Staying indoors more than usual was rough on many of us in 2020 – am I right?! However, one of the benefits of being home more was that it gave some of us more time. Like many of you, I tried to stay productive as many businesses shut down, including portions of my personal training business. I decided to use the extra time to research, explore, and try new things!
Some of the things I spent my time on were:
- I brought another aspect of health and wellness into my fitness and health coaching business, by adding the skin care and beauty line of products from BeautyCounter.
- I experimented with essential oils for healing, energy and immunity.
- I read and did more personal growth
- Like many of you, I worked on building and expanding our home gym.
From a lot of time spent online researching, shopping and testing things around the house, I’ve pulled together a list of some of my favorite health and fitness items from 2020 to help you start your new year strong! I’ve done my best to make it well-rounded to cover multiple areas of life and health.
Check these out and try some of them yourselves, then comment and let me know what you think!
Home Fitness & Fashion Finds
- ProSource Ankle Weights– These are an amazing way to tone the glutes and legs. Try them for donkey kicks, glute kickbacks, and even just on a walk. They’re perfect for home workouts as well as travel since you can use them anywhere. The 1-to-4 pounds weights are made with a nice neoprene and soft to the touch, making them very comfortable to use. The five-pounds weights are made with a heftier material, but the results will be better if you have the strength to use them.
- Garmin Venu – as much as I have adored my Garmin Forerunner 735XT for the last few years for both triathlon and strength training, it definitely has a sports watch look to it. For daily wear that is more feminine and can be worn with nicer outfits, my new Garmin Venu was my favorite Christmas gift this year! You can’t even tell at a glance that it’s a sports/athletic watch. I love the rose gold, the thinner band, and features like workouts to follow and a Garmin coach, water intake tracking, and Body Battery/HRV stats.
- Tacx Neo 2T Bike Trainer – This was a life saver for my husband and I who both compete in triathlons and love to ride our bikes. When trails are closed or weather is bad, an indoor trainer allows you to still get an awesome workout in. Plus, being at home means you can go faster and harder because you’re not stuck at stop lights, and it’s much safer than dodging cars on the streets. Tacx also has a virtual program that lets you ride various parts of the world as realistically as possible from home!
- ProSource Toning Balls – these were a fun addition this year to our home gym. We’ve used them for everything from Pilates to swim training to full body exercises. You can watch this video to see how to use them for an entire toning workout. The versatility and small size of these makes them a winner for 2021.
- Lululemon pants – let’s be real, this fave is not unique to 2020. I’ve been obsessed with Lululemon pants for years, but many of us are living in leggings more than ever, so it’s a worthwhile investment!My personal favorites are the Fast and Free tights for both working out and lounging, because they stay up well, they’re flattering, feature a side pocket, and are ridiculously comfortable!
- Echoine Yoga Leggings – when pants like Lululemon are just too pricey, this Amazon find is a great substitute, similar to Lulu’s Align pants. They are buttery soft and SO comfortable! Perfect work-from-home wear as well as for yoga or strength training.
New Nutrition Necessities
- MudWtr – This is a great coffee alternative. With 1/17th the amount of caffeine and loads of health benefits from mushrooms, turmeric and cinnamon, this will also benefit your body far more than coffee. Perfect for cold weather, it’s great with some oat milk as a warm morning or afternoon pick-me-up beverage without jitters.
- Orgain Keto Collagen Protein Powder – I got this to add into my coffee for MCT oil, protein and flavor. But it quickly started getting used much more as I trained in accordance with the menstrual cycle. In the second half of a woman’s cycle, the body doesn’t respond as well to carbohydrates, so it’s better to lower them and eat more healthy fats. This became a protein shake staple in the second half of the month to lower my carbs, and add fats with a rich chocolate taste! I also like to use it on easy training days when I lower carbs to teach my body to use fats for fuel. Well, to be honest, now I use it most of the month just because it tastes so great!
- Dandelion Root– I started taking dandelion a few years ago to help with reducing water weight and bloating.But I started incorporating high quality organic dandelion into my diet through homemade pesto sauce and teas this year as well because of its many other health benefits, including: liver and kidney detoxification, digestion, potassium, lowering cholesterol and blood sugar. Don’t just buy it anywhere, though, because with any herb you want it to be grown organically and harvested properly. Use the link above to purchase at a great price.
