This post was a looong time coming. I have not calculated the days that the gym has been closed, and I don’t want to, but I have some tips for you today to help you take your fitness from bleak to amazing if your gym is closed or if your usual routine has been affected.

Before I jump in to all the tips, I have to let you know that perfecting my routine took a good 3 months. When I found out Daisy had cancer and during her steep decline, my fitness routine went off the rails – and that was in the middle of having anxiety about all that is and was going on. NOW, however, I am in a consistent routine and feel comfortable and confident sharing what has worked for me.

♡ Perfect your night time routine. This one is huge and I think it deserves its own blog post, but make sure that your sleep hygiene is on point. I like to go to bed at the same time night, and that starts with a HOT shower with the lights off and the salt rock night light on, a skincare ritual with lots of oils, calm tea, and 30 minutes of reading a book (no phone). Right now I’m reading Hidden Epidemic <– more on that at a later date.

♡ Wake up with a cold shower. I wrote a blog post on getting cold last year, and this is something I still do everyday. I hop in the shower for as long as I can handle it COLD, usually about 1 minute these days, and it wakes me the fuck up. Getting cold changes your physiology which helps your circulation among many other things. For the purpose of getting my fitness in, I find that getting cold helps me feel physically ready for a workout.

♡ Calendar your workout. My workouts are set for everyday at 6:30 AM in my Google Calendar, and they’re color coded to yellow. Yellow is such a happy color and that is how I always feel after a workout. I’m sure you’v heard the saying “You’ll never regret exercising”…but we’ve all regretted NOT exercising. Having my workouts scheduled makes a WORLD of difference in just getting it done.

♡ Do something different each day. By different, I mean a different workout than what you did the day before. It keeps things interesting, it keeps your body guessing, and limits fatigue of certain muscle groups. I like to focus on upper body or lower body and add in cardio days in between. These days cardio looks like a rigorous hike. They used to look like 45 minute HIIT workouts on the treadmill or a SoulCycle class. I have tried to run outside and I injure one of my ankles each time…so I’m done with outdoor runs for now.

If I’m not feeling very creative with my workout, I’ll refer to fabulous trainers that I’ve been following for years. These amazing women don’t disappoint. When I’m not making up my own routine, I am doing a workout with:

Blogilates: Cassey’s workouts are approachable and they’re FUN. I always get a good workout when I follow her routines. Usually I’ll pair two workouts one after another for 30-45 minutes of upper body or lower body. I recently did this thigh workout paired with a different leg workout and my legs were on fire for days.

Whitney Simmons: I started following Whitney YEARS ago, like 2012 or 2013 when Instagram was just popping up on the social media scene. Her funny posts had me coming back for more and now I follow her routines if I want new ideas for body weight or dumbbell moves.

Pamela Reif: If you want an amazing workout, Pamela is your gal. Her workouts are super easy to follow and they’re ALL challenging, just how I like my workouts.

Sarah Bowmar: Sarah helped me track my macros several years ago (I no longer track macros) and she has been a nutrition and fitness inspiration to me for years. Her body is insane and she has the BEST weight lifting workouts. I referred to them more when I was going to the gym but I do modify many for at-home dumbbell workouts.

xx,

Lynn

A few days ago I posted a TikTok about how to have a spa-like experience in your bathroom, and I feel like it needs its own blog post.

Setting the vibe in your bathroom to be soothing and relaxing is so easy to do and provides a huge impact.

None of what I’m going to cover requires any remodeling and you can add everything I’m going to share to pretty much any bathroom.

Salt rock lamp

I purchased this salt rock night lamp on Amazon and it is one of the best Amazon purchases I’ve ever made – so much so that I’ve ordered two more for other rooms. The glow of the lamp when all other lights are off is so relaxing and most of the time I am in the bathroom – whether it’s for a shower or to do my skincare, the light is off and the salt rock night lamp is plugged in. The vibe is just so much more soothing that way.

Combined with a light source inside the lamp, the chunks of salt produce negative ions, which yield positive effects on indoor air. More benefits include:

+ Balance Electromagnetic Radiation.

+ Cleanse, Deodorize, and Purify Air.

+ Calm Allergies and Reduce Asthma.

+ Alleviate Coughing and Other Symptoms of the Common Cold.

+ Boost Blood Flow.

+ Raise Energy Levels.

+ Sharpen Concentration and Performance.

+ Enhance Mood.

