favorites

Fall Favorites 2021

November 8, 2021 by Alicia 1 Comment

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.

butternut squash soup — so much soup I needed 2 containers

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.

backbend — working on back bending after a yoga class at home

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?

Let’s Catch up and Recent Favorites

January 25, 2021 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Hey, grab a coffee, tea or drink and let’s catch up a bit. I am now 1 week into my Spring semester. The long break was very much needed but it also makes it hard to get back into school mindset again. Luckily the first week didn’t require too much, just a couple discussion boards and they were really active so replying to people wasn’t too bad. Although, you never know how the grading will go. It always takes a few weeks to get a feel for how the teacher will grade.

I have been on a good schedule lately with going to the gym and my mindset is finally back in the game for the gym. I hope the stress levels are not too bad with classes this semester. Knowing it is my last semester certainly helps and the countdown is on. I feel like the past few weeks, my squats and deadlifts have really improved and I hope to continue the trend. We are allowed to take photos and videos at the gym again as long as no one else is caught in the shot. This past week, I have been the first or second person to the gym, so that has been great. It’s like first pick of the equipment lol.

Last week I was in a bit of a food rut. I made some chicken for my salads (a new recipe) and I didn’t really like how it turned out. Then I wasn’t really into smoothies after my gym sessions. Not sure what it was, but this weekend I made delicious pasta carbonara with a dairy free recipe that I found before. I make it with edamame noodles so it has loads of protein. The first time I made the recipe, I added chicken and when I put all the ingredients in MyFitnessPal, it calculated almost 50g of protein per serving!! So if you are ever looking for a super high protein meal, this is it. I left out the chicken this time, but edamame pasta has 20g of protein a serving, so it was still filling.

A new weekend favorite is popcorn on the stovetop. This is only because we do not have a microwave popcorn dish, but I just ordered one on Amazon on a lightning deal. I also just ordered some more Stasher bags. I am slowly building my collection. I do not have any of the stand up bags and they posted on their Instagram how you can make popcorn in the stand up bags in the microwave. Yep the Instagram post got me that time, but I know it’s already a product I love to use. I love the sandwich bag size for freezing veggies and protein bars. Anyway, the stovetop popcorn has been a win and it might be a new Saturday night thing. Brian and I share a bowl and we relax on the couch.

While I am still working from home, I have found myself putting on jeans and sweaters for the workday more often. Sometimes when I go to the gym in the morning, I literally do not change from my workout clothes all day (probably not the best). Other times I shower in the morning and grab one of my new sweaters. I have a few new sweaters I got from Stitch Fix in November and my Abercrombie cozy legging tees (have this in 3 colors now after getting 1 for Christmas). Seriously so soft and comfy. I also feel like the sweaters I got look good with leggings, jeans and probably my work pants.

I have been trying to incorporate more yoga into my weeks. Saturday morning Brian had to work early and I ended up getting up around 6am because I fail at sleeping in. With all the time I had and the house to myself, I decided to do a 40 minute Bad Yogi class and then bring out my new tripod and practice some arm balances because it has been a while. I remember when I used to just play around in yoga poses on the floor each night in my first apartment. That was when I first learned to hold crow pose after practicing each day. Happy to say I still have it, but I definitely feel that it is weaker. Yoga and weightlifting work different parts, but I do find when I do more yoga, my weightlifting improves. Mobility work is really what I need.

In the living room, we decided to keep the arrangement we had when we had our Christmas Tree up. It has actually been really nice. The table is next to the big window and this weekend the sun was really streaming in which makes the living room so warm. Brian calls me a cat in the window because I like to sit at the table in the sunniest spot and soak up all the warmth.

It was really nice for doing some reading and changing from working in my office all the time. I think since I work at home now, I am just on my own computer constantly. I sometimes forget my computer is actually a laptop I can take from room to room since I usually work with 2 external screens. I love my extra screens but the flexibility to bring my computer to the living room lately has also been nice.

Related to my reading, I have many articles, but no textbooks this semester, so I had a fun time organizing binders for each class one night. I printed a couple weeks ahead. My poor printer never gets to rest. Also Staples free next day delivery during this pandemic has been amazing!! I finally decided to order an entire box of paper (I have pretty much used that much by this point between work and school the past 10 months). I ordered more ink and thankfully I did because I just had to change the ink in my printer. I swear I just changed it but it had been a couple months and I guess I didn’t realize just how much I had been printing with school. This semester might kill another ink cartridge alone with the hundreds of pages I need to print and read. Sure they are all available digitally, but it’s way easier to read when printed, have to reference and highlight.

