Workout Leggings I Wear on Heavy Rotation (+Laundry Detergent Made Specifically for Them)

This post is sponsored by HEX Performance. All opinions–as always!–are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands who make this blog possible.

The amount of workout leggings I own is admittedly excessive. Yes, they are my work uniform, but still–no one needs this many pairs of leggings. And let’s be real. No matter how much of an article of clothing you own, you’ll still have your handful of favorites that you’ll wear over and over on heavy rotation while the rest of your wardrobe collects dust. I recently went on a Goodwill spree and successfully donated about half my activewear wardrobe but still could do some paring down. I’m guilty of doing the whole I haven’t worn these metallic Pokemon-patterned leggings since I bought them but OMG what if a local fitness studio has a Snorlax themed class, they’d be perfect, I MUST keep them.

Yes, Nicole. You must

Amidst the many options, there are a handful of leggings that I wear on heavy rotation (in no particular order):

  • Lululemon – Wunder Under Stirrup Yoga Leggings ($118) | These are the ones pictured above. They’re available in all black on their site but the two-tone I have is old. I actually found mine on Amazon and they’re still available there in a size 4.
  • Booty By Brabants – Bom Bom with Black Mesh ($80) | I have several pairs of BBB leggings because they’re so comfortable and flattering, but I think the black with mesh are my favorite because they have a higher waist than the originals. There are also now new BBB fabrics (the “croco skin” leggings) that are more opaque and a bit thicker, which I can’t wait to try out.
  • Michi – Shadow Leggings ($179) | I’m obsessed with Michi leggings, but they’re expensive and I was given mine for free so I always feel like a jerk recommending them. That being said, if you’re balling without a budget, give the brand a try. I also have an all-black pair that are old but this design is similar ($180).
  • Lululemon – Wunder Under Hi Rise Tech Mesh ($118) | I got these Lulus years ago and they’ve held up perfectly over the years. High waist, supportive material, and the most fun mesh pattern. They’re recently back in stock by popular demand.
  • Alo – Goddess Leggings ($98) | The palm springs print pictured below isn’t available anymore (I found mind in Alo’s Amazon store) but these white/gray ones are similar. My only wish is that the waist was a smidge higher so my next pair of Alo leggings will be these High Waisted Moto Legging ($114).

I recently got the chance to try out HEX Performance Laundry Detergent, which was made specifically with athletic wear in mind. While other detergents use heavy fragrances to mask odors, HEX detergent is designed to clean performance synthetic fabrics without the use of these heavy fragrances. It also has a non-allergenic molecule that helps to proactively prevent future stink and stains.

HEX Performance is also eco-friendly, which is a massive plus for me. It has a biodegradable formula and the packaging leaves a much smaller carbon footprint as they stay away from plastic bottles.

My laundry loads are 98% workout clothes, but it was actually Joe I had in mind when Hex Performance reached out to me. YOU GUYS. The smell. We’ve been living together for almost three years now and it still shocks me that an article of clothing can smell that rank after one workout. If he leaves his workout clothes on the bathroom floor and I so much as gingerly pick them up and put them in the hamper, I’ll have to wash my hands because they’ll stink. And if I accidentally put normal clothes in the washer with his workout clothes, they’ll have a faint odor to them even after going through a wash cycle. (Joe recently told me he wants to be on the blog more often and I don’t think this is what he had in mind LOL.) 

HEX Performance Advanced Laundry Detergent comes in a Fresh Clean scent (that’s the one I tried) and Free + Clear. As the name implies, the fresh clean detergent leaves clothes smelling fresh, but I found it to be a very light fragrance–not overpowering at all. I was surprised by how water-like the detergent is. Because they don’t use dyes or fillers, it pours from the bag clear. It also comes in single-dose packaging. 

In addition to removing odors as it cleans, HEX Performance detergent is also made to help prevent future odors. Even a slight improvement in the state of Joe’s workout clothing would be uh-mazing, so I’m excited to continue using it!

What are you most loved/worn pair of workout leggings? 

Hope everyone has a wonderful long weekend!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of HEX Performance. The opinions and text are all mine.

