Business casual work wear is something I try to do about once a week. Yeah I know most of you have to do it more often but I work in a pretty small office in an HVAC company and dressing up really isn’t needed too often. I mostly wear jeans to work and a sweater or sweatshirt but I do like to dress up some days or if I have a meeting I will put on something a bit more so here are some of my pics for business casual.

I think chambray would work on top so you can still have that great denim feel with a dressy pant. This top would work for that idea, covering the shoulders, make sure you go down one size in this top. The pants fit true to size and you could easily put a bootie with them or a heel to dress it up a bit more.

This gorgeous white top is so beautiful and elegant. Perfect if you pair it with a cute cardigan, something in green or maybe wine colored for the fall with booties and black pants or non distressed jeans. Go down one size in this top. These jeans fit true to size and are so comfy.

This top is another piece where you can easily cover your arms with a white or cream cardigan or blazer to dress up the top. Go down one size in this top and go down one size in the trousers. I love how wide they are at the bottom, perfect for heels or booties this fall.

Lets talk about this dress, swoon!!! It has a wrap with a tie in the front, so gorgeous! I just love it, I ordered it in one size down and its just perfect. Will work for work occasions with a cardigan over it, plan on wearing for school functions because its nice and conservative. To dress it up a bit pair it with some leopard heels or over the knee booties.

This dress is so so simple and covers all the basics, over the shoulders and long enough for work. Would be perfect with a cardigan or denim jacket on the waist. Dress up with heels or booties in any color. Fits true to size.

This top is so pretty. Just love the dots on it and how it all looks together with the trousers. Such a perfect outfit, pair with a white cardigan or wine color for fall and your all set.

This dress is a bit more of a risk, tie in front is dressy but still covers all the basics of being long enough and covered for the office. Pair with heels or booties and you will be set.

Getting ready all week to go to Portugal. I would normally just throw some stuff in a suitcase and go but now, so much better, I get to chose items to take to use for photos. I am so excited to travel for the first time and take some photos of my travels with my outfits. This is definitely a big deal for me and I can’t wait to show you some of the trip with the photos! Found such great pieces to take and I am so excited to see another country and really just relax and enjoy doing something new.

There has been some great sales this week, I took advantage of the 60% off at Abercrombie and the Old Navy Cash started this week. Also Loft had a sale of 50.00 off 100.00 and then the loft cash starts on the 12th. I have been showing some great try on sessions pieces that I have found from all three and they have been a huge hit.

These trousers are adorable!! Love the way they look and how the bottoms are larger, this is the Julia fit so it is a bit more curvy then the modern fit and I went down one size in these. This top is gorgeous!!! Ordered it in an extra small cause I almost always go down in this retailer.

Love this plaid! So incredibly soft and comfy, it has been on sale for 20-30% off all week and is the best, go down one size. These jeans are so cute, love the little tears here and there on the jeans, fitting true to size.

Love this cardigan, fits true to size and feels like wool. So soft and comfy I love the way it looks and it is incredibly thick. You will not get cold in this cardigan.

This dress is perfect, great for going out or just running errands, will take you from during the day to night, go down one size. Summer and fall wear some cute sandals or wedges, dress up for fall with some tall boots. 

Love the detailing on this top, how it is smocked, keeps it girly despite the color, go down one size. Love these jeans, soft and snug with just enough distressing, fits true to size.

This cardigan is one of my favorites, love the color. This color is sold out but also comes in gray and pink, go down one size. Love this cami, super comfortable with a strapless bra.

 

So if you don’t listen to my stories you would have missed my Orange Theory reviews during the week. It has been about a month of attendance and I am ready to give an honest review of what I think of this exercise program. So just a reference back to what I have done in the past, I have done multiple different work out programs previously. I have done the 21 Day fix, Turbo Jam, Insanity, 80 Day Obsession, Brazilian Booty workout and Tone it up. Just to name a few lol. I like being able to do workouts when it is most convenient for me and thats why I have always gravitated towards doing a video at home other than doing an actual class. In the past I would do classes at the gym, the Body Combat and Zumba but I didn’t like having to see other people and during the summers I usually lost interest of going all together.

