Loving… my new gym! After many years of being without a gym home, I finally decided to join one after getting my bloodwork results back and realizing I need to kick my workout routine to another gear. These lazy 15-minute walks outside aren’t going to cut it anymore if I want to lower my cholesterol and diabetes risk. My mom has wanted me to join Crunch Fitness with her for a few months now, and so that’s what we did on Friday! Yesterday, I took my first in-person spin class in years and it was awful in the best possible way. It was hard and the seat felt uncomfortable and I just wanted it to be done… but I was also happy to be back on the bike and felt like I could do anything when I finished my workout. My plan is to go twice a week (starting small!) and increase my attendance from there.
Loathing… sciatica. I haven’t had to deal with sciatica in so long—it just went dormant for a few years, but now it’s back with a vengeance. I have tried heat therapy, stretches, and even a massage, but nothing was helping it. I went to a friend’s pediatric cancer event on Saturday and was so nervous about how my body would hold up to a one mile walk, which is just ridiculous. By the end of the walk, my back was so tight and I was in so much pain that I couldn’t do much more than stand around and try to take deep breaths. On Monday, I had my first appointment with a chiropractor and I am feeling hopeful that she will be able to help me. She did a ton of assessments and took X-rays, and this morning, I have a follow-up appointment to learn more about what’s going on and her treatment plan.
Reading… two books. I am a little more than halfway through Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen on audiobook. I am very annoyed at the dating choices these women are making! And in print, I’m reading Come and Get It by Kiley Reid. I have read 250 pages and I still could not succinctly tell you what this book is about.
Watching… Mr. and Mrs. Smith! A TV show, finally! I have only watched two episodes so far (okay, full disclosure: I did set it aside to watch The Trust on Netflix, which is a reality show) but I am really enjoying it. I mean, episode two was wildly uncomfortable in spots, but I am still intrigued enough to keep going.
Listening to… the Corporate Gossip podcast. I finally got through their entire archive and now I am (im)patiently awaiting season 4. This podcast is hosted by a brother and sister team who detail all sorts of stories about corporate malfeasance. They tackle both companies (like Disney, Boeing, Peloton, etc.) that have engaged in some interesting practices to say the least, as well as CEOs and their downfall (think: Ted Turner, The Murdochs, the Koch family, etc). They have such a fun tone to their podcast, even when talking about really ridiculous topics, and I have really loved learning more about the crazy, super nefarious world of corporations and business bros.
Anticipating… book club on Saturday! This was my month to plan something, and I suggested candle making. There’s a cute spot downtown where we can make candles (maybe with some book-related scents, like old paper or coffee? Hmm) and I’m excited to have a fun Saturday out with my girls! We’ll probably get lunch afterward since we have to wait two hours for our candles to set after we make them.
Excited… to announce that I got a promotion! It was entirely unexpected, as I thought I would have to wait for the next promotion cycle in a few months but our organization is going through a reorg, which entailed restructuring the way some of our teams function. Because of that, it was crucial to give me a promotion during the Q1 cycle, which is really exciting! I have a senior management title now, which just boggles my mind. Who is this girl?!
Buying… an Apple watch! I feel like I am so late to the Apple watch game, but when I learned I could use my wellness stipend for an Apple watch, it was a no-brainer. A free Apple watch? Sign me up! I got it last week and have had such a fun time playing around with it, and finding new ways for it to enhance my life.
Grateful for… winning a raffle! I’ve never won anything like this, but I bought some raffle tickets at the pediatric cancer walk I went to on Saturday and won the raffle I entered! I’m getting a $50 gift certificate to Aveda, which is really exciting because the last time I was at my salon, I saw that they have a line of products specifically designed to help oily scalps and I am here for that. I’m interested in trying this exfoliating scalp treatment, but a 5 oz bottle is $53! (I can’t remember if they had the travel size in the salon, which is $14 for .85 oz.) But with a gift certificate, I can give the full-size bottle a try without breaking the bank. Hooray for that!
Any tips, tricks, or app ideas for my Apple watch? What is something you’re loving right now?
Wow, March has been a great month for you! Congrats on the promotion! Yay for awful in the best way fitness classes! I really need to check out Mr & Mrs Smith – the only reason that I haven’t is a certain puppy’s love for squeak toys that makes it difficult to concentrate on the TV.
March was a really fantastic month for me, I can’t complain!
What is it about squeakers when it comes to dog toys? They just love ’em! Chip makes it his mission to find the squeakers as fast as possible!
OMG! Everything is coming up Stephany and I am here for it! CONGRATS on the promotion! That’s awesome! What a testament to your hard work! And you can use your health stipend on an Apple watch?!?! That is amazing! I love my Apple watch. My only complaint is that I often forget to resume my workouts if I’ve paused them for some reason. But that’s a me problem, not an Apple watch problem.
Okay, so the sciatica sucks. I am really sorry you are having a flare up and I hope you can find a quick and satisfying solution.
Love all the photos of your beautiful cats.
I’m like you, Suzanne – I pause workouts (usually walks) and then forget to start them up again. It irks me so much.
My favourite feature of the Apple Watch is the timer function. I use it daily. I’ve stopped doing anything with the rings. I was getting obsessive and it was a negative behaviour for me so I don’t “get as much” out of my Apple Watch as I might.
It was really nice to get a basically FREE Apple watch on my company’s dime, haha. It’s so much fun to play around with!
Thank you! I was honestly shocked about the promotion but I’m so excited!
Congrats on your promotion! You’re a big deal!!
Lila and Eloise are so pretty. Those eyes! I hope you tell them regularly how gorgeous they are.
Right now I’m excited because the newest season of Taskmaster starts this week! Woot for ridiculous British panel shows!
