New Release Tuesday - Theme Song Edition

A couple of years ago, I started picking a theme song for my year. I felt like I should have a song that represented my goals for the year and so I began choosing a song that "spoke to me". I would then proceed to play the hell outta the song for the year at any given moment :)

Last year's theme song comes from the same artist as the song I have chosen for this year. My 2014 theme song was "Good Life". Whenever I was feeling pouty about the direction my life was going, I would play the song. Whenever I needed a reminder about why I was making certain decisions, I would play the song. When I won my show in July, I played the song. You get the idea.

This year, my theme song is "I Lived" by OneRepublic. The first time I heard the song, I stopped everything that I was doing at the time to listen to it. And then I started crying.

I'm serious.

I started to do the ugly cry, especially when the chorus came on.

Finding this song came at the perfect time. I had just discovered a quote by Henry David Thoreau that reads "Oh, God, to reach the point of death only to realize you have never lived."

My goal this year is to live.

I will do things I have only talked about doing.

I will bend, possibly break, the rules.

I will set lofty goals for myself.

I will break out of my comfort zone.

I will take chances.

I.

WILL.

LIVE.

Playlist of Power

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that I absolutely L-O-V-E music...especially new music! In 2013, I stumbled upon a new blog (thanks FitFluential!) called Pavement Runner. The writer of this blog would do a weekly post called "Playlist Thursday".

Playlist Thursday would feature a theme (example - Radio Jams) and three songs would be shared. However, there were some rules. The rules were one song had to be "Something Old" (songs that are at least 5 years old), one song had to be "Something Current" (songs that have been released within the past year) and one song had to be "Something to Consider" (this was the wild card category. Could be current, guilty pleasure, underground, really anything). I loved this weekly post and while it's not happening as frequently as it had been, you can still see the various posts by visiting the Music page of the Pavement Runner website!

Since getting an iPhone last April (yes...I took that long to get with times...lol!), I have been listening to the various stations on iTunes Radio which is a great way to discover new songs. I've even created personal radio stations like Iggy Radio, Sam Smith Radio, and Slow Jams Radio and I always love when I hear something that makes me say "OOOOHHHHH!!! What's this?!? I need to add this to my iTunes!".

Anyway, there are a few songs that I just had to have on my Playlist of Power aka my cardio/lifting playlist. They are......

Two songs from Jessie J's new album.

Masterpiece

Burnin' Up featuring 2 Chainz

Bounce by Iggy Azalea

Real Love by Clean Bandit

Centuries by Fall Out Boy

Can't Stop Dancing by Becky G

Flawless Remix - Beyonce feat. Nicki Minaj

Touchin', Lovin' - Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj

I Don't F@&k With You - Big Sean

*lots of profanity in this one so you might want to 

skip it if you have sensitive ears

What songs have you recently added to your cardio/lifting playlist? 

New Release Tuesday

Y'all might remember that I shared a song 

from this artist a few months back. Since that

time, I've had his music on repeat!

If you've been watching the NFL over the past few weeks,

then I KNOW you will recognize this song from 

one of the commercials that has been frequently played.

It's an awesome song and it makes

me feel like a badass!

You should know that when I sing this song, I say

"It's time to do what must be done,

Be a QUEEN when kingdom comes" :)

New Release Tuesday: Posing Edition

I don't want to say that I hate posing. Hate is such a strong word. How 'bout I say that I strongly dislike posing?

I feel awkward anytime I'm posing. I feel like I'm sticking my boobs in people's faces. I feel like I make weird faces. I feel like I'm shaking in each pose. I feel like I can't transition from one pose to another without looking down at my feet. Bottom line, I feel like a hot mess!

I've decided that I'm going to start practicing my posing with music. Most shows have music playing during finals so I figure if I can feel somewhat comfortable posing with music playing in the background now, I should do okay on show day.

I wanted a song that would make me strut a little bit. Give me a boost of self-confidence. Something that would help me present my physique in the best way possible while conveying the message that I deserve that top stop.

I found the perfect song! I would be a liar if I said I haven't been walking around singing "I'm feeling myself...cuz I'm gon' get it all"...I might just need to make this my theme song for 2014. :)

*I should warn you that if you're not a fan of profanity, you might want to skip this one.*

New Release Tuesday

I rarely discuss politics on my blog. For me, it's not the forum

where I want to have certain discussions/conversations. 

With that said, I had to share this video. Immigration is a

"hot topic" in our country, especially here in Arizona.

I don't want to discuss my stance nor do I want you to share your's.

I just want you to watch the video and think about what's going on in our

country day in & day out.

Put It In Your Ear!

I discovered two songs this weekend that I want to share with you today!!

The first song is from Katy Perry. Now....umm...I haven't really been a fan of her music in the past. She definitely has made a few catchy songs that make you want to wiggle a little bit but I've never been like "OMG! Katy Perry's coming out with a new cd!"

I'm not going to be rushing out to buy her new cd when it comes out but I did purchase this single from itunes! The beat is sick and I'm not kidding, I attempt to twerk it and drop it like it's hot when the song is on!

This second song is from a British band called Rudimental. I was watching Black Ink Crew on VH1 and they were playing one of their songs during one of the scenes. When the show went to commercial, I hopped on Youtube to see what other songs I could "discover". The album version of this song features Emeli Sande (who is sheer perfection) so listen to both versions - I'm serious - you can thank me later!

New Release Tuesday

I haven't really been a fan of J. Cole's 

other songs but this one is an exception.

