Fall Favorites 2021

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I often watch favorite videos on YouTube so I thought it would be fun to do a post with my latest favorites with some being recent purchases.

My new Bamboo Pillow

I was on a hunt from a new pillow in August after sleeping funny back in July and my neck taking days to recover. I feel like I’m getting old because my neck no longer recovers in a day, but actually takes multiple days. Being a side sleeper, I feel I need a little bit of height to my pillow so that it won’t totally sink and put all the pressure in my shoulder. I will say I initially ordered a pillow from Tempur-Pedic, but unfortunately my package was lost and it took multiple calls to customer service to cancel and get a refund. This was part of why I only just recently got a new pillow as I was waiting over a month for the refund to process. Given that experience I decided I really wanted to go to a store myself and pick out a pillow without waiting for shipping and risk lost packages again. I went to Bed Bath and Beyond and found this Bamboo Pillow with shredded foam material. The best part about this pillow (besides the affordable price) was that you could take out foam to adjust the pillow. It took me a couple days of adjusting the pillow and taking out some foam, but I have been sleeping on this pillow for a couple weeks now and it feels amazing. I love how I can give the pillow a quick shake before bed and there are no dips in the pillow from where my head was laying the night before. I recommend this for side sleepers or any sleeper really since you can adjust it. I also was able to use an additional 20% off coupon, another bright side to Bed Bath and Beyond shopping.

Butternut Squash Recipes

I was never a big squash fan growing up, but I think that’s because my mom only made squash one way which was puree form. I’m not much of a puree fan and avoided squash for many years. This year I decided to embrace the squash season. Last weekend I made butternut squash chicken soup and this weekend I made butternut squash lasagna. I did sub a cashew ricotta recipe instead of actual ricotta cheese, but I used real mozzarella cheese. I do think the lasagna can be easily adapted to be vegan though and it turned out delicious.

Xero Shoes for the gym

I know you are not supposed to work out in running shoes, but I always have. Recently my left knee was acting up and I thought maybe it’s time to get some shoes that are better for my posture and my knees. I have heard about Xero shoes for a couple years and actually Brian has had a pair for over a year as well. While they are not the cushioned running shoes, they are great for my workouts, especially when doing weight lifting on one foot and really feeling the ground to balance. I have also been learning to walk better with these shoes because I have always walked hard on my heels with slamming my heel down as I walk. Brian tells me I need to learn to walk quieter, so these shoes have really helped me be more aware of that. I also know it’s good to have more than one pair of shoes so you can work different muscles. I have these for the gym and some walks and I still have my favorite Brooks shoes for walk/runs or just doing a quick errand.

Sweater Season

I can’t stop looking at sweaters to add to my sweater collection, but I am also feeling really good about my current sweater collection, most being from Stitch Fix last year and this year. While I would wear long sleeves in winter, I did not often have sweaters, but this year I am embracing the sweater season and love that I can wear them both at work and casually with jeans or leggings.

Bad Yogi Classes at Home

When the pandemic started and gyms and my yoga studio closed, I joined Bad Yogi. During the pandemic, I would do about 3 classes a week, but then I got out of the habit. Lately I discovered an older video on the platform working on Mermaid pose and while I can’t do full mermaid, the class includes a lot of chest openers. While I am trying to address tight areas around my neck and shoulders, this has been a great class I keep doing again and again and I just feel lighter afterwards. I feel like this class helps my overall posture as well. For only $9.99 a month, often less than the cost of one yoga class at a studio, I feel it has been worth it. I usually do a class 1-2 times a week, but lately trying to do a short 20-30 minute class more often to work on increasing my mobility.

DocJenFit Instagram

Along with yoga for my mobility, I also really enjoy DocJenFit’s Instagram account. She is a physical therapist and shares tons of information on her Instagram to address pain areas. In addition to her Instagram, she also does courses. I purchased the Mobility Method course during the pandemic as I was having issues with my shoulder and back. I’ll admit I did some of the exercises for a while and got out of the habit, but when I find my shoulder acting up, I refer back to the exercises and it really helps.

For the month of November, Jen is having a challenge called Grateful for your Body. Since I currently have a personal trainer program workouts, I purchased the Grateful for my body to have more accountability for myself to do mobility exercises. While it’s too late to join right now, she plans to offer the challenge again. So if you are someone having pain in certain areas, this may be an account for you to follow. The mobility exercises are often done slowly so that you can be more aware of how your body feels when doing the movement. She also has a podcast called The Optimal Body Podcast and I always learn something when I listen.

I think the common theme with many of these favorites is centered around my health. For 2021, this has been my focus. The start of the year with my last semester for my MBA was really rough and took a toll on my health and my body. From May on, I have really been trying to focus on a different way of exercising thanks to my personal trainer I have invested in. I may not be powerlifting, but I am happy to move my body. I am also being more aware of how my body is feeling in a movement. If the movement doesn’t feel right, we modify or find something else. I know a big issue for me was stress when I was working full time and doing classes online the last 3 years. In addition, this meant I was at a computer for 12-14 hours a day with not the best posture. Having more awareness on my posture has helped in addition to the tools above that I have added to my weekly routine.

What are some of your current favorites?

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