I noticed that I posted last night but I posted Day 2 for Day 3...now I need to post what I did yesterday and today.
Day 3 So yesterday I looked up the top 10 workouts for your thighs and Fitnessmagazine.com was the first site to come up. Their first work out for long and lean legs is the Ball Squat. You get one of those huge exercise balls and put it up against a wall. You then but your lower back against it and slowly walk your feet out into a squatting position. My legs felt like jello last night! This was such a great move. Hurts like hell and the better you get the lower you squat!
Day 4 Today I went back on their website and found this exercise it is called the Plyometric Squat or the Squat Jump is what I have heard it called. You go into your squat position and then jump up and land back into the squat postition.....yeah go ahead and do those for about 10 minutes...I couldn't even get to a minute with out my knees burning! Amazing move that is not only great for your thighs but your rear-end!
So yesterday I did my challenge but was not around a computer till 3:30 am to post about it...and by then I was ready to hit the hay! As my 10 minute work out I did steps...I did flights of stairs at school. It was not for 10 minutes all at once..but through out the day when going to my classes I took the stairs and not the elevator. At one point I was doing 3 flights of stairs to go to one class then back down and then back up another 2 flights for my next class. Doing stairs is a great work out for your thighs and for lifting up your rear. Some people so stairs for cardio and do them quickly or you can take your time and squeeze your buttocks everytime you step to get your booty firmed!
I think I will be taking the stairs for the rest of the semester!
So Michelle is challenging me to try different work outs for 30 days....very excited about this! For my first post I want to tell you about the workout that I did this morning. Many people who know me already know what 2 of my main works are--this one though I talk about ALL the time. But I noticed that I never really talk about what Zumba is so as my first post I am going to tell you about Zumba...which by the way I did more than 10 minutes :) Zumba is a total body work out! It hits ALL of the areas. It can be tough and it can be easy...it depends on the level of the person doing it and how much you put into it. Whether you come out of the Zumba class soaked in sweat or not is up to you. It's cardio and muscle toning...many stomachs have become flat from this type of workout---mine is getting there ;) I mostly do Zumba for my cardio...I am not much of a runner and I need cardio not only to have a healthy heart but also to help with my weight loss goals. I think everyone should try it at least once--men, women, young, old...it can be for everyone!
Well today is my last day for my first challenge! Thank you sooo much to my dear friend Ryan for giving me this as my first one. I have so enjoyed learning about new artists and bands. It's been great adding a "new" playlist on my Ipod of some of these bands and artists. I really had fun with it, one of the biggest challenges was making time to do these...as you can tell some nights I had to catch up. I'm not to happy about that but all I can do is just really buckle down and try harder with the next one, which leads me to my next challenge that starts today! One of my most beautifulest friends Michelle has choice my next challenge and she has asked me to try a different workout for 10 minutes everyday for the next 30 days. She wants me to write what the workout is--what area it benefits and how hard or easy it was. I am always looking for new ways to improve my body so I am all for this one! Thanks Michelle for this idea! I better get started!
I like this guy from Chicago and was on the Show X-Factor. I like his music--not a fan of the song Evening Kiss that I listened to. He reminds me of Weezer....I like him more lyrically then voice wise...but you be the judge. His website is not very informative of him...you can call him--he has is number on there and he will sing you a song! http://www.willisearlbeal.com/
Here is Evening Kiss
Day 30 LP (Laura Pergolizzi) Originally from NY, is considered pop, but I think she so much more than a pop singer....when I heard her song Into The Wild I was so excited cause I have heard it on a commerical and loved that song! She is incrediably talented and I am so glad she is my last artist for my first challenge. I love her music and her voice---she's a mix of Melissa Ethridge, Janis Joplin and Alanis Morrisette. LOVE HER
Do to some family drama I have not been able to post since Tuesday of last week. I'm a little upset with myself for having to keep "catching" up with these challenges. Ryan did this challenge for me as an easy one and I am finding myself getting more busy as the month goes on and finding time to do these are getting harder....I refuse to give up on these challenges and I need to find a time that will be set aside for "mandatory" posting. Well I only have 2 more days left of this challenge and I will be starting a new one so this time has got to be set right away!
Day 23- This artist was a suggestion from a friend of mine, I told her I would check her out and now I am! First impression--SHE IS BEAUTIFUL! Now lets talk about her music! But first a little about her-- she is from NC...Monroe, NC and studied at UNC Greensboro. She just learned how to play the guitar 3 years ago and is now on the show The Voice. http://www.karladavismusic.com/TheKarlaDavisOfficialWebsite/NEWS.html there's the website to check her out.
Her voice is so soulful and I love her all of her cover songs from various artists. My favorite is her cover of Adele's Set Fire to The Rain. What I like about it is that its her rendition of it and she proves that you dont have to have the cords like Adele to make a song beautiful.
