Browsing Tag

Fitness

Silver Linings

Posted on January 30, 2016

This month has been crazy busy and I think it’s just a precursor to the rest of the year. With several weddings, bachelorette parties, and traveling in the works, my calendar is already pretty full! I love having things to look forward to that help me set my goals every month. Like with a possible trip to Germany and Switzerland, a destination wedding and a cottage wedding on the schedule for summer, I’m focusing on toning up not just for all the upcoming photo sessions, but as a precursor to all the drinks and eats that will be had! German pretzels, here I come!..

Working out is also my much needed form of relaxing my mind. Sometimes, whether I’m stressed or not, I just get a strong urge to run and I try not to ignore that call from my body. Who doesn’t just want to runaway from it all once in a while? But the better option is to focus that urge to run away and just go for an actual RUN. Hitting GoodLife Fitness as usual is my ultimate form of stress relief and the other benefit is that it keeps me fit.

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As part of sticking to my gym goals, I made another awesome fitness fashion find recently. These killer sports bras are seriously SO comfortable and they also make your boobs look amazing which is rare from a sports bra since most of them squash your boobs down. I’ve found these bras lift and support (I think it’s the cool straps that make this magic happen!). Best part is they didn’t break the bank so I splurged on a bunch of them. Check out the links aboves to get your hands on some! I’ve been lounging and sleeping in mine, and I’m telling you, even if you don’t make it the gym, you’ll find plenty of occasions to wear them!

And in other fitness fashion news, I am obsessed with my new Nike shoes. I bought them at the end of the year. It was a tough time for me personally, and when I saw these shoes, they were like little silver linings, urging me to stop looking at the big picture, slow down, and focus on smaller goals, and put the spotlight on my well being and being good to myself. They are silver and have a slight sparkle to them that makes me want to pull them on and get active every time I look at them. What more could you ask of a workout shoe!?

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Stay tuned for a new post next month where I’ll share some of my fav workout songs! I’m always on the lookout for new songs for my running playlist. What are you listening to currently at the gym?

This post is written in partnership with GoodLife Fitness as part of the GoodLife Fitness Ambassador Program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness

Yoga Love

Posted on August 31, 2015

As summer winds down, I am going full-force into yoga again. It’s much harder to stay motivated to work out in the dog days of summer, but as fall approaches, I get excited about getting to practice yoga, as the warmth of the yoga studio at GoodLife Fitness is a nice contrast to the cooler weather of fall months, and makes it easier to be back indoors.

Yoga is one of my favourite ways to workout. If you’ve ever tried P90x a lot of the moves are very similar to yoga moves, but with a faster pace. P90x is considered one of the hardest workouts you can do, so I feel like practicing yoga is pretty badass. Aside from being a total body, dripping sweat workout, the best part of yoga is that it’s not just good for your body. Yoga has a soothing effect on your mind you just don’t get at the end of other workouts.

Breath in, breath out, repeat.

I live for that calm period at the end of the class where I just lay there listening to myself breath, chest rising and falling, and for a moment that is all I am focused on. I always immediately fall asleep, for a minute or two, which is why I think it is the perfect workout. I normally take forever to fall sleep. My mind just doesn’t stop. I think about my day, I think about my past, about the future, and all of the unknowns, the coulda-woulda-shoulda moments, my grocery list, and work to-dos, and I am unable to shut off my mind at all. I sometimes end up dreaming about those things! It feels like my brain never truly ever gets a break. The fact that I can pass out blissfully, and immediately, at the end of my yoga practice to me is an indication of how beneficial it is to do yoga. I am all for it, and highly recommend it to anyone that has trouble clearing their minds.

Give a yoga class at a local GoodLife Fitness a try. Let me know how it goes!

Check back in with Lovelyisms next month for a new fitness post!

This post is written in partnership with GoodLife Fitness as part of the GoodLife Fitness Ambassador Program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness Recipes

Lemon Water Refresher

Posted on July 31, 2015

If you’re like me, especially after a workout in the summer, the heat makes you want to chug water all day. I like to add lemon to mine to give it a little flavour. I’ve heard that drinking lemon water also helps to cleanse your system. I’m all for a light detoxing when it’s so easy.

All you have to do is get a nice lemon or two (I prefer the Meyer lemon variety. They are a really nice golden yellow colour and are rounder and sweeter than regular lemons), and then slice the lemons into thin rings. You can either put them in a jug and add ice water, or add a few slices directly into your water glass. I prefer the single serving approach using a mason jar glass. Doesn’t it look cute?

