I'm sticking with my motivation from summer!

As most of you already know, I'm sure, keeping on-track with your health plan can be rough. You don't just wake up one day and throw all of the bad food out of your house and decide to just BE healthy; It's a process. The point I am at in my process is cutting out white wheat and unnatural sugar, as well as monitoring my natural sugar intake. I recently began working out again on a schedule, and we all need the inner strength some days to follow through.

So today is a quick little post with some MOTIVATION that's been working for me at the gym lately, and I hope it inspires you too! :)

Here is my most recent 'pump it up' workout playlist..... Keep in mind that my music taste is on the edgy side. I also like to switch it up! (you can also follow me on Spotify and see what I've been listening to lately. My username is daniellelmatthews)

Now go get 'em!!


1. Zedd - Push Play
2. Art of Dying - Raining ft. Adam Gontier
3. Trophies - Young Money
4. Work - Iggy Azalea
5. Not Fading - All That Remains
6. Vice Grip - Parkway Drive
7. Happy Song - Bring Me the Horizon
8. Turn Down for What - DJ Snake
9. No More Favors - Jay Kill
10. Man of the Year - Schoolboy Q
11. It's Over When it's Over - Falling in Reverse
12. Through it All - From Ashes to New
13. I Work - Drastik
14. Speakerbox - Bassnectar
15. Fire N Gold - Bea Miller

I've got girl crushes, and you should too!

Happy Sunday, y'all!

Today I would like to discuss what I like to call 'girl crushes.' A girl crush, by my definition, is someone that I respect, is gorgeous, I envy them a tiny little bit, and I basically just want to be their best friend. If any woman in the world denies she has a girl crush, she's lying.

Sadly, most women see each other as competition and can be quite catty. I used to think that it was just a Texas thing, or just a southern thing, but I've come to realize with age that it's pretty much all of 'em and it's just downright SAD. As women, we should look at each other with respect and admiring eyes instead of daggers. In this culture, if you're a pretty girl, chances are that you have few female friends. We live in a world that likes to see people fail... There's this phenomenon called reality television that is banking billions on that fact.

Perhaps it is the fact that I was raised by my grandparents and my moral compass, although questionable through my early college years, now points a little more north than the typical person in my age category. If I'm in a social gathering and one gorgeous lady is among us, I'm probably going to go strike up a conversation and tell her how gorgeous she is and that we should be buds. But a typical woman would be in the corner talking amongst others saying something to the effect of, "that girl is so hot, I hate her."

If appreciating other women for being beautiful, talented, and all around awesome is WRONG, then I don't wanna be RIGHT.

Without further ado, here's the short list of my girl crushes:

BLAKE LIVELY

Two words: Style. Icon. She's not afraid to take risk and is one heck of an actress. Don't believe me? Cruise on over to Netflix and watch the little known film 'Hick' I would basically love to raid the girl's closet because everything she wears is flawless. She's also a self-proclaimed foodie, a woman after my own heart!

LAUREN CONRAD

There's not a whole lot of women out there that could hold down true class on a reality show for YEARS. She is also a loved style icon of mine, and has been since those Laguna Beach days. Even though she lived a privileged upbringing, she now has a couple of fashion lines, a lifestyle website with awesome woman-based articles, and a fair-trade website where she has collected items from all over the world made by women so that we can purchase them and help sustain families in less fortunate countries... She built an empire on her shoulders alone, and the timeless class that she exudes always. 

NIKKI BELLA (NICOLE GARCIA)

This woman is my ultimate fitspiration. I'm pretty curvy myself, and it's hard to find women in the public eye that aren't too skinny, and that are athletically built. I realize everyone has their own opinion about what 'fit' is and what they want their own body to look like. Nikki is one half of the WWE's Bella Twins tag team divas and stars on a reality show that airs Sunday nights on E! Again, another classy lassie even under the harsh microscope of the media. I'm sure you're seeing my trend here.

JENNA MARBLES

I love a woman that can speak her mind, and Jenna Marbles does just that on her YouTube channel every Wednesday since I can remember, just beware of the language. I respect and admire any woman that makes NO apologies for being exactly who she is, and then puts it out there... scrutiny be darned. Go check out her channel, because you'll laugh your butt off.

I'll leave you with a quote that I came across today:

"A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it. It just blooms."

- Sensei Ogui

Now tell me your girl crushes and why!