Better be Taking These Everyday, Ladies!

Source: FitDay

We all know how important vitamins are but do we actually take them??  There are so many different kind of vitamins, multi-vitamins, brands, etc who knows what we should be taking.  We thought it would be beneficial to share the TOP 5 most important vitamins for women to take... and all you gotta know is your ABC's!  

Here are the TOP 5 vitamins all women should be taking, why you should be taking it, and where it can be found!

Stay healthy, ladies!

7 Best At-Home Workouts

1. Power Jack
2. Foam Roller Push-Ups
3. Side Plank Crunches
4. The Reverse Lunge
5. Plank Kickbacks
6. Power Jack
7. Foam Rolling

Oh the gym, how we wish we could visit you more often! With our super busy schedules, we always feel guilty not making it to the gym. A lot of the time we find ourselves working from home, so it dawned on us that maybe a better solution to ditching the gym is bringing the gym to us with some quick and easy at-home workouts. TSS Reader and one of our great friends from Arizona State University, Estela, is a Fitness Specialist so we asked her to share with us some simple at-home workouts that will help keep us in shape.The best part of all, is that to complete these workouts, you only need four things: comfortable workout shoes, a foam roller, an exercise mat, and your body!

Estela numbered each workout in reference to the order it should be performed. For workouts #1 and #6, she recommends using those two workouts as a warm-up and to finish as a cool-down when you complete exercises #2-#5. For every exercise she suggests doing 10 - 25 reps of each without rest, repeating 3-5 times depending on your fitness level (please consult your doctor or trainer). 

Ok, so we lied, you actually need five things to complete a workout....CUTE WORKOUT CLOTHES! Estela is wearing her favorite workout apparel brand: Lululemon, however, for a more affordable price, she recommends trying Ellie. 

Try out all the workouts and let us know which one is your favorite!

For more fitness tips, email Estela at estela@power1k.com. 

Rabbit Juice

Ok, so no, this is not actually rabbit juice, but one of our reader's, Ursulline, created a pretty fabulous healthy juice drink that she named "Rabbit Juice" because it is infused with lots of vegetables, specifically carrots! So what is juicing you might be wondering? According to Ursulline, "Juicing is the quickest way for the enzymes to absorb in your body". We have always wondered what the benefit is over juicing rather than just using a regular blender and Ursulline explained that, "The enzymes go to work a lot faster and break down any toxins in your body because they are live organisms as opposed to blending which still has amazing benefits, but not with the same intensity".  Do you love juicing too? If so, then you will totally love this recipe she created as a part of her healthy drink regimen.

 You will need these ingredients to make "Rabbit Juice":

• Chia seeds
• Ginger root (1 inch)
• Large carrots (qty 4)
• 1/2 of a beet
• 1 orange
• 1/2 of a green apple
• Ground cinnamon (as desired amount)

Simply place all of these ingredients inside your juicer, one at a time, to make the Rabbit Juice drink. The best juicer that Ursulline recommends is the Omega 8006 Juicer! Keep in mind that beets have a very strong color to them so your drink will have a dark reddish-purple look when complete.

Do you have an awesome juicing recipe? We want to try it so please email your recipes to secret@thesororitysecrets.com!

Meet Lauryn Evarts

Girls, meet Lauryn. Lauryn, meet our girls.  Lauryn is the face, creator, and founder of The Skinny Confidential.  Girls from all over the country have been obsessed with Lauryn's lifestyle- health and fitness blog and she also happens to be our sorority sisters' brother's girlfriend! (small world, we know.)  The Sorority Secrets had a chance to sit and interview this So-Cal sunkissed beauty to find out a little bit beyond her blog.

Make sure to visit The Skinny Confidential for great healthy recipes and fun workout tips!

Thanks Lauryn! xo

1. What inspired you to start this blog, Lauryn?

The idea of The Skinny Confidential started while I was attending SDSU. 

The lunch options were hideous so I began modifying and substituting my meals. I would take the chicken off the street tacos from Rubio's & add it to a salad from another cafe. I started carrying fruits & veggies (I know, what a weirdo) in my handbag. 

Let's just say I was that girl taking the bread off my sub at Subway. After a year of doing this I wanted a platform to share my tips/tricks that I collected along the way! You can read my whole fitness & health journey here.

2. What's your go-to healthy snack?

Hands down: avocado! I'm obsessed. It's a clean, healthy snack that takes no time to make. Slice one open, add some sea salt, chili flakes, & a squeeze of lemon. Yum!

