Ways to Stay Active during Quarantine

Sherpa + Sneakers

I hope everyone is doing well  + staying sane during this time.  I know that we are all wearing lots of hats right now: mom, teacher, housekeeper, worker, chef, etc.  I do think it is super important that we take time to practice self care so that we can be the best we can be at all the "jobs" we have right now.  Working out, like usual has been my saving grace to keeping me sane.  There are so many great resources online and gyms giving you online options for your home.

Nashville Fit Style You Tube

Brought to you by yours truly!  Make sure you have your volume UP because all of my moves are to some good beats.  I have included some condensed Yoga Sculpt videos, short leg and arm workouts, and some just quick random workouts if you just have a few minutes.  You can find these videos here or on the blog!  Weights are optional but encouraged.  I do most of my class with 5 and 8 pound weights for reference.

Josh Gamble Fitness/Music City Fitness

My fave Barry's Bootcamp instructor @joshgamblefitness is doing lots of online videos and workouts.  Follow along on his YouTube station here.  I miss my Barry's classes so much but this at least gives me a good dose of my boy Josh!

Sculpt House

I did one of these and it was so good!  You can use your Bala Bangles,  Sliders (you can also use towels) or dumbbells.

Tippi Toes Dance

Do your kids love playing dress-up? So do ours! Tippi Toes has the most amazing virtual dance program for children of all ages. Ballet, Tap & Jazz in the comfort of your home. Join the Tippi Toes Virtual dance class, have your kids dress up in a costume and be the star of the show!  

Click here to start your free 7-day trial and get dancing click here.

Tippi Toes Dance

b.fab.fitness Online

My friend Rebecca and fellow Core Power teacher owns b.fab.fitness. They offer super fun dance classes. You can pretend you are in a club, ha. She is major goals with her dance moves! This is a great fun way to get your sweat on.

Unlimited Membership includes access to 5 classes each week.

Funk (dance cardio) Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Body (strength & conditioning) Tuesday

Yoga sculpt (light weights and yoga flows) Thursday

Non-members can participate in one month of Unlimited access for just $25 (which translates to $1.25/class).  After that you will have access to their regular membership options.  As the end of your month approaches, they will send you more details on what those look like, but they are customizable based on the workouts you enjoy most and how often you want them.  But for now, enjoy everything they have to offer and get familiar with the formats.  

Once uploaded, each class will be available for a full week before it’s replaced by a new one. So, for example, the .funk class coming this Monday will be available until the following Monday...at which point it will be taken down and replaced with a new one. 

Everything is hosted and shared directly with you via a private YouTube channel.  This means you must be able to sign-in to YouTube, which is done using a free Google or Gmail account.  If you don’t have one, simply go to youtube.com, click sign-in and follow the prompts from there.

Simply Balanced Pilates

They are offering live classes via Zoom for $12 or Virtual private classes for $55. You can sign up via the MINDBODY app or through their website. If you are already a member you can just use your current membership or package to sign in. Your instructor will then send you the Zoom link to take the class online live!

I'm planning on doing the Thursday Pilates noon class on Zoom- join me! I'm wearing a white leopard burnout long sleeve tee, black compression sports bra, lattice tights, and black Asics

Paleo Works

I feel like we are going out to the store or ordering groceries every few days.  Now would be a great time to try a home delivery service so that you don't have to get out as much.  My go-to for years has been Paleo Works.  I cannot recommend them enough.  My husband and I look forward to all their meals and weekly menu.  

We will keep updating this post with more things that we find!

Stay Safe,
Crystal & Amanda

Yoga Sculpt 40 minutes

Here is a shorter version of my Yoga Sculpt class. Weights are optional but encouraged.  I use 5-8 pounds during this routine.  Please excuse my dog, daughter, and husband.   Doing the best we can here :)

Enjoy!

40 minute Yoga Sculpt

10 minute leg workout

This 10ish minute leg workout can be done without weights.  Make sure you have the sound up loud for the tunes. 

