Tone It Up Girls’ Secrets for Feeling Your Best for Summer

An essential part of your healthy lifestyle is taking some time to unwind and relax. Self-care is not selfish — we always say that when you take care of yourself, you’re better able to care for everyone else in your life. You’re a better partner, friend, mother, leader, and coworker.

Today we’re sharing five tips to care for YOU, mind, body, and spirit. These will help you unwind, bust stress, and feel your best. You deserve it!

These tips are featured from your new Balanced and Beautifulbook! It’s the ultimate five-day guide to feel your most refreshed, motivated, inspired, energized, and relaxed. Every chapter is filled with workouts, recipes, girl talk, beauty tips, lifestyle advice, and mindfulness guides. Get your copy here!

1. Throw a Girls’ Night in. Relax with your girls! Pick up some wine or kombucha and ask your friends to each bring a dish or app they love. Then turn on one of your favorite movies — we always love Clueless, The Breakfast Club, or The Holiday. You can set the scene with dim lights and candles and fill the room with pillows and blankets to help everyone get comfy. And don’t forget the popcorn! We make our own healthy version on the stovetop and flavor it with 1 tsp. ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp. coconut sugar. So delicious!

2. Make a DIY face mask. Bring the spa home! We love this moisturizing avocado face mask:

1/2 ripe avocado

1 tsp. plain yogurt

1 tsp. honey

1. In a bowl, mix together all ingredients.

2. Apply to your face and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and a washcloth.

3. Get out for a stroll. If you’re having a stressful day, take a 10-minute walk on your lunch break or go for an evening walk with a girlfriend. Exercise releases feel-good endorphins, which can combat anxiety. The sounds of nature will soothe you too. You can also take this opportunity to confide in your girlfriend or call your mom! Sharing your feelings is so therapeutic and will immediately help you feel more relaxed.

3. Namaste away stress. A yoga class always give us relaxed, happy vibes! Plus, research has linked yoga to decreased stress levels. Make a yoga and brunch date with a girlfriend or schedule one of the amazing yoga classes in your Studio Tone It Up app.

4. Watch the sunset. This sounds so simple, but watching the sunset can be a powerful way to unwind and connect with yourself. Make it a tradition and no matter what you’re doing, aim to power down your computer and put away your phone and be present in the moment. As you watch, take a minute to reflect on your day and everything you accomplished.

What are your favorite self-care ideas? Share them with us @BritandCo and @ToneItUp.

(Photos via Tone It Up)

Hey, gorgeous! As trainers, we’re often asked our top tips for staying fit while traveling. One of our absolute favorite ways to sculpt gorgeous muscles anytime, anywhere is with Booty Bands. We’ve broken out our Booty Bands for a quick workout in just about every place you can imagine. (We actually just took them with us to Europe last week.) You can travel with them, use them in the airport, your hotel room, or take them outside and enjoy the beautiful scenery! If you don’t have Booty Bands yet, you can grab them here.

Today we’re sharing some of our go-to moves you can do while traveling to target and tone your cute booty — plus your legs, arms, and abs too! You can find even more amazing sculpting workouts in your Studio Tone It Up app. The app is your perfect travel companion for access to a variety of workout classes that you can join every hour. You’ll find yoga, kickboxing, HIIT, and more. Get ready to feel your healthiest, strongest, and most confident yet!

For amazing results, go through 20 reps of each move for a total of three rounds.

1. Booty Band Shuffle

Tones your outer thighs and booty.

Begin standing with your booty band above your ankles. With a slight bend in your knees and hands on your hips, take two steps to the right, then two steps to the left while keeping your booty low.

Do 10 reps in each direction.

2. Standing Booty Kickback

Tones your hamstrings and booty.

Begin standing with the band just above your ankles. Lift your right leg back behind you just a few inches off the ground while keeping a slight bend in your standing leg. Return your right leg down to starting position and repeat, then switch legs.

Do 10 reps on each side.

3. Booty Band Squat Jacks

Sculpts your thighs and booty and boosts your heart rate.

Begin with the band just above your ankles and feet hip-width apart. Jump both feet out and lower into a squat position, then jump back to starting position.

Do 20 reps.

4. Booty Band Arm Tap Out

Tones your arms, shoulders, and entire core.

Begin in a plank position with the band placed just above your wrists. Lift your right hand and tap it to the outside of your mat before bringing it back to starting position. Repeat with your left hand.

Do 10 reps on each side.

6. Booty Band Plank Lift

Strengthens your core, legs, and booty.

Begin in a plank position with the band around your ankles. Lift your right leg six inches off the ground, then lower it back down. Repeat move with your left leg. Alternate sides with each rep.

Do 10 reps on each side.

What are your favorite booty exercises? Share them with us @BritandCo and @ToneItUp.

(Photos and GIFs via Tone It Up)

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Get ready for another year of mayhem, because Squid Game season 2 is on its way! The Netflix K-drama / thriller captivated — and horrified — viewers when it premiered on Netflix in 2021, and we are more than ready to see more. And considering it became Netflix's most-watched series, and was so popular it led to comfy Halloween costumes and reality competition Squid Game: The Challenge, we're not alone.

Here's everything you need to know about the Squid Game season 2 release date, cast, and more!

When is the Squid Game season 2 release date?

Noh Juhan/Netflix

Squid Game season 2 will premiere December 26, 2024. I guess nothing says Christmas like murder and giant, terrifying dolls. Creator Dong-hyuk reportedly took 10 years to write the first season of the hit series, but we're glad it didn't take him that long this time around!

What is Squid Game season 2 about?

Noh Juhan / Netflix

The first season of Squid Game followed contestants chosen to participate in the titular games, a competition that features deadly versions of childhood games. And this time around, Gi-hun is doing everything in his power to take the game down, even if it means "starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion," according to an official synopsis.

"As we all saw at the end of season 1, the main plot of season 2 will be revenge," actor Lee Jung Jae tells All K-Pop. "The key figure who controlled the workings of the games in season 1 was Lee Byung-Hun...it seems that the two of us will be the central figures of this next story."

While season 1 was all about surviving the games, it appears that Squid Game season 2 could be all about bringing them down.

Who is in the Squid Game season 2 cast?

Noh Juhan / Netflix

Netflix announced the cast of Squid Game season 2 in June 2023. In addition to the return of Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-jun, and Gong Yoo, we'll also see some new characters including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Sung-hoon, and Yang Dong-geun.

Is Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 of Squid Game?

Netflix

Squid Game: The Challenge is a competition show inspired by the world of Squid Game. According to the official synopsis from Netflix, the 456 players are all playing familiar and new games and "their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them."

Who won Squid Game 2023?

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix

The winner of Squid Game: The Challenge season 1 is Mai Whelan, while the winner of the fictional Squid Game contest is Seong Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae).

Give us your craziest Squid Game season 2 theory in the comments, and check out what Hwang Dong-hyuk had to say about season 3.

This post has been updated.