Flywheel: Flying up to new heights

Hey Fashionistas,

Current mood:

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**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I didn’t take many photos for this blog since I was too excited and forgot 😦

I took my very first cycling class yesterday!! I’ve never gone cycling before but I’ve heard amazing things about it especially from one of my really good friends, Sarah Gaines of Fit University. She’s a certified cycling instructor! So when I went yesterday, I was thrilled to finally give it a try!

When I arrived, everyone working there was super friendly and let me tell you, the place so clean! Now I’m not sure if all cycling places offer these but at Flywheel, they had free water, apples, and clean towels. It didn’t have that gym smell or yucky air you feel when you walk into a gym or a class. I was immediately pleased with the aesthetics.

Cycling itself was really fun! I got a full body work out and was thoroughly pleased with how I felt afterwards. I’m going to be honest though, it was pretty tough for the first time. When I started “walking” aka biking but standing up, it was a huge adjustment. You had to keep to the tempo but at the same time keep up your pace. I might have almost tripped or felt my hip almost pop out because I picked up my speed to catch up with everyone.

My favorite part of the class was when I was reminded of how awesome and amazing my body is. These past two weeks since Lent has started has really taken a hit on my eating disorder thoughts. I gave up **social media for Lent, which means I’ve had a lot of quiet time lately…which leads to have a lot of time to think – one of those thoughts being my eating disorder. In the middle of the class, I saw myself in the mirror and saw this strong women who was having fun and smiling even though I was exhausted from constantly moving my legs. I felt beautiful, sexy (one word I’ve never ever used on myself before) in the nicest and non-objective way possible, and confident for the first time in a while. I literally felt like I was FLYING!

So what are my final thoughts? Absolutely amazing!
Would I go to another class? Most definitely, though probably not too many times since it is a bit on the pricey side.
Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes, I would. It’s fun and exhilarating!

Of course, right after class Rachel and I went straight to Candle Cafe, a vegan place a couple blocks down, to refuel our body with yummy food!

Sweaty and starving

Best vegan lasagna ever ❤

Xoxo,

Chrissie Carly

**I gave up social media for Lent so when I need to post blog related things, my sister Erica does it for me!

Surviving the holidays during Eating Disorder recovery

“You’re going to be fine”

This seems to be the motto I’ve been telling myself every day for the past month and a half. (Yes, for me the holidays and festivities start the week of Thanksgiving)  As much as I love the Christmas season and spending time with my wonderful family and friends, I can’t help but constantly think of the food that awaits for me.

Now I totally understand the importance of food and eating moderately, but as a girl who unfortunately, often falls back into her ED habits, food can be the enemy sometimes. Going out with friends for dinner and drinks is so much fun but in the back of mind as much as I hate to admit it, that voice is still whispering “Do you really think you should eat that? Did you burn off enough calories at the gym today to consume all of that?”

Moments like these, what do I do? Back when I had my eating disorder, I would of course stop eating and immediately start giving excuses on why I’m not eating. During the beginning stages of my recovery, anxiety would flood my mind and I would have a full on panic attack trying to fight the ED thoughts before trying to pick up the fork to eat again. This holiday season, surprisingly, has been a lot better. I still get anxiety but it is a lot easier to tell myself to not to be afraid of food. To know that I’ll be ok if I eat that yummy slice of pumpkin pie. I’ll be fine if I eat the cheesy lasagna square. I’ll be fine if I go out and celebrate with drinks and dinner with my friends.

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So with Christmas arriving tomorrow, ED thoughts are bound to pop up. What am I going to do? Focus on something else. Now I’m not saying to ignore those thought because from personal experience, ignoring them will eventually explode into another anxiety attack. So go ahead and acknowledge it, but don’t let it stop you from enjoying the holiday festivities. Focus on the time spent with family. Focus on the laughter and joy that Christmas brings. Focus on the beauty that Jesus Christ is born and the love that comes with it. Most importantly, I’m going to focus and appreciate that this is another year that I’m an ED survivor and nothing is going to take that away from me.

Love yourself this holiday season. Share that love with someone you know that might need it. Christmas is all about joy and love and that all starts with you and loving your body ❤️

Smile through the darkness and love your mind, body, and soul ❤

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

What’s one thing you love about yourself?

What’s something you are looking forward to this Christmas?

November Shopping Haul

Hey Fashionistas,

Soo…we’re two weeks into December, so I do apologize for this late late post. (I kinda had writer’s block for a while).

But….let’s talk about shopping sprees and retail therapy! With the seasons changing, of course, I went and did some winter shopping! With Veterans Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday sales, how could I not go shopping??

