I feel like I haven’t done a personal update for a looonnngggg time, and I realized this when someone left a comment asking if I went blonde. Well… yes I went blonde at the beginning of January! I had been wanting to go lighter for a while and finally went for it after the new year. I’ve posted multiple photos of my new locks on Instagram but completely neglected to post my array of selfies on my blog haha. So for those of you who are interested in my new hurrr and what I’ve been up to, here it is!
My obsession with green juice and green smoothies is still going strong. My favorite juice is the Greenie from Nekter Juice Bar! Parsley, spinach, kale, celery, cucumber, lemon and apple.
Fav green smoothie recipe is still my RFFMBT Simple Green Smoothie.
I did my very first back-to-back spin class at Full Psycle!!! I came out of my 6:30pm class, ran into my friend Blake and he said “do the hip hop class at 7:30 with me!” In my head I was like no way Jose, I just finished pedaling my heart out for 45 minutes, I am d.o.n.e. but then one of the founders/instructors, Shelly overheard Blake and I and said “Catherine, if you take the next class, it will be the first sold out hip hop class of 2014!” So of course I gave in, grabbed the last open bike at the front of class and gave it my all! I actually did BETTER in the second class! I think it’s because my legs were warmed up, and I had tons of endorphins and energy after class #1! I kept my Polar HRM going and burned 1,879 calories between both classes! DAYUMMM! For anyone who may ask, my watch is a Polar RC3 with GPS. I have a full review of the watch here.
Earned myself 2 Full Psycle Raglan shirts for those 2 back-to-back classes! Great milestone in my workout journey!
I took advantage of the CA heat wave and went Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) for the first time with my friend Blake! We had SO much fun, it’s a great core, arm, and back workout! Of course I had to sport that FP Raglan shirt that I earned the day before! My bow bikini bottoms are by a local company called LOlli Swim. They were limited edition Minnie Mouse themed, but LOlli has some other beyond adorable bow bottoms in stores and online!
I also took my very first Pilates class at Core Reform in the beginning of January. I started taking a few semi-private lessons with my friend Taryn so that we could learn the proper form on the reformer. I highly recommend doing this. Reformer Pilates classes might seem intimidating, but if you take a couple of private lessons (or at least one) to understand how it works, it makes the classes much better! I was hooked after my first class, bought a month of unlimited classes and have been going 4 times a week! My abs hurt so good!
Of course I’m still obsessed with spin at Full Psycle and go 6 days a week! I’ve been loving alternating spin and Pilates throughout the week since my legs get pretty stiff from cycling. Pilates has really helped!
Last month I also took Teddy to Corgi Beach Day in Huntington Beach!
Last week my friend and fellow health & fitness blogger Kayleigh (Okay Fitness) and I took her adorable little munchkin nephew to Disneyland! Taking a toddler to Disneyland and pushing a stroller around the cobblestone streets in the park is a workout in itself. Mad respect to all of the mommas out there who do this!
Other obsessions in 2014: slouchy beanies and lipstick. Bright bold lips that give you confidence and make you feel girly! Sorry I’m to sorry for all of the selfies! February is the month of self love! I guess it’s less awk than asking my friends to take photos of me? haha.
Above Lipstick: Lime Crime Velvetine in Red Velvet
Lip Liner: Mac lip liner pencil in Cherry
Top Coat: Covergirl Natureluxe gloss balm in Anemone 225
Above Lipstick: Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Fuscia 030
Lip Liner: Covergirl Lip Perfection Lip Liner in Splendid 235
Last night I had a serious moment! I made a new PR in spin at Full Psycle. #1 out of all of the girls, #4 all around, and 2 away from 500 total energy!!! This was a huge huge accomplishment for me and I still have a smile on my face today! My very first class on 7/8/13, my total energy was 158 kilojoules and my average power was 69! HOLY GUACAMOLE, that’s an enormous difference. I cannot believe how strong I have gotten!!! I’ve noticed a huge change in my mood, overall happiness, and body composition since starting spin and Pilates!
So far, 2014 has been all about stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying new things! Have you tried a new workout or healthy recipe since the beginning of 2014? Let me know!
Health & Happiness
xo Catherine
Rebecca
February 4, 2014 at 1:03 pm (11 years ago)Love this! And the hair is awesome! Don’t apologize for the selfies, totally less awkward than asking friends to take pictures! Spinning is awesome I can’t wait until spring when I can take my actual bike back out on the road!
