't be a trip to Miami without hitting up the club LIV also within the FontaineBleau... so basically we never left the hotel. It was the perfect long weekend quick getaway one stop shop and the only thing it left us asking was.... "When do we plan our trip back???"

 View from our Ocean Front Room

 

First night at LIV

Early Risers Day 2 to Claim Prime Pool Seating

Dinner at Scarpetta