Hi, friends!I reached out to y'all last week on my Instagram Stories asking if you'd want to see a blog post on my workout routine and I got TONS of messages saying you would. So here it is!
I workout five days a week (sometimes six depending on the week). Three of those days I do what's called a HIIT workout... aka High Intensity Interval Training. I have one for abs, one for arms, and one for legs. I use the Kayla Itsines Sweat With Kayla app ($20 per month) as a guide. These workouts are only 28 minutes each but they will absolutely kick your tail. I literally collapse after each one! I use minimal equipment for my at home workouts like free weights, balance ball, medicine ball, and an exercise mat. The rest is body weight resistance training.
The other two days a week I like to focus on cardio. I do at least 40 minutes of walking or running. If I want a really good workout, I'll push the girls in the stroller. 100 lbs of baby makes for some great resistance training cardio! I love my Nike Tanjuns for walking but I use my Nike free running shoes for high intensity workouts because they are super lightweight and almost feel like you're barefoot.
I also want to mention that we are very active as a family. We love to go for hikes a few times a week. We play outside and run around a lot. I also spend about 65% of my time chasing babies!
As far as diet goes, I drink a smoothie every morning for breakfast with this protein powder, almond milk, spinach, and frozen bananas. It's super filling, which is great. I normally don't eat anything in the morning until after I've worked out. My general rule about eating is that I try to eat really clean good fats, proteins, and greens about 80% of the time. Then the other 20% is just kind of whatever I feel like. Chick fil A anyone?
I've found where diet is concerned that it's better to focus on balance than an all or nothing mentality. If I know ahead of time that I'm going out to eat or that I want to eat treats, I'll just to be extra clean leading up to that. I don't think of it as punishing myself for that "bad stuff" but rather rewarding myself for eating so much good stuff! I've just come to grips with the fact that I like dessert and I like trying all kinds of different foods. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's just a matter of finding an eating plan that fits into your life. As long as you're working out and eating well the majority of the time, then you're winning! If you're not quite to your goal weight, you will have to be more disciplined. I'm in maintenance mode right now. I don't want to lose anymore weight. I just want to gain more muscle tone. The initial discipline is totally worth it in the long run tho!
With all that being said, here's a week at a glance of eating and working out! Monday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: Green smoothieLunch: Tuna salad over mixed greensSnack: Raw almondsDinner: Grilled chicken, sauteed veggies, brown rice Tuesday:40 minute walk with the girlsBFST: Green smoothieLunch: Rolled up turkey and cheese, almond crackers, mixed fruitSnack: Protein barDinner: Chick fil a! Wednesday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: SmoothieSnack: Raw almondsLunch: California roll sushiSnack: Peanut butter pretzelsDinner: Gluten free spinach pizza Thursday:40 minute cardio workoutBFST: SmoothieLunch: Turkey roll ups with mustard, pickle, and almond crackersSnack: Raw almondsDinner: Girl's Night so anything goes! Friday:28 minute HIIT workoutBFST: SmoothiesSnack: Protein barLunch: Mixed greens with tuna saladSnack: Rice cake with peanut butter and raw honeyDinner: MEXICAN! Saturday:40 minute hike with the girlsBFST: Chick fil a!Lunch: Green smothieDinner: Date night! Sunday:RestBFST: Gluten free pancakes with fresh berriesLunch: Vegetable soupDinner: Something quick and easy like grilled cheese or burritos A few tips:Try to fast for 12 hours in between dinner and breakfast. If you're last meal is at 7:00, try not to eat anything until at least 7 the next morning. It's actually really good for your body to take a total break from processing food.Intermittent cleansing is also a great idea. We have done juice cleanses in the past for two to four days at a time and it's just a great way to clean out the junk and feel super refreshed.Focus on form when you're working out. It's ok to go slow. Be sure you're not straining the wrong areas. If you're in plank position, keep your tummy sucked in and your back straight.Drink tons of water! I drink at least 64 oz of water a day and this is a must. Hydration is the key to healthy skin, proper digestion, and even weight loss.Don't make excuses. We all could make a long list of excuses if we really wanted to. But it's when you decide that your excuses aren't going to stop you that you'll really start to move forward and progress. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to let me know! Please keep in mind that I am in nooooo way a fitness expert! I've just figure out something that works for me.What it all comes down to is finding a plan, committing to the plan, and being consistent even when you don't feel like it. Discipline becomes easier the longer you do it because it just becomes a part of your life. My girls will now ask me why I haven't worked out yet because they're so used to watching me every morning. Talk about accountability!Thanks for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you! You can find links to my workout gear below![showboutiquewidget id="584323"]
Easter Basket Ideas
This year is the first time the girl's have been very interested in the idea of an Easter Basket. We don't really talk about the Easter Bunny coming to our house because we kind of approach it as mommy and daddy give the gifts for Easter Sunday morning. There's not really a theological reason behind our skipping out on the bunny. I just think the Easter Bunny is kinda creepy. I still LOVE doing Easter Baskets so I wanted to give y'all a little peak into what I'm planning for the girl's baskets! But first.... could we talk about this dress?
