Reader's Favorite Fitness Instagram Accounts

*The photos in this graphic are not the property of The Sorority Secrets.

The other day we were talking about how we get motivated to workout, eat healthy, and overall stay in shape and we all admitted that we have a Fitness Crush. A Fitness Crush is someone who inspires you to get up off your couch and whip your butt into shape (or at least attempt to!). A lot of our Fitness Crushes we found on Instagram and we just knew that there had to be more influential fit Instagrammers out there. Last week, we asked you, our readers, who your favorite Fitness Instagram accounts were and many of you shared some awesome people. We wanted to highlight a couple of these accounts that are inspiring a lot of you each day!

@angelicakathleen: We love how dedicated and motivated Angelica Kathleen is. She describes herself as a National NPC Bikini competitor, full time college student/intern, and a Team ProSupps Athlete. Her passion for fitness is seen throughout all of her photos where she highlights her journey toward competing and all the foods and drinks she takes to stay fit. 

@littlebblog: Otherwise known as Brittany, Brittany is "FitFluential" as she describes on her Instagram page. We love Brittany's Instagram because she highlights her regular routine life amidst eating clean and going to the gym. Her account makes you feel motivated to have fun while still maintaining healthy habits. Also check out her personal fitness blog here where she shares clean eating recipes and awesome workouts!

@karenakatrina: Karena and Katrina are another set of influential Fitness Instagrammers. Karena and Katrina are trainers and promote the idea of toning it up through their site, " Tone It Up". What makes their page really motivating is they encourage a community of sharing fitness and nutrition. Their bright spirits and playful demeanor make you feel like you can be just as happy and in shape as they are.

Who is YOUR Fitness Crush? Share it below as we would love to hear! Check out the rest of your favorite Fitness Instagram account choices on our Instagram: @thesororitysecrets!

It Girl Trend Report: Summer Sweet Treat

Popsicles, lemonade, and yummy ice cream sandwiches are just some of the sweet summer accents that we look forward to during this time of the year. There is nothing like some sweet summer treats to cool down a hot summer day, so we turned to our It Girl Interns for their favorites. Avery made our mouths watered when she reminded us how good the frozen bananas at Disneyland are! Lucky for her, (and us!) she discovered that you can enjoy this same delicious treat from Trader Joe's called Gone Bananas. Avery said, "It tastes yummy, curbs your chocolate cravings, is ice cold and hey...it's still a fruit so it's sort of a healthy way to go!" Hmm...we're not sure how healthy it is, but we don't mind going with that theory! A classic sweet summer treat that is Cristina's weakness is cookie dough ice cream and we can't blame her because we are guilty of eating it right out of the carton! Cristina isn't the only one who has a love for ice cream; Allie and Victoria love it too!  Victoria chooses to buy it locally at her favorite ice cream shop in Seattle: Molly Moon's. Her favorite flavors to eat there are Honey Lavender or the rich Salted Caramel. While some of our It Girl Interns prefer cold treats, Marisa prefers the delicious snack otherwise known as puppy chow which she loves to easily make with her sorority sisters. Check out the recipe here! Serena also loves to whip up her favorite sweet summer treat which is a smoothie using a pro-biotic rich yogurt drink called Kefir. Serena explained, "By blending Kefir, your favorite fruits, and a little raw Manuka honey, you can have a mouthwatering smoothie that promotes good health with a fraction of the calories!" YUM!

What are some of your favorite sweet summer treats? 

TSS Summer Bucket List 2013

Ever since Karen saw her little sister's Summer Bucket List taped to her wall, it inspired all of us to come up with our own Summer Bucket List! We love the idea of coming up with a list of things we need to accomplish before summer's end because it makes each summer day worthwhile. A Summer Bucket List is a list of things you haven't done that you would like to do before summer ends. For us, our Summer Bucket List mainly consists of things we have done, but have not done in a long time. Sakura is determined to make her way back to Disneyland, Ali is looking forward to taking a mini road trip with friends, and Karen is determined to ride the big, new Ferris wheel in downtown Seattle. Life is just too short, and so is summer so live it up, take chances, and make memories! Make your goal this summer to ACTUALLY do things on your Bucket List.

Flawless {Makeup} Finish

Makeup: Victoria's Secret, MAC, Bliss Pro.

In the quest for a flawless complexion, our search is finally over!  From a fun night out, to looking perfectly polished everyday, we found 2 fabulous products that have become a staple in our makeup routine.  TSS Co-Founder, Ali, has personally been using both of these products for years... and we're all hooked!  

To start... if you're not already using a primer in your daily makeup routine, it's time to give it a whirl.  The Oil-Free Airbrush FX Face Primer made by Victoria's Secret not only protects your skin with SPF 15, but it creates a velvety smooth canvas for your makeup.  Ali is flat out obsessed with this product, and swears that she can't go a day without it.  Even on the days when you're wearing less makeup, it provides a clean look for your skin.  For the times when you're wearing heavier foundation, it's a must-have.  The primer provides a base for even makeup application (it even makes your pores less visible), and gives it all-day staying power.  

After applying the primer, MAC Studio Fix Fluid is the next step in the flawless complexion process.  This foundation is a bit on the heavier/full coverage side, but you can choose to either apply a little or a little more depending on the look desired.  Start small, and go from there if more of the foundation is needed.  Ali suggests applying the foundation first with a makeup brush, and then taking a beauty blender to smooth any lines created by the brush.  The beauty blender is also key to providing that "airbrushed" effect at home.  Pat down with the beauty blender all over your face, focusing on the areas around the eyes and nose, and you will create a beautifully smooth look.  Extend the foundation application a little under your chin, fading off onto your neck, as to avoid a harsh line between the coloring on your face and neck.

