I decided to document a day in the life yesterday and was surprised to find this morning in my TimeHop that I did a “Tuesday in the Life” exactly one year ago today! Guess it was meant to be.
Here goes…
5:35 a.m. – alarm goes off and I am awakened from a super deep sleep in which I was dreaming that I was embarking on a swim to Jamaica. Good thing my alarm went off! I do a quick scan of email and social channels to help me come to and feet hit the floor at 5:40 a.m.
5:55 a.m. – leave the house for the studio to teach and I’m all bundled up because it’s 17 degrees outside!
6 a.m. – teach hot yoga. We live one mile from the studio and it’s especially amazing for early mornings. I have 36 yogis in class who are up and ready to get their practice in before work. I LOVE the morning crowd. Hard workers and what a gift to help people start their days with yoga!
My sweet friend was in class rocking her baby bump. She’s due with baby #2 any day now and still rocking her practice. She’s been consistently coming to class throughout her pregnancy and is feeling good but ready (she asked me to take these pics and gave permission to post…FYI!).
7:30 a.m. – after cleaning the studio after class I head home for a shower and breakfast. I didn’t make chia pudding the night before so I got creative with a sweet potato and a sunflower seed butter jar. Good stuff. I eat breakfast, catch up on news and then get ready for the gym.
8:30 a.m. – train a client at the gym. Late 30’s, mom of two and super hard worker. She’s fun to train!
9:30 a.m. – wrap up client’s training session and get my own workout in. Treadmill intervals and upper body strength of dumbbell and TRX super sets.
11 a.m. – leave the gym and head to SouthPark Mall to visit The Track & Field Store.
I have a photo shoot this week for a local magazine story I’m involved in and the amazing manager at Track & Field had pulled four looks for me to try on.
I tried them all on and SnapChatted them as I went. I loved going back and forth with you guys on which looks you liked. I love SnapChat! (Follow me @ Jen DeCurtins)
Noon – I leave the mall and go to Whole Foods for a Whole30 staple restock. I nearly lost my marbles when I saw my book on display. I stopped dead in my tracks, stood in the middle of the store and said out loud, “oh my god, oh my god, that’s my book!” The sales associates looked at me and I said, “that’s my book. I wrote it. It’s my first time seeing it in a store!” I was SO HONORED and SHOCKED to see it for sale at Whole Foods. To say it made my day was an understatement.
I had another reader SnapChat me a pic of my book in Birmingham and another friend tell me she saw it in Tennessee. I am in disbelief! (Note: you can find The Complete Guide to Yoga Inversions on Amazon.)
1 p.m. – arrive home and unpack groceries.
Canned pumpkin, lite coconut milk (<– WF is one of the only places that sells coconut milk that is Whole30 compliant and doesn’t include sulfites), chicken broth, kombucha, tomato sauce, green beans, tuscan kale, tahini, salsa, locally roasted coffee, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, organic chicken breasts, bananas, sweet potatoes, apples, WF roasted turkey, pears, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, wasabi powder, red chili curry paste.
And four cases of La Croix. On sale 2 for $7 with an extra 10% discount for every case of 24 you bought.
1:30 p.m. – make and eat lunch quickly.
Soup and salad.
2-3 p.m. – meeting with my amazing therapist/life coach/guru. I have seen her once or twice a month for almost 5 years now. I talk about this from time-to-time because I think it’s important to take the stigma off of therapy. Seeing her consistently through both good and bad times has been an incredible way for me to grow personally and to learn more effective communication methods, thought processes and ways to deal with whatever it is that’s on my plate. We talk about everything from relationships to work to friends/family to stress management and much more. I firmly believe that emotional health is just as important (if not MORE SO!) than physical health.
3:15 p.m. get on the computer and start cranking out work. Most of my work yesterday was focused on stuff I needed to do for the studio.
4:30 p.m. – break for a snack and a cup of tea.
4:45-6:45 p.m. – computer work. I create flyers for upcoming workshops, update the website with upcoming workshops and work on menu design for the cafe.
