Most people love sports attire that is versatile, comfortable, and stylish. Perhaps that is why most active sportspeople opt for athleisure wear. An athleisure outfit is a style of clothing most commonly associated with athletes. It can also be worn on casual occasions, at school, or in the workplace. Variations of athleisure attire such as yoga pants, shorts, tights, and sneakers are quite fashionable, and that is why most people like wearing them.

Given the active lifestyle depicted in ads for athleisure attire, consumers have begun seeking out more athleisure wear options. The clothing also gains its popularity from its fabrics, styles, and colors, which perfectly combine functionality and style. These tips will guide you in choosing the athleisure outfit that is not only functional for working out but also stylish out of the gym.

Avoid Low-Rise Leggings

If you are an active sportsperson, you know workouts such as dance cardio, yoga, and other high-intensity intervals such as squat jumps and burpees are quite demanding. You won’t want to have outfits such as low-rise leggings that fall. Therefore, try high-rise leggings. They will give you a world of difference since they only hit the smallest part of your body. You will no longer worry about your pants sagging during your workout, and you will stay focused on your activity.

Go For Performance Fabric Instead of Cotton Leggings

Avoid cotton leggings as much as possible. They often trap heat and show sweat. This can prove to be quite irritating and embarrassing, as well. Instead, choose something a little more practical such as leggings made with high-performance technologies. These top-notch wearables not only protect your body from overheating but also ensure that your sweat never bleeds through.

Consider Athleisure Wear That Allows You to Work in Some High-End Pieces

Working in high-end sporty pieces such as handbags, sunglasses, and leather jackets could be a great way to elevate your outfit. You do not have to wear your athleisure outfit with super expensive items. However, if you have designer wear that makes you feel fashionable and on top of the game, you can always throw it on with your athleisure attire. This gives you the best opportunity to take a rather dull outfit a notch higher.

Go for Specific Types of Athleisure Wear

You can always mix sporty pieces of athleisure items to help you create a perfectly balanced look.  You will, however, need to follow seasonal active-wear trends when blending your athleisure pieces. Here are a few specific athleisure items you may find appropriate to add to your closet:

• Sneakers
• Tunic Tee
• Utility jacket
• Denim jacket
• Sweatshirt
• Joggers
• Hoodie
• Wool coat
• Puffer vest

You want to be sure you are in your best athleisure wear every time you leave your house for a workout or social event. Understanding these handy tips will not only help you in knowing what to pick from a store but will also guide you on the best way to blend your outfit. Nothing feels better than knowing you are wearing a stylish outfit.

I have been wanting to write an article about the tastiest protein powder for quite some time now. 

But first things first, I want to let you now that taking a protein powder is not a necessity if you have access and time to eat real food and if you are able to eat that much food in a day. 

If you lead an active lifestyle and workout on a regular basis, you know that protein plays an important part in muscle growth and recovery. There is certain amount of protein we need to take daily so our efforts don’t go to waste. For someone who is regularly training and working out, the amount of protein needed is about 0.8-1g of protein per 1 lbs of bodyweight ( desired body weight if you are trying to lose weight ). 

Knowing this you can calculate how much protein you need to consume daily. As much as I personally prefer only real food, I cannot consume that much food in a day, especially with the busy schedule I have now. Sometimes protein powder is my only option. 

I am always on the hunt for a very tasty protein shake. In the picture above I photographed 4 protein shakes I currently have in my house. Only two of them are tasty and only one of them has the desired amount of fat, sugar and vitamins I prefer in a protein shake. 

I’ve tried and tried and tried so many different brands of protein powders and protein bars, and honestly they all have a weird after taste or a weird undrinkable taste all together. 

I would like to share my real personal opinion about all of them.

Dymatize 100% Whey ( chocolate flavored )

• 140 calories per scoop
• 25 g of protein per scoop ( not bad, I usually take 2 scoops )
• 3g of fat
• 1g of sugar 
• 2 g of carbs

The taste: – disgusting, there is no other words to describe it. 

