Thanks for the commiseration the other day! 🙂 As is often the way, as soon as I wrote all that, I actually had a good day and felt generally more upbeat, for some reason! Maybe our warm, spring-like weather this week is helping… I sat in a patio chair for 10 minutes yesterday on my lunch and closed my eyes and just let the sun soak into my face briefly and it felt SO GOOD.
I have switched up a few “life routines” lately, partially in an effort to save time (again, see my time frustrations post) and partially just because.
1. Workouts
I think I might cancel my Momentum by Sohee membership. I love it, and I love her, but a) I’m feeling just a little bored. I kinda want to switch it up a bit, and b) her workouts are very “big compound move” based (think squats, deadlifts, presses, hip thrusts). These are often viewed as the gold standard in lifting, BUT I am not sure my back loves them. Maybe (probably) it’s the meloxicam (prescription anti-inflammatory) I’m now taking, also, but I haven’t been heavy lifting much since we got home from London, and my back has never been better. 😬 (Of course, since I made two changes at once, now I don’t really know what’s helping. Ha.) But seriously, my pain, which had been getting almost to the point of debilitating/ seriously life-altering, has been almost non-existent!!! (Knock on wood.) It’s CRAZY.
A few weeks ago, it randomly dawned on me that hey, I still have a Beachbody (Bodi, I guess it’s actually called now) membership. I had impulse bought a 1-year membership on some super sale last… August? I think? when I got an email about a huge discount sale.
I used it for a while for cardio only and then somehow forgot about it! After London, I wasn’t feeling enthused about going to the gym to do cardio on a machine, and I remembered about my streaming membership! Duh. So I dusted it off and decided to cycle through the 21 Day Fix cardio workouts, intending to keep doing strength at the gym.
Well, once I started, I ended up having so much fun with it that I decided to just take a little break from the gym altogether and do the whole 21 Day Fix schedule! It has daily workouts, including upper/ lower strength, yoga, Pilates and cardio. Workouts are only 30 minutes, so it’s just so easy to fit in. They feel effective and actually pretty challenging, and I’m currently enjoying the variety.
This feels like a nice swap during this season where I’ve been feeling just a little “off”. Makes working out QUICKER and EASIER right now, which feels right.
Long term, not sure. I might pause on paying for any strength membership and just go back and cycle through my EmPowered Fitness workouts (that I saved) for a while. Or maybe I’ll just keep doing a couple rounds of 21 Day Fix until summer! (I know Beachbody has a terrible reputation these days… sorry. I had gotten a too-good-to-pass up deal though- like $50 for the entire year!)
2. Daily Planning
I’ve also been doing daily planning ON PAPER. You all know I’m big into digital planning. Don’t worry, I’m still a hard core Google Calendar user, and Google Tasks is always my master Task keeper. 💗
But I actually started doing a little “daily plan” on paper sometimes (just in a regular Mead spiral notebook) back several months ago. It has progressed to something I do religiously now every morning! And I really like it! hahaha.
It’s not fancy, and I feel no pressure to keep these pages or make them pretty. It’s really just about the act of taking a few minutes to think through my day (which I was doing before, too, but I am now enjoying writing it down).
Basically I just jot down scheduled events/meetings/etc on the top left.
Below that, I jot down several WORK to-dos/ priorities for the day.
Below that, usually my planned workout.
Off to the right, after consulting Google Tasks, I pluck out a few personal to-dos for the day.
Sometimes below that I’ll list dinner plans, or just other random notes.
I tend to also use this page (or onto the next page) throughout my work day to take quick notes during meetings, brainstorm things, etc. I kinda like that since it’s a $2.00 notebook, I feel NO PRESSURE to keep it organized or pretty or anything. It’s more of a working document, and then on to the next day.
3. Air drying my hair
LOL this is a random one, but here goes: I have started air drying my hair many (most?) days. I do not have naturally “great hair”. It’s kinda fine and needs “assistance” to generally look presentable. I typically always, always blow dry my hair, every single day.
I realized recently though, you know what? For most everyday/ day-to-day situations (i.e. sitting alone in my house, on meetings with just my direct team), if I just put a little air dry creme in my wet hair and scrunch it a little, it looks FINE. Or at least good enough for camera and when I’m not going anywhere important. And it definitely saves me some time!! (It does help if my hair is a little bit shorter. I noticed this after I got it cut last time. When it gets “too long” (for me), this doesn’t work as well.)
