Sunset Hikes + Monday Rambles

It has been a hot minute since I wrote on this blog! Somehow that is no surprise as I go through these spurts pretty much every second month. Life has been good - busy, but good, though too much to put in one blog post. Perhaps if I were better about this whole "blogging" thing then I wouldn't have to play catch up so often!

I will update you on the last couple weeks, at least! My days have been filled with the usual working, Brownies on Tuesday evenings, and hanging out with friends and family. I am trying to be a little bit more adventurous in the sense that I am saying YES to doing more things. Although this is great in the sense that it can get me out and about, it is a curse at the same time because Ryan often says I tend to "over commit" myself and eventually end up feeling overwhelmed and drowned by all the tasks I have on the go. Yes, he is right about that! So, I am saying YES to things within reason.

Some of these YES items include signing up for a two week yoga pass at a local yoga studio called Harmony Yoga. This was a great experience and opened me up to yoga. Sure, I have tried yoga here and there from the comfort of my home, but there is something about going to a studio that actually makes you unwind rather than become distracted by all the outside factors at home. Once things settle down around here (mortgage changes, Brownie camp, personal training homework), then I would like to purchase a monthly pass and incorporate yoga into my weekly routine.

Speaking of work out routine, what has that been looking like lately, you ask?

Well. It has been pretty diverse, with the inclusion of yoga the past few weeks.

I am trying to balance strength training, cardio, and yoga, which is simple when a routine is in place. This past week especially my routine has been different as I threw in some evening walks with Ryan and a sunset hike in there with my sister (pictured above). For me, working out needs to be something that I love and enjoy. A few years ago I was in the habit of working out because I felt like I needed to workout, not because I genuinely wanted to. Now, it's time to turn the switch and head the other direction as I truly feel if you want to work out, then you should work out. If you don't want to, then that's fine. Sure, you can force yourself to go, but if you are passing up on activities with your friends and family because you feel like you HAVE TO go to the gym, then that is not a good place to be. Been there, done that, time to move on and enjoy myself!

Further, I am not sure if I have mentioned this or not, but I will be running the Lululemon Seawheeze Half Marathon again this year. This means that I need to start being more consistent with my running! Since I am still avidly using my planner, I wrote down that my fitness goal for April is to run 60 miles. While this is a far cry from the previous 100 mile monthly goals I had set for myself back when I was running almost every day. However, this is something for me to focus on until I can get my mileage back up. Besides, 60 miles in April equals two miles per day, and if some runs are 3 miles, 4 miles, etc, then that will add up quickly. While I will not be running half marathon distances this month (I highly doubt that right now!), I will be adding in more mileage once my body is more comfortable. Plus with the spring weather upon us, it makes it even easier to get out there for a run in the sun!

Now let's talk about today! Pictured above: some recent buys from today that I am going to test out. I will report back after!

Since I am off Sunday and Monday, I took advantage of this and lounged in bed scrolling through social media and generally being lazy. There is something comforting about simply laying in bed knowing that you have no where pressing to be. Once I was awake, I grabbed myself a cup of coffee and settled at the kitchen table to chat with Ryan as he got ready for his work day. I love this little Monday morning ritual! It sets the tone for a good day. Ryan has been making smoothies every morning and has been giving me the portion that doesn't fit in his cup. So, this become my pre-run snack. It was a mix of banana, pineapple, blueberries, and spinach. Super tasty and was nice and light as I was running. There is nothing worse than running on a full stomach! I have been running on the trail by our house lately, and this morning I completed 4 miles even. It felt great to get out in the fresh air and get my body moving before the day kicked off!

After a shower, I took our cat Simba to the vet for his second set of shots. Everything at the vet went well, and Simba received a perfect bill of health! He actually stayed in his little carrier crate when we got home, despite having the door open for him to crawl out and settle back in at home.

Other happenings today included an upper body work out from home, which was a mix of shoulder presses, front and lateral raises, bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, rows, etc. It was nice to work out at home since I didn't exactly want to get back into my work out gear and drive to the gym. Does anyone else immediately change into their pajamas when they get home? It was 10:30am when we got back from the vet, and there I was in my Christmas pajama pants, because, why not?

After getting a strength work out in, I made some lunch, ran some errands and came home to meal prep! I am very loosely following the start of my competition prep plan in the sense that I am weighing and measuring things again. I know, right? What a concept. I let this habit go shortly after I came out of my competition, and unfortunately it has been catching up to me! So, I am stopping that and getting back to my old, good habits.

What's left for tonight? Maybe watch some TV (this is the first time I have sat down pretty much all day!), have dinner. Just relax!

Well, I think that about brings us up to speed! I will talk to you sooner rather than later :)

Until next time!

Monday Rambles & Current Skincare Favourites

Good afternoon!

We meet again. I had a date with the ol' blog scheduled in my planner today, so I think my New Year's goal (or resolution, if you will), of blogging (and using my planner) more is off to a good start!

Since the last time we chatted, I have been continuing on with my new gym program and kept up with my workouts. This month is turning out to be another busy month, with get togethers, my Brownie group going (indoor) camping, and my wisdom teeth being taken out on Thursday. And work in between. I took the later half of this week off work as I go in Thursday morning to have all four of my wisdom teeth taken out. Many people tell me mixed things about this procedure, but I am trying to go in with an open mind and not expect the worst -- which is usually what I end up doing! So, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will be spent resting and recuperating before my regular days off commence on Sunday and Monday. Fortunately, we don't have much planned this weekend other than a whole lotta rest for me!

