Yes, you can workout on the go.

Time is of the essence and even if we have routines, they don’t always make it into our schedules. Online fitness videos allow more flexibility into our daily lives. If you’re going on vacay, it’s also hard to maintain your fitness routines. So, as you know, I’m a huge sucker for finding amazing workout videos on YouTube. But recently, I’ve discovered something better.

Meet FitnessGlo, a monthly subscription based website with over 600 video classes to stream. It’s $12 per month and they offer a 15-day free trial.

I’m sure you’ll find a class that piques your interests. The site offers a huge range of classes, such as barre, pilates, yoga fusion, cardio, strength, and HIIT.

My workout interests fall under the yoga/barre/pilates sector and I tend to forget about cardio. One of the best parts of FitnessGlo is their Schedule & Goals section. This section shows how balanced your workouts are. FitnessGlo says, “To maintain balance, the average woman should aim for 55% cardio (I need more of this!!), 30% strength, and 15% stretch in her workouts.”

FitnessGlo will take note of what classes you’re taking, tell you what you need more of (whether it be cardio, strength, or stretch), and you can schedule classes accordingly to maintain your balance. So cool, right?!

I found a bunch of amazing classes on the website. If you’re going to give FitnessGlo a try, I recommend these:

• Yoga Fusion – On the Go Flow
• Barre – Killer Barre for Body Sculpting
• Strength / Core – Multi-Angle Core Challenge
• Pilates – Lift Your Bottom & Tighten Your Core
• Stretch – Dancer’s Stretch & Flow

feature on Skinny Affair.

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Time to clean my yoga mat!

I’ve been Googling “Green DIY Yoga Mat Cleaner” for days. There are soooooo many! Ingredients a bunch of these have in common are witch hazel, essential oil, and water.

I even found all everything I needed to make this yoga mat cleaner at Whole Foods in the aisle with all the natural beauty products and essential oils.

Does this sound too easy peasey or what?!

Need

-Spray bottle

-Witch hazel

-Essential oil (I chose one

Directions

1. Get a spray bottle and fill it with 3/4 distilled water

2. Fill up the rest of the bottle with witch hazel, but leave a little room

3. Add a few drops of your choice essential oil (good ones to add are tea tree oil, lavender, or lemon. These have disinfecting properties).

Make sure to test this on a small section of your mat, just in case it has a weird reaction. I’ve read that some mats are porous, so you shouldn’t use essential oils on those kinds of mats.

Here are the deets on the products I used:

Thayer’s Original Witch Hazel: Witch Hazel is a natural elixir. It’s made from extract from a witch hazel shrub.

Wyndmere Naturals’ Synergistic Essential Oil Blend in ‘Balancing’: This essential oil blend is supposed to be calming and grounding (PERFECT for yoga!). It contains pure essential oils of Patchouli, Lavender, Elemi, Lemon, Citrus sinensis, and Clary Sage.

Beauty Tip: Now that I have this giant bottle of witch hazel leftover…I’m using it as a natural toner to cleanse my face. It’s a strong astringent and antioxidant.

(Credit by Skinny Affair)

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Morning Workouts Are Real?

Morning Workouts can be beyond rough.. but you need to do it! Personally, I know the feeling of dragging myself out of bed to fit in a good workout before I start my day. Here are a few tips I learned from PopSugar that has helped me with getting my butt out of bed!   Summer is here..lets not forget! Motivation time! 

1. Set multiple alarms--When I say I set multiple alarms, I don't mean two — I mean five or six, starting half an hour before I want to get up. If I'm not in the habit of getting up early to hit the gym, my body is not ready for the rude awakening, and I find myself hitting snooze and missing my workout. When you're just getting into the habit, bombard yourself with obnoxious alarms and know that while you're totally miserable in the moment, you'll thank yourself later.

2. Lay out everything the night before--Shorts, check. Sports bra, check. Water bottle, keys . . . check, check. Scrambling around half delirious in the morning is not the most effective way to start the day. I've found that when I can plan ahead and have everything ready at arm's reach, it's much more likely I'll make it out the door and to my 7 a.m. Spin class on time.

3. Make it a date--Some days it can be so difficult to get out of bed, especially when I know that there is nothing stopping me from staying snuggled under the covers. But when I know that someone is depending on me to show up, it's much easier to get out of bed and get my act together. Convince a friend to meet you for a morning run, and you won't be able to skip out.

4. Cut travel time--My gym is a 10-minute walk from home (or five-minute jog, if I'm feeling ambitious . . . ), and the quick commute means that I can sneak in every extra minute of sleep possible. Since a longer commute would mean getting up even earlier, finding a gym that was literally around the corner meant that making an excuse about travel time was no longer an option. Even if a nearby gym isn't an option, running outside or doing a video in your living room can help you sneak in a workout, no matter how short on time you feel.

