Stuck In A Rut? Here Are 5 Ways To Feel Better

Every so often, we get this feeling that we are stuck in a rut. Whether it be at work, fitness-related, or the way we are eating (I feel like all I eat is chicken these days), it’s important to take the time to diagnose this feeling, and take the necessary steps to change your outlook and shift it to a more positive focus. When I am getting all too tied up in the day to day motonity, here are a few things I have been trying to do when I am feeling not so hot:

1. Do something free and fun. Sometimes there just aren’t enough exciting moments to fill our weeks/weekends. If you have nothing to look forward to in the upcoming weeks, plan something that won’t cost you anything like a hike at a local mountain (we are headed to NH this weekend), or invite some friends over to watch football on Sunday (go Pats!).

2. Be your most fierce self for one day. I remember when I read this, it made me smile. We see all the celebs looking fabulous doing the most mundane activities – pumping gas, grocery shopping, walking their dog. Throw on your favorite outfit and put a little extra time into getting ready for errands this Saturday. Sometimes when we look good, we feel good in return.

3. Work it out. It’s no secret that exercise releases endorphins, and in turn, makes you feel better. My exercise routine has been feeling a little stale lately so I have started to switch it up with Barre and cardio classes that are different, and it’s been making me feel much more energized and fresh.

4. Let yourself be sad for a set amount of time.  This was the best advice I have ever received. Whether you went through something traumatic, or are just having a few bad days, let yourself be sad! We aren’t often inclined to structure our wallow, and it can go on and on if we let it. The key is to take control—control of how we respond to negative feelings and emotions. And one way to do that is to allot a time limit to be upset. That way, we validate our disappointment while also showing that our feelings don’t have us, we have them. Give yourself a few hours, 2 days, or one week to be sad, and then move on.

5. Cleanse your wardrobe. I have to admit, I am a bit obsessed with this “feel better” technique. I have been cleaning out my closet in stages and sticking closely to the notion, if I haven’t worn it in a year, it’s out. I have been sending in the rejects through ThredUp (a service that pays you or donates your clothes), and feel noticeably better afterwards. Purging your wardrobe makes room for new clothes that can give you the boost and the optimism you are looking for.

JavaBabe: Fact or Fiction?

We know there is no magical pill that results in a healthier, fitter, slimmer, better version of you. It takes hard work, good diet, determination, and a whole lot of time and energy. However, when we first read about this 100% all natural “fat burning” coffee that doesn’t promote fat blaster instant fix pills — we couldn’t help but check it out.

Java Babe is not an instant fix when it comes to weight issues. HOWEVER, Java Babe does get your body into a fat burning state the all natural way.

What’s cool about this stuff? Java Babe has a mixture of blended coffee and tea, although the coffee flavor is really all you can taste. The L-Theanine in the Matcha will assist the caffeine and give you a good clean energy burn that helps your body get into a thermogenic state. This is just a sexy way of saying that Java Babe gets your body into a fat burning state all day long. Check out the full list of ingredients (that I swear you can’t taste) here!

Fact or fiction? I can’t feel an inherent difference between my venti black americano from Starbucks and this stuff, but I definitely feel energized, motivated, and LOVE that I am packing 6 super ingredients into my morning routine. What’s not to love about that?

The cute packaging that encourages confidence doesn’t hurt either. Sip away, Boston!

Whole30: Day 1

We are starting Whole30 today, which means yesterday was prep day. The LAST thing we wanted to do after an eventful long holiday weekend was food shop and prep, but it turned out to be a soothing and productive way to launch ourselves into a new week. After making a list of approved foods, we shopped and began cutting and chopping and cooking.

Today’s menu:

Breakfast:

• Green smoothie (recipe here). I added half a packet of vanilla protein powder that was approved and helped keep me full.
• Hot water with lemon
• My new JavaBabe coffee, black. (post to come soon).

Snack:

• Roasted, unsalted almonds

Lunch:

• Grilled chicken with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and olive oil marinade.
• Roasted red onion, zucchini, carrot, yellow squash, red bell pepper.

Snack:

• Grapefruit

Dinner:

• Sweet potato (roasted with olive oil and cayenne), asparagus, pan seared salmon.

Don’t worry, we won’t overload you with our journey, but will be sure to share fun and delicious recipes that surprised us, or satiated us.

The Crunch List – 9.4.2015

Happy LDW eve! We’ve got a few things on our radar heading into the long weekend:

1. Tom Brady! The man is free – and Boston officially feels alot better about the end of summer. Here’s hoping Giselle + Brady will also make it out on top.

2. ‘Adulthood Made Easy’ podcast. There are a lot of podcasts out there, but this is one you must subscribe to. All the Q’s I’ve had since leaving college and living on my own – like about finding a doctor, keeping in touch with friends, networking – are discussed in this podcast. It’s geared towards recent grads/20-somethings, but I really think its well-suited for anyone!

