Greetings from Hawaii!
Posts to come starting July 1st!
Have a great week!
Follow my Hawaii adventure on Instagram jessmedmunds.
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Top: Pure Barre / Bra: Splits 59 / Bottoms: Splits 59 / Socks: Pure Barre / Bracelets: Lily & Laura After a good workout there's nothing I love more than to stretch my muscles out. I consistently see others at the gym skip this amazing moment after they built up a sweat. Today I want to talk about the importance of stretching after a workout. Let's start our discussion with an analogy..... Think of your muscle as a spaghetti noodle. When the noodle is uncooked it's stiff and brittle. It can break once tension is placed. When the noodle is warmed and cooked, it's more flexible/elastic. Just like the uncooked noodle, if you stretch before a workout it can lead to injury. After a workout the muscle is warm, and stretching leads to lengthening the muscle. Now lets talk a little science........YIPEE! During high intensity exercise your muscle uses anaerobic respiration, meaning without oxygen. The end product of anaerobic respiration is lactic acid. Sound familiar? Lactic acid then builds up in the bloodstream and muscles. If the muscle isn't stretched out, then it becomes shortened, and the lactic acid/by-products gives the muscle the "pumped up" effect. After stretching out, the lactic acid is loosened and released out of the muscle. This then promotes lean muscle growth. Whenever stretching the most important thing to remember is to listen to your own body. Don't push yourself to the point where it becomes uncomfortable. I hope that this promotes you to add that extra time to your workout to relax, and enjoy your stretch. Next time I see you I'll be in Hawaii, so Aloha! |
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First Look ~ Top: Splits 59 / Bottoms: Splits 59 / Socks: Pure Barre / Bracelets: Lily & Laura Second Look ~ Top: Splits 59 / Bra: Splits 59 / Bottoms: Splits 59 / Socks: Pure Barre It's my pleasure to talk about one of my favorite active brands Splits 59! I was first introduced to this brand 2 years ago when I started teaching the Pure Barre technique. I was hooked immediately. The Raquel pant (by Splits 59) has become the go-to bottoms for many barre instructors, including myself. What I love so much about them is that they have the perfect amount of stretch, and won't "bag-out" at the end of a sweaty workout. The rise and waist band are perfect for keeping everything locked and loaded. Did I mention that they make the "seat" look tight, and lifted?! ;) Bright colors and patterns are a reflection of my personal style, whether on the street or at the barre. I was so thrilled when I got these spilled paint Raquel pants, which are a part of the Splits 59 "Color Outside the Lines" campaign. Thanks for reading, and enjoy. |
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Sweater: Halogen (petite) / Pants: Banana Republic / Necklace: Missing Piece / Bracelets: J.Crew (similar here) + Baublebar / Sunnies: Kate Spade / Bag: Michael Kors / Shoes: Aldo (old similar here) / Nails: Essies-Turquoise & Caicos / Lips: MAC-Crosswires I LOVE COLOR! Color is my addiction! I try to use color everyday I get dressed in the morning. I used to be that person who wore tons of black everyday. It goes with everything. Always admiring the cute summer outfits bursting with color, I finally decided to make a change in my wardrobe. NO MORE BLACK! Yes it was hard at first to phase out my favorite color, but I had to lock it down! Whenever the department store temptation was getting to me I would tell myself "stay strong." After three years of being a color advocate it's rare to see me in black. Color is fun. Color is happiness. Color is playful. I live life colorfully! |
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Top: Trouve / Jacket: Olivia Moon / Jeans: Gap (on sale!) / Sunnies: Kate Spade / Necklace: Nordstrom (similar here) / Arm Candy: Nordstrom, F21, Baublebar, Michael Kors / Bag: Michael Kors / Shoes: Aldo (old similar here) / Lips: YSL-Pink in Devotion / Nails: Essie-Turquoise & Caicos |
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Top: J.Crew Factory / Skirt: F21 / Sunnies: BP / Necklace: Arden B (no longer available but similar here) / Clutch: Halogen / Arm Candy: J.Crew, Nordstrom, F21, Charming Charlie / Shoes: Louise et Cie / Lips: YSL-Pink in Devotion mixed with MAC- Morange I hope you are all enjoying your day. Unfortunately I've come down with a nasty cold, and having a sick day at home :( I'm crossing my fingers that I will be all healthy and well before our road trip to Utah this weekend, for my little sister's (she actually my best friend's sister, but I've basically adopted her as my own) wedding next week! Time to load up on the Dayquil, and Vix vapor rub..... |
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Left Image: Top: ASOS / Pants: Joe's / Bag: HM / Necklace: BaubleBar / Shoes: DV Right Image: Top: DVF / Pants: Joe's / Bag: Rebecca Minkoff / Necklace: J.Crew / Shoes: Stewart Weitzman Can you guess which one is the more expensive outfit? Happy Wednesday! |
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Top: BP / Skirt: Arden B (similar here) / Necklace: J.Crew (last seen here and similar here) / Sunnies: Kate Spade / Shoes: Aldo / Lips: MAC-Crosswires |
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Top: J.Crew Factory (on sale!) / Pants: Crew Cuts (old similar here) / Necklace: J.Crew (similar here) / Shoes: Just Fab / Sunnies: Kate Spade / Lips: MAC-Lady Danger |
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Top: Lululemon (old) / Hair Tie: Emi Jay / Hair Dryer: Chi Rocket / Lips: Sugar-Coral / Note: my hair in this image was washed the day prior. I ran and took pure barre that morning I took these pictures |
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Top: ASTR (last seen here) / Skirt: Madewell / Sunnies: Kate Spade / Necklace: BP / Bracelets: J.Crew + F21 / Shoes: Michael Kors / Lips: MAC-Crosswires Here's some exciting news! Todd finished his dental board exam yesterday! Hip-hip-hooray!!! Finally Todd can relax, and just focus on our trip to Hawaii in two weeks. He worked so hard this year. He put his blood, sweat, and tears into doing well, and he knocked it out of the ball park. Even though Todd isn't a father yet (unless you count dogs :) ), he has continually proven himself to be an amazing one by his work ethic. They really should invent a "spouse" day in the calendar year to celebrate amazing men like him! In celebration of his success, we decided to go on a date to a mushroom bar called Betty Nosh. Num-num-num! If you are ever in the Glendale area you need to go! Keeping the date casual and fun, I decided to wear my fun crochet ASTR top with my Madewell skirt. Maybe it's a fashion crime to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row, but I'm seriously obsessed with these MK berkley heels . Recently have lived in skirts, and dresses this season. I used to be a jean fanatic, but living in such hot temperatures has made me swap out my go-to J Brands for anything that's breezy. It makes me sad to see the dust piling up on my denim :( What is your go-to summer piece?! |
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Dress: Michael Kors / Sunnies: BP / Necklaces: Missing Piece + Natasha Couture / Watch: Michael Kors / Bracelets: Nordstrom + J.Crew / Bag: Aldo (old) / Shoes: Michael Kors / Nails: OPI-Tainly Look Marvelous / Lips: YSL-Pink in Devotion Little obsessed with Michael Kors today right?! Have a lovely Wednesday! |