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Fitness Let's Look

Let’s Look and Apple Fitness Review

Hello All!

Happy Wednesday! I hope your weeks are going well. It’s starting to feel more and more like springtime which I can’t get enough of. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter!

I had the best Easter with family, savoring traditions and having fun!

I have an extra-long post for you today!

First, I’m linking up with Erika and Shay for their monthly “Let’s Look”, every month, they choose different topics to discuss, last month we talked about about favorite Amazon purchases and in February we shared about our medicine cabinets and today’s topic is pet peeves. 

I’m sure if I thought about it for hours, I could give you a list of pet peeves, but to save both your and my sanity, here’s a few of my pet peeves.

I’m a neat-freak, so I can’t stand messes. If there’s clutter, I try to clean it up, a load of laundry in the dryer? I fold it. (Whether it’s a 10 pm or 6 am). Dishes sitting in the sink? I clean them. I love the feeling of going to bed or leaving the house in order, so I always try to have everything picked up and tidied up. It sometimes drives the people in my life crazy, when I spend time suggesting they tidy up a space, I’m a work in progress, so I’m trying to let go of things being tidy and organized all the time.

Another pet peeve I have is I hate wasting, whether it’s food or items or time. It pains me to throw away food that I don’t eat. I always try to eat leftovers and use things I have in my fridge or freezer or pantry instead of buying food when I have things at home. I also hate wasting items, I like to use samples that I get or I will use cosmetics until the last drop. And time, i hate wasting time and not being productive.

My last big pet peeve is low batteries on phones or low gas in cars. I get stressed with gas gets below a quarter tank or when my phone battery hits 40%, I always like to be prepared with full tanks of gas or a full battery.

I’m sure I can think of plenty of more pet peeves, but those are some of my top pet peeves.

For part two of today’s post, I’m reviewing Apple Fitness. I got a new phone back in January and when I got it, I got three months free with Apple Fitness. I was excited to try it and have used it a lot over the past three months.

Some of my favorite features include the dozens of different workouts, intensity levels and lengths of workouts. There’s a mix of at-home workouts videos and guided workouts on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical.

I tried yoga, strength and conditioning, core, stretching, walking and running, just to name a few. Some workouts were 10-minute yoga sessions which were perfect for a quick stretch and other core workouts were 45 minutes that got you sweating. 

I loved the variety of workouts and the different instructors; some were upbeat and fast paced and others were more calming and chill. There were always new classes to try and I loved that you could see how you were doing to try and close your rings.

I used the guided walks the most, you could choose from a variety of people from singers to activists, actors, or political figures and they would narrate while you walked. They would share personal stories, their favorite songs and life lessons. I “went on a walk” with Prince William, Dolly Parton and Gabrielle Union to name a few. I learned a lot from them while getting a good walk in. 

Apple Fitness is $9.99 a month which in my opinion isn’t a horrible option for access to hundreds of at home workouts and guided workouts. However, I belong to a gym that I go to every day, so I was using Apple Fitness in addition to what I was doing at the gym. Ultimately, I decided to not renew my Apple Fitness subscription. I really enjoyed it and found it super helpful and useful, but I wasn’t using it enough to pay $10 when I was already going to a gym. If I decide to not to a gym and just rely on home workouts, then I will definitely be renewing my Apple Fitness Subscrpition.

Whew, that was a long one. Major props if you made it through the whole post, but I had a lot on my mind. I have two questions to pose to you today!

1) What are your biggest pet peeves?

2) Are you and Apple Fitness fan? Have you tried it? Are you more into hitting the gym or doing an at-home workout? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a wonderful rest of your week! See you here on Friday!

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Let's Look

Let’s Look: Amazon Purchases

Hi all! Happy Wednesday! I hope your March is going smoothly and you start to see the beginnings of SPRING! We’ve had a mild winter so far, but I’m already craving the sunshine and 50 degree temperatures. 

Today I’m linking up with Erika and Shay for this month’s edition of Let’s Look. Every month, whoever links up gives you a look into a different aspect of their lives.

This month it’s about all time favorite Amazon purchases! I have to be honest, I use Amazon, but I do prefer to shop in stores. Amazon definitely makes it easier to order things you need in a pinch, but sometimes it’s fun to browse stores and the aisles. 

Here’s some fun things I’ve bought from Amazon recently. 

Photo Frame-Not a super fun purchase, but I needed it for a gift and rather than going to multiple craft stores to find this large frame, I went on my Amazon app, ordered the it and had it shipped to my house in two days. I could choose the color and size and it was inexpensive too. Just what I was looking for.

Jeep Key Fob Cover- One of my co-workers had this cover for her key fob and I loved how it looked (so sleek and sophisticated) so I wanted to get one for myself. This soft rubber key fob slips right over your key fob. A larger key ring also comes with it, so you can slip it right over onto your wallet or key ring. When I was looking on Amazon for it, I came across other covers for different cars and their keys. My mom loved how mine looked, so she ordered a cover for her key fob, (a different make and model than mine)! It wasn’t too expensive, but it was more of a fun purchase than a practical one. But every time I see it, does it bring me joy? You bet!