5 Random Thoughts II

This was a fun conversation-starter post back in December so I’ve decided to do another round of Five Random Thoughts. If you guys like the weirdness, maybe I’ll make this a monthly occurrence on the blog?

How does Kylie Jenner live a fully functional life with those fingernails?!

I recently let my nails get super long. At first it was a byproduct of laziness but then I had a big event right around the corner so I figured I’d just keep them long so I could rock a next-level manicure at Boston Winter Ball. IT WAS DEBILITATING.

Typing? Forget about it. You can’t hit a key without also hitting every other motherfucking key around it. My backspace button literally has a hole in it now from overuse. The only option for getting around this handicap is to type with the tip of the fingernails. To do this, you have to meerkat your hand position (yes, I’m using meerkat as a verb, and yes I’ve provided a picture for visual reference) and then locate your nearest pair of earplugs because it will sound like said meerkat is noisily tap dancing on your keyboard. Everyone around you will hate you. 

And don’t even get me started on the safety hazard of putting in my contacts each morning. I felt like Edward Scissorhands trying to coax the lenses out of the case with the fleshy part of the side of my pinky finger so as not to slice them in half and then fourteen hours later when I actually got the damn thing on my finger I’d say the Lord’s prayer as I brought it to my eyeball precariously balanced next to my Wolverine claws.

Yet Kylie Jenner’s acrylic nails are never less than four inches long. How. Does. She. Live.

I have never spelled “amateur” correctly on my first try.

Sometimes I butcher it so badly that spellcheck doesn’t even have a suggestion for me. It’s just like “sorry, girl, you’re hopeless.” Granted I’m a fairly poor speller in general, but “amateur” is just particularly impossible. My nephews (well, technically Joe’s nephews but whatever I like to pretend because I’m creepy like that) are 8 and 9 years old and they said that spelling isn’t really even taught or emphasized in school anymore because of computers, which I actually love. (Says the girl who can’t spell to save her life.) Amateur, amature, amachure, amateure–instead of correcting me how about congratulating me on my highly developed level of creativity?!

I think I like editing outtakes better than my actual videos.

Every couple months, I go through my computer deleting pictures/videos I don’t need and transferring the rest to an external hard drive to free up space. While sorting through all the raw video footage I’ve amassed since venturing into the world of YouTube, I decided to put together a quick outtake/blooper reel for the channel.

Waaaay more fun than editing the actual workout videos haha. This one is more cutesy than funny, but if my YouTube subscribers seem to like it then maybe I’ll do another with all the meltdowns and f-bombs. 😉

VH1 peaked in 2008.

Am I aging myself with this one? I think as far as reality tv goes, Bravo is really having a moment, but humor me and reminisce (<–another word I never spell correctly) on VH1’s programming from like 2006-2009. Straight fire. You had Rock of Love–and what’s not to love about Brett Michaels mispronouncing “diabetes” 700 times an episode?! Then there was Flavor of Love which birthed I Love New York, and God bless Tiffany “New York” Pollard for showing us all that clear bra straps are not, in fact, invisible.  

For the record, New York is one of my top five reality tv starts of all time and I will fight you on that if you disagree. She’s a national treasure, dammit.

And then as if those three shows weren’t glorious enough, they combined the best of the best from them into Charm School and I Love Money. I mean the spinoffs were endless and my college years were better for it.

I think I’m finally ready to embrace Instagram stories.

When IG stories first came out, I was annoyed and adamantly Team Snapchat. How dare you, Insta! I think we can all agree that while imitation may be the most sincerest form of flattery, it’s also the most annoying. And who has time for two Snapchats? I can barely remember to update one. I’ve been refusing to use Insta stories for months but the numbers don’t lie. Snap views are way down, Insta views are way up, and from a business standpoint, I really should focus on IG stories. NoooOOOoooOOoOo. I remember when emojis first came out, I thought they were the dumbest things ever. Now I feel like I can’t fully express myself without them. So hopefully IG stories is the same way and a month from now I’ll be obsessed. TBD.

Wow did we all just get a little bit dumber reading this blog post? Perhaps.

IG Stories vs SnapChat–which team are you?

Favorite VH1 reality tv star from the glory days?

Long fingernails: yay or hell to the nay?

