Hey, hey! I hope you guys had a nice Thursday. It’s temporarily become a pretty busy day for me due to a couple classes I’m subbing and a workshop. I haven’t written a “day in the life” post lately so here goes! Also, keep reading for five new Trader Joe’s finds at the end of the post.
Day in the Life
5:38 a.m. – alarm goes off and get up to get ready to teach
5:55 a.m. – drive to the studio (we live 1.4 miles away and it’s glorious!)
6 a.m. – teach hot yoga and clean up the room after
7:20 a.m. – arrive back home, shower and put on teaching outfit #2
7:40 a.m. – eat breakfast and check email
8:10 a.m. – drive back to the studio to teach again
8:15 a.m. – teach hot yoga. I’m covering this class for two months while another teacher is in India practicing yoga!
9:40 a.m. – arrive back home, shower again and change into teaching outfit #3. Start some laundry. Drink a cup of coffee and plan for my 10:55 “Finding Your Strength” yoga intensive.
10:45 – drive back to the studio to teach my workshop. It’s a four-week series that based on finding your strength…inside and out. We’re on week three and it’s been so amazing to teach. I’d love to make this into a regular workshop that I teach in Charlotte and other places. We’ve been working various exercises incorporating blocks, bands, straps and bodyweight to improve overall strength for a) life and b) practice, especially arm balances and inversions.
12:10 p.m. – home and leash up the girls for a walk.
1 p.m. – arrive back home. I chatted with my grandmother during our 40 minute walk and it was so nice to catch up with her.
1:20 p.m. – eat lunch. Spinach, arugula, beets, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, pears, smoked salmon, avocado and homemade balsamic vinaigrette. I eat at my desk (again) and check emails and social stuff.
2 p.m. – clean up lunch and get a surprise visit from the plumber who’s coming to look at a leak. I end up spending the next hour chatting with him, doing dishes, vacuuming and folding clothes. I feel like straightening up and vacuuming is a DAILY task that I spend at least 30-45 minutes on.
3 p.m. – eat a Reese’s cup stuffed with peanut butter AND Reese’s Pieces and get back to work. I plow through my Y2 inbox and respond to a ton of emails from clients who are having problems with their accounts after last week’s client management software transition.
4:30 p.m. – outtake from a mini-photo shoot for the pups for an upcoming blog project. The pug is like, “can I try some of this food?”
4:40 p.m. – change into teaching outfit #4 and head to the Dowd Y to run and teach.
4:50 p.m. – quick run before class
5:30 p.m. – teach Total Strength. I have been subbing this class for the last four weeks but I’m rolling out of it now. I’ve been trying to pick up a few extra classes at the Y here and there because I just love teaching group so much for a change of pace. It’s been a great month of teaching on Thursday nights again!
6:30 p.m. – swing by Trader Joe’s to pick up “a few things” which turned into a basket that weighed so much I had to carry it with two hands and the handle indentations have just left my arms. 😛
7:15 p.m. – stop into Bath & Body Works where it looked like Christmas thew up in the store. They were even playing Christmas music. It was insanity.
7:40 p.m. – get back home and immediately unpack my new wallflowers and plug them in. I started out with the Snowflake & Citrus smell. I try to keep one or two of these going in the house because…three dogs! 🙂 I prep some rice for dinner and unpack groceries.
8:10 p.m. – finish up showering and getting into PJs and start my daily meditation. I did 15 minutes today.
8:30 p.m. – DINNER TIME! I had been dreaming about this big bowl of salsa chicken over rice all day long. Salsa chicken over jasmine rice cooked in coconut oil and finished with lime juice and zest. I topped the bowl with cilantro, salsa, avocado and crushed tortilla chips.
9 p.m. – edit photos and write this post. Tanner is out at a movie with his brother tonight so it’s been a lovely quiet solo evening. I really enjoy them from time-to-time.
5 New Trader Joe’s Finds
- Turkey and Cranberry Dog Treats – the pups will LOVE these!
- Ginger and Turmeric Tea – a reader tipped me off about this. I’m sure I’ll love it!
- Frozen Sweet Potatoes – okay, I saw Tara talk about these on an Instagram story yesterday and decided to pick some up. Mainly because the only ingredient is sweet potatoes and they are packaged in a bunch of little cubes so you can defrost a few for a single serving or add them to smoothies. I’ll let you know what I think.
- Trader Joe’s Tanzania Coffee – this is actually my second time purchasing this coffee and I REALLY like it. For $7.99, it’s a great deal.
- Unsweetened Acai Puree Packets – I was restocking on smoothie ingredients and spotted acai for the first time at Trader Joe’s. The price was good at $4.99.