I will admit this, though. I am a little leery as I will be missing the gym and my regular work outs. I know, right. Such a silly thing to be concerned about when you are literally getting oral surgery. That's a pretty good reason to take some time off! Regardless, I am sure everything will go well and I will look forward to when it is all said and done!

Now onto some fun stuff!

I have always been interested in skincare, so I thought I would share a few of my current favourite products. Some are new, some are old favourites, so hopefully you like them too!

I found this mask on sale at our local community farm store, and I am loving it! Andalou Naturals always produces great products, and this one is no exception. The texture is like pureed pumpkin, and of course it has an orange hue to it. I actually have it on my face now as I type! A bonus: this mask was 50% off on promotion. Can't beat

Celestial is an old standby favourite. I have been using it on and off for years now, and I love the rich, creamy texture. It smells like vanilla and is made with almond milk, so it is gentle on my skin. My skin is very sensitive and prone to redness and dryness, but this moisturizer calms my skin and works well under make up, too. On the other hand, to wipe off my make up, I have been using this cucumber face wipes. They were in one of my stocking's this past Christmas, and so far they do a nice job of removing face make up. I keep these on my dresser near my bed, so the nights where I am too lazy to wash my face (note: every single night, I won't try to make you think otherwise), these are easy to grab and wipe away the day's make up.

Last but not least, the moisturizers I have been using! Side note: these Simple cleaning wipes are also an old standby favourite, as they are so gentle and remove both face and eye make up well. I am not big on cleansers, although I do have one in my shower, as I find cleansing wipes are so much more convenient. Plus, if I have an extra sweaty work out and need to clean myself up after the gym, I can easily toss these in my gym bag and wipe my face clean after I'm done. Voila!

In terms of face moisturizers, I have become a big fan of the Origins brand. I switch between this and the Celestial moisturizer, depending on how dry my skin is feeling that day. The Origins face moisturizer has almost a gel-like texture, so it is extra light on the skin. Similarly, the eye cream is wonderful as well because it keeps the delicate eye area moisturized without being soaked under a thick, heavy cream. When it comes to my skincare, I don't like feeling I have a moisturizer or an eye cream on my skin. I'd rather them soak in so I can carry on, put my make up on, and get out the door. Further, the Origins Night-a-mins cream is super moisturizing and great to put on before bed. Since it is such a thick formula, a little goes a long way!

Moving on... Today's workout was legs!

I like working legs on Mondays. I don't know why, but it's become part of my Monday routine. When Ryan leaves for work, I leave for the gym to get my day started on the right foot. Although I am not feeling 100% (I woke up Sunday morning feeling like a cold was coming on), it felt good to get my heart rate up and sweat. My workout lasted about 45 minutes, and I finished with 15 minutes of high-incline walking on the treadmill. My workouts coupled with my meal plan this last week have made me feel a lot stronger and energized. I am eating six meals a day, which includes a breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and an after dinner snack. Holy food, right? It is hard to feel hungry when your next meal is right around the corner! Monday is also my meal prep day, so after I came home from the gym, checking in with my coach (I am down inches already - yay!), and grocery shopping, I got meals ready for the next two work days. I don't anticipate eating any chicken or veggies once my wisdom teeth are taken out, so I am trying to make the most out of the days I actually have on my plan this week and stay extra organized!

Now, it's time for more tea and rest. I am hoping to kick this before Thursday rolls around!

On that note, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend & a happy Monday. Talk to you all soon!

Andalou Naturals: First Impression

Good afternoon, beautiful people of the internet.

Long time no see! As you know, I tend to fall in and out with this ol' blog of mine. Well, I am hoping to be more in than out (this month at least). I have missed this little space on the interwebs, so I am going to bring it back. Hopefully you guys will join me as I get back into the swing of things!

I am not going to go into a big long song and dance about how life gets busy, blogging falls by the wayside, etc, etc, because you all know that. Hey, life happens! On that note, however, there's a lot of fantastic things going on in my life, including a new fitness goal I am undertaking, and I would like to give you a glimpse into what's happening.

To kick things off, I wanted to do a first impression of a new skincare line I recently discovered. Andalou Naturals uses fruit stem cells in their products, which are free of sulphates, parabens, dyes, etc. They are non-GMO as well, so of course I was super into this right off the bat. Additionally, the sensitive line uses rose stem cells, so it is gentle, nourishing, and full of true fragrance as opposed to artificial scents which can be irritating for my skin.

I am currently using their body lotion, eye revive contour cream (which is more like a gel - cooling on the skin, but not sticky and does not burn), cleansing foam, and as a special treat for my skin, the rosewater mask. The mask has an almost fluffy gel texture. You simply spread an even layer on your skin (it goes on clear too, so you won't look crazy hanging out with green goop on your face), and simply wash it off with cool water after 10-15 minutes. I plan on purchasing the night and day moisturizers once the current products I'm using run out.

Andalou Naturals also has various other lines for different skin types. I highly suggest checking them out if you want a more organic approach to skincare!

What is your current favourite skincare product? Let me know your recommendations!