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Tone It Up Love Your Body Challenge

February 10, 2020 in Lifestyle

I’m a long time fan of Tone It Up and I’ve done a number of their challenges over the years (and probably hundreds of their workouts). I downloaded their app a year or two ago and have been impressed by the workouts, the interface, and, most recently, the challenges.

If you’ve ever done a Tone It Up challenge you know that you get preparation emails and downloads, plus regular emails keeping you motivated and engaged. What the app allows you to do is check off your workouts, see what’s next, and get push notifications from the team. All very cool upgrades.

So now, let’s talk about the Love Your Body Challenge. It started Monday, January 6th which in my mind is a great time to start. Regardless of how psyched you are for a new year to kick off, it’s always a challenge to get things in order and start something new on Jan 1.

Love Your Body Series - group shot

Workouts:

4 weeks of full body and targeted muscle group workouts. Lots of variety, from Barre-inspired workouts and HIIT to kick boxing and yoga. There were repeats, so it’s not 4 weeks of all new workouts, but it wasn’t terribly repetitive. And there was great variety in the instructors as well – We met some new TIU trainers and had some fun workouts with our OG favorites.

Highlight:

I LOVED the barre-inspired workouts from Tori. Whenever I saw her workouts on the agenda I got excited. Her no-weights arm workout was utterly killer.

Nutrition:

All TIU challenges come with a nutritional guide, regular tips and suggestions, and some super yummy recipes. I always give their baking recipes a try and this challenge didn’t disappoint.

Overall:

My first challenge through the app was a huge success. I wasn’t trying to lose weight or meet any specific goals, I just wanted to have fun and challenge my body. Mission accomplished!

Want to read about some of my other experiences with Tone It Up? Check out these posts:

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MCLV Travel Diary | How to Beat Jetlag

January 10, 2020 in Lifestyle

I still remember my first terrible jetlag experience. I flew to Tokyo for work and didn’t get on local time for the entire trip. It was awful. Though getting back on San Francisco time was a breeze…

Luckily I’ve done a lot of traveling since then and I’ve picked up some great tricks and tips to help beat jetlag.

Today’s essentials.

Flights:

For international travel I highly recommend an overnight flight. Arriving at your destination in the morning is a great way to give yourself a fighting chance to get on the local time. If that’s not an option, try to schedule a flight that arrives during the day. Which leads to my next tip…

Light:

When you land in your destination – Go outside! The most basic way that your body knows what time it is, is light. Your body is used to being awake when it’s light out, and asleep when it’s dark. So head outside for a walk, sightseeing, or laying on the beach/pool deck. Let your body know what time it is after all those hours in the clouds.

Exercise:

Getting in a sweat session once you land in your destination is a must. You’ve been seated forever for a while so the movement will help get your blood moving and loosen your muscles. Walk, run, swim, gym session – Whatever you have the time and energy for! Even 10 minutes of stretching can be super beneficial. I love to travel with booty bands since you can do so much with them and they take up zero space.

Hydrate:

It’s so tempted to start the flight with champagne or start drinking coffee the moment you wake up. Fight the urge and order water. Staying hydrated will help you in so many ways – Keeping your muscles from cramping, helping you fight off what the guy coughing next to you has, hydrating your skin… It works wonders. I like to pack a water bottle on my travels and refill it throughout the day so I’m not relying on single use plastic.

Stay Awake:

Naps are SUPER tempting when you’re in a new time zone, but don’t give into the urge. In fact, try not to sit down! If you sit on a comfy hotel bed you’re toast. Try as hard as you can to stay up until a reasonable “bedtime” in the local time zone. I always have a plan for after I land to help me stay moving. On our recent trip to Australia we had a field trip planned for as soon as we unpacked our suitcases!

Magnesium:

You’ve gotten light, you’ve worked out, you’ve stayed awake – Now what? Now you have to try to sleep through the night! Melatonin or magnesium can help you stay asleep once you’re down. Working out will also help wear you out!

What’s YOUR go-to jetlag tip?

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New Years Challenge | Mighty Pilates + Molly Alliman

January 7, 2020 in Lifestyle

I’m so excited to share that my favorite Pilates studio – Mighty Pilates – Is partnering with holistic nutritionist and health coach Molly Alliman for a 10 day New Year Challenge.

If Might Pilates sounds familiar – It’s probably because I’ve been raving about them on Instagram for the past few months. I adore their new Marin location and have been a regular on the weekends.

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And if Molly Alliman sounds familiar – It’s because I did her cleanse a few years ago! Missed out? Check out these two posts – The Balance Cleanse | Interview with Nutritionist Molly Alliman and The Balance Cleanse | #MNT10 Challenge.

So what about this New Year Challenge?

  • 10 Day Cleanse
  • Nutritional counseling
  • 6 Mighty Pilates classes in 10 days

And fear not – This isn’t a juice cleanse or a water fast or anything crazy like that. Molly, like most of us, loves food. This cleanse isn’t about deprivation or crazy diets, it’s about eating clean, wholesome foods and healing your body. Shakes, healthy meals, elimination drinks, and supplements will get you through the 10 days feeling great.

You can participate by attending classes in Marin, San Francisco, or Los Angeles.

The challenge starts on January 8th and you can find details about the packages and cleanse pricing here.

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MCLV Mange| Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

December 9, 2019 in Food

A holiday season classic with a healthy twist. And, of course, not too complicated. We here at MCLV HQ can’t stand a difficult recipe with hard-to-find ingredients.

{Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles – Vegan & Gluten-Free}

Peanut Butter Ball Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Cup of peanut butter {I used Naked Nutrition Powdered Peanut Butter}
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or brown rice syrup
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 Cup almond flour or 5-6 Tbsp coconut flour

Chocolate Drizzle Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 4-8 squares of dark chocolate
  • 1/4 Tsp flaky sea salt

Directions:

  1. Mix together peanut butter, liquid sweetener of choice, coconut oil & vanilla. Add flour and stir thoroughly.
  2. Create small balls with the dough. Should create 10-12.
  3. Place on a sheet of parchment paper or silpat and put in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  4. While they’re chilling melt the coconut oil & dark chocolate.
  5. Once the balls have hardened, remove from the freezer and drizzle with the chocolate.
  6. Finally, sprinkle desired amount of sea salt on top.
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MCLV Weddings | Wedding Events

December 5, 2019 in Fashion

Welcome back to the MCLV Weddings series! You can check out post one here – Advice for the Newly Engaged. In conjunction with the MCLV Weddings series I’ll be sharing some of my event looks as well.

With a large family spread out all over the country, we opted to have a two small family-oriented events ahead of the wedding. It was a great way to get to meet people who may not make it to the wedding due to the distance.

Dress – ML by Monique Lhuillier {Rented with Rent the Runway}

Shoes – Loeffler Randall

Handbag – Chanel from The Real Real

There’s a lot of pressure for the bride to wear white to wedding-related events, but in my mind it’s up to the bride.

I for one am not comfortable in white. I was actually hesitant to choose a white weddings dress, concerned about photos and feeling comfortable and spilling…

So, when it came time to choose a party look, I opted for green. I felt strong and confident, important when you’re not always comfortable being the center of attention.

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