Blog Posts

Train for a Race

Our fitness center is a great place to train and reach all your physical fitness goals. Running a marathon or 5k might seem out of reach but we have a great training plan to share. Find a race here that you can train for. There are plenty of races here in the Phoenix, AZ area. There are lots coming up in the New Year. Allow yourself about 12-16 weeks to train for a marathon. Figure out just what will keep you motivated as you train. Even if you are just trying to get in shape, a training schedule is a great way to track your progress and keep yourself going. From Popsugar we found this training schedule. The site says, “If you have a few 5Ks and 10Ks under your belt, you're probably thinking about running your first half marathon. Doubling your racing distance means building endurance by increasing your weekly mileage. Don't be daunted by this! Try this 16-week training schedule that adds miles safely. There are cross-training, strength-training and stretching, and rest days built into the program to help prevent injury. Plus, the long runs are on Saturdays when you have time to go the distance, giving you Sundays to recover.” When you’re training be sure to wear the correct clothing. Shoes that fit well and support your feet will help to avoid injury. Clothing that is breathable but won’t get in the way is really important as well. Try listening to music or an audio book while training. This can help you focus elsewhere while your body works so hard. Be sure to fuel and hydrate your body while training. This isn’t just your typical workout. You’ll need to make sure you are consuming enough to fuel yourself. As it gets so warm in Arizona, some people opt to train early in the morning before the day gets too hot. It’s important to find what works best for you. Good luck training! Thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee Blog!

Try A Bullet Journal

If your New Year’s resolution was to journal more or write everyday, you still have time to catch up! We love the idea of a bullet journal. You still write every day but in smaller amounts. A bullet journal is just a notebook that accommodates a huge variety of planning schemes. You can create calendars and to-do lists, and you can also use it as a diary, a brainstorming notepad, and more. Bulletjournal.com gives a great overview of how to start. The site says , “Note-taking and traditional journaling take time; the more complex the entry, the more effort is expended. The more effort expended, the more of a chore it becomes, the more likely you’ll underutilize or abandon your journal. Rapid Logging is the solution. Rapid Logging is the language in which the Bullet Journal is written. It consists of four components: topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets.” For a great journal, decide how big or small you want. You might like lined pages or a more grid style page. Many people love Moleskine for their notebooks. Find the site right here . Pageflutter is also a great resource for journaling. She says, “I used a year-at-a-glance page (with traditional calendar months) as my first page in my 2016 journal and really liked it. Repeated in 2017. The page doesn’t take long to make, and it’s a great cheat sheet to use throughout the year.” Journaling is a great way to record your life and your memories. It can also help you know just what you need to accomplish during the month or the year. Accumulating several journals gives you the opportunity to look back and really see how much you’ve changed or grown. Find what works for you as you journal and try new techniques. Thanks for reading Liv Ahwatukee Blog! We hope you have a great month here in Phoenix, AZ!

Host A Classic Movie Night

If you haven’t seen every award winning movie, you’re not alone. Getting to know more cinematic trophy winners is a great way to learn about film! It’s also a fun excuse to get some friends together for a night of classic film and memory making. Old School Hollywood is always a fun theme. Try a black and white film like Casablanca or To Kill A Mockingbird . Encourage your friends to dress up like they’re attending a red carpet festival. Dim the lights and make your own spotlights by placing flashlights in small paper bags to line the room. Having a step and repeat can be a fun backdrop for Instagram or Snapchat photos. Hang up some light colored paper and throw in some props like a feather boa or top hat. Fun crafts make great decor for your glamorous evening. Try this DIY Hollywood sign from Moon Frye. Find the tutorial right here . The site says, “Hurray for Hollywood! Nothing says [Tinseltown] better than the iconic Hollywood sign. To bring a little bit of the Hollywood Hills into your own backyard, check out our fun DIY backyard Hollywood sign craft. We had such a blast making ours!” Add a sophisticated touch with plastic champagne flutes and delectable desserts like chocolate strawberries or fancy hors d'oeuvres. Try this delicious recipe for bruschetta found here at the Garlic Diaries. The site says, “I keep my bruschetta very simple. Just a few ingredients to amp up those tomatoes and make everything taste exactly right. No need for mozzarella. No need for a fancy balsamic reduction. No need for any special tomatoes. Just simple, delicious ingredients that combine into absolute perfection.” We think you’ll enjoy an evening of film and delicious food. Don’t stress about the details too much, even though it is fun to have those little glamorous details present at your party. Thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee Apartments Blog! We hope you have a great month here in Phoenix, AZ!

