Hi, friends! How are you? What’s new in your world?

I hope you’ve been having a great week. Mine flew by, and it was super busy again. I taught my usual five classes, went to a CPR/AED certification course (I have to renew this every two years in order to stay consistent with my fitness credentials, and it’s never the most fun activity, but it’s quite important), I had a tennis clinic, I got my nails done, and Dave, Brady and I took some family pictures in Uptown one evening too, which I’ll share more about soon. (Also, Dave came to one of my classes, which was very fun.)

This weekend is bittersweet … I’m teaching another Barre & Bubbles event at Life Time with a fellow instructor friend, which is always a blast. And I’m excited to finally see “Hamilton” with Dave on Saturday. Dave bought tickets for me for Christmas, and it seemed like so far away then, but it has really snuck up on us. The strange part of the weekend (which I considered not mentioning), is my “supposed-to-be-due-date” for the pregnancy that didn’t make it, coming up on May 15th. It’s a weird feeling for sure, and I’ll leave it at that for now, with many mixed emotions swirling through my head and heart about what could have been.

But I’m here to keep it (mostly) light on Fridays, so let’s get to the current faves of the week …

Current faves of the week

Fun

Mother’s Day weekend 2022

I had a very nice Mother’s Day this year, overall, but it didn’t start out great. I woke up way too early, when Brady was calling my name at the top of his lungs to wipe his butt (real talk), and so I was fairly tired much of the day, because I never went back to sleep.

From there, all I wanted in the morning was a big Starbucks oat milk latte, and both of the Starbucks near me were out of oat milk (first world, problems, for sure), but I don’t bother getting any other milk, because none of them compare, so no lattes for me. Then, I took my tired and somewhat grumpy self for a solo walk and slipped in a mud puddle just a few minutes in and got mud all over my shoes and lower leg on one side. Luckily, I didn’t fall to the ground, but I was annoyed (because I had recently cleaned my sneakers), and of course, I felt like it was just another thing that wasn’t going my way. 

After I got back from my walk, we hung out at home during the morning, and then went to a Mother’s Day brunch at our country club, which was pretty good, but not great.

Once we were done eating, we played outside a bit, and I wanted a picture of Brady smiling, but that was hard to come by too …

That afternoon, I tried to nap, but was unsuccessful, so I worked on some barre class prep instead, and I was feeling major mental roadblocks and had trouble being creative (which makes me very frustrated), so I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. This is something that happens every once in a while, and with as much as I create, it’s bound to be tough at times. The creative juices always start flowing again, and they did the next day, thank goodness.

(My dress is older and from Lululemon, but here’s a similar one from a different brand.)

In the late afternoon, Dave, Brady and I went to Life Time to play tennis at the outdoor courts. We had never done this before, and it was really fun. Brady was mostly our ball boy, but he also got to try hitting a little bit.

Fun fact: There aren’t a lot of free open-to-the-public courts around us in south Charlotte, so we’re really lucky we have Life Time to go to. We played on a clay court this time, which was weird (the ball bounces differently), so hopefully we’ll do it again soon on a regular hard court.

In the evening, we picked up sushi for dinner, which was at my request, skipping our usual Sunday pizza night. We had already had sushi that weekend, but I was craving it again, and Dave had to agree because it was Mother’s Day.

Later that night, after Brady went to bed, Dave and I also shared some slices of cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, which he had gone to pick up for me earlier that day. Which flavors, you ask? The Ultimate Red Velvet and Coconut Cream, and both are delicious. 

And that was the day! I surely felt loved and celebrated by my boys, even if I was a little tired and grumpy at times — they did their best to get me through. These things happen, and I’m back to myself this week, and a lot more rested too. Why do I share this minutiae? Because everything is not always perfect around here, and it’s important for me to remind you we all have off days/times. But even when it’s not all golden, I’m still over here feeling grateful and doing my best. 🙂 

Little delights

A few things worth sharing …

Gifts. My mom sent me the cutest little Mother’s Day present. It’s a jar full of tiny notecards with positive sayings on them, and each day, you open a card to get a kind thought for the day. These notes and sayings are adorable, and I love sunflowers too. (She got the jar here, and it makes such a nice gift.)

