fitness – Jaclyn Grace

Friday Favorites (On Sunday)

**Disclaimer: I wrote this post on Friday evening and just now am realizing that it never posted :(. I’ve been having some troubles with WordPress lately, but I’m hoping that its back to normal soon.**

We finally made it to the weekend! I am going to visit my dad today and hopefully spend the rest of the weekend relaxing and catching up on some studying.

I wanted to bring back something that I have done in the past called “Friday Favorites.” I really enjoyed sharing different things that I liked with you, and am going to try to get back into the habit of doing so each week. Here are a few things that I’m loving right now!

Sweaty Bands

For as long as I can remember, I have struggled to find a headband that was comfortable and effective at holding my hair out of my face during my workouts… until I found these!

Dan’s mom and sisters introduced me to them a few months ago and since then I have been obsessed. They are so cute, comfortable, and don’t slip at all when you’re moving around. They also come in tons of colors and patterns. These are a new must have for me!

Screen Shot 2017-01-22 at 9.48.20 AM.png — SweatyBand still in place after 30 minutes of cardio!

2. Aquaphor Lip Treatment

I have the most horrible dry and cracked lips in the winter time. It happens instantly the moment the weather cools down. This year it felt especially bad. I was even struggling to sleep during the night without waking up in pain every hour or so… until I found this.

screen-shot-2017-01-22-at-10-29-30-am

This is like a miracle lip treatment and immediately provided me with so much relief. It doesn’t strip your lips of any natural oils or leave them even drier once it wears off, which I have found of most similar products. This comes highly recommended from me!

3. Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done

For a long time, I’ve been looking for a sheer foundation that is gentle enough for me to wear everyday. I had been eying this product for a long time before I finally bit the bullet and bought it, and it is so worth it.

screen-shot-2017-01-22-at-10-30-21-am

I apply it every morning after my moisturizer and it makes my skin feel softer and look more even. I’ve also noticed that it has seemed to decrease the size of my pores as I use it more consistently. I also love that it has SPF in it. It’s so important to protect your skin everyday – especially if you want to try and avoid getting any wrinkles for as long as possible.

4. Essie Gel Couture Polish

Some people love getting their hair done frequently, others love getting monthly facials, I love having my nails done. It just makes me feel so much better when I look down and see freshly painted nails with no chips. In the past, I loved gel manicures because they lasted 2+ weeks without chipping at all. This was my go-to because each time I got a regular manicure, I felt like I was taking the polish off within a day or two, which was a complete waste of time and money. Unfortunately, the gel polish ended up being far too harsh on my nails. They hurt all the time, were brittle, peeling, and burning. It was awful. It took about 6 months for my nails to completely heal from this.

Since starting a new job, I have been on a mission to figure out how to have my nails look nice all time time without using UV gel polish and I finally figured it out. For almost the past month now I have been getting my nails done with the Essie Gel Couture Polish. This goes on and can be removed just like regular polish, but lasts almost two weeks! I am not kidding you – I had NO chips after 7 days and very minimal chipping after 12.

Screen Shot 2017-01-22 at 11.06.11 AM.png — Loved this color!

It cost me $3 more than a regular manicure, but was still far less than a UV gel manicure. My nails feel and look healthier than they have in a long time and I couldn’t be happier. I would highly recommend this polish to anyone who has trouble with sensitive nails.

That’s all for now, but I hope you enjoyed reading. I would love to hear what you’re loving lately!

xo,

Jaclyn

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

NYC

These last two days have been so hectic for me! I found out about a week ago that I would be traveling to NYC for a two day interview at a really great company. I was SO nervous to travel alone. I had only been to NYC a few times and they were all many years ago. I had also never flown or stayed over in a hotel completely alone. The days before the interview were filled with so much worry and anxiety, but I’m happy to say that it ended up being a very positive experience!

I arrived on Thursday afternoon and took a car to my hotel in the Financial District. I quickly got ready and headed over to the office for an information session, as well as hors d’oeuvres and a networking event. There were probably 50 other students that traveled to the city for this and it was great to meet some of them.

After several long hours of networking, I headed back to the hotel and ordered a late dinner via room service.

I got a tomato and mozzarella sandwich with french fries. I was back just in time for Scandal, so I watched as I enjoyed my dinner.

Friday morning I woke up early and headed back to the office at 7:45 for my one-on-one interview. It was a quick half hour and I was back at the hotel before I knew it. I took a little nap, since I had barely slept the night before, and then headed down to the hotel gym.

It was a nice little gym and I was the only one there, which I loved! I tried a new leg workout that I found on Instagram.

I’m so sore today and loving it! I will definitely be incorporating it into my regular routine.

After my workout, I set out to take one more walk around the city. Unfortunately I didn’t get very far with the -20 degree windchill.

I ended up taking a car back to the airport around noon and was able to hop on a 2 o’clock flight, rather than waiting until 8 o’clock as originally planned.

It was great getting out of my comfort zone and having some time completely on my own. I loved seeing the city and navigating my way around. I’m hoping to hear back about the job within a week or two. I’m crossing my fingers that something works out, but if not it was still an extremely valuable experience!

xo,

Jaclyn

Happy Day

Happy Monday! Today is especially great because Conor will be home from Scotland in just a few hours. 🙂 He has been there for the past week participating in the Worldwide Bagpipe Championships. He has been playing since he was only eight years old along with his two older brothers. They are so talented and I admire them so much for sticking with an instrument for such a long time.

They placed 11th out of 28 countries over in Glasgow on Saturday and I couldn’t be more proud. Sorry for the short post but I’m off to see my handsome bagpiper now. 🙂

xo,

Jaclyn

Rest is Important!

Hi all!

Recently I’ve joined a new gym where I take 2-3 semi private lessons per week. They focus on a strength training with a mixture of cardio and HIIT thrown in. It’s really nice because there are usually only two of us working out with one-two trainers. It’s perfect for learning proper form and new exercises. I’m especially enjoying it because I know I will be able to take my newfound knowledge back to the school gym within the next few weeks!

Unfortunately, on Tuesday I injured my shoulder during a cross fit style workout. It consisted mainly of pull-ups and barbell thrusters. I was pumped to resume my workouts after vacation and went a little too hard. By the mid workday today I couldn’t even lift my right arm!

Even though I had a great workout planned for tonight, I decided to take it easy. It’s important to listen to your body and rest when you need it to avoid further injury. I took some motrin, applied icy hot, and am icing my shoulder as we speak. Hopefully it feels better by tomorrow and I will be back at it!

Have a great night 🙂

xo,

Jaclyn