Getting Warm Weather Pretty: Beauty and Fitness

Last month when my mom and I went on out little shopping road trip I tried on a super cute little dress at the J.Crew Factory store...  I love little knit dresses like that for spring and summer, but this one was less than spectacular on me.  It was most definitely a sign that my body was not ready for the warm weather months!

I'm by no means perfect in the areas of fitness or beauty, but I do think I have enough to share some of my own tips, tricks, hints, and products that help me get ready for showing off a bit more in the warm weather months.  I think it's sometimes hard to start New Year's resolutions for heath and fitness during the coldest months of the year...  I seem to get a lot more motivated when things start to warm up!

Below I've shared some of my own fitness and beauty routines and tips...  I've linked to a lot of the products  that I use in case you're interested.

I also highly recommend The Daily Plate on livestrong.com.  It's a super easy to use website to track workout and foods.  The website has a really good free version and there's also an app on iTunes that's a couple bucks.  (I haven't checked for Droid since I already bought it for my iPod.)  I don't use it all the time, but it's great to get me back on track and use for a few weeks at a time.

Fitness:

• I try to workout at the gym 4 or 5 days a week.  I honestly enjoy working out for enjoyment and not just for fitness.  My usual routine consists of 30+ minutes on the elliptical and then another 30 walking on an incline on the treadmill or on the bike.  I also add on some time on the weight machines to tone up this time of year.  I'll do arms and abs one day, legs the next day, or something like that.
• I did 30 Day Shred last summer off and on and actually saw pretty decent results.  I wasn't super super consistent (for various reasons), but I could tell after just a few workouts my clothes were fitting differently.  I like this one because it's only about 25 minutes, but it's a really good total body workout.  I'm planning on adding this back into my routine soon and doing it at least 2 or 3 days a week on top of my workouts at the gym.
• When it's nice outside, I love walking outside.  There are several websites where you can put in your path and track the distance that you walk / or run.  I have a nature center near my house and I also enjoy going walking there.  (I don't like going there alone, but it's always fun to drag a friend or my little brother along!)

Skincare:

• My skin is combination and tends to go from really dry to really oily as soon as the seasons change.  My current skin care products are Clinique's Acne Solutions 3-Step system, Clinque's Exfoliating Scrub, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, and most recently, Benefit's POREfessional which I bought in this awesome set at Sephora (only $2 more for the set!).  I know I could spent a lot more money on face products, but I've found that Clinique's stuff is a pretty good value for the money.  I used to use Neutrogena and Aveeno a lot, but I found that even thought Clinique costs a bit more (not much acutally) it lasts a lot longer.  I recently stocked up during the bonus event at Dillards and get the rest of my purchases at Sephora where I can earn points. 
• It's no secret that I'm obsessed with Bath & Body Works.  I keep that store in business.  Two body items I always keep on hand are their body lotions / creams and shower gels.  I use their shower gels to shave because they foam up really nicely, one bottle lasts a ton longer than shave gel, and it provides a little moisture to my legs (which tend to get pretty dry year round).  I follow that up with their scented lotion or body cream (I like both) to stay hydrated. I'm a big fan of the True Blue Spa collection there as well as their Signature collection.
• I'm not one to go spend money to get a mani or pedi, so I like to buy items for home to pamper myself.  Once again, B&BW's True Blue Spa collection is my favorite and they really do last a very long time.  I usually pick up these items during the semi-annual sales and January and June.  My top items for my at home mani / pedi are the 60-Second Manicure Hand Scrub, Super Rich Foot Cream,  and the Cracked Heel Treatment.
• Like I just said, I don't pay to get my nails done (the only times I've gone if I'm in a wedding or I have a gift certificate from someone)...  I have a HUGE nail polish collection (I really do need to weed it out)!  I've found myself buying a lot of "nicer" brands (nicer for me) in the past year or so.  My current favorite brands are Essie, OPI, Sephora by OPI, Nicole by OPI, and Sinful Colors.  All of those brands, except the Sephora one, are available at Target.  I've been letting Pinterest get the best of me (check out my Stuff That Makes You Pretty board), but now that I'm doing Birchbox I'm going to see how much nail polish I get from that.  
• Okay, I'm that crazy girl who's mixed (black and white) and I still like having a tan.  Honestly, I'm not all that naturally tan, but I do feel like I look better with a little color.  I try to get my tan in healthy ways (I'm not perfect, though) and especially this time of year I like to use a gradual tanner to help give me a kick start.  Right now I'm trying out Jergens Natural Glow Foaming Moisturizer (in fair to medium) and have liked it quite a bit so far.  I've used their lotion version for several years and although it's gotten better it still has that self-tan smell to it.  The foaming version still has a little scent, but it fades super fast and I was able to cover it up with body spray before I went out.  I have a feeling I may end up sticking with the foam because of the scent and the fact that it dries really fast.

Makeup

• I won't go into a ton about my makeup routine, which you can read in-depth in this post from last November.  (I mean, why retype what I've already said before?!?)
• I tend to go a little lighter on my makeup during the spring and summer months and sometimes rock a more natural look.  Part of this is because I don't want tons of makeup melting off me on hot summer days and the other part is I just simply like a fresher, simpler look during the warm weather months.  Right now I find myself reaching for light, neutral, glowing eye-shadows and lots of lip colors in the pink family.
• An easy way to add some color and glow is with a good bronzer.  I've pretty much only used Physician's Formula and haven't felt the need to try another brand.  If you aren't sure about bronzer, go with a lighter toned one so you don't go overboard.  I use a big, fluffy brush to dust it on after my blush.  I feel like it adds a little glow without being too over the top.  (I don't want to look like Snooki or the girls from Jerseylicious!)

Do you have any tips to share on getting ready for warm weather?  

How do you balance your fitness and beauty routine with your job?