INSPIRATION BLOG: The Women We Are

Read our inspiration blog on how there is more to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders than you think by Ann Lux.

After recently becoming engaged, I have taken time to reflect on what kind of woman I want to be as a wife and hopefully a mother. In taking this next step in my life, I realize I will no longer be making decisions to please only my parents, although I still hope to make them proud. I now have a bigger purpose and something greater to live for.

The other day I came across a quote comparing a woman of the world to a women of God. Growing up in a Christian home, I have always had a good moral compass and have done my best to be a good person. As I have grown spiritually, I realize that being a Christian isn't about doing good deeds or being a good person. Being a Christian is about having a relationship with Christ, growing in faith and being transformed into His image. I realize no one is perfect, but what an amazing goal.

When I read this quote I thought of Kelli, the director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the last two years. She is a very inspiring person and challenges us to grow. After sharing the quote with her, she asked me to write an article about what it means to me.

Where do I begin? I have learned so much the last few years and in my life that I think I could write forever!

In the DCC world and through life in general, it is easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and only see YOUR plans, disregarding that there is a higher power and something bigger for your life than the "right now." From my perspective, DCC has been a huge growing experience. It would be very easy to become a vain, greedy, coarse, obsessed-with-fame person (as the quote says), BUT if you take a step back and see that each individual woman has a purpose on the team besides "the skinny one," "the powerful dancer" or "the swimsuit calendar cover girl," we see that we are much more than just the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

We are blessed with women like Brittany Evans, "the precious heart that loves the Lord and can make you smile no matter how bad of a day you are having," or Jackie Bob, "the comedian that can always make you laugh and help you realize that we need to lighten the mood and have fun," or Ally Traylor, "the one who cares so much for others and wants everything to be the best it can be," or Nicole Bulcher, "who is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside," or ANN LUX, with a poker face, dry wit and a great sense of humor that loves to make everyone laugh and genuinely cares for all of her teammates more than anything ... AND can always fix their hair in a crisis situation!" :).

Together, we are a perfect recipe to make a difference in the community and in the world. We work together as a team for a purpose greater than ourselves.

In closing I would like to share the quote:

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity".

FITNESS BLOG: Keeping Workouts Fun

Read our fitness blog on how to keep workouts fun by Sydney Durso.

As a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and a role model to many people, it is important for us to stay healthy and fit all year long. We must look and feel our best for our annual swimsuit calendar shoot, appearances, USO tour, children's camps, football games, and much more.

This week we will be shooting our 2013 DCC Swimsuit Calendar in paradise! With that in mind, many of you have asked on Twitter, how the DCC stay toned, so I thought I would share a few of my personal secrets.

I have incorporated health and fitness into my daily lifestyle. While a killer workout at the gym is great, I wouldn't necessarily call myself an addict. It is important to change up a fitness routine from time to time in order to stay motivated and focused.

Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, a short drive away from South Padre Island, I often reminisce about morning runs on a beautiful beach, skimboarding, and doing yoga in the sand. I crave sunshine! While these "beachy" activities are not necessarily something you will find here in Dallas, I have discovered other great things to do around the Metroplex that keep me moving.

Jay Johnson offers many great outdoor (and indoor) boot camps for people of all ages to get fit and stay fit. Like I mentioned in my previous article, Skinny as a Frog, Jay is beyond motivating and enthusiastic when it comes to pushing you to be in the best shape of your life and helping you reach your goals. Also, kayaking, water skiing, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding are great water sports that build muscle and improve body alignment. Who wouldn't want to spend a beautiful day at the lake while getting in a great workout at the same time?

Tennis is also an incredible total-body workout. Grab a racket, tennis balls, a friend or two, and hit the courts. And last but not least, my personal favorite, dance. Dancing has always been a passion of mine. It feels great to let loose and have fun while reaping the benefits of the exercise at the same time.

I try to work out four to six times a week, and I love to have fun when I do so. Things such as dance classes, running outdoors, doing yoga, and playing tennis fill me up with the energy I need to keep my interest for health and fitness high.

Here are a few exercises I do at the gym on a weekly basis:

Glutes/Legs
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- Glute Raises (on floor)
- Single-Leg Bridge-Ups or Regular Bridge-Ups (leg at 45-degrees and keep knees together)
- Resistance Band Walking Squats with Kick-Backs (keep your weight in your heels)
- Standing Side Kicks (great for your outer hips, glutes and inner thighs)
- Jump Lunges (keep your abs tight)
- Double Lunges
- Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts (PROPER FORM MUST BE USED!)
- Walking Lunges with a Twist (with or without a weighted medicine ball)

Obliques/Lats
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- Assisted Parallel Close Grip and Wide Grip Pull-Ups
- Hyperextensions
- Back Extensions (with or without weight)
- Wide Grip and Close Grip Lat Pull-Downs
- Assisted Chin-Ups

Core
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- Medicine Ball Twists
- Ab Roller
- Decline Oblique Sit-Ups
- Hanging Leg Raises
- Air Bike
- Standard Sit-Ups or Crunches (and modified sit-ups such as changing your arms to bend above your head or straight above your head and changing your legs to flat out in front of you or up in the air, etc.)

