Spring Cleaning Organization Tips

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Items I suggest when organizing a closet on a budget:

  • Uniform hangers. Wire hangers are the worst for your clothes.  Purchasing uniform hangers not only looks pleasing to the eye but helps your clothes last longer.
  • Hooks-  A great recourse to hang everyday items like totes, scarves or even a place to hang the outfit you plan to wear the next day.
  • Shelf dividers. This helpful solution keeps the pile of clothes you have folded on a closet shelf from forming one large mess.
  • Clear bins- There are always items in a closet needing to be stored. Using clear bins helps remind you what is inside so nothing is forgotten.
  • Shoe rack. You can use a traditional shoe rack on the bottom of your closet or a shoe solution on the back of your door. No matter what, implementing something for your shoes is a must so they don’t form one large cluster on your closet floor.  
  • Labels. Creating labels in your closet ensures you know where to find an item/category and more importantly where to put it back. You can create them with  tape and sharpie, a label maker or using mail labels and a pen.

 

tricks/tips for maintaining an organized closet

  • Remember to be realistic when organizing your closet. If you know you won’t able able to maintain color coding, don’t do it. Set up systems that feel realistic with your lifestyle and personality so keeping it tidy feels natural not daunting. Add hooks if you tend to drape your clothes or label shelves if someone else in your household puts the laundry away.

 

Keep in mind:

  • There are always going to be busy periods and setbacks, but if you’ve set up systems and set aside time to organize, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your house bounces back.  Just remember to always take a deep breath and know the mess is not representative of who you are, or that you have failed in some way. It’s just temporary.

 

Tips for organizing your pantry:

  • Categories will be your best friend when organizing your pantry. Put snacks, breakfast and grains categorically together. This will help when needing to know what to replenish, which saves you money!
  • Have your spices in your pantry? Put any spices you use the most front and center and rarely used spices in the back.
  • Think about what you and your family eat the most. If you tend to eat a lot of breakfast, put that on the most accessible shelf. Whatever you use the least should be on the highest shelf.
  • Does your pantry only have shelves? Consider installing pull out drawers. You can purchase from IKEA or Amazon inexpensively. Having pull out drawers helps to see everything you have so nothing gets lots in the back.
  • When using bins or containers in your pantry, go for clear. Being able to see what you have and when it gets low is a good reminder that it’s time to restock.
  • Lazy susans are perfect for pantry organization. You can place items you use often making it easy to access and find quickly.

 

Other random tips:

Wax Paper

  • Have issues sliding your hangers on the rod in your closet? Take a sheet of wax paper and run it across the rod. Clothes will slide with ease.

 

Shower Hooks for Jeans

  • To free up shelf space and ensure you no longer have to play the jean-Jenga-game, use shower curtain hooks wide enough to fit on your closet rod and hang your jeans from their belt loops. Using hooks allows your jeans to hang without taking up a lot of space and will also air your jeans out, between washes!

 

Shoes Face in Opposite Directions

  • Save space by placing shoes in opposite directions, you’ll be able to see one shoe from the front and one shoe from the back. Placing shoes this way ends up saving you a few inches of space, which means fitting in more shoes.

 

Shoe boxes for Tupperware Lids

  • Reuse shoe boxes to keep your kitchen tidy. Collect and organize all of your tupperware lids and place inside a shoe box to keep separate and avoid a mess of lids and bins. Use the lid of shoe boxes to help unruly catch all drawers become tiddy by keeping pens, lighters and post-its all in one container.

 

Sorted by Anna is professional organizing and decluttering company. With home, business, moving and virtual services, we help set up long term space-saving solutions that fit each busy lifestyle and personality. Packing and unpacking, decluttering, simplifying and room redesign consultations. Sorted by Anna helps clients achieve order, function and efficiency so they can truly love their space again!

Spring CleaRing – Clear Clutter in a Flash

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“Can it be that even as one grows to fit the space one lives in, one cannot grow until there’s space to grow?”
–Rita Dove

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Spring Clean Your Relationship to Food

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So often we think about food as either “good or bad” and our actions fall into those categories as well. I like to routinely (maybe once a season) make sure I clean that out and start over, thinking to myself “what feels most nourishing right now?” When we come from a place of love and nourishment, it gets rid of all that outer noise that media and diet culture fills our heads with and allows us to tap into our true needs. When it comes to nourishment, it could be food, or it could be joy, connection, relaxation, stimulation etc. When we think of food as just one way to nourish ourselves instead of the way, we see it in a holistic picture and start to understand what we are truly hungry for.

Keep reading for some ways to tap into your inner guide:

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Get to Know Former NBA Dancer Turned Flywheel Instructor, Caitlin!

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@caitlinjones

After being active for so many years, how do you continue to challenge yourself in the gym?

I started doing Crossfit 3 months ago and I’m addicted. Given my personal training background, I thought I knew enough about weight lifting to get a good workout in on my own. Maybe so, but since starting Crossfit I’ve acquired many new skills. I had only worked with kettlebells and dumbbells in the past, and now I feel like superwoman any time I do a complex lift with a barbell. WITH PLATES ON IT. I am so proud of myself. I also learned to climb a rope and walk on my hands. Next I want to work on my ring muscle-ups and handstand push ups!

Whether they know it or not, do your trainees ever help you learn something new during a session?

I think it’s less that they are teaching me specific facts or lessons and more that they inspire me with their commitment, energy, and intention. I like to thank everyone at the end of class for making it happen. With just a teacher and no students, there cannot be a class. It is their desire to be stronger, faster, better versions of themselves that makes every class possible.

 

What is your favorite workout to do to switch up your routine?

