Current Fitness Favorites — Jacqueline Weiss

Over the past year +, I’ve been in a big of a rut when it comes to exercising. I’ve tried my best not to beat myself up about it, but on many occasions the demons crept into my head to tell me that I would never get back into the shape that I was in two years ago.

A bit of history on my health and fitness journey — I cut out dairy in December 2015 followed by meat/eggs in March 2016. I saw a fast and dramatic shift in my body in the first several months of eating plant-based and felt more confident than ever before! After I graduated from college in December 2016, I had so much free time on my hands that I would workout at the gym sometimes for 2+ hours, and usually also go to a workout class during the day, on top of walking 10k+ steps daily.

When I moved to Los Angeles from Boston in August 2017, I slowly began to gain a lot of the weight back that I had lost. I think this was due to a combination of:

walking WAY less // bye-bye public transportation and living in a walkable city
eating out more // Los Angeles has far more vegan eateries than Boston, so I was eating out a lot more. This, coupled with living with my best friend who would join me in these eating adventures which wasn’t as common in my Boston living situations
working out less // I was, and still am, focused so much on my career that I didn’t have the time to devote to exercising like I used to
adjusting to a new city // I opened up about this previously, but I had a rough adjustment period when I first moved and turned a lot to food as a comfort.

Now, it’s been two years since I’ve lived in Los Angeles and a year of living with my boyfriend and I’m FINALLY feeling like my old self. While I don’t look exactly like my old self again, I’m not going to obsess about it and just focus on eating and moving intuitively. Here’s what’s been helping me along the way with fitness.

APL TechLoom Pro Simply Rose/White // These sneakers are AMAZING! It took me far too long to get on the APL train, but now I’m hooked and definitely here to stay. These are technically designed for running (not my thing), but I love them for use at the gym, classes at Training Mate, and just walking. For me, these run true to size and I’m excited to get a second pair!

Quo Active Sports Thong (c/o) // Prior to being introduced to QUO, I was never super mindful of my underwear while working out but this has really shifted my perspective. This mid-rise thong is anti-microbial, moisture wicking, and doesn’t roll down when you’re on the move. Right now, it’s available in one size targeted toward 2-12, but the founder is hoping to expand into additional sizes in the future!

Tone It Up Booty Band // For glute and leg focused exercises at the gym, I turn to this booty band from Tone It Up! This is the medium resistance, and I’m planning to grab the light and heavy as well. I don’t feel the need for a bigger set of bands because I don’t use them daily, but this gets the job done. I also have their 5lb handheld dumbbells which I’m a fan of.

Tom’s Natural Strength Deodorant // I’ve been using natural deodorants for a little over two years now, and this is by far the best one I’ve ever used. I previously loved another deodorant by Tom’s, but this is far better in all aspects.

Omax Health CryoFreeze CBD Pain Relief Roll-On (c/o) // Lately, my knees have really been bothering me and this combo of menthol and full-spectrum CBD have definitely been helping bring down inflammation and improve flexibility.

Species by the Thousands Yoga High Mat Spray // I believe this item has been discontinued, but I’m a huge fan of this for use after yoga (especially hot yoga) to refresh my mat even after I wipe it down.