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Why I Was Honored To Participate in the #ALS #IceBucketChallenge

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If you’ve been anywhere on Social Media, if you’ve watched the news, if you’ve read any sort of news article, you’ve likely seen pictures or videos of people pouring buckets of ice over their heads, right? The first one started in June, and I’ll admit: when I first started seeing the videos on Facebook my thoughts were:

  1. I don’t understand this- how does pouring a bucket of ice water over your head help the cause?
  2. I really hope I don’t get tagged/nominated to participate

However, as the days/weeks/months went by and more and more people were participating and linking to the site which described why people were doing the challenge and how you could donate, I started getting more intrigued.

For those of you who don’t know, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a challenge where people are nominated to pour a bucket of ice water over their heads as a way to spread the awareness for the awful disease known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The amount of awareness that this challenge has made over the past couple of weeks is amazing. Not only that, but there’s been over $12M raised thus far- incredible.

However, as wonderful as this challenge has been and how awesome it is that it has gotten so many people involved, over the weekend, Pete Frates friend and launcher of the ice bucket challenge sadly drowned after an accident while he was on Nantucket over the weekend. He had just raised over $100K for the cause. From what I’ve heard, this person was one of a kind- involved in numerous charity events and fundraisers and a friend to everyone. It made me SO sad to hear about this, and it made my turn at the challenge so much more meaningful. Not only was I dousing myself in ice cold water for Pete Frates and to raise awareness for this terrible disease, I was doing it as a way to say thank you to Corey Griffin, the leading inspiration behind the challenge.

So, with that said, I challenge YOU to go out there and spread more awareness. Talk about it, pour ice water over your head, but more than anything, think about donating– the biggest help of all. It doesn’t take much, but every little bit counts. I was going to donate all along, but getting to pour ice cold water all over myself after a morning workout was icing on the cake… kind of… 😉

http://vimeo.com/103754967

My favorite “up beat” and “cool down” songs

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Hi there! I’ll be honest: I’m not big on making playlists for my classes. I have tried it before, but there’s always a weird lull between songs and the beats/tempo change and it just throws me off! I tend to buy my music from 32mix.com because they make it so easy- you can either make a playlist on your own or pick ones that they’ve made. They blend the songs and put them all at a certain BPM (beats per minute), so the tempo never changes, meaning you never lose the beat. Perfect for my kickboxing classes and as background music in my other classes.

But, those playlists are certainly not “cool down” appropriate, nor are they something I like to listen to when I’m going for a walk or even a jog. I download random songs using Shazam and put my “purchased music” on shuffle and go about my business.

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The other day when I was playing one as a cool down, someone said they loved it and would love it if I put up some of my other songs on the blog, so… here you go. I warn you: I’m not a music person, but hopefully some of these songs are new to you!

Favorite “Pick me up” Songs

  • Legacy- Nicky Romero & Krewella
  • Things Can Only Get Better- Cedric Gervais & Howard Jones
  • Love More (feat. Nicki Minaj)- Chris Brown
  • Pompeii- Bastille
  • Silhouettes- Avicii
  • Lovehate Thing- Wale
  • Rather Be feat. Jess Glynne- Clean Bandit
  • Ain’t It Fun- Paramore
  • Am I Wrong- Nico & Vinz

Favorite Cool Down/Chill Songs

  • Peace- O.A.R. (just downloaded this and LOVE it)
  • A Sky Full of Stars- Coldplay
  • Let Her Go- Passenger
  • Let Go- Frou Frou
  • Low Road- Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
  • Stubborn Love- The Lumineers
  • Apologies- Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
  • Kiss Me- Ed Sheeran

I’m in need of some more upbeat/running songs- anyone have any suggestions? What’s your favorite song right now? What do you like to listen to when you work out?

My 2nd Stitch Fix Review {Hint: I loved it!}

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As I mentioned in my review of my first Stitch Fix, I just wasn’t that impressed. First, I couldn’t receive one for over a month, second, once I did schedule one it got cancelled and third I just wasn’t that crazy about what was in the fix. I went into my personal account, updated my style likes and dislikes and was hopeful when pressing the confirmation button for my next fix. And… I’m very happy to say that I LOVED my 2nd fix! Besides the earrings, upon first look I wanted to keep everything!

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On top of that, the personalized note from my stylist, Alison, was SO sweet and, well, personal.

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Look at these colors!

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I just couldn’t wait to try them on… especially the white skinnies, which, as Allison said, were the PERFECT skinnies. Here’s a recap of my items:

Level 99 Shauna Skinny Jeans- $118

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Sadly, I wasn’t able to keep them because they were a bit over my price limit, especially for it being the middle of summer already. Also, I know they’re supposed to fit tight, but they were a little too thin for me to wear that tight. However, if they were half the cost I would’ve snatched them up in a heartbeat! Lucky for me, I scored a pair of awesome white skinny pants (for a much cheaper price) at Banana Republic while in Chicago.

