A woman should never be without an accessory

I am both happy and proud to share that after almost a year away from lifting, due to injury and then surgery, I am back at it! My husband has started us both on a new 8 week program to switch things up for both of us. We are only on day three, but it has been great to be back at a gym with weights in my hands. It has also been helpful and rewarding to have a gym partner like him with the knowledge, passion, and skills he has obtained over the past few years.

Last night the gym was BUSY. There were roughly 25 people working out in the weight room and only one of them had two X chromosomes – Me. (Now where you may think this blog is going with the conversation of women and weights can be saved for another day.) Instead, I am going to share with you some “girly” gym accessories to keep you looking your best while working on looking your best so you can proudly rock your workout knowing you can keep up with the guys!

Whether you go to a nail salon, or do your own at-home manicure, let’s face it – we all cherish the length of our manicure. When I pay, I want my moolah to be worth it. And when I do it at home, I want my time of wiping off all the extra polish from my cuticles because it looks like a 3 year old painted my nails, worth it.

A pedicure typically consists of buffing and cleaning up the bottom of the feet while a manicure never buffs the palm of your hands. Lifting weights for long period of time with heavier weights and metal bars can cause some serious callus action on the hands. My husband thinks it is great – after all; keeps his hands looking manly – gross. I on the other hand would prefer my hands to stay soft and womanly.

SOLUTION: lifting gloves. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors but they are basically fingerless gloves that cover where your hands will meet the dumbbell or barbell to prevent callusing. They are also an affordable fix – I almost always see them at Marshalls ranging between $6-12.

Anyone else hate that awful kink you get in your hair after putting it up in a ponytail or wearing a thing hairband around your head? I DO! Especially for the fact that I do not wash my hair more than twice a week, screwing up a newly washed and blow dried head of hair that took me a half hour to tame is really a way to ruin my day. Meet my new best friend.

These hair ties and head bands started being trendy with the Yoga, Pilates and Barre world since their workouts tend to involve less jumping around and slower more precise movements. Well, a lot of lifting exercises don’t require you to move more than one body part at a time, so embrace away!

Too good to be true? Well maybe a little. I did 15mins cardio last night after some bicep/tricep work and the headband didn’t stay on as well as my usual ones, but I didn’t mind fixing it a few times to save me the trouble of fixing my hair too much afterwards.

The Best Bar Concept Yet...

The only thing that upset me about dry bar is that I didn’t come up with this concept myself. Their marketing is creative and spot on to say the least. All blow dries are $40. No questions asked.

This is the perfect place if you are going somewhere nice or if you just don’t have the time or means to blow dry and style your own hair.

Their eye catching  website had me at hello with their menu of services being named after cocktails, of course and the fact that you can book online on almost any 15 minute increment.

The salon continued its expectations once I arrived. I was immediately greeted and my coat was taken care of, followed by my drink order which was an option of coffee, tea or water (it was a Sunday afternoon). I was told they serve big girl drinks if you have an evening appointment and mimosas in the morning.

The set up was adorable, as expected. The entire salon is set up like a “bar” where you put your drink on a coaster and your feet on a metal bar that lines the floor. I had about a 10 minute wash and scrub and she spent about 30-40 minutes blowing out and styling my hair (keep in mind, I have long, wavy, sometimes frizzy hair.) She asked if I was okay with using product and then showed me what she was using and explained why she was using it. Having worked in a hair salon for many years, I am not afraid of product and usually don’t care what the stylist or salon prefer to use, but it exemplified her professional customer service by explaining because I know most people like to know what is being put on their locks!

My hair came out great and I am still loving it two days later. The receptionist gave me a yellow dry bar umbrella when I left because it was a rainy day. It was the cherry on top of my Shirley Temple of an appointment. You can leave gratuity on your credit card, which most salons do not allow or prefer. I grabbed some of their ads lying around – a card that looked like an iPhone informing about their Smart Phone App and a business card which was, what else, a cardboard drink coaster!

My stylist told me they just recently came out with all of their own products. I think it is the perfect way to trademark their business and also, they continued over with the great drink-related names…

Check out their website and give them a try! You won't be disappointed! http://www.thedrybar.com/

Day 4: Shampoo without the water

Since I was younger, I have always found ways to not have to wash and style my hair daily due to the fact that not only do I prefer my hair long, but it is wavy and thick. From wet to dry, my styling time can range anywhere between 20 and 40 mins....Can you imagine...40mins out of your sleep cycle EVERY day?!?! No thank you.

In the past few years, I've gotten really good at only washing my hair about twice a week. If I am working out a lot, I usually have to do it three times. Aside from the hair styles that are trending right now that can help disguise a few days old wash (i.e. sleek ponytails, top buns, braids), product is what really can help you here. In high school, I used to slap some baby powder on my root, rub it around and put a hot blow dryer to the root. It was a decent fix. Even now if I'm in a bind I resort to using it. (Once again, don't underestimate products that have the word "baby" on them.)

This was all until I discovered dry shampoo. They are everywhere now. They are great for absorbing some of your natural oils, but they usually have an extra benefit of volume and/or texture. Feast your eyes on this...

Bumble and Bumble has won my heart AGAIN. I can't get obsessed with their shampoos quite yet, but their styling products had me at hello every time. One of their newer products, the pret a powder, is AMAZING. I am not exaggerating when I tell you, this product can save you from washing your hair for over week. Yes. Double digit days.

I don't exactly ever stretch it that long...but you get the point. It is a white powder that you shake onto your roots; massage in the way you would if your hair were wet with regular shampoo; top off with a little blow dry at the roots if you would like for some extra volume and voila!

The product description also says it is good for texture with braids and buns so I gave it a whirl using it at the ends of my hair in combination with their Surf Spray (another fabulous product) and it was great!

Buy this product and you will be pushing snooze a few extra times tomorrow morning. Thank me when you don't need that afternoon coffee :)