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Fitness Friday V

*original post

Welcome back to Fitness Friday! If you haven't read one of these before, it is my monthly roundup of workouts, new foods I have been trying, and some of the cutest activewear picks. This month, I have just started the realize the positive impact working out has had in my life. I've mentioned it before, but I feel like I can write so much more about fitness than any fashion or lifestyle content, which you may notice in today's post. And I plan on expanding on that more in a future post! But in until then, in case you missed them, here are the posts from February, March, April, and May!

Workouts
Week of June 4th-June 10th
Yoga at US Whitewater Center (free!)
Air at AIR Aerial Fitness
West Kept Secret at Fit Atelier
"Beginner Beats" (cycle) and "You Are UnCoreGettable" (core) on Aaptiv app
H3 (interval hot yoga) at VIBE5 Yoga and Fitness
Flybarre at Flywheel Sports
Summer Yoga Fest with NC Yoga Bar (free!)

Week of June 11th-17th
"Hip-Hop Hustle" elliptical on Aaptiv app
Air Interval at AIR
Flybarre at Flywheel Sports
H3 at VIBE5

Week of June 18th-24th
Slow hot yoga at VIBE5
Barre at First Wind Cycling and Fitness
Open Up and Release (yoga) on Aaptiv app
SCLPT MTHD (think interval/yoga/sculpt all in one) at Fit Atelier
Solstice Yoga Celebration (free through SweatNET Charlotte, spot the jellyfish leggings in this recap video and you've found me)
Flywheel at Flywheel Sports (also free through SweatNET Charlotte)
"Flow To The Beat" yoga on Aaptiv app

Week of June 25th-yesterday
Air at AIR Aerial Fitness
"On to the Next" core on Apativ app
Kickboxing at 9Round (first try at kickboixng!)
Yoga Sculpt on Obé app
Define Sculpt on Obé app
Flybarre at Flywheel Sports

I ended up with 24 workouts since my last post! That might be a new record, I typically do a class 5-6 days a week. But I ended up with a morning and an evening workout a few days this month. That is due to a few factors. The first one being SweatNET Charlotte, that you may notice I mention in every Fitness Friday post. If you are local, they are pretty much the best community in Charlotte. Joining gives access to discounts to many of the fitness studios and gyms. Along with activewear boutiques, and some food and wellness services. As you may have noticed in my workout schedule this month, they also offer free member workouts!
I also joined 2 fun (and affordable!) fitness apps this month. The first one is Aaptiv, which is audio based and feels like having an instructor in your ear. They have a variety of different workouts, and so far I have tried a few yoga, a cycle, an elliptical, and some core workouts. I really like that the app allows you to search by activity and by type of music on the playlist. There is also a lot of variety in the timing. If you only want a 45 minute yoga flow, or something like 25 minutes on the spin bike and follow with 10 minutes of core, there are plenty of options.
I also started a trial for Obé (Our Body Electric), that live streams classes from NYC. If you cannot make the live times, there is an on-demand playback option to do any time you want, which is what I have done this week. I just started this a few days ago, and I have tried a Yoga Sculpt and a Define Sculpt. I think I am going to really like this one! Most workouts are about 30 minutes, but are usually done back to back, so you could get about a full hour. I really liked both classes I have tried so far. They are similar to classes I have taken at some local Charlotte studios, but have some unique movement that I have not seen before. They also have some cardio dance classes I'm excited to try. Plus, their set looks like Drake's "Hot Line Bling" video, which may or may not be one of the reasons I tried it out!

Food
  1. My friend Syara recently started a keto diet. We live in the same building, and sometimes cook together. We have made this zoodle casserole recipe twice last week! Once the zucchini was spiraled, it was fairly simple to make. I had never bought into the zucchini noodle craze, but I don't know what has taken me so long. Maybe the fact that they were covered in cheese helped, but I am now a zoodle fan! 
  2. I have mentioned in my recent posts that my go-to when cooking is scrambled eggs with spinach and feta cheese. And more recently, that I have been adding avocado to them. This month, I have started making them into a burrito bowl-like meal by adding chicken and some spinach to it all. I think this is one I am going to start making all the time!
  3. I have also been continuing to buy more fruit, and less salty food for snacks. I used to typically have one salty snack around in my apartment, but I have been leaving them off of my grocery lists lately. However, I still won't say no to any salty food when I'm at a restaurant or something is brought into work. I just try not to bring it into my everyday snacks as much as I used to.

Activewear


Thanks for reading!

Everyday Outfits- June

It seems like I just put last month's everyday outfits together, but it's already time for more! If you couldn't tell from my regular outfit posts, I clearly live in dresses in the summer! I also apparently only wear 2 pairs of shoes? And in case you missed them, here are my everyday outfits from April and May.

6/10- church

Seersucker dress | Sandals | Similar bag

6/12- work

Dress c/o | Shirt | Flats | Similar bag

6/14- dinner

Top c/o | Jeans c/o | Flats | Similar bag

6/23- breweries

Similar top | Similar shorts | Sandals | Bag

6/24- symphony in the park

Dress (old print) | Sandals | Bag

6/26- work

Similar dress | Earrings c/o | Flats | Similar bag

Thanks for reading!

Pink Swing Dress











Photos by Deeana Kourtney Photography

Lauren James swing dress | DSW heeled sandals | Baublebar for Target earrings c/o | Similar bag | Prada sunglasses

Pink has always been one of my favorite colors, so I was very excited when I saw this dress during the recent Lauren James sale! I just love the subtle flamingo print, and the full swing style is a little different for my closet full of shift dresses. I think this will be a great dress to wear to breweries and around Charlotte this summer. It is on sale again, and comes in 3 other prints!




Thanks for reading!

