This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Breathe Right® . All thoughts expressed in this post are mine. Have you ever heard of Breathe Right® nasal strips? Before trying them out during my morning yoga practices, I only knew of Breathe Right to help reduce snoring. Did you know that they are also great for putting on before your workouts? They help open up your nose- something that was a major help for me! For my fellow nasal allergy-sufferers, pay attention! I’ve talked about my bad allergies so many times on this blog. As a result, I often wake up with a stuffy nose, meaning that my morning yoga can sometimes be a struggle. When you’re practicing yoga, you want to focus on your breathing and meditation - something that can be a real challenge when your nasal passages are congested. Who wants to be in a forward fold with a stuffy nose? Not this yogi!  As soon as I applied a Breathe Right nasal strip for the first time, I felt that I was able to breathe so much better! ...

This is part of the 50 First Hikes series.  To learn more about my #50FirstHikes Challenge, check out this post . On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, I completed my second hike in the #50FirstHikes Challenge. I had to attend a taping in a different part of my County that day, so I was able to get in a hike in a different area from where I live just before sunset. There are lots of trails at this park, so I definitely want to revisit it, but it was fun picking from all of the trails and just going for it. 48 hikes to go! Overview This was a very short hike in a wooded area. We hiked in the early evening just before dark.  Location Hard Rock Trail, Black Hill Regional Park , Boyds, Maryland, USA Trail Map/Website This trail is located in Black Hill Regional Park, a large regional park in Montgomery County, Maryland, so there is plenty of information on the Montgomery Parks website . There is a printable trail map for all of the trails at this park, and the trails are very well marked. Trail B...

This is the first in a series of 50 First Hikes blog posts.  T o learn more about my #50FirstHikes Challenge, check out this post .  On Sunday, January 10, 2021, I completed my first hike of the year! The weather and my schedule weren't really conducive to hiking the first week of the year, but last weekend turned about to be great weather for a winter hike! With one hike down, I just have 49 to go!  Overview This was a short hike mostly behind dense neighborhoods via a bit of a greenway. We hiked late in the afternoon, ending our hike right at sunset. Location Hidden Creek Green Trail, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA Trail Map/Website  I'll be honest with you: We were not supposed to hike this trail! AllTrails led us to this location which was definitely not the trail we had planned to hike that afternoon; however, because there it was a trail we had never hiked, we went for it! Trail Basics   Distance: 2.36 miles Terrain:  A combination of paved and natural surfaces Elevation Ga...

My friend Tikima and I created a challenge for ourselves this year: #50FirstHikes. This challenge requires us to hike 50 new-to-us trails throughout the course of 2021 - roughly one trail per week, with two buffer weeks built-in. The goal is to hike more often but also to go out and explore. Since we're mostly stuck at home, we'll be exploring a lot of trails in our community, hopefully finding some new favorites along the way! Why 50 Hikes? The number sounded good? Frankly, I wanted a cutesy play on "50 First Dates," and I like the way 50 sounds versus 52. I don't know!  Are There Any Rules for Which Types of Trails You'll Hike? We aren't limiting the types of hikes we're doing. The only rule is to find a different trail each time - something that will surely get more challenging the more often we hike! To identify these new-to-me trails, I'll be using this book (affiliate link), 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Washington, D.C. , coupled with All Trai...

It's a new month and a new year, so you know I'm in major goal-setting mode! You can catch up on some of my mindset goals for 2021 by reading 5 Things I'm Bringing With Me into 2021 and 5 Things I'm Leaving Behind in 2020 . Last month , I set 5 goals for the month: Teach 5 Yoga Classes - Nailed it! I was able to teach four vinyasa classes and one restorative yoga class. I am feeling more comfortable each time I teach yoga, so I was really happy that I was able to squeeze in an extra class! Blog More - I did it! I can blog even more, but I was able to hit this goal. Create a Workout to Share with All of You - This one... Yikes. I'll be honest: I forgot about this goal. Whoops! I had so much going on, that I totally lost track of this one!  Wrap Up Season 1 of the Sweat Fearlessly Podcast - I still want to record one final episode to round out the season, but I finished recording all of my interviews. I'm really excited about starting season 2! Complete 50% of My...

Just as I do with the things I'm leaving behind , I take this time each year to put into words the things I'm bringing with me into the new year. Swagger jacking from my friend Adina , I came up with a word for this year: Emerge. I can't wait to share more about this, but this is the word that I am choosing to help frame all of my goals for the upcoming year.  Last year's list was fire, sweating fearlessly, creativity, self-care, meaningful relationships, and my renewed love for running. It's kind of creepy how well I did with it this year, and I actually have the pandemic to thank for some of it. Yikes! Nonetheless, I'm proud of myself for finding ways to continue to hone in on these items, though one of them definitely makes another appearance on this list because I want to dive deeper into it! As I've stated in the past , I'm not a big resolution person, so try not to think of these as resolutions, but more as overarching goals for the new year. Here ...