Nashville Home + Style

People ask me when, and how I have time to workout...the truth is I really don't, ha.  It's so important to me to take some time out for myself and get some type of sweat on.  As I have gotten older, and had kids in the picture, the after work nighttime workouts are just not an option for me.  So, I have made a commitment to make myself get up in the mornings before the day starts.  Would I rather keep lying in bed most days?  Of course.  But, I can promise you that you will feel better throughout the day and have an early sense of accomplishment if you get up and get a workout in.

The good news is, it does get easier.  Your body can be trained and will start to adapt to your schedule.  I automatically wake up in the 5's now without even setting an alarm.

Here are some of my tips for getting up and working out

There is nothing I love more than some time away with the family on vacation!  I am definitely a beach bunny as opposed to a snow bunny.   Our favorite getaway is a trip down to the Florida Panhandle in the 30A or Sandestin area.  We just got back from a great trip so I thought I would share some of my tricks to staying healthy.....for most of the trip anyways.

1.  Prepare!  Setting yourself up for success is important.  I always pack some of my healthy go-to snacks with me.
List:
Nutpods
GG Crackers
Fiber One Cereal
Ole Low Carb Wraps

2.  Switch out the bread for the Low Carb Wraps.  These wraps are full of fiber to help keep you fuller and are a much better option than bread.

3.  Use low calorie mixers.  Let's be honest, what is a good vacation with out some drinks?!  I always mix my cocktails with low sugar options to help save my calories where I can.  Currently crushing on these Bai Sparkling Water that even has some caffeine in them.  Soda or La Croix is always a great go to option as well.  I am also a fan of infused Vodkas.  My fave one is the Kettle One Cucumber Botanical.

4. Break a sweat.  I love waking up and going on a slow steady jog.  If you do something active it helps your mindset stay more motivated throughout the day.   I also always look for classes to try around town.   Class Pass is a great option if you are traveling in a city that offers it too.

5.  Rent some bikes.  I love riding around on a bike for fun and exercise.  We rented a Burley bike trailer to pull the kids on and that was a hard workout in itself.

6.  Start out healthy.  No matter what I do, I try and get a good healthy breakfast to start.  If I start out with a doughnut the rest of the day is a disaster.  At least if I have a nice healthy, high fiber breakfast I can sustain saying no to treats a little longer.  My go-to this trip was Fiber One Cereal with no sugar Almond Milk or GG Crackers with Low Fat Cottage Cheese and Salsa.

7. Pick a fun day!  I always have a day a vacation I eat/drink whatever I want.  It usually is the last day and I look forward to it during the week.  I saved up for my Pina Colada and my Chicken Nachos... as well as some other things, and it was well worth the wait!  Having something to look forward to can keep you on track to get there.

Most importantly, it's vacation, so try not to be too hard on yourself, and surely don't weigh up on your return.

Hope everyone has a great summer!!

Crystal

I get lots of questions from you guys about my GG fiber crackers. Some of you have a love/hate relationship with them, ha!  I know they can be hard to get used to, but give these Scandinavian crackers a chance to get your daily fiber in! I always pack my GG crackers with me when I am traveling.  It makes it so much easier to get in my daily fiber goal of 35 grams.  I have also been known to take them with me to Mexican restaurants to help keep me away from the chips on the table.  Chips and dip are my biggest downfall, so I'll do anything I can to keep myself away from them.

Here is the skinny on the GG’s:

I use them in place of bread, a wrap or chips. I don’t eat them by themselves. They give an extra crunch to my food to keep me fuller for longer. You can also use them as croutons for your salad, or as the breading on chicken. These crackers are also F-Factor approved, which is the lifestyle diet I live by.

Each cracker gives you 4 grams of fiber and only 2 net carbs. I always order the original, but I will say the Pumpkin Seed ones are a little tastier and easier eat on their own. Hey 

Some of my fave ways to "dress" a GG:

Eggs
Tuna fish
Swiss cheese with turkey pepperoni (just like a pizza ;)
Deli meat with mustard 
Babybel cheese with everything but the bagel seasoning 
Dipped in salsa and hummus 
Avocado
Cream Cheese + tomato
Peanut butter 
Smoked salmon + cream cheese + capers

Follow @ggfiber for some fabulous recipes and ideas.

Also remember I have all my healthy finds on our Shop Amazon page too!  I update it regularly so check it out!

XOXO,
Crystal

Spring is a great time to jump into a new workout routine to get yourself motivated.  You may wonder how I  take all of these great fitness classes around town.  Do I have 20 different class packs everywhere?  Nope, I am a ClassPass member.  ClassPass has been the best thing for me since I love trying new things, and #mixingitup.


