Hey guys! I’ve never really done a post about my workouts and how I exercise before, but since it’s a really big part of my life, I wanted to write one.
I’m for sure not an expert in the field or anything, but I thought that I’d share what I like doing to stay active, and my general workout schedule. There is SO much info out there on all things fitness, and it can be hard to know where to start. I feel that confused sometimes- second guessing whether I’m doing the “right thing”. But the “right thing” is what works best for YOU and YOUR BODY; fitness is definitely not one size fits all. I suggest trying a variety of different kinds of workouts, from HIIT to straight cardio to strength training to yoga, and find something that works for you and that you enjoy. This post is just to show you what I like doing- and to maybe give you a bit of workout inspiration.
I definitely love lifting weights- I started a couple of years ago and haven’t looked back. Strength training is amazing for building muscle, which translates into being more powerful and stable in sports, other kinds of physical activity, and day to day life! Right now I’m in the midst of a five day training split, with one upper body push day, one chest and bicep day, one upper body pull day, and two leg days. I’ve tried a bunch of different spilts before, including full body ones, but this one works pretty good for me right now! Each workout has around 4-5 exercises, and I complete 4 sets of each. I’m keeping my reps around 8-12 for now, but I adjust depending on how I’m feeling. Lower reps, around 5, and heavier weight are typically better for developing strength, while higher reps and lighter weight, around 15-20, are better for muscular endurance. I’m lucky enough to have access to a great home gym with equipment, so I’ve been able to keep this up throughout the pandemic. I’ll definitely write more on how to build your own strength workouts in a later post.
Along with my strength workouts, I like to do some quick conditioning as well- usually around 20 minutes. I’ve been loving Caroline Girvan’s videos on YouTube- they’re quick and intense! All those burpees and cardio movements are great for staying in shape for sports, and it’s good to have a strong base of cardio for other workout types as well. I feel that my strength training and conditioning workouts compliment each other and help me get the best of both worlds!
Working out 5-6 times a week is definitely not necessary- but I genuinely enjoy moving my body and I honestly don’t have much else to do with COVID😂 However, all movement is good movement and even if you’re getting active just a few times a week, that’s great! Again, I recommend trying out all different kinds of exercise. Find one that you love and can stick to! There are so many things you can do with minimal equipment if you’re looking to move your body and challenge yourself.
Something I’m working on is taking a full rest day- I usually feel compelled doing something all the time. But taking time off for your body to rest is so important to recover so you can give your next workout your all! I’m trying to stretch more on these days as well.
Here’s kind of a general overview of what a week of working out looks like for me:
Hopefully that gives you an idea of the kind of workouts I like doing! I’ll defintely share more about building strength workouts in the future.
Hey friends! I’ve already posted a great guide on How To Meal Prep The Perfect Lunch Bowl, but today I wanted to give you a few more tips on how to make eating during the week much easier.
While making lunch bowls is a super easy way to stay ahead, having these 5 ingredients always prepped and ready to go means that you’re, like, AHEAD. It makes it so easy to just throw some stuff into a bowl and go, without cooking each separate component every time you need to make your lunch. Some of these ingredients are great for a quick breakfast too!
Trust me, when eating well is this convenient, it’s almost too easy. In about 20-30 minutes, you can have almost all of these 5 versatile and healthy foods prepped and ready to go for the week. 20-30 minutes- FOR THE WHOLE WEEK. It’s just way less of a headache then having to remake the same things every day, and will definitely help you to fuel your body for all of the amazing things that you do when you’re on the go.
I love having these foods on hand, and there’s so much you can do with each and every one of them to keep things interesting! I’ll definitely be sure to list some recipes and ideas that you can try with them. here they are!
Quinoa
Making a big batch of quinoa at the beginning of the week allows you to make a variety of different bowls, salads, and stir-frys with ease! Quinoa takes 15 minutes to cook and contains all 9 essential amino acids, amazing it a complete source of protein, as well as a complex carb. It’s the perfect base for a lunch bowl, and is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. That’s right- I said breakfast! Mix some quinoa with fruit, almond milk or yogurt for a quick breakfast, like in these Cherry, Peach and Quinoa Breakfast Bowls. Hands down, quinoa is the most versatile ingredient on this list. Check out these great recipes you can make with pre-cooked quinoa!