What word/s can you not spell to save your life?

You Can Help End Nutritional Poverty

When you sign up for the MegaPledge, MegaFood will donate a bottle of their whole food-based multi vitamins to someone in need. In addition, you'll get a coupon for $5 off a bottle of your own AND you'll be entered to win a kickass wellness retreat.This post is sponsored by MegaFood. All opinions–as always!–are my own. I appreciate your support of the brands that make this blog possible. 🙂

Throughout my partnership with MegaFood, I’ve talked a lot about the quality of their whole-food vitamins and supplements. But the product is just one reason–albeit a big one!–of the many I feel so passionately about working with this brand. MegaFood’s mission is simple, yet huge: to improve lives. Last year they partnered with three New England retailers to establish community gardens in areas that lacked access to healthy food, and this year they’re taking it a step further with the MegaPledge.

For every pledge made, MegaFood will donate 1 bottle of Multis (up to 20,000) to someone in need. They’ll also make a donation to Wholesome Wave equivalent to two servings of fresh fruits and veggies for someone living with limited access to nutritious food.

Sounds great, right? Let’s back it up a bit so you can fully appreciate how awesome this initiative is (for those in need and you) … When you sign up for the MegaPledge, MegaFood will donate a bottle of their whole food-based multi vitamins to someone in need. In addition, you'll get a coupon for $5 off a bottle of your own AND you'll be entered to win a kickass wellness retreat.

Findings reported in July 2015 by the Center for Disease Control show that, in general, Americans do not consume enough of the right foods to get all the essential nutrients needed to maintain optimal health. Even someone who shops at Whole Foods, eats vegetables with every meal and visits their local farmer’s market on the weekends could have nutritional deficiencies, so it doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to understand how beneficial a multivitamin could be to someone lacking the resources to access quality food. I think it’s important to acknowledge that, to a certain extent, eating a nutritionally dense diet is a privilege not afforded to all.

Yes, it is possible to eat healthy on a tight budget. But if you live in an affluent area with lots of dining and health store options; make a comfortable living financially; and have access to information on what it means to eat healthy in the first place (education is so important!), you’ve sure as hell got an easier go at it. I remind myself all the time to be grateful for having the means to make food choices based on what I want and is best for my body, rather than on budget. (Although my bank statement would argue that I probably should consider budget more often–good lord do I need to chill out on the Sweetgreen and Dig Inn!)

Wholesome Wave is a non-profit dedicated to making fresh fruits and vegetables available to everyone regardless of income, and shares MegaFood’s vision of curing nutritional poverty. That’s where the MegaPledge comes in!

How to Get Involved

  1. Pledge to fill the nutritional gap in your diet by taking a MegaFood Multi. You can make your pledge HERE.
  2. In return, the first 20,000 pledgers will receive a $5 coupon to use on any of MegaFood’s multivitamins and will be entered to win a year’s supply of multis as well as an amazing wellness getaway (ummm yes, please!).
  3. For every pledge (up to 20,000), MegaFood will donate one bottle of Multis and make a donation to Wholesome Wave equivalent to two servings of fresh fruits and veggies for those in need.

So obviously a year’s supply of vitamins and a wellness getaway are kickass prizes, but guys. Seriously take advantage of that $5 coupon! The quality of MegaFood’s line of products is next level. The supplements are made from whole foods, which MegaFood gets fresh from authentic farmers like Uncle Matt’s Farm and Foxy Organic. Each year they buy more than a half million pounds of produce from these farms–say whaaaaa. It then takes over 236 hours for each batch of supplements to be made because it’s a slow process that optimizes nutrient content. With this exceptional quality, comes a little extra cost. MegaFood will never be the cheapest option on the shelf, but it’s worth it–especially armed with your $5 coupon! 🙂 When you sign up for the MegaPledge, MegaFood will donate a bottle of their whole food-based multi vitamins to someone in need. In addition, you'll get a coupon for $5 off a bottle of your own AND you'll be entered to win a kickass wellness retreat.

Head on over to MegaFood to make your pledge. As simple as that you’ll be helping to get a bottle of multis and fresh fruits and vegetables in the hands of someone in need. I’m excited to be a part of this initiative and hope you all will join me!