What's in my gym bag

I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a little crazy to say the least. We have all shifted life to accommodate our individual circumstances which means everyones day to day looks a little different. Welcome to my new normal! I went from teaching spin and having an unlimited yoga membership to being at home with my dogs where my fitness routine looks a lot different.

Thank you so much to shortyLOVE for sponsoring this post! These bags were created by the boss babe who was previously the design director for Marc Jacobs and she named her brand after her dog (a woman who speaks my language!).

In the spirit of normalcy let’s talk about what’s in my gym bag! First off, my gorgeous gym bag is from shortyLOVE and it’s the Boxer in black. It holds ALL of my gym essentials and I store all of my go-to’s in it even while at home. The bag converts from a backpack to a shoulder bag (see below) so you can wear it how you want! I’m going to walk you through how I use it when life is a little more normal so you know how I use it to it’s maximum awesome capacity.

Use code MAE10 to receive $10 off your first order.

Let’s start at the bottom where you’ll find a large zipper compartment for my shoes. This compartment is spacious and depending on how big your shoes are, you could probably fit more than just shoes - I recommend throwing your dirty clothes in here as well (once we are back to the gym of course)!

The side zipper holds my laptop, the two side pockets hold water bottles, and the middle front zipper is perfect for easy access to my phone. Moving on to the spacious interior! The main compartment is massive and holds my clean clothes, hairbrush, shower spray, and whatever else I’m carrying with me. The inside is also complete with an interior zipper pocket, interior red pockets (another place for phone/wallet), and a GREAT pop out bag where I keep things like headphones, deodorant, gum, extra mic covers, snacks, headache medicine, and iPhone dongle. I love this because in other bags, my essential smaller bag always gets buried in the bottom so I LOVE that this pops in the top.

If you’re into this shortyLOVE Boxer, I also recommend checking out the other bags they make:

The Wonder comes in camo (pictured), black and navy. For me, this bag is perfect for yoga when I don’t have extra shoes, but I still need enough space to carry my towel, waterbottle, and essentials.

The Amuse is a crossbody or top handle bag and also comes in camo, black, and navy. This is the perfect purse size which means it gets used for EVERYTHING.

Lastly is the Shorthand which is my choice for walking the dogs. It’s perfect when I want to be handsfree when all I need is my phone and some treats!

What are your must have gym essentials? Let me know below! 

Check out the full shortyLOVE collection here! Use code MAE10 to receive $10 off your first order.

How to Incorporate Gratitude in to Your Daily Life

“Happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” ― Frederick Koenig.

Let’s talk about practicing gratitude. Maybe you’re familiar with it or maybe this is the first time you’ve really read about it.  In a nutshell, practicing gratitude requires you to express deep appreciation and acknowledge the positive things around you. Although something you should still do, this is more than saying thank you to someone for doing something nice. This is taking a few moments a day to really recognize the great things, big or small, in your life. Studies have shown that people who consistently express gratitude are happier, less depressed, more optimistic, sleep better, and have stronger relationships. 

Intrigued? It gets even better because multiple scientific studies have proven these benefits. In 2017 Berkely University completed a study with 300 people who were currently seeking mental health counseling for depression or anxiety. Group one wrote a letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks (but they didn’t have to send it), group two wrote emotionally about negative experiences, and group three did not do a writing activity. The group who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health four weeks after the exercise and even better results twelve weeks later than those who didn’t. What is even more fascinating is the fMRI scan conducted which revealed that the gratitude letter group demonstrated greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex when experiencing gratitude than the other groups three months later!

So, how can we practice gratitude? There are various avenues you can take that range from simple and short to creative and tangible. I’ve listed a few below:

• Let’s start with the one we already know, gratitude letters to specific people. We read above that these can make a massive impact by writing one a week and the choice is yours whether you send it or not. 

• Keep a gratitude journal that you write in every day. I always suggest at least three new things a day, but even one entry is better than nothing. These entries can be as simple as a bullet point list or you can let the pen fly!

