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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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New Posting Schedule + 2018 Resolutions + Giveaway!

January 1, 2018 by Taylor 4 Comments

2018 Resolutions - Espresso and Ambition

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! In honor of the first day of 2018, I’m sharing a few of my New Year’s Resolutions with you all. (There’s also a giveaway at the end of this post!)

But first, a note to any regular readers – as you may have noticed last week, I put up three posts instead of my usual two. This is actually a permanent change – I’m officially a three-post-a-week gal! Instead of Tuesdays and Fridays, you can expect a new post to appear on Espresso and Ambition every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Anyways, let’s dive into the resolutions and the giveaway.

 

Resolution #1: Start meditating

I always pick one “big” goal for the year based on the area of my life that I think needs the biggest improvement. In 2016, it was losing weight and getting healthy; in 2017, it was reading more books, since I love reading but had gotten out of the habit of it. This year, I want to start meditating early. With all of the pieces of my life that I attempt to balance, my mind can easily turn into a jumbled mess at times. I want a better way to start my days with a clear head, and 10 minutes of meditation first thing in the morning seems like an excellent way to do that. I’ve downloaded the Headspace app, which I’ve heard is amazing for beginner meditators. I can’t wait to see how this one goes!

 

Resolution #2: Make a YouTube channel 

This resolution is actually a long time coming. I’ve been planning to launch a YouTube channel for a few months now, and the new year just seems like the perfect time to do that. This resolution is also why I’ve made the change in my posting schedule – I’m planning to post normal blog posts on Mondays and Fridays, with video content coming out on Wednesdays. If all goes according to plan (meaning I can successfully film and edit for the first time in the next 48 hours), the first video is going up on Wednesday!

 

Resolution #3: Get rid of things I don’t need

As someone who’s getting pretty darn close to the point in her life when she packs everything she owns into a U-Haul and moves to a new city after graduation, I really need to start clearing out my possessions and getting rid of things I don’t need. I’ve started some of that in 2017 by listing some clothes on Poshmark and the like, but I’m ready to take it up a notch in 2018. I’m also extending this beyond material things, and really working to narrow down the things I dedicate my time and energy. There’s only so many hours in a day, and I want to be sure they’re not wasted on things I don’t really care about.

 

2018 Resolutions - Espresso and Ambition

And now, the giveaway! As you already know, my 2017 resolution was to read 50 books (a task I accomplished at 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve). In honor of fulfilling that resolution, I’m giving away a few of my favorite books from the year! I’ll be giving away 2 sets of 2 books – the first will contain Handmaid’s Tale and Leave Your Mark, and the second will contain Girl Code and The Nightingale. A few of these books have been featured in my book posts throughout the year, so I hope you’ll love them too. This giveaway is open to anyone in the United States (I’d love to do an international giveaway at some point, but international shipping is just so darn expensive, lol). Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy 2018 – I hope this year is all you want it to be and more!

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Etc., Thoughts

Comments

  1. Sophie says

    January 1, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    I’d love to grow my blog, even more, this year. I think Youtube would be a fun exciting challenge.

    Reply
  2. Michelle says

    January 1, 2018 at 10:45 pm

    Sounds like you’ve got some amazing upcoming goals, cant wait to see what you accomplish in 2018!!!

    Reply
  3. Lauren says

    January 6, 2018 at 9:08 pm

    Great giveaway! I haven’t read these books yet and they are on my list!

    Reply
  4. Abbey says

    January 8, 2018 at 7:37 pm

    Book giveaways are an awesome idea! I haven’t read any of the ones on your list but im definitely interested in a few of them. Happy 2018!

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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