{Repost} Fitness, Food & Fun Friday: (Guest Blogger) Hitting the Wall

I am so pumped about our guest blogger!

You remember when you were young and you really wanted that cool girl to be your friend? Well that's how i felt about Ms. Drazil & Sheniqua! Therefore, I was very excited when she agreed to be a guest blogger for TC30s!

The first time I read Drazil & Sheniqua's blog, I was a little confused because I thought it was about two people until I read further ahead and found out that there were two people but in one person! Herself and her alter ego! Drazil is the inner "lizard/demons" and Sheniqua is her extra 15lbs. Her story is one that we can all relate to. The story of our constant search for self-love and self-worth throughout our teens, twenties, thirties and beyond!

As soon as you read her blog, you can hear her comedic chops and it is refreshing to have so much honesty in the blogging world. I mean her tag line is: ...bathing in rainbows skittles and farting gumdrops while we search for our ever-elusive inner peace and self-love! Gotta love her!

In her unique, fun and fabulous way she shares some confessions about her experiences related to fitness, food & fun! But I will stop and let her talk for herself. Enjoy our guest blogger ladies, we certainly did!

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Food, Fitness and Fun. Yup, that’s what I was asked to write about. And that’s exactly when I drew a blank.

If I’m being honest – it’s the word “fun” that threw me off completely. Food and fun? Well, heck yes. BEFORE I became a Nutrisystem fruitcake and followed it to the letter and food just became fuel for my body.

Who would have guessed?

That leaves me to fitness and fun? Whhaaatttt? Can you really put those two together?

I have no flipping idea. I mean, Casey Anthony is walking free so really – anything can happen right?

I can tell you from experience that a person can start craving and needing and wanting fitness. And that in itself is FUN if you’ve never felt it before.

Speaking of new things during workouts…there are two specific things I had never experienced before I began running and they are “the wall” and “the runner’s high”.

How many of you have ever heard of either one?

I have often talked about “hitting the wall” as a worker-outer on my blog. That’s – by technical definition (lol) – the minutes or few minutes during your workout when you want to die or hork up a lung or just sit the hell down and stop.

Quitting is the only thing you can hear, see and breathe and it becomes your main objective. You start telling yourself – “just five more minutes and you can be done”…..

And then? You get to the end of the five minutes and you’re still standing and you have both your lungs and suddenly you feel like you could fly.

You know that if you had to – you could endure this “fitness stuff” for hours and hours more. You almost feel “high”.

That my friends is called “climbing the wall” and “the runner’s high” – in my case cuz it only happens to me when I run. I’ve heard you can experience it during most kinds of fitness.

I thought I was the only one who spoke of this invisible wall theory. For me, it always hits at about 20 minutes in…and I tell myself if I can stick it out to 25 – then I can quit.

25 minutes comes and I always go on to 60 or more. I have never once actually stopped when I hit 25.

Turns out MANY people have a wall – each at their own minute or mile or spot in their workout. A fellow 10 mile a day runner friend of mine says he hits his wall at 5 miles into a run. If he can make it past that – he could run all day. This is a guy who has completed 50 mile marathons and yes folks – even he has a wall.

Another friend says 3 miles is his wall hitting point. If he makes it past that you can try to catch him but he’ll probably outrun you every time.

I guess the point of my story is – just do it. (Sorry Nike). Even the most experienced exercisers have limits and walls and moments of not wanting to continue or get up and keep going.

But they do.

And the payoff is worth it.

It’s a free high.

It’s not available on any supermarket shelf or department store kiosk. You can’t buy it even if you have all the money in the world.

You have to earn this high and once you do – I promise you – you’ll be back for more.

So tell me?

When do you hit your wall? When do you feel the high?

And if you don’t know – what are you waiting for?

GO FIND OUT!

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Thank you Drazil & Sheniqua and we appreciate the woman infront of you! 
Ladies, please check her out when you can at "It's Juse Me, Drazil & Sheniqua" and give her loads of love and fist pumps!