5. Leave no escape--At my gym, signing up for a class and then not showing up is a major no-no that can lead to a ding on your account. So to get myself out of bed and into the gym, I've started signing up for morning classes the night before. If I know there are consequences for not showing up, it's more likely that I'll get up and get my act together. If your gym is more forgiving, make your own ultimatums. Live with a roommate or a significant other? Pay them $5 if you sleep in — when your money is on the table, getting to the gym will seem easy.

6. Don't sweat a slipup--Some days I miss the mark and end up skipping my workout, especially after indulging a little too much the night before. It's important to accept that I'm not going to make my goal every time. If you miss a workout, don't beat yourself up; just pay attention to what went wrong — were you up too late the night before? Did you just turn off your alarm instead of getting up? Listen to your body, and learn from what didn't work instead of getting upset.

7. Plan a reward--Call me crazy, but one of my favorite treats is a refreshing, rich iced latte. Since they can be pretty pricey, I try to keep this delicious treat to something I enjoy on the weekend only. But I've found that if I promise myself a slightly sweet, strong, and milky cup of deliciousness on the way to work if I hit the gym first, it's easier for me to face the day knowing that a treat is coming my way.

8. Crash early--OK, I admit it — this is the puzzle piece I consider my weakness. I'm a night owl, and as hard as I try to hit the hay at 9 p.m., I'll just toss and turn until my body decides it's ready for sleep, usually around 1:30 a.m. I've found the longer I work at adjusting my schedule, the easier it becomes, but there are still days I wish that I was able to magically pass out. I've learned that turning off the TV and closing my laptop an hour before hopping into bed does seem to help, so be sure to shut off the screens when you're trying to go to bed earlier than normal.

9. Remember the results--I never expected that switching my workout routine from after work to before it would affect my mood throughout the day, but I swear it has. Though I may feel sluggish getting out the door, once I've sweated out my morning weariness, I leave the gym feeling seriously refreshed and invigorated. Maybe it's the endorphins, or maybe it's the fact that the day is now full of possibilities — but I am ready to hit the ground running. If you're struggling to find the motivation, just remember the energy you will feel pulsing through your body as soon as you step out the doors and start the rest of your day.

How do you get your morning workouts in?! 

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Monday Motivation : Tiffany

You know exercise is good for you, but sometimes, that just isn’t enough to mentally and physically get you up and working out. For me, the hardest part is finding enough time during the day to work out, since I have a full-time job and make videos for YouTube  on the side. So I try to utilize the time I do have to hit total body work outs—legs, arms, abs, and booty! Whether you work full-time, part-time and go to school, or are just a busy-bee and need some tips on which exercises effectively target and strengthen your major muscles, then I’ve got just the regiment for you. Here are my favorite easy and fun exercises:

                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         (Photo Credit: Instagram @Tiffunk) 

1 - Squats with weighted bar

Squatting is one of the most productive if not the best exercises out there. It not only builds muscle for your legs, but your glutes, core, and lower back as well. 

1. Feet should be flat on the ground, about shoulder-width apart, feet pointed forward.
2. Use a 10 lbs – 25 lbs weighted bar. Place the bar over your trapezius muscle, not over your neck, and handle the bar in a comfortable position.
3. Look straight ahead with your back straight, knees slightly bent, hips forward and core engaged. Lower yourself slowly in a controlled manner and come back up.
4. Do 4 sets of 20

2 - Russian Twist with medicine ball

This exercise engages your core (ab) muscles. You can use a medicine ball or a 5 lbs plate for this exercise.

1. Lie down on the floor placing your feet either under something that will not move. Your legs should be bent at the knees.
2. Bring your upper body up so that you form a V shape at your torso.
3. Twist your torso to the right side until your arms are parallel with the floor while breathing out – hold for a second – then perform this on the left side.
4. Do 4 sets of 20

3 - Mountain climbers

Mountain climbers are a total body exercise. They activate your deltoids, biceps, obliques, abs, quads, hamstrings and hip abductors/adductors. This one will definitely get you sweating!

1. Start in a push-up position with your hands directly under your chest at shoulder width apart.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
3. First, lift your right food off the floor and slowly raise your knee close to your chest as possible, return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg.
4. Continue alternating
5. Do 3 sets of 12

I hope this motivates you to get up, work out, and get summer ready!

Xx, Tiffany

YouTube videos: Tiffany Tsan

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{Trendy vs Spendy} Activewear For Less

Have you read my summer activewear post on Trend Hungry? Summer's here and so is some fun in the sun! Here are my spring to summer activewear faves. :)

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pink october!

Please support Pink October! It is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer is a terrible disease that has unfortunately affected someone in your life. Lets take time out to donate and walk for this cause. On October 26, 2013 at 8am in San Francisco, located at Golden Gate Park. Please support my team Prissy! This is dedicated to my wonderful mom who is celebrating her 1st year as a breast cancer survivor! I am truly blessed to have this woman in my life and I want to walk to help save other women affected by this disease.  Here is the link to donate to my beautiful team!

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=55650&pg=team&team_id=1522778

Thank you!

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