Charging Station for iPhone– I talked about this purchase in my Friday Favorites at the beginning of the year, but I wanted to bring it back again. I got this three in one charging station for my phone and apple watch. You can charge your AirPods too, but I don’t have AirPods, so I don’t use that feature. I love how I don’t have to worry about multiple cords and chargers anymore. it’s one plug and everything gets charged. I also have a pop socket/ring on the back of my phone, and you can still charge it with it on. The only catch is to make sure when you order it, it’s compatible for your version of your watch, phone and AirPods. It comes in multiple colors and it affordable and it saves you time and energy from searching for multiple cords.

Spare-No surprise here that I pre-ordered Spare and it arrived on the day it came out. The library is typically my go-to for books, but I do order books if I know I will want to re-read it or hold onto them. Amazon made it easy for me start reading right away!

Heatless Curling Rod Headband-This will be getting its own post soon enough, but like many others, I purchased this curling rod headband that gives your curls without using heat. I’ve tried it a handful of times and have been pleased with it, but still need to try it out different ways to really get the hang of it. But Amazon made it so easy to order it and try it within a few days.

That’s a look into some of the things I’ve ordered from Amazon, some fun, some basic, a little bit of everything. What are some of your favorite Amazon purchases? Let me know in the comments below!

Categories
Fabulous living Let's Look

Let’s Look + Valentine’s Day Date Ideas

Hello all!

Happy Wednesday! Can you believe we are less than a week away from Valentine’s Day?! I feel like the holiday snuck up on me. I got some Valentine’s Day decorating last week and I plan on doing some Valentine’s Day baking over the next few days. I have been on a baking/cooking roll over the past few weeks, and I have been loving trying new recipes in the winter months. 

I have a double post for you today! First, I’m going to be teaming up with Erika and Shay for Let’s Look! The second Wednesday of the month they have a different prompt about different parts of your life for you to answer.

This month’s topic is What Your Medicine Cabinet Looks Like. I have been doing lots of organizing and cleaning lately and I just finished organizing my medicine box. Besides medicine, I like to keep back stock of makeup and beauty products along with travel products. It’s always helpful to have some go-to products on hand so whenever you run out of a product or medicine, there’s some always on hand. The key is to make sure you clean it out frequently and get rid of old products that have expired. Having a clean space with backup and hygiene products makes life much simpler.

A look inside my back stock

Now onto part two of this post! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I’m sharing some fun date ideas for you and your significant other. These are a mix of more traditional to unique ideas. If you are looking for inexpensive date ideas, you can find my post about it here.

Without further ado, here’s some Valentine’s Day Date Ideas:

Recreate a First Date-This is a sweet, romantic, and nostalgic way to celebrate the day. Whether you have been with your significant other for a few months or several years, try to recreate your first date. Go to the restaurant or pick up take out, maybe see if you can hunt down what you wore that night or find something similar, to bring back all the first date feels. If you went to the movies for the first time before or after dinner, see if you can find it on a streaming service to watch before or after dinner. This allows you and your significant other to take a romantic walk down memory lane on the sweetest holiday.

Head to an event or performance- Nothing says date night than a night on the town. If you are both into music or theater, see if there’s any local performances happening on or around Valentine’s Day. If you both like the sport scene, see if your local hockey or basketball team has a game. This is a great date idea if you are in the early stages of a relationship and still getting to know each other and one another’s interests or if you have been together for years and you both have a passion for the arts and culture or sports. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to enjoy an experience together.

Whether it’s a performance
Or a sporting event, you can’t go wrong with a night on the town.

Dinner at Home-This is personally my favorite one. I really enjoy cooking and baking, so trying a new recipe at home or enjoying a favorite one together sounds divine for Valentine’s Day. Light some candles, turn on a favorite movie or show and enjoy cooking a meal together. You get to enjoy an activity together and you have a delicious end result. You don’t have to worry about the hassle of reservations, crowded restaurants, or parking. Given that Valentine’s Day is on a weekday, you can celebrate with a nice meal at home the weekend before or the night of. I live for lowkey nights at home, so this is the best way to celebrate Valentine’s Day, also make sure you have a sweet dessert for after dinner.

Nothing better than a nice night in

Valentine’s Day Breakfast or Lunch– If you want to go out for meal, but don’t want to deal with the crowds or reservations, celebrate Valentine’s Day earlier in the day, head to breakfast for some one on one time before the work day begins, or set-up a time to break away from work and meet up for a fancy lunch. Both of these options still makes sure you are acknowledging and celebrating the day, without the stress of doing dinner. 

You can even do a fancy brunch at home.

Cliche Valentine’s Day Date– If you have been dating someone for a while and you aren’t stressed about setting impossible expectations, go all out with a cliche Valentine’s Day Date. Buy the big teddy bear or the heart shaped box of chocolates, a long stem rose or a few doesn’t hurt either and make your date into a Valentine’s Day date that’s fit for a romantic comedy. A few other ideas to include in your date: Heart shaped balloons or decorations, a card, a cheesy romantic comedy, your significant other’s favorite meal and lots of sweets and chocolates. This is a fun way to make a big gesture but, in a fun, young love kind of way.

Going all out for Valentine’s Day

I hope this gives you some date ideas for Valentine’s Day if you are looking to go all out for a date night. I know I would be happy with any of these date ideas. If you have other date ideas, let me know in the comments below! Happy Valentine’s Day!