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Stitch Fix Review #3 – March 2016

Stitch Fix #3

Happy Wednesday and greetings from our living room. Sunday afternoon I spent an hour going through my dresser and closet reorganizing clothing, bringing warm weather clothing back towards the front and donating anything I didn’t wear this winter. I have instituted a one season rule which helps me ensure that I am not holding on to clothing that I don’t wear. If, after an entire season, I haven’t worn an item and can’t easily justify a reason (too warm, too cold, no formal events, etc) I will donate it to Goodwill. Going through my clothes I realized that I have a lot of dresses but very few Spring and Summer tops. My closet is a story of extremes with fun, vibrant dresses that are perfect for work or date nights and then lots of casual t-shirts that are more than a few seasons old.  Therefore, over the next few months, I’m hoping to work with my Stitch Fix stylist to add a few casual dresses, fun tops and tanks to my closet.

Stitch Fix Fun Box 3

In case you missed it, I joined Stitch Fix back in January. Each month I’ll share with you a recap of what I receive (January and February) and my thoughts on each piece. In case you haven’t heard about it previously, Stitch Fix is an online personal shopping and styling website. After registering for the site, new members fill out an in-depth style survey and profile which helps the Stitch Fix personal stylists get to know you. The questions include things like sizes, styles, favorite colors, brands, and other likes and dislikes.  Once you finish the profile you are able to schedule your first Stitch Fix delivery. Each Stitch Fix delivery is a box of five pieces of clothing or accessories. Your personal stylists selects the items for your individual fix based on the answers you provided in the survey. There is a $20 styling fee which you have to pay up front, but, the good news is that this $20 works as credit towards any of the items you want to keep.

Many of my friends who have loved Stitch Fix for years told me to give my stylist time to figure out my personal style, and therefore expect each box to get better. This month’s box was a tough one since March is such an in-between month. I am sick and tired of all things winter clothing but anything that is too Summery just seemed odd when I tried it on. Anyone else feel this way too?

IMG_0062

I forgot to schedule this month’s box for later in the month and therefore was surprised by its arrival this weekend. Note to self, make sure to update the monthly Stitch Fix schedule so there is a month between deliveries! This month’s box included three items I thought I would want to keep but unfortunately, only one fit me well enough to justify the price.

  • Olive & Oak Mulliken Raglan Striped Knit Shirt – $48 When I saw this shirt I didn’t think it was anything special. The coral and navy are a fun color combination but it wasn’t until I put it on that I realized this would be the keeper. The shirt fit me perfectly and is a wonderful weekend or work from home option when I want to wear something beyond athleisure. KEEP
  • Gilli Shelly Printed Aline Skirt – $54 As soon as I touched this skirt it was love. Lightweight but with textured detail, I imagined pairing it with a black tank and jean jacket or a black sweater, similar to below. Unfortunately, this skirt was sized like junior clothing. It barely fit over my hips and was way too short. I hope that one of my petite friends is able to snag this skirt via Stitch Fix because I’m sure it’ll quickly become a favorite. RETURN 
  • Donna Morgan Whitt Jersey Dress – $118 I love the ease and comfort of this dress but the pattern just wasn’t flattering, regardless the angle. I even tried putting a navy cardigan or jean jacket over it and still that navy and orange pattern made me look far wider than I am. I would love to try this style dress again but in a fun, solid color or more flattering print especially since the fit and length of the dress were perfect. RETURN
  • Yuli Lace Cap Sleeve Blouse – $68 I actually had this blouse pinned on my Pinterest Fashion Board in hopes that I’d receive it. Paired with dark jeans or white jeans and gold jewelry it makes the perfect warm weather outfit. Unfortunately, cap sleeves do NOT flatter my arms and this was cut very slim so even in the chest area the medium felt tight. RETURN
  • Liverpool Anita Skinny Pant – $78 Okay, lesson learned. No pants. It isn’t you Stitch Fix, it’s me. I only have two styles of dress pants in my closet and two styles of jeans all of which are specifically for tall gals like myself. These were form fitting and I thought they may work until I looked down and saw they were too short and then looked in the mirror and saw that while they worked in the waist, I’d probably rip them once I walked. Le sigh.  

Stitch Fix skirt March

tshirt stitch fix

Overall, I really enjoyed this month’s Stitch Fix experience. Each month I’m getting a better grasp on how to provide feedback to my stylist, what time items I like and what I need. I am looking forward to my April box which will be focused on Spring and Summer styles that I can wear in Jamaica! I have already requested a maxi and some fun, flowy tank tops. Want to try it yourself? Use this referral link!

Have you tried Stitch Fix before? If so, what were your thoughts? 

The links to Stitch Fix are affiliate links as I have partnered with Stitch Fix to provide monthly reviews. Though Stitch Fix provided me with the first box free, I paid for the item I kept and all opinions are my own! 

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Getting Out of My Comfort Zone with Trampoline Fitness

Even though I have access to hundreds of different classes in New York City, it is easy to find classes with which I’m comfortable and schedule them on repeat. One of my goals for this year is to challenge my mind and body in new ways. In February, this meant taking four classes at Brooklyn Body Burn, a class which humbles me and leaves my entire body quivering as I do my best to complete the Mega Former class. During March and April, in partnership with the YMCA of Greater New York, I will take four different group fitness classes or workouts that I haven’t tried previously. With 24 locations throughout the boroughs of New York City, there is likely a YMCA location within a few blocks of any locals reading this post.

