Around the holidays, a lot of us tend to get so stressed out at work, stressed about family, stressed about getting gifts, the list goes on! But the absolute most important part about the holiday season - and any time of year, for that matter, is G I V I N G.  Although it's a hobby, blogging has brought so much joy into my life in the past couple months. I was invited to share my thoughts, challenges & support into the Bloggers Gonna Blog Facebook group a little while back, and it has changed the game for me. I never thought I could meet such talented, motivated & supportive people over the internet! The group has played a huge role in teaching me that blogging and building your personal brand is oh, SO much more than that. It's about CONNECTING with others and GIVING the support that you want and need as well. It takes a whole community to build a community. I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group of like-minded peeps. Georgie & Christina coordinated a big gift exchange for us all and I was so excited to give and get my gift! 

Secret Santa

My beautiful bloggy secret santa was Cassie from Almost Getting It Together! Cassie is a blogger in San Francisco who works full time in marketing and has time to run her awesome website. I love reading through all of her tips and lifestyle posts! Check out her blog for simple recipes and awesome travel tips.

Cassie put together one awesome gift. I've never tried these Rise Bars before and I'm so glad she introduced me to them because they're delicious!! Such wholesome ingredients. My favorite was the Carob Chip and the Sunflower Cinnamon! I haven't bought these at the grocery store yet, but my bet is that you can for sure find them at a Whole Foods! Cassie hit the nail right on the head here as I'm always on the go or in the office and ALWAYS need to have my snacks on me ;)

Cassie also sent over some Cheesy Pizza Kale Chips! Another great snack to always have on hand.

The next two items are my favorite. This Sweet Almond and Raspberry Seed oil has been saving my skin every night. Even though this winter has been extremely mild [not complaining], as soon as the weather gets below 70, my skin seriously turns into leather [Florida baby]. I get so dry! This oil makes my face and hands feel smooth and refreshed all the time. I've been using it at night and my skin doesn't feel so parched in the morning. 

I also received this amazing DIY skin care kit from Leonamade.com. The ingredients all come from family farms and fair trade coops. It's all natural and includes coconut oil - I'm in! I can't wait to experiment with this. I also love knowing exactly what's going into the product that I schmear on my face every night. 

Thank you SO much, Cassie for the amazing Secret Santa gift! I'm so thankful to be part of such an awesome group. Going into 2016 I can't wait to keep connecting with other bloggers. It's so important to give support in order to receive it. Check out Beverly's post on sweatyandfit.com to see what I got her for our gift exchange! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful, fantastic, all around amazing holiday this year. 

XO- Rach

What are your Christmas plans? New Years plans?

Did you take part in a gift exchange this year?

What's your favorite part about the holidays?

This Sweet Potato, Kale & Chicken Stew is an Indian-inspired stew that packs in tons of veggies and protein from the chicken, peas & black beans. All the flavors are brought together with the aromatic Garam Massala spice.  

I've really been into Indian food lately. There's a tiny little place right next to my apartment called Jyoti that has a different menu every day. I've only tried a couple of dishes, but I love love love how Indian food combines such wonderful flavors that are both sweet and spicy. So far my favorite dish included chicken & peas in a tomato sauce - just had to recreate it!

I wanted to make a big batch of something that can be easily reheated and eaten throughout the week, but last week I got real sick of plain old chicken and rice. On Sunday morning Michael made us a delicious breakfast with a sweet potato and kale hash - SUCH a good combination. So sweet potato and kale were the stars of this recipe. 

[yumprint-recipe id='9']Now I'm getting ready to leave for work - could not be looking forward to this weekend more!! It's been a super busy, crazy, hectic etc. couple weeks at work. Very excited to have a couple days off!

And on another note, I just got news that I was hired at Body Cycle Studio! BCS is a boutique cycling studio here in Philly. I'm SO pumped about this new teaching job. It will be a bit different than my other teaching jobs because it's so niche. So if you're in the Philadelphia area and love to cycle - check out Body Cycle Studio. Seriously ALL of the instructors are amazing. 

And that's a wrap! Have a GREAT Friday, everyone! 

XO- Rach

Let's Chat:

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Do you like cycling?

Do you like Indian food?

Have you sweat today? If not, hopefully I can spark a few ideas. Or if you're takin' it easy today, enjoy the read and save for later :) With the holidays approaching, things can get crazy busy and there's always a ton of traveling and limited time, so I put together a list of awesome workouts that you can do anywhere, anytime!

Full Body:

I went down to the track near my apartment this past weekend to do this workout, and I'll tell you now it's a lot harder than it looks! I used the railing along the track for the inverted rows. You don't need a track to run 400m - can be done on a treadmill, around the block or guess-timate about 2 minutes of cardio exercises like high knees, jumping jacks, jump rope, etc. before each round!

CrossFit Style No-Equipment Workout: A super easy to follow, quick-paced workout that can be done for as many or as little rounds as you like! Also very easy to modify by taking out the plyos.

Jump Rope Tabata Workout: Jumping rope is one of the most effective cardiovascular exercises! I think I bought mine at TJ Maxx for $5? It's pretty beat up now though. *PS great holiday gift for the fit-minded!

HIIT Workout from Ashley at Fit Mitten Kitchen: This one looks awesome! Simple to follow, efficient & boredom-busting.

Total Body Tabata workout from Brie at Lean Clean & Brie: Gotta love Tabata workouts! This one especially hits every major muscle group and gets your heart rate pumpin'.

Lower Body:

This Lower Body Barre Plyo Fusion Workout from Chrissa at Physical Kitchness: In 20 minutes, you have a complex lower body workout - and all you need is a mat! Barre is killer (at least for me!) and now if you combine barre and plyo elements? Phew!

This Outdoor Stair Workout from Ali at Ali Goes The Distance: This workout looks tough, but most importantly, FUN! I love that the focus is on lower body and cardio with a little mix of core! And it's making me miss Florida...can't wait to go home soon! Find yourself a set of stairs and you're good to go.

Upper Body:

This 20 Minute Abs & Arms workout from Beverly at Sweaty & Fit: I love how she breaks down each exercise!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHYL1U63x8k[/embed]

Core:

Four-Exercise Core Circuit by yours truly:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkePYwHkYfM[/embed]

This Killer Core Circuit from Kaila at A Healthy Helper: If you really want to feel that core burn, this one is for you! 

So if you're feeling uninspired during the holidays, just remember you can build up a sweat in less than 20 minutes with no equipment - our bodies are wonderful tools!

XO - Rach

Let's chat:

Are you a fan of at home workouts?

Do you enjoy being active with your family during the holidays?

http://healthyhelperblog.com/flashback-fitness-strength-core-new-cardio-workout/