Grit and Zest Athleisure Wear Review

Athleisure wear is still going strong and if you haven't heard of Grit & Zest, you should definitely check them out if you're into the whole athleisure wear thing. Besides their great styles, the quality is impeccable.

I have to admit that it took me some time to get into the whole athleisure wear thing, but I'm glad that I finally did. It's not only fashionable, but it's also comfortable. One of the things I love the most about this trend is that I have one less excuse to workout when I don't have to change my clothes.

I tested out Grit & Zest's Black Valley Sports Bra and their Black Easy Leggings. I went with my usual medium for the Bra but I chose to size up to a large for the leggings as I want them to be comfortable vs tight. I'd say their clothing is true to size. I could definitely have gone with my normal size medium in the leggings as the large is slightly loose on me. For reference, I'm 5.71/2" and 143lbs.

Black Valley Sports Bra

Back of bra

Black Valley Sports Bra / Retail $39

Shell 90% Polyester 10% Spandex, Mesh 93% Nylon, 7% Spandex

 

From Grit & Zest:

Built for medium impact routines, our slim-fitting Valley Sports Bras are made of breathable, anti-wicking, fast-drying, and four-way stretching tech fabric. Featuring a contouring neckline, adjustable straps, mesh details in front and back, and removable cup inserts. This is something special we made for those looking for a low-key counterpart to our Glitter Valley Sports Bras.

 

My take on it:

I love the style of this sports bra. It has a mesh insert in the centre, the perfect amount of padding as well as adjustable straps. I like that the bra has a thick band at the bottom so I don't get any back fat, which is something I always look for in my bras. It fits great, is super comfortable, has great style and is very well made. It even looks cute peeking out of my tank tops. 

Black Easy Legging

Black Easy Legging / Retail $45

90% polyester, 10% spandex

From Grit & Zest:

Our Easy Leggings are made of anti-wicking, fast-drying, and four-way stretching tech fabric. Be comfortable and at ease wearing black full length leggings that fight against sweat marks and leave you feeling dry. These leggings are high-waisted with a gusset that will holdup throughout any vigorous workout. Signature side panel style lines sit perfectly flat against your skin. You won’t feel the seams, which reduces irritation and adds a bit of unique design and fashion to your athleisure attire.

My take on it:

These leggings are quite lightweight which makes me feel less hot in them than my other thicker leggings. As I mentioned before, I find them to be true to size. I am normally a medium but ordered the large to be safe but I find them a little loose, so I should have gone with their size chart and ordered the medium. Otherwise, they are super soft and comfortable and they are really well made. I like that they are higher waisted without being TOO high. I find when I get leggings that are super high-waisted, I feel suffocated. I don't feel that way at all with these. I found these to be quite long so if you're a tall girl you're in luck, otherwise, just roll them up. I like this style because it's so versatile and they can be worn with anything. They can take you from lounging around to running errands and to the gym for a full-on workout. Grit and Zest also sell crops and cutouts if that's something that you are looking for.

Workout-ready. Just throw a top over and I'm ready to head out the door or just lounge around.

Look Ma, no back fat!

   

#nofilter

I find this set to be pretty slimming as I am about 10lbs over my normal weight here thanks to all the ice cream I've been eating this Summer. I may not be some IG fitness model but I sure feel good in this gear! 😊

There are so many more great styles to choose from on Grit & Zest. They are definitely worth checking out. 😍

PR samples. All opinions are mine.

#gritandzest #fitover50

Changes | My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight

Welcome to week 31 of my health and weight loss journey! I've been off track for a few weeks now and due to the lack of activity to report, among other things, I've decided to make this series a monthly post for now.

If I come across any great workouts or health products or services that I feel are worth sharing, I will share those in either the monthly post or a separate post if warranted.

I hope no one is disappointed by this, but without too much to share it's kind of redundant.

