Skin Care Essentials

After a weekend of fun in the sun in the Bahamas and then heading off to the cold, dry weather in NJ, my skin needed a serious detox! The harsh sun and the dry air really left my skin feeling and looking a little dull. Not to mention, I’ve been fighting this dang cough and sickness for  three weeks, my skin has really taken a beating. In an effort to detox my skin and get back my glow, I reached for my new favorite skin care essentials.

To get back my glow and rock a fresh face, I just need two products, this exfoliator from European Wax Center and this moisturizer from Benefit.

These two facial products are part of my weekly beauty routine, I use the moisturizer daily to ensure my skin stays hydrated. I use the exfoliate once a week or when in need of a little buff and polish to eliminate dry and dull skin. This is my absolute favorite exfoliating cream because it is so gentle and easy on the skin. This may sound gross, but it is so cool to see how this gentle, non-abrasive exfoliator easily removes dead skin!

SHOP THE PRODUCTS

 

Do you have other skin care essentials that help you achieve a fresh, clean face? I’d love to try them out, let me know in the comments below! 

Strive for Progress, Not Perfection

Friends, I need your help. I am struggling to stick to my workout/healthy eating routine (I don’t want to call it a diet, because a diet is just a fad, I want this to last). Some of you may look at me and think that I don’t need to lose any weight and that I am crazy for having this goal, but my body composition has certainly changed from what it used to be. I know this happens to most as we get older and don’t continue to be as active, but the change in my body regardless of how minimal it may appear, feels so much different than what it used to be. Going from pushing my body to it’s limits with two-a-days as a college athlete to rarely working out has made a huge difference, and not in a good way! Ideally, I would like to lose 8 pounds, but if I am toning and leaning out, I don’t really care about the final number on the scale… after all, muscle does weigh more than fat. With all of the said, I think I can hold myself more accountable if I share my progress with you. So here it goes, today starts the day I share this journey. I plan on kicking it into high gear without a gym membership but instead at home with plyometric circuits, high intensity training, yoga and running. I want to strive for progress, not perfection!

Current Weigh-In:

Weight: 135.2 lbs | Fat Percentage: 25.1% | Activity Level: Low (running and yoga a couple of times a week, very sporadic)

Let’s do this!

Yoga To Go: Making Time for Your Mat

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to struggle getting my workout in, there’s always some excuse: too cold for a morning run, too tired after work or I just don’t feel like working out (even though I know I will feel so much better after I do!) To eliminate the number of excuses I can come up with I often do my workouts first thing in the morning, but every now and then that just doesn’t work and an afternoon workout is the only time available. Earlier this week I attempted to make it to the 5:15 yoga class in San Marco but after sitting in traffic for 30 minutes no more than a few miles away from my house I realized I wasn’t going to make it, so I turned around to head back home. Finding myself sitting in traffic for another 30 minutes just to end up exactly where I began without spending time on my mat was extremely frustrating!! During my ride back home I decided to find a yoga session on YouTube and do my practice there, making time for my mat regardless of the obstacles presented.

I found this 60 Minute Hardcore Yoga (Advanced) video:

It was great, I was able to get my practice in despite life (aka TRAFFIC) getting in the way! This video is a good one to follow for advanced yogis, it was a little different from my normal practice, but it was good to switch it up. Sometimes I think the hardest part of working out or doing yoga at home is knowing what to do (or lack there of). I run into the same problem when I travel, trying to get time on my mat without really knowing what to do. I think this Travel To Go Workshop offered by Power Yoga San Marco is so timely and may be just want I am looking for to help me continue my practice on the go! Details below:

If you’re around, I hope to see you there! Do you maintain your practice on-the-go? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!

Labor Day Adventures

Labor Day has come and gone, but our memories from this three day weekend will last a while, especially with all the pictures we took! There will be more to come for future posts on what we did, but here’s a quick snapshot to recap the weekend:

Friday night we started out at The Grotto in San Marco with tapas and wine…

With plenty of wine to go around… 

Then we decided to mosey on over to Indochine for more wine and thai food! 