ClassPass has a few monthly plans to choose from:

First off your can try class pass for 2 weeks for free, so no use in not giving it a shot!
$39 per month 28 credits
$59 per month 33 credits
$199 per month 72 credits

Each class has a different number of credits required for class depending on the gym, and the class time.  Most classes are around 5-10 credits per class.

You can visit the same gym up to three times per month. ClassPass has an app that lists the 100's of studios who participate, class times, and you can register for your class on the app. There are so many class times during the day, its almost impossible not to find something that works for you!

I have discovered so many great studios, and new workouts that I never would have found if I didn't have ClassPass.














Here are a few of my go to's:

Barry's Boot Camp
Shed Group Fitness (Franklin, Gulch, and Belle Meade)
FreeBird
Sculpt House
Cycle Bar
Studio Novo (Franklin only)
Hot Yoga Plus (Frankin and Nashville)
CorePower
Barre 3 (All locations)
Pure Barre (All locations)

Try ClassPass!

Use this link for $40 off any Class Pass plan



I do have a couple of additional class packs at some studios because I do go more than 3 times per  month. But with ClassPass, I am able to extend my packages and don't have to repurchase classes too often.  You always have the option to buy a few extra credits every month to get your through and you can roll up to 10 credits over per month.

Remember to always pack a gym bag just in case you can make a class!

Another perk is on the Class Pass app there are 100's of workout videos you can do at home if you don't have time to make it to the gym.


Disclaimer:  Sometimes the really popular classes on the schedule will not be available on ClassPass.  I understand the studio wants to save spots for people who are actually members of the studio.  This is really the only drawback there is for me with ClassPass.  Which is another reason why I  have a few packages at my favorite studios.

Check out ClassPass and try some new classes!

XOXO,

Crystal

As much as I love going to classes for my workout, sometimes there really is no way to make it happen.  My husband and I alternate mornings that we get to go to the gym, so the days that I can't make it I sometimes have to settle for a good ole at-home workout.

First off a good few set of weights is essential.  A good starting range is 5-10, then you can always build up to 8-12 pounds.  I always like to start heavy and burn my muscles out, then drop down lower from there.  A good beginner light weight set is 5-8 pound, intermediate 8-10, and advanced 10-15 pounds.

Another fave is the "Booty band".  Strap these around your ankles to intensify any leg workout, or keep them on during upper body with a wide stance to keep your legs engaged.  I love doing bridge lifts with them and keeping my legs wide.  You can also hold at the top of your bridge pose and pulse your legs outward.

I love having an at home pull up bar.  I have a goal to do 20 pull ups everyday.   I use a pull up band when I do them of course.  Maybe one day I'll workout up to doing them without, ha!  But for now I love the extra support and guidance it gives me.

I love incorporating a Bosu Ball into my workouts.  Bosu ball's make your muscles stabilize and can intensify any workout.  I like flipping is over and standing on it to do my upper body exercises and to intensify my squats. You can also flip it over to intensify your ab work.  This makes it so much harder because you are having to stabilize + use your core strength.



Resistance bands with handles are a great option to use instead of weights + they travel well!  They also really help you get that long lean muscle because you have constant tension.  You can use these for bicep curls + tricep kickbacks + lower body.

The beloved Kettle Bell.  I may be the only person that likes doing kettle bell swings!  But they are such a good full body workout + they get your heart rate up!



Hope this helps you get some motivation for your at home workouts!

XOXO,
Crystal

Snack Options:

Tis the season to be Merry and drink cocktails!  I'm always on the lookout for healthy, and delicious recipes.  The truth is so many cocktails have SO much added sugar from juices and syrups that is just not necessary. Not only do you not need all the extra calories to make something taste good, the less sugar the better you may feel the next day.

I love a mixer that is tasty without all the sugar.  Crushing on these Bai Bubbles that give you a little fizz packed with lots of flavors but light on calories.


Here are a few of my staples this holiday season:

Orange Vanilla Whiskey
Orange Vanilla Seltzer
Whiskey
Orange Slice

Holiday Mule
2 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Light/Diet Ginger Beer- I love the Fever Tree Ginger Beer brand. Its low sodium and not flavored with anything artificial
Splash of Bai Cherry Bubbles
1/2 oz. Lime Juice and or a lime
Frozen cranberries

Vanilla Cranberry Mimosa
2 oz. Champagne
1 oz. Vanilla Vodka
1 1/2 oz. Light/Diet Cranberry Juice
Frozen Cranberries




Peppermint Schnapps Soda
2 oz.Vodka
4 oz. La Croix Lime Soda
Splash of Peppermint Schnapps


Holiday Sangria
3 oz. Red Wine
4 oz. La Croix Berry
Splash of Light/Diet Cranberry
Frozen Cranberries

Holiday Champagne Spritzer
3 oz. champagne
2 oz. Cranberry La Croix
Splash of Vanilla Liquor
Frozen Cranberries

We are excited that we now have our own Amazon page! Now it is so easy to find all of our fave Amazon finds.  I get a lot of my health/wellness products off of Amazon, because they have a great selection and it's so easy to shop.  I mean what did we do before amazon, seriously?!  You can check out our Amazon page here.  Amanda has also included lots of great fashion finds and gift ideas.

