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Cari Fit

Cari Fit

Fitness Advice, Workout Tips, and Inspiration

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Home Gym Starter Guide

This is the time of year that many people are still trying to commit to working out. But, where do you start? Do you join a gym, join a new HIIT or barre studio or do you try to workout at home? The answer is – any of those! Do whatever seems to motivate you the most and is the most convenient. If the gym or studio is too far from your house, you may not end up committing past January. Or, if your house is too noisy and you are distracted with other things around the house, then a home workout might not be the best for you. I personally do all 3 – I have a gym membership, I occasionally do drop-ins at local studios and then I also have a home gym for backup. Sometimes I can’t get out of the house to workout and it’s nice to have the right equipment so I can get in a mini workout whenever I want. You don’t need to devote an entire room to your “gym” but just create a space in a room (or your garage) that will work! Below are my favorite pieces of workout gear for a home gym, along with just the basics you need if you are on a budget or just starting out. All of the recommended pieces of equipment below can be found at Target, Walmart or Amazon (links below under pic).

Beginner Equipment

What you should get: 2 sets of dumbbells (1 light and 1 medium/heavy), a mat, a foam roller and a resistance band with handles. These basics should get you through a few months of workouts. The weights should be a light set and a medium set for you. The medium should be a set that you can lift (say for bicep curls) for 12-15 reps with good form. The mat doesn’t have to be fancy – just a good quality one that you can use to do core exercises and exercises on your back. If you have hardwood floors or you are planning to do your workouts in your garage, you may need a thicker mat. Resistance bands are great to change things up and can be used for things like lateral leg raises and even seated rows. The foam roller is great for post-workout soreness!

Intermediate/Advanced Equipment

What you should get: Multiple sets of weights on a weight rack; a resistance band with handles and 2 loop bands; 2 sizes of kettlebells, 1 jumprope, 1 mat and 1 adjustable bench. Once you are working out regularly. You should invest in a few different sizes of dumbbells. Why? It’s good to challenge your body sometimes with heavy weights and fewer reps and then other days do lighter weights with heavy weights. Also, as you get more advanced you will need heavier weights especially for lower body exercises like squats. Another option is to add in a barbell with different sized weight plates to adjust, but I prefer dumbbells. I would get an additional resistance band with handle (a heavier one) as well as 2 loop bands to use during hip bridges, squats and lateral moves like side shuffles. Kettlebells are great because you can use them for strength training and also for “cardio” (kettlebell swings). A bench is also great to use for step-ups, chest presses, box jumps, etc. I like the “old school” steps that you can adjust with risers. The higher the step, the more challenging it is.

1) Dumbbells 2) Mat 3) Resistance Bands 4) Foam Roller 5) Jumprope 6) Kettlebells 7) Loop Band 8) Weight Stack 9) Adjustable Bench

Holiday Favorites

I’ve put together a fun list of some of my favorite holiday gifts for the fit girl in your life and also for little ones! You can still get most by Christmas if you pay a little extra for expedited shipping! Check them out below..

 

Fitness Favorites:

Snap Kitchen Meal Plan – If you have a friend or family member who is trying to stay on track with their diet…I highly recommend Snap Kitchen. They make it so easy to stay on track with all of their healthy meals (and new eco-friendly packaging!). This is also a good gift for yourself! They have customizable plans for a wide range of diets including low-carb, whole30, paleo and more! Plus, they offer convenient delivery in most areas!

Bootcamp Classes – Fitness classes like those from Bombshell Bootcamp make great gifts. We all know everyone wants to change things up at the beginning of the year and there is no better way to do that then join up with a fun bootcamp and let your trainers do the work!

Apple Watch and Air Pods – These are my 2 running essentials. I love not having to take my phone with me on outdoor runs anymore. Serious game changer.

Old Navy Shimmer Workout Pants. Most of my workout pants are from Old Navy – they have the best variety and fit.

Plaid Holiday Leggings  (in my pic above). I love Goldsheep and get all my holiday leggings there!

Beauty/Home Favorites:

FabFitFun Box – My mom got me this gift about a year ago and I love it! I look forward to getting my seasonal boxes. You can customize them too.