During this time I had a text exchange with my BFF about whether or not I was practicing that night. She convinced me. 😉
7:15 p.m. – yoga class. So glad I decided to break and practice. I was a sweaty and happy mess after! I took my friend Rian’s class and he is seriously an amazing teacher and appeals to my love of all things upside down and getting playful on the mat. If you live in Charlotte, you must check him out.
8:45 p.m. – leave studio after showering and getting comfy clothes on and head home to make dinner. While I’m making dinner I also make a new batch of homemade almond milk and respond to texts and SnapChats.
9:30 p.m. – eat dinner. We are 50/50 with couch v. eating at the table and last night’s late dinner was a couch dinner while we watched Nurse Jackie. We just started watching it a few weeks ago and are totally sucked into this show. I think we’re on season 3 now. The characters are awesome and the writing is so witty and smart. I always crack up at least 3-4 times every episode.
The puppies cuddle while we watch TV. They always like to be close. I consider starting this post but I have been so good about not working on the computer at night and decide it can wait until the next morning!
10:45 p.m. – we decide it’s time to head to bed.
I prep our breakfast for the next day. Chia pudding with pumpkin for the first time! (Also note this gigantic bag of chia seeds that one of my students gave me. We are set!)
The last thing I do before bed is make coffee. I love having it ready to go the next morning.
11:15 p.m. – in bed to read. I’m reading Thanks for the Memories right now and it’s just okay at best.
11:30 p.m. – lights out, pass out. Excited that alarm isn’t set until 7 a.m. the next morning! 🙂
What’s your typical bedtime? Even though I get up early most mornings, I have a really hard time going to bed before 11. And I have to read for a few minutes to wind down and get sleepy.
Do you prep breakfast or coffee before bed?
I always try prepare breakfast before bed! It is great time-saver for me. Sometimes I make big batch oatmeal or millet (current favorite!) and eat it through the week 😉
Agreed, plus it’s just so nice to wake up to breakfast! 🙂
Ahhh I got SO excited for you when I saw the pic of your book!! Must have been a crazy feeling 🙂 I love seeing posts like this from people in your profession with a more variable schedule. Also, I hope compliments like these don’t make you uncomfortable and I truly believe that every woman’s body is beautiful in its own way but you have my dream bod!!
Thanks Jacklyn! It was definitely a special moment! 🙂
Yes, variable is an understatement when it comes to my schedule and this industry. I feel like all 7 days of the week are all so different.
Thanks for the kind words. I think everyone is so different with their ideal body types and you’re right that every woman’s body is beautiful!
Congrats on seeing your book in the store!!! What an incredible moment. 🙂
#1 – Thank you for talking openly about seeing a therapist!! I also see one monthly and it adds so much to my life. I also think it’s important to remove the stigma and be intentional about our emotional health.
#2 – Would you consider doing a special post focused on yoga for pregnant women!? I am 22 weeks pregnant with my first and practicing 1-2 times a week. I’ve heard and read mixed messages about what is ok and what is not ok (closed twists, for example). I would love to get some insight from you on a) what to avoid and b) the benefits of yoga for pregnancy. Just an idea!!
I just love your blog Jen. I read several every morning but I always save yours for last because it’s my fave. 🙂 Thank you for all the hard work you put into it.
Hi Christin! Thanks for the congrats. It was definitely a surreal and special moment.
#1 – you are welcome! It’s something I feel strongly about. I grew up with a mom who worked in mental health so it was always something that was “normal” in my family but I’ve realized that so many people didn’t grow up with the same experience.
#2 – Yes, for sure!
I can’t thank you enough for the kind words about my blog. It made my morning. <3
Love those super shiny purple leggings – so fun! Great job having a agreat day and congratulations on the book! So exciting!
I have them in black and LOVE so I’m excited to have the purple too. Even more sassy. 😉
Thanks for the congrats!
I second the question on pregnancy in yoga, specifically hot yoga though. I have always heard hot was a no go during pregnancy, even if I had practiced prior to getting pregnant. Thanks!