The Only thing to report in this post is that I lost 1 pound this week. Nothing new, it goes up, it goes down. Oh, and I've been trying to re-establish 2 daily habits that I did years ago. I would do squats for the 2 minutes that I brush my teeth (about 40 squats) and do 20 push ups during the time that I'm getting ready. I used to do this every day without fail and then I stopped. It's definitely a challenge to make this become a habit again... but I'm trying!

I hope the new monthly format for this post will be more interesting as I will hopefully have more to share.

Until then, stay healthy!

XO

Week 29: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

7 Minute Workout App

Happy Sunday, Everyone and welcome to week 29 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey!

I have to admit, I've had a hard time either finding/making the time to workout or finding the energy to workout this last while. The injury I obtained back in April seems to have finally healed itself.. yay for that!

I decided to go back to an old discovery that I had used a few times and then abandoned. It's the 7 Minute Workout App. I decided since I'm having such a hard time with finding time and energy, how hard can 7 minutes be!? And, there is some science behind the workouts on the 7 Minute Workout App.

Initially, I started off with the 7 Minute Workout Classic workout, then I decided to try the 30-day challenge as the classic one seemed to be the same workout everyday which became boring to me. I know there is a science behind the workouts that they have developed but I just needed to change it up a bit. All the other workouts in the app are locked, so I assume that you have to pay for those. The Classic and 30-day Challenge are both free.

The 30-day challenge surprised me because it's actually a shorter workout than the 7-minute classic one. However, all of these workouts have the option for you to repeat the circuits. I read that it's recommended to do 3 sets of the classic circuit, but I've not had much time lately, so I've just been doing one circuit whether it was the Classic or the 30-day Challenge.

I figure that doing something is better than doing nothing, and I actually work up a bit of a sweat during the 7 Minute Workout and get a bit winded doing the 30 Day Challenge. When time and energy permits, I will do more reps of each circuit.

30 Day Challenge

The photo above is a screenshot from the 30 Day Challenge. Once you click on start from the 30 Day Challenge option the above screen pops up so you can choose your level. I opted for "Medium Plan 1."

7 Minute Workout App

Workouts For The Week:

Day 1- 0
Day 2- 0
Day 3- 0
Day 4- 7-minute workout app (I worked up a sweat!) #outofshape lol
Day 5- 7-minute workout app 30-day challenge- day 1 (1 circuit)
Day 6- 7-minute workout app 30 day challenge day 2 (1 circuit)
Day 7- 7-minute workout app 30 day challenge day 3 (1 circuit)

Weight: Down 1.5 lbs
Fat: Same

So maybe there's something to this! It's such a short workout that it's kind of hard to believe that I'd get any benefit, especially since I'm only doing 1 circuit so far, but I'm going to keep at it and see what transpires.

See you next week!

XO

Week 28: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Well, Guys. I feel like the biggest slacker. I feel like I've completely fallen off the exercise bandwagon. I told myself that I'd keep doing some sort of exercise despite the pain I developed back in April of this year, and for the most part, I kept up some form of exercise until the last two weeks.

This week, I saw yet another Doctor. This Doctor thinks the pain that I've been having since April IS a strain injury from a workout way back in April. I didn't think it was possible to be sore for this long but she said it definitely is. The lesson for me here is not to force myself to workout when I'm too tired, or at least once I start to workout, if I'm not able to get into it in the first few minutes either give it up for that day or do something more gentle like yoga. I basically forced myself to workout when I was feeling really tired and I had very bad form. After the workout, I was sore all over. Once the soreness wore off, I was left with one spot that remained sore up until now. It's just been this last week that it's started to feel better.

I tend to be a seasonal exerciser- I usually start working out in the Spring and Summer. I am so cold in the colder months that I find it REALLY hard to get myself going. I need to find a way around this.

I am hoping to get inspired again this week and get off my butt. When I need inspiration I look to a fellow blogger Shana Emily from ColorBlindBlog.com. She is so motivating and inspiring! She is starting a 30-day fitness challenge on her Facebook page. You should really check it out if you want some inspiration and to join her 30-day challenge. It's starting now! #Teamletemhaveit

Here are my workouts for the week: 

Day 1- 

Day 2- 

Day 3- 

Day 4- 

Day 5-
Day 6- 

Day 7- 

Weigh in :

Weight: Up 1 lb

Fat: Same

See you next week!

xo

Week 25: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Last week I said that I would switch from doing cardio, HIIT, and weights to just yoga as well as any walks that I squeeze in.  I wanted to do a test and see if this works for me as it had in the past.