3. LinkedIn etiquette.  Sometimes LinkedIn just feels like another social networking tool to maintain, but I got inspired to clean mine up after reading this article – it can be a powerful tool for your career and personal growth when used right!

4. Yummly. A few things I don’t like about cooking: I don’t like recipes with too many ingredients. I don’t like recipes with too many steps or that require the use of a lot of kitchen tools. Annnnnd, I don’t like searching through the overwhelming amount of recipes available online. Well, problem(s) solved – with the Yummly app. It’s basically like a streamlined Pinterest personalized based on your preferences (i.e. ingredients you don’t like, cooking level, favorite type of food). Plus, the best part: it’s integrated with Instacart – add all the ingredients from recipes you’ve planned for the week into your shopping cart and you can place your order. Done and done. I have a feeling this app will be my best friend during Whole 30.

Don’t Let Sitting Dominate Your 9 to 5

Ugh… sitting all day is THE worst! I constantly complain how life after college is a whole lot of “hurry up and… sit” in the workplace. But, complaining certainly won’t help, so I’m determined to change that.

Perhaps even more of a reason to alter sitting habits is all the recent research that shows just how bad our sitting too much is for our health. In fact, we’ve been hearing that sitting is the smoking of our generation. I find this particularly concerning because the research has found that even people who work out regularly still need to sit less throughout the day. Horrifyingly, sitting all day can cancel out the effects of what you thought was a productive workout!!! I refuse to let that happen.

This CNN article provides a simple piece of advice to help you sit less: be aware of how much your are sitting. Trust me, I know how easy it is to get caught up in what you are doing at work, and suddenly, you’ve been sitting for 2 hours straight without a break. So, I was so excited when I discovered a few new ways to know when you need to get up and walk around for a few minutes – I’ve been trying out these apps for a few days and have been loving them so far.

For MAC desktop: Stand

For PC desktop: BreakTaker

For iPhone: Stand Up!

The concept of all three are pretty much the same: they provide alerts throughout the day to remind you to stand up and walk around. If you want to be reminded to get up for a walk break every 45 minutes – you can set the preferences for that timing, and when 45 minutes rolls around, you can accept the message to take a walk (it will reset the timer) or snooze it if you are really in the thick of things. BreakTaker for PC actually provides small little incentives or ideas for what to do for your break, which I love, and I actually get kind of excited for my next break.

All apps are free! So, try them out, and see which one works best for your workday.

Whole30: How We Are Preparing

We love a good challenge. It keeps things interesting. That’s why, post-labor day drinking, burgers, pizza, and celebrations, we decided to embark on 30 days of eating whole, healthy, unprocessed foods. You can learn more about what we are getting ourselves into on their site.

Here’s how we are preparing:

1. Take inventory of what we have. So that we don’t spend our entire paycheck shopping for these things, we are going through to see what ingredients we already have that could be useful. Most of them are non-perishable like spices, oils (evoo, coconut), and a few perishable (eggs and egg whites).

2. Eliminate what you won’t be using. I’ll admit, this is one I have been doing in a slightly different way. Trying to eat what we won’t be able to have during the Whole30 (orzo, cheese, spring rolls). It’s tempting to want to use these things up or save them for another time. I am hoping to make this into a slow and steady lifestyle change, so I am opting to eliminate things not on the plan.

3. Make a list of meals and a grocery list. Using this shopping list, we are stocking up and planning out our meals. I am planning on lots of roasted veggies on organic greens with grilled chicken and fish. Yum!

4. Prep lots of veggies. Veggies are a huge part of Whole30. For ease, it’s best to take some time to get these cut up so they are easy to grab and use. Some things we will be doing:

• cut broccoli and cauliflower into florets
• trim carrots into sticks or coins
• cut celery sticks and slice cucumbers
• prepare salad greens
• chop tomatoes and onions

We are planning to store these in individual containers so that we can easily make salads or other vegetable dishes. Veggies are a good “legal” Whole 30 snack when you really need one.

5. Have things on hand for easy, quick meals to replace takeout. It’s easy to want to grab takeout, but nearly impossible to make sure there are no added foods that are a no-go. Here are some easy meals we are planning to use.

• omelets
• lettuce wraps
• salads
• soup
• stir-fries

We have a lot of work to do, we’ll keep you updated on the journey.

Girl Crush: Natasha Oakley

We are all occasionally subject to a girl crush, even Little Big Town wrote a song about it. Well, after a recent Well + Good Article on Natasha Oakley, we embarked on what seems to be the beginnings of one ourselves.

Who is she? Natasha acquired a large following and fan base through her social media platforms whom demanded more “Natasha”, a photo a day of her adventures was not enough, they wanted to know where her clothes where from, what her beauty regime was and where she was staying during her travels! Enter: Natasha Oakley Blog.

