1- Thank you for your thoughts/insights re: strength training! I really think I want to try something different. Many of you pointed out how working with a trainer or in a gym can be very different than the home workouts that I (generally) dread. I am going to try some of these options, starting with an F45 resistance class since that is one of the closest options to my house. Will report back . . .
2- Loved reading the MMD post by Shannan Malone on creating a personal reading retreat. That sounds so delightful! It also makes me think of the Currently Reading episodes about their group reading retreat (details in this ep).
3- Oliver Burkeman has a new book coming out and it sounds intriguing! I do kind of find the “four weeks” part funny — I’m imagining him pitching his publisher and then they say “Hey Oliver, what if you packaged it as a ‘get enlightened in 1 month’ sort of thing?”. That said, I do love a good “program” and his work always makes me think so I preordered.
4- I loved this post by Hungry Runner Girl’s mom. I started following Janae a couple of years ago (which is . . . very late) and really enjoy her blog. To me she comes off as genuine and grateful. I also appreciate the fact that even though she is active on social media (I assume – I don’t follow her, or anyone!), she posts on an old school blog daily.
5- “The cost of a thing is the amount of . . . life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.” — Henry David Thoreau, Walden.
I read this quote in The Anxious Generation and it definitely struck a chord. Today’s life feels like it is moving faster than ever before for me. I think that is because in general, I love our current phase. And because of that, every “exchange” calculation feels more fraught.
HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! This morning post brought to you by my straight hair (I can’t run or sweat the day after a straightening, ha!)
13 Comments
I would love to do a reading retreat someday. There is a bookstore in Thomasville, GA that hosts reader retreats several times a year and I want to attend someday. (The store is The Bookshelf – her podcast ‘from the front porch’ is so delightful. She’s like a real life Kathleen Kelly.) I just need my kids to be at a more manageable age. I feel like I can’t ask to go away on my own right now with all the work travel I am doing….
I bet you will love an F45 class. Those in person classes are so much fun! I also loved body pump classes at the Y back when I had a gym membership! Or if you have a core power yoga by you, their yoga sculpt classes are awesome!!!
One of our local bookshops is doing a “silent book club” when the new Sally Rooney book gets released. They’ve teamed up with a local pub to use their space, and will have drinks and nibbles, and let people read which sounds fun.
Definitely on the in person class. I love a yoga class but can’t manage at home yoga with any consistency. I just find it so boring?
I am a regular runner but postpartum needed something lower-impact while I worked on pelvic floor confidence with a PT. I’ve started attending a Legends Boxing location near me and love that it is upper-body and ab-focused, and about 20 minutes in the middle of each hour-long workout are exclusively focused on strength. I find that having a “skill” to improve makes me hate it much less!!
Yes, I love Hungry Runner Girl! I’ve read her blog for years. I love all the posts about her family and living in Utah, and also she is a FAST runner!!!
I haven’t read that MMD post yet- my “after work treat” on Saturdays is to sit down and read all the MMD posts from the week. I’m looking forward to that one.
I think trying out a strength class is a good idea. Make it more like something you’re excited about rather than a boring chore- I agree that at-home strength workouts feel like a boring chore!
For someone who hates strength training, you sure do a lot of it!! (I really did not know that you disliked it until these recent posts because you’re so diligent about it) I loathe and despise strength training and have never, never, ever done it consistently UNTIL I started going to small group classes with a personal trainer (who is also in my running group and now I consider a good friend). It’s the only way to make me accountable. I started when I was sidelined from running due to injury and I do, grudgingly, see the benefits, so I keep going now in addition to (a slow return to) running.
Given your extroverted personality, I do think a group setting or class might be a good option! (of course the problem is the logistics and timing – that’s why home-based workouts are a thing! but only if you do them…which I don’t…) Hope you like whatever you’re able to find!
I was just texting with my trainer/friend this morning and saying that someday when I win the lottery, I’m going to work part time (because I do love my job so wouldn’t quit entirely) but am going to throw money at a PT to see me 1-2x/week and a maybe also a personal trainer (or her) to do really tailored strength workouts. I can run on my own but I really need external pressure to do those other things! Unfortunately, winning the lottery is not going great right now…(possibly because I’m not buying tickets).
