Fitness Friday: My Fave At Home Workouts

I am going to start this new little thing called Fitness Fridays woop! Get excited!
I wanted to do a lot more fitness posts on here because I've recently gotten back into working out just about everyday [5-7 days/wk] and it kind of comes back to keeping your body healthy as well as your skin believe it or not! I am one of those firm believers that 'you get out what you put in'. If you put the time and effort into taking care of yourself, eating right, exercising, you get phenomenal results. So I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite at home workouts since I mainly workout at home and have yet to get a gym membership <<Christmas List!!!>>

You need very few things to do a decent at home workout. I like to use my own body's weight to firm my arms so there are different exercises I have found that help with sculpting different parts of the arm just by using your own weight. Exciting stuff

What You'll Need:

1. Yoga Mat
I use a pretty generic pink Nike one but any mat will do! If you use it a lot I suggest investing in a heavier duty one [on the Christmas List again!]

2. Water Bottle
This may seem silly, but I always keep a cutesy pink water bottle next to me with fresh squeezed organic lemon juice in it. Haha

3. Yourself ;)
The most important of them all! And a good attitude hehe

So here are some of my favorite workout vids I use on a daily basis. Each one is a little different, but its good to keep it mixed up.

Mandy Ingber's Yogalosophy

I love, love, love these workouts. Her shorter workout is about 33 mins long and it is the perfect amount of toning and yoga if you're in a rush. I mean, can't everyone spend at least 30 mins a day bettering themselves?!?! I think so. She also has an hr long workout on there. I find yoga so grounding and relaxing. It puts me in a better mood for the day ahead and clears my mind of negative thoughts. There are soooooo many benefits from yoga! I love it!

 I mean if its good enough for Jennifer Anniston....

Ballet Beautiful Total Body Workout

This is my newest dvd and I love it! I mean she trained Natalie Portman for Black Swan so of course I had to try it. I wasn't sure about the whole 'ballet' thing because I've never done any kind of dancing in my life ha. But I was surprised at the amount of floor work and toning exercises. Theres even a section where you can pick and choose for a custom workout and just do what you want. I do this practically every day and I am still challenged by it. She has a new one out called Body Blast which I plan on trying soon.

So as you can see I am more of a low impact, yoga/pilates gal. I do run...occasionally. I like ellipticals and all that jazz. But I still think that you can get a good workout in at home. Just use what you got! As long as you are doing something that is a lot better than nothing!!

Do any of you have any other video recs??

xx

e

InstyEm

[ [ Pants x Mat x Waterbottle ] ]

Post on this tomorrow :)

xx

e

DIY: Sugar Body Scrub

This will kind of be complementary to my last post about keeping those gams silky smooth during these harsh winter months. As much as I like to be lazy and purchase a sugar scrub, it is a lot of fun and a lot cheaper to create your own!

I use very simple ingredients and I buy them all from Amazon because it is sooo much cheaper on there than my natural health food store.
Ingredients:
-Sweet Almond Oil(my favorite) or Grape Seed Oil
-Organic Sugar<< Sometimes I also add Brown Sugar for a sizable mix of sugars
-Glass Jar for mixing and storing, although I only make enough for each time
-Any kind of stirring device

[What mine looks like]

Literally, all you do is put all the ingredients in the glass jar and mix until desired consistency. I don't like my scrub saturated with oil, but you want to use just enough to make a little paste. And that's it!! Super easy and simple ingredients most of you have in your homes already. A little side note on the oils: I like sweet almond because its not as sticky as the grape seed. But right now all I have is grape seed so use what you got even if its olive!!

xx

e

InstyEm

<< denim x necklace 1 x necklace 2 (similar) x sweater >>

Keep Your Body Smooth & Soft During Winter

So wintertime is almost upon us and it is getting tougher to keep our skin soft, supple, and properly moisturized. As much as I talk about keeping your face moisturized, keeping your body moisturized is just as important! We tend to forget about the parts below the neck. I always amp up my routine for the winter because we use the heat more and its colder out which both play a part in drying out our skin. I am going to show you some of my favorite products to keep smooth and flake free during the winter.

Dry Brushing

The first thing I do is use a dry brush all over my body daily. This may sound strange, but you brush in upward strokes starting at your feet all the way to your neck. It stimulates your blood flow and circulation, as well as decreases cellulite. There are actually many more amazing benefits to dry brushing that are beneficial to your health. I use this dry brush daily.

Exfoliate

You all know how much I love Indie Lee products from this post, so you know her body scrub must be amaze! I would suggest using a body scrub a couple times a week to keep your dead skin at bay. The dry brush does help with exfoliation but in the winter you need something stronger. With minimal ingredients and yummy essential oils, I know you will love this scrub! Plus its big so it will last you forever! Purchase here!

Moisturize

Probably the most important! I love the feeling of silky, smooth legs so after exfoliation it is key to moisturize well. One of my favorite brands is John Masters Organics. And one of my favorite scents of all time is the John Masters Blood Orange Body Milk. It smells good enough to eat! Literally! So some people think its necessary to switch to a heavy body butter in the winter but I feel that if you stay exfoliated regularly you should be just fine. Unless you have abnormally dry skin<<<<in that case load up on a heavier one ;)

John Masters also has this body milk in body wash form [YUM]

Hope you enjoyed lovelies!

xx

e

Motivational Monday

Happy MM! I am going to show you some of my favorite healthy Pinterest soups! Recipes will be linked underneath the photos. 

Cilantro and Quinoa Soup

Garden Veggie Soup

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

Turkey, Kale, Brown Rice Soup

It's that soup time of year and I love all of these recipes above. Of course, you can substitute if you don't like or can't eat some of these ingredients but they are all amazing! I plan on making some of these this week. It's getting chilly out!

xx

e

InstyEm

{ Bracelet // watch // denim // flats }

Post workout errands in my uggs :)

Coming soon the the shop! Its the Petite Marshmallow

Homemade Cinny rolls soooo good! Such a splurge!

Thought this was cray, but its actually really amazing and so much better for you than reg pb.

Supporting BCA!!

A typical breakfast: egg whites w/ Braggs no salt seasoning & sesame seeds w/ organic toast

My most recent juice. I used beets! It was sooo good!

I will be doing more fitness, diet posts next week! As well as what workouts I like etc. Living a clean lifestyle with splurges here and there is very important to me! I'll be sharing more about my diet and what healthy foods I like to eat so I hope you all will enjoy those posts!

xx

e