So when I heard about this new class that all the girls in the beauty salon couldn’t stop talking about I had to try it. They looked amazing and they came in to the salon like they really had put forth a ton of effort. I was definitely ready to try something new since I just finished 80 day Obsession and I really enjoyed the program. I asked and they said what it consisted of:running, rowing and weight floor. Well I had already put forth all the effort for 80 Day and I had only problems with the food part of the program. Lets be honest, me eating just vegetables and meat gets old quick. I love the feeling that I get from being healthy but I don’t like feeling that I have no control over what I get to eat other than chicken and vegetables. Also with the 80 Day there was a very strict eating program on the exact food and the timing of it all. I would love to have all the time in the world to adjust my schedule to what it says but being a single mom of two with a very variable schedule of kids to rotate around.

So, down to Orange Theory. It is exactly what they say. If you get there in time to grab a treadmill card you can start on that, if not you can get on a rowing machine to start the hour off. If you are on the treadmill its about 23-27 minutes you will be on there or moving back and forth from the rower to the treadmill. The idea is that you don’t know what you are doing that day till you get there, which I love. I knew on day Saturday on 80 day Obsession what I was doing every time and I grew to dread it. But with this you aren’t sure of what your workout will be till you get there. SO no last minute backing out!!!

Once your coach tells you your done at the treadmill you move to the weight floor and start doing the exercises that they provide for you on the screen and show you exactly how to do it. There may be some rowing involved in this too you just never know. When you busy performing the exercises the coach will then walk around and correct your form which I love. I can do whatever at home but if I’m not doing it correctly I don’t know for sure. When you have someone coming over and telling you exactly how to do something and how your posture should be its a whole different program. In classes at the gym previously I have never had someone correct my form before and the personal hands on experience is well worth it.

During this whole workout you are wearing a heart rate monitor. I decided to purchase the one that wraps around my chest but I see a lot of other people use the arm band one. I tried the arm band and really liked that it showed which category I was in but didn’t know any different because they have me the wrap first so I just got that one. After trying the arm band one thou I am tempted to purchase one. So back to the heart rate monitor, you have this on and it keeps track of it on a screen with everyone else so you can see how your doing during class and how everyone else is doing. The idea is that you want to be in the orange zone for at least 12 points to get an after burn of 24 hours. The zones consist of grey, blue, green, orange and red. Red being the most intense you can workout in, orange being the most desired workout zone.

I tend to get into the orange zone shortly after being on the treadmill and can stay pretty consistent while on there. I have been doing better with being in the orange on the rower but still have a hard time on the weight floor keeping it in the orange. You also get a calorie burn during and at the end showing you how many calories you burned during the workout. I love seeing this and it makes me motivated to keep going. Also I love seeing other people on the board. I love being competitive trying to get more orange points then other people and I will kick it up a notch if I am low. This all occurs in just one hour of working out, usually a 400+ calorie burn for myself and at the end they do stretching to loosen everything back up. I always bring a water with me and most people bring towels. I am not a super sweaty person so I haven’t had to do that but I have seen people dripping sweat during and after and definitely a good idea if you are a sweaty betty.

So, in conclusion, you should definitely  try it out. You can do one workout for free and before you do think about how much time you can devote to it because if you love it like I do you will want to go all the time. You have to book the class ahead of time because it does it full and I was over confident in the beginning thinking I would go 4 times a week. Well with two kids and and constantly changing schedule and the classes only being offered at certain times I need to adjust my billing to just 2 times a week. They have multiple plans and are able to accommodate to what you want to be doing a month.

Please take the opportunity if you have one close by to go. You won’t regret it and you will love it I promise. In my classes there are all types and ages of people and I think thats great, you can modify it to fit any person and it will work for anyone. Go try it!!!