A Wundaful Life: Workout Clothing

Showing posts with label Workout Clothing. Show all posts

Friday, February 24, 2017

Donna 5:30 AM 8

Five on Friday- Spine Corrector, Healthy Muffins & Baby Snuggles

It's been a quiet week around here. And I took a little blogging hiatus this week. Ever feel like you can't keep up with all you want to accomplish? Totally was me this week. But it's finally Friday and there's always the weekend to get everything in on my agenda. Or maybe I can find a way to add more hours to a day...that would be amazing. But let's get to it.

O N E
The Pilates Spine Corrector
It's been awhile since I've played around with the Spine Corrector, but before and after teaching a few of my lessons this week, I decided to give it a go. I feel like I often forget about this piece of equipment- but it is so great to use to support your back and spine. It's a perfect place to work on keeping the pelvis lifted and build strength for back bends.

Here I am working on the Leg Series. I love to do Leg Circles on the Spine Corrector. You get a great opening along the front of the hip and thigh with the Spine Corrector. And it always feels good to finish your Spine Corrector work with some constructive rest (simply just allowing the legs to rest over the crest of the Spine Corrector.)

T W O

Lemon-Raspberry Muffins

So it's not secret that I love to bake and I love muffins. Seriously. I think I make at least one batch of muffins a week. Last week, I made Apple Cinnamon Muffins. Check them out here. This week I made two batches of muffins- Banana Bread Muffins and Lemon-Raspberry Muffins. I love all baked goods-breads, cookies, scones, muffins, and you name it- I'll eat it. Muffins make the perfect side for breakfast as well as an easy snack or healthy dessert option. So you can find me devouring up muffins everyday haha.

I've been working my way through Lisa Leake's recipes in her book 100 Days of Real Food (she also has great recipes on her website.) So I baked the Lemon-Raspberry Muffins yesterday- and they did not disappoint. You can find the recipe here. So yummy! I froze half of the batch in a freezer bag for later. (You can just pull one out at a time and warm them up in the microwave.) Maybe next week I should try making some scones.

T H R E E

Yoga Socks

So I'm not going to lie- I've always thought that Yoga Socks or grip socks were kind of silly. I'd rather just work out barefoot. Just my own personal preference. I have a few clients that swear by the Yoga Socks and won't come to class without them. I've never used them, but I did pick up a pair this week.

Hubby got me some Barre Method classes for Valentine's Day and for Barre Classes, you are suppose to wear grip socks. So while in Target this week, I picked up a pair. Here's the catch though- I'm absolutely terrible with keeping up with socks and I often mismatch my socks, so here's to hoping I can keep up with both socks haha. I haven't tried them out yet, but I plan on trying them out on the Pilates equipment as well.

F O U R

Searching for New Workout Tops

I'm on the hunt for some new workout tops, but I'm kind of picky in what I like. I'm not a big fan of workout tanks with cheesy sayings on the front. I also prefer form-fitting tops. Nothing drives me more crazy than when I'm working out and my top slides up. But I broke my rule and picked up this workout tank from Target this week.

It's loose fitting, but I loved the color. The tank is coral with a maroon colored built-in sports bra. I'm still trying to decide whether or not I'll keep it. Even though I love the color, it will drive me crazy to workout with this top on and deal with it falling down in my face as I mentioned. I've also been eyeballing some tanks from the GapFit Breathe line. I had a maternity version of the GapFit Breathe Tank that I loved while I was pregnant, so maybe I'll return the tank I just got and scoop these tanks up from Gap instead.

F I V E

Baby Snuggles

So I'll close out with this sweet moment nursing my little one yesterday, who is constantly on the go now and often too curious to sit and cuddle nowadays. So yesterday when he snuggled up in my arms nursing, I totally soaked it in. Babies don't keep as we all know, so I'm going to savor every moment because he'll be a toddler before I know it. And those chunky thighs...don't even get me started on those...

Have a great weekend!

For this post, I'm linking up with April from Smidge of This and Christina from Carolina Charm for 5 on Friday and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites, and Amanda from Meet at the Barre for another round of Friday Favorites.

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Friday, February 3, 2017

Donna 5:09 AM 0

Five on Friday- Fighting Sickness and New Workout Gear

Happy Friday! I'm ready for a busy weekend, including starting two new Pilates class series this weekend.

We've had lots of sickness floating around our house the past few weeks, including the dreaded stomach bug. BUT I'm happy to report everyone has been healthy the past week and a half. So today I'm going to be sharing a lot about what I did to stay healthy and get over sickness faster.

O N E
Vitamins
I'm a big fan of Probiotics and take them daily- they are so good for you and perfect for digestive health. Read here why. I take the Standard Process Probiotics 3 times a day, but when the stomach bug started, I increased to 4-5 times a day for an extra boost.

Once everyone started getting sick in my house, I also started taking my Immuplex vitamin again (also made by Standard Process.) I took this vitamin throughout my pregnancy (2 capsules, 3 times a day,) but hadn't been taking them lately. When sick or exposed to sickness, I take a total of 9 capsules a day (usually I would take 6 a day.) I swear by Immuplex- I avoided getting the Flu last year when everyone else in my house had it and I credit that to these vitamins.

