Guest Post- Holiday Tummy Toning

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Oh goodness, sometimes my brain and excitement get away with me and I completely forget to announce some pretty exciting things! During the holiday season I was able to do my first (yippee!) guest post for a very good friend of mine over at Teatime Thoughts. Candice is a former ballet dancer, like me, and has an incredible blog geared towards everything fashion and girly. She is an awesome girl and her site is fantastic!

I am so happy that we were able to join up for Holiday Tummy Toning and decided this is as good a time as any other to share what we did! It goes especially well with our accidental ab theme this week too.

The work out is comprised of some pretty ab-tastic moves that will help tone the abs and get a handles on those (unloved) love handles. This is great to do after your regular workout routine, or, on it's own with multiple sets.

Disney's Newest Dining Experince- Be Our Guest

For those that do not know, Disney World here in Florida, has opened a completely new part of fantasy land. The "New Fantasy Land" has three main areas, Ariel's castle, Snow White's home and mineshaft (opening in 2014), and Bell's French town with castle. It is an absolutely beautiful area that we have been counting down to the opening of. We were able to get a look at it back in November during our Disney trip, but the most exciting part had to wait until our last trip on December 31st. Yep, we went to Disney for New Years.

We were able to get reservations for Disney's newest fine(er) dining establishment back in October when the reservations opened, and I have been dying for December 31st to come.

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Magic Kingdom on New Years has been a goal of mine for quite a long time. I have been crazy excited to go this year, and even more excited to try out a dining spot that has been labeled as having some of the best food in Disney. After being at Disney to welcome in the New Year, I would highly suggest everyone do the same at least once in their lives. It was incredible. Everything from the fireworks to the castle to the cast members was memorable. The crowds were massive, but nothing compared to New York... And most of them were quite a bit happier too. Plus, the park is open well after 12 and most people clear out around this time. We stayed after midnight and were able to walk onto Haunted Mansion, walk around the park with ease, get free cookies and hot cocoa, and join the late night dance party- all before 1:30. Epic.

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The atmosphere at Be Our Guest is incredible. To get in, you first walk over the bridge guarded by giant gargoyles, Enter through large wooden double doors, and are welcomed in a grand (but dark) foyer. It really does seem exactly like the Beast's castle from the movie. There are three dining areas throughout, the Grand Ballroom, the West Wing, and the Rose room.

The Grand Ballroom lives up to it's name. It is massive and an exact replicate to the movie. There are three large, golden chandeliers, a wall with floor to ceiling windows, and a view of snow covered mountains with snow falling outside (we were there in December). It was beautiful.

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The West Wing is exactly what you think it would be, all the way to the torn tapestries and the rose. It is the smallest room of the three and has a completely different ambiance than the other two, more romantic rooms. This room is dark with wood beams, the Beast's slashed picture on the wall, and chandeliers of pillar candles. The best part of this room is in the back corner where you can see the Beast's rose suspended under glass. 

The third room we went into was medium in size and had pictures from the movie that look hand painted throughout. It was wonderful to see all the screenshots and be reminded of forgotten favorite parts while dining. But, the best part of this room was the life-size statues of Bell and the Beast dancing in the center of the room. The Rose room matches the grandness of the Grand Ballroom and the mystery of the West Wing with it's elegance and romance.

By the time we were in the restaurant and ready to order, we had already researched the menu and knew what was best. For our entrees we ordered the Sautee Shrimp and Scallops and the Thyme Scented Pork Rack Chop. Both were incredible.

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The shrimp and scallop was served in a puff pastry with a lobster cream sauce. It was perfectly cooked and both the shrimp and scallops were larger than what I was expecting.

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Although I did not eat the pork, the husband loved it and gave me some of the au gratin pasta to try. It was delicious! I would highly recommend both dishes and get either again.

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The dinner was great, but the highlight of the meal was the dessert. A friend and Disney employee had tipped us off about a must have dessert. The Grey Stuff. Yes, from the movie. It is not on the menu and is only given for special events upon request. Our waitress was nice enough to give us one since we asked. I never knew grey stuff could taste so good. Creamy, chocolaty, and delicious... Don't believe me, ask the dishes ;)

Be Our Guest was a fantastic meal, and far less expensive than I was expecting. Whether you are a fan of the movie or not, the restaurant is not one to miss. I completely agree with all reviews that say it is the best food in Magic Kingdom. It is, hands down!

Six Pack in Six Weeks

So, you may be seeing a pattern this week. Yep, P+K has gone a little abtastic!  The abs and the bum are two of the most worked on areas of the body, maybe this is why they can also be found on most people's new year's goal lists. For those of you who want those abs and are ready to work the equivalent of ripping off a band aid, we have Jillian Michaels. Jillian is most popular for her work on The Biggest Loser, but she is also a fitness instructor, and co-host of the health and fitness podcast The Jillian Michaels Show. She is very involved in the fitness world, and her workouts show it! This video is a bit longer than anything that has been on P+K yet, but it is 35 minutes of pure, ab building, goodness. This will definitely work those abs and get you way closer to that six pack!

The video here is level 1. Jillian recommends completing the level 1 video five times per week for three weeks. Then, move on to level 2 for three weeks, five times per week as well. Whether you are that dedicated or not, I would highly suggest doing this work out at least once. There are some crazy good tips in here along with some great new workouts that I had never done before!

For those of you who want a flatter tum, but do not want it that bad, we have Amanda Russell. I have shown some of Amanda's videos on the site before, so it is nothing out of the ordinary. Amanda is great at getting big results in a small amount of time. This video is only three minutes long and the workout should take less than ten. The workout is comprised of six exercises done fifteen times each. Super simple.

I would recommend doing this workout after your normal routine. It is only ten minutes extra, so it will not take up too much time, but it will give major results!

The Perfect Sit Up

Well, it is the beginning of those new years resolutions. Here is something for those who added "get a six pack" (and I know there are a few of you out there!) to there yearly goals. We bought The Perfect Sit Up a few months ago, and honestly, I cannot remember why.... But I am happy we did. I love sit ups as much as the next girl- Well, maybe a little bit more. But even my sit ups could use some perfecting.

Chances are, the majority of people out there could use some help in the sit-up department. If you have ever gotten a sore neck, lower back, or not sore abs, you may be one of them. This machine is a bit cheaper than hiring a personal trainer any time you want to get some ab work in. It has some pretty neat machinery that works in ways I do not understand to make sure that you are sitting up far enough and sitting up right.

The machine (not really a machine) can be altered for taller or shorter people and can be changed to do bicycle sit ups and the like. If you are one of those ridiculous muscle people, this could help you too! The machine can increase resistance to give a harder workout. Maybe not the thing for someone on their first day of ab toning, but definitely handy for the sit-up veteran. A nice little perk is the hanger attachment it comes with for hanging in your closet with ease. This may be one of my favorite perks, gotta hate clunky workout equipment that cannot find a home.