• Create a gratitude jar. This one is great for kids since they can decorate the jar however they want, but I’m all for adults doing it too! Each day write down on slips of paper what you’re grateful for and watch the jar fill up. If you’re ever feeling down you can grab a few out and remind yourself of all the great things, people, and experiences in your life. 

• Gratitude app. If pen and paper aren’t your thing, there are some great apps out there. Seriously, just type in “gratitude” in the search bar of your app store and you’ll find plenty to choose from. A few features I like about using an app is the ability to add photos to my bullet lists, push notifications reminding to put in an entry, and the ability to add a passcode to keep it personal. 

Do you think you’ll add a gratitude practice to your life? If not, what’s stopping you? I truly believe (and science agrees) that it will only bring greatness to your life. Just as you take care of your body, you also need to take care of your mind. 

I’ve also put an Instagram story template below. Please feel free to use it to help spread the habit of gratitude to others. <3

Snowboarding at Beech Mountain

In early February, I drove from Atlanta to visit Beech Mountain, North Carolina and the Beech Mountain Ski Resort with Zach and six of our friends. Based on my experience, I’m going to give you a few tips for food, lodging, your first time on the slopes, and how to dress accordingly. Spoiler alert, we had an incredible trip.

Lodging
There are plenty of places to stay and several options to choose from : Bed and Breakfasts, hotels, property rentals, and so on. We used Beech Mountain Realty and Rentals and stayed in a dog-friendly house a little over a mile away from the resort. Regardless of how you book, if your main itinerary is to ski/snowboard, I would recommend you stay in a place that has walkable slope access. Our friends did this and we ended up using their house as home base because it was ridiculously easy to get to and from the slopes. In total, it was about a 45 second walk from the slopes to their house. This allowed for everyone in our group the ability to stop for a break, eat, etc on their own time without having to gather the whole crew to get in a car and coordinate leaving and coming back. If you take one piece of advice let it be this: stay slope side, especially if you’re with a group.

Food
The mountain offers a decent amount of food options including pizza, Mexican food, BBQ, and so on. We did a mixture of eating out and cooking at the house, but I'll be honest I never found a breakfast place that I loved. I opted for eating at the house in the morning and grabbing straight espresso at the coffee shop located in the resort village - I think it was called Beech Mountain Cafe. If you need that caffeine kick, this is the only place that opens early and serves espresso drinks that I could find. Heads up though, they only make hot drinks (they literally don't have an ice machine) so if you're a year-round iced coffee lover you'll need to plan accordingly. However, if you are a late riser, I saw that Brick Oven Pizzeria has a coffee shop inside, but I asked and they don't open until 11am. Can you tell that finding strong coffee was very important to me?

Alright, on to lunch. So, if you're like me and want as much time on the slopes as possible, there is a cafeteria style place called The Lodge located at the resort that offers food and alcoholic beverages. It's your basic chicken tenders, fries, chips, burgers and such - but the convenience of just walking in with your big ole boots, covered in snow, and safely leaving your board/skis outside made it worth it. Also worth noting was Valle De Bravo which is a short drive from the resort and is where we stopped and ate as we left to go home. It was by far the most reasonably priced place so if you're on a budget (or not) and want some good Mexican food definitely hit this place up.

We only tried two places for dinner and I recommend them both. Brick Oven Pizzeria is a cool and casual little place that also has the previously mentioned coffee bar inside and a small arcade geared towards kids. The serving sizes are generous, the food is good, and they have PLENTY of desserts to pick from (I got a cookie the size of my face). Lastly, my favorite place of all was Beech Mountain Grille. It's considered casual upscale dining and the food is amazing. It's perfect for large groups, the service was spot on, and the menu was the most extensive that I found. These two places are only about a half mile from the resort and as I didn't do any night riding, it was nice to shower and go out to eat after a long day of snowboarding.

When it comes to alcohol there is no short supply at Beech Mountain Resort. They have a brewery in the resort village called Beech Mountain Brewing Company who put on cool events like "Girl Scout Cookie and Beer Pairing" nights and have live music. During the day you can take the ski lift to the very top and grab a drink from the 5506' Skybar, but you have to be able to ski down from the top so choose wisely.

