I know I've been a little MIA the past couple weeks and I apologize for that. I've been working on writing my first novel and the deadline is Labor Day, so I've been busting my butt trying to get it done. Unfortunately, when I'm writing something like that, my brain just isn't able to think about anything else. The blog fell my the wayside, but now I'm back! I won't make any promises that I'll never miss a day ever again, because that's just unrealistic. But, I will promise y

Holly Flores! Woohoo! Congratulations on winning the giveaway, Holly. You have won a signed copy of A Dancer's Diary, a signed copy of Stress Less Cooking by Deidra Howard, and 2 Yes-To Face Masks. Thank you to everyone who entered! If you would like to know about more opportunities to enter fun giveaways, make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list to get first access to new stuff. Until next time, Amanda #Giveaway #Book #Blogging #Summer

Like anything in life, exercise should be done in moderation. There are usually two types of people when it comes to fitness; those who aren't motivated to exercise at all and those who love to exercise because it makes them feel good. There is also one more type of person who takes exercise to the extreme of an addiction. This person takes up a very small percentage of the fitness community, however, I have been seeing more and more of these people coming out of the woodwork

Have a wonderful day my lovely readers! Don't forget to enter to win a signed copy of A Dancer's Diary, a signed copy of Stress Less Cooking by Deidra Howard, and two Yes-To Face masks. Click here to enter! Until next time, Amanda #Dance #Health #Quotes #Exercise #Book #Inspiration #Athletics #Sports #Support #Giveaway #Dancers #Summer

Every dancer knows exactly what I'm going to talk about today. Have you ever experienced snapping or popping joints? Most dancers, and some athletes, have. It has become a pretty normal annoyance to have to deal with. However, does it actually mean something is wrong? That is what we are going to talk about. A lot of the time, snapping joints are totally benign. Though, there are times when this popping can be from an injury. They usually snap or pop due to one or more of the

We've talked a lot about how to take care of your skin from both the inside and outside. On Monday, I shared some of the best foods to eat to help clear up your skin and maintain decreased levels of inflammation and Wednesday I shared some of my favorite skin care products and recipes. I look forward to sharing even more with you in the coming week. For now, though, I wanted to offer you a chance to win a couple of things that will help you in your quest for healthy, clear sk

I've had a lot of fun so far trying out new products and recipes for pampering myself at home. Now, I know that nothing beats a spa and having someone give you a massage or facial, however, sometimes it's just not the most affordable option. Because I haven't had enough time to try out all of the recipes that I wanted to, I'm going to extend this series into next week as well. Today, I'm going to share the products that I have tried and hopefully you like them! Some of these

If you follow me on Instagram, you will have seen that I am starting a series all about natural care products and at-home "spa" items. I've decided to try out a couple of different facial care brands as well as some easy recipes. To start off this series, we're going to discuss some great foods that will help you achieve healthy, strong skin and hair. Food is the main way to keep your body healthy and happy. Sticking to healthy foods that are high in antioxidants, minerals, a

So...I know it's been a couple of week since part one of this short series, however, I think it's time to pick it back up again and finish it. If you didn't see the first part, you can check it out here. As I mentioned in my last post, back pain is a very common issue among all ages. Whether they are active or inactive, athletic or not, young or old. In the last post, I shared some great strengthening exercises for increasing back strength. Today, I am going to share some cor

Good afternoon everyone! I want to apologize for the absence of posts last week, but we're back on track this week. Today I'm sharing some great on-the-go meals that you can take to the beach, work, or on a road trip. These meals can be packed up weekly or the day before and grabbed and packed up in a cooler. They are healthy, protein-packed, and delicious! Breakfasts Oatmeal On-The-Go Bars (recipe from Weelicious) Ingredients: 2 cups old fashioned oats 1 cup whole wheat flou

I love finding new resources that will help me with both my job as a personal trainer and dance teacher, but also as a dancer myself. I spend a lot of time researching various products and books to make sure that they are indeed helpful and proven to be effective. One of the best programs that I discovered a couple of years ago was this flexibility program. I encourage you to check it out for yourself and here is why: For years I've struggled with inflexibility. Sure, I can t

As a health professional, I find that having healthy makeup brands is just as important as eating healthy foods. Everything that you put on your skin eventually makes it into your bloodstream. Because of this, you need to make sure that you are choosing products that don't contain harmful ingredients. If you would like to read more on this subject, you can check out A Dancer's Diary. The most common ingredients that can be harmful to your health include: Sodium lauryl sulfate

These snack options are great for both pre and post-workout fueling. You can combine any of your favorites from this list to get the necessary protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber that your body needs to maintain a healthy metabolism. To make things easier on yourself, you can even package some of these in your fridge for on-the-go options. Enjoy! Until next time, Amanda #Athletics #Sports #Dancers #Dance #Health #Spring #Exercise #Book #Food #Blogging

I've been thinking about some fun changes for the blog lately and I'm excited to announce that they will finally be coming into effect for the summer! We will be working on some more workouts for you as well as interesting health topics, traveling, and more. Make sure you are following the blog to get regular updates on new posts. These changes will take place on June 1st! You can also follow me on Instagram for regular updates. I try to keep my stories and feed updated in or

One of the most common injuries in both dance and athletics is rotator cuff injury. This particular injury comes from overuse (baseball, tennis, swimming, weightlifting, and football). This can cause a huge problem for athletes who constantly use their arms. If you work through the pain and don't take care of the injury right away, the shoulder ligaments and tendons can degenerate causing further injury and future issues. The best way to keep this from happening is to strengt

I haven't posted as much as I'd like on fitness so I'm going to start regularly sharing some of my favorite fitness tips and exercises. Today, I would like to share some of my favorite core exercises to help you get in shape for the summer. It is important to build up strength in your core to take pressure off your back. When your core is weak, it can lead to back pain and/or weakness. Remember to start slow and work up to more repetitions as you get stronger. Pushing too har

I love having snacks in the house because I feel like I'm always hungry. When you start to build up your metabolism in order to lose weight, you will start to burn calories a lot faster. To keep the weight at bay, I recommend trying these healthy make-at-home snacks that you can pack up and bring with you anywhere. Trail Mix I recommend choosing nuts like Brazil, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews and combining them with seeds like sunflower, pumpkin, chia, and apricot. Th

This spring, I will be offering $10 off the Amazon price of A Dancer's Diary! If you order before June 1st, you will get A Dancer's Diary for only $25. Just click "order your copy of A Dancer's Diary" in the upper left corner of this page and fill out the information. A Dancer's Diary offers great information specific to dancers and athletes (and those in between) who wish to maintain health and strength throughout their careers. You will learn how to properly maintain streng

For the last month or so, I have been posting about all of the dangerous and unhealthy ways to lose weight. Now, it's time to post a little more positivity and help you out with healthy weight-loss solutions. This is going to be a new series that will hopefully last until the end of March. I hope you're as excited as I am to embark on this weight-loss journey together! Please let me know if you have any questions about what I write or any other weight-loss issues you are deal

I have a bit of a back injury and am not able to exercise, however, you are able to exercise so I am going to share a little inspiration with you to keep working out. Keep up the good work guys! I made a huge amount of progress last week building muscle and increasing metabolism (I am eating so much!) that it's a bummer that I can't continue. Be positive and push through to achieve your goals. Don't push too hard to the point of injury (like me, ugh!) but some pain and burnin