Great Video!

New Designs

I just finished some new designs---The New Sadie Clutch and The Mini Bow Clutch
adding them to the shop now :)

Happy New Year!

(this was in my fortune cookie a few days ago..so true!)


I know that this post is pretty late but...Happy New Year! I hope that the year is going well for you so far. I'm really excited about 2012 and the renewed focus that I'm bringing to this year.

I've been busy finishing up writing down this year's goals. A new approach that I realized that I need to bring to this year's list is to add a deadline (a realistic one of course) to each goal and break the list down by month. Otherwise, I can end up procrastinating and putting things off for too long.

I also break my goals down into categories

Spiritual
Life/Outlook
Health/Fitness
Family/Friends
Finances
Travel/Culture
Education/Classes
Business/Career
Philanthropy/Volunteer
New Experiences

Best of luck this year and stay motivated!

Here's a video of one of my favorite youtube motivational speakers:

New Positive Habits-Final Recap

(scrambled eggs, purple cabbage, carrots)



(sweet potatoes and basil sauteed in extra virgin olive oil)


(broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, onions)


This 3 week journey has ended...well..not completely. I still have to keep the positive habits going. This past week was not too different from week 2. Doing something like this around the holiday season definitely made it a bit more challenging.


The main things that I need to continue to work on:
--work out at higher end of target heart rate
(instead of only running on the treadmill, I now focus more on intervals-- walk 1.5 min at 3.5 speed, run 1.5 min at 9.0 speed)
--focus on having a colorful plate when eating
--eat when hungry and stop when full
--limit carb intake
--try new healthy recipes so that I don't get bored
--get back into doing yoga and dance classes (the elliptical and treadmill can get a bit boring)


Final Results:

Saturday Dec 31
wt- 169.2 (lost 5.6 lbs)
bust- 38 (lost 0")
waist- 27.5 (lost 1.5")
low waist- 33 (lost 1")
hip- 42 (lost .5")


Before and After photos:






















Although, I did not reach my total 9lb goal, I'm still happy that I tried and put in the effort. I also try not to get too wrapped up in the numbers and prefer to focus on overall health and wellness instead.

Remember, you never know what you are capable of until you try. Trying is the most important thing :)

Ms Aaliyah said it herself...if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again! Of course, I'm going to include the video lol.

Move Ya Body!

I absolutely LOVE Guillaume's choreography!
I have to be sure to take his class when I visit Paris :)

KWD has ANOTHER stockists!

This was a great end to a long week!

KWD has a new stockists :)

Mignonette is located at 1747 W. Belmont in Chicago..just west of the Lincoln/Belmont/Ashland intersection...so the neighborhood can be considered Lakeview or Roscoe Village.

Here's a cool picture of the one section of the interior. Kpoene, the owner, is a super talented visual merchandiser and created a very warm and inviting space.



Yay!


xoxo Kristena

Humpity Hump Day.

Just added new items to the online shop :)






Oh! I want to give a shout out to Ms Nicole over at 'Ooh, Eye Like It" for doing a great write up on KWD. Thanks :)

xoxo Kristena

Ms Ultra Nate

I've loved house music since about junior high school. Ultra Nate has always been one of my favorite artists and these are two of my early favorites!

I actually met her a couple of years ago during Chicago Pride weekend and she's such a sweet lady. Due to a previous computer crash, I no longer have the picture that we took together :(

Enjoy :)

"FREE"


"FOUND A CURE"

New Positive Habits--Week 2 Recap and Week 3 Goals

(I tried the 'stairclimber' at the gym today..it seems to be vintage or something lol. It is like stepping straight up and down instead of going up actual stairs..I see why I only use the treadmill and elliptical now! Oh well, this gym is only 3 blocks from me..so I prefer it over a 10-20 min drive. It is easier to stay consistent when you don't have to drive far)

Week 2 is FINALLY over and it is time for Week 3 :)

This week did not go as well as Week 1 but I'm proud of myself for continuing to stay active (instead of completely throwing in the towel).

Just to recap, the goals for Week 2 were:
--focus on arms/back this week and build up to 2 reps of 10
--workout at higher end of target heart rate range
--continue with week 1's new habits
--research new healthy recipes

I focused on arm/back movements with 8lb weights and it wasn't too bad. I will need to increase to either 3 reps or 10lb weights for week 3. I also worked at the higher end of my target heart rate. I could definitely tell that I was pushing myself harder!

I did not do so well with continuing all of week 1's new habits (such as only eating when hungry and stopping when full). Definitely have to be more conscious of this for week 3. Oh! I also didn't get a chance to try any new recipes either.


Week 1's results are:
Saturday Dec 24
wt- 169.0 (gained .4 lbs)
bust- 38 (lost 0")
waist- 28 (lost 0")
low waist- 33 (lost.5")
hip- 42 (lost 0")

**Although I kept on track with exercising this week, I was not as diligent with my meals as I was during Week 1. Week 2 was very hectic and busy and it was a bit more challenging for me to eat as healthy as I should. The carbs were calling my name lol!


The goals for Week 3:
--continue new habits from Weeks 1 and 2
--continue to focus only eating when hungry and stopping when full
--limit carb intake
--add squats and lunges to routine (start with 2 sets of 10 for each move)
--add ab toning exercises (I DESPISE crunches, so I think I will try planks)

There are good plank moves at the beginning of this video:

**Helpful Tips:
-if you are doing weights/toning as well as cardio, it is best to do the cardio last
-be sure to drink enough water throughout your workout. I have a quart (4 cups) bottle that I drink. This helps a bit b/c then I only have 6-7 more cups to drink the rest of the day.
-be sure to stretch before and after your workout

New Positive Habits--Week 2 midweek check in

(a stirfry dish that I made this week: baked salmon-corn-broccoli-onions-spinach and seasoned with basil and a bit of sea salt)


Thursday is already here!

So this week's goals are:
--focus on arms/back this week and build up to 2 reps of 10
--workout at higher end of target heart rate range
--continue with week 1's new habits
--research new healthy recipes


This has been a very busy and challenging week. I've noticed that I have been including more carbs than usual in my meals this week. Combine this with weight training and it is harder to lose lbs. So, I'm mentally preparing myself to not expect a loss similar to last week's.


Here's a quick recap:
--So far, I've done weights Mon and Wed. I'm doing every other day in order to give my muscles a rest. For now, I'm at 8lbs and 2 reps of 10. I really felt it after Monday but I'm beginning to get used to it now. I may have to move up to 10 lbs (or add another rep) sooner than I thought.


--I'm more aware of my heart rate when working out and am consistently making an effort to work out toward the higher end. Tue was a bit challenging and I only did 20 min of cardio. However, I did 60 min on Wed to make up for it :) That was a great mental accomplishment for me because it would have been so easy to just do 20 min again. I've kept the 45 mins on the other days.


--It hasn't been that bad keeping Week 1's habits. Consistently drinking water during the 2nd half of the day has been somewhat of a challenge. I thought about adding crystal light to it but I feel that would kind of be like cheating. Gotta keep trying though :)


--I've yet to try any recipes yet..we shall see.

Best of luck this week. Keep moving and reach your goals!


(in gym mode lol)

Oh! I'm tweeting about the positive habit journey as well!
@K_W_Designs #3weeknewhabitjourney