About Me

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Hi! I'm Shanticka. My blog is about any and everything that I want it to be. Me, my family, work, personal style, friends, etc. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoy getting to know me. Live, in living color.

1.28.2013

Look Good, Feel Great...

Happy Monday!! I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend, because whether we like it or not, the work week is upon us (for those of us who don't work weekends, of course). My weekend was good. Didn't do much. The weather here in Minnesota didn't allow for much anyway. It was bitter cold, and the snow came down all day Sunday. Every year, I say I won't complain, but here I am once again… complaining. *sigh* Anyhoo…

If you didn't know, I am the winner of last weeks #BLMgetFit weekly challenge (#BLMMoves). The challenge was to get moving as much as possible throughout the week. I won by submitting the below pic via Instagram of my interpretation of the challenge:


I'm loving everything about the challenges. It's inspiring to see all of the other ladies who submit pictures, and also provide encouragement along the way.

This week, I want to talk about workout clothes. If you haven't noticed from my pics, my go-to "uniform" is a tee (usually v-neck), tank top (to help catch the sweat and protect me from possible plumbers butt), sports-bra, a pair of yoga pants or leggings, socks and my gym shoes. I need to step my game up.



I want to feel good about myself, even while I'm busting my butt and sweatin it up at the gym. I know that some people just throw on an old baggy t-shirt, and basketball shorts or sweatpants and keep it moving. That's all well and good because you get the same workout regardless, right? Sure… Maybe. For me, when I can see what I'm working one, I work harder. When I feel like I look good, I feel great!

I also, want to talk support. That's right ladies!! Bra's and shoes!! Please be sure to wear the proper support to the gym. Having the "girls" bounce all over the place can be pretty uncomfortable, and cause you to not work as hard. Also, it's very unsightly and can cause creepy stares from some of the fellas (to no fault of their own) =D. And remember to care for your bras properly, as replacement can get expensive. Because you don't want to break down the spandex, here are two important rules of care.
  • Wash in cold water. No bleach.
  • Dry it flat, or line dry.

Shoes are very (if not more) important. If you're a runner/jogger, please do yourself a favor and head to your local running specialty shop to get assessed. They can be pretty expensive, so even if you don't end up purchasing from there, at least get the assessment. You will leave more informed than when you walked in. We don't want anyone hurting themselves out here. As for the rest of us, like myself who do light work, a good trainer shoe is all we need.

So lets ditch the baggy/saggy gym wear ladies and get cute in the gym!! I've found that Kohl's has some really cute gear! I ordered a few things myself. Here are a few of my favorites, and it doesn't hurt that they're on sale (you can also use coupon code TENFORBLOG at checkout for through March 9th for an extra 10% off!):


Lets keep up the great work and continue to encourage each other! This weeks challenge is (one bad apple) #SpoilstheBunch. Get inspired to eat (or drink) the recommended two servings of fruit per day and don't forget to share those pics via Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag!! 

This weeks health/wellness/inspiration link up is hosted by Beatrice over at Inspired by Beatrice Clay. Make sure you head over to her spot and link up! Thanks for reading to the end, because I know my last few posts have been wordy.

Until next time…

Have you seen my hair all picked out lately?!?! Holy hair Batman!! lol!







1.20.2013

Put Me In Coach (Link-Up)...

Happy Monday!! No different than any other Monday posting, I hope you guys had a nice weekend. I enjoyed hanging at home for the majority of it. Nothing special. Just rest & relaxation. I should say that I should have done laundry, and cleaned a little, but hey… Nobody's perfect, right?? I have one more day to get some things done since I don't have work today. OH YEA!! And Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!!!

I know it's a day off, for most of us, but it can also be a day of reflection and/or service. I'm headed to an MLK celebration breakfast this morning. The breakfast will also include a panel of influential Black Leaders of Minnesota, as well as a host of young people who will present and discuss things that they are doing in our communities to make them better for everyone. Their will also be opportunities to volunteer and donate to the respective causes. In the words of our beloved OutKast, "Get up, get out and get sumthin".

And btw, I love this song!! If you've never heard the MLK, Jr tribute song, click below. You're welcome! =D Siiiiiinnnngggg Celebrate!! Sing, sing celebrate!!


In other Spoon Full of Sugar news, I lost another 2lbs!! That's five pounds total in two weeks!! The #BLMgetFit challenge is really giving me the boost that I need to continue with my health/fitness journey! Last weeks #NoSweetsWeek challenge had me thinking about some of the junk food that I consume, and it re-assured me that I can abstain from it IF I want to ;)

This weeks challenge is #BLMMoves. The winner of this challenge will have exercised the most collective minutes in a week. This will challenge me to make my workouts longer to achieve maximum results. I'm excited per usual. 

**To all of my BLMGirls, WE CAN DO THIS!!! Let's continue to make lifestyle changes that will continue to keep up healthy and strong.**




I'm the link-up host this week for all of your inspirational/motivation posts. Please share with us! The post doesn't have to be exercise or fitness related, just positivity and inspiring in some way =D And don't hesitate to visit the blogs of those who participate!! 

Until next time...

1.14.2013

Progress is Success...