3. When you're not blogging, what do you like to do?

Being at home, spooning my chihuahua (also known as 'the most beautiful girl in the world'), drinking a glass of chilled champagne in bed, while reading...is probably my heaven on earth. 

But when I'm not relaxing, you can find me taking Pilates, hiking, juicing, cooking/baking, watching Real Housewives of Whatevs, teaching fitness, going out to dinner with friends, shopping (well, online shopping), hanging with my babe, creating, &/or taking pictures (<< I LOVE photography)!

4. You seem really busy with The Skinny Confidential, how do you find time to work out and stay healthy?

Honestly, it's difficult. The Skinny Confidential is my baby. Sometimes it's really hard to separate work from my relationships/friends/family. There have been countless Friday & Saturday nights where I've worked when everyone else is out partying. Even though The Skinny Conf is consuming, I love it. It's my absolute passion & nothing about it feels like work.

When it comes to working out, I multitask like crazy. If I'm teaching Pilates, I will do arms & abs with the clients. If I'm on the Elliptical, you'll def find me returning a million e-mails. When I'm working out I'm also constantly thinking of new ideas for the site. 

Multitasking is my middle name!

5. What beauty products can you not live without?

I die over Cetaphil. It's a super cheap cleanser that gets the job done. This kind of Great Lash mascara (ya know, the one in the hot pink tube?) is the best mascara ever. And I cannot live without Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker- it's totally nostalgic & gives me the perfect punch of red. 

6. What's your breakfast of champions?

A piece of Ezekiel (low sodium) toast with a swipe of coconut oil & a sprinkle of cinnamon. I also love Suja's 'Fuel' (fresh pressed juice).

7. What are your top workout songs?

You can find my four favorite workout playlists here, here, here, & here. The next playlist will be available on the blog next week! Stay tuned ; ).

8. What do you like to wear when you workout?

If everyone's wearing it, I hate it. I get bored seeing the same crap on everyone. I will wear vintage tees with black pants & bright Nike Frees. I also love Bia Brazil- she just gets a women's bod. Lorna Jane is another favorite! 

9. What can people expect on your blog?

They can expect a lifestyle. People ask me to categorize the blog...& it doesn't really fall into one specific category. The Skinny Confidential is all about balance. How to balance diet, exercise, relationships, style, lookin' like a sexy hottie, family, friends...& life! 

They also can find my YouTube channel! It's called The Style Kittens- it's where fashion meets skinny. I have teamed up with jewelry/style guru, Jacqueline Nicole Brown to bring my readers everything girly!

10. How do you feel about wearing makeup to the gym?

If it works for you, go for it! I'm certainly not lookin' like Kim K. when I'm headed to the gym. It's just not necessary to contour my cheeks when sweating! 

But to each its own. I like little chap stick & tinted moisturizer (obviously with SPF). When I'm outside, I ALWAYS wear a hat. Because no one likes wrinkles.

Whatever you feel like doing, do it! I mean, you never know who you'll run into right ; )?

Breakfast On the Go!

Start your day with protein (in the form of meat, seafood, eggs, nuts), carbs (in the form of fruit, veggies) and quality fats (in the form of avocado, nuts, olive oil and coconut oil). Protein will stabilize our blood sugar when coupled with a carb. Eating a carb alone will only yield a short amount of energy and spike our blood sugar (which is not good for our body); while protein will keep us going for hours, and satiate us much longer. Also, for the girls that workout, protein is extremely important for rebuilding muscle tissue and quicker recovery. 

Here are my personal favorite breakfast meals and snacks when I have:

5-10 minutes: easy to enjoy in the car or when you get ready in the morning.

• smoothie made with protein powder, almond or coconut milk, berries and banana. 
• Sweet tip: add a splash of almond extract or honey. 

time to relax and enjoy:

• eggs with shrimp, sautéed veggies and avocado, topped with pico de gallo.

mid-late morning hunger:  these quick snacks/meals are great to have in your purse, car and work desk. For easy transport, carry these items in ziplock baggies!

• fruits and veggies: apple slices with cinnamon, celery with almond butter, carrots, bell pepper slices, banana (all travel well)
• homemade trail mix: raw cashews, pistachios, walnuts, almonds and/or pecans; dried fruit; unsweetened coconut. 
• bars such as Lara, Kind, or Trio (gluten and lactose-free are ideal). An easy homemade bar recipe can be found here.

Courtney Schwagler, RD

Registered Dietician