So that’s my little catch up session. I have had the urge to write more, but I pretty much only leave the house to go to the gym and the grocery store still. In a couple weeks, I may be on a hybrid office/home schedule. I think I’m ready, except for wearing work pants. I need to find some comfy work pants. I truly love my jeans, but work pants I have never had much success with. Maybe one day when the mall stores and changing rooms are open again.

What’s something you are loving right now?

Fall Favorites

September 21, 2017 by Alicia Leave a Comment

Here I thought September would be a better month, but this weekend I will be flying back to Chicago for my uncle’s funeral. It will be nice to see some of my family though and also maybe catch up with a friend or two in Chicago in my short visit home.

Anyway, on a happier note, I wanted to share a few recent favorites. I definitely have been treating myself a bit the last month or so. I will be cutting back as the holidays approach and just trying to save more. Sometimes you just can’t help to buy things spur of the moment and other times, it’s nice to try something new. Here are some things I have been enjoying lately.

This massage oil smells amazing. I bought it kind of on a whim after Brian’s dad died and I was just feeling like I needed something to calm my anxiety. I had listened to Davida’s podcast episode with the founder and really liked his descriptions of the oils and how they helped him and others. When I heard about a stress relief one, I had to get it and I love it. Just a little dot in my palm and rubbing it on my neck at night or in the morning recently and inhaling that scent. So amazing.
Breakfast cookies. It has been a good 4 years or more with oatmeal for breakfast and I am getting kinda tired of it, but don’t know what else to eat. Cereal occasionally is good, but higher in carbs than oatmeal so I don’t like to have it too much. I can’t eat eggs as sometimes they just don’t agree with me so I limit them to once a week in protein pancakes. I also have been wanting something cold instead of hot recently. Keeping these cookies in the fridge is perfect.
Vital Proteins. I got a sample of this at Blogfest and I have to say, I am in love. I was drinking it about every other day, just half a serving (1 scoop) and my nails were looking great. Then I stopped, get stressed and went back to biting my nails. Now they don’t feel like they are growing as fast, so I’m jumping back on the Vital Proteins train and drinking a glass with breakfast. It’s great since it forces me to drink more in the morning and also works great as a bit of protein.
Thred up. I purchased my first Thred up order this month. I was really looking for work pants and with 40% off over a recent weekend, I bought two pairs of pants for under $20 each. The thing is, neither worked out and I returned them. The purchase wasn’t totally unsuccessful though as I bought a Lululemon top and that fit! What I loved about Thred up, besides the cute packaging, was how easy it was to print off a shipping label and return. I returned for store credit so I will again hunt for pants. My biggest issue is sizing because I can be anywhere from a size 2 to a size 8. Same body…all those sizes. Any others understand this issue? Why is womens sizing so difficult? This is why I often just buy things right at the store, hope for a sale, but if there isn’t and I really need something, I will spend the money if I know I will get good use out of it and it fits. Hopefully I have better luck with my next Thred Up order and eventually understand my size with different brands.
100% pure eye cream. OK I’m not a make up person, but I want to learn how to do simple make up and just have it available for events. Besides that, I have noticed that my waking up early for the gym and sometimes getting only 6 hours of sleep leads to darker circles under my eyes. I have been wanting to buy the mascara from 100% pure for a while and since they also had an eye cream, I finally made the purchase. I bought the tiny tube of eye cream, but honestly I think it will last for quite some time. A little dab under my eyes in the morning and it seems to be improving. It also smells amazing. Caffeine for your eyes.
Speaking of caffeine, I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love green tea. While traveling, I had tea with my oatmeal each morning. I learned it helped to get things moving in my digestive track. When the weather turned cold a couple weeks ago, I was in the mood for green tea again. I noticed when I drank a cup in the morning, I felt more alert at work and less yawny. Coffee is usually a bit too much caffeine for me (gets me shaky), but I think the green tea is perfect.

Those are just some of the things I wanted to talk about that I am loving right now.

Let me know in the comments what you are loving right now or have recently treated yourself to.

Linking up with Amanda for Thinking Out Loud.