Food from Beech Mountain Grille

Food from Brick Oven Pizzeria

Rentals
You can rent everything from snowboards, ski gear, boots, helmets (highly recommend), bibs (which are your waterproof pants and you will want these), waterproof jackets (also highly recommended), and lockers to store your stuff.

First time on the slopes?
Besides lift tickets and gear, I HIGHLY recommend lessons at Beech Mountain Resort. They offer lessons several times a day and keep the groups small. We each got personal attention and the guy who taught us was a really good instructor. I’ve been snowboarding once before and didn’t take a lesson which resulted in a full day of falling. Believe me when I say that a GOOD lesson makes a MASSIVE difference. I went from being terrible and having no coordination to snowboarding from the very top - all in one day! Total game-changer. I still suck at getting off the lift, but hey, can't have it all.

Clothing
Proper clothing is arguably one of the most important things that you need to have on the slopes. In my opinion, it can make or break your experience because if you're cold and wet you're probably not going to have the most enjoyable time.

At the very least, you need:
- waterproof bibs or pants
- a waterproof jacket
- waterproof gloves
- tall warm socks
- ski goggles
- a moisture wicking base layer

Depending on how cold it is, you'll want to add layers such as:
- a beanie or warm headband that covers your ears
- scarf, neck gaiter or balaclava
- glove liners to make your fingers even warmer
- another jacket or sweater
- leggings under your bibs

The first day I snowboarded it was 14 degrees and snowing. I wore a beanie under my helmet, goggles, an Under Armor long sleeve base layer, a lightweight insulated jacket, a waterproof snow jacket, a Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf (I forgot my Buff so opted for this and it worked great), Lululemon Fast and Free tights, waterproof snow bibs, thick knee high socks, snow boots, and waterproof gloves.

The temperature shot up by the third day and at the hottest point I was only in a casual sweater, bibs, socks, boots, helmet, and gloves. It made for quite the look. Oh, speaking of look. If you're wondering what people wear - literally anything goes. I saw people in t-shirts, crazy outfits, and even someone shirtless at one point. So dress in whatever makes you feel comfortable, but you know, keep it waterproof so you aren't soaking wet from falling in the snow.

Lastly, see the yellow ski suit in the top photo? Yeah, don't wear that. I found that places like ASOS will list items as "ski" but it's definitely all for the looks and isn't actually meant to be skied in. I would recommend sticking to trusted snow sports shops and always look for the word "waterproof." I've said it a bunch already, but trust me you don't want to be wet and cold - not worth it. Real ski jackets and pants/bibs are expensive, so if you can't afford to get your own just rent them from the resort, borrow from a friend, or buy second hand.

Tip: There is ski shop in the resort village. You can literally ski up to it, it's so close. They sell helmets, boards, goggles, skis, clothings, layers - you name it. I ended up grabbing my own helmet and an ear warmer headband.

Miscellaneous things worth noting
Although I didn't do these things so I can't elaborate on them, the resort does have ice skating and tubing at an extra cost; a terrain park if you're, you know, talented like that; and a children's nursery.

We had such a fun time that two of my friends, who were brand new to snowboarding, ended up buying their own boards! We will be back next year that’s for sure!

This trip was kindly gifted to me, but my experience and opinions are always my own. I take a lot of pride in only recommending places and products that I TRULY love.

Women inspiring women

A huge thanks to Athleta for sponsoring this post!

In a world that is rapidly changing - where we have so much at our fingertips - it’s still incredibly easy to stay in our own lane and never venture beyond what we currently know and do. The world is ours to explore yet sometimes some of us stay in our bubble. I 1000% can be that person, but just because I can be that person doesn’t mean I want to let it define me or become who I am all of the time. The first step is realizing it, right? Look, for whatever reason I can get on a podium in front of 60+ people to teach and motivate a class, but somewhere along the way in the last two years I’ve found hesitation in doing something outside of spin and yoga. I decided it was time to shake things up a bit so I asked my friend Jen for a little help. Look, if I was going to leave my cozy bubble, I needed a little hand holding, OK?

