Things I’m Loving Friday #589

Friday is here!! Woop! Do you guys have anything fun planned for this weekend? We’ll be spending time at the soccer fields and football field this weekend and also have a fishing derby on the agenda. We had to miss the fishing competition last year and it’s one of our family’s favorite local events, so we cannot wait to attend again tomorrow morning. And, honestly, I’m also just REALLY ready to catch my breath and spend some time at home after so much back-to-back travel.

I feel so behind on so many different things right now (nearly 3 weeks without a second to myself will do that, I suppose) and am hoping this weekend will help me feel like my life is back on track a little bit. Can I just say how thrilled I was to sit down at my local coffee shop and type up this blog post!? (I usually start this blog post early in the week and add to it as I think of more things I’m loving as the week progresses.) It felt great to be typing away on my keyboard and chatting with all of you! So let’s dive right in, shall we?

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Koala Eco Soap, Dish Soap and Cleaning Products

Have you guys heard of Koala Eco? I first tried one of their products (the lemon eucalyptus rosemary hand soap) at a friend’s house and immediately asked her about it after I washed my hands in her bathroom. The scent was bright and fresh and just so summery! It was the kind of natural citrusy clean scent I knew would oddly make doing dishes feel more enjoyable so I asked her about it. (She’s one of those women who are the most natural of the natural so I also knew it would be a clean living product made without synthetic fragrance which further piqued my interest.) Apparently the company makes more than just hand soap — they have a whole home cleaning line — and I quickly found myself ordering their lemon myrtle & mandarin dish soap, hand soap and lotion to keep in our kitchen and half bath off the kitchen as well. Since I’m already on my second order, I figured it was worth highlighting here for anyone who might be in the market for clean but lovely scented natural home products. (I truly believe this one is nice enough to gift if you need a Mother’s Day gift idea, especially their glass-bottle hand soaps!)

• Move Together Challenge Sign Ups are OPEN!!

Who wants to do this 5-week challenge together!? I initially signed up to try Madeline Moves/Moves app workouts through the fall Tighter Together challenge and it completely hooked me on these workouts. The challenge is now called Move Together and it officially begins on Monday!! You better believe I signed up for this one so fast. I’ve become a superfan of these workouts for a myriad of reasons but let’s break them down a bit so you know what you’re getting into if you plan to do the challenge.

• Built-In Mobility and Stability Training: HALLELUJAH!!! This is honestly one of the most important things for me, especially as I get older. I’ve had injuries pop up and know neglecting this aspect of my training is largely to blame. I love the way these workouts incorporate stability and mobility work in a way that makes it fun AND in a way that I know I’ll actually do, as I’m very likely to skip this work when left to my own devices. I’ve been so impressed by just how many of the exercises in these workouts mirror the exercises my physical therapist has me do.
• Home + Gym Options: The workouts have the option to toggle back and forth between home and gym options which I love for flexibility. I did the home workouts almost exclusively for months but I also like the gym option if I have time to get to the gym and want to utilize some of the machines at my disposal. To do the home workouts, you’ll need a wide range of dumbbells, a mat, an elevated surface (I utilize my Stakt Pro mat a LOT during these workouts — PBFINGERS15 saves 15%), a bench (not necessary as there are swaps available but I’ve found it helpful), loop bands and a resistance band.
• Workouts You Do On Your Own Schedule: This is huge for me! You have access to all of the workouts in the challenge to do anytime as they fit into your schedule. Workouts are presented on a calendar and during the challenge, I do like doing the workout of the day on that specific day because I find it extra motivating (so many other people are doing the same workout and sharing). However, you can absolutely complete a workout before or after the allotted day which I often have to do at least once a week when life gets in the way.
• 30 and 60 Minute Options: It’s SO helpful to have two time options available for every single workout. The 30-minute workouts are so good and just as effective, especially if you’re picking heavy weights and training to failure.
• Stimulating Workouts + Progressive Overload Training: I’ve been consistently doing Moves app workouts since last fall and still find them stimulating and motivating. Also, from an exercise science perspective, the Moves app team has the workouts majorly dialed in as they focus a lot on progressive overload (huge for muscle growth!). All workouts include exercises listed out for you to follow at your own pace along with short video tutorials of each exercise, modifications (up or down) and a place to track the weights you use week over week to help you progress. I listen to my own music (or sometimes an audiobook) when I do the workouts though I’ll sometimes pause my music if I need to listen to a more detailed exercise demo.
• Custom Macro Counts: The challenges provide you with custom macro counts which is typically a service you’d pay a pretty penny for elsewhere. I’ve tracked my protein on and off after my osteopenia diagnosis and found these numbers really interesting. You’ll be given maintenance macros or fat-loss macros you can follow depending on your goals or you can ignore this completely if you just want to do the workouts and not worry about the nutrition side of things. Also, the macros provided will fuel you and not deprive you! No 1,200 calorie diets here!!
• Macro-Friendly Recipes: A recipe PDF is also provided to challenge members with macro-friendly recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I loved trying some new higher protein recipes during the last challenge and feel like this resource is a fantastic one, as the recipe PDF includes photos of each recipes, macro breakdowns and they’re all pre-logged into My Fitness Pal for anyone who might be tracking macros as part of the challenge.

The challenge is $50 ($10/week) and I’m more than happy to answer any additional questions you may have about Move Together! I cannot wait to get started on Monday!!

• Dosey Pill Organizer

I am horrible about taking pills I have to swallow and just wish every supplement I take could be made in gummy form. I’m trying to put my big girl pants on and actually take the swallowable supplements I have in my arsenal and figured I’d take a page out of Ryan’s book and fill a weekly pill container to hopefully motivate me to take what I want/need to take every day. I got myself this pill organizer because it was cute, so here’s hoping a cute pill container helps with this not-too-hard-but-kind-of-annoying goal. (Note: This pill organizer is also available on Amazon if that’s easier, but they don’t have quite as many options.) Here’s to maybe actually taking the dang “get Julie thicker hair” supplement (aka Nutrafol) I was influenced to order last year…

• The Dog Side of Instagram (+ Algorithm Reset)

Instagram algorithms are freaky smart and I started getting a lot of puppy-related Instagram content soon after Comet joined our family. This morphed into vizsla-specific content and high-energy dog content and can I just say the dog-loving side of Instagram is where you want to be! Dog social media content is pure joy and such a contrast to a lot of other content out there theses days. (Dog grief content is also oddly helpful for me too right now. People who adore their animals just get it.)

When I got together with one of my girlfriends earlier this week, she was venting a bit about the doom and gloom content of IG and if that’s what you’re algorithm is giving you, a break is always helpful and my typical go-to solution but did you know you can also reset your Instagram algorithm? (I also always hide suggested posts in my feed every 30 days.) A lot of the content I see on social media right now is dogs (the best), easy recipes, local events/things to do in the Charlotte area, family humor, kid activities, and a small handful of everyday life content from influencers I genuinely enjoy and trust. I just wanted to encourage an algorithm reset to anyone out there who might feel like social media is a dark pit of despair (and yep, it often is).

• Friday Flashbacks

Chicken and Chickpea Salad (A produce and protein-packed salad I’ve loved for years!! This one is very meal prep friendly, too!)

Berry Crisp (Rhett’s preschool has a field trip to go strawberry picking next week and you better believe we’ll be making this with our berry haul!)

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What is one thing you’re loving this week?