30 Days + Gratitude

Today I start a 30 day yoga challenge. This is not a New Year's resolution... I've been planning this challenge since September and purposely chose this month to do it because it falls 30 days before my 30th birthday! I am excited... very, very excited, but a bit nervous because I know 30 days of 1.5 hours of power vinyasa yoga will be exhausting and challenging. While I would be lying if I said I am not looking forward to the health benefits of doing yoga for 30 days in a row, I am doing this challenge to focus on inner-strength, to focus on commitment, and most importantly to focus on gratitude. 

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Since yoga [along with my full time job + boyfriend] will be my focus in the month of January, my blog will become secondary. I am not going away completely... I just might not be able to post daily. But, please continue to check back... because after January, I have a few fun things in the works for a {little} dash of ash!! :) Wish me luck! And... happy, happy 2013. xoxo.

4th Day of Christmas: {Gifts for the Girl with Resolutions}

Happy 4th Day of Christmas! Every girl has resolutions beginning on January 1st, so I thought I would put together a little gift guide for those who love to workout [or those who need a little extra motivation to workout]! These items are perfect for beginners and seasoned pros! My {nike free run shoes} are my favorite running shoes [ever] and I personally have a few Lululemon items on my wishlist because I am doing a 30-day yoga challenge in January! Hope these items can bring a little motivation to someone on your list! Cute new apparel motivates! ;) PS. the {tie-dye tank} below is 30% off!

Starting top left: a new {yoga mat}, a gold {yoga monkey} as a reminder to workout, {yoga strap}, the perfect running shoe {nike free run} and {nike+ chip} for inside your shoe, {towel} for hot yoga, {hair ties}, tie-dye workout {tank}, jersey {leggings} for working out or everyday, a {self magazine} subscription, grip yoga {socks}, anything from {lululemon} - definitely on my personal wishlist as a girl can never have enough {wunder under crops}, SIGG {water bottle}, longchamp {tote} for all of her gear, and a {yoga block}, perfect accessory to throw in her tote.

Previous Gift Guides: Stocking Stuffers for Her, Stocking Stuffers for Him, Gifts for the Paris-Obsessed

30 Day Shred

If you know me.... you are probably not even reading this blog post after seeing the title since I have seriously started a "diet" every single Monday since I can remember! Even though I have no credibility what so ever... this.is.for.real!  I am not going to say I'm fat, because I'm not... but I definitely need, ok really want to lose these awful 10 pounds I can not seem to ever get rid of! The funny thing is... it actually would be so easy for me to lose them if I learned to cook and didn't eat out every single meal!  Yup, that is right, every single meal [for the past 6 years]!  Oh, and for some reason I also think it is 100% appropriate to eat dessert after every single meal!  That's like 5 desserts a day! So below is my motivation...  I should some how make this a static post at the top of my blog to remind me daily to just spend a few minutes a day thinking about what I am eating!  They say... "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"!  We'll see about that!  I'll let you know my results in 30 days!  Oh, PS. Jillian Micheals is going to be my new bff for every day of August! 

But... really its the eating I need to change, not the working out!  Even though new abs and skinnier arms would definitely be a plus!  If anyone has any words of inspiration, I would love to hear :)  I really need to know quick, healthy snacks... because 3 cupcakes a day is going to catch up real fast! ;) xxoo!

All images found via {pinterest}