I purchased their vanilla flavored one before,  now I bought the chocolate one, in hope that it might be better than vanilla. I literally have to turn off my taste buds to be able to down it.  So, if you are looking for tasty, you can just keep on running, there is nothing to write home about here. 

Vega One ( Plant based, coconut almond flavored )

• 150 calories per scoop
• 20g of protein per scoop
• 5g of fat
• 8g of carbs
• 1g of sugar

The taste: – just like pea flour, if you’re into that kind of thing. 

If you are missing taste buds and enjoy having gas, this protein is for you. 

I am all about giving the vegan protein a try and I have tried a lot of them. Honestly, I have yet to find a really good tasting vegan protein. They all taste weird and I have to force my self to drink them, to my opinion this is not a way to live your life. If I can find a good tasting vegan protein that doesn’t give me stomach cramps, I will hands down choose only that, but so far they have all failed my taste test and this one included. 

Syntha – 6 ( strawberry flavored )

• 200 calories per scoop
• 22g of protein per scoop
• 6g of fat
• 15 g of carbs
• 3g of sugar 

The taste – delicious 

But, I always take at least 2 scoops, that means 12g of fat, 30g of carbs.

This one is absolutely delicious, but 12g of fat and 30g of carbs is way to much for me as far as protein powder is concerned. I never want to have that many carbs in a protein shake. I love carbs, I would rather have them in a sandwich. 

Lady Boss Lean ( vanilla cake flavored )

• 100 calories per scoop
• 15g of protein per scoop
• 1g of fat
• 4 g of sugar 

The taste – absolutely delicious

What I really love about this one is the amount of vitamins it has which to support immunity and digestive health. It has vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, B12, Folate, Iodine ( Japanese anti aging secret ) and so many more. Another nice addition is 80mcg of Biotin, which is great for the hair. It controls cravings ( if you are trying to lose weight, this definitely works ) Besides for the taste it has a lot of really nice additions and I love that. 

They advertise it the best tasking protein powder, and from my experience with all the protein shakes I’ve tried, this is definitely at the top. 

I personally want to enjoy my life and not just gobble protein shakes just for the protein sake, to me taste is very important, and thats why I am always looking for supplements that are tasty so I can nurture my temple and my taste buds. 

I think it’s such a fun things to do to buy a new dress for a special event, but it can also be difficult finding just the right one. I personally think that the key to finding that perfect dress is to know your body type and what in your opinion makes you stand own, something that highlight your favorite features and camouflages your least favorite features. I also believe we should wear things we ourself personally like no matter what the trend is or what is currently in style. Trendy does not always mean it looks good, so explore your own style and personal taste at all times.

Here are some dress types to look for and what their strong points are:

Apron Dresses

Apron dresses are so named because they resemble kitchen aprons. They are always sleeveless and often backless as well. Therefore, they are great when you want to display your back and shoulders. Apron dress lengths also vary. By selecting a certain length, you can achieve a specific look. For example, a longer apron dress is best for more formal occasions like weddings. Choose a shorter apron dress for informal occasions like going to dinner with friends. I think this type of dresses will look great on someone who is tall and has a very slender figure without a lot of curves.

Cape Dresses

A cape dress is exactly as it sounds. It is a dress with a cape. The cape can be integrated into the dress, giving it some extra flair and style. It can also be a detached accessory. Cape dresses come in many styles and silhouettes. The tight fit cape dresses will look great on someone with a slender waist but with curves everywhere else. You can choose any length of cape dress you want also. Formal cape dresses are traditionally longer. They can even be floor length.

Midi Dresses

These are one of my personal favorites, I believe they look very elegant. Midi dresses are not so much a style of dress as a specific length. Their hemlines are between the ankle and knee. Midi dresses are available in any style you like. You can select from form-fitting midi dresses, which can highlight your curves, or loose fitting midi dresses designed for comfort. A midi dress can suit you, regardless of your height. However, unless you are naturally tall, you may need to add some height to your look by wearing some heels.

