As someone who has always struggled with anxiety, getting into bed used to be something I dreaded. I knew that once I laid down I would either end up staying up far too late watching Netflix or I’d turn the tv off and be stuck thinking about every possible problem/stress until 2 am. There was no winning. Within the past 2 months I’ve changed up my nighttime routine and I’m happy to report it works.
Charging your phone away from the bed
This is probably the most important tip of all! I used to plug my phone in right by my bed, which led to constant Instagram checking and buzzing throughout the night. I would also lay in bed for 30 minutes in the morning catching up on all my social channels. My phone now goes in the bathroom for the night right after I wash my face and in the morning if I want to check it I have to get up and walk there. This has stopped me from wasting 30 minutes in bed every morning and took away some of the anxiety at night, which I seem to always have when my phone is in hand or reach.
Switch the tv for a book (not on your iPad)
I’ve started turning off my tv and picking up my Kindle before bed. From what I’ve noticed, I get sleepier much quicker and find myself passing out with book still in hand most nights. As for the type of book, I find light beach reads are the best for bedtime. If I read a mystery/thriller I tend to get hooked and can’t put it down.
CBD!
I talked about this in my health and fitness post, but I’ve recently become a huge proponent of CBD. I’m not going to go into a full description here, there are tons of articles online for that. If you feel uncomfortable doing the oils I would suggest starting with gummies.
Meditation app
My meditation app of choice now is Insight Timer and I love Kenneth Soares. Kenneth does great deep sleep guided meditations. Turn off the lights, get comfy and press play.
Switch from wine to tea
Another topic I’ve talked about more lately is that I’ve made the switch from a glass or two of wine each night to hot tea. If you’re not a big tea drinker try seltzer in a wine glass or hot water with lemon. I haven’t stopped drinking entirely, just not on the week nights. I noticed that if I drank more than 2 glasses of wine I would wake up in the middle of the night and had trouble falling back asleep.
After lots of questions and messages on this topic last night, I’m FINALLY sitting down and going over all my current health and fitness routines. We are going to get down and dirty with real talk in this post, so if you’re someone who’s easily offended by diet talk or going to message me telling me how I’m promoting negative body images, then just go ahead and stop here. I don’t want to be rail thin, I want to be toned. I don’t want to lose weight by not eating, I just want to get to a spot where my favorite jeans fit well and I’m energized. My goal weight is where I’ve been from high school on, with fluctuations in between, and it’s a comfortable spot where I can feel my best and still eat the chocolate cake, on occasion! I’m not going to share my goal weight because with my height, 5’7″, and build, my goal weight is MY body’s goal weight. Your body is yours and my weight would look entirely different on you.
Last year when I moved to DC I had just gone through the annoying and overbearing stress of a breakup, which had me at my lowest weight since middle school, legit middle school. I love my sporty figure and had totally lost it because of the stress. Breakup diets are real and hey you might as well get something out of it, but I knew I had become too skinny. I personally like when my face has a little weight and I love me a good butt.
Moving to DC, in September 2017, I was probably 6-7 pounds below my usual goal weight. I stayed in that general area until the holidays, because honestly, I have a huge sweet tooth and love my red wine. Also, last year was my first ever winter and I definitely found myself bored eating starting at 5:30 pm when the sun set. Fast forward to March, I started noticing that my jeans were a little snug and things started feeling overall tighter. I racked it all up to my body going back to my normal weight so I continued on my merry way, not changing a thing. Fast forward again to May, when the weather heated up and I was able to pull out my jean shorts, which were from the days of my normal/goal weight…. ughhh- they were tight. This is the point where I thought to weigh myself, that I may have gained more than planned. It’s fine…. I was a sobbing mess on the bathroom floor after the weight came up and I saw I was 11 pounds over my goal/normal weight, and 15-ish pounds from my weight when I moved to DC. Throughout that whole year I was consistently working out, 4-5 days a week, so I was more confused than anything. I’m 27 now and I wasn’t taking into account that my metabolism probably changed, so tequila shots, candy and guacamole weren’t processing through my system as easily anymore. Summer is the WORST time to make huge health changes, because, well, vacation… I was traveling tons from May- August, including a 2 week stint in Italy. Let’s just call the entire summer a wash. I didn’t really change much and my body stayed at the higher weight.