When starting a new workout program, only choose a few exercises with which you are comfortable and do as many repetitions as you can. With practice, you will increase your strength and endurance and be able to add more exercise and/or more repetitions of each exercise.

What is your favorite fitness exercise or activity?

DCC Of The Week: Jenna Allison

 Our DCC Of The Week is Jenna Allison!!! Read below for all kinds of information about this rookie cheerleader!

Birth Place: Houston, TX

Occupation: Student

Career Goal: I want to be a personal trainer and specialize in weight loss. I hope to open my own gym, boot camp programs, or dance facility.

Lifetime Goal: I want to get married to the love of my life and have a big family filled with love and happiness.

Hobbies: Painting, cooking, and working out

First Job: Sales Representative at Forever XXI

Favorite type of music: Hip Hop/Rap

All-time favorite song: Crossroads – Bone Thugs N Harmony

Favorite meal: Filet mignon, asparagus, and mashed potatoes

Junk food weakness: Chicken nuggets at Chick-Fil-A

Favorite sport to play: Sand volleyball

Favorite time of year and why: Fall because it is just cool enough and I love Halloween and the State Fair. Also it means my birthday is around the corner!

What would you do if you won the lottery?: I would pay back my Dad for supporting me all through college, set up an educational scholarship fund, and open my own gym with a organic smoothie shop inside!

What's something unique about you that most people don't know?: My great-grandmother was Miss Dallas and I was named after the character Jenna on the show "Dallas."

I've always wanted to: Go to culinary school

If you looked in the trunk of my car you would find: Weights, school books, random clothes, a tennis racket, and old water bottles

Describe your personal style: Laid back and hippy, oversized shirts with prints

The song that best describes me is: Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson

Words to live by/Favorite Quote: Live life and love to the fullest, no regrets!

My best and worst habits are: My best habit is my work ethic, I always follow through. My worst habit is messing with my eyelashes.

If I had a different job, I'd be: A private chef, cooking for dinner parties and events.

My ideal vacation is: Costa Rica. I love the beach and exotic places!

BEAUTY BLOG: Bedhead Beautiful

Read our beauty blog today with how a 4-year veteran preps her hair each day.

My mornings always start out with a really, really bad hairdo when I get out of bed. I can't sleep if I have any hair touching my neck, so I snooze with a giant, messy bun-concoction-type thing on the very top of my head. Therefore, when I wake up and let my hair down, I have a crinkly mess. Thank goodness there are Bedhead products to get me through the entire day.

I wash my hair every other day so that it doesn't dry out. On the days that I don't wash it, I use Bedhead's "Dirty Secret" dry shampoo on my roots, which gives it volume and soaks up any oils in my hair. It's in a black bottle with a green top. I also spray dry conditioner, in a silver bottle, on hair from my ears down. Both of these products are from the "Rockaholic" line, and they both work wonders! Plus, the dry conditioner smells great.

For the days that I do wash my hair, I use their detangling spray right after my wash. Then I spray "Your Highness" root boost on my roots while I am blow-drying and round-brushing my hair. It gives my thin hair so much more volume. Sometimes I also use the blow dry lotion that protects your hair from heat.

After my blow dry, if I straighten my hair I don't use much product, just the Bedhead flat iron. However, if I curl it with my Bedhead curl stick, I use a couple of different products. Before curling each section of hair, I spray "Your Highness" firm hold hairspray, to make it easier to curl my layers. This unique curling iron is literally just a hot stick with no clamp, so it's easy to burn yourself if you don't use the right technique. But by using the firm hold spray, all my layers in each section of hair kind of stick together, so I don't burn my fingers trying to hold each piece down on the curl stick.

All you do after that is wrap the hair around it, starting from the large part of the curl stick then working your way down. My hair looks better if I curl it in a direction away from my face, but some people like to curl their hair the opposite way. After I am finished using the curl stick, I spray the cleverly named "Totally Beachin" body waves and styling mist. Not only does it make my hair fall into beautiful waves rather than tight curls, but it also smells amazing. The bottle says it is vanilla, mango and coconut, which I think makes your hair smell like a relaxing day on the beach!

I have many more Bedhead products that I use on other occasions, but this is my day-to-day hair routine in a nutshell. Whether you have a job like mine (and our hair must be perfect enough to represent the DCC!), or even a job where your hairstyle doesn't matter, Bedhead has the product for you. I hope some of you will go out and try these products because they really do make life much easier!