I am probably not your target audience here (and also have not read this runner-person’s blog – and hopefully will forget about it soon so am never tempted) so my apologies, but describing a blogger as grateful feels really gendered and cringey to me… not that the opposite (entitled) is desirable… but its like its appealing bc she is really good at something *but* also knows her place. Idk. A lot of the popular middle aged woman’s lifestyle blogs check the “grateful” box and honestly every time they gush about how grateful they are about something (always after talking about some personal achievement or expensive undertaking – like a “don’t hate me because I’m awesome” plea) I roll my eyes a little and make a mental note to check back less often. Ladies, it’s wonderful to be grateful – truly – but it’s also ok to take up space unapologetically. I’m probably especially triggered by this bc a former mentor told me I ought to act more grateful during residency (for the benefit of my career), which was a time in my life where… there were good reasons not to feel that way, and also he can go jump off a bridge.
Okay I can see that! I think I more meant grateful she’s been able to support her family via her blog and have a flexible lifestyle and maybe also for her inherent running talent but definitely see what you mean. And yes that sounds horribly triggering and mean to be told that during residency.
As someone who blogs regularly on the topic of gratitude, and who has a simultaneously “charmed” life AND also a regular tumultuous life full of all the typical ups and downs we all experience, I can say that for me, focusing on gratitude is a very intentional, very important choice. I didn’t really realize it could be viewed negatively or triggering? I guess because being grateful doesn’t mean you have nothing bad going on, or can’t ever sit with bad/negative feelings, it’s just that you’re trying to also be grateful DESPITE those things.
Also, gratitude is actually not something that comes easily to me, at all, innately. Much like Elisabeth from Optimistic Musings, my default state is more one of “worrier” or “complainer” or “pessimist”. I don’t like being like that, though, so I’ve been working these last few years especially to attempt and see if I could develop a more positive, grateful mindset. Yeah, my initial knee-jerk default underneath is still always like “oh no!” or “ugh…”(and trust me, every single person has their bad stuff and difficulties- in this runner girl’s blog, she recently almost just lost her daughter to a rare infection post-tonsillectomy) but I think that little by little, this gratitude focus really has actually helped me! (I share something every day I’m grateful for, not to “gush” or make people roll their eyes, but because if I don’t, I literally can forget how many good things are right under my nose and end up wallowing in the bad stuff instead. By coming back to it over… and over… and over…it slowly becomes ingrained as a way of life. Still not default, unfortunately! But closer.)
I am not particularly good at anything, and I cannot claim any fabulous personal achievements lately, so I guess at least I don’t have to worry about anyone thinking I’m saying, “Don’t hate me cuz I’m awesome”. We did recently take a kick ass trip to Hawaii, which I’ve been openly grateful for, so I guess I could take heat for that. 🤷♀️🤣
I hope you don’t mind me chiming in, and I know you weren’t directing this at me 🙂 But I still just wanted to mention a little “pro-gratitude” plug anyway, and another perspective. Though I do also see how it would be annoying for someone to be chirping “be grateful! be grateful!” or something if you’re personally going through a rough patch. 🙂
I definitely find your personal gratitude inspiring. I think maybe it was my descriptor rather than the gratitude itself that was the issue … but I always appreciate your own intentional efforts at it!
I think there’s a difference between the actual practice of genuine gratitude (which you do) and the performance of gratitude which is what I was being asked to do, and more convincingly, please! I’m not a huge fan of gratitude practice as a formal thing either because if you’re feeling bad enough to struggle with this, that induces shame, which makes things worse. If you haven’t experienced this personally, consider yourself lucky!
And thank you for the TW regarding loss of a child. I see enough of that in my day to day life, I don’t need more of it in my free time.
This doesn’t have anything to do with your post today, but I wanted to tell you that I listened to the audiobook of Still Life after hearing that you liked the book so much and it was so good that I’m already on book #5 of the series. The narrator is really great!
I’ve started reading the Anxious Generation after reading those discussions on your blog Sarah, and already finding it super interesting. It’s not making me anxious (perhaps because my kids are a few years off smartphones), but it’s already inspiring me to reduce their screen exposure in general.
I’m also going to preorder Oliver Burkeman’s new book, your take on the 4 weeks made me laugh. That’s totally what happened, I’m sure you’re right. Ha! By the way, the UK/Australia cover is much nicer in my opinion. (As was 4000 weeks).