Dodge YMCA outside

For many people, a YMCA membership can be a great fitness option as it often provides access to childcare, aquatic facilities, group fitness classes and cardio and weight machines. They have classes that are accessible for people with any ability ranging from children focused classes to senior citizen classes and everything in between. They also pride themselves on the sense of community within each YMCA location. Many of the staff members are locals, so they can become rooted in the community, helping ensure that the branch meets the neighborhood needs. Due to the pool access, Bo and I have discussed having a membership to our local YMCA, the Dodge YMCA location, in addition to ClassPass.

Dodge YMCA
The first new to me class was Trampoline Fitness at the Dodge YMCA location. This 30-minute class, taught by Jennifer, one of their lead group fitness instructors, is offered six times each week. Each student uses a mini- trampoline and mat during the low impact aerobic workout.  This trampoline may look innocent but believe me; it will help get your heart pumping and make you sweat in a shockingly short time.

trampoline fitness dodge ymca

Jennifer took us through a few moves before starting the class  to make sure we each felt comfortable on the trampoline. She also told me to think about it as rebounding versus bouncing. It wasn’t as much of a downward movement as it was an upward movement, therefore engaging more of my calf and quad muscles. Most of the class would be spent doing compound movements, to get the most out of our 30 minutes. This meant that while I was focusing my lower body on the rebounding, I’d be boxing and punching with our arms to the beat of the music.

dodge ymca trampoline fitness 2

Que the laughter. As you guys know, coordination is not my strong suit.  Therefore I was constantly off-beat or a step behind the entire class. Luckily, Jennifer reminded me just to have fun with it and smile. I loved her supportive nature as without it I probably would have spent the class feeling defeated and embarrassed.

trampoline fitness dodge ymca 1

We started with light jumping followed by rounds of intervals including jumping jacks, jump rope at different speeds, high kicks and sprinting. To control our bounce, we had to keep our cores engaged and focus on the small, tight, controlled movements. After the warm-up, we spent the next 15 minutes doing a series of boxing moves which included squats, punches, upper cuts and side kicks – quickly taking me back to the Tae Bo workouts I did in college. We ended the class with 5 minutes of ab work using our mat and trampoline to make common moves like planks and sit-ups more difficult.

The class was a great low-impact cardio workout that provided an effective workout without leaving me sore. Most of all, I loved the fun factor. Everyone in class, including the instructor, was smiling and laughing the entire time even during the most challenging moves.

Interested in trying this class out for yourself or visiting your local YMCA of Greater New York? Head to their website to try your local YMCA for free!

Have you ever taken a trampoline workout class? 

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored partnership with the YMCA of Greater New York.

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Savoring the Perfect Runs

hills crushed

You know those confidence building, smile inducing runs that remind you why you enjoy the act of running so much? As runners, we lace up our shoes not knowing what the miles will bring. Regardless the preparatory measures we take like resting our legs, stretching, foam rolling and getting sleep – sometimes the result is far from perfect. But, those runs that include lots of smiles, flowing conversation with a running buddy and smiles are the ones we savor.

Luckily, for an hour and a half yesterday, I was able to experience one of those near perfect runs.

Originally, Ashley and I were going to run on Friday but we thought the sunshine and warmer temperatures in Saturday’s forecast seemed more appealing than snow, below 30 degree temperatures and wind gusts that greeted us when we each woke up Friday morning. The text message chain that takes place between running partners is hilarious ranging from “but I planned my week around this run” to “won’t the wind and cold just make me stronger.”  Luckily, Ashley’s argument that sunshine would be far more enjoyable won and we met yesterday on the Upper East Side at 9:15 ready for a great run.

Before leaving the house I made a pre-run breakfast of coffee, NUUN and peanut butter banana toast using Ezekiel bread, which Kristine introduced me to a few weeks ago.

peanutbutter

Our goal for the run was to keep around a 9:10 pace since I’ll need to keep under a 9:09 during the NYC Half if I want to break 1:59:59. Since the first six miles of the NYC Half are in Central Park we figured there was no better place to run than the park. Harlem Hill, Cat Hill and the rolling West Side hills were the perfect way to test my legs and see if Prospect Park, Mile High and Barry’s Bootcamp hill training has worked.

long run map elevation

As you can see from our path, we did one loop of Central Park before heading towards the reservoir for a loop and half and finally coming South back towards the Met before finally ending at Butterfield Market. The first few miles flew by even as we continued talking while our legs pushed up Harlem Hills undulating twists and turns. After starting out a bit too fast, we pulled back the pace and settled into goal race pace. The weather was perfectly cool and crisp, the park was filled with runners and we were so busy talking that we both forgot to take fuel.

run buddy

Wearing: Vest – Turtleneck – Fleece Tights – Shoes – Favorite UGA hat 

I love having an end goal in mind during long runs whether it’s a post run bagel, brunch date or smoothie. Knowing that we had delicious smoothies waiting for us when we finished was the extra boost I needed to find a kick in my step for the final half mile.
bloomfield market smoothies
I woke up this morning feeling the after effects of the hills, pace and run in my hips and IT band – a perfect reminder that today should be all about foam rolling, gentle yoga and rest. Luckily, I am two episodes into Season 1 of House of Cards so there is nothing I’d rather do after church than relax with a few more episodes.

Hope you guys are having great runs, workouts or weekend fun!

 

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