My Favorite Way To Start The Day

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I know that we are all busy with work and just life in general and the few days we may have "off" usually do not include YOU time. Your day off may mean meeting up with friends, doing laundry, seeing family, picking up your dry cleaning, cleaning out your fridge where you may possibly find month-old almond milk (I am not judging) ... and the list goes on.

However long our lists, I always think that making time for YOURSELF is super important, even if it is just 10 minutes. My favorite way to start my day is to take an awesome walk. This time allows me to plan out my day, take in some air, and get my blood flowing. I also do not mind if Camera Man joins along :)  

How to start your "day off" off right: 

TIP 1. Put on real clothes when you wake up. I find that the faster I get out of my pj's the more productive I am. In the images below I documented one of my morning walks. I am wearing a fabulous outfit Athleta sent me. 

Exertion Bralette: This Bralette is super cute. I just love it. I am wearing it in this KILLER ABS video:

It holds me well and gives the girls a little lift, who doesn't love that?! It is simple to match due to the black and white color and the criss cross feature in the back is my favorite. 

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Tropic Aliso Pant: These pants are awesome! I wore them to class one day and got plenty of compliments. They are light, breezy, and have POCKETS! Great for walks since no purse is needed. You can stick everything in your pant pockets!

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Above: Later, after my breakfast and some errands, I took a class at a studio near my home. I love taking other peoples classes. Other teachers inspire me, and even if I learn just one new thing it is worth it! 

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Mesh Pullover:  I wear this pullover maybe too much! It is so easy to dress up or down and it is great for a chilly day in the warmer months.

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TIP 2. Walk to your center (if you live in a city or in a town with a walkable center) OR find a park or a bike path that you can drive to. You can even take a skip around your neighborhood; it does not have to be a crazy fancy walk or have greenery for it to be effective.

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I started my walk on a bike path and ended up in Davis Square. I was parched so I stopped along the way to grab an iced coffee at Diesel cafe.

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I love cinnamon in my iced coffee and if I am feeling really crazy I'll add in some cocoa and vanilla. WHAT? Try it.

TIP 3. Your walk does not have to be long. Take 10 minutes you will feel great! (however, I am NOT opposed to long walks)

TIP 4. When you get back home have a super breakfast, green juice, smoothie or anything that will continue to energize you for your day.

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After my walk I made myself eggs with turmeric and pepper, toast with almond butter, sliced cucumbers, and an arugula salad with EVOO and lime juice. 

BAM. Carpe diem. 

Do you try to get walks in during the week or on the weekends? Where is your favorite place to walk? How else do you make YOU time?

This post was sponsored by Athleta through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Athleta, all opinions are my own.

Running Technique and GORE-TEX photo shoot

I do not consider myself a runner. This past Monday and Tuesday I got booked to do a photo shoot for GORE-TEX in Rhode Island. When I talked to the photographer on the phone I asked "So, we are going to be getting some running shots?" he said "We are going to be getting ALL running shots". I have never done a shoot that was ALL running, so I was not sure how my body would respond.

Let's just say I am SO SORE. It is all in my calfs and my tibialis anterior (shins). It is not shin splints, it  just feels like tight muscles. I have been massaging myself and foam rolling,

We did some regular street running,

and we also did trail running.

The shoot was really focused on GORE shoes; Nike, Sauconmy, and Brooks. We got shots of wet, cold/dry and snowy terrain. (We had to spray down the deck to make it look wet, it was actually a beautiful sunny day!)

The snow was made from huge spools of cotton and then sprayed with water. People walking by thought it was real.

I also had to run though some watery mud with my Nike shoes to show how the GORE trail Nike shoes can really manage the outdoor elements.

This shoot made me really think about my running form, where I was landing and how I was holding my body. I started the shoot heel striking, which is fine and actually gets a great angle of the shoe for the camera. And then we switched to landing more on the mid area of my food. I had to really THINK about doing this as it did not come naturally. But as the shoot went on and by the second day it felt much easier!

Watch this short video on running form.

The photographer on the set,Trevor Brown, was really amazing. He knew how to catch my stride at the right time and he got really amazing shots. He never settled for "good". I also met one of the founders of "The Most Informal Running Club Ever", Alex. He was the male running model on the shoot! I learned about his running club and it seems awesome. So if you live in Boston, you have to check it out!

The pictures above were taken from iPhones. I will share the real picture when they come!

How is your running form? Do you have any advice? How do you land?