I’ve been told I spend entirely too much time in workout clothes. That could be a really great thing if I worked out even 1/3 of the time I spent in running tights and tennis shoes, but that just isn’t the case.
If you read The Blonde Side ever, you’ll know I’m a big fan of lululemon and am pretty loyal to New Balance running shoes, but I’m also fairly adventurous in trying new brands and styles, so when I learned of the Heidi Klum for New Balance line, I was initially sold on the idea of at least giving it a test drive.
Who wouldn’t want to look like a supermodel while sweating it out? Clearly that isn’t what this line promises, but it was a good start. I love their tagline, Fierce Meets Fit. I’d like to think that was my life motto long before this athletic line came out, but if the shoe fits…
The line is flirty, feminine and yet still designed to take the beating your long runs or yoga workouts can give it. It’s durable, it’s comfortable, it’s flattering – pretty much covering all the basics. I get it, it looks better on Heidi Klum than probably all of us combined, but it is a pretty universal fit and flattering on most.
Here are some of the products I’ve personally tried out and my thoughts:
As I mentioned above, since I spend so much time in tennis shoes, I don’t mind that they are loud and attract a lot of attention and these certainly do. I haven’t logged any serious runs in these yet, but so far, they perform the way I’m used to New Balance performing. Important to note: they are a pretty solid and stiff running shoe – I usually like a more flexible shoe, but those with bad ankles should really give these a go.
HKNB Mesh Singlet ($59.99) – I love the look and feel of this tank. It’s sexy and still tough, like a tomboy should be. It’s great to run errands before or after your workout because it’s airy and the mesh allows your sweat stains to dry out faster than most running tanks.
HKNB Perfect Pant ($84.99) – The thing I love most about these running pants – buh-bye muffin top! I know, I know, I workout so much and run so much, why do I have muffin top?! But most pants are so constricting at the top, that even if you’re wearing your exact size, it can’t help but give you muffin top and that’s incredibly unflattering and makes you self-conscious. The design of these pants, the slimming features and mesh in the perfect spots make these a GREAT pant to run in (or run errands in).
About the brand: Heidi Klum for New Balance Performance Apparel and Footwear is a stunning collection of workout gear designed to perform anywhere your life takes you, from the street to the studio.
This season, HKNB takes a contemporary approach with a floral print but adds a sporty twist, with cutting edge design and world-class style. It’s the perfect combination of Sport + Fashion, featuring jackets, leggings, capris, tanks and more! Footwear ranges from performance running to lifestyle, allowing you to mix and match to create a look all your own so you feel great during your workout.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Screen-Shot-2014-03-25-at-1.05.15-PM.png473395Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-03-25 16:27:022014-11-19 11:39:33Heidi Klum for New Balance: Product Review
Instead of bombarding all our social media outlets with what’s going on, here’s a simple breakdown of what’s going on, what you need to know, how you can hang with us, etc.
WTF shirts. Due to the CRAZY popularity, we are extending the NAVY WTF: Where’s the football shirts until Tuesday, the 18th. Thanks to Texan Hollie for sharing hers, we had a ton of new orders. To see the shirts (the ones pictured are not for sale, we are ONLY doing navy shirts in men and women with white font so it pops more!), click here and ORDER Today. The price is $20 and keeps going down the more you order (hello, did someone say GIFT TIME?!)
Join our 5k team for Run for the Rose, Sunday, March 30th. You can sign up for the 5k AND/or donate at this very link. This 5k is open to serious runners, hungover individuals, walkers, those with baby strollers that want to hang out, etc. The cost to register is $30 and it goes to brain cancer research. This is a run/race that The Blonde Side (& Charity Chicks Houston) has happily been involved in for five years now – we are aiming for 50 people on our team and to raise $2,500 for the cause. If you are a business who wants to make a tax deductible writeoff, well, hello! Here we are! Please SHARE with other Houston folks!
Sticking with the charitable efforts, The Blonde Side has once again (for the third straight year) partnered up with those goofy SportsMonkey guys for ourAnnual Charity Kickball Tournament. We are looking for teams of 8-10 players on Saturday, April 19th for an all-day event. Our friends at Bud Light Houston have sponsored the event, so the beer will not run out. Get your team together and sign up today – total team cost is $250, it’s fun and goes to a great cause.
As part of The Blonde Side’s existence in Houston, we cannot forgo mentioning the Houston Rodeo, where we do concert reviews for Culture Map. Check out the concerts we’ve covered so far, and if you’re going to one, let’s meet up! (As long as you’re not creep!).
Contests. Damn. We’ve been lucky to have a slew of contests for readers of The Blonde Side, but we’re going to slow down, because the responses just aren’t there lately. In one week we gave away an autographed James Harden ball from BODYARMOR and a Fila Golf Jacket and we expected a ton of more entries. In order to keep our sponsors happy and these contests going, I NEED MORE SUPPORT. Enter each contest (if you win, you can turn it down or gift it), SHARE the contests, give feedback (are we requiring too many steps, do the prizes suck, etc.). Help me help you!
