Highlights from the Week {Exploring NYC, Workouts, and More}

Hello hello! Happy Monday, and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

I thought I’d just do a quick recap of some highlights from this week, along with a couple photos to back me up. Because if you didn’t take a picture of it, did it really happen? 😉

The Lively Show Episodes 100, 115, 120

I’m still absolutely smitten with this podcast, and these episodes especially REALLY resonated with me. One of them is with Elizabeth Gilbert, who I knew was cool but hadn’t ever realized how truly incredible she is until I heard this episode, and two are with Alex Ikonn, who is such an inspiration and was full of tips and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs or just people who want to live their best life. I highly recommend listening to those three, and then every other episode as well. 😉

Meditation

I’m still doing my best to start my day with a short meditation instead of reaching for my phone first thing. I prefer to do the meditations lying down in bed instead of sitting, so it’s perfect to do once I wake up and stretch a bit. I’m definitely still learning and nowhere near perfect at it.

A few days ago, though, as I was walking through Midtown, I passed St. Patrick’s Cathedral and had the biggest urge to go inside and just sit there. I ended up sitting there for quite a while, just admiring the gorgeous interior. Eventually, I  slipped into a meditation practice that felt so unbelievably rejuvenating, albeit unexpected. Meditation for me has nothing to do with religion; I guess I was drawn to the cathedral because it was a place of total calm amidst the craziness of midtown Manhattan, and it was exactly what I needed at the moment.

I haven’t yet found a good guided meditation that really vibes with me, so I’ve just been going it on my own, but if anyone has any recommendations, please do drop them in the comments below!

And speaking of comments, for all you guys who comment, please know that it absolutely makes my day. You all are the sweetest, and I am so grateful for you. For those who don’t usually comment, go ahead and say hi! I’d love to meet as many of you as I can 🙂

Stonefruit Espresso + Kitchen

This place was on my and Gtown Bestie’s list for a while! It’s kind of out of the way, on the very edge of Williamsburg, but we’d been having brunch at Sunday in Brooklyn, so we figured we’d hop over for some coffee.

This place was SO CUTE. Their coffee (I got the iced almond milk latte duh) was DIVINE, as was the ambience and aesthetic. Plants everywhere, long rustic wooden tables, and plenty of natural light. I would SO come here to work every single day if it wasn’t so out of the way.

Also, their banana bread with espresso glaze was otherworldly, and I got my dog a little 75 cent dog treat that they had in a little bowl, which she loved! And the girl is quite picky!

The Quiet Place

So okay. I am NOT a horror movie fan. The last horror movie I watched was Orphan with that horrible little girl, and I was 12 YEARS OLD! I still get terrible scene flashes from this movie from time to time. I especially can’t stand psychological horror that plays on basic human fears. Nope, can’t do it. So when two of my friends suggested going to see The Quiet Place when we were hanging out, I was QUITE hesitant. I think the only reason I didn’t yell NO and run in the opposite direction is because it’s a project of John Krasinksi’s, and well, I love Jim and The Office. :p

But one of the friends who had seen it said it wasn’t all that scary and definitely wouldn’t leave me scarred for 8 years.

So I caved, and ya know, I actually enjoyed it. I mean. I’m still definitely not a horror movie fan, but it was a really well-made movie! And John Krasinski is a gem, so that helps 😉

Call Me By Your Name

I’ve been wanting to watch this movie basically since it first came out, so when Georgetown Bestie came over after our brunch date, we knew exactly what to play. I absolutely adored this movie. I really can’t do it justice, so all I will say is go watch it now now now.

Timotheè Chalamet is honestly a vision; you can’t keep your eyes off his subtle nuanced expressions throughout the film. And the way they portray the complicated but also shockingly simple process of falling in love was captivating. I’ll shout my love for this movie from the rooftops!

The BEST Cookies

I may have mentioned previously that I’m a recipe tester for Talia’s upcoming cookbook, which is SUCH a fun gig. Most recently, I had to make these gluten free chocolate chip cookies. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I was NOT expecting for both me and my mom to look at each other with wide eyes upon taking the first bite and saying, “THESE ARE THE BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES EVER!” in unison. May or may not have had them as meals once or twice or six times heh.

Also I realize how cruel it is for me to just post this picture and not give you a recipe, but sorry darlings, it’s top secret! Guess you’ll just have to buy Talia’s cookbook next year 😉

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

I’ve heard about this book for ages, and I finally decided to pick it up. It was a super quick read, just one subway ride’s worth basically, but it was packed to the brim with  such good info. I love that this book is just a no-nonsense guide to how we were all meant to eat. No special diets, no elimination, no “rules” per se, just getting back to the basics. I highly recommend you all check it out.

Exploring Union Square

I’ve always loved Union Square, but a couple days ago, I had a totally spontaneous day with a lovely friend, and we ended up wandering into a bunch of random spots around USQ that I’d never been to before!

First, ABC Carpet & Home is my new happy place. Maybe that means I’m getting old, but we were both fangirling over EVERYTHING in that store. It’s basically every millennial’s dream, and I couldn’t stop picturing all the gorgeous furniture and decor in my future apartment. A girl can dream 😉

Then, we hopped into Union Fare, just to check it out because my friend said it was super cute. Cute it was! They have all these little stations, like a bakery section, a cookie-specific section (I mean…come on), and some different more savory stations. Apparently their bakery section is famous for their naturally flavored croissants. I thought the matcha croissant looked especially good, so I will definitely have to return!

Finally, we were passing by Chloe’s Soft Serve, which has been on my to-try list for AGES, and we were both really feeling something cold and creamy, yet light. The soft serve is made of just frozen bananas, some coconut sugar, and then whatever other ingredient the flavor necessitates. I had the small with banana, coffee, and dark chocolate soft serve, with strawberries and cacao nibs, and covered in a peanut butter sauce. So frickin’ good! Def going to come back 😀

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On that note, one of the recurring themes of the week was just spontaneous plans. I’m lucky enough to currently have the freedom in my day to be flexible, but as someone who loves having a plan and gets genuine satisfaction from sticking to the plan, I haven’t always been one to agree to do something that would mess with my carefully planned out day.

I will absolutely write a post on how I have become MUCH more spontaneous in all areas of my life because I think a lot of you guys would relate, or at least get something out of it, so stay tuned for that!

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Weekly Workouts

I know a lot of you guys like when I post all my workouts of the week, and it’s been a while, so here ya go 🙂

Monday– quick warm up cardio + arm strength

Tuesday– cardio and abs routine + Pilates ab finisher

Wednesday– lower body HIIT + lower body Pilates + this quick butt finisher

Thursday– rest/walking around NYC

Friday– cardio kickboxing and no-equipment upper body + this killer ab routine

Saturday– quick but super effective HIIT + total body strength workout

Sunday– yoga core routine + stress relief yoga

Note: The types of workouts I do, the length of time I work out, and the intensity of each day all vary by week based on how I FEEL and how much energy I have. This is what worked for me on one particular week, but it is not necessarily going to be right for you. You may need much more or much less, so listen to your body!

And remember to always eat enough to fuel your workouts and keep that metabolism revving! <3

And that’s all for today! See you guys on Wednesday for some eats! Make today awesome <3

Linking up with Meg for Week in Review

 

Tell me some highlights from your week! Or just tell me hi and something fun about yourself down below! 🙂