Plus, who doesn't like a song that features TLC?!?!

*fyi - this live version doesn't feature them

New Release Tuesday

"Show me how big your brave is"

Conquer your day, do that one thing you've been too

frightened to do, 

be the master of your fate, the captain of your soul!

Happy Tuesday!

New Release Tuesday: Show Edition

I love music and I always make sure

to bring my ipod with me when I compete.

Backstage at shows is a lot of hurry up & wait and

so I have gotten into the practice of laying on my yoga ma,

putting on my headphones, and letting the music take me away.

This last show I had mixed emotions about how I would do

and so I decided that I would make a playlist of

my favorite "You're a badass" songs! 

These are some of my favorite songs to workout to, 

dance on the treadmill to,

and most recently, 

get into the right mindset for 

that moment when I step out on stage.

This isn't the whole playlist but I hope you enjoy it!

Maino - All the Above

Jamie Foxx featuring Justin Timberlake - Winner

Busta Rhymes featuring Linkin Park - We Made It 

DJ Khaled - All I Do Is Win

Jessie J - Domino

Miley Cyrus - The Climb  *don't judge me for this one!*

Gym Class Heroes - The Fighter

The Script - Hall of Fame

David  Guetta -  Play Hard

Becky G featuring Will.I.Am. - Problem

Havana Brown - We Run the Night

Fort Minor - Remember the Name

Ellie Goulding - Anything Can Happen

New Release Tuesday

As Genie would say "Gahhhh!!!" :)

I love P!nk...y'all know that...her music could be the

soundtrack of my life...not kidding!

This song makes me laugh because I'm pretty

sure I've said some of the same exact things...

see...soundtrack of my life...lol...

Enjoy!

P!nk - Storytellers - P!nk - P!nk News - P!nk Music Videos - P!nk Storytellers Tune-in November 13th at 11pm

New Release Tuesday

New music from Jessie J?!?! 

YES PLEASE!!!

New Release Tuesday

I have this secret crush (well...I guess it's not a secret anymore) crush on Ne-Yo. I tend to like songs that have him on it, even if I don't like the other featured artists #strange

I'm not a big fan of Wiz Khalifa but DJ Felli Fel...well...I can get down with him. Are you familiar with his music? If not, check out his songs Boomerang and Get Buck in Here. I have both in my workout playlist.

Speaking of my workout playlist, I'm in need of some new tunes!!! Any suggestions?? 

New Release Tuesday

I'm still trying to decide how I feel about this song but I do know that I love Janelle's face...lol! I want her red lipstick! I remember seeing her at the Grammy's and vowing to find a shade of red lipstick that looked as fabulous on me as it did on her.

But I digress....

The song is slowly growing on me...I like it a bit more each time I hear it...give it a listen...

New Release Tuesday

I have shared Fantasia's music on my blog before. I loved her last cd - one of my favorite songs was Man of the House!

There are singers that when they aren't making music, you miss them and you feel their absence (Lauryn Hill is one of those singers for me). I missed Fantasia and am soooooo happy she is back...and back with a vengeance!

New Release Tuesday

I have never been a huge Fall Out Boy fan. That's not to say I didn't enjoy some of their songs but I wasn't buying tickets to their shows or anticipating the release of new music from them.

I heard this song on the radio over the weekend and I just can't get it out of my head. I like this song so much, I'm going to purchase it and put it on my workout playlist - trust me - that's a big deal :)

Take a listen and let me know what you think!

New Release Tuesday

Macklemore has crawled into my ear & I can't get him out. Let me be real, I don't want to. I'm diggin' him and this song.

Put it in your ear and feel free to shake yo ass a lil bit :)

New Release Tuesday

Two words --> Robin Thicke

I'm going to be completely honest here - I will drop my husband Tom in less than two point two seconds for Mr. Thicke. The man is SUPA FINE and he can sing his sexy ass off. Can you say "winning!"?!? Plus, he's very funny - have you seen him in The Real Husbands of Hollywood?? Comic relief!!

Anyway, let's focus. Robin has a new song/video out called Blurred Lines. Watch the video here and if you don't enjoy it or drool over him, I think we might have to end our friendship ;)

New Release Tuesday

I'm pretty certain I've shared music from Lupe Fiasco before. I'm not sure why I haven't shared this song yet. Shame on me!

Let me introduce you to Battle Scars....put in ya ear :)

New Release Tuesday

Can we just talk about the days when MTV used to play music videos? When their name made sense because the station was about the music. Those were the good ol' days....

These days, I have to watch VH1 in the mornings while getting ready for work if I want to see any music videos. For some reason that makes me feel old & a little less cool. Don't ask me why. It just does!

However, there is an upside to watching this particular station. I discovered the "new release" I'm sharing today while painting my face like a clown putting on my eyeshadow last week.

It's one of those songs that gets stuck in your head! Too soon to say if that's a good or bad thing! :)

New Release Tuesday

Let me start this post by saying that back in the day, I loved myself some Destiny's Child. Say My Name, Bug A Boo, and Jumpin' Jumpin' are some of my favorite jams. So y'all know I was excited when I found out that the band would be releasing a new album this year and their new single "Nuclear" was available to listen to.

Then I heard the song & my excitement died....plain & simple.

"After all of this time and this is the first single they release?!?!" is what I asked myself.

Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe the song isn't so bad, maybe I should give it a second chance....

You can hear the single on Huffington Post's website, just click --> here

After you listen to it, tell me what you think!