Some Friday Happy

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Ummmm, it’s Friday and practically summertime.

That should be enough to make for an amazing day, but in case you need something ELSE to get to 5pm, welp, here ya go:

(source, courtesy of my best friend, Meg)

You’re welcome.

Oh, and don’t forget to share your fitness and health boards!

This definitely contributes to my fitness motivation. ;-) IMG_6690

(source)

…Annnnnnd here’s the rest of my own board, which I put together on Pinterest. Sneak peek:

 

In case you need more inspiration, check out this one by reader Lillian, who tweeted me yesterday!

Now where’s your margarita?

 

What are your weekend plans? One of my favorite former DC-ers (and bloggers) is in town, so it should be a fun {brunch filled} weekend!

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Mind Your Body Oasis

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Hi! How is everyone today?

It’s FINALLY sunny and warm here in D.C., so I think everyone is in a happy mood around town. Sunshine will do that. ;-)

Last night, I tried out a new yoga/Pilates studio: Mind Your Body Oasis! IMG_6877Any of my D.C. readers been yet?

Mind Your Body is a new studio in the Crystal City area of Arlington, VA. The studio owner was sweet enough to reach out to me about trying a [free] class, which I gladly agreed to! I love trying out new yoga/pilates classes, especially when they’re easy to navigate to after work.

This studio’s schedule is pretty fantastic in terms of the times/classes offered, which was a huge plus in my eyes. I tend to have a tough time finding classes that are compatible with my work schedule at the studios nearest to me.

I decided to pop in on the Pilates class they offer, seeing as how I hadn’t been to a real Pilates class since, oh I don’t know….2009, when I lived in NYC?IMG_6876

Right. You can imagine how awesome I was at doing all the poses, combined with my {still} sore muscles from Body Pump two days ago. I’m sure the studio owner, who also taught the class, thought I was a fake fitness blogger, squirming at how tight my hip flexors were.

Anyways, I loved the class, and was actually disappointed when the hour was up. I always forget how much I enjoy Pilates, and Amanda, the instructor, was great. The whole studio is also really tranquil, almost oddly so considering this studio is tucked into the underground shops at the Crystal City metro.

And how cute is the decor in the ladies’ locker room?IMG_6873

Love me some Audrey.

I’d definitely recommend this studio (or at least the Pilates class, since that’s all I’ve tried so far) to you guys, and I’m looking forward to heading back for another class soon! Apparently they also do corporate wellness, which is interesting.

When I was heading home, I stopped by Roti to pick up some dinner. I’m not huge on getting take-out (unless it’s from Zoe’s Kitchen - obsessed), but I had received a coupon for a free entree in the mail a couple of weeks ago and figured I’d make use of it! IMG_6880

I’d only had Roti once a couple years ago and it didn’t leave a memorable impression. I have to admit – it was a lot better than I remembered this time around! I had a salad with chicken kabob chunks, Spanish eggplant, roasted veggies, and kalamata olives, plus some hummus and pita on the side.

Happy tummy. And now happy Thursday!

Pssst – don’t forget to tweet or email your health/fitness inspiration boards.

 

Are you a Pilates fan? I think I almost like it more than yoga, but it’s usually so expensive at private studios.

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Cleaning Out My Closet

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Sunday, I {finally} cleaned out my closet and donated two big bags of old clothes.

IMG_6845This is something I always love to do every six months or so! Even though I loathe shopping, I get really jazzed about sorting through my closet/drawers and chucking the stuff I don’t want/don’t fit in anymore.

I know it may not sound like an obviously related topic to Women’s Health Week, but I think it is! Cleaning out your closet helps eliminate all that extra stuff you don’t need. Let’s you, in a small way, clear out the past that you may have been clinging on to, and leaves room for the future. To me, it’s sort of emotionally freeing.

That dress you wore to a wedding with your ex right before you broke up? Toss.

That tube top you’ve been hanging on to since college ended (5 years ago)? Toss.

You know, for example. ;-)

In case anyone is wondering, I always use these Planet Aid boxes to donate my clothes. They’re super convenient and tend be all over the place, so I can easily walk over with my bags of clothing.IMG_6846

Planet Aid is a nonprofit that collects and recycles used clothes/shoes to support international development projects. To find a drop-off box near you, click here.

Other places like Goodwill and churches (when they’re having clothing drives) are also other great spots to drop off gently used clothes. I know a lot of people love bringing their clothes to consignment shops to make some extra cash, and I did briefly consider that. I just prefer to donate mine, and always end up back at my local Planet Aid box since it’s the easiest to get to for me (note: I have no affiliation with Planet Aid; these are just my personal opinions).

