Purple Prose

Rich and regal, this year’s purple tones range from reddish plums to vibrant violets to soft lavenders, and the look goes from boldly saturated – monochromatic tones carried from an accent wall to accessories – to single centerpieces. Pair the modern Lashay Velvet Lounge Chair & Ottoman and Armen Living Centennial Purple Velvet Sofa for a complete look, or go minimal by layering the textural Jaipur Rugs Flux Area Rug in Tulip Purple over a hardwood floor.

Lashay Velvet Lounge Chair & Ottoman - Purple

Well Red

Against white, red becomes super-bright – it’s an almost pop-art effect, and so the marriage of red hues and mod, 1960s-inspired shapes seems totally natural. The Shape Chair in Red and the Sarabi Linear Bench in Industry Red are unconventional partners in the dining room. The Zuo Modern Alda Poly Decorative Centerpiece ties them together atop the dining table.

An intense color instantly updates traditional silhouettes, too. Available in glossy red – as well as a host of other bold and pastel hues – the Custom Color Dorsiere Mirror’s ornate frame brings a whimsical to the bedroom, bath, or entryway.

Sarabi Linear Bench - Industry Red

Golden Age

What’s a gem without a little gold? Whether metallic or opaque deep yellows, gold is a lush choice on its own or in combination with other jewel tones. Pair Jaipur Rugs Blue Area Rug in Golden Apricot or the Besa Gold Foil Tamburo Flush Mount Ceiling Fixture with plums, for example, or gild modern reds with the wonderfully eclectic Crystorama Ritz Chandelier. Or if you want just one golden accessory, the Jamey Metallic Golden Silver Club Chair is it – with subtly gleaming upholstery and studded trim, it’s elegant and tough and totally at home in neutral landscapes.

Jamey Metallic Golden Silver Club Chair

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

One of the simplest ways to bring tangerine into a room is with a single, solid-hue accent wall – a coat of paint and your environment’s instantly warmer. Amp it up even further with tonal modern furniture like the Istikbal Kubo Rainbow Orange Microfiber Sectional Sofa, with convenient hidden storage, or the high-contrast orange-and-white Way Basics Modular 6 Cube Bookcase.

Istikbal Kubo Rainbow Orange Microfiber Sectional Sofa

Way Basics Modular 6 Cube Bookcase - Orange

Looking for something less intense? Bring in one or two vivid accents:

• The 1960s-inspired Ball Chair or Euro Style Julia Teardrop Side Table are majorly mod against navy blue, brown, and gray in the living room.

Ball Chair - Orange

Euro Style Julia Teardrop Side Table - Orange

•  The Bellini Imports Adjustable Alfa Bar Stool adds modern flair to white, green, and soft blue kitchens.

Bellini Imports Adjustable Alfa Bar Stool

• Vintage art prints and contemporary pieces from artist Jenn Ski provide pop in bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways – plus, they’re a cinch to hang.

Lire Dans Gil Blas Wrapped Giclee Canvas Print - 18W x 24H in.

La Chablisienne by Henri Le Monnier Wrapped Giclee Canvas Print – 18W x 24H in

• The Microsuede Tangerine Squares Decorative Pillow is even easier to apply – toss a couple on the nearest sofa or lounge chair, and you’re colorfully current.

Microsuede Tangerine Squares Decorative Pillow

-Lindsey Baker

Looking for the Official Rules? Look no further. You will find all you need to know below:

Official Rules:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. FACEBOOK IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THIS SWEEPSTAKES AND CANNOT BE HELD LIABLE.

The “Secret Santa Sweepstakes” contest is sponsored Hayneedle (“Sponsor”).  The Contest is governed by these official rules (“Official Rules”).  By participating in the Contest, each entrant agrees to abide by these Official Rules, including all eligibility requirements, and understands that the results of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor and its agents, are final in all respects.  The Contest is subject to all federal, state and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited by law.

The following terms and conditions (“Terms”) govern your submission of materials to the “Secret Santa Sweepstakes” contest (“Contest”).  By submitting information requested (“Submission”) to the Contest, you confirm that you are eighteen (18) years of age or older, that you have read and understand these Terms and agree to be bound by these Terms.  Each party identifying information appears in a Submission is considered a participant and must agree to and accept these Terms for your Submission to be valid and be accepted in the Contest.   As such, if you are submitting your information Submission on behalf of yourself and another person, in order for the Submission to be eligible, you must ensure that such other person also agrees to and affirmatively accepts these Terms [by checking that you have read and “Accept” the terms and conditions].  You understand that Sponsor will rely on your acceptance of these Terms.

*ELIGIBILITY*

The Contest is open to legal residents of the United States and District of Columbia who live in the United States and District of Columbia, who are eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time of entry who have Internet access and a valid e-mail account at the time of entry.  Entrants must submit all required information to be eligible to win.  Entries missing required information will be disqualified. Required information will be clearly marked on the entry form by an asterisk (“*”).  Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor, and their respective parents, subsidiaries, agents and suppliers, as well as members of their immediate families (defined as parents, spouses, children, siblings and grandparents, also includes by marriage) and individuals living in the same household as those individuals are not eligible to enter or win.  Sponsor and Administrator have the right to verify the eligibility of each entrant.  Administrator reserves the right to disqualify entrants who display poor sportsmanship or other disparaging behavior on our sites or elsewhere.

*CONTEST PERIOD*

The Contest begins at 11:00 a.m. EST on December 1, 2011 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 25, 2011 (“Contest Period”).  All entries (submissions) must be received on or before 11:59 p.m. EST on December 25, 2011 to be eligible.

Winner will be selected at random using random.org
Winner for each prize will be announced the following day at 11:00 a.m EST. Final winner will be announced December 26, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

*ENTRY CONDITIONS*

You can enter the Promotion through the Contests tab on the Hayneedle Fan Page on Facebook (the “Contest Website”).  You may enter the Promotion by entering your email address. Entrants who enter through Facebook must first click on the “like” button for Hayneedle located on Facebook.com/Hayneedle and become a fan.  You will receive one (1) entry into the drawing.  There is a limit of one entry per person during the Contest Period.

Sponsor has no obligation to post or otherwise use any Submission and has no obligation to advise an entrant of an incomplete or otherwise non-compliant entry.  Receipt of entries will not be acknowledged nor will proof of submission of an entry form be deemed proof of receipt.  Sponsor and its respective parent, affiliate and subsidiary companies, agents, and representatives are not responsible for (i) lost, late, misdirected, damaged, stolen, altered, garbled, incorrect, incomplete, delayed, or undelivered Submissions, all of which will be void; (ii) any typographical or other errors in the offer or administration of the Contest, including, but not limited to, errors in any printing or posting or these Official Rules, the selection and announcement of any winner, or the distribution of any prize; (iii) any unauthorized third party use of any Submission; or (iv)  the conduct of any participant or other person appearing in any Submission.

*GRANT OF RIGHTS*

You hereby grant to Sponsor the royalty-free, world-wide right and license to reproduce, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform or otherwise exploit, in whole or in part, and make changes to the Submission and all elements thereof in any manner, medium and/or format now or hereafter known, worldwide and in perpetuity, including, without limitation, on any websites, social media networks, or internet, mobile device or television programming, including for advertising, marketing, promotional and other purposes in connection with the “Secret Santa Sweepstakes” national ad campaign (collectively, the “Campaign”).  You further agree that Sponsor may use your full or partial name, likeness, image, voice, statements, comments and biographical information in connection with the Campaign, without payment of additional consideration, and you waive any right of publicity or privacy in connection with any such use.  Sponsor may assign, license, sublicense or otherwise convey the rights granted to it under these Terms in whole or in part to any person or entity, and the rights shall inure to the benefit of such persons and entities.