You guys know I typically workout first thing in the morning.  I don't like eating on a totally empty stomach, but I also don't like eating a big meal before I exercise either. I make a lot of shakes with my Vitamix, but who wants to mess with all of that at 5 AM?  I love these Iconic Protein Shakes with 20 grams of protein, and only 3 grams of sugar.  I order the variety pack to mix up the flavors.  So far, my favorite is Coconut Matcha.  I drink half before my workout, and the rest after.

My go-to coffee creamer are Nut Pods.  I have loved every flavor I have tried, so I like to get the variety pack.  These are unsweetened + dairy free + no sugar + whole 30 approved + delicious.


I talk about GG Crackers a ton and how I coordinate them into my snacking.  These high fiber crackers give you 4 grams of fiber, with only 2 net carbs per cracker.  I put all sorts of things on them, because eating them by themselves is not too fun.  I'll make them with salsa, hummus, cheese, avocado spread, eggs, cheese or turkey pepperoni.  I even use them as the "bread" to make my sandwich.  These are FFactor approved for the eating lifestyle I follow.


I talk a lot about the importance of finding a healthy dressing to go with your salads.  I try to keep a lower sugar, lower fat dressing option around.  I am a fan of these Skinny Girl Salad Dressings.  My favorite two have been the Poppy Seed and the Balsamic Dressing.  These are all low in fat and low in sugar, even the Raspberry Vinaigrette gives you some sweetness without the sugar.


I will continue to update this post with some of my healthy finds for you.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

XOXO,
Crystal

Some of our fave brands are having huge sales that include some tops and leggings that I wear on repeat.  I love having time off for Thanksgiving to spend time with family.  I always go to a class and am sure to get a good workout in before the feasting begins.  Lots of gyms around towns have classes, usually just with a modified schedule.

A few of my fave classes around town have options for Black Friday:

Core Power Yoga (Brentwood) 10:00 AM Yoga Sculpt (special class)
Barry's Bootcamp:  classes all day Friday 
Sculpt House:  8:30 & 9:45.
Shed Belle Meade: 6AM-9:30AM

If you are too busy shopping and don't have time for the gym try this quick Turkey Burner Workout:

30 Kettle Bell Swings (Or just use a normal weight)
30 Squat to Shoulder Presses
30 Mountain Climbers
30 Alternating lunges staying low
30 Shoulder taps in plank position

I will be teaching my Sunday 11:30 Yoga Sculpt class at Core Power Brentwood, so come burn off all those calories with me!


ALO YOGA
My favorite leggings are marked down to $88!  No code needed.  I wear them to Yoga, and all of my other cross training classes.  I tend to size up in Alo's pants, they run small for me.

It’s that time of the year when candy is all around us! How do you stay away from all that goodness, when your kids are constantly eating it, and they are in their Halloween bucket pulling out reese's?! Well.... there is not a perfect answer. Self control (unfortunately), is going to be biggest thing. I always picture myself waking up the next morning and how I will feel. We all need treats every now and again, but here are a few ways I keep myself “distracted” to not eat the kid’s treats.

Make yourself your own “treat.” Something that keeps you occupied and tastes good, without being super high in sugar. I have a few things at my house always on hand. It’s kind of a mental game. I am eating something fun for me, and I am going to ignore that my kids are eating treats.

Peanut Butter. Honestly, this is a treat for me. Not only is one scoop pretty filling- its delish. Buy a brand that does not have a lot of sugar, or even better, get some almond butter. I put mine on a GG cracker to add in some fiber to help keep me full + add a crunch. I have also taken a little piece of my low carb wraps that I love, and made a little mini peanut butter wrap for myself. Again, it feels like I am eating a treat that is low carb, high in fiber and yummy!

Popsicles- A good little treat to keep you occupied.  I usually look for lower sugar ones at the store.  There is also a SkinnyCow brand that is lower in fat and sugar.

Coffee- making a cup of joe (decaf for night time) at home, or getting something at Starbucks always helps my sweet tooth. You can always dash a little Baileys in there to make it a very special treat. Remember there is a healthier almond version of Baileys, with less sugar now, too!