On Beauty: The Benefits, Joys and Dangers of the Sunlight

A Guest Post

Summer is approaching and you will likely be spending a lot of time out in the sun. There is nothing like spending a day outside soaking up the rays. However, you do have to be careful that you wear proper sun protection. Many people think that the sun is only harmful. The sun CAN be harmful, but it also does a body good. Here are the best benefits and worst dangers of the sun.

1) Full Circle
Let's face it. Without the sun, we would not be here. It is in charge of our days, seasons, weather, time- it is everything to us! The sun to the Earth is like gas to a car. You cannot have one without the other. We pretty much would not exist without it, so remember that when you’re complaining about your hot car seats.

2) Healthy Glow
Sure, people tell you that the sun is bad for you. They say wear at least fifty SPF when outside during the summer. However, it does not help to have a little healthy glow. A tan makes you feel prettier, healthier and happier. Stick with an SPF of 30. That way, you can enjoy a little tanning every so often to make your skin look radiant.

3) Cancer & Aging
That being said, do not go overboard with the tan! You want to maintain a good layer of protection on your skin, especially in the water, due to the reflection. If you do not wear sunscreen every day, then you run the risk of skin cancer and pre-mature ageing. Wrinkles are not attractive on twenty-somethings. If you do not like the idea of wasting your precious time putting on sunscreen every morning, then get a concealer with SPF. Then, you are killing two birds with one stone!

4) Happiness
Do you ever notice how much happier you feel when the sun is out and shining? It turns out that this is more scientific than you realize. After a long gloomy winter, your skin is literally waiting to see the sun. In return, the sun's rays warm your skin and your body produces more serotonin and melanin. These are stimulants that make you happy! Serotonin is the natural high you feel when everything is going just right. People with SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder have a heightened state of depression during the winter. It is not until the summer when they feel better. This all thanks to the sun's rays!
Is it not better to be happy and tan than pale and sad? Just keep adequate sunscreen on and you will be all right. Also, if you are feeling depressed, head out into the sun to soak up that sunshine! The sun is our life source for a reason. Even if you don’t necessarily get darker, you can always tell when someone has spent time in the sun J

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Bio: Marissa Canberra writes about summer fun, health & saving money at www.creditreport.org.

Helps Us Build TC30s Community... Calling For Guest Bloggers!

There are exciting changes coming on TC30s ladies! 

I hope you forgive us with the lacking posts. 

Our lives continue to transition through many of wonderful changes. 

MsBP recently became a mommy and enjoying every single second of it.  

And Mrs. Pancakes’ is having a baby soon and still enjoying her adventures as a newlywed.

As soon as we both settle into our routines, 

we will come back with lots of fresh energy and bring you refreshing posts, ideas and guests.

There will be more LOVELY guest bloggers who will confess about beauty, fitness,

 health, fashion, marriage, babies and many more!

We really want to create a community through which we can all learn from each other.

To succeed in this mission we need your HELP.

We would love nominations for bloggers, non-bloggers who would like to share their experiences with us...or if you would like to nominate yourself...that would be great too!

Thank you for stopping by and for ALL your support.

Stay Tuned Ladies...

Email us at confessions30 @ gmail. com

Wednesday Fashion Item: Guest Blogger - Shanequa

Greetings, 

I'm Shanequa of Fashion Pad blog and I'm so excited to be today's guest blogger for TC30s! Once I discovered this blog, I had to add it to my list of favs that I faithfully stalk, LOL. Today I put together a bold look to usher in Spring. The runways infused bright colors, graphic prints and lightweight fabrics and I, for one, am so excited to rock these spring trends.

