Hi, friend. How’s everything?

This week went okay over here. I owe you an update on Rudy, who is improving a lot since last week. He’s not all the way better, but he’s heading in the right direction, and we’re happy about that. (In case you missed the first report, he has a slipped disc in his neck/back, which has been causing him some pain.)

This week, I taught my regular classes, played tennis a few times, took Brady to his various activities, went on an evening walk with a friend and worked a lot too. I also went to a wine social with some girlfriends last night, and I’m off to see the Barbie movie tonight with some of those same girlfriends. 

The rest of the weekend will be full of work. I have to prepare a new hour of Barbell Strength and a new hour of LifeBarre for next week, as well as film a couple videos for a new content project I’m working on and will share with you soon. I’m also getting my hair done, which is much needed.

Now, let’s get to the current faves of the day …

Current faves

Sports

Finishing up my first tennis ladder season

This summer, I participated in a local tennis ladder, which is an informal (but organized) league, where you can play singles or doubles tennis matches with people around town when you’re available.

I only played three doubles matches during the season, (mostly because it’s really hard to find a time that works with multiple players), but I’m so glad I did it. It was totally different to play a real match. Because even though I now regularly play tennis a couple times a week with friends and in clinics, there’s just something more exciting/nerve-wracking when there are real points on the line, you know? Also, it took me a while to understand all the rules of tennis, because there are a lot, and through this season, I learned them all.

(Here’s a similar version of my layered tennis skirt.)

Unfortunately, my partners and I lost all three of the doubles matches we played. But we had some great moments in every single match, and we won several games each match too. At the conclusion of the season, while I could have been upset about my losses — instead — I decided to be proud of myself for getting out there and giving it a go. 

I know I’ve said this many times: But it’s not that easy to pick up a brand new sport as an adult with a busy schedule. There are always things I need to get done when I choose to go to tennis, but I choose to go to tennis, anyhow. I’ve wanted to do it for so long, so I make it work, and I’ve loved learning and growing through the process of it all. I’ve never even once thought about giving up, and I love that.

I’m going to be in a different tennis league for the fall season (as well as continuing with weekly clinics to practice), and I sure hope to do a little better, while still having fun, because that’s what it’s all about. Have you wanted to start up a sport or hobby, friend? If so, what are you waiting for?

Kitchen

We finally got an air fryer

About six weeks ago, Dave was excited to bring home an air fryer for us. To be totally honest, he’s the one that’s used it for us too, so I’m only speaking as the consumer of the food the air fryer creates, not the air fryer operator. I’m lucky that Dave is the chef around our house, and we’ve both been getting the benefits of this new kitchen tool. And in case you’re not familiar, an air fryer is a little machine that fries up food without any oil. It’s supposed to be much healthier than traditional frying methods, as well as cleaner and safer.

Speaking of clean, I like clean counters, and I’ve never wanted to add anything else to ours. However, we’ve been pulling out and putting away the air fryer in a closet after each use. (After it cools down, of course, because it gets very hot, and you need to keep it clear of cabinets and other items while in use.) 

(Here’s the Ninja air fryer we have.)

So far, “we” have made sweet potatoes, veggie fries, chicken nuggets, spinach patties, Brussels sprouts and chicken breasts in the air fryer. All have been crispy and delicious. While the air fryer is not necessarily quicker than other methods of cooking, it does give food a great texture, and I love that. 

Here’s what the sweet potatoes look like air fried …

The air fryer makes a moderately annoying noise like a hair dryer, it has an easy-to-use timer and settings on it, and there’s a drawer where you place the food you’re cooking. You only have to rinse the drawer and the little grate that sits in there, and it’s actually incredibly easy to clean (and is dishwasher safe). I can attest to that part, because I do the dishes around here, so I know first-hand how easy it is to clean.

Overall, having an air fryer has been a fun way to crisp up some of the things we already eat, and we’re both a fan of it. Currently, we’re using the air fryer maybe three times a week. If you find yourself frying a lot of things at home, I would highly recommend looking into an air fryer for a better option.

Fun

Wine-tasting competition with friends

Last weekend, a small group of my friends (and husbands) got together for a wine-tasting competition. We each brought one bottle of red and one bottle of white. The hostess had printed up scoring sheets earlier in the day with the names of each of the wines (we submitted them to her on the day of), and then each wine was poured into a numbered carafe, with no label. We each took turns tasting all the wines and scoring them on our sheet to see which was which, trying to match the number to the right wine.

This was such a fun process, and everyone ended up a winner by the end with all the laughs and conversation had. However, I named the most wines properly, so I won a nice bottle of wine. Yay! It felt good to win, because as I mentioned, I was not victorious the week before at our field day, nor at my tennis match. At least I can win at wine. 

Here’s what I wore — two items I’ve been loving lately …

(I’m wearing this skirt in a medium, and this top in a small.)

That’s it for the 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 (with a focus on weights) 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, so you don’t need to compare your movement to mine.

Workouts from the week of 7/10

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class, 9:45 a.m., played 90 minutes of tennis, 3:30 p.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights, 9:30 a.m., taught 1-hour barbell class, 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday: Did 55-minute full-body weights workout (shown below), 10:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class, 9:45 a.m., played 60 minutes of tennis, 11:30 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Played 75-minutes of tennis, 9:30 a.m.
• Sunday: Did 75-minute full-body weights workout, 8 a.m.

This past week had no rest! With tennis, solo workouts and subbing classes, I didn’t take a full day off, and I’m aware of that. I did a lot of recovery methods outside of all this movement (stretching, sauna, these two foam rolling moves, etc.), and I plan to re-incorporate my regular rest days ASAP, because they matter. But other than that, it was a great week of movement for sure. I can’t believe I fit in two full fitness floor workouts outside of the group fitness room. It helps that I have a friend motivating me to work out with her.

Here’s one of my workouts from the fitness floor …

Best read of the week

Here’s a positive article worth sharing with you …

How to avoid the comparison game. It’s very common to hear the advice “stop comparing yourself to others,” right? It is. But what’s not common is hearing about the actual steps on how to do that. This article provides some valuable real-life tips on how to stop comparing yourself to other people and making yourself feel bad. First of all, focus on your daily habits, instead of focusing on the end results. And, second of all, identify what is triggering you to feel bad, and see how you can avoid that trigger moving forward. Find the rest of the tips here. 

Quote of the week

Here’s a thought worth sharing with you from the archives …

Blog archives of the week

Let’s look back at two posts worth revisiting …

Fashion finds. Have you shopped the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale yet? It’s still going strong, and there’s a lot of good stuff. Here are my top finds, all of which are totally affordable … “My top 13 picks from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale 2023.”

Wellness books. I got a lot out of these health and wellness books. Have you read any of them? … “Five health books you should read one day (my TOP health and wellness books).”

That’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂 xoxo

Questions of the day for you

How was your week?

What’s one thing you’ve accomplished so far in the month of July?