RE: pregnancy and hot yoga…I have found through 5 years of teaching that it varies from woman to woman. Some feel 100% great practicing through their pregnancies, others find that they prefer unheated flow. Some doctors are 100% on board (if it was part of the routine before pregnancy), some prefer their patients avoid it. I think it comes down to being mindful of how you feel…heart rate, body temp, breathing, body, etc. A lot of my pregnant girls practice next to the door where it’s a little cooler and they can easily step out if needed. I’ll post more on it in a future post!
How exciting to see your book on display!! I found your book in my local Barnes & Noble (the big one in Union Square in NYC).
I get up between 5:00-5:15 and try to be in bed before 9:30. I find it really hard because I feel like I have more to do every night, but I’m one of those people who can barely function if they don’t get close to 8 hours of sleep.
That’s so exciting!! Thanks for sharing. It’s amazing how much better I feel when I get 8 or more hours of sleep. I need to make it more of a priority.
So jealous for so many reasons!
I wish I lived a mile from a yoga studio!
I want to write a book!
I pay $6 for an 8 pack of La Croix. Stupid Alaska!
i am with you. even though i get up early i am still a night person. i dont want to go to bed before 930 ! many people i work with think its crazy to go to bed at 1030 or 11 but i dont know how they do it ! like you though i get home later. i usually work till at least 530 or 6 then go workout after. then by the time you get home and shower and throw some food together for dinner i feel like its practically 9. i do try to be in bed on weeknights at 10 watching some tv and asleep by 1030. even though i know sleep is important i still dont want to go to bed to early. makes me feel like im 10 with a bedtime 🙂
i prep my coffee before bed but i dont set the timer. i did it years ago and it made coffee at like 2 AM scary the bejesus out of us. ever since then i just push the button in the AM on my own 🙂
Haha! 10:30 is still really good, especially if you work until 6 then workout!
I’m usually in bed by 10 or so (get up a little after 6). I strive for 8 hrs, but do fine on 7 & can get by on 6, but anything less than that is def no bueno. I’m not on snap chat so I didn’t see your pics, but I like the one w/ the white top best.
That’s the one I went with!
Your pregnant student is so cute! How awesome she practiced the entire pregnancy.
Is your fiancé also participating in the Whole30? If so, how is he handling it? Does it help having him do it along with you?
He is because he eats whatever I cook, haha! In all seriousness, he is super great about being open-minded about this kind of stuff and is doing really well with it! He’s stuck to the plan even when he eats at the studio and when I’ve been out of town. Definitely helps to have him on board! 🙂
Your book looks amazing!!! Congrats! Must have been like hearing your song on the radio for the first time.
I used to prep tea and breakfast when I got up super early… now I just do it in them morning.
Haha! Thank you!
We just started Nurse Jackie too! Love it!
So good!
Congrats on your book! How super duper awesome. Rockstar! I live in Charlotte so I will most definitely be seeing it I’m sure 🙂
Thank you!!
I always love the day in the life posts. Yes your book is at our local whole foods, saw it this week. Congratulations again on publishing a second book. That’s a great accomplishment.
Thanks!
I’m totally with you on regular therapy, I see mine every few months. For me, it has made a HUGE difference when I had a crisis (such as a death in the family) to have someone I already know that I could talk to. I absolutely think that our mental health should be treated the way we treat our physical health.
I go to bed early, usually between 9 and 9:30 on weeknights. I like to read in bed and usually get up early for a workout. We have a programmable coffee maker, but I run the dishwasher after dinner and the coffee pot is usually in there, so I hardly ever actually program it! I don’t prep breakfast the night before, but lately I have been making a veggie frittata on Sunday and reheat a slice for my post-workout breakfast.
It’s so wonderful to see you normalise therapy. People work so hard to maintain physical health but can so often neglect their mental health. Thank you.
Hi Jen! I’m starting my first Whole30 next week so I’ve been loving all of your meal ideas lately. I’m most nervous about breakfast because I love, love, love oatmeal. (Will be trying chia pudding!) Just out of curiosity, how come you haven’t been having smoothies on the Whole30? Thanks!
No! Whole30 doesn’t really love smoothies. They would rather you eat your food rather than drink because of the signals it sends your brain. I was trying to take a smoothie hiatus anyway during cold weather months so this has helped with that!