Super Bowl Celebrations

If you’re planning a celebration for the big game next month in your apartment or elsewhere in Phoenix, AZ, we’ve got some ideas for you. Of course, it’s about more than just the game. The food and decorations really set the scene. We like this DIY football field party table idea from A Night Owl Blog. Head to the site for pictures and a step-by-step how to! What you’ll need: Green felt (enough to cover your table surface) White duct tape White vinyl Die cutting machine or pre-cut numbers The steps: Simply cover the table surface with the green felt (I purchased mine from Hobby Lobby with 40% off coupon, with measurements for my kitchen island), and tape it down to secure. Mark off where you want the yard lines for your football field and use white duct tape to create the line. Cut yardline “numbers” out of white vinyl with your die cutting machine. If you don’t have a machine you could buy pre-cut numbers or trace and cut them out by hand. Stick the numbers down around the duct tape lines. For some delicious snacks, check out this idea for a Nacho Bar from The Magical Slow Cooker. The site says, “This nacho bar is easy to do, and people really get excited about making their own nachos. This recipe is a great idea for any party. My sister-in-law did a nacho bar for my niece’s graduation party, and they had about 100 guests! The Teenagers loved the nacho bar (well, and me too). If you are doing a giant party, it may be easier to do canned nacho cheese, warehouse stores sell giant cans of cheese! But this recipe is made with velveeta cheese, sour cream, taco sauce and milk.” We hope you love these ideas and have fun celebrating as you watch the game! Thanks for reading Liv Ahwatukee blog!

Organize Your Home

A lot of our New Year’s resolutions are all about fitness and getting into shape. But don’t let your home be forgotten! Each room of your Liv Ahwatukee apartment can be whipped back into shape, as well. After the holidays, full of traveling and celebrating, our homes can get left behind. Don’t worry, this week we’re focusing on each room of our apartment to get things clean and tidy. Your closet is probably the first place that could use some work! Go through and figure out what items you wear and what items can be given away. If you have time, get creative and create an Instagram account to sell your items! Or take items that are in good shape to a local thrift store or consignment shop. If you’re unsure if you can part with an item, put it in a different room or closet. If you don’t even attempt to get that item back into your closet within the next month, you’ll know you don’t wear it or need it! Bonus: More room in your closet means room for new purchases that you love and will wear! The kitchen comes next. Go through cupboards and drawers to get rid of items that no longer work or are broken. Match lids to storage containers. Get rid of wrappers and empty boxes. Stale or expired items should be thrown out, as well. Keep like foods together so you’ll know where things are when you look for them. Keep foods at eye level. This will help you save time and money because you’ll know exactly what is in your cupboards when you’re taking an inventory for each grocery trip. The car is sometimes forgotten, but it’s important to keep it clean and uncluttered. Head out to your car with a garbage bag and remove receipts, empty bottles or cups, and other items you don’t need. Take spare change out of your car, as well as any random clothes or miscellaneous items that somehow seem to pile up in the trunk! Organizing your apartment makes it look and feel so clean and fresh. Thanks for reading!

Celebrate National Fun at Work Day with these Movies

January 28th is National Fun at Work Day. Although going to work isn’t usually everyone’s idea of fun, we’re celebrating it by watching one of these workplace-related movies. (In your apartment or another place in Phoenix, after work, of course!) Read on for their summaries, from IMDb.com. The Devil Wears Prada — Though not all about having “fun” at work, many of us can relate to having a difficult boss or coworker. In New York, the simple, naive, just-graduated-in-journalism Andrea Sachs is hired to work as the second assistant of the powerful and sophisticated Miranda Priestly, the ruthless and merciless executive of the Runway fashion magazine. Andrea dreams to become a journalist and faces the opportunity as a temporary professional challenge. The first assistant Emily advises Andrea about the behavior and preferences of their cruel boss, and the stylist Nigel helps Andrea to dress more adequately for the environment. Andrea changes her attitude and behavior, affecting her private life and the relationship with her boyfriend Nate, her family and friends. In the end, Andrea learns that life is made of choices. Office Space — In this 1999 flick, three company workers who hate their jobs decide to rebel against their greedy boss. The main character, Peter Gibbons, thanks to a hypnotic suggestion, decides not to go to work at the same time his company is laying people off. When layoffs affect his two best friends, they conspire to plant a virus that will embezzle money from the company into their account. Working Girl — Tess McGill is a frustrated secretary, struggling to forge ahead in the world of big business in New York. She gets her chance when her boss breaks her leg on a skiing holiday. McGill takes advantage of her absence to push ahead with her career. She teams up with investment broker Jack Trainer to work on a big deal. The situation is complicated after the return of her boss. We hope you enjoy these films and find some ways to have fun at work! Let us know if you have any other movies we should watch. Thanks for reading the Liv Ahwatukee blog!