Drop Waist Dresses

If you an apple shape figure, but very slender legs, drop waist dresses would be a perfect fit. Drop waist dresses have hip level waistlines. They often feature skirts that flare out a bit and have ruffles or pleats. For that reason, they can be reminiscent of dresses that were popular in the 1920s, but drop waist dresses are equally popular today. They can also make your torso look longer than it is, giving the appearance of extra height.

Fringe Dresses

I got to say, this style is definitely something you will never see me wearing LOL but some women absolutely love this style. Fringe dresses feature eye-catching fringe. It can cover the entire dress or accent the waist or hemline. In any case, a fringe dress is a clear attention grabber. It is best worn at special events such as dances or semi-formal parties. Fringe dresses attract enough attention on their own without too many accessories or a lot of makeup. That makes them ideal to wear when you do not want to spend a lot of time preparing to go out. I personally think this style only looks great on someone who is very tall and very slender, because fringe can add volume to your figure.

Strapless Dresses

Strapless dresses are primarily held in place by tight bodices or internal corsets. They are sleeveless and strapless. You should choose them when you want to show off your arms and shoulders. Short strapless dresses are ideal party wear. You can also wear them out on the town for drinks or dinner with friends. Longer strapless dresses or gowns can be quite formal, especially when they have extra features, such as lace.

Trapeze Dresses

Trapeze dresses are also known as tent dresses. That is because they drape over your body in a tent-like way. Their waistlines are non-existent. Instead, they fan out in a loose, triangular shape. Trapeze dresses come in many styles, including sleeved and sleeveless. They are among the most comfortable dresses you can buy because they are not tight or form-fitting. I personally think they are made for comfort wear only and they are also some of the most informal dresses you can buy, so they are best suited for casual day-to-day wear. and will fit any body type.

Take time to try on every style dress there is and pick based on what fits your own body best, what accentuates your best features and downplays your least favorite features. Find your own style and always try to create trends not follow them.

Everyone knows that exercise is important, yet we often don’t do it enough. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends adults to get 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of rigorous aerobic exercise and two days’ worth of strength-training exercise per week. Why is it so difficult for us to meet these guidelines? There are barriers that prevent us from exercising in the first place. Let’s review these obstacles and how you can overcome them so working out becomes a part of your daily life.

I Don’t Have Enough Time

Many people feel as if they don’t have enough time to exercise. Let’s face it. Our lives always seem to get busier. However, if it is a priority in your life, you will find the time to fit exercise into your schedule, no matter how busy you are. Some ideas are:
• Schedule It In – Putting an exercise routine on your calendar will help you to remember to do it. You can do it before breakfast, on your lunch break, when you get home from work, or at another time that works for you.

• Fit In Small Chunks – Who says a workout has to be lengthy? You can fit five-minute-exercises into your daily schedule as time permits. 

• During Your Work Day – If you have a half hour lunch, you can walk for 15 minutes and then eat for 15 minutes. If your lunch is an hour, you may be able to get a 45-minute walk in.

Checking your phone can wait for the end of the day.

• Increase Your Steps – There are many ways you can get more steps into your day. You can park farther away when shopping. You can use the stairs instead of the elevator. You can walk to get some errands done instead of drive. You can even walk around while talking on the phone. Increasing your step count doesn’t have to be complicated.

• Add Exercise to Your Routine – Consider what you can change in your routine to make more time. Do you always fit in a half hour of TV with your spouse at the end of the night? Try fitting in a workout instead. Don’t have time in the evening? Consider adding physical activity to your weekend like taking an exercise class, walking, or hiking.

Exercise Is Boring

One of the greatest things about exercise is how diverse it is! Walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, weight training, dancing, Pilates, and rock climbing are just some of the choices you have. You could do a different exercise each day of the week and never get bored! If exercise is boring for you, try a new type of class or instructor. You can take a class in person or online. 

