Lifestyle

My Favorite Things: May

June 2, 2016 by Nicole 8 Comments

What a busy month! I was away all but one weekend, and used that one weekend to work. Relaxing? No. Fun? YES. Let’s break down some highlights …

Favorite Products

I Saw That Mug

I got this “I Saw That” -Karma mug from Yoga Rx for my mom as a Mother’s Day gift and then loved it so much that I ended up buying one for myself as well (typical). They’re unfortunately sold out, but you can see their other mugs here.

The Jetset Diaries Indigo Maxi Dress from Nasty Gal

I’m obsessed with this dress I wore in Scottsdale! The lower hem in front, light material and strappy back made it the perfect formal(ish) dress to wear in the Arizona heat. I usually sell dresses I wear to weddings because they rarely get worn again but this dress … oh I’ll 150% be wearing this again.

Planter Table from Our Palm Springs House

Joe and I are moving in the near future so I have decor on my mind. I fell in love with this coffee table at the house we rented in Palm Springs. I’m envisioning one in white with aloe and other succulents growing in the center.

Sandals That Hide My Awkward Pinkie Toes!

I’m all for body positivity but dude. It’s not that I go out of my way to hide them but … my pinkie toes just do not need to be shown off (lollol). I forgot to pack sandals with me for Palm Springs so I bought these from Steve Madden and they were made for my feet–they hide the pinks!

Favorite Workouts

Pilates Platinum in Santa Monica

I pretty much walked off the plane and jumped right in a cab to a megaformer class when I landed in LA (obsessed much??). I went to the noon Pilates Platinum class taught by Jenny and was excited to learn she has a reputation for being one of the tougher instructors at the studio. I am always striving to become a better instructor myself, so I love taking others’ classes and learning from the cues they give, adjustments they make, and exercise combos that are particularly effective. It was a challenging class and best yet, I picked up a few things to bring back with me to Btone.

Favorite Eats

Carrot Cake Overnight Oats from Fit Foodie Finds

Carrots for breakfast? Carrots. For. Breakfast. This overnight oats recipe from Lee is delicious!

Clover Food Labs Food Truck

Clover Food Labs is an awesome vegetarian restaurant that uses mostly (maybe all–not sure) locally-sourced ingredients. I was so excited when their food truck set up shop in the Back Bay by my apartment! Their chickpea fritter platter is amazing.

Favorites from around the Web

How to Relieve Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints & Achilles Pain | If you have tight calves–*raises hand*–check out this way to use a foam roller to release the fascia. I would always put my calf on the foam roller and then cross my other leg on top to roll out, but this method has you use the shin bone of your other leg to pinpoint the muscle.
Nutrition Stripped | I recently started following this blog and love it.
This Instagram Picture | If you don’t follow me on Insta, check out this throwback diary entry of mine from the fourth grade.

Favorite Moments

LA & Palm Springs Weekend

Look at all the sass happening in my glasses reflection haha!

The first of my college girlfriends is getting married and we had an amazing time celebrating her bachelorette in Palm Springs! Full post on the trip here.

Juice Press Opening Party at The Street

I’d been to Juice Press multiple times during visits to New York and was excited to see them expand to Boston. They invited a bunch of local bloggers and influencers in the health/fitness industry to the opening of their first location at The Street in Chestnut Hill, and offered up a plethora of samples in addition to a make-your-own acai bowl station. If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat (@nicoleperr) you know that I pretty much eat one every single day of my life so this was right up my alley. 😉

Their second location, which will (hopefully) open in the next couple months is in Back Bay by Copley Square. That’s right by Btone so I can’t wait!

Scottsdale Wedding Weekend

Same pic I already included but from a different angle because I’m annoying AF. 😉 I may have gotten sunburnt and spent the flight home barfing but other than that it was such a fun weekend celebrating our friends’ wedding in Scottsdale at The Boulders!

Memorial Day Weekend on the Jersey Shore

Always fun spending time with Joe’s nephews and niece! We got some beach time in and then hit up the boardwalk for bumper cars and pizza.

Favorite Sales & Deals

25% off Terez Orders

Earlier this month I posted this picture to Instagram and so many of you loved the skull leggings so much that you bought them, too! Given the response, I figured it’d be worth mentioning on the blog as well that you can get 25% off these (or any Terez purchase) with the code nicole25. Happy shopping! 🙂

Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale

Nordstrom is having a big sale through the 5th with prices up to 40% off. Shop the sale HERE.

Free Month of Tailwind

Tailwind is one of my absolute favorite blogging tools. It’s a pin scheduler for Pinterest but so much more. After you schedule something, it’ll suggest other similar pins to add to your queue and they’ll suggest content from your site to other users. I’ve seen a great growth in my Pinterest following since using Tailwind. If you use this referral link you’ll get one month for free (and so will I).

