Burpees | Bites | Beauty

As I'm sure not many of you know, I am in two long distance relationships. Two of my favorite people live in Baltimore, Maryland. One is my boyfriend who plays basketball for Loyola Maryland and the other is my longtime manager. Due to these long distance relationships I have been able to experience a lot of the Baltimore cuisine. One of my favorite places that I have been to with both of these lovely people is R House . R House began with 10 different chefs coming together and launching their restaurants in a warehouse-like building. A large seating area is surrounded by nine more pernimate restaurants and one popup restaurant that is always changing around. Their vendors include Ground & Griddled, a breakfast sandwich and coffee shop. Amano Taco offers tacos and taco bowls. Be.bim which is Korean BBQ. Arba is a mediterranean street food restaurant. BRD offers fried chicken sandwiches and wings. White Envelope offers venezuelan arepas, which if you're like me and have no i...

This was honestly one of the hardest workouts I have ever done. Aerospace's areojump class is one that is hard to beat. It was (almost) a full class of jump roping (the silent killer of cardio) coupled with a few toning exercises.  Aerospace is know for training many of the Victoria's Secret models including Adriana Lima. Located in the heart of Chelsea, it is easy to get to from almost anywhere in Manhattan. They offer eight different classes along with a "Training Camp". Their classes include ThinkFast, AeroBox, Aero3, AeroBarre, AeroJump (the one I took), AreoImpact, AeroPower and AeroFly. Aerospace's website descrbes it's training camp as,"Every muscle in the body battles against gravity in this ultimate fitness class designed to enhance endurance, speed, stamina, power, coordination, recall, tone and muscle strength." Sounds like my next Aerospace workout will be taking this training camp challenge!

One of my new favorite snacks to make at home are chickpeas. Yes, I know, you don’t “make” chickpeas but the way I have them you do.   Trust me once you give them a try you’re going to be making them all the time! All you need is a can of chickpeas, a baking pan and whatever seasonings you’d like. First, you want to get the chickpeas as dry as possible. Lay them out on a paper towel until you feel that they are pretty dry. Next, spread them out onto a baking pan. Then add whatever seasonings you are in the mood for! I usually use salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cumin. If you don’t feel like you put the spices on evenly throughout the pan, mix them together with a spoon but make sure you spread them out again before putting them in the oven.   For the first 15 mins, set the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then turn it down to 250 and let them sit for about 2 hours or until crunchy. Then just take them out of the oven and let them cool. Let m...

This past weekend I had the pleasure to celebrate my roommates birthday with her. We started the night as a restaurant that I thought would be a great start to getting back into the blogosphere. As you might have guessed, the restaurant is called Café Clover. Main dining room (photo taken from website) My roommate is friends with one of the co-owners of restaurant, so while sitting at dinner I was able to pick his brain. This is his first time in the restaurant game. He started his career in fitness and came up with the idea for Café Clover while talking to a friend. The two agreed that there weren't many restaurants in NYC that were healthy, not the extent of veganism, that had atmospheres that would still be great for a date night. Being in fitness he had a pretty good background on the healthy foods that people would be looking for. The menu seems perfect for someone on the paleo diet and the best thing about it is that all the food is locally sourced. Now, what did I or...

Many people have heard about Body by Simone. Most likely through Khloe Kardashians show on E! called Revenge Body. I really loved dance when I was a kid and the people that I see coming in and out of the studio seem fit. So, I gave it a try. Lucky me the studio is right in my neighborhood on 26th Street by the water on the West Side. BBS has five signature classes; Dance Cardio, Full Body, ABC (Arms, Back and Core), HTB (Hips, Thighs, and Buns) and Trampoline Cardio. I took a Dance Cardio Class. Oh boy did I sweat! I re-learned how to memorize choreography and it took me a little to get back into the swing of a dance class. However, with everyone around me enjoying themselves and trying their best, it made messing up easy to laugh at. The class started with a warm-up song. Then we learned 2-3 songs worth of choreography and put them all together to end the dance portion. It was honestly so much fun. As a kid I was more of a ballet girl rather than jaz or hip-hop but I loved this...

