Jump Start Your Day + Get Out the Door Quicker

Ever since I moved to my new apartment last summer, which is a mere 5 minute drive to my office, I had this idea in my head that I would get into work earlier since I cut down on my commute time.  Let me tell you, I was very wrong.  Instead of getting up at the same time and starting my day a bit earlier, I pushed my alarm time back to get more sleep.  Habits like these are incredibly difficult to break, but I've been bound and determined to make the changes in my daily routine so that I can get a jump start on my day.  Whether you need to get out the door 5 minutes earlier or 50 minutes earlier each day, incorporating these changes will help you achieve just that!

Save Five Minutes By:

Deciding what to wear the night before.  It's no fun to be scurrying around in the morning wondering what the heck you're going to throw on before ultimately settling with the first thing you picked out.

Multitasking while you're brewing coffee.  If you have a Keurig, you know you have a few minutes while it heats up and brews the coffee, so don't just stand there watching it!  I like to use that time to dampen my beauty blender and get ready to apply my makeup.

Save Ten Minutes By:

Applying a simpler makeup look.  Sure, that eyeshadow tutorial using seven different colors is gorgeous, but you'll look just as put together with a sweep of color over the lid and in the crease. 

Packing your lunch the night before / meal prep.  This change has been a huge life saver for me!  It's so nice to not have to worry about what I'm having for lunch and just be able to grab and go from the fridge on my way out the door.

Save Fifteen Minutes By:

Eating breakfast at the office.  Not only do I prep lunches, but I also pre-make yogurt and fruit parfaits in mason jars, which are just as easy to grab and go and eat at my desk while I prepare for the work day.

Save Thirty Minutes By:

Showering at night.  If you could only make one change, this would be the one to go for.  However, it's been the most difficult habit for me to break.  I tend to stay up late to the point of being exhausted and ready to pass out in bed, so by changing things up and unwinding from the day with a shower, I am not only able to slice that chunk of time out of my morning routine but also feel more mentally rested and prepared for the day to come.

Save __ Minutes By:

Getting up when your alarm goes off.  This is obvious, but you are your own worst enemy when it comes to alarm clocks and the snooze button.  And depending on your crutch and how long you like to lay in bed, this could save varying amounts of time for different people.  As long as you have the right mindset, one that says you're ready to tackle the day, you'll be good to go.

What are some of your tips for getting out the door quicker in the morning?

xoxo,

Amanda

Staying Active + Healthy with a 9-5

I never realized just how big an impact your day-to-day work routine can have on your body until I transitioned from a college job in customer service where I was on my feet all day to an office job post graduation where I sit at a desk all day.  I affectionately (or not so much) call this the corporate 15.  It wasn't until I started having trouble fitting into certain clothes that I knew I had to make a lifestyle change.  I couldn't rely on my job for exercise anymore (literally running back and forth taking care of customers before), so I would have to stay active and healthy by other means.  This is still a work in progress for me, but I wanted to share what has helped me so far.  I can tell a difference in how I feel not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. 

1. Make extra trips to the copier.  This might sound silly, but anything you can do to get up and moving is better than nothing.  In our office, the copier is a decent walk from my desk so I will make more frequent trips to pick up my printings rather than letting it accumulate for one big trip.  If your office is much smaller and walking to the copier is only a few steps, take a stroll around the office or around the outside of your building instead.  The key here is to break the sedentary cycle and not be sitting still for extended periods of time.

2. Mindset is everything when it comes to the gym.  I don't know about you, but when it's time to shut down and head home, I change into comfy clothes as soon as I walk in the door.  At that point, I'm mentally checked out and ready for a lazy evening.  I'm much more motivated to go work out at the gym, or outside weather permitting, if I bring a change of clothes with me and go straight from the office.  The accomplishment you feel afterwords is one of the best feelings too, and you don't have to feel guilty for watching a little TV then.  If you're a morning person, then by all means hit the gym on your way into the office!  I just like my sleep too much :)

3. Meal prep and pack healthy lunches.  This is one of the biggest changes I have made in my routine so far.  For me, Sunday is my meal prep day when I take care of most of my cooking for the week.  This not only frees up time during the rest of the week but also ensures that you have a delicious and healthy meal ready to go, which cuts back on the temptation to swing by a certain restaurant for a burrito bowl (wonder what that could be, hmmm).  Plus, you save money for other things, like shopping, wink wink.  If you do go out for lunch though, and are lucky enough to have places very close by, walk instead of drive.

