fitness

Winter on Instagram

 in Bay Area Fashion / Fitness / General Fashion  tagged fitness / fitness tips / instagram / outfits / winter 2016 by

Winter on Instagram has been filled with the holidays, fitting in workouts, and trying to keep warm! If you already follow me on Instagram, you may have already seen these photos, if not, I wanted to give you a little peek into what I have been doing this winter season. If you are on Instagram, please feel free to join me. My handle is @BayAreaFashionista please send me an email or DM, or comment on this post for a follow back. Thank you for your support!

bodypump class set up

Weekend warrior! Since I am so busy with the kids during the week, it is difficult for me to get my workouts in! Every Saturday morning I wake up early and head to the gym. I start my day with a BodyPump class at 8am, and then I stick around for the Advanced Step class at 9am. Both classes are incredible and allow me to burn over 900 calories! If you have never tried BodyPump before, this is the time to check it out! Start off with light weights, and talk to the instructor about form. The class on its’ own burns over 300 calories, and it strengthens the entire body. I highly recommend fitting it in one day per week. Pictured: handbag / shoes

color of 2016 inspiration

Pantone’s color of 2016, Rose Quartz and Serenity, have inspired me this season! Blue is one of my favorite colors, so knowing there are several shades of blue in the top ten colors for spring 2016, and it is one of the colors of 2016, makes me feel like 2016 is my fashion year! My wallet may get a workout! Yikes!

I also happen to love shades of pink; I just don’t wear them nearly as much as blue. So, this photo captures a few pieces I have purchased lately which were inspired by the color palette of 2016. You can see my review of the handbag here, and the Lilac nail polish review here.

The furry backdrop is actually a fabulous jacket I picked up on sale. I plan to wear it next month during New York Fashion Week. It is faux furry fab! I can’t wait to share it with you! Pictured: handbag / nail polish / jacket

shopping at westgate san jose

This photo was taken before Christmas after finishing a little bit of Christmas shopping. My nine-year-old daughter took this picture with my iPhone. She is such a great little photographer!

I have been wearing this faux fur jacket all the time this winter! It is really soft and cozy. I feel like I am wrapped in luxury when I wear it. If you are looking for the perfect faux fur jacket this season, I highly recommend this one. It also comes in Ivory too; tempting! Pictured: jacket / handbag / jeans / blanket scarf / booties / earrings / sunglasses

snake and butterfly hot chocolate

One of my favorite places to warm up is Snake & Butterfly in Campbell. They make their own chocolate! I love their hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, and pairing it with gelato is delicious! It is a fun indulgence 🙂 Pictured: handbag / book

winter outfit view

On Instagram, it is always fun to share your #ootd. I love seeing what people are wearing on a day to day basis. These unstaged photos are a great peek into someone’s personal style. I try to post at least one a week! I wore this outfit to go to the DMV to renew my driver’s license. Pictured: booties (color sold out, also love this pair) / jeans / poncho / handbag / necklace

This is a small snapshot into what I have been posting on Instagram. I post a mixture of #ootd shots, peeks into blog posts, delicious food, inspiration, and more! You can find me at @BayAreaFashionsta

I hope to see you on Instagram!

Fitness gear for the new year

 in Fitness / General Fashion  tagged fitness / fitness gear / fitness tips / nike by

fitness gear for the new year

From left: white hoodie / purple leggings / purple tank / sports bra / duffle bag / running shoes / lavender tee / jacket / loose yoga pants

 I have always been a fitness buff, but for 2016, I am completely revamping my workout routine in order to lose fifteen pounds! In my quest for fitness success, I want to spice up my almost-all-black fitness wardrobe, and get some new fitness gear for the new year!

If you are heading to the gym for your new years resolution, you might be looking for new fitness gear in the new year too! I have a few basics I like to stick to, but for 2016, I would like to add some brighter colors, and less conservative styles to my fitness wardrobe.

The basics are simple. I cannot live with out a Nike sport bra. No other sports bra offers the support, and the comfort, Nike’s classic staple offers. If you have not found the perfect sports bra yet, I highly recommend this one!

I love capri leggings for spin classes, step classes, and cardio kick-boxing (BodyCombat) classes. They offer smooth range of motion, and are not too warm since they hit below the knee, and do not extend to the ankle. I attend a step class every Saturday morning. This year, I want to commit to getting myself down to the gym every Friday for BodyCombat and every Tuesday for Spin. They are all such great workouts for both the legs, and the core.

When it comes to yoga, I just don’t go. Not this year! As I age, I have found I need more recovery after working hard at the gym, and I also need to stretch more in order to stay injury free! So, as part of my new years resolution, I plan to add yoga into my schedule. I already do fifteen minutes of Pilates three times per week after working out, so I feel like I get enough Pilates on my own. My favorite type of Pilates is simple mat Pilates. It is a great way to strengthen the core, and stretch muscles you didn’t know you had!