Disclosure Statement:
The information users provide will only be used for sending subscribers company updates and announcements. You can find hayneedle.com’s Privacy Policy at http://www.hayneedle.com/info/privacy.cfm?show_navigation=no By providing your email address, Hayneedle may email you company updates and announcements. You can unsubscribe at anytime

*WINNER SELECTION*

All eligible entries received during the Contest Period will be viewed by Sponsor.  The winner will be randomly selected with the use of random.org.  We will announce winners the following day that of when the product is released on or about 11:00 a.m. EST.  Announcement and instructions for prize will be sent to the e-mail address supplied on the potential prize winner’s entry form.  Each entrant is responsible for monitoring his/her e-mail account and postal mail for prize notification and receipt or other communications related to this Contest.  If a potential prize winner cannot be reached by Administrator (or Sponsor) within fifteen (15) days, using the contact information provided at the time of entry, or if the prize is returned as undeliverable, that potential prize winner shall forfeit the prize.  Upon the request of the Sponsor, the potential winner may be required to return an Affidavit of Eligibility, Release and Prize Acceptance Form and IRS W-9 form.  If a potential winner fails to comply with these official rules, that potential winner will be disqualified.  Prizes may not be awarded if an insufficient number of eligible entries are received.

*PRIZES*

List of 25 Prizes:

Additional terms and conditions may apply to such prizes.  Incidental expenses and all other costs and expenses which are not specifically listed as part of a prize in these Official Rules and which may be associated with the award, acceptance, receipt and use of all or any portion of the awarded prize are solely the responsibility of the respective prize winner.  No refunds or exchanges are permitted for any such prizes.  ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR USE OF ANY PRIZE ARE SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.

All prizes are non-transferable.  No substitution or cash equivalent of prizes is permitted. Prize redemption must be done in one order and can only be shipped to one address.

*CONTEST SUSPENSION*

Sponsor reserves the right to terminate, suspend or amend the Contest, without notice, and for any reason, including, without limitation, if Sponsor determines that the Contest cannot be conducted as planned or should a virus, bug, tampering or unauthorized intervention, technical failure or other cause beyond Sponsor’s control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper play of the Contest.  Any attempt to damage the content or operation of this Contest is unlawful and subject to possible legal action by Sponsor.   In the event any tampering or unauthorized intervention may have occurred, Sponsor reserves the right to void suspect entries at issue.

*REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES*

You represent and warrant that the Submission is original and that you are the copyright owner of all aspects of the Submission or have otherwise obtained the full right and license to grant the rights granted to Sponsor for Sponsor’s use of the Submission in accordance with these Terms, without compensation of any kind or further notice to, or approval from, you or any third party.

*INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY*

YOU HEREBY AGREE TO INDEMNIFY, RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS SPONSOR AND ITS PARENT, AFFILIATES, AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES, THE FACEBOOK PLATFORM, ADMINISTRATOR, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, AND ALL THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS FROM ANY LIABILITY, DAMAGES, LOSSES, INJURY, COSTS AND EXPENSES (INCLUDING REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND DISBURSEMENTS) (“CLAIMS”) RESULTING IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FROM YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST, THE ACCEPTANCE, USE OR MISUSE OF ANY PRIZE THAT YOU MAY WIN, OR FROM SPONSOR’S USE OF THE SUBMISSION (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY THIRD PARTY CLAIMS THAT YOUR SUBMISSION INFRINGES, MISAPPROPRIATES OR OTHERWISE VIOLATES THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS).  SPONSOR SHALL RETAIN CONTROL OVER THE DEFENSE AND SETTLEMENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS.  SPONSOR AND ITS PARENT, AFFILIATE AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES DO NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE CONDITION, FITNESS OR MERCHANTABILITY OF ANY PRIZE. SPONSOR AND ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, AND ALL THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS DISCLAIM ANY LIABILITY FOR DAMAGE TO ANY COMPUTER SYSTEM RESULTING FROM ACCESS TO OR THE DOWNLOAD OF INFORMATION OR MATERIALS CONNECTED WITH THE CONTEST, AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE, ANY CLAIM FOR SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOST OR ANTICIPATED INCOME, LOST REVENUES OR LOST PROFITS), ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE BREACH HEREOF BY SPONSOR OR ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, ADVERTISING OR PROMOTIONAL AGENCIES, AND ALL THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS.

Crystal Gentilello

Rue Magazine’s Editor in Chief Crystal Gentilello recently migrated to a hot new West Coast homestead that’s brimming with unique pieces and clever finds, including an array of lust-worthy pieces hand-picked from hayneedle.com. We caught up with Crystal for an exclusive one-on-one about the style and inspiration behind her to-die-for decor. Here’s what she had to say:

Talk us through some of the pieces you chose for your home and why.

I chose the ivory headboard because I loved the curvy shape and nailhead trim. I knew I wanted my bedroom to be a very feminine and romantic space and the headboard is definitely the crown jewel!

We love your choice for the headboard! What does that particular piece say about your bedroom?

Arch Nail Button Upholstered Headboard

The headboard is the statement piece in my bedroom. The ivory color offers a subtle contrast to the pale pink walls and the soft curves are perfect for the feminine feel I was trying to achieve. The headboard sets the tone for an unapologetically romantic space without feeling over-the-top girly. The ivory balances out the pale pink and makes the bedroom feel distinct from the rest of the apartment’s gray walls.

Also, the color of the headboard inspired the sheer curtains on the windows. The headboard makes for a beautiful focal point and everything else blends seamlessly into the background.

Tell us a little about your decision-making process for the dining table.

I chose the pedestal dining table because it’s elegant and neutral. The white contrasts the dark gray walls and the round shape encourages an easy flow of conversation at dinner parties. It introduces a round element to a rectangular room and really opens up the space for entertaining. I love that it can seat either four or six depending on who’s coming over. Because the dining table is white and the walls are painted a dark gray, I knew I wanted to introduce texture with burlap upholstered dining chairs that balance out those two colors. The result is a very intentionally layered look that I just love.

How does it affect the space?

The table defines the dining room, which is attached to the bedroom as opposed to the kitchen. Having a very clearly labeled space for eating and entertaining was essential since it’s not outwardly apparent.

You also chose two gray armchairs. What did you find appealing about them?

Stein World Wingback Chair

The two gray chairs in the living room are decidedly more masculine than other pieces in my home and I love the contrast they introduce. I wanted the living room to have a slightly moodier look and the gray upholstery definitely does the trick. Plus the nailhead detail gets me every time! They are so perfect in keeping with the moody palette I had used as inspiration for the space. They are comfortable and dramatic with brassy details that I just can’t get enough of!

The chairs definitely called for two oversized throw pillows to help them stand out from the gray walls. Simple striped pillows (a flea market find) are the perfect complement!

How would you define the “dramatic” look?

Dark paint, dark trim, and dark furnishings with plenty of natural light and sophisticated accents.

A huge thank you to Crystal for giving us insight into her decision making process and a look into her home. Read more about her home in the latest issue of  Rue Magazine and check out Hayneedle to shop a selection of pieces hand-picked by Crystal.

To be a stylist one needs to have an understanding of materials, colors, and textures. It takes a special eye to understand how things relate and work together.  You may have seen some of Vallerie’s work on Hayneedle.com.  Some of our personal favorites are:

Want to ask Valerie some styling questions? Send your requests to social@hayneedle.com and she will answer your inquiries on our blog.  Be sure to visit our Facebook page and catch some of Valerie’s tips when it comes to styling your home.