Before I explain what I did, let me paint you a little photo here. Jen is a BADASS. Like, four-stripe blue belt in Brazilian Jujitsu, vegan, incredibleeee cook, super positive, calming energy, shows up when you need her, most organized person I know, and an amazing friend to everyone - like, when I think about the kind of person I want to be I’m just naming qualities of Jen. We have talked about her coming to one of my classes and me coming to a class with her for months, but it just never happened. Finally, I just sent her a text and we set it all up. At this point I know NOTHING about MMA, the gym she goes to, where to start, what to bring, etc. In fact I only know two people who even practice Jujitsu - Jen and my friend Anna. I’ve always thought how cool it was, but from a distance, like a farrrr distance on Instagram, and here I was about to put myself out there and try it.

Thursday rolls around and I’ve now committed to taking an intro Jujitsu class at Creighton MMA & Fitness Academy. Was I excited? Yes. Was I nervous? ABSOLUTELY. I made such a big deal out of it in my head it was all I could think about the entire day. To some people trying a new workout class is totally normal! Why was I so freaked out? I don’t know, maybe because I was about to wrestle on the floor with someone else! Literally, I got so nervous on my way there that I knew if Jen wasn’t waiting on me I would totally bail. Once I got there the guys at the front walked me through everything and were SO nice. The gym is broken up into three sections - the lobby, an area for group fitness classes, and a huge mat area. I put my bag in the girls locker room, took off my shoes and walked out to the mat area where class would be. Although everyone else in class were beginners (except Jen because she asked to stay with me - thank God lol), I believe I was the only brand new person. We started off with a few warm ups going up and down the mat and moved straight into learning three moves. This class was LEGIT you guys. I literally learned how to flip someone off of me and a rear choke hold!!! We did more than that, but those were the two that really BLEW MY MIND. I was so excited and proud of myself after class, plus I learned something completely new to me! A few of us jumped into the Total Body Fitness class afterwards and then I hung out and watched Jen in her advanced class for a little bit. Right as I was about to leave, a girl that was in my intro class came up and introduced herself to me. I asked her how she found out about Creighton (thinking she also came with a friend) and she said, “Google.” Come to find out she comes by herself and has for a few classes now - so brave!

I literally came inspired by someone and I left inspired by someone. Never under estimated the impact you have on people! You never know how much you’re helping them by just being YOU!

Again, a huge thanks to Jen for just being herself! Her badassery on Instagram led me to want to try Jujitsu, her encouragement made me actually pick a time/day, her kindness in taking class with me made me less anxious, and her patience in helping me take all of these photos allowed me to share my story with others!

*Also, thank you for only accidentally hitting me in the face once. 🤣

P.S. here is an outtake when we couldn’t stop laughing (who knows why) when we were trying to re-create our sweet jujitsu moves, hehe.

Shop our Athleta looks here:

https://cur.lt/2LDHo6m

Working out while in Cancun

Working out while on vacation is important to do, yet sometimes we neglect it. Do you have to go all out? Absolutely not, but getting in a good sweat will boost your mood, give you some time to yourself, and keep you on track. Plus it helps if you’re like me and you eat every delicious thing in sight :P

Zach and I visited Cancun last week and we stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun. This isn’t the first time I’ve been to an all-inclusive, but it’s hands down the best one I’ve been to. Although I’m going to touch a lot on their fitness offerings, this is NOT a fitness resort. It’s a luxury resort that just so happens to offer everything you need.

THURSDAY EVENING - ARRIVING AND DINNER

We arrived on a Thursday night just in time for sunset. We shuttled from the airport to the resort with their service called Nexus. When you pull up you’re greeted with a non-alcoholic drink, your bags are taken, and you’re walked to the check-in room. From the moment you walk-in until the moment you leave they have exceptional service. There is only one person that I didn’t care for the entire trip, but one bad egg didn’t effect or discount the SEVERAL other people we had the pleasure of experiencing. We stayed under Diamond Club status which meant a little more privacy and other add-ons. Check this link to see what all it includes.