June Finds Under $50

Tie-waist pants ($32) | Resin earrings ($13) | Tassel slides ($23) | Palm print skirt ($25) | Off the shoulder top ($18) | Blue scarf ($35) | Flamingo clutch ($15) | Striped skirt ($35) | Bow slingbacks ($44)

Excuse me while I add every one of this month's finds to my cart...but really how cute is this striped skirt?! These earrings sort of remind me of the less affordable Kendra Scott style. I think these pants would be a great addition to my summer workwear. And what outfit couldn't use a few flamingos from this clutch? Some of these items may be seen in some upcoming outfit posts!




Thanks for reading!

Blue Striped Dress









Photos by Deaana Kourtney Photography

Striped dress c/o | Jack Rogers wedges | Similar bag | Kendra Scott earrings | Prada sunglasses

Now that we are in the 90 degree weather days in Charlotte, I have been wearing dresses non-stop. This blue striped dress is so light for warm weather, and less than $20! I do have some seersucker pieces in a similar blue and white stripe, but I think the tie-waist detail makes this piece different from most of the other dresses in my closet. I have also layered this dress with a white shirt and switches the wedges for flats like these to wear it to work! I think it possibly be included in my Summer Workwear Capsule Wardrobe series that will be coming to the blog soon!




Thanks for reading!

Petite Shopping Hack: How I Shop the Kid's Section

*original posts here, here, here, and here

I have admitted it several times before, but I'll say it again....I am 24 years old and I sometimes still shop in the kid's section. Fellow petite ladies, this post is for you! For reference, I am 5'2" and typically wear a 0/XS, which is about the same as a kid's 14/L. Shopping the kid's section as a petite adult is a cheaper alternative to similar women's styles. Or, for things like maxi dresses and jumpsuits, kid's styles usually come in a length that do not require any hemming! And for shoes, (sneakers especially) they actually fit better than women's for me. I tend to stick to some of the same brands, because I know some of their styles are cut similarly to women's. My top 3 are Polo Ralph Lauren, Lilly Pulitzer, and Nike

If I could break down my strategy into tips, my top 2 would be:
1. Look for dresses, jumpsuits, blouses, shorts, and some shoes. I think it is more common for some of those styles to well, not look like they were made for the children's section, as other categories such as pants, leggings, and most tops. 
2. Try everything on if shopping in-store, or order from retailers with free returns like Nordstrom. Or somewhere you can order online and return in-store, like J. Crew.

In the photo set above, I wear a size L/14 in the two shirtdresses (here and here) and the two piece floral set, all from Polo RL. The sailboat print jumpsuit is a 16/XL from Lilly Pulitzer. I love all of these styles, because I feel like you would never know they came from the kid's section, and were much more affordable options. I am pretty sure I paid under $50 for each piece, while similar women's style went for $200+!

*original posts here and here

I do not have very many separates from the kid's section, but I think it is a great option for preppy pieces like a Polo Ralph Lauren button down, or white denim shorts. I look for shorts in the girl's section and shirts in the boy's section, both at department stores and stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's. It is also a great option for some activewear, I have found these Nike shorts that look exactly the same as the women's size for under $10 before.

*original posts here and here
 
When it comes to shoes, I feel like many kids styles look wider and shorter, especially in sandals and flats. I wear a size 5.5 in women's, and typically have quite a bit of trouble finding that size, I sometimes luck out with a 6 that runs on the short side. So, the sneakers from the kid's section are actually my proper size. I have only tried Nikes in recent years, but a size 4 or 4.5, depending on the style, the Roshe is my favorite. Although they are not as popular as they were during my college days, I also wear a kid's size in Hunter boots. The size chart is fairly accurate for their sizing, I wear a size 4.

And here are some of my current kid's section picks:



Thanks for reading!

Black Active Set + 1 Month of Morning Workouts








Photos by Deeana Kourtney Photography

Ellie Activewear "Back to Black" June set c/o | Nikes

This post is proof that despite my normally colorful activewear drawer, I do own some all black sets! If you have not heard of Ellie Activewear, you can get 3 pieces each month for just $39.95! I also thought I would give a 1 month update of my early morning workout schedule, since my recent Fitness Friday post. I'm not sure why, but I always find it so much easier to write about fitness than just about any other topic for this blog. Anyway, I thought I was used to the early wake up calls, but just a few days ago I fell back asleep after my alarms. Then, woke up about 5 minutes before the class was supposed to start...resulting in the first cancellation fee I have had to pay in a long time. I think this is mostly because I have yet to really start going to sleep a whole lot earlier than my old schedule. However, I have been back on track the last few days! Some newer things I have noticed is I get hydrated a lot earlier in the day before and after working out. Due to being awake so much earlier, I also get very hungry much earlier in they day. To the point where I have been bringing some pre-lunch snacks with me to work. I also recently mentioned I have been trying to do a little more cardio, and I have so far been doing at least one class with a little more of a cardio focus per week.

Thanks for reading!

Canvas Sneakers and Straw Monogram Tote

 





Photos by Deeana Kourtney Photography

Vionic Shoes "Hattie" sneakers c/o | Straw Monogram Tote (via my Etsy shop) | James Jeans "Olivia" shorts c/o | Similar stripe tee | Loft sunglasses | Pearl studs

My packing strategy for summer traveling is to put together versatile pieces that can go a few different ways. In this outfit, I would probably pair this shirt with the denim shorts as shown and with white jeans, or maybe also a solid colored skirt, depending on the length of the trip. And the shorts are sort of self-explanatory, because they can go with a variety of tops! And I finish it off with some comfortable and versatile shoes like these Vionic sneakers! I wore on my recent mountain trip for Memorial Day Weekend with TJ and they were great for walking around mountain towns. However, they do run a little on the small side. I usually wear a 5.5 and am wearing a 5 in this style.




Thanks for reading!