Tag: propel

Let’s Get Ugly with Propel in NYC

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What an absolute whirlwind this month has been! From traveling to NYC, to having my mom in town, to apartment hunting, my mind has been going non-stop and I’m thrilled to have a weekend of reflection and relaxation.

I was so excited when Propel reached out to me again this year to be an ambassador for their new campaign, Let’s Get Ugly. The campaign is all about the grittiness of working out, the moment when you don’t care what you look like and are just down to get sweaty and give it your all. I can totally relate—especially in the middle of spin class or when my Barry’s instructor gives the order to start sprinting. For me, working out has never been about looking good while doing it; it’s about giving each work out everything I have and walking out a better, stronger person.

Last year, our ambassador responsibilities were here in LA, so I couldn’t believe that this year’s campaign included a trip to New York City! Since Propel Water has more electrolytes than any other water and replenishes what you lose in sweat, the trip was filled to the brim with workouts!

To start our 48 hours in NYC, we got all glammed up and ready for photoshoots. I opted for light make up (per usual) and a super cute side braid that went into a ponytail. I always have to have my hair up during sweat sessions so I knew this look was most authentic to me.

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We traveled in groups with two other bloggers around each set to get our pictures taken. The photographers were so fun to work with, offering advice on poses, and trying their best to get me to put on my serious face when all I could do was giggle.

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After the photoshoot, we had a full afternoon/evening of workouts. First, we took “The Class” by Taryn Toomey. I’ve taken over 600 classes and this has to be one of the more unique ones. During each song we would only do one or two movements, some small and slow, others cardio intensive. I knew I would be sore for days so the sound bath conclusion was much appreciated.

Once we rested a bit (oh, whoops, we decided to go for rose on the rooftop during our allotted rest time), we headed back to the space for two more workouts—boxing with Prevail LA and yoga with Yoga for Bad People. Boxing was such a blast and I love the Prevail team because they always make everyone feel welcome, no matter their level.

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The Propel team shared with us the incredible new commercial that features Jessie J!!! She was even at the event and spoke for a bit about how important fitness is to her as well. I loved that she was a little awkward and seemed really down to earth.

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I was so sad when the amazing trip was over, but thankful to get to meet and spend time with a group of strong, friendly, and fun women. I am thrilled to report that the Propel Co:Labs are coming to LA. I’ll be sharing more about how you can get in on the fun in the coming months so look out for an exclusive invite!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Propel Electrolyte Water, but all opinions are my own.

Five Takeaways from #BlogFest with Propel

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I can’t begin to explain the craziness of my July. I’ve been overwhelmed with weddings, buying a new car, starting a new job, keeping up my blog and Instagram page, etc.

Unfortunately, BlogFest fell on the same weekend as the wedding of my brother-in-law and I was only able to attend the first day. Nonetheless, it turned out to be extremely impactful and full of great moments of learning, networking, and sweating! Here are my top five tips from two of my favorite sessions:

1  The best food pictures are taken with natural light from the side. The light should not be harsh. Brooke’s trick was to cover your window with a mesh curtain to get the look of a cloudy day even when it’s sunny outside. Find an example of lighting here.

2  Add props! Things like wooden spoons, ceramic bowls, and linen napkins make pictures really interesting. Find great bases like fancy marble slaps that can be purchased for a decent price at Home Depot. Don’t sweep away the crumbs either; these add great texture to the pictures. Messy can be very appealing! Check out a pic where Brooke uses this idea here.

3  Brooke actually uses Instagram for her editing. She suggests bumping up the contrast, clarity, vignette, and highlights, and putting the saturation at about 20%. Her favorite Insta filter is Ludwig. Find a perfectly edited picture here.

above tips are from Food Photography with Brooke Conroy Bass of Chocolate + Marrow

4  Triple. Filters. My mind is blown. Did you know that you could layer up to three filters on pictures?! I always stressed over picking one filter for my snaps. Was the time or temp more important than the one that makes my skin look flawless?! So thankful that Katie shared this tip with us.

5  Ghostcodes. If finding friends and new people to follow frustrates you, download the app Ghostcodes where you can search by name and category for accounts that interest you. Similar to Reddit, accounts get voted up and down so the most popular and exciting ones make it to the top. Make sure to add yourself to the app so people can find you!

above tips are from Building Your Brand on Snapchat with Katie Dunlap of Love, Sweat, and Fitness

I had such a great time at Blogfest with Propel and, since I wasn’t able to attend the Friday sessions, check out the blog posts by my fellow Propel Ambassadors for even more tips, tricks, and pics of the weekend!

Whitney from To Live and Diet in LA

Gwen from The LA Girl

Evann from Evann Clingan

Melanie from Headstands and Heels

This post is sponsored by Propel Electrolyte Water, but all opinions are my own.

Propel Workout with Gunnar Peterson Recap

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You know those things that you look forward to for so long and are so excited about? There is nothing worse than when they pass by so quickly.

