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#NoFilter Switzerland

Since moving to Geneva last year, I find myself constantly in awe of the incredible beauty of this country. While we have barely started to discover many cities across Switzerland, those areas that we have visited have left us in awe. Therefore, when I saw that the London City Airport is running a campaign called #NoFilterSwitzerland asking travelers and bloggers to share their favorite, unedited photos, I knew I had to participate!

Whether it’s the stunning, crystal clear lakes or the surrounding mountain peaks, everyday activities such as flying, running, or commuting home from work are more beautiful than anywhere I’ve lived previously.

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The aim of the project is to remind people that while the phones of today have many incredible editing features, some of the best pictures are those we capture in the purest form, without complex filters and editing. Over the next few weeks the judges, Becky and Gray from Global Grasshoppers will choose the winning images which will then be on display at London City Airport!

They requested that I limit my entries to five, which is difficult after capturing thousands of images over the past year on my iPhone.

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Tempted daily to capture new images so I can share memories with friends, family and blog readers I’ve realized that there are some simple ways to improve iPhone pictures.

  • Take time to ensure that your camera lens is clean. There is nothing worse than capturing a rainbow or other moment than to realize hours later that all of the images are blurry or smudged since your lens was dirty or covered in pocket lint.
  • Take advantage of using the screen focus.
  • Use shadows and reflections to make it more interesting. 
  • If you’re capturing a moving object or taking a picture while on a moving object, use burst mode to take multiple images.

These are my favorite #NOFILTER pictures from the past year in Geneva! I love this project as it’s made me more conscious of the dependency I’ve developed for filters when using my iPhone!

Which one of these pictures is your favorite??

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JD Sports Knows the Way to This Girl’s Heart

I’ve been doing my best the past two weeks to find my strength training mojo. There was a time when I was happiest in the gym lifting weights. Lately, I think it’s a good day if I drop and do 15-20 pushups and squeeze in my 5 minute workout.

Luckily, the gang at JD Sports knows the way to a girl’s heart. While I’m loyal to Mizuno these days for all things running, as soon as JD Sports offered me a complimentary pair of trainers, I knew I wanted to finally try the Nike Free shoes.

Drag to spin

Over the past year I’ve seen the Nike Free shoes everywhere from Instagram posts, my friends, magazines and almost every department store. I resisted buying them as my closet is already filled with multiple pairs of shoes for both running and lifting, but I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to treat myself. JD Sports offered 10 different Nike Free 5.0 colors but I knew immediately I wanted the grey, vivid white and pink model. The more subdue colors mean that this shoes can be used for cross training at home or the gym just as much as it can double as a touring shoe when we explore new cities.

Nike Free 5.0

Part of the crosstown running range they are super breathable due to the full mesh body and only weigh 8.2 ounces and is very well cushioned. Super flexible, this is the perfect shoe for packing as you can actually roll it or smush it to make more room in your suitcase! I loved the cushioning when doing jumping jacks, burpees and even short sprints during my workouts. Overall, the shoe is great except for one issue – the sizing. It is definitely not true to size. I messed up the UK to US conversion, ordering a size 12 and they actually fit when I wear socks. Clearly they run a bit small as I normally wear 10.5 or 11.

Thank you JD Sports for letting me test out the shoes I’d been dreaming of and motivating me to start doing strength training. It’s 10x easier when a cute pair of shoes get to be worn for the workout!

Don’t take my word for it though – for just $8.00 JD Sports will ship just about anywhere in the world including Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, and the US to name a few! But, for a limited time, they are offering free international delivery when you spend £75

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Rethink Your Day with the Polar Loop

DISCLOSURE: The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Polar. All of the opinions on my new Polar Loop are my own.

When I arrived in Savannah on December 20th I had great plans for my vacation. My mom and I were going to work out each day together whether in their home gym or during long walks on the beach. While I love winter and know that I will certainly get my fill of snow and cold weather this year living in Geneva, I was excited to enjoy quite a few warm weather workouts while home. In fact, I packed two pairs of shorts and tank tops especially for glorious, sweat filled runs in Savannah. In my head when Bo and I arrived in New York City for New Years Eve festivities I would be bursting with healthy energy and tan skin.

The box which greeted me under the tree upon our arrival would further support this healthy visit in Savannah as my friends at Fitfluential sent me the new Polar Loop and H7 Heart Rate monitor to track my fitness as part of the Rethink Your Day Campaign.004 (2)Unfortunately wicked cold viruses and bronchitis got in my way between December 24th and December 30th absolutely no physical activity took place other than testing how much my lungs could expand when I coughed or walking to fill up my water bottle. Being sick takes lethargic to an entirely different level.

Yesterday was the first day that I was able to enjoy my Polar Loop and now that it is around my wrist, I’m loving it! 045As obesity is the number one difference I noticed between Switzerland and the US during this trip, I am more motivated than ever to ensure Bo and I both stay healthy in 2014. The Polar Loop is a bracelet you can wear 24 hours a day to track your movements including sitting, walking, running, lying down time and more. In order to make wearing it easier the Loop itself is fully waterproof. The black color and non-descript style makes it something I can wear daily with workout clothes and business clothing alike. While I’m sure some of my European friends will ask what it is as the Loop and other fitness tracking devices are not very common in Europe, I barely notice it even when I’m typing.  1032The loop features the time, number of steps taken, calories burned, and a movement status indicator which looks like a treadmill track. As you progress towards your movement goal for the day the loop progresses towards the “finish line.”  In addition, once you download the Polar Flow app on your smart phone the Polar Loop syncs automatically to update you on sitting time, activity and more! I love that you can go as in depth as you want with the Loop app spending hours comparing each days activity levels or even sleeping time and eventually even compare months. I can’t wait to see how the Polar Loop computes my skiing activity in January!    1034

As I have a job which keeps me at my desk or sitting in meetings most of the day, squeezing in movement whenever possible is important. Yesterday just after setting up my Polar Loop my phone vibrated and the Polar Flow app told me it was time to get moving!  That was the only motivation we needed to head to the beach for a long walk.  I strapped on the Polar H7 heart rate monitor so I could get a better overall understanding of my activity as it also syncs with the Loop and Polar Flow app. I think being able to integrate and study heart rates is a huge advantage over some other trackers.  1004 1010 1013We both loved being able to see our steps and calories burned during the walk while not having to worry about fumbling with getting satellite reception on a Garmin or MapMyRun. While I know that my Garmin will still be my tracking source for running, this is a great option for everyday health.

The one issue I have with the Polar Loop is the work that it takes for someone to alter the Loop itself before you can start using it. It is great that Polar made an item which can be personally fit to each person’s wrist so it fits perfectly BUT making the alterations is not easy. While you can use kitchen scissors to trim the ends, in my cold medicine stupor I threw the box out before taking out the tool needed to take the pin in and out. Luckily Christmas tree hooks work well in a bind but regardless it was still a challenging process before the Loop was fastened around my wrist. 1030

The Loop retails for $109.95 and the Polar H7 Bluetooth Heart Rate Sensor retails for $85.00. But don’t just trust my review, check out more information on both these products on the Polar website.

Would I spend $200? I would definitely spend my own money on this item for either myself or as a gift for my mom. I think that this is a perfect health and wellness tool for someone who is looking to either get fit in 2014 or stay fit. It’s a great way to motivate people to rethink their day and take a few extra steps by parking further away or choosing the stairs over the elevator!

DISCLOSURE: The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Polar.  All of the opinions on my new Polar Loop are my own

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