We called it a night after dinner, so we could get up bright and early for our Saturday adventures! 

Saturday we explored the great outdoors and Kayaked Ameila Island… 

Then, we beached it for a bit to explore and take pictures.

We spotted something from the 70s, not quite what we were expecting in the great outdoors…

But then we made a friend (that’s more like it!) 

After working up an appetite, we made our way to Historic District and stopped by Tasty’s for a bite to eat… (Disclaimer: This was Garrett’s food and he destroyed it, I’m still in awe! Mike and I had a more basic burger and fry combo with a milkshake of course!)  

And then we proceeded to Fort Clinch state park for some more exploring! 

We swam, we walked, we explored and Garrett captured some amazing photos!  

Sunday we relaxed at the house and got a few things done, like… worked on the wedding website,

Mike built a desk (all in a day’s work)… 

And framed out the mirror in the second bathroom… 

We continued our bathroom project Monday morning by priming it… 

Then, headed to Tyler’s house for a fun day in the sun… 

With some really good BBQ!  

After lunch we sat there and relaxed, enjoying the evening sun…

And to wrap up the day we continued on our quest for the best burger in Jax with a visit to Epik Burger… 

Thanks Garrett for all of the great pictures from our adventures on Saturday – they look awesome! Check out more pictures from Garrett, here.

What did you do for the Labor Day weekend? Share your adventures below!

Switching it Up with Rock Climbing

Sometimes we just seem to fall into the same old routine, and every now and then we need to change it up! Weather it be our eating, work, or fitness routines occasionally they get old after a while and we need to do something about it to make it exciting again! Well, I am guilty of letting my fitness routine become stale, it has consisted of yoga and running light running for the past year and a half (okay maybe two) and it is time for a facelift.

Photo courtesy of Edge Rock Gym – she kinda looks like me, but it’s not! 

Last night I changed it up by going to Edge Rock Gym, a rocking climbing facility here in Jax off of Philips and Emerson. It’s amazing, I absolutely love it! Here’s why:

• It’s a workout without feeling like one.
  • I am always ridiculously sore after rock climbing! And it’s because it truly is a workout, especially for parts of the body that I don’t typically focus on, like my forearms, shoulders, back and oh yeah, my fingers! Today it kinda hurts to write this blog but don’t worry I’ll stop my whining.
• Friends don’t let friends climb alone.
  • A group of us get together to climb once a week and it feels like we are hanging out having a good time versus carving out time to go to the gym, yoga or for a run.
• It’s a constant challenge.
  • Sure, I got the basic auto belay down pat… but try advancing to the next level courses and a new challenge awaits. Or if you’re feeling frisky test the waters with bouldering – this is where all of the hardcore folks hang out. I envy the girls that have been doing this awhile and have mastered the ability to maintain control when bouldering. I seriously suck at bouldering, but I keep going back for more and every time I conquer even the easiest bouldering course I view it as a major win!

Interested in trying it out yet? Check out this video (it’s a little outdated), but it’s a great way to see what they offer. And yes, I am totally jealous of the girl bouldering about a minute into the video. That’s my goal and that’s why I’ll keep going back – to be able to have the control and strength to do that!

If you talk to any of the people who are advanced climbers, they will all tell you that they go two to three times a week and believe me – their back and shoulders says it all!

We always end our rock climbing sessions with 15 minutes of fun aka a quick 15-minute workout to finish it off. Typically these sessions consists of planks, pushups, boat pose, v-ups, bicycles, plank up-downs, crunches, and burpees. Once again, not feeling like a work out because we are just a bunch of friends (did I mention we are all a bit crazy) who are working out and kicking each other’s butts, while having a good time!

I am always looking for new ways to stay active and add to my lacking routine, do you have anything new that you’ve tried that I should add to the list?! Please share!