Wedding Dress Shopping + A CONTEST!!!

I went wedding dress shopping last week. No, not for an actual wedding dress. Just for a dress to wear to a wedding. This shopping trip felt a little bit more emotional for me than my usual dressing room drama, mainly because the wedding was for a friend that we went to school with (basically making this a mini high school reunion.) I've said it before, but it still holds true: I need to go shopping more often. Trying on clothes is such an enormous motivation for me to stick to my diet & exercise plan. There were several outfits that looked amazing on the mannequin and then didn't look as great when my curves were inserted into them.

Not everybody knows this, but my husband is my best shopping partner. He has better taste than me and he tells me the truth. Usually, I gravitate to my "safe" items. He scopes out the stuff that I wouldn't ordinarily try on and convinces me to "just try it" and that's typically the stuff that looks the best. When it doesn't he (kindly) says, "Nope, not the right shade of red after all" or "That skirt would look better if it were just an inch and a half or so longer." So, imagine my shock when he tried to tell me that I should go sleeveless! Had he lost his gift? Did he not realize that I had in fact inherited my grandma's arms as my father had warned him? (Thanks, Dad...) There was no way that I was going to face people from high school that I hadn't seen in a decade with flipping cellulite looking flab on my upper arms showing!

Well, turns out that's not true. No way turned into "OKay, fine. Whatever." The little black number flattered EVERYTHING but my arms. That's a fair trade off, right? I almost forgot about my arms too (that is until we were out on the dance floor and the song changed to YMCA and I attempted to do the motions until I got scared that my arm flab swinging around was causing too much air current...) So, now, once again motivated... I want to know two things:

#1. What is your favorite way to tone your arms?

#2. Share your favorite healthy recipe for weight loss!

I'll leave this open for two weeks and then choose my favorite suggestion from both of those. The winner & their exercise / recipe will be put on the side bar for the world to see. (Okay, the 4 or 5 readers, but I can pretend it's the world, can't I?)