Time for some fun! We talked about how your mindset can cause a huge difference is feeling like your best self. One of the best ways to do that is to join in activities that make you happy. Whether that be a walk in the park, joining a sports team, or anything that makes you smile, do it! Something fun that I did recently was indoor sky diving! I did this at the iFly facility back home in King Of Prussia, PA. There is a facility in Yonkers and I suggest you go! This was one of the most fun things I have ever done. Once you get there and get dressed in your jumpsuit, they sit you down for the instructional video. Next think you know, you're flying through the air, an instructor at your side. Sky diving is something that I have always wanted to experience and this was a good warm up to the real thing. So go out, do something fun for you today! Enjoy your Monday for a change.

This is one of the best facials I have ever had! I met Ashley Witte, the owner, through a mutual friend and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She is genuine and has a great head on her shoulders. I was a little nervous about this treatment because I was getting it right before a big meeting with my agency. Ashely assured me that she wouldn't do anything that would cause my skin to get red. After the treatment, my skin looked amazing and I went into my meeting feeling confident. Ashley has the top facial technologies and she does a great job describing what each machine does for your skin. Her website says it all, "Dedicated to the transformation of skin through organic elements, gentile touch and non-invasive technology." She is located in a very convenient location on 5th Ave and 32nd St and her space is calming and cozy. It's a new and personal experience every time I go in. I can't wait to go back.

Anya was created by Courtney Bauer who spent years in he role as a toga, pilates and meditation teacher. As it says on the Anya website  her goal was to "create a fitness formula to strengthen the body, rest the mind and heal the soul." The Anya studio was very relaxing. The smell of aroma therapy wafted throughout the room as I walked in. There were soft curtains separating the different studios and as you can see in the photo, natural light flooded the room as plants grew by the windowsill.  The class I took as Aerial yoga for beginners. I was a little nervous taking this class because I had recently dislocated my shoulder and I didn't want to put too much pressure on it. The class was very relaxing but I did work up a sweat during the abs section. Trust me, you will feel those abs tomorrow. I really enjoyed this class. It had the relaxation I needed to get from the yoga portion but still gave me a good workout. I would go back to Anya again.

As I was getting ready this morning, I thought I'd do a little "how to" on how I get ready for my castings everyday. Wash hair using OGX Brazilian Keratin Therapy shampoo and conditioner Use OGX Argan Oil of Morocco voluminous mousse Blow dry your hair by flipping your hair upside down (take a break when you get hot) Use Neutrogena eye liner just on the top Use concealer on the under eyes (if you'd like) run from the outer edge to the inner edge Apply as much mascara as you'd like. I only use it on the top lashes but you can use it on the lower lashes as well A little bit on lip stick or gloss And you're ready to go! I hope you guys found this interesting and let me know if you like the video so that I can make more. Hope this helps everyone feel ready to take on their day.

This month marks two years since I've moved to New York. From the beginning, I have lived with a model named Madlena Kalinova. She has helped me out immensely, giving me advice and recommendations about anything and everything. Originally I wanted to interview Madlena to show what the typical modeling lifestyle is, but after reading her answers I realized that there is no one way to be fit. Since both of us are models, we are required to be healthy and fit. The focus of this post is to show that there is not one way to be healthy.I decided to do a little bit of a comparison because even though we are similar in a lot of ways, we live our lives differently.  I interviewed Madlena about her modeling career, favorite foods, fitness regimens and beauty tips and then I answered the same questions. Here were her answers: How long have you been modeling? I got into modeling 15 years ago. How did you first get into modeling? I was discovered shopping with my mom on a local str...

Ignore the unhappy look on my face, it's just because I couldn't breathe. Barry's Bootcamp is about as hard as it gets. I workout on a daily basis and this place kicked my butt. I have taken their arms and abs as well as their butt and legs class. I left both of these classes with my shirt see through I was sweating so much. They assign you a treadmill or floor space and you either start you off on the floor or the treadmill. I liked starting on the treadmill better because it's a good warm up and when you are done you end on the floor which is better for stretching. You don't get to necessarily choose though. They do two rounds. You are on the treadmill twice and on the floor twice doing multiple exercises on the floor. I wasn't necessarily sore the next day but I was exhausted at the end. If you want to be tired and sweaty, then go to Barry's.