Catherine
February 4, 2014 at 1:05 pm (11 years ago)Aww thanks love! Do you have snow where you live? I can’t wait for you to take your bike out!
Rebecca
February 4, 2014 at 1:11 pm (11 years ago)Yep, New England sucks in the winter. I miss the west coast every winter when we have lot’s of snow out here. you’d think i’d get used to it after 4 years :/
Catherine
February 4, 2014 at 1:13 pm (11 years ago)I think you’re lucky! It’s so dry out here, we need some rain!
hanna
February 4, 2014 at 1:42 pm (11 years ago)Looks like a great start to the new year. I have been having a rough go, and reading this is giving me inspiration to get back to the green juice and gym routine that I had down last year. I am also obsessed with bright lips right now, especially the lime crime velvetines. I cannot get enough!
Catherine
February 4, 2014 at 11:30 pm (11 years ago)Awww I know what you mean, it can be so hard to get back into the swing of things! I’m so happy that this post has inspired you to get back into your green juice and gym routine though! You will feel so great once you get back at it! You are totally going to laugh, I’m wearing a Lime Crime Velvetine in the first lipstick photo! It’s “Red Velvet!” Seriously the BEST lip color and matte!
Hanna
February 10, 2014 at 10:52 am (11 years ago)AHH I love that! I just got red velvet but have not used it yet. I am going to try it with the MAC lip liner too!
Sunny
February 4, 2014 at 6:30 pm (11 years ago)Love the hair, love your blog, love you! What color is that bright lipstick?? So pretty!
Catherine
February 4, 2014 at 11:22 pm (11 years ago)First Photo:
It’s actually a super bright cherry red! Looks a little pink in the photo! The lipstick is Lime Crime Velvetine in “Red Velvet.” It’s seriously amazing, It goes on liquid and dries completely matte! I used Mac lip liner pencil in “Cherry” underneath. Also love using Covergirl Natureluxe gloss balm in “Anemone 225” over the top if it starts to feel too dry! It’s moisturizing and gives some bright color.
Second Photo:
The fuchsia lip color is Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in “Fuscia 030” with Covergirl Lip Perfection Lip Liner in “Splendid 235” underneath.
Annie
February 5, 2014 at 12:01 am (11 years ago)You look so gorgeous, love you as a blonde!
Alicia
February 5, 2014 at 6:55 am (11 years ago)Love this post! You are absolutely stunning! Loving the blonde hair. That cycle class looks like so much fun! It’s one of my favorite workouts here in VB. I’ve thought about trying pilates….maybe I should do that! <3
Emily
February 5, 2014 at 7:28 pm (11 years ago)What a successful start to the year! And what crazy workouts…hope you’ve been refueling like mad to make up for your hardcore-ness 🙂
ryan p
February 6, 2014 at 3:29 pm (11 years ago)you’re so pretty! and such an inspiration to me, thank you for being such a great blogger!!
Daniela
February 7, 2014 at 6:27 am (11 years ago)Love the hair! I keep wanting to ombre my own and then chicken out every time.
Also I’m 100% with you on green smoothies/juices. I tried making a non-green one this morning (just banana and strawberry) and found that it was toooo sweet for my taste. Had to throw in a tiny bit of spinach to bring it down a notch 🙂 Your tastebuds really change!
Daniela
February 7, 2014 at 6:30 am (11 years ago)Oh, and here is my post-workout (-hangover) smoothie I thought you might be interested in checking out. I LOVE them. Hydration, vitamins, antioxidants and acidity neutralization in a glass: http://grazingdani.blogspot.de/2013/12/post-workout-hangover-smoothie.html
Louise
February 7, 2014 at 1:37 pm (11 years ago)Thank you so much for this blog! What an inspiring story. You look so gorgeous and this is very motivating.
johnna
February 7, 2014 at 10:14 pm (11 years ago)Im Nekter obsessed too… and now Red Velvet obsessed.
If you love the Nekter Toxic flush like I do here is the recipe.
http://www.inallofhersplendor.com/2014/02/04/nekter-juice-bar-toxic-flush-recipe/
Paige Katie
February 15, 2014 at 6:12 pm (11 years ago)STRAWBERRIES