Never Miss a Morning Workout Again

Starting my summer with a cast on my wrist was a recipe for cabin fever. Not to mention my training runs were also set to start around the same time. I was going stir crazy, staying tucked away inside.

But every moment has an expiration date. And my moment of insanity expired as soon as that cast came off (and I got over my muscle atrophy shock).

My surgeon warned me that I wouldn't be as strong as I once was and to take it easy on the long runs. So I tried... For about 14 hours. It felt so good to run off the stress and enter my familiar place of solitude. I gave my legs a well deserved North Brooklyn tour too.

Running will always be my first love but with the marathon up ahead it needed to be supplemented with strength training. I did after all take a hiatus on living.

For me, I've supplemented my runs with an assortment of classes on Classpass. Check out their plans here.

One of the things I love most about using Classpass is being able to find a workout that works for my time. That usually means AM workouts before heading into my job, an on-the-fly lunch sweat, or later than usual night classes. Lately, it's been crack of dawn AM classes.

Not the easiest to get up for but I rounded up a few tips below that make it easier for me and could potentially work for you too!

1. Prep Your Clothes
When it's that early, the last thing you want to do is fumble around your room looking for your yoga pants and heels for your workday. Plan it out the night before and pack it up. I usually have it all packed in a gym bag and leave it by the door.

Here are a few gym bags I'm loving:

2. Map It Out
If you're venturing out to a new studio make sure you know how to get there and how long the commute will take you. This key for my fellow subway riders. Once you figured that out, plan to leave 15 minutes earlier. It'll give your leeway and the time to scope out the new studio.

3. Take What You Need
Based on the studio's amenities you could either do with or without the dry shampoo, body wipes, or even deodorant. Classpass will let you know what amenities the studio will have but if you really want to get the full details - check Yelp or their website. I always do and it saves me from carrying too much.

In case you're wondering what I do bring, it tends to consist of Amika's travel kit (dry shampoo is a must for curls), my bare make minimums (BB cream, brow pencil, mascara, and a bronzer/blush duo), and deodorant.

Shop my gym bag essentials here:

4. Don't Forget to Eat
This. It's so easy to skip this part especially when rushing but try not to since your body does need sustenance before any hearty sweat session. The night before I fill up my water bottle and pack it along with a post-workout granola bar. Are you starting to see a trend yet? For AM fuel I prep overnight oats in a mason jar which are easy to eat on the go.

5. Shower Check
Nothing can ruin an exhilarating sweat session than having to pay for towels, or worse, get stuck waiting in line for the single shower. Again, check on yelp for the studio's shower situation. If it's not looking good book your class at different studio or plan on getting there early so you can be one of the first on their shower signup sheet.

Top: Outdoor Voices  Pants: Outdoor Voices  Sports Bra: Sweaty Betty  Tote: Baggu  Sneakers: Brooks  Lipgloss: Coral Sands via L'Oreal  Hair Products: Perk Up Dry Shampoo + Un.Done Texture Spray via Amika

After a week of doing strictly morning classes, I felt more energized. And with each class I made sure to avoid that early morning dash by following my tips listed above. Hopefully, I've inspired a few of you to sweat it out in the AM. It's really not that bad once you get into the swing of it. Pinky promise.

Photos by Lauren Adriance.

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5 Travel Must-Haves for Your Carry-On

This summer was unexpectedly full of fun weekend trips. With my wrist still in sore shape and my tendency to hoard and overpack items, my packing style was in need of a lifestyle change after my first getaway.

Being the optimistic packer that I am, I tend to bring everything with me in the hopes that I can get it done while I'm away. The reality is that nothing gets done, like absolutely nothing, besides disconnecting from the digital life and reconnecting with friends. Oh, and a few too many Mimosas but that's to be expected. 

After a few getaways, I realized I don't need to pack up my entire vanity and six different pairs of shoes for each trip. And it won't kill me if I forget one thing either. With those realizations, the space in my bag gradually increased as did the ease on my shoulders. However, there are a few things that have become my go-to essentials for every trip.

1. My Go-To Bag
After a few rounds of researching backpacks and reading every single review on Amazon, I bit the bullet and bought myself a Tumi convertible backpack (seen above). It's been such a game changer and has made traveling a breeze. There's a place for my laptop and a few well-placed pockets to keep my things organized and my mind sane. The versatility of this bag has made it my go-to for all things work and event related as well. If you're looking for something a little more budget-friendly, another great contender is the Lipault Plume Business Backpack (seen below).

2. Be Safe & Not Sorry: Antibacterial + Beauty Salve
Airports... Can we all agree they're basically a breeding ground for bacteria? There are so many people passing through the terminals each day it's best to play it safe by washing our hands and using antibacterial. Another must-have, beauty salve. A few things in life can make me uncomfortable, one of them being dry, chapped skin. This is kind of unavoidable being high up in the air so it's best to pack a multipurpose beauty salve like this one.

image via pondering-beauty.blogspot.com

3. Stay Hydrated with a Refillable Water Bottle
I honestly hate paying for water at airports - the prices are ridiculously high and there's nothing we can do besides pay for it. Well, it's time we disrupt the system and bring in our own reusable bottle since staying hydrated is crucial when flying. Dehydration hangovers are not fun when you only have a short amount of time away. I'm a huge fan of bobble's Insulate bottles. Their steel bottles keep water (or other liquids) hot or cold for up to 24 hours and won't sweat or leak. 