Keep in mind that the lemon rinds can make the water a little bitter if you leave them in the jug for too long. You can avoid the bitter effect by squeezing the lemon juice into the water, rather than adding full lemon slices, if you prefer.

Not only is lemon water pretty, but it’s a refreshing way to keep hydrated. Lately, I’ve gotten into the habit of making a few glasses of lemon water after my workouts at GoodLife Fitness and then I drink it for the rest of the day. It looks so pretty in my fridge, I just want to keep grabbing another glass. Try it after your next workout!

Check back next month for another fitness post!

This post is written in partnership with GoodLife Fitness as part of the GoodLife Fitness Ambassador Program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness Recipes

Peach Mango Tango Smoothie

Posted on June 1, 2015

I’ve been on a huge smoothie kick lately. I think it might be because I use a lot of frozen fruit, so they kind of taste like sorbet to me! Maybe that’s why I like them so much!

My favourite thing about smoothies is that I can get a bunch of different fruit into one easy to drink meal, and I can make one for a fast breakfast, take one with me on the way to work, or on the way to the gym with me when I go to GoodLife Fitness. I also like that smoothies are pretty filling, and since I use a small blender, they are almost mess-free.

As part of my obsession this month, I’ve been swapping my usual lunches for smoothies. In this post, I’m sharing my current favourite smoothie of the moment, what I’m calling the Peach Mango Tango. Here’s the list of what you’ll need to make it…

Ingredients:

2 cups of frozen fruit mix (I used a mix of peach, mango, strawberry)
1 banana
3 tablespoons of french vanilla yogurt
1 teaspoon honey

To make this smoothie, start by adding your ingredients into your blender, starting with the banana.

Next add the frozen fruit. I like to blend everything right out the freezer so it keeps a nice frosty consistency and gives it that sorbet texture.

I like to add the yogurt and honey last so that part hits the blades first and helps to keep everything moving as it blends.

Now, mix everything together! I use the Nutribullet since I love making a single serving size and it’s really easy to clean afterwards.

Here’s the final drink!

I love to make smoothies as snacks as well, as a way to get more vitamins into my diet rather than junk food. I try to use fresh fruit as often as possible, but frozen fruit is also a great alternative, and can stay in the freezer a lot longer than the fresh stuff. I’ve gotten into the habit of buying a bunch of different frozen fruit bags and now I have a full freezer of fruit so that I can mix and match them for new smoothie flavours. It also makes it really convenient when I am in a rush and I don’t have to wash or cut up fruit because it’s already done!

As part of this next month’s fitness goal, I’m hoping to get to the gym at Goodlife Fitness more often, possibly on my lunch breaks, so I have an energy boost mid-day, but we’ll see if my schedule allows for it! Come back next month to see how that goes and get another healthy recipe!

This post is written in partnership with GoodLife Fitness as part of the GoodLife Fitness Ambassador Program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Fitness

Winter Workouts

Posted on February 28, 2015

With spring and bikini season hopefully just around the corner (fingers crossed!), I am setting a new goal this month to push myself harder. As I mentioned in my Eating Colourfully post last month, I stuck to adding more colour to my daily diet. This month I’m hoping to set a goal for myself that’s a bit tougher and I know that braving the cold more often is something that I’ll need to push myself on because if you know me, I am NOT a winter lover. I would rather be hot and sweaty than cold and outdoors if I could avoid it, which is why I’m hoping once I get in the habit of making it to the gym at GoodLife Fitness more often, it will get easier because there’s nothing like a good run or full body work out to warm you up!

There’s also nothing better than coming home from the cold and having a tea. I’ve gotten into the habit of adding lemon to black tea when ever I drink it, instead of sugar and milk, and also putting slices of lemon in my water, which I like to think boosts my immune system in the winter. Anytime I feel a little under the weather, my cure is always getting the biggest jug of fresh squeezed OJ I can find and trying to drink as much of it as I can within a day or two. For me, the extra vitamin C makes me feel like I’m being extra good to my body. Extra citrus in your diet can also aid in losing weight I’ve heard, so it can’t hurt to add more of that into my meals this month too!

Stay tuned for my fitness post next month and see how I’ve done with sticking to my goal!

This post is written in partnership with GoodLife Fitness as part of the GoodLife Fitness Ambassador Program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

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