fit – Jaclyn Grace

On The Go Workouts!

Since I am not going to have access to a gym in Australia, I have been compiling some of my favorite minimal equipment workouts. I actually do a lot of these already, so it won’t be too much of a change for me. I love the convenience of not having to make my way to the gym, or to pull out a ton of equipment. Here are a few of my favorites!

I did this one this morning and it was a great addition to my normal routine. I tried to get through it as quickly as possible with only a 1 minute break between sets. You will definitely feel it in your abs by the end.

This one is a great combination of legs and cardio. Your legs will feel like jello by the end and you will definitely be sweating. I know that I usually am!

My favorite workouts to do are ones that incorporate your entire body. I feel like I get the most out of them and really feel accomplished after I get through the entire thing. This is one of my favorite workouts because it is so simple and quick.

In the next couple of weeks I will share a few more of my favorite no-equipment workouts with you!

xo,

Jaclyn

I’m Back!

Hi all!

I haven’t written in about a month but am glad to say that I am back at it now. 🙂 I’ve gotten completely swept up in working full time and still trying to enjoy every second of my summer. I can’t believe it’s time to get back to school in just two weeks! Time really does fly.

Update

Over the past month I have done a number of wonderful things! I spent a significant amount of time with my family, which I don’t get to do much while I am at school, and enjoyed every moment of it. Here are a few of my favorite moments that you missed…

1. Toby Keith Concert!

For my mom’s birthday the whole family went to see Toby Keith. I have always loved his music but had never seen him in concert, and I love him even more now! My mom has seen him six time and is a quite the die-hard fan, which I understand now. We spent the morning picking up snacks, packing the car, and coordinating schedules with everyone. We arrived at the stadium around 4pm and had a few fulfilled hours of tailgating!

One of the best parts was that my cousin, Kelsey, was home from Colorado visiting for the week and came with us. Kelsey and I grew up together, more like sisters than cousins, and I’ve really been missing her since she left in February. She recently enlisted in the Marines and in less than one month she will be shipping off to bootcamp. I won’t see her until around Christmas time again so it was really great to catch up!

2. Jason Aldean Concert!

My awesome boyfriend surprised me a few months ago with tickets to Jason Aldean for last weekend. We had a blast! His brother and friend came along, and we met up with a few of my friends from school there. It was a great night and we all had a blast.

3. Cape Cod Vacation

We spent most of last week vacationing in the Cape. I absolutely love it there and my family did too (it was their first time :)). It’s so relaxing and embodies everything that I imagine about summertime. The salty ocean air, ice cream shops everywhere, seafood at every meal, s’mores around a bonfire and sunsets on the beach. We all came back on Sunday extremely relaxed and excited to visit Cape Cod again someday soon.

We visited P-Town one day and spent the rest of our time on the beach. 🙂

10553339_10202426891742343_5082640463781877426_n — Goofing around after a game of mini golf 🙂

I highly recommend Cape Cod for a summer vacation if you are looking to unwind and have never been!

Check back tomorrow for a “Non-Runner’s” Treadmill workout!

xo,

Jaclyn

Four Weeks!

Happy Monday everyone!

I made it through my first day of work after ten days off… and it was definitely a challenge. Luckily, all that is in store for me for the rest of the night is sushi, Netflix, and a nice big glass of green tea. 🙂

I’m extremely proud of myself today. As of yesterday, it has been four weeks since I implemented a “lifestyle change” – if you care to call it that – which includes working out regularly, eating healthier, and living a more stress free life.

During these past weeks, I have focused mostly exercising and creating a regimen that works for me. I have always worked out and kept in relatively good shape, but never like this. I made a commitment to myself and so far I feel great!

I’ve heard over and over that it takes 4 weeks for something to become a habit, which is why I am so happy with myself for reaching this milestone!

You may be wondering why all of a sudden I decided to make this change..

This past year of college was very difficult for me. I was extremely stressed out, anxious, and generally unhappy. My schedule was filled to the brim with activities and other commitments, the schoolwork was very difficult and time consuming, and I was living in a tiny apartment with a roommate who I did not get along with.

I was captain of my college dance team, held a position in my sorority, worked 10+ hours per week, and was pursuing classes towards both my bachelor degree and my masters. To say the least – I was in way over my head.

I didn’t make any time for myself or the things that I genuinely cared about. I wasn’t getting enough sleep and I wasn’t taking care of myself. Because of my busy schedule I rarely had time to go grocery shopping, never mind taking an hour to go to the gym.

I didn’t know how to handle it. I was frequently in a bad mood and lashing out at the people who cared about me. I knew I was doing it and felt awful about it, but for some reason I couldn’t control it.

When I moved home for the summer in May, I took some time to re-evaluate decided that something needed to change. I realized that no matter how busy my schedule gets, I need to make time for myself! I decided then and there that I was going to dedicate this summer to self improvement.

665d9ee745f89597ea65b105c370274e I first decided to focus on my health! I made a commitment to workout at home 5 days per week and to start drinking more water. So far so good. I have found myself with more energy and much less stress in my life.

My next task is improving my outlook and attitude about obstacles that come my way, while keeping with my workout regimen. I started this by keeping a Gratitude journal, as I mentioned last week.

Sorry for the long post, but hopefully it gives you a better idea of where I am coming from!

xo,

Jaclyn

Q. What do you do to handle stressful situations in your life?

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone has had a fantastic weekend with family and friends – I know that I did!

On Friday it was torrentially down-pouring here, which put a little damper on our 4th of July plans. Instead of having our usual cookout celebration, my mom, stepdad and I headed out to run some errands. They were on a hunt for a new dishwasher and I had a few things that I wanted to pick up for my apartment.

I have been in rare form when it comes to shopping. I almost never shop for clothes but for some reason lately, I can’t stop! I ended up buying two dresses and a cute crop top from Express instead of anything that I actually needed.

After we finished up, we headed over to Tutti Fruity for some delicious frozen yogurt! My mom has been on a fro-yo kick lately.

IMAG0448 — As you can see, I would never skimp on my fro-yo toppings 🙂

On Saturday, we had our (postponed) 4th of July Cookout with the whole family. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I made a festive and healthy dessert pizza (recipe courtesy of http://www.simplytaralynn.com). It came out great and was a huge hit.

Instead of indulging in sugary drinks or alcoholic beverages, Conor and I drank red, white, and blue sparkling water for the day. It’s low calorie, refreshing, and delicious! Definitely one of our new favorites. 🙂

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

xo,
Jaclyn

Q. What did you do this 4th of July weekend?