10 minute leg workout

At-Home Workouts

What a crazy year 2020 has been so far. Social distancing and having the kids out of school may make going to workout classes way more difficult. But I feel like now more than ever we need to exercise and take care of our bodies to get through this stressful time.

I am working on a YouTube video of my Yoga Sculpt class and will keep you updated when it's done! This post includes some great sites for online workouts as well as essential equipment to have on hand at home.

Top 3 At-Home Workout Equipment Essentials:

1) I love these Bala Bangles Wrist Weights. They are comfy enough just to wear them around the house or add them to any workout for extra resistance. I wear them when I am cleaning, doing the dishes/laundry, and even when running.

2) Dumbbells with a range of weights is crucial for at home exercises. I always encourage to start heavy and drop down if needed. I love this set because you can chose your weight size and it has a nice rack to keep everything stacked nicely on. I have 5, 8, 10, and 12 pound weights and I use them all.

3) I love having Resistance Bands on above my knees during any exercise. You can use them to intensify squats or to keep your legs engaged even when doing upper body exercises.

Crystal carved out some space in her basement for a mini at-home gym

-Being cooped up in your house may also give you some time to read. I am such a fan of the F-Factor and highly recommend the F Factor book. This lays out the importance of Fiber in your diet and gives you a great plan and different stages you can start healthy lifestyle plan. Working out is not a requirement on F-Factor and you can drink! So if working out is not your thing, focus more on your eating.

Online Workouts:

Core Power Yoga is also offering free access to all their Yoga classes on demand. Visit their site for all kinds of formats as well as meditation videos.

Obé Fitness is another great resource for live and on-demand fitness classes. They offer unlimited access to daily live and 4,000+ on-demand classes for less than the cost of one studio fitness class. The great thing that I love about these classes is that they are 28 minutes or less and they are incredibly challenging! You pay a monthly fee or have the option to save $125 and pay annually.  They are offering a free month trial with the code: ATHOME to see how you like the classes.  Check out their site here.

Amanda taking an obé fitness sculpt class

YouTube has some amazing free quick workouts as well.  I included a few 30 minute faves below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ie7nbEybL6k&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=F9PXg7NeVP0&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zejHjXjhdiY&feature=emb_logo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=f8GzCmbz6YY&feature=emb_logo

Hope this helps to keep your sanity in tact!

XOXO,

Crystal + Amanda

Eating healthy while dining out

@Cru in Nantucket 

If you are anything like our family we love to go out to eat on the weekends. We try and stay in most nights during the week eating our at home delivery service @paleoworks meals. But on the weekends we look forward to going out to dinner with our family and a date night every so often!

Let’s face it... it’s pretty darn hard to be a perfect eater when you are dining out. You just gotta try to do the best you can and make small adjustments that prevent you from totally falling off the wagon.

-Try to avoid appetizers. There are rarely any healthy options to choose from and they just add calories to your meal. If you are going to order one find an option that has a side of veggies for dipping or just try to get a simple side salad.

-Order a large water and try to finish it before your meal. This will help you feel fuller and give you something to do besides snack if there is other food on the table. I always order my water with a lemon or get a sparkling water.

-Just say no to the bread.... it’s easy to stay away if it’s not there 🤣.

-Order cocktails with soda instead of juice. Vodka sodas are my go-to's and you can even add a small splash of cranberry juice. You can always stick with a good glass of wine or a light beer as well.

-I always tend to check out the salad section on the menu first. Grilled chicken, shrimp, salmon, turkey, or ahi tuna are my fave proteins. I always make sure I order the protein blackened and no butter. Get a salad with lots of veggies, light cheese and chose a light vinaigrette on the side!!! Always always order the dressing on the side. Use the dabbing method with your dressing. Love ranch???  Me too.... sometimes they do offer a light ranch and I’ll order both light vinaigrette and light ranch dressing. I’ll use mostly the vinaigrette then dab some ranch here and there and it really helps.

