Good morning and happy Friday!
I had a 6 a.m. client today so I found myself wandering the aisles of Harris Teeter at 5:45 a.m. to restock my breakfast supply that I keep at work for these early mornings.
I left with a Chobani Banana (really liking this new 2% flavor) and two products that I purchased for the first time – Kind Healthy Grains Oats & Honey Clusters and Earth Balance Coconut and Peanut Spread.
All mixed together. The verdict on the new product purchases? Love them. The granola is gluten free, low glycemic and made from an interesting mix of grains including amaranth, quinoa, oats, millet and buckwheat. The coconut and peanut spread is AMAZING. It’s a mix of peanut butter and coconut oil and tastes like the most perfect combination of them both. Sweet, salty, coconut-y and so good. I can’t believe I’m just discovering this stuff. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
And it just keeps getting better! I met a friend for dinner last night at Lebowskis after teaching BodyPump. I had the Jerk Turkey Burger (jerkiyaki glaze, pineapple salsa and pepper jack) with sweet potato tots and a beer. We sat out on the patio and the weather was beautiful. A burger, a beer and good conversation made for a perfect evening.
I got my greens in at lunch yesterday so there was no guilt about my burger and tot dinner. I had a salad with salmon, beets, artichokes, kalamata olives, mandrain oranges, pecans and feta with balsamic.
Now, some random stuff for your Friday entertainment…
Yoga/Workout Songs I’m Loving
Jason Derulo – The Other Side. I love everything he does…Breathing, Whatcha Say, In My Head. Guilty pop pleasure!
Armin Van Buuren v. Trevor Guthrie – This Is What It Feels Like
Six60 – Forever. This is the cool down song for BodyPump 85 and ever since I taught it last week I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. I’ve had it on all of my yoga playlists. So good.
Read This
– Danielle LaPorte’s recent blog post about the difference between happiness and joy.
I have had a tab open with this post for the last couple of days. I keep going back and reading it again.
– This article from Elle about being in your 20s, figuring out exactly what it is you want to do from a career perspective and then finding a balance between the ambition to do what you love and actually being able to make a decent living.
Still, I had no doubt that I’d made the right decision. I loved the work and my colleagues, and I thought of my relative poverty as the price I had to pay. As a friend said of her own professional choices, “I cared about career success. I didn’t care about security.”
– Relevant’s article “Instagram’s Envy Effect” discussing the real issue of the comparison trap that social media creates. Everyone’s life looks prettier online.
But seeing the best possible, often-unrealistic, half-truth version of other peoples’ lives isn’t the only danger of the Internet. Our envy buttons also get pushed because we rarely check Facebook when we’re having our own peak experiences. We check it when we’re bored and when we’re lonely, and it intensifies that boredom and loneliness.
Have a great Friday!
Good Morning! Started buying the Earth Balance PB about 6 months ago…love it!!! And just bought the Kind Vanilla Blueberry Clusters last week. I was buying them before but they are so good and became my nighttime snack. 🙂 I’ve been trying to decide what I felt like having for breakfast this morning but you have just helped me make that decision! Have a great day!
morning! i’ll have to try the blueberry vanilla. that sounds good!
Thanks so much for posting the link about social media. What a great article and so true!
I’ve already shared some of the music with my husband and he’s like, “Where are you getting these song ideas — they’re great!” Ha I had to remind him of my favorite blog that I reference quite frequently. 🙂
I really appreciate your approach to balance in your life — greens for lunch, a beer and burger at night; yoga practice, running and yoga; busy working and traveling to see your grandmother. This is what life is about! My hope for you is that as a trainer that you also continue to carve out time for yourself — enjoy your Friday!
Hey Jen, I just wanted to let you know I’ve been loving everything you’ve posted recently. I don’t think it’s important you stick to one genre of posts… blogs and people evolve 🙂
Keep the links, music, (and other recommendations) coming!
Thanks so much for posting links to such interesting articles. I was intrigued by the article on Instagram and really appreciated that the author offered solutions. I love this:
“For many of us, walking away from the Internet isn’t an option. But using it to connect instead of compare is an option, and a life-changing one. Using technology to build community instead of building carefully-curated images of ourselves is an option, and a worthwhile one.
And on the days when you peer into the screen of your laptop and all you see are other people’s peak experiences that highlight your lack in that moment, remember that life isn’t about the story you tell about yourself on the Internet. It’s about a million more beautiful and complex things than that, like love and faith and really listening. It’s about using what you’ve been given to craft a life of gratitude and passion and grace.
Remember that the very best things in life can’t be captured in status updates.”
This will carry me through this Friday. 🙂
That coconut pb spread if one of my favorites!! I want to go get some right now to eat with breakfast! Also, love that post on social media. It is so true and reading articles like that helps me catch falling into that mindset and shutting it off.
Hi Jen, I really enjoy your blog. I appreciate your honesty and willingness to be vulnerable (while also maintaining boundaries and privacy), and it’s one of very few healthy living blogs that really shows a good balance between health and pleasure, hard work and rest, and moderation in all things. I’ve noticed lately that it seems like when you go out for burgers, you rarely seem to eat them on a bun (as they would be typically served in a restaurant), and I was wondering why. Since you haven’t mentioned a problem with gluten and you clearly don’t need to cut calories, is there some reason for avoiding the bun?
That coconut pb is honestly the great thing ever! So good!!!
I love getting music ideas and fun recipes from you! I also love your blog.
Btw, did anyone notice the cook in the Van Buuren video? Pretty sure that’s Ron Jeremy!
I just read the Relevant article. Thank you for posting that. It rings true for me, especially when I feel “bored” or unmotivated. I’m reading it again, sharing it and moving forward.
I love the Six60 song! But, it is so long! There are classes before and after the Pump class I teach and I have to do an abbreviated cool down with this song.
Love this post!
My joy is rising!