Market & Spruce Colibri Paisley Print Sleeveless Top- $44

I loved this shirt from the moment I laid eyes on it. The pattern, color, style, and ultimately fit made this a sure keeper for me. I love that it can be worn with skinny jeans (looked fantastic with the ones they sent me!) for a casual look or tucked in and worn to work with a sweater. I thought the price was very reasonable too.

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Skies are Blue Anabell Lattice Detail Sleeveless Blouse- $54

Again, I loved the color and design of this shirt, as well as the loose, flowy fit. I especially liked the way the cut at the top was close to the neck, thus exposing more shoulder- such an attractive way to show off the shoulder! I definitely plan on wearing this to work, too, as the color will really pop with a black suit.

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Tart Kaiya Solid Belted Dress- $98

I loved this dress, but sadly it was just too big at the top and made me look like I was swimming in it. It would’ve looked so cute with a pair of brown wedges or boots. I even really loved the belt and planned on buying that, but realized I couldn’t since it came with the dress.

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Bay to Baubles Roxanne Pave Chandelier Earrings- $32

Although these are pretty earrings, they aren’t really my style and I didn’t feel like they really went with the other items in my fix.

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As you can see, it was really hard picking what I was going to keep and what I was going to send back- that’s the problem with getting a good fix! I think what I picked was the most practical as they can both be worn at work and for play.

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I haven’t scheduled my next fix yet as I like to wait until I have a special occasion to do it for… or maybe a time where it’s been a while since I’ve shopped. It would be too expensive of a habit if I scheduled them monthly!

If you’re on the fence about doing your first fix, I highly suggest it!

Questions for you: White skinnies- yay or nay? Do you have a tough time finding clothes that’s “just right”? Are you a big jewelry person?

Currently I’m Crushing On…

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Things I’m Loving Friday, Friday Favorites, What I’m Loving Now, Friday Five, etc. If you’ve been reading health and fitness blogs for a while, I’m sure you’re all-too-familiar with these types of posts, right? Truthfully, I love them! I like to see what bloggers are loving outside of what we see on a day to day basis on their blogs. In addition, I love Athena’s Friday Favorites because she links us to all sorts of interesting reads from health to fitness to food to life to everything in between. And, I’ll be honest, if I see something someone is loving that I haven’t heard of but like the sounds of it (a must have lip-gloss, a stay in place headband, the perfect pair of spandex, etc.), you can pretty much bet I’ll be scoping those products out for a purchase of my own in the near future.

So, with that said, I’ve been noticing that there are a lot of things I’m “loving” right now. Things I’m finding myself continually buying, wearing, eating, or admiring, so I thought it would be fun to share some of those things with you!

Maxi Dresses/Skirts

Over the summer, I’ve bought 2 new maxi dresses and 1 maxi skirt and I can’t tell you how much I’m in love with them! They are the perfect thing to wear to work (with a sweater, of course) since they keep your legs warm in an overly air conditioned office, and similarly, at night when you’re out to dinner and the New England summer night temps drop a bit from the daytime temps. I also love them to travel in, since I HATE when my legs stick to leather seats- anyone else?! Here are ones I’m constantly wearing:

Lit Boutique- cut out dress

I bought this for Miami and it was the perfect evening dress for that weekend. I love it because it’s sexy and revealing in the back, but it keeps a lot of the body covered up, too. Exposing too much is just not usually a good look!

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J. Crew Tube Top Maxi Dress

I randomly popped into J. Crew when shopping for Sheila’s bachelorette weekend and stumbled across this awesome dress. What made it even more awesome? That it was marked down from $110 to $40 and then another 50% off made it a whopping $20- can’t get much better than that!!

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Gap Outlet Maxi Skirt

During my funemployment week, I did, well, a lot of shopping. I’d been eying maxi skirts for a while and decided to pull the plug and just get one! The verdict? I’m LOVING it. I’ve worn it to work on a few Fridays, out to lunch and dinner with friends, date nights with RM- it’s just perfect and so easy to coordinate a shirt and necklace with.

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Lace Shorts & Jorts

I only have one pair of lace shorts, but I LOVE them. I got them at TJ Maxx for $16.99- love that!

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And, I’ve always been a lover of jean shorts, otherwise known as jorts. Feel free to judge- they make me happy and are my most favorite thing to hang out in! I got them at Old Navy this year for $17.

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Mason Jar Glasses

As part of our bachelorette goodies, Amy gave us these awesome (huge) Mason jars with covers and a straw. We all started using them as our cups for the beach since they hold so much liquid. I’ve continued to use it since I’ve been back and I think I drink even more water than usual when I drink from it!

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Sunscreen

I’ll be honest- I’ve never been a big sunscreen wearer. I know, I know. It’s so important but since I never really burn that badly, I thought a 4 or 8 was enough. This summer, though, I’ve made it a point to wear at least an SPF 15 and you know what?! I’m still getting tan!