Crossfit! Anything involving weight lifting. Also yoga, although that is really more for my mind than my body. I also take an active approach to daily life – I love hiking, bouldering, playing with my nieces and nephew, playing with dogs, or walking around a new city. I’d love to learn to surf one day! My brother has trained in jiu jitsu all his life. When I move back to Pittsburgh, I’d also like to learn from him.

Who’s your pick to win it all this March Madness?

Uhh, is Pitt competing this year? I only root for Pittsburgh teams. Despite dancing in the NBA, I know almost nothing about basketball because Pittsburgh does not have a pro team. Go Steelers!

Meet The Bar Method Gold Coast Owner Emily Youkers!

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Does your fitness routine change once it (finally) starts to get warmer outside?
Strangely, I’m more dedicated to my workout in the winter than I am in the warmer months! Something about the cold makes my body crave movement so I find that I take more classes each week when its cold. Winter can seem like it won’t end and I know working out will be the one thing I can consistently rely on to feel better. Once the weather starts to warm, I want to be outside and it takes more discipline on my part to schedule time for my fitness routine. My workout time is so critical for me year round, not just physically but for my mental and emotional health. I’ve come to rely on physical activity as stress relief and a way to remove the “weight” from my shoulders on challenging days. The warm weather does get me outside more though. I’m more likely to walk than take mass transit and I’m more likely to participate in outdoor fitness activities and even try new things. I want to get out on the water more this summer and try rowing for the first time.
After being active for so many years, how do you continue to challenge yourself in the gym?
One of my favorite aspects of The Bar Method is it never gets boring so its very hard to plateau. No two classes are ever the same because each instructor has their own choreography, musical style and we’re constantly innovating with new exercises. When I feel the need to shake things up a bit, I rely on some simple changes to trick my mind and body out of its comfort zone. I’ll work out at a different time of day, with a new instructor and even choose a different location in the studio to give myself a different perspective on my form. Taking another instructor’s class gives me ideas on creative ways to combine exercises and then I’m a better instructor as a result. The Bar Method community of instructors is like your own team of personal trainers. We hold each other accountable to the quality of our “Method” so we can teach the safest and most effective classes to our clients.
Whether they know it or not, do your trainees ever help you learn something new during a session?
My clients give back to me in ways they probably never realize! Being a Bar Method instructor means I am trained to analyze a clients body type and shape, then combine that knowledge with their physical limitations or injuries to provide a safe yet highly effective workout. Just because I have 20 clients in a class doesn’t mean all of them are always doing the same exercise. In every class I’m providing alternate exercises and modifications to account for each individuals needs. I am so rewarded when I help a client tells me after class that a challenging position finally makes sense to them and they feel that “A-ha!!” moment.
What is your favorite workout to do to switch up your routine?
Hiking! I don’t do it as much as I used to after to moving to Chicago from Arizona but I miss it. Whenever I’m home, my friends and family know one of the first things I want to do is schedule a hike in one of the various mountain ranges. It clears and stimulates my mind at the same time. The beauty of nature, the drive to keep going even when I’m getting tired and solitude are so therapeutic.
Who’s your pick to win it all this March Madness?
I was secretly looking forward to seeing the Loyola team surprise everyone this year but sadly they’re out of the running. I’m all about the ASU Sun Devils now!!

2019: The Year of Self-Care

Raquel talks to us about how 2019 is the year of self-care and we couldn’t agree more! Find out how Raquel plans to re-focus in 2019 and what her biggest accomplishment was in 2018!

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What’s your advice for people looking to jumpstart their fitness/health routine in the new year?

If you are looking to jumpstart your fitness/health routine, grab a calendar and plan your workouts each week. Include one rest day and choose workouts that are motivating, fun, and empowering.

What is your New Year’s Resolution?

My new year’s resolution for 2019 is to add self-care into my daily routine. I am an Athlete and Fitness Instructor, but last year I was always sick, injured, or tired. My plan to combat that is to take an extra hour out of my day to either stretch, meditate, relax, nap, soak in a hot bath, or enjoy a bowl homemade soup over a Netflix show.

How do you plan on sticking to your resolutions?

Each week, I schedule my workouts, classes, and personal training clients on my iPhone calendar. Recently, I started scheduling my down time. It helps me stick to my resolution and gives me something to look forward to.

What was your biggest accomplishment in 2018?

Finishing my first screenplay was my biggest accomplishment for 2018. It taught me the discipline to plan and execute my ideas when it strikes, instead of waiting for the “perfect moment”.

Follow Raquel on instagram @raquel.harris

 

Get the scoop on Hit House from blogger, Katie Tepper!

New to Muay Thai? Don’t sweat it! Find out why Hit House is great for all fitness levels and easy to learn. We got the scoop from blogger, Katie Tepper! She will give you all the details you need to get ready for your first class.
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1) Is this class a good fit for all fitness levels?

Hit House is great for all fitness levels, especially those who are new to boxing/Muay Thai. The class starts out with an introduction to each punch and kick that will be used to ensure you know proper form. Additionally, once you get into combos, they’re only about 4 moves long, so it’s really easy to follow.

2) What was your favorite part of class?

I love when the combo work starts, especially ones that involve both kicks and punches. I’ve been boxing for many years, and when you’re able to throw a combo really quickly and with power you feel like such a badass!

3) What piece of advice would you give someone that has never taken a Hit House class?

Don’t be afraid to tell the instructor you’re new! It’ll only work to your benefit as they’re more likely to assist you with technique. Also, don’t get intimidated or compare yourself to others in the class who are more advanced. “Gymtimidation” is a real thing that holds people back from experiencing new workouts because they’re afraid to look inexperienced or lost. This is particularly true for classes like Hit House because they require a level of coordination and muscle memory. If you let this get to you, you could prevent yourself from trying out a workout that could eventually become one of your favorites! Also, always remember that everyone’s fitness level is different and we were all beginners once.