Bold Fashionista by fashionpad featuring marc jacobs sunglasses

Won Hundred cut out dress
€120 - welikefashion.com

Rag bone tuxedo jacket
£410 - harveynichols.com

Bebe platform heels
$80 - dsw.com

Furla Handbags studded handbag
$248 - couture.zappos.com

Blingdeenie black drop earrings
£35 - kabiri.co.uk

Marc jacobs sunglasses
£105 - theoutnet.com

I'm in love with graphic print and this lovely dress by Won Hundred has me itching to scoop up several new pieces! This brand has fun garments with both trendy and classic styles at an affordable luxury price point. To give this mini a nice complement I decided to style it with a bold, boy cut blazer in bright canary yellow.  This Rag & Bone number is tailored perfectly. The blue pumps are a fun addition and a hand held satchel tops off the look with one of my favorite bag designers, the Italian brand Furla!

I hope you guys enjoyed the look. Feel free to stop by Fashion Pad for any outfit requests, styling challenges, and all things fashion!

Arrivederci!

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Thank you so much Shanequa for putting together these lovely pieces for TC30s.

Ladies don’t forget to stop by Fashion Pad for fashion inspiration.

Wednesday Fashion Item: Jan @Mrs H

I was more than excited when Jan said YES to our request to share with TC30s readers her style secrets.

TC30s: How would you describe your style?

Mrs H: I really don't have one way of describing my style. I usually pick one piece that may be my focus for the night and build everything around that.

TC30s: Your Las Vegas outfit is superb. How did you decide on that outfit?

Mrs. H: In this case I hadn't worn these Loubies since receiving them as a gift from hubby last summer. I wanted a dress that wasn't going to distract from the shoe and since the shoe is a bit edgy I wanted to contrast it with something soft and feminine. The iridescent python look of the Minaudiere was just the right touch to pick up the python on the platform of the shoe. The earrings and the watch were just simply compliments.

Mrs H’s outfit in details

Rochell Dress by Marciano for Guess

Winter Trash Shoes by Christian Louboutin

Iridescent Exotic Minaudiere by Bebe

Mikulec Leaf Earrings by Aldo

Gold Watch by Marc Jacobs

 

Mrs H is one gorgeous lady. Thank you so much Mrs H for sharing with us.

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Ladies don’t forget to stop by her blog.

xoxo, TOI

P.S: ladies, have you worn something recently that you would like to share with us?

Contact us at confessions30 @ gmail.com  

Wednesday Fashion Items: Bravoe Runaway Takeover

Can you be in-love with a blogger? Well here at TC30s, we are crushing on B from Bravoe Runaway! B is in finance by day and awesome fashionistta all day long! She inspires the average woman to dress with glitz and glamour daily with economical buys. We are excited to have her takeover our blog today and share some great advice on finding items for the Fall that are not only stylish but affordable.

Ladies, i am proud and excited to intoduce you to B of Bravoe Runaway as she takesover!

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I am super excited that Mrs. Pancakes reached out to me for guest post! She asked that I address key pieces for transitioning into Fall! I am sure your closet is packed with cardigans, blazers, jeans, slacks, and skirts. And I suspect that many of you are on a budget, yet you still want to look great! So let’s take a look at some ways to breathe new life into the existing pieces in your closet!

BELTS

Belts are a great and inexpensive way to add accent to any outfit! Check out my simple sweater and jeans and how the belt added accent to my outfit! If you have a garment that came with a belt, change it up and it’ll look and feel different! I suggest trying a variety of styles and thickness, such as, braided, fabric, embellishment, animal print, and patent over a dress, cardigan, a blouse, or with a skirt!

FAUX FUR

Faux fur is haute again for the 3^rd year in a row! These pieces add a luxurious factor and nowadays, you can get them for under $70! This particular jacket was purchased from Forever 21, it has a vintage 1960s feel, can you imagine all the pieces you can pair this with? Try a jacket, vest, or a piece with a fur embellishment. You can make it as casual or as fancy as you’d like!

SCARVES

I love a great scarf in any size, colour, and material! I’ve used them to create bracelets, belts, and even a ruffle collar! If belts aren’t your thing, scarves are another great way to revive an outfit. Tying scarves is a true art!