I get both of these vitamins from my chiropractor, so you won't find them in store- check with a chiropractor or other wellness provider. But they are good quality vitamins and are made from whole foods, which is why you have to take more of them. (Side note- I shared yesterday about why I started going to the chiropractor. Click here. You should definitely check that out if you are pregnant!)

T W O
Lemon Water
I love drinking lemon water. But when sick or exposed to sickness, I drink it at least once a day. Lemons are a great boost for your immune system because they are high in Vitamin C. We did not have any lemons at home, so I used my Young Living Lemon Vitality essential oil instead. I put 1-2 drops in my water using my Yeti cup to keep it cold and refreshing.

T H R E E
DiGize Essential Oil
That being said, I did end up getting the stomach bug. Like a week and a half later after everyone else was healthy. I'm not sure what happened, but I will say I had stopped drinking lemon water and had stopped taking my Immuplex vitamins two days before I got sick (bad move on my part.)

So anyways, this gave me the perfect opportunity to try my new essential oil DiGize. This is an essential oil blend made from Young Living- read more about it here. I had heard great things about this oil and ordered it after my house came down with the stomach bug.

Once I started feeling sick, I rubbed a mixture of coconut oil and one drop of the oil on my stomach in a circular motion. As soon as I did this, I would feel relief from my nausea. I did this several times the day I was sick. I only got sick on my stomach one time and just felt flu-like for the rest of the day. I credit that to my vitamins, the lemon water, and DiGize oil because everyone else was a thousand times sicker and for much longer than I ever was with the bug.

F O U R
Lululemon- Align Crop Leggings
What better way than to celebrate surviving the stomach bug than a new pair of workout leggings! I picked these crop leggings up last week. I'm obsessed. Like if I'm honest- I've almost worn them almost every day the past week except when I've washed them ha.

F I V E
New Mat
I also scored this new mat from Lululemon last Saturday. Note for locals to Huntersville and Lake Norman Area- Lululemon at Birkdale Village is starting back up their free Saturday Morning classes. They are having another class tomorrow at 8:30 AM. Anyways, I went last Saturday and they gifted those that attended a new mat. Who doesn't love a new mat?! I love it! It is the perfect amount of cushion, so I can use it for both Yoga and Pilates.

I'm using my new mat in this picture (and wearing the Align Crop leggings- see I said I LOVE them.) Pilates teacher tip- When purchasing a mat for Pilates, get a mat with extra cushion. In Pilates, you need extra cushion for your Spine for The Rolling Exercises. A more cushioned mat also feels better on your spine for exercises such as The Abdominal Series and The Hundred. In this picture, I'm doing The Hundred. Read how to do this exercise here.

Have a great weekend!

For this post, I'm linking up for Five on Friday and Friday Favorites.

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Friday, January 13, 2017

Donna 5:21 PM 0

Five on Friday-- First Edition

Happy Friday!

ONE
I'm really excited to be starting my blogging adventure. I have read blogs for years, love sharing Pilates with others, and talking about overall wellness, but never had the courage to actually start blogging. The start of a new year seemed like just the right time to open up to the blogging world about the things I love most! I've loved reading April's from a Smidge of This Five on Friday posts, so I'm going to start linking up with her and joining the Five on Friday fun. So here it goes-

TWO

I've been using my Thieves essential oil so much lately! There are so many great uses for Thieves oil. It is definitely my go-to essential oil for fighting off germs, cleaning, and helping with sinus congestion. My whole family has been battling sinus congestion lately, so I've been running Thieves oil through my diffuser several times a day. I'm sure our nice southern winter is part of the problem, especially going from snow to a week later with temperatures in the 70's like today. I just placed a new order for Thieves Oil and I hope it arrives soon. We are about to run out over here!

THREE

Since I have shifted back into teaching Pilates again, I really could use some new workout clothes...at least that's a good excuse to tell my husband right?! Anyway, I've been on the lookout for workout tanks that are more form fitting. A lot of the Pilates exercises, such as short spine massage on the reformer and the jack knife on the mat, require the legs go up overhead. To me nothing is more annoying when I'm working out than having to readjust my tank top! I stopped in Lululemon this week and found this perfect workout tank- the new Simply Bare Tank. It is super soft and has a really pretty high neckline.

FOUR

I plan on sharing my wellness goals for 2017 more next week, but I'm hoping to start cutting out a lot of the processed food that we eat at home out of our diets. I purchased 100 Days of Real Food this week to help get me started. I'm looking forward to reading it and trying out some new recipes.

FIVE

I've been loving adding the Pilates Magic Circle into my mat practice this week. It's a great tool to use to switch up your mat practice and of course is an added challenge to your workout. The Magic Circle helps me activate my inner thighs for exercises such as The 100. I especially love using the Magic Circle for a finishing stretch following Single Leg Circles.

That's all for now! Have a great weekend!