Five Friday Favorites 2/26/16

WEEKEND SHENANIGANS

I got back from vacation last week and hit the ground running! After work on Friday, I had dinner with a friend, met up with the group for drinks, and then saw Diane Coffee at Bunk Bar. Saturday night was spent with some good ole fashioned family fun at the bowling alley! I made the decision not to bowl so I wouldn't throw my rib out again, but it was awesome hanging with some of my favorites and watching Caitlin get bowling advice from a 6 year old! Caitlin and I then went to see the Cave Singers Sunday night at Doug Fir, a band we saw in Astoria almost a year ago. So so so amazing!

BACK TO YOGA AND HANDSTAND

I took my second yoga class since my rib on Saturday with Jessica at Flex & Flow. Man did it kick my butt! I still didn't do everything I normally would have (as in, I did take every vinyasa, but didn't add in any arm balances or inversions to them), but I did decide to play a bit with handstand afterward! I don't know if I should have or not, and I felt pretty weak up there, but it made my soul oh-so-happy! The rest of the week with yoga was great! I was able to walk again (hah) and have continued to return to my practice more and more each day!

JAMIE FINISHING THE ORCAS100

My badass bootcamp bitch / #yogawithfriends partner in crime Jamie ran AND FINISHED the Orcas 100 race this weekend! Basically she ran for 29+ hours, through intense muddy and mountainous terrain with 26,000' vert, for a grand total of 100.8 miles. Dayum is she inspiring!

SIP 'N' SWEAT

The event at Flex & Flow I've been working on for a few weeks happened last night, and it was so much fun! We figured what could possibly make sweating with an awesome group of people any better? WINE! So we coordinated with the wine bar next door to the studio to go over there with our group from bootcamp. Knowing that we're definitely not the only ones that love to get our Sip 'n' Sweat on, we turned it into a virtual date for the whole of the Sweat Pink community too! We laughed, we cried sweated, we toasted. All in all, a wonderful evening with a wonderful group of people!

RETURN TO RUNNING

We've had some amazing weather this week in Portland. It's got to get cold and rainy again, for sure, but for now I know I'm definitely enjoying the hint of springtime. It's been great to be able to get out running in it for the first time since my rib! I even went out running in a tank top the other day! Building pace and miles back up has been going well in the first few runs back, so hopefully I can keep trucking along and be ready to hit the trails when they dry up a bit and get back to attempting to keep up with Jamie soon.

breathe, sweat, and love

breathe, sweat, love

Three pretty standard words, concepts, actions when you first think about it. And yet they are all absolute musts in my life! Lucky for me, they mostly come as a set, too! I'm rarely out sweating without paying attention to my breath (thank you, yoga) and loving what I'm doing anymore. Even if it's an intense workout, like at bootcamp with Jamie, we're laughing (as we're crying, but luckily the tears are usually masked by sweat ;) ) and having fun together.

I had my years of half-assing my workout at the gym for the sake of getting a workout in. It's not worth it anymore. Ain't nobody got time for that! Literally, I'm so ridiculously busy that when I make time for a workout, I have to make sure I make it worth it! My spin instructor Jessi makes a point of telling us at the peak of the class when we're all drenched in sweat, questioning why we not only came to class but paid a good amount of money for it, mentally spewing creative combinations of four-letter words at her, that we made the decision to be there. We scheduled 45 minutes out of our day, which is really not all that much, for spin class. Why take the time and spend the money to half-ass it? Why walk out of the studio knowing you didn't give it your all? (Note: I'm in no way condoning pushing through injuries and limitations. Listen to your body. No throwing up or passing out or injuring yourself.) Hence, Jessi's classes have an insane wait list, she owns two spin studios and I've heard rumors of a third coming soon, and she's touted as one of the most inspirational fitness instructors out there by her fans. (Obviously I have a hardcore girl crush on her! She's been my #wcw many times.) 

I like to remind my students of the same thing in my power vinyasa classes. We take the time for yoga, gym time, running, tennis matches, and any other conceivable activity. Why spend the time out of your busy schedule and the money from a hard-earned paycheck to not love what you're doing and give 110%?! Not loving your workout regimen? Find a buddy, try different teachers and studios, get outside, pair your treadmill time with your favorite show… Work it out so that you can love the time you're breathing and sweating! 

Puppy snuggles always help make bootcamp awesome!

Get excited about exploring a new trail in a new area!

Plan a workout date with friends!

This was all inspired by three little words: breathe, sweat, and love. Get your own #breathesweatlove Sweat Pink tank here, and get 15% off by using the code breathesweatlove15! 

Disclaimer: I was given a tank by Sweat Pink. All opinions expressed are my own. 

#BOSUStrong Bootcamp Babes

Today we're talking about workout buddies and our favorite partner exercises with BOSU and Fit Approach. And how appropriate that it's also #womancrushwednesday! I girl-crush on these sweaty ladies so hard!

As much as I do usually like to work out solo, there are so many fun exercises to do with a friend! I love my group at bootcamp with Jamie and Tasha! We all sweat, run, lift, burpee, and crunch together! It definitely helps to get through the burn-inducing moves by motivating each other. 

Of course I always love a good yoga pose picture with friends, whether it's after bootcamp or a yoga class or out hiking...

What I love about working out with buddies is that you can do exercises together OR be exercising together. Sometimes it's helpful to have someone push you, motivate you, high five you while you're "playing" in plank. Sometimes it's awesome just to have company alongside you. 

Abbie loves to help during bootcamp too! :)

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by BOSU. I truly appreciate all of the brands that support the Sweat Pink community.