Snacks. This is always a welcome delivery, and now I’m fully stocked up on G2G. I often post about these protein bars, because I’ve been eating them as my go-to bar for about two years, and I really like them. You can’t find them in stores, only online on the G2G Bar site, and they are worth ordering. You can take them with you at room temperature for a few weeks, but otherwise, they stay in the fridge. I like to let mine warm up for about 30 minutes to an hour before eating, and I have a few a week as an afternoon snack. Use my code, ALADYGOESWEST, for 15 percent off on the G2G site. My favorite flavors are PB&J and Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate, by the way. Mmmmm.

Hair. I finally got my hair colored last weekend, and it had been since October 2021 that I had real color done, with just some gloss and trims between (which never did much). I have a new stylist, and she took a picture of my air-dried hair from the back, and I couldn’t believe what a mess it was back there, with all sorts of colors, roots, kinks, curls, tangles, etc., when she showed me the picture (yuck). Well, as of today, it’s in much better condition, and I even had her blow-dry it totally straight (with a split-end mender treatment). While my hair is not back to the thickness or health that it once was, it’s heading in the right direction, so three cheers for that. (More on my hair-loss journey here, in case you haven’t read it yet.)

(Here’s my sleeveless tank, I’m wearing a small. And here are my jeans, I’m wearing a 4.)

Workouts

My workouts from last week

Here’s where I share a recap of my previous week of workouts. I share this to show you how I try to get diversity 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. 

Workouts from the week of 5/2

• Monday: Taught 1-hour barbell class at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Tuesday: Taught 1-hour barre class with light weights at Life Time, 9:30 a.m., took 1-hour stretching yoga class at Life Time, 5:45 p.m.
• Wednesday: Took 15-minute Pilates reformer intro session, 11:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barre class with light weights at Life Time, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 45-minute combo class with weights at Life Time, 9:45 a.m.
• Friday: Taught 45-minute barbell class at Life Time, 9:30 a.m., taught 45-minute barbell class at Life Time, 11:30 a.m.
• Saturday: Leisure 30-minute walk, 8 a.m.
• Sunday: Leisure 30-minute walk, 10 a.m., 30 minutes of tennis with Dave and Brady, 6 p.m.

This past week was a full week of movement, but I did fit in two real rest days with nothing but walks (and some very light tennis with Dave and Brady). I taught my usual five classes, then subbed an extra barbell class, I also tried a new-to-me yoga class at Life Time, and I did a very brief Pilates reformer introductory session.

Once again, I’m on a mission to try more classes at Life Time, outside of what I teach, so I can speak about the programs to my members and have a general awareness of what else is out there. As you can see on Friday, I taught two barbell classes, which was a lot, but I filled in for someone as a last-minute request, so it’s all good. I’m due for a massage, and Dave got me a spa gift certificate for Mother’s Day, so I’ll have one on the horizon soon. Overall, I felt good this week, and I enjoyed my rest days too.

Best read of the week …

Here’s an article I read this week that I felt like sharing with you:

How to choose a protein powder. This is a great article that breaks down the difference between plant-based and whey protein powders and what to look for on the label of the protein powder you’re using. I almost always use a plant-based protein powder, personally, but there can be benefits and downsides to both kinds, depending on your individual goals and needs. If you’re a protein powder user, check this one out.

Quote of the week …

Here’s a quote from one of my recent meditations on Headspace that I wanted to share here too:

Blog archives of the week …

There are so many posts on the blog worth revisiting, so let’s look back at two good ones (one recent, one older) …

Books. If you’ve never read a health book before, you should totally give one of these titles a shot. “Five health books you should read one day (my top health and wellness books).”

Wellness in your 30s. This post is always a good one to revisit … “Five things you should be doing in your 30s for your life and health.”

Thanks for coming by the blog, my friends. I hope you have a great day! And if you don’t, there’s always tomorrow. Be well!

Questions of the day for YOU …

How was your week?

What’s one good thing that happened in your week?

What do you do when you have an “off” day?