4. Eat smaller, more frequent meals.  Another change I've made in my eating habits is to eat smaller portions more frequently.  This will help prevent those mid-afternoon hunger pains that make concentrating on work nearly impossible because all you can think about is food!  I like to have my breakfast around 8:30, usually Greek yogurt, fruit and granola, salad for lunch around 12:30, an afternoon snack, usually fruit, around 4:30, and then dinner at about 7:30.  This keeps me feeling consistently full without being stuffed and uncomfortable from a huge meal.

5. Get plenty of sleep.   This is one of the hardest habits to break, especially if you are just transitioning a 9-5 job from one where your schedule was all over the place.  If I don't get enough rest the night before, I definitely feel it at work.  It makes me sluggish and impairs my concentration, and sometimes I even feel sick from it.  I had started noticing that on some mornings, I would constantly wake up at a certain time before my alarm was set to go off.  Being stubborn, I would go back to sleep for those extra 20 minutes and then feel awful when trying to wake up again.  Using a sleep calculator like this will help you determine what time to go to sleep based on when you need to be up so that you get full REM cycles and wake up fully refreshed for the day.   

What are some of your tips for staying active and healthy with a 9-5?

xoxo,

Amanda

March Favorites

I know I am going to sound like a broken record by saying this, but how is it that March is over already?!  Don't get me wrong, I am happy that we are closer to warmer days and plenty of sunshine, but I cannot believe that the first quarter of 2015 is in the books (a little accounting humor if you will).  Here are some of my favorite things from this month!

1. Bracelet Stacks - This has been the month of arm parties for me.  As much as I've wanted to buy all the things, I'm taking it slow with building my bracelet collection since it was literally nonexistent before a few weeks ago.  This particular one from Altar'd State has been one of my favorites!  I love it because it's big enough to stand along but also looks great paired with a dainty cuff.

2. Cover Girl Lash Blast Volume - A few years ago this mascara would have been the only thing you would find in my makeup bag.  But then I was bitten by the beauty bug and got the itch to try out new products.  I haven't used it in so long, and this month I was asking myself why?  It does what it says and best of all, it's a rubber brush rather than a bristle one.  I like those best because they really get in between your lashes to build up the volume without getting clumpy.

3. Sephora Formula X The System - Before this month, I couldn't tell you the last time I painted my nails.  Probably around the holidays, if I had to guess.  But I picked up this perfect little package and tried it out.  I love that you get a base coat, top coat, nail cleaner, and you get to choose the color you want!  I hate when sets like this force you into whatever color they chose to include.  Not everyone is going to like the same thing, so the customization is great.  Plus, the product itself worked really well.  I got several days wear before I noticed any chipping, and even then my nails looked good for at least a week.

4. Philosophy Purity Made Simple - There's not a lot to say about this cleanser that I haven't said before, but I wanted to include it because this month I became really aware of just how wonderful this product is.  I ran out of eye makeup remover and used this instead, and it worked just as well without making me feel like I was ripping out all of my eyelashes.  That's usually a problem I run into with oil-based (the kind you have to shake to mix together) removers, and for that reason I steer clear of anything like that.  If you were in a pinch or needed to conserve space when packing, this stuff would definitely do the trick.

5. Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner - This is another product that resurfaced after being absent from my beauty routine for a few months.  I go through phases where I do winged liner and March was a month of the cat eye if there ever was one.  Even better, I forgot I had a brand new one stashed away in my drawer, and there is nothing like that first perfect swipe of eyeliner from a fresh applicator.  It's the little things.

6. Nashville - You know how most shows go on hiatus during the holidays?  Well Nashville was no exception.  But when it started back up in February, I was still so wrapped in the Bachelor that I didn't bother to even touch my DVR.  That changed this month, when I held a mini marathon of the latest episodes I needed to catch up on.  I'm 100% hooked on this show again, just in time for them to take another break (wahhh!).  At least I have all of the soundtracks to get me through it!