SHOES & BOOTIES

If you are trying to just keep your shoe purchases to a minimum for Fall I suggest a taupe pump and a short black bootie! The pump is from Joan & David, “Flipp,” with an embossed reptile print that adds a gorgeous accent to any simple outfit. Taupe matches everything and the round-toe style is versatile! The black short booties are from Bandolino, “Sarala,” with a back zip. They’re comfortable, with a slight platform and look great with a skirt, slacks, and even jeans!

Ladies, I hope you’ll put these ideas to good use when you go on your Fall shopping trip and will revamp your current closet pieces!

Thank you for having me, and please stop by and say “Hi,” at Bravoe Runway!

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Thank you B!

We are taking away many great ideas from your takeover today

for our next Fall shopping spree.

Ladies, please stop by and say "Hi"

and see what's walking down Bravoe Runaway.

Be Inspired Monday: Mi-Inspiration

Sometimes we talk about how celebrities inspire us but there are so many NON-celebrity women out there that inspire so much. Saturday we featured Miesha, the blogger behind Mi-Inspire... healthy lifestyle transformation, a blogger we fell in love with because she is a true inspiration because through her life transformation she shows us what means to have a focus, determination and motivation to achieve a healthy and fullfilling lifestyle.

Miesha's letter made us think about the importance of giving oneself a good advice from young age and looking at life through positive lenses. And TC30s love living life as best as we can live it.
We hope many people could re-read these lines:

Never allow anyone else to dictate or control your life. As an adult you are
capable of making your own decisions. You may not always make the right choices but the key is learning from your mistakes and moving forward. A person that says they love you does not abuse you, whether that be mental or physical abuse. A person that says they love you does not take from you either. At the first signs of abusive behavior hit the road and never look back. The backlash of abuse can been felt for many years in ways that you'll never imagine.

It is okay to seek help when you feel like you are battling something that you no longer have control over. You are not a failure because you are not perfect. Nobody is perfect. It is not healthy to try to live up to others' expectations for your life. Your family history does not have to set the precedence for your life. Watching your mother get abused doesn't mean that you have to be abused. Choose a better path for yourself. Surround yourself with positive, nurturing people that only have your best interest at heart.

We believe that to do better in life one must surround her/himself with positive and nurturing people. Positive thinking is a true key to success!

We hope this letter inspires you on today's Be Inspired Monday.

On Marriage: Guest Blogger

Here at TC30s, we are inspired by every age and would like to inspire every age.

Today we are so happy to present you Elizabeth the twenty-five years old mother of two, the young lady behind YUMMommy.We love her posts on how to a successful marriage and lifestyle. So imagine our joy when she accepted to write something for TC30s on topic dear to our hearts: Marriage.

I personally believe everyone one, married or not, should read this post. Invite your friends to come and read because it is something we might unconsciously experience.

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Today Elizabeth is here to talk about Identity Crisis

There’s nothing like spending quality time with your spouse or significant other. You know...watching movies together on the couch or walks at the park. While doing things with the
love of your life is great, you want to make sure that you still maintain your own identity. As women we tend to make abandon our own identities and adopt our spouse’s. Thus, we end up developing an identity crisis.

This is a subject I can relate to all too well. I met my husband the second semester of my freshman year in college. He was so refreshing and different from any other guy I had hung out with. We immediately starting spending a lot of time together. In fact, the only days we really didn’t spend time together was when I had class.

My best friends began notice that they were seeing less and less of me. Which was true. They would see me on the days we had class. (We were all fashion majors, except one.) On those days, I’d catch up with them over lunch and dinner in the cafe. But I quickly noticed that they started inviting me to hang out less and less. I didn’t take it personal though because I chalked it up to them thinking that I was with my new boyfriend.

The summer came and school was over. I had decided that I didn’t want to spend the summer at home when all of my friends would be here in the city. I thought we’d be hanging out around the pool, shopping and hitting up parties. Instead, I ended up moving in with my boyfriend (now my husband) and barely saw my friends. Again, I convinced myself that it was ok.

