Hello hello!
 
I don’t know about you, but I am SO glad summer is on the horizon! (I know, I know, I live in Northern California, but we had more rain and winter-like weather here than you’d expect! HA!). As such, I thought it was time to share some of my favorite quick hairstyles that are great for summer, but even more amazing for workouts year-round!
 
…because your hair flopping in your face or getting stuck on your neck truly distracts and annoys you when you’re killing it in your sweat sesh, right? Have no fear, here are four of my go-tos that anyone can do (like, really. I have no hair skills to speak of and am ever thankful for my amazing hairdresser and for girlfriends who don’t mind when I beg them to curl my hair for me. So if I can do these, you can totally handle them!).
 
Note: You could definitely make these look way better if you took more time to do them. I literally threw these each into place in less than 1 minute as we were shooting photos and changing backdrops, and that’s about realistic for how much time I’m willing to spend on gym-hair.
 
 
THE TRICERATOPS:
My bada** name for this triple bun style! Who doesn’t want to feel more powerful in the gym, right? This style is great for any length hair, but extra handy when you have shorter hair, lots of layers, or think any amount of flyaways is super distracting (ME!).
Tools needed: 3 medium size hair bands
Note: Depending on hair thickness and length, you could do more or less of these. Three is about right for me. For reference: my hair is super thick and reaches just past my shoulders.
To-do: Gather about one third of your hair at top and wrap into a bun, securing with band. Follow suit with next portion, and the third. I wrap my buns super tight so there’s no chance of them slipping out, and love that this one stays really secure. It’s also a comfortable to do floor work with, since they’re lined up and you can lie flat back on them.

​THE DUAL FRENCH BRAIDS:
This one looks much more impressive than the skill it takes (I would know.), and I like adding a headband to it to keep from falling apart in case you didn’t braid tightly enough.
Tools needed: 2 small hair bands, optional headband (this one is Lulu Lemon and actually fits my large head!)
Note/to-do: Haha, it’s cute if you thought you were going to get a tutorial on how to French braid. At 27 years old, I still don’t do it correctly (always do them backwards, somehow? Maybe just my left handedness?!), but here’s a great link on how to! After you do that, I simply slip a flat headband on (so I can still wear my Beats over it) and get my movement on!
 

​MESSY BUN BRAID:
This is probably actually my favorite style. I’ll wear it for days at a time (thanks, dry shampoo! My favorite two affordable superwoman brands: Not Your Mother’s and Dove. Fun fact: I’ve noticed a trend where I always buy products with “volume and fullness” in the name as if my hair wasn’t enough of a lion’s mane, but hey, I’m from the Midwest/south, where we believe the bigger the hair, the closer you are to God.)
Tools needed: Just a smidge of patience, 1-2 large hair bands
Note: I used to look at this one and think “no way!,” but I promise it’s super easy.
To-do: Flip yo’ head over and gather a small section of hair from nape of neck. Start a small French braid (yeah, scroll up again if you need help with that part), until you get about halfway up your head. I generally braid it pretty tightly, then gather the braid with rest of hair, flip my head back over, and quickly toss it all into a messy bun. Boom. Incredibly fast and messy, and yet totally cute.

​MINI-BUNS!:
Okay, fine, so this one is equally my favorite. It’s so fun and versatile (read: also a style I do when going to music festivals or needing to channel my creative side.), and probably the quickest style to complete.
Tools needed: 2 medium/large hair bands depending on hair length/thickness and a big goofy grin
To-do: Split hair in two. Gather one side into tight bun. Secure with band. Repeat. Done.

​I hope these help you kill some workouts and the summer heat this season! Be sure to let me know what you think or if you have more suggestions for great, easy workout hair!

Ahh, resistance bands. My favorite versatile piece of workout equipment! Whether you're traveling and don't have room to pack anything/a hotel gym, or you want a deep stretching session, or a really good workout! Yay!

For this workout, feel free to use either a long flat band (like what I'm using), or a long band with handles that you could wrap to make tighter. 

Do the circuit 1-3 times depending on how good of a workout you want! 

Click here to get your resistance band flow on! 

Reposting for a good mid-year reminder ;)
​ A friend recently brought this up to me, and it’s something that’s driven me nuts for years: people holding onto the handles of cardio equipment (mainly treadmills, stair masters, and steppers).
While you may think holding on enables you to bump up the intensity of your workout, it’s actually doing just the opposite, and has potential negative side effects on your posture and spine.
I know, I know: but, Laura, holding on to the handles means I can work at a higher level! Yes, technically you can crank the machine up higher, but you’ll actually burn *fewer* calories doing this. How big of a calorie burn, you ask? Research shows it’s anywhere from 30-50% decreased, depending on the machine and your body, obviously. You could literally only be burning half the calories you could be or think you are because of holding onto the handles!
(This is also a good time to mention that if calorie counting is really important to you, it’s crucial you enter your information into your cardio machine before starting. If you don’t, the calorie burn it shows you is generally based off something like a 40 year old 5’8” male who is 150-160 pounds…and chances are, “his” typical calorie burn is VERY different from yours. [Unless, of course, you happen to be a 5’8” 40 year old 155 lb male reading this!] These machines also only give you rough estimates of your calorie burn, especially if you’re not checking your heart rate from time to time. The machine doesn’t know your lean muscle mass, your average heart rate or workload, the machine doesn’t know your life, ha! Be aware of that as you’re doing your cardio. Products like the Apple Watch or Polar heart rate devices are a safer bet when you’re really concerned with calorie burn. Also, don’t forget to crank up your strength training weekly when wanting to torch calories!-It’s crucial for building lean muscle mass, which helps you burn more calories at rest every day!)
​
Holding onto the handles of your stair master is probably causing you to throw your body out of alignment, as well. Note the pictures below. See how in the first set, my spine is tall and mostly flat (working on slight alignment myself still)? My head is looking straight forward, and I’m able to take deep, controlled breaths as I move. Then, note in the ones where I’m holding the handles how my back is very rounded and my hips are out of alignment. My head is also looking down, because of the forward shifting, which is placing additional weight on my body (for every degree forward your head shifts in front of shoulder and hip alignment, it adds 10 pounds of pressure!).

Proper alignment:​
Improper alignment:
​
That’s a lot of stress to be putting on your body while it’s already trying to deal with the metabolic stress from your cardio session. Catching a deep breath is also much harder in this position, since you’re rounding, instead of elongating and opening, the diaphragm.
Lastly, you’re eliminating a great perk of certain cardio equipment (especially Stairmasters/steppers) when you hold onto the handles, and that’s the core workout you get from having to balance as you move. Hello, abs! Why not get that core workout in while you step?
All in all, it’s much better to let go! A good rule of thumb is if you can’t keep up with the level you’re at without holding onto the machine’s handles, turn it down! It’s better for your safety, for your calorie burn, your core, and your spine. Now get stepping!