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February 1, 2019 | Posted in: Fitness, Nutrition

14-Day Mindful Eating Challenge

Happy February!

I’ve been gone for a few weeks because of some events in my personal life (we’ll get to that in a few weeks with my next Coffee & Chit Chat life update post), but I’m back! I’m genuinely so stoked for this post.

2019 is the year of not being lazy and not giving up on your goals. 2019 is the year of succeeding and working hard to change your life for the better. And probably by now, you’ve reached the point in the year where New Year’s resolutions are a thought of the past and you’re back in your old routine. But STOP THAT RIGHT NOW.

This 14-day mindful eating challenge is about being more aware of what you’re putting into your body and how small changes will drastically affect how you feel and perform.

I’m not a nutritionist, health coach, or anything of the sorts, so I won’t be providing you with exact meals and calories to follow. Instead, this 14-day challenge consists of small daily challenges that will get you back on track with that New Year’s resolution.

I’ll be sharing the daily challenges over on my Instagram stories. A summary of the daily challenges are listed below, but be sure to follow me on Instagram to get more in-depth info about that day’s challenge! Plus, I’ll be sharing how I’m integrating the daily challenges into my own life.

A summary of the daily challenges are listed below, but be sure to follow me on Instagram to get more in-depth info about that day’s challenge! Plus, I’ll be sharing how I’m integrating the daily challenges into my own life.

The challenge will start tomorrow, February 2nd, and go through the 15th.

Can’t wait for you to join me!

Make sure to tag me and use #GrayLifeFitLife in your stories and photos so I can follow along with you!

~abigail gray

January 15, 2019 | Posted in: Fitness, Workouts

The Workout Class that Almost Killed Me

Maybe you knew, maybe you didn’t, but was in Denver, CO, from January 3rd through the 11th.

The one thing I wanted to achieve while being out here in Denver was to meet one of my favorite fitness Instagrammers who also just so happens to live in Denver @taralaferrara.

From following her on Instagram for probably a solid year and a half, I knew she is a trainer at Compass Fitness and also an online personal trainer. I haven’t tried her online training aka the TL Method, but if it’s anything like the workout she put me through, it’s definitely a killer program.

The Workout That Almost Killed Me | Compass Fitness Denver

I signed up for the Down + Dirty class online, and lucky for me, your first class is free at Compass Fitness. Perfect way to experience a class!

DOWN + DIRTY
Lift. Heavy. Shit. Thoughtful instruction to create Intentional movement through EVERY exercise. “When you get tired and want to stop, do another rep!” – Cory Jagger
from the Compass Fitness website

I don’t know if it was the class that killed me or the elevation change, but holy god it was amazingly awful. I’d be interested to see how much better I could perform the workout if I was acclimated to the elevation.

If you’re in the Denver area, I highly highly recommend checking out Compass Fitness and go show Tara some love on Instagram because she’s always posting awesome fitness tips!

The following workout was done in an hour & if you try it out, you’ll be dying too.

Warmup:

50 yards of lunges
30 air squats
50 yards lateral shuffle
30 good mornings
50 yards bear crawl
30 jumping jacks

Workout:

3 rounds of the following:

45 seconds of:
- dumbbell bicep curls
45 seconds of:
- bench tricep dips
8 heavy dumbbell bench press with partner assist

45 seconds each of the following with a kettlebell:

single leg deadlift on left leg
lateral lunge to the left
forward lunge with left leg in front
single leg deadlift on right leg
lateral lunge to the right
forward lunge with right leg in front

3 rounds of:

45 seconds of:
- dumbbell squats
45 seconds of:
- pushups
8 heavy dumbbell shoulder press with partner assist

45 seconds each of the following:

situp with moving a kettlebell from one side to the other after each situp
high plank while moving the kettlebell from the front of you to between your legs and moving it back to in front of you (that makes zero sense but IDK how else to explain it)
forearm plank while alternating extending arms to touch the kettlebell in front of you
high plank while moving the kettlebell from the front of you to between your legs and moving it back to in front of you (that makes zero sense but IDK how else to explain it)
situp with moving a kettlebell from one side to the other after each situp

~abigail gray

January 8, 2019 | Posted in: Fitness

I want YOU to actually achieve your health & fitness goals

Alright so it’s 2019.

Let me guess… you’ve spent the past few days curating some last-minute New Year’s resolutions. Everyone’s been asking what your New Year’s resolutions are and you need to reply with something.

“Oh I’m going to get in shape in 2019. It’s my year.”

Fast forward to February and you’re part of the secret food email list at work to get first dibs at all those store-bought treats people bring into work…

Okay so you had good intentions, but because you didn’t plan properly or genuinely feel the whole “get in shape” thing in your heart, you failed. 2019 is not the year to fail. I’m sorry, it’s just not. #JustBeingHonest

If you’re wanting to take your health more seriously in 2019 but have zero freaking clue where to start, these tips are for you. They’re small, manageable goals that will be achievable throughout the entire year.

Start Small

Start small. You wouldn’t climb a mountain by thinking about the entire mountain as a whole. You think of that first step you take on the trail. One foot in front of the next. It’s about each step you take. Making sure you’re not going to trip on a root or rock. Your sight is limited by the length of the trail you can see in front of you.

That’s how you should approach every aspect of your life, including your fitness journey.

Start by drinking one less soda a day
Start by going to the gym or a workout class once a week
Start by taking a walk around your neighborhood
Start by cutting out late night snacking

It doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Make it simple, make it achievable.