image via bobble.com

4. Tune It Out Headphones
Also called my daily lifesavers. Traveling is stressful and not being able to tune it ALL out can really make or break a trip. The question is which pair should you go with? For your next trip, I highly recommend Bose's SoundSport Headphones. You can go wireless or wired, but both are amazing when it comes to noise canceling and high-quality sound. They're also easy to pack compared to the over-the-ear kind. I've used these at work, on runs, noisy airplanes and can't ever imagine using something else.

image via bose.com

5. A Cozy Sweater
Similar to the Katy Perry song, planes can leave you feeling hot and then cold. There's absolutely no winning when it comes to climate control when in-flight but you can be prepared. I tend to grab an oversized before each trip to act as my in-flight blanket or makeshift pillow. And if you're simply too hot, you can always take it off. I linked to a few of my favorite ones priced under $50.

Now, I'm turning the tables on you. What are you must-haves when it comes to your carry-on?

NYC: Where Curly Girls Go for the Best Cuts

Please raise your hand if you've been a victim of a haircut gone horribly wrong. Now please raise your hand if you've heard your "stylist" mutter "this must be karma" when dealing with your gorgeous hair. Alright, what about getting charged extra because we were born with ringlets? Now for the kicker, feeling ashamed or different because our hair won't fall flat.

None of the above are any fun to experience, but us curly girls have experienced them all. It's also a little bit insane that more salons don't cater to our ringlets since at least 80% of women wake up with curls or waves.

When it comes to our hair, we all have a story that tells the struggle of understanding our roots (pun intended), finding the perfect cocktail of hair products, and then finding the right stylist + salon that gets it.

It took me a really, really long time to finally understand my hair. Then an even longer time to find products that didn't cause ticking frizz bombs. And when I finally found my salon, it felt like I came out of the dark ages. It was such a life-changing moment which is why Devachan will always get rave reviews here.

So when I wanted a big change, I knew exactly where to go.

For kicks, I decided to take a stroll through memory lane featuring my hair from super long to my new dreamy haircut. It starts with the first photo and ends with...

Jessica F., my Devacurl stylist, took me super short with a side of bangs back in May. And for the first time since my accident (+ surgery), I felt amazing inside and out. My gorgeous curls perfectly cascaded around my face and had this amazing healthy, sheen radiate from within each ringlet. Jessica, if you're reading this -- you were a godsend just when I felt like giving up on and turning into a recluse with a bad wrist.

It's amazing how a great haircut can impact your life.

If you have never been to the salon, then I'd love to walk you through the experience. 

When you first enter the salon, you'll be greeted by a friendly receptionist who will escort you to the waiting room. You won't wait long if anything this is when you'll change into a silky robe and be served delicious ice tea. Refill please!

Next, your stylist will meet you and bring you back to her chair. This is when your stylist will ask all the heavy-hitter questions such as how do you style your hair and what kind of cut are you looking for. She'll also learn about the texture of your hair. I usually bring in a picture of a particular cut that I'd like to achieve or an old photo of when I loved my haircut best. It makes the process easier.

After the consultation, your stylist will start to cut your curls. The Devachan stylists believe in cutting your hair when the curls are in their natural state and dry. My favorite part about this is how they take each ringlet into consideration. It's easier for them to see how the curls will fall which will make it easier for us to style and achieve our desired cut!

Next up, is their famous wash and set process. You'll get escorted to their zen-like washing station where each shampoo sink is connected to basically a daybed. Needless to say, I have fallen asleep during this step more than once. At this stage, your curls are gently cleansed, conditioned, and detangled. This is a really great time to learn how your stylist uses the products or you can be like me and take a nice nap.

After your curls are cleansed and conditioned your stylist will walk you over to her drying station. Each individual ringlet will get styled and shaped using a prescribed curly cocktail of Devacurl products. This part is worth taking notes on and if you have questions make sure to ask away! Once your curls are styled your stylist will start the drying process and check in to see how your hair is drying.

Once your hair is fully dry, your stylist will make the final assessment and snip any needed ringlets to give you that bombshell cut. It's honestly quite the experience and could take two hours, but it is so worth the individual attention and education you get from each session.

If you can't make it to NYC or are just curious about my prescribed curly cocktail, I am totally down to share the goods. They have an online store so their products can be shipped almost anywhere.

I cleanse and condition my hair using two products from their Decadence line. It hydrates my curls and brings them back to a softer state from all the heat-styling they have endured this summer: No-Poo and One Condition.

For styling, less has always been more in my book. My stylist took that into account and recommended their B'Leave-In to help hydrate and plump up my curls. Once I scrunched my hair with product, I move onto their Ultra Defining Gel for lasting hold and crunch-free, frizz-free texture. I let my hair do it's thing while it air dries but once ready I shake my curls out at the root for a soft, touchable look. And for days I want to extend my style (or zero time to wash my hair), I've been loving their No-Poo Quick Cleanser. Spray at the roots and it'll sop up the extra oil to give your curls a refreshed look.

Phew, what a long post! Devachan will forever be my curl bae so I wanted to be as thorough as possible on what makes them amazing. Other salons just don't compare. 

Here's more helpful information:
425 Broome Street
Hours: T-Sa 8a-8p, Su-M 10a-5p

www.devacurl.com

Shot by Lydia Hudgens + Victor Cerejo.

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