Once we checked in, we were taken to our gorgeous room that included free snacks and drinks in the fridge, a balcony that looked over the beach and pool area, a shower, jacuzzi bathtub, and two very comfortable beds. You are given a bracelet that serves as your room key, FYI - SUPER convenient. We quickly settled and went down for dinner at Agave for some Mexican cuisine - this is one of the 9 restaurants they have on the property. I highly recommend sitting outside at night because we had perfect access to the Pop show that was happening by the pool area. It was literally dinner and a show. Also, the shows they have are LEGIT. It’s not some cheesy, half attempt. It’s full blown costumes, lights, fog machine, etc. After dinner we walked around the different parts of the resort. It has four sections- kids, main, diamond, and hideaway. That evening the hideaway section, which is only for adults, was having a chocolate party. It featured a half-dressed man and woman covered in gold paint in front of a large chocolate display. As a chocolate loving woman - I WAS OBSESSED. After that we turned in for bed since we had an early start the next morning.

FRIDAY - YOGA, AQUA FIT, + TRX

The following morning we woke up for sunrise yoga. It was outside the main pool area and was a relaxing way to start the day. We ate breakfast at the GIANT buffet they have called Gourmet Marche. It features ALL kinds of food - including vegan and gluten-free options. After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and the main pool was having Aqua Fit. This was led by Isis who was also our instructor for yoga and taught all of the classes we took that weekend. SHE IS AWESOME. Anyways, back to Aqua Fit. It’s done in the pool and you’re given these gloves to wear. It’s low impact and all done to the beat of the music. You get wet, get in a workout and laugh because it’s totally unusual and fun at the same time. We grabbed lunch at Gourmet Marche again, took some photos, relaxed on the beach, and headed to TRX. So, here is the deal, I had never done TRX before and out of all of the workouts I did, this was the most challenging for me. TRX class is held in the upstairs part of the gym with is through the spa area and into a two-story gym that also features an outside area full of tennis courts - it’s insane. After a much needed showered we had dinner at ZEN for some Japanese cuisine. They were incredibly accommodating as we had a few vegans and a gluten allergy in our party. The chef took his skills to the next level and created a very fancy and special dish for these people. If you have special dietary needs you know that most people give you a sad excuse for options or have no clue how to even accommodate you. We were blown away with their service and culinary skills! Because we had done three exercises that day I could barely stay awake and called it a night. However, I sadly missed the silent disco that I heard was SO fun. So next time I need to make sure I leave some party energy in me, lol. I ended the night by ordering Saturdays breakfast from my TV.

This is the special vegan curry dish the chef made look like an egg. It was apart of Zach’s three-course meal.

SATURDAY - BREAKFAST IN BED, KICKBOXING + STRETCH PILATES

After a busy Friday we woke up to room service on Saturday morning. We ate and had coffee together on our balcony while the sun came up and heard waves crashing the whole time - it was so peaceful. We took our time and chilled out until it was time for kickboxing class. Again, this class was held in the upstairs of the gym. It was so much fun but wore us out so we spent the afternoon chilling in a bed on the beach with cocktails brought to us. THE LIFE, lol. After some much needed recovery and lunch at Gourmet Marche, we headed to a stretch pilates class. It was a slower paced stretch class with a little small challenges here and there - perfect speed for a relaxing Saturday. We freshened up and ate at TAJ for some Indian cuisine. After dinner we passed by the stage for some unexpected live music and dancing. I swear, there is ALWAYS a party happening somewhere. We hung out with some new friends while they played giant chess until it was time to head to bed. Other people went out to continue on partying and a few of them won $1,000 that night at the casino - so crazy!