Make appointments with yourself

If you’re one to skip out on the gym because it’s not in your calendar or no one will know because it’s just for yourself, you’re dead wrong.

You will know and you’ll feel guilty about it at some point or another. Whether it’s tomorrow or two years from now. You’ll feel guilty.

This is a guide I still follow to this day. If I have a super busy week, I’ll plan in my gym sessions.

If you struggle with healthy eating during the week, make an appointment with yourself on Sunday afternoon to go to the grocery store and meal prep for the remainder of the week. You’ll thank yourself later.

Cook at home more than you go out to eat in a week

Going out to eat is such an easy excuse because it’s minimal work and minimal effort.

Whether you’re a full-time student or going to work full-time, I know how exhausting it gets at the end of the day. Cooking food is the last thing you want to do. The easiest thing to do is drive to your favorite food place, order your go-to, and not think anything of it.

Here’s the thing. Going out to eat a lot is expensive and not super healthy.

I’m not suggesting to completely cut out going out to eat from your week. Grabbing dinner or lunch with friends/family is a social event. After all, it’s how we connect in today’s world. But eating at home more than you go out in a week will keep you from consuming empty calories (I’m looking at you complimentary chips & salsa or my favorite cider) and make your bank account a tad happier.

Go ahead and take a Sunday afternoon to prep your food for the week. If you’re not into re-heating pre-cooked food, do as much as you can before the cooking process. Chop up your veggies, start marinating your meat, portion out your snack for the week.

Pre-prepping food is what I do for meal prepping because I thoroughly enjoy the cooking process. It’s a simple change that will keep you from hitting up Chipotle because you’re too lazy to think up an idea for dinner, go to the store and get the ingredients, and then come home and make it.

Remember, reaching your fitness goals is comprised of tiny little changes that add up to HUGE results. You can still eat donuts, carbs are not the enemy, and your meals will not only consist of chicken, rice, and broccoli.

A fitness journey is full of ups and downs. It’s exhilarating and hard all at the same time. But these changes are an investment in your health, in your life, and in your mental space. The journey is hard. Heck, I’m 2.5 years into mine and I still struggle fairly often.

What you’re going to learn from your first step in your fitness journey is just how strong and capable you are. You’re going to realize that you’ll see more of a change in your mental state. You’re stronger than you ever thought. You have more willpower than you could ever imagine.

Routine, consistency, and dedication are what you’re going to realize will keep you accountable and on top of your fitness journey for the rest of your life. The changes and routines you set this year will follow you for the remainder of your life.

I don’t know about you, but I sure as heck want to be as strong as I can both mentally and physically as I age. I want to be able to run around with my kids, my grandkids, and be that spry 80 year old.

Change your life, make your life better by starting TODAY. No one is going to make you change. It all comes from you. You’re the only one who can make a change for yourself. So stop making excuses, find your reason, and jump on that fitness journey train.

I hope you have an amazing New Year and you might just consider actually making that “get in shape” resloution stick this year. Make 2019 your year. No more excuses.

~abigail gray

January 2, 2019 | Posted in: Lifestyle

2018 Year in Review

Happy freaking 2019!!

Before I start freaking out about all of the crazy life changes that are about to happen to me this year (hello graduation, getting a real job, moving), I should at least reflect on all that 2018 had to offer.

2018 was a pretty okay year for me. Sure there were ups and there were downs, but it was about an even amount of both. Honestly, after some of the years I’ve had, I’ll take 2018 again and again and again.

I’m sure you’ve seen posts like this floating around the blogging world, so here I am adding another one to the pile. Genuinely I think that posts like these are a wonderful way to take a moment out of my day to day routine and just reflect on just how great my life truly is. It gives an opportunity for appreciating all the growth I made over the past year and allows me to set some goals for the future. I’m all about goal setting… it’s super helpful and motivating.

Okay, let’s dive into what 2018 had to offer!

[Read more…]

December 25, 2018 | Posted in: Holiday

Secret Santa Reveal 2018

Ho, ho ho! Merry Christmas! 🎅🏼🎄🤶🏻

It’s Christmas Day, and you know what that means… it’s time for the annual Blogger Secret Santa Reveal post!

This is the 3rd annual Blogger Secret Santa, and tbh, I get so excited about hosting it every single year. Yes, it’s fun to get gifts and everything, but the thing I love most about this gift exchange is how it brings the blogging community together.

My Secret Santa was the beautiful and amazing Taylor Kay of Espresso and Ambition. She’s a fellow fitness addict, and she absolutely kills the blogging, YouTube, and Instagram game.

Check Taylor out on her blog, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

A huge thank you goes to all of the bloggers below. This year’s Secret Santa would not have been possible without all of them. Check out their posts to see what they got!

Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! Safe travels and I hope your holidays are full of food, friends, family, and laughs. 🎅🏼🎄🤶🏻

~abigail gray

December 21, 2018 | Posted in: Uncategorized

Christmas House Tour 2018

Guys I cannot believe that Christmas is in less than a week. Holy moly how did this happen??

Finals definitely dominated the majority of my December and I was so unaware of the fact that the month was actually progressing. But that’s just how time works.

I thought this would be a fun post that’s a little different than the rest of my content. Plus, I got a new lens for my camera and I’ve been dying to shoot with it so this was a great excuse.

Now, I know I know that I haven’t done a house tour yet, and I’m telling you right now that it’s coming. 100% it is on it’s way. I’m not quite happy with the layout of my house, but once I’m pretty okay with everything, I’ll have that post up… I promise!

Now let’s get on to the festiveness!!!!!!