We want you to celebrate Hammock Day right, which is why throughout the day we are giving away eight different hammocks.

At the top of the hour starting at 8:00 am CST we are going to send out a tweet asking a question. Respond to our tweet with the answer to our question and be sure to include the hashtag #hayneedle. (If you don’t include the #hayneedle your tweet will not be entered to win).  Winners will be chosen with random.org and announced prior to the next question.

There are going to be eight questions which means eight hammocks to be won. You can join in at anytime in the day.

Curious to know which hammocks we are giving away? Well wait no further. Here are the hammocks that will be given away. (Listed in order of what question they will be won).

Question 1 Prize:  Island Bay Cotton Rope Hammock with Stand Set

Question 2 Prize:  Byer of Maine Tahiti Fabric Hammock and Stand Set

Question 3 Prize: MAC Sports Oversized Portable Fabric Hammock Set

Question 4 Prize: Double Sun Lounger Hammock Bed

Question 5 Prize: XXL Mayan Hammock with Adjustable Stand

Question 6 Prize:  Byer of Maine Aruba Jet Set Fabric Hammock and Stand Set

Question 7 hammock:  Island Bay XL Rope Hammock with Metal Stand

Question 8 Prize: XL Brazilian Fabric Hammock with Adjustable Stand

To get the official rules please click here.

We hope you have a wonderful Hammock day and good luck!!

Hayneedle Hammock Day Giveaway

July 22 8AM CST – July 22 4PM CST

To provide fair and equal chances of winning to all participants the following are the rules for the Hammock Day Giveaway

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.
1. All winners must be 18 years of age or older and live in the United States. Employees, officers and directors of Hayneedle, Likeable Media (“Administrator”), and their respective parents, subsidiaries, agents and suppliers, as well as members of their immediate families (defined as parents, spouses, children, siblings, grandparents, and family by marriage) and individuals living in the same household as those individuals are not eligible to enter or win. Sponsor and Administrator have the right to verify the eligibility of each entrant.
2.       Entering Giveaway and Choosing and Contacting Winners.
Winners of giveaway will be chosen at random from entries received. Entrants must send entries using the correct giveaway entry method, and any other specific information requested in the giveaway announcement. Hayneedle is not responsible for and will not consider incomplete or incorrect entries, or entries sent but not received by Hayneedle for any reason, as potential giveaway winners.
3.       GIVEAWAY TIMING/DESCRIPTION: The Giveaway will begin at 8:00 AM Central Standard Time on July 22, 2011 and ends at 4:00 PM Central Standard Time on July 22, 2011 (the “Promotion Period”). Hayneedle will post a new question at the top of every hour using hashtag #Hayneedle. One winner will be chosen and announced at random every hour; 8 winners total.
4.       Winners of the giveaway will be contacted at the Twitter account used to enter the giveaway, and the person receiving and replying to the winner announcement message will be considered the winner unless they specify another person within the reply message as the winner. The winner will need to email social@hayneedle.com with their shipping information. Hayneedle will mail the giveaway prize to the address supplied to the recipient of the winner announcement message.

5.       HOW TO ENTER: To enter, you must have or create a non-private Twitter account. If you already have a Twitter account, you will have to sign into your account. If you are not an existing member of Twitter, you will be required to follow the directions and join Twitter. When you join Twitter, you are indicating that you have read and agree to accept the Twitter Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Membership to Twitter.com is free. To enter the Giveaway, sign in at Twitter.com, go to URL http://Twitter.com/Hayneedle and click “Follow” to follow @Hayneedle on Twitter. At the top of every hour, Hayneedle will post a new question using hashtag #Hayneedle, Eligible Participants must respond by tweet via @reply to @Hayneedle including the hashtag #Hayneedle. For each question, one (1) random winner will be selected before the next question is announced. Tweets must be received by the end of each hour. No person may enter any giveaway more than once using multiple accounts.
6.       Entries will not be judged or scored. Entries become property of the Sponsor and will not be acknowledged. Twitter’s clock will be the official timekeeping device for the Giveaway. Entries will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized Twitter account holder associated with the username used to enter via Twitter. The authorized account holder is designed as the natural who is assigned to a username by Twitter. You must enter using only a Twitter.com account subscribed to and registered in your name. The potential winner may be required to provide Sponsor with proof that he/she is the authorized account holder of the user name/Twitter account associated with the winning entry. Entries that are mechanically reproduced, copied, illegible, incomplete or inaccurate are void. Incomplete Entries or Entries not complying with these Official Rules are subject to disqualification. Entries that have been generated by a script, macro, bot or any other automated means will be deemed void. Entry must be in keeping with the Sponsor’s image, and may not be offensive, nor can it defame or invade upon the publicity rights or privacy of any person or otherwise infringe upon any person or entity’s intellectual property, personal or proprietary rights, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. Incomplete entries or entries not complying with these Official Rules are subject to disqualification. Sponsor is not responsible for late, lost, incomplete, illegible, damaged or misdirected entries. Sponsor’s decisions are final on all matters relating to the Giveaway. Sponsor reserves all rights, including the right to edit, publish, use, adapt, modify, or dispose of any entry, proper names, likenesses, and photographs for advertising and promotional purposes in all media (including, but not limited to, the internet) without additional compensation, except where prohibit by law. If an entrant changes his/her Twitter account after he/she enters the Giveaway, it is his/her sole responsibility to notify the Sponsor by (postal) mail notice to Sponsor’s address to be received by the end of the Promotion Period.
7.       Only one @reply will be accepted per question for each Twitter account used to enter the giveaway will be considered for giveaway entry. No person may enter any giveaway more than once using multiple accounts.

8.       PRIZES:

Terms and conditions may apply. Incidental expenses and all other costs and expenses which are not specifically listed as part of a prize in these Official Rules and which may be associated with the award, acceptance, receipt and use of all or any portion of the awarded prize are solely the responsibility of the respective prize winner.

ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL TAXES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECEIPT OR USE OF ANY PRIZE IS SOLELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
9.  For each question, one (1) random winner will be selected before the next question is announced. Tweets must be received by the end of each hour.  Once they are announced, the winners will be expected to email social@hayneedle.com and Hayneedle will respond in order to get their shipping information. Failure to email Hayneedle shall mean that the winner forfeits the prize. Hayneedle is not required to award elsewhere any prizes forfeited by the chosen winner(s).  Winners are solely responsible for all taxes and/or fees that may be incurred. Each prize winner must supply Hayneedle with his/her legal name, mailing address, birth day, and daytime phone number.
10.   Winner may not request substitutions of prize winnings. All winners are solely responsible for any and all taxes and/or fees, and all such additional costs that may be incurred.
11.   Neither Hayneedle or Hayneedle sponsors, nor employees of Hayneedle or sponsors may be held liable for any warranty, costs, damage, injury, or any other claims incurred as a result of usage of any winners of a prize once possession has been taken of the product by winner. Hayneedle is not liable for any loss arising out of or in connection with or resulting from any giveaway promoted by Hayneedle.
12.   Winner list requests will only be accepted after the Promotion end date and not later than August 22, 2011 For the winner list, please send a request email to  Claudia@likeable.com
13.   Hayneedle reserves the right to alter any rules of the giveaway anytime
14.   Sponsor. Hayneedle, 9394 WEST DODGE ROAD, SUITE 300, OMAHA NE, 68114-3319

What is your favorite way to kick back in the summer?

If the person you are buying for tends to be a bit more classical then consider something along these lines:

If the recipient  is a bit more contemporary they might enjoy one of these sets:

If you are looking for the perfect gift for the wine drinker then here are a few wine accessories that might suit their fancy:

Remember to keep in mind the person you are buying for and you are sure to give them a gift that they are sure to love. You can find all of the above items on Hayneedle.com.  Happy gifting!

