![]() ![]() I’ve seen a big increase in my strength, have lost 10lbs, have gone from a size 6 to a loose size 4 and am at 13% body fat (not sure what it was when I started). It was motivating seeing everyone try their best to keep up with it and it inspired me to stay consistent even when juggling work, a preschooler at home, and being a single mom. When Lauren launched the program I initially joined to “change it up” and get some accountability.Ģ.I’ve really enjoyed the community and support from the group. I wasn’t seeing results fast enough and the barn was closed due to COVID so I couldn’t ride my horse. Normally I would do some cardio on my Peloton and then ride my horse for exercise. It has truly improved my life!ġ.I started the program right at the beginning of lockdown in April 2020. I’m proud of myself for committing and making a healthy change. Exercising and eating right has now become part of my daily routine. I learned that I didn’t even realize how bad I felt until I started feeling better. This change has really helped me both mentally and physically. I love that I look better but I really love that I feel better. Almost 1 year into the program, I am down 40+ pounds, and maintaining! I am also stronger, faster and in the best shape I have ever been in. In my first 6 months I lost 30 pounds! I am stronger than I have ever been and have gone from a tight size 12 to a comfortable size 6. I decided to commit for at least a month (May 2021) and see what happened. It was something I had to do for myself, not my kids, or my career, but something for me. Then one day I found LaurenMartinFit on Facebook and decided I needed to give it a try. I kept thinking I needed to make a change but wasn’t really doing anything about it. I was also experiencing a fair amount of anxiety. I had my second baby in October 2020 and my weight was at an all time high. I had tried to workout on my own from time to time with no success. I knew I wasn’t in shape, but didn’t think I had the time or really the ability to make a big change. I became used to it and thought I was “comfortable” where I was. I have been overweight most of my adult life. Now I am confident wearing my summer clothes in front of anyone, no more hiding behind baggy clothes and I'm embracing this milestone instead of dreading it. I'm turning 40 this year and the weight of that was enough to knock me down a little, but I did not want to enter this new chapter in the worst shape of my life. My confidence is so much better than it was before. And I'm setting an example for my boys.ģ. My energy is up making it easier to tackle the daily stress of life. My resting heart rate is down 10 points which I consider the biggest win. Success has been both visual, losing 15lbs and 13 inches, but also internal. That's when I posted on FB asking for protein powder recommendations. I purposely avoided the scale until Mother's day, and it was a rude awakening. Trying to teach them and work became incredibly stressful and I found myself eating and drinking unhealthy as a coping mechanism. Distance learning was chaotic at best considering I work full-time from home. I have three boys that were in K, 4 and 6th grade. She is now expecting her 4th child due in April 2022 and we plan on starting right back up after she is cleared to exercise.ġ. For someone who doesn't/didn't run ever, she went on to run a 1/2 marathon 4 months into the program. She lost 40lbs in 4 months, gained muscle and became an athlete - she was never an athlete growing up so this is that much ore impressive! Most importantly, she gained her confidence back. ![]() ![]() Those that know her now would never think it was hard for her because she transformed so much and is the “athlete” of the group. She changed her whole diet (out with the junk and in with the whole foods) and followed the plan. ![]() She started up with the program and followed it to a t. She wanted to make a change, so she did! She was nervous and out of shape. She mentioned that Covid had been tough on her fitness and nutrition and that she really needed a push! She is a medical doctor (pathologist), mom of 3 under 5, a spin instructor, philanthropist and an amazing woman. Meet Shahzrad! We met in March 2021 at our kids soccer practice and immediately clicked and became instant friends. ![]()
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![]() ![]() You don’t need to spend a cent to start your writing blog. Once you set up your blog, you can get comments from your readers and build relationships.Īnother benefit is that you can share your short story posts on social media to create more buzz about your writing. Starting your own blog for your writing means you are in control. Of course, there is one last option you might want to consider for publishing your short stories online. It’s not at the top of my list, but it might suit you if you are into fan fiction.ġ1. But the search function works well to find what you are looking for. The structure of the site is a little challenging to navigate. It certainly is not the most attractive website around.īut Archive of Our Own makes up for it with a huge database of writing and related posts and articles. It’s probably a little more teen-focused than other platforms.īut well worth a look if you are trying to find readers. ![]() Quotev is a very active site for publishing stories in a variety of genres including fanfiction. You have no restrictions on word count, genre, or even how often you post. The beauty of the platform is how easy it is to set up an account and start posting or reblogging your stories in a flash. However, there is a vibrant community of short story writers on Tumblr. ![]() ![]() When you think of Tumblr, you probably associate it with being a blogging platform. It’s a little lacking in style, but it’s an easy site to navigate. This might be a site more suited to younger writers.