workouts | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

eats & moves.

14 March, 2015 by Gracie 8 Comments

Poor little GML gets so neglected when I’ve had a busy week. These past 7+ days have definitely been that, as I was out of town last weekend for Devoted Conference, then came back and began a work transition. Will explain that more later. All good (great!) things, for sure. And then of course after a long day, my evening of choice looks less like blogging and more like curling up in a ball watching Scandal. Finally made it to season 4, like a boss.

ANYWAY. Excuses done. Here’s an old school healthy living blog post - recapping some of my meals + workouts from the past week or so.

Sunday March 1 - off
Monday March 2 - 30 minutes Stair Master + 15 minutes strength training
Tuesday March 3 - 45 minute Peloton spin class
Wednesday March 4 - 45 minute SoulCycle class
Thursday March 5 - off
Friday March 6 - off
Saturday March 7 - off
Sunday March 8 - off
Monday March 9 - 45 minute BFX spin class
Tuesday March 10 - 45 minute SoulCycle class
Wednesday March 11 - off (sick)
Thursday March 12 - off (sick)
Friday March 13 - off (sick)
Saturday March 14 - 45 minute SoulCycle class

Clearly there has been more “off” days than not, but life happens. And getting sick happens (ugh). Thankfully I think I nipped that in the bud before it got any worse, thanks to lots of water, cold medicine, and Juice Press Ginger Fireball.

As for the eats front, it’s looked a bit like…

1) Chick fil A, which we may have gotten more than once while away last weekend.

2) Lightened Up Bang Bang Shrimp via How Sweet Eats. Jessica’s recipes are always incredible, and this one did not disappoint!

3) Easy Chickpea & Vegetable Curry over quinoa. I’ve never made anything like this before, and it turned out SO good. I’m definitely going to be making it again.

4) A big ol’ kale salad with grilled chicken. I joked on Instagram about not liking kale, which is generally true, but this salad was actually pretty bomb.

5) One of my favorite breakfast/brunch meals - the Brooke’s Breakfast Bowl from St. Balmain.

6) Still on that pancake kick. Gluten free jumbo banana pancake topped with Justin’s HONEY almond butter. Swoon.

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How was your week? Any highlights?

workout recap | 3.1.15.

1 March, 2015 by Gracie 9 Comments

Monday 2/23 - 45 minute Revolve spin class.

Tuesday 2/24 - 45 minute SoulCycle class.

Wednesday 2/25 - off

Thursday 2/26 - off

Friday 2/27 - 1 hour session at Crunch gym. I did 10 minutes on the StairMaster, 30 minutes Arc machine, and 20 minutes strength training. ClassPass just started offering gym time at certain gyms, which I think is a great addition. As much as I’ve grown to love classes, sometimes it’s nice to do my own thing. And this workout was just that! I’ll definitely be doing more of these in the future.

Saturday 2/28 - 45 minute SoulCycle class.

Sunday 3/1 - off

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Are you more of a class person or “DIY” when it comes to working out?

workout recap | 2.22.15.

22 February, 2015 by Gracie 5 Comments

Tuesday 2/17 - 45 minute SoulCycle class

Wednesday 2/18 - 45 minute SoulCycle class

Thursday -2/19 - off

Friday 2/20 - off

Saturday 2/21 - 45 minute SoulCycle class. This one was tough because I got a really bad cold on Thursday/Friday, but I made it through. I think sweating it out actually made me feel better!

Sunday 2/22 - off

If you were wondering if I’m going absolutely broke because of SoulCycle, the answer is yes 😛 But I barely went out this week, so that made up for it.

I usually like to work out on Mondays because it sets me on the right foot for the rest of the week, but I’m probably going to take another day off tomorrow so I can fully recover from this cold. I think that the ridiculously cold weather + having walk outside has prolonged it :/ So rest it is!

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Where do you draw the line when it comes to exercising while sick?

workout recap | 2.16.15.

16 February, 2015 by Gracie 12 Comments

Monday 2/9 - 30 minute treadmill HIIT. Two minutes walking, 30 second sprint, and repeat. I wasn’t planning on exercising this day, but I happened to wake up 30 minutes before my alarm so figured I’d squeeze a little something in.

Tuesday 2/10 - off

Wednesday 2/11 - 45 minute Peloton spin class. A pretty decent class, for sure. In Peloton you can see on the screen in front of you your resistance and cadence, so there’s that extra accountability to keep up. I especially loved the studio - it was really clean and modern, and they had a full cafe in the lounge area.

