Tag Archives: body conceptions

New Year, New You

The New Year: that time when we decide to start fresh, ditch all of our bad habits, create a new workout regimen, and well, tell ourselves we’re going to get down to business.  Not everyone is a New Year’s resolution maker.  I though, am one of those people.  I find that setting goals for myself helps give me direction and accountability.

This year I made a few goals involving my career, my health (mental and physical) and my home life.  I’ll share a few of them here with you.

Goal 1: Sign up for a 1/2 marathon (I haven’t run one since my back injury last year).

Goal 2: Find the workouts that I love doing that will continue to push me to get my sweat on.

Goal 3: Find time in the morning to sit peacefully and enjoy the view in my new home.

Goal 4: Cook two recipes a month with my husband out of our Bon Appetit Magazine.

I’m sure many of you have goals that are fitness related.  I love to workout, so getting my butt to the gym or a class has never been the problem.  But sometimes the workouts get stale and you need to find something new and fun. Since moving, I’ve been encouraged to shake things up and try some fun new workouts.  My early favorites are Brooklyn Body Burn, Xtend Barre and Brooklyn Total fitness.

Even with all of the great new workouts in my neighborhood, one of my all-time favorites and always a kick-ass workout is Body Conceptions.  The classic Body Conceptions classes are part cardio dance, part toning and a whole lot of seat section as they like to call it.  I like to call it “torture,” but I’ll tell you, my ass thanks me later when it looks a whole lot tighter 🙂  Last November I participated in the BoCo 5-week challenge and lost a total of 15″ (the sum of circumferences around your arms, thighs, waist, etc.).  It’s a great way to get in gear and feel inspired by other women doing the same thing.  From February 5th – March 19th they’ll be hosting another challenge.  It starts this week so there’s still time to join.

What are your goals or resolutions this year?  I would love to hear from you all what you’re striving for in 2017.

New Year, New You Outfit// Top: Lululemon c/o // Jacket: Lululemon c/o (Similar here) // Pants: Lululemon // Shoes: Adidas (black with rose gold, grey with silver)  // Sunglasses: Dior // Bracelet: E.Kammeyer Accessories

Photos by Adam Houston

Joshua Tree Rock Climbing

Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 5

What drives you?  For me, it’s the thrill of a new adventure.  I live for trying new things, pushing my limits and feeling the rush of adrenaline.  On my recent trip to Palm Springs I decided to spend a day rock climbing in Joshua Tree with my husband.  Now, I’ve rock climbed many times before, but nothing quite like these conditions.

As prep for our trip I decided to try out a new workout called Body Conceptions.  BoCo, as many call it, is a workout designed to create a lean and sculpted body like a dancer.  What I fell in love with was the complete muscle exhaustion, serious sculpting, and overflowing positivity you find in every class.

There are a few different classes you can take at BoCo, but my favorite is the classic.  It was great prep for rock climbing because it mixes cardio and sculpting into one perfect hour long class.  The best/worst part  is called the seat section.  It’s 15 minutes of exhausting backside work that leave you feeling like you may never lift your legs again.  But let me tell you, it really helped with my rock climbing skills.  Your legs and butt are what propel you up the rock, and thanks to that exhausting seat section, I was ready.  Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 10Now a bit about our climb.  Joshua Tree is composed of granite rock formations.  What I learned to love about this, is your rock climbing shoes really stick to a granite surface.  Most of the climbing I’d done previously involved leisurely climbs with lots of hand holds.  Well, this was a bit different.  I came to the shocking realization on these climbs that there weren’t many hand holds at all.  This is where I learned how to smear, a technique used in slab climbing.  Smearing is where you press your shoe into the rock to propel yourself up.  Most of the time on these climbs my hands were just flat against the rock and you had to trust your feet to keep you ascending.  It was an amazing experience, terrifying and exhilarating experience.  Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 8

If you’re thinking about heading to Joshua Tree for a rock climbing trip, I highly recommend our guide Castle Rock Climbing School.  We learned so much on this trip and left with fatigued muscles and smiles on our faces.  Check back Monday next week for the final Palm Springs Travel Diary.Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 1 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 2Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 5 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 3Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 6 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 7 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 9 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 11 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 12 Joshua Tree Rock Climbing 13

Joshua Tree Rock Climbing // Top: Under Armour (similar here) // Leggings: Live Love Dream (similar here) //Shoes: Nike // Sunglasses: Dior