Keep trying new exercises until you find something that sticks. Try to not give up too easily. Your body may take months to get used to and learn to enjoy an exercise. To add some excitement to your workouts, try making a fun playlist to listen to when you work out. Rocking out to your favorite songs makes working out much more enjoyable.

Exercise Is Hard

There is nothing more detrimental to working out than feeling like it’s too hard. When you do an activity that is too advanced for your fitness level, you are sure to feel discouraged. All exercises have beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels that you can progress to. If you feel something is way too tough, you are probably working at a level too hard for where your body is at right now. Here are some suggestions to make your workouts less painful:

• Begin Slowly – If you want to become a runner, begin with walking every day. Once you work up to that, increase the amount of time you walk. Then set a timer and jog for a minute, then walk for five. Repeat that sequence until your workout is complete. Gradually increase the jog and decrease the walk, and you will find yourself running in no time!

• Ease Up – Cut back on the intensity—the speed—of the workout. You may also choose beginner workouts or classes that are shorter lengths of time.

• Incorporate Breaks – Rest as needed in between exercises, take a drink of water, and catch your breath. Over time, your strength and endurance will develop, and you will be able to sustain the workout longer.

And it’s important to remember that once an exercise becomes manageable for your body, you will find that you want to do it more.

I Don’t Have a Workout Partner

So many people only go to the gym because their friends do. When their friends stop going, so do they. This is not a good habit to get into. You need to be able to muster the confidence, energy, and willpower to workout regardless of whether you have someone to do it with. Your health depends on it! Going to a class is a great motivator for someone who does not like working out alone. There are so many classes to try, so you are likely to find something that you like. If you prefer going outside, you can join a local running program to help you go from couch potato to 5k-ready, such as First Strides. You can search for running and walking groups near you. Whether you join a class or a walking group, you will always be working out with other people to keep you motivated.

I’m Not as Good As …

Comparing yourself to others is not going to help you succeed with working out. It’s not fair to compare yourself to others who are different from you. Some people may lead a fitter lifestyle or be better adept at a particular workout through years of practice. Don’t compare! Instead, focus on making personal accomplishments and seeing them to fruition. How can you become stronger, faster, or fitter? You may want to consider making SMART goals for yourself.  Making realistic goals based on your current fitness level helps you progress to a higher fitness level. Accomplishing your first fitness goal is the first step to regain your confidence with working out. Over time, you will develop the ability to make working out a way of life.

This article is a contribution of Dr. Michael Donaldson PhD.
Dr. Donaldson is a chemical engineer, a graduate of Cornell University and now Research Director of the Hallelujah Diet.

Wearing Koral Pace Terry Pants

During the colder weather here in the sunny Florida, I really enjoy doing my workouts outside, especially running, I absolutely love High Intensity Interval running, because that is the kind of running that activates your fast twitch muscle fibers ( If you do it with ankle weights and uphill ). I feel absolutely amazing when Im running through a cooler breeze while listening to positive affirmation videos. I skip on cardio most of the year, because HIIT running is the only cardio I enjoy, now it’s also boxing.
I keep my cardio running sessions very short and extremely intense ( think almost VO2 Max ), the reason for that is because I notice more muscle definition this way, where in long distance running or light running in general I notice a good reduction in fat but also in muscle definition.

I keep it very basic, 2-3 HIIT intervals of 4-5 minutes long in total, 2 minute rest in between. Then I finish off with some additional bodyweight exercises and a resistance band. You can always vary the intervals to keep it fun, you can also use the Fartlek method. I suggest using ankle weights, this will add force and resistance to the workout which is what will activate fast twitch muscle fibers. If you can find hills instead of running on a flat surface, thats even better, hills will add even more force and more fast twitch muscle fiber activation.
All you need for this workout is a interval timer, a heavy duty resistance band ( I use 20-45 lbs in strength ) and a set of ankle weights ( you can use anywhere between 5-10 lbs ).

The Workout:

Warm-up:

Set your timer for 2 intervals of 30 second each, for the total of 5 rounds. First interval of 30 seconds you are going to Speed Walk ( not too crazy, because you want to have enough power and strength left to give your MAX during your interval sessions) , second interval you are going to do Very Light Sprinting ( pushing off your heels to activate your glutes ).