Favorite Posts from the Archives

: 20-Minute Bodyweight AMRAP Workout

: 10 Reasons I Love Teaching Group Fitness

: Kale & Spinach Acai Bowl with Hemp Seed Granola

: How to Modify Any Exercise

: Beginner Core Workout (Emphasis on Obliques)

: Caprese Salad with Corn and Avocado

What were your favorites from last month?

Disclosure: My monthly favorites posts are never sponsored, however they typically contain a few affiliate links. I get sent a lot of free products, and the first section of this post might highlight a couple of my favorites. I’m never required to or being paid to feature these freebies and only share the ones I truly love and think my readers will enjoy as well. 🙂

Filed Under: Lifestyle, My Favorite Things

A Stay at Watermark Seaport & 10-Minute Guided Stretching Routine for Runners

May 25, 2016 by Nicole 4 Comments

I recently was invited to spend the night at the Watermark Seaport and shoot some content for the blog while there. I love fun projects like this around Boston!

Today’s post is a long one, but a good one. First I’m going to give you a little visual tour of the beautiful new residential building and then we’ll get to a guided stretching routine that’s perfect for runners (or really anyone with tight hips!).

Watermark Seaport

Watermark Seaport is a collection of luxury rental high-rise apartments and modern lofts in–you guessed it–Boston’s Seaport District. This neighborhood is exploding with development; I swear every time I venture over there’s a new building being constructed or a new retailer setting up shop. In addition to the residential expansion, you have GE moving its headquarters nearby, a laundry list of other corporations, and national retailers, restaurants (By Chloe!!) and fitness studios/gyms all in the works. It’s an exciting time for the Seaport!

Watermark has a prime location as one of the few buildings on its side of Seaport Blvd that has unobstructed views of the water. I got to tour one of the unoccupied Penthouse units … ummmm WOW. Not for those of us ballin’ on a budget, but talk about hashtag apartment goals. There are studio units on the more affordable end of the spectrum (still priced accordingly to the luxury building keep in mind) which are also gorgeous. Think hardwood floors, modern appliances and lots of sunlight. They invited me to stay in one of their one-bedroom guest suites and I may or may not have cried at the sight of an in-unit washer-dryer (Joe’s gym clothes smell like dead bodies so this is my #1 priority in my next apartment haha).

The amenities available to residents of Watermark are pretty flipping amazing. The second floor common areas offer lots of seating, wi-fi, coffee station, pool table, televisions, dining area for group events and get-togethers, and floor-to-ceiling windows streaming in natural light. During my visit, I spent the afternoon doing work here.

With an emphasis on wellness, Watermark Seaport also offers a full gym of equipment, machines and free weights as well as a separate room for yoga, stretching and small group classes. It opens out onto a patio with big glass doors that allow sunlight to stream into the room. On nice days, you can open up the doors for an awesome outdoor experience indoors. The television in this room has Fitness On Demand services so that you can browse through all sorts of workout videos.

I took advantage of this peaceful, sunny room to shoot a guided stretching video for you. It’s great for anyone but especially if you run frequently (lots of hip work!). For more pictures of Watermark Seaport check out their Instagram.

10-Minute Guided Stretching Routine for Runners

Stretching and mobility work is so important for injury prevention and all-around fitness, but if you’re like me, you often rush through it after a workout. When I was training for the marathon, I knew it was vital that I take the time to foam roll and stretch after a run but–especially on those long days–I was mentally done with working out when I got home and found myself quickly rolling out and “stretching” with a half-assed effort. I just wanted to get on with the day!

Regular yoga classes and videos were helpful because it was like guided stretching. I was forced to hold stretches and dedicate the time to mobility. If you’re a runner in Boston, I highly recommend Cara Gilman’s yoga classes. She’s a runner herself and I found the majority of her classes to be designed with running in mind–so clutch!

This 10-minute video I put together will stretch the general areas that are typically tight and overworked if you run frequently. That being said, everyone’s muscle imbalances are different, so this routine is far from comprehensive. I think of it as a compilation of the stretches I personally make sure to do when I don’t feel like stretching. Ughhh I just want to be done with this workout, but I’ll take 10 minutes to hit the necessities. I’m not a yoga instructor, so while there’s a little bit of flow from one stretch to another, the focus is on the static holds.

Ideally, foam roll before doing these static stretches.

We’ll stay on each stretch for about 30 seconds. If you want to hold them longer and take your time moving through them, check out the pictorial below and go through the stretches on your own.

In the video we do a bit of flowing from one stretch to the other. I’m not a yoga instructor (by any means haha)–it’s more just to create smooth transitions from one stretch to the next. I’m also a big fan of adding in a little active stretching after the 30-second static hold. If it feels good to sway a little bit in forward fold, go for it! If it feels good to lift and lower the back knee in kneeling hip flexor stretch (we’ll do this in the video), do it!