The days are getting longer and summer is right around the corner; there is no better time to enjoy your backyard than now. To help make your backyard the most enjoyable Hayneedle has launched our Backyard Escape application on Facebook.  Now you can create your dream backyard using some of your favorite Hayneedle products.

The best part is that just by creating a backyard you are entered to win a $10,000 Hayneedle shopping spree to makeover your backyard!  Each week we randomly draw two winners to receive $100 gift certificates.

Bloggers, Why should you be even more excited?

For those who blog about the contest we have sweetened the pot! When you create your backyard, blog about it, and send it to social@hayneedle.com you are entered to win an additional prize. Three bloggers will win $500 shopping sprees* to Hayneedle and five bloggers will win $100 gift certificates to Hayneedle.  How fun is that!?

We are also going to highlight the backyards you create on our Facebook page and mention your blog to 106,000 (and growing) Facebook friends.  All entries must be submitted to social@hayneedle.com no later than June 22 2011 at 11:59 ET. We will notify the winners of their prize on June 23, 2011.

If you are interested in more information please feel free to contact social@hayneedle.com or through Twitter, @Hayneedle!

*shopping sprees can only ship to one address and only one order.

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.”
- Tenneva Jordan

“All mothers are working mothers.”
- Unknown

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”
- Rudyard Kipling

Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children.
- Sam Levenson

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.
- Chinese Proverb

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.

- Washington Irving

There’s still plenty of time to find the perfect gift for yo mama, so be sure to get it right. Whether you shop with us at Hayneedle or not, please make sure to remember just how special mothers are. Happy Mother’s Day!

I immediately started fawning over cribs, dressers, paint colors, and mobiles. I don’t know what it is, but the nursery is the first room I’ve ever planned out.  My husband jokes that the baby room will be our first complete room, sadly I have to agree.  I want a nursery  that will transition from infant to toddler; for the room not to be overly pink; and for the room to include personal touches.

A tip for planning your nursery is to first pick out what your fabrics are going to be and then pick out the paint color and furniture. My mother-in-law is an amazing seamstress and is making our nursery bedding and decor. If it wasn’t for my mother-in-law, I’d be purchasing one of Hayneedle’s baby bedding sets. They have so many great options to choose from.

I went to the local fabric store and found this amazing pattern:

I paired this fabric with green walls and black polka dots. So far I’m loving the color combination.

The next step was to pick out the furniture. We immediately went to Hayneedle’s Nursery section and browsed through all of the crib options.  If you’re planning to match all the furniture in the room, I highly recommend browsing through the Nursery Collections.

We were only in the market for a crib and a changer, so our searched landed us on the Graco Sarah 4 in 1 Convertible Crib Collection in Cherry:

We immediately put the crib together so we could see where we wanted it to live and so we could plan the rest of the nursery furniture around the crib.  We still need to pick out our glider, refinish the dresser and shelves, and make the wall art, but here is a view of our nursery in progress:

As we make more progress, we’ll be sure to share the updates, but I want to know what colors are you choosing for your nursery? Share your ideas and comments below!

-Angie

Make waves

If you’re lucky enough to have a pool in your backyard or ocean at your beach, the outdoor entertainment question is a no-brainer – swim! Pool games and pool floats make great additives to the big drink – splash in a dash of playtime for the kids and a kick of sports or tanning for adults. When your energy starts to sink to the bottom, dry out under an umbrella or on waterproof poolside lounge furniture.

Land the perfect shot

Alright, so you’re landlocked. A lack of water doesn’t have to dehydrate outdoor activity, though – leisure sports to the rescue! Games aren’t just for kids… in fact, some of the greatest backyard classics will look downright foreign to the 3DTV- and internet-addled minds of today’s youth. But a time-tested game like croquet or bocce ball is a great way to get the entire family or a group of friends up out of the patio furniture and into the yard. If your crowd is more into beer and bragging rights, try one of the newer, rowdier yard games like cornhole or ladder ball.

Drink it in

When in entertaining doubt, ply your guests with alcohol. Nothing spices up with sitting circle blues like a mojito or a margarita. Stocking your kitchen (or outdoor island, if you’re lucky) with glasses, blenders, serving trays, and a sturdy wine rack will make sure your patio never leaves your guests parched for conversation. Killer drink recipes or tasty microbrews aren’t hard to come by these days, and just may be the ticket to making your outdoor space hazily memorable.

Can you dig it?

Let’s face it – you imagine your patio to be always teeming with activity, but sometimes you’re out there alone. Getting into gardening is a great way to utilize your outdoor space, and requires visits only from sunshine and rain. A barren yard is often the result of poor planting – use the best garden benches, wagons, potting benches, and hose reels to keep your greenery green and your flowers fresh. When everyone does come over, they’ll notice you’ve been working out(side).

Now get out there!

If you’re anything like us, you went to drag out the summer furniture at the first hint of warmth. If you’re really like us, the effort was totally premature and your hopes of fun in the sun have already been dashed at least twice. But if you unearthed the ole’ table and chairs to discover a world of rust, dust, and disappointment… there’s a better way. Maintenance-free patio furniture is what’s cookin’ this year, and it look better and lasts longer than you could possibly expect.

Just think about it – nice-looking cushioned chairs that you can blast with the hose or leave in the sun? A dining set you can drench that doesn’t look like the kids table? That’s a seriously relaxing summer in the backyard. To get there, you’ll have to forget about fancy woods and delicate wickers that need treatment, care, and general worry and embrace some new materials.

This stuff is made from aluminum, resin-wicker, and recycled plastic. Each of these materials is unique, but at least one of them is perfect for your yard and your style. Here’s a little background on each -

Aluminum

A super-lightweight metal that never rusts and can be powder-coated to take on the look of just about anything. You’ll find it paired with textilene slings and top-of-the-line outdoor cushions for the look that fits your life. A great choice for furniture that gets moved around or put away often.

Resin-Wicker

You know traditional wicker is comfortable and versatile, but you also know it cracks easier than an egg. Resin wicker never breaks, cracks, or deforms and can be crafted into any number of traditional or modern shapes. It’s good and heavy, making it a perfect solution for high-traffic or high-wind areas.

Recycled Plastic/Poly-Wood

It looks and feels like real wood, but it’s completely waterproof, fadeproof, and never expands or contracts. You’ll find Adirondack chairs, benches, and picnic tables made from recycled plastic. Seriously, we wish houses could be made out of this stuff.

So, as you start dreaming of the dog days and the outdoor fun they bring, consider your outdoor furniture situation. You don’t have to clean  out the hardware store’s supply of Rust-B-Gone every spring, and you don’t have to spend another post-barbecue evening scrubbing down the table. With maintenance-free outdoor furniture, all you have to do is get the hose!

Be sure to check out our sale on all maintenance-free outdoor furniture featuring up to 30% off and free shipping!

In the past I have written about buying the right baby furniture, decorating the nursery, and other various baby-related topics, but boy has my perspective changed. I have many nieces and nephews and coworkers who have started families, so I thought my research on the topic of preparing for baby was sound. I was confident that I would be the most prepared expectant mother when my husband and I decided to go down the path of starting a family.  Now that I’m experiencing the fun (and stress) of planning for a baby firsthand, I have a humbled perspective of what it takes to get “baby ready.”

As I go through my journey of being an expectant mother, I’ll bring you along for the ride, from deciding which stroller/travel system is best to deciding how to decorate the nursery.  Feel free to offer your opinions and parenting insight, or to ask questions. I look forward to going through this journey with you!