It had me at "pleats" but I also love the tiny ruffle detail as well as the neck tie situation. So much goodness going on here. If you're still in the market for an Easter dress, this could be a winner. You can get free two day shipping when you purchase a certain amount so it would definitely get here in time. The best part is that shipping and returns are free so if you don't love it, you can easily send it back. I'm wearing a size UK 8 for reference. There are only a few sizes left but last I checked, they had smaller sizes available!
Ok! For the girl's this Easter, we got this sweet book I wanted to share. It's called "God Gave Us Easter" and it's really a perfect way to talk about the Easter story with your babies.[showshopthepostwidget id="2581082"]I found these sweet felt Bunny baskets for the girls to find their surprises in and use for the egg hunt.[showshopthepostwidget id="2581088"]We don't love the sugar high that accompanies too many sweets so we try to stick with non-food items instead. A few of our favorite Easter Basket ideas, are board books, bubbles, play jewelry, stuffed animal, and a flower to plant and water!Our absolute favorite stuffed animals come from Jelly Cat and we are accumulating quite the collection! This sweet unicorn will be our next addition![showshopthepostwidget id="2581096"]I also do a little Easter Basket for Matt every year. His normally has a new book, a few snacks that are allergy-friendly, a new tooth brush (lame, I know!), and a new shirt. If a new DVD or game comes out, I might stick that in there too! Thanks so much for reading, loves! Hope you and yours have a sweet Easter Season!Oh, and if you want a little sneak of my Easter dress, you can look HERE!
The Mason Jar Boutique Collaboration!
Hi and Happy Wednesday!I recently got to do a collaboration with a sweet boutique called The Mason Jar Boutique. They were so generous and actually allowed me to pick a few different items to style.I'll be honest, trying to narrow it down to a few pieces was tough because all their new arrivals are so cute!I ended up going with this sweet cold shoulder top because I thought it would a be a good transition piece. It pairs well with dark wash skinny jeans and my new favorite cut off shorts. It has the sweetest bow tie in the back and fits true to size. I'm wearing a small.The peach color in this top sold out but it's still available in a black and white stripe!Here are a few of my other favorites! This stripe off the shoulder top:
This precious blue print dress
This blush pink utility vest
This baseball tee
Items do sell out quickly due to the overwhelming amount of cuteness so if you see something you like, act fast!You can use coupon code: reese15 for 15% off your purchase!Thanks so much to all the sweet ladies at The Mason Jar Boutique for sponsoring this post!
Our Trip To Texas
Some of you may know that Matt and I got to go on a little "just the two of us" getaway a few weekends ago to the great state of Texas.Matt works for State Farm so this was actually a trip he won, which made it even more special! Neither of us had ever been to Austin so we were really excited to explore the city. I'd heard rumors that Austin is known for it's mexican food. So I was fully prepared to find out why!We left bright and early Thursday morning. Matt was so cute asking me if I thought I could fit all my stuff into a carry on. Bless him. I didn't totally fill up my suitcase though. I knew I needed to leave some room for Magnolia Market goodies. Priorities, people.