So here is the second part, as promised, to my collaboration with my trainer Mike Castle. I sat down with Mike after one of our workout sessions and asked him a few questions that I thought might be interesting to all of you. I thought that his answers were interesting and I hope you do as well. How did you become a personal trainer? This is the short version: I never wanted to become a personal trainer. I always wanted to be a police officer.  I almost didn't have a choice in becoming a personal trainer.  When I was a kid I weighed 315 lbs.  I thought that I could get into some sort of shape by joining a kung fu school, but they told me no, they told me to try the boxing school up the block. In about 6 months I lost over 100 lbs and dropped down to 198 lbs.  All of my friends saw the dramatic change and started to bombard me with questions like “What did you do and how?” and “Can you show me?” And I did.  And I learned...

Bari Studio, located in Tribeca is a great workout that includes a combination of dance, bounce and tone. They are inspired by sports and dance training, making your workout high energy while working mind and body. They offer five different types of classes along with personal training. "Barione" is a 20 minute mix of everything Bari has to offer. "Dance" is a high cardio, fully body workout. "Micro" is the full body conditioning class. I would say it is almost equivalent to a barre class with the use of resistance bands, "bari balls" and skimmers.  I took Baris' "Bounce" class. The class I took was a half an hour of dance based bouncing on the trampoline and finishing with an ab workout. I really enjoyed this class however don't expect to be perfect at it the first time you try. Even with my 13 years of dance experience in my pocket, I still struggled keeping to the beat at certain points. I was sweating but not as much ...

While in the process of becoming our best selves, many of us forget the importance of relaxation. Stress is often a major cause of weight gain and can lead to many other health problems. Relaxation of the mind and body helps to ease your way to healthy weight loss and a healthy life style.  Whenever I am taking a break from the city and have a weekend at home, I almost always take an epsom salt bath. Epsom salt is extremely high in magnesium, which is an element that most people are deficient in but it is very important to the body. Magnesium helps with many of the main bodily functions, like controlling muscles, energy production, and the elimination of harmful toxins. Magnesium deficiency as led to heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and many stress related illnesses. You can get epsom salt almost anywhere, from your local supermarket to CVS. It is very easy to find and not expensive. Some packages say to take a bath 2-3 times a week but I just do it as needed. Occasiona...

Since I have talked about Gotham Gym so much, I partnered up with my trainer Mike and asked him to help me out with a few posts! One is an interview with him about some of his best workout tips and the other (this one!) is a look into one of our workouts! So here we go: As a warm-up, I will just for three minutes on the treadmill at a 6.0 mph speed. Next, I will do three minutes on a machine called the Versa Climber. If you, or your gym does not have one a good equivalent could be doing mountain climbers for three minutes. Up next, is a round of boxing! This is my favorite part of the workout. Not only do I feel like I'm kicking butt, I also am working up a sweat. A round of boxing is about three minutes (I'm sure you're sensing a theme by now) and we do a round intermittently throughout the hour.  Next we move on to abs: If you are thinking, "I don't have a wheel or a bungie cord at my house! How am I supposed to so this?" Have no fear! There are...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where everything just seems completely out of control and unorganized? There was a period of time for me where I felt like my life was all over the place. In the world of modeling, you don't get your schedule until the night before at 6 pm. As you can imagine, that last minute scheduling can cause a constant change of plans. There is an importance to having a schedule and I realized it after I completely forgot about a doctor appointment. So, later that day I picked up a calendar. This is my how to post on how to stay organized! This is my handy dandy calendar. I personally like to write things down but you can also use the calendar in your phone. The most important thing to help you keep your schedule is to write down everything. Even if it is a tentative plan, write it in pencil or mark it as a different color in your phone. Just make sure you have it written down somewhere. Next, remember to bring your planner with you wherever you go....