First HIIT Interval

The first interval needs to be the most intense, thats why the intervals should not exceed 35 seconds, unless you are extremely advanced runner. Trust me, at the level of intensity that you need to perform this sort of running, you will not be able to sustain longer than 25-35 seconds, before your body will force you to drop the intensity.

I keep my first interval at about 20-25 seconds, with the recovery interval of 15-20 seconds.
So set your timer for 2 intervals, the first is going to be your rest interval ( 15-20 seconds ), the second interval is gong to be your max interval 20-25 seconds, for the total of 8 rounds.

Tip on How to Run to get the most of this workout:

THE RUNNING NEEDS TO BE EXTREMELY INTENSE. The running must be so intense that by the end of the interval you are having a very hard time keeping up with your breath. Push off the ground with your heels so hard that your driving force comes from your glutes, legs and abs.This is a specific technique of running, not your average running flat surface running. Keep your very abs tight, you will absolutely need to do this otherwise such intense running can place a strain on your back. You will feel how sore your abs are the next day. Intensity and correct form is key to getting a full benefit of this workout and to prevent back injury.

After all of your 8 rounds, take at least 2-3 full minutes break.

The second interval session can have a lower intensity than the first one, but still quite challenging ( about 80% of your max ). For this I usually pick longer recovery periods. Set your timer for 2 intervals of 35-40 seconds recovery, and 30-35 seconds MAX effort. For the total of 6-8 rounds.
While in recovery interval, make sure you move a little, but not too much, recovery is a preparation for the next interval, so never just stop moving.

After completing all of your rounds, take another 2-3 full minutes break.

If you decide you’re still strong enough to make it through the 3rd interval session ( only do the 3rd interval session if you know for sure, you’re gonna have some energy left for some bodyweight exercises after ), if not stick to only 2 interval sessions.
In the 3rd round you can lower your MAX intervals to 20 seconds, and raise your recovery intervals 45-50 seconds. This longer recovery interval will give you a good enough time to recover where you can still push pretty hard during the 20 second max.

After you’ve completed your HIIT running interval sessions, now its time to move on to some to some bodyweight exercises.

I do 300-500 of slow walking lunges, activating the glutes each time on the way up, usually with a resistance band. You can also change things up with side walking lunges, or side step squats, make sure you keep the movements slow and controlled while activating your glutes and keeping your core tight ( you can use different types of resistance depending on your fitness level ). Adding these at the end of each HIIT running session, give nice definition to your legs and booty.

Stay Healthy, Prosperous and Enjoy your training!

Love,

Tati

I’ve created over 280 free workouts over the past few years, I’ve focused a lot on the physical body and strength, but now it’s time to temporarily switch the focus from physical to the mind and soul, thats why I’m doing  Talkchology Videos, I want to connect to my audience on a deeper level.

If you are new to Loving Fit and came here fore some of the most creative workouts you can do at home, I recommend to check out ” Creating Your Workout Plan ” post first. There you will be able to see how I put together my routines, and you can find something for your own fitness level. My philosophy is: Proper Form is always more important than speed or the amount of repetitions you do, so WATCH YOUR FORM!
For Complete Beginners I really suggest to check out my review-post about The Beta Switch. This is an amazing program for complete beginners with tips and guidance not only about working out, but also nutrition and keeping your mind on track. I think this plan is quite amazingly put together for someone who is just starting out and need a lot of guidance. I’m not a beginner and I found so much useful info learning from Beta Switch Program.

 

Follow me on my Instagram, that’s pretty much the only place where I update several times a week. The amount of social media platforms just got a little too much for me, so I’m choosing to stay mainly in one place. I will still post to my Facebook page ( all the new content ) but Instagram is where I’m most active and will answer all your questions.

LovingFit Facebook Page  –  My Personal INSTAGRAM – Subscribe to My YouTube Channel – My Google Plus Page

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