Whether you make your own hummus or buy it at the store (no judgement here- there’s a great hummus that I love from Costco), having some in your fridge at all times is a great idea. It makes a delicious snack paired with crackers or veggies, or spread on toast. Plus, dolloped onto bowls and salads it’s SO GOOD- not to mention the amazing flavour it gives to sandwiches and wraps. Hummus brings any of your meals to life, especially your lunch bowls, and so it’s great to have some always ready to go! Here are some delicious hummus recipes- and some recipes that use hummus in delicious ways!
Gotta get that protein baby! Protein is super important for building muscle and filling you up, but it can be hard to fit into your diet. Having some boiled eggs prepped in the fridge means you can just grab some and go. Need breakfast? Good, grab a couple eggs. Making a lunch bowl? Add a couple eggs. Quick snack? Eggs! I know some of you might get tired of eggs quickly, so even prepping them just once every couple of weeks can keep them from becoming boring. I have one salad recipe where I use a nice soft boiled egg- but feel free to add an egg to any salad or bowl!
Roasted chickpeas are so crunchy and delicious, and are packed with protein and fibre! This makes them an amazing snack, and a super tasty addition to sandwiches, salads, bowls, and wraps. It only takes about 20 minutes to roast up some chickpeas, and there are a TON of delicious flavours out there! Here are some great roasted chickpea recipes- and a couple of recipes that highlight these crispy little legumes.
Fresh bananas are definitely a necessity for me, and I eat one almost every day at breakfast. But having a couple of frozen bananas in the fridge is a lifesaver- mainly for making smoothie bowls! Frozen banana gives your smoothies and smoothie bowls an amazing creamy texture and a perfect touch of sweetness. Even if you’re not a big fan of smoothies, you can still easily defrost a frozen banana and add it to oats, pancakes, or make some delicious banana bread. You can freeze your bananas peeled and halved like this, but I like to chop them up first, so that I can skip the hassle of trying to cut up a frozen banana! Here are my favourite frozen banana recipes.
I hope this list helps you out when planning ahead for your busy week! Making sure that you’re getting the kind of fuel your body needs is super important, and having these ingredients on hand will definitely make it a lot easier. As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out!
Hey friends! I know that prepping lunches/dinners for school/work can be a STRUGGLE. I’ve been there, believe me. So today I’m sharing how to meal prep the perfect lunch bowl, to give you a bit of inspiration to make lunch the best part of the day again!
Packing lunches is difficult for a number of reasons. It could be that you have no idea what to make, or that you’re just lazy (I get you). It’s times like these when it’s the hardest hard to fit nutritious food into your diet. When you don’t feel like prepping food or are lost as to what to even pack, it’s easier to grab more processed snacks and faster, less nutrient dense options. So this is why lunches need to be
a) Exciting
b) Quick and Easy to Make
c) FREAKING DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS
Having a slew of super tasty lunch ideas available makes it way more likely that you’ll have the desire to meal prep, because you’ll know that your future self will be thanking you. And if said delicious ideas are fast and simple to prepare, even better! It won’t be a laborious chore to make sure that you’re nourished everyday. Which is, of course, the goal. To NOURISH YOUR BODY so that you can be the best version of yourself possible. You can’t do that if you’re consistently packing you’re not having a good lunch- whether you’re consistently packing a couple of chocolate bars and a bag of chips, or s few cucumber slices. I have a ton of great lunch options under School Lunches on my site, but keep reading for my perfect bowl formula.
Like I just said, you can’t pack a super tiny lunch full of junk food or just veggies and expect to feel satisfied. You need BALANCE people. BALANCE! And that’s what I love about these bowls. You get your veggies, your complex carbs (aka ones that will help keep you fuller longer), AND your protein (also fills you up), all in a neat little package that is customizable based on what you have, what you like, and what you feel like preparing. The point is, you get a delicious meal that is simple and easy to make. Which is the optimum recipe for meal prepping success!
Once you have these bowls made, feel free to add a little something extra on the side, whether that be more fruits and veggies, or a little treat. If you’re getting all of your required nutrients in to fuel you throughout the day, of course you can have a lil something sweet- check out my healthy desserts here. It keeps things interesting and satisfying.
Before I present you with this bowl building guide, let me assert this point- UTILIZE LEFTOVERS! Whether it’s some chicken from that night’s dinner, some quinoa you made a few days ago, or some random roasted veggies that you have in your fridge, leftovers of all kinds are welcome in these bowls and are a part of what makes them so quick and easy!