I don’t like wearing tight clothing for yoga or Pilates, so the loose pants pictured above are perfect since they are not constricting, and they can easily be worn to run errands before or after a yoga class. Love that!

When it comes to shoes, I am a Nike girl! I have been wearing Nike since High School and swear by the brand. These shoes are my favorite running shoe style. I wear running shoes for running, or walking on the treadmill. For fitness classes, I prefer a cross trainer such as this pair, and for tennis I wear good old fashioned tennis shoes such as this pair.

I like a no-nonsense duffle bag for the gym. I don’t like using a designer tote, or an overly fussy bag. I feel like a gym bag should look athletic; not like it is pretending to be something else. This duffle bag is perfect; and very sporty looking! Love that!

What are your current fitness goals? Do you prefer classes, or do you workout on your own?

Fitness gear for the new year wish list:

Casual New Years Eve outfit

 in Fitness / General Fashion  tagged casual style / fitness / gap / H & M / jill milan / new years style / outfits / swarovski / valentino by

new years eve outfit idea casual new years eve outfit idea vegan handbag on sale casual holiday outfit

Pictured: Sunglasses: Chanel / Lipstick: Chanel Melancholie / Earrings: Kendra Scott / Necklace: Tasha (on sale!) / Sweater: H & M / Jeans: Gap / Handbag: c/o Jill Milan (on sale!!) (vegan!!) / Bracelet: Kendra Scott / Nail Polish: Chanel Vamp / Shoes: Valentino

 New Years Eve for me, over the years, has gone from full blown formal party, to casual New Years Eve for me. When I was in my 20’s and single, my friends and I used to wear sparkling dresses, and attend parties or events to ring in the New Year. Now, as a Mother of three, I keep New Years low key by either spending it with family, or attending a casual house party.

It can be hard to navigate that fine line between over dressed party attire, and too casual, daytime attire; when putting together a casual  New Years Eve outfit. I was thrilled when I found this sparkling sweater at H & M, Santana Row. It is a basic v-neck sweater with side slits that can be worn with jeans, leggings, or a slim black skirt. I decided it was perfect for the holiday season!

In addition to being perfect for casual holiday gatherings, I plan to wear this sweater on Christmas, and also as my casual New Years Eve outfit to celebrate 2016! It is a thin sweater, so it is easy to wear in a heated home with a simple tank top underneath. Love that!

As we head into 2016, I want to share with you my New Years Resolution! Now this may sound cliche, and I guess it kind of is, but my New Years Resolution is to lose fifteen pounds.

I never shared this struggle on the blog when it happened because this blog was still a hybrid online magazine slash blog. Now that I have transitioned it to my personal fashion, style, beauty, and runway report blog, I want to share with you more personal aspects of my life.

In 2012, I was sick and placed on bed-rest following a miscarriage, for three months. I was depressed sitting on the sofa over the beautiful, warm summer months. While my children played in the pool, I sat on the sofa inside watching them. The only time I got up from bed, or the sofa, was to sit at my desk and write a blog post.

Bed rest was difficult for me. I am used to working out at the gym five days per week, playing tennis with my friends, swimming for fitness and fun, and running around with my children. So, to ease the pain, I ate ice cream. A LOT of ice cream. Well, thirty pounds in three months later, I was on a mission to regain myself.

I counted calories, and worked out diligently. I lost the thirty pounds and was back into a size four. It was fabulous! Then, in the fall of 2013 I started homeschooling my middle child. She has ADHD, DMDD, Dyslexia, and a 170+ IQ. Needless to say, a traditional public school is not the right environment for her.

There are schools out there for kids like my daughter, but they all start at sixth grade. So, I decided to homeschool her until sixth grade, at which time, we will decide where to send her for school, or if we should continue homeschooling her.

She is extremely artistic and would like to be a fashion designer when she grows up. She already has a sketch book, and a business plan!

Since I started homeschooling my daughter, I have not been a regular visitor to the gym. Instead of five to six workouts per week, plus tennis and swimming, I am down to three workouts; if I am lucky. Due to this change in my activity, I have gained fifteen pounds, and gone up to a size six. I believe most of this weight is in my thighs. Ugh!

In my quest to get back to my normal weight, I will be talking about fitness routines, and fitness gear here on the blog in 2016. This will not reduce the amount of fashion, style, and beauty posts I publish each month. The fitness articles will be in addition to my current content; and an added bonus!

If you are working on losing weight, or you are a fitness guru, I would love to connect with you! Please let me know in the comments below or on social media. Thank you so much for all your support over these past few years, and I look forward to bringing you the trends from the runways, beauty reviews, and Silicon Valley style, in 2016!

Thank you for reading, and stay fabulous 😉