Why we love her? Tash is in a bikini every day, and yet, even with a rockin bod, she has an amazing outlook on health and wellness. Here is her definition of what it means to be “bikini ready”:

“It’s really about balancing your lifestyle in terms of fitness and mental health—you’re the most confident you when you know you’re healthy. And there’s a lot more to that than looking like the stereotypical swimsuit model. So many girls are aspiring to be swimwear models these days, or to have that, quote, “bikini body”—and there are definitely certain segments of the media pushing a particular look. Fortunately, there are models like Ashley Graham representing curvy women and showing how beautiful they are in bikinis.

Favorite swimsuit of hers? This one.

Favorite product she uses? Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR Multi-Purpose Dry Oil Shimmer

Check out her blog, A Bikini A Day and crush away, Boston.

“Back To School” For 20 Somethings

The end of summer has such a distinct feeling – the air smells a bit crisper, the ocean gets a bit sharper, and our morning workouts get infinitely darker (the worst!). Its easy to think about the end of summer as a sign of the impending doom of winter, but let’s get our minds out of the gutter and into positive “back to school” a.k.a back to reality mode. We may not be going back to school (tear), but we’ll be prepped to get a fresh and inspiring start to fall.

Say farewell to summer! Give it a long goodbye kiss because we’ve got a long way to go before its return. Cross off all the lingering items on your summer 2015 bucket list – go for one last swim, eat one last lobster roll, play one last game of Spike Ball. But, embrace the end and start to look forward to fall.

Clean your apartment/house. I’ve been running in, up, and around my apartment without stopping all summer, trailing in who knows what from the grimy city streets – do yourself a favor a clean your apartment head to toe. Buh bye sandy sheets!

Continue to spend time outside. Labor Day may be the unofficial end of summer, but there is still beautiful weather to be had into early and mid fall – its not time to hibernate yet. Keep getting that vitamin D while you can. This includes exercising outside – try taking a longer than usual run around the Charles for a workout with a view.

Edit your wardrobe. I tend to be super picky about what I add to my wardrobe during the change of the season because I prefer to have fewer, better quality options. Just because summer is over, doesn’t mean its time to splurge. Assess what you can continue to wear from summer into fall, know what you still have from last fall/winter, and start to do your research on what you might need to add to your wardrobe so you can catch these items on sale. This goes for makeup/beauty supplies too! No need to hold onto that nearly empty bottle of sunscreen or that shattered bronzer.

Set some personal goals + make plans. Pick something to work towards – maybe that’s getting to the gym 4 times a week or reading two books a month – set goals for yourself to keep you busy and always improving. That said, make some fun plans for the fall – schedule some Starbucks dates (hayy pumpkin spice lattes) with friends or buy tickets for a concert.

Now, go out and enjoy the rest of your summer!!

Tennis For Twenty-Somethings

It used to be that our weekends were filled with brunches, drinks, and late nights. Don’t get us wrong, those still take up a majority of our weekends, but as we get older, and find ourselves getting up earlier (sigh), it’s important to fill our days with healthier activities like exercising and not drinking at 10am.

After a recent trip to Amelia Island, when the weather was not so great, tennis happened. I had forgotten my love of tennis and weeks of my youth spend at camps. It wasn’t necessarily like riding a bike and I wasn’t great – but it was fun and was an active way to spend a few hours of my weekend. So with that, we decided we wanted to start playing again. Here’s how we are getting started:

1. Gear. Let’s be honest, this is probably the most fun part. We picked up a Wilson racket and some balls off of amazon, and the Pace Rival Skirt II from lululemon. This skirt is hugely comfortable and has a higher waist which everyone loves.
2. Lessons. Sure, we can pretend the way we are playing is the best way, but we like to do things right. So, this Friday we are getting a quick lesson on the north shore – more to come.
3. Grab a partner! We tend to do most of our fitness related activities together – so why should this be any different? Playing with a partner is fun, social, and keeps you motivated. Plus, who’s to say there can’t be a wine and tennis Wednesday in our near future?

This will be a journey – we’ll keep you posted! Happy Monday, Boston.

BFX Back Bay Gets Chilly

At the risk of sounding basic, we are always one to try new and innovative workouts. Not because we expect it to magically change the way we look, but because it’s fun and important to constantly mix up what you are doing. Recently, a Boston trainer told us about a new “cold” workout that BFX Back Bay was doing. Intrigued, and given the fact that it was 92 degrees out, we decided to learn more and check it out.

Our pre-work: Before dropping $32 on the class (we would have gone anyways), we did some research. In a new study, it was found that 15 minutes in the cold can be the metabolic equivalent of an hour of exercise. Both have an impact on our two main types of adipose tissue, aka fat. Although not significant, we’ll take every calorie we can get. (Check out this women’s health article for more deets).

The class: There isn’t a class that Kelly Brabants teaches that we don’t love. So, maybe we are biased.The class was 30 minutes of kettlebell/cardio and 30 minutes of boxing. It was noticeably colder when we walked in, although that didn’t stop us from sweating.We left fully exhausted and dragged ourselves to SweetGreen where we thoroughly enjoyed our salads (sitting down).