Things that make me feel good.

Things that make me feel good: 

 #1: Fun notes next to the various alarms I have set up on my iPhone. Sure this involves a fair amount of early wake-ups each week but just these little notes next to each one make me just a little bit more excited about the dark-thirty wake-ups.

For example, the ‘b9 6am class’ alarm goes off on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, while the “Tues AM run” is set for Tuesdays (obvs, lol) and then “b9 fitdate/rundate with Steph” goes off each Wednesday. So yup, pretty much every day of the work week involves a 5:xx alarm. And somehow, I’m totally ok with that. <– will be even MORE ok with that when it’s bright and sunny out well before my alarm goes off #hurryupspring

(and yes, I realize that these are all pretty random alarm times I’ve set here. I can’t ever choose a normal time like 5:00 or 5:30, it has to be random. Am I weird or do you guys have these random alarm rules too?)

#2: Accountability by way of new fit gear. Yup, accountability comes in many shapes and sizes folks. Not just from shouting it out loud and proud on Facebook for all to see and hear, but sometimes just the sheer thought of rocking out some new fit gear can get my butt shifted into #ampitup mode.

Wednesday morning was one of those occasions. (aka “b9 fitdate/rundate with Steph”)

I finally got a chance to test out my new Ellie gear and I am IN LOVE with both pieces. The top is suuuper flattering – looove the neckline and the thumbholes. Perfect for a post-class run or a pre-class layer to keep me warm and cozy before teaching or taking a class at the studio.

And the bottoms are lightweight, also very flattering and fit just right, totally true to size (top was also true to size, btw).
But best of all? I felt GREAT in my new gear. Energized and excited for class and then a quick run today, just the ‘me workout’ I needed mid-week. #accountabilityrocks

(If you want to try out Ellie, I’m an ambassador for them and so far have really appreciated the new gear so much. If you want to snag 20% off, you can click this link.)

#3: New food finds! Oatmeal lover up in here finally tried a new (to me) way of prepping my oatmeal. Baked!! I am in LOVE with this style, especially during the week when I’m at work and reheating my oatmeal vs. cooking it fresh on the stovetop.

Before:

After:

(I practically licked the bowl clean!)

Perhaps this requires a ‘foodie Friday’ post to dig a little deeper into some of the recent new foodie finds I’ve discovered lately. It’s been awhile, hmm?

So there’s that – my “what makes me feel good” list for the week. Fitting seeing as its winesday and I’m off to enjoy a much needed date night in with the hubs.
And yup, wine *will* be served. Cheers! 😉

Of three-peats and trying new things (Ellie!)

So I talk about barre n9ne often.
Ok, I talk about barre n9ne A LOT.

…but it’s only because I love, love, love everything about it — the workouts, the clients, the community we’ve built and yes — what I love most of all is being able to teach. It’s an honor, truly.

What I haven’t really talked about all that much here is how often I teach or what my schedule looks like. And well, I’m not necessarily here to blab on about THAT per se, I am here today to talk about what I’m loving about the barre n9ne ‘three-peat’ I teach every single Monday.

You might sometimes see me refer to it as the ‘three-peat’ or sometimes the ‘3-fer’ on instagram if I opt to post on instagram a post-class sweaty-faced pic at the studio, or a post-class glass of pic of the glass of wine I routinely pour after the last class of the day is over with for me. (case in point below)

But what IS this ‘three-peat’ all about? It started with me starting up the 6am Monday morning class. A class that admittedly was slow to pickup steam at first — I mean, 6am on a MONDAY is rough. Who wants to roll out of bed that early on a Monday anyway?? Well hi, I do. 😉

And I slowly convinced clients that it was the most EXCELLENT idea ever to kickoff the work week with a barre n9ne sweatfest.

Well, soon after that, I picked up the 7am class too and for me, it’s been a blast to rock a barre n9ne double each Monday morning. Even if that means a mad dash and scramble to get to work after that. It’s always, always, always worth it. And THEN, once the Danvers studio expanded to two fitness rooms vs. one, I picked up a 7pm class too. Monday night is ‘bowling night’ for Scott so I readily volunteered for more studio time that day — because to me, that’s an awesome way to kick off a ‘me’ night — at my favorite home away from home. 😉

So WHY am I telling you all of this? Not because I want to look like some crazy ass instructor rockstar or something (seriously, not the point), but because Monday’s have become an awesome day for me. Any time I wake up with the “Monday morning blues” they are almost immediately dashed away as soon as I set foot in the studio at 5:30am. Sure, it makes for a long day between teaching and my day job, but hell – let’s be honest: I’d be taking a class or running if I wasn’t teaching, right??

And this past Monday? I had an extra spring in my step. A spring in my step that could only be the result of new workout gear to wear while teaching. And *GASP* it was NOT Lululemon gear I was wearing on Monday (shocking I know, such a #luluhoarder I am!). It was something new. A new tank and leggings from a company called Ellie. Some of you might know them by ‘pv.body’ which has since morphed into Ellie — an online clothing retailer of their own brand of workout gear called “Ellie.”  For awhile the company was selling discounted name-brand gear (like lulu and others) via the pv.body name, but they’ve since changed their business model and so far, I’m totally digging it.

Let’s be honest — they make some pretty cute gear:

(Note: the top is called ‘the vixen’ which I kind of love haha, and the bottom is called ‘love struck leggings’ — in case you’re browsing the site later looking for either item!)

And while this particular top required me to wear a second sports bra (to avoid showing off the girls during class lol), I think that was mostly because the top was a looser style and I probably should have gone a size smaller. I’m hoping I can shrink the top a bit when I wash it, maybe. Otherwise, I LOVED the top. So comfy and way cute. And the pants were equally comfy and very flattering. I could see myself running in these pants with no problem, and they were great to teach in. Totally recommend either one.

And really, it’s looking like all of their stuff will be fun, unique pieces to rock at the studio, the gym, the streets, etc. — you can check more of their stuff out here: http://www.ellie.com/ 

(you can also follow them on Twitter: @MeetEllie, Instagram, and Facebook: MeetEllie)

AND if you’re interested in giving Ellie a try, you can click this link and get 20% off your order. I know, I know, #badinfluence alert. 😉

Buuut you’ll have to put up with me because 1) I’m here to stay (hehe) and 2) I’m now an Ellie Ambassador so in addition to my incessant #luluhoarder ways, I’m thinking I may be an #elliehoarder soon too. 😉