Now that the sales are over, we can move on to other topics! (is it bad that I’m kinda feeling like ‘finally!’ ? Even though I love myself a sale and a good bargain, it stresses me out!)

Did any of you catch the Victoria’s Secret Fashion show last night?! I never miss it.  If you weren’t feeling like it was time to LOCK IT UP and shut your pie hole after Thanksgiving, that was the extra kick in the tush I needed to get back on the ‘Wellness Wagon.”

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I wanted to share a quick look with you all before moving on to some health and wellness!
If I’m not in workout clothes, usually jeans + a top with boots is my fall uniform.  And with the weather being as amazing as it has been, I haven’t needed to add too many layers or pack on a heavy coat.
The plaid is great for fall and for the holidays, and can be paired with a black leather skirt and some booties or heels to dress it up for a fancier occasion.

// FLANNEL SHIRT runs slightly large, I sized down to XS //
// ANORAK JACKET runs slightly large, I sized down to XS // JEANS // boots, old //
my plaid print is back in stock!!! 

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I haven’t done a health or wellness post in awhile so I figured now was the perfect time.  The Thanksgiving feeding frenzy has come to an end, and we are entering the Holiday season which is equally fun and exciting, but can be stressful!  It gets harder and harder to squeeze in your workouts, there is temptation everywhere – whether it’s in the form of a dessert or an extra cocktail, and suddenly every date on the calendar seems to be booked up with a party or an obligation!

I am determined to take a deep breath and not let December make me crazy!
We are going on our annual Christmas beach before flying up to Chicago to see Kip’s family, so I am hoping that will keep me motivated to eat well and fit the workouts in!
editors note : how will I pack in a carry on for Caymans AND Chicago? I hate checking a bag, and have horrible flying luck so avoid it like the plague.
add this to the list of things I lay in bed at night and stress over for no reason. 

A few things I’ve been loving or some December Intentions (before the New Years Promises, uhhh)

:: 8Greens ::

I had seen these 8G Tabs before but had never given them a try, and now I am kind of hooked.  Especially with flu season here and everyone getting a cold, I am a germ freak and try so hard not to get sick.  I take vitamins daily, but this is like a giant immunity boost and makes me feel like I am getting everything I need in one dose (or two!) each day.   You can check out the story of the founder and her cancer diagnosis at 25 here to get a quick idea of the product and you can check out her interview with The Coveteur here.

One tab contains : 
As much Vitamin C as 6 Oranges
As much B5 as 15 cups of Broccoli
As much B12 as 7 Cups of Milk
As much B6 as 6 cups of Spinach

I got a jumbo pack on QVC which is the best value,
but you can find them at Nordstrom too if you just want to give them a try!
I feel like they’re the easiest way to get everything you need when you have no time to eat or drink well!

:: Dr. Praeger’s Veggie Burgers ::

I know I’ve mentioned these before here and on instagram stories, but we have been living off of them. Ever since I discovered these, they are becoming harder and harder to come by! I used to be able to find the Black Bean and Spinach Cake variety at my local stores, but now the only one we like that I can find is California (or the Kale that we are not a fan of).  But I love these if you do one of those flavors.  I griddle mine and cut them up to add to a salad as if it’s meat.  They are delish, especially when crispy!
Atlanta friends : If you know where I can find the black bean or spinach consistently, let me know!

This is a typical Monday-Thursday dinner.  I take a bag of mixed greens, add cucumber, tomato, red onion, hemp hearts, avocado, and a veggie burger.
A new-to-me salad dressing that I love is this Jenny’s Gourmet Foods dressing.  I found it in the refrigerated salad dressing section at Whole Food. I have only tried this Aunt Dottie’s Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette but I like it a lot.  They have a bunch of other flavors too! (I can’t figure out if you call it Jenny’s or Aunt Dottie’s but Aunt Dottie’s is “under” the Jenny’s umbrella I guess).
ANYWAYS. Who cares. It’s good and all natural and nothing bad in it but not as good as Ranch dressing.

:: Chickpea Chips ::
These chips are sooooo yummy.
They have great flavor and are nice and crispy.
I love them especially with the 365 Salsa Verde.

:: Cauliflower Rice with Veggies ::

I love plain cauliflower rice as the base for a bowl for dinner, but these veggie cauliflower bowls are great because you can make a stir fry super easily! The whole bag makes a giant batch and the entire thing is only 100 calories. Trader Joe’s sells a version as well!

:: Eating Well :: 
Kip and I have gotten a lot better about eating healthy at home these last few months and it has made a huge difference.  We feel so much better than when we eat garbage, and we have gotten more selective with meat and dairy ever since watching the documentary What the Health.
Now, we will never be vegetarians, and on the weekend or when we want steak tacos, we’re eating meat.  But when we eat at home, we have been meatless almost by accident for almost 2-3 months.  Which is ca-razy because I used to have to cook him meat for every single meal! I never thought I would see the day when Kip was eating veggie burgers for dinner, but lately, that is what he wants! (I’m sure he’ll be back on the meat wagon full time at some point….)

editors note : we also hit up Krispy Kreme and McDonald’s
on the SAME MORNING earlier this month…..
in PAJAMAS….. so there’s that…..