Our token male bff had gone back home and the rest were either working full-time or had booed up like I had. We ran into each other once or twice the whole summer but often kept in touch with Facebook or texting. Thank goodness for technology. I spent my summer bonding and getting to know my boyfriend better as I called it. I never ventured out on my own. We were joined at the hip so to speak.

Fast forward to almost 12 months and it hit me that I didn’t know who I was anymore. I knew who my boyfriend was and who we were as a couple. But when it came to myself as an individual I was totally lost. I had started working thanks to my required externship for school. The company liked me so much they kept me on.

My life had some how become just about work, going to class and spending every other moment in between with my boyfriend who had become my fiance at this point. I think the wedding planning made realize that I was still an individual. I had my own hobbies. I used to enjoy spending time by myself. And more importantly, I used to make time for my friends.

I had to change that quick. First, I started back up with my hobbies. I’m big crafter and decided to get back in touch with crafting side. So, I would drag my fiance to the craft stores with me hunting down yarn and other DIY projects. Eventually, I stopped asking him to tag along all the time because to be honest I enjoyed looking for hours without hearing “Can we go yet?”

I was finding me again. I loved it. If I had to give a piece advice to any young girl or woman entering a relationship it would be to remember and continue to be who your are. Keep your identity.

Enjoy the me time. Don’t give up those shopping trips and spa dates with your girlfriends. And develop hobbies that you can do minus your significant other or anyone else for that matter. Join a social group. Being in a relationship or marriage does require some sacrifice but your identity doesn’t have to be one of them.

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Thank you again Elizabeth for this post. Ladies don't forget to say hello to her at YUMMommy!

Question: Have you ever felt like you've lost your identity in a relationship? How do you keep your identity alive in a relationship?

Please share on TC30s.

On Marriage: Guest Blogger

I am sure you know today's guest blogger, the fun-tastic Faith. If you don't know her, you must check her out on Life.Love&Marriage. Everyone who stops by Faith's blog will not turn back without a smile. She is warm and even through a computer screen you want to hug her and see her smile. In my opinion she has the most bright and adoring smile on the blog-sphere!

We love to read her insight on relationship and everything else she writes on her blog is a hit! We were pleased, *{understatement}*, we were ECSTATIC when she accepted to write something on marriage to share with readers of TC30s.

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Today she is here to tell us about The Importance of Date Nights in Our Marriages.

It is extremely easy to get wrapped up in our daily lives, especially in this day and age when there are just so many distractions. It is so easy to complain about how busy we are that sometimes we forget to make time for the most important people in our lives. I’ve heard people who have said that they have woken up one day and they have no idea who their spouse is. It is like the time whizzed on by and you were left with a stranger who you happened to marry years ago.

That scenario is one of the reasons why I believe that date nights are important. So important that we have designated a night or day each week to forget about how busy we are and wrap ourselves in that one person.

It can be a simple night in with the surprise of a candlelight dinner. Or a night out to a movie dressed in pajamas. A night where you go out dancing and the two of you move as one to the beat of the drum. Or a night spent on the couch cuddling, watching movies and eating ice cream. Or a day spent at a park having a romantic picnic.

Whatever the date consists of, the only thing that is truly important is taking the time out of the day to talk to your significant other about any and everything. A time to ask questions, to answer questions, to laugh out loud and flirt. A time to remember why you fell in love in the first place.

I believe that it takes work to keep the spark alive. It takes work to keep a happy marriage. Date nights are just one of the ways to help remember why you feel butterflies and why just the thought of that person leaves you breathless and flustered with desire. Date nights ensure that you do not become distant, that regardless of children, careers or busy schedules, you take time out of the week where it is only about the two of you. A night or day to remember how the love started.

Date nights with the hubby are always anticipated. I look forward to Fridays every week because I know that it is when no one else exists but him and I. There are no distractions such as the internet or the phone. Those beloved hours are only about us.