We hope you love our tricks for creating a flawless complexion.  Give it a try, and let us know what you think! 

A Patriotic Dessert

We always love a good delicious recipe, especially when it is a healthier version, making you feel less guilty with each bite. One of our favorite foodies and bloggers, Arantha of Gourmet Beauty, shares with us her adapted recipe of the yummy skinny red, white, and blue lemon cheesecake cups. These treats are perfect for the upcoming patriotic holiday! Thank you Arantha!

Skinny Red, White,  & Blue Lemon Cheesecake Cups

Adapted from Skinny Taste 

Ingredients

12 reduced fat Nilla Wafers

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

6 oz fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt

2 large egg whites

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tbsp all purpose flour

strawberries sliced thinly

blueberries

powdered sugar

Directions

 

Step One: Heat oven to 350°.
Step Two: Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner.

Step Three: Gently beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gradually beat in fat free yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners filling half way.

Step Four: Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a few hours in the refrigerator.  Top with fresh berries before serving and sprinkle some powdered sugar on top if desired.

Enjoy!

Check out more of Gourmet Beauty's healthy recipes on her site now. What's your favorite dessert to whip up during the 4th of July?  

{Special Interview} Meet Bella the Founder of Origami Owl!

Origami Owl

The Sorority Secrets had an opportunity to go visit and interview Bella, the 16 year-old founder of Origami Owl at their cute office (also known as, "The Nest")!  Origami Owl allows you to create customized lockets with different charms and gems to tell your story.  The great thing is, they have Greek letters too to create sorority lockets!  These lockets are great for gifts to give to your friends, mom, family members, and your sorority sisters!  There's Independent Designers all over the country that hosts parties to gather their friends for a night of fun to create adorable, fun lockets!

The story behind this vast growing company is truly one-of-a-kind especially because it all started with a girl and a dream she had.  Get to know Bella and find out what her dream was that started a successful jewelry company!

Any words of advice for you aspiring young female entrepreneurs?

"If you can dream it, you can achieve it- you just have to go for it!"

What began your journey to start Origami Owl?

"My parents told me that if I wanted a car when I turned 16, I had to work for it and get it myself.  I started saving money by babysitting but it just wasn't enough so I started created customized jewelry.  Eventually making jewelry made me think of how I wish I can allow everyone to customize their jewelry so I thought of charms in a locket! Origami Owl started off as a small kiosk in a mall to now its bigger than I have ever imagined it to be!"

Why "Origami Owl"?

"When my mom and I were brainstorming for a name, I remember we were in my room.  I was looking around and I had Origami everywhere!  I also happened to love Owls so we came up with Origami Owl and it just stuck! We loved the name!"

What are your favorite style staples?

"I love to mismatch! I love stripes with dots, dots with stripes.  Yellow is my favorite color so you can always find me wearing yellow probably with my favorite lipstick Candy Yum Yum from MAC Makeup.  I also have an obsession with cheetah print!"

What can we find in your makeup bag?

"Besides my Candy Yum Yum lipstick, I always have my Studio Fix makeup and my Naked Eye Palette by Urban Decay!"

How do you balance work and play?

"Well it's really difficult because I love to be at The Nest and work with everyone, but school is still very important to me.  School comes first to me, but besides work and school, I am apart of my school musical and I love it!  I love to sing and dance and I just love being apart of my school musical program!  I try to be at The Nest for work whenever I can when I'm not at school or practice!"

What are the top 5 songs on your personal playlist?

  1. Hall of Fame- The Script

  2. Stay- Rihanna

  3. Firework- Katy Perry

  4.  22- Taylor Swift (I love Taylor Swift!)

  5. We Found Love- Rihanna & Calvin Harris

We want to thank Bella and the team at Origami Owl for having us at The Nest!  Make sure to order your customized Living Lockets and check out www.OrigamiOwl.com!

It Girl Trend Report: Favorite Nail Polish

Nail polish is like a perfect little accessory that can complete any look.  We are all nail polish fanatics over here at TSS, and couldn't wait to share our favorite summer polish selections with you!

Classic bright pinks & corals are a summer staple color for us.  "OPI Shootout at the O.K. Coral looks good on everyone, and enhances your tan in the summertime," Marisa says.  Similarly, Cristina loves Essie's new summer neon pink color called Bottle Service.  "Fuchsia is my favorite color-- it's super girly, and can also have an edgy feel.  When I think of summer nails, this is my go to" Cristina tells us.  Avery also picked a coral pink shade, called Kerfuffle by Butter.  Avery also adds that this coral tone can really amp up your tan... we couldn't agree more!  In the softer pink family, we love Allie's pick-- Ballet Slippers by Essie.  "I love the clean, natural look of a nude polish.  It's always appropriate for any outfit or occassion," Allie says.  For a family occasion or even a job interview, we think that Ballet Slippers is an excellent choice!

Serena & Victoria are both loving the creative nail art looks this summer.  Serena tells us, "since I'm a nail polish fanatic, it's hard for me to pick one color!  My two favorite brands are Julep and Essie, so I picked one from each brand.  This is Julep in Susie, and Essie in Set in Stones."  We love Serena's glittery fade at the tips of her nails, so pretty!  Victoria agrees that "for a pattern, go bold or go home!"  Her favorite shade, OPI Bubble Bath, makes a great base color.  She then added Sally Hansen Snappy Sorbet & OPI Paint My Moji-toes Red to create a geometric pattern.  Victoria suggests using a toothpick or even tape to help make your geometric patterns come out clean & precise.

What are your favorite summer nail looks?  Any favorite new polishes you think we should try out?  Tell us below, we would love to hear from you!