Beauty Tip Of The Week

Here's our DCC Weekly Beauty Tip:

Get brighter eyes instantly! Curling your lashes and coating them with clear mascara will wake up your look. You'll get a really nice curl if you heat the curler with a blast of hot air from your blow dryer. Also, using a white shadow or eyeliner to line just the inside corners of your eyes helps add the illusion that your eyes are brighter and wider, so you look more awake and alert!


Check back next week for another beauty tip!

Health Tip Of The Week

Here's our DCC Weekly Health Tip:

Don't skip breakfast. Eating breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and helps with productivity and attention span before lunchtime. Some key breakfast tips and tricks include eating breakfast within an hour of waking up and eating one fat, one protein and one complex carb!




Check back next week for another health tip!

Cassie: Thank You Notes

Written By 4 Year Veteran: Cassie

As we say goodbye to eight veterans this year, I wanted to send them off with a sincere thank you. These girls have all made a positive impact on my life, and I will miss each and every one of them dearly.

Thank you Ann ...
... For countless happy memories, thousands of laughs, and for just being you.
... For showing the world that just because you aren't always grinning from ear to ear, you can still be one of the happiest, sweetest, and most bubbly girls on the squad.
... For being one of the most patient people on the team, and showing me that sometimes you just have to loosen up and relax.

Thank you Sasha ...
... For being one of the strongest women I have ever had the privilege of knowing.
... For being a super hero. You are an incredible mother and a teacher, and only a super hero could do all that in a day, and still have the energy to put on your game face and smile through rehearsal every night.
... For going through some really tough things and showing such poise through it all.
... For being so beautiful, classy, and optimistic at all times.
... For raising your adorable daughter to be as much of a lady as you are, and for allowing her to be my sweet little flower girl! :)

Thank you Sunni ...
... For being the person I go to when I need a good dose of dry humor, like my own!
... For being the person that anyone can talk to without feeling judged or laughed at.
... For being my sunshine this year, especially on tour. You got me through the long days!
... For being the person I will always go to when I need a little boost from an "amen sister," or when I need someone to "take the wheel."

Thank you Kelsi ...
... For bringing out the kid in everyone.
... For being an example for me by being such a hard worker, whether it is in school, at practice, or on the field.
... For having the brightest smile in any room, and making everyone around you happier.

Thank you Brittany ...
... For "smiling when you cried," and literally smiling every other second of the day.
... For making everyone in your presence happier with your sweet, loving heart.
... For showing me that an injury is just a small bump in the road, and that your determination can get you through anything.
... For always laughing at my dry humor, and putting up with me as a locker buddy for so long.
... For providing me with an example of an amazing marriage, and for showing me that you can still cheer and be the perfect wife. If I can be half as good a wife as you, I know my marriage will be successful for a long time.

Thank you Ally ...
... For being a leader for me since Day 1, and for teaching me so much about leadership.
... For being so optimistic, and finding something positive to remind me if I ever had something negative to say.
... For being the most organized person I know, and showing me everything I've learned about how to get through life as a DCC.
... For being the goofiest, yet still the classiest woman on the squad, and for always making me laugh in stressful situations.
... For teaching me the way a DCC should compose herself in ALL situations.
... For being the only person on the squad who has more hair problems than I do, and helping me laugh at my own. :)

Thank you Ashton ...
... For being my rock and my moral support for the last three years.
... For being more down to earth than you will ever realize, which is why we easily became best friends.
... For being such a hard worker, and showing me that 19 hours are possible to pass in a semester while still cheering for the Cowboys.
... For being the epitome of a strong, Christian woman. Rather than boasting about it, you taught me that it is more Christian to show it in your actions.
... For teaching me everything I know about faith. I am blessed to have had you in my life thus far.
... For being part of my wedding, and for allowing me to be a part of your special day as well.

Thank you Kaitlin ...
... For instantly welcoming me with open arms four years ago. No words can express what I will take from knowing you, but I will try.
... For being the best friend a girl could ask for.
... For easily being the most genuine and kind person I know, and for allowing every soul you cross paths with see that quality in you.
... For being the first person I call when I can't remember what movie a certain quote is from.
... For being such a little hippie, and sharing my love for some different, unique music!
... For showing me how strong a relationship can be, even during really hard times.
... For being so supportive of any decisions that any of your loved ones make.
... For not "biffing" Collin's proposal, and making up a crazy story about your brother surprising you in a field suite. Ha! :)
... For being there for me as I start a new chapter in my life, all while you're going through the same journey with me! I was more than honored and proud to have you stand next to me when I said my vows, and vice versa at your wedding.