Cut to September when I finally settled back into a routine in DC. This is where I incorporated Intermittent Fasting and switched from Orange Theory to working out on my own. I love OT, don’t get me wrong, but I noticed it was bulking me up more than I liked and I wasn’t getting in as many ab workouts. Read below for current workout details.
*Let me emphasize the fact that I’m not trained in health or wellness and this is simply a lifestyle that has been working for me. Everyone’s different and some things that work for me may not work for you.*
Intermittent fasting:
I first noticed fitness bloggers talking about IF (intermittent fasting) and then I watched a story The Skinny Confidential posted, talking about how her makeup artist lost 25 pounds by making the change. From there I talked to friends in the fitness space, included my good friend Jordan who is a huge fitness inspiration, and they all agreed that I should give it a try.
My advice would be to start with 15 hours and work your way up to 16/17 hour fasts. The first few days your stomach will growl until lunch, but your body will get used to it, bit by bit. Drink tons of water and black coffee throughout the morning to get you through till lunch. I used to loathe black coffee, but now I get grossed out when coffees are too sweetened. You’ll get used to that too. If you don’t drink coffee you can do plain tea. No sweetener! The whole point is to refrain from all calories during your fasted hours.
I use the app Zero Fasting Tracker to keep time tabs on my fasts. Highly recommend using this!
My take on IF:
I usually eat from 12:30p- 8p, but fluctuate between 16-17 fasted hours a day. Sometimes I’ll stop eating at 7:30p, and then if I’m out with friends and eat later I hold off my lunch till 1/1:30p the following day.
Within the eating window I try to eat normally, I don’t overindulge by any means. Don’t think of this as a hall pass to go crazy with food. I usually break fast with an apple or go right to lunch. Here are some of the things I eat for lunch/dinner:
-7 chicken nuggets from Trader Joe’s with ketchup
-multigrain cereal with raisins and almond milk
-grilled chicken, arugula salad with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
-ONE protein bar with fruit, the maple glazed doughnut flavor is BOMB!
-egg whites with butternut squash and ground turkey
-spaghetti squash with pasta sauce
-burrito bowl from Trader Joes
-ezekiel bread with sugar free jam or almond butter
If I get hungry between lunch and dinner I’ll snack on raisins (this is one I’m always eating), dark chocolate, bananas, apples, almond butter on dates or hard boiled eggs.
Fasted cardio:
The concept of fasted cardio in simple terms, is that your body burns body fat rather than the food you just put in it if you work out before eating for the day. This is a tough one in the beginning, but is actually far easier than you would imagine. I usually do this 2-3 times a week and hit the gym around 11/11:30a for a 25 min run or 20 min stair stepper routine. Don’t plan on lifting weights or anything too strenuous while fasting, although I’ve done Orange Theory fasted and it wasn’t too difficult.
Bye bye wine:
For the last 3 weeks I’ve only let myself drink 1-2 nights a week. Prior to this change I was having 1-2 glasses of wine a day and then drinking harder on the weekends. I sound like a boozehound, but I promise it was more of a wine on the couch and social drinking thing. The first week of this sucked. I mostly missed my red wine at night while watching Bravo.
I found wine would help relax my mind after a hectic day so I went out looking for something that could take it’s place. This is when I was introduced to CBD gummies. Once again, this is not the place for judgement, I am being fully open and honest here with what I’ve been doing. Do tons of research before purchasing these and go to a trusted vendor. I bought my first batch from Sunday Scaries, not sponsored. I would take one/two of these at night and found myself feeling calmed before bed. As someone who’s never been into smoking weed, I was a little apprehensive at first, but if you research CBD there are tonsss of amazing articles out there on it’s benefits.
Now that I was calmer at night, I still found myself missing the act of sipping something on the couch, so I took up decaf tea. My personal favorite is the pomegranate white tea from Trader Joe’s, if you haven’t noticed already, I’m a huge TJ fan. Sometimes I’ll do hot water with lemon or sparkling water in a wine glass. I’m totally used to this switch now and honestly, the perk is I get tipsy faster on the weekends with my friends. Small wins. Oh and my waistline looks way better. That too. Tomato/ tomAhto.
Fitness:
From March- July I was doing Orange Theory 4-5 days a week. I definitely gained muscle and got rid of all my butt dimples… I said this was going to be real. I found my legs getting thicker than I liked and my shoulders became broader. Now, this was my body and others may have different experiences. If you aren’t into running on your own, I would recommend OT, because they do have a way of making cardio fun. I made the decision to stop OT and start workouts that would lean and tone, rather than bulk.