Happy Monday y'all!! My weekend was great! It was filled with mostly a whole lot of nothing, which is exactly how I like it. I don't really like scheduling things to do on my weekend time, you know? I feel like it's for doing things that I want to do, when I want to do them. I was able to do just that, and I was happy. How do you like to spend your weekends? Scheduled, or free??

This weeks post isn't about weekends or freedom. Again (and for a while to come), it will be about my fitness journey. A while ago, I said that I wouldn't turn this blog into a fitness blog, but that's all I'm up to lately!! No, really. It's true. Please hang in there with me as I go through this. I promise OOTD posts will be back. Soon.

As I explained in my previous post, myself as well as #BLMGirls Britton of My Big, Beautiful Life, Dee Dee of Miss Foodie Fab (this weeks link-up host) and Beatrice of Inspired by Beatrice Clay have teamed up to bring the #BLMgetFit challenge!! Week 1 went great for me! I lost 3lbs, and I rocked out on our #WaterWasted challenge!! I was able to get in at least 96oz of water for five out of the seven days! While that may not be much for some, it was a grip for me. I was a very close friend of the bathroom… And still am because even though the weekly challenge is over I haven't stopped.



This weeks challenge is #NoSweetsWeek. This means NO sweets all week long. No candy, no cakes, no cookies, NADDA!! Not even if it's low fat. None. Day one went well, as I have been cutting back on these types of things already, so I'm confident I can make it through. For all of my #BLMGetFit participants, you can start submitting pics on Instagram as well as Twitter with your interpretation of this challenge (be sure to use hashtag #NoSweetsWeek).

***As I mentioned above, Dee Dee over at Miss Foodie Fab is hosting our weekly link up for health inspired posts! Please head over and link yourself!! NOTE: You do not have to be part of the challenge to share your health and/or motivational posts. This is open to all of my readers.***

And without further ado, I share my Insta-life…

Check the socks yo!! =D

All (mostly) black with a pop of color

I don't like the bikes because they hurt my butt… All pain, no gain!

I felt so sassy in this cream blazer from Dots & my Old Navy trouser pants!

Old Navy dressing room fun. I like it, and I bought it!! pssst… It's a size large =D


One of my #WaterWasted pic submissions


A little #throwbackThursday action. Don't ask me why I was 15 on Santa's lap :P


This was dinner last night. Shrimp Stir-Fry. YUM!!!



1.07.2013

BLMGetFit…Challenge

Hey peeps!! As usual, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. This is kind of long, so... don't say I didn't warn you :)

I'm sooooo excited about this post! As you all know, I have been workin on my fitness a lil bit lately. Well, I have teamed up with some fabulous ladies from a blogger group (of which I am a member) called Bloggers Like Me in hopes to step my efforts up a notch or two.

If you don't know about Bloggers Like Me, it was started by the fabulous Leslie Hendricks Young of Fashion du Jour Daily. The group includes all kinds of blogging divas from diverse genres of the blogosphere. At this time, it is a closed FaceBook group, so if you have a FB page, feel free to click the link and request to be a member. You won't regret it (tell'em I sent ya!). The support and information that is shared amongst the ladies is priceless. **Side note** Women ONLY =D

Ok, so I went off on a little tangent, but I'm back now. Today kicks off our 3 month long #BLMGetFit challenge (the button below leads to the BLM FB Fan Page, which is open to everyone)!! I'm co-hosting the challenge with Britton of My Big, Beautiful Life, Dee Dee of Miss Foodie Fab & Beatrice Clay of Inspired by Beatrice Clay. Quite a few of us have decided to pay an entry fee of $10, and whoever loses the largest percentage of bodyfat wins the pot!! Isn't that cool!? Our Challenge is sponsored by Michelle at Eat Style Play, who will be offering products and services from Beach Body Coach, to be included in our grand prize package.



Because 3 months is a long time, we've incorporated smaller weekly Instagram & Twitter challenges to keep us motivated. This weeks challenge is #WaterWasted. That means, increase your water intake. We can all benefit from that, right?! If you want to follow along for fun, you can search for #BLMGetFit to see all of the entries. The weekly winners will receive blog promotion from the BLM group on all social media outlets (Pinterest, Twitter, FB, Instagram, etc.) for that week.

While the challenge is open to only the members of the BLM group, I invite all of my lovely readers to join me in my quest for making better/healthier choices. My co-hosts and I will host weekly link ups, on our pages so everyone can participate and link any health inspired posts that you may be writing about. The link up this week is over at Brittons spot My Big, Beautiful Life, so head on over and LINK UP!!! Be on the look out next week for who will be hosting the link up.

On another note, I don't have really have any OOTD pics to show at this time, but all words and no pics is kind of odd for my blog, so here goes nuthin!

Until next time...

At the gym walkin it out

OOTD: Old Navy Blazer, Target Tee, Old Navy Rockstar skinnies, Target Booties

Yup… you guessed it! lol

Not sure where I got this sweater from, but I like it!! Tank from Rue 21

Gym & Food. Making better food choices =D


Rue 21 Jacket, Old Navy Dress, Market Scarf, Target Leggings, Minnetonka Moccsins

Gym & food… again 










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