Reading and Spiritual Health
- Books: Awaken Devotional & Obedience Over Hustle – more than ever, it is critical this year that we are searching spiritually. Searching inwardly to see where we need to change, forgive, and grow; searching outwardly to understand what is happening in the world and how we can pray; and searching out God and his presence like never before. This is a time when we simply cannot do without Jesus and Holy Spirit. These two books have been so great for helping me to keep my focus on what matters and becoming more of the woman God created me to be.
- Kindle Reader – for when you’re traveling or want to read late at night, a Kindle reader is awesome. Not a new item here, just one that is always good. I like being able to store multiple books without taking up more space at home, and using it for road trips and flights. It’s also waterproof, so great if you have access to a hot tub for some chill time!
- Stylish Blue Light Blocking Glasses – whether watching TV or working on a computer, blue light blocking glasses are a MUST! They help to block the blue light from computers, phones and TVs that can mess up our circadian cycles and keep us awake at night, as well as hurt your eyes. I found these super cute blue light blocking glasses on Amazon this year and have been loving how well they work.
General Health Products
- Mountain Rose Herbs Essential oils – natural health and beauty became a much bigger part of my life this year, and oils help with both!High quality, pure, organic essential oils can do everything from improve wound healing, skin smoothness and immunity, to reduce inflammation, depression, and pain.If you’re just getting started with oils, try lavenderfor calm and better sleep. For mental clarity and focus at work, try rosemary. A blend like the Pick-Me-Up blend can also be great to get multiple benefits and boost your energy naturally.
- Simple Modern Water Bottles – I use two of these water bottles almost every single day! I use the slim 24 oz size for daily water to make sure I’m drinking enough and to keep my water cold- and it keeps it cold all day! The tall, skinny style is great because it’s easy to carry around and fit into a tote or backpack. I use the smaller 14 oz size for taking my coffee on the go because it keeps it warm for a long time! They also give you lid options and I can choose one that won’t have me spilling water all over myself, as well as handles so you can easily carry them in one finger when your hands are full. Plus, they’re much more affordable than the bigger name brands out there.
- PEMF Mat – What is this product NOT good for is a better question that what is good for! The pulsed electromagnetic field therapy mat helps with everything from anti-aging to maximizing mental clarity and productivity, to increasing energy and improving muscle recovery, to pain relief, better sleep and PMS relief. All you do is lay down on it for about 15-30 minutes and let it go to work at resetting your body. My husband and I have used this for great vitality before a workout and before bed for better sleep, as well as relief from cramps and reducing inflammation. The anti-aging set from the link above (just search anti-aging) is the way to go, though. You get the mat, a face “mask” (which helps to improve the appearance of skin) and a portable PEMF medallion which is great for blocking energy-sucking frequencies as well as for travel.
Clean Skin Care Solutions
- All Bright Vitamin C Serum – this BeautyCounter serum is the skin care winner of the year in my opinion. Two forms of stable vitamin C, turmeric, and camu camu work together to brighten skin, fade dark spots, and protect from sun damage and environmental stressors like pollution. I love how it has helped smooth my skin and recommend it to everyone!
- BeautyCounter Hand Cream – I love and trust all things BeautyCounter (which you can learn more about on my Skin Care and Wellness page), but the hand lotion is one of my favorites that anyone can use. How many times per day do you put on lotion? If you’re like me, it’s a lot. Now think about if you use a product with synthetic fragrances and chemicals in it, those toxins are entering your body each time and damaging your health as they do so. Using a clean hand lotion with a mild, natural scent that is luxuriously soft is the only way to moisturize nowadays.
- Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream – So rich, so moisturizing, so luxurious. If you want anti-aging and/or have very dry skin, this is the night cream for you. The Retinatural complex mimics retinol without any of the harsh side effects or safety issues. It helps to reduce fine lines, boost firmness and sooth skin. Plus, a little bit goes a long way, so it’ll last you quite a while.
I hope these give you some ideas of how you can improve your workout routine, skin care, health, and mind this year! If you want more o a boost this year to reach your goals and renew your life, contact me for a free skin care consultation or 20-minute fitness consult.
Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links, but this page is not an AD! These are items I truly love and wanted to share, and not every link is an affiliate. If you are going to purchase any of these items, I would really appreciate if you use my links because they help me out a lot! Thanks 😊