Now my closet has plenty of space for new threads (including some running tops!). I see another StitchFix delivery in my future….  ;-)

Happy Wednesday!

 

Do you guys like to clean out your closet every now and then, or do you tend to hang on to clothes forever?

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Body Pump and Tracking Fitness

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Hello!

How is everyone doing this fine Tuesday?

First things first: last night, I tried Body Pump for the very first time!photo (14)

Oh my gosh, you guys! Now I see what all the hype is about!

I loved it. I am really interested in gaining more strength and upper body muscle tone, but (admittedly) have zero idea what I’m doing on my own. This makes a group exercise class like Body Pump {strengthening moves with weights choreographed to sweet music} basically invaluable. It’s actually the reason I tried CrossFit last summer, but that was just a wee bit too intense (and expensive!) for me to keep up with.

I can see myself really getting into Body Pump, though!

Since it is Women’s Health Week and all, I also wanted to share something I’ve started doing this week. I’m now writing down all of my workouts each day in a little notebook, so that I can keep notes of when/how I worked out. Not exactly rocket science, right? IMG_6850

I’m particularly interested in doing this in order to pay attention to my runs and weekly mileage, especially with half marathon training starting right around the corner. This is actually something I used to do when I was running a lot. I really only stopped in the last year or so, when I my mileage started to dwindle and running lost its place as high priority (due to life/surgery/etc.).

In the effort of full disclosure, I am also interested in keeping a record because, well, I’m trying to get myself back into shape.
IMG_6849Not that I’m really all that out of shape now, but I’m in no way feeling as fit as I was a year ago today. Life and emotions had sidetracked me a bit, and all those extra bites of chocolate chip cookies combined with less exercising took a toll on my body in the form of depleted muscle tone and a couple extra pounds.

My Type A personality finds it helpful to write down my workouts – makes me feel like I’m making progress and staying on track with my fitness goals. Although I suppose I could start using this blog for that purpose, huh? ;-)

Since I get injured so easily when running, too, it’s extra important to me to start being more mindful of the miles I’m logging. Must. Stay. Uninjured. 

Now it’s time to get my booty to work!

 

Fitness notebooks – do you guys keep one? Do you find it helpful?

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National Women’s Health Week

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Morning!

A reader, Michelle, recently contacted me about National Women’s Health Week, which is THIS week! Thank goodness she mentioned it, or else it would have completely slipped my mind.women's health wk graphicMichelle works at a spa in upstate New York, and shares my passion for making health a priority in our lives. In recent years I’ve become really interested in health promotion, and when Michelle suggested creating a fun inspiration board to celebrate Women’s Health Week, I knew she was on to something many of my other readers might be excited about participating in too!

Sooooooo, here’s the deal, you guys: I’m putting out an open call for health and fitness inspiration boards. You can either make them the old fashioned way (glue, markers, glitter, construction paper) OR digitally via Pinterest.

If you want to see a fab example of what I’m talking about, here’s Michelle’s board:Womens Health year-M. Pino board

(sources for images: berry mocktail | New York golf club | Athleta yoga tank | running | lilacs)

Pretty sweet, right?

From Michelle about her board:

“Everyone has his or her own source of inspiration, but to me the color purple makes me really
happy, so I’m using this color as the source of my inspiration…Nutrition is also something I need to work on for sure. Eating poorly is taking an effect on my energy levels during the workday. I’m looking for a long-term improvement, not a temporary fix. I’m looking to experiment with healthy recipes and swapping bad snacks for healthier options. As part of improving what I eat, I plan to cut back on those tempting sugary cocktails, and opt for a fruity-smoothie version instead…As part of my initiative to spend more time doing activities outdoors, I’ve started to learn to golf at a Syracuse golf course near my work. I don’t usually golf all 18 holes but it’s nice to be able to spend most of the time walking. What I like about it is that it’s a leisurely sport, nothing too strenuous. I would like to become a runner. I’ve read from a lot of resources online about a great Couch-to-5k program that would be perfect for me to start with. It involves a mix of walking and running which is great for beginners. Hopefully by end of summer, I’ll be ready to sign up for my first race!”

 

Send your photos and/or Pinterest links to me at onapinktypewriter@gmail.com or tweet ‘em to me! (Find me on Twitter here.) I’ll try to showcase some boards from participants here on the blog throughout the week, too. Now I’ve got to get working on mine! ;-)

Happy Monday!

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