It’s time for a faves post! How are you?

I hope you’ve been having a good week! Everything was pretty routine over here, with group fitness classes (in addition to the classes I taught, I also I went to a studio and took a barre class as a student, which was fun), tennis, work, momming and the rest.

This weekend, Brady and I will be busy with a park play-date with neighborhood friends, an early soccer game, a birthday party for school friends and plenty of time hanging out with my mom too. 

Let’s get right to the current faves of the day …

Current faves

Fashion

The comfiest adidas matching sets and more

*adidas sent me a gift card to pick out a few things, and I’m so thankful for that.

adidas is one of those brands that I’ll always love. I don’t even remember the first time I bought adidas, but I know it was long ago, and I’ve had at least a few pieces in my wardrobe forever and ever. It’s classic. Yet, it’s also stylish. And I’ve always been a sucker for the 3 Stripes.

When the team at adidas reached out to me to partner this year and share a few of my favorite things from the site, I clearly said yes right away. 

For my first order, I selected a matching set for me, a matching set for Brady and a golf shirt for Dave. Everything arrived pretty quickly, and everything fit us all perfectly. Here’s what I ordered from the adidas site for us:

• I got these shorts, the Adicolor Essential French Terry Shorts, in Wonder White in a small, and they are made from cotton and recycled French terry.
• I got this sweatshirt, the Adicolor Essentials Crew Sweatshirt, in Wonder White in a small, and it is made from cotton and polyester fleece.
• I got Dave this shirt, the Textured Jacquard Golf Polo Shirt, in Grey Five in a medium.
• I got Brady this set, the Adicolor Shorts and Tee Set, in Semi Lucid Blue in a 5T.

While this spring/summer batch of adidas gear is awesome, I look forward to getting us matching track suits in the fall too.

Brady is excited to start wearing his adidas set to play tennis now that the weather is warmer. And Dave will be wearing his new golf shirt this weekend on a golf trip. And I’ve worn my set a couple of times already.

As you all know, I’m all about wearing matching sets, because they feel put together, even when they’re so comfy and could even double as pajamas. I’m totally into the longer length of the French Terry Shorts I got, by the way, because I don’t have any like them.

You can expect to see this set on me until it gets too hot for the sweatshirt. And now that we’re about to enter my third official summer in Charlotte, I know that too-hot season is very much upon us.

But I’ll still be rocking adidas. In fact, I’ve been wearing tennis shoes from adidas, the Adizero Ubersonic 4 Tennis Shoes, for the last year to play tennis, and I’m also often wearing casual shoes, the Superstar Shoes, which Dave bought for me years ago and are still going strong.

Three cheers for casual, comfy and cool clothes from a long-lasting brand. Shop adidas gear here.

Fun

Friends-and-family time in South Charlotte last weekend

We did a lot of great friends-and-family stuff last weekend, which was so nice. Here are some highlights …

Park date. I took Brady on a park date with our neighborhood friends, where Brady ran around for two hours with the other kids, while I sat at a shaded picnic table chatting with my girlfriends. It was such a great way to kick off the weekend. And we’re having another one today.

Mini golf. We took Brady back to High Seas Mini Golf in South Carolina, and it was a lovely day for it. While Brady didn’t quite follow standard mini-golf protocol, we still had a lot of fun. Also, Dave won. 

(Here is my shirt, here are my sunglasses, here is my belt bag, and here are my shoes.)

Healthy brunch. While Dave doesn’t love The Lights Cafe in South Carolina, I sure do. We took Brady there for a healthy and tasty brunch last Sunday, and I was so pleased with my sweet potato and grain bowl, along with a rosemary lavender latte and some bites of Brady’s avocado toast. This place has smaller portions, and it’s a little pricey, but it’s great for an every-once-in-while treat, with fresh and well-made food and drinks. 

Playing at the Ballantyne Stream Park. There has been a lot of construction going on just down the road from our house, making way for something called The Bowl, a Ballantyne entertainment area, where there will be an outdoor concert amphitheater, breweries and more. It will be awesome once it’s ready, but in the meantime, we’ve been staring at cranes and closed construction zones for some time. The good news is that the first thing they finished was the beginning of Stream Park, for kids and adults. We’ve now been to the park twice, and it’s so well done. There are slides, hammocks, plenty of red Adirondack chairs for lounging and even some greenery for playing games. On Sunday, we took my mom and Brady there, and we chilled for over an hour in the sunshine and breeze. I love that we have this welcoming spot just a couple minutes from us.

That’ll do it for faves. Let’s get to the movement …

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Now it’s time to take a look at my workouts from last week.

I share this recap to show you how I try to get diversity of movement in my week, and how I always take a rest day (almost always). But remember, I do a little bit more than the average person, because I’m a group fitness instructor. You absolutely don’t need to compare your movement to mine.

Workouts from the week of 4/17

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., played 60 minutes of tennis, 11:30 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., took 90-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m.
• Wednesday: 45-minute solo full-body weights workout, 9:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., took 60-minute tennis clinic, 11:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barbell class, 5:30 p.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Took 60-minute tennis clinic, 11 a.m. 
• Sunday: Rest day (took a 45-minute neighborhood walk, 11 a.m.)

This past week was a good one! I taught six classes, did a solo workout, played tennis four times and took a full rest day with nothing but a slow neighborhood walk.

I was very happy that I got back to my solo weights workout too. And here’s what I did …

Best read of the week

Here’s an article worth sharing with you …

Proper desk breathing. The idea of proper desk breathing is so interesting, and I absolutely do it wrong sometimes. Have you ever felt yourself hold your breath while reading or writing an email? Well, that’s not a great practice. This article tells you how to breathe with your belly when concentrating. And belly breathing is a valuable thing to work on at any time. Check out the breathing article here.

Quote of the week

Here’s a thought from the archives that I always need as a reminder …

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at two posts worth revisiting, including the latest from earlier this week …

Foam rolling moves. I’ve been doing these two foam rolling moves every day lately, and they make my back feel amazing. These are for anyone, and I highly recommend them … The two best foam rolling moves I do every day to make my back feel good.” (And here’s a video of those two moves.)

Mother’s Day gifts. I love to put together gift guides, and if you’re shopping for a mom, or you’re a mom who wants to share some gift hints with someone, check this out … “The best Mother’s Day gifts for 2023.”

Thanks for coming by the blog today, friend! Have an awesome day! And if you need some sweet back relief, try these two foam rolling moves today.

Questions of the day for you

How was your week?

What’s one good thing that you did this week?