You’ll definitely notice the difference once you fuel up properly, as opposed to being unsatisfied with your lunch choices. And this is incentive should be enough to keep on meal prepping! I hope that this perfect bowl formula helps you out- it’s my go-to lunch almost every day! Let’s get into the very simple steps.
Step 1: Choose Your Complex Carbs
Carbs are IMPORTANT because they give you energy for the day ahead, and help you feel full! Don’t leave em out. What is also important, however, is making sure that you’re choosing whole grain and complex carbs that release energy more slowly and provide you with more nutrients than more quick to release, simple carbs. Think whole wheat bread instead of white bread, and brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice. But if you don’t have whole grain options on hand, don’t shy away from using carbs like white rice. You still need that energy, and carbs shouldn’t be something to be afraid of. Fill your tupperware to about a 1/4 full with your carb of choice! Some of my favourite complex carb ideas are:
Veggies are full of nutrients and are an essential part of these bowls! Both fresh and cooked options work great- or use a combination of the two. I always like to have a bunch of different veggies on hand in the fridge, ready to be used for such situations. Be sure to pick veggies that YOU LIKE- don’t force yourself to eat stuff you hate, because that is not sustainable. Fill your tupperware at least 1/2 full with veg- here are some ideas:
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Corn, peas, or other defrosted frozen veggies
Beets
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Carrots (I grate mine- game changer!)
Spinach
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Celery
Broccoli
Peppers
Olives
The list goes on and on!
Step 3: Pick Your Protein
Protein is vital- it helps keep you feeling fuller longer, and is necessary to build muscle tissue and for your body to function in general! When you think protein, you may just be thinking of your conventional sources- meat- which can be hard to include if you don’t have any ready to go. There are a TON of easy protein options out there though! Many of them can be prepped before hand, and a bunch of others are ready to go as is. These are some great healthy protein options to add to your bowl:
Boiled eggs (I love boiling a bunch at a time, and having them ready to use for the next few days)
Chicken, pork, or beef (including leftovers, or meat that you cook in a batch for meal prep)
Canned tuna (mix with some mashed avocado so it’s less dry)
Ok, so we’ve got carbs, veg, and protein, which, on their own, should taste pretty good. You can see that I added some more protein in the form of chickpeas to this bowl as well. But to make these bowls even better, be sure to add some healthy fats and flavour at the end! I’m talking homemade dressings, hummus, tzatziki, avocado, nuts and seeds, or simply some balsamic vinegar! Healthy fats are a necessary part of your diet, and make your lunches that much more satisfying. Try and stay away from store bought dips and dressings- they can be full of preservatives, sugars, and other not so nice ingredients! Some finishing touches I like to add to my bowls are:
Dips and dressings (see my favourite recipes here)
Hummus
Salsa
Vinegars (love my balsamic)
Avocado
Nuts
Seeds
There you have it- the perfect steps to make your meal prep dreams come true! There are so many combinations and that’s something that I love about this formula, but here are some flavour combo ideas if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed:
All of those combos sound amazing! Go ahead and get creative, and I promise that these steps will help you to create delicious, filling and nutritious lunches and keep you coming back for more.
It’s that time of year again- we’re halfway through 2020 which means it’s time to sit down and reflect on what the year has been like so far. I for one always do this in my bullet journal, because it’s a great place to keep track of all of my goals and write down my thoughts. I started doing a mid-year review just last year, since I had a couple of extra pages after June and thought, why not? I liked it a lot and so this year I made sure to reserve two pages at the end of this month.
I don’t think I wrote a whole post about my Mid-Year Review from last year, but here’s what it looked like:
For my review this year I kept many of the same elements, although I used the colour scheme from my 2020 Set-Up , and I printed off a bunch more olive branches too. I love this “base” theme that I have going on for the whole year- I don’t know what I’ll do next year! Anyways, I did a cute quote page and then on the opposite page I have a bunch of reflection questions to see where I’m at:
I love the way it looks;)) I switched up the reflection questions this year, and that’s what I want this post to be about: the questions. Down below I’m going to provide you with a list of 20 questions that you can ask yourself as we approach the mid-way point of 2020. You can choose a few to answer that jump out at you, or answer them all! I think it’s really good to check in with yourself and your goals, and see what you can improve on. Especially because of the crazy times that we’ve all been going through, we need to reset and re-evaluate what’s going on in our lives. So take some time to sit down and think about how you’re feeling about your current situation, and what you can do to improve it. And of course, make your review pretty! I love doing stuff like this when I can embellish it a little. Here’s my master list!