BONUS! I also picked up a HUGE stalk of the most beautiful brussels sprouts for $3.99. Can’t wait to cook these!
I’m going to sit down and do nothing now! 🙂
The end.
Does anyone else totally underestimate how much you’re going to get at the grocery store? I feel like the basket is ALWAYS a bad idea.
Any new Trader Joe’s finds?
Christmas music…to early or let’s “fa la la la la” all the way to December 25?
Wowzers. With all those outfit changes, I imagine you do A LOT of laundry!? 😉 xo
It’s a never ending task. I listen to audiobooks while I do it.
I discovered pre-minced ginger in a tube at tj’s the other day. Super excited about that! Also re-discovered dried flattened bananas (no other ingredients). Super yummy and my 2 year old loves them.
Oh, thanks for the ginger head’s up. I love fresh ginger so much. RE: the bananas. Those are good! I ate them during Whole30.
Wow do you need to do all that travelling?! that’s a busy day, where abouts do you teach I’ll be in charlotte next year?
No, I could totally pack clothes/food and stay at the studio between classes but we live less than 5 minutes away and I hate packing stuff. It just seems easier to run home quickly in between.
I teach around 10 classes each week at Y2 Yoga and I sub group ex here and there at the Dowd YMCA.
I always take a basket when I think I am there for two things and then it overflows and is so heavy! ha. I don’t think I have seen anything in new TJ that interests me although that’s a great price for the acai mix!
The cashiers are always laughing at me as I hoist my giant basket onto the register. Yes, I was super excited to see the Acai mix at such an awesome price.
I love those sweet potatoes but my local Trader Joe’s stopped carrying them – I hope maybe they are back!
Oh no, maybe they’re back now? They seem like a fall/winter item?
O grocery shopping…even when I know I only need a few things, I need it ALL when I’m there. I feel like, if I see it, I should “stock up” 😛
(And YES to Christmas music NOW!)
Haha, I totally feel you on “stocking up.” I’m like, “how could I possibly need to stock up so frequently?” But I do! We go through so much food over here.
Yep, I’ve given up on the basket, even when I need to get “just a few things”.
I’m definitely looking forward to Christmas, but can’t we get through Thanksgiving first?
My dogs loved those treats from Trader Joe’s last year. I will pick some up on the way home for them today! Thanks for the tip that they are back in store! xo
I definitely just need to face reality and get a cart! I’m also looking forward to Christmas (and keep teasing Tanner about getting a tree) but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I do like to soak it up first!
You do all the daily cleaning, cooking, shopping, and laundry? With a day that long your partner ought to be giving you a hand with some of it 😉
Hey Denise! GREAT POINT! I actually work from home when I’m not teaching and he works from the studio (it works best that way…we both get our own personal work space and aren’t on top of each other all day). So by nature of me being at home, I feel like I do a lot more of the tidying up because I find that I can’t focus to work unless my surroundings are clean and tidy. That said, he’s a big help with things around the house. He does the dishes and cleans the kitchen every night after I cook and also helps with folding clothes, vacuuming, trash, etc. on the regular.
So 1– the photo with all the dogs is too precious!!!
2– YES! To early for Christmas music the MAD Turkey is going to get them for not actually taking the time to celebrate Thanksgiving. 🙂 Just my two cents. 🙂
Love the little sneak peek into your life 🙂 My comment…you go through a lot of outfit changes 🙂 I hope you like those frozen sweet potatoes! I typically don’t get swayed to purchase “fun” items or things not on my list, but I couldn’t resist the fact that the only ingredient was sweet potatoes! I feel like I could make something like that by freezing mashed sweet potato in an ice cube tray. I used some in my smoothie yesterday and it was so good. SUPER THICK! (like a milkshake!)
Haha, yes. The laundry situation over here is real. I feel like I spend FOREVER folding clothes every week. I listen to audiobooks while I’m doing it. 😛
I can’t wait to try them in a smoothie like you recommended!
Hi Jen! What is the meditation app you are using?
Hi Whitney! Insight Timer.
Nosey question, how many hours do you need to function at a “minimum human level” so to speak, and how many hours on average do you get? I just got married last year and I find the work-life balance so hectic at times!! I’m still figuring things out and I really love those Day in the Life posts. It gives me an idea how 21st century women balance out their days all over the world 🙂
Totally not nosy! What do you mean about how many hours? Of sleep? If so, I prefer to get 7-8 hours of sleep but I’m fine on 5-6…although it’s not my preference. I used to get up early to teach or train 6 days a week and was really sleep deprived. These days it’s only 2-3 times a week. So most nights I get 7-8 but a couple nights a week it’s more like 5-6…so that’s been a better balance.
