What’s new, friends? We made it through another beautiful November week. This one seemed to go by slowly, because I didn’t get much of a break between working, teaching classes and Brady care (all of which I like, by the way, but still …). Brady’s preschool was closed on Monday for Veteran’s Day, so he only went on Wednesday. In addition to that, Dave had games and a trip out of town, so we didn’t see much of him at all — which none of us enjoy. The good news is that we have a pretty free weekend with nothing but one activity on the agenda (having another couple over for dinner on Saturday night), so we’ll be together hanging out and catching up. How about you? Let’s get into the faves …

Current faves

Recovery

My very own power massager gun

I had the pleasure of trying out several brands of power massagers or percussive massage guns at the last two IDEA World Fitness Conventions when they first debuted to the public, and boy, do they feel good. Well, about a month ago, Dave came home with a gift that he was excited to give me as a little thank-you for all that I do — and guess what it was? A TimTam Power Massage Gun. I had never heard of this specific brand before, and the TimTam has a harder knob on it than the others I had tried, but the technology is the same. (This is the first brand that I tried, and I believe it was the first one to market this type of tool, as well.)

(Here’s the TimTam, and I’m also wearing the BEST workout leggings in this picture — they even stay up when I teach BODYATTACK.)

The TimTam gun has a little knob that vibrates, but as I learned at IDEA, it’s technically considered a “percussive” movement, not a vibrating movement. A lot of athletes and fitness professionals use these percussive massage guns to help with recovery and soreness — because the motion breaks up lactic acid and scar tissue, encourages blood flow and improves range of motion too — sort’ve like a massage. 

It’s said to be more effective than foam rolling, because you can hit more parts of your body with it. In fact, you can give almost your entire body a deep tissue massage using this gun. But of course, it’s way more fun to have someone else do it to you.

My favorite places to use the TimTam so far are on my calves (sore and tight from a lot of jumping in BODYATTACK), and my upper back (sore and tight from wearing a backpack and holding a 30-pound toddler). Yes, this thing is an investment (definitely not cheap), but because I exercise so much and teach classes, I think it’s a valuable recovery tool to have around to keep me feeling good. I’ve been using it almost daily.

Life 

Fun times with friends

Last weekend, we were all over the place with fun times. We went to a one-year old’s birthday party, I got my hair done (went a bit darker and not sure if I like it yet), and even attended our annual Friendsgiving with our group of couple friends, who we have rotating dinner parties with. There wasn’t much to show for it all picture-wise, except this last shot I took with the bright blonde … may it rest in peace for now. Darker hair pics coming soon!

Books

“Good Riddance” by Elinor Lipman

I’m surprised to say that I’ve been reading more fiction than nonfiction lately, and that’s huge for me. I just finished “Good Riddance” by Elinor Lipman this week, and I liked it a lot. It’s another one of those fluffy romantic comedies that isn’t going to get a Pulitzer Prize, but sure provides a nice nightly escape before bed — exactly what I need.

This book is about a woman who throws out an old yearbook her mom left to her, only to have someone else obtain the yearbook and begin putting together secrets from the owner’s life (the owner is the main character’s mom). There are several twists and turns in it, and the narrative is easy to follow and enjoyable. And what this book also does is remind you that you can separate how you feel about someone in spite of the mistakes they may have made — a great life lesson.

This book was just released this year, and apparently the author has several other city-based titles out that have done well, so I’d consider reading those too. I’m switching back to nonfiction now and just started Busy Phillips’ “This Will Only Hurt a Little.” 

Beauty

Want to work together on something fun?

I should write more about this, but being part of Beautycounter has been one of my favorite things I’ve done in the past year work-wise. It really doesn’t seem like work at all, and it’s helped me connect to so many awesome women, in addition to make some money and learn a lot about clean beauty and skincare. (Which is the way of the world, so you’re going to keep hearing about it.)

Here’s the deal, right now, through Sunday, if you want to join the Beautycounter world, you can get half off the consultant enrollment, when you buy a starter set — that makes it only $49 to join with your set purchase. I know some of you are intrigued, but a little nervous. Watch this video for some inspo, read through these FAQs and then send me a message to chat about what you really need to know. I’d love to have you join the team!

Fitness

Weekly workout recap

Here are my workouts from last week …

• Monday: Rest day
• Tuesday: 30-minute CXWORX, 10 a.m., taught 45-minute BODYATTACK, 4:45 p.m.
• Wednesday: 15 minutes of weights, taught 1-hour barre, 4:45 p.m.
• Thursday: Taught 1-hour-barre, 12 p.m., 30 minutes of POP Pilates, 5 p.m.
• Friday: 30-minute CXWORX, 30-minute BODYATTACK, 9:30 a.m.
• Saturday: 35-minute weight workout, 9 a.m. (shown below)
• Sunday: 30 minutes of POP Pilates, 10 a.m.

This past week was much better in the workout department, because it started with a full rest day and had a couple of lighter days too. The new addition of POP Pilates has been great for my mobility and core, so I’m feeling good, overall. 

Here’s the solo weights session I did in the gym … 

If you want to see more of these types of workouts, head to the workouts tab on my Instagram profile, or check out this recent post “Super short resistance workouts you can do in less than 30 minutes.”

Best reads

A few things from around the web …

• Productivity. This is a helpful podcast episode full of tips on how to schedule your day, utilize your calendar and boost your productivity, especially if you work for yourself.
• Mom hacks. There are some good tidbits in this list of what 10 working moms do to keep their homes, selves and kids in check.
• Instagram changes. Can I get an amen about Instagram hiding likes on pictures in the U.S. starting soon? Instagram can be super fun and also be a helpful business-building tool, but it also causes a lot of self-doubt and comparison issues for people young and old. Here’s a great article on why this move by Instagram is so good for us all.

Here’s the quote of the week from my morning meditations …

A Lady Goes West favorite archives

• Mom life. This one was a reader request, and you guys seem to love this type of real-talk post … “What I wish I had known or done before having kids.”

• Group fitness. Time away can often bring a lot of helpful perspective … “What I learned from taking time off from teaching group fitness.”

As always, thank you for coming by the blog today! Have a wonderful day and weekend!

Questions of the day

What was one good thing that happened in your week?

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Have you ever tried a percussive massage gun?

By the way, if you need a workout over the weekend, you can give Les Mills On Demand a try using my special referral link that provides you with 21 days for free. Just do it!