There is a list of blogs on the right column of by website. These are blogs that I check out from time to time and if you have time or interest I suggest you check them out yourself. There was a post from Margaux's Closet that I thought would be beneficial to my readers. The post is called Inspired Summer Makeup . I loved her suggestions for a summer makeup routine: "SOME TIPS: Stay moisturized, and take care of your skin. If you aren't taking care of your skin, chances are you might feel the need to add more makeup to cover up any blemishes you might have, I know I get that urge but I encourage you to fight it. If you really focus on skincare first, you will have such an easier time when it comes to applying a natural flawless face of make up for the hot and humid weather. Oils, moisturizers are key, and really help your skin to look it's best during the hot months.  Remember to match your foundation. Change up your shades. It's never fun to have to p...

I never thought I would be one of those people who went on juice cleanses but I have become a fan of them. After doing a juicing camp I was turned on to the world of juicing. I wouldn't do a camp again but I like having a day of juicing every once in a while. Juice press is one of my favorite places to pick up a juice. The staff is fully prepared to answer any questions you may have about the juices. They will help you prepare a cleanse that is perfect for you whether it is your first cleanse or your 100th. The juice prices are competitive with the other top juice stores and I find that the Juice Press has the widest variety of juices that actually taste good. They also have some of the best clean eating meals and snacks. If you're looking try a new juicing or are just looking for a new juice store, I recommend trying the Juice Press. 

For those days that you just can't get out of your apartment to make it to the gym but you still want to get a workout in, there is a great video online that I love to turn to in order to give my booty a little extra perk. So clear a space, roll out your yoga mat and get to working on your booty! Do this video a 2-3 times a week for about a month and I guarantee you will see a difference in your booty. 

If you're the type of person who only buys from the organic section of the grocery store here is a cosmetic version. It is called Juice Beauty . Endorsed by Gwyneth Paltrow, this company has made a line of cosmetics and skin care that is completely organic. The founder of Juice Beauty has a very interesting story and if you have time you should read about it. Her mission is,  “At Juice Beauty we believe in advanced beauty solutions that harness the best of certified organic ingredients to deliver clinically validated skincare and vibrant plant-pigment makeup that provide beautiful results, enrich your well-being, and sustain the Earth.” I tried their mascara. I like the natural look and feel of it. There weren't many clumps and it felt very light. My lashes looked naturally longer and I appreciate the mascara even more because it is made from natural ingredients. 

As you know from my previous post, Gotham in Gotham City  I love the hardcore workouts. I told you all about my love for boxing and working hard. Now, let me now tell you about a workout that's a little more calm but just as hard. It's a place called Flex Studios. Flex Studios offers pilates, barre, and TRX classes. If you are looking for a workout that's not a lot of sweating but still makes your muscles sore, this is the place. My favorite is the pilates reformer class, it's killer for your abs but it can also be great for your legs and butt. One feature of Flex that I really like is the 30/30 class. It's 30 minutes of Pilates and 30 minutes of Barre. It gives a good overview of what you can expect from both classes. There are a lot of pilates reformer classes in the city but out of all of the ones I've tried this one is my favorite. The weights aren't too heavy or light and the instructors love what they are doing which make it all the better.

One of the most annoying things I have come across after moving to this city is how much more expensive it is for a manicure or pedicure. Eventually, I decided that I needed to teach myself how to do my own nails. For anyone who shares my frustration, here are the basic steps for an at home manicure. Take off current nail polish (if any) Clip your nails to the length of your choice File them to be square or rounded and then buff your nail Push back your cuticles, if you'd like you can trim the cuticles Exfoliate your hands (I use an exfoliator from Lush cosmetics) Apply the base coat Moisturize your hands ( I use Vaseline Intensive care) Apply nail polish color of your choice Apply a top coat One more coat of nail polish color of choice Lastly, clean up around the edges and be patient while your nails dry As a model, I have had the privilege of working with some of the top nail artists out there. Here is a photo of my favorite nail art I have had on a shoot. The...

There are many reasons why fast food restaurants are seen on every corner. They are quick, cheap, and don't taste terrible. Generally,  they aren't very healthy for you either. I am no chef, however, I try to cook most of my meals at home. This way I know exactly what I'm putting in my body and I have more of a control on portions. Due to my ever-changing schedule and hurry-up-and-wait lifestyle, all my cooking is quick. So I decided to share my favorite fast (healthy) foods with my readers.  My absolute favorite frozen turkey burger is from Applegate Farms. I buy mine at Whole Foods. It is all organic, only 140 calories and they only take 12 mins on the stove. I usually pair that with some spinach or a couple of baby carrots and it makes a very good light lunch or dinner.  Almost every household has eggs. Pull out the yolks and make a little egg white omelet. I buy egg whites in a carton. I use baby bell lights for cheese and I love adding in some spinach or ...

