Having the itch to go to Disney? Let's be honest, who isn't? Every time I end a Disney vacation, I'm already planning my next one. But what if that next one is a few months away? Or maybe even a bit longer? And you just want to feel the magic of walking down Main Street from the comfort of your own home. Seriously nothing beats getting off the plane, and seeing the Disney store in Orlando airport. Or getting to your Disney coach bus to take you to your resort. The first step onto the monorail to the parks. Walking into your favorite park on a sunny Florida morning. Close your eyes and you can almost feel it, like you're there! It's a bittersweet feeling, when all you want is to be in Disney! 

Well, I feel you! Disney vacations can cost a pretty penny, but getting some Disney inspiration doesn't have to. There are so many Disney related things you can do for all ages, close by to home. Check out the list below for some ideas! 
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1. Have a Disney movie marathon 
2. Go see a Disney broadway show (The Lion King, Frozen, Aladdin) 
3. Go to the Disney store in the mall 
4. Make your own homemade Disney treat (Homemade dole whip, Mickey Mouse cupcakes) 
5. Make Mickey Mouse waffles (Get it on Amazon, with prime) 
6. Watch Disney fireworks show on YouTube 
7. Go see the newest Disney film in theaters (Dumbo out now! Aladdin & The Lion King coming soon) 
8. Book your next Disney vacation 
9. Join a Disney fan Facebook group to talk all things Disney 
10. Disney creative project, like make your own ears / t-shirt 
11. Attend any pop up Disney themed events ( Mickey Mouse Exhibition NYC, Alice in Wonderland Restaurant in Brooklyn) 
12. Make a Disney scrapbook from your last vacation 

If you're a Disney fan, going on a Disney vacation then you know it's an absolute must to get some gear before your trip. Before all of my trips, I love to get some new clothing to sport in the parks, along with accessories. I've found that you can find anything Disney, just about anywhere. But I'm more of a one-stop shop type of gal, where I like to shop for it all online and get it shipped directly to me. In this post, I'll let you in on my little secret of where I love to shop for Disney apparel without breaking the bank. 

Amazon
Amazon might be taking over the world, but I'm okay with it. Because they have literally everything you could ever want and need. This is my number one stop especially if I'm doing last minute shopping, thanks to Amazon Prime. Things I've gotten so far are Disney t-shirts, because who doesn't love a new Disney shirt? Before any trip, I always like to buy my boyfriend a tank top from his favorite Disney movies, as seen below!
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We're also those geeks who get the matching tees for the parks. Before you go hating, I have to say we always get so many compliments! It's cute and great for pictures too! 

My second favorite spot to shop is Uniqlo. They have so much Disney apparel, for a really low cost. I've purchased men's boxers, women's underwear, tshirts and sweatshirts from here for an unbelievable price. 
Check out the link below for some of their clothing
UNIQLO - Disney Collection
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My third favorite is a few places, which are where you typically shop! Disney never goes out of style, and all brands have done their own version from Gucci to the Dollar Tree. I get great finds at places like Forever21, H&M, Marshall's, and Target. 

Drop a comment on where you like to shop for Disney apparel! 

To some people working out is a chore, so why do it on vacation? To others, it is a crucial part of their daily lives. For me, I need to workout to keep my mind at peace and push my body to the best of my ability. Going on vacation can get in the way of that, but only if you allow it. When visiting Walt Disney World depending on where you are staying, 9 times out of 10 there is a fitness center in your hotel. Which means wake up a little extra early to get your sweat on before you hit the parks. But what if you hotel doesn't offer a fitness center? Like my upcoming trip at Disney's Pop Century. I recently learned that Pop Century, Art of Animation and all of the Value Resort hotels do not in fact have fitness centers. While I don't find this to be much of an issue, some might.

But let's be honest, you don't need a gym to get a great workout. In fact walking through the parks all can be a workout enough. Referring back to one of my first posts, I've walked up to 8 miles a day at Walt Disney World. Regardless, let's say you still want to get a workout in not including all the walking. All you need is you, yourself and I. I'll even give you my secret.

Have you ever heard of HIIT? Or body weight workouts? You literally don't need anything but yourself! And speaking from experience, you can put yourself through the ringer with these workouts. You'll be out of breath, sweating and sore. Don't believe me? Try out some of my circuits below! There are zero excuses for hitting your goals, so don't let vacation be one of them!

Comment how your hotel workouts go!

Day 1
*Repeat this entire circuit 3-5 times*
15 squats
15 alternating lunges
15 push ups
15 leg lifts
30 seconds mountain climbers
30 seconds high knees

Day 2
*Repeat this entire circuit 5 times*
30 seconds toe taps
30 seconds high low planks
30 seconds burpees
30 seconds froggies
30 seconds crunches
30 seconds scissor kicks

Day 3
*Repeat this entire circuit 3-5 times*
15 jump squats
15 bear walk downs
30 seconds shoulder taps
30 second plank
15 spider man push ups
30 seconds jog in place 

Day 4
*Repeat this entire circuit 3-5 times*
30 seconds jumping jacks
30 seconds jab cross punches
15 burpees with a push up
30 second wall sit
15 bicycle crunches
15 v ups

The magic of Disney has a way of making anything come true. Even weight loss on your vacation. I am beyond serious when I say this, too. I'm going to let you in on my secret that changed the way I vacationed at Disney World. If you follow my steps, I can guarantee you'll have similar results too! 