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Cold Gear Long Sleeve Shirts – Under Armour

Baby It’s Cold Outside….when you’re running in the winter at 8am on Saturday morning. So, I stay warm in these cold gear running long sleeve shirts

Banana Republic Print Full Skirt

This classic red print skirt is literally perfect for my favorite holiday that is just around the corner – Christmas!! ❤

Black Leather Jacket

One staple item in any wardrobe is the classic black leather jacket. Now I didn’t buy this jacket in November, but I did wear it for the first time this month and it was just too cute to not talk about it!

Alex and Ani bracelet set

These bracelets were a super belated birthday present from one of my best friends. They are simple enough that I can wear every day but cute enough that it gives my arm some arm candy to play with.

Rings – Charming Charlie & H&M

I liked it…so I put a ring on it 😉

Gold Christmas Tree Necklace and Hair bow – Charming Charlie

Rudolph…rockin around the Christmas Tree

Stay tuned for Part 2 of my November Shopping Haul: Makeup Edition

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

Did you take advantage of all the amazing sales?

What were some of your favorite items that you bought in November?

What was your favorite outfit this past November?

 

Workout tips & my new favorite snack

Hey Fit fashionistas,

I’m backkkkkkk!

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….with some fun gym motivation to keep that #gymgrind going!

Going to the gym can get pretty boring…especially if you’re doing the same thing over and over again, am I right?? Don’t get me wrong! I love the gym as you can tell if you follow me on Snapchat and Instagram with my constant gym selfies.

However, sometimes doing the same workout circuits gets boring and personally…that makes me just start slacking off at the gym. So here are some of my tips that help me make my workouts more fun!

Create an awesome playlist. Depending on the type of workout, I’ll change up my gym playlist. Usually, I really like pop and upbeat music just because it just makes me happy and want to dance through my workout…I actually have started dancing at the gym in the middle of a workout 😉 Sometimes when I’m feeling stressed and working through some stress and tension, I’ll put on  a “Girl Power” playlist to remind myself of my strength and awesomeness.

My top 2 favorite songs: Can’t stop the feeling by Justin Timberlake & Hair by Little Mix

https://open.spotify.com/user/chrissie.carly3/playlist/2WU7TO2hSW3r77uvmri14P

Planning out your workout ahead of time. I love going through different fitness blogs and especially pinterest and put together my workout the night before. Plus with a set workout, it’s easier to stay focus at the gym instead of constantly thinking up of workouts on the spot. Though, I do enjoy some spontaneity in my workouts sometimes.

 

Some of my favorite workouts come from these beauties: Tone It Up, Fit University, and Peanut Butter Runner!!

Sign up for fitness classes! It can either be weekly or monthly or just a one time thing. My sister and I during the summer last year ended up going to a free yoga class at Lululemon where I met an amazing yoga instructor! Dina was super fun to work out with and really great with modifying yoga poses for people who had injuries. The best part?? She not only hosts yoga classes but offers yoga with wine!!! #drinkandbefit am I right??

Come up with fun names for your workouts. Squats are squats and jumping jacks are jumping jacks. However, if I change the name and add in a fun twist to it, it makes it more entertaining and creative. Changing “planks” to “Superman planks” makes it so much more fun to do and plus…I mean aren’t we all superstars when we work out.

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#throwback to last year when I turned 22!! ❤ ❤

Bring a friend! I love working out with my friends because you can cheer each other on, especially when it starts to get tough. I love working out with my sister because I know that she would help me push through a tough workout and vice versa.

My favorite workout buddy is my twin Erica!! ❤ ❤ #meow

Lastly, HAVE FUN!!! Workouts can be super fun – with the right attitude and mindset. Plus who doesn’t like having those endorphins running through you after a good workout? Am I right??

Also, my new favorite post workout snack and honestly snack for whenever – JUICES!! The area where I work has tons of Juice stores and my personal favorite, Juice Carts!! They are super yummy and very very filling. Here’s my personal favorite: Kale, Spinach, Mango, and Banana. *I was too hungry to take a picture of it first #picturefailsofablogger

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

How do you keep your workouts fun?

What’s your favorite workout move? I would love to give them a try!!

What’s your go-to workout song?

10 Thoughts on surviving my first 10K

Hey Fit Fashionistas,

So I did it!!! A miracle has happened! Praise the Lord!! I survived my very first 10K this past Saturday!!

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Ok…ok…so I’m being a tad bit of a drama queen. The NYRR mini 10K was actually pretty fun. I ran my very first race with my twin Erica, who has been doing races for a pretty long time now. What makes this NYRR mini 10K so special is that this is an all women’s race, some are consistent runners, while others like me are doing this for the very first time. There were even elite runners…you know.. the ones that can actually qualify for the Olympics!! The weather was nice and there were tons of beautiful strong women cheering and supporting each other.

The best part of the race was seeing my twin at sidelines near the finish line cheering for me!! She finished way before me so it was amazing to see her wonderful smile at the finish line. So in reality, it wasn’t really all that bad….but the mental journey I went through was definitely….something.