20 Mid-Year Review Questions
What are some things that you’ve accomplished so far that you’re proud of?
What are some things that you still want to accomplish?
If you chose a word that you want to define 2020, how are you embodying that word? If not, choose a word and ask yourself what you can do to embody it for the rest of the year.
What have you loved about 2020 so far?
How have you been looking after yourself?
How have you been able to give back this year? How can you give back for the rest of the year?
What have you been doing to nourish your soul, body and mind?
What are some areas that you feel you’ve been struggling in? How can you improve in those areas?
Do you feel like something is holding you back? What is it?
How can you move past any fears you have right now?
One year from now, what would your future self wish you had been doing right now? How about 5 or ten years from now?
How do you feel about the goals you set for this year? Look back on them, make any necessary adjustments, and create a plan for how you will tackle each one.
What do you want to remember most clearly about 2020?
What is something that you want to learn about over the next six months?
What do you want to do less of this year?
What do you want to do more of this year?
On a scale of 1 to ten, how do you feel about the past six months? What number do you want to define the year, and how can you get there?
What would it take for you to feel that 2020 was successful?
How does 2020 fit in to your long-term hopes and dreams?
In an ideal world, where do you see yourself on December 31, 2020? Write that down and put it somewhere where you can see it each day. Think about what it will take to be where your ideal you is.
There you go! I might go through some more of these myself separately, because there are some good ones for goal setting in there. Hope these questions help you out and I’ll see you tomorrow!
How are you guys doing? I’m hanging in there but starting to get a bit antsy. I wasn’t too bothered by the thought of staying at home when this all started, but after a couple of weeks I’m starting to miss the routine that I had when things were normal. It’s harder than I thought to go without friends, sports, and school (which I never thought I would say). Today I thought that I’d share some tips to help you get through this period of being stuck at home, so that you can stay productive and sane. Here they are:))
Try Not to Sleep In
I know that it can be tempting to sleep in till noon every morning when there’s no school, and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do that on occasion, because this is a good time for your body to rest up. But getting up fairly early gives you a head start on the day and will help you to feel more productive than sleeping late. You’ll be able to get a whole lot more accomplished. I’m planning to get up a around 7-7:30 once Spring Break is over, which is still way later than I get up for school, but is still early enough to start school work and stuff.
Get Dressed
This is a big one because it puts you into the right mindset for the day ahead. If you take the time in the morning to put proper clothes on, you’ll probably get more done than if you stay in your pyjamas. You can even do our hair and makeup if you want, because the more you feel like you’re actually going to school or going out somewhere will help with productivity.
Find a Project
This is probably the best tip that I can give you. Finding a project, whether it be school work, something creative or something that you’ve been wanting to do for a while gives purpose to your day. Getting excited about something that you’re doing is great because it gives you something to look forward to doing each day. Here’s a list of things that you can work on:
Reading a book (one of my faves;))
Cooking/Baking
Painting
Learning something (you can literally learn about anything online through YouTube or articles)
Languages (I’m using an app called DuoLingo to learn a couple extra languages, and practice French for school)
Practice sports (It can be hard to do this in your house, but there are lots of sports skills that can be practiced in tight quarters. If you definitely can’t practice anything, watch some YouTube videos on how to become a better player)
Organize or clean out your room (this sounds sucky but I did it the other day and it felt SOOO good to get rid of all the junk in there)
Do a big puzzle
These are just a few ideas but there are TONS more things that can keep you busy during this time.
Go Outside
Getting some fresh air is great for your mental health allows you to feel less trapped. No one wants to stay inside their house all day every day. I like to take my dog for walks, but going sledding or building snowmen or just sitting outside somewhere are all great options.
Stay Active
Staying active is important to get those endorphins flowing! It also makes you feel great:))) You can do a workout, some yoga, have a dance party, or go for a walk or run.
I really hope these tips help you out! We’ll all get through this together;)) Stay safe everyone;)
My Day Is Booked 