My second workout with celeb (read: Kardashian) trainer, Gunnar Peterson, has been something I’ve counted down for months. I was eager to meet the NYC Propel Ambassador gals and spend some more time with bloggers-turned-friends, Whitney and Gwen. With the anticipation bubbling, I didn’t even want it to start for fear that it would end too soon. Well, I was right. Although it’s over, I am so thankful for such a great experience and can’t want to share the deets with you!

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What’s in my Gym Bag?

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Many people are shocked to hear that I don’t plan my workouts ahead of time. Remember when ClassPass started limiting class reservations to four at a time? Yeah, I had no clue it happened because I wait until the last minute to book every class. I never know what kind of mood I’ll be in or what time I’ll need to leave the office, so around 3:00 every day, I start perusing to decide what sweat-scapade will have that night.

There are a few downsides to this. First off, since so many people do schedule ahead of time, it can be kind of difficult to get into a class last minute. The longer I wait, the more they fill up. It’s the worst feeling when I finally make a decision only to find out the class is now full!

It can also be a pain because of what’s required for each class. Barre requires sticky socks and longer leggings and I enjoy wearing baggy shirts and need tennis shoes for bootcamp. The worst is forgetting a pair of socks and then signing up for spin class!

For this reason, every morning I pack my bag full of anything I might need for the night’s workout. I’m not very high-maintenance so this is what I typically include:

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  1. Sneakers
  2. Sticky socks for barre and Pilates
  3. Regular socks for spin or bootcamp
  4. Headphones in case I go on an outdoor run
  5. Sports bra
  6. Leggings
  7. Tank
  8. Propel to replenish electrolytes after class
  9. Dry shampoo

What do you keep in your gym bag?

This post is sponsored by Propel Electrolyte Water, but all opinions are my own.

5 Tips for an Epic Fitness Event

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Much to my dismay, I’m not much of a party planner or a hostess. When people come over I’m usually in charge of simple tasks like tidying up the apartment while my husband preps the food and makes sure the guests have everything they need. There’s something remarkable about people who are able to provide incredible experiences—from planning to executing—and have what it takes to make visitors feel special while creating memories that last forever.

It’s been almost a week, but I am still floating on clouds when I think about the Propel Co:Labs event for their new Made to Move campaign. After popping some Advil to soothe my sore muscles, I think I’ve just about recovered enough to share the experience. I’m unbelievably impressed with the long weekend and have five “simple” tips for planning a killer fitness event:

Step One: Rent out an amazing home in Venice

Was this space real life?! A lap pool, rooftop with a view, and an entry system to rival even the most exclusive bank, it’s hard to imagine that this place is an actual home. Venice is the ideal location for a fitness event because it screams low key, beach vibes without compromising any amenities. Take a look at this live video on the Propel Facebook page where I take viewers on a tour of the building!

Step Two: Work out with the best in the business

From sweating with celebrity fitness trainer Gunnar Peterson, to feeling zen with Yoga for Bad People, to rowing my heart out with Speedplay, the Co:Lab pop up had an amazing mix of workouts for guests to enjoy.

My personal favorite, of course, was the one-on-one session with Gunnar where he and his team led me through some interval training including TRX, ropes, boxing, and weighted medicine balls. With a camera and film crew following along, I was quickly sweaty and out of breath. It was a great mix of cardio and strength training with short rest periods in between intervals. Gunnar was so positive despite my hatred of the ropes (I swear having small hands is a major disadvantage!) and my awkward boxing stance (I don’t have that boxing intuition that tells you which foot is supposed to move when!).

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Step Three: Have a private concert

Once we were done with the mash-up workout, none other than NICK JONAS walked onto the stage! I’m pretty sure I’ve never been so close to a live performance by a major celeb. He was eager to get into everyone’s selfies and even belted out some of his ballads on the floor less than a foot away from me. All of us twenty/thirty-something women quickly morphed into teenage fan girls and it was definitely a sight to see!

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Step Four: Give away amazing swag

Propel Ray-Bans and a gorgeous outfit from Bandier are just a few of the cool things I picked up during the four-day long event. I think my favorite, however, was the personalized duffle bag that will be holding all of my workout clothes from now on (I currently just use my hundreds of Lululemon bags). They had artists on site who used bright paint markers to graffiti bags with your name or brand. Another cool swag item was the tank that exposed the campaign slogan “Made to Move” when coming in contact with sweat. Seriously—coolest thing I’ve ever seen! When you sweat, the words show up all over your shirt!

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Step Five: Rehydrate with unlimited amounts of Propel Electrolyte Water

With so many sweat-inducing workouts at the Co:Labs event, it was super important to make sure my body was always hydrated. When we sweat, we lose more than just water and Propel helps us replenish those electrolytes. The best part is that it’s zero calories and comes in nine flavors! My favorites were peach, black cherry, and kiwi strawberry. Every workout space was prepped with ice-cold Propel water and there were stations all around stocked with Propel.

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Propel Drinking

Let’s be real, this type of extravaganza would be pretty hard to recreate, even with my five tips. I am so thankful to have been a part of it and can’t wait to see what Propel is planning for the future!

This post is sponsored by Propel Electrolyte Water, but all opinions are my own.