1. Race day! Let’s do this. I got my cute new pink purple printed running capris and my brand new pink and navy new asics running shoes. CARPE DIEM!!

2. Woooo! We’re here! I am all stretched and ready to go!

3. Ok this is all pretty decent. All flat and pretty easy. Oh Heyyy look that! Mile 2 already! Killing it Christine..ohh water station!!

4. Uphill…uphill…ok not too bad yet. I can do this! Focus on getting to mile 3, push through it!

5. Wowwww I am really hungry. And where is this water station?? Is this some sort of sick joke? Are they trying to kill me? Does this hill end?

6. Ok Christine, focus on your breathing…focus. Why am I so hungry?? Ughh that little waffle felt like hours ago. Oh no…I’m going to throw up.

7. Omgawd…this is never going to end. When did Central Park become so big? Hail Mary, Full of grace…. Oh thank gawd water station!!

8. Werkk!! Yass!! Ok mile 5 done. One more mile! Now where is that finish line?? Why in the world is it all the way over there? Is this rigged?

9. There it is! I see it! The finish line…ok tunnel vision time! You can do this. Just get to the…ohh HIII ERICA!!

10. Weeee!! I did it 🙂 I can’t believe I actually finished! My very first race and I survived! Is this real li…. Ohh pink bagels.. Yum!!

 

PR: 11:05 min/mile

CELEBRATION!!!! IT’S LIT!! 

Such an honor to even meet some of the elite runners of the race!

Best prize of all ❤ ❤

 

Xoxo,

Christine

P.S. Current mood (also this is like my favorite filter everrr)

Fashionista Thoughts:

Have you ever done a race? How did you feel during? After?

Any tips to share to making races less…painful (of course during the run)?

What’s your favorite food to eat after the race? Mine is really the fries but why not go for a burger while I’m at it, right?

 

Memorial Day Fashion Finds

Hey Fashionistas,

Sorry for the long MIA and Happy Memorial Day! Shoutout and many thanks to all the men and women in service who are constantly protecting our nation!!

Whether you are outside at the beach, bbq-ing with friends, or just staying at home spending time with the family, I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day Weekend. Most of my 3-day weekend was spent shopping and of course, taking advantage of those amazing sales! I bought:

Asics Running Printed Capris

Ascis Running Shoes: GT-2000 3

The more colorful your sneakers are, the faster you run 🙂

Kate Spade Cuff Bracelet 

American Eagle Sleeveless Blouse

 

Hollister Summer Dresses

Lace-Up Strappy-Back Dress

Smocked-Back Chiffon Dress

…..and my favorite buy of the weekend…… Coach Nolita pink satchel in pebble leather!! 

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Isn’t this just a beauty!! I ordered this online just yesterday so clearly it hasn’t arrived yet, but I can’t wait to finally hold it in person ❤ ❤

Now this next fashion buy, I don’t technically have it with me anymore but I did take myself out on a movie date to watch Captain America!! A lot of action, super powers, and a lot of hot men (in suits?? uniforms??)…but my eye was only on one guy 😉 Seriously, what more can a girl ask for??

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

What did you do this Memorial Weekend?

What were some fashion finds you found this weekend?

Who’s your favorite Marvel superhero??

 

Form, Forming, Formation

Hi Fit Fashionistas,

So if you’ve been noticing lately on my Instagram and blog, I’ve really been into doing pushups. Mainly because I was nominated to do the #drop22challenge by a friend of mine. I have to do 22 pushups every day for 22 days….Talk about a workout!

Now for anyone and everyone that knows about pushups, your form is of utmost importance. Having correct form for any sort of exercise actually can save you from a lot of painful injuries in the future. My pushup form is absolutely atrocious – dipped back, butt too up…it’s just not a pretty sight. Finally after trying to fix it myself and asking a lot of my friends for advice, I reached out to my really good friend and fitness & health coach from college, Cara from the Balanced Bod.

Cara and I planned a google hangout session to work on my form and only having been on a session for 10 minutes, I already felt a difference. I told Cara my issues and within minutes into the conversation, she figured out exactly what corrections I had to make. Not only does she fix the problems, but she explained why the problem/issue existed so that I really understood what my body was doing.

So what were some tips that I learned?

1. Women’s back naturally dip giving us that wonderful curve that us beautiful women have. In order to counteract that, imagine you are pulling your belly button up to the ceiling, but without pushing your hips up and not curving up like you’re a cat.
2. Once your belly button is up and tight, tuck your hips in – almost like you are squeezing or tightening your butt.
3. Now that your back is straight, slowly lower your whole body but still keeping the tight plank form. If you feel your back start to dip, pause and slowly adjust yourself into the correct form before continuing to lower yourself.
4. For beginners like me, don’t worry about going low until your arms are 90 degrees and your chest is close to the ground. What’s more important is having the correct form. Small tiny movements with correct form is more important than having a wide range of movement with poor form.
5. Lastly, make sure to breathe! Inhale as you go down and exhale as you push away/up from the ground.