-Angie

Twitter : angiekub

Each of our Week 3 Winners will receive a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate, and they are…

Winner 1: Megan Wallace Rogers

Winner 2: A Marie Hj Saver

Winner 3: Alyssa Spencer McVey

Congratulations to Megan, Marie, and Alyssa! Use those gift certificates towards something to help you stay healthy, fit, and happy!

Aaaannnnd… it’s time for our Grand Prize Winner! Everyone who “Liked” every product during Free Weeks of Fitness was entered into the drawing for a $5,000 Hayneedle Home Gym Shopping Spree. With this much shopping power, the winner will be able to build the home gym of their dreams! Goodbye excuses, hello shiny new equipment! And the lucky winner is…

Maria Mertens!

Congratulations, Maria! And thank you to everyone who read along, participated, or won a prize during Free Weeks of Fitness. Just because the contest is over, don’t lose your fitness focus. There are tons of resources all across the web to help you get and stay fit just as we have. Have fun!

Whoa, Baby! Another Contest!

We’re proud to announce the newest addition to the Hayneedle giveaway family – the Destination: Nursery Giveaway! This little baby kicks off this Thursday, Jan. 27. All you have to do is write an essay – tell us why you or a friend deserves to win a Hayneedle Dream Nursery.  Submissions will be taken until Feb. 3.  On Feb. 4, the blog-reading public will vote on which essay they feel deserves the $5,000 Hayneedle Nursery Shopping Spree. Voting closes on Feb. 9, and the winner will be announced on Feb. 10.  You only get one vote for who’s headed to Destination: Nursery, so be sure to make it count! More details to follow on our Facebook page.

Today is Day 19 of Free Weeks of Fitness… the last day! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all five (5) products this week qualify. Go!

Also, this is your last chance to Like ALL of the products highlighted in the Free Weeks of Fitness. Like all the products by Sunday 1/23/2011 before we draw the winner of the $5000 Hayneedle Home Gym Sopping Spree.

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!  

Today, Laura from Stretching in Heels is back one last time help you strengthen your core!

One of the most important parts of a workout plan is the core because it’s the stabilization point of the entire body.  Without a strong core, the other parts of the body won’t function correctly and become injured easily.  Have you ever had a lower back injury? If so, it probably wasn’t all because you strained your back, but could have been partially from a weak core. From crunches and sit-ups to planks, you can basically workout your core with anything.

Central Abdominals – Crunches are a great exercise to work your central abdominals. Simply lay on your back with your knees bent and contract your abs to raise your shoulders off the floor.  You can cross your arms over your chest or put them behind your head for this exercise. You can also do a full sit up to workout the same muscles (bringing your chest up to your knees), but I wouldn’t recommend this unless your abs are strong already.  Do three sets of 20-30 of these for a nice ab workout.

Lower abdominals – The reverse crunch is a great exercise for your lower abdominals.  Get into a crunch position, but instead of lifting your chest up, lift your feet off the floor (knees bent) and bring your knees in to your chest. This can be combined with a basic crunch as well. Another lower abdominal workout is the leg hold or lift. Lay on your back with your hands under your lower back to help support it. Lift your legs about six inches off the floor and hold for 30 seconds.  You can also raise and lower your legs for the leg lift version. Another three sets of 20-30 reps will give your lower abs a nice burn.

Obliques (side abdominals) – Crossover crunches are an easy way to work your oblique muscles. These are just like doing a crunch except you reach up and across your body to the outside of the opposite leg to work the outside of your abdominals. Just be sure you really cross over with the reaching shoulder to get a deep crunch. Three sets of 20-30 total are good for these as well. Side leans are another effective oblique workout. Standing with a 10 lb. weight in your right hand, lean to your left and squeeze your left oblique muscle. Release the muscle to lean to the right. This will work the left oblique with the contraction and lifting of the weight. Do three sets of 15 of these on each side and you’ll be feeling it tomorrow.

Total core – The plank is a great way to workout your entire core. Lay on your stomach with your forearms on the floor. Come up into the plank position, balancing on your toes and forearms and hold as long as you can. Be sure to keep your body nice and flat. It’s good to hold this exercise for 30-60 seconds doing three in a row with 30 second breaks in between.  You can do a side plank as well, which is the same except you are balancing on one arm instead of two and working your oblique closer to the floor. Hold these for the same amount of time.

Remember that the core is so important in any training program and will help you avoid many potential injuries. So work that core!

Today’s featured item is the GoFit Ultimate Pro Gym. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 18 of Free Weeks of Fitness… we can see the finish! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all five (5) products this week. Go! Tomorrow is the last day of Free Weeks of Fitness. Make sure you’ve gone back and Liked all the products featured for your chance to win the $5,000 Hayneedle Home Gym Shopping Spree.

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Diane, from the Everything Yoga Blog, is back to share how to beat the winter time (aka snow shoveling) blues.

Snow Shoveling Backache Yoga

It’s looking like a winter wonderland from my back door. The upside of the snow – getting cozy in front of the fireplace, using the cold snowy weather as an excuse to tackle clutter inside, sledding on the grounds of the golf course nearby, and taking in the breathtaking beauty of the snowy scene before me. The downside of the snow – shoveling. And shoveling. And shoveling. There’s a lot of snow outside, so that means lots o’ shoveling to dig out. And even if you have a snow blower, you still have to push THAT heavy thing around!

All of that shoveling and pushing can be quite stressful on the back. I know that after hours spent clearing the driveway and walkway, I’ve come away feeling a bit stiff in my lower back area.

Here’s a short yoga practice to help with the rigors of snow shoveling:

1. Single Arm Raises – Stand with your feet a comfortable distance apart. On an inhale, raise one arm up from the front above your head. On an exhale, lower the arm back down to your side. Do the same for the other arm (raising on an inhale, lowering on an exhale). Repeat 3x each side.
2. Downward Dog Vinyasa — Come down to Child’s Pose (sitting on heels, forehead to the floor, arms resting in front of you on the floor with the elbows soft). On an inhale, come up onto all fours (gently raise your chin at the top of the inhale, feeling a slight arch in your back) and on an exhale, come into Downward Dog. Inhale back to all fours and exhale back into Child’s Pose. Repeat 6x.
3. Chakravakasana — From Child’s Pose, inhale up to all fours (raising your chin gently at the top of the inhale) and exhale back down to Child’s Pose. Repeat 3x. NOTE: At the top of the inhale, your chin should be comfortably raised and you’ll feel an arching in your back. As soon as you start to inhale, lower your head and gradually come back to Child’s Pose (ending with your forehead on the ground as you complete your exhale). This isn’t a Cat/Cow movement – rather than the upper part of your back feeling the stretch, this movement works the lower back.
4. Lying Alternate Knee to Chest – Lie on your back and take a few deep breaths. Inhale and then on an exhale, bring one knee to your chest (the other leg stays straight on the ground) and bring your forehead to that  knee. Repeat with the other leg. Do each leg 6x.
5. Urdhva Prasrta Padasana to Apanasana to Dvi Pada Pitham -  From a lying position, bend your knees and rest your feet flat on the floor. Now take your feet off the floor and rest your hands on your knees. On an inhale, raise your feet to the ceiling and your arms up and back to rest overhead on the floor (Urdhva Prasrta Padasana). On an exhale, bend your knees while simultaneously lifting your arms off the ground bringing your hands back onto your knees (essentially, you’re returning to the starting position) and bringing your knees into your chest (you do this with your core strength rather than pull your knees in with your hands) [Apanasana]. NOTE: By the time your knees are in toward your chest, you should have exhaled all of the air out. As you do this feel your shoulders on the floor. Inhale your feet (your knees stay bent) and arms down to the floor and raise your hips towards the sky (Dvi Pada Pitham). Exhale and bring your knees towards your chest (hands resting on the knees).  Repeat this sequence 4x.
6. Savasanaaaaahh – Lie with legs straight or with knees bent feet flat on the floor and rest for 3-5 minutes. Feel your body melt into the floor. Relax in knowing that you’ve completed your snow shoveling for the day.