Favorite Outfit Post - Blue & Blooms

What are some of your favorites from March?

xoxo,

Amanda

A Day in the Life

Today I am very excited to share that my blogging PIC and best friend Chelcey Tate has a new series on her blog, and yours truly just so happens to be her first feature.  If you would like learn a little bit more about why I started Derby City Darling and what my typical day-to-day looks like, then head over to her post here!  Oh, and there's also a giveaway for a $25 Sephora gift card.  You know I love Sephora, and with their spring sale coming up, I figured it was the perfect way to say thank you to everyone who has followed me on this blog-venture so far!  

Happy Monday!

xoxo,

Amanda

Blogging is Hard

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately, because hello Captain Obvious, my last post was a week ago.  I had been doing really well about maintaining a good schedule, but then that sort of fell by the wayside.  Blogging is hard.  I have glimpses of motivation where the ideas are literally overflowing from my brain faster than I can write them down, and then I hit that wall where I really just don't care to blog.  It's not that I don't enjoy it, because I definitely do, but it's more so that I'm still mastering that balance between my career, social life, and the blogosphere.  

Because I've been so MIA lately, I figured what better way to get back on track than to share what I've been up to (and not so much) lately!  I'm on one of my oh-em-gee-so-many-ideas sprees, so expect to see a variety of new posts coming your way soon!

What I've Been Doing

1. March Madness.  No explanation needed.  My Cards (both men's and women's) are on to the Sweet 16 and my office has a group bracket challenge going that my girl Chelcey is dominating.  I always talk about how much I love Derby, but this is another time of the year that is high on my list of favorites.

2. Shopping.  Something about when the seasons change always makes me feel like the clothes in my closet are inadequate to fully do the warmer weather justice.  For that reason, Chelcey and I have hit up the mall a couple times recently and I've gotten some new pieces that I can't wait to style.

3. Watching Friends.  I'm on the last season, and I honestly don't know what I'm going to do when it's over.  By the time I finish, I will have gotten through the entire show in a little over two months.  Hi, my name is Amanda and I am a serial Netflix binge-watcher.

What I Haven't Been Doing

1. Filing my taxes.  I know, I know.  I am an accountant for goodness sake.  And you would think I would want my refund but I have been the queen of procrastination about taxes this year.  This is a task that's going on my to-do list this weekend for sure, and I won't be leaving my apartment until it's done.

2. Working out.  Remember how I said I was all excited that they finally opened the gym over at my apartment?  Well, that excitement lasted for all of two days.  I'll be perfectly honest, part of what is holding me back is the fact that I absolutely hate washing my hair, and I'm not about to do that every day if I get sweaty and gross from working out.  I need to find a way to refresh gym hair without fully washing it, so by all means, if you have any tips then please let me know!

3. Getting to work earlier.  I made it a goal to start slowly getting up earlier week by week so that I wouldn't be that girl who waltzes into the office at 9:00 (9:05), but this has not worked out so well for me.  Read - what I really need to be doing is getting out of bed earlier.  My alarm goes off at the same time, but I lay in bed far too long jammin' to my T Swift cd and before I know it I'm scrambling to get out the door.  People have suggested that I switch to a buzzer alarm, but I'm really not  a fan of having a mild heart attack every morning from the abrupt sound.

What I'm Going to Be Doing

1. The change of the wardrobe ritual.  Spring has sprung around here, and there's no going back.  So if Mother Nature decides to throw a curve ball of a 45 degree day our way next week, you can bet I will still be rocking my colorful ankle pants and blouses.  Sorry not sorry.

2. Blogging.  Like I said before, I'm currently in an upswing when it comes to things around here.  I have a ton of ideas and things I want to share, so the OCD in me needs to settle down so I can actually accomplish some of them.  I came home from work last week to find the sweetest happy mail and blogging books from Chelcey that I've already delved into a bit, and they've definitely catapulted my motivation into overdrive.

3. Vacation.  My sister trip to the beach is less than two months away at this point, which totally counts as the near future, right?  And since I have swimwear that I am actually really confident in wearing, I couldn't be more thrilled to just relax by the ocean with a good book and spend some quality time with my sister.  

What have you been up to lately?

xoxo,

Amanda