At the moment, I’m hitting the gym 4-5 days a week, obviously travel makes that a little more difficult, but on a bad week I still hit the gym 3 times minimum. I ALWAYS do cardio and get it out of the way first. I go between running for 25-30 minutes or 20 minutes on the stair stepper. After cardio, I focus on one body part per day. My ab routine is on IGTV, you can find the video by going to my Instagram @sweetteawithmadi and clicking the IGTV logo on my page. On the other days I’ll go to Instagram and save workout videos from my favorite IG fitness stars, one of my favorites is Alexia Clark. In November, when my travel schedule slows down I’m going go back to doing Bikini Body Guide, a workout program designed by Kayla Itsines. If you search BBG on the top of this page you’ll find all the posts I’ve done on my BBG experience. I’ve completed the BBG program 2 times now and have loved the results both times.
Where I’m at now:
I hate weighing myself!! I feel like the number can discourage me, so I usually wait and weigh myself after making a change for about 6 weeks. You have to give your body time to show results! I weighed myself last night and am down 5 pounds since beginning of September and have 5 more pounds to go before I’m back at my goal/normal weight. It’s been a process but I feel like I FINALLY found a routine that works for me and my lifestyle. I plan on continuing IF, drinking less and changing up/intensifying my workout plans. Hope this post helped and stay tuned on IGTV/ Youtube for more fitness and health videos.
Which dresses are best to pair with boots? This is a question I’ve had a ton of people ask as they are starting to get their wardrobes ready for fall. This is a combo I wear non-stop when the weather drops, it’s just so effortless and flattering. Seriously though, over-the-knee boots are like an automatic filter for your legs… SO skinny. I’m linking super affordable and higher end otk boots below that I own and give the ultimate stamp of approval. I really prefer tall/skinny boots for pairing with dresses, but that’s just a personal preference.
Boots:
Dresses to pair with brown boots:
Dresses to pair with black boots:
Throw on a denim jacket to complete the casual dress/boot combo:
Thank you JaM Cellars for sponsoring this post. Looking for JaM Cabernet and Butter Chardonnay near you? Check out their easy-to-use Store Locator! Just pop in your zip code and the wines will be waiting!
I can’t believe summer is almost over! Soon enough the temperature will drop I’ll be back in sweaters and boots, and don’t get me wrong, fall is fun, but there’s nothing quite like the summer in DC. I think everyone here really appreciates summer after months of cooler weather. The whole energy in the city changes when the sun comes back out, it’s amazing!
Here’s a little peak at some of the things I had listed on my summer bucket list…
Rooftop cheers to the end of summer with friends
A day at the zoo
Taking a boat out on the Potomac
Brunching on as many patios as I can
Checking out a new museum
Walking through the monuments at night
Picnic in the park
I’m from Orlando, where there aren’t tons of rooftop options, so when I moved to DC this was a fairly new thing for me. Rooftops are the BEST part of summer, wait let me rephrase that, wine nights on rooftops are the best part of summer. You guys know I love my wine time! My girlfriends and I will get together, everyone will bring appetizers and wine, and we’ll sit up there for hours catching up and sharing funny stories. When it comes to wine, I’m usually drinking red or chardonnay, and lately these JaM Cellars wines have been my absolute favorite!
The JaM Cabernet bursts with lush berry flavors on the nose and the palate. This cabernet is easy to love and is all about the fruits. Then, there’s the Butter Chardonnay which melts in your mouth. I love how smooth and creamy this one is, even my friend who normally reaches for a Pinot Grigio LOVES Butter Chardonnay. *Fun fact, Butter Chardonnay is my mom’s favorite wine, like mother like daughter.
So here’s a cheers to the final days of summer and checking a few more things off of my summer bucket list.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
My birthday is somehow here again, I really have no idea how the last year flew by so quickly… I’m thinking of this birthday as a fresh start into another great year. I love how my birthday, Sept. 3, lands right on the edge of summer and beginning of fall… it’s the start of a new chapter. Cooler weather, a year older (maybe wiser) and new things to look forward to. In honor of turning 27 I’m sharing 27 random thoughts, life lessons and ideas I’ve gathered in my last 27 years.