{via}

Candles

While we’re on the subject of having that glow in the bathroom, candles are IT when it comes to providing a glow and a soothing fragrance. And not just any candles. I use my most bougie candles going in the bathroom. I always have a candle lit in the bathroom if I have someone over, and I also light them when I just want that extra dose of relaxation.

Some of my favorites are Diptyque’s Baies, Capri Blue Volcano, and Le Labo Petit Grain 21. Make sure you’re lighting your candles correctly – you can read about that here.

Shower Filter

OMG. If you don’t have a shower filter, you’re missing out on better hair and skin. Let me tell ya, the difference between not having one and having one is huge.

I purchased my water filter last year after struggling with brittle hair. I wanted the best of the best. So I did what I do when I set out to find the best of the best: I read reviews. descriptions, and then I compared. This research brought me to Aqua Bliss’s Luxury Shower Head.

The shower head does SO much. It purifies your water to reduce chlorine, heavy metals, rust, sand and other sediments. It also provides some serious water pressure that our previous shower head did not provide – a welcome difference that I was not expecting.

My hair and skin have both benefitted from this shower filter immensely. The keratosis pilaris on my arms has improved, my scalp is less dry, and my hair is stronger. I can say all of this with confidence now that I’ve been using this shower head for about 9 months. Seriously THE BEST.

Eucalyptus

This one is the easiest and the most inexpensive but makes a world of difference. All you’ll need is a bunch (or two) of eucalyptus and a rubber band or an elastic hair tie. Wrap the bottom of the eucalyptus stems to your shower head with the rubber band or elastic, and leave them hanging upside down in your shower for a week or two. They last a long time!

When the water and steam start going in your shower, the most therapeutic, spa-like smell is emitted and it is just the best.

The benefits of a eucalyptus shower:

+ Wakes you up!

+ Clears the mind

+ Helps to de-stress

+ Opens nasal passages

Trash can

Obviously you have a trash can in your bathroom, but adding a chic trash can makes a world of difference. I’m talking no standard plastic or metal flip-top. Upgrading your trashcan to a pretty waste basket will help elevate the look of your bathroom. It just adds that nice touch to tie everything else together.

So.much.to.cover! I hope that was helpful. Let me know if you add any of these to your bathroom and tell me how you feel afterward!

Ok, off to take my nightly spa shower!

xo, Lynn

My morning routine is a L O N G one now with the extra time we all have now. It’s been really fun to incorporate new practices and rituals in to my morning routine learned from reading and researching successful people’s routines. Here is the routine I’ve been practicing that makes me feel awake, refreshed, energized, and like my highest self:

♡ Wake up and open the blinds. Sunlight has major benefits not only for mood but also to aid in better sleep when you get enough sunlight throughout the day. Greater exposure to sunlight is also associated with a release in serotonin {source}.

♡ The first place I go once I get out of bed is to the Nespresso machine. Coffee is the biggest treat that I look forward to every morning and Nespresso is just the best. My favorite morning coffee is Diavolitto – it’s rich and bold, just how I like my coffee. I add a little coconut cream and cinnamon every single morning.

Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants, such as polyphenols & in a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, even outranking “superfoods” like garlic and oregano. {source} Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory and is just so good for your overall health.

♡ This one is SO important: writing down gratefuls and my to-do list for the day. This just really sets the tone of the day, to start with a grateful emotional state.

♡ Exercise: I could be better about doing this each morning, but it has been hard. There are days where I exercise at night, and that’s okay, too. But I really like the way I feel when I get my workout in first thing in the morning. I either do weight training while watching a show (distraction is KEY) or YouTube videos – loving BRAVO Real Housewives of Beverly Hills right now – or I will go outside for a run.

♡ Roll out with a foam roller: Foam rolling is so good for myofascial release and helps relieve muscle tightness, soreness, and inflammation, and increase your joint range of motion. You can foam roll before or after a workout, but I personally like to roll once I’m finished. It’s like a massage that just hurts a little bit. Know what I mean?

♡ Get cold: Tony Robbins has talked about his morning routine, which involves a very cold shower or a dip in a cold pool. I wrote a whole blog post about it, which you can read HERE – there are so many benefits to changing your biochemistry, and one of those ways is to get cold. I will either turn the shower to COLD at the end, for a minute…or if that is just too intense for me, I splash my face with very cold water before I apply my skincare for the day.