instagram – The Athleisure Teacher

Media Tastings, Collabs, and Podcast Promotions

Published on February 18, 2019 by The Athleisure TeacherLeave a comment

Hey boo! It’s been about 6 weeks, and I felt it was important to write something here for the 1 person left who actually looks forward to my blog posts. My absence is entirely my fault. I’m learning that maintaining an Instagram page, blogging, AND podcasting, realistically cannot coexist and is not sustainable. Something had to fall by the wayside, and unfortunately it’s the writing. This obviously saddens me, because it’s my passion, but when there’s so much momentum elsewhere, and sometimes blogging feels like a dying art, you have to accept defeat and realize where the casualty will lie.

Anyway, I wanted to fill you in on where I’ve been. In the last couple of months, my Instagram has really taken off. I’ve been invited to media tastings, been given products to promote and giveaway, and just generally have grown a very active and organic following that feels really special. I wanted to share some of these highlights here.

Feng Cha Canada Media Tasting

fengcha

Feng Cha is the cutest little bubble tea and fruit tea spot in Scarborough. The aesthetic was adorable, with a floral wall and a giant stuffed bear. We got to sample a bunch of their teas, as well as their pastries and buns, and I had so much fun meeting other foodies in the city and partaking in all things cutesy and Asian.

Podcast Promotional Photoshoot

Processed with VSCO with c2 preset

Processed with VSCO with a4 preset

A few weekends ago, me and Blair (along with her boyfriend in tow as our photog) went to Lov’t Studio (cutest little studio with amazing sets and props) to take some podcast promotional photos. Our podcast has really taken off, and we’re having so much fun spreading our message of self-care and self-love! We decided to take some photos to help promote it and increase our listenership (is that a word?), and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the way they turned out.

Welo collaboration

welo

Welo (short for We Love) is my favourite Canadian brand of organic, vegan probiotic bars and beverages. My kids love their kids’ bars, and I love the ingredients in their products. So naturally this was an organic (pun intended) pairing, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything they sent to me, and doing a product giveaway with them! Hilariously enough, the winner of this giveaway was a new follower and someone I didn’t know, but it turns out he lives around the corner from me!

Revive Organics collaboration

reviveorganics

Revive Organics is also a Canadian company, selling ready-made organic and vegan smoothies that just require adding liquid and blending. I LOVE the concept, and felt like this partnership was very on-brand and made sense as a busy working mom of two. They sent me some of their smoothies, as well as their new overnight oats product, and me and the kids thoroughly enjoyed all of them. The company was also kind enough to send me a coupon code for my followers and readers, so if you’re reading this and want to try them out, you can use my code LAUREN50 for 50% off your order!

Imperfect Fresh Eats Media Tasting

imperfectfresh

A couple of days ago I attended a media tasting at Imperfect Fresh Eats, a new restaurant at 318 Adelaide St. W. The concept is amazing. They use imperfect/slightly flawed produce in order to keep costs down and reduce food waste. The bowls were beautiful and full of fresh, delicious ingredients, but for a very reasonable price (small bowl is $9.50, a large is only $11)! You pick from a base of forbidden black rice, Asian sweet potato noodles, spring mix or spinach, add your protein (chipotle chicken, tofu, shrimp or kalbi beef), and then you can add unlimited toppings and dressings. I tasted the chicken and had a base of all four options, and honestly, it was amazing. I love what they’re doing there. Stay tuned for a giftcard giveaway!

Anyway, this is where I’ve been. Yes I’ve been neglecting my OG baby, but I’m out there hustling and I promise to give this blog more loving in the coming months.

XO,

The Athleisure Teacher

Thankful.

Published on October 8, 2018 by The Athleisure TeacherLeave a comment

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving friends! I know I haven’t blogged in forever, but the reason for this is threefold:

I’ve been bogged down with planning and marking at school.
I’ve been focusing on our podcast (episode 2 about food and nutrition as self-care is now available on the podcast app! Just search “Self-care with Lauren and Blair” to listen!)
Aaaaand I just haven’t been inspired to write, unfortunately, and I didn’t want to blog for the sake of blogging.

But here we are, and damnit, I’ll try to write something relatively coherent and engaging for all of y’all, because I know my 5 loyal followers want it.

What am I thankful for this year? Like, a lot. It’s been a really good time both personally and professionally, and I need to make a list because I love lists and lists are awesome.

1. My health. Always first and foremost. How lucky am I that my body is healthy enough to allow me to do high impact exercise 3 days a week? To run around with my children? To get out of bed every day and live a productive life? I will never ever take this for granted. When I sit on that spin bike, I thank gd for my health multiple times. I also thank gd I’m not pregnant, because being in that body really freaking sucks, but that’s a whole other blog post.

2. My family. I mean, duh. I’m eternally grateful that my children are happy and healthy and not the spawn of Satan. I also feel so blessed to have a wonderful husband, the best parents, and the cutest of sisters eva.

appleorchard

Apple picking when it’s still hot out is fun too. (TB to a few weeks ago…)

3. My friends. I tightened my inner circle A LOT this year and it’s been very liberating. I have the world’s most patient friends, because for the last four months, my conversations, meals, and life in general have revolved around Instagram. They don’t get to eat until I’ve photographed (or rather, they’ve photographed because I’m a shitty photographer) their meals, and my conversations with them are a steady stream of follows and unfollows, podcast plans, and asking which picture to post. I’m sorry guys. I really truly suck. You’re all amazing for tolerating me.

