I ran across Taralynn McNitt’s tumblr, undressedskeleton.tumblr.com, and found myself enthralled by this young woman’s perseverance and overall optimism in life.

Formerly, a heavier version of herself, Taralynn made a drastic decision to change herself for the better. She resolved to be more disciplined in her eating and fitness habits and follow through with diets she had always put off until "tomorrow." Like many people who struggle with body image issues, Taralynn struggled with the temptation of binging and being discouraged by lack of results. However, her desire to be her best self and achieve her self-designated goals won out over the minor disappointments -- this mama would NOT be dispirited! She was sick of being “the girl with the ‘pretty face’ or the ‘best friend’ of the skinny girl” and decided she would not settle for being unhappy with what she had control over. She changed her diet, exercised consistently and began to think positively about her body, and her dreams and aspirations. With that cutthroat willpower and the tenacity of a bulldog, Taralynn overcame huge obstacles including, but not limited to weight, self-esteem, bullies, and even abuse. I’d say this champion definitely came out on top.

Check out her story and her site for inspiration and great ideas for fitness, meals and an overall healthy lifestyle!

Here are a few of my tips and tricks for getting motivated and staying strong through your daily workouts. Remember that it takes dedication and perseverance to see results. Power through, don't give up!

The Right Fit: In order to get fit, you need to get in the right mode. Your clothes should be breathable and most importantly, you cannot be afraid to get them a little dirty or sweaty! Make sure they're not too tight, revealing, impractical, nor too loose, baggy, bulky. I suggest Soffe shorts and an old tee! Or if you still want to look cute, invest in some yoga pants and cute tanks like this one!

Courtesy: unknown

The right kicks for your health kick: Tennis or running shoes, girl! No flats, Toms, sandals, heels, Uggs, etc. They have got to be suitable for wear and tear – comfortable, yet supportive. The right shoes play an important role in your overall performance! They can take you further and higher than you ever imagined yourself going, so step in to the right pair of tennies before hittin' the pavement! Here are some fab Nikes to give you an idea!

Nike Free 7.0 v2 Women's Gray/Pink Running Shoes, nike-free-30.com, $69.99 (sale)

Mean muggin’; If you’re serious about breaking a sweat, then I would suggest washing your face clean and tying your hair back before you begin. A face free of all makeup can prevent dirt buildup and eventual breakouts. You can imagine how unsanitary it might be for your sweat and your foundation to be dripping down your neck... Along the same lines, hair in your face and around your neck can cause the oil and dirt to clog up your pores. Avoid the nasty mess and hit the track with a fresh, fierce face! Like her! (Although, ironically, you can't see her intense face.)

Courtesy: Posh Meets Pavement

Drown out the competition: Although you might not be racing or competing in the Olympics, having some motivational music to flood out the surrounding noise, can help you concentrate on your goals, motivate you to power through and make the entire process plenty more bearable. I suggest powerful inspirational ballads belted by strong and independent woman to distract you from your burning thighs and calves! Hehe.

Fuel up: Treating your body right is the only way you’ll see results. Start from the inside out. Hydrate yourself with plenty of fluids – preferably water! Make sure you understand that your body needs to be replenished and revitalized, don’t deprive it! And of course, eat right and accordingly. Get the protein and carbs necessary to sustain you through your exercise regimen! You’ll find that when you eat well and nourish your body with liquids, you will be able to push yourself harder during your workout.

Here are just a few of the many fashion and beauty tricks woman have discovered over the years when they’re in a pickle and pressed for time. Hope you remember some of these quick fixes the next time you’re on vacation or in the office or stuck on a deserted island, and don’t have all the essentials at your disposal!

Gotta Run: If you unfortunately find a tear in your stockings or tights, clear nail polish on the ends of the rip will stop the run from becoming more noticeable. Let the polish dry and harden before you put the socks back on, to avoid getting sticky nail polish all over your legs or feet.

Wait, Hair Me Out: A dab of hand lotion or Vaseline will do wonders for those flyaways and frizzy ends. While, baby powder near the roots has been a longstanding remedy for oily, dirty, “day 2” hair.

How to Make Things White: Chipped French manicure? Fill it in with a wee bit of liquid white out! But, try not to make a habit out of this! Clearly, white-out isn’t the best looking white nail polish out there.

Black to the Basics: If you’re desperate and/or daring enough, a standard black sharpie can be a great fill in if you find a scuff in your boots or say, a bleach stain on your favorite cotton tee.

