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Alyssa Lee

I am a city-dweller from Boston, Massachusetts with a creative soul and a craving for adventure. I appreciate good coffee, great friends, and the little things in life.

Winter workout routine

We compiled some exercises to do indoors during the cold winter months

Getting a good winter workout routine during the colder months becomes less of a priority because we don’t need that beach body anymore, right? Actually, doing a winter workout can make it easier to remain fit for next summer! These exercises can be done in the warmth of your own home, so you don’t have to go out and face the winter storms.

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The T Push Up

Targets: arms & abs

1.     Start in a push-up position with your arms straight. Lower yourself to the floor

2.     As you push yourself back up, slowly lift your right arm above your head and rotate your body on to the outside of your left foot

3.     Straighten your right arm, pointing your fingertips to the ceiling. Hold for three seconds. Do the same but lift your left arm the next time.

4.     Continue alternating on both sides, 10 times on each side, for a total of 20 push-ups.

 

Standing Leg Kicks

Targets: abs & legs

1.     Stand up with your back straight and arms reached straight out in front of you.

2.     Kick your right leg straight out in front of you as high as you can go without bending the knees.

3.     After you bring back your right leg, kick out your left leg in the same manner.

4.     Continue alternating right and left kicks, 20 times on each side, for a total of 40 leg kicks.

 

Heel Squats

Targets: glutes

1.     Stand up straight with your feet about shoulder width apart and your arms raised above your head.

2.     Squat down making sure knees do not pass the tips of your toes.

3.     As you squat down, take your right hand and cross over to your left heel. Simultaneously, swing your left arm behind your back.

4.     As you come back up, raise both hands back over your head.

5.     Squat again with your left hand crossing over to your right heel and your right hand swinging behind your back. Come back up and raise both hands above your head again.

6.     Continue alternating left and right heel squats, 10 on each side, for a total of 20 squats.

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Melissa McCarthy is diving into the fashion world with her new clothing line

The comedienne will be premiering Seven7 in September

 

We all know Melissa McCarthy as the hilarious comedienne who has starred in TV shows and movies such as Gilmore Girls, Bridesmaids and Tammy. Now fans get to see another side of McCarthy that makes her even more likable and relatable–her fashion sense and style. McCarthy knows that feeling good in one’s own clothing results in a confident woman. Her new fashion line, Melissa McCarthy Seven7, launches on September 1, 2015. “It’s always what I thought I would do,” says McCarthy who studied clothing and textiles in college. She even moved in with shoe designer, Brian Atwood, and planned to finish her degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology; however, her plans were cut short when Atwood encouraged her to do stand-up.

In order to fulfill her college dreams, McCarthy wanted Melissa McCarthy Seven7 to consist of “everything a woman needs.” With prices below $150, McCarthy wanted to eliminate any worries about money that many women have when they are shopping for clothes. From dresses to tailored separates to denim, she intended for women to have choices and to have fun. Melissa McCarthy Seven7 also encourages women to step out of their comfort zones, which she had to do when designing her fashion line. McCarthy admits that she went fifteen years without owning a pair of denim jeans. “I was completely against it…I just didn’t get it,” she confesses. Now with a fashion line that includes denim, McCarthy shows others that it is okay to try new things. She also believes feeling good about one’s style is a confidence booster.

When being dressed for red carpet events, McCarthy would feel like her body was being forced into something that was not her style. “I have to feel good to be confident and to be myself,” she explains. Knowing this, McCarthy ensured that her clothing line would make other women feel good so that they could also be confident.

One of the ways women can have even more fun with Melissa McCarthy Seven7 is to break all of the rules. “I want you to wear it how you want,” encourages McCarthy, who has worn turtlenecks for pants and tops as skirts. She has even worn dresses backwards. With pieces displaying charming heart prints, animal patterns and graffiti-like paint splatter prints, women can mix and match different articles of clothing however they please. “Anytime something has a personal feel to it, it’s authentic, and I find it inspiring,” says McCarthy, whose fun patterns allow women to add their own twists to personalize their styles. Melissa McCarthy Seven7 also debunks the myth that only all-black clothing looks can be slimming. The fun prints and colorblocking designs still prove to be flattering on any body type.

One of the goals of Melissa McCarthy Seven7 is to bring fashionable runway looks to women of all different shapes. With sizes ranging from four to 28, McCarthy’s designs are suitable for many different body types. Along with a reasonable range of sizes, Melissa McCarthy Seven7 focuses on satisfying real-world needs in a stylish manner. “I want pockets in my dresses,” McCarthy explains. “I put pockets in everything! I want pockets inside my pockets.” For those of us who have worn articles of clothing without pockets, we are familiar with the annoyance of having nowhere to put our phones or cash; McCarthy also understands the struggle and helps to solve this issue in her fashion line.

Melissa McCarthy Seven7 encourages women to have fun with their clothing and to always try new looks. McCarthy’s fashion line allows women to be themselves and feel confident about who they are. It also changes the way women view their body types by giving all different shapes and sizes the chance to wear beautiful runway looks. “One of the best parts of a woman’s body is that curve,” says McCarthy. “I go a little bit higher on all of my things to show off the best part of the hourglass.” 

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