Whether you’re playing in the snow or working to clear it away, your back will thank you for a little extra care. And for those of you lucky folks who are in a part of the world in which you aren’t getting snow- that’s no excuse to neglect your back. They say that you’re only as young as your spine is flexible.

Namaste!

Today’s featured item is the Stick-e Forever Young Yogi Bundle. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (21 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 17 of Free Weeks of Fitness… the final stretch! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all five (5) products this week. Go!

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Today, Laura from Stretching in Heels is back, and she’s going to share a her take on cardiovascular training.

Cardiovascular training is a huge part of any workout and fitness plan.  Whether it’s a brisk walk or running a marathon, getting your heart pumping is a great way to not only get in shape but also burn extra calories.  As a marathon runner, getting my feet out hitting the pavement is the best form of not only cardio, but therapy.  There’s nothing like going out for a morning run to get your blood pumping and start your day right. But if you’re just beginning to workout, you don’t have to be a marathon runner. The general rule of thumb is to do 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 days a week.  So get out there and take your first step to a fitter you.

Going for a walk or run is often the easiest way to do cardio. You can do it anywhere and all you really need are shoes. Now, if you are living in an area without a temperate climate, this can be a challenge – which is where the treadmill comes into play. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or not, the treadmill is an easy piece of equipment to use. Home treadmills are more affordable than ever, so you never have an excuse to not workout. When you run, try adding in some intensity by running hills or raising the incline on the treadmill.

Another popular cardio option is the elliptical machine. This is the machine that simulates running/climbing stairs while taking the impact off your knees. You can adjust the intensity and sometimes the incline to make your workout harder or easier.  It’s a great way to burn calories without putting stress on your joints, and still get in a really tough workout.

Climbing stairs are a great way to tone your legs and glutes. If you can, try running stairs at a local high school or college track.  A great workout would be to run the stairs on the straightaways of the track, up and down each flight, and then run the turns on the actual track. You could do this for a mile or two (4-8 laps) for a great workout. Stair climbers are a great indoor way to work your legs, as well. Try playing with the intensity/speed on the machines to give yourself a real challenge.

Biking is a cardio workout option you can do outside or inside. It can be a great exercise to do with friends and family as well. Try riding your bike on some rolling hills if you have that option. Or adjust the intensity of a stationary exercise bike to simulate hills. If you’re up for a real challenge, SPIN class is always a fun option. The classes are intense, but definitely worth the work.

There are lots of options for adding cardio to your current or planned workout routine, and no effective plan is complete with it. Remember, you don’t want to lift weights every day (muscles need to recover), and cardio is most effective when done 3 – 5 days per week. You can also incorporate cardio into your weight routine by adding some jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or burpies to your weight sets. Just put them in-between sets and you will see a real difference in the intensity of your weight workouts.

Today’s featured item is the Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 16 of Free Weeks of Fitness… we’re SO close to reaching our goal! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all five (5) products this week. Go!

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Today, Laura from Stretching in Heels is back, and she’s going to share a few healthy recipes and cooking tips. Bon appetit!

Healthy Eating Tips and Recipes

Everyone knows that eating right is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle.  But do you know how much of a factor it is in losing weight and staying healthy?  Some people say that your diet accounts for 70% of your weight loss program. The other 30 is cardio and weight training.  That’s a huge percentage of your every day effort to being healthy!  The recipes you’re using and the foods you’re buying contribute to this percentage.  Below you’ll find the top five things I do to keep my eating in tiptop shape, along with some suggestions of recipes for healthy eating!

1. Track all your calories – you think you may be eating the correct amount of calories, but the truth is that most people overestimate their calorie intake by 30%.  That’s a lot when you are trying to lose weight or maintain your current fitness level.  So, keep track of those calories by either writing them down or track them through an online program or app.
2. Drink LOTS of water – water is essential in helping your body work more efficiently and also aids in food digestion. Water is also essential for your body when you’re working out more. Adults should consume at least 64 ounces of water a day if they aren’t working out and more if they are.
3. Plan your meals – planning your meals ahead of time is very helpful when it comes to snacking.  If you pack your meals the night before or morning of your workday, then you’re more likely to eat what you have than eat things you shouldn’t.
4. Eat smaller portions more often – You should eat 6 times a day if possible.  Eating breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner and evening snack are a good way to break up your meals.  Just be sure you eat every three hours or so.
5. Get rid of the stuff you don’t need – I know we all still have tons of bad things in our cupboards. Leftover candy from the holidays, ice cream in the freezer, that stash of candy for when you just need it. Well, it’s time to get rid of those things you really don’t need so you aren’t tempted to eat them.

So, how do you do these things?  By eating healthy items and using healthier recipes, of course! Think about what you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here are a few of my favorite simple recipes for delicious meals.

Breakfast – One egg, two egg whites with turkey bacon on a sandwich thin – First, cook two slices of turkey bacon in a frying pan. Then scramble one egg and two egg whites in a separate bowl and add to the cooked turkey bacon. Make a simple omelet by folding the cooked eggs in half with the bacon. You can fold this in half again and place it in a sandwich thin and wrap in a paper towel for a delicious to-go breakfast. (280 calories)

Lunch – Homemade tostada – Heat up fat-free refried beans and spread them on a plate without a tortilla (this will save calories). If you want to add sautéed chicken or ground turkey you can as well.  Add shredded lettuce and tomatoes on top of the meat. Next toss on a little light or fat free shredded cheese. For dressing you can either add salsa or some fat free ranch mixed with taco sauce (my favorite combo for a tostada). (350-500 calories depending on products used)

Dinner – I love to make dinner in my Crockpot.  And there are TONS of great recipes for low fat Crockpot meals.  My favorite is for Jambalaya.  Simply mix uncooked cubed chicken breast, turkey sausage (sliced), chicken sausage (sliced), fat free/low sodium chicken broth, diced tomatoes (low sodium), brown rice, chopped celery, onions and green bell peppers, some Cajun spice, hot sauce and a bay leaf to the crock pot and cook on high for six hours.  You can really add whatever you want to it to make it your own recipe but using the low sodium products along with turkey and chicken will keep the calories down.  (380-550 per serving depending on products used)

Snacks – I love to eat popcorn (low fat microwave), protein bars (watch the sugar in these), apples with reduced fat peanut butter, oranges, bananas, rice cakes, and other healthy snacks throughout the day. Just remember to keep your snacks at around 100-200 calories.

Bonn Appetite!

Today’s featured item is the DKN Technology Xg3 Whole Body Vibration Machine. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 15 of Free Weeks of Fitness… it’s the last week, we’re almost there!

Announcing our Week 2 Winners! Each winner will receive a $100 Gift Certificate to Hayneedle. Congratulations!  Winners chosen using Random.org.

Winner 1: Simone Traverse

Winner 2: Nancy Hall

Winner 3: Tamara Bennington

Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all five (5) products this week. Go! Make sure you have liked all the products featured in Free Weeks of Fitness by the end of the week so you are entered to win the $5000 Hayneedle Home Gym Shopping Spree.

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here.

Now, let’s get into today’s post. Chris from Zen to Fitness is back.