December Goals :
Try not to go to McDonald’s and Krispy Kreme on the same drive for breakfast 
– Start each day with my Fab 4 Smoothie. I have been loving this and have done it basically every day since I started without getting sick of it.  It really helps keep you full for hours!
– Limit fried foods to meals out with friends. (who wants to go to dinner this week?)
– Cook more! Since we started eating better at home we eat the same thing meal after meal! I need to get back into cooking instead of just preparing a quinoa bowl/rice bowl/salad and throwing a veggie burger on top.
– Limit sugary cocktails and wine – UGH. I love vodka soda as much as the next girl, but I really love my Pinot Grigio (which as Body Love has taught me just sends you into a sugary spike)

:: 7 Habits for Eating Mindfully during the Holidays :: 
Just stumbled across this article so thought this would be the perfect place to include it!
Tip #1 is to start your day with a healthy breakfast like a protein smoothie! Check!

:: Workouts ::

Barry’s Boot Camp : A few week’s ago a girlfriend of mine went to Barry’s Boot Camp which is new to Atlanta and I got a lot of questions about it so thought I would give you all the rundown!   She somehow scored us a free class one of the first days they were open, so we went one day to check it out.  The Atlanta location is at the Shops of Buckhead, which is a fancy area in Buckhead with restaurant and shops, and also where I take my Flywheel classes through Classpass.
The entire space itself is gorgeous.  Very fancy and nice.  The locker rooms had Oribe Body Wash as the hand soap!! I meannnnnn what!?

While lovely, it made me realize why they are charging $32 per class. THIRTY TWO. (they do have some plans you can sign up for, but still).  The amenities are impeccable to say the least, and they have their own juice bar and retail space outside the workout studio.

Our class was with Steven, who was amazing and super high energy, and there were only about 10 of us (thank goodness) so it made it easy to switch back and forth from the floor to the treadmill.  I liked the dark room atmosphere and the loud tunes.

I was shocked when I realized the lightest weights you could take were 8 pounds. Trust me, 8-10 pounds get real heavy with what we were doing! Slash most of my workouts use 3 pound weights (spin arms, tracy anderson dvd, pure barre) so I was dying. I was used to BLAST where I can have my wimpy set to switch over to when I am going to die and can’t keep up.  Needless to say, it was an intense workout.  Very difficult but still do-able because you can do the treadmill at your own pace if you can’t keep up.  I was SO sore two days later, but in a good way.   If I did this workout consistently I would definitely be poor as hell or dead because my husband would kill me if I spent that much money look ah-mazing and have the abs I have always dreamed of.

I will be sticking with BLAST for my interval cardio/strength workouts, because 1) I can walk the next day and 2) my wallet can handle it.  But for a fun occasion or whenever I have a friend in town or something I would definitely take a class because it was an amazing workout.  I would recommend Barry’s or Blast to anyone looking for a great workout!

Side note about ClassPass : I just saw that they now have free videos on the app!
You can get so many amazing workouts from home! As in, TONS.  From Barre to Pilates to Dance, you name it! It’s amazing!
you get $40 in credits with the link above if you want to try it! 

Accountability : I haven’t been going to as many classes the last few weeks as I was and have been doing more (very easy, not breaking a sweat) workouts at home.  For me, it’s just not enough.  Especially for my sanity – I need the mental aspects of zoning out and pouring sweat for my sanity.  I have realized that I work best when held accountable.  And the only thing that holds me accountable is having a class booked.  So the moment even a flicker of motivation comes to mind, and I know it’s something that I *want* to do (but that may not happen if I give myself the chance to back out), I book a class.  That way, it’s on the schedule, and no matter what – I am going.  (well….. almost always.)   Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate almost every moment of it, but when it’s done, I’m always happy I went.

Exercise Goal for December : Reality check : I’m in a bathing suit on the beach in 3 weeks.
AH! (as I watch the VS Fashion Show)
I have been consistent pretty much all of 2017 with my workouts, just better about intensity + going to classes some months more than others.  I wish I could say I was about to do a 31 Day Challenge like I did in January/February of this year and workout every day, but ya know,  it’s the Holidays!  Ain’t nobody got time for that; we need fun and cocktails to be had this month! So my goal is to take a class 4 times per week; It helps me destress more than anything else that I do.  Just ask my husband, I am a real pain in the ass when I haven’t been working out.  I rotate between Spin at Burn + Flywheel, Blast, Pure Barre, and the occasional Sculpthouse class.

:: Others + To Do List :: 
I meannnnnn.  As my Lazy Gift Guide yesterday and all of my daily honest rambling displays, I am quite the procrastinator.  I have such great intentions.  My planners are impeccable.  I wake up every day with a plan to GSD (get sh*t done), but inevitably, when I know something can wait, IT WAITS.  And waits.  Until I absolutely have to do it.  Then I tackle it and it feels amazing and I don’t know why the hell I waited so long! So  am going to try VERY hard to tackle my to-do list for good before Christmas!

Less Laptop, More Reading : I have gotten really bad about taking my laptop to bed the past month. The more my husband travels, the worse I get.  I’m not going to care too much (until it’s New Years Resolutions time and I make the same attempt again…..) but less laptop in bed time and more reading before bed is needed.  I take forever to wind down and fall asleep, thinking about that thing I did that was awful in 4th grade or whatnot, and I want to do that to help de-stress this month!

Epsom Salt Baths : This is the easiest, and greatest, thing ever and I have completely stopped taking any Epsom Salt Baths!  They really help with sore muscles, help unwind, and make me feel so much energzied and better.  This is going to be my big time “self care” act this month — why do we never do the things that are great, enjoyable, and so easy? I use these salts from Amazon and soak for 20-25 minutes.
AND I can read in the tub and kill two birds with one stone!

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PS. If you like my health + fitness related posts, check out the posts below!
And you can click on the tab at the top labeled Health + FItness.

Favorite Smoothie + Food Finds  // 31 Day Challenge // Fitness + Health for the New Year