Fueling Your Fitness Routine - Mind, Body, and Spirit

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.

When thinking about fitness, it’s generally the norm to just think about various exercises and ways of working out, but there are so many different pieces that go into a balanced fitness routine. From fueling and refueling the body to wearing the right gear, there are a number of crucial components to consider. That’s why I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite products that make all the difference in my fitness routine. So whether you’re looking for your next favorite supplement, a place to store your wedding ring while you work out, or even a way to tap into your spirituality and keep a sound mind before, during, and after a workout, I’ve got you covered.

One of the biggest parts of health and fitness for me is what I’m putting into my body to not only fuel my fitness routine but also my everyday life. That’s why I’m a huge fan of Ancient Nutrition. Their Multi Collagen Protein combines five types of collagen so that you don’t have to choose between bovine and marine collagen and can get the benefits of both. It supports a healthy gut, skin, hair, nails, and joints and all of the collagen is sourced from non-GMO, pasture-raised, cage-free, and cruelty-free sources. I also love their Zinc + Probiotics supplement to support a healthy immune defense and gut digestion.

When it’s time to suit up for my workout, the right leggings are absolutely key! I want them fitted but breathable, and I can’t stand when a legging rolls down mid-workout. That’s why I love these No nonsense Wide Waistband Sports Leggings. The fabric is lightweight with a built in stretch that moves with you. The wide waistband stays in place without rolling down for a nice, smooth look. You can use the code Sports25 for 25% off!

Another key piece in my fitness routine is the perfect snack bar. Whether I’m grabbing one to bring on a hike, or I’m fueling up before a spin class, a delicious snack bar with great ingredients is key. Queue the new Nature ValleyTM PackedTM sustained energy bars. Both the Peanut Butter & Cranberry and Almond Butter & Blueberry flavors are amazing, and these bars have the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, and chewy textures. They’re really the ultimate snack bar and perfect for any occasion!

So now that you’re fueled and ready to go in your perfect workout outfit, you’re still missing one thing - a place to put that ring so it doesn’t keep getting in the way (or even worse fall off) during your workout. RingHero to the rescue! These adorable wrist bands are not only stylish, but they discretely store your rings or other jewelry while you get in that me time! RingHero protects your jewelry from sweat and damage while also keeping it within view right on your wrist. You can use the code BabbleBoxx10 for 10% off!

We’ve made it through our workout, and now it’s time to refuel with the most delicious, easy plant-based meal. That’s where Veestro comes in. They ship fully-prepared plant-based meals straight to your door, and all you have to do is heat them up and enjoy! It really doesn’t get any easier, especially after a nice, hard workout. You can use the code BABBLE25 for 25% any order through October 31, 2020.

One thing we don’t often think about in terms of health and fitness that truly plays such and important role is the mind and spirit. That’s why I love this Amenti Oracle and Feather Heart Deck and Guidebook. It’s a unique and fun way to tap into your spirituality and spark the imagination. It makes for a great gift or self-purchase for anyone who’s into divination or mystical, and it pairs great with tarot cards!

From the perfect workout gear to some of my favorite snacks, supplements, and meals, there really is so much that goes into a fitness routine outside of the actual workout. I hope you’ve enjoyed some of my fun finds! Let me know which you try and how you like them in the comments below.

Beaver Brook Trail to Lost Lake

To continue on with my hiking challenge, this past week I hiked the Beaver Brook Trail in Marcella, NJ. It was a beautiful trail mostly in the woods, ending at the Lost Lake (pictured above). It was mildly challenging incline-wise, but those parts were very brief and limited.

We started out on the Highlands Connector trailhead which brings you right to Saffin Pond (pictured below). It's quite a nice view to start.

The path brings you along the side of the pond until you reach a bench where you make a left to continue following the Highlands trail.

You follow this trail for the first 1.6 miles. It's all in the woods and mostly flat or declining. We rarely ran into anybody except for a few bikers and a couple of people walking their dog. This was the last point we saw walkers before returning to the pond. At 1.6 miles you reach the Beaver Brook Trail.