So there you have it- a few recent switch-a-roos that are simplifying at least a couple areas of my life. 🙂
Other Misc.:
🔷 We are getting some houseguests for a few days. I’ll tread lightly here. 😉
Ivan’s friend, his wife and their two young girls are arriving super early tomorrow morning (I think their flight gets in a like, 1 am in Chicago?? So then they’re renting a car and driving here to arrive like, 4 am?… 😳) With them are coming his friend’s parents and his friend’s mother-in-law (who we do not even know). 😳😳
Ivan did inform them that we only have a 4 bedroom house, and really only one extra bedroom… lol. His friend replied, “Ah, no te preocupes! Allí nos acomodamos.” Which basically means, Don’t worry! We’ll make it work.
😳
(*You have to understand Mexican culture a bit for this to make sense. From what I’ve seen firsthand, people are used to fitting a LOT of people in a house, and it’s no big deal to sleep on air mattresses, multiple people to a bed, couches, etc. Also, from a cultural standpoint, there is no good way for Ivan to suggest they, ahem, perhaps try a local hotel? without offending them. Really, I know he tried, but his hands were tied.)
So. That’s about all I’ll say about that now. 🙂 It will just be until Saturday, when they are then driving to… New York, I think? Which is nowhere near Wisconsin. Don’t ask.
🔷 I took this pretty pic after picking Asher up from swim practice the other night. I took it out the window as he drove me. 🙂
🔷 We are working on re-crate training Charlie! He’s usually fine out and about, but when alone for longer stretches, he still has a tendency to chew on my couch toss pillows!!
It also dawned on me that if we ever want to bring him somewhere else, like say, to my parents’ house, I don’t think I’d fully trust him to not chew on their toss pillows while we went out for dinner or something.
So, I have been reintroducing “the crate” after many months without it. Fortunately, he seems to be pretty much fine in there!
At first he was like, what is this.
But after some crate games, lots of treats, and some short stints, yesterday I left him in there for over 2 hours and when I checked on him, he was happily napping:
He doesn’t need to go in the crate often, but I want to maintain this option! Because, there may be times it’s really important. So I’m planning to keep putting him in for a little bit every day, even if just a short while.
🔷 This made me laugh:
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful for the new bookmarks I got in London. Loving these right now!
GRATEFUL KAE 
I really do feel like doing brain dumps (AKA venting) REALLY helps me. I feel lighter and it helps me put the things that are really annoying me into perspective and also inspires me to see if there are any quick, easy fixes!
And you know I am Team Paper 100%. I love, love, love getting things written out.
Love the bookmarks. I meant to buy one in Paris and didn’t. Oops.
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It’s very true that if you’re in a “blah” phase, making a few simple switches will really help. So- the beachbody workouts don’t bother your back? It really could be the bigger movements you were doing that was hurting it. I think I told you my chiropractor told me not to do squats and deadlifts on the same day- and if you want to skip those entirely from now on you could always replace squats with leg press, something that does the same motion and doesn’t stress your back. I think your beachbody solution is a good one for now though.
So if I’m counting correctly, you are having SEVEN houseguests???? I would be internally screaming as well. I’m very glad it’s not for a long time! Hopefully since Ivan brought this all upon you (lol) he’ll help out as much as possible with meals, etc.
Ha, the picture of Charlie sitting in his crate is sad! He’s in jail! I was relieved to see him lying down comfortably in the second photo.
I love bookmarks! And I love the ones you got. You can use them when you start the next Harry Potter book!
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I’m a perfect world, I’d be all digital, but I was influenced to get a paper planner by one of SHU’s posts. It’s very simple, but it has a nice layout and it is helpful to physically write stuff down. I use it mainly for work, but I also add personal tasks that I want to accomplish during the day. It’s not one size fits all – there are particular things about my job that dictate paper but my personal stuff works better in digital format.
Having the crate as an option is a beautiful thing. I use the crate mainly for brief time outs, basically the dog version of “go to your room”. She’s so funny because all that I have to do is to say her name and point at the crate and she stops whatever puppy mischief she’s gotten into and runs right in there. But if a stranger stops by the house it’s really handy for both her and us that she has a designated “safe space” to hang out in.