With all these corrections in mind, I took it to the gym and already I could feel a change! My form is still far from perfect and I still make the same mistakes, but what’s important is that I catch and fix myself into proper form.

Before:

After:

Cara is an amazing fitness, health, & wellness coach. She really works one on one to really understand her clients and their needs. Having taught me for a semester in college, she really understands how I work, my strengths, weaknesses, and injuries. She is both patient and loving and anyone who works with her will definitely gain something from her – if not something about fitness, definitely a friend ❤

For more information on working and training with Cara, head over to The Balanced Bod ❤ ❤

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts

Do you like doing pushups?

What kind of crazy pushups have you done?

Who is your #balancedbuddy? Make sure to thank them for helping you keep a balanced and healthy lifestyle!

 

1000 Rep Workout – Done and Done!

Hey Fitfam,

Soo I did it! I finally completed the 1000 Rep Workout! Shout out to Alison from Daily Moves and Grooves and The Peanut Butter Runner for this crazy workout. I am utterly exhausted and it is safe to say that I will be very very sore tomorrow.

So you’re probably thinking what is this crazy 1000 rep workout? It’s 10 reps of 10 different moves and you repeat the set 10 times! Ahhh!! Crazy right? This work out can be done anywhere since no equipment is necessary, so I took it to the park. It just finished raining so the ground was pretty damp so I had to make some changes to the workouts so I wouldn’t be lying on the ground.

1000 Rep Workout ❤

1. Jumping jacks
2. Squats
3. Jumping Squats Ski Jumps
4. Push ups
5. Mountain climbers
6. Supermans Standing bicycles
7. Burpees
8. Sit up Toe Touches
9. Jumping Lunges Skater lunges
10. Heel taps Planks with kickbacks

So what did I learn from this work out?

1. I can do 100 pushups and burpees! It might take me a longer time and I have to make some adjustments since my wrists are healing from an injury two years ago.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjdcGclnb6/?taken-by=chrissie_boutiquefullblog

 

2. Music is key to a great workout. Whenever I took breaks between each set, I would dance a little bit to prevent my body and heart rate from slowing down.

3. Perseverance and laughing through the workouts goes a long long way. Around set number 5, I thought I was going to die. But of course I had to push through and finish strong!

Now I am off….to take a nap because I am absolutely exhausted!

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

What is one intense workout you’ve done recently?

What is your favorite song to work out to?

What’s one thing you do to push through a workout?

 

FitFashion Fabulous

Hey Fashionistas …. and FitFam!

Surprise! I’m expanding my blog and adding a little section about…you guessed it! FITNESS!! ❤

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Why am I doing this? If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll notice that half of my posts are about fitness. Fitness has played a pretty big part in my life in fully learning how to love fashion in a way not to cover my flaws but instead to express myself in a confident and beautiful way. Fitness has and is still helping me fight my eating disorder. Every day it reminds me of how strong and beautiful my body is which leads me to express that inner beauty through my clothes.

Morning workout fashion

So here’s to a strong, confident, and beautiful FitFashion journey ❤ Make sure to follow me on Instagram @chrissie_boutiquefullblog for more fitness & fashion fun!

Gym selfie #gymlife

Rockin the Pink ❤

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Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

What is one way that fitness has helped you love yourself?

What’s one workout move that makes you feel strong and beautiful?

#OOTDs…and a surprise video

Hey Fashionistas,

It’s been one very fashionable week for me … Especially after my 40 day closet challenge! It’s also been a very long week since I traveled to Boston this past weekend to visit and surprise my BU friends! So this post is gonna be super short – just highlighting my outfits for the week.

Starting Mondays with business chic

Tuesday with a little bit of print

And on Wednesdays, we wear pink

Travel chic Thursdays

Time for a little silliness #terriersNation

Morning workout fashion

Flex it Fridays

From Flex it Fridays with Cara from The Balanced Bod

To Fashion Fridays

And ending with Country Fridays y’all ❤

A little Saturday rain never stopped me from wearing a dress

Ending the week with a little #selfiesundays

….and I also have another surprise for you!! Some of you may not know but I am also very much into fitness. So when I was in Boston, I met up with Cara from The Balanced Bod and Sarah from Fit University. I ended up shooting my very first Zumba dance….which you will have the honor of seeing right now!

*disclaimer: most of the moves I made up myself except for the chorus which I learned straight from the original music video

Make sure to follow me on Instagram @chrissie_boutiquefullblog to see more of my #ootd and #fitlife.

Xoxo,

Christine

Fashionista Thoughts:

What’s one outfit you wore last week that you really liked?

Do you like zumba?

Have you ever changed into 3 different outfits in one day?