DryBar – This is one of my go-to’s for a splurge or day of relaxation. I LOVE having my hair done and I go to the Drybar a lot! You can view more pics and videos on my IG stories under “beauty”.

Holiday Hats – I got this cute glitter hat and plaid hat at Amazon.com and love them. The gold one has a place for a high pony or bun. I love the plaid one too but it’s a little thick – so not the best for the gym.

Diffuser and Candle – These are my favorite holiday scents and they make pretty gifts. *The candle seems to be sold out online but you may be able to find it in store at Anthropologie. I also purchased my diffuser in store at Central Market.

Target HoHoHo Earrings (comes in a cute box) – Target has a ton of cute affordable gifts including these HoHoHo earrings I bought for myself and for gifts.

Corkcicle champagne flute.

 

Kid Favorites:

If you have little kids in your life – I highly recommend these gifts. My kids (ages 2 and 5) have been playing with them since they were tiny and they are still holding up.

Ice cream Cart – Hours of enjoyment!

Kid Headphones – These are great if you have 2 kids because they easily connect and they can share one device. We use them on long plane rides.

Push Car – We’ve had this plastic car for 3 years now and it’s held up great! It’s fun for ages 9 months (if they can situp) to about age 5 and has a safety belt. There are more expensive ones out there with more bells and whistles but this is a good simple one!

Pink Cow Car – My kids love this thing and ride it around the house. The music it plays can get a little annoying but there are seriously like 100 different songs! They love putting other toys in the “trunk” (under the seat).

Toy Eggs and Pancake Set – They love to make “breakfast” with these. The eggs are great for babies too and they are fun to squeak and hold. But, big kids like them too!

Vtech Cars and Animals – Their whole system works together so you can mix and match all kinds of cars, trucks, animals, etc. They all make sounds and some light up.

 

*I have partnered with a few of the above brands, but as usual – all opinions are my own.

Cari’s Favorites For Pregnancy, Postpartum & Baby

I just had my second baby a couple of months ago and wanted to share some of my favorite items for those of you who are expecting or also have little ones. I feel that pregnancy and postpartum relates to health and fitness – so I thought I’d share on my blog. What are your favorites? Comment below!

Pregnancy Favorites

I love Beyond Yoga leggings because they are super soft and stretch really well – which is perfect for pregnancy. For non-workout pregnancy clothes I really liked Old Navy and H&M (outfit pictured below). I love coffee but I’m not a die-hard caffeine person so doing without wasn’t too hard. But, I found that many decaf coffees just didn’t taste the same. I found this one by Lavazza at Whole Foods and love it! For workouts – I got a pair of adjustable weights that I could use throughout my pregnancy and that didn’t take up too much space.

Screen Shot 2016-05-12 at 3.36.08 PM

H&M Maternity

Postpartum Favorites

I really like this lilac nursing bra by Bravado that I got from Target. For workouts – I like the Juno bra by Moving Comfort and also would just double up on these lightweight seamless Champion bras from Target (you can remove the pads when you double them for support). Staying hydrated after you have your baby is important – especially if you are nursing. I like my Camelback bottle but also love this pretty one by Kate Spade. My favorite diaper bags are ones that I can carry every day as a “normal” purse. I really like ones by Timi and Leslie and I’m currently using this one from the Honest Company.

 


For Baby

I absolutely love these onesies from Nordstrom because they are super soft and also durable. I’ve seen so many people post pics on Instagram with their babies in cute moccasins so I had to get a pair for my little girl. I love these metallic ones from Freshly Picked. With my son – he slept in a bassinet for the first few months but with our daughter we’ve found that it works best just to have her sleep with us, at least while she’s a newborn. I love this “Dock A Tot” sleeper that fits in the bed with you (so you don’t roll over on baby!)and it also works great for naps and for playtime when you want to keep your baby secure. Another Instagram find is the “Milk Snob” carseat and nursing cover. I already have a few nursing covers that work ok and I usually just use a lightweight blanket to cover my carseat when we take our baby places. But, this cover by “Milk Snob” is great because it stretches and covers the carseat perfectly and it’s also very lightweight and breathable – perfect for Houston! It also works great as a nursing cover and isn’t too hot.

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“Milk Snob” cover81X3zRl9ffL._SX522_

“Dock-A-Tot”

 

 

 

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