The Blonde Side was also able to surprise Station 58 of the Houston Fire Department last week with
Station 58 First Responders!
Natural Pawz – PAWZ HERO award for rescuing 3 dogs from a burning home by providing them tickets to an upcoming Houston Astros game alongside Bud Light. Please take a minute (now and each day) to thank our first responders – they do so much for us and sometimes we all overlook it!
All FSU shirts have been ordered and will be mailed out in seven business days, so thanks for your order and be patient! If you have more designs in mind, shoot me an email, if we use yours, YOU GET A FREE ONE!
The Blonde Side is looking for a project-by-project basis graphic designer that is down for small paying jobs and working with trade (hey, we’re working on the budget), so if you’re a lover of sports, detail oriented, and all that jazz, email us ASAP: jayme @ theblondeside . com
If you’re a lover of baseball and think Opening Day should be a legit national holiday, check out this petition at the White House via Bud Light and go sign it.
Oh, and Happy St. Patty’s Day! Go enjoy some green Bud Light, but enjoy responsibly!
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/10001492_10151967779307314_415433396_n.jpg403300Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-03-17 13:12:252014-11-19 11:40:35The Blonde Side Social Calendar 3.17.14
Win this Fila Golf Jacket in Men or Women’s (pictured: Women’s Rockingham lightweight jacket)
If you’re a fan of golf, The Blonde Side has some great news (and a contest!) for you!
Introducing the Auckland and Rockingham waterproof performance jackets from Fila Golf. New for the 2014 line, and just in the nick of time for the unpredictable spring weather, these jackets are available in a variety of bold and bright colors and come in styles for both men and women.
The lightweight, waterproof performance jackets boast advanced technological features including:
– Breathable mesh liners
– Detachable hood
– Self-adjusting, Velcro-sleeve closure
– Critical seam-sealing
– Micro fleece-lined neck and pockets
To see the entire Fila Golf collection, visit ShopFilaGolf.com. They’ve got some awesome stuff for men and women (that is…if you golf!).
OH…and to win this jacket (valued at $110) it’s super easy:
3. Leave a comment on The Blonde Side’s FB photo HERE telling us why you should win this jacket – are you going to a golf tournament soon and need outdoor activewear (if so, which one), does your husband or boss play golf and you want to gift it, or do you have some other reason? Go enter today – contest ends Friday, March 14th at 5pm.
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Earlier this week we hosted a contest with the awesome sports drink BODYARMOR for their recent partnership with H-town’s favorite James Harden.
BODYARMOR is a premium sports drink packed with more electrolytes, vitamins, coconut water, and natural flavors. BODYARMOR is a healthier alternative to traditional sports drinks and provides your body with what it needs to work hard and play harder.
Here was our contest on FB:
Wanna win a signed James Harden ball? Check out this BODYARMOR Exclusive with the All-Star and his Behind-the-Scenes Q&A: http://youtu.be/wAM0y4lWo1M
Harden is one of the newest (and best!) athletes to have upgraded his sports drink – simply LIKE The Blonde Side & BODYARMOR SuperDrink on FB AND comment on THIS post with your favorite James Harden beast mode moment and the ball could be yours. #UpgradeYourSportsDrink
(Get an extra entry by visiting @jaymelamm on Twitter)
Be sure to stay tuned to our FB page for other contests we run on signed stuff and even tickets!
Be sure to check out his videos – it’s no secret Harden goes beastmode, so this is the perfect upgrade to his sports drink.
What’s it like to sip champagne out of one of the most coveted trophies in sports? Having recently recovered from his jetlag and whirlwind experiences at Sochi, one of the hottest singers/songwriters/producers sat down to give me the story on his recent successes and his simple plan to bring back more good into the world.
Detroit native Mike Posner is one of the most genuine and down-to-earth guys you’ll ever come across. His supremely soft-spoken voice and friendly demeanor immediately make you feel as if you were old pals, talking about your love for music and hockey until you realize you’re speaking to a platinum-selling artist whose Wikipedia page of accomplishments is longer than your eight grade history report.
Posner on Sochi
If you’re wondering what a musical talent like Posner was doing at the Olympic Games, the answer is simple: having the time of his life and not taking a single second for granted. He attributes his fun time at the Olympics to his good friend, Dan Milstein, the manager of Detroit Red Wings forward (and Team Russia’s) Pavel Datsyuk. Since Datsyuk made a cameo in his “Top of the World” video, dubbed a salute to Detroit sports, it’s only fair for Posner to return the favor with a cameo at the Olympics.
Hockey, a sport Posner grew up on, and the Red Wings specifically, it’s easy to imagine the star-struck nature Posner felt regarding his weeklong entourage in Sochi, because a week later, he was still beaming of the experience. “I grew up watching the Red Wings. I got to meet a lot of the guys I watched when I was a kid – a lot of them are Russian. They let me hold the Stanley Cup and drink champagne out of it – it was really cool,” he says.