I did only yoga this week. I also used YouTube as my source for videos, so if any of you want to try some of the videos I did, you don't even need the DVD, just YouTube!

I did pretty gentle yoga this week due to some back issues. If any of you have back issues, you may find some of these helpful. I also came across some great relaxing videos to help with stress and I found them great to do before bed. All videos that I did will be linked under the list of workouts that I did for the week.

I have also decided to abandon the macro counting in terms of eating., at least for now. In fact, I am changing the focus on my diet. I am not going to focus so much on protein as I had been. It doesn't mean that I may not revisit that at some point. What I have decided to do is to try and make my diet mostly vegetables and fruits with small amounts of healthy carbs, some protein, and try to eat more fermented foods. I have focused on low sugar for years now and I will never stop that. Low sugar doesn't mean NO sugar, I still eat small amounts of treats, especially the 70% dark chocolate squares from Costco! So yummy and healthy too. I know that my heart likes it too.

Here are my workouts for the week: (Links provided below for each workout)

Day 1- 

Day 2- 29-minute yoga for a healthy liver with Adrienne - YouTube

Day 3- 15-minute detox yoga - YouTube, 16-minute yoga for a strong back yoga - YouTube

Day 4- 47-minute yoga for back and hamstrings - YouTube

Day 5-
Day 6- 24-minute yoga to calm your nerves with Adrienne - YouTube (Great before bed!)

Day 7- 29-minute yoga for a healthy liver with Adrienne - YouTube

Weigh in :

Weight: Down .5 lbs

Fat: Down 1%

See you next week!

Week 24: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Pedometer App

Welcome to week 24 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey! Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.

This wasn't a great week workout wise. I squeezed in a few workouts then was plagued by a nasty stomach bug for a few days which threw the rest of the week off. I did lose a couple of pounds but it's probably from eating just soup and crackers for 3 days! Not a good way to lose weight.

This coming week I am going to focus on just doing yoga as well as any walks I squeeze in. No HIIT, cardio, or weights this week, just yoga, and I'm going to see what the results are at the end of the week. I've mentioned this is previous posts but I'll mention it again for those who missed it. Years ago I was doing some fairly hardcore HIIT workouts every single day and I kept gaining weight and fat! So, I gave up and switched to just doing yoga, 30 minutes a day and I immediately started to lose weight and fat. So that must be what my body needed, and maybe it needs that again. I love yoga but I also want to tone up so badly that I keep going back to weights and HIIT. But, this week I'm going to go back to just the yoga and see what happens.

I'll also be trying to meet my protein goals at each meal which I've lowered from 40 to 30 grams. Hopefully, that will be more manageable.

Until next week, here is what I managed to do this week...

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- 

Day 3- 30 minute walk

Day 4- 34 minute walk

Day 5- 

Day 6- 

Day 7- 

Weigh in :

Weight: Down 2.0 pounds

Fat: Up 1%

See you next week!

Week 23: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Welcome to week 23 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey!

Unfortunately, I don't have a lot to report this week.

Last week (linked here) I lost 2.5 pounds which I think was from counting my grams of protein at each meal and making sure that I met the 40 grams of protein that my macros recommended. I calculated my macros very easily on Jen Heward's website (linked here).

This week I kind fell out of the habit of counting my grams of protein at each meal, and 40 grams for each meal was kind of tough for me as I very rarely eat meat and I cannot wont eat soy because of my thyroid. I have since recalculated my macros and will now strive for 35 grams of protein at each meal and see how I do.

Starting tomorrow, I will start counting my grams of protein at each meal again and see if it helps with next weeks weigh in.

Here are the results for this week...

