InstyEm

@naturallyem

Morning snuggles with my little man. He has 10 minutes of neck kisses every morning, so spoilt :)

xx

e

Motivational Monday

 Happy MM everyone! This Monday I want to talk about something I have been pondering lately, and that is 'perspective'. I think as we get older we become a little wiser and obvi more experienced in life, and the past few months it has been very refreshing for me to get some perspective on where I've been and where I want to go. I feel as though I am in a transition phase in my life, kind of like in limbo. Are any of you feeling the same way?? I am just starting my career which is fantastic and I get to help people everyday, which is very rewarding and I am definitely a "giver" more so than "receiver" and I really enjoy helping even if it is in such a small way. So there's that whole thing, but I know that I want so much more out of my life. I want to laugh everyday, find my soulmate who I will be lucky enough to spend everyday of my life with, travel the world, meet new people, eat amazing food, and most of all be happy every.single.day. I mean is that so much to ask for?! Haha, maybe so but I am only on this beautiful Earth once { that I know of :) } so I am going to try with every fiber of my being to literally take a step back everyday and just feel the love surrounding me. I think if you, like me, were in a 5+ year relationship at some point in your life it can really distract you from so many other things.
{ Or if your like a serial dater, which I am NOT at ALL! haha }
I forgot about MY life and now that I look back I have no regrets but it just makes your realize how much you take for granted. Or perhaps it is just this transition phase that has me all philosophical on y'all. I am really enjoying the time I have spent on me and my soul these last few months. I really hope I don't ever forget how this moment feels. Either way, I want to remember my life in a way that I can leave this world saying damn, I really lived, not just.....lived.

And so I leave you with some inspirational and motivational quotes that hopefully give you some perspective as well :D
Did I just get too personal??? Haha

{ great perspective }

:)

xx
e

Fitness Friday: Tone It Up

Happy fitness friday y'all! I want to talk to you about one of of my all time favorite websites Tone It Up! It is sort of like a blog/fitness website that two amazing, beautiful, inspiring ladies run: Karena and Katrina. I do at least 3 of their workouts a day from their YouTube channel. Their workouts are straight to the point and really give a great burn, plus you can do them anywhere { aka my living room ;) }
They also have a workout dvd you can do at home: purchase here!

Right now they are doing a 'Love your body' series and it ends on Valentine's Day! They are doing specific workouts and tons of giveaways from Victoria's Secret. Follow their Instagram: karenakatrina for amazing recipes, motivation, and workout tips!

Today I am going to show you some of my favorite workouts of theirs that I do everyday!

Beach Arms for Summer!

Leg and Booty Workout

Love Your Abs Workout

Hope you check out their website and enjoy the burn :D

xx

e

Beauty Review: Weleda Sea Buckthorn

Hey there everyone, ready for a beauty review?? I've been a bit busy as I got a job last week so sorry for the lack of posts, buuuuuuuut I found some new products I hope you all will enjoy!

This past week at Target I found that^ Weleda trio on sale for a mere $12! AND I needed new body wash and lotion! Yay! I have been wanting to try their Sea Buckthorn for some time now and I am so glad I did!

The Scent:
is to die for! I love a good citrus-y scent and this one is amaze. Its like yummy, fresh, juicy tangerines :D Citrus is really invigorating for your senses as well. It is a very uplifting scent and I really like that.

About Sea Buckthorn:
It is actually a fruit & oil and you can use it on your skin or ingest it via pill form. When the fruit is pressed thats how the oil is released. Read more about it here!

The Body Wash:
Yummy, yummy, yummy and did I mention yummy? I have a thing for lavender { as you know } but also a thing for citrus haa. I mean there's not much I can say about this body wash or any other for that matter, its only purpose it to clean me and it does that job while being creamy and smelling too good to eat :) Purchase the body wash here!
The bottle says:
"This revitalizing body wash contains organic sea buckthorn oil to help nourish your skin. Sundrenched  oranges and grapefruit from pure essential oils unfold a fresh, fruity aroma..."

The Replenishing Body Lotion
Ooooooh now this is a real treat. This isn't their regular body lotion { although I am sure that one is great too } but it is their lotion for dry skin. Obvi my skin is drier since it is winter and this body lotion is by far my favorite I have tried probably in the past year!!!!!! It is soothing, nourishing, just plain amazing.
The bottle says:
" This replenishing body lotion with organic sea buckthorn and skin related fatty acids provides lasting care for dry skin, while protecting skin from moisture loss."
I love slathering this on right after I step out of the shower, my skin literally drinks this up.
Purchase the replenishing lotion here!

I haven't tried the sample body oil yet but I am sure it is just as lovely as the other products! I just love that the scents of all Weleda products are not artificial in the least. They all smell so amazing. I hope you enjoyed this post, any requests leave in the comments below

xx
e

InstyEm

Purchase here!

xx

e

Recipe: Healthy 'Donut' Muffins

{ What mine looked like :D }

Woo Hoo! I love a healthy recipe and these are super delish! I found this recipe on Pinterest and modified it just a bit to make it healthier! I haven't done a recipe in a while and these were just so simple to make and so amazing tasting that I just know you will love them.

First off, they are kind of like a healthy baked 'donut' and that is super appealing to me. I love donuts just as much as the next guy, and these are a skinnier version and of course, much smaller than a donut; so more like a donut hole. These taste so amazing! I am sure there is a way to count the calories in these etc., but I don't count cals so unfortunately I don't know!

Again, heres the recipe I used and here's what I changed:
1. I used whole wheat flour instead of the white flour it called for
2. I didn't use butter at the end, I just brushed the tops of the muffins with coconut oil and then dipped the tops in organic sugar. I also tried to use as many organic ingredients I had on hand! Luckily, this recipe had very simple ingredients that I am sure you will all have in your kitchen!

Overall, I will make these again and again! They were a yummy sweet treat and super easy to make!
Let me know if you all make these and tell me what you think!!!

xx
e

Motivational Monday: Polar FT40

Happy Motivational Monday everyone! Today I am going to talk about one of my Christmas presents the Polar FT40 heart rate watch. Sooooo I have seen this watch on quite a few insta ladies I follow and  I have wanted one for a long time! So I was surprised by Santa and this lovely watch was mine! It is so cool and comfortable on your wrist. I obvi had to have white since I am obsessed with all things white  { macbook, car, phone, etc. } haha.
But for reals, this is my new favorite tool. I cant wait to wear it to the gym. So far I have been using it for my at home workouts and running.

How it Works:
First you have to wet the electrodes on the part that goes under your sports bra/boobies. Then you start your exercise on the watch and it tracks your heart rate through that { as you can see below }. When your workout is over, you click it to stop that workout and you can scroll through and see calories burned, max/min heart rate, % of each calorie that was fat burned, etc. It is pretty cool.

One Complaint?
That they make a smaller band for around your bust!!!! Mine is on the tightest it can go and somehow she still seems loose. Anyone know if they make smaller bands? I guess it's not that big of a deal its just kinda annoying. But so far I have no problems with this watch and am super excited to see how it fares at the gym when I get my membership { still working on that }.

Do any of you have this watch or another Polar watch?? What are your thoughts on it?

xx
e