SUNDAY - BOGA BOOTCAMP, SUNSET YOGA, + FAREWELL DINNER

Sadly Sunday was our last full day so we woke up to have coffee on the balcony, eat breakfast, and head to Boga Bootcamp. This was the one class I was unsure of leading up to it. I was like, “what the heck is Boga Bootcamp?” Turns out it’s a workout on a special “Boga” board done in the pool. The board is huge and features straps and bands and you legit do a workout on it. Several people fell of course, including myself, which just made it more challenging and fun. It is top of my list of favorite workouts though. So unusual and not sure if I’ll ever find a class like it again. After that we went to the roof to take some photos, ate lunch, walked past a raging pool party (I clearly missed all of the partying some how), and enjoyed our last day on the beach. We always sat in the adult area which was so peaceful and always included a drink and towel service - so fancy. We ended our last amazing day by doing yoga on the beach at sunset. It was a challenging class and the wind was kicking so it made for quite the balance struggle. After yoga we headed back to dinner at ZEN - this time for their dinner hibachi show upstairs. They were just as amazing this time as they were the first time we went. Zach and I headed back early to pack as we had to be up at 3:30a! We did facemasks, and had a sing-a-long to the famous Royalton jingle that they play on your TV, lol. It was an amazing trip and I can’t recommend the Royalton Riviera Cancun resort enough. I hope we go back soon and if you have any questions please let me know.

Also, if you’re more of a visual person, I have an Instagram highlight for our trip that you can see called “Cancun.” My IG handle is @MaeElizabethG

The Power of Limitless Potential

Huge thanks to Athleta for working with me again, sponsoring this post, and empowering me to share my #PowerOfShe story. 

As a child I never considered myself to be much of an athlete. I played organized sports from a young age because my friends did, but it was a social hour more than anything else. I always liked soccer, cheer, and basketball but I didn't really care if I was the best. I thought getting winded meant that it was time to be benched and for someone else to go in. No one ever taught me the concept of pushing through in order to get stronger, or at least it never clicked for me. 

Then came freshman year in high school. We had a week of soccer try-outs to make either the Freshman, JV, or Varsity team. I showed up every day and at least tried my best. At times it sucked, I wanted to skip practice, I hated running for long periods of time, and how I managed multiple "heading drills" still baffles me. My near breaking point was when we had to run with the Varsity girls. The fact that those girls can sprint from the back of the line all the way to the front while singing a song literally almost killed me. But, I stuck it out, and because I showed up and tried, I made the JV team. Man, was I OVER THE MOON that I made JV! That meant I was good enough to skip the Freshman team.. as a Freshman AND I was part of the starting line up! All because I tried rather than shoving myself into the "not good enough" box. I felt SO cool in my warmups on game day and I still have my sweatshirt to this day!

I know that this experience is why I'm so empathetic to new riders at Flywheel and it's why I was all about sharing my journey when I used to race bikes. All I want to do is show people that they CAN. You don't belong in the "not good enough" box. You are capable of the things you want to try, you can achieve more than you give yourself credit for, and you deserve to give yourself the chance. 

If you're interested in any of the incredible soft items that I'm wearing, I have linked them below in order of appearance:
Trophy Seamless Bralette
Stash Pocket Salutation Tight
Exhale Capri
Shala Dress

3 REASONS WHY I'M NOT YOUR AVERAGE FITNESS FANATIC

“I DON’T USE FITNESS TRACKERS”

Back when I was training to race outside, my Garmin was LIFE and if I didn't cross post my workout to Strava than I felt like it didn't even happen. I was obsessed with how far I had ridden, how many feet of elevation I had climbed and how many hours I had been in the saddle that week. One day I received a pretty nasty message from someone who had gone through and stalked out my race results, my workouts, etc. They used it as a personal attack to make me feel like I was undeserving of any sponsor I had earned and any recognition I had received. Clearly this person didn't follow my blogs on the Specialized website or actually take the time to read my Instagram posts because my entire journey was about starting from nothing, never claiming to be the best, but rather sharing the ups and downs with other people in hopes that they would get out there and try riding, too! Not too far after that incident I pretty much stopped posting my workouts. I went back and forth deciding if I stopped because I wanted to or if I stopped because someone made me feel bad about it. I didn't want to admit that someone actually got to me. Hate happens allllll of the time and most times you can let it go - sometimes you don't. Regardless of whether or not I stopped because of this person, I will say the silver lining is that when I did stop, I finally found balance in my life. The pressure was gone and I was finally working out for myself, not for the likes on Strava or to appease what I thought I "should" be doing. It's now been around a year and a half and I haven't looked back since. 

