2 New Summer Workouts!

The start of each season brings new clothes, shorter shorts, bare arms and cute, little dresses. I have two new workouts for you to shape up your legs, back and biceps to boost your confidence and swagger.

Tray and I are on vacation in Vail, Colorado this weekend—our happy place! Work has been so busy with travel, trips, meetings and emails that it feels so wonderful to escape to the mountains to recharge. It's his birthday weekend and we love Vail for so many reasons. It's special to us, because we got married here, but more than that, it has a magnetic vibe that infuses health, fresh air, fitness, wellness and sunshine all in one.

As much as I try to sleep in on vacation, my body is used to getting up early, so I simply embrace it and win the day by starting with a workout. Here are two new workouts to save to your phone!

LEGS FOR DAYS

Here are six new moves to add into your next workout. They target your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Keep your core flexed the entire workout, and have good form to protect your knees.

ARMED AND FABULOUS

I always start my workouts with a warm up. One of my favorites is walking uphill (level 10-15) for 10 minutes. Since it’s heating up you can also go for a 10-15 minute walk outside. Try to wear long sleeves so your body temp rises and you start to sweat. Then grab a set of dumbbells for this back & bi workout. I used 7.5, 10, 15 and 20 pounds throughout this workout. Lifting heavier than normal builds muscle and cuts fat, even after you‘re done with the workout.

For the videos of this workout, follow me on Instagram!

BE HEALTHY. BE HAPPY. BE YOU.

XO, BBuds

14 Years Cancer Free

June 2, 2019—Happy Bonus Life Day! I was 21 years old, a junior in college, when I was diagnosed with cancer. My life stood still. I was no longer invincible and I was shocked.

June 2, 2019 | 14 Years Cancer Free

Fast forward more than a decade to today, which marks surviving cancer for 14 years. I am the most blessed human being I could ever imagine. I have a husband, three step kids, two dogs, two fish, an amazing career, friends, family and more life blessings than I could ever dream. Overcoming cancer gives you a perspective in life that is really rare and I really cherish it. By the grace of God, I received that perspective when I was so young that I have consciously lived my life with intention, gratitude and growth every day since.

When you are diagnosed with any challenge in life, you can easily look at the issues and feel like there is no way out. Yet, I believe that my life's work today is to encourage you—to be a light and give insight into a dark world. You have everything you need to succeed within you, all you have to do is look for it. You must be around people that ignite hope, joy, passion, encouragement and love to win. I hope that I can be that for you in life. I started the blog this year because I believe my mission is to be your source of light and insight to your spiritual, mental, physical and financial health.

"I started the blog this year because I believe my mission is to be your source of light and insight to your spiritual, mental, physical and financial health."

Having been at the lowest of lows, you learn a lot about yourself, your drive and who you truly are. Since then, I have advanced my life skills, soared like eagles, risen when I didn't feel like it, celebrated moments with champagne, illuminated darkness and shared it with the world. Life is not easy. And, I don't know that it's supposed to be. God is with us always, guiding us, pushing us, showing us the way. All you have to do is look for it. Don't let little pebbles trip you on your mountain climb. Keep your sights high and focus on your target.

I know that I am gifted with a unique perspective that will change the lives of more than 1 Million people. Join me on my quest to improve everyone's life that you meet. I invite you to subscribe to your life!

Click below to listen to my bonus life pep talk!

I'm in your corner,

xo BBuds

How to bounce back from a holiday hangover

Woooh baby, we had our first day off since New Year's Day! From the looks of it on Instagram, you likely ate and drank what you wanted, partied with friends and fam, while taking full advantage of the free day. Most vacationers over indulge in high-calorie, high-sodium and sugar-rich foods (along with alcoholic beverages!). Couple that with no exercise and light sleep and it can lead to rapid weight gain.

Tuesday morning may feel a little rough and you're likely wishing you had a few less of the chips and titos. Hangovers come in many forms. It can be from a lack of sleep, dehydration, too much travel, too many bevies, or maybe you're just missing your family and friends this Tuesday morning. Having spent the past seven days in New York, I am beyond thrilled to be home, planting in the landscaping with Tray and meal prepping for the next 10 days. My work travel has been every other week for the past few months and it's all catching up to me. With the complete lack of water, stretching, home cooked meals, hotel beds, high stress, low sleep and air travel I am up at least five pounds on the scale. Five pounds may not seem like much, but the pounds could become a long-term problem if you don't act quickly to get your waistline in check.

My top 10 ways to bounce back from a holiday hangover:

1. Re-establish your routine

Get back to your fundamentals of what works for you asap. Throw away the left overs while you're at it and restock your fridge!

2. No eating out

Cook all of your meals and do not use salt. Preparation for the next five days will be key to get in as many vegetables as possible. Cut back on portion sizes and you'll trim calories at every meal.

3. Water

You must drink at least a gallon of water a day and flush the toxins out of your body. No fruit juices, no pops, no carbonation—just straight water. Alkaline water is even better.

4. Take a bath

Fill your tub full of warm water and a lot of epsom salt. The soak will help you to release toxins and sweat it out. Google a detox bath and do it every other day.

5. Foam roll

You likely were on your feet all day, maybe on a jet ski, or laying around by the fire. Either way, you will need to give your muscles and body some R&R. It takes me 15 minutes to foam roll my entire body. Spend one minute on each body part that is sore!

6. Exercise

Get in at least 45 minutes of cardio a day. Add in weight training so you burn calories even after you're done lifting.

7. Track your day

I recently started using My Fitness Pall for my nutrition tracking, exercise and calorie intake. It helped me tremendously to see the difference between what I think is healthy versus how much hidden fat and sugars are in food.

8. Accountability

Tell your husband, partner or best friend what your goal is so they can keep you on track. Look forward to the upcoming weekend and reschedule anything that is not a "must" so you can win the weekend. Don't drink this coming weekend and you'll thank yourself next Monday morning. Plus your gut needs a break. Trust me!

9. Drop the blame and shame

Last but not least, do not feel bad about your fun time. You deserved a fun time. Don't let the day after anxiety creep in and steal your joy. Deep breath and get back into the swing of things as soon as possible!

10. Sleep

Set your alarm to go to bed early and get at least eight hours of sleep. Come Wednesday morning you'll feel good as new!

A few of my other faves are:

• Hot water with lemon in the morning

• No carbs whatsoever

• Low fat intake

• High veggies

• 45 minutes walk first thing in the morning

• Lift weights targeting your legs, glutes, upper body and abs

Or, if you're ready for a total restart, try out my 10-day detox.

Here's to living the dream life on Monday and only four days of work this week!

XO,

BBuds