Walk, Talk & Gawk

One of the most unique and special parts about having a family home in Lake Geneva is the beauty the water provides year round. Towards the end of Summer and beginning of Fall is the perfect time to walk the lake path, one of our favorite ways to start the day not only to be active but it is so relaxing an provides us with a great chance to talk. 21 miles in all, the gorgeous route allows walkers to literally walk through the back yards of striking century-old mansions and some of the most beautiful landscaping in the Midwest. 

Fun fact: The path was created by the region’s earliest settlers who dictated that the 20 feet of land directly up from the shoreline be deemed public domain. 

On this beautiful September day, we did about 4 miles total...started at our house and walked to a local restaurant to meet the rest of the family for lunch. There's no feeling bad about indulging in a bloody mary bar after putting in some mileage ;)

It is on our list to complete the whole path in 1 day...hopefully mid-October when the leaves are 100 shades of red and gold aka Instagram heaven. We will be utilizing walk talk and gawk when we venture out on our journey...It includes full details on the most difficult parts of the path, public access points and the stories behind the estates of some famous families (the Wrigley estate and Driehaus estate to name a few!)

Jacket, Tank, & Pants // Shoes: DSW // Sunglasses: Ditto (use code SISTERSMARIE for 1st month designer sunglasses FREE!)

Tank: Target // Pants: Victoria's Secret (similar)  // Hoodie (similar)// Shoes: Amazon (similar)
Sunglasses: Old Navy// Backpack: Target (similar)

Have you ever walked the LG path? What other Midwest paths do you recommend?

3 Workouts + 3 Smoothies

With summer coming and crop tops being brought back into our lives like Britney circa 1999, we're definitely being mindful of our health and fitness. Not to mention, if you sit in an office chair all day like myself, you too feel cheated from losing all that extra time when you could be active. I do my best to fit in walks with my girlfriend on lunch and walk to my co-workers desk instead of emailing but still, I am always looking to make up for the lost time. 

Routinely, I attend Body Pump 2x a week and try to fit in a good run on 3 days but there are definitely those mornings when the snooze button wins or those evenings when the couch seems MUCH more inviting. 

However, I still like to try something active every single day and that's when a quick Youtube workout can be a saving grace. There are so many 10, 20, 30 or even hour long videos that serve as a great way to get in some movement and speaking from the Ab one I did this week, I can tell you that the struggle is truly real ;)

WORKOUTS:

1. Popsugar Fitness



2. Tone it Up



3. XHIT

P.S. Here's a few more great channels to add to your list!

SMOOTHIES:

1.

1 large banana (previously frozen in chunks is best)

1 c blueberries (I use frozen organic)

1 c milk (I use almond milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

sweetener to taste (honey, stevia, agave)

handful of ice cubes 

Blend all ingredients & serve! I use a Vitamix which has the most power when it comes to mixing a large amount of ingredients, I think.

2. 

1 ½ cups light coconut milk

1 ripe banana

1 ½ cups frozen mango chunks

Juice of one lime

Agave nectar, to taste

Place ingredients in blender, in listed order. Blend on high speed until smooth.

3. 

1 cup soy milk (I used coconut, you can use the milk of your choice)

1/2 banana, fresh or frozen

1 cup chopped frozen mango

1/2 cup frozen peach slices

2 cups spinach (or kale, which I used)

1/2 cup of ice

Place ingredients in blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.