I encourage you to have a date night weekly. In this economy, research your area for fun things to do with your significant other for free. I know that this summer there were free concerts, festivals, fairs, etc, which cost us nothing. You do not have to spend money to have date nights. I repeat, you do not have to spend money to have date nights so make sure that is never an excuse as to why you don’t have date nights.

I’ll end this blog post with one of my favorite quotes:
“So it's not gonna be easy. It's going to be really hard; we're gonna have to work at this everyday, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, everyday. You and me... everyday."

Marriage isn’t easy but it is up to you to ensure that the love for your spouse grows with each passing day. Choose to love your spouse, choose to have date nights, choose to spend time with each other, choose to laugh with each other, choose to flirt, choose to have hot sex, and choose to be the person you would want to be with. Never be the person to say, we just fell out of love. Make those words impossible to utter.

Date nights won’t fix everything but it surely is the step in the right direction.

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Thank you again Faith. Ladies don't forget to say hello to her at Life.Love&Marriage

Question: What do you do to keep the spark alive in your marriage?

When you hear confessions, you think of this:

Clearly that is not what we mean! 


We mean something like this:

Confessions of 30something is a blog for you and about you!  
We would love for you to join us in this venture to build a community of like-minded women who support each other through our confessions about love, life, beauty, fitness, health, babies and everything in between.

We would love for you to become a guest blogger on any one of our features.  

We would love our fellow bloggers to begin this venture with us! 


If you are about creeping away from your 20s and into your 30s and even passed it....and interested in this new venture send us an email to confessions30@gmail.com CONFESSIONS30[at]GMAIL.COM


No worries, age is just a number...read Be Inspired Monday to find about more confessions on this phrase!

Guest Blogger: Secret Beauty Tip for The Summer

Hi Ladies! I am so glad that I’ve been asked to contribute to TC30s today. Although I’m not quite 30 yet I still have something that I can confess. Is that OK with you all? Yeah? Well, let’s get started!

I confess that I don’t wear foundation in the summer! GASP! I know-a makeup fanatic that skips the most essential part of makeup application. I should be slapped! Well, guess what? It’s not completely a crime. What’s even better is that you can do it too. Guilt free.

With all of the heat and humidity in the summer it’s nice to let your skin breathe. What was once a makeup crime is now totally encouraged during the hot days of summer. Instead of buffing in my Makeup Forever HD Foundation or brushing on my Smashbox Healthy FX, I say “to heck with it!” Instead, I choose one of the following options to present a flawless complexion while also allowing my skin to enjoy more oxygen.

• Tinted moisturizer: Tinted moisturizer is a great alternative to foundation. It’s light, hydrates my skin but also adds a tad bit of color to liven me up. There are so many amazing tinted moisturizers out there. Laura Mercier’s tinted moisturizers are a favorite among many makeup lovers.
  

MONEY SAVING TIP: Make your own tinted moisturizer. Take a very small amount of your favorite liquid foundation along with your daily moisturizer and mix the two.

OR

• Light powder: Sometimes when I’m really in a rush my MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural becomes my best friend. Although my skin is typically dry, during the summer I get an oily T-zone. A quick dusting of powder is the perfect fix. It’s light but also warms my complexion. Powder works especially well for those with oily skin.
  

After deciding on my foundation alternative, one of the most important steps to achieving a flawless foundation-free face is using concealer. I brighten my under eye area, always being sure to set the concealer with powder (I prefer a slightly lighter highlighting powder). Of course, after this step I go on applying the rest of my makeup (blush, lip color, etc.,) as normal.

So there you have it ladies, a confession and an alternative to your daily foundation routine. Give it a try. Your face will thank you!

Brandi @Home Team Dreams

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Brandi, thank you so much for contributing this wonderful post. Ladies don't forget stop her personal blog to read more on make-up tips. Let her know TC30s sent you to confess :).

Until next,

Try Brandi's trick and keep your skin foundation free for the summer ;)!