Sparkling soda water- I always have one on hand. Cracking open my favorite La Croix flavor makes me feel like I am drinking a little something fun and makes me think I am a little more full.

Water, water, water- chugging water can help with cravings. Maybe your body isn’t craving anything, it is just thirsty. Worth a shot anyways!

Stay strong friends because we all know the struggle is real!
XOXO,
Crystal

The new CorePower Yoga has opened in Green Hills and it is a beaut! Located in the new Vertis building in Green Hills right across the street from Trader Joe’s. The space is light + airy, with all the same great swag you normally find in their other studios.


For those new to CorePower Yoga I wanted to introduce my fave class, Yoga Sculpt.  Breaking down the class and answering the common questions that I get; as well as why I love it! I knew I loved this class + had a passion for it, but going through teacher training and now being able to lead it has made me love it even more! For me its all about timing the choreography to hit all parts of your body, and playing the best possible playlist. If you know me- you know picking out music for my class makes me extremely giddy. :)




Breaking down the class:

• Sun A and Sun B- aka sun salutations- we break these down slowly at first, setting up the positions without weights. Then we flow through Sun B twice with your light set of weights.

• Every instructor does a slightly different order after this but I'll break down my usual routine:

• Biceps + pushups.... well in my class I don’t do hardly any pushups. Why?? To be honest I hate pushups and I am terrible at even demoing them! Ha...Just being totally honest. I may do a few dolphin pushups, or other chest exercises to work your chest.

• SQUATS!! My FAVE part of class I just love leg tracks. Even if you don’t love to squat, I promise that I will have a fun song to get you through.

• Cardio:  I usually do some type of boxing circuit. I fell in love with kickboxing doing Les Mills type of classes; so I usually do some jabs and kicks, which gets your heart rate up and keeps your core engaged.

• Sculpt Series 1 & 2:  Through these series you work several muscle groups (triceps, shoulders, back, biceps, and some legs ). You do these exercises in your chair pose, warrior 2, and horse pose, so you are still incorporating yoga in your practice.

• SQUATS 2.0:  Another fave! I usually throw different types of leg exercises in here like lunges, dead lifts, side squats..etc

• Glutes and Chest:  The moves I do the the most her are bridge hip lifts while incorporating some chest presses.

• Abs: We finish up with an ab song!

• Stretch

• Shavasana

Here are some frequent questions that I get:

"What weights should I use?"
I tell everyone (women) to start with 3 and 5 pound weights.  These are the weights I typically still use.  I use the 3 pounds to flow through Sun A and B.  I use the 5 pounds for biceps, and Sculpt Series 1 and 2.  I tell everyone to start a little heavier and always drop down.  I sometimes grab 8 pounds if I am feeling like I want heavy lift for my biceps and back.  Remember we do a lot of reps!

"Can I take this class if I haven't done hardly any Yoga?"
YES!  We break down Sun A and Sun B nice and slow right at the beginning.  After you get that you are good to go!  I always tell my students to listen to your body, do what you can do, and take breaks.  And remember weights are totally optional the whole class.  The hardest part for a new yogi is doing a chaturanga correctly.  You can always skip those, do them on your knees, or let me help you before or after class.

"Is the class heated?"
Yes...but not very much. The more I teach this class the more I tend to turn the heat down, especially in the summer.  I turn it up a tad in the winter.  It is not as hot as a typical flow, C2, or Bikram class at all.  I try to keep it in the 90's and I always crack the door at some point during class.  I never turn on the humidity. 


I love this class so much because it gives you a little bit of everything: stretching, muscle building, cardio, sweating... it does it all!  I truly feel stronger and can tell a difference when I take this class consistently.  And most importantly its just FUN!  

Come Sculpt with me Sundays at 11:30 AM at the Brentwood location, and reach out if you have any questions!

XOXO,
Crystal 

• 1 and 1/4 pounds of boneless, skinless turkey tenderloins.  ( They usually come in a pack of 2 tenderloins and that's the perfect amount.)
• Skinny Girl Honey Mustard Dressing
• 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper seasoning (sometimes I just eyeball this one and add more to taste)
• salt and pepper to taste. 

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for Step 1 OR boneless skinless chicken thighs for Steps 2 or 3. 
• 1 Pack of Mushrooms - Any kind
• 1 can of artichokes in water.  Cara Mia is by far the best brand I've tried. 
• Half a bottle of Girard's Light Champagne Dressing

• One pack of Tofu Shirataki Noodle Substitute.  I use House Foods brand from Kroger. 
• RAO's tomato sauce
• Chicken Sausage.  I use cooked Thin & Trim Spinach and Red Onion
• Onions, Peppers, Any Fiber rich veggie