Hi, hi, hi – I hope you had a nice long weekend! The weather here was just gorgeous so we spent most of the past three days outside on walks, patios, and playgrounds. It truly feels like summer has arrived. You guys – WE MADE IT.
Every summer I take a hiatus from the gym in favor of long outdoor walks and runs. I’m that weirdo that craves a disgusting, outdoor sweat-sesh during Iowa’s muggy summers – there’s nothing like it! That said, over the past few weeks I’ve been lacing up my sneakers almost every night after the kids are in bed to spend a little QT with our local trail. Fresh air, exercise, and the sounds of nature – SOLO – is something I look forward to all day.
So, for today’s Just 5 Things post I thought I’d share my 5 summer workout essentials. We all know that a hat, sunglasses and H2O are necessary when the temperatures heat up, but here are 5 other must-have items I grab before heading outdoors!
1. Nike Flex Experience RN 6 Shoes
A friend of mine was wearing these Nike Flex Experience RN 6 shoes a couple months ago and they were so adorable that I came home and ordered a pair before taking off my coat. They are so cute on! These shoes are very lightweight and breathable, great for walking and running, and feel very contoured to my feet. I went with black and white but they come in a bunch of fun colors – the grey/coral combo was hard to pass up. FYI – order 1/2 size up.
2. Personal Alarm / Safety Device
It’s so unfortunate that as a woman I don’t feel 100% comfortable walking or running on a trail by myself. But, this is the world we live in and there are a ton of sickos out there. For this reason I never, ever, ever workout with earbuds in if I’m on a trail, so I can hear someone coming. In addition to carrying my phone, I ALWAYS have either a Vigilant Personal Alarm or My Kitty Keychain in hand. Both are small yet mighty and give me a sense of confidence and security on the trail. Of course, I always let at least one person know where I’m heading and how long I’ll be gone, too.
3. Summer Workout Gear
Recently my good friends Lea and Brian launched an activewear company called Zuma Blu. Although they’re both from Iowa (I went to high school with Brian,) their careers have taken them everywhere from Manhattan, to northern California (here they are showing us the tide pool in Half Moon Bay!) Malibu, and now finally to the Minneapolis area. Malibu’s Zuma beach is what inspired both the company’s name and clothing style, aka California-cool and super functional. Almost all of their yoga, running, and cycling tops and bottoms have storage in the form of hidden pockets. Must have! ??
Lea gave me a pair of their High Waist Active Capris with Pockets to wear and they’re not only making my list because they’re lightweight and perfect for summer, but the waistband is designed to not give you a muffin top (!!!!!) plus they have pockets on the side. How many times have you been at a park with your kids, or on a run, juggling your keys, phone, id, personal safety device, etc? Lea’s design is a game changer.
Zuma Blue just came out with their summer line of prints so check them out – super cute and colorful – and on sale! Zuma Blu is offering an extra 30% off everything on their site until Friday, June 2 with the code: IGE30
Lea also gave me her Women’s Palm Muscle Tee and it’s my favorite piece of clothing that I own. SO comfortable and it features a high/low cut so the back covers the buns.
I love, love, loveeeeee this shirt – whee!
4. Sunscreen
As you may know, I’m obsessed with anti-wrinkle creams and serums, but also not spending, like, $150 on anti-wrinkle creams and serums. That said I’m obsessed with this Radha Organic Rosehip Oil for all around my eyes at night – cannot TELL you how soft my skin is when I wake up – plus I’ve been using Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer twice a day. I swear I’m experiencing better skin tone, texture, and reduction in fine lines, but the reason why this product made my Summer Workout Essentials list is because it’s also contains broad spectrum SPF 30. Two birds, baby – and for under $20!
Ok, ok – if you’re going on a heavy-duty hike or playing beach volleyball this moisturizer might not be the most practical as you’ll sweat it off, but if you’re heading out on an evening power walk or jog, it totally gets the job done.
5. Runkeeper App
I’m not someone who walks out the door for a workout and just starts randomly running. I always want to know where I’m going, how far I’m going, and how long it’ll take. This is why I’m obsessed with the Runkeeper app.
The Runkeeper app helps keep you on pace, tracks distance, time and location, saves and discovers new routes, compares your current and past workouts – it can even create custom training schedules. Like I said, I always have my phone with me during outdoor workouts, so it’s great to be able to glance down and at the very least check my pace, calories burned, and distance traveled. Super handy, and free too!
What are your summer workout essentials?
Great tips. I am downloading the Runkeeper app now. Thanks for sharing.
Great tips! I’ve never been a huge fan of hats, but lately I’ve started wearing one and/or sunglasses for extra protection.
If I’m going somewhere alone, especially at night, I’ll carry along my pepper spray key chain.
It’s almost impossible to find bike shorts with cute fabric, thanks for sharing the Zuma Blu!
Great list!!
Thanks Sara!
I never run with headphones either! I always get creeped out thinking I hear someone following me. One time I had a car creeping reeeeally close behind me at 5:00am in the dark. Turns out, it was the paper man just trying to toss out his papers and I was in his way. Whoops! lol
I live on a road with lots of logging truck traffic and hungry wildlife (cougars). I was SO happy to find bone conduction headphones (I use Trekz Titanium)- you hear the sound using bone conduction (they rest in front of your ears) leaving your ears open to continue to hear around you! They also make it easy to listen to something while cleaning the house and keeping an ear on what the kids are doing.
I have never heard of these types of ear buds – definitely going to check them out!
Ohhh my gosh, I would be super creeped out too – thank God it was just the paper boy! ?
Just went down a long rabbit hole of rosehip oil. Do you put it all over your face or just your eyes? What’s your skin type? May need to get me some of this miracle oil!
It’s ahhhmazing. I put it over the entire under-eye area and my neck before bed. My skin type is PITA. ? Oily but very sensitive and dry in some areas.
Love your sandals! Where are they from?
Thanks! I have a pair of tan and black – they’re pretty much the only shoes I wear in the summer! http://shopstyle.it/l/LYH
I love taking a Pilates in the Park class at a local park. But summer in Minnesota means mosquito spray is a must have.
YES – the unofficial state bird of MN? ? I remember them being so bad when I lived there! I just ordered these bracelets to try this summer – fingers crossed they work: http://amzn.to/2rZ1ctI
Must have for me is a hair band to keep fly away hair off my face. Love Sweaty Bands and Bic Bands.
This post reminded me of the walks you used to take with your mom every morning (way back in the beginning of the blog!) Do you ever get to do that now?
We don’t. :( We don’t live too far away from each other now, but far enough that it wouldn’t work that early in the morning. We are over there 2-3x/week with the boys though! :)
I know what you mean about safety and I learned it the hard way when I tripped on a large crack in the road and took a fall one early morning. Fortunately I had my dog with me and she barked when she heard a group of runners. If you always take your phone with you when you run, I would recommend the Road ID app as it notifies your set contacts when you go for a run and will leave a “crumb” so your contacts can track you and it will notify them if you stop moving for more than 5 minutes. Runkeeper also has a live feature if you pay for the upgraded version.
Yikes – thank goodness you had your dog with you! Thanks for mentioning the Road ID app, too!
Love this list. I always have a good hat and sunscreen in the summer. Otherwise, I just need a comfy outfit and a safety device and I’m off!
?? Have a great summer outdoors, Brynn!
Such a fun list! I pinned like crazy on this one! I use aveeno moisturizer with spf, but it honestly isn’t doing me any favors on the wrinkles- I may have to change it up!
Yeah girl! I hope you love it!