You continue to follow the Beaver Brook Trail (crossing over the Yellow Trail at 2.1 miles). The trail begins to get a bit more challenging with a change in the terrain and a couple of steeper inclines (but nothing too crazy). You cross over some unmarked trails and the lake starts to come into view.

Once you can see the lake, you're very near the end. You come upon Split Rock which is just a giant split rock.

Once you get through the rock and continue a little further you reach a beautiful view of the lake. There are tons of lily pads and a couple of beaver dams. Make sure you continue until you see the very large dam on the right side. The dam kind of creates a second mini lake, and an amazing view.

After soaking in the view (and trying to spot some beavers, which we didn't), we turned around to head back. We did keep hearing a plopping noise into the water, but we couldn't see anything but the splash unfortunately.

We followed the same trail backwards until we came upon the yellow trail. We decided to take this back instead. It also made the trail longer (instead of 6.6 miles we did about 7.5 miles).

The trail back was relatively similar, a little wider and maybe a little less rugged at points. We did see a random rock with smaller rocks piled on it from a previous hiker.

We mostly just wanted to switch up the scenery instead of doing the same trail twice. But we did also get to enjoy the added view of a marshy area and a little frog friend.

We followed the yellow trail all the way back until we came upon the initial pond and finally the parking lot. Our legs were ready for some stretching and our feet were ready for a break at this point.

Overall, the hike was very pretty, especially the lost lake. The beaver dams were an awesome and unique sight. The trail was very empty, and we rarely passed anybody (especially on foot). Most people we crossed paths with were bikers or people by the pond in the beginning. In terms of difficulty, I expected this hike to be harder than it was. From what I had read, it was given a moderate level of difficulty. I might give it an easy. There weren't many inclines, but the distance did add up. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice walk with some great views.

For a full step-by-step overview of the Beaver Brook Trail to Lost Lake click here.

Stairway to Heaven

This past weekend I started off my hiking challenge by heading up to Vernon, NJ for the Stairway to Heaven trail. The trail is a total of 7.4 miles over a mile of it being a steep incline.

I am by no means an expert hiker. I've done about 5 trails throughout New Jersey, and this one was definitely the toughest. It was a tough but totally worth it. I do think that anyone who sets their mind to it (and paces themselves and listens to their body) can complete this trail.

The trail starts out on a board walk and is a very easy walk for about 2 miles.

The boardwalk is about 2 people wide and surrounded my mostly tall grass and some water and swampy areas at points. We saw a number of turtles.

The picture above was taken very close to the beginning. You can see the mountain that we climbed to the top of far off in the distance.

You cross over a couple of bridges on the way towards the mountain including "Lovers Bridge". The boardwalk also get much skinnier and becomes 2 beams as you get out of the marshier area. You end up crossing over railroad tracks and going through a pasture where you can see some cows.

Finally you make it to the mountain.

You head into the woods, and follow the trail. It starts to become rocky, and that's when you know you're almost at the beginning of the climb.

Once we actually started to climb, I limited the picture-taking. It was a lot of climbing, and you could definitely feel it all over your legs and butt. We took a couple of quick breaks to catch our breath and enjoy the scenery. Finally we made it all the way to the top which is actually past the look out point. At the very top, there's a mailbox with a book that you can sign, so of course I did. Then we headed down just a little to the lookout point.

What a view! You can see the pasture you walked through, and the beams look like little lines. There also happened to be some sort of music event going on below, and we could hear the music all the way from the top. The huge tent looked like a little square.

After enjoying the top for a good 15 minutes, we headed back down and did the trail in reverse. All in all, it took about 4 hours including our rests, picture breaks, and 15 minutes at the top. It probably would've taken about 3 1/2 hours had we not stopped.

It was totally worth it. The varying elements of the path, different scenery, and amazing view from the top. What a great hike! Highly recommended if you're up for the challenge!

For a full overview and description of the trail click here.