I hope she does great on the show and I hope that this will give America a chance to hear her music because she is a very talented young lady!
Day 24 Imperial Teen
I have never heard of them, but they have been around for the past 16 years. They are a quartet with 2 guys and 2 girls. When I heard their song I thought they were a younger band but after I went on their website I found to be wrong! Their music is very pop and uppity (is that a word?) I liked it...not something I was crazy about, but their good. Their bio doesn't tell much about them just more so about their music...so here is the link to their site and check them out! http://imperialteen.com/
The song I choose is Runaway and is off of their new album Feel the Sound
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Day 25 Michael Kiwanuka
WOW! I googled "new artists" and he was the first to come up and gosh I am so glad he did! AMAZING voice and his song Home Again is so emotionally moving. From London, he has been labeled the male Adele....here is his website but I really dont care to talk much more about him cause you HAVE to listen to his music! http://michaelkiwanuka.com/
Day 26
ummm I am loving Billboard's website right now! Elle King is the second person up on the new artists list and again--Holy Cow! This girl is awesome! Elle King is actually the daughter of Rob Schnieder (Duece Bigaloo Male Gigalo)..surprising when you see this girl and hear her voice...I can not find a website for her...I just found her on you tube and IMDB where I found out who her dad was.. She now lives in Brooklyn working on her music and also works at a tattoo parlor...so here is her video called "I Told You I Was Mean"
ZZ Ward I like this girl! She has got such a powerful voice...and I like how mean she sounds. She is a bluesy rapper which you would think is strange but its absolutely awesomeness....her website is not working well with me at the time so I can't find out where she is from or how long she has been around but check it out and check out her other songs cause they are pretty fabulous. I will be downloading many of her songs! http://www.zzward.com/
Day 28 Duologue... very cool band...I wish their website was a little more user friendly--that was annoying. Can't find much about them, they are a folky band but are compared to RadioHead--WHO I LOVE..so I really do like this band...plan on downloading more of thier music soon! The first song I heard from them is a little long but very relaxing and smooth. http://logbook.duologuemusic.com/category/duologue/ I hope you enjoy all these artists and bands!!
got this band off of my favorite southern friend Danielle's facebook wall. She posted a link to of their video and I was looking for a new band. The website as usual is not working so I could not get any info about them...from what I see (which is only speculations) I think they are from North Carolina. They are obviously 2 brothers and their genre is Country. She said on her post "I think I just found my new favorite band" and knowing Danielle I can see why that is. They are true raw country. Just like her! Listening to their music brought back so many memories of us hanging out....this band is a band that I could see us singing to! As far as what I think--I think they are very talented and I enjoy listening to them....I have a feeling hanging around Danielle I will probably be listening to them more!
I am having to play catch-up here...I was a the beach for the past 3 days and I was not able to do my challenges while I was there. But I did listen to some new artists on my ipod during that time.
So my artists for Day 18 is Walk Off the Earth.
They became a hit sensation when they appeared on Ellen doing a cover of Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know. The band is 4 guys and 1 girl and they are pretty awesome. Their website is new and not fully finished yet so I would check back on it in a couple of weeks. http://www.walkofftheearth.com/
I have listened to other cover songs that they have done as well as originals and they are really really good!
Here is the cover song from Gotye----its pretty amazing and I think better than the original!
Day 19 I choose: Karmin
Karmin is another youtube sensation and has also appeared on Ellen. She has the 50s look but can rap as well as the big boys! Her voice is outstanding and her range is phenominal! She did a Chris Brown cover of the song I'm Gettin Paper...now I am not a big fan of rap let alone Chris Brown but this song just shows how much talent this girl has! As well as Walk off the Earth--her orginial music is equally amazing. They are a couple who meet at Berklee in Boston and make great music together---Nick and Amy came up with the name Karmin in college. Here is a link to their website to listen to the 2 new singles off their album http://www.karminmusic.com/bio/
Day 20
Little Dragon
A band out of Swedin with a Swedish-Japenese singer has actually been around since 1996. Their form of music is electronic and has been endorsed by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They will be at Bonnaroo this year and are a band to see...I really enjoy their music. Very upbeat and lively. It's feel good music. Here is the link to their website where you can sample some of their music and learn a little more about them..
The video I am going to share with you is also on their website and is such a cool video and the little girl is soooo cute!
Day 21
Finally catching up!
Soja
Soja is what happens when Ska, Reggae, and Folk music have a baby. Out of Arlington Virgina, these 7 school friends are making a sound that touches each of those genres. Their new album Strength to Survive is about lyrics that "matter". They will be performing on the Jay Leno show tonight so you can watch them on the tv and even see their video here. Here is a link to their website to learn more...
