Would you believe me if I told you I scored this entire outfit (sunglasses and shoes included) for 30-60% off?! eBay does it again! I almost never pay full price for anything, especially name brand items, anymore before hitting up ebay.com and searching for it first. All of my designer items have come from eBay and my most recent discovery on my road to “bikini body ready” has been their athletic wear selection starting at just $14.99! *insert praise hands here*
Photos by: Banavenue
Up until a few weeks ago the only workout that my body was accustomed to was raising a glass of wine but with Miami swim week approaching I decided to kick the workouts into high gear. And by high gear I mean a few easy, at home workouts that can make you lose five pounds and gain a six pack in less than a month. Totally possible right?! The Internet says yes so that means it has to be true…
I’m a firm believer in fake it till you make it. While I feel like a total “newbie” working out, looking the part is half of the battle. Speaking from experience, your old college t-shirts and ratty shorts don’t make you feel all that pumped up to work out. Plus all of the cool gym kids these days are wearing Lululemon which apparently makes you feel 10X cooler and more excited to work out. The problem here is that I have never been able to justify Lululemon or other expensive activewear brands because before a month ago the most action my athletic clothes saw was a leisurely trip to Chick-fil-a and Target.
After my first at home workout, I decided to “treat” myself to a legitimate athletic outfit. I say treat lightly because you know I can’t buy anything full price when I can get it for less somewhere else! Since the Abercrombie and Hollister days, eBay has been my best kept secret for scoring great deals. For high dollar, out of stock, or designer items, eBay has saved the day and my wallet on countless occasions. Now that I have discovered their amazing stock of athletic wear, I’d be surprised if I ever pay full price for brands like Lululemon, Athleta, Lorna Jane or Nike ever again!
Most people I’ve shared my hidden secret with have had no idea that the majority of items on eBay are actually new with tags (NWT in eBay terms) and most have free shipping too. With over 1 billion listings, eBay can get overwhelming pretty fast if you don’t know what you are looking for or how to narrow down what you are looking for.
HOW I SHOP EBAY:
- If the item is still online at the retailer site, copy the exact product name on the retailer’s site then head to eBay.com and paste it into the search bar. I almost always add NWT onto the beginning of the search so that it only pulls back listings that are brand new.
- If the item is out of stock online, but I know exactly the name of the item that I am looking for, I will describe the item down to the size and color that I want. For ex: Aquamarine Cool racerback Lululemon tank size 4
- If the item is out of stock online, but I don’t know the exact name of the item, I will describe the item as best as I can and still include size and color. For ex: blue racerback Lululemon size 4.
A FEW OTHER HELPFUL TIPS:
- While bidding on high dollar items can pay off, I tend to stick to the “buy it now” option. It’s faster and easier to use while still scoring a great deal. I normally use the “make an offer” feature for designer purses, shoes and sunglasses but stick to the “buy it now” option for clothing.
- I will only buy from sellers that accept returns. While I have personally never had a bad experience purchasing from eBay, I feel more comfortable knowing that I can return the item if it gets delivered damaged or not as pictured. This will be stated on the listing.
- Make sure you check shipping prices! If a listing looks too good to be true, check the shipping cost before doing a happy dance. Some sellers will try to stick it to you with the shipping prices. I personally look for sellers that offer free shipping. This will be stated on the listing.
Now that you look the part, let’s work on that bikini body. For days that you can’t (or don’t want to) make it to the gym, these easy workouts get the job done for a full body workout with a major focus on your core.
ABS
I do a series of abs but always include crunches, pike ups, and leg raises. For crunches I will always throw in some alternating sides to work my entire core and obliques. I stick to reps of 20 each: 20 up, 20 right, 20 left, 20 alternating sides. For pike ups, I will do 20 with my legs in a pike position and reaching towards my butt and then 20 reaching for my toes but every time you bring your hands down you also bring your legs down too making sure to never touch the ground (this is the hard part). For leg raises, I sit on my hands and raise my feet about a foot off the ground and hold it for 20 seconds. I do 3 reps of each of these exercises.
ARMS
Find a ledge or chair to do these exercises. I first do 3 reps of 20 arm dips with my legs extended. The key with all of these exercises is to flex your core. This will work out your abs as well. Next, I face down like I am doing a push up on the ledge. I do 3 reps of normal push ups and then staying in the push up position I will alternate bringing my knee up to my chest. This will work your abs and arms. Again do 3 reps of 20.
*Thank you eBay for sponsoring this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*
