Squatting Barefoot?

The other day I was in the gym, It didn't happen to be my leg day but I saw an older guy who was squatting and he was doing it barefoot. My immediate thought was that's disgusting do you know how much sweat is on that floor!!! Once my moment of disgust passed I wondered why is he squatting barefoot? I came home and did some googling and found a few discussions boards on the topic. 

From the discussion boards I found that alot of bodybuilders like the barefoot because it helps their stability and balance which I guess I could understand how being more grounded could help with your balance. I also found that some people found the barefoot at the gym just as gross as me and some of them would squat in socks rather than barefoot, which is better hygiene wise for sure. 

While I did find many supporters of the barefoot their were many people who suggested that if you are going to be lifting frequently go out and buy chuck taylors or lifting shoes because they are worth it. I also found that if you are truly going to be doing alot of lifting then running shoes are an absolute no no. My brother who has been lifting for awhile has shoes made for lifting he hasn't gone the chuck taylor route because he doesn't do any crazy Olympic lifting however he found that nikes that were geared towards lifting worked much better for him in the gym all around compared to his running shoes. 

This is where so research  in to journals comes in. In (THE EFFECTS OF WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES ON SQUAT KINEMATICS  Dave Fortenbaugh1, Kimitake Sato2, and J. Kyle Hitt2) they found that shoes that are made for weight lifting are best to use they help in keeping the best form while squatting.

So what am I to do? I currently have running shoes, why after reading all of this you might ask... personally I spend alot more time doing cardio and hiit intervals then I do squatting and dead lifting (I dead lift like never to rarely). If I ever feel that I am lifting more or doing much more in the weights area of the gym I may splurge on some lifting specific shoes, and I can guarantee you will never see me lifting barefoot, I'm still alittle grossed out to be honest.   

What do you think? Barefoot? Lifting shoes? Running shoes? let me know your opinions in a comment below! 

Stephaniexx

Haul Time!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! In my family this weekend marks the official start of summer even though it doesn't feel too much like summer in New England right now but we can only wish we don't have another week like this past one again for the summer, and it is supposed to reach the 80s this coming week. ( I really need a nice base tan before vacation or I will look like a lobster day 1 ) 

Now the purpose as you know from the title of this post is... that after my rough week of not being able to eat variety or healthy for that matter and being in pain I decided that I was due to finally venture out of the house for some retail therapy. I still plan on hitting target in the near future but for now I just went to Kohls Marshalls and DSW. Essentially what I purchased were summer items that I really needed, or just really wanted for vacation which is coming up in two weeks. 

The first two items I purchase were from Kohls now I am not normally a kohls shopper but my mom needed to return something so I decided to shop around a bit. The first dress is the first maxi dress that I have found to fit me right. I still have quite a bit of weight I would like to lose and have a body shape which combined makes maxi dresses what I thought was impossible to find, however I really lucked out in Kohls it was the first dress I tried on and I loved it! I really like the maxi dress trend they are very comfortable and you don't have that cautious is my dress way to short right now fear as you do with a lot of dresses today. The second are these adorable sail boat shorts I fell in love with them the second I saw them They are a little short but I think they will work out. 

The next item I purchased at Marshalls, is an Elizabeth Arden face mask while I loved the last face mask that I found at lush, I wanted to try something different so seeing as this was only 6 dollars for what I know to be a fantastic face product company I went ahead and bought it I am excited to try it out as soon as my cheeks stop being sensitive to touch. Second I found a DSW for a pretty good deal, I was looking for a pair of flip flops that weren't like old navy flip flops when I saw these braided sandals I fell in love and they are very comfortable and will be great for walking around on vacation. 

So these items were some of my favorites for summer that I am excited to wear/use. I hope you enjoyed this post and check back soon!! now that I am healed I will hopefully be posting more frequently in my free time. 

Stephaniexx

Outfits Galore!!

So today I am just going to show you guys collective outfits from the past few weeks that I have worn ad where I live it is still pretty chilly so I haven't jumped in to spring clothing yet but hopefully soon lol so some of the items are springy but most are cold weather appropriate. 

So first of all I am sorry for my mirror it is dirty and just idk im sorry it wont get clean :( but anyway for this outfit I am wearig just a plain V-neck sweater from the Gap my pink jeans are from TJmaxx but they are american eagle so I was really suprised to find that deal becuase me personally fit best in american eagle jeans i dont know why but i feel like they just fit the best. My scarf is also from TJmaxx which you will notice in probably all of these outfits my scarfs are from TJmaxx because I'm obsessed and lastly my wach is from coach which secretly I also got at TJmaxx!! lol Oh and my boots I got from Famous footwear

This outfit is alittle bit more relaxed because the sweater is almost the feeling of a sweatshirt ad it is so insanely comfortable. So the navy sweater is from Gap my jeans are a dark wash jegging from American Eagle My scarf is again from target and the brown boots are also from famous footwear ad ofcourse my white coach watch.

So this was my night out outfit last weekend So fro this I had first A tank top from American eage which had a sheer back then because its cold I put a nice black blazer from H&M over it. I wore black jeans from the Gap and my booties are from steve madden i got them quite awhile ago though but i really love them. 

This was my outfit out to dinner last night actually and for my top i am wearing an Army green button up from American Eagle Dark wash jeggins from American eagle for my bottoms and thne this really awesome gold leaf necklace which i believe I got a couple summers ago at a boutique in NYC. 

So for this outfit I am wearing a mint green sweater from H&M with dark wash skinny jeans from American Eagle and My boots are from Bass they are like a grey brown, lastly on to jewlery my necklace is from Ann Taylor Loft who has a ton of awesome jewlery as well as very classic and basic clothing. So my watch from coach lol againnn and then two alex and ani bracelets

Again sorry for the dirty mirror but this outfit Is just simple i wore it to class you could wearing pretty much anywhere so Its this really comfy gret v-neck sweater from the Gap and My green scarf is obviously from TJmaxx lol but I like it because its a really awesome pop of color to any outfit. My jeans are just dark wash skinny jeans from American Eagle and then my black boots again from Famous footwear.

This outfit made me feel alittle springy because of the aweseom peach button up from American Eagle which i really love for spring because you can just throw it over a tank and shorts in the summer or wear it as a whole outfit in the winter. under it i just have a basic black tank top and then i have dark wash skinny jeans from american eagle my coach watch and a pair of like light blue toms 

So my last outfit I am wearing this really cute shirt from maurices I am not sure how prevalant maurices is uhmm I know there was one in my home town and ive only ever seen like one or two others so idk but i really love the lace becuase it goes down the length of your arm which is a really  cute detail and other than that its a basic purple 3/4 length tshirt and there are black lines through out it that kinda makes it look snake skin idk but i love it lol and then I am just wearing dark wash skinny jeans from american eagle and black toms that are super worn in i feel like im moving in to their last summer with me so I am very sad :( lol 

I hope you enjoyed this and I will try to do this alittle more often and try to keep up with taking pictures of my outfits

Later lovies :) 

Target Haul!

Today I did some shopping at Target, now I dont have much income while im in school so In this trip I was lucky to find alot of great deals! This is one of the perfect times for deals because they are inthe middle of switching between seasons so gloves scarfs and hats are all on sale as well as some shoes and more winter items. So I was really luck on this trip and found some great deals click below to see my purchases