5 Simple  Tips to more Muscle

1. Work Out Less

This isn’t quite as it sounds – but it does apply to heavy lifting. Our muscles need time to grow and repair when we’re out of the gym. After reading work from Dr. Doug McGuff in his book, Body by Science, it’s clear our muscles only need a certain amount of stimulation to trigger growth. What’s optimal? I would say lifting heavy weights with intensity once or twice a week is more than enough. Other days, focus on cardio, sports, yoga, bodyweight circuits, running, and other fitness-building activities. You’ll notice not only real muscle-building, but that you’re starting to feel great!2-

2. Know When to Quit

When form and rep speed of your movements slips, it’s time to quit the set and rest up. I like going for 25 reps for a body part keeping weight fairly high and rest under 60 seconds. Go through as many sets as you need to achieve roughly 25 reps with the selected weight. Just remember to stop as soon as your lifting speed slows down or you lose that spring – lift explosively and do the negative slowly.

The same goes for sprinting. When doing sprints, it’s time to stop once you lose your explosiveness and your legs start to feel heavy. For me this is normally after 5-7 sets with about a 1 minute rest.

• Try 8 sets of 3 reps
• A Simple workout of 5×5 Squats and Pull-ups
• Make sure you try to progress with the weights you are pushing

The reason for stopping the set once your rep speed slows has to do with muscle fibers firing; there is simply no need to go further. Going beyond this point will only cause injuries and overstraining of the tendons rather than muscle growth and adaptation.

3. Intensity

This is key for me. Keeping things intense in the gym not only makes things fun but it’s the best way to work out. Make sure you work out with little or no rest this is great as it kills two birds with one stone. You will be working out your muscles and getting a cardiovascular workout at the same time.

The beauty of this is that you will empty out your muscle glycogen stores during the workout, plus you will increase your EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or afterburn). This means you’ll burn more calories over the next 24-72 hours, plus  improve nutrient partitioning – allowing your muscles to act like sponges soaking up what you eat and putting it to good use. How CrossFit/Intensity Works

CrossFit is great at this. Their workouts usually take less than 15 minutes; they’re fun and intense and provide real benefits in a short amount of time. Check out SimpleFit for no-equipment workouts or the BrandX Scaled CrossFit workouts for some pointers.

4. Adequate Nutrition

In order to grow more muscle, you need to provide with well-balanced nutrition. This doesn’t mean eat as much as you like and try to force feed your way to muscle growth. Just eat when you’re hungry, and stick to whole foods. Another tip I like is to keep eating away from bedtime. This works in two ways – it stops fat gain (from experience, trust me it works) and it improves HGH release through your sleep as you won’t be tied up digesting your food during the first few hours of your sleep.

Keep your protein fairly high and eat lots of good fats (fish oil, avocados, coconut oil, salmon, sardines, eggs, nuts, etc). This will not only keep you full, but these foods are harder for your body to breakdown and therefore provide you with satiety and energy throughout the day.

Snack on things like carrots, strawberries, and other fruits and veggies. For a great healthy dip when snacking, I love a homemade guacamole or salsa using some cut up peppers for crunch.

5. Rest

How do you know if you’re not getting enough sleep? Check out this post I did on sleep a while back; it outlines some of the signs of a tired mind and how to get better sleep.

You don’t need to be getting 9-11 hours of sleep every night to grow or recover, but the more solid 7-9 hours of good sleep you get per night, the better. Do whatever you need to in order to get off to a good night’s rest. If that means reading a book, watching some TV before bed, or even having a small glass of wine after a stressful day then go for it. It’s not only muscle growth that you get out of a good night – you’ll also function far better mentally the next day. If you’ve had a day recently when you were easily irritated or more on edge than normal, chances are a tired mind and lack of sleep played a part.

So get plenty of rest and relaxation. If you can afford it, going for a neck and back massage once a week is a great way to promote relaxation and break away from stress. I also find a bit of old fashioned running or swimming a great way to relax on an off day. Sometimes I will just grab my running shoes and hit the road for 20-30 minutes – with a good playlist of music, I always come back feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Today’s featured item is the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (21 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 14 of Free Weeks of Fitness… feel the burn! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all seven (7) products this week. Go!

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Today, Laura is back from Stretching in Heels, and she’s going to lead us through some stretching exercises.

Most people don’t realize it, but stretching can be one of the most important parts of your workout routine.  Not only does it help with flexibility, but also keeps your muscles in tip-top shape so they can continue to tone and grow. Without stretching, your muscles are tight and unable to function to their potential – leading to injury or overcompensation of other muscles.  Have you ever had pain in your upper back?  Did you think it was just your back? Your chest muscles could have been tight, causing your back to overcompensate. As a marathon runner, I understand the importance of stretching. If our leg muscles are tight we can’t perform as well when we run.  Today I’ve provided some simple leg stretches to help you loosen up after a workout.

You can start with a hamstring stretch. Standing with your hips shoulder-width apart and your knees relaxed, slowly bend and the waist to stretch the back of your upper legs.  Remember to keep your legs slightly bent and don’t bounce in the stretch.  Hold this for 30 seconds, and then stand up nice and slow.  Next you can do a standing quadriceps stretch. You may want to hold onto something for balance. Standing on your left leg, bring your right foot up towards your glutes and grab your toe or ankle to hold your foot up behind you. Keep your knee in line with your body and close to your other knee, and your foot behind your glutes to maintain good form. Hold this for 30 seconds and then switch sides.

Your calves are next. You can stretch your calves by putting your toe up on a wall and your heel on the floor then lean slowly towards the wall.  You can also do this by going into a forward lunge keeping your back heel on the floor to stretch the calf on your back leg. Hold these for 30 seconds and then switch sides. Now go into a lunge to stretch your hip flexors. When you go into your lunge you want to rotate your pelvis under by tucking your glutes under, essentially tilting your belly button up towards the sky. Maintain good posture with a straight back and your abs drawn in. You will feel this stretch in the front of the hip of the back leg.  Hold it for 30 seconds and then switch.  To make it a slightly deeper stretch, reach for the ceiling with the same arm as back leg.

Now get into position to stretch your glutes.  Take a seat on the floor with your hands behind you and your feet out straight in front of you. Place your right foot/ankle across your left leg just above your kneecap so your right knee is bent and pointing out to the side. Now bring your left knee up so your foot is flat on the floor and your right leg is up off the floor and up in front of your chest.  You should feel this stretch in your right glute. You can sit up taller or bring your left foot in closer to your glute to make it more intense.  Hold it for 30 seconds then lower your left leg and switch sides.

Be sure you stretch often – before and after workouts – but be sure to warm up before jumping in.  Stretching cold muscles can cause discomfort or injury.  Happy stretching!

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Today is Day 13 of Free Weeks of Fitness! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all seven (7) products this week. Go!

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Are you ready for a full body workout? Today we have a post from Sandra author of Exercise Well.  She shares her perspective on the benefits of rowing machines.

Rowing Machines Give You A Good Workout And Cardiovascular Exercise

You will find that rowing machines give you a good workout and cardiovascular exercise. It’s an exercise machine you can use without creating too much harmful impact to your joints and muscles. Many older and younger people use rowing machines to great benefit, although they do take some getting used to. Something you’ll discover is that you have to learn how to properly coordinate your movements.

A rowing machine simulates the experience of rowing on the open water. You pull on the metal bars and move forwards and backwards on a gliding seat. Rowing machines offer you the chance to increase the tension setting and speed to find the right challenge for you.

While rowing, you burn an extensive number of calories, up to eight hundred calories per hour. That’s building up quite a sweat! The rowing machine will be excellent for your arms, back muscles, back, shoulder, and abdomen. Impact on joints and bones is greatly decreased from traditional workout, but you may notice some strain on your back.