Let me start off this post by saying, I'm not vegan. In fact, I have a highly protein based diet. If you are vegan, I mean no offense but meat lovers like me can be turned off of a restaurant when we see "Vegan" plastered on the side of the glass. To meat lovers, By CHLOE. is not a restaurant you should shy away from when you walk past it on the street. I mean, COME ON!!! Look at that burger, those fries... were amazing! I had the Spicy Thai salad with apricot-sriracha glazed tempeh, almonds, quinoa, edamame, scallion, crispy wontons and peanut dressing. Literally, one of the best salads I have ever had. By CHLOE. doesn't stop at lunch, they also offer great smoothies, a variety of cold and hot beverages (including coffee!), a very delicious brunch menu and dessert. Yes, dessert! They have a variety of ice creams and pastries in a section they call Sweets By CHLOE. As if all of this weren't enough to turn a meat lover like me onto a vegan place like this, the...

As someone who does a lot of googling, naturally, I end up on Wikipedia pretty often. On one of my trips through the blackhole that is Google, I found myself on the Wikipedia page for "Physical Exercise". There were a lot of basic points on this page about how physical exercise is good for your health and some points that went in depth about the different types and why exactly you should be enjoying some type of physical exercise every once in a while. As I scrolled down however, there was a very small section on "fitness" that didn't seem right to me:  Individuals can increase fitness following increases in physical activity levels. [24]  Increases in muscle size from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone. [25]  This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population. [26] [27]  Studies have shown that exercising in  middle age  leads ...

Photo taken after one of my first sessions at Gotham with Rob Gotham is my NYC workout favorite, not only because they are welcoming and friendly, but they can also kick your butt! Known for its work with supermodels such as Gigi Hadid or Sara Sampaio, Gotham Gym is a quickly expanding boxing gym that is great for anyone. I started going to Gotham about four years ago when I lived in the city for a summer. I was here for modeling and my agency set up a session with the gym’s owner, Rob. Let me just say, they take their motto, “Train like a fighter” very seriously!  I have been an athlete all my life, from field hockey to swim team, and this workout was hard! Rob pushed me to my limit in a firm but friendly way. The workout was a mixture of boxing and toning exercises that left me sore the next day.  More recent workout at Gotham with Mike Castilo Today, Gotham has group classes that you can sign up for through ClassPass or MindBody apps and they offer per...

I started this blog to help people live a healthier, and therefore happier, lifestyle. With summer here, I decided to dedicate my first post to helping you get your ideal beach body. People usually think that when it comes to losing weight, the best way to shed pounds is to hit the gym as much as possible. While exercising is very important, weight loss is mainly driven by cutting calories and eating healthier foods. That being said, it isn't about starving yourself; I want to stress the importance of eating the right amount and types of food. Heavy or healthy, 30 minutes of rigorous exercise is hard for anyone. On average, it burns around 350 calories, which is the equivalent to cutting out just two 16-ounce sodas a day.   The average American eats 2,674 calories a day according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The healthy amount of calorie intake is around 2,000 for the average woman and about 1,500 to lose a pound per week. There are many calorie calculators o...

Welcome to Burpees | Bites | Beauty! My name is Jillian Gallagher. I have been living in New York City for almost two years working as a model. Coming from a small town in Pennsylvania, the city can sometimes feel overwhelming. My job requires me to stay in top shape and with so many choices on where to find food or exercise, I find it hard to stick to a routine. A lot of people think that weight management is all about working out, but in reality it’s about being well rounded. Keeping your mental, physical, and dietary needs balanced is the best way to stay healthy for life. I  am someone who likes to try new things and branch out to new places. So, with the help of suggestions from my readers, I hope to try something new everyday. After testing something, I will write a review in order to help my readers find healthy eats, great workouts and natural beauty products. These reviews will give my opinion along with a general overview of the product. As I am going...