Thank you! <3
They are told a ridiculous amount of times how beautiful they are and how much I love them. They're probably sick of it by now, hehe.
Hooray for Taskmaster! Excited for you!
Congrats on your promotion. I didn’t have an Apple watch, but I did have a FitBit and I’m absolutely convinced that wearing it at night messed with my sleep……
Thank you!
I have worn my Apple watch a few times when sleeping because I do like how it tracks my sleep, but I can see how it would mess with one’s sleep!
I’m so excited that you’re loving the gym. Yes, spin classes are HARD. Even as a runner the first time I took a spin class I thought I was going to have a heart attack. But it does feel amazing afterwards.
I’m not so excited about your sciatica though- that sounds TERRIBLE. I hope the chiropractor can help. Yes, one massage probably wouldn’t do much, other than make it feel better while you’re getting the massage. You need a more involved plan.
Your book club sounds so fun. I want to start a book club! But I’m trying to think who would be in it and I can only think of one person. If only everyone we know through blogs lived in the same town- can you imagine having the Cool Bloggers Book Club in person???
Congratulations on the promotion!!!
Yeah, the problem with the massage is that she didn’t even work the area where I was experiencing pain. So I didn’t even feel better right after the massage, which was a disappointment. I mentioned specifically I scheduled this massage to help with the sciatica I was experiencing, so I wasn’t thrilled with the results. But I know long-term treatment with my chiro will be much better!
I think we DEFINITELY need a CBBC in person. Bloggers retreat, please?!
Thank you!
Congratulations on your promotion, that is wonderful and I love validation. BOO on sciatica, I’ve had that a couple of times and I HATE it. Good job on the gym! I’ve never taken a spin class, they look really intimidating to me.
Thank you!
Spin class can be intimidating! The good news is, the lights are low so nobody can see what you’re doing, ha.
Aww I love all the pics of your girlies!
I love hearing that your cycling class made you feel so good. Yay yay yay!
I really hope the chiro can help 🙁 That sounds horrible!
Okay Miss Senior Manager! I see you! Huge congrats!!!!!
Thank you, friend! It feels crazy to say that haha. Senior manager?! Who am I?!
Lol, I am so used to everyone “starting their watch” that I was like, “she doesn’t already HAVE a watch?” I don’t have an Apple, I have a Garmin, but same thing. WELCOME TO THE CULT OF THE STEP COUNTERS.
Yay for the new gym and spin class. I used to love spin class, pre-pandemic – I probably also went twice a week. Now with the Peloton I just do that, and I don’t even know where spin classes are around here! But I love a good spin! I’m excited for you. It’s possible the motion will help with the sciatica, too. Maybe? I had sciatica when I was pregnant with M and it was SO painful. Ugh, I hope you get it fixed asap.
Congrats on your promotion! That’s wonderful news.
Have fun at book club, can’t wait to hear about it. xo
I have had a fitbit for a while but I really don’t like worrying about my steps, which the fitbit is really focused on. I like that I can focus on something else with my Apple watch! I don’t even worry about closing my rings! It’s nice.
I was amazed that my sciatica didn’t hurt at all during spin. Maybe because my butt was in so much pain from the seat, lol.
Thank you!
What a lot of great things, and that’s before I even mention the lovely cat photos! I hope the chiropractic helps with the sciatica, and then it will be ALL good!
The cats must be included, you know! 😉 I hope so, too. I am feeling good about the treatment plan, so I can’t wait to start seeing results.
Congrats on the promotion!!! That is so awesome – I hope it also came with a raise! I am not surprised about this as it seems like you are thriving in your management role! I’m so happy for you!
I hope the sciatica pain is getting better. I am glad you are seeing someone to get to the bottom of it. It sounds so awful!!
And yay for an Apple Watch! I just got one last year and I love it so much! I think my fave feature is being able to ping your phone to find it. I am often misplacing my phone is our house. I use that feature an embarrassing number of times each week.
Thank you! And yes, it does come with a raise. Hooray for that!
Right now, it’s great being able to respond to messages right from my wrist! I am so bad at timely responses so at least I can respond if it’s something quick.
Congrats on the promotion! And, the gym! And, the watch! I loved reading this. I am so bad about the apps on my Apple Watch; I use it for such specific things (workouts, the time, sneak reading text messages in meetings) that I haven’t played with the apps as much. I did discover a few months ago that I can set up my phone for a picture and then use my watch to actually take the picture which has been such a game changer for how not-falling-over and/or slightly-more-chill I look in our family self-taken pictures 😉 hope you have the best weekend!
Ooh, that picture tip is a great one! I just discovered I can take a picture with my watch but wasn’t sure how it worked exactly. That’s amazing!
Oh, my goodness, where to start?!?! The promotion, of course. YAY YOU. I hope you may be starting to realize just how much you bring to your company? I suspect your contributions and ability to mentor your co-workers make you an extremely valuable employee. The best part is that it was a surprise. That just makes me so happy – I can only imagine your reaction!
Also yay gym, and that feeling of a workout well done. I hope it – and the increased movement overall – can help relieve the sciatica. No joke, that. Does alternating standing and sitting during the day help?
Your kitties… sigh. I wish I were not allergic.
You are starting spring off on such a high note! Go, you. <3
First of all, good for you for signing up for a gym again. I hope it’ll help you keep consistent with your workouts and achieve your health goals. Go you!
Also, congrats on your promotion. That is huge! What do you have to do to get one? You said that there are promotion cycles? Gah, I am so in the wrong field… promotions are so hard to come by at the government (or so it seems). But this is really awesome that you were able to get another promotion so quickly. They must be really happy with your work!
I am sorry you’re dealing with sciatica. That can be so painful. I hope the chiropractor can help!