Rowing machines are amazing for their gliding-on-water feel. They are specially designed to provide this ‘gliding’ effect, via the use of flexible graphite composite and water-filled flywheels. You can even find rowing machines with water sounds to enhance your workout experience. To make this even better, you can play music of the seashore or a small brook, orwatch some nature footage on TV while rowing.

Most rowing machines come with electronic gadgets like preset programs, elapsed time displays, stroke count, strokes per minute, and estimated calories burned. A good tip to remember when using rowing machines is to keep your elbows tight to your body. Check out rowing machines at Hayneedle and start getting an idea of what to look for and what’s right for you! Good luck!

Today’s featured item is the Body Rower BRW2000 Rowing Machine. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 12 of Free Weeks of Fitness… feel the burn! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all seven (7) products this week. Go!

To see all of the Free Weeks of Fitness posts in once place, click here!

Today, Chris from Zen to Fitness is going to lead us through another great way to train your body.

Minimal Upper Body Training

Fitness and training methods are always evolving, always changing. The theories about what is best and most effective will always be changing, but what’s important is that people keep pushing the boundaries and developing new techniques and ideas

“Minimimal Equipment, Minimal Space” – Scott Abel

Minimal Upper Body Simultaneous Training

This is a term coined by Scott Abel, who’s method of mixing resistance and cardiovascular work uses only simple dumbbells and a bench.  Simultaneous training is an interesting to me for the following reasons:

It’s easy to get the hang of and works naturally. The movements all feel familiar, for instance the chest press is a sort of punching action and the bent-over rows are a sort of rope-pulling action. I was surprised at how, when first experimenting with simultaneous training, it felt really natural. Most people will also find the movements to flow nicely and seem to just work…

It’s different. The exercises are more metabolically activating than pumping up or stimulating a specific muscle. So you will feel your abs tense up, your shoulders burn and your heart start to beat faster. A real hybrid of resistance and cardiovascular work.

Metabolically Stimulating. There is no better way to empty out those muscle glycogen stores, trigger muscle growth, and raise the metabolism than some high-intensity resistance training. You will notice that after doing a short workout like this that your metabolism will be significantly stimulated; you will digest food better, feel warmer, and have a general sense of well-being.

It works to improve athletic performance. This to me has become a integral part of any weight-bearing exercise I’m doing. If it doesn’t improve functionality and performance, then it’s not worth doing. Simultaneous training is great in this way as it works on your coordination, balance, and hand-to-eye movement. The speed at which the exercises are performed is critical in mirroring how fast you would move during a sport like Boxing, Football, or Tennis…

Simultaneous training provides a real shock to the muscles. Whether you’re a seasoned lifter or a total novice, I guarantee this type of training will challenge you. It is something totally new that not many people have experimented with before. The muscles are worked in a whole new way, so the impact is not as specific and deep but more evenly spread.

Very little equipment is needed. A set of dumbbells of a standard weight is all you need to get started. A bench is recommended, but if you don’t have one, most of the exercises can be done lying on the floor. From there, you can cover all the upper-body movements like:

• Chest Presses
• Rows
• Upright Rows
• Should Press
• Lateral Raises
• Bicep Curls
• Triceps Extensions

In one hybrid of high-intensity training, you can blast all the muscles at once. Instead of doing all the exercises without a break like the video suggests, I found simultaneous training to be more effective when doing 3 exercises in a row for about 10-15 reps each side then taking a break (to catch breath) and moving onto another 3 exercises. Of course though this should be scaled to your own level of fitness – the more in-shape you are, the more exercises you can do without breaks.

Simultaneous training is safe. This is because the weight used is lighter than what you would normally use, therefore not forcing you compromise form. Remember to pick a weight that seems pretty light at first, you will notice as you get towards the last few reps and feel the burn that the weight will start feeling pretty heavy!

I would suggest giving simultaneous training a try once or twice a week. If you can only get into the gym one day a week, this would be a great way to spend your time.

The workout style is made for less equipment so if you have a set of dumbbells lying around at home give it a try. Simultaneous training is minimal, safe, and effective. Give it a try – I’m sure you’ll love it.

Today’s featured item is the LifelineUSA Power Pushup. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.

Today is Day 11 of Free Weeks of Fitness… more than halfway there! Make sure you “Like” each day’s featured product on Facebook (not the blog post, but the item itself) to be entered in the giveaway. You don’t want to miss out on your chance to be one of 3 to win this week’s $100 Gift Certificates – but only those who’ve “Liked” all seven (7) products this week. Go!

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Now, let’s get into today’s post. Chris from Zen to Fitness is back – this time to talk about nutrition.

8 Great foods You’re Probably Missing:

Sometimes we just turn a blind eye to some great produce. Not because we don’t like them, but just because we’re in the habit of buying the same groceries week after week. It becomes routine. Time for that to change, and to start trying out some healthy, often-overlooked products at the grocery store…

1. Beets – I love beets for their versatility. Superb in salad or with some goat cheese, or really nice to snack on. They pack a real anti-oxidant boost and are rich in folate. Try to eat them raw or cook lightly to keep the nutrients intact.

2. Canned Pumpkin - While anything canned should not be a staple, these are great to keep around the house. Add some butter, cinnamon, and a scoop of whey protein and you have a tasty high-fiber snack. This stuff is low in calories and full of Vitamin A in the form of Beta-Carotene, which is very healing for the spleen and helps with circulation. Pumpkin and other root vegetables are known as a Chi restoring food.

3. Sardines – Both tinned and fresh. These are great – packed with protein, calcium, and Omega 3′s – and both cheap and easy to prepare. I always keep a batch of tinned ones in my pantry and try to eat them fresh when they’re in season.

4. Frozen Berries – Recently I have been keeping a pack of frozen blueberries around. They’re cheap and pack a high ORAC score (total anti-oxidant count), plus they’re packed with fiber and phytonutrients. Great to throw over some hot porridge or in some good organic yogurt or cottage cheese.

5. Fresh Mint - We often overlook fresh herbs, and mint is a particular favorite. Great to brew an herbal tea after dinner to aid digestion. Simply hand-wash a bunch of mint and pour boiling water over, leaving to steep for 5+ minutes. I also like chopping up a big bunch and throwing it in a salad… makes for a refreshing twist.

6. Salsa – People normally go for ketchup (which is packed with sugar) when trying to add a zing to their food. Salsa is the ultimate healthy alternative. It’s usually packed with vegetables, spices, and lemon, which makes for a much more beneficial topping for your chicken or burger. Try and find a brand that is low in sugar and uses natural salt. These will normally cost a bit more but its worth it…

7. Coconut Flakes - Most health food stores carry these, and they’re a real gem. Packed with good fats and anti-bacterial properties, coconut is truly a superfood. Make sure you find a variety which has no added sugar and feel free to add it pretty much anything from breakfast to curries. Or just grab a handful as a tasty hunger-killing snack.

8. Tomato Passata - A good organic tomato passata is something we should all keep in the pantry. It can make home cooking so simple and packs loads of flavor plus lycopene, which is one of the most potent anti-oxidants about. This great post at Everyday Paleo shows exactly what I’m talking about…

I hope some of my ideas will find their way into your shopping cart soon!  Have fun!

Today’s featured item is the j/fit Fit Stretch Stretching Aid. Follow the link, check out the item, and hit the Facebook “Like” button -  you’re on your way to be entered to be 1 of 3 weekly winners of a $100 Hayneedle Gift Certificate (be sure to like all items for the week through Sunday to be entered). Stick with us through all Free Weeks of Fitness (19 articles and products), and you’ll be entered to win a $5,000 shopping spree to outfit your some gym. Get all the details here.