WEARING | tank c/o Puppies Make Me Happy // leggings c/o Cory Vines (<– I love these, they have grips on the bottom of the foot stirrup!)

Big thanks to Watermark Seaport for having me–I had a wonderful mini staycation! You can check their site out HERE and their Instagram HERE.

Runners–what are some of your favorite stretches to do after a run? Leave a comment!

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Watermark Seaport. While I was compensated for my time, all opinions–as always!–are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands that make this blog possible! 🙂

Filed Under: Boston, Lifestyle, Running, Stretching, Workouts

Palm Springs Bachelorette Party Weekend

May 10, 2016 by Nicole 4 Comments

Before we get to Palm Springs, a Stitch Fix update! I ended up keeping the white blouse with the black lace on the back. Then completely regretting it and wishing I’d kept the off-the-shoulder blue dress haha. Oh well. Thank you all for your feedback! It was fun reading what everyone had to say. 🙂

OK, on to Palm Springs.

Palm Springs Bachelorette Party Weekend

This past weekend was an absolute blast! If you or any of your friends are considering doing a weekend in Palm Springs for a bachelorette or girls’ trip, I’d definitely recommend it. I thought it was the perfect mix of relaxation and partying. The town is a picturesque oasis surrounded by mountains with a laid-back vacation vibe. Because we were there the weekend after Coachella and Stagecoach, it was particularly quiet–I’d imagine it’s a little rowdier during the festivals.

We stayed in a house we found on Airbnb and it was PERFECT (this is the listing if you’re interested in booking). In fact I think it was designed and decorated specifically with bachelorette parties in mind. It had three bedrooms plus a pullout couch and air mattress; newly updated kitchen; open living and dining areas; and a big outdoor space including covered patio, pool and grilling area. And THE DECOR. It is painfully millennial of me to describe a home as “Instagram-worthy” but … seriously the entire house was like a blogger’s dream come true (minus the luggage strewn everywhere which I probably should have moved before snapping pics).

I love Airbnb because it typically ends up being cheaper than a hotel. I think we each only paid $130 for the entire weekend–not bad at all! As a side note, if you have never used Airbnb, you can get $20 off your first booking with THIS LINK (it’s a referral link, so I’d get a credit, too FYI).

I flew into LA on Thursday, spent the day exploring Santa Monica and Venice, and the night hanging out with a friend of mine from the Vineyard. On Friday I met up with the bachelorette and another friend to drive out to Palm Springs. Have you guys heard of Turo? I hadn’t, but it’s like Airbnb for cars and ended up being significantly cheaper than traditional car rental services. Along the drive, we made the necessary Cabazon Dinosaurs pitstop to snag a pic. 🙂

We were HANGRY when we arrived in Palm Springs, so after quickly dropping our bags off at the house, we headed out for a late lunch. We opted for Mexican food at El Mirasol at Los Arboles Hotel. As happens 120% of the time I go out for Mexican food on the brink of starvation, I ended up eating so much of the free chips & salsa with guac that I was too full to even order an entree. #FAIL. But the spinach enchiladas some of the other girls ordered looked delicious.

After eating we did a grocery run to stock the house with snacks and alcohol and then headed to our place to hang out by the pool. It was the first time all my college friends have been in the same place at the same time since graduation (we all live in different cities) and it was so amazing to be together!

Friday night was intentionally low-key (the ability to drink two nights in a row has steadily declined since the age of 25 haha), but we did venture to the Ace Hotel for a couple beers and music. The Ace has a reputation as being super trendy and cool so we were a little surprised at how quiet the scene was for a Friday, but we still had fun.

We spent all day Saturday hanging out by our pool. Flash tattoos were applied, flower crowns were assembled, rosé was sipped and Beyonce was played on repeat. Basically it was like a slumber party for twenty-somethings and it was amazing.

That evening was the big night out. We had dinner reservations at Workshop (highly recommend!) and went with a prix fixe menu because of our large group size. The atmosphere, food and cocktails were all on point. After that we went dancing at The Copa Room followed by gambling at a nearby casino which was a random last-minute decision. I typically hate gambling, but for some reason I felt compelled to try my hand at Blackjack and won $100! Holler!

Sunday morning … well, let’s just say I’ve definitely felt better haha. We made breakfast and hung at the house for a while and then it was time to drive back to LA. We made one final stop in Palm Springs for sushi at Gyoro Gyoro Izakaya Japonaise. They have a big outdoor seating area and the poke bowl was delicious, but the service was awful. Just a heads up if you’re planning on heading there!

I had a redeye flight home to Boston that got me in around 5:45 AM yesterday. I’m still feeling a little jet-lagged, but after an awesome boxing class this morning I think I’m starting to come back to life.

Have you been to Palm Springs? What are some of your favorite spots there?

Disclosure: Links to Trip Advisor are affiliate.

Filed Under: Lifestyle, Travel