Without a Trace: If your little black dress isn’t looking so black, obviously scotch tape would do the same job as a missing lint roller. Make sure you are familiar with how delicate the fabric is before you take any heavy duty tape to it, though.

In a Pinch: Don’t have a bandaid on hand for your blistering heels? Rub some Vaseline, chapstick or lip balm on the areas your shoes are rubbing against to minimize friction and stop the pinching pain.

Like Match-ic! A small box of matches can really work some magic! First, if a bathroom isn’t smelling so pleasant, lighting a match helps to reduce odor in a jiffy! Also, the rough strike strip can double up as an emery board (nail file) when you get a pesky chip.

While I was thinking of these quick little tricks, I realized there are a couple things that I must warn you against doing, even if you’re stuck without the proper necessities. Avoid these at all costs, please!

Looking for a Solution: If your eyes begin to feel a little dry, and it’s about that time to take off your contact lenses, please do NOT substitute disinfecting solution with water (even the purest, bottled water -- and especially not tap!) or worst yet, saliva or any other liquid. Sterile solution is exclusively meant to cleanse your lenses and maintain its shape and texture. Water can contain germs and bacteria that can feed on your eyeball if you put the lens back in your eye. Please be smart!

Smokey Eye: During my research for this post, I saw some people suggest using a burnt match as eyeliner, or eye shadow, when you don’t have any makeup on hand. The reason I think this is a bad idea, albeit I’ve never tried this, is I truly don’t think it is sanitary or safe to use the charcoal end so close to your eye. Along these same lines, try not to share or borrow friends’ makeup – it’s just messy and can lead to cysts and styes, among other infections.

Get creative & I hope some of these tips come in handy!

When I’m doing my makeup in the morning, I make sure to push everything into the middle of my vanity, as far away from the edges as possible. Because I'm like a clumsy little kid and if I’m not careful, I end up dropping eye shadows and blushes on the floor and they end up being nothing but a great big mess.

Well, here's what I do to clean up the chaos! If you’re able to salvage most of the shadow from those dropped pans, I’ve got a quick and easy way for you to fix your crumbly shadows:

You will need:
Your sad broken shadow
Rubbing alcohol (anything above 70% will do just fine)
A dropper
A ziplock bag
A cotton swab

Gather all the loose pieces and put them back into the container, as evenly as you can. I know this seems silly, but the smaller and more evenly broken the pieces are, the better it will look when you press it back together! Take a few drops of the alcohol and mix it into your shadow. Don’t overdo it. You don’t want to flood your shadows, just enough liquid to loosen the pigments. Place your shadow in its container, into the ziplock back and use the cotton swab, or a light finger to gently press the shadow back into a presentable shape. Avoid smashing the shadow or digging your fingers into the pigment, but do try to compress it all back, as tightly as possible. Then let the shadow dry overnight. The alcohol will evaporate rather quickly and kill any germs that might have snuck into your makeup, and voila! Your eye shadow is pretty much good as new! Of course it won’t look like you just took it out of its packaging, but it will be in one whole piece again, and you won’t have to toss anymore broken shadows!

Hope it works for y'all!

I dread going to the gym almost every single day. Although this may seem silly, I feel like the whole world notices when I don’t have mascara on, my ponytail is off center, and I’m sweating from everywhere but my ears. That’s why I was ecstatic when I found POP Pilates vidoes! Spunky and enthusiastic Pilates instructor, Cassey Ho, takes you through quick, easy to follow workouts that target different areas of the body that can be done on their own, or combined for a total body workout session. The best part – she’s on Youtube!

Cassey’s videos feature some upbeat pop songs that help make the workouts a bit more enticing and a lot more bearable. She incorporates Pilates, cardio, stretches and even healthy diet tips, into easily accessible and achievable workout videos. Some of the exercises may seem challenging, but lucky for you, you’re in the privacy of your own home, so there’s really no harm in trying! Aside from the comfortable seclusion and the perk that Youtube is free, another advantage to these videos is that you can fit them in to your own personal schedule. 15 minutes is most likely not enough time to drive to and from the 1 hour yoga class at your local gym, but it’s definitely enough time to watch a “Bikini Bootcamp” or “Muffin Top Meltdown” video, and feel good about getting exercise in each day. The videos are organized, dynamic and catered to each individual at any level. You will enjoy Cassey’s relaxed, easygoing style and appreciate the professionalism in her expertise.

Check out her Youtube Channel - Blogilates Workouts.

Get strong and good luck!