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- Tone Trouble Zones DVD: 10 min Butt and Thigh + 10 min Total Body

Day 3- 34 minute walk + 20 push ups+ 40 squats

Day 4-

Day 5- 

Day 6- 

Day 7- 

Weigh in :

Weight: Gained 2.5 lbs

Fat: Down 1%

Have a great weekend!

Week 18: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Between the crazy summer heat this week and a migraine, it's been a bit of a struggle to workout this week. But, I did manage to get in a few workouts despite these challenges.  Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.

I mixed it up this week and used my stepper, walked, and continued with my customized weight routine (chart below).

I also continue to use the pedometer app when I walk (pictured in the main photo).

Personalized Workout Chart

+ 15 reverse lunges, 15, reverse angled lunges, and 15 walking lunges.

I am still using 8lb weights for the above weight routine.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- Weight routine above 

Day 3- 35-minute walk

Day 4- 

Day 5- 30-minute stepper + weight routine above

Day 6- 

Day 7-

Weigh in :

Weight: no change

Fat: no change

I only worked out 3 out of 5 days this week, but it's better than nothing considering the incredible heat during the week. 

Again, we see no change in my weight or fat percentage. 

I was trying to think if there is anything that I have changed since I gained approximately 10 pounds over the last 2 years. The only thing I could think of was that I used to eat nuts daily but I had stopped over the last couple of years. That could be the key as I know that nuts are supposed to help with weight loss, particularly almonds, but I kind of lost my taste for them. I will be trying to eat some nuts daily and see if it makes a difference. This will be an interesting test, and since I'm documenting everything, we will definitely be able to see if incorporating nuts back into my diet makes any difference.

Let me know in the comments what you are doing this summer to stay in shape.

See you next week!

Week 17: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Welcome to week 17 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey.

Workout wise, it was a pretty boring week. I just went for walks and did my personalized weight lifting routine. At least I did a lot better that last week (post linked here).

I continued to use the Pedometer App. which I am still loving!

It has been scorching hot and humid but I've been going for my walks again despite the heat.

I think it's good to sweat, it's an easy way to get rid of toxins.

What!?!?!

Baby Egret

One day, I saw something flying past me that looked VERY strange. It looked like a bird of some sort covered in fluff. I thought it's either got some disease or it's some very strange looking bird. In 40+ years, I have never seen a bird like this. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but I googled it and found exactly what I saw. I wanted to share a picture of it, it's such a strange looking bird. It was a baby Egret. Never heard of them, but apparently they were almost extinct at one time.

Personalized Workout Chart

+ 15 reverse lunges, 15, reverse angled lunges, and 15 walking lunges.

Note: I'm still using 8lb weights for the above weight routine.

It was a slow start to the week but I finished strong.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- 

Day 3- 

Day 4- 30 minute walk + weight routine above

Day 5- 30 minute walk

Day 6- 30 minute walk + weight routine above

Day 7- 30 minute yoga - 5 Day Fit Yoga DVD (Pm routine with Rod Stryker)

Weigh in :

Weight: down .5 lbs 

Fat: no change

Let me know what you're doing to stay in shape this summer!

See you next week!

Week 16: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

This is going to be the quickest and shortest weekly update on my fitness journey. Not only did I eat like crap all week, but I only worked out 1 day out of 7 .

If you want to check out last weeks post you can find it linked here.

I did weigh in this morning and nothing has changed. It doesn't seem to change if I workout or don't workout, so what's the point? Being and feeling healthier and stronger even if I don't lose weight!

I know there are going to be weeks like this, so instead of beating myself up over it, I'm just going to do my best to do better next week.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- 

Day 3- The Firm Fat Burning, Cardio Toning - 30 minutes

Day 4-

Day 5- 

Day 6-

Day 7- 

Weigh in :

Weight: no change

Fat: no change

I hope to do much better next week. See you then!

Week 15: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

As I write this post, I can hardly believe that it's the end of week 15 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight. 

Here is a link to last weeks post if you'd like to check it out.

