The Best Workouts I’m Loving // How I’m Cutting Sugar Cravings

Enter my 2 giveaways: Nectar Sleep mattress, HomeGoods $100 Gift Card!

Top: Lululemon (old, similar striped tank, more Lulu option)
Bottom: Lululemon ‘Align’ Crop (more here, similar)
Shoes: Nike ‘Metcon’ 4 (6 / go up 1/2 size) — love for weight training!

Now that my kids are a little older (3 and 5 years old now!), I’ve been refocusing on me. It started with my surgery at the beginning of this year and since then, as I’ve recovered, I’ve been making concerted efforts in regards to being healthy!

From changing up my workout routine to making some diet changes, I’ve seen some great progress and even lost a few pounds.  I’ve been posting a few highlights here and there (mostly on my Instagram), but wanted to go into more detail here as fitness and health is such an important topic for me (and a journey that we’re all on!).

 

Workouts — Easing Back In and Adding Variety

Top: Chill By Will Alive 2.0 Bra Top (XS) — you have to see the back! (also in black)
Bottom: Chill By Will Life 2.0 Leggings (XS) – waistband is so comfy!
Shoes: Nike ‘Metcon’ 4 (6 / go up 1/2 size) — love for weight training!

I’ve always been a very active person and fitness is a big part of my lifestyle.  However, with my surgery at the beginning of the year, I had to force myself to take it easy and not do anything more than just light walking.  Recovery from abdominoplasty surgery is actually a whole post in itself but let’s just say that I really didn’t have a lot of energy to do anything more than just some light housework and/or a couple errands.  Those 3 weeks were probably the longest hiatus I’ve had from working out in years and I could definitely notice that my mood suffered from the lack of endorphins.  I was anxious to start back up into a fitness routine, even if it was modified, by week 3 once I was cleared by my doctor!

The Best Workouts – Bikini Body Guide

At week 3, I started with some home workouts using Kayla Itsine’s Body Bikini Guide (BBG) and modified exercises to make them low impact.  I love BBG in that it offers a plan if you’re just getting into working out (as well as more advanced workout options too) and the exercises were easy to do at home with minimal equipment.  I was able to take it at my own pace which was perfect for me as I was slowly easing back into fitness.

Top: Alala ‘Kea’ Sports Bra (XS) – on sale!  (more sizes here, similar)
Bottom: Alo High-Waist Moto Leggings in white (XS) – (also here)
Shoes: Nike ‘Metcon’ 4 (6 / go up 1/2 size)
Bottle: S’well
Watch: Garmin ‘Vivomove’ HR

The Best Workouts – OrangeTheory Fitness

I’ve been a member of OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF) for over a year now and it’s been my go-to for a sweaty workout that makes me feel strong, energized, and fit.  I started going back to these classes at 6 weeks and modified the treadmill workouts so that I was only walking (sometimes with an incline) and changed up the weighted workouts so that I didn’t do any core targeted workouts.  But, it felt so good to slowly start getting my heart rate up again and it felt good to get back into the groove again!  At 12 weeks, I started running again and have since been able to even increase all-out pace by a couple miles per hour (I’m up to 10 mph now and can hold it for up to a minute!).  I usually go to OTF about 2-4 times a week, mostly on weekdays after work and I call it my “happy hour”. 😁

 

Top: Chill By Will Alive 2.0 Bra Top (XS) — you have to see the back! (also in black)
Bottom: Chill By Will Life 2.0 Leggings (XS) – waistband is so comfy!
Shoes: Nike ‘Metcon’ 4 (6 / go up 1/2 size) — love for weight training!

The Best Workouts – Vital Fitness Boxing

I was invited to check out a boxing class at Vital Fitness Studio at the beginning of th year and let me tell you, I was skeptical.  I didn’t think boxing was a workout I would enjoy as I figured it would be like punching / kicking a large punching bag.  But, the boxing classes at Vital Fitness Studio are with a partner where one person has gloves on and the other person has on punching pads (at least the Saturday classes that I go to are).  Having the feedback when punching into pads and having a partner on the other side makes it a completely different experience and I am absolutely hooked on this workout!  The coach, David Andrews, is a great motivator and his classes are packed.  I’ve since signed up for class packages at Vital Fitness Studio and boxing is honestly my newest workout obsession that I look forward to every week!  I’ve been seeing more definition in my arms and core even after just a few weeks.  The circuits are also fast-paced so I can tell that I’m getting a bit of cardio too as I am definitely out of breath at the end.  The studio also offers HIIT, cycling, and TRX classes which I want to try soon!

 

Manduka Yoga Mat (my fave!)
S’well Water Bottle

The Best Workouts – Vinyasa Yoga

Yoga has been a long-time love for as I started my yoga journey back in 2008 when I needed something to help ease the stress from my high-pressure hedge fund job.  I love the constant movement of Vinyasa yoga where there aren’t really any static poses and it’s really like a flow.  There is lots of core work involved so I actually had to put my yoga practice on hold for the first 12 weeks following surgery but I am so glad to have slowly added it back in now.  My abdominoplasty surgery has actually really helped with helping me engage my core and stabilizer muscles better now in yoga so my inversions are actually seeing some improvement now!  If you’re ever in Dallas, I love the “rockin’ yogis” classes at We Yogis and they offer childcare as well!