Although he was there as a guest of Datsyuk, a member of the Men’s Russian Hockey Team, Posner didn’t feel conflicted about the outcome of USA beating Russia early on. “It was actually perfect because in that game, Pasha had two goals, an assist and another goal in the shootout – but Team USA won, so it worked out just fine,” the music sensation says laughing.
“[Milstein’s] from the Ukraine, and speaks the language so we ate a lot of authentic Russian food, like khachapuri. It’s kinda like pita bread with cheese inside – I normally don’t eat dairy but when I was there I wanted to eat the food the people eat there. It was so good – very addictive,” Posner recalls.
“I don’t think I had the Olympics on my bucket list before but it’s one of those things where it seems like a once in a lifetime opportunity. Definitely the highlight was getting to hold the Stanley Cup – I’ve been with it before, but never got to hold it over my head or drink champagne out of it with one of my heroes. I don’t think I ever dreamed wild enough to have that on my bucket list,” Posner says of his bubbly experience with two of his hockey heroes Sergei Fedorov and Slava Fetisov.
While he’ll probably only ever be a spectator at the Olympics, if Posner were to go as a member of any winter or summer team, it’d probably be distance running, the former high school track and cross-country star says. “I have good endurance. I’ve never run a marathon, but I think I could if I wanted to.”
Posner with former Red Wing Salvafetisov
Starting his music career early
If music were a sport, you could say Posner’s been training pretty much since day one, just like Olympians.
“I started rapping when I was eight or nine, and when I was 13 I started making beats. I started making money off my music when I was like 20 or so,” he laughs. “My first hit came when I was 21. I was a student at Duke University, and I recorded my first hit in my dorm room, a song called Cooler Than Me. I kinda put it out on the Internet for free, and eventually it snowballed and became a big song – that was my first break I suppose,” the 2010 Blue Devil grad says.
We’re living in a day and age where the Internet came make a star overnight. Justin Bieber was a huge testament to that, as is Posner himself. “Music is more democratized than ever,” he says. “The barriers to entry are lower than ever before, so there’s a lot of music out there – there’s more music than ever before, so the key is to just be yourself.”
And a comparison to the Biebs and how they got started in the industry is one he welcomes. Posner helped write and produce the song “Boyfriend” off Bieber’s third album and Bieber is featured on Posner’s upcoming album, Pages.
“I think Justin was always himself. He’s an artist I’ve had the opportunity to work with – as long as you’re not trying to be someone else and you’re doing something new and doing it well,” Posner explains. “I think it’s a special time (in the music industry), in my case and his case, these things can spread organically without the help of a major label. There are not as many gatekeepers as there were before.”
Going viral?
“I just tried to make my music as good as I could, and told my friends to tell their friends and it was that simple,” the star recalls. “Within a couple of months, Jay-Z called me for a meeting and offered me a record deal – before that I never had a big artist help me out, it was always just the music itself. Because when you make something good, someone wants to tell their friend about it and that’s literally how movements start.”
But don’t let that fool you that he didn’t work hard at it. He still had to make the good music that people wanted to share and that’s the exact mindset he took into his sophomore album, Pages.
How does going platinum compare to winning an Olympic medal?
Poser with Evgeni Malkin
It’s tough to say (having never won an Olympic medal himself), but Posner guesses the experience on stage is familiar to competing in the Games. “I’m not quite sure if it’s the same – maybe, I don’t know. I guess it is, you can only do it (either) a couple times in your life, so yeah.”
Top of the World
Posner’s latest single, “Top of the World”, ft. Big Sean, is a pretty fitting theme song to making it to the Olympics and to where Posner is now in his career. The motivation behind the new hit Posner attributes to being grateful, but not content, in all he does.
“I’m very appreciative for the blessings I have – I get to make music with my heroes, do what I love and get paid for it but at the same time have the audacity to dream for more and expect more, that’s where I feel like I am in my life. I know Big Sean – a dear friend of mine since I was 18 in Detroit making music in my mom’s basement with him – I know he feels the same about his life. It was fitting, we got to do a music video back in Detroit, and touch all the spots in our city that mean a lot to us, including Comerica Park, the Palace where the Pistons play, and have a bunch of the athletes in the video with us,” he says. “Top of the World” is the first single in his new album, Pages, due out this spring.
Posner is beyond excited for people to hear his music on the new album, but there’s something else that excites him even more. “We’re doing something special with it. I was really blessed to collaborate with the Food Bank in New York City, so for every copy we sell, we serve a meal to a child in need – one for one. I can’t tell you how excited I am about that,” he says.
“We’re the first ones to do something like this, but my hope is that we are not the last. My hope is that other artists adopt this model and a lot of good is done,” he says.
The RCA artist’s latest single is a vow to never forget his humble beginnings while continuing to establish himself as a powerhouse in the music industry, as a true and genuine musical talent.
After seeing the backing he got from friends and strangers alike on the Internet and recalling his experiences at Sochi, I asked if his viral music and novel concept to the start of his career amazed him, which he answered with a genuine feel good laugh. “My whole life amazes me, all the time. It’s totally ridiculous, my life, that I get to do what I do – I feel very grateful.”
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