Fashion. You love it. You live it. But there is no way to you can snag a ticket to the hottest event that happens twice a year. I feel you. Luckily as an avid "Fashion Week Faker" I know the ins and outs of pretending you were at the shows!



Here is my guide:

• Instagram. THIS IS YOUR ULTIMATE OUTLET. Use and adore this app during Fashion Week. Search the designers and follow their accounts. Check out their tagged photos for more of an audience viewpoint. New York Times Fashion is also an amazing account for street fashion as well. Hashtags are also your friends as well as locations. Search up #FW and most people tag the buildings where the shows are happening so click on them as well.
• Watch It Live. Don't tell my teachers but when it was Fashion Week and I was in class, I would be streaming it all because of this site. New York Fashion Week Live shows not only the shows on time but loops them until the next show happens! This amazing site does New York, London, Milan and Paris so if you prefer one over the other or want to see them all, this is the perfect way from the comfort of your own home!
• Snapchat. Most brands, bloggers, designers and even locations have their own snapchats. Do a bit of research and find out the hottest snap chatters of the each show. Snapchat live events also puts us backstage with models and hairdressers/makeup artists (who often have their own snaps) in one giant collection!
• Tumblr. Follow the hashtag on Tumblr to see posts with that tag on your dashboard. With these posts, you can follow blogs that are posting with those tags. If you need an artistic view of the clothes, hair and makeup, Tumblr has your back.
• Periscope. Periscope had a short bit of fame but people still use, especially brands who want to give you the behind the scenes look or closer look at their art pieces. Like and respond to what you are seeing and eventually share what you saw on Twitter so you can go back to the video to show your friends or blog about it.
• Blogs. Have a favorite blogger? Read up on their blog. They are most likely there. Don't have a favorite blogger? This is the time to find one! Liked a certain show a lot? Read up who covered them and follow away!
• Photoshop. If you are amazing at photoshop, this is your time to shine. Take a background and insert your body. There. Now you are officially at Fashion Week.

You did it. You finally booked that vacation. You go. You have an amazing time. You eat every food you can get your hands on and go out every night because YOU ARE ON VACATION. Now you are back. And its time to start working out again.

And it sucks.

Seriously.



All is not lost because I am here to help. Mainly because I just did all of that. I missed 11 days of working out because the whole point of a healthy lifestyle is relaxation. Brazil was amazing but I mainly sat on a beach and drank coconut water and beer. I came home to face reality and realized 20 minutes into my Total Cardio Body class that this may not have been the best way to face it.

Here is how to slowly get back into your routine:

1. Yoga. It's slow and there are many ways to hold a position for the less flexible.
   
2. Jog. Don't run. I nearly blacked out trying to get back to where I was just 2 weeks before.
3. Recognize you may have put on some holiday weight. Everyone does. Don't sweat it, just focus on your eating and you'll feel more like yourself eventually.
4. Lift. But knock it down a few plates to what you were lifting pre-holiday. Work your way back into it.
5. Sleep. I realized when I sleep, my body is able to see whats up aka fix itself.
6. DRINK WATER. If you feel that lightheadedness before the big knockout, drink water.
   
7. Slow down. I thought I was able to get back into my two a day workouts but I realized for my body to get back into it, we had to go slowly.
8. Breathe. Not enough people do this. In your nose, out your mouth. Learn to control your breathing and you can get through anything.
9. Ask for modified moves, every and all workouts have modified moves. Google them.
10. Remember vacation is meant to be a time to have fun and relax so don't be so hard on yourself that you did just that.
    
    
    
    I hope these tips were helpful. Stay strong and go drink some water.
    
    
    XOXO!

Working out the gym is great but yo that can be mad money$$$$$$$ so I'm here to tell you how to kick some butt in the comfort of your own home because it can be done!

Here are some options:

1. On Demand- if you are given the gift of on demand television, in between all the movies to watch and tv shows to catch up on, there are actual workouts! Yoga, pilates, boxing and even Zumba! 
2. YOUTUBE- dude, blogilates, tone it up, JUST YOUTUBE SEARCH "workouts" and bam. I personally love Blogilates (I have her app and everything. Add me: Mavis Slade). She always kicks my butt and I'm covered in sweat by the end. Here is an article I wrote for HerCampus with all YouTubers I watch for workouts.
3. Steps- Whether you have them in your house or your neighbor does, find some steps and start your walking! Once you feel comfortable walking, start to jog and then move to running the steps. 
4. Jumping Jacks- CARDIO! This is such a killer move and if you keep doing jumping jacks you'll feel something,
   
5. Burpees- Pair these with jumping jacks and you've basically done half my workout.
6. Run around the block- seriously just go for around the block and then move on to two blocks and three, etc.

Oh so what if I'm a bit late. Life happens. Here are my January Favorites of the new year. Can't tell a lie, its mainly beauty but you get the gist. Also I realized like a whole two days after I took this picture that I forgot my bathing suit. Whoops.

I love Zumba. Legit. I have been doing Zumba since the day it came out. Ok well it came out in 2001 but I started really going to classes in 2007, my freshman year of high school aka the time I could join the gym.

Throughout all my life, Zumba has been a constant. I went to high school, Zumba; graduated high school, Zumba; started college, Zumba; graduated college, Zumba; and even now, post college life, Zumba.


Zumba gets a bad wrap, it seriously does and its annoying. Just because the main audience is older ladies does not mean it isn't a killer workout. Let's talk about the class as a workout, okay?

1) It's super fun. Like you yell and scream and laugh. I do Zumba just to stay sane from all my boxing classes.
2) Ultimate core workout. Have you ever actually held your abs in while dancing? It hurts. Now do this for an hour and you have a strong core.
3) Over 7,000 steps. You kill that goal of 10,000 steps in one hour.
4) You can go at your own speed and difficulty. Yes, there are older women in my classes but everyone does their own thing. Sure you can follow the teacher but you wanna throw in a kick or salsa step? Do it.
5) It is genuinely one of the funniest classes you can take. Laughter and fun is something that aren't usually associated with working out so why would you not what to incorporate that?
6) There are plenty of YouTube videos with Zumba routines so if the gym isn't your thing, you can Zumba from the comfort of your own home!

If you are nervous going into a class, drag a friend. But if you can't talk a friend in to it, introduce yourself to the instructor, they are just as excited that you took this fitness leap as you are!


WHAT TO EXPECT: Laughing, Yelling, Cardio, Dance Moves aka Salsa
AVERAGE CALORIES BURNED IN HOUR: 450-600 calories
WHAT TO WEAR: Anything. If you can dance in it, you can wear it.
THINGS TO DO AFTER CLASS: Drink water and stretch!

See you on Wednesday!

XOXO