“I DON’T COUNT CALORIES OR MACROS”

Listen, I am a definite rare bird in this scenario. Most people will not relate to this, but if you do, know that you aren't alone. I fully appreciate that tracking food intake helps A LOT of people and to be totally honest, I WISH it had that effect on me. Unfortunately, every single time I've ever tried using an app to track my food it has the reverse outcome. Instead of eating better I end up only thinking about food, absolutely obsessing over it, and after awhile I lose my mind and binge eat...bad. By the end of it, I will have eaten WAY worse than if I had just went about my day eating what I wanted. After several tries of monitoring my food I had to accept that it just didn't work for me. I would rather be aware of what I'm putting in my body and try and make good choices rather than flipping a switch and completely losing control of myself. Again, most people I tell this to think I'm nuts, but if you're anything like me - I FEEL YOU. I will say, even though I don't use things like MyFitnessPal anymore, I did learn a lot about what I was eating when I was using it. I still think it's a great tool for a lot of people, just not me. 

“I EAT (admittedly) TOO MUCH JUNK FOOD BUT I’M NOT AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT IT”

Look, I grew up eating terribly. The only spinach I ever grew up eating came from a can and was cooked in a pot with loads of butter and salt. It's amazing I don't weigh at least 100 pounds more than I do and even more amazing I was able to get where I am now. However, sugar is still a massive addiction of mine. It's my HUGE personal battle, but rather than cutting it out 100% (probably not possible) or pretending that I eat salads on the daily, I use it as a means of balance. Now, do I eat 3-4 donuts for breakfast anymore? Absolutely not, but if I want one than I will have one. It took a lot of trial and error to find what works for me and a lot of feeling guilty that I wasn't the perfect health specimen. In the end I finally found that balance was king and my balance will not be the same as your balance. If you can cut sugar out than by all means you go Glen Coco, but for me, I'd rather have one donut than lose complete control of myself and end up eating that donut, plus a pie, plus fried food, plus literally whatever else I can find. IF the day comes where I decide I want to be shredded, I am fully aware that I will need to do some major adjustments, but until that day comes, I'll take my small daily food victories and accept that although I'm not perfect, I know that I've come a LONG way in my eating habits. 

I'd love to hear your journey with food. Did you grow up eating healthy? If not, how do you think that's influenced how you eat now?

Outfit by the amazing Largo Drive. Check out their blog post where I did an interview and talk about my journey in becoming a fitness instructor.
Interested in buying something from them? Use code MAE20 from now until November 11th to get 20% off all regularly priced items.

I'm wearing the Lanston Sport Slit Bra and the Lanston Sport Slit Leggings. 

Governors Island with Exploring Paths

Earlier this year a mentorship program based in NYC called Exploring Paths reached out to me. They provide their youth participants access to bikes, helmets, journals, one-on-one mentorship, and cycling activities around New York City. When I visited in January I gave a talk to the kids and a talk at an amazing fundraising event, but it was too cold to actually go on a ride with them. So when I was given the opportunity to come back this summer, I was excited to join in on their trip to Governors Island and spend two days with everyone!

We started the weekend off at the YMCA where snacks, water, food, and all of the cycling gear was provided to the kids and mentors. We headed out using paved pathways with plenty of support to ensure an extremely safe ride to the ferry. Once we boarded the ferry (with our bikes) we had a great view of the city and a nice cool breeze. We started riding to the urban farm, but not without stopping to go on the slides and take photos in front of the Statue of Liberty first. 

At the urban farm, called the Teaching Garden, we were taken on a tour of their vegetable beds, educated about their recycling program, fed goats, got close to the chickens, and played with worms. We ended the ride around Governors Island with a tasty snow cone before boarding the ferry. With colorful tongues and a full belly, we headed back into the sunshine and biked the streets of New York City where we ended at the YMCA. `

It makes my heart so happy to know this program exists and these kids are being exposed to an active lifestyle, nature, leadership, and fun. I'm very grateful to have met these kids and their mentors and I hope they never stop exploring paths! 

A huge thanks to Katherine Long for having me, Specialized for gifting the kids hats and shirts, and Oakley for gifting the kids sunglasses.