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OMG SEVEN houseguests! Wow. Just wow.
I really do feel like the ability to get in short workouts when you are otherwise pressed for time is crucial during this “busy” season of life–I have benefited from this so much because even though I agree a gym environment is better for strength training, I often only have 30 minutes in the morning to get it done before work (and I don’t WFH, and am completely unmotivated to work out in the evening, so it has to be before work). I love Caroline Girvan’s free YouTube videos. Her iron series in particular is great because it’s only 30 minutes and pure strength based. She has lots of other 40-45 strength videos too. Granted, this only works if you have enough heavy dumbbells at home which I know not everyone does. I built up a stash during Covid and now have a range from 8s to 35s which seems to work well.
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I’m glad you’ve found some tweaks that are working for you. 20-40 minute home based workouts are so efficient even if I prefer going to the gym more.
7 houseguests is a lot. My max has been 6 and that was only for one night. Hopefully Ivan can handle most of the host duties.
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I air dry my hair always. I rarely use a blow drier. Mayyyhbe in the winter if it’s cold. My hair is fine and very low maintenance. I’ve been know to leave the house with damp hair and arrive at work, 20 minutes later, errr still kind of damp.
The houseguest story cracked me up. Russian culture is very much like that. Hotels are a no-no if you have friends in the place you are visiting. We have had six people stay in our apartment in Russia. It’s three bedrooms Bit, it all worked out and I actually have great memories of those visits!
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In sum, Kae, you found a new 30-minute-long upper/lower strength+yoga+Pilate+cardio workout combo that so far appears to be so good, you’re doing daily plans by supplementing Google Calendars and Google Tasks with paper notebooks, and you get to save some time by air drying your hair. I have not read many of your blog posts yet, and I think that some of your past blog posts must also be about your houseguests. “The crate” does appear to be useful when you need it. And I can see how some of the souvenirs from London are also functional.
I assume, Kae, that you meant to express that since it’s a random day off, you cannot plan for that random day off the day before.
And no, I had no idea which gif you picked as your favorite gif before I read this blog post.
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changing up workout routines helps to get the motivation back! I re-started my strength training before work 3 times a week and I am enjoying it.
I ALWAYS air dry my hair! no patience for brow dry nor that I see any difference.
We have the same cage for Cookie!
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You are cracking me up as I read about your house guests and their plans. So sweet, but I’d be nodding along and internally screaming as well. Thank you for the laugh!
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I’m glad you’re seeing a bit more pep in your steps.
Argh to the houseguests – before I came along, my husband would squeeze his brother, SIL, and his 4 kids into his 2 bed flat?! I secretly HATE having house guests and pre-Covid, when we were in a flat, I started making people stay at hotels. T was always a bad sleeper, I felt bad making people sleep on an air mattress, but also didn’t want to lose my own bed, etc. Now we’ve got a guest room, but it’s also my office, and it’s just really annoying. Once I couldn’t get in for a call because a certain in-law was lounging… “Oh, I come here for a rest, I couldn’t possibly get up before 9…”. Just where I go for a rest, the house of two full-time working parents and a primary school kid. Sorry, that was a rant but my goodness…
I’m mostly digital like you – calendaring, main to do lists, etc, but I like a list for my week in my notebook, and a scrap paper daily list. I’m in grading HELL at the moment and today I’ve written out the author of every essay I have to mark so I get a little dopamine hit from crossing it off. I’s all done digitally but the whole pile (over 70) is too overwhelming for me, but I need to feel like I’m making progress.
I go to bed with wet hair! It scandalises hairdressers but I’ve got wavy thick hair, and I was it before bed (not every night) and just go with it. I never learned how to do anything with my hair as a kid/teen (had a very wash and go, short-haired mom) and now it just kind of exists.
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LOVE the sunny day visual! So apt, especially now with springtime in the Midwest haha.
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I am glad you are feeling better! The weather makes such a difference. Spring is not my favorite season either. There isn’t much that I really love about the season overall. Easter is an ok holiday but not something I get super into.
Oof that is a lot of house guests… yikes!! I hope it is going ok!
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the BODi workouts are still great! Check out MBF too!
I cannot wait to hear about your houseguests 😉
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