Punch Brothers....this seems like a great band to find out more about seeing how those 2 words could easily describe my boys. Punch Brothers is a newer form of bluegrass....they remind me alot of Munford and Sons. I like them just as much. They are a group of all guys and the lead singer has a great voice. I enjoy their bluegrass tone and even though I am not much of a country music listener--bluegrass and folk music is more my taste. Here is the link to Punch Brothers website to learn more about them and listen to songs from their new album Nonesuch. http://www.punchbrothers.com/
The song I choose to share on my post is a live version of New York City
Moon Taxi reminds of something that my dad listened to when he was younger....the band belongs back in the 60s and 70s which is why I like them so much. I believe that if they were around back then they would have been a hit! I have read their Bio and have not seen where they are from--it could be because I am not paying much attention to it because I am also studying for a bio and math test for tomorrow....but I have listened to their newest album Cabaret and really like what I have heard so far! Here is the link to their website so you can read up on them if you would like too http://ridethemoontaxi.com/index.php?show=bio
I have choosen the song Cabaret which is off their new album also called Cabaret to share with you!
UGH!! So I just realized that I never did a post last night! Had an extremely busy day and by the time I got the boys in bed I was in bed myself counting sheep. Completely forgot and I know that that is no excuse this a challenge and as I said before it is going to be a challenge in and of it self making sure I post everynight! Well on to the artists
My first artist that I was supposed to do yesterday is a band called Trampled by the Turtles....I solely choose this band on its name! I am very glad I did cause I really like them. Trampled by Turtles is a band Duluth, MN. The members were also members of rock bands and they created Trampled by Turtles so they could play more acustic intruments as a break from their other bands. They are a mix of rock, alternative, folk, and blue grass. I really enjoy listening to them. Here is the link to their site and a preview to their upcoming album Stars and Satellites which will be out in April. http://trampledbyturtles.com/
Trampled by Turtles: Alone
Day 13: K Flay
K Flay is a mutt in the music industry and when I mean mutt I mean a little bit of everything...she mixes indie rock, alternative, hip hop, electronica and flair all into one. Her voice is unqiue which goes with her style of music. She is from Chicago and went to Stanford where she found her "voice". I like her music--I am not over excited about it...I do think she has a great talent and for someone who can mix all of those genres into one is pretty awesome. Here is a link to her website where you can check out more of her music:
So last night I could not post a new artist because my keyboard on my laptop decided to shit the bed! I went out today and bought an external one and now we are back in business!!
So for my artist that I choose yesterday Big Gigantic is a duo from Colorado who mad skills when it comes to electronic music. The first song that I listened to The Uprising had me hooked. I have always liked the "rave" music...you don't always have to have words in a song to move you. They will be at Bonnaroo this year so make sure you check them out if anyone is going! Here is a link to their website to listen to their newest songs!! http://www.biggigantic.net/
Big Gigantic; The Uprising
Okay sooo the next band I picked will also be at Bonnaroo...Alabama Shakes is just plain AWESOME...I am so jealous that I will not be going to Bonnaroo...for those of you who are going CHECK THIS BAND OUT!!! When I listen to this band I feel like I am in the 60s....their sound is so unique and re-freshing.
They are from Alabama--hence the name....female lead singer with 3 guys in the band. They are sooo cool. Here is the link to their website...I HIGHLY suggest you check them out http://www.alabamashakes.com/
Lykke Li is an artist I have heard before and some of you will know the song if you are a twilight fan. Her song Possibility is on the soundtrack. Even though I have heard of her before I dont know much about her or her other music. She is absolutly stunning and her song Possibility is an emotional one that I know by heart.
She is a Swedish musician, who came out with her debut album in 2008. She was mostly popular in Europe but made her name know when she came out with Possibility for New Moon. Here is her link to her website to find out more about her: http://lykkeli.com/all.htm
Her music ranges from electronica to string instruments. I like the diversity of her music, you can either go dance or easy listening depending on your mood. I am picking 2 videos of hers to share one that is more upbeat and the other more laid back!
I don't know why I waited this long to look her up!! Kimbra is actually featured on the first song that posted with Gotye. She is from New Zealand and I just love her talent! She is very soultry, and again has a 50s vibe to her which I love! Her voice is so different that what we are hearing from the female artists today. I like that she is not over sexual but she is very sexy! I really hope that she makes it big in the States. Her songs are orginal and pretty amazing.
I will be listening to the song that I am going to post at the end of this blog over and over again!
Here is link to her uber awesome website where you can get more info about her and listen to more of her music...you will not be disappointed!! http://www.kimbramusic.com/bio
The song I choose to share with you is Settle Down which is now available to download.