RE: the relationship front and balancing work and personal life…it’s HARD and I feel like I’m constantly evaluating it and reworking to stay a) connected and b) sane. I think one of the most important things is having a partner who is on the same page and supportive. If you agree that this is just a crazy time of your life (pre-kids, focusing on your career, building the foundation for your life together), then you can stay on the same team. It’s critical to communicate super regularly about everything from how your day went to current stress levels to big picture goals. We are both super clear that this is not how we want to work/function forever so that helps us stay grounded that it’s temporary and we’re working for something we want for our futures. Does that help at all?
I’m happy to chat about this at any time!
Yes I meant of sleep, haha, I was typing so quickly! Thanks so much, I love love your blog and I think it’s great that you take also take time to reply and connect with your readers 🙂 Sending sunshine from Mauritius xx
I love Trader Joes Ginger and Turmeric tea. It was a life saves this week while I wasn’t feeling so hot. Have you tried the Organic Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup?!? It’s so good. SO GOOD. Especially on a chilly day.
I tried the tea yesterday and liked it! I have tried that soup, it’s great! We usually keep a couple boxes of soup in the pantry all winter long for easy lunch/dinner options.
My friend in California took a pic of a Pumpkin Vinaigrette salad dressing that looked delish that had a clean ingredient ingredient. I definitely want to get that acai puree packets because the Sambazon brand is way more expensive. If they can bring pitaya puree to TJ’s… I think I might need to make a stop at TJ’s this weekend. Yes, Christmas music is WAY TOO SOON! I can’t go there.
Liz – that pumpkin vinaigrette sounds super yummy! I was really happy to find the TJs acai because I agree…the Sambazon is crazy expensive. I’ve never tried pitaya puree. Where do you get it?
hi Jen, I’ve been reading your blog for a while now but never commented. I want to express my deepest sympathies to you and your family regarding the loss of your brother. I appreciate how real you are being with your feelings. I went through my own loss earlier this year and the hardest part for me was seeing how the day to day life was carrying on around me but yet i felt like my world had just stopped and everything has changed. I felt like a failure for not snapping back and moving on instantly. It had been over 6 months and as cliche as it sounds the time heals so much. I won’t ever be the same but this experience has taught me so much. I am stronger than I ever thought possible and know I can handle what life throws at me. I hope you eventually feel the same if you haven’t started to yet! I’m commenting regarding your friend practicing yoga in India. I’m going there with my two sisters in 2 weeks and we are looking for a place to practice. Do you think you would be able to provide me with her email address so I can see if she knows any studios near where we are staying? Or do you have any you recommend? We will be in New Delhi, Mumbai and Mangalore. Thank you! Stephanie
It’s never too early for Christmas music! I’m just counting down the days until my fiancé and I can go pick out our Christmas tree.
Wow I just tried hot yoga for the first time. I can’t imagine doing it more than once in a day! You are a beast girl!
I also tried those acai packets from Trader Joe’s recently and I’m on my second week of buying them (we buy all of our groceries there, mildly obsessed).
A few of my other favorites there are the chicken apple sausages, candy cane lane tea, and the premarinated sundried tomato chicken (it’s raw and I just pan fry it). I also picked up a BBQ/coffee spice rub there last week which I put on shredded pork with some orange juice marinade and I’d highly recommend it!
How is it possible that you are only leaving yourself 5 mins to be get inside the studio and teach? Obviously someone else is setting up the space and music for you, but how can you relax and prepare yourself to teach like that? Also what if someone has a question or concern before class? That doesn’t seem fair to the students. Just voicing my opinion, inrealize everyone’s teaching styles are different. Most teachers greet and sign in their students, not run in last minute. Almost implies it’s not that important to you to be there.
Great question Andrea. Our studio has a full front desk team with anywhere from 1-3 people working depending on the time of day. They check in the students and take care of anything they need from a logistical/studio standpoint. They can help them with purchasing class passes, retail items, studio tours, where to put their stuff, etc.
I’ve been teaching for almost six years and it’s my preference to make myself available after class for questions and feedback instead of before. I close every class with, “Again, my name is Jen and please let me know if you have any questions or feedback.” I am highly sensitive to the energy of others and I like to walk into the classroom feeling clear and grounded. I teach to the energy of the room that I feel on that day with the group that has come together. I pay close attention to my students needs while I am teaching and am always available for an assist, to bring them props or just a quiet verbal assurance.
Teaching is extremely important to me and it’s the thing in my work that I feel most passionate about. I love my students and they have been my greatest teachers. I have close relationships with so many of my students. I highly value their presence and I can assure you that every time I step into that room, I am there for them and to hold space for whatever they need to move through during the practice.
Remember, we are all different in how we operate. My BFF is the type that likes to be there early and chat with people. It just doesn’t work for me. <3