 

Top: Carbon38 ‘Botanica’ Lace-Up Bra Top (XS)
Bottom: Carbon38 ‘Botanica’ 7/8 Lace-Up Leggings (XS)

The Best Workouts – Session Pilates

I’ve done a few pilates classes in the past but never felt like they were a good workout.  I was invited to check out Session Pilates and I love that the entire class is actually done on the Reformer machine!  I took a class from the studio founder, Brittany Grignon, and definitely got my butt kicked.  I loved seeing all the different ways that you could target multiple muscle groups at a time and I loved that it really helped me get in tune with my body as well.  I’m definitely looking into adding more Pilates Reformer classes into my routine!  I have days when I’m not feeling up for something high impact so this is the perfect way for me to get a workout in without being hard on my body.

 

All in all, I’ve been changing it up when it comes to my workouts and I’ve definitely seen faster results.  I can be a creature of habit and I’ve realized too that my body quickly adapts to similar workouts, so adding variety has been key for me!

Getting That Summer Bod

I’ve always known that diet is at least 80% of the health equation and while I felt like I always ate pretty healthfully, I recently made a few changes in the way I look at food and also how I manage my cravings.

poke bowl from Go Fish Poke

Going (Mostly) Vegan

Early in the year, at the recommendation of my hair stylist actually, I watched the documentary What The Health? and it completely changed the way I thought about meat.  While I had chosen to incorporate meat in my diet, I always thought that as long as I chose organic, grass-fed, antibiotic-free meat that was raised sustainably, I was making a good choice.  The documentary made some pretty valid arguments where it showed that meat was carcinogenic in many regards for the human body.

salad from Salata
(love the ginger-lime dressing!)

I decided to challenge myself to switch to a more plant-based diet and for the first 2 weeks, actually went completely vegan.  I noticed a big difference in how much lighter I felt and noticed an improvement in my workouts as well (running was so much easier!).  Being lactose intolerant, I actually rarely consumed any dairy to begin with but did have the occasional eggs in the mornings for breakfast.  I’ve since switched to having green juice and/or oatmeal instead and have been having lots of salads, stir-fried veggies, and tofu for my meals.

harvest grain season side + spinach from Piada

Since then, I’ve had a few meals where there has been some fish or crabmeat and I’ve actually been ok incorporating them every now and then into my meals.  For me, I personally don’t do well if I have hard rules with my diet and prefer to transition more gradually so that it becomes a permanent lifestyle change.

It’s been a challenge at times when there aren’t any healthy vegan options available when I’m at work or out and about, but since then I’ve actually started to be more prepared with my own meals – which brings me to my next point!

 

Daily Harvest ‘Harvest Bowl’ – use CUTEANDLITTLE for 3 free cups

Superfood, Delivered!

I recently signed up for Daily Harvest when I saw that I could have convenient healthy food such as harvest bowls, smoothies, overnight oats, soups, and even lattes delivered to my doorstep.  I received my first box with 5 harvest bowls and 1 overnight oats bowl and have to say that these are absolutely delicious in addition to being nutrient rich!  My favorite is actually the brussel sprouts and tahini harvest bowl – it has a combination of some of my favorite veggies such as butternut squash, leeks, and roasted brussel sprouts and the creamy tahini really seals the deal on the taste front!  I love that these meals are so easy to take when I need something to grab when I’m on the go in the mornings and heat up in minutes — use code CUTEANDLITTLE for 3 free cups!

 

Top: Carbon38 ‘Botanica’ Lace-Up Bra Top (XS)
Bottom: Carbon38 ‘Botanica’ 7/8 Lace-Up Leggings (XS)
Sweet Defeat Natural Lozenge – 50% off w/ CUTELITTLE50

Curbing Sugar Cravings

One of my biggest problems has always been with my sweet tooth and when I decided to go plant based, I noticed that I desired sweets more than ever.  It was definitely hindering my progress when it came to physical changes that I wanted to see so when I discovered that there was a way to naturally stop my cravings, I was all for it!  I’ve been using Sweet Defeat for about 2 weeks now and I am amazed at how quickly and effectively it works every. single. time.

The Sweet Defeat lozenge contains 5 natural plant-based ingredients: gymnema extract which is a leaf that blocks sweet receptors, zinc which works with the gymnema to block sugar-receiving taste buds on the tongue, spirulina extract to add a nice dose of antioxidants, and finally mint and sorbitol to give it a refreshing flavor!

seasonal ingredient salad with tofu from True Food Kitchen
post-lunch Sweet Defeat Lozenge – 50% off w/ CUTELITTLE50

The Sweet Defeat is a lozenge that I put on my tongue and I let it slowly melt.  It has a slightly bitter taste but it’s very subtle and I actually find that it is part of what helps curb my craving for something sweet.  I love that Sweet Defeat works naturally and within seconds too so that it’s actually effective for my everyday lifestyle choices.  I’ve been taking about one lozenge a day (usually after dinner) but since it’s natural, it’s safe to take one after every meal.

 

I’d love to know if you have suggestions when it comes to fitness and diet!
What’s your favorite workout?
Do you have any favorite plant-based recipes?