I tried a new DVD this week called Happy Hormones by Ana Brett. It's Kundalini style yoga which I've been doing on and off for years. I like to mix up my workouts a lot as you can probably tell.

I was a little disappointed with this DVD as it didn't have any preset workouts. You can program your own workout with the matrix, but I really appreciate preset workouts. I enjoy most of my other Kundalini DVD's by Ana Brett but this one was a bit of a disappointment. I'll still use it and see if it does help with hormones etc. and report back on it.

I continued walking when I could and I also continue to use the Pedometer App. which I cannot recommend enough!

This screenshot above was a longer walk as I decided to walk to the store that day- save gas and get in a little exercise.

I found this great rock while walking. It really sparkles in person so I had to grab it. Now if I could just find some gold!

I also did the Firm's Fat-Burning Cardio DVD that uses resistance bands. It's only a 30-minute routine which I like. I didn't feel that it worked my muscles very much but I did work up a good sweat. Maybe I need a stronger resistance band. 

I really prefer free weights to resistance bands. Although, resistance bands do have their place for things like pilates etc. (which I cannot partake in due to some old injuries).

I also continued with my personalized workout chart. I have to update it as I've added in 15 reverse lunges, 15 reverse angled lunges, and 15 walking lunges.

Note: I currently use 8 lb weights for these exercises.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 

Day 2- 57 min walk

Day 3- 

Day 4- Happy Hormones yoga DVD- 1 hr 

Day 5- The Firm Fat Burning Cardio Toning DVD- 30 min

Day 6-

Day 7- 30 min walk + weight routine with 8 lb weights

Weigh in :

Weight: no change

Fat: no change

Let me know if you have any workout recommendations, preferably DVD's that aren't too long and have a mix of strength training with some cardio.. but more focus on weights and strength. 

Thanks for coming by this week, and hopefully see you next week!

PS. Come and join in the Blogger fun at The Best of Blogosphere!

Week 14: My Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

Welcome to week 14 of my Health and Weight Loss Journey to Get Fit and Lose Weight!

If you missed last weeks post here is a link to it.

Read on to see what I accomplished this week.

 I found this on Google and found it interesting. As you can see, it recommends that adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. Based on this, If I exercise just 30 minutes a day for 5 days a week, I've met these guidelines. Doesn't sound too bad to me. This isn't to say that this is the "gold standard." But, it's at least a guideline for a minimum to strive for.

This week I continued with my walks, even with the sweltering heat. I'm continuing to use the free pedometer app, which I'm loving. I usually walk about 2600 steps during my 25-30 minute daily walks. I walk an extra 2000 steps on the day shown in the above screenshot of my pedometer app. I decided to walk to the store that day to get a few groceries. Save on gas and get some extra exercise in... why not.

Most days I continued on my usual route.

Coming home one day, I spotted this flock of geese. I guess they got lost and headed into someone's backyard. I'm glad it wasn't my yard as they poop everywhere! Not that I don't feel for my neighbours.

Note: I added 15 reverse lunges & 15 walking lunges to the above chart

I'm including my weight routine chart again as I've continued with this routine regularly. I strive for every other day, and I currently use 8 lb weights for all exercises.

I also got a new DVD to try out. It's another Kundalini Yoga DVD by Ana Brett called Happy Hormones. I just got it so I'll let you know how it goes. Let's hope it gives me happy hormones! Being in my 40's, I can use all the help I can get in that department.

Here are my workouts for the week:

Day 1- 25 min walk + 8 lb weight routine

Day 2- 

Day 3- 40 min walk + 8 lb weight routine

Day 4- 

Day 5- 25 min walk + 8 lbs weight routine

Day 6- 53 min walk 

Day 7- 

Weigh in :

Weight: gained 2 lbs

Fat: no change

I exercised 4 out of 7 days again this week. And, here we go with the scale again, up and down every week resulting in no weight change on the whole.

I'm going to incorporate my new Happy Hormones DVD next week, so we'll see if that makes a difference.

Let me know in the comments what you're doing to stay in shape?

See you next week!

PS. come and join all the blogger fun over at The Best of Blogosphere!