4. Impromptu weekend trips to NYC. The fact the most incredible city in the world is just a one hour flight away is nothing short of amazing! I don’t want to live there, but every few months I just feel the pull of the city and gravitate towards it. It’s an addiction, I suppose, but the energy, food, nightlife, and shopping are beyond magnetic.

5. My job. I have the best students this semester. We have the most interesting class discussions, and they’re all so engaged and participatory. It’s rare to get a group where the majority of the students have strong opinions, so this is pretty much English teacher heaven for me! Also, in case people think teenagers are rude and disrespectful, I want to tell you that every morning, my students come into my class and greet me with a “hello” or a “good morning.” When they leave the class, they say “have a good day miss,” or “bye!” They’re such mensches! I really appreciate their warmth and kindness, because it keeps me in a good mood and sets a really positive tone for the day.

6. Refined carbohydrates and gluten. Pizza. Donuts. Tacos.

This maple bacon donut from Dipped Donuts in Kensington Market is pretty much the epitome of fall in Canada, amirite? I think I am most grateful for this donut. Like, I love my family and stuff, but…donuts win.

Instagram Health Trends I Can’t Get Down With

Published on August 8, 2018August 8, 2018 by The Athleisure TeacherLeave a comment

When it comes to health and wellness, social media can be a double edged sword. On one hand, Instagram can be motivational and inspirational; encouraging people to get fit and make better choices. But on the flip side, there are some pretty extreme perspectives and fad diets that are pervasive in those little squares, and I think it can be dangerous for impressionable people who are grasping at whatever they can to lose weight. Today I wanted to share some of these trends with you, because as per usual, I have some pretty strong opinions on them.

Intermittent fasting: I’m sorry, but why the eff are people starving themselves again? Isn’t that so 1983? Letting your stomach growl for 16 hours a day can’t possibly be a thing. I don’t care how much weight you lose; starvation isn’t cute. I eat every 3-4 hours because if my blood sugar dips, I get bitchy af. I can’t imagine not eating for 2/3rds of the day (are you proud of my math skillz guys? Is that even right? 16 out of 24 hours is 2/3rds, right?)…that’s just masochistic.
Bulletproof coffee (and the keto diet in general): MORE BUTTER! Gimme allllll the butter. WTF? How is this a thing? Before I launch into my tirade, let me actually share what Bulletproof coffee is. Some guy invented it when he went traveling abroad to like the Himalayas or some shit and he put grassfed butter (or ghee) in his coffee and also something called MCT oil which is ideal for brain function and mental clarity. Allegedly it keeps you full for hours, but that’s because it has 17,000 calories or something like that. I tried one recently for the first time, and let’s just say that MCT oil gave me a case of the shits like I’ve never experienced in my life. Never. Again.
No fruit: Bitches be putting cauliflower and zucchini in their smoothies now instead of bananas and blueberries. Apparently fruit has too much sugar. Mmmkay then. I’ll just be over here adding your unused banana to my smoothie. Enjoy drinking your blended cruciferous veggies. Get it girl!
No bread for toast: Now we make toast with thinly cut sweet potatoes. I can’t with this. I will eat bread forever because carbs make MY brain function, and I really like bread. Don’t pull the bread from under my toast, thankyouverymuch.

So yeah, my rant is over, but just remember to always do you, boo. What works for me is balance and moderation, eating ALL the food groups, and eating ALL the livelong day. Maybe that isn’t the case for you, but I strongly caution you to avoid these Instagram “health and wellness” traps, because I honestly just don’t see how they’re smart choices.

Body built by carbs, fruit, and very little butter.

XO, The Athleisure Teacher

Some Recent Happenings

Published on June 18, 2018 by The Athleisure TeacherLeave a comment

Hello loyal followers (looking at you, mom)! It’s been tumbleweeds up in here for a few days now, so I thought I’d check in and fill you in on my extraordinarily exciting life.

Let’s talk about having a public Instagram account for a moment, shall we? It’s beyond weird. Other accounts follow you in the hopes you’ll follow back and then unfollow you almost immediately. And weirdos contact you. So. Many. Weirdos. I recently posted a story of me eating a doughnut and I got doughnut shamed! Some guy who allegedly runs marathons according to his account got all up in my DMs and responded to my story with a face palm emoji! Shame on you marathon running guy for being a doughnut shamer! Leave me to eat my white sugar and refined carbohydrates in peace! Can we also talk about the creepers? In the course of a month, I’ve received countless “hellos” from men who legitimately look like serial killers. Thank Gd for the “decline” button.

Annnnnyway, this past weekend I went to Tacofest. It was a personal life highlight for me because my life is sad. And tacos speak to me on a metaphysical level. Here are some pictures. For the record, I’m the shittiest photographer on the planet. Especially when it comes to food. I don’t know how I’m going to hack this blogging thing if I can’t take adequate photos. Thankfully today I met with a former student who does photography, and she helped me with some very basic editing and filters, but I still think I’m hopeless.

See, horrendous photography. No one needs to see a picture of a churro ejaculating dulche de leche. Hopeless.

But, on the bright side, this stranger took a lovely photo for us.

So yes, this weekend was hella indulgent (as they usually are in my world), but today I bought something that’s going to keep me youthful and healthy af, which I’m very excited about.

I’ve been into matcha for a while, but have been spending big bucks buying iced lattes out. Today I commit to an at home set (whisk, bowl and spoon), as well as some high quality matcha from David’s Tea, and I can’t wait to start making my own iced lattes!