Face oil is a total life saver, use it as much as possible
Stop washing your hair daily
In line with #2, don’t invest in dry shampoo, they all get the job done
Don’t sleep with anyone on the first date, EVER
If he wants to see you, he’ll see you. If he wants to talk, he’ll call or text and if he wants to date you he’ll make sure you know
Try therapy, you’ll feel better and your mental health is so important
Learn to say I’m sorry and mean it. Know and understand what you did before you apologize
Make time for girl friends, we will probably all outlive our husbands one day and need each other. Keep in touch and make girls nights a priority. **I love you- to all my friends- you know who you are!
Happiness is something you have to work at, it won’t come from anyone but yourself
The ocean cures everything
Take a phone free weekend once every few weeks and use that time to look around, listen and enjoy your company
Amazon prime will pay for itself time and time again
Drink water, you can never have too much
It’s ok to sit alone on the couch with wine and Bravo on a Friday night. Learn to be content on your own
No one will ever have your back like your family
Splurge on something for yourself and don’t feel guilty
Look at the person serving you in the eyes, whether it’s a cashier, flight attendant, server etc.
There’s a reason Lululemon is so popular, their leggings are worth every penny
Try to do one thing that scares you every month
Make your bed first thing in the morning
Never go to bed without washing your face
Send thank you cards, handwritten and mailed (none of that email or text stuff)
End every phone call with “I love you” when talking with those you love
Leave you’re door open, the ones who want to come in will and those who want to leave can
If you’re ever questioning a dress code, dress up, not down
I have caviar taste on a Chick-fil-A budget most days, therefor finding dupes has become a huge hobby of mine. Let me just say, some of the dupes are SO good that even your friends who own the real thing won’t be able to tell the difference. The first picture is the real and the link below is the dupe.
Those of you who follow my Instagram stories, you’re probably over this whole discussion, but for those that aren’t in the loop, I’ve been intermittent fasting for 8 days now. Intermittent fasting, also referred to as IF, is an umbrella term for diets that cycle between fasting and non-fasting.
For me, I am only eating 7 hours out of the day, normally I start eating at 12:30pm and stop eating all calories by 7:30pm. Outside of the window I can only drink water and black coffee. Black coffee is key in the mornings for getting me through till lunch.
This past year I’ve had issues with my weight. I hate complaining about it and I hate being open about it, but it’s real. Lots of people struggle with their weight and for all the people who have messaged me or commented on not seeing the weight gain… well DUH!!! You’re basing that off of my Instagram posts where I pose for a solid five minutes, stand on my tippy toes and then edit the best picture in the batch. Of course I don’t pick the one where you can tell my legs are bigger. My goal weight is 121 and I have a good bit to get there.
One of the big things I’m trying to do during my fasting periods is my daily cardio. Fasted cardio is also supposed to help with weight loss so Monday- Friday I’m trying to get in my cardio before I eat, this includes Orange Theory. I was worried that working out on an empty stomach would be difficult or leave me feeling weak, but it’s been super easy!
I am working to stick to my fasting at least 6 days a week, but I’m also realistic that weekends may have brunches or late dinners and I want to make this a lifestyle change, which means being flexible!
I will keep you guys updated on my journey and if I see any results, fingers crossed.
I just got back from my two week trip through Italy, which was amazing, magical, hot, fun and a million more things in-between! While I’m working on a full recap, I thought I’d share five pieces I found myself wearing over and over and overrrr again while there. We visited in July so these pieces were great for the insane heat Italian summers bring.
I love interacting with you guys through Instagram messages, comments and emails, it makes me love what I do that much more! I’ve rounded up the questions I’m most frequently asked. If there’s something I haven’t answered you can always send me a message on IG or email Madison_Messer@yahoo.com.
A: A small boutique in Paris and unfortunately, I’ve yet to track it down. Similar options:
Q: Are your eyebrows microbladed?
A: Nope, I pluck them on my own and pencil them in with this product:
Q: What is your current fitness routine?
A: I’ve changed it up a few times this summer, but right now it’s Orange Theory mixed in with running on my own and power yoga.
Q: How old are you?
A: 26, will be 27 in September… !!
Q: Where should I eat when I visit DC?
A: My personal favorites- Le Dip or Barcelona for dinner, South Block or BlueStone Lane for breakfast, POV or Farmers Fishers Bakers for drinks. Sweets from Baked and Wired.
A: Revolve for vacation pieces and events, 6PM.com for deals- mostly shoes, FOREVER 21 for everyday pieces, ULTA for makeup, Amazon for tech, Target for knick knacks, Wayfair for furniture and ShopBop for quality clothing/shoes and Outnet for designer pieces on sale.