īut Story Star for short stories looks like it might work if you can match what readers are looking for. However, judging by the lack of likes on recently published stories, the site may not be very active. I included this site in my list because StoryWrite specializes in short stories. This makes Booksie for short stories an obvious choice to help you promote your writing. It’s not quite as pretty as some other sites, but it has a large following of readers and writers. However, there is a huge selection of Medium short stories.īecause it is such a popular platform, it gives you an excellent opportunity to share your writing.Īnother great thing about Medium is that it is so quick and easy to publish your work. You probably associate Medium with articles and content marketing. You can publish any type of story, from a personal essay to teen fiction to literary fiction. When there are so many active users, it’s a great place to start publishing your stories. You probably know about Wattpad, which has been the launching pad for a lot of published writers.īut there is a special section in Wattpad for short stories.Įvery day there are newly published stories, and you can see from the stats that there is a lot of user interaction. Take a look at Inkitt and see if it’s an option for you. One other plus is that there is a possibility of gaining a Galatea publishing contract if your short story collection proves to be popular. You can still use other publishing platforms, so there are no restrictions. The site also has regular writing contests you can enter. When you upload your story to the platform, readers can access it.Īccording to TechCrunch, Inkitt has over seven million active users engaged on the site, so you have an excellent chance to find readers. If you are looking for an alternative way to find readers for your writing, Inkitt might be for you. ![]() ![]() ![]() We don’t always ship everything together so check your dispatch email for more details - we’ll send you a dispatch email per parcel.We will email you as soon as each item is ready to be dispatched so you know when to expect them, but you can also check the status of your order in your account.Will you tell me when my order is on its way? All delivery options and any charges that are applicable will be shown at the checkout.Selected items are only available for delivery using Click & Collect to an hmv or FOPP store of your choice.Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.Free delivery is available for most items when the order exceeds £20, but any exceptions will be clearly highlighted.When you place an order for an item that is fulfilled by Exertis, your details shall be forwarded to them so that they can fulfil the order, and to their courier so that they can deliver the item. Products labelled '*item fulfilled by Exertis on behalf of hmv' will be supplied to you directly by Exertis via their approved couriers.In this instance, we'll send weekly updates to keep you aware. Certain items can take longer to source than the estimated week, particularly during busy trading periods and may take longer to arrive at our warehouse.Where an item is 'Back in stock soon', we'll aim to receive more stock within a week and will dispatch any orders once the shipment has arrived.We will aim to dispatch pre-orders so that you receive them on the release date.Orders sent via the Express Delivery service will be dispatched the same day if ordered by 2pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).Orders sent via Royal Mail 48® are usually received within two to five working days, including Saturdays.If the items are in stock, we’ll aim to dispatch them within 24 hours of your order being placed.Personal preferences aside, there’s no denying “ATTENTION ATTENTION” is a powerful artistic statement from a band that has become absolutely fearless, and that’s always something to be admired. It’s ironic that when I reviewed “Amaryllis” in 2012, I jokingly referred to it as “The Sound of Madness Part 2,” and now that the band has strayed so far from that on its two records since then, I kind of prefer things as they were. I can’t imagine there being too many Shinedown fans wanting to hear that, but I could be wrong. The only real misfire is the title track, which finds Brent Smith, one of the finest vocalists of the past decade and a half (in any genre), rapping on the verses. Produced solely by bassist Eric Bass for the first time, this is a dynamic, dramatic album, with sounds running the full spectrum from the propulsive, hook-laden “DEVIL” (my favorite Shinedown song since “The Sound of Madness” album, released in 2008) to the poppy “GET UP” and the piano ballad “special” to the electronic, almost industrial-like stomp of “THE HUMAN RADIO” (my second favorite Shinedown song since “The Sound of Madness”) and culminating with the upbeat barnburner “BRILLIANT.” The various moods and tones of the record take the listener on an exhausting emotional journey, resulting in a focus and momentum that was missing from “Threat to Survival.” ![]() Aside from the voice, the band is almost unrecognizable as the one that recorded its first four records. The experimentation continues on the band’s sixth record, “ATTENTION ATTENTION,” a concept album of sorts, telling of a person overcoming negativity and emerging as a changed individual over the course of 14 tracks. Some may have found it adventurous to me, it felt like a ploy a stay relevant at modern rock radio more than anything else. On its previous release, “Threat to Survival” (2015), Shinedown got a little experimental and ventured a bit too far into alternative rock for my tastes. ![]() |