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Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide

HealthAmanda Walter | Maple AlpsComment

There are days when your home feels too comfy to leave it, and since gym memberships can be quite costly, sometimes your home seems like the best option for getting your workout done. So, turn your house or apartment into a private and budget-friendly gym with this home workout guide.  Get your yoga mat, put on your workout clothes and get ready to discover easy and fun ways you can get fit and healthy right without ever leaving the comfort of your home.  

Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide | www.maplealps.com

When You Feel Like Staying In

When you just feel like spending your day inside and not going out in the cold, there are simple and effective indoor workouts you can try. You don’t need much equipment, just a plain yoga mat or an old blanket for some knee and back protection. When it comes to the exercises, aside from basic sit-ups, pushups and crunches, you can also do some stair stepping that will definitely raise your heart rate. If you don’t have stairs in your home, you can still do this exercise with the biggest book you can find or a small chair or bench. You can also add some arm and back exercises with weights or water bottles. Water bottles are quite handy as weights because you can adjust the weight to your fitness level. 

Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide | www.maplealps.com

When You Feel Like Staying in Bed

If you would do anything to stay a few extra minutes in bed in the morning, we have some good news for you. You don’t even have to get up to do your morning workout! Stay in bed and still get a workout  in with some simple exercises you can do right on your mattress. Choose a few every day (or complete the whole set) and try circuit training. Complete as many reps as you can in 30 seconds, take a 10-second break and get onto the next exercise. These will get your blood pumping and you’ll certainly burn more calories than scrolling through Instagram in bed. 

Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide | www.maplealps.com

When You Need to Stay In

If you work from home sitting in front of your computer screen for hours and after you’re done, you just want to relax and stretch out on the sofa, you have to know that you’re not doing yourself a favor. Research shows that prolonged sitting is bad for your lungs, heart, back and your mental health. So, if you want to break this cycle and get some exercise while at your desk, embrace deskercising! For your office workouts, you don’t need any special equipment aside from things you can find in your home office, such as books, desks, a chair and yourself. You can do all sorts of exercises like leg raises, chair crunches or table pushups. One great way to get moving in your office is to pace every time you’re on the phone! You’ll stretch your legs and put some extra steps on your Fitbit. Pro tip: either find a good ergonomic chair for your office or get a soft pillow that will protect your back from prolonged sitting.

Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide | www.maplealps.com

For Those Who Have A Pool

If you’re one of those lucky people with a backyard pool, you basically have the best piece of workout equipment at home: water! Depending on the size of your pool, you can start swimming laps or engage in some water aerobics. These exercises will do wonders for your posture, weight, muscles and your overall health. All you need is some basic swimming pool equipment like goggles and you’re ready to go. 

Seize the Moment - Choose the Corner: Stay at Home Workout Guide | www.maplealps.com

For Those With a Backyard

If you have a backyard, you have a whole new world of workout options (hello, cardio!). Cardio is great for improving your heart health, boosting your metabolism, shedding fat and keeping you fit and toned. So, try organizing a boot camp in your backyard that will leave you absolutely breathless.

As you can see, your level of activity doesn’t depend on the weather, budget or time; you can get good workouts at home. All you need is 15-30 minutes, some basic equipment and the motivation to get moving! 

 

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Faith is a writer, seeking beauty everywhere she goes and finding it in art, nature, family, and home. Passionate about just living life to the fullest, she’s into home decor and healthy lifestyle, trying to be the best version of herself and make her surroundings match.

If you are interested in guest posting, check out the guest posting guidelines for Maple Alps, here. 


 

Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success

Guest PostsAmanda Walter | Maple Alps4 Comments

Shopping is a time-consuming adventure that many gladly take part in. Confessedly, I was no different. I loved the thrill of going into stores, hearing their relaxing music, and seeing the bright new trends on the shelves. Whether I was shopping to take my mind off a problem or to just window shop, none of it was sustainable. I was picking out pieces that I would soon forget about. I just didn’t know it yet. And how could I? When you’re shopping, sometimes it can feel like you really need that super cute blouse. You can’t wait to wear it to work or out to brunch with your friends. And I was just the same. But after a while, I started growing weary of the superficial feel of it all. I had countless tops, pants, shoes, and bags that I no longer was excited to wear. No longer do I take an amiable stroll throughout the shops, eyeing the mannequins, shoes, and accessories. Because now when I approach the stores, I have a solid plan in mind.

 

The Focus of Fast Fashion

Everywhere you look, whether it’s on social media or the magazines at the grocery store, you’ll see ads. The main thing these ads are doing is busy pressuring us to look better by paying more money. Fashion is one of the worst culprits. You’d think that four seasons is plenty, but you’d be wrong! The thing about fast fashion giants such as Forever 21, Topshop, and Zara is that they are constantly adding new shipments and styles into their stores. Fast fashion is all about making the consumer feel like they’re suddenly off-trend even though they just had a massive haul a week ago. With new trends and styles continuously flooding in, it lends that “must have it” feeling to shoppers who didn’t even know they needed it, much less wanted it.