To begin, you must understand something. To lose weight means you have the choice to choose your health over temptations. Temptations like foods lacking nutrients, staying still instead of moving, and allowing your body to rest. I decided that my Disney vacation wouldn't ruin my weight loss journey. I wanted to enjoy my trip, but I also didn't want to come home 5lbs heavier. I had been working hard to lose some weight and inches, so I wasn't going to allow anything to get in my way. 

Step 1: Pack accordingly 
In preparation for our trip, I made sure to pack some healthy snacks. You can also plan to purchase these at a local store but for me it was easier to bring it from home. I brought along RX bars, 100 calorie almond packs, and protein powder. Upon arriving to Florida, we went shopping and purchased greek yogurt, lots of water, fruit, and veggie cups for the room. 

Step 2: Walk, walk, walk
It is no secret that the Disney parks are thousands of steps a day. In my highest day of walking I walked 11 miles in total. That's a lot of burned calories! One of the positives about the high amount of walking is that you don't have to feel guilty about skipping your hotels fitness center. In fact, I only went to mine once and it was the first day we arrived. It is far from true that you need a full gym to get in a workout, all you truly need is yourself. 

Step 3: Track yourself
The best way to keep yourself in line is to track yourself. If you have a fitbit, Apple watch, Running app, whatever you have to track your movement make sure you have it on you to log your days. 

Step 4: Nutrition 
This is definitely the harder part of weight loss on vacation. You are on vacation so you want to let your hair down and enjoy yourself. Which you absolutely still can. But there are still some foods I'd try to stay clear of. When it came to eating meals, we didn't have a kitchen to cook so we ate out every day. With that being said, it was fairly easy to find healthy alternatives at every quick stop and table service restaurant. My rule of thumb, load your plate up with veggies and protein. Healthy carbs and fats, keep to smaller portions. If there's an item you really want like a Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich, share it with someone! If you must have something like let's say a Dole Whip, then enjoy yourself and have it. But make sure to track what you eat also, so you know your calorie intake. 

Step 5: Relax and trust your journey
Rest is seriously so important to weight loss. If you aren't giving your body time to rest and enough sleep, your journey will come to a full on stop. It's your bodies way of telling you to slow down. So enjoy yourself and relax. Take a day to lay out by the pool! Sleep in, it is still vacation! And trust your body. 

Following these five steps, on a 10 day trip I walked anywhere from 4-11 miles a day. I kept my calorie intake to 1500-2000 a day and I allowed my body to rest when it wanted it. So my result? I came home weighing less then I did when I left for Disney! Anything is possible, especially with the magic of Disney. Comment your tips below! 

Instagram Results

Baking is one of my favorite decompressors. Although I rarely bake and eat it or make it for myself, I find so much joy in baking. I love the smell of freshly baked goods, hot out the oven. For Valentine's day or really any holiday it has become a tradition that I bake something for my boyfriend. Last year was rainbow cookies, which I will definitely do a post on those too! This year since we are both wishing we could go on another Disney trip I decided on Mickey Mouse cupcakes. 

Before I commited to this, I knew I didn't have much time between getting off of work, working out, cooking dinner and then going to bed to do it all over again. SO I did a little bit of research and it was pretty simple. My boyfriend love funfetti so that was the cake batter I chose along with both chocolate and vanilla frosting. 

Ingredients: 
Cake batter (eggs, water and oil)
Vanilla frosting
Chocolate frosting
Mini York peppermint pattys 

Directions you may ask? Make the cupcakes, frost them and place 3 mini York pattys on each cupcake. Done. Could it be any more simple? I've also seen other people use mini oreos instead of the pattys or one large brown m&m for the "face" and small brown m&m's for the "ears". From start to finish the entire process took me an hour, to allow time for the cupcakes to bake and cool down. I was able to pop them in the oven, cook and eat dinner to then frost and decorate the cupcakes all before 8pm! They are delicious and not at all nutritious but the best treat for any Disney lover! 

Going on  vacation for 10 days was a bit nerve racking when it came to my health. Eating out for every meal, not being able to cook when I have been so committed to my new lifestyle was a tough thing to work out. I knew that I could do it, I just had to be prepared. The craziest part about my trip was that I came home to weighing one pound less! How you might ask? Well, here's my tips on how I did it. 

Disclaimer: I didn't deprive myself of anything-at all. I ate, drank and was super happy! 





Tip 1- I made sure to have protein in every meal I ate 
Tip 2- I had protein, low carb packed snacks in the parks with me and in the hotel room (mixed nuts, pistachio nuts, yogurt, protein bars) 
Tip 3- I made sure to stay super hydrated, especially in that hot Florida sun 
Tip 4- Being that we did 6 days in the Disney parks we walked a lot, so I was able to track the many miles a day we walked for burning calories
Tip 5- We walked instead of taking an Uber- to Disney Springs which was an  8 minute walk from our hotel, to the grocery store and convenience store also close by 
Tip 6- I made sure to get a decent amount of sleep (We were exhausted from the parks anyway, so my body needed the time to rejuvenate) 
Tip 7- When choosing my meals I tried to pick options that were closely related to what I typically eat on a high carb day or low carb day (depending on the day of the cycle) 
Tip 8- When drinking alcohol try to choose liquor mixed with fresh fruits like my favorite tequila with soda, a lime, an orange and a lemon 
Tip 9- Still keep up with your daily habits like drinking lemon water upon waking up, a green tea through out the day 
Tip 10- Enjoy yourself! Being on vacation is a happy time, enjoy time with your loved ones and relax. For me, it takes a while to decompress and turn my mind off from the daily stressors. It's amazing how much your body will thank you for some r&r!