Our flight was great and after we got our bags at the airport, we got our rental car and went to check into the hotel. We stayed at The Hilton Austin Hotel, which was SO nice! I'm coming to realize I'm a bit of a hotel snob and this one absolutely met my expectations.After we got settled in, we decided to venture out to find lunch. We met up with some friends and ended up at a cute little taco truck. Chicken tacos with lots of cilantro and a mexican coke might be my new fav combo, y'all.We finished lunch and explored the city some more before heading back to the hotel to nap before dinner. Because that's what parents of toddlers do on vacation... they take advantage of the uninterrupted sleep. That night we went to a dinner sponsored by State Farm. More tacos and the cutest little dessert bar made for a great night of eating and chatting with some of the super fun people Matt works with.
It was an earlier night for us since we wanted to head to The Silos the next morning.Side note: I got these jammies right before I left and LOVE THEM. Seriously so comfortable. Also. $14.99 for the set just can't be beat!
On Friday morning it was finally time to head to Magnolia Market and Y'ALL. It did not disappoint. It took us about an hour and a half to get there, which flew by thanks to my amazing DJ'ing skills. Once we got there and headed in, we were all blown away by how intentional and beautiful everything was.Obviously everywhere you looked was stunning scenery (JoJo designed it so duh) but I could't get over how thoughtful everything was. It is a space that's designed for you to stay a while and hang out. No one there was in a hurry. It's like as soon as you walked on the property, you just relaxed. The vibe was on another level.
After shopping around in The Market and trying to resist buying ALL the things, we were all ready for some lunch. They had about 10-15 food trucks surrounding the perimeter so there was plenty to choose from! I got lunch from the Cheese Box and it was so yum. We took our lunch to the huge green space and just sat in the sun and ate. It was delightful.We knew we weren't going to miss out on The Bakery at The Silos so we stood in line for about 45 minutes for what turned out to be the best cupcakes I've ever had. TBH I don't even really like cupcakes that much but these were amazing! Also not stupid expensive either. $3.50 for a cupcake and a little less for a cookie. That's not too far off from prices around here.
We had dinner plans Friday night so after being at The Silos for a little over three hours, we decided it was time to head out. I thought Matt was going to have to drag me out. It was such a fun experience!
We changed clothes when we got back and headed to (surprise!) another mexican place to meet my sister for dinner. She moved to Austin a few months ago so we were really excited to get to catch up with her. We walked about a mile to get to dinner and my feet were happy the whole time. Thank goodness for these awesome shoes.
After we got back from dinner, we fell asleep watching HGTV like the coooooool people that we are.Saturday morning it was pouring so most of our plans were foiled. We rallied and ended up exploring the city a little more and finally got to eat at Torchy's Tacos, which was the one spot that everyone said was great. It really was amazing.We packed everything and checked out before we went to lunch so we headed straight for the airport after we finished.If you get the chance to visit Waco, you should for SURE take it. It really is such a cool experience! I'm already planning a road trip back, but this time I'm taking a trailer so I really can buy all the things.Thanks for reading, sweet friends! Hope you have an awesome start to your weekLinks to everything I wore on the trip are listed below![showshopthepostwidget id="2537240"]
The Best Dresses For Spring
Hi, sweet friends!This post has been a long time coming. I have seen SO many precious dresses out this season and I've finally narrowed the list down enough to not totally overwhelm you!I wanted to give y'all a little inspo in case you're looking for an Easter dress, but any of these will also work for baby showers, weddings, date nights, and Sunday mornings.You'll notice a few of my favorite trends for Spring (blog post allll about this coming later in the week!) showing up in these styles. I'm especially swooning over the mid-length dress, or the "Midi", which just means it hits mid calf as seen in this colorful Banana Republic dress in the photo above. I'm also loving anything in the blush family and anything that involves lace. Seriously. All about that lace.No more stalling, here are my picks! [showboutiquewidget id="574139"] You can click on the picture to be taken to the retailers site! As always, thanks so much for reading and I hope y'all have a great week. [showshopthepostwidget id="2531944"]