But it’s fine to splurge every once in awhile, right? Because it’s not like you’re always stocking up on pricey jeans and jackets. Surely there can’t be much harm in grabbing a $10 hoodie. However, a big problem of the inexpensive clothing is that it’s cheap. Not just cheaply priced but cheaply produced. With big stores like H&M, they have outsourced their work to massive factories. The factory workers put in many long hours in order to put together clothing to be shipped back to the stores. These workers are underpaid and not taken care of properly during their shifts. It’s also very cheap to order clothing in bulk from these factories. Large, popular brands like H&M can even get away with reselling items for a fractionally higher cost than manufacturing. For smaller brands, they’d never make enough profit if that’s how they operated. But for big brands, they drop the prices to entice shoppers to give in and buy a nicely priced blouse or a pair of pants. And because millions of people shop at these brands, the fashion industry is raking in the cash. It’s a dark picture to think about. The good news is that many indie fashion labels are beginning to burst into the scene. Lots of people like a good DIY project or knowing someone handmade something. There are definitely ways that you can buy beautiful, reliable clothing that will stand the test of time while even remaining stylish.

 

The Simple Guide To Sustainable Shopping

So now I want to break something down for you. It’s something I’ve been compiling over the last several months. I want to share my sustainable shopping tips and tricks.

 
Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com

 

#1: Avoid Shopping

Perhaps this is the most obvious tip. However, if you take a day to reevaluate your wardrobe, you could be surprised. Document what you have. Try to work with it. But let’s be serious, we can’t avoid shopping forever…

 

#2: Limit Your Shopping Trips

Okay. So you’ve got to grab a pair of jeans because the ones you have are just a bit too snug. That’s fine. Hold onto that. When you go out to shop, shop with intention. Don’t go for one thing and end up coming home with multiple bags. And when you do shop, shop for quality over quantity. Seek out brands that have sturdy clothing. Try to stay away from the fleeting fads. If you invest in a nice pair of jeans for $150 that will last you, it’s going to be a lot better in the long run than if you had snagged a pair for $15.

 

#3: Seek Out Consignment Shops

If you’re not willing to give up shopping so easily, there are always solutions. Rather than heading to outlets or shops, try consignment stores. There are many different sorts. From local consignment stores with specifically chosen consigned pieces to polished online storefronts with practically new pieces for a fraction of the price. A couple of the more upscale consignment shops are ThredUp and TheRealReal. They specifically carry luxury brand clothing. That means no poorly-created clothing for cheap prices.

Some of my second-hand finds:

Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com
Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com
Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com
 

#4: Turn To Eco-Friendly Brands

It’s time for the next step. Like I mentioned before, there are people and companies out there who strive to bring their own handmade and ethically made goods into the world. They’re created with care. You just have to find them. From awesome fun printed slip-ons by Inkkas to iconic white shirts by Anne Fontaine and more. There are countless indie fashion labels out there. You just have to find the time to locate the ones you love. Fashion labels which bring sustainability, elegance, and minimalism into their very designs are drawing in clients who are hungry to veer away from fast fashion.

 

#5: Begin Avoiding Fast Fashion Destinations

Starting out, you may find that eco-friendly fashion designers may not have what you were expecting. If you’ve checked out dozens of indie labels and still are struggling finding a classy pair of heels or the perfect clutch, don’t give up. Rather take a step away and use the last resort: fast fashion. For the reasons I talked about before, fast fashion is not the best mode of action. But sometimes, we don’t really have another choice. Heading to your nearest shopping center can work just fine. You just might end up finding a classic blouse that you can wear again and again. Not all fast fashion is poor fashion (or even style). And it definitely will do the trick in a pinch. However, if you want to seek out sustainable fashion at places like Zara or Topshop, go for it. There isn’t anything wrong in using major fashion labels as a backup plan or a minor substitute. Just don’t let it be your first choice and avoid the obvious fads that will be gone in a month’s time. There are so many other hardworking individuals who deserve your money and are willing to trade their sustainable products for it. 

 
Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com
 

That’s pretty much how I like to shop sustainably! What do you think? How would you choose to incorporate sustainability into your shopping?


Nadia Karpov is a founder of Happymalista blog where she documents her journey towards minimalist life style. As a slow fashion enthusiast, she constantly explores the subject and shares everything she learns along the way. You will find simple style, beauty, sustainable shopping, and travel tips on her blog.

To learn more, please visit Happymalista, Instagram, and Facebook

If you are interested in guest posting, check out the guest posting guidelines for Maple Alps, here. 

Five Secrets for Sustainable Shopping Success | www.maplealps.com