-Another great option is a turkey, bison, or veggie burger ordered with no bun. Try and stick to mustard and hot sauce for your condiment instead of mayo or ketchup.

-You can always eat a taco without the shell or ask for them to do a lettuce wrap with it. You would be surprised how many places can do this. Adding some salsa for flavor is yummy too!

-Sushi is probably one of my favorite meals. Try and see if they can wrap your roll in cucumber instead of rice. If not try and split a roll with someone or order a Nigiri roll and try to skip all the rice. I also love some seaweed salad!!

Sushi wrapped in Cucumber

-Dessert-:  I like to try and stick with my cocktails as my dessert 🤣. But who doesn’t love a good treat sometimes?! Try to stick to a three bite rule or eat the “healthier” parts of the desert like fruit or the whip cream.

-Most importantly don’t be too hard on yourself. As long as you aren’t eating out all the time a little indulgence never hurt anybody.

XOXO,

Crystal

Spring Break Finds

If you are like me than you you have warm weather on the brain!  Spring Break will be here before you know it and if you are in the market for warm weather clothing then I got you covered. 

I've been craving a cocktail or 2 by the pool!  I wore this high waisted bathing suit on a trip to Miami a couple of months ago.  The bottoms are high waisted and flattering to all body types (not a fan of skimpy bottoms!)

Wearing: Quay sunnies, one shoulder bathing suit top, matching bottoms, and white marble beaded bracelets.

If you need a last minute recommendation for a family friendly resort we had the best time at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort and Spa.  My whole family went there for a Thanksgiving trip and we had the best time.  Miami is pretty reasonable from a flight perspective compared to going to the Caribbean.  The resort itself has an amazing upscale water slide park.  It was very modern and not too crazy crowded like other water parks.  There is also an adults only pool if you need a break from the kids.  The restaurants were great and we also took advantage of the free shuttle that takes you to the Aventura Mall area which has tons of great shopping and restaurants.  

The amazing pool and water park at the JW Marriott Turnberry.  My kids were in heaven!

Here is an example of a typical comfy travel look!  I almost always travel in a Madewell tee- they are the softest and you can wear them with anything.  I also always travel in white tennies- they are super versatile and your feet will definitely thank you.  

Wearing:  Madewell cotton tee, button fly skinny jean, white tennis shoes, coin pendant, similar beaded necklace, pre-owned Goyard tote bag

Shop more Spring Break finds below!

XOXO,

Amanda

Current Crushes - Valentine's Edition

It's almost time for the day that celebrates love + romance! To be honest, this is not a holiday that I tend to care a ton about. I used to refer to it as a Hallmark holiday, but the older I've gotten, I've learned to appreciate it more. My hubby and I usually celebrate the day with little gifts (nothing too over the top), and most of the time, if the holiday falls on a weeknight, we would make a family dinner. But this year it's on a Friday so we can do a date night and not have to worry about kid's sports practice or it being a school/work night!

Heart Sweater / White Beaded Round Drop Earrings / Madewell Jeans/ Matte Red Lip Stain in #25 Heroine

I found this super cute + affordable heart sweater on Amazon!  The earrings are from Amazon too and come in tons of different colors. I think I own 3 different pairs.  This sweater is perf for a casual V-day celebration.  One of our boy's fave dinners was just simply getting a heart-shaped pizza with a fun dessert. Light some candles and break out fancy plates + glasses and it feels festive!

Satin Cowl Neck Slip Dress / Similar Longer Version of the Dress / Black Blazer / Gold Choker / Leopard Box Clutch / Gold Strap Sandals / Similar Gold Strap Sandals

If you're looking for a dressier date option then a slip dress paired with a structured blazer fits the bill.  I'm loving the trend of the 90's slip dress being back but I wanted more coverage so pairing it with a blazer feels more modern and age-appropriate.  This short slip dress is super affordable and if you want some extra length here is a longer version.  This blazer with gold buttons has always been in heavy rotation in my closet.  It literally looks great with everything! 

Check out more Valentine's ideas below: 

XOXO,

Amanda