Thursday 2/12 - off

Friday 2/13 - 30 minutes elliptical + 15 minutes strength training. Kept it super easy breezy with this workout. I didn’t want to break too much of a sweat because I had just gotten my hair done the day before. HA. Priorities, people.

Saturday 2/14 - 45 minute SoulCycle class. The perfect way to spend my (Valentine’s Day) Saturday morning. I still don’t understand how it’s humanly possible to sweat as much as I do at SoulCycle. Sexy, I know.

Sunday 2/15 - 45 minute Revolve spin class. I was super tired this morning and actually forgot I had booked this class, but I went anyway…mostly because ClassPass charges you $20 if you cancel within 24 hours, ha.

Monday 2/16 - 45 minute SoulCycle class. This was the earliest SoulCycle class I’ve ever done, and it felt SO good to start my Monday off on the right (sweaty AF) foot.

Clearly this past week was quite heavy on the spinning. What can I say - I love it! And I think that a big misconception about spin is that it’s just cardio, but there’s a ton of strength - lower and upper body - involved (especially in my beloved SoulCycle).

I was telling Rachel the other day how - even after exercising regularly for the past 10+ years of my life - I’m just now actually starting to love fitness. For so long I was trying to get myself to love what everyone else loved, but now I’m finally getting into my groove and discovering what fitness looks like/means to me.

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Did you ever have an “aha” moment when you actually started to love fitness? What was it?

workout recap | 2.8.15.

8 February, 2015 by Gracie 9 Comments

Tuesday 2/3 - off

Wednesday 2/4 - 45 minute spin class at Revolve Fitness. This was my second spin class that’s a part of ClassPass. I liked it. It wasn’t extremely challenging, but I was able to push myself to get a decent workout out of it. I’ll probably go back.

Thursday - 2/5 - 60 minute Core Fusion Barre class at Exhale Spa. My first ever barre class! As I mentioned in this post, I really loved this class. I can be a bit of a cardio queen (I genuinely love it) so anything that can get me to do some sort of strength training is a good thing.

Friday 2/6 - off

Saturday 2/7 - 45 minute SoulCycle class. I won’t bore you with my normal swooning over SoulCycle. It’s hands down my favorite class. I can’t wait to go again next week!

Sunday 2/8 - off. I woke up this morning with the intention of going to the gym, but I just wasn’t there mentally. I definitely think there’s value in pushing through that sometimes, but not all the time. I feel like these days we’re so bombarded with “fitspo” messages that tell you to PUSH PUSH PUSH yourself and “better to be sore than sorry,” but I personally think that that can form an unhealthy relationship with exercise.

My point is - I think rest days aren’t just about giving your body a rest, but also (and just as importantly) your mind.

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What are your thoughts on rest days? What about the whole “fitspo” trend?

what i’m loving right now.

5 February, 2015 by Gracie 9 Comments

barre class
Today I took my first ever barre class. It’s been quite the trendy workout lately and I’ve heard so many girls swear by it, so I figured I’d give it a try. I took the Core Fusion class at Exhale Spa, and honestly I had no idea what to expect. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too dance-y because that’s not really my thing, and thankfully wasn’t. What it WAS, though, was a much more difficult class than I expected (in a good way). I liked that it was very fast-paced, and the instructor Julie was really attentive and motivating. I know I’m gonna feel all sorts of sore tomorrow!

SBTB on Jimmy Fallon
Any human being that has been on Facebook today has probably seen this a million times already, but it’s just so good. So much nostalgia…

the half bun
I’ve seen this hairstyle all over Pinterest lately, and I just think it’s so cute. Granted, this is a totally messy version of it (and hello roots), but you get the idea.

half bun

Bare Minerals
I have a full post (+ a vlog!) coming on these products soon, but I can’t help but share how much I love them. The neutral eye shadow palettes are the perfect shades, and the Complexion Rescue is one of the best makeup products I’ve tried in a long time.

Bare Minerals makeup

everything about these looks
Is it spring yet?

Juice Press Fireball
I’ve been a huge fan of Juice Press for a while, so I was really excited when they surprised me with some samples of their Fireball + Mother Earth juice. I had never tried the Fireball, and let me tell you…this stuff is not for the faint of heart. It is SPICY. It definitely will wake you up in the morning, and I’ve heard it can work wonders (immunity booster? Don’t mind if I do).

Juice Press

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Toasted Walnuts
Sometimes I like to get a little fancy pants with my lunch. But don’t let the looks of this fool you - it took just about 10 minutes to make! I used store bought sweet potato gnocchi (from Whole Foods) and added some brown butter and toasted walnuts. Comfort food at its finest.

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What Pinterest-inspired looks/trends are you loving right now?
Have you tried a barre class?