High buns

High humidity and very curly hair make for a bit of a nightmare situation. Although I’m ok with letting it go wild and free every once and a while, it’s not the most professional look for the office so I’ve been doing some high buns. It may look like a sock bun, but I’ll assure you it’s just my curly mop and 4 or 5 bobby pins!

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Outdoor workouts and long evening walks

Living in New England means we are usually forced inside for our workouts for ¾ of the year, right? Since that’s the case, I try to take advantage of the spring/summer/fall months and get outside as much as possible. RM and I have been going on a number of walks, either after work or in the morning on the weekends. My sister and I have also done a few walks. It’s the best way to catch up and be active. Here’s a bootcamp workout I’m loving lately:

sheila's bachelorette bootcamp

Warby Parker Eyewear

I was recently contact by Warby Parker to take a look at their newest Beacon Collection and as a glasses wearer and lover, I totally fell in love with it! On top of that, I fell in love with the company as a whole. Their mission is provide designer eye glasses at an affordable price, and for every pair of glasses they sell, they distribute a pair to someone in need through their non-profit partners, which I think is awesome. The way it works is we buy glasses, Warby Parker makes a monthly donation to their non-profit partners which gives them the ability to source a certain amount of glasses. From there, they then train men and women in developing companies to give basic eye exams and sell glasses at an affordable price. I like that they teach these things rather than just donate because it helps provide jobs to the people in developing countries.

But, let’s get back to their newest line. From their website, the Beacon Collection is inspired by “impromptu, can’t-duplicate-them all-nighters” and situations where day time activities can turn into late night dates. The design of this line makes me think of a retro sort of remake on an old-school look. I love thick frames, especially printed ones and colored ones, and although I’m not sure my face would be the best fit these frames they are totally cool looking and I’d love to be able to rock them!

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If you’re a classes wearer like me, head over to Warby Parker because they really do have some interesting/funky/hip frames in their various lines right now. The Beacon Collection is has both a male and female line, sunglasses and regular glasses line, so it’s perfect for everyone! And, you’re adding to a good cause, so there’s even a better reason to check it out!

Questions for you: What are you loving right now? Share any similar things with me? Do you like to wear glasses or do you prefer contacts?

“Why do you love to teach so much?”

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The other day, RM and I were talking about my schedule and ways to possibly take some of my load off. Lately, it seems like I’m running on empty more often than not. Between my new job and new commute, teaching and subbing, events with friends/coworkers after work, spending time with RM, spending time with my sister and friends, etc., there’s very little time for me to relax, which can really take a toll on the mind AND body.

I can do everything
Source– actually a good post to check out!
(This is basically how I feel like I should live… and what I’m trying to get away from!)

When we got onto the topic of teaching, he asked why I didn’t give up some of my classes, especially now that I make more money. My response? Because it’s not about the money. It’s because I love it. His response? What about it do you love so much?

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Source
I went on to tell him that there are so many things that I love about teaching, but I think the thing I love the most is the way it makes me feel knowing that these members take time out of their day to come to my class as a way help them do something healthy and good for themselves. When you think about it like that, it seems like a huge responsibility, right?

As fitness instructors, people come to us for motivation and encouragement. They come to us for advice to help them meet their fitness and health goals. They come to us to help push them outside of their comfort zones and help them achieve things they otherwise wouldn’t know they could achieve. They come to our classes when they’ve had a bad day and need to release negative energy. They come to us as a healthy part of their day.

Just writing down all those things we, as fitness professionals, provide to our members on a daily/weekly basis makes me SO PROUD.

And, as much as my members feel like I’m helping them, they are helping me be a better me and a better instructor for them. One of my favorite Recycle instructors has a mantra she shares during class: I push you, you push me. I think it’s great- Yes, I’m there to push and motivate and guide my members, but without them being there as a motivation for me to keep teaching, I might not be doing it.

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I’ll admit though, teaching isn’t always sunshine and roses. I’m sure we can all agree we’ve had one of those classes that we want to forget, right? And sometimes, I just don’t want to teach, but it’s those days where I’m reminded how much I love it because by the time I start the warm up, I am totally amped to be there. And the endorphins after a class is over? Priceless.

only one workout away from a good mood

So, with that said, even though I know I need to cut back on my teaching schedule, it’s going to be a very hard decision figuring out where I’m going to cut back. I’ve got such a great following at my various gyms, but does the location and commute to get to those locations make sense? That’s what I need to figure out. One thing is for sure, though, there’s no way I would ever give up teaching all together- I love it too much for that.

Questions for you: Fellow fitness instructors- Why